# Good beginner crusing grounds?



## Filmsomething (Mar 15, 2006)

I've been lake sailing for 7 years on and off on various sized boats and consider my self average in experiance. The wife and I were talking with another couple about doing a "cheap" cruise on the coast with our boat (Catalina 25 swing keel). We rolled the idea around of going down to the keys, drop in at Miami and make our way down over aweek or so. While that still doesn't seem bad I feel since I'm not completly use to alot of "traffic" on the water it may be a bad place to start, also it's about 16 hours away from Ohio pulling a large boat.

So I was wondering what other places people would recomend for a week sail in July? I would be docked or on a mooring most of the time so afordable marinas would be nice. The boat draws 5' down but only 2' with the board up, I rarely have it up though. 

Edit: I had thought about lake erie but the wife loves warm water


----------



## AlanBrown (Dec 20, 2007)

Two places I'd suggest, Long Island Sound and Chesapeake Bay. Both places have lots of neat places to visit and practice your cruising skills. The water is not too cold for comfort, at least to this old New Englander.


----------



## SecondWindNC (Dec 29, 2008)

I'll add a plug for North Carolina - the sailing is good, and the bottom is mostly mud and soft sand, so it's relatively forgiving. With a 5-foot draft you'd have no problem. The Pamlico Sound offers the feeling of being on a large body of water while still being somewhat protected. It can however build a steep chop in strong winds because of the long fetch over shallow water.

There are a variety of coastal communities to visit, including Ocracoke Island, which really should be on everybody's must-visit list; Washington, which has put a lot into sprucing up its waterfront offerings for boaters; and Oriental, which has a strong sailing contingent; among others. There's also the Beaufort/ Morehead City area and Cape Lookout Bight, which is a beautiful spot to visit. The waters are not overly crowded, so the boat traffic shouldn't make you uncomfortable.


----------



## blt2ski (May 5, 2005)

While you may not want a great lake, I am recalling on michigan an area with lots of islands to poke around etc. This in reality might be easier than a salt water environment initially. As depending upon what saltwater area you are, tides can get fun. Here in Puget Sound, 12-14' changes can occur, with lows int he 2-4' range. 

You might also toy with a charter for a week too. Might be easier and cost equal to pulling your boat to the east coast or equal if you want warmer climates.

Marty


----------



## bakerha51 (Nov 22, 2007)

OK - I'll chime in for Lake Erie. The water warms good by mid summer but it's no Florida or Bahamas. (However - the thought of Florida in July is not a pleasant one). The Islands around Sandusky are very nice to sail and visit and there are plenty of harbors and anchorages to suit any need. But don't be misled - Erie is big water and can get as ugly as any - especially on the West end. Would be a great place to work on your traffic issues and navigation skills too. If you still want to go south - there is a nice charter place in Marathon (keys) that has decent deals on their boats. That would beat hauling the 25 so far and spending most of your time towing and launching the boat.


----------



## dongreerps (May 14, 2007)

Getting your boat to the Keys would be a real drag. All the other suggestions will feature cool water, but they otherwise make a lot of sense. The western shore of Lake Michigan has lots of places to explore. Les Cheneaux are fun to pot hole around, and of course Makinac is worth looking at. You would be very smart to plan on spending every third night ashore in a nice motel with unlimited warm water showers, etc. Treting your lady like a princess will make future trips easier to sell.
You might make double plans. Plan a trip on your boat, and simultaneously monitor charter companies sites for last minute deals. You might come up with an affordable trip to one of the islands at the last minute. Doing the planning as a group will quickly let you know what the wife is thinking about, and you can be guided by her desires.


----------



## MJBrown (Apr 1, 2009)

Chesapeake Bay, too many destinations both town and anchorages to mention in this post. Mud or sand bottom, pretty scenery, quiet towns or big cities all within a days, or less, sail.


----------



## Filmsomething (Mar 15, 2006)

SecondWind- Pamlico sound is one of the places I was considering, remote and relaxed. Exactly what I'm the mood for.

Blt2Ski- If I went to the great lakes I would probably stick with Lake Erie, sandusky area. I would be interested in chartering but if I did that I would want to bareboat, not fool with paying a captain and all the extra stuff. Until I get a chance to take the 103 and 104 classes it seems like there are very few charter places out there that would cater to me.

Bakerha51- put-in-bay/kellys island is the area I was considering if I went that rout, seems to have the atmosphere that the wife would enjoy.

I'll run a few by the other couple and see what their take is on them. I appreciate all the suggestions


----------



## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

Off the wall suggestion 

Could you get a roro car ferry to the Bahamas, propably too pricey even if they exist but great cruising once you get there.


----------



## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

*Get some cruising guides!*



Filmsomething said:


> SecondWind- Pamlico sound is one of the places I was considering, remote and relaxed. Exactly what I'm the mood for.
> 
> Blt2Ski- If I went to the great lakes I would probably stick with Lake Erie, sandusky area. I would be interested in chartering but if I did that I would want to bareboat, not fool with paying a captain and all the extra stuff. Until I get a chance to take the 103 and 104 classes it seems like there are very few charter places out there that would cater to me.
> 
> ...


