Dream to retire with my boat and fish....

[luckydude]

I'm partial to the Carolina's myself, four seasons but not the extremes of any of them. Great fishing (salt and fresh), waterfront house/communities in any price range from about $400k up (lower prices you'll be back in the communities on the western sides of the sounds), reasonable property tax rates. Good healthcare on the coast, with fantastic hospitals inland. Hurricanes can be an issue but manageable. Tons of things to do by boat even when you aren't fishing.

I've got friends in Raleigh and they say the hurricanes are miserable. Which is a bummer because I used to watch Dawson's creek back in the day and the coastline looks just fantastic. Never fished there but would like to.

How do you deal with hurricanes?

 

[luckydude]

This is a really interesting thread as I'm wrestling with where to go as well. Currently south of HMBJack in the Santa Cruz mountains.
I wanted to go to New Zealand, can't get my family on board with that. Staying put is dicey, I'm in extreme fire danger that gets worse every year. To give you an idea of how bad, last summer we had about 5-6 nights where we slept in shifts in case the winds changed and the fire came our way. It's bad.

To the guy talking about Queen Charlotte Islands, those are gonna be cold and dark in the winter. I looked in the Vancouver area, I think north of Victoria might be nice, in a rain shadow, and Vancouver Island acts like a ginormous jetty, it can be 14'@14s on the outside of the island but the protected inside is 1'@2s. Downside is it is around 40 degrees there during the day this time of year. Not pleasant.

Florida Keys sounds interesting except for climate change, oceans are already rising and we're just at the start. Climate change is deadly real, we see it here in California where 4 out of the 5 last years, each year it is a state record for wild fires, wait until next year, bam! New state record. When I moved to where I am 15 years ago, the Cal-Fire station near me was not staffed in the winter for fire, just for medical. Now it is staffed for fire year around.

I would not want to live someplace where the infrastructure and/or my house was less than 100 feet above sea level.

Half Moon Bay, or north of it, I like Pacifica, would be great if I could find some place that fits me (I have dogs, need some acreage).
Carolinas are interesting but hurricanes. New Zealand is really interesting but not to the wife and kids.

Keep bringing the info, loving this thread!

 

[magicalbill]

Luck:

Maybe read my Florida response to this thread back a few entries. I described it in some detail.

I would look into the Carolinas if they really interest you. I have no way to validate this, but I think it's possible you would have less danger from hurricanes there than from wild fires in your area. It is true that Tropical Storms and Cat1 hurricanes brush or hit that coastline almost every season, but they are not always where YOU are and major hurricanes there are relatively infrequent.

The Keys are another World from anywhere else, both in physical & geographical characteristics and culture. They are not for everyone, but the ones who identify and embrace the island chain are happy indeed. Every time I would boat into Key West, I always thought everyone there was either 1.) Running away from Something or, 2.) Searching for Something. It is a Melting Pot of cultures. Add copious amounts of Bud Lite and Wine to the mix and it makes for interesting sights after sundown.

To address sea level rise, by the time it rises to the point where there is ever-present danger from hi tides & storm surge, you and I will be sitting by the fire telling boating and fishing stories in the rockin' chair. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but significant life-changing impacts from rising water are a few years off. If N. Zealand is off the table, I would be skeptical of letting future predictions impact major life decisions that will notch up your Fun Factor now. For those our age, there is no more Time to waste. Once the Medicare Card is acquired, you think a little differently.

I can see it now...I talk you into the East Coast or the Keys; the next Hurricane Katrina wipes your house off the Map and I was the one who convinced you to move. Hmm...never mind....

 

[Punch53]

Find a free state.

 

[trapper]

OK Skunkboat, find it a bit rude posting pics and weather forecasts from your corner, while up here on the Island we are ponded by rain and temperature in the 30,s F

 

[Carl]

This is a really interesting thread as I'm wrestling with where to go as well. Currently south of HMBJack in the Santa Cruz mountains.
I wanted to go to New Zealand, can't get my family on board with that. Staying put is dicey, I'm in extreme fire danger that gets worse every year. To give you an idea of how bad, last summer we had about 5-6 nights where we slept in shifts in case the winds changed and the fire came our way. It's bad.

To the guy talking about Queen Charlotte Islands, those are gonna be cold and dark in the winter. I looked in the Vancouver area, I think north of Victoria might be nice, in a rain shadow, and Vancouver Island acts like a ginormous jetty, it can be 14'@14s on the outside of the island but the protected inside is 1'@2s. Downside is it is around 40 degrees there during the day this time of year. Not pleasant.

Florida Keys sounds interesting except for climate change, oceans are already rising and we're just at the start. Climate change is deadly real, we see it here in California where 4 out of the 5 last years, each year it is a state record for wild fires, wait until next year, bam! New state record. When I moved to where I am 15 years ago, the Cal-Fire station near me was not staffed in the winter for fire, just for medical. Now it is staffed for fire year around.

I would not want to live someplace where the infrastructure and/or my house was less than 100 feet above sea level.

Half Moon Bay, or north of it, I like Pacifica, would be great if I could find some place that fits me (I have dogs, need some acreage).
Carolinas are interesting but hurricanes. New Zealand is really interesting but not to the wife and kids.

Keep bringing the info, loving this thread!

The upside of the weather in the Queen Charlottes is in may june july its daylight from 3am to 11pm so the daylight you loose in winter you get back in summer . In winter you can catch spring salmon rite out of the marina dont even have to start the main motor can fish all day for less than a gallon of gas. We get lots of t shirt days in winter.

 

[SkunkBoat]

OK Skunkboat, find it a bit rude posting pics and weather forecasts from your corner, while up here on the Island we are ponded by rain and temperature in the 30,s F

Oh I'm not in FL, I'm in NJ in a cold Nor'easter. I was just pointing out why NY is not a place to Retire

 

[RussGW270]

I would not think of where to retire.. I would think of where to go when you retire. Just retire on the boat... and go to all of them... heh

R

 

[trapper]

Yes Lucky, can get a bit nippy in the winter here on Vancouver island, but we can boat/fish year around. Not quite as handy to the fish as Carl, but 20 minutes works for me. Fishing the west coast of the Island is a couple of hours of driving, that opens up a whole new vista and fishing possibilities. Yes a safe place, where I have spent the last 40 years, for me a Canadian oasis. It appears the word is out as we are seeing a great migration coming to the this part of the Island. No I am not in the real-estate business and am reluctant to spread the word.....only on this valuable site!!!

 

[MarineBob]

Don't move to Massachusetts..... I spent a year in Pensacola decades ago and it was a pretty decent spot to live. I was in the military but it seemed like a reasonable area and lots of water access. I have a summer home on Cape Cod and while there is pretty good fishing, its 5-6 months a year if the weather cooperates. And there are more people in the summer months than you'd ever want to see. But the saving part of it all is Sept and Oct. Tourists are gone and the weather is about as good as it gets.

 

[Fishtales]

I like the idea of Florida as I'll be lucky to get 6Mo there wherever I end up so it needs to be warm in the winter. Wife wants to stay near the kids in the summer. So I'll keep the summer house and boat in MA and summer here.
Winter likely in Naples and investigate residency to mitigate the tax bite. Hopefully I'll have to find some friends to fish with and pay my fair share or just charter. I can't believe the variety of fish in on the west coast and you never get skunked. Hopefully will be doing it sooner than later.