People are always interested in the financial side of living aboard. It took us a total of twenty days to sail from Jupiter, Florida to Fire Island, New York. This article will break down what we spent into categories to fill you in on exactly how much it cost us to sail from Florida to New York.
Sailing from Florida to New York: Financial Breakdown
Fuel:
The majority of our nautical miles traveled were under sail. Using little fuel drastically reduces our travel cost.
Saving fuel money by SAILING
Sailfish Marina:
Diesel $73
Tip $5
Charleston Maritime Center:
Diesel $62
Gas $9
Tip $4
Coin Jock Marina:
Diesel $91
Tip $5
Fuel Total: $249
Dockage:
We always try to avoid staying at marinas. However, when at sea for up to three days straight it is nice to take a break at a dock. Luckily there are plenty of free docks along the east coast making it even more enticing to tie up. We also found plenty of great places to anchor along the way. Most of our stays were only a night or two to check out the town. We hit some nasty weather around Delaware and decided it would be better to have the boat secured rather than relying on our anchor in foreign waters. Having the boat secured to the dock also gave us the freedom to rent a car ($65) and visit some friends and family while the weather rolled through.
Free Dockage in Oriental NC
Charleston Maritime Center
2 nights $133 ($66.50/night)
Oriental City Dock
1 night FREE
Portsmouth City Dock
2 nights FREE
Lewes City Dock
4 nights $304 ($76/night)
Dockage Total: $502
Groceries:
We always try to cook as much as possible and our new ENGEL 12 v Freezer allows us to keep vegetables and meat frozen so we do not have to worry about food spoiling. We also try to fish whenever we are offshore. Every once in a while we will catch a free meal 🙂
Fresh Fish for Dinner!
Publix:
$215
Coin Jock Marina:
$43
Lewes Farmers Market:
$55
Albi:
$65
Grocery Total: $378
Eating Out :
If there is anywhere we can save money this is the category… We have a tendency to grab a bite to eat if we are tired and do not feel like cooking. Going out to eat is a great way to experience different towns and get to know more about there cultures but it is also much more expensive than cooking on the boat.
Charleston, SC:
Saffron $74.75
Coffee Bar $12.99
Craftsmen $77.70
Eli’s Table $46.62
Wrightsville Beach, NC:
Dockside $66
Custard $10
Coffee $9
Beaufort, NC :
The Dock House $28
Coffee $3
Italian Ice $4
Oriental, NC :
The Bean: $12
Coinjock, NC:
Coinjock Marina and Restaurant $87.50
Portsmouth, VA:
Coffee $8.95
Lewes, DE:
Ice Cream $9
Coffee $12.85
Wheelhouse $41
Barnegat, NJ:
Kubel’s with WICKED SALTY $72.97
Eating Out Total: $576.33
Sailing from Florida to New York GRAND TOTAL: $1705.33
Making Friends while Sailing from Florida to New York
In twenty days we visited a total of seven states, multiple beautiful seaside towns, and sailed over 1,000 km. Not only is tracking how much we spend helpful to other cruisers but it is also a huge help to us. Having everything written downs helps us see where we spend the most money. As you can see our downfall on this trip and our Bahamas adventure is going out to eat.
I hope these financial breakdowns are helpful to you while planning and saving for your own trips 🙂
-Sierra
I love that you guys are so detailed. Like living on land eating out is always a huge expense. I was wondering how this compares to a trip with Neverland? Should be a big difference. Anyway be safe and keep the entertainment coming
Thank you for a great article. I think you shared a very pragmatic list of expenses. I am certain that someone will cry out with an “Arrrggghh, look at all the money you squandered on restaurants and coffee!!! Ya shoulda cooked every meal”. For some, that’s the right way. However, for others, including myself, this seems to be a reasonable balance. For each person or crew afloat, they can tweak that balance to best suit them.
May we all have a quiet hurricane season, fair winds and warm following seas. Scratch Jetty behind the ear . . .
Great info…. thanks so much!
Great info. Sorry but we’re the cook every night
And go out to dinner only to celebrate after our
Trips , I was surprised to see how much you spent on fuel. But all n all it seamed inexperience for 20 days ,
Thanks so much!
Raymond &Frida
East Village New York City
Thanks very much for the info. Just considering Grenada to Lake Huron. ICW came to mind but then someone mentioned to sail the coast. So thank you.
BTW you may know good friends of ours, Dave and Sandra from Second Wind?
Take Care
Rolf
SV Lolita