where to move ?

Let's assume I have a job that allows me to work remotely as long as I have decent Internet. Let's also assume I plan to live aboard. Given the entire west coast, east coast, and gulf coast, where would you move ? I worry about hurricanes and winter. Flordia seems like a good choice. West coast seems near impossible to find live aboard. Thoughts from the experts out there?

Georgia or the Chesapeake bay would be my choices if not East Coast of Fl. Winter is real in Chesapeake bay though.

East coast has some of the best cruising grounds, lots of the cities along the east coast are setup for boating so you can see a lot of cool towns and cities. It also gives you the ability to go to the Bahamas And keys with a short hop if you are on the southern part of it, that is if you like tropical islands. And most quality trawlers can island hop all the way down to the Caribbean. Depending on seaworthiness of boat can also do straight shots to the Caribbean and save a bunch of time if you are on any sort of time constraint, but the further you want to go without stopping and the more blue water Cruising you want to do The boats tend to get considerably more expensive.

I've cruised the entire length of both coasts. I'd pick the PNW somewhere, further north being better up to a point. But everybody is different. A big question is, what do you like in your climate? If hot and humid is what you want, then the east coast from about LIS south will serve. Hot and dry, southern California. PNW is cool and a bit wet, without having a severe winter like the northern East Coast or Great Lakes.

Sorry, Florida is full.

If you want to cruise to towns and cities, go East. If you want to cruise wilderness, go West.

I've lived on both coasts, North and South, and everybody's tastes are different (I don't like the cold or eternally wet), but I vote the East Coast, especially with a house that's mobile. If you don't like the weather or can't afford the locale for whatever reason, there are options available nearby that should satisfy.

Greg.

The problem with the west coast is there aren’t many areas to gunkhole except in the PNW. The east coast has them everywhere. West coast you harbor hop, east coast you can harbor hop or anchor out most everywhere. You can snowbird up and down the east coast so you pick your weather to some extent.

This is a highly personal decision. Go take a look around first hand; the opinions on stuff like this from us anonymous strangers is worth every penny you pay for it.

Having had the privilege living and boating all over the USA, north, south east, west and in between, we can tell you there's plenty of opportunities to worry about something wherever you go, if worrying is your thing. So you can cross that off your list of parameters.

I'd be wandering somewhere between Cape Caution in BC to the top end of S.E. Alaska.

Comodave said:

The problem with the west coast is there aren’t many areas to gunkhole except in the PNW. ...

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You've overlooked the California Delta. Bunches of gunkholing there. ...... If wishing a marina, be a "transient." You are likely to be welcome for a week or so. Then move on, but if you have a good medical excuse, you are good for months.

MurrayM said:

I'd be wandering somewhere between Cape Caution in BC to the top end of S.E. Alaska.

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Granted, wi-fi and cellular didn't even exist last time I was up there, but is there now "decent Internet" for someone working a job while cruising? I would have thought that would be tricky (but obviously you would know).

I guess once everyone leaves the cities (since everyone is now working remotely), we loners can circle back to those abandoned urban areas for some wide open spaces

What about inland rivers system? Kentucky Lake is pretty nice during hurricane season, then quick run down the TNTom to Gulf for winter spring season. Or north to the great lakes.

Comodave said:

The problem with the west coast is there aren’t many areas to gunkhole except in the PNW. The east coast has them everywhere.

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Except, the PNW is an area as large as the entire east coast, with many times the coastline. And a tiny fraction of the population. Kinda like Maine except 1000 miles of it, not just 150 (and thankfully, no lobster pots).

If you need steady fast internet though, you'll have to wait until Starlink is operational. I've found some places where there wasn't even GPS reception.

Wifey B: Fort Lauderdale.

Let's see....none of us know what you like, what you dislike, anything about you and you're asking us to tell you where you should live? I mean with your name I'd say the Gulf of Mexico, but then I don't know if your name means what I think it does or not. Since Internet is very important, perhaps TN as that's where Al Gore lived and he invented it. Someone did wisely suggest not limiting it to coasts and considering rivers.

I consider Fort Lauderdale Paradise but then had I moved instead to the Virgin Islands I'd probably think of them in the same way and my tastes are likely very different than yours. Would love to hear more about you and what is important in your decision other than internet.

Sort of depends on what flavor of liveaboard you're looking at. Stealth/Cruiser mode can probably rotate between marinas, albeit at transient rates. But if you want a car, bicycles, and a van to store junk in, then you definitely need a full liveaboard marina. I've lived aboard in three marinas in San Francisco Bay area, a notoriously difficult place to find liveaboard slips. My favorite by far was a non-liveaboard marina.

