SOUTHWINDS News & Views for Southern Sailors
Changes in the Bahamas Shortcut Across Florida Charleston Race Week
May 2006 For Sailors — Free…It’s Priceless
Murray Yacht Sales New Orleans, LA Mobile, AL Pensacola, FL (504) 283-2507 info@MurrayYachtSales.com
Murray Yacht Sales Sailor s Wharf Marina Complex 1421 Bay Street, S.E. St. Petersburg, Florida (727) 823-1155
St. Barts Yachts Charleston, SC (843) 577-7377 Jacksonville, FL (904) 387-5047 sales@st-barts.com
Eastern Yachts West Palm Beach & Fort Lauderdale, FL (531) 844-1100 (954) 828-9071 yachts3@attglobal.net
IN STOCK & Sail Away Ready
IN STOCK & Sail Away Ready
2006 Hunter 41 AC
IN STOCK & Sail Away Ready
2006 Hunter 41 DS – New Model
IN STOCK & Sail Away Ready
2006 Hunter 44 DS IN STOCK & Sail Away Ready
2006 Hunter 44 AC
2006 Hunter 46LE
The Best Boat – The Best Deal
Save up to $38,000
2006 Hunter 45 CC Master Cabin IN STOCK & Sail Away Ready
2006 Hunter 45 CC New Center Cockpit Model – Must See
Visit our Hunter Yacht Sales Center and inspect the largest fleet of Hunters in the Southeastern United States. In the water and ready for immediate delivery, all new Hunters include a wealth of purchase incentives, plus free delivery to your slip.Trades considered. Call Massey today.
Sail and save now! HUNTER Custom Massey Outfitting Quote in less than one hour with
St. Pete, FL 727-824-7262 TOLL-FREE 877-552-0525 Call Sheryl Boddy for Best Rate Yacht Finance Quotes and FREE Pre-Qualification
941-723-3991 Bill Wiard
Al Pollak
Ft. Myers, FL 239-334-3674 TOLL-FREE 800-763-3157
Palmetto, FL 941-723-1610 • TOLL-FREE 800-375-0130
Dan Howland
Brad Crabtree Scott Pursell Frank Hamilton John Kelley
www.MasseyYacht.com • E-mail: yachtsales@masseyyacht.com
Just pick your yacht and call with your options. Hunter 31, 33, 36, 38, 41, 41DS, 44, 44DS, 45CC, 46LE
2
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS May 2006
3
4
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
SOUTHWINDS NEWS & VIEWS 6 10
FOR
SOUTHERN SAILORS
From the Helm: Is it the Intracoastal Waterway or the Intercoastal Waterway? By Steve Morrell Letters
17
Southern Regional Monthly Weather and Water Temperatures
22
Bubba Serves At Nude Beach By Morgan Stinemetz
20
Short Tacks: Sailing News and Events Around the South
26
Our Waterways: Boaters’ Bucks, Brevard County, FL, Waterways Management Plan, Waterways News
32
Destinations: Crow’s Nest Marina and Restaurant in Venice, FL By Barbara Pierce
34
Changes in the Bahamas By Colin Ward
37
Great Florida Gulf Coast Small Craft Festival in Cortez, FL By Steve Morrell
38
Shortcut Across Florida: Tilting Under the Mayaca Bridge By David Allester
41
PHRF Racing Tips: Sailing a Fast Reaching Leg By Dave Ellis
42
Charleston Race Week By Capt. Steve Stevens
44
Racing Pages: News and Events, Hobie Alter Cup, Southern Regional Racing Reports and Race Calendars
70
Barging Into the Tongue of the Ocean By Steve Morrell
60-61
Regional Sailing Services Directory Local boat services in your area. Alphabetical Index of Advertisers Advertisers’ List by Category Subscription Form
68 69 69
Changes in the Bahamas. Photo by Colin Ward. Page 34.
Cover: Norman Rydge and Richard Scarr, left, and Hideo Tayama and David Stage, right, sail in the Flying Dutchman Worlds in St. Petersburg. Photo by Gary Hufford. www.beachmaster.smugmug.com.
Tilting under the Mayaca railroad bridge. Photo by David Allester. Page 38.
From the Carolinas to Cuba…from Atlanta to the Abacos…SOUTHWINDS Covers Southern Sailing News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
5
FROM THE HELM
Which is it? The Intracoastal Waterway or the Intercoastal Waterway? By Steve Morrell
I
n my editorial last month, I wrote about an experience I had on the Intracoastal Waterway. I had someone recently mention it in conversation, and they called this waterway, the “Intercoastal” Waterway. Which is it? Let’s settle this once and for all, and maybe we can increase sailors’ knowledge of our waters by a couple of notches. In the last few years, I have had many people send me scores of articles mentioning the “ICW” (until this discussion is over, we will call it that) by its longer name. I would say about half call it the “Intercoastal,” and the other half label it the “Intracoastal.” Most people who send me articles and letters are pretty intelligent, but intelligence has nothing to do with whether they call it one or the other. Ignorance certainly does. I can tell you right now: The ICW as we know it, which runs down the East Coast of the United States, around Florida and along the Gulf Coast to Texas, is officially the Intracoastal Waterway (we can get more technical about the Gulf
6
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
ICW and the Atlantic ICW, but another day). This is labeled as such whether it is misnamed and misspelled or not. Its official name includes the word “Intracoastal.” Period. End of Discussion. Except—I did a Google search on it, as I wanted to know how it got named that way. This is all because, way back in my high school civics classes, I remember learning about the U.S. Constitution and that the federal government has power over interstate commerce, meaning commerce between the states, and the states had power over intrastate commerce, meaning commerce within a state (this is also consistent with interstate versus intrastate highways). In my Google search, I found some discussion out there about the two spellings and what they mean, but no one mentioned the Constitution/commerce situation or the highway situation. The search didn’t come up with much, and I believe I have the correct interpretation. I have therefore come up with
this theory and reasoning: The Intracoastal Waterway, by all rights and definitions, should technically— to be correct by the use of the prefixes inter and intra—should be named the “Intercoastal” Waterway, as it is just like an interstate highway, being used to travel between and among the states. It would be proper to call a waterway, like the Okeechobee Canal that crosses the state of Florida—and provides travel within the state—an intracoastal waterway. But the name of the ICW is the Intracoastal Waterway for one simple reason: BECAUSE THAT IS ITS OFFICIAL NAME. Maybe in the beginning, someone labeled it the “Intracoastal” because it was providing travel within one state, and it just evolved to its present name, but it is today, officially named the Intracoastal Waterway. So writers, sailors, boaters, philosophers and others who have been labeling it wrong over the years: You learn something new every day. Steve Morrell Editor
www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
7
SOUTHWINDS
News & Views For Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS Media, Inc. P.O. Box 1175, Holmes Beach, Florida 34218-1175 (941) 795-8704 (877) 372-7245 (941) 795-8705 Fax www.southwindsmagazine.co e-mail: editor@southwindsmagazine.com Volume 14 Number 4 May 2006 Copyright 2006, Southwinds Media, Inc. Founded in 1993
Doran Cushing, Publisher 1993-2002
Publisher/Editor editor@southwindsmagazine.com (941) 795-8704
Steve Morrell
Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp Barbara Pierce
Associate Editors southwindsnews@aol.com cruzcrossroads@yahoo.com
Advertising Go to www.southwindsmagazine.com for information about the magazine, distribution and advertising rates. Steve Morrell editor@southwindsmagazine.com (941) 795-8704 David Curry davidcurry@southwindsmagazine.com (941) 761-0048 Regional Editors CAROLINAS AND GEORGIA waltmcfarlane@aol.com
Walt McFarlane
EAST FLORIDA mhw1@earthlink.net
Roy Laughlin
(912) 429-4197 (321) 690-0137
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA Lisa Hoogerwerf Knapp southwindsnews@aol.com Art Perez
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA RACING miamiyachtracing@bellsouth.net
Production Heather Nicoll
Proofreading Kathy Elliott
Letters from our readers Julie Connerley Kim Kaminski R. J. Mitchellette Art Perez Capt. Steve Stevens
Contributing Writers David Allester Dave Ellis Roy Laughlin Steve Morrell Barbara Pierce Morgan Stinemetz
(305) 380-0106
Artwork Rebecca Burg angel@artoffshore.com Rebecca Burg Hal Gilreath Walt McFarlane Melanie Neale Hone Scunook Colin Ward
Contributing Photographers David Allester Rebecca Burg Julie Connerley Hal Gilreath Gary Hufford Donald Duck Kim Kaminski Roy Laughlin Steve Morrell Barbara Pierce Richard Smith Steve Stevens Colin Ward Bill Youngblood EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: ARTICLES & PHOTOGRAPHY: SOUTHWINDS encourages readers, writers, photographers, cartoonists, jokers, magicians, philosophers and whoever else is out there, including sailors, to send in their material. Just make it about the water world and generally about sailing and about sailing in the South, the Bahamas or the Caribbean, or general sailing interest, or sailboats, or sailing in some faroff and far-out place. SOUTHWINDS welcomes contributions in writing and photography, stories about sailing, racing, cruising, maintenance and other technical articles and other sailing-related topics. Please submit all articles electronically by e-mail (mailed-in discs also accepted), and with photographs, if possible. We also accept photographs alone, for cover shots, racing, cruising and just funny entertaining shots. Please take them at a high resolution if digital, or scan at 300 dpi if photos, or mail them to us for scanning. Contact the editor with questions. Subscriptions to SOUTHWINDS are available at $19.95/year, or $37/2 years for third class, and $24/year for first class. Checks and credit card numbers may be mailed with name and address to SOUTHWINDS Subscriptions, PO Box 1175, Holmes Beach FL, 34218-1175, or call (941) 795-8704. Subscriptions are also available with a credit card through a secure server on our Web site, www.southwindsmagazine.com. SOUTHWINDS is distributed to over 500 locations throughout 10 Southern states. If you would like to distribute SOUTHWINDS at your location, please contact the editor.
Read SOUTHWINDS on our Web site, www.southwindsmagazine.com. 8
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
9
LETTERS “Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one.” H.L. Mencken In its continuing endeavor to share its press, SOUTHWINDS invites readers to write in with experiences & opinions. FRACTIONAL SAILING COMPANY PINNACLE YACHTS ALLOWS SAILING AT NIGHT Thanks for publishing the article (January 2006) regarding the legal dimensions of fractional sailing. As a point of clarification, Pinnacle Yachts does, in fact, allow sailing at night anywhere on Tampa Bay and along the ocean coast near the bay. Since our members may sail for a week or more at a time, they may find themselves far from the bay in unfamiliar waters. When in unfamiliar waters, we ask our members to arrive at their destination before sundown whenever possible. Gary Feracota Pinnacle Yachts www.pinnacleyachts.com LIVE ABOARD BOATERS Where does one begin? Talk about stereotypes and narrow-minded people. Only in Florida are liveaboard boaters viewed as a problem. Only in Florida have politicians in concert with real estate developers decided to make people who live aboard vessels unlawful. Through the ages, men have advanced civilization by adventuring upon the world’s oceans. Sailing brought us to this new world. Everywhere there are harbors with vessels of all shapes, types and sizes. Along the
10
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
east and west coasts of the United States, there are boats anchored or moored, yet here in Florida, where it is legal to be homeless, it is illegal to live aboard a vessel. Reasons for these punitive laws are as varied as the grains of sand on the beach. Wasn’t the U.S. Constitution written to prevent one well-meaning group of individuals from inflicting harm on a minority? Many liveaboard boaters have meager means to defend their rights. It is easier to just move on. This was true for the American Indians, the gypsies of Europe, and the Mormons. Boaters on the whole are a diverse lot. They are fishermen, pleasureboaters, cruisers, charter sailors, racing sailors, voyagers, weekend and seasonal boaters, trailer-sailors, canoeists, and kayakers. Liveaboard boaters are not many, and their reasons may be economic or pleasure-seeking (some people even enjoy climbing snow-covered mountains or camping in subzero weather). I am a third-generation Floridian, who owned a boat before a car. I spent my childhood on Clearwater Bay. Now I choose to live on my sailboat, but not at a dock. Perhaps I am a strange breed, but I sail when we move along the coast. Life just feels so much better when you are free to swing with the
wind and freely ride the waves and wakes. Tying to a dock makes me feel trapped, like living in a box with four walls, a floor and a ceiling. I can’t begin to understand the need some have to live in a condo, but I don’t deny them the right to do it. For years I have anchored along the Gulf Coast of Florida, from the Dry Tortugas north to the Homosassa River. I’ve stayed close to my parents as they are aging, and they enjoy my visits and knowing I am safe. I could fill a book with the anchorages and adventures along the way, yet I haven’t seen even five percent of the coast. Pinellas County is the most familiar, and Clearwater Beach is home, mostly. In four years, I have been asked to move by law enforcement five times, all in Pinellas County. Only because anchoring laws exist was I obliged to comply. Law enforcement officials have not bothered with me until someone on shore felt the need to complain. A year ago I anchored at the same location in Clearwater for a month with no complaints. In the last three months I have been asked to move three times. The difference is someone who prizes a view of the water sans boats has bought a condo, yet the real estate salesperson used a picture of the condo See LETTERS continued on page 12
www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
11
2006 Catalina 309
2006 Catalina 310
2006 Catalina 320
2006 Catalina 34
2006 Catalina 350
2006 Catalina 36
2006 Catalina 387
2006 Hunter 31 2006 Hunter 33
2006 Hunter 36
2006 Hunter 38
Catalina and Hunter have eleven yacht models between 30 and 39 feet, four with a base price of under $100,000. Most models are in stock and can be custom ordered to your specs.All are perfect companions for Florida West Coast sailing. The Thirty Something Hunter and Catalina yacht selection combined with Massey’s super competitive pricing and legendary service provide the best value anywhere, with immediate delivery on most models. Visit Massey and inspect the Catalina and Hunter Thirty-something fleet. Save thousands today and sail tomorrow with the best sailing companions that Florida has to offer!
Come to our 2006 All Cruisers Rendezvous & Boat Show May 19-21, 2006 – Call for info
Hunter and Catalina Custom Outfitting Quote in less than one hour with Just pick your yacht and call with your options.
For Online Boat Show www.masseyyacht.com E-mail: yachtsales@masseyyacht.com St. Pete, FL 727-824-7262 • TOLL-FREE 877-552-0525 Call Sheryl Boddy for Best Rate Yacht Finance Quotes and FREE Pre-Qualification
941-723-3991 Bill Wiard
Al Pollak
Palmetto, FL 941-723-1610 • TOLL-FREE 800-375-0130
Ft. Myers, FL 239-334-3674 TOLL-FREE 800-763-3157
Since 1977 12
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
Brad Crabtree Scott Pursell Frank Hamilton
www.southwindsmagazine.com
John Kelley
Dan Howland
Three Florida Locations
LETTERS with my vessel in it to advertise the condo. Talk about weird. The bottom line! We need to be more understanding of each other and learn to get along. Capt. Clifford Stephan Clifford, After reading your letter, I had a strong urge to sell everything and move onto a boat again. Hard to believe that people now look
down on liveaboards, but it is a small number of them who are giving the majority a bad name. In Gulfport, not far from Clearwater Beach, the local officials have outlawed bringing boats ashore, keeping dinghies from the moored boats—which house liveaboards—from coming ashore. Of course, that means every dinghy from every cruiser who ever comes to the area can’t come ashore either. Unfortunately, there are a few liveaboards, moored right off the town’s shoreline, who live on boats
that haven’t moved in years, some of which are barely floating derelicts. These are hardly cruisers. A few of the boats have sunk over the years, and one now sits out there, a hazard to navigation. These boats and their inhabitants have been an eyesore and a problem for the local community, so the local government made it illegal to beach boats there—stopping dinghies from coming ashore. And—in order to keep those dinghies from anchoring right off the beach and their owners’ wading ashore— they made swimming illegal too, putting “No Swimming” signs up. I wonder what would happen if someone waded ashore and said, “I wasn’t swimming. I was wading.” Would this have local officials running to the local English department at USF on the word definitions? Maybe a “No Wading” sign is on its way. I wonder what Gulfport’s rules on the homeless are? Move them to the city limits sign and drop them off? Have they removed the park benches, or are there signs that say “No Sitting”? or “No Lying Down”? Are there “No Lying Down” signs on the park lawns? How sad the direction our society is taking. Round these people up and shoot them is what many would like. Out of sight and out of mind. Many in society scare me, yet many of them are running the government. If all the other good people who are good liveaboards and those who are real cruisers, who represent the majority of liveaboards, suffer, too, well, that’s just life, I guess. Punish everyone for the faults of the few. What a mentality! About your comments in your letter: “Wasn’t the U.S. Constitution written to prevent one well-meaning group of individuals from inflicting harm on a minority?” Unfortunately, many of our government officials, those in Gulfport being an excellent example, are not “well-meaning.” The tyranny of the majority raises its ugly head again. Editor FORT MYERS BEACH MOORING FIELD INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS AND GETTING INVOLVED IN THE WATERWAYS ISSUES After reading about Boot Key Harbor possibly privatizing, I turned to my husband and said, “I think it’s about time we get involved.” We are moored in the Fort Myers mooring field, and yesterday, I witnessed two boaters who were turned away. Sailing vessel See LETTERS continued on page 14
News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
13
LETTERS Sporting Lee had to anchor out after one night, and the other boat just didn’t come in because $300,000 in liability insurance is required to moor here. Okay, I can understand being insured, but few know of this requirement before coming in here after a long day of sailing. Please post this somewhere. About the involvement thing: What can we do? These are just “can’t sleep at night” thoughts: Maybe— for like a month—if we (sailors) keep all our receipts from Publix, Winn-Dixie, West Marine, restaurants, laundromats, gas/diesel, etc., and send them all to a central location, then we can be a big voice in how much we are spending and can use that as leverage. Also: Every time we go anywhere— buses, stores, restaurants—to all the waitresses, cashiers, etc., when we say our “thank yous,” just include, “We are cruisers.” After they think we are nuts, maybe “they” will start to notice that we aren’t derelicts and how many of us DO contribute to their economy. Like I said, just random thoughts. Also, maybe get other publications—SSCA newsletter, Women Aboard, Lats and Atts, Cruising World, etc.—involved. Okay, enough thoughts. Kathie and Charlie Grove S/V My Time Too Kathy and Charlie, The vibes must be traveling through the water, as someone (see letter below) from SSCA has come up with an idea akin to yours. We have a short piece in the “Our Waterways” section about “Boaters Bucks,” which is along that same vein; spending money and getting cruisers’ money recognized. But you have expanded on it, as yes, merchants can see that cruisers are not a bunch of derelicts, but a great group of good people who spend money and help others. Let’s spread the word how many cruisers are really out there contributing to local communities as they pass through, contrary to many landlubber opinions. Getting involved: Please encourage others to send us letters on good and bad experiences as sailors sail our Southern waters. Let us know of good and bad marinas, mooring fields, anchorages, and boater-friendly communities (or anti-boater communities). BoatUS is a great resource for helping boaters’ interests. See the “Our Waterways” section for a new BoatUS resource guide to help locals get involved in local issues. Stay tuned for future issues of Southwinds as we will be developing our Web site to help boaters promote their concerns, besides continued and added coverage of these problems in the monthly magazine. Thanks for the input on insurance requirements at the Fort Myers Beach Mooring Field. Editor NEW SAILOR SEEKS CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS First, let me say, Southwinds has captured my attention right off the bat. The articles are informative and down to my level, as I am new to sailing, and there are plenty of ads to keep my questions coming. I definitely will be subscribing. I’ve been sailing many times, but this is the first time sailing myself. We have purchased a Catalina 250, and so far, we’re loving it. I have been president of a couple of dive clubs in my area for several years, and I’m a dive master. In a magazine we pay attention to, Florida Scuba News, there are sections where new divers can locate clubs and organizations in their area that they may participate in without paying an arm and a wooden leg to get in. I 14
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
thought it would be great if Southwinds, sometime in the future, might have a section dedicated to clubs, groups, chats, weeklong vacations, weekend get-togethers, etc. Just some sort of a contact medium for the new guys and old salts alike. And if I learn as rapidly as I’m hoping, I would very much like to become more involved with SOUTHWINDS as per your invitation for pictures, articles and the like. Thanks for listening, and I look forward to possibly meeting you maybe during a happy hour in some little cove somewhere. Gary Bence AKA: Scumsuckinbottomdweller (underwater photographer) Gary, We do have a list of all the yacht clubs, sailing associations, sailing squadrons, and other sailing groups throughout the South on our Web site, www.southwindsmagazine.com. It does not discriminate against those that cost an arm and a leg. It just lists as many as we know of—and that’s a large number. Some are more informal than others and have small initiation fees (under $100), while others have quite large fees and annual dues. Some require coats and ties and other formal wear in their dining rooms, and others have no physical location, but meet where they can—on and off the water. Many race regularly; some don’t race at all. Go to the site and see those in your area. You’ll have to ask around to see which ones are what and how much they charge to join up. Thanks for the comments on the magazine and enjoy your boat. Editor LOBBY FOR MORE PUMP-OUTS AND STOP THAT PEEING OVERBOARD This is in reference to your article about liveaboards and pump-outs in the December 2005 issue. One thing boaters and boating organizations could do is campaign hard for more pump-out stations as they complain about restrictions—and make that campaign very public. Granted, industry pollutes far more than boaters. But even if the public accepts that, all it takes is one floating you-know-what to turn some people against boaters and/or liveaboards forever. Seeing a literal piece of s—floating in waters enjoyed by bathers or sightseers is that disgusting for many people. If I wasn’t a boater myself, I’d be among them. And as big as boating is, there are a lot more votes with non-boaters. At the risk of sounding like a prima donna, I’ve been sailing boats with a head since 1987 and never pumped overboard. The first 10 years I had no choice, using a PortaPotti that I would empty ashore. Later, I sometimes used a bottle when appropriate, in order to reduce my need for pump-outs. Both are inconvenient, yes, but in the minds of many people—maybe most—”disgusting” trumps “inconvenient” 365 days a year. We boaters need to get smart, stop pointing fingers, stop pumping overboard illegally and start lobbying hard for more pump-out stations. And for Pete’s sake, please, no more peeing off the stern. Distant boaters have binoculars, y’know, and if you See LETTERS continued on page 16 News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
15
LETTERS have a nice-looking boat, they may be checking it out. There is no worse PR for sailors. PS. Thanks for launching this discussion. Sorry if my language seems strong, but it’s the only way I know to convey how disgusting some boaters’ habits are. FYI, I’m sending cc’s to BoatUS, where I’ve been a member for many years. Jack Thomas Punta Gorda, FL Jack, I agree that we need to really campaign for more pump-outs. Here in Manatee County, the two largest marinas have either a pumpout boat or a pump-out at each slip. They make it easy for the boater. The pump-out at each slip is by far the best. But I heard of one very large and popular Tampa Bay marina that has a pump-out dock only, and if the boater wants to pump out his tank, he has to move his boat there. Rumors abound that boaters dump overboard regularly at that marina rather than move their boats. I know this is more common than people want to admit— at all docks, whether they have facilities or not. I know of one marina where you have to move your boat to another marina to get your tank pumped out. That’s rough. Government grants are available to pay for installation of pump-out facilities, and no marina should be without them. I am strongly in support of allowing greater pump-out areas for type I and type II MSDs. This will encourage development of these MSDs, besides the fact that they dump their waste into the water, many times improving that water. As for peeing overboard, I am all for it (especially when the water is cold), but one must be discreet as in many things. Saves use of your toilet. If we can’t pee overboard, is it okay to jump in the water and pee? Just go to the beach some warm day and see those thousands of people out there swimming. Some go in the water just to pee. Now, that’s discreet. Three cheers for them. By the way, does anyone know for sure if it is illegal to pee overboard? Is it illegal to jump in the water and pee? I heard someone say you can pee overboard, but you can’t pee into a bottle and throw the pee overboard. What about in your backyard? Is it legal to pee in your backyard? What about your dog and your cat? Do your dog and your cat that sail with you have to use the holding tank, too? I can see it now: Dog and cat bathrooms on boats. Maybe that’s a thread we best not start. Editor
Please mail your letters to the editor to: PO Box 1175 Holmes Beach FL 34218 or e-mail editor@southwindsmagazine.co 16
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
Southeastern U.S. Air & Water Temperatures and Gulf Stream Currents – May 2006 Weather Web Sites: Carolinas & Georgia www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/Southeast.shtml Florida East Coast www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/Florida.shtml Florida West Coast & Keys http://comps.marine.usf.edu Northern Gulf Coast www.csc.noaa.gov/coos/
NORTHERN GULF COAST Pensacola, FL 66º lo – 83º hi Gulfport, MS 66º lo – 84º hi Water Temperature – 77º
WEST FLORIDA St. Petersburg 71º lo – 86º hi Naples 67º lo – 87º hi Water Temperature St. Petersburg – 80º Naples – 82º
CAROLINAS AND GEORGIA Cape Hatteras, NC 62º lo –74º hi Savannah, GA 61º lo – 84º hi Water Temperature Cape Hatteras, NC – 68º Savannah Beach, GA – 74º
EAST FLORIDA Daytona Beach - 65º lo – 85º hi Jacksonville Beach - 66º lo – 82º hi Water Temperature Daytona Beach – 77º Jacksonville Beach – 76º Gulfstream Current – 3 knots
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA Miami Beach _ 74º lo – 82º hi Stuart – 69º lo – 85º hi Water Temperature Miami Beach – 81º Stuart – 77º Gulfstream Current – 2.5 knots
FLORIDA KEYS Key West 76º lo –85º hi Water Temperature Key West – 82º Gulfstream Current – 2.5 knots
WIND ROSES: Each wind rose shows the strength and direction of the prevailing winds in the area and month. These have been recorded over a long period of time. In general, the lengths of the arrows indicate how often the winds came from that direction. The longer the arrow, the more often the winds came from that direction. When the arrow is too long to be printed in a practical manner, a number is indicated.