All of the suggestions are good. I like the Chesapeake for many reasons: lots of towns to see, always somewhere to hide from weather, and beaches and such many places (more so in the mid to lower Bay). Also, far less risk of a huricane screwing up your plans. Yes, they happen very rarely, but only ruin a few days of sailing. You just hide in a marina.

There is some stuff on my blog.


----------



## SecondWindNC (Dec 29, 2008)

Filmsomething, I'm glad to offer any help or suggestions I can, and if you do come down this way, hope you'll stop in and say hi. Can't go wrong with any of these suggestions, as they all involve sailing!


----------



## aerie (Jul 14, 2000)

*Asa 103/104*



Filmsomething said:


> Until I get a chance to take the 103 and 104 classes it seems like there are very few charter places out there that would cater to me.


As an ASA instructor with a boat on Lake Erie, I can help you with that. I specialize in training couples how to work together as a team.

Another Great Lake option is to drop your boat in at Mackinaw City and cruise from Mackinac Island to Les Cheneaux to DeTour to Drummond Island. If you want to go to Canada, the North Channel of Lake Huron has endless wilderness anchorage opportunities, with several nice marinas to visit also.

I have cruised the Florida Keys from Miami Beach to Key West and back in about two weeks. If you have less time I would suggest Marathon to Key West and back. You might also want to consider Charlotte Harbor out of Punta Gorda or Burnt Store Marina on Florida's Gulf Coast.

Pick your area, then get the cruising guide and charts to start planning your cruise.


----------



## bakerha51 (Nov 22, 2007)

FS: put-in-bay and kellys island are cool and the Bass Islands has a new park/marina that is supposed to very nice (haven't been there yet). On the ASA thing, I would put together a sailing resume(available at many charter web sites) and see what the charter companies have to say if you are interested in that. They may limit the boat size or range you can sail but many are willing to rent you a boat. Don't want to deter the education thing as it is very important that you improve your skills.


----------



## justified (Jun 14, 2007)

FS
I have to agree with either the Chesapeake or Pemlico sound area. Even thou I am from LIS area and there is alot of amazing places to sail here, from where you are the trip would be easier and shorter to go to the south. Oriental is a beautiful area to start from on the Pemlico. If you want to do some coastal cruising the Moorehead City area would be a good starting point, it will allow easy access to the ocean then heading south towards Mertle beach area or farther there are plenty of places to duck back into the ICW especially with your shallow draft if thing get nasty. Good luck and happy planning. PS. if you don't already use it Join Activecaptian.com its free and will help in you planning

Peter
"justified"


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I'd vote for the Chesapeake. One major reason I like the Chesapeake for beginners is that the bottom there is mostly mud and any groundings are likely to be relatively less traumatic and far kinder to the boat than say in my neck of the woods, where the New England coastline has a lot of uncovered granite..... 

There are also a lot of different places to go, relatively close together, and the Chesapeake tends to be fairly benign, excepting the occasional summer thunderstorm. Buzzards Bay is a great cruising ground, but the shorelines and bottom are less forgiving, and the weather can be a bit more dangerous, as you're not quite as sheltered as the Chesapeake. 

The one major downside to the Chesapeake is the sheer amount of traffic... ranging from idiots on PWC to large commercial ships.


----------



## Filmsomething (Mar 15, 2006)

Thank you all for the responses, hopefully this thread will be useful to others in my position.

Currently we are deciding between two places. 

Pamlico Sound looks great, quiet and simple. Dropping in at Washington, Nc seems like it would be a good place to leave the truck. Just have to make sure everyone is ok with "small town" type stuff.

The other option is Chesapeake, is more developed and would offer more night life if we wanted to get off the boat and stretch our legs. The traffic would be more of a concern but still manageable.

Right now I'm going to pick up books on both from Amazon and get a feel on how they both look. The back up is Erie if the weather looks like it will be an issue.


----------



## mccary (Feb 24, 2002)

Traffic on The Chesapeake Bay is heavy on weekends but WAY less during the week. Add to that if you go south of Annapolis you can see fewer and fewer boats as the miles click off. 

For an adventure of a lifetime make a visit to Tangier Island. This a fun trip as it allows you to sail out of sight of land to get to the Island.


----------



## Soontobecruiser (Mar 15, 2008)

Two things to consider, there is not a lot of wind on the Chesapeake Bay in general in July and the there are lots of jellyfish, mosquitoes, and biting flies. July and August were usually when we pulled the boat out of the water to work on it because it wasn't fit to be in the water.


----------



## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

*July is when it is not fit to work on the boat!*



Soontobecruiser said:


> Two things to consider, there is not a lot of wind on the Chesapeake Bay in general in July and the there are lots of jellyfish, mosquitoes, and biting flies. July and August were usually when we pulled the boat out of the water to work on it because it wasn't fit to be in the water.


Honestly, bugs are only an issue in marinas or within a few hundred feet of shore, so sleep on the hook.

Late summer winds are often disapointing. It pays to have a boat that does well in light air and to fly a chute when you can.


----------



## micksbuddy (Aug 11, 2006)

My vote would be the Chesapeake, for the sheer variety of places to see within relatively short distances. Or if you want to stay in the Great Lakes, I'd suggest hauling the boat up the North Channel and/or Georgian Bay, that's a great cruising area as well!


----------

