Moving to a warm climate?

Does anyone have a comment on the Southern Adriatic or the Mediterranean between Naples and Palermo? What is cruising like there? I had to be on the Italian mainland a couple of weeks ago and the climate there at this time of the year seemed a lot like California. Very, very nice for November. I could get used to that food.

Perth is W.A. gets my vote too. Been lots of places all over the world. Still look back at Perth as the best climate. Good beer too.

bshillam said:

So this last week the family vacationed in Hawaii and well - we loved it! Warm weather 80 ish, dry spent every morning enjoying our coffee and dinners on the lanai. Walked around in t-shirts and sandals. Every time I checked the weather back home I kind of felt lucky. (20 and snowing). So - to get our creative juices flowing, we're thinking about vacation property or the eye on something that leads us closer to an area we really are attracted to.
Our agenda or goal

Dry weather (or dryer, say 50-80 days of rain a year)
Warm year round (day time temps about mid 60s to 80s)
Lower humidity. (Nothing that feels like you are taking a shower as you step out of the door)
Good to great boating, ideally clear water

Thoughts?

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Aside from "Good to great boating, ideally clear water" you perfectly described where I live in Colombia, South America (One hours drive outside of the city of Medellin, Colombia, which BTW has a nickname of "The City of Eternal Spring").

For "Good to great boating, ideally clear water" you're a short and inexpensive flight away from Santa Marta, Colombia where they just built a brand new marina. Santa Marta is on the Atlantic/Caribbean side of Colombia so you're within a reasonable distance to some of the most beautiful warm water cruising areas of the world, Aruba, Curacao to name a couple of them.

klee wyck said:

Does anyone have a comment on the Southern Adriatic or the Mediterranean between Naples and Palermo? What is cruising like there? I had to be on the Italian mainland a couple of weeks ago and the climate there at this time of the year seemed a lot like California. Very, very nice for November. I could get used to that food.

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My son has lived in Northern Italy for almost 2 years and says the climate is remarkably similar to California. He's been to France Germany and Greece but still prefers Italy.

There is always some compromise.

Perth's climate is quite good and " Mediterranean" in nature, but there's not that much nearby for the trawler cruiser. I have lived there twice, and refused to move there again and took redundancy instead. Its closer to Singapore than other Australian cities of interest. Going from Perth down to the SW is great but that's where everyone goes and the traffic gets old real fast. Not cheap there anymore either.

Brisbane is great for 7-8 months of the year. The other months have hot and humid spells that are downright unpleasant. I tend to ski in the Northern Hemisphere for part of that period.

Sydney is a large and expensive city. Ok to visit etc... Melbourne is really nice, you actually get 4 seasons there. Its our most liveable city by far. But again not much for the trawler owner nearby. Leaving these cities aside, the north coast of NSW and some parts of the south coast of NSW are just about perfect. Somewhere like Coffs Harbour or Port Macquarie would be my choice. Close enough to Queensland to spend the season (May to September) on the Great Barrier Reef. Striking distance to Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and other South Pacific destinations or even New Zealand. But those regional cites are in NSW, and the State has been mismanaged by both major political parties for living memory. I'm wary of relocating there because chickens will eventually come home to roost. But then, CA is probably in worse shape and people still seem to want to go there.

Pete's idea of the northern part of the South Island of New Zealand has a lot of merit. Parts of the Marlborough Sound look to be ideal but I have no first hand experience of it. Friends have built a house there (a Brit and a Canadian), they invite people to visit, but its off the beaten path and few do. Parts of the area have a bug season though. And although Australia is a very long way from other nice parts of the world, NZ is just that bit further away. Flights of up to 14 hours and 24 hours travel from home to destination are bad enough, but you have to add a few more hours and another stopover for NZ. Only an issue if you want to visit family or friends or have them visit you on a regular basis.

So I will stick with Brisbane until the kids are married and then contemplate other options. Even in the hot months there are some very pleasant and great boating days. I refuse to have aircon on the boat, a few fans will generally be enough. If the winds-a blowin a bit too strong, or its a particularity hot and muggy spell I will stay home in the aircon.

If you decide to come, bring your trawler. Not much to choose from here and they are overpriced for age and condition. The place is littered with sportfish boats though...

Kevin
Depending on your income level now while you are working and in retirement you may want to look closely at the state tax implications of moving from Alaska to either Washington State or California. The California taxes could be like having another boat to pay for.

In addition to the income tax, California has a personal property tax 1.2% of value, Washington State excise tax .5% of value.

