[Rhodes22-list] Fw: [rhodes-list] Gulf Coast Sailing Trip

[Bob Keller]

Mark,
Yes, thanks for posting the story again-I found out it's not that easy to 
attach document to the list, is it?  I can't believe you still had it handy, 
I'm impressed.

Ed, yes, we will definitely take our camera this year, but it's not digital 
so will have to figure out how to post on the list...

Bob K






>From: "Bill Effros" <bill@effros.com>
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
>To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Fw: [rhodes-list] Gulf Coast Sailing Trip
>Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 10:21:35 -0500
>
>Thanks, Mark
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Mark Kaynor" <mark@kaynor.org>
>To: <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
>Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2003 9:41 AM
>Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Fw: [rhodes-list] Gulf Coast Sailing Trip
>
>
>Ed,
>
>Here you go, r.e. Bob Keller's report last year.
>
>Mark
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Bob Keller" <r22yankeeclipper@hotmail.com>
>To: <rhodes-list@sailnet.net>
>Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2002 9:53 AM
>Subject: [rhodes-list] Gulf Coast Sailing Trip
>
>
> > Below is our report on our April sailing trip in South Florida.  My
> > apologies for the length, but you can always hit "delete."
> >
> > Sheila & Bob's Excellent Gulf Coast Adventure
> >
> > After taking possession of our 1995 Rhodes 22, "Yankee Clipper" in
>December,
> > fixing the pesky leak in the CB area, and getting her outfitted with the
> > latest gadgetry, we decided to take her to Florida.  We had sailed it on
> > Lake Hartwell several times, and Rummy helped me to properly break in 
>the
> > bar, stereo and stern seats just two weeks earlier.
> >
> > With close to 8 hours of sailing on our home waters, it was time to take
>our
> > portable, trailerable cruiser elsewhere.  If I didn't want a trailerable
> > cruiser, I would've bought that Catalina 27 with the 4 foot fixed keel
>that
> > would now be embedded into the bottom of Lake Hartwell.  Just to be 
>sure,
>we
> > had the drop axle replaced on the trailer, new bearings, and had the bow
> > stop moved forward a foot.  We did everything except have the trailer
> > blessed by a Cardinal before the trip (they're very busy these days).
> >
> > Pulled it out and it trailered well, but fishtailed when the
> > tractor-trailers went by at 80 mph.  So, I moved the rudder into the V
>berth
> > and got back on the highway and it trailered perfectly.  Top speed was 
>64
> > mph, and occasionally I went faster, but was only comfortable at 62-64
>mph.
> > My Toyota 4Runner did well, but it has a max of 5,000 LB and I estimated
>the
> > total weight in my rear-view mirror to be around 4,400 lb.  With a 
>single
> > axle trailer and no brakes, I left a lot of room between the next 
>vehicle
> > and us.
> >
> > Initially we were going to take the YC from Atlanta to the Florida Keys
>over
> > spring break, stopping in Fort Myers to drop the kids off with family.  
>As
>I
> > read about cruising in S. Florida, I learned that, right off the coast 
>of
> > Ft. Myers on the gulf coast is one of the best sailboat cruising grounds
>and
> > one of the top chartering destinations in the world!  Duh.  So, for four
> > months, I planned a one-way, 4-5 day trip through Pine Island Sound 
>(PIS),
> > ending in Charlotte Harbor at Punta Gorda.  PIS is the sound between the
> > mainland (Pine Island, really) and the barrier islands of Sanibel,
>Captiva,
> > North Captiva and Cayo Costa.  Charlotte Harbor is a huge body of water
>that
> > begins at Boca Grande Pass near Gasparilla Island and Cayo Costa and 
>runs
> > 20+ miles northeast to the towns of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte.  
>This
> > harbor is 10 miles wide in some parts-a very impressive body of water.
> >
> > There are many options as to where to launch the boat.  I considered Ft.
> > Myers beach, Sanibel Island, Punta Rassa, Ft. Myers and Cape Coral.  It
> > turned out that the most convenient location was in Cape Coral, and I 
>was
> > able to find a place that had a boat ramp and transient slips to rent:
>Cape
> > Coral Yacht Club, a public facility.   This gave us about a 5 mile run 
>on
> > the Caloosahatchie River to get to Pine Island Sound.  Ft. Myers would
>have
> > been more like 10-15 miles-way too long.   Our ultimate destination was
> > going to be Punta Gorda where we had two marina choices: Burnt Store
>Marina,
> > or 15 miles further north was Fisherman's Village Yacht Club.  Both had
>boat
> > ramps and are great marinas, but FV was the only one that would let us
>keep
> > the trailer on site for a week, so FV it was.
> >
> > The route that I originally selected was:
> > Day 1 - Cape Coral to Tween Waters Marina, Captiva Island
> > Day 2 - Tween Waters to Cabbage Key
> > Day 3 - Cabbage Key
> > Day 4 - Cabbage Key to Boca Grande
> > Day 5 - Boca Grande to Fisherman's Village, Punta Gorda
> >
