Sailing the US East Coast with Kids: Our Favorite Stops from Florida to Maine
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Before sailing the US East Coast, we spoke with another family who had already done it with their children.
Their advice was simple: skip it.
They thought there were better places to explore during hurricane season, when our insurance required us to leave the warm waters of the Caribbean.
Still, we decided to give it a go and started preparing for what would become seven months of sailing the East Coast. Once we arrived, we followed the weather and the recommendations we received, stopped when somewhere looked interesting and slowly tried to understand how everything worked. It was a big change from everything we had experienced during two years of sailing through the Caribbean.
Everything felt big - the supermarkets, the roads, the cities and especially the distances between them.
At the same time, everything felt surprisingly simple and convenient, from deliveries reaching us close to almost anywhere we anchored, to water and pump-out services, and even water taxis taking us from the boat to shore.
But convenience was only a small part of what changed our minds. It was the people, who were absolutely amazing, and the variety of places we discovered at every stop.
One day, we were sailing past a city we had only seen in films, and the next, we were walking through a quiet historical town with the boys. We found museums, forests, national parks, wildlife and small communities we had never heard of before arriving.
Every stop felt special and different. The landscape changed, the people changed, and the history and rhythm of each place changed.
We all adjusted our expectations.
During the seven months we spent sailing along the US East Coast, we only visited a handful of beaches.
For a family that had spent years sailing through the Caribbean and the Bahamas, that sounds almost impossible, but soon enough, beach days were replaced by skateparks and splash pads, while turquoise anchorages were exchanged for city skylines, forest trails, museums, bicycle rides, road trips and long walks through places full of stories.
We sailed past the Statue of Liberty, watched a SpaceX launch from the boat and walked through American history together. We found free docks, welcoming towns and people who helped us simply because they could.
We saw whales, dolphins, seals and sunfish, explored huge cities and tiny harbors, spent long days at sea and arrived to find packages waiting for us wherever we happened to be.
We also learned a lot about sailing with strong currents and changing tides, travelling through the Intracoastal Waterway, which sometimes felt like a highway for boats, and watching thunderstorms form frighteningly fast right above us.
It was nothing like what we had experienced before in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.
And that was exactly why we loved it.
The US East Coast gave us a completely different kind of sailing journey, and I still cannot believe we considered skipping it.
We stopped in many more places during those seven months, but these are the places and experiences we still talk about, the ones we would happily return to and the ones we would highly recommend to another sailing family travelling from Florida to Maine.
Before You Use This Guide
This is our personal experience, not a navigation guide.
We sailed the US East Coast aboard Grand Cru, our Lagoon 400 catamaran, with our three boys, using a combination of offshore passages and the Intracoastal Waterway depending on the section, weather and what worked for our boat and family.
Charts, depths, regulations, bridge restrictions, marina services, prices and shore access can change, so always check current information before planning your route.
Use our recommendations as inspiration, but make decisions based on your boat, your crew and the conditions you experience.
Florida
St. Augustine was a wonderful place to enter the United States and begin exploring the East Coast.
For us, completing the entry process was simple and required a short trip to the nearest airport, although every international sailor should check the current requirements before arriving.
We stayed at the municipal marina's mooring field, which was easy and comfortable, with well-maintained facilities and welcoming, helpful staff.
Once ashore, the old streets, Spanish architecture and Castillo de San Marcos gave us our first real taste of American history. The boys enjoyed the fort, but mini golf was definitely their favorite activity, and they kept missing the final hole on purpose so they could continue playing for hours.
When we were there, a free local trolley helped us move between different areas of the city, especially when we wanted to reach the playground. The skatepark was a dinghy ride away, and there was a beach too, so we had almost everything we needed to help three energetic boys release all the energy they had collected on the boat.
Our recommendation is to check what is happening in the city before arriving, because St. Augustine hosts many events throughout the year. We were lucky enough to experience both the Fourth of July celebrations and the Nights of Lights.
If you do not mind driving for a couple of hours, we also highly recommend visiting the Kennedy Space Center. I have always loved aviation and the Air Force, and this was by far one of the most inspiring museums I have ever visited. In my personal opinion, it is a must for families with children.
St. Augustine is an easy place to stay longer than planned.
We had watched rocket launches from several places in the northern Caribbean, but we never imagined we would get close enough to have one fly almost directly above us.
First, you watch the rocket lift off in an incredibly bright light, then, a little later, the sound reaches you, and a few long minutes after that, you feel the warm air touch your face.
It was so deep and powerful that we planned our timing on the way south around another launch, just so we could experience it again.
