[Rhodes22-list] FL Sailing Trip

Tue May 12 23:41:52 EDT 2009

Bob & Crew, Very enjoyable read. It is really a pleasure to see/read 
the list with contributions like yours. We have frozen water in plastic 
twist-off tops in the past. Smaller bottles are easier to store than a 
bulkier gallon jugs. I still like ice on board for mix drinks. We did 
run into a couple that put their liquor in a pop bottles and put them 
in the freezer. Depending on the liquor, most do not freeze solid and 
when a drink is in demand just add mix. O.K. drink fast. Thank you for 
the warm up for 2009. Jim J. LOON Torch Lake MI

Quoting Bob Keller <r22yankeeclipper at hotmail.com>:
>
> Hello All,
>
> My wife and I just returned from a trailersailing trip to southwest 
> Florida last
> week and I wanted to share some findings and pictures with the group. 
>  We drove
> from Richmond Hill, GA (near Savannah) to Punta Gorda, FL (100 miles south of
> Tampa) on Saturday and it took us 7.5 hours (420 miles).  Art 
> Czerwonky and Tom
> Simpson drove down to meet us at the municiple marina and boat ramp called
> Laishley Park.  It is a great facility and the day we got there they 
> were having
> a redfish tournament with professionals and ESPN coverage.  Other than tight
> parking, it did not impact us at all.  This was our 6th trip there in 
> the last 7
> years, but the first time we went as late as May and we were rewarded with
> perfect weather - highs in the mid 80's and winds were 10-15 knots, 
> mostly out
> of the south (compared with the typical 15-25 knots we usually get in 
> April). We spent 5 nights on the boat, which we both agree is our 
> limit.  Went to Tween
> Waters on Captiva, Cabbage Key and Boca Grande which has an outstanding new
> (since the hurricane of '04) marina that is first rate.  All the 
> facilities we
> visited were rebuilt in the past 5 years and were all in great 
> condition.  The
> sailing was really great on this trip because we were able to sail with the
> poptop up and the sails all unfurled which is the first time we have 
> ever been
> able to do that in FL.  That said, let's get to our findings:
>
>
>
>
> This was the first trip we made with the Boom Room and it was the biggest
> upgrade we have made to the trip.   It makes overnighting on the boat 
> much nicer
> for a number of reasons.  First is that it is modular in that you can 
> put up as
> much as you need and a little at a time.  This makes assembly easier 
> because you
> can do it gradually.  Very easy to take down and put up - after my 
> second time I
> was putting it up in 10-15 minutes - the top first which is a great 
> sunshade for
> the cockpit.  Then I would put up the bow screens and add the other panels as
> the sun moved to keep the cockpit comfortable.  The side panels are 
> lightweight
> materials and are very easy to work with, ie: you do not break a 
> sweat putting
> this up.  The other nice aspect is that when you wake up in the morning, the
> cockpit is not covered with dew as it used to be.  Doesn't sound like a big
> deal, but a dry cockpit also stays cleaner - after a week the boat 
> was just as
> clean as when we started.  Last but not least, the Boom Room is very easy to
> stow and store and does not take up a lot of space.  The BR is a very nice
> addition and I recommend it if anyone is going to be sleeping aboard for any
> amount of time. 
> Due to the above, I will be selling my Pop-Top enclosure if anyone is
> interested.  Very good condition - all snaps & screens intact. 
> I think I got the idea on this list to actually fill up the icebox 
> (ice-holder)
> for the fridge with water and freeze it before going on such a trip.  I tried
> this and actually froze it for a week before the trip and it works amazingly
> well.  The ice lasted for four days compared with 1 day for ice 
> cubes!  Amazing
> in that this would last almost the whole trip.  The only problem was 
> that my box
> cracked on the bottom, maybe due to it being frozen or being old, so 
> as the ice
> melted it got the carpet in the boat wet and kept it that way.  
> Anyone else ever
> have that happen?  I am going to try and fix it with silicone or 
> maybe get a new
> one from Stan.  I just hope the new one won't crack from freezing also... 
> This was the first time I tried out my new 150 genoa (vs. the old 175) and it
> was a huge improvement.  The boat pointed a lot better into the wind, 
> even when
> furled.  The new sail does not slip over the furling tube like the 
> old ones did
> and I think the new design is much better.  Just having a new sail probably
> accounted for most of the improvement.  Time will tell but I expect this new
> sail will be much better on the coast where I sail since I almost 
> always had to
> furl the 175. 
> I have given up on a dinghy for the R22.  I had a Sea Eagle (6H) 
> inflatable and
> it was a PITA to carry (bulky) and then inflate once the anchor is 
> down.  So I
> tried to tie it off to the stern rail and drag it behind me but it 
> really was a
> lot of drag and it slowed us down quite a lot (I would say by 1 
> knot).  Then I
> had patched a leak (on the seam of course) several years ago and 
> tested it out
> before we left and it was fine.  Naturally when I inflated it on day 
> 1 the patch
> was leaking.  Because of that I could not row it very well against 
> the wind at
> the anchorage.  Finally when we got to the marina I gave it away to 
> some unlucky
> person.  Glad to get that POS off the boat.  Not sure if anyone has 
> the perfect
> inflatable for the R-22, but maybe a two-person inflatable kayak?  It 
> would have
> to be light, compact, easy to inflate/deflate, durable and of course easy to
> row. 
>
>
> That is pretty much it for this trip and these findings except that 
> my wife and
> I are realizing that one of the keys is to simplify and take less 
> with us rather
> than more.  We've been taking too much of everything: clothes, food and other
> stuff that are not needed.  The simpler the better.  I now have her 
> convinced to
> keep doing this twice a year, so October is the next one. 
>
>
>
> If I come up with any more "findings" I will post them. 
>
> Bob K
>
>
>
>
>
>
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