Fw: [Rhodes22-list] SAILING BISCAYNE BAY

[Robert Quinn]

BTW, did I mention a Bimini?  It is absolutely essential when sailing in 
South Florida.

Also, as I didn't bother to ask about your experience both sailing and 
boating in Biscayne Bay or the Keys, I hope I did not provide you with 
information that you  have already mastered.

Bob on the "NoKaOi"


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Quinn" <rjquinn at bellsouth.net>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Friday, June 03, 2005 8:20 PM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] SAILING BISCAYNE BAY


> Richard:  You have made the right choice in boats.  With the "skinny 
> water" in your chosen area the R22 will suit the waters very well owing to 
> the 20" draft board up and only 4' board down.  Depending on how and where 
> you plan to use the boat, a GPS with chart plotter ( the Garmin 276C or 
> something along the lines of the182C with built in antenna) would be a 
> nice to have item, again because of the shallow waters, reefs, and skinny 
> cuts.  Charts of course are always advised.  There are several good 
> cruising guides for the area as well.  I like Frank Papy's Cruising Guide 
> to the Florida Keys for fun and entertainment.  Clairborne Young also has 
> a much more detailed guide.  A good VHF radio is also a must.  Carrying a 
> cell phone is also recommended and all recommended safety gear that the 
> Coast Guard recommends. If you plan to anchor out, good ground tackle is a 
> must.
>
> The Hawk Channel (Atlantic side) can get mean so you need to watch the 
> weather very carefully - when it is nice, it is wonderful.  Biscayne Bay 
> and Florida Bay can kick up but should prove manageable most of the time 
> for a R22.  If you chose to use the Hawk Channel, make sure you know all 
> of the cuts to get into Florida Bay so you can cut and run when you need 
> to, which should not be too often.
>
> We spent a month last year out of Key West (sailed from Punta Gorda to Key 
> West via Naples, Marco Island, Shark River, and Marathon).  We then sailed 
> back to Marathon but as the weather was not great, we cut under the seven 
> mile bridge into Florida Bay to Matacumbe and Pumpkin Key before jumping 
> out into Biscayne Bay for a great sail up to Cape Florida. (Sailing on 
> Biscayne Bay is truly a must do!)  We then jumped out and headed up to Ft. 
> Lauderdale and Lake Worth before getting back to our home port in Stuart. 
> Now realize we were not on a R22 but a larger cruising boat with a 
> permanent 4'5" draft, The GPS and charts were mandatory. We sailed our R22 
> out of Stuart for 10 years and we have sailed boats of similar size in the 
> Keys over the years. As the man said: "just do it!"
>
> Bob and Kathy on the "NoKaOi"
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Richard Frank" <barfrank at hollywoodbytheseafl.com>
> To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Friday, June 03, 2005 5:16 PM
> Subject: [Rhodes22-list] SAILING BISCAYNE BAY
>
>
>> I AM PLANNING ON A PURCHASE OF A RHODES 22 FOR USE ON BISCAYNE BAY AND 
>> KEYS
>> AREA.  ANY COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT I SHOULD
>> CONSIDER WOULD BE HELPFUL.  THANKS, RICHARD
>>
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>