News & Views for Southern Sailors
The number in the center of the circle shows the percentage of the time that the winds were calm. The lengths of the arrows plus the calms number in the center add up to 100 percent. The number of feathers on the arrow indicates the strength of the wind on the Beaufort scale (one feather is Force 1, etc.). Wind Roses are taken from Pilot Charts.
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
17
Bubba Serves at Nude Beach By Morgan Stinemetz
O
ne of the waypoints in the memory of the GPS on my sailboat is labeled “Nude Beach.” It refers to an island at the mouth of Tampa Bay, separating Southwest Pass from Passage Key Inlet. For those of you who are into numbers, it’s 27:33.283N/82:44.408W. The beach itself—which is forbidden territory because the island it is part of, Passage Key, is a bird-nesting habitat—isn’t much. It’s thin and the island itself smells pretty rank because of all the birds doing what birds do best, defecating. If the wind is right, the smell will make your eyes water. Additionally, to be exact, the moniker “Nude Beach,” is wrong in my GPS. It’s the waters on the east side of Passage Key that have attracted a “clothing optional” contingent, not the beach itself. One time, when I was out there with a friend, I opted for clothing optional myself. My friend, a guy, was unimpressed with my reckless abandon. But I felt that I was in Rome, so I went with it. No one complained. No one cheered either, come to think of it. The fact that there are a number of topless women out there also attracts fishermen, who make a jog on their way back in from fishing in the Gulf to take in the sights. They cruise by, ostensibly looking straight ahead, while ogling the sights out of the corners of their eyes. Dark glasses hide their straining eyes. Binoculars, a genuine aid for sight-seeing, are considered bad form. It was on one of those warm, spring Sunday afternoons that I found myself on a broad reach in the vicinity of Passage Key. I eased on by the congregation of boats to see what was going on, when I noticed Bubba Whartz’s ferrocement sloop, Right Guard, anchored on the edge of the nude people, who themselves were close to a bunch of anchored boats, mostly power craft. Right Guard, I assumed, couldn’t anchor in the middle of the people, most of whom were up to their waists in the water, because Right Guard drew too much water. Bubba had some balloons decorating his boat, and he had a
18
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
dinghy tied off to his boat’s stern. There were two gals in bathing suits in the dinghy who, as I was watching, were getting a rack of drinks from Bubba. He handed them over the stern of his boat in the kind of rack that you see vendors use in baseball parks. The girls then set out rowing among the nudists and exchanging drinks for paper money. They were doing a land-office business. I mean, it didn’t take them five minutes to sell out a rack of what looked like 24 drinks in cups the size of 16-ounce beer cups. Then they would row back to Right Guard for a fresh supply and hand over the money they had acquired to Capt. Whartz. I dropped the sails on my boat, furled the main on the boom, bagged the jib and motored slowly over where Bubba’s boat was anchored. I knew his boat drew four feet, and mine drew the same, so I figured that if he was still floating, I would be able to float, too. As I drew alongside, I asked if I could raft off, and Capt. Whartz said, “Aye.” He was busy making drinks, so I did everything myself. Fenders out. Spring lines set. Fore and aft lines secured. If you’ve done it countless times, it is easy. It’s the first few hundred that are hard. I asked permission to come aboard Right Guard. Permission was granted. Bubba may be a bit unconventional in his approach to life, but he is a stickler for nautical convention. I watched without comment as Bubba mixed up, in an industrial-strength blender, what appeared to be a combination of rum, vodka, chocolate ice cream and ice. He was doing it in the shade of his Bimini and storing the mix in a cooler that was partially filled with dry ice. I had seen the type blender he used once before. It had come from a nursing home in Key West where it was used to puree food for residents who had no teeth. “What are you making here, Bubba?” I asked. “Money,” said Whartz. “No, I mean what kind of drink are you making?” I
www.southwindsmagazine.com
asked again. “I call it a ‘Skip And Go Naked,’ ” the entrepreneur replied. “And who are those girls in the dinghy?” “They are a couple of friends of Trixie LaMonte’s,” said Bubba. “Trixie LaMonte, the exotic dancer?” “The very same,” Bubba affirmed. “I would think that they would be topless, like all the customers out there in the shallow water,” I said. “You don’t know anything about marketing,” Bubba declared. “When all the people you are selling to are already naked, then putting a couple of babes in bathing suits out amongst them appeals to their collective prurient interests.” “Interesting concept,” I allowed. “How much are you selling the drinks for?” “Five dollars,” Bubba confirmed, “but they are big drinks and they are pretty strong, so they are worth it.” Just then, a man staggered up to the stern of Bubba’s boat to order another drink, but Bubba turned him away. “I’m sorry, sir, but you’ll have to get your next drink from the gals in the dinghy. They have all the drinks right now.” The man lurched off in the direction of the dinghy. As his body blended in with the other shapes, an attractive woman appeared at the stern of Right Guard. She was in her mid 20s, shaped like an athlete and had long, dark hair that came down to her shoulders. She had no bathing suit top or bottom on,half-pg and she had a tan that reminded me1 of chestnuts. cat011 sw 4/11/06 4:36 PM Page “Yes, ma’m, can I help you?” Bubba asked her. “What do you call those drinks you are selling?”
“ ‘Skip And Go Nakeds,’ ” Whartz said. “Is that the name of the drink or a request?” said the brunette, smiling. “That’s the name of the drink, but you can play it any way you want,” Bubba replied. “Well, I’m already naked. I’ll just skip while you make me a drink,” said the lady. I don’t know if you have ever seen a naked woman skip while waiting for a drink, but it’s a marvelous sight. Bubba spilled one drink before he was able to get the second one in a cup. His hands were shaking slightly, I noticed. “That will be $5,” he said as he handed her the drink. I hadn’t noticed it before, but Bubba was wearing a pair of latex surgical gloves. He accepted the $5 bill from the lady and thanked her for her business. She left humming a show tune and sucking on her drink through a straw. “Bubba, you served a woman off the stern of your boat, but you wouldn’t serve a man. Why is that?” I wanted to know. “You just witnessed the entire transaction, and you ask a dumb question like that?” Bubba snorted. “I should charge you money to be on my boat.” “Okay, I get it,” I admitted, feeling a little dense. “But I have another question. How come you are wearing rubber gloves?” “You probably noticed that neither that man nor that woman was carrying a wallet or a change purse. I have no idea of where that money was right before it got to me. You can’t be too careful when you are in the retail business and dealing with nude strangers,” Bubba articulated. And, you know, Bubba had a point there.
Get Your Dream’s Worth.
12.5
14.2
Expo
Expo
22 Capri
With thousands of first generation Catalina 22s competing on race courses, we built the new 22 Sport to accurately reflect original dimensions and weight of this popular one-design boat.
The Catalina 22 MkII is a major redesign of the venerable Catalina 22. Eight inches of additional beam at the deck means a larger, more comfortable cockpit. New pop-top, lead-ballasted centerboard and easy mast raising system are standard.
14.2
16.5
18
22
22
250
250
mkII
Sport
wing keel
water ballast
American Marine & Sail Supply Zebulon, NC www.americanmarinesail.com
The WeatherMark Buford, GA www.weathermarksailing.com
Rockledge,FL SailorsGorda, FL News & Views for Southern Punta Boaters Exchange
www.boatersexchange.com
Take a step up from dinghy sailing. The Catalina 22 Sport or MkII are perfect for the weekend cruiser, easy to trailer and reflect the quality and value Catalina owners have come to expect since 1970. Arrange a test sail with your Catalina dealer today.
Gulf Island Sales www.gisales.com
Masthead Enterprises St. Petersburg, FL www.mastheadsailinggear.com
21200 Victory Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367 7200 Bryan Dairy Rd., Largo, FL 33777
SOUTHWINDS
Setting the Standards for Safer Boating
May 2006
19
w w w. c a t a l i n aya c h t s . c o m
Events and News of Interest to Southern Sailors To have your news or event in this section, contact editor@southwindsmagazine.com. Send us information by the 5th of the month, possibly later. Contact us if later. Racing Events For racing schedules, news and events see the racing section.
UPCOMING SOUTHERN EVENTS EDUCATIONAL/TRAINING Ongoing – Boating Skills and Seamanship Programs. St. Petersburg, FL Each Tuesday night, 7:30-9:30 p.m., 1300 Beach Dr. SE, St. Petersburg. U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 72. Completion satisfies the state of Florida boater safety education requirements. Eleven lessons, every Tuesday. Lessons include: which boat for you, equipment, trailering, lines and knots, boat handling, signs, weather, rules, introduction to navigation, inland boating and radio. (727) 823-3753.
20
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
Boating Safety Courses, St. Petersburg, FL: The St. Petersburg Sail and Power Squadron begins the sixweek Public Boating Course every Monday. The course includes safety information plus basic piloting charts, course plotting, latitude/longitude and dead reckoning. Call (727) 867-3088 or visit www.boatingstpete.org for details. The course satisfies Florida’s education requirement for boaters under age 21. Clearwater Coast Guard Auxiliary (Flotilla 11-1) Offers Public Boating Programs: Basic coastal navigation program (seven lessons). Class days: April 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24. Americas Boating Course (2 lessons). Evening course on May 8, 11, and a second weekend course, May 20-21. All programs are held at the Clearwater Sailing Center, 1001 Gulf Blvd., Sand Key (Clearwater). GPS and chart reading June 12 and 15. They are open to adults and youths. For more information on upcoming education programs or to request a free vessel safety check, call (727) 4698895 or visit http://a0701101.uscgaux.info/.
www.southwindsmagazine.com
Ruskin, FL, Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 75 Offers Home Study Safe Boating Course The Ruskin flotilla each month offers a boating safety course in Ruskin but has found that many boaters do not have the time to attend the courses, so they are now also offering a home study course at $30. Additional family members will be charged $10 each for testing and certificates. Tests will be held bi-monthly. Entry into the course will also allow participants to attend the classes. To apply, call (813) 677-2354. West Marine Free Seminars in May – Of Interest to Sailors Fort Lauderdale store, 2300 S Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL, (954) 527-5540 NOAA’s New Weather Briefing Service, presented by Lee Chesneau - NOAA Senior Meteorologist Wednesday, May 10 - 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Melbourne store, 1509 N Harbor City Blvd. Melbourne, FL, (321) 242-9600 Safe Boating Week Seminar, presented by Cdr. Robert Becker - May 24, 6 p.m.-7 p.m. Holiday store, 3346 US Highway 19, Holiday, FL, (727) 846-1903 GPS, GPS, GPS, presented by Captain Ken Gheres May 25, 6:30 p.m. Venice store, 1860 Tamiami Trail S. Venice , FL, (941) 408-8288 Hurricane-proofing Your Boat, presented by Michael Carpenter June 1, 6:30 p.m.
News & Views for Southern Sailors
North Carolina Maritime Museum, Beaufort, NC, www.ncmm-friends.org, maritime@ncmail.net, (252) 728-7317. Ongoing adults sailing programs. Family sailing. 2-6 people; 2-6 hours. Traditional skiffs or 30 foot keelboat. $50$240. Reservations/information: The Friends (252) 728-1638 Electrical Certification Course, Fort Lauderdale, FL. May 16-19 American Boat & Yacht Council. (410) 956-1050. www.abycinc.org.
OTHER EVENTS Annual Wooden Boat Festival, Pirates Cove Marina, Josephine, AL, May 6-7 Presented by the Perdido Wood Boat Association. www.piratescoveriffraff.com $3 Adults. Free to children 12 and under. (251) 987-1224.
Catalina 22 Northern Gulf Coast Cruise, Fort Walton Beach, FL, May 13-19 The Catalina 22 National Sailing Association’s Fleet 77 of Fort Walton Beach, FL, hosts its ninth annual Northern Gulf Coast Cruise the week of May 13-19. This is a one-design event, open to all Catalina 22 sailors, that attracts participants from across the country and Canada. The cruise starts at the Fort Walton Yacht Club, sails the protected waterways of the ICW, crossing Choctawhatchee Bay, Pensacola Bay, Perdido Bay, and Wolf Bay to arrive at Wolf Bay Lodge, AL, and return. Go to http://members.cox.net/c22fleet77/ for additional information. There is also a feature article of interest on this cruise in SAIL Magazine, August 2005.
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
21
Key West Rendezvous, May 17, Adds a Fourth Departure Location From Sarasota
Third Annual Massey All Cruisers Rendezvous and Boat Show, May 19-21, Palmetto, FL
The Key West Rendezvous is a race down the West Coast of Florida, but it is called a rendezvous because sailors really sail down to Key West for a large meeting to be held on the docks and streets of Key West. The race got its start several years back with two departure ones, one from Naples and the other from Clearwater. The next location added was the start from Boca Grande, and this year a start from Sarasota Bay has been added, saving hours of worry for skippers in the Sarasota/Bradenton area who wondered each year if they should go north to Clearwater to start or south to Boca Grande. The first start is on Wednesday, May 17, from Clearwater at 0955 hours. Next is from Sarasota—the same day—at 1555 hours, followed by a start from Boca Grande the next day at 1155 hours and then from Naples, also on May 18, at 1855 hours. The traditional return race from Key West to Naples will be held on Monday, with boats starting at 1125 hours. The Key West Rendezvous is a Boat of the Year event for the Sun Coast, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and southwest Florida fleets. For more information, go to www.clwyc.org or call (727) 447-6000.
Massey Yacht Sales & Service will host its third annual All Cruisers Rendezvous & Boat Show on May 19-21 at Regatta Pointe Marina in Palmetto, FL. To show appreciation to all the area Catalina, Hunter, True North, Nordic Tug and Albin yacht owners, all owners registering for the event will receive a quality canvas bag filled with valuable gifts and prizes, courtesy of Cruising World and Power Cruising, Latitudes and Attitudes, SOUTHWINDS and Sail magazine. Catalina and Hunter are supplying items for owners of their yacht lines. “We expect over 500 attendees to enjoy more than 50 yachts, seven informative seminars, boat demo rides during the day Friday on our in-stock boats, and the Friday and Saturday night meals and entertainment,” states Ed Massey. Factory representatives from Hunter and Catalina are among the seminar speakers and will answer questions before and after the seminars aboard the boats. Other seminars will have speakers from Mastry Engine Centers, DoylePloch Sailmakers, and Best Rate Yacht Finance and Mariners General Insurance. A Gloria Rector Vessel Documentation representative will be available all day Saturday to answer documentation and registration questions. New and pre-owned sail and power yachts are avail-
22
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
able for inspection, all at Regatta Pointe Marina. All new yachts are boat-show decorated and have yacht purchase information on board. “This represents the largest collection of new and pre-owned yachts for sale at one location on the west coast of Florida,” said Massey. Those in attendance will be given a full collateral package of services offered by Massey Yacht Sales & Service and information on the Catalina, Hunter, True North, Nordic Tug and Albin line of yachts. West Marine will provide the featured Saturday night dinner door prize, a valuable gift certificate. There will be many other valuable door prizes from an array of sponsors. “The All Cruisers Rendezvous & Boat Show success was beyond our expectations in 2004 and 2005, and we expect an even more exciting event in 2006,” states Massey. “This has become a ‘must see’ annual event.” Call the Massey dealership nearest you for complete information; Palmetto, (941) 723-1610; St. Pete, (727) 824-7262; Fort Myers, (239) 334-3674.
