After scouring both the east and west coasts of Florida for a berth for While One, I’ve finally put a deposit down holding a future slip.
Although I had heard that catamaran slips were far fewer and therefore much harder to find, I didn’t really recognize just how few. I had heard that I could have ordered a ICW-height rig but at no time was I offered or questioned by the broker on this. That said, I’m not sure I would have made a different decision as I likely would have favored performance.
A 75’ draft pretty much eliminates any marina behind a fixed bridge as most of them are no more clearance than about 65’. It’s definitely something to consider depending on your cruising grounds and intended use of the boat.
I had been told that by in large live aboard slips in the Fort Lauderdale area are non-existent…or rather there might be a few that have been grandfathered in. I haven’t confirmed this. However, this would have been the area I would have liked to have put her. That said, when presented with a $1500 to $3000+ per month lease I started to expand my search quite early. It’s going to be about 1 year before I retire and intend to move aboard. That said, I might have considered if we could have found a slip that we could have at least stayed aboard while we visited.
The first potential slip I found was Shell Point Marina in Ruskin, Florida. At about $14/foot, it seemed pretty reasonable. Live aboard was $300 and a 50A service would cost two 30A circuits at $30/circuit. Thomas was very nice and offered to give me right of first refusal to my offer of paying him to hold the slip until I visited on December 20th.
https://www.shellpointmarina.com/
The one worry I had, however, is that the channel to get to the marina is rather shallow and I was afraid I’d run aground should I not wait for the tide, even with my 4’9” draft. That said, it was an option worth considering. The other downside is that the marina is on the West coast. While this makes commuting to see my mom and dad, I had wanted to be on the east coast to make heading off to the Bahamas a bit easier.
I continue to look and ultimately came across Kennedy Point Yacht Club up near Titusville, FL. Although much further north than I preferred, the costs compared to Shell Point were nearly equivalent in aggregate. In addition, Kennedy Point had a laundry room and dock-side pump-out.
The biggest downside, I think, is that I’m behind two bascule bridges and a lock to get to the Atlantic. I figure, however, that when I’m heading out, I’m heading out for several days or weeks…what’s another hour or two?
http://kennedypointyachtclub.com
Bruce has been exceedingly pleasant to work with and followed through with everything he said he would. After ~$1800 for January and last month’s rent, I secured a slip for March (…yeah, I know I need to pay for February’s rent as well)
Here’s some eye candy of a few of the possible slips.
