Wifey B: Have you ever cruised the ICW? More protected than PNW cruising and thousands of miles? And yes, PNW has nice islands. Not nearly as many as the Bahamas of course. :lol:
I think the PNW is a fine area for cruising and likely ideal for someone use to cold and rain. One from Colorado might well not like warmth and sunshine of South Florida.
I loved my cruising in the PNW but be careful stating it's superiority over areas you've never cruised. New England has some incredible cruising with the Cape and Islands. Then there's the Chesapeake. So incredible, so much to see and do. Norfolk to Baltimore about the same as Tacoma to Vancouver in distance but then far more to explore beyond in the Chesapeake area.
And you mentioned inland. There's this thing called.....oh what is it.....some group of lakes and they're called something like ....is it Big?
Huge?
Nice?
oh it's The Great Lakes. Five lakes of unlimited cruising, all inland.
Really haven't found any bad cruising areas although some I prefer over others and that's where we are, personal preference. I'd say variable one to address is climate. Love Alaska for a summer cruise, but this girl ain't livin' there year round. Same with Great Lakes. Same with Boston, although had a silly girl on this site once who was determined she could. One winter and she loaded up mommy and the five kids and headed to Southern California.
Others here say they couldn't to the East Coast or FL and just like Easterners forget how much things vary from southern to northern California, they tend to overlook the variability on the East Coast and even in Florida. Only thing Pensacola and Key West Have in Common is they're both on the water.
There's a lot of talk about moving between summer and winter and can be done on the east coast. More challenging on the west coast, although possible but without the ICW takes more boat. Plus, where does all that fit in a budget? Multi short term dockages are going to add costs plus cost of travel.
I remain firm in my recommendation of where. I have none. But I recommend OP do a lot more research and exploration to determine if it's even the right thing for him and then where. Every area has it's pros and cons and people here touting one, won't tout the other. I'll say why South Florida isn't it in all likelihood. Costs. Dockage for a 50' boat likely to run $18000 - $24000 a year in Fort Lauderdale. I live here and it's paradise but wouldn't work for OP to dock at a marina here year round. However, just cross the South Florida border into the Treasure Coast and move on up to St Lucie County and Stuart and to Ft. Pierce and far more affordable and still incredible, although also hotter at times.
Keep exploring and find your paradise.