Check the launch schedule while planning to sail through the area, and make sure your route does not cross any areas closed for the launch. Launches can move or be cancelled, sometimes at the last moment, but when the timing works, find a safe position, turn off the engine if the conditions allow and simply enjoy the show.
North Carolina and Virginia
Beaufort was probably our favorite small town along the entire coast.
It was beautiful without feeling polished for visitors, the waterfront was easy to explore, the old homes gave the town so much character, and the whole place had a slow, calm feeling.
We took the dinghy ashore, walked through town all the way to the playground and splash pads, and visited the North Carolina Maritime Museum.
The water in the anchorage was warm enough for the boys to jump directly from the boat, and we used the current to create our own lazy river experience. They jumped from the front of the catamaran, floated underneath the boat and reached the back, where we had tied a rope and fenders for them to catch. They did it again and again, and it easily became their favorite activity in Beaufort.
Beaufort was memorable because it was simply a wonderful place to be, and we recommend giving it at least two nights instead of treating it as a quick stop. If you are lucky, you may even hear live music from one of the waterfront pubs while sitting on your own boat.
The inlet can become busy, especially on weekends and holidays when many fishing boats are leaving or returning, so plan your entrance and exit with the tide and local traffic when possible. We also learned how unpleasant wind against tide can become. The kind of unpleasant that throws children out of bed. Do not ask how we know. Just trust us on this one.
Cape Lookout was where we waited for the right weather to continue north.
As a sailor, you probably already know that waiting for the right weather window is a big part of sailing, and when you need to travel through open water rather than follow the Intracoastal Waterway, it becomes even more important.
For Grand Cru and our crew, we did not want to continue north around Cape Hatteras with wind from the north, or even with a strong northerly component. We preferred to wait or motor in calm conditions rather than fight an uncomfortable sea. That was our decision for our boat and family, not a universal sailing rule.
You wait for wind, tides, currents, repairs and sometimes simply for the confidence to leave a protected anchorage.
Usually, waiting for weather can feel frustrating, but at Cape Lookout, it felt like part of the experience. The beaches were wide and almost empty, the lighthouse stood above the landscape, and the whole place felt wild and remote. It reminded us that a delay is not always lost time.
Do not rush the weather window around Cape Hatteras. Use several forecasts and wait until the conditions make sense for your boat and crew. Cape Lookout is a beautiful place to do exactly that.
As a sailing family with children, we had a few requirements for a haul-out stop, and one of the most important was having something for the boys to do while we worked on the boat.
After a lot of research, we chose Deltaville.
We hauled out at Deltaville Boatyard, beside Jackson Creek Marina, which offered everything we needed, including a pool, swings, a comfortable lounge, a welcoming community, clean showers and enough laundry machines.
Deltaville turned out to be the perfect choice.
The town itself was not especially exciting, but we could use the marina car for groceries, borrow bikes to explore the area and visit a maritime museum where we learned how wooden boats were built. With enough to keep the boys busy, boat work became much easier.
Every sailing family needs a place where the adults can deal with boat problems without making the children feel like the whole family is being punished. Deltaville gave us that.
Contact the marina and boatyard before arriving and ask which facilities are available to marina guests, haul-out customers and boats anchored nearby, because access may change.
Chesapeake Bay and New York
Baltimore was one of the stops we almost skipped.
We had heard enough mixed opinions to make us unsure about going, but we decided to see it for ourselves, and we are very glad we did.
The evening walk beside the harbor lights was beautiful, but the real highlight for our family was Charm City Skatepark. Honestly, it was amazing. The boys could have spent days there, and it still would not have been enough.
Baltimore became one of the biggest surprises of the journey, and it reminded us that other people's opinions can be useful, but our experience may be completely different from theirs. Do not let a city's reputation make the decision for you. Search for things that fit your family, and if you find something that excites you, go and experience it for yourself. The same is true for almost every other stop on this route.
Atlantic Highlands was meant to be a practical stop before entering New York Harbor.
Instead, we found a sweet town with an old movie theater, waterfront events, a skatepark, a playground and a calm place to prepare for one of the busiest parts of the route.
From the water, we could already feel New York getting closer. There is something special about going to sleep knowing that the next morning, you will sail toward one of the most recognizable skylines in the world.
We also returned to Atlantic Highlands on our way south while waiting for a suitable weather window. Use it as a place to rest, check your timing and prepare before entering New York, but give the town some time too.
Sailing into New York Harbor and watching the Statue of Liberty grow larger as we approached was one of the highlights of our entire sailing journey.
I had visited New York before by plane and by car, but I never imagined arriving there on my own boat. Yet there I was, with my family and our boat, sailing toward Manhattan.
There are views you never imagine will become part of a normal evening at home, and sitting on Grand Cru with the Statue of Liberty in front of us and the Manhattan skyline behind it was one of those moments.