Alaska does not have a sales tax. Did you pay sales tax on the Bayliner? Before you move your should be aware of whether the state you move to has a use tax for boats brought into the state -giving you a credit for the tax you paid. The credit in your case may be zero.

Good luck on a choice of a new home.

A 50' slip with a 46' boat is $ 430.00 per month in a high security newer marina in Ensenada.. it's about $ 700/900 for the same in San Diego. Keep the boat there and have Baja and So Cal at your disposal.. at reasonable rates.

And where do you cruise, out into the Pacific for a joy ride?

Bay Pelican said:

Kevin
Depending on your income level now while you are working and in retirement you may want to look closely at the state tax implications of moving from Alaska to either Washington State or California. The California taxes could be like having another boat to pay for.

In addition to the income tax, California has a personal property tax 1.2% of value, Washington State excise tax .5% of value.

Alaska does not have a sales tax. Did you pay sales tax on the Bayliner? Before you move your should be aware of whether the state you move to has a use tax for boats brought into the state -giving you a credit for the tax you paid. The credit in your case may be zero.

Good luck on a choice of a new home.

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Yes, Alaska is a tax haven.

Washington is a no income tax state, but they will want 7% of my boats ACV if I move there and keep the boat there.

If all I do is cruise, and if I keep moving, and if I don't own real property, taxes are for the most part avoidable. California is undefined as to exact length of time per year for property tax, and Washington has a max of 6 months before sales tax becomes due. I have no challenge paying a state property taxes to enjoy their waterways. I have a real challenge with Washingtons making me pay sales tax on a boat I have owned for years.

California would try to collect income tax at some point if I were "living" on the boat. Just having the boat in California permanently would make it subject to property tax only, but I'm not so worried about that.

Thanks for the post. While taxes are on my mind, they are something I'm prepared to deal with. One thing I am not prepared to deal with is being trapped in my Ice Castle in Alaska for 6 months out of the year. Few people know what it's like to be a water lover and see your lake turn to ice in October, then ice everywhere until late April.

The Ionian Islands in Greece are a great cruising area. We spent a few weeks cruising up there this year. Nice climate, a little cooler than the Cyclades and less touristy.

I'm was told there are more bareboat charter boats here than anywhere else in the world, but it didn't seem overly crowded even in August. Not many trawler types, I only saw two, but plenty of protected anchorages and a scattering of casual beach bars.

FF said:

A 50' slip with a 46' boat is $ 430.00 per month in a high security newer marina in Ensenada.. it's about $ 700/900 for the same in San Diego. Keep the boat there and have Baja and So Cal at your disposal.. at reasonable rates.

And where do you cruise, out into the Pacific for a joy ride?

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???

North to So Cal, South to Baja and the sea of Cortez and the mainland.

That is like asking the same of Florida.. Except for the Bahamas.

HOLLYWOOD

I am not all that interested in California as there aren't too many places to get to at 6-7 knots along the coastline. I have also lived in CA and didn't find it all to my liking. We'd really like to find somewhere where we could do some island hopping or some good gunk holing at displacement speeds.
The suggestions about Australia, New Zealand, Greece and Italy have me thinking . I was looking at what cruising was north of Australia - it's funny I was just reading about a couple that have stuck around Thailand for the last three years because of the water and people.
We have a boy still in school so that would be very important to us over the next five to ten years. Probably land bound until he's either graduating from HS or home school while traveling. We'll be at least marina bound (possible live a boards) than looking towards semi retirement.

I drove the Dalmatian coast some time ago and it was beautiful and uncrowned. I don't know what the political situation is like but I perhaps you would like to investigate the Split Croatia area.

bshillam said:

I am not all that interested in California as there aren't too many places to get to at 6-7 knots along the coastline. I have also lived in CA and didn't find it all to my liking. We'd really like to find somewhere where we could do some island hopping or some good gunk holing at displacement speeds.
The suggestions about Australia, New Zealand, Greece and Italy have me thinking . I was looking at what cruising was north of Australia - it's funny I was just reading about a couple that have stuck around Thailand for the last three years because of the water and people.
We have a boy still in school so that would be very important to us over the next five to ten years. Probably land bound until he's either graduating from HS or home school while traveling. We'll be at least marina bound (possible live a boards) than looking towards semi retirement.

