[Rhodes22-list] FL Sailing Trip-Answer to Rick

Thu May 14 12:42:20 EDT 2009

Bob,

I've done bay and coastal sailing and power boating in late February and
March.  You do have to pick your days because of northerlies, but there are
no bugs.  As you said, no swimming either; unless you find some manatees to
keep company.

I noticed good and bad on the new pics.  The lady is lovely, but despite the
state numbers, flying the US flag from the spreader would invite Coasty
boarding here on Lake Erie without a country of origin flag from the transom
or port aft stay  (assuming they have a record of your arrival.)

Rick

On Thu, May 14, 2009 at 8:16 AM, Bob Keller <r22yankeeclipper at hotmail.com>wrote:

>
> Rick,
>
> Just realized that I never answered your question, so no, we have only
> sailed down there in October, April and now May.  One reason is that I know
> the water gets cold in the winter down there and we are also in it for the
> beaches.  I'm not sure how the winds are except that northerlies tend to
> blow so the winds might be pretty strong, but I don't know.  The locals have
> told me that the northerlies tend to move to the south in mid-late April
> which is why we have chosen to visit then, plus the fact that the water
> warms up then too.  Would love to hear if anyone has done this?
>
>
>
> Attached are another couple of pics from the trip...
>
> Bob K
>
> > Date: Mon, 11 May 2009 17:25:44 -0400
> > From: sloopblueheron at gmail.com
> > To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] FL Sailing Trip
> >
> > Hi Bob,
> >
> > Thanks for the report. Have you ever tried sailing SW Fl in February or
> > March?
> >
> > Rick
> >
> > On Mon, May 11, 2009 at 1:55 PM, Bob Keller <
> r22yankeeclipper at hotmail.com>wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > 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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