March has arrived, and in Florida, that means it’s been in the 80s for the past week. A very nice development. And the weather in the 80s raises the question of “when to turn north?”

Not going to lie, I’m ready for a quiet summer in Provincetown, I’m ready for the boys to be off the boat at work, and for me to get my work done in quiet solitude.

But there are things to consider when deciding when to turn north and how we’re going to find our way back to Cape Cod.

Depending on how south we are, we usually turn north at some point in March. This year, since we’re in Fernandina Beach, Florida, we’re going to start to turn north on March 22nd.

Our first hop isn’t going to be far; we’re going to move just about a mile or two north from Fernandina Beach, Florida, to Cumberland Island, Georgia. One of my favorite places for those who’ve not been there.

Our plan is to anchor at the southern anchorage and spend our days on the island mostly hiking and lounging on the beach. With luck, there won’t be many folks there this early in the season, but it will be good to be off on our own, with no stores to accidentally spend money at.

Then, turning north, we’re not too sure what the stops will be. We’ve had an expensive winter between the classes for the boys, the marinas, the new dodger, and everything else. So the goal is two-fold: get up to Provincetown by Memorial Day Weekend at the end of May, and spend as little money as possible doing so.

Key though is to start the move soon enough that we’re not rushing and can wait for good weather to make our hops, and also late enough so that we don’t overshoot the warm weather and end up in cold weather again. It’s a balancing act. Soon enough for a slow, lazy schedule, but not so soon that you end up freezing yourself.

On the list of potential stops and why are:

Cumberland Island: A spot to wait for the weather, and roam a magical island (I’ll take lots of photos, or you can search the archive to see what I’ve shared in the past)

Charleston, South Carolina: A stop we may skip, it’s always tempting to stay at the Maritime Center, which is an inexpensive marina run by the city. It’s convenient (0.2 miles from the grocery store, for example), but Charleston is an expensive and tempting city. So we may skip it just to be safe, money-wise.

Carolina Beach, North Carolina: A stop we almost always make, $30/night moorings, a protected cove, and a practical stop for provisioning. Moving south, we stop to wait for good weather, and moving north, we stop to rest after our hop on the outside. Good burgers, restaurants in general, and a town that’s not too expensive. We’ll probably end up there 5-10 days.

Oriental North Carolina: From Carolina Beach, we head “outside” and make our way to Beaufort, North Carolina, go in the inlet at sunrise, and try to make it to Oriental, North Carolina, before lunch. It’s a small town with a big love of sailing. Another practical stop with services and parts. How long we stay will depend on the weather and my work schedule. We usually don’t stay too long.

Belhaven, North Carolina: A day of mostly motoring up the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) will bring us to another practical stop, Belhaven, with convenient groceries, diesel, water, and other services. When there, we may need to scope out TJ’s Boat Yard, where we’re considering using it when the time comes to repower with an electric engine.

The Alligator River & The North River: There are a couple of anchorages that we stop at after Belhaven, trying for three days in a row of being able to move, both weather and work-schedule-wise. Both rivers right by the Ablemarie Sound are quiet and secluded. And we’ve stayed at both for days at a time in both settled and grumpy weather.

Chesapeake, Virginia: There are a pair of “free docks” in Chesapeake, Virginia, right by the “Great Bridge”. Actually, there is one on either side of that drawbridge, so we always take the first spot we see and go through the bridge after a few days. You’re allowed to stay for free for 48 hours, and it’s another (you guessed it) practical stop. Groceries, laundry, and just an Uber away from the city where you can get whatever you may need.

Hampton, Virginia: Just six or so hours from Chesapeake, and the free dock is the anchorage in Hampton, Virginia. We anchor close to Fort Monroe and sit there until we have enough good weather to sail all the way to New York Harbor. This means that we usually end up there a week or two. There is a convenient dinghy dock, a nearby grocery store, and several bookstores.

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey: A two or three-day sail (depending on the wind) from Hampton, Virginia, we pull into Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. There is a nice breakwater that extends beyond the mooring field ($50/night so we avoid the moorings) and offers good protection. The town is great, lots of good pizza and everything else you may need. And you have the option of either going through New York City and out Long Island Sound or staying on the “outside” and going directly to either Block Island or Newport, Rhode Island. The past few years, we’ve done Newport, but I think this year we’ll be heading to Block Island.

Block Island, Rhode Island: Block Island is a busy spot in the summer, so we’re hoping to arrive in early May before the crowds. While there is room to anchor in the protected harbor, we’ll be springing for a mooring ball here. There is a small town on the island, but not too much, and we’re not sure what will be open that early in the season, but with luck, there will be plenty, and we’ll be able to share what we find.

Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts: We usually end up at a little island outside of Woods Hole, Massachusetts, but this spring we’re going to try to head to Cuttyhunk, another smaller island, and this one we’ll be able to spend some time hiking before we end up back in Provincetown for the summer. The primary goal of this stop is to watch the weather and tides. We can either go through the Cape Cod Canal, but we will need to go with the tide, or go around the outside, where we’ll need appropriate weather.

Provincetown, Massachusetts: The big springtime goal is to make our way to Provincetown for Memorial Day Weekend at the end of May. The hope is to be safely tied to our mooring early enough that the boys can enjoy some downtime before they start working for the summer.

And of course, we have lots of plans for our summer on the mooring in Provincetown, but that’s something for another day.