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Think about south Florida. You have all of the Keys, the Dry Tortugas, Ten Thousand Islands area, and the Bahamas. You can spend years in this area. And when you are tired of that you can head up the east coast to the Chesapeake, When tired of that you can do the loop. So many places to go and so little time.

READY2GO said:

Think about south Florida. You have all of the Keys, the Dry Tortugas, Ten Thousand Islands area, and the Bahamas. You can spend years in this area. And when you are tired of that you can head up the east coast to the Chesapeake, When tired of that you can do the loop. So many places to go and so little time.

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Florida is mostly nice from mid October to mid May. July through September is almost intolerable, even for natives. Many Floridians head up into the mountains in the Carolina's for those months. We leave in mid May and go to northwest Michigan where it is cool and dry until mid October. Where we live, almost 50% of the town disappears in the summer. Many are snow birders returning north and the others are Floridians trying to avoid the heat, 100% humidity and the tropical storms.

Donsan said:

Florida is mostly nice from mid October to mid May. July through September is almost intolerable, even for natives. Many Floridians head up into the mountains in the Carolina's for those months. We leave in mid May and go to northwest Michigan where it is cool and dry until mid October. Where we live, almost 50% of the town disappears in the summer. Many are snow birders returning north and the others are Floridians trying to avoid the heat, 100% humidity and the tropical storms.

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Thanks!!!

This is why I could snowbird but not live there.

Finding a place that is warm in the winter is pretty easy, just head south.

Finding a place that is warm in the winter, and not hot in the summer is much harder.

San Diego has an average high of 75 in the summer and 65 in the winter. This is as far as I am concerned near perfect.

Marathon Florida for example has an average high of 91 in the summer and 75 in the winter.

ksanders said:

Finding a place that is warm in the winter, and not hot in the summer is much harder.

San Diego has an average high of 75 in the summer and 65 in the winter. This is as far as I am concerned near perfect.

Marathon Florida for example has an average high of 91 in the summer and 75 in the winter.

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Florida's humidity is more of a problem than the heat. Near 100% for almost 3 months. You walk outside and you start dripping.

San Diego and Southern Cali are very nice but high rent, high density and poor infrastructure in most places.

hollywood8118 said:

???

North to So Cal, South to Baja and the sea of Cortez and the mainland.

That is like asking the same of Florida.. Except for the Bahamas.

HOLLYWOOD

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Don't forget all the Channel Islands; Incredible cruising.

OK, you find your perfect weather and superb waterway to play in.

However, say it comes at the cost of souless roads packed with fast food outlets, gated communities where the well off feel safe from their fellow citizens, where there are no go zones after dark.

For me I will gladly swap a month or two of less than perfect weather and superb waterways, if my Shangri-La was populated with inhabitants with a certain joie de vie, who felt no need for guns or gated communities.

A community that takes time to appreciate good food and where the inhabitants don't' mind that their friends may have a different view of life from them.

After all there is something good for the soul about feeling the rain on your face from time to time, to watching the seasons change.

No, you can keep your 365 days of perfect weather, sounds a bit like that film with Jim Carey whose life was perfect, only for him to realise the whole thing was a TV soap opera, a kind of living hell.

And you know what there are places like that

Andy G said:

OK, you find your perfect weather and superb waterway to play in.

However, say it comes at the cost of souless roads packed with fast food outlets, gated communities where the well off feel safe from their fellow citizens, where there are no go zones after dark.

For me I will gladly swap a month or two of less than perfect weather and superb waterways, if my Shangri-La was populated with inhabitants with a certain joie de vie, who felt no need for guns or gated communities.

A community that takes time to appreciate good food and where the inhabitants don't' mind that their friends may have a different view of life from them.

After all there is something good for the soul about feeling the rain on your face from time to time, to watching the seasons change.

No, you can keep your 365 days of perfect weather, sounds a bit like that film with Jim Carey whose life was perfect, only for him to realise the whole thing was a TV soap opera, a kind of living hell.

And you know what there are places like that

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Marin said:

I just looked it up. Average water temperature of Puget Sound in July is 53 degrees f.

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And I was out in the Sound yesterday and noticed the water temperature of 50 degrees. That was a little warmer than I expected. During the freezing temps a couple weeks ago, the water temp was 47 at the marina.

My personal opinion is that there are four great cruising areas in the United States and Canada: PNW, Florida/Bahamas with storage in Georgia to avoid high insurance, the Chesapeake with storage in Virginia to avoid the Maryland use tax, and the Canadian Maritimes/Maine. None of these are perfect and like a boat you must select your compromises.