2006 Atlantic Hurricane Season Begins, June 1-November 30 SOUTHWINDS will begin its annual hurricane section, which will run during this season. Topics will include articles and
News & Views for Southern Sailors
How Can We Save Docks and Boats During Hurricanes? SOUTHWINDS Would Like Your Stories SOUTHWINDS is looking for ideas and real stories on hurricane experiences to pass on to others for our upcoming hurricane section during the 2006 hurricane season. Whether your boat was at a dock, on land, anchored, or even underway, we are interested in your story— whether it survived or not. We are also looking for ideas and stories on protecting docks during storms. Should boats be forced to leave a marina during a hurricane? Should boat owners be required to keep their boats from destroying a dock during a storm? Should insurance companies give discounts to those who protect their boats during a storm? Send stories, letters and/or photos to editor@southwindsmagazine.com. techniques on saving your boat on land, on the water, at the dock, at anchor and underway. Our Web site, www.southwindsmagazine.com, already has an extensive hurricane information page with past articles, links to other sites to help save your boat, and weather links to learn about the current and past storms. We are looking for stories and arti-
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
23
cles from our readers. The more we can learn about past successes and failures, the more we can save our boats in the future. Contact editor@southwindsmagazine.com. Preliminary 2006 Hurricane
18th Annual Ocean Watch Foundation Reef Sweep and Beach Cleanup, Southeast Florida, June 10 The Annual Reef Sweep and Beach Cleanup sponsored by the Ocean Watch foundation will be held on Saturday, June 10, at various beaches and piers located between Deerfield Beach and Hollywood, FL. Charter dive boats are available for reef dives that morning. Over 6200 volunteers participate. The cleanup is followed by a party at 5 p.m., location to be announced, to celebrate. (954) 467-1366. www.oceanwatch.org.
Sixth Annual Summer Sailstice, Planet Earth, June 17-18 The Sixth Annual Summer Sailstice, a sailing celebration of the summer solstice, will be held June 17-18. There is no specific location of the summer sailstice except that it occurs on the planet Earth, in this solar system, where sailors can spend the day—or two days—sailing as a tribute to the solstice, which—astronomically—occurs on June 21. The Summer Sailstice sailing holiday allows all sailors to sail locally and celebrate globally with other members of their club, class, fleet or family while connecting with thousands of sailors worldwide. This year’s Summer Sailstice celebration takes place on June 17-18 on the weekend closest to the summer solstice with more daylight than any other weekend of the year. In 2005, sailors from 48 states and 12 countries in the Northern Hemisphere participated in this growing celebration of sailing, with all but North Dakota and West Virginia represented. In addition to creating a global connection between sailors on the longest sailing days of the year, an added bonus for signing up as a participant in Summer Sailstice is the chance to win prizes supplied from many of the world’s top sailing businesses. This year’s prizes include a one-week charter in the BVI from the Moorings, a new Hunter Xcite sailboat, several $200 gift certificates from West Marine, a one-week Fast Track to Cruising Course
24
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
from Offshore Sailing, a Hobie kayak and over 200 other prizes from Summer Sailstice sponsors. Sign-up for all participants is free on the Summer Sailstice Web site, www.SummerSailstice.com, where sailors can also post their sailing plans, create and host a Summer Sailstice party or event and find crew for their boats. Summer Sailstice was founded in 2001. It is a global holiday celebrating sailing annually on the summer solstice. The goal of Summer Sailstice is to encourage all sailors and sailing organizations in the Northern Hemisphere to participate by sailing and celebrating wherever they are on the longest sailing day of the year.
May 20-26, National Safe Boating Week
www.southwindsmagazine.com
Pepsi Americas’ Sail 2006: Tall Ships Come to North Carolina, June 30-July 5 At the end of June, Pepsi Americas’ Sail 2006, a maritime festival featuring some of the world’s most majestic tall ships, will be held in Beaufort and Morehead City, N.C. The Meka II, a 54-foot tall ship—a half-scale replica of a 17th century pirate brigantine captained by Sinbad— is one of seven tall ships that have already committed to participate. Formal invitations have been extended to dozens of ships around the world, and event organizers have received strong interest from many ships. The event expects to attract 15-20 tall ships. www.pepsiamericassail.com
NEWS “Latitudes & Attitudes TV” Joins the Water Channel Latitudes & Attitudes TV is the first nationally televised sailing show, and it is about to enter its third season. The new home for the popular sailing show will be channel 216 on the DISH Network, on the new Water Channel. It will be launching soon on Time Warner and other cable channels as well. For scheduled times and airing dates, go to www.seafaring.com.
Shorthanded Offshore Sailors of Texas Forms Shorthanded Offshore Sailors of Texas (SOS-TEX) is being formed to address the single- and double-handed sailors on the Texas coast. Sam Ausmus III is heading up the formation of this group. The first goal is to get things organized to the point that local clubs will offer single- and doublehanded classes in their regattas or offer starts and finishes for SOS-TEX members. Lakewood Yacht Club (LYC) and Galveston Bay Cruising Association (GBCA), sponsors of the Regata de Amigos from Galveston, TX, to Veracruz, Mexico, in June of this year, have invited members of SOSTEX to join them in this regatta starting on June 2, 2006.
News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOS-TEX plans also include three shorthanded races on Galveston Bay and approaching all clubs with offshore races for classes as well. It is SOS-TEX’s goal to reach out to all Gulf of Mexico shorthanded sailors and have a multiport race on the Gulf. Contact information is as follows: SOS-TEX www.sos-tex.info LYC www.lakewoodyachtclub.com GBCA www.gbca.org Regata de Amigos www.veracruzregatta.com Sam Ausmus III sausmusiii@aol.com
Historic Wooden Ship Discovered in the Sands of Pensacola Naval Air Station By Kim Kaminski A hidden treasure of history was recently discovered along the shores of the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Hurricane Ivan destroyed many of the historic buildings at the air station, especially those near the Pensacola Intracoastal Waterway. After careful deliberation, authorities decided to demolish the structures. Shortly after work began, an amazing discovery was made. During the demolition of one of the buildings, a piece of history slowly started to emerge from its resting place buried in the sand under the building’s foundation. It was at the site of the Naval service building that used to house the famous “Dilbert Dunker” (a machine that has been used over the years to help train Naval aviators in emergency water landings) where all of the excitement began. As the white sands were cleared to start the foundation work on the new Rescue Swimmer’s School, the remains of what is believed to be a wooden ship were uncovered. This was not the first time that some kind of historic artifact has been found aboard the Naval Air Station grounds. Over the years, many other items from various time periods have been recovered and salvaged for display. Archaeologists were called in, and they began a careful study to determine the find’s significance. As the experts removed the sands from around the remnants of the wooden item, the image of a ship’s keel was slowly exposed. Once the study is completed, scientists will determine the ship’s eligibility for the National Historic Register.
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
25
OUR WATERWAYS
Is this our future? Wall-to-wall condo waterfronts?
SOUTHWINDS “Our Waterways” Section SOUTHWINDS has created this section to inform our readers about changes in our waterways. We believe that Southerners are in the midst of a great change occurring on our waterways—through the conversion of many boating properties to condominiums, restrictions on anchorages once thought to be more open and now being more restricted and regulated, and other economic forces at work. This section will concern itself with the environmental health of the waters we boat and swim in. The waterways belong to all of us, and all of us have a right to use them. The waterways are not just for those who can afford to live on the water, and it is up to us boaters and lovers of these waters to protect that right. We hope that by helping to inform you of these changes, we will contribute to doing just that. We are looking for news and information on changes, land sales, anchorages, boaters’ rights, new marinas, anchoring rights, disappearing marinas, boatyards and boat ramps, environmental concerns and other related news. Independent writers wanted on these subjects. Contact Steve Morrell, editor@southwindsmagazine.com, or call (877) 372-7245. We have regularly received many letters to the editor on these issues. See the “Letters” section for more opinions and information.
26
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
Spreading the Word on Cruiser Spending: Banking on Boater Bucks By Melanie Neale It’s easy to convince city officials that boaters spend money in South Florida. A new economic impact report, commissioned by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF) and the Broward Alliance, states that Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties brought $13.6 billion into the state economy in 2005. As a matter of fact, the marine industry in these three counties has contributed more to Florida’s economy than citrus, cruise ships or Super Bowl XXXIX. What’s not easy is to convince them that some of this money does, in fact, come from small boats. While megayachts play a growing role in the economy, spending large amounts of money at one time, smaller vessels contribute just as well. The report, titled “Economic Impact of the Recreational Marine Industry in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties, FL, 2005,” leaves out some of the information that is, perhaps, most useful. Nowhere does it address the type or size of boats that this money comes from. Many Fort Lauderdale businesses, including Bluewater Books & Charts, will tell you that some of their best customers are still the cruisers who come to South Florida to repair their boats, provision, and wait for weather to sail on to more exotic destinations. At the same time, the Marine Industry is enamored with megayachts. They’re
www.southwindsmagazine.com
Boaters Bucks Cut out and present to a vendor. For more Boaters Bucks, go to the “Our Waterways” section at www.southwindsmagazine.com, or to www.ssca.org.
glamorous. They’re shiny. You almost can’t blame folks in the industry for being blinded by them. Almost. Except for the fact that every time a marina gets redesigned into a megayacht facility, dockage for the normal-sized boats gets even scarcer. The Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA), under the direction of Richard Blackford, is launching a program called “Boater Bucks” to help make the economic impact of smaller cruising vessels felt in South Florida and elsewhere. In the SSCA’s March Commodore’s Bulletin, a monthly publication featuring destination stories and letters from cruisers
News & Views for Southern Sailors
all over the world, Blackford printed a copy of the bill-sized form (see the Boater Bucks image in Southwinds). On the form, the boater enters the date and the dollar amount spent. Then, the form is turned in to the manager or owner of the business where the money has been spent. Boater Bucks present an easy way to keep track of where money brought into South Florida (or elsewhere) by the marine industry comes from. The idea is that visiting boaters will fill them out at any port, whenever money is spent on anything. Once these forms start piling up at the businesses where they are distributed, managers and owners
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
27
OUR WATERWAYS who have benefited may be motivated to talk to their local politicians regarding anchoring ordinances and other limitations placed on visiting boaters. Since the bucks originated with the SSCA, the people who are using them are, for the most part, going to be the owners of cruising sailboats. This all started in Miami Beach back in May 2005 with ordinance # 2005-2484. This ordinance is similar to many others, in that it places strict regulations on anchored vessels. Under 2484, a vessel can anchor for no longer than seven days, consecutive or cumulative, within a 30-day period. This ordinance resulted in an outcry from the SSCA and other concerned boaters all over Florida. One boater, a disabled man who lived aboard in Miami Beach, even took the issue to the A.C.L.U. He wasn’t successful, but there still may be a case worthy of its notice. Under pressure from the boaters, the city of Miami Beach added Paragraph (d) to the ordinance, which allows for exceptions including emergency repairs, severe weather, illness or injury. Still, the ordinance changed a lot of peoples’ plans. Many cruisers decided not to come to Miami at all, and passed it by for more cruiser-friendly areas in the Florida Keys. Many reported being harassed by the Miami Beach Marine Police. And the anchorage off the Miami Yacht Club, which is where the Blackfords spend a great deal of their time, filled up. It is technically right outside of the regulated area, in Miami waters. Rebecca Castellano, of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida, is one of the industry’s cruiser-friendly advocates. She is distributing Boater Bucks among members of the Gulfstream Sailing Club, a group whose membership consists largely of cruisers and sailors in the Broward County area. Bluewater Books & Charts, at 1811 Cordova Road in Fort Lauderdale, is making Boater Bucks available to customers at the cash register, where they count the most. If other marine businesses start doing the same thing, then perhaps South Florida will have a way of counting the money spent by boats under 80 feet long. The economic impact of cruising vessels is felt by businesses outside of the marine industry as well. “Publix, believe it or not, has been one of the most responsive businesses to the Boater Bucks program,” says Blackford. The Publix at 1045 Dade Blvd. in Miami Beach has always been friendly to cruisers who anchor in the Miami Beach waters and take their dinghies up the nearby canal to provision. “The last time we were there,” Blackford says, “the cashier
told us that she already knew about Boater Bucks and that she had been instructed to give them to the manager. The manager was extremely receptive to the idea.” Boaters concerned about access and anchoring regulations should make as many copies as they can, carry Boater Bucks around in their wallets, leave copies in laundromats, restaurants, ships stores, marinas, or anywhere else. They’re self-explanatory. Blackford says that the best strategy for handing them out is to give them to the manager of a place where you have just spent money, let the manager read them, and then politely ask if the manager understands or if there is anything else that you should explain. Word spreads quickly, and Blackford and the SSCA are hopeful that Boater Bucks will help reverse the alarming trend of anti-anchoring and anti-liveaboard regulations in Florida and elsewhere. To download Boaters Bucks, go to the “Our Waterways” section at www.southwindsmagazine.com, or to www.ssca.org. Melanie S. Neale is a freelance writer and lives aboard her sailboat, a 1969 Columbia 28 named Short Story, in Dania, FL. She lived at Maule Lake Marina for four years while teaching English and earning her master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Florida International University. She is a USCG Master’s Licensed Captain and also works at Bluewater Books & Charts in Fort Lauderdale. She was brought up living on a sailboat and cruising the Bahamas and the U.S. East Coast with her family.
Brevard County’s Marine Management Plan for Indian River Lagoon Taking Shape By Roy Laughlin A new marine management plan for Brevard County’s 75 miles of the Indian River Lagoon may soon be in place. The Brevard County Commission, in November 2005, asked its Marine Advisory Council of appointed volunteers to define major issues and components of a management plan and work with county staff for specific language of a draft ordinance. After several meetings, the committee identified three main areas of concern: 1. Restriction of liveaboards on permanent or semi-permanent moorings. 2. Removal of abandoned and wrecked boats, and policies to handle them in the future. 3. Need for mooring fields and development of appropriate criteria for siting and operation. Essentially, these were topics handed to them by the Board of County Commissioners when, after a contentious meeting, the Board decided not to include access fees for Send Us Information On Public Mooring Fields SOUTHWINDS is trying to catalog all the public mooring fields and anchorages that are regulated by local municipalities in the South, whether fresh or saltwater. We ask our readers to send us information on those that they know, with contacts, locations, regulations, news, etc. Contact Steve Morrell editor@southwindsmagazine.com (877) 372-7245
28
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
Two derelict boats in Brevard County. Photo by Roy Laughlin.
non-motorized boats. The situation has not changed much, but details relating to the perception of need and details drafting the ordinance are part of the public discussion of the Marine Advisor Group and county officials. The perceived problem of liveaboards is a primary focus of this ordinance. For the Board of County Commissioners, the chronic complaints of a pair of Merritt Island land residents about one boat in front of their house has been the political godfather of restrictions. There is a perception that land-based ad valorem property taxes are vastly more valuable to the political establishment than any revenue or economic service contributed by liveaboards. So they should be completely eliminated. The county staff has been dealing with more substantial and quantifiable issues, and has included both inhabited and uninhabited moored boats. In its review, poorly moored boats are hazards to public and private structures during storms. There certainly have been multiple instances of drifting boats damaging docks, bridges and other boats. Unrestricted mooring in preserve areas is also perceived as a big problem both for physical damage and waste-associated water quality reductions. And finally, when boats become wrecks, they often end up being abandoned by owners. Brevard County has been looking for money to remove 58 wrecks in the lagoon system, with the current bill
News & Views for Southern Sailors
estimated at about $600,000. Development of mooring fields is considered an instrumental component of a solution. In mooring fields, boats could be more securely moored, ownership and insurance requirements could be enforced, practices to ensure water quality monitored and enforced, and finally, more moorings could be built than marina slips lost to privatization. Mooring fields must be authorized in this plan before siting and engineering studies can even begin. The advisory group wanted the discussion and the draft ordinance to make clear that transient yachters are very welcome in Brevard County. The proposed ordinance will have a provision for 72-hour anchoring, a period consistent with the federal Rights of Navigation. The discussion of liveaboards is viewed as a separate issue from transients staying on anchor a few days. The status of derelict and abandoned vessels within Brevard County’s emerging marine management plan remains very murky. Both “derelict” and “abandoned” have specific legal meanings under Florida law. A vessel can be derelict but not abandoned if an owner maintains ownership claims to it even if it is filled with water and mud. A floating vessel can be abandoned. Law enforcement, focused in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, must tread a thin and often nearly invisible
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
29
OUR WATERWAY line, meeting requirements to put a vessel on a list for removal from the lagoon and disposal. The Florida Legislature has been asked to devise a consistent, useful legal definition of “derelict boat” to allow agencies at all levels of government to take appropriate action to protect public interests and private property. How all this can factor, in practice, into a marine management plan, remains to be developed after the legislative session ends in May. If the circumstances were not sufficiently complex already, the Florida Legislature is considering changes allowing marinas to order hurricane evacuations from their facilities, dramatically increasing the possibility of more wrecks littering causeways and waterfront properties. After Hurricane Andrew, state law required marinas to allow boats to remain during a storm, often with dramatic destruction to both boats and marina facilities. The marina industry has been working with Rep. Mitch Needleman (RMelbourne) to remove this stipulation. Successful passage of a change in the law remains uncertain. However, at the halfway point in the 2006 legislative session, the marina industry has been dramatically successful advancing such a one-sided bill that will have demonstrable adverse effects on its customers and the general public. County officials hope to have a first draft of the marine management plan ordinance by April 21 for review at a meeting of Brevard’s city managers. In May, a draft ordinance will be delivered to the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners, who are expected to file an intent to legislate and schedule public hearings. If all goes smoothly, Brevard County could have a marine management plan and no legal liveaboards by the first part of the summer. Delivery of mooring fields and removal of derelict vessels will become a reality later, perhaps much later. Boaters with an interest in the marine management plan Send Us Information & Opinions on Boat Waste Disposal More and more communities are restricting our rights to anchor or moor in their local waters. One of the main complaints is residents’ allegations of sewage disposal from boats. Do boaters pollute the waters in which they anchor? What alternatives to the traditional methods of sewage disposal from a boat exist? Are composting toilets a good answer? Do you have experience with them? How about mandatory pump-outs? Enforced nodischarge zones? How much pollution is caused by local communities compared to what a boat discharges? What about Type I and Type II MSDs? Should they be allowed in no-discharge zones? How are the pump-out services in your area? We are also looking for information on what other countries—in Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and elsewhere—do about boat waste disposal. SOUTHWINDS will be researching innovative ways to dispose of sewage and answers to this age-old problem. We’d like your input and opinions. Contact Steve Morrell at editor@southwindsmagazine.com (941) -795-8704 30
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
can see the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners’ meeting agenda at www.brevardcounty.us/. The link to the Board’s agendas is the first one in the Quick Links list, left side of home page. Those wishing to express an opinion will find contact information for the county commissioners on the home Web page.
In Hopes of Saving Marinas, Pinellas County Purchases Tarpon Springs Marina In late March, Pinellas County, home to St. Petersburg, Clearwater and many other waterfront communities, entered the business of marina ownership. As marinas have slowly been bought up by developers who turn them into condominiums with private docks, Pinellas County commissioners have recently looked into stopping this trend by becoming marina owners. Their first attempt— the purchase of the Tierra Verde Hi & Dry Marina—failed as the estimated cost of upgrading and developing the property made the deal unworkable. That marina is now on the path to “condoization.” The county commissioners continued to look and made an agreement to buy the Landing at Tarpon Springs for $11.5-million (and figured on $500,000 for upgrades). They believe that the property will be economically viable. The 5.5-acre property contains 230 dry storage units and 31 wet slips, with a good chance of adding another 20 slips. Twelve marine-related businesses currently operate at the marina, and their owners were pleased to hear of the county’s purchase, as rumors have been circulating for the past year of the possible sale of the property for condo development.
New Grassroots Lobbying “Tool Kit” at BoatU.S.com Is a boat ramp closure being considered in your neighborhood? Is your municipal marina going to be sold? Does your town or county need public support to fund a new boating project? Boat owners have a big stake in what goes on in the community where they live and boat. Local ordinances passed in meetings that are poorly publicized or unattended by recreational boaters can have a major impact on boat-
News & Views for Southern Sailors
ing. BoatU.S., the nation’s largest organization of recreational boaters, believes boaters need to get involved to protect their lifestyle. “While national associations can have a tremendous impact on Congress, local politicians want to hear from their constituents on local issues,” said Michael Sciulla, senior vice president of BoatU.S. government and public affairs. To give boaters the tools to fight these local battles, the BoatU.S. Government Affairs team has developed the online “Grassroots Lobbying Tool Kit” at http://www.BoatUS.com/gov/toolkit. The tool kit won’t solve every issue, but it will give boaters insight on how government works and what they can do to effect change. The site includes information on local lobbying tactics, civics 101, writing to elected officials, forming coalitions and getting publicity.
