Hurricanes, Tropical Storms, and Sailing North

Some of our friends have asked us if we're concerned about hurricanes as we sail between the Caribbean and the northeast coast of the US. 

Hurricanes have climbed north all the way up the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and traveled as far south as Grenada, an island a few hundred miles north of Venezuela, in the Caribbean. The official hurricane season is from June to November. According to a traditional rhyme, "June, too early; July, stand by; September, remember; October, all over." Statistically, mid-September is the most likely time for a hurricane to pass through the Caribbean. 

Tropical Storm Erika, which fizzled out as she
passed the Dominican Republic this past August 

Our boat is insured, of course. Our insurance company requires that our boat be north of Jacksonville, Florida by July 15 in order to be covered for damage by named tropical storms and hurricanes. Since we don't want to be in the Caribbean in the summertime, this is perfect for us. 

Hurricane Arthur, which hit the U.S. in July, 2014,
ultimately slamming into the Carolinas 

So far, the early predictions for very low tropical storm and hurricane activity in the eastern Atlantic for 2015 have proven true. Hopefully, activity will stay low as expected. 

We've been holed up in a harbor in Fort Pierce, FL for July and August, south of Jacksonville by about 180 miles. We aren't north of Jacksonville yet, but we watch the weather constantly. We'd have plenty of warning and lead time, and are ready to move north if necessary. By staying here in Fort Pierce, we've been able to get a lot of work done on our boat. And the weather has been good. 

Now, most of the work is complete and September is here! Time to sail north!

We expect to beginning sailing up the coast of Florida on Thursday of this week, weather permitting. Our first destination will be Cape Canaveral. Then probably the Ponce de Leon Inlet, and then St Augustine, all still south of Jacksonville. After that, our next stop will likely be Amelia Island, which is north of Jacksonville. We haven't planned beyond that, but we'd like to experience sailing the eastern seaboard. We'll be watching the weather carefully on our satellite weather unit, and we'll be staying close to shore so we can duck in and anchor safely at night.      

We'd like to see Savannah and Charleston, at least.

We'll keep you posted!