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

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.

Outward Bound Wilderness Maine Sailing

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