Bay Pelican said:

My personal opinion is that there are four great cruising areas in the United States and Canada: PNW, Florida/Bahamas with storage in Georgia to avoid high insurance, the Chesapeake with storage in Virginia to avoid the Maryland use tax, and the Canadian Maritimes/Maine. None of these are perfect and like a boat you must select your compromises.

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Why have you omitted the Great Lakes?

Tunajoe said:

Don't forget all the Channel Islands; Incredible cruising.

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+1 you'd never think Southern Ca was anywhere near.

Donsan said:

Why have you omitted the Great Lakes?

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Personal preference, distances are too large with few destinations. Georgian Bay and the 1000 Islands are great, been in both.

To put in perspective Lake Michigan is 300+ nm in length. The Michigan side (eastern side) has few natural harbors, while the Wisconsin Illinois side is shallow also with few harbors. What we call the PNW has a distance of 110 nm from Seattle to Vancouver. The Eastern Caribbean from Grenada to Antigua is just slightly larger than Lake Michigan. The Chesapeake Bay has a length of 190 nm. Florida is clearly larger by 50%.

Donsan said:

Florida's humidity is more of a problem than the heat. Near 100% for almost 3 months. You walk outside and you start dripping.

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Yes - humidity is the key.

For example, Darwin, NT Australia is 32C (90F) year round. There is no summer and winter. It is either "the dry" (May to October) or "the wet" (Nov to April)
In the dry it is a great place to be. During the wet, it is unbearable to most; People go "troppo" due to the unbearable 99% humidity.

Well after spending 23 years in the CA Delta and SF Bay area, I must say there are a ton of places to go out for the day, week or month without a problem to sit on the hook or tie up to a marina. Yes the taxes are high and that is the trade off. Weather is about as good as you can get. The Delta is warm for swimming in the summer and when the fog comes in the winter, it is a short run to the SF bay where the average temp seldom gets below 68 during the day. Covers at night are required, but that is ok.

In May we are heading down to Ensenada, Mx so glad to hear Hollywood found it safe. Our plan is to spend 6 months there before heading farther south with the CUBAR, so I can report on that area, but the move from the PNW to the BAY area might be an easy move south for you to start with. You'll find plenty of folks here in the bay and delta to show you around. If after a few years you run out of things to do here, you can always migrate south. Maybe we'll see you south of the border

Growing up on the water in St.Petersburg, Fl

I really enjoy boating on the West coast of Florida but I can tell ya for the people that do not like high humidity this is not the place

My dirt house is in South Georgia just above Tallahassee, Florida and the humidity is much higher in South Georgia then in St Pete or Sarasota were we keep the boat

I continue to be amazed at all the short trips I can take in my area north to the panahandle or even up the Tom

and of course the islands

AusCan said:

Adelaide is pretty darn good.
You'd have to learn metric though. (I've converted it for you this time)

Average Days with rainfall >1mm (.04") 82
Average high in Jan (summer) 85F
Average high in July (winter) 60F
Low humidity in summer - similar to Southern California/Spain/Greece
Clear water, good fishing. I can't complain.

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Can you describe your cruising grounds? I wouldn't want to be stuck on island - love the process of exploring and learning about new areas.

Wow- this is certainly an old thread revived!

Yes - Australia is an island, but it's 80% of the size of USA, so plenty of area to explore.

Adelaide is situated on the Gulf of St Vincent which is considered semi-protected water. It's about 2600 square miles in size. Kangaroo Island (1700 square miles) blocks the big swell coming from the Southern Ocean.
The only areas which offer fully protected cruising are the Port River which is quite industrial, or the Murray River which can only be accessed by a challenging river mouth, or trucking the boat a short distance. It has about 600 miles of navigable length for boats.

I usually head south from Adelaide down the coast and anchor at places like Second Valley, Maslins Beach on my way to Kangaroo Island. The north coast of the KI is also semi protected and has plenty of great anchorages, as long as you are mindful of the weather. If I have more time, I head west to the Spencer Gulf and Port Lincoln which has plenty of small uninhabited islands to explore.

In general, the main differences from the PNW would be: warmer & drier weather, perhaps a bit more wind, less people, less boats, less facilities. For example I rarely share an anchorage with another boat; there are no sea tow services; no such thing as dockhands; there are very few pump out facilities; often I don't see another boat all day while cruising.
- and South Australia currently has zero Covid-19 cases.


Here's a couple photo's of our local cruising grounds.