> > The drive from Atlanta to Cape Coral is long.  Slightly over 600 miles,
>and
> > at 64 mph with a 4,000 LB load in the rearview mirror, we decided to 
>split
> > the trip into two days.  Left on Friday, April 5 at noon and made it
>almost
> > to Tampa the first day and then on Saturday showed up at Cape Coral 
>Yacht
> > Club at noon (not a great idea).  Decided to launch the boat first and
>raise
> > the mast when it was at the dock since the boat ramp was so crowded.
>Worked
> > very well.  Raising the mast was a breeze-the quick-release pins that I
>use
> > for the rigging are worth the ridiculous prices that they charge for 
>them.
> > As I raised the mast, I had a couple of people stop to watch and they 
>were
> > quite impressed.  The boat drew a lot of curiosity wherever we went.
>People
> > just seemed to always do a double take and stare at the boat.  Probably
>have
> > never seen stern seats like that before (except on a bass boat).  Some 
>old
> > timers at Cape Coral commented that they never saw in-mast furling on a
>boat
> > that size before. The harbormaster was a real nice guy and was asking
>about
> > the Rhodes motor lift.  Next thing I knew, I had him on the R-22 website
>and
> > he said he was going to call Stan and try to buy a motor lift.
> >
> > We left the next morning and the trip to 'Tween Waters was fairly
>exciting,
> > with winds 15-20 knots and seas 1-3 feet.  The big boats were 
>everywhere;
>we
> > felt like we were in a dinghy at times.  We did not see another sailboat
> > smaller than 30 feet the whole trip.  The powerboats were huge, but
>cutting
> > through their wakes was nothing at all with the Rhodes.  The only
> > uncomfortable part was the seas that came at us from the stern and the
>beam.
> >   With three footers coming across the beam, the boat was rocking and
> > rolling quite a bit, but let me save that story for the next day...
> >
> > Arriving at Tween Waters, they let us dock up right alongside the main
>dock,
> > which was good since I only had two dock lines on board (another 
>brilliant
> > move).  The pilings on the dock were at least a foot in diameter and my
> > little lake fenders four inches wide were absolutely useless.  (First
>thing
> > I did when I got home was to buy large fenders).  Since they did not 
>sell
> > any fenders at the ship store at Tween Waters, we spent the night on the
> > boat listening to the rub rail grind against the piling as 25 knot winds
> > blew us into the dock all night long.  Otherwise, we had a restful 
>night's
> > sleep.  Tween Waters has a great location with the sound on one side and
>the
> > gulf beach right across the street.  Great beach, but the facility is 
>just
> > average.  Next time, I will probably choose South Seas Plantation, which
>is
> > fancier and much easier to reach by water.  The markers leading to Tween
> > Waters were very confusing.
> >
> > The next morning on the boat was great with coffee and bagels in the
>galley
> > and cockpit before shoving off (literally) for Cabbage Key.  As we 
>motored
> > out the channel to the ICW, the winds were at 15 knots and building.  
>They
> > hit 23 knots and then leveled off to 17-20 knots with a pretty serious 
>1-3
> > foot chop.  The chop wasn't bad until we turned north and the seas were
> > coming across our beam, the same direction as the wind.  We were able to
> > sail with part of the jib alone and keep the boat pretty flat, make good
> > speed (4-4.5 knots) and put up with the rocking from the waves.  The 
>boat
>is
> > in its element when sailing regardless of the conditions.  Much better 
>to
> > sail her than to motor in those conditions and we never even got wet!  
>One
> > bad wave really tossed us over and Sheila went flying from windward to
> > leeward in the cockpit, with her leg going under the cockpit seat and 
>her
> > shin stopping her fall when it banged into the seat.  The open seats 
>serve
> > another great function!  Just before the wave hit us I had inexplicably
> > decided to move to the other side of the boat to turn the motor up,
>without
> > saying anything, of course. Sheila received an impressive bruise, the 
>best
> > of the nine different bruises she earned during the week (no others 
>caused
>
> > directly by me).
> >
> > Once we got the hang of it, had a great four-hour cruise to Cabbage Key,
> > arriving at 1PM.  After we arrived, we found out that there was a small
> > craft advisory out that day because of the wind and severe chop in the
> > Sound.  Only then did I realize that the weather band on the VHF works
>much
> > better if you press the WX button!
> >
> > Checked in to a cottage with a private dock and spent the day sipping
> > cocktails on our dock watching, waving and talking with the harbor 
>traffic
> > coming and going.  Amazing place-we called it the "Home for wayward men
>and
> > women."  Reminds me of the Florida Keys in that regard.  If you ever 
>want
>to
> > cash in your chips and disappear for a while, there are jobs available 
>to
> > live and work on Cabbage Key.  Great destination to visit, and is close 
>to
> > the beaches of Cayo Costa, which are spectacular.  We stayed at the
