Would it be possible to Sail the East Coast from Florida to Maine?|101021

What size recommendations would a sailboat need to be?
I have always had a love of the ocean. I want the ancient feeling of sailing some distance to my destination.
Any other tips and info would be appreciated.

Um, have you EVER SAILED before? I_m gathering not if you_re asking for tips and info.

I_d first take courses on marine safety and boat safety. There should be a United States Power Squadron near you. Take some classes.

As for a boat, it depends. Forget a sunfish or a dinghy. You_ll need some mass and length under you, and the ability to lay on some sail. If you plan to stick to the intercoastal waterway you_ll have a navigable route that doesn_t involve a lot of open sea from Boston on south to Florida.

I used to have a 26_ Chesapeake that I sailed once solo from Seabrook (near Houston) to Corpus Christi and back. With the southwest winds I experienced I made Freeport in 8 hours, but it took four more days to get to the CC Yacht Club (because I was continually tacking into those self-same winds). Only three days home. I made this trip because I loved to sail and wanted to justify my purchase of a (then) $20,000 boat in 1985. Eight days by myself was enough. Aside from my solo trip my girlfriend and I used it as a party boat for our friends on some weekends.

This was in the days before the Internet, so I was listening to NOAA weather radio at the top of every hour for storm info (it was June, which was early in the hurricane season, so there was little chance of encountering one, but I wanted to be sure). Since there is a fair amount of traffic on the Intercoastal I refrained from using my homemade autopilot most of the time ( two lines securing the rudder in a straight course)... just long enough to use the head if I needed to do more than pee.

It is a lot of work, and unless you_re an expert I_d recommend against it.

To see if you_d like to continue on this quest you might check into one of those windjammer type cruises where you work as crew on a sailboat for a week in the Caribbean.

yes it is possible--that_s where the phrase _Downeast_ came from...travleing _downwind_, so from the south heading north so that the wind is at your back..and traveling in an easterly direction since the coast of maine actually travels east and not north..sorry but that_s the only advice I have since I_m not a sailor

its done yearly. i don_t know sizes, i just watch them.