Links for Our Waterways Issues Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway issues. www.atlintracoastal.org BoatUS Foundation. Great source of information and links on miscellaneous issues. www.boatus.org Florida Inland Navigation District, a taxing district for management and maintenance of the AICW in Florida. www.aicw.org Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. www.gicaonline.com Marine Industries Association of Florida with links to local associations. www.boatflorida.org Marine Industries Association of South Florida. www.miasf.org National Waterways Conference promotes, educates and lobbies on behalf of all the nation’s inland waterways. www.waterways.org Ocean Conservancy dedicated to the protection of oceans. www.oceanconservancy.org Reef Relief. A non-profit group is dedicated to preserving the reefs, based in Key West. www.reefrelief.org Gulfbase.org. A research database for Gulf of Mexico Research. www.gulfbase.org
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
31
DESTINATIONS
T
here are many reasons that the Crow’s Nest Marina in Venice, FL, is so popular with boaters. There’s the friendly, helpful staff, the great restaurant, and the many amenities for boaters. Then there’s the location, and everyone agrees that the marina’s location is one very important reason for its popularity. “We’re right off the Gulf, and right off the Intracoastal Waterway,” says Dockmaster Dave Strum. “We’ve got easy access. We’re right at the junction of the Gulf and the ICW. And Venice Inlet’s the best one on the west coast.” General Manager Cheri LaRoche agrees and adds that boaters frequently tie up to the dock to come to the award-winning restaurant for lunch or dinner. “It’s perfect; it’s in such a good location,” state cruisers Bob and Jane Bierly about the marina. “You can walk to the beach, bike downtown to the shops or Publix, eat at the restaurant.” On their Catalina 38, C’mon Wind, the Bierlys are traveling from Bradenton, FL, where they spent the winter, back home to Reedville, VA. A friend recommended the Crow’s Nest Marina to them. “We planned to stay just one night, but we like it so much, we’re staying longer,” adds Jane Bierly. “The amenities are nice.” Located midway between Tampa and Fort Myers, 20 miles south of Sarasota, the Venice Pass inlet is jettied and well-defined.
The Crow’s Nest Marina and Restaurant has been a landmark in Venice, FL, for 30 years.
It’s easily navigable, with 12-foot depths. Conveniently situated on the southern shores just inside the inlet, the marina can accommodate deep-draft boats. There are 24 slips for transients at the marina. The 200foot face dock can accommodate larger boats, up to 125 feet.
Many Amenities Attract Cruisers The docks have recently been renovated, with 30- and 50-amp power, cable TV, potable water, and security cameras. Gas and diesel high-volume pumps are open daily until 7:00 p.m., and after hours by arrangement. Fuel prices are competitive. A new fuel dock is being built and should be ready in June or July 2006. It will be a longer dock and will make it easier to fuel a larger boat, or several boats at the same time. The showers for cruisers have also recently been renovated. There are large individual shower units, “just like a bathroom at home,” LaRoche remarks. There’s a new laundry room and a lounge for cruisers with an Internet hook-up, even a computer you can borrow. A dockmaster’s headquarters building has just been built behind the fuel dock. It includes a ship’s store, with beverages, beer, wine, bait, tackle, T-shirts and more. Here’s where Pepé, the blue-fronted Amazon parrot, greets visitors. By Barbara Pierce “He’s famous,” says Strum. “Everybody loves him. Little kids who used to come to see him are now grown-ups who come to see him.” There’s even a T-shirt for sale that features Pepé. Also available are courtesy bikes for cruisers. It’s an easy ride to Venice’s historic downtown with its unique shops and restaurants. A picnic area on the other side of the long face dock is available for boaters, “and they do use it regularly for parties,” comments LaRoche. If boaters want to come to the Crow’s Nest Restaurant, they can be given a pager to let them know when their table is ready, so that they can wait on their boat if they wish. Entertainment, designed especially for boaters, is provided in the tavern on weekend evenings.
Crow’s Nest Marina and Restaurant in Venice, FL, Offers Much to Boaters
On-site Restaurant is a Star The award-winning restaurant is another reason for the 32
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
then called Tarpon Center popularity of the Crow’s Marina. “It was a working Nest. Known as “Venice’s boatyard, with travel waterfront landmark since lifts,” Strum remembers. 1976,” the restaurant has Soon after purchasing won many accolades the marina, Harner from local newspapers began flipping hamburgand cruising guides. ers over the dockmaster’s “The real star at the office. So the restaurant Crow’s Nest is the on-site began. Several years later, restaurant,” states Claiborne S. Young in his Cruising Dockmaster Dave Strum, standing on the Crow’s Nest docks, and his help- he changed the name to the Crow’s Nest. Guide to Western Florida. ful staff is one of the reasons for the popularity of the Crow’s Nest Marina Twenty years ago, “The food is superb…just in Venice, FL. Dockmaster Dave Strum about as good as it gets.” cruised down from Boston, MA, on a 36-foot ketch that he Voted Venice’s best overall restaurant for the past five built, and pulled into Tarpon Center Marina. “The dockyears by both the Venice Gondolier and the Venice AM Herald master hired me to mow the lawn, and it started there!” He Tribune, the restaurant specializes in casual seafood. With its lived on his boat in the marina for four years before moving attractive wood, brass, and glass interior, and great food, it onto land. He’s been the dockmaster for three years, taking draws diners from up and down the west coast. over when the previous dockmaster recently retired. “Our restaurant is the finest in Sarasota County,” claims “Steve is about growing and putting back into the mariLaRoche. “We’ve got a great staff and a state-of-the-art na and restaurant,” states LaRoche. “It’s a passion for him.” kitchen. We get lots of awards: best place for romance, best Pictures in the elevator document the renovations over the view, best all around—we’ve got them all.” years. The most recent change is the new dockmaster’s For the past five years, Wine Spectator magazine has recoffice and ship’s store, next to the fuel dock. ognized the Crow’s Nest wine cellar for having one of the For more information, go to www.crowsnest-venice.com. world’s best wine lists. “Lots of boating groups come to enjoy our wine,” adds LaRoche. “With the new law, they The marina can be reached on VHF Channel 16, or at (941) can take the bottle back to their boat. This is a big plus.” 484-7661. The marina is open daily, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. The restauThe tavern, on the first floor, is more casual than the rant can be reached at (941) 484-9551. The restaurant is open restaurant, and “a great boater spot,” says LaRoche. “They Monday-Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from 5-10:00 can get off the water and come in.” The tavern has bigp.m.; Sunday 12 noon-9:00 p.m. The tavern is open until 11 screen TVs, live entertainment on weekends, a variety of p.m. Monday-Thursday, until midnight on Friday and foods. “All I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow Saturday, and until 10 p.m. on Sunday. The Crow’s Nest rover,” claims this line from a sea shanty posted over the Marina and Restaurant is located at 1968 Tarpon Center Drive, entrance to the tavern. Venice, FL, at the south jetty. From a boat, it is just inside the Venice Pass Inlet off the Gulf of Mexico, on the south side, or turn west between ICW unlighted day beacon #17 and flashSame Owner for 30 Years ing day beacon #1, approximately near mile marker #58. Thirty years ago, Steve Harner bought the marina, which was
News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
33
BAHAMAS
Changes in the Bahamas By Colin Ward A Bahamian boat in Nassau.
Anyone who has watched the progress of coastal real estate prices will not be surprised to know that investors and developers are looking farther afield to find better deals on waterfront property. Florida real estate is not only very expensive, but coastal acreage suitable for certain kinds of development is no longer available. So…guess what? The Bahamas, and more recently the Exumas, have been discovered.
34
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
A
lthough there have been megadevelopments for years in popular tourist destinations like Paradise Island near Nassau, the Abacos and Grand Bahama, the rest of the Bahamas have mostly been composed of unoccupied islands with an occasional house or Bahamian settlement. The sailor’s paradise, the Exuma chain, has been very much that way. Although some islands have been noted as private with restricted access, many of them are owned by the government (Crown Land) or absentee owners and have been freely accessible. Since the rediscovery of the Exumas, more houses have been appearing on remote islands, and some exclusive small resorts have been constructed and marketed to a very rich clientele, which includes celebrities who relish privacy. The resort operators have looked for ways to keep boaters from anchoring near those islands as well as restricting boaters from landing on their shores. Movie stars are probably the most well-known of the rich clientele, and since the filming of the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean took place in the Exumas, at least one Exuma island is now reportedly owned by one of the stars. It is quite common to see megayachts throughout the Exumas, and rumors occasionally are heard in the cruising community that someone shared an anchorage with Mel Gibson or Tiger Woods or Pierce Brosnan. So how do these changes affect the cruising sailor? Well, so far, not much. The islands are still beautiful and relatively uncrowded. The local people are still friendly and laid-back. The water and the reefs are mostly pristine and full of sea life. The cruising is excellent. But for those of us who have been coming here for several years, the changes are of concern because we see the encroachment of development on the lifestyle we have come here to enjoy. The island of Great Exuma and its adjacent cays that form Elizabeth Harbor are “booming” in the eyes of the local people. They have readily available employment in construction and services, but they comment that the prosperity has brought strangers from the city, and with them www.southwindsmagazine.com
Boats anchored in Elizabeth Harbour in the Exumas.
have come crime and other problems. By world standards, the crime rate in the Exumas is among the lowest. However, the trend is there. A golf resort known as Emerald Bay, which includes a Four Seasons hotel, is now in operation and has put Great
News & Views for Southern Sailors
Exuma on the map. Emerald Bay has assisted the island with a reverse osmosis water plant and, of course, has provided jobs to both islanders and outsiders. Emerald Bay is priced out of reach for most islanders and cruisers, except perhaps for special occasions. However, there are additional retail establishments, a grocery store, and other facilities which would not otherwise be here. Of course, support organizations such as shipping lines, airlines and others have experienced growth as a result. Within Elizabeth Harbor, which is where George Town lies, there is an island named Crab Cay. The island was privately owned for many years and was totally undeveloped, and there were no restrictions placed on visitors to the island. On an island hill are the ruins of an old plantation house dating back to the days when plantation owners
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
35
BAHAMAS known as Royalists chose to leave the United States and settle in the Bahamas and remain loyal to the mother country. More important to cruisers, however, is that the island formed one of the safest anchorages in the Bahamas with allaround protection, making it a reasonable hurricane hole. The anchorage has been known as Redshanks for many years and it has provided shelter for as many as 50 boats in times of bad weather. Little Harbour in the Abacos. The development of Crab Cay is in its early stages. The development is planned as a $400-million gated community and is aimed at those who can spend $3- to $5-million for a lot on which to build an estate. The plans include a marina for yachts up to 150 feet, retail establishments, and all the supporting restaurants, health clubs and security that such owners might consider essential. The developers will soon be building a bridge to the island from Great Exuma. At first a causeway was proposed, but that idea was nixed since it would have blocked boat traffic along a popular waterway used by dinghies and skiffs. The bridge will block access along that waterway for sailboats, but it is admittedly so shallow that only a few small catamarans presently use it. Although cruisers cannot reasonably expect private land to be reserved for their use, they get upset when restrictions are placed on water access. The first hint that water or anchoring restrictions might have found their way to the Bahamas was a couple of years ago at Musha Cay. Some cruisers were asked to leave an anchorage adjacent to Musha Cay resort, and the operators flashed a letter at them, which stated that the harbormaster had granted Musha Cay the right to restrict anchoring in an area where
36
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
its upscale guests might see the boats or be seen by the boaters. It is rumored that Oprah Winfrey is a guest at the resort at times. The latest rumor is that the resort was in fact granted the right to mark a swimming area but not to eliminate the anchorage. In the Bahamas, the law states that anyone can use the beach up as far as the high tide line (which is in fact part of the ocean). However, the developers of the Crab Cay resort claim that they have leased the ocean bottom from the Bahamian government out four hundred yards from the island. This it seems would give them the right to exclude boats from most if not all of the Redshanks anchorage. It remains to be seen whether they will in fact try to limit anchoring in Redshanks or elsewhere around Crab Cay. A local businessman told me that the Bahamians in general oppose arrangements such as the leasing of the sea bottom rights to a private company, but that certain officials in Nassau take it upon themselves to make whatever arrangements are necessary to insure that development proceeds and then take credit for it. As visitors to the country, perhaps we are out of line saying that we are opposed to a move made by the Bahamian government, but then I remember that the developers in question are from the United States and have a full time lobbyist in Nassau. Other similar development issues are presently being reviewed with respect to a project in the Abacos, and now that a Ritz hotel is planned on Rose Island near Nassau, who knows what issues will be raised there? So do the ultrarich have the right to buy land and exclude others from their domains? It happens all the time in the United States, so I guess the answer is yes. But do they have the right to control the waters adjacent to their property? Not according to most U.S. and Bahamian laws, but that will not stop them from trying and succeeding, as has been done in Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach and several other Florida cities via anchoring restrictions. So why is all of this of interest to readers of SOUTHWINDS? Well, it is my opinion that cruising and sailing in the Bahamas is still a fantastic experience, and I suggest that anyone who is interested in trying it should do so as soon as possible. The Bahamas are littered with failed developments due to the difficulties of construction and operation in this environment so who knows if the aforementioned developments will succeed. It takes a huge amount of money and patience to make it happen. Nevertheless, the winds of change are blowing, and they will probably have a negative effect on cruising the Bahamas in the future. So go now! www.southwindsmagazine.com
Cortez Small Craft Festival Enjoys a Successful Inaugural Year
T
Best Paddleboat was he community of won by Si Bloom of Cortez, FL, played Miami, FL. host to the Great The most exotic Florida Gulf Coast boat at the festival was Small Craft Festival, said by many to be the April 1-2. Sixty-eight powerboat Rescue Miner, boats and an estimated a John Atkins-inspired 2,000 visitors were design owned and built present for the threeby Robb White. The day event. The event’s boat is unique in that it organizing group was can do 18 knots in six the Gulf Coast Maritime inches of water, powMuseum, Florida’s only Lisa Fath won the Chip Shore Award for Restoration ered by a small inboard maritime museum, locatwith her Windmill. Photo by Steve Morrell. engine. ed in the small, tradiA sailboat race was tional fishing commuheld in three different nity of Cortez, FL. classes. Class A, boats The festival was 18 feet and over, was held at the N.E. Taylor won by Skip Jack, a traBoatworks boatyard and ditional, beautiful woodthe Bayside Banquet en boat built by John Hall, located on the Alderman, owner of water in Cortez. Small Snead Island Boatworks craft displays were set in Palmetto, FL. up in the boatyard, Class B, boats 14-18 along with others in the feet, was won by Layla, water at the docks. a 15-foot melon seed Camping facilities at Wooden boats on display at the festival were examples of true owned by Dave Lucas craftsmanship. Photo by Steve Morrell. the old Cortez schoolof Bradenton, FL. house were available Class C, boats under for exhibitors. 14 feet, was won by Exhibitors and visRobb Ludvig from itors came from many Naples, FL. parts of the United The second festival States and as far away will be held next year, as Quebec, Canada. and with this year’s The small craft exhibitsuccess and the support ed included hand-built of the growing maritime wooden canoes, kaymuseum, the event will aks, sailboats, and even certainly become a popone unique powerboat. ular event in coming Some were restored years. older boats. The qualiParticular thanks ty of the craftsmanship Some of the small sailing craft just before their departure in the race. were expressed by the Photo by Steve Morrell. and care that went into festival organizers to the boats was excepJohnny and Patty tional. Awards, voted on by the visiting wooden 1965 Windmill, which she Banyas, who donated use of their public, were given out in different restored after purchasing the boat in grounds and facilities at the N.E. categories, the award names being 1993. She still races the boat in the Taylor Boatworks and the Bayside Banquet Hall. based on individuals known in the Windmill circuit. The Lee Hickok Award for Best small craft, boatbuilding world, or to honor those who contributed to Traditional Craft was won by Mike For more information, go to the festhe field in some way. The Chip Fonville of Beaufort, NC, for his tival Web site, www.fgcscf.org. For information on the maritime museShore Award for Restoration was spritsail skiff. The Matt McCarthy Award for um, call (941) 708-4935. won by Lisa Fath, who exhibited her
News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
37
Shortcut Across Florida: Tilting Under the Port Mayaca Bridge By David Allester The Port Mayaca railway bridge looked as if it could inflict a lot of damage. Photo by David Allester.
A
ccording to Euclidean geometry, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. That’s usually how my wife Eileen and I plot our course when we’re planning a passage, choosing to ignore the earth’s curvature and the notion of great circle routes. There’s an appealing elegance to laying a straight edge alongside points “A” and “B” and joining the two with a pencil line. Unfortunately, this illusion is quickly destroyed as soon as we get underway and our actual track begins wandering all over the chart like Moses searching for the Promised Land. We know where we want to end up, but we just can’t seem to get the pointy end of the boat headed in that direction. That was our problem last spring when we sailed from Mexico to Florida. We were winding up a winter cruise of the northwestern Caribbean, enjoying the beach and happy hour margaritas in Isla Mujeres, our idyllic bliss only slightly marred by a nagging deadline. My nephew was getting married in Vancouver at the beginning of June. I had missed my niece’s wedding a couple of years before, creating something of a family furor. I knew I’d be in deep doo-doo if I didn’t show up for my sister’s eldest son’s nuptials. But,
hey, we had a whole month to sail to Florida, put the boat away for the summer, and hunt around for a cheap flight to the Pacific Northwest. No problem; a late spring passage from Isla Mujeres, on the northeast corner of the Yucatan peninsula, to the Florida Keys promised to be a piece of
PARTS
REFRIGERATION PARTS SOLUTIONS
100% INTERNET We carry a complete line of refrigeration parts for maintenance, repair, and upgrades for all brands including Grunert, Glacier Bay, Marine Air, Sea Frost, Adler/Barbour and more. We are also pleased to offer R28+ vacuum insulation panels (independent lab tests) all at Rprices: guaranteed lowest!
www.rparts.com 38
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
Cuban fishermen aboard an inner tube raft saved us from starvation. Photo by David Allester.