>cottage
> > on the island for two days of relaxing, exploring and mixing with the
>locals
> > who work on the island.  It is a popular lunch destination for boatloads
>of
> > people from the mainland, and supposedly, Jimmy Buffett wrote his
> > "Cheeseburger in Paradise" masterpiece based upon this spot.  I will say
> > that the cheeseburgers are great, and the place is a paradise...  The
>second
> > day we went for a day sail and ended up at nearby Pelican Cove where 
>there
> > is a boat dock associated with the state park that is Cayo Costa.  You 
>can
> > dock overnight  (with no services except rest rooms) for $10, which we
>will
> > definitely do next time. This is also one of the best anchorages in all 
>of
> > Pine Island Sound, and there were a half dozen sailboats anchored there.
>It
> > is the widest part of Cayo Costa and there is a tram to take tourists
>across
> > to the beach on the gulf side.  Since it was 4PM, everyone was gone,
>except
> > for one Pearson 30 that was docked and we chatted with the owners who 
>just
> > sailed down from Punta Gorda for an over-nighter.  Sheila and I walked
> > across the island and it was probably about a mile across and took us
>15-20
> > minutes.  Amazing, uninhabited, beautiful, peaceful island.  Spent some
>time
> > on the beach, saw a porpoise and a bald eagle.  Come to think of it, we
>saw
> > at least one porpoise every day we were in PIS.
> >
> > It was supposed to be on to Boca Grande, but Sheila was a little spooked
> > from the rough ride to Cabbage Key and we decided to head up Charlotte
> > Harbor to Punta Gorda one day early just in case the weather did not
> > cooperate.  We were advised that Charlotte Harbor can be particularly
>nasty
> > when the wind blows hard because, despite the fact that it is a large 
>body
> > of water, it only averages about 20-30 feet deep.  It's deeper than that
>in
> > our cove at Lake Hartwell.  Our day sail from Cabbage Key up through
> > Charlotte Harbor was a full day; it took us seven hours.  The weather 
>was
> > perfect, sunny, mid 80's, with 15 knots of wind.  The first half of the
> > trip, in the lower part of the harbor was the best sailing we had all
>week.
> > This was what I had read about Charlotte Harbor- it is great for 
>sailors,
> > and that day it was the best. Wide open, no shoals and very few other
>boats.
> >   Although it is well marked, the markers in the lower Harbor are as 
>much
>as
> > five miles apart, so we had to use the small compass that we had
> > accidentally brought along.  It worked and we did not miss the mark (by
> > much).  As we sailed northeast up the Harbor, there were more boats and
>the
> > wind started to die.  Still, it was 5-8 knots and we didn't resort to
> > motoring until we were close to the marina.  Long day, but a great day
> > sailing Charlotte Harbor.
> >
> > Fisherman's Village Yacht Basin in Punta Gorda is a first class marina
>with
> > a nice, upscale shopping center attached (or is it the other way 
>around?)
> > This was the best marina we visited all week-it is first class all the
>way.
> > Nice restaurants and facilities, plus tennis, and swimming pools.  And,
>most
> > important, my trailer was still there!  They actually don't have a boat
> > launch, but there is a very nice, free, municipal boat launch very
>close-by
> > that we used.
> >
> > It was a great four-day trip that I highly recommend.  Fortunately, we
>left
> > something good for the next trip: a visit to Boca Grande.  Next time we
>will
> > use Burnt Store Marina in Punta Gorda as the starting and ending point.
>It
> > is in lower Charlotte Harbor and all the places we would visit would be
> > within a half day sail of this marina: Boca Grande, Cabbage Key, Cayo
>Costa
> > & Pelican Cove.  Plenty to do and see in a compact area.
> >
> > The Rhodes 22 drew a lot of attention, from stares to people asking what
> > kind of boat and several people asking about the stern seats.  It really
>is
> > a great boat to trailer, rig, launch, sleep and most important, to sail.
> > The area around Pine Island Sound seems to be perfect for it because of
>the
> > protected, shallow water and the strong winds we had all week.  Not to
> > mention the beautiful scenery and great weather.  We will definitely
>repeat
> > this trip, or something similar again.
> >
> > Bob & Sheila Keller
> > s/v Yankee Clipper
> >
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
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> >
> >
> > --
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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> > Thinking of an autopilot for the boat this year?
> > SailNet has a great selection of wheel and tiller
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> > Don't wait, our Autopilot sale ends June 21, 2002.
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> >
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> > This message is part of thread number 13256.
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
>
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