[Rhodes22-list] FL Sailing Trip

Mon May 11 17:25:44 EDT 2009

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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