cake. The current in the Yucatan Channel would want to take us to Florida whether or not that was our intention, and, with a little luck, the wind would be from the southeast and on our beam. The annual Regata del Sol al Sol race from St. Petersburg to Isla Mujeres had just ended. We decided to leave right after the last regatta party was over. On the appointed morning, the conditions didn’t look that great: northeast winds in the 20-knot range—pretty well right on the nose if we were going to follow that straight pencil line on the chart. We usually go to great lengths to avoid pain and suffering, and the wedding was still over three weeks away. We decided to wait. After a couple of days the wind had subsided to 10 to 15 knots; it was still blowing from the northeast but was forecast to clock more to the east and even a bit south of east. The long-term forecast showed little change. “Well,” I said, “it doesn’t sound like it’s too bad out there. It might just take us a bit longer to get to the Keys because we won’t be able to do it on a single tack. We might as well go.” Eileen, who has heard my predictions on a number of occasions before, got out the seasickness meds. Everything started out fine, but rather than shifting more to the east, the wind gradually backed to the north. Just as we encountered the current in the channel, the wind picked up. Soon we were trucking along at eight or nine knots—unfortunately, in the wrong direction. The current was sweeping us into the Bay of Campeche. “If this keeps up, we’ll make our landfall in Texas,” I said. “Let’s tack..” On the opposite tack our speed plummeted to barely three knots and, despite the fact our bow was pointed towards Cuba, we were now on our way to Louisiana. I surmised that we were stuck in some sort of eddy and figured we should motorsail across the channel until we got into the main axis of the current that would take us into the Florida Straits. For the next 24 hours, we crawled across the Yucatan Channel, alternating between sailing wildly off course and News & Views for Southern Sailors
motorsailing moderately off course. We never found the current that was supposed to take us to Florida. The latest weather forecast predicted further strengthening of the winds and mounting seas. When we were about 50 miles off the northwest coast of Cuba, I checked the fuel level. We didn’t have enough diesel to continue using the engine all the way to the Keys, especially if the wind picked up. We decided to hide out in Cuba until the conditions improved. Two days after leaving Isla Mujeres, we ducked through Cuba’s barrier reef at Pasa Roncadora and dropped the anchor in a quiet, mangrove-lined bay. The wind outside began to howl. “What if we’re stuck here for a week or more?” I moaned. “We won’t have enough time to haul the boat and catch a flight. My sister will kill me.” Eileen checked the fridge. “What’s worse is we’ll run out of fresh food.” On cue, we heard someone call, “Hola!” We clambered up the companionway to see a most unlikely vessel approaching us. Three fishermen were rowing a raft constructed of rubber inner tubes decked over with scraps of wood. “Hay pescado?” Eileen asked. “Si, si,” they answered. The fellow at the bow opened a
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
39
lot of damage if deck box filled we hit it,” she with fish and lobsaid. ster. We pointed The marina to a fat hogfish— had told us that good for at least someone named two or three meals Billy would come — and offered out in his skiff them three dollars. and, for a fee, Sold. Eileen was help heel our relieved. “We won’t boat over so it starve,” she said, would fit under as our benefactors the bridge. Eileen pulled away. Jeannie and Billy filled water barrels on our port deck. Photo by David Allester. called him up Our Cuban sojourn lasted four days. On the day of our departure, the and asked him to come out the next morning. Billy appeared wind had settled back down into the 10- to 15-knot range but on schedule with his partner Jeannie and a boat full of empty was still blowing from the northeast. We cleared the reef 50-gallon battered plastic barrels. He gave us a long string beyond our anchorage and began tacking across the Florida attached to a bunch of weights to run up the mast on a halStraits. According to the straight line on the chart, we were yard. With one end of the string at the masthead, the weights approximately 180 miles from Key West, a distance we at the other end dangled over the side of our boat, a foot or would normally cover in less than a day and a half. so off the water. “The length of the line is the height of the Zigzagging back and forth, it took us a full day longer to bridge,” Billy explained. “We just have to heel your boat over far enough so the weights touch the water.” make our landfall. Billy and Jeannie strapped seven barrels onto our port We anchored across the main ship channel from the Key West Coast Guard station and took the dinghy ashore to side deck, and, using a gasoline-powered pump, started fillcheck in with Customs and Immigration. After completing ing them with canal water. The boat began listing to port. the entry formalities and picking up a few groceries, we With the last barrel filled, the weights were submerged. Billy returned to the boat and checked the charts. We were sched- told Eileen to fire up the engine and head for the bridge. She uled to haul out at the Indiantown marina near Lake grimly increased the throttle until we were plowing ahead at Okeechobee in less than a week. “We’ll never make it in time six knots. I began having second thoughts. I noticed that the if we continue sailing to windward along the Keys and up barrels were leaking rather badly. It also occurred to me that the east coast of Florida,” I concluded. “But there’s a short- the string might have stretched since the first time it had cut. We should be able to save a couple of days if we go due been deployed. Just as I was about to ask Billy whether he north from here to Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast, and then had measured the string at high water or low water, Billy yelled, “You’d better get over here, Captain!” take the Okeechobee Waterway across to Indiantown.” Billy and Jeannie were gripping the port shrouds and Eileen pulled out a more detailed chart of the waterway traversing the middle of Florida. “There seems to be just one hanging over the side. I lunged over to join them just as we minor problem,” she said. “There’s a 49-foot-high railway reached the bridge. All eyes were at the masthead. There was a barely audible “ping” as the tip of the VHF antenna struck bridge at Port Mayaca. Our mast is 50 feet off the water.” the bottom steel beam and flexed out of the way. A second “We’ll figure something out,” I said. The sun was setting when we weighed anchor and later we were clear. It took only a few minutes for Billy and Jeannie to empty headed north. We were in Fort Myers the following afternoon. On the afternoon of our third day on the waterway, we the barrels and load them back into their skiff. Eileen gave crossed Lake Okeechobee and arrived at Port Mayaca, only Billy a handful of cash and they were gone. I wiped the sweat off my glasses. “Well, it looks like ten miles from Indiantown. We anchored a few boat lengths we’ll make it to the wedding in time,” I said. away from the infamous railway bridge. Eileen looked at the muddy water pooling on the deck. “We’re almost there,” I announced. Eileen examined the bridge looming in front of us. It was an ugly mix of concrete “I hope Billy invests that money in a new set of barrels,” she and rusted steel. It looked very solid. “I bet that could do a said. 40
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
PHRF RACE TIPS
Sailing a Fast Reaching Leg By Dave Ellis
U
nlike one-design boats, our PHRF races often have reaching legs. What can we do to our boat and steering to get an edge on free legs of the course? Let’s start with light air. The boat needs power from the sails to move all that weight. So we need to make the sails fuller. The genny’s halyard can be slackened just enough so that little wrinkles start to appear at the luff. Don’t overdo it, but this allows the draft to go aft a bit and makes the jib a little fuller. If your backstay is adjustable, loosen it. Keep it a little snug on smaller boats since the mast slops around and shakes the sails if it is completely unsupported. Don’t forget to tighten the backstay to keep it snug as the wind increases, but never to upwind, mast-bending tension. The genny needs to be led outboard of its usual upwind fairlead position. A snatch block clipped to a stanchion base, or a hole in the outer deck combing can be used. It should be clipped forward of the upwind position, too. If it were legal to put a whisker pole to leeward on the foresail, that would be very fast. But the rules-makers stopped that decades ago, because if the jib dipped in the water, the pole, unlike the mainsail’s boom, would not give. Something else would. But it gives you an idea of what we are trying to accomplish with the outboard lead. The rules also preclude leading the foresail outboard of the shear with a special strut or gadget. You can use your foot. You can lead it over the back of the boom on a high-cut genny. On really wide boats you can make the reaching lead just right. Strive to make the back portion of the genny not hook in toward the boat very much as it would to a great degree if it were led to the usual upwind position. Set the foresail so that the telltale ribbons (the telltales just aft of the luff) all break on the windward side at about the same time. Err on the top ones breaking first. You will find that you will have some twist in the sail
News & Views for Southern Sailors
when the ribbons are all behaving. As for the mainsail, again, make it full. Loosen the Cunningham, if any, and also the halyard a bit, as you did with the genny. The outhaul should be loosened. If your main is on slugs or boltrope in the boom, let it out until wrinkles just start to appear on the sail along the boom. If your main is loose-footed, don’t overdo it. With too much slack, say over six to eight inches off the boom in the middle, you are just losing projected area to the wind. This is especially the case in a drifter, as the wind down low is even lighter, perhaps stopped. Then the bottom of the sail is just drag and you want LESS shape down there. If you have a topping lift or lifting boom vang, snug it up to raise the boom just a bit. Otherwise, in light air, the weight of the boom pulls the main down and closes off the top area of the leach. You want twist in light air, as the wind aloft is faster and effectively is in a lift up there compared to the slower, headed air down low. As for steering, if the jib suddenly luffs in light air, when on a reach, don’t turn the boat. Instead, smoothly pull in both sails to match. It could very well be that you have simply sailed into less wind velocity. Until the boat slows, you will luff. No point in steering away from your destination and turning that big brake under water, the rudder. More subtly, watch those leeward telltales. When they drop, you need to ease the sails. You may have to then head up slowly if it’s not a velocity increase. If both telltales drop, down your boat is well low of the best direction for the sails. We’ll leave it to you to decide whether the helmsman or sail trimmers are to blame. As the wind increases, the halyards get tightened. The boom needs to be pulled down with the vang instead of lifted. But the idea is still to keep the top battens parallel to the boom, not twisted off and not hooked to windward. That telltale two-thirds up the main and halfway between leach and luff is the key (see “PHRF Race Tips” in
the April 2006 issue for placement of these telltales). Make sure the leeward ribbon is flowing. If not, let off some vang for a little more twist. Make the genny match. Steering becomes an issue as the breeze and waves increase. The best advice sailing coaches give is to ANTICIPATE what the boat is going to do. On a broad reach, for example, any time a wave heels the boat to leeward, the boat will tend to head up. Steer down as the heel begins, not after the boat has begun to turn. You will use much less rudder. Conversely on the other side of the wave, the boat heels to weather. Anticipate the lee helm and steer up a bit. You will be see-sawing the helm much less than the skipper who waits for the boat to round up or down. Without waves in a blow, if you find that your tiller or wheel has to be constantly held or turned more than seems comfortable to keep the boat going straight, you are slowing the boat by the rudder. Even huge ships monitor their rudder angles for best efficiency. Try easing the vang, twisting the main off a bit to heel less, keeping the foresail powerful. The lower part of the sail will still work. This causes less drag than the entire mainsail slogging. It is the heel that is causing the weather helm, so depending on the boat, often reefing the main or going to a smaller headsail, or both, will be faster than slogging along over on one side with the rudder straining to keep the boat going straight. In puffy conditions, light air or heavy, remember the mantra: “Up on the lulls and off on the puffs.” Make gradual turns to the new course a few degrees up or down. Don’t overdo the down on a little light air puff until the boat has picked up speed. If you are going well and have a lull, hesitate on heading up in light air until that speed has come down to nearly what you figure it will be on your slightly higher course in the new, lighter breeze. Reaching is the fastest point of sail. Make yours a little faster. SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
41
RACING
A Spectacle of Spills and Thrills: Charleston Race Week 2006, April 6-9 By Capt. Steve Stevens
C
C division. He rounded the top mark in the final race for alamities prevailed in South Carolina’s low country at Friday, overlapped with two boats to leeward. During the the 11th edition of Charleston Race Week presented rounding maneuver, the bowsprit of one of the leeward by Seabrook Island, as more than 1000 yachtsmen and boats became entwined with Parker’s backstay. The three yachtswomen took to the waters of Charleston Harbor on boats quickly became sandwiched together, and Parker’s 148 sailboats. The racing yachts ranged between 22 and 60 mast on his brand, spanking new J/92 popped out of the feet and were divided into a whopping 16 divisions, racing boat and into the water. on three different courses, But the happenings on including an open ocean Friday were nothing comcourse outside of Charlespared to the sailing carnage ton Harbor. Over 65 percent of Saturday. The approachof the competitors arrived ing storm front settled in, in Charleston from out of with the pre-race weather town, with Joe Wood and forecast calling for huge his Melges 32 crew aboard southwest winds, afternoon Red coming to the event thunderstorms and the posfrom England. sibility of hail. The sailors “Scott gives all of us a attacking the offshore chance to voice our opinion course were greeted with every year about which four-foot seas and consisregattas the crew would like tent winds of 20-plus knots. to travel to,” said Jerry While the ebbing harbor Healy, who is the mast man waters were a bit smoother, on board Scott Taylor’s B32 the strong land breezes from Long Beach, CA. “This blasted strong puffs across year, we all decided on Miami and Charleston. We The crew of the J/120, EmOcean, concentrates on tactics, while the the course, kicking up a had a great recommenda- Melges 32, Vamoose, entertains the crowd in the heavy winds. steep chop. “This was great. Today tion from Dave Ullman (of Photo by Steve Stevens. was just what a lot of sailors Ullman Sails, who crewed wish for and what many of as navigator onboard Taylor’s us travel for,” said John Bonds, the principal race officer for Defiance). He said you really ought to try Charleston Race the offshore course. “We had clear skies and winds from 18 Week. He told us the conditions here are interesting, given to 25 knots that were very consistent, at least offshore. We the tidal currents and all that, and he said it’s one of his all ran two good races, and I wanted to run more, but we time favorite places to sail. So, here we are.” weren’t able to get solid information regarding the location At the beginning of the week, the weather gods paintof the approaching storms, so we felt it was best to send the ed the South Carolina coast with perfect conditions for a racers in at that stage. But we had lots of guys crossing the sailing regatta: idyllic sunny skies, a steady 10-knot southfinish line giving rebel yells...I mean, most everyone was easterly breeze, and temperatures in the middle-to-high 70s. pretty excited out there.” But things changed quite quickly. Exciting would surely describe what happened to Ryan On the first day of racing, the area was hit with an Hamm of Charleston and his crew aboard his Melges 24, approaching storm front producing southeast winds sometimes exceeding 20 knots. On the offshore courses, the boats When Pigs Fly. During the first race of the day, his boat saw were forced to deal with sloppy seas along with the big her mast and sails fly off of the deck and into the sea. “We breeze. The inshore participants witnessed highly fickle were going faster than we’ve ever gone before...just flying winds, with unexpected gusts, which created havoc with downwind,” said Erica Koenig, one of the crew aboard several of the racers. Bill Bruss’ J/22 Fat Outta Hell from When Pigs Fly. “Ryan said we’ve got to jibe, and I thought Ohio, capsized in the middle of a race. The small sloop took no way. The boom came over, and the next thing I know, the on enough water to eventually require towing back ashore, mast was in the water. The backstay evidently let go.” putting Bruss totally out of the competition on the first day Gnarly sailing conditions usually require rethinking the of racing. strategy for getting the boat safely around the buoys. Eddie Parker of Charleston Yacht Sales brought his Conditions were also wet and wild on the inshore course, newly commissioned J/92s to the event to race in the PHRF where the boats in the PHRF C class were competing. John 42
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
43
RACING Edwards’ J/29, Rhumb Punch, St. Petersburg NOODs. was doing close quarters battle It is said that the small boat with a Corby 29 and a Tartan 10. makes the sailor, but the big But Edwards thought through boats get all the glory. The marthe conditions, and opted not to quee division of the regatta was fly a spinnaker. “We had a good the PHRF A boats, with a big enough cushion in overall points,” Beneteau 47.7 sparring with a he explained, “and we figured Farr 40 and Bill Hanckel’s the race course had short legs, J/120 EmOcean. But while Don and the shifts were pretty big, so Terwillger’s Beneteau managed the best way to take advantage to score a bullet on Sunday, of that would be to keep the boat regatta consistency enabled upright and not break anything. EmOcean to take home the gold. Also, we were short one crew “We just kept changing headtoday, so that was the best J/109 class winner Mojo outmaneuvers Rush at the wind- sails all the time to stay competoption.” That approach allowed ward mark. Photo by Steve Stevens. itive,” said Hanckel, once Edwards to continue to accumuashore. “We also had some good late bullets, ending the regatta in first place by one point. help with tactics because Jonathan Bartlett from North Sails But some sailors were not as lucky as Edwards with up in Annapolis was on board for the weekend, taking care their plan, and at least two ended up seeing the sights of of that role.” one of Charleston’s finest emergency rooms on Saturday For complete results and more photos, go to afternoon. A crew member aboard Steve Lesniak’s Beneteau www.charlestonraceweek.com. 50, Celadon, sliced his index finger to the bone, and a strapping Melges 24 competitor was removed from the dock on First Place Finishers (Class, Skipper, Boat Name, Boat Type): a gurney. His boat had also experienced an out-of-control PHRF Class A – Bill Hanckel, Emocean, J/120 boom, slamming him down on the deck’s gel coat. PHRF Class B – Steven Stollman, Primal Scream, C&C 115 Sunday brought more somber conditions for the final J/109 – Steve Rhyne, Mojo, J/109 day of racing, but the difficulties of Friday and Saturday J/105 – Brian Keane, Savasana, J/105 Heavy Displacement Spinnaker – Tom Bell, Whisper, C&C 38 prevented more than 35 boats–or a whopping 20 percent of Beneteau 36.7 – Eric Rosenbaum, Frequent Flyer, Beneteau 36.7 the fleet–from starting. On the inshore course, the winds PHRF C – John Edwards, Rhumb Punch, J/29 were in concert with the harbor’s ebb tide, which kept the PHRF D – Frank Silver, Phantom, B25 water calmer than it had been all week. Melges 24 – Rick Orchard, Grins, Melges 24 J/24 – Martin Zonjee, Footloose, J/24 John Storck Jr. continued his awesome performance in Etchells – Buddy Cribb, Victory, Etchells the J/80 fleet, ending the regatta with six straight bullets J/80 – John Storck, Jr., Rumor, J/80 and finishing nine points ahead of Angry Chameleon from Tripp 26 – Dennis Hannick, Radio Flyer, Tripp 26 Annapolis, MD. Storck has had a successful season in the Non-Spinnaker – Dale Cook, Tohidu, Beneteau 423 South, adding this regatta win to his first-place finish at the Wavelength 24 – Elliot Lemonds, Outta Mind, Wavelength 24
44
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
UPCOMING MAJOR SOUTHERN RACING EVENTS, NEWS AND RACE REPORTS Regional Temperatures and Windroses Our monthly regional report of temperatures and winds (represented by the windroses) is now compiled on one page in another section of the magazine. This month, go to page 17.
Daniel and Stunzi Claim 20th annual U.S. Multihull Championship, Hobie Alter Cup, Pensacola Beach, March 18-23 By Julie B. Connerley
The Hobie Alter Cup 2006. Photo by Julie B. Connerley.
US SAILING’s U.S. Multihull Championship for the Hobie Alter Cup was hosted by Pensacola Beach Yacht Club, March 18-23. Sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A., this national event brought together the top 20 two-person teams from across the United States. Last November, PBYC hosted the Area D South elimination for the championship. Area D South, (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi), is one of 10 regional qualifiers for the Hobie Alter Cup. Ten other teams are invited according to event guidelines, including the previous year’s winning team, three slots filled by petition, a representative of the Olympic Multihull Class, and a representative of a double or singlehand class chosen by the Alter Cup Committee. The remaining four slots are divided between the Hobie Class Association and Performance Catamaran, manufacturer of the Nacra 20 used for the 2006 competition. US SAILING Area D representative and national chair for 2006 was PBYC member, John Williams. He has volunteered as Area D rep for multihull events for US SAILING for News & Views for Southern Sailors
several years before becoming the national championship vice-chair for two years, followed by three more as chair. For his “swan song,” Williams wanted to bring the national competition to his own city and petitioned PBYC’s executive board over a year ago to host this prestigious event. “The November qualifier served as a warm-up for race committee organizers,” explained U.S. Multihull Championship regatta chair and PBYC rear commodore, Jo Dee Cattrell. Coordinating and executing the 20th anniversary of the national event was a demanding challenge. Months of planning, hard work, and many helping hands made it a huge success – especially given the fact that PBYC is by all accounts a small yacht club, without the benefits of a kitchen or even a walk-in freezer. From California, to Ohio, Illinois, Washington, Vermont, New York, Florida and points in between, competitors began arriving Friday, March 17, in preparation for the practice races scheduled for the following day. Unfortunately, manufacturer issues delayed delivery of some boat parts, and as late as Friday evening, Williams, vice-chair Jake Kohl (the incoming national chair), and others were still rigging the 10 brandnew Nacra 20s in front of Key Sailing on Pensacola Beach’s Quietwater Sound, where races would be held. Key Sailing, owned by local catamaran sailor and PBYC member, Kirk Newkirk, was instrumental in providing the yacht club assistance with boat rigging, de-rigging, storage, and beach and on-water support personnel. Newkirk, a previous U.S. Multihull Championship winner, participated in this year’s regatta via petition application. Boat issues further delayed and then shortened the practice races scheduled March 18. By Sunday morning, everything and everybody was in place for what Principal Race Officer William Paden hoped would constitute five fun days of racing. “We would like to get to 20 heats in,” Paden began, “providing for 10 full races.” Splitting the 40 competitors into heats A and B by luck of the draw on the first day and then using a self-seeding scoring system kept the top sailors racing against each other. Finishes within respective heats determined whether a team raced with the leaders or not. “Enforcing crew weight limits, rotating boats among competitors for each race, along with the self-seeding scoring system ensures that the cream always rises to the top,” continued Paden. Day one gave competitors winds from 13 to 16 knots. John Casey, 31, of Orlando, FL, and crewmember Kenny Pierce, 37, of Miami, took the early lead with their first- and second- place finishes for a total of three points. Casey is the 2005 Nacra 20 champion. Representing the Olympic class, skipper Robbie Daniel and crew member Hunter Stunzi were in second place following their first day’s finishes of first and third for a total SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
45
RACING of four points. Daniel, 43, of Clearwater, FL, has won the Worlds Tornado Class seven times. He paired up with Stunzi, 22, of Marblehead, MS, to compete at the U.S. Multihull Championship, though neither had raced together. They got their only “team” practice the week before, during the previous week’s two-day Hobie Midwinters East Regatta in Panama City. Stunzi is US SAILING’s first Youth Multihull Champion, having won the event in 2001. Defending U.S. Multihull Champion, Greg Thomas, 36, of San Diego, CA, and crewmember Jacques Bernier, 35, of San Marcos, CA, had eight points for third place after two races. Thomas and Bernier are a Hobie Cat factory team. Both have worked for the company for six years and normally compete at world-class events on a Hobie Formula-18. In fact, this year’s Multihull Championship is only the second time they have ever raced this boat. By day two, if weather was any indicator, the competitors in the 20th annual Hobie Alter Cup proved they had earned the right to be called the nation’s top 20 teams. During race three, five of the 10 Nacra 20s, considered the fastest catamarans on the market, capsized. Again, during race four, four boats capsized. Race committee volunteer, Dave Mimlitch, of Dallas, TX, explained. “Monday’s winds began like Sunday’s, but then the winds built to around 20 knots.” Mimlitch’s job was to check and record wind readings from the race committee boat every five minutes all day long throughout the week. “The winds backed down to around 16, and later climbed again to 20 knots. We actually had some gusts to
24,” he smiled, adding, “but these boats are designed to handle those types of conditions.” Both the first- and second-place teams held on to their positions, but former Nacra 20 champion Nigel Pitt and crew member Alex Shafer moved up to third place in the series with a total of 11 points. By the third day, it was obvious that the field was very tight for the top three positions that would be awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals at the awards ceremony. Series leaders Casey and Pierce finished a disappointing eighth during one race, and the leader board changed again with Pitt and Shafer taking the lead. They had consistently placed first, second or third in all but one of their six races. Race committee work was flawless, and sailing conditions on Santa Rosa Sound were ideal with beautiful sunny skies. Competitors used different skill sets with the varying wind conditions, and only once did a wind shift of 40 degrees necessitate a slight course change between races. Two races were officially abandoned when winds shifted 90 degrees. “That kind of wind shift is an unfair test of sailing skills,” said PRO Paden. In all, competitors had 18 heats for nine full races, allowing one throw-out. On the final day of racing, Daniel and Stunzi held on to their slight lead to win the gold medal and claim the U.S. Multihull Championship for the Hobie Alter Cup. Their names will be added to the perpetual trophy. Pitt and Shafer, just four points behind, placed second, winning the silver. Defending U.S. Multihull Champions Thomas and Bernier took home the bronze. US SAILING has announced that the Blade 16, manufactured by Vectorworks, will be the catamaran sailed in the 2007 U.S. Multihull Championship. That event will take place in Melbourne, FL. To learn more about US SAILING or the U.S. Multihull Championship, visit their Web site at www.ussailing.org. For race results, go to www.ussailing.org/ championships/adult/usmhc/.
