Travel Light, Trade Places
East Coast US
This coast has a lot to offer the cruising sailor. The entire length of the East Coast US can be cruised from the Florida Keys to Maine.
A cruise along this coast has the added attraction of the Intracoastal Waterway, a unique system of canals, rivers and estuaries, which stretches along most of the eastern seaboard offering the chance of sailing up or down the coast in sheltered waters almost within sight of the ocean.
Florida is also a perfect introduction to the United States and some of its best-known attractions are close by, such as Disneyworld or the Cape Canaveral Space Center.
The waterways of the southern states wind their way through old cities, deserted estuaries and silent woods to reach the Chesapeake. This, the largest bay in the USA, has a shore line of thousands of miles and within striking distance of some of America's largest cities are secluded anchorages and snug harbours.
A couple of days' sail up to the coast, at the confluence of the Hudson and East rivers, lies New York, one of the few cities in the world where one can sail right through its centre.
New York is the gateway to the Great Lakes which can be reached by a system of canals and locks.
Alternatively, one can carry on through Long Island Sound to the heart of New England where much of modern America's history was made.
Finally one reaches the island world of Maine where many summers could be spent exploring the countless bays, rivers and anchorages which stretch all the way to the Canadian harbour.
Further reading: World Cruising Handbook by Jimmy Cornell
Website: www.noonsite.com
DYT offers convenient and frequent transportation services from and to the following destinations on the East Coast US:
