[Rhodes22-list] I'm Back From Sailing Nirvana in Destin, FL

[Wally Buck]

Bill,

Sounds like a good time. How long was the drive down?

Wally

>From: "William E. Wickman" <wewickman at duke-energy.com>
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>Subject: [Rhodes22-list] I'm Back From Sailing Nirvana  in Destin, FL
>Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2005 14:42:11 -0400
>
>I just returned from a week in Destin, FL. with the family.  We stayed in a
>condo in SanDestin Resort and day sailed our Rhodes22 on Choctawhatchee
>Bay.  What a wonderful place to sail.  We virtually had the whole bay to
>ourselves.  Wind was a steady 6-10 knots most of the time with only light
>chop in the bay.  Rather than give a blow by blow account, I'll just share
>some highlights and insights.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures as
>I forgot my camera.
>
>The premise for this trip was a three day business meeting that I had to
>host.  Rather than move out of our condo after the meeting, I opted to get
>a week long rental and extend my stay; using the extra days to day sail,
>returning to port every day.  This arrangement worked out well because it
>is quite hot along the Florida panhandle this time of year so it is really
>nice to have an air-conditioned room to sleep in every night.
>
>There is no launch ramp at SanDestin, and they will not allow you to store
>your trailer on property so if you plan to follow in my footsteps and visit
>this resort with your boat, you will need to launch somewhere else and find
>storage for your trailer.  I found the closest launch ramp was located at
>the end of a bay called Hogtown Bayou located about 5 miles from the
>Baytowne Marina at SanDestin.  It is a county maintained ramp with a good
>concrete ramp and docks on each side.  It is very shallow with limited
>maneuvering room, but I found no problems launching and retrieving my
>Rhodes.  It does get busy on the weekends, but there is plenty of parking
>even when I was there during peak summer season.  There is an overhead
>power line not far from the ramp, so you have to be careful when raising
>your mast.  I opted to keep my trailer at a storage lot a few blocks away
>called Outback Storage.  They were very friendly and charged me $48 to keep
>my trailer there for the whole week.  You could easily keep your trailer at
>the ramp for free as an alternative.  There were several trailers and even
>some with boats on them that were there when I launched and retrieved a
>week later.  I considered the $48 an insurance policy.  I can't imagine
>anything worse than coming back to a ramp to find your trailer stolen.  If
>I were to use the ramp again for a multi-day trip on the boat (where I
>didn't stay at SanDestin), I would just leave my truck and trailer at the
>launch site.  There was also a picnic shelter, bathroom, and hose to rinse
>off.
>
>I had made a reservation to dock my boat at the BayTowne Marina at
>SanDestin, but when I radioed the harbormaster upon entering port, he said
>they didn't have any record of my reservation.  They informed me that they
>were completely booked and had no extra room (This was after asking how
>large my vessel was).  I felt a little discriminated against because they
>didn't tell me until they found out how small I was.  If you have ever been
>to Baytowne Marina, it looks like something out of the lifestyles of the
>rich and famous.  Most of the boats were motor yachts that were from 50 to
>200 feet in length (I'm not kidding!).  My little boat was dwarfed among
>them.
>
>Not believing that there was no room for my little 22 footer, I persisted;
>suggesting that maybe they could keep my boat on the davits of one of the
>mega yachts.  Finally, they agreed to put me in a slip that didn't have
>power or water, which I didn't need anyway.  I happily bounded up to the
>dock where the dockmaster awaited in his golf cart (this is a really
>upscale place).  After filling out the paperwork and paying my $1/ft. per
>day for the right to tie up to a dock with no hookups, I asked where I
>should go; looking at the mega yachts and wondering which one I would get
>to nestle up to and become friends with.  The dockmaster turned me around
>and pointed across the bay to a distant dock where they store the shuttle
>boats called Captain Ron's Cove.  "What?", I asked.  "Is that the reject
>dock?"  Actually the docks were nearly brand new, but they didn't have any
>dock cleats.  So, I found myself motoring across the bay, having paid $60
>for a slip with no cleats that I would have to drive my car to access.  To
>add insult to injury, on the way to my humble abode, I passed several
>sailboats that were anchored....for free!!  Actually, I paint a much
>bleaker picture than it really was.  The staff at Baytowne Marina were
>actually very friendly and accommodating, and the $1/ft. gets you a whole
>lot more than just a place to tie up.  I also, got full access to SanDestin
>resort, including free use of bicycles, kayaks, showers (if I needed them,
>etc.).  It is a first rate marina and I would recommend it to anyone
>planning a visit to the area.  Remember, when you are walking the docks, no
>one knows what boat you own and the law of averages would make it appear
>that you have a very large yacht to the landlubber tourists that come to
>the marina to gawk.
>
>Regarding the sailing, all I can say is that it was fantastic.  I had no
>grand adventures like on my trip to the Outer Banks... which was a good
>thing.  This was a trip of pure relaxation.  Very good for my wife and kids
>who thoroughly enjoyed every minute on the boat.  I had plans to sail out
>to the Destin inlet and into the Gulf, but never made it.  The sailing was
>just too good in the bay.  We fell into a routine that consisted of going
>out in the morning and sailing until around 11am; having a leisurely lunch
>and then heading out to the beach in the late afternoon.  We would return
>to the boat and head out around two hours before sunset and sail until just
>after dark.  I found that breaking up the sailing time into two sessions
>kept the kid's interest and enjoyment, especially my 9 year old.  Mornings
>found us in anything from dead calm to light winds that would build
>throughout the morning.  The sunset sails were the best.  The sky was
>beautiful and the vast bay was virtually empty, but for the occasional mega
>yacht coming into Baytowne Marina.  When a nearby thunderstorm would pass
>by, the winds would pick up and the sailing would get quite spirited which
>satisfied my 17 year old son's desire for excitement.  We got the boat to
>hull speed several times, but mostly sailed at 3 to 5 knots.  Very nice.
>Coming back into the harbor after dark was no problem as they have a very
>well marked channel and the lights from the resort provide adequate
>illumination.  We felt quite smug one evening as we sailed right into the
>harbor under the gaze of countless patrons at a bay-side bar.
>
>Perhaps the very best aspect of sailing the bay was the dolphins.  We
>observed dolphins almost every time we went out on the boat.  On several
>occasions, a pod of dolphins would appear near the boat and start swimming
>alongside and in our bow wave.  The best dolphin encounter was our first
>sighting.  We were well into the bay and had been sailing for a couple of
>hours.  We had pretty much given up on seeing any dolphins and I began
>heading back to the harbor.  All of the sudden I felt a bump underneath the
>boat.  Yikes!  Had I just bumped the bottom of the bay?  The charts showed
>that I should be in 20+ feet of water.  Besides, the bump had a soft feel
>to it, not like I have experienced when the centerboard or rudder hits
>bottom.  A minute later a dolphin popped its head out of the water as if to
>say, "Welcome to my bay!"  I am convinced that what I felt was a dolphin
>rubbing the keel of our Rhodes.  Soon four large and one baby dolphin were
>frolicking along side our boat.  Tears of excitement welled up in my
>daughter's eyes as the dolphins continued to play around our boat for the
>next 20 minutes (she is a dolphin fanatic).
>
>The week went by much too quickly, and soon we found ourselves heading back
>home.  Doing the day sailing thing was a nice balance that satisfied the
>desires of the whole family.  Mixing sailing with other activities kept
>everyone's interest high.  I personally yearned to head out for a multi-day
>trip of exploration, and I definitely plan to return sometime to do just
>that.  I feel like I just touched the tip of the iceberg of cruising areas
>here.  Cruising this area earlier in the year when it is a bit cooler would
>definitely make the trip more comfortable, but it can certainly be done
>this time of year if you allow for some stopovers at marinas where you can
>shower.
>
>A note of experience on trailering.  One piece of advice that I would like
>to share on trailering is to check your trailer wheels every time you stop.
>I always touch the hubs on my trailer wheels to see if they are hot.  After
>driving for several hours we stopped for lunch and I found that one of the
>hubs was quite hot which concerned me because I have first hand experience
>with what happens when a wheel bearing fails and heat welds onto a trailer
>axle.  It can ruin a trip.  In short, I found that the bearings were fine
>but the surge brakes were malfunctioning.  For some reason, the brake on
>one wheel (I have the Triad tandem axle trailer) was rubbing or engaging
>causing the wheel rim and hub to heat up.  I disconnected the surge
>actuator and the wheel stayed cool for the remainder of the trip.  I, of
>course, drove extra carefully knowing that my truck breaks would have to
>perform double duty.  I plan to have the surge brakes checked out
>professionally before my next trip.
>
>I hope you will find your way to Choctawhatchee Bay and the
>Pensacola/Destin area sometime.  They have some great cruising areas down
>there!
>
>Bill W.
>
>Bill W.
>
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