SOUTHERN RACING UPCOMING EVENTS Bird Key Yacht Club Announces the Sarasota Bay Cup, May 12-13 The Sarasota Bay Cup Regatta is one of the oldest sailing events on the west coast of Florida. In recent years, however, it has lost its identity and became merely one race within the annual Sarasota Bay Yachting Association’s Boat of the Year contest. History will be rewritten anew. On May 12-13, Bird Key Yacht Club will return the cup race to its former prominence. It will be a reverse handicap event surrounded by parties, bands, entertainment, race photography, and full use of the Bird Key Yacht Club facilities. For the NOR and information, call (941) 953 4455, or by e-mail from mogress@aol.com. Gulfstreamer Race From Daytona Beach, FL to Charleston, SC, May 26 The Halifax River Yacht Club in Daytona Beach and the Charleston Yacht Club in Charleston, SC, are co-sponsors of the fifth biannual, 215-mile GulfStreamer Race, which cov46
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
ers a course from Daytona Beach to Charleston, SC. For more information on the race, go to www.hryc.com and click on the “GulfStreamer” link. Veracruz 2006 Regata de Amigos XX, June 2, Galveston, TX to Veracruz, Mexico Lakewood Yacht Club (LYC) and Galveston Bay Cruising Association (GBCA) announce the June 2 start date for the 20th biannual regatta from Galveston, TX, to Veracruz, Mexico. This 40th year anniversary event is the premier ocean racing/cruising regatta in the Gulf of Mexico and has lead sponsorship this year by Higgins, Smythe and Hood Yachts. The 630-nautical-mile race is open to all sailing vessels at least 27 feet in length. The regatta will start at Galveston on Friday, June 2, with other key dates including a free kickoff party on Saturday March 11, a preparation seminar on May 13, and the skipper’s briefing on May 26. The NOR and general information are available at www.veracruzregatta.com, or call the LYC office at (281) 474-2511. One-Design Crew Training, Davis Island, Tampa Bay, FL, June 3, 10 and 17 One-Design Crew Training will be held Saturday, June 3, 10, and 17 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.. This course is designed for those sailors who wish to increase their knowledge and desire to be skippers. Your previous background is of little importance as we will expose you to all the necessary skills to crew on one-design boats. You will learn how to use the hoists to launch dry-sailed J/24s, as well as how to hank on sails. You will get hands-on experience on trimming jibs, genoas, mains, and spinnakers. You will be taught to tack, jibe, start, and observe the Rules of Racing. This course is open to the public and is aimed at those crewmembers who sail in our Thursday night series. The cost is a $100 tax-deductible contribution to the Davis Island Youth Sailing Foundation. Class size is limited to the first 30 who apply. For applications, contact King Purton at (813) 760-0177.
REGIONAL RACING Reports, News And Race Calendars Regattas and Club Racing— Open to Everyone Wanting to Race The races listed here are open to those who want to sail. No individual club membership is required, although a regional PHRF rating, or membership in US SAILING or membership in a regional sailing association is often required. (If individual club membership is required, please contact us and we will not list their races in the future.) For publishing of your event, questions and information, send us your race schedule by the 5th of the month to editor@southwindsmagazine.com. Send in the name of the event, date, location, contacts (Web site, e-mail and/or phone), and, if you want a short description. Do not just send a link in to this information. Since race schedules and venues change, contact the sponsoring organization to confirm. For changes to be published, contact the editor. Changes can be put on our Web site, if possible. News & Views for Southern Sailors
LOCAL RACE REPORT Annual Dogwood Regatta, Atlanta Inland Sailing Club, Lake Lanier, GA By R.J. Mitchellette
The Annual Dogwood Regatta on Lake Lanier, GA. On the left is Pete Winham sailing Southern Cross with Ron Mitchellette sailing on the right on Moxie. Photo by Bill Youngblood.
The 2006 30th annual Atlanta Inland Sailing Club (AISC) Dogwood Regatta presented by Aqualand Marina was held March 31-April 2 on Lake Lanier, GA. This event was named after its namesake the “Tree,” which begins to bloom this time of the year in Georgia. The regatta headquarters and party tent was set up at the SailMax store located beside the ship’s store at Aqualand Marina. Unlike past Dogwood regattas, this year’s event had three separate courses, including the new Performance Cruising Racing Fleet (PCRF) squadron with its own long-distance course set by the race PRO, plus the traditional PHRF windward/leeward courses spread over two closed courses. The club conducted a five-series race over two days with approximately 50 boats participating. The weather co-operated with 7- to 12-knot winds and a rainy start that quickly changed to sunny skies and a beautiful evening to enhance a fun-filled après race party, complete with a gourmet luau dinner and a great band. Pusser’s Rum (Nelson’s Blood) was poured freely for all; skippers and their crew, plus members and friends of AISC. Another party followed the Sunday race where the winners SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
47
RACING received trophies, including a special award given to the last place finisher in each fleet. The award itself was reason enough to finish last as it was a “survival kit” consisting of a bottle of Pusser’s Rum, bandages and other items necessary to survive at sea and/or on land, for that matter. The winners of each fleet received a first-, second-, and third-place club flag—marked with their finish ranking—in lieu of the traditional trophy, which may well set a new standard for future club races on the lake. The idea being that skippers may fly their flags on their boats, showing their racing prowess rather than have a collection of trophies sitting on a shelf where few folks can see them. And, of course, there is always the sailor’s tradition of passing on the flags as part of the boat’s heritage when the boat is sold to another skipper/owner. The winners of the respective fleets were not yet posted at press time except for the PCRF group; that had a real photo finish (without the photo) between a 31-foot Hunter (Dreamin) skippered by Fred Kempner and a 29-foot Catalina (Sabra), skippered by David Mocny, with the former beating the latter by .3 seconds (five feet) after 9.5 miles of racing. Third place went to skipper George Westinghouse in his Cal. 9.2 (Q2). Last place went to this writer, who will be enjoying that bottle of Pusser’s Rum before the next race. Congratulations go out to Tom Sawchuk, the commodore, and his very able staff for a great fun-filled event. Go to the club’s Web site, www.lakelaniersailing.com/aisc/, for complete results.
3 Oriental Cup, PHRF, Oriental, NC. South Atlantic Yacht Racing Association, www.sayra-sailing.com 3 - 4 Mayors Cup Regatta, Open, One Design, Lake Townsend Yacht Club, Greenville, NC. 3 – 4 Adams Quarterfinals, J24, Columbia Sailing Club – SC, Columbia, SC. 3 – 4 O’day Quarterfinals, Laser, Savannah Sailing Center, Savannah, GA. 3 – 4 D12 Laser Championships, Laser, Savannah Sailing Center, Savannah, GA. 3 – 4 Persuit of Sailing Regatta, PHRF, Outrigger Yacht Club, Lake Norman, NC. 3 – 4 Lighting District Champs, Lightnings, Carolina Yacht Club NC, Wrightsville Beach, NC. 10 – 11 Hobcaw Regatta, Open, Hobcaw Yacht Club, Mt. Pleasant, SC. 10 – 11 Bottums-up, Thistles, Lake Murray Sailing Club, Columbia, SC. 17 – 18 Bemis, Smythe Quarterfinals, 420, Laser, Charleston Community Sailing, Inc. Charleston, SC. 17 – 18 NC Governor’s Cup, Open, Carolina Sailing Club – NC, Raleigh, NC. 19 – 23 Y-Flyer Nationals, Y-Flyer, Carolina Yacht Club – SC, Charleston, SC. 20 – 25 San Juan 21 North Americans, San Juan 21, Lake Murray Sailing Club, Columbia, SC. 24 – 25 Lowcountry Regatta, Open, Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club, Beaufort, SC.
RACE CALENDAR MAY 19 Tybee Island, Ga., Tybee 500 Catamaran Race. www.tybeevivit.com Charleston Ocean Racing Association, www.charlestonoceanracing.org 7 Spring Ocean Race 19 Offshore Spring Race 26 Daytona to Charleston Lake Lanier, GA. www.lakeniersailing.com Lormand Cup, Southern Sailing Club 6 27 – 28 Junior Olympic Sailing Festival, Lake Lanier Sailing Club Long Bay Sailing Association www.longbaysailing.org 19 – 21 Leukemia Cup, Southport Marina, NC. South Atlantic Yacht Racing Association, www.sayra-sailing.com 6 – 7 Keowee Cup, Open, Keowee Sailing Club, 13 – 14 Voodoo & Hospice Regatta, Lightnings, Lake Norman Yacht Club, Mooresville, NC. Neuse Yacht Racing Association www.nyra.org 20 - 21 NYRA Invitational, PHRF, SJ 21, New Bern, NC. JUNE Charleston Ocean Racing Association, www.charlestonoceanracing.org Femme Fatale 4 17 - 18 James Island Regatta Cape Fear Challenge 30 Lake Lanier, GA. www.lakeniersailing.com 4 – 9 Junior Week, Lake Lanier Sailing Club 17 – 18 Reggae Regatta, Open, Lake Lanier Sailing Club Long Bay Sailing Association www.longbaysailing.org 3 – 4 NC/SC Offshore Governors Cup, PHRF, North Myrtle Beach,SC. 9 – 12 NC/SC Governors Cup, Little River Inlet, North Myrtle Beach,SC. Neuse Yacht Racing Association www.nyra.org 48
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
2006 Snipe Women’s Nationals, March 11-12, Florida Yacht Club, Jacksonville, FL By Hal Gilreath Aimee Graham and Samantha Treadwell triumphed over a highly competitive fleet of sailors in the five-race Snipe Class Women’s National Championship series, sponsored by the Suddath Companies, held at the Florida Yacht Club, March 11-12. Graham and Treadwell of San Diego, CA, sailed consistently in the varied conditions to edge out Stacey Szabo and Julie Mitchell, also of San Diego. Szabo/Mitchell won both races on Sunday to vault into second, ahead of third-place finishers Morgan Commette and Barb Evans of Fort Lauderdale, FL. Former national champion and 2004 Olympian, Carol Cronin, from Bristol, RI, sailing with Jerelyn Biehl, challenged Graham and Treadwell, but a penalty for a premature start in the last race resulted in them tumbling to fifth place. Local high school sailors, Jenni Stone and Anna Nord, improved throughout the series to capture the top junior award. For Graham and Treadwell this regatta is a huge step in their training for a potential 2008 Olympic campaign. It also qualifies them to represent North America this fall in the www.southwindsmagazine.com
Laura Jeffers and Josie Williams approach the windward mark at the 2006 Snipe Women’s Nationals. Photo by Hal Gilreath.
Snipe Class Western Hemisphere Championships. For Cronin/Biehl the regatta was successful despite the close miss. When asked, Biehl responded cheerfully, “We had a blast. Those things happen. It’s sailboat racing.” The series consisted of five races sailed over the weekend. Teams from eight states and the Bahamas came to race on the St Johns. The three races sailed on Saturday were in light southeasterly breezes. The two final races were sailed in a freshening southerly breeze. The social activities, which highlighted the event, included a dinner at the Florida YC, a river cruise, and the tremendous excitement that typifies the highly competitive, but highly social atmosphere of Snipe sailing. This regatta was true “serious sailing, serious fun.” For more complete results, go to www.snipeus.org. Regatta photos are available at www.vpbphoto.com.
RACE CALENDAR MAY – Central East Florida 3,10 Wed. Evening Sailing, Spring #5, #6. Indian River Yacht Club 5-7 Lipton Cup Regatta. New Smyrna Yacht Club. 7 Commodore Cup Race 3. Smyrna Yacht Club. 6 First Saturday at Sebastian Inlet. Indian River Catamaran Club. 6-7 Cinco de Mayo Regatta. Port Canaveral Yacht Club. 7 Spring Race #3. Indian River Yacht Club. 7 Small Boat Racing. Melbourne Yacht Club. 12,26 Summer Rum Race #1,#2. Melbourne Yacht Club. 14 Women’s Spring #5. East Coast Sailing Association–Women’s. 17 Wed. Spring #7. Indian River Yacht Club. 20 Armed Forces Day Regatta & Spring Series #6. Navy Jacksonville Yacht Club. 20-21 Brevard Challenge. Indian River Yacht Club. 24,31 Wed. Summer #1,#2. Indian River Yacht Club. 26-29 Great Bahamas Race. Port Canaveral Yacht Club. 28 Race of the Century. SAYC. News & Views for Southern Sailors
1-2 2 3-11
MAY – Northeast Florida. www.sailjax.com 6 53rd Annual Mug Race. Rudder Club. 13 Summer Series #1. Rudder Club. 27 St. Augustine Regatta & Offshore #4. North Florida Cruising Club. JUNE – Central East Florida 3-4 Spring Regatta. Titusville Sailing Center. 3 Mermaid Regatta. Port Canaveral Yacht Club. 3-4 Jetty Park Ocean Regatta. Port Canaveral. Space Coast Catamaran Association 4 Small Boat Racing. Melbourne Yacht Club 7,14,21,28 Wed. Evening Summer Series. Indian River Yacht Club 9 Summer Rum Race. Melbourne Yacht Club. 10,17,24 Summer Buoy Race #1, #2,#3. East Coast Sailing Association 11 Commodore Cup Race 4. Smyrna Yacht Club 17-18 Daytona Summer Sizzler. Daytona Beach. Fleet 80. 23 Summer Rum Race. Melbourne Yacht Club. 25 Spring #5. Indian River Yacht Club. 26 Make up Race 4. Smyrna Yacht Club. JUNE – Northeast Florida. www.sailjax.com 3,17,24 Summer Series #2, #3, #4. Rudder Club 10 Series Race. Epping Forest Yacht Club. JULY 1-2 Eau Gallie Cruise. East Coast Sailing Association–Cruising Firecracker Regatta Port Canaveral Yacht Club Small Boat Racing. Melbourne Yacht Club. Regatta Time in Abaco.
RACE CALENDAR MAY 6 J/24 Summer 1, Flat Earth Racing 6 C-Gull Cup, CGSC. Annual regatta for the women’s auxiliary club of CGSC 13 CRYC. The sixth race of Series 1 for PHRF, ARC, Melges 24 and J24 fleets. First start at 11:30 a.m. Hospice Regatta, Hospice Care of Broward County. The 10th 20 annual benefit regatta and clambake. The 12-mile multi-leg course off Fort Lauderdale beach. First signal at 11 a.m. BBYRA PHRF #6. One-Design, KBYC. The sixth race of the 21 Series 1 for one-design boats. 27-28 Goombay Regatta, CGSC. The 19th annual cruising and onedesign day races held in Biscayne Bay in conjunction with the Goombay Festival and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. JUNE Key Biscayne Yacht Club Annual Regatta - BBYRA PHRF#7. 3 KBYC –Race #7 of the BBYRA Annual Series, Open to all boats with PHRF certificates. Key Biscayne Yacht Club Annual Regatta - BBYRA OD#7. 4 KBYC - Race #7 of the BBYRA Annual Series, Open to all One-Design class boats recognized by BBYRA. SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
49
RACING 10
Cindy’s Full Moon Regatta. Cindy Saunders BBYRA. Open to all boats who like to sail under the stars. 10 J/24 summer 2. Flat Earth Racing – J24 one design racing. Must be registered with Flat Earth Racing. 11 BBYRA OD #1 – Rescheduled from January. MYC. Make up race rescheduled from January. 17 BBYRA PHRF#8. CRYC – Race #8 of the BBYRA annual series for PHRF registered boats. 24 BBYRA OD #8. CRYC – Race #8 of the BBYRA annual series for One-Design. Legend for Above Yacht Clubs and Organizations BBYRA Biscayne Bay Yacht Racing Association. www.bbyra.net BBYC Biscayne Bay Yacht Club. www.bbyra.net CGSC Coconut Grove Sailing Club. www.cgsc.org CRYC Coral Reef Yacht Club. www.coralreefyachtclub.org KBYC Key Biscayne Yacht Club. www.kbyc.org. MYC Miami Yacht Club. www.miamiyachtclub.net.
“wrecker” to reach the distressed ship rescued the crews and also earned the rights to some of the ship’s valuable cargo. In late January, the first race in the 2006 series, 35 boats raised their sails to the Wreckers challenge. A tiny Laser, a 16-foot trimaran, seven small J/boats, a variety show of cruisers and four tall ships made quite a commotion in the roiling azure waters of Key West harbor. Up to 18 knots of southeast wind pushed everyone along, but after the start, the winds eased to a mere 12 knots. The 13 entries in the monohull over-30 class scattered across the sea. First place in the class, Ken Johnson and his boat Grateful Red was hotly pursued by Mike’s Beneteau, Know Patience. In the multihull fleet, Lowell’s Tri-Ala-Mode beat the Windrider, Troika, by a solid six minutes. The schooners, just as aggressive as the smaller boats, carried groups of wideeyed tourists. Unfazed by the mixed conditions, Capt. Rob brought Liberty Clipper to the front of the line. The red-sailed schooner, Jolly II Rover, tried to catch up to third in class, Dangers Prize. Fast and slippery, the J/24s darted and wove around the larger vessels. J/24 Class Act, helmed by John Smittle, was only two minutes behind fleet winner Thin Ice. The second race in February was delayed one week by an untimely cold front. Race day brought shifty, near 20knot winds and 3-4 foot seas. Many boats faced more action than they’d hoped for, and there were close calls aplenty.
RACE REPORT Wreckers Race Roundup: First Half of the ‘06 Winter Series, Key West By Rebecca Burg Many years ago, late at night in a Key West waterfront bar, two sailors made a bet. They were eager to determine whose schooner was faster in a straight-shot race to Sand Key Light, which is about seven miles offshore Other sailors heard of the challenge and joined in just for kicks. Since these guys were having too much fun, the race, hosted by Schooner Wharf, became an annual series. Known as the Wreckers The Wreckers Race in Key West. Photo by Rebecca Burg. Race, it is a casual drag race to the finish with few rules and no protest flags. It’s based on Key West maritime Just after the start, J/24 Thin Ice broached in front of Liberty history, where sailors would keep a look-out for traveling Clipper. The unnerved schooner, not wanting to spear the ships that hit the reef and needed assistance. The first little boat with her needle-like bowsprit and jib boom, 50
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
twitched to the side. Several cruisers alongside Liberty were squeezed toward Mallory Docks. Briefly luffing, Kevin’s Morgan Out Island, Thumper, fell back to find more room. Blue Ice, Ron’s Jessy Lee and Seven Seas were strung out in the squeeze play while Tabasco, the fleet’s second-place winner, hastily tacked into open seas. In a separate jostling after the race’s start, schooner Appledore overtook the 36-foot ketch, Defiant. In an unexpected move, Appledore cut in front of the startled ketch instead of passing to stern. To avoid collision, Defiant violently swerved and fell off the road until her sails could be brought back under control, and despite the encounter, she found herself in third place for the class. Evalena’s J/24, Freya, was a scant few minutes behind Thin Ice at the finish line. A shiny black schooner named Corsair, Tom Thomas’ entry, took third. With an upper sail that was stuck and flailing for most of the race, Liberty Clipper lost way to the first-place schooner, Appledore, by three minutes. Jolly II Rover was penalized several minutes for getting too frisky and using her engines at the race’s start. Andy Moore and the massive charter cat, Caribbean Spirit, effortlessly took first in the multihull class while TriAla-Mode once again earned second. On the sail back to the harbor, first-place winner in monohull-over-30-feet class, Grateful Red, gave a new crewmember a wild ride. Initially on a straight and steady course, Red suddenly came across the wind. Like Tarzan swinging on a vine, a howling crewmember hanging on a jib sheet was flung beyond the boat and dunked overboard. Momentarily out of control, Red ran straight toward the unsuspecting 16-foot trimaran, Troika, who was sailing nearby. At the last moment, both Red and Troika rounded up and bounced off each other. Sheets tangled and sail flailing, a stunned Troika drifted backwards while Red’s unhappy, but unhurt, crewmember was whisked onboard. Also unharmed, Troika regained control and bounded away like a spooked pony. Two more races in the Wreckers series awaited those who dared to enter the wild, offshore action. The adventure included social race parties at Schooner Wharf, a tropical setting and generous prizes courtesy of Pusser’s Rum and West Marine. For complete results, see www.schoonerwharf.com.
