Boating in the Eastern US

Kim's picture
Posted January 10th, 2008 by Kim
Forum Topic


Boating in the East - USA

My husband and I have visited the Gulf and East coasts of the U.S. (up to Virginia), and really enjoyed visiting all the coastal areas.  We were going to bring our sailboat over to Florida to cruise the Keys and Bahamas, but decided the "skinny waters" weren't quite deep enough for our boat. 

We ended up buying a canoe and having a great time paddling Biscayne Bay (great Manatee sightings), the Thousand islands group (dolphins and exotic birds galore), the Everglades (lots o' alligators), among other spots.  We visited all the marinas (a great way to get to know the locals), and visited lots of local pubs along the ICW, for uh, research.  Met lots of wonderful people, just by making no plans and taking others advice on where to visit next.  The Outer Banks of North Carolina were another real treat.  The lighthouses are a photographers dream, and learning the history of sailing and piracy was an added bonus to the trip.  The boat ride from Ocrakoke in a rain storm is our idea of a real adventure, for sure.

We have lots of YachtPals and visitors from the East and Gulf Coasts.  So, I was wondering about your favorite cruising spots. 

Where are your all time favorite places to go for a daysail, weekend, vacation?

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Laguna Madre

Sailor (anonymous)'s picture
On January 14th, 2008 Sailor (anonymous) says:

One of my favorite areas for sailing is the lower Laguna Madre, which is a long thin bay running about 1/2 the length of the Texas Gulf Coast. It is the southernmost portion of the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway). The Laguna Madre is good for sailing because it is protected from the Gulf of Mexico seas by Padre Island. This area also home to lots of animals, including the Ridley sea turtle, Sandhill crane, and dolphins.    Bill from Texas

Sailing School

conrat66's picture
On January 15th, 2008 conrat66 says:

conrad  Typed a very long post and lost it some how  DAMN.    Shorter  think about the Virgin is great sailing school and vacation  or The Bahamas great sailing not sure about schools there .

Biscayne Bay!

Pascal's picture
On March 6th, 2008 Pascal says:

How big is your boat? Most of Biscayne Bay is reasonably deep with up to 8 to 9 feet, many monohulls up to 60' or so sail around.

It's nice protected waters with many anchorages within a few miles. Great for day or weekend outings.

For those with Google Earth, here is a link to a KML file that includes many info on Biscayne bay, incl. pictures.

http://www.sandbarhopper.com/assets/charts/biscaynebay.kmz

And of course, where biscayne bay ends, the Florida Keys start. although if you draw over 5', depths in the bay maybe an issue and you're better off on the outside.

Pascal
Miami, FL
1970 Hatteras 53MY
Live Helm Cam www.sandbarhopper.com

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