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Old 05-03-2014, 05:20 PM   #82
Barpilot
Veteran Member
 
City: Bayfield, WI
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 92
Quote:
Originally Posted by jwnall View Post
Can't speak for anyone but myself, but when we were cruisers on the sailboat, and wanted to go north (Keys to Chesapeake) or south (Chesapeake to Keys) we would carefully lay out what we were going to do, have all the anchorages chosen beforehand, and then figure roughly 50 miles a day. Always wanted to get anchored before sundown and enjoy the sunset with a glass of wine.

You can't usually do that if you sail outside, generally speaking. Wind may not be right, entrances to the ICW from the Atlantic may not be right, weather in general may not be right. Inside the ICW is dependable, even if it is boring sometimes. And sailing in the ICW itself is usually not a good idea, other than perhaps when crossing sounds.
We have made the same trip several times and couldn't agree more. Offshore sailing is for passage making. We have gone direct from Norfolk to Charleston with what we thought was a good weather window. Surprise! Wasn't planning on that. We try to avoid bad weather whenever possible. The difference, is that if caught out in it, we know how to handle it. I'm guessing we have experienced some weather that our power boat friends would really not like to be caught in.
When we finally find our trawler and join the ranks, we will certainly not look down our noses at sailors because we have been one of them for over 60 years.
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