It was not the calmest night. The weather was good, but boat traffic created a lot of wake. We anchored in the area between Liberty Island and Ellis Island, where we found some protection. Then the city lit up, and none of that mattered. We sat outside looking at Lady Liberty and the skyline, finding it difficult to believe that this could really be the view from our window. And that it was free.
Research the area carefully before arriving, and check updated charts, permitted anchoring areas, exclusion zones, commercial traffic, currents and weather. This is a place where preparation matters.
Sailing through New York was one of the most unforgettable experiences of our route.
We did it twice, once on our way north and again on our way south, and each passage was magical in a different way. During the day, we experienced the busy city sounds, traffic crossing the bridges and large wakes from the ferries. At night, the skyline was quiet and still, followed by a perfect sunrise behind us. The bridges passed above, Manhattan rose on one side, and Brooklyn and Queens moved past on the other.
But this is not a passage to approach casually. You need to plan around the current, especially near Hell Gate, otherwise, you may find yourself barely moving or being pushed in a direction you did not intend to go. When the timing works, the current carries you through the city. Plan the passage around the water, not only around your preferred departure time.
Port Washington was probably our most practical stop on the entire East Coast.
We stopped there on both our way north and south, and ended up staying for almost a month in total.
When we visited, there was a dinghy dock near the supermarket, a playground and skatepark, free water, mooring balls and a launch service that could take us to shore. But the best part was the train. The station was an easy walk from the waterfront, and the direct journey into Manhattan took around 40 minutes. We could explore New York City during the day and return to the quiet familiarity of the boat in the evening.
That combination made Port Washington one of the most comfortable and useful stops of our journey, and we even left Grand Cru there for two weeks while we went on one of our road trips.
Use Port Washington as your New York base, but check current anchoring, mooring, dinghy-dock and launch-service arrangements before arriving.
New England
We rarely chose to stay in marinas, because they were expensive, and after years of anchoring, we usually preferred having our own space, where the boat could swing with the wind and bring fresh air through the hatches during warm summer days.
Mystic Seaport was one of the exceptions.
Beyond the quality of the facilities and the staff, staying there placed us directly inside the maritime museum, surrounded by tall ships, historical buildings and demonstrations. Our stay gave us access to the museum during the day and to the grounds after regular hours. It was a real night at the museum.
The weather in Mystic was also something new for us, calm and misty, with heavy fog that created a strange silence and made everything wet. The surroundings were beautiful, and the town was easy to explore on foot.
Think of the marina as part of the attraction rather than only as a place to leave the boat. Make sure they have room before you travel upriver, and check the approach carefully, because parts of the river can be very shallow.
Block Island was another place we enjoyed so much that we returned on our way south.
We had some of our best family days there, exploring the beach, renting bikes and discovering the island together. It is the perfect place for a vacation, even when your everyday life already feels a little like one. There is something in the air that makes you slow down and enjoy an afternoon drink at The Oar.
Our recommendation is to rent bikes, because for us, they were the best way to explore the island as a family.
The harbor becomes very busy during summer, so arrive early if you want a good anchoring spot or book a mooring in advance. Make sure your anchor is properly set, because strong winds can arrive unexpectedly.
Boston was one of the easiest cities to explore on foot.
With scooters for the boys, we followed the Freedom Trail, wandered through different neighborhoods, stopped at playgrounds and splash pads, and ate more pizza than was strictly necessary.
In Boston, history really becomes part of your everyday experience, because it is everywhere around you rather than hidden inside one museum. We did not need to overplan the day. We followed the red line, stopped when someone became hungry or tired, and allowed the city to lead us.
After this visit, the boys voted Boston over New York. Just saying.
Rockport was supposed to be a short overnight stop. We ended up staying for an entire week.
We loved the town, but we also met unexpected new friends and enjoyed spending time with them enough to stop moving for a while.
The harbor became one of the most beautiful small harbors of the journey, but the water was the real surprise. At around 15°C (59°F), it felt freezing compared with everything we were used to. Naturally, the boys still jumped in, then came out explaining how amazing and refreshing it was to feel like tiny knives were stabbing every part of their bodies. Do not ask me. I did not jump.
Rockport did not need a long list of attractions. It was simply beautiful, peaceful and full of character, and sometimes, the people you meet become the strongest reason to stay.
Maine
The Islands and Anchorages of Maine
We gave Maine a full month, and it still did not feel like enough.
The coast was quieter, colder and wilder than everything before it, and the islands, forests, fog, lobster pots and narrow inlets created a completely different sailing experience. We also saw seals around the Maine islands and anchorages, adding another animal to the long list of wildlife that kept surprising us.