As far as where - we chose St Pete Florida. We both work remote and Florida does not levy state income tax, a healthy raise coming from San Francisco. Being remote workers, we are in search of Endless Summer: Winter in Florida, summer in Colorado.

Oh, one potential fly-in-ointment: Internet access at marina's is rarely adequate for business-level work. If your work requires Zoom calls (or even voice-over-internet), you will be frustrated.

Good luck in your search and decisions.

Peter

This is a really open ended request. There are just too many choices.


I could argue to decide what you will tolerate on the following and go from there:


What is you limit for cold/hot weather?



What is your tolerance for crowds?


What is your tolerance for high costs?


Is live aboard a must?


Answering those will be a start. Just the liveaboard one will narrow things significantly, and if that's a requirement, will there be any dirt home?



Most of the boating in the US is done on either coast or inland rivers, with a fair amount on the south east coast (gulf). So you can probably start there. Now, you could go to Alaska, too, as an option. The folks that live in those areas (especially if they've lived elsewhere) can give you good comments.


My experience is pretty much limited to the west coast of Florida, but lived and boated in the midwest for awhile, too. The goods of Florida: weather, good boating, reasonable costs. The bads of Florida: weather (hurricanes, tornados) expensive and CROWDS. My biggest complaint here is the crowds and in increased costs above the cost of living index.



The original question needs to be narrowed a LOT.


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PS... unrelated: What do my posts come out with double spaces between paragraphs? Don't write that way.

Frosty said:

Granted, wi-fi and cellular didn't even exist last time I was up there, but is there now "decent Internet" for someone working a job while cruising? I would have thought that would be tricky (but obviously you would know)...

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Cell phones (at least out of Kitimat) are line of sight, so given the complexity of BC's north and central coasts and lack of communities, it's pretty much all a dead zone. Our teenaged daughter loves turning the corner when leaving town and her link to "all that drama" gets left behind. You won't even get marine radio reception in many inlets/channels.

If you wanted full time Internet, you'd have to splurge for a whiz-bang satellite setup.

Check the people at "technomadia.com". Their business and hobby are remote computing and wireless access. They cruise a Bayliner 4788, and also an RV.
Good for equipment and plan selection.
JohnS

Florida is full on the Gulf side.

Deano said:

Florida is full on the Gulf side.

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Wifey B: But full of what?

Wait for Starlink and then you can go anywhere.

Lived aboard in San Diego and here on the Gulf Coast. I moved my boat and me from San Diego to the Gulf Coast because of the sucky government in CA and because of the more extensive cruising grounds here and because of the COST OF LIVING.

In my perfect world, Great Lakes, Erie Canal or maybe Lake Champlain for the summer and south of Melbourne, FL (east coast or west coast or Fl or the Bahamas) for the winter.

Ted

MurrayM said:

I'd be wandering somewhere between Cape Caution in BC to the top end of S.E. Alaska.

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SHeeeeeeeeeeeesh!! Quite!!! Harsh enviroment,Too much rain, pumpout stations far and few between, expensive Latte's, way too expensive.

I think if I was to move it would be back to Canada.
But to make that claim solid I’d need to do some more research.
I was a landed immigrant given “permanent resident” status but that was in the 70’s.
Unlikely that still stands.

It would need to be on the coast and in BC.
I love Sointula but I’ve done the small town gig for the last time in Alaska.
And basically there’s too many people most everywhere else.
And moving is a lot of work.

I could go back to SE Alaska. With barge service mean’smoving’s not that hard.
In SE Sitka and Juneau are about the only choice’s IMO.

But what will probably happen is ... nothing.

Aruba, usually out of hurricane path, currently offering incentives to attract professionals who want to work remotely from there.

L

Nomad Willy said:

I was a landed immigrant given “permanent resident” status but that was in the 70’s.
Unlikely that still stands.

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Nope, you need to spend a specific number of days in Canada during a 5 years period to keep your permanent residency. Some exceptions exist like if you work outside Canada for a Canadian corporation or if you spending this time out of Canada with a Canadian citizen spouse.

L

Thank’s Lou,
I suspected as much.
It’s been a long time.
Last time I went up to immigration & customs I had no paperwork. They said they had no record of me. That was several years ago. But several months ago I found everything.
But I did think it had been too long ago. As recently as 12 yrs ago I went to customs and the lady said after a long pause “as far as we are concerned you haven’t left”.
Always felt like I had one food in Canada. First went to Vancouver in 1949. Drank GingerAle out of ceramic “bottles” on a charter boat ride in Coal Harbour.

But for real I’d just like to spend time with our visits. Perhaps that's the answer is to just spend time “up north”. haha we have a little motor home now.

MurrayM said:

I'd be wandering somewhere between Cape Caution in BC to the top end of S.E. Alaska.

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I agree!