Anchoring-Out 'Back East

[Casey]

...I guess this is "sort" of an anchoring question:

In the Western US and Southeast Alaska anchoring-out is quite easy, and often (in AK) even marina space is inexpensive.

My question has to do with anchoring-out and marina expenses in the Eastern US (...east of the Mississippi).

I've read that some marina's charge nearly $2/foot for transients. At the same time (I've read) that some communities frown on cruisers anchoring-out versus using available marina's. True?

On the other hand some areas (e.g. the Erie Canal) seem Very cruiser friendly and go out of their way to attract cruisers.

I would appreciate your thoughts and observations.

Although I'm currently "boatless," the Itch has got me again and I may have to jump-back-In.

Best,
Casey
(vice) C-Dory Naknek
on the road (headed back to AZ at the moment)

[JamesTXSD]

Well, your new home state has tried enacting different anti-anchoring ordinances in some locations. According to law, they cannot interfere with safe maritime practices, including anchoring. Some locales have tried getting around this by trying to keep out "liveaboards", legislating the maximum amount of time you can be anchored. We've found Florida marina prices amongst the highest, including some that have minimum size requirements... you can stay there with a smaller boat, but you will pay for 30'.

With the previous housing boom, marinas were getting bought up and replaced with condos... creating more demand for slips and less supply as people got booted out of their slips. Prices vary widely around the state.

I can't speak to the rest of the East Coast... but I intend to work on it.

Glad to hear you're being pulled back in.

Best wishes,
Jim

[mcc272]

Casey --

You talk about some places charging nearly $2/ft here in the east. I would love to find a place that low on Long Island Sound. $2.50 per foot plus $7/night for electricity is about minimum around here and the numbers can go well higher. That said, do not despair about the Northeast. Especially, if you jump back into a C-Dory, there are a ton of places to anchor out even in these congested waters. There are literally hundreds of places on both sides of Long Island Sound where you could anchor out and hit marinas only when you need to stop to reprovision. Now, the difference compared to some of your more normal haunts, is that the coves will have other boats in them but if you start looking for shallow places, you will leave others behind even on weekends. When you go up on the Erie Canal and places like that, the costs go down and there are lock walls on which you can overnight, frequently at little or no cost. One of the reasons we dropped from a Nordic Tug 37 to the C-Dory 22 is that the C-Dory opens up a world of anchoring that is not available to us in a boat that draws more than 4 feet. If we could find 15 places to anchor within an X nautical mile radius on Long Island Sound with a Nordic Tug 37, the available anchorages on a C-Dory 22 would be 5 times as many!

Hope that helps. If this area is your potential destination, I would be glad to answer questions for you or others

Jim

[Papillon]

Jim is right about Florida being at the top of the list when it comes to marina rates. His reasons for why is right on too.

But if you want to anchor out as you move around the state there are planty of places to do so without raising the rafe of local lawman. Here in Naples you can anchor in front of million dollar homes for as long as you would want to. After hearing the lawn crews with their leaf blowers for a few days, you will want to move on anyway.

Up around Sarasota and Tampa they are installing mooring balls and are trying to encourage boaters to use them instead of dropping anchor. It allows them to put money in the coffers and provides waste management.

But even in these areas a 22 or 25 footer C-Dory can go just about anywhere they choose for several days without being bothered.

On another note, we paid $3.00 per foot at A&B Marina in Key West back in November and it was worth every dollar because of the nice clean docks, resturants, baths, and walking distance of the entire downtown of Key West. We had the 25 Macgregor sailboat and $75.00 per nite was cheap lodging for Key West.

Let us know where you are planning to settle so we can make sure to stop in and mooch a bit.

[Simplicity]

We're cruising in the upper mid west and marina rates are a bargain compared to back East.We're renting a slip in Red Cliff across from the Apostle islands on lake Superior for a month.That comes out to a ridiculously low $ 8.30 a night including electricity.We even get Wi Fi on the boat!

[hank schneider]

Last summer on the NC coast and this spring in SC `the range was $1.10 (primative) to $2.00 (nice) - very easy to find nice places to overnight and guides point out the prime ones. This summer the $2.00 standard held in the Bahamas for very nice places but most ports had public docks and calm anchorage.

[toyman]

Coming down the Champlain the marina rates were $1.50 - $1.75 generally, some higher. But plenty of places to anchor.

Now we're sitting at Waterford, NY Erie canal visitor center - free water and power for the 1st 2 nights, $10 a night after that - with WiFi and Don and Pauls eatery down the street !!

[El and Bill]

Usually anchoring out involves only decisions of a nautical nature - bottom conditions, swinging room, protection from wind, tidal shifts, etc. but along some parts of the East Coast we had to consider 'human' factors.

Some coves in Connecticut were so choked full of private mooring balls that there was precious little anchoring space and high probability of fouling a cable - also often a sign saying "no anchoring" or "see harbor master for mooring ball for itinerants" (with a hefty charge). And Florida had it's own constraints that sometimes involved a friendly meeting with harbor 'police.'

Marina charges were generally higher in the East, and now with fewer boats traveling, we hear they are rising about as fast as the economy is slowing.

[matt_unique]

I don't know if you're looking as far east as MA but transient marina rates here are $4 p/foot with electricity.

[marvin4239]

In recent years I've cruised from Oriental NC to Fort Meyers FL and most of the Saint Johns. I've found prices to vary from $60 per night to free. I haven't been to the Keys in many years but they seem to be really high from reports. I think the average in my travels would probably be around $1.25 to $1.50 a foot. As far as anchoring out there are plenty of locations along the ICW and Saint Johns.

[Doryman]

You might want to check to see if Skipper Bob has a publication that covers your intended cruising area. I know they have a book of anchorages along the ICW.

Warren

[dahkota]

Since we have only had our boat a couple of weeks, we haven't had much time to explore. But, so far, here on the Chesapeake bay, there are more places to anchor out than there are marinas. And there are tons of marinas. We have been up and down the South River which has a couple of nice places. We anchored out in Dividing Creek off of the Wye River last week but we had our choice of probably 50 different spots to anchor along the river. We checked out the West River and the Rhode River; the Rhode had a couple of really nice spots we will return to. This weekend it will be the Chester River and I already found what I hope will be a perfect place.

Marina Rates here run from $1.50-3.00 a foot that I have seen. Its highest in Annapolis, St. Michael's and DC. A great place to check for information is activecaptain.com (http://www.activecaptain.com/OTW.php). I think they are working on covering the entire east coast, though I am trying to learn the bay before I cruise further...

[hughpenk]

Hey Casey, I'm on my way to Don and Paul's eater for their $1.75 breakfast special, 2 eggs,toast and a bottomless cup of coffee. The Troy Town Dock has a 50% off special for season's docking-$600 for my 25'. Brew pub withing stumbling distance.

[Sea Wolf]

[Casey]

Thanks Everyone !

As usual C-Brat's is a veritable Fount of information.

As I suspected, marina's in the east seem to be more expensive but with the availability of anchoring sites it seems easily manageable.

Thanks for all the good information!

Best,
Casey