Maine was not one destination. It was an entire journey within the journey.
We loved searching for the tiny fairy houses built from natural materials along the forest paths, and then working together to create our own. It was a simple activity, but it kept us busy for hours and forced us to work together as a team.
The island is privately owned, and when we visited, respectful visitors were welcomed and could even leave their details in a notebook. Take your time exploring, but remember that access to private land is a privilege, and leave the island clean and exactly as you found it.
The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens were much more interesting than we expected. The giant trolls and sculptures hidden around the grounds turned the visit into a search, and the size of the gardens gave us plenty to explore.
We anchored nearby and reached the gardens by dinghy. The tide decided which route we could take, either a short and shallow ride or a longer way around. Check the current water access and tide before planning to arrive by dinghy, and save a full day for the visit. This is not a quick stop.
Acadia was the northern destination we had been planning toward for months, and after travelling slowly north and following the seasons, it was hard to believe we had finally reached it.
We used the free local bus and chose a family hike around Bubble Mountain, covering approximately 7.5 kilometres on the route we selected. It was enjoyable, manageable for us and ended with a spectacular view.
Use the local transportation when it is available, and choose a hike based on what genuinely works for your family. Maine fog is also real, and on the water, it can change everything around you very quickly, so slow down, keep a careful watch and use every navigation tool available to you.
Bar Island sits just outside Bar Harbor, and around low tide, a natural path appears, allowing people to walk between the town and the island.
We arrived by dinghy instead and had the island almost completely to ourselves. After a short climb and several deer sightings, we returned to Grand Cru just as the people who had crossed on foot began walking back before the tide covered the path again.
If you plan to cross on foot, check the tide carefully and leave enough time to return. Arriving by dinghy gave us a quieter experience, but landing conditions and current rules should still be checked before visiting.
The Maine Lobster Festival was not part of our original plan. It was simply something AI suggested while helping us search for events along our route.
After the quiet islands and anchorages of Maine, we suddenly arrived in Rockland to music, crowds, families and more lobster than we could imagine. It was lively, fun and completely different from the days before it.
Check the festival dates while planning your Maine route, and if the timing works, Rockland is a wonderful place to experience it directly from the water. Expect the harbor and town to be busier than usual and plan your arrival accordingly.
Sailing South from Maine: Whales, Dolphins and Sunfish
After reaching Acadia, we turned Grand Cru south and began the long journey back.
We had spent months moving north, slowly working toward Maine, so changing direction felt meaningful. Acadia had been the point at the end of the route, and now, for the first time in a long time, we were sailing back toward places we had already passed.
The beginning of our journey south became one of the most amazing sailing passages of our entire time on the East Coast.
We saw sunfish, dolphins and several whales, including a humpback that surfaced close enough to stop every conversation on board. You can stare at an empty ocean for hours, watching the same water move around you, and then, without warning, there is a splash, a fin or a dark shape rising from beneath the surface. Everything changes in one second.
We caught the humpback on drone, and if you watch nothing else in the video, watch that moment.
There is no guarantee that you will see wildlife on this part of the coast, and that is part of what makes these encounters so special. We were simply in the right place at the right moment, moving slowly enough to notice what was happening around us.
Keep looking, even after hours of seeing nothing, and when you do spot wildlife, slow down or take the engine out of gear when it is safe, keep a respectful distance and avoid changing course in a way that chases or blocks the animal. Then put the phone down for at least part of it. Some moments deserve to be experienced before they are recorded.
After seven months of cities, anchorages, history, repairs, currents, forests and unfamiliar places, the East Coast gave us one final surprise. It sent us south surrounded by wildlife, reminding us once again why we were so glad we had not skipped this journey.
What We Would Tell Another Sailing Family
Do not sail the US East Coast expecting another Caribbean.
You will probably visit fewer beaches, the water is often murkier and becomes much colder as you move north, the passages may feel longer, and tides and currents require real attention.
But you gain something completely different. Cities, history, forests, wildlife, museums, national parks and small towns that feel completely different from one another.
Do not rush through the places you enjoy just because they were not part of your original plan. Leave space for places you have never heard of. Find something for every member of the family, because our boys did not care about every museum or historical street, but skateparks, splash pads, bikes, scooters and swimming helped make the journey theirs too.
Use the convenience, plan important deliveries around stable stops and allow enough time for packages to arrive before moving on.
And most importantly, do not skip a route only because someone else did not love it. Their journey is not yours.
We almost missed one of the best parts of our entire adventure because we arrived believing there might not be much to see. Luckily, we stayed curious long enough to discover it for ourselves.
Watch our full East Coast sailing video: Florida to Maine by Sailboat | Our Must-See Stops for Sailing Families
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