RACE CALENDAR Key West Sailing Club. Every Saturday – Open House at the Key West Sailing Club. 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (305) 292-5993. www.keywestsailingclub.org. Sailboat Lane off Palm Avenue in Key West. Come by the club to sail. Nonmembers and members welcome. Wednesday night racing has begun for the summer season. Skippers meet at the clubhouse by 5:00 p.m. and boats start racing at 6:00 p.m. in the seaplane basin near the mooring field. Dinner and drinks afterward. Upper Keys Sailing Club. www.upperkeyssailingclub.com. May 6 13
Switchover Regatta and Change of Watch Dinner Ocean Side Championship Regatta #1
News & Views for Southern Sailors
RACE REPORT Pass-A-Grille Yacht Club Crown Regatta, St. Pete Beach, March 11 By Dave Ellis The Crown Regatta is the new name for the long-running Anchor Cup of Pass-a-Grille Yacht Club. The automobile dealership stepped up to sponsor this popular event, a fixture for 23 years. It is reportedly the oldest continuous keelboat event in the Tampa Bay area. March 11 there were 36 keelboats lined up off Don Caesar Resort. The wind was pleasant and the day warm, with an afternoon sea breeze enhancing the southerly winds. Robert Hobbs of Davis Island YC sailed his J/33 to victory in the Spinnaker-A class with Jose Suarezhoyos of the same club on his J/109 close behind. Third was Mike Siedlecki of St. Petersburg on the Martin 242. Spinnaker-B saw George and Ann Cussins from Tampa prevail over Mark Rosin from Clearwater YC and Steve Olinger from Treasure Island YC, all three on J/105s. The Non-Spinnaker class had some names that have been familiar to Tampa Bay sailors for decades. Grover Griffin on Odyssey, Frank Hanna aboard Prime Plus and Blue Cloud, a Morgan 24 from Boca Ciega Yacht Club, sailed by Jim Pardee and Tim Horsman, finished in that order. Cruising class was led by Blue Moon, sailed by Bob Crawford, followed by Tim Richards aboard Chances R and Francois Guimond sailing Time Off.
Michelob One-Design Midwinters Breezy and Then Some, Sarasota Sailing Squadron, March 24-26 By Morgan Stinemetz A trough in the Jet Stream brought Canadian air south with it for the Michelob One-Design Midwinters held in Sarasota March 24-26. There was so much wind on the 24th, a Friday, that racing was cancelled for the day. Race officials were looking at 25 knots from the northwest and gusts to 30. Most of the competitors were looking to heaven and praySOUTHWINDS
May 2006
51
RACING ing that the race committee wouldn’t send them out. Prayers were answered. On Saturday the eight one-design classes, comprising 76 separate entries, had a hot day of racing on the cold waters of Sarasota Bay. The northwest winds still hummed, though. According to Jim Barr of the E-Scow class, the racers had 18 with gusts to 25. It was all they needed and then some. After the many crash-and-burns on Saturday, Sunday was a bit of a respite. “We had less wind on Sunday, and the seas were flatter,” said Jim Barr, race chairman and EScow competitor. Charlie Clifton of Sarasota posted nothing but bullets in the SR Max 21 class, and Peter Wormwood of Palmetto did the same in the Stiletto catamaran class. Clifton got in six races (but—oh, the shame of it all!—had to throw out a firstplace finish) as he had all systems dialed in perfectly. Clifton’s bow man, Dalton Tebo, said that the boat had perfect spinnaker sets and perfect starts. “We were in phase for the whole regatta, even during some 45-degree wind shifts,” Tebo said, high with the thrill of a perfect victory. Clifton steered the boat. David Connelly trimmed and Mickey Sherman worked the pit. Peter Wormwood’s four first-place finishes put him 10 points ahead of Bill Fisher of Bradenton in the six-boat Stiletto class. Fisher finished second with a line score of 3-25-4. The class raced with no throwouts. Possibly the most bizarre finishing score belonged to Jim Barr of Sarasota. After Saturday’s racing, Barr was four points out of first in his E-Scow class. There had been a mixup in communications. Saturday’s winds were snotty and Barr, who had won the first race, and three others in the four-boat E-Scow class, decided that they would all just sit out the rest of the racing. If they all didn’t race, no one would benefit. The trouble was that no one had told Dwight Herdrite of that decision. Herdrite had missed the first race, but he showed up for races Nos. 2 and 3 and got starts (and finishes) in both races. Herdrite had a 5/DNS-1-1 (7) after Saturday. Barr had 1-5/DNS-5DNS (11). On Sunday, Barr put down a line score of 2-1-1 and won the class. Herdrite posted another 5/DNS and then two fourth-place finishes to finish third. Barney Harris of Arlington,VA, took the 14-boat Albacore class. The class notched eight races total. The 15-boat Day Sailer class went to Bob Lamairre of Wolfeboro, NH. Oliver Moore of Marion, MA, took the 9boat International Canoe class after 5 races. In the Inland 20 class of six boats, Grant Frautschi of Madison, WI, took the honors. The 13-boat Flying Scot class went to Andy Hayward of Brandon, FL. For complete results, go to www.sarasotasailingsquad.com.
Rolex Women’s Match, St. Petersburg Yacht Club, March 30-April 2 By Capt. Steve Stevens For the fifth year in a row, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club played host to the Rolex Women’s Match Regatta, which is an International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade 3 event. The format of the regatta is divided into two parts; one-half 52
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
racing clinic and one-half on-the-water racing. World match racing champion and Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Betsy Alison conducted the two-day match racing clinic, sharing her knowledge with the 40 women gathered from across the United States. The Rolex Women’s Match was created in 2002 to introduce women sailors to one-on-one match racing and to improve opportunities for women sailors. “In addition to being one of the world’s most recognized competitive sailors, a five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and a past world match racing champion, Betsy is an equally accomplished and sought-after coach,” said Pat Seidenspinner, co-organizer with Tom Farquhar of the Rolex Women’s Match. Alison’s clinic presentations were well received by the attendees and proved to be very helpful as the women hit the waters of Tampa Bay in the eight Sonar class keelboats reserved for the regatta. A total of 39 match races were completed for the event. The conditions were typical for the area, with the exception of Sunday. “There was only a bit of fog and no wind, but later in the morning a light southerly breeze appeared, and the race committee decided to take the competitors out into the bay,” said Seidenspinner. The results were scored using the ISAF rules for match racing, where the overall winner is determined by a formula. Sandy Hayes of Scituate, MA, was crowned the winning skipper of the 2006 Rolex Women’s Match, beating out Kathy Lindgren of Sheboygan, WI, in a scoring tiebreaker. “I didn’t even realize we had won until the awards,” said Hayes after the racing. “Since we had a three-way tie after all of the round robins, it basically came down to who beat who until one person was left standing. And it was my name at the top.” Hayes sailed with Alexis Ackman of St. Petersburg, who provided additional local knowledge of the bay’s conditions during the racing. As a result of their placement in the regatta, both Hayes and Lindgren received invitations to participate in the 2006 Rolex Osprey Cup, an ISAF Grade 1 Match Racing event, which will be held in October. For results, go to www.spyc.org.
Suncoast Race Week, Tampa Bay, April 7-9 By Dave Ellis Ample breeze and long race courses greeted 43 boats on the three-day weekend starting April 7. Friday’s start was two miles south of the usual St. Petersburg Yacht Club starting site due to the Flying Dutchman Worlds event going on. A south wind filling an approaching front rewarded the larger boats. Tactics were involved with the navigation buoys and Skyway Bridge coming into play. Bradenton Yacht Club served as host Friday night, with the racers leaving early Saturday to get to the starting line outside of the Manatee River. This time the wind was stronger. After turning the corner upwind of the Skyway, the planing boats took off to easily save their time. Sunday was a reaching boat dream, with winds gusting to over 25 at times and the course mostly beam and broad www.southwindsmagazine.com
reaching. Mike Siedlecki’s Martin 243 suffered Friday upwind but took bullets on the two reaching days to win Spinnaker 1 class and fleet honors. George and Ann Cussins’ J/105, Fire and Ice, topped Spin 2 and were second in fleet. Spin 3 saw the Soverel-26, Back Off, sailed by Richard Neal, the winner. Non-Spin 1 had Prime Plus, Frank Hanna’s Beneteau 44, on top with NonSpin 2 victor Grover Griffin on his Morgan 25, Odyssey. Cruising class, with seven boats, was won by Mike Doyle’s Irwin-39, Wing It. Peter Wormwood crushed the course on his modified Stilletto Cat. In a sportsmanlike gesture, he requested that he not be counted in the Spinnaker results so as to not sway the Boat-of-the-Year tally. Results and photos are at the event Web site at http://SCRW.home.att.net.
Flying Dutchman World Championship, St. Petersburg Yacht Club, April 5-11 By Dave Ellis The Flying Dutchman Worlds drew 34 boats from 8 countries to St. Petersburg Yacht Club. While the fleet was less than a third the size of a Worlds held in Europe, most of the
News & Views for Southern Sailors
class’ top sailors were there, making it a quality fleet. SPYC has hosted the Flying Dutchman Worlds three times. In 1962 there was plenty of wind when Hans Fogh, Paul Elvstrom, Rolly Tasker and Rolf White put on a clinic. In 1997 there were very windy days that were at the high end of control for these magnificent dinghies. Despite its light-air reputation, Tampa Bay again served up perfect conditions for the 2006 FD Worlds. Only the first race produced lighter airs with only an occasional trapeze needed with powered-up rigs. Other races were conducted in good sea-breeze conditions, winds feeding a front, or very strong high-pressure gradient winds from the northeast. Crew on the Flying Dutchman are usually very tall and weigh 200 to 225 pounds. This writer at 5’11” and 190 pounds was the lightweight. The first race saw local sailors Lin Robson and Erik Boothe sailing to the right side of the course and leading to the windward mark. FD class President Alberto Berenghi from Italy had as crew St. Pete sailor Dave Ellis, who used local knowledge to round second. Robson held on to win the race, with reality dropping the Italian boat to ninth in this hot fleet. After a wait ashore, the sea breeze filled in for a good contest with Hungary’s Szabolcs Majthenyi and Andras Domokos establishing what would be the standard for the rest of the regatta. Thursday and Friday’s southerly breezes required full trapeze but little de-powering for these complicated carbonspar craft. But Saturday’s winds of 20 knots brought to the
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
53
RACING Club Racing Bradenton YC. Evening Races Daylight Savings time of year. Races at 6:30 p.m. PHRF racing on Manatee River. For info call Larry Lecuyer, (941) 729-5401. Venice Sailing Squadron. Saturdays. First Saturday of each month, PHRF racing. Start at mouth of Venice Inlet. www.venice-sailingsquadron.org Edison Sailing Center, Fort. Myers. Sunfish and dinghy racing once a month, year-round john@johnkremski.com Port Charlotte. Third Saturday of month, yearround. pbgvtrax@aol.com Boat of the Year Races (BOTY): Southwest Boat of the Year (SWBOTY), Charlotte Harbor Boat of the Year (CHBOTY), Sarasota (SBOTY), Suncoast Boat of the Year (SBOTY) MAY 6 St. Pete Sailing Assoc. Pat Talbott Memorial Tim Sayles and Pavel Ruzicka, on the left, and Alberto Barenghi and Dave Race, PHRF. Ellis, on the right, sail in the Flying Dutchman Worlds. Photo by Gary Hufford, 13 Cortez Yacht Club Commodore’s Cup Series www.beachmaster.smugmug.com. (CYCCC). Race #1. Cortez YC. 13 Davis Island YC. FSA Quarterfinals and Finals. fore the boats from countries that revel in tough conditions. 13 Bird Key YC, Sarasota Bay Cup, PHRF. (SBBOTY) The challenge was to keep the crew in the boat. Feet on 13 St. Pete Sailing Assoc. 18th Annual Couples Race, PHRF the rail would be blasted by a steep wave. More than a few 1600 hrs. 17-21 Key West Rendezvous, Clearwater Yacht Club. May 21 found themselves tethered to the trapeze wire while trolling start from Clearwater and Sarasota. PHRF. (SBOTY) for shark. This was particularly slow on the three-sail reaches. 18 Platinum Point YC, Punta Gorda SC, Clearwater Yacht Sunday was a day off to sightsee and heal. Club, Naples Sailing and YC, Key West Rendezvous start Monday surprised the weatherman with northeast at Sarasota Bay, Boca Grande and Naples. (SWFBOTY) winds stronger than Saturday. The waves again played a (SBBOTY) (CHBOTY) part, as they were a little skewed when on starboard tack. 18 St. Petersburg YC. Florida Women’s Sailing Association More than a few boats rolled over while simply sailing, as a Regatta. 18-22 Clearwater Yacht Club/Naples YC, Gulf large wave and a gust overcame them before their big Coast SC Key West Race. (Boca-KW-Naples) PHRF. genny could be released. Twelve boats did not finish races 21 Clearwater Yacht Club. Big Boat Championship Key West, PHRF. seven and eight. 22 Key West Rendezvous, Key West to Naples, Clearwater The final race on Tuesday had less brutal conditions, Yacht Club, Naples Sailing and YC, PHRF. (SWFBOTY) but plenty to allow planing upwind and down. (CHBOTY) The Hungarians repeated their 2004 Worlds win, count26-28 Davis Island YC. School’s Out Youth Regatta. Opti, Laser, ing all first place finishes, a rarity in this technical class. Radial, 420, Sunfish. Second were the German team of Hans-Peter Schwarz and 27-28 Tampa Bay Catamaran Society. Clearwater Community Roland Kirst. Sailing Center. Memorial Day Regatta The award for the crew that was over 100 years old 29 Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Memorial Day Around Lido combined went to Alberto Barenhgi from Italy and Dave Key Race Ellis from St. Petersburg, FL. 31 Bradenton YC. Corinthian (School’s Out) Regatta to Key West from Tampa Bay. For complete results, go to www.spyc.org. Photos availJUNE able at www.beachmaster.smugmug.com. 3 St. Petersburg YC. Darlene Clark Bikini Cup. 3-4 Tampa Bay Catamaran Society. Jetty Park Ocean Regatta, Catamarans. 4 Caloosahatchee Marching & Chowder Society. Ladies Day On-line West Florida Race Calendar Race, PHRF. Go to editor@southwindsmagazine.com to view the annual 6 St. Petersburg YC. Calendar organizing meeting for Tampa on-line race calendar on the Southwinds Web site with links Bay area clubs. to clubs and information and changes to schedules. To have 10 Cortez Yacht Club Commodore’s Cup Series (CYCCC). Race #2. Cortez YC. your race listed, or changes in your race schedule, e-mail 10 Tampa Bay Yacht Racing Assoc. Trans-Bay Race, PHRF the information to the editor, Steve Morrell, at 17 Dunedin Boat Club. Larkin Regatta, PHRF in the Gulf off editor@southwindsmagazine.com. Clearwater Pass The West Florida list of yacht clubs and sailing organi17-18 Summer Sailstice. Worldwide celebration of sail
RACE CALENDAR
zations is also on-line.
54
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
24 25
Caloosahatchee Marching & Chowder Society. Sunworshipper’s Race, PHRF. Tampa Bay Catamaran Society. 45 x 45 Catamaran Distance Race
Bray captured first place on their 420, followed by Dan Owczarczak on his Laser by one point. The Honored Skipper of the Regatta was six-year-old Jaremy Wynn, who is currently in remission from the disease and was present throughout the weekend. Jaremy was beaming from ear to ear as he helped Regatta Chairman John Matthews prepare the race committee boat on the morning of the regatta. He was especially excited to be able to present the large Gold Cup Trophy that represented the “Leukemia Cup” to the team that raises the most money for the regatta. One Phantom Sailor’s hard work—Gayle Rosenblatt, widow of Past Commodore Jim Rosenblatt—paid off. Gayle’s registered Fantasy boat, Mission Blue, helped collect over $3900 to win the 2006 Leukemia Cup Trophy. Second runner-up was Kim Kaminski with her Fantasy boat team, Polish Navy, raising over $2100 and earning a $500 gift card
LOCAL RACE REPORT 2006 Leukemia Cup, Pensacola Yacht Club, March 17-19 By Kim Kaminski The Pensacola Yacht Club and co-host Navy Yacht Club enjoyed a successful and rewarding 2006 Leukemia Cup Regatta, which raised over $22,000 to benefit victims who suffer from lymphoma and leukemia. Over 100 sailors on 22 boats raced in support of one of the nation’s largest charity functions. Activities began on March 17 at the club’s facilities where an evening filled with the excitement of a live and silent charity auction, good food and special community presentations (large monetary donations by the Navy Yacht Club, Compass Bank, the The crew on Reach Around (Sail # 13303) captured a clear air start during Pensacola Firefighters Local Union 707, Wachovia the 2006 Leukemia Cup which helped them earn first place in the Spinnaker Securities, the Suburban Lodge, Island Cove Marina class. Courtesy photo from Richard Smith. and Posner Marine to name a few) were given in honor of the occasion. ,from West Marine plus gifts from Mount Gay Rum. John The regatta is dedicated to the memory of Jim Matthews and Tom Elliott were third and fourth runners-up. Rosenblatt, past commodore of the Pensacola Yacht Club Sailors love to compete, but the big winner wasn’t the (who suffered from leukemia). Since participants did not sailors on the water, but the recipients of these competitors’ have to own a boat or belong to a yacht club anyone could monetary efforts. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is register as a Phantom Sailor and still win the coveted the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated Leukemia Cup Trophy. to funding blood cancer research and providing education Twenty-two boats began the racing on Saturday, March and patient services. Carolyn Boos, from the Gulf Coast 18, with two separate courses for the different classes. For Leukemia Office, announced during the award presentathe PHRF Spinnaker class racecourse, a total of two races tions that three more patients were recently processed for were held. The One-Design class had three races. assistance, and the efforts of the Pensacola Leukemia Cup Competition was fierce with plenty of excitement, with will go far in helping the Gulf Coast community. wind conditions challenging and shifty at times. Pensacola Yacht Club member Jeff Hunt and his crew on Reach Around Results; had a fantastic race start in the first race and found all the SPINNAKER CLASS A; 1 – Liberty 4, Doug Kessler; 2 – Rum Aground, right wind shifts throughout the day to earn the overall fleet David Dunbar; 3 – Atlantic Union, Paul Gillette; 4 – Forerunner, John trophy, plus they earned first place in the Spinnaker B class Mathis; 5 – Wicked Woman, George Gamble; 6 – Shameless, Roy Harden; by three points over competitor Antares. Doug Kessler from SPINNAKER CLASS B; 1 – Reach Around, Jeff Hunt; 2 – Antares, M. Atlanta, GA, and his crew on Liberty 4, a Melges class boat, Guild/D. Hoffman; 3 – Joe Cool, McMillan/Melville; 4 – Soulshine, won first place in the Spinnaker A class. See NORTHERN GULFCOAST continued on page 60 In the One-Design fleet, Drew Werner and Douglas News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
55
56
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
57
58
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
59
REGIONAL SAILING
Sailing Services Directory starts as low as $10 a month.
BOAT LETTERING
YOGA SAILING CHARTERS (305) 989-7181 Enjoy a Magical week of Yoga & Adventure Sailing in the Bahamas or Belize Oct. 05 or Jan & May 06 www.dutchlove.com
CAPTAIN SERVICES CAPT. KEVIN MURPHY . . . . .(340) 277-1026 USCG Licensed Master, Deliveries, Instruction murfdesurf@hotmail.com TOPSAIL SERVICES Deliveries • Consulting Power • Sail USCG Licensed Master • Unlimited Tonnage Don Charland (910) 279-6315 doncharland@aol.com
CANVAS & CUSHION SERVICES COMMUNICATIONS DOCKSIDE RADIO www.docksideradio.com Pactor II/III Modem Sales & Support; FCC Marine Radio License filing; SailMail WinLink Installation & Training . . . . .(941) 661-4498
CUSTOM BOAT SERVICES & REPAIRS
SCUBA CLEAN See ad in Underwater Services
CHARTERS MAHINA LA SAILING . . . . . .(941) 713-8000 MacGregor 65 * Two hours to two weeks South Tampa Bay Area in Cortez Daily Sunset Cruises or Sail to the Keys www.floridasailingtrips.com
ELLIE’S SAILING SHOP . . . . . . . . . .Clearwater Lifelines, rigging, hardware, repairs Serving small boat sailors Since 1958 Sunfish Boats and Parts . . . . .(727) 442-3281 ________________________________________ GLASTECH YACHTS . . . . . . .(727) 544-5512 Full Service Marine Yard & Mobile Service Power & Sail • Serving West Florida www.glastech34trawler.com ________________________________________ Industrial Marine Supply . . . . . . . .Tampa Bay Gas/Diesel Repair & Maintenance Certified Electrical & Plumbing Underwater work . . . . . .(775) 771-8515 cell
FISHING GUIDES FL KEYS BACKCOUNTRY TRIPS With Pro Guide Capt. “BR” Exploring, Sportfishing, Birding (305) 304-2258 www.keywestsportfish.com
MARINE DIESEL SERVICE INLAND MARINE DIESEL . . . . . . . . . .Atlanta Service/Parts for all makes of diesel auxiliary New Engine Sales–Universal, Beta, Yanmar, and Westerbeke . . . . . . . . ..(404) 513-4414
MARINE SURVEYING TAYLOR MARINE SURVEYING & CONSULTING, LLC Specializing in Sailing Vessels (813) 625-0448 www.taylormarinesurveying.com
Advertise your services here
1" boxed-in ads for $240 a year RIGGING SERVICES
NORTHERN GULF COAST continued from page 55 Paul Robbins; 5 – Kanaloa, Michael Beard; 6 – Sirrocco, Bruce Lee; 7 – Roka Dobi, Ron Bray; - 8 Vivacious, Bruno Bruchhof; ONE DESIGN (420 and Laser); 1 – Drew Werner, Douglas Bray; 2 – Dan Owczarczak (Laser); 3 – Mallory Buechler (Laser); 4 – Dominick Johnson (Laser); 5 – Amanda Sutton (Laser); OVERALL FLEET WINNER Jeff Hunt Reach Around 60
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
LEUKEMIA CUP TROPHY WINNER – Gayle Rosen-blatt
RACE CALENDAR MAY 6-7 GYA Opening Day. (Capdevielle) PONTYC 6-7 SE Lightning Districts. JYC
Sea Buoy Race. PBYC Regatta al Sol XXIV. PYC Premie Cup. PBYC Double-Handed, Fleet Captain Challenge. FWYC 19-21 J/24 SE Regional Gulf Coast Championship. SABYC 20-21 USMRC Quarter Finals, NOYC 20-21 Spring Regatta (Capdevielle). BYC 20 Navy Cup. NYC 6 10-14 13 13
www.southwindsmagazine.com
SERVICES DIRECTORY Call (941) 795-8704 or e-mail editor@southwindsmagazine.com
ADVERTISE
IN THE SERVICE DIRECTORY
YACHTING VACATIONS Punta Gorda, FL Sailboat Charters 22’-48’ ASA instruction Live-aboard/non-live-aboard www.yachtingvacations.com (800) 447-0080
MASTHEAD USED SAIL . . . .(800) 783-6953 www.mastheadsailinggear.com Largest Inventory in the South (727) 327-5361
PORPOISE SAILING SERVICES – Sarasota
Starting at $96 a year
*New/Used Sails * New Custom Sails Roller Furling Systems & Packages
editor@southwindsmagazine.com
(800) 507-0119 www.porpoisesailing.com
(941) 795-8704 SEA TIME SAILING SCHOOL . . . . .Miami, FL Offshore trips/Sailing courses www.seatimesailing.com . . . .(954) 636-9726
RIGGING SERVICES
Bay Rigging TAMPA’S MOBILE RIGGING SERVICE Yacht Rigging • Furlers • Lifelines
Cell (727) 215-0704 www.bayrigging.com
SAILMAKING, REPAIRING & CLEANING ADVANCED SAILS . . . . . . . . .(727) 896-7245 Quality Cruising Sails & Service Closest Sailmaker to St. Petersburg Marinas Keith Donaldson . . . . . . . . . .(727) 896-7245
SSMR. INC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .727-823-4800 Complete Rigging Services On-Site Crane, Splicing & Swaging Commissioning Services On Salt Creek at Salt Creek Boat Works Fax 727-823-3270 . . . . . . . . . .St. Petersburg
Scuba Clean Yacht Service See ad in Underwater Services
UNDERWATER SERVICES
Scuba Clean Yacht Service • Underwater Services • Canvas Shop • Sail Cleaning & Repair • Detailing Serving Pinellas, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Pasco & Manatee Counties.
SAILING INSTRUCTION ADVENTURE CRUISING & SAILING SCHOOL A sailing school for Women and Couples • ASA • West Florida and Chesapeake www.acss.bz . . . . . . . . . . . . .(727) 204-8850
27-28 Slip to Ship. OSCY 27-28 Juby Wynn (one design). SYC 27 Memorial Day Regatta. PBYC JUNE 3 Cancer Society Regatta (Amanda Werner Trophy). PYC 3 School’s Out Regatta (one design). PONTYC 3-4 Chandler Regatta (Capdevielle). SABYC News & Views for Southern Sailors
(727) 327-2628 C’S CANVAS AND SAIL REPAIR See ad in Canvas & Cushion Services
3-4 3-4.
Ladies PHRF Championship. SYC Ladies Fleur de Lis - CSA, LPWSA, SYC, NOYC 3-4 Mobile Bay Marathon. MYC 10 Commodore’s Cup #3. NYC 10 Race to the Coast. SYC 10-11 Billy Bowlegs Regatta. FWYC 23-25 GYA Challenge Cup. PYC 24-25 GYA 420. NOYC 24 Glorious Fourth. LFYC
24 30 30
We Found the Bay Regatta. PYC PYC Championship #2. PYC Gulf port to Pensacola. PYC, SYC
Wednesday Evening Fun Races Pensacola Yacht Club. 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the Month April thru October Fort Walton Yacht Club. April thru October SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
61
C L A S S I F I E D
A D S
CLASSIFIED ADS — 3 Months for $25 Place your ad early on the Internet for $10 • Classified ads with text only for boats are $25 for a three-month ad for up to 30 words. $50 for ad with horizontal photo ($65 if vertical photo). Check or Credit cards accepted. Must be for sale by owner – no business ads. Boats wanted ads included. • Free ads for boats under $500 (sail and dinghies only), all gear under $500, and windsurfing equipment. For sale by owner ads only. • All other ads (including business ads) are $20 a month for up to 20 words, add $5 a month for each additional 10 words. $10 a month for a horizontal photo. Frequency discounts available. Contact editor. • All ads go on the SOUTHWINDS Web site. For a one-time $10 fee, we will place your ad on the Internet before going to press on the next issue. • No Refunds • The last month your ad runs will be in parentheses, e.g., (10/06) is October 2006.
BOATS WANTED ___________________________ J/24 Trailer. Single or dual axle. Needing some repairs okay. Call (904) 264-7957 (6/06)
___________________________
Trailer wanted for Catalina 28. editor@southwindsmagazine.com
BOATS & DINGHIES ___________________________ Life Raft. Viking 4 person. Offshore ResuYou Pro (automatic self-righting, double inflatable floor, inflatable boarding ramp), in valise. Purchased new 11/04, never used. $2250 OBO. E-mail: tisontag@earthlink.net or call (727) 367-4647. (6/06)
• Ad must be received by the 10th of the month. TO PLACE AN AD: 1. On the Internet www.southwindsmagazine.com This applies only to the $25 and $50 ads above with and without photo. Pay with Paypal and put your ad in the subject line. If a photo, then e-mail to editor@southwindsmagazine.com as a separate jpeg attachment. 2. Via E-mail and Credit Card. E-mail your ad to editor@southwindsmagazine.com. Text can be put in the e-mail. Send photos as a separate jpeg attachment to the e-mail. Pay by mail (see below) or credit card. You can call us with a credit card number. Give us the credit card number, expiration, billing address and name on card. Call (941) 795-8704. 3. Mail your ad in. Mail to SOUTHWINDS, PO Box 1175, Holmes Beach, FL 34218-1175. Send a check or credit card number with information as listed in #2
above. Mail the photo in (35mm best). If you want the photo back, enclose a SASE. Add $5 for a typing charge. 4. Telephone or fax your ad in. Call (941) 795-8704 and give us your ad over the phone. There is an additional $5 typing charge. If you have a photo, you can mail it in. We can take your credit card number, or you can mail a check. Fax: (941) 795-8705. 5. Do a combination of the above. E-mail, call in or send the ad text in via Paypal on our Web site. Email the photo directly to the editor. If you don’t have a scanner, mail the photo to us separately. Call the editor at (941) 795-8704 with any questions. 6. We will pick up your ad. Send the editor a check for air flight, car rental, hotel, travel, eating and entertainment expenses, and he will come to your location and pick up the ad. Any ads to be picked up on tropical islands or other resort destinations will be free.
DISPLAY CLASSIFIEDS
Advertise your business in a display ad in the classifieds section. Sold by the column inch. 2 inch minimum. (3 column inches is 1/8 page) MONTHLY ADS
12 6 3 1
COST PER INCH
MINIMUM INCHES
TOTAL COST
$19 $22 $25 $29
2" 2" 2" 2"
$38 $44 $50 $58
1964 Pearson 26’ Offshore, the pride of Bristol. Rigging 2005, Staloks, Atomic four restored 2006. Raced in the Keys. A true classic. Dinghy & mooring. Sailmykeys@pocketmail.com. $4500. (5/06)
___________________________
27’ ERICSON. Carefully maintained, fast, sturdy, many upgrades & extras, roller furling genoa, autopilot and remote, A/C, Bimini, inboard runs great, sailaway, 1 mo. free slip! Reduced! $9,400 offers. Call (727) 364-6710. (7/06) Modified Herreshoff H-28, 1985, fiberglass, new masts, sails, rigging, diesel. Auto, SSB, Chartplotter, Dinghy. Also 35’ deeded boat slip in Key West. Sold separately or great combo price. (305) 393-6889. (5/06)
Hirondelle 24 MkII cruising/racing catamaran. 10ft beam, 15” to 3 ft draft. Restored to new sail away condition. 9.9 Honda O/B, GPS, VHF, trailer, dinghy. Loaded, beautiful. (407)5921207 email: fireboat52@hotmail.com (5/06) Classic Morgan 28 Sloop, excellent condition, sleeps 5, shallow draft, keel/centerboard, 25hp diesel (738 hours), full batten main, roller furling genoa, drifter, VHF, galley, Y-valve, holding tank, macerator, dinghy, $9500 (239) 5492264. (7/06)
Cape Dory 25, 1982. Excellent condition, sleeps 4, standing headroom, Yanmar deisel, bimini, many upgrades including sail covers, sails, roller furling genoa, VHF, compass, toilet. 6 opening ports, Bimini and Dodger. $14,500. mayras1957@aol.com. (305) 610-0988. (5/06) 62
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
$50 for 3 months for Ad & Photo 941-795-8704 www.southwindsmagazine.com
C L A S S I F I E D
1977 Columbia 8.7 (28’ 7” LOD) Sloop, 23’ LWL’ 10’ Beam 4’6”draft, tiller, diesel, ice box, pressure water, main, jib, bimini, danforth anchor, solar vent, folding table, Must sell. $7900. Call Major Carter. (941) 792-9100.
CATALINA 30. 1989. Wing Keel. New Canvas, Full enclosure. AC, custom teak doors. Garmin 182 Chart plotter, Loran, VHF, Auto-pilot, AMFM Stereo CD, refrigerator, extra freshwater tank. New bottom paint Sept. 2004. A very clean boat, carefully maintained. $37,500. Call (727) 421-3014. (5/06) 1975 Hunter 30, shoal draft, diesel, cruiseequipped, great liveaboard, electronics, pilot, full batten main, boat in good condition, located Bay St. Louis, MS. Slip available, two jibs, lots of gear, $8500, (228) 342-6277. bluestarsail@yahoo.com (6/06)
___________________________
1982 30 ft. Olson. Performance racing sloop. Race with the best for a fraction of the cost. Good sail inventory. $6500. Jack Scragg (239) 482-8370. Fort Myers Beach. (6/06)
ALL CLASSIFIEDS ON WEB SITE: www.southwindsmagazine.com News & Views for Southern Sailors
32’ HUNTER 320 2001. Freshwater, ICW, loaded w/extras, In-mast furling main, autopilot, 80-watt solar panel, bimini, dodger, stereo system, companionway teak doors. $69,500/ obo. Luka, MS, (731)394-1897, belew@pneumaticsystems.com. (6/06)
A D S
34-5 Hunter 1986. Auto pilot, shoal draft, 30 hp Yanmar, solid stainless steel rail, custom teak swim platform, new portals, etc. Moving must sell $29,500. (239) 910-3595. (4/06)
33’ Glander Tavana 1985 center board mast head sloop. Newly painted bottom, hull, topsides and non-skid. New rub rail, teak hatches. New jib sail. 30 HP Vetus diesel. Great Florida and Bahamas boat, draws 3’ board up. A no- nonsense boat offered below market at $12,900/best offer. Needs TLC. Call Major Carter (941) 792-9100. 32’ Anastasia Double-ended Cutter, main, jib and staysail, Yanmar 3 cylinder diesel, hull perfect, house needs completion and minor repairs, No storm damage, Pensacola, $10,000 OBO, Photos on request Satoritom@aol.com. (7/06).
DISPLAY CLASSIFIED ADS STARTING AT $38/MONTH SOUTHWINDS
May 2006 63
C L A S S I F I E D
1995 Hunter 35.5 Only 615 hrs on Yanmar 27. New canvas, Navico autopilot, ST 60 depth, ST 60 speed, Furuno GPS, SGC SSB radio, Apelco VHF, dinghy w/OB engine, roller furling, full batten main w/dutchman, solar panel, S&L windlass, holding plate refrigeration, SS propane stove, 12000 BTU marine air, TV, stereo. Ready to sail with performance and pleasure. $69,900. www.cortezyachts.com. (941) 792-9100
Catalina 36, 1984. Full racing/cruising upgrades, Tall mast, 5’10” draft, rigid boom vang, upgraded flat travel, AC, self-tailing two-speed winches, good condition, new headsail, roller furling, cockpit shower, 3 gps units, 2 VHFs, bimini and dodger, 4 batteries, all lines lead to cockpit. $48,900. Autohelm 4000. (941) 795-4646. Tampa Bay. mtimillertime@yahoo.com. For pictures and more info, go to www.catalinaowners.com and do a search for this boat in classifieds. (7/06)
45’ 6” LOA Bayfield 40, Hull # 34 full keel 5’ draft, cutter ketch designed by H.T.Gozzard built in 1984. Exceptional condition with lots of new gear. Harken roller furling on all sails. Marine air, WS, WD, depth,VHF w/remote, SSB, cd/radio, autopilot, chartplotter, Radar, dinghy, life raft $114,000 Call Major Carter or visit www.Cortezyachts.com
38’ Lagoon Catamaran. 2002. Excellent condition. One of the best on the market for the money. Very well-equipped. Lots of new and updated equipment. $295,000. Call Bob, owner, at (507) 951-1625, or call Yachting Vacations (800) 447-0080. Burnt Store Marina, Punta Gorda, FL. (7/06)
BOAT GEAR & SUPPLIES ___________________________
___________________________
1994 Hunter 35.5 Yanmar 27 HP recently serviced with 780 hours, NEW stereo w/remote control, NEW refrigeration, NEW isenglass in dodger, NEW Batteries (3), NEW bottomsider cockpit cushions, NEW AC thermostat, NEW electric windlass w/remote switch in cockpit, MarineAire AC, 16,000 BTU, recently serviced, Davits, inflatable and 2-hp Honda 2-stroke recently serviced. Massey Yacht Sales & Service (727) 8247262. 1970 Ericson 35 MKll - Bruce King classic design hull #164. Universal 30 HP diesel, Wheel steering w/ emergency tiller, All lines lead aft, Newer sails; 130% UK Kevlar, 170% dacron genoa, & fully battened main w/ reefing system. Lazy jack system, Harken dual sheet traveller, Harken roller reef, dodger w/ dodger, bimini & full canvas cockpit enclosure incl screens. updated interior cushions, 150’ chain w/3 anchors, electric windlass, AM/FM/CD stereo w/cockpit speakers & power amp, Marine Radio, Auto Pilot 4000, Many upgrades incl. opening port lights throughout, newer AC & DC throughout. Documented. Great sailing boat w/ lot’s of nice gear. Partial trade for smaller trailerable boat considered. $19,000. (727) 363-4000. sheetwize@mac.com. (7/06)
1977 Trident Warrior 35. Well-maintained and equipped for offshore cruising. $46,500. (850) 866-4490. (5/06)
64
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
A D S
Cheoy Lee Offshore 40 yawl, 1978, with St. Pete Municipal Marina slip available. New mainsail, headliner, dodger/bimini. Low engine hours. Many upgrades. $64,000 E-mail jimsboat@juno.com. (6/06)
Wanted. Used Aluminum Boom Lightning. (904) 794-0937. (7/06)
for
___________________________
Bimini top, canvas and frame complete. From BOSTON WHALER. Originally $700. Usable on any craft with 87” beam. Navy. Like new. $400. Pick-up only. Lake Lanier, Gainesville, GA. Chris @ 770 536 4628, or cwnlanier1@aol.com.
___________________________
Gimballed stove, 3 burner with oven, propane. Winches, misc. hardware, & gear, Perkins diesel with clutch, (228) 342-6277 bluestarsail@yahoo.com. Located Bay St. Louis, MS. (6/06)
1984 LANCER 45 CC Sloop with 85 HP Perkins, 3 staterooms, 2 heads, walkthru to aft cabin w/ centerline bed. Marine air. Roller furling main and jib. Depth and wind instruments at the helm. CPT autopilot, Furuno CRT radar, GPS, VHF, stereo CD, TV, full galley, electric windlass, dodger, 11’ Alliance RIB w/OB. www.cortezyachts.com. A great liveaboard or cruiser. $79,900 (941) 792-9100
SEE CLASSIFIED INFO ON PAGE 62 www.southwindsmagazine.com
C L A S S I F I E D Tohatsu 18 hp long shaft model. Recently tuned. Propped for maximum thrust at low operating rpms. Dependable. Ideal for 27-foot sailboat. Capable of 6 knots to weather in snotty seas. Tilt mechanism recently reconditioned and now smooth as butter. Sexy paint job with flames on cowl. Silver cowl and blue shaft. Offers. (941) 722-9022. (6/06)
___________________________ Anchor CQR plow. 25 lb. Never used. $200. St. Pete. (727) 344-2092. till 7 p.m. (7/06)
News & Views for Southern Sailors
A D S
Boat Diesel Engine.Volvo Penta 3000. 27 hp. Two cylinder. Total hours 3338. Includes many new parts. Instruction manual. Parts list. Running condition. $2500 negotiable. Best Offer. Ask Mark at (772) 283-1947 from 8 a.m - 4 p.m. (7/06)
___________________________
Used Boat Gear For Sale - Force & Magma Grills, Folding Bikes, Windscoops, Drogues, Lifesling, Type 1 Life Jackets w/strobe, Blocks, Turnbuckles, Anchors, Line & Chain. Nautical Trader (941) 488-0766. www.nauticaltrader.net. (7/06)
SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
65
C L A S S I F I E D BOOKS & CHARTS __________________________ Ocean Routing – Jenifer Clark’s Gulf Stream Boat Routing/Ocean Charts by the “best in the business.” (301) 952-0930, fax (301) 5740289 or www.erols.com/gulfstrm
___________________________
South Pacific Charts and Guides. Full-sized. From Panama to New Zealand. $600 value. Make offers. (305) 395-2114. Could be used to wallpaper your Tiki Bar. (5/06)
Writers, Reporters, Articles Photos Wanted. SOUTHWINDS is looking for articles on boating, racing, sailing in the Southern waters in all regions, the Caribbean and the Bahamas. We are also looking for other articles on the following subjects: marinas, anchorages, mooring fields, disappearing marinas and boatyards, marinas and boatyards sold for condos, anchoring rights, sailing human interest stories, boat reviews, charter stories, waste disposal— and more. Photos are wanted on all these subjects, plus we want cover photos (pay $65 for cover photos) of both race and non-race subjects, but about sailing. Cover photos must be very high resolution and vertical format.
___________________________
BUSINESS/INVESTMENT ___________________________ Licensed contractor with experience in highend residential work, both new and remodeling, seeks to qualify a builder as an active, advising, part-time, non-working partner. I am a very responsible, honest experienced builder with excellent qualifications seeking the same to work on projects in residential work. Only very quality-oriented and responsible builders /carpenters need contact me who are in the Manatee/Sarasota counties area. I also am only interested in enjoyable, interesting work — not the rat race. Craig100@tampabay.rr.com.
CREW AVAILABLE/WANTED ___________________________ Visit SOUTHWINDS “NEW” boat and crew listing service at southwindssailing.com
DELIVERY SERVICES ___________________________ DELIVERIES. ICW, Coastal, Caribbean & Gulf, Sail or Power, by