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

[John Tonjes]

Captain Keller,
Maybe this would be a good time to treat yourself to a really useful
"company" supplied digital camera.

Rummy


> [Original Message]
> From: Bob Keller <r22yankeeclipper@hotmail.com>
> To: <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
> Date: 3/27/2003 4:39:11 PM
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Fw: [rhodes-list] Gulf Coast Sailing Trip
>
> 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
> > >
> > >
> > > _________________________________________________________________
> > > Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > ** 8 of 201 list members have joined SailPerks **
> > > SailPerks save you money while supporting this List.
> > > Visit http://www.sailnet.com/sailperks/ for details.
> > >
> > > Thinking of an autopilot for the boat this year?
> > > SailNet has a great selection of wheel and tiller
> > > pilots on sale, some even include free handheld remotes!
> > > Don't wait, our Autopilot sale ends June 21, 2002.
> > > http://www.sailnet.com/store/selectlist.cfm?list_id=95
> > >
> > > The rhodes-list is brought to you by SailNet, Where Sailors Get It!
> > > To unsubscribe, e-mail: rhodes-list-unsubscribe@sailnet.net
> > > For additional commands, e-mail: rhodes-list-help@sailnet.net
> > > This message is part of thread number 13256.
> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> >
> >_________________________________________________
> >Use Rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >
> >_________________________________________________
> >Use Rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*.  
> http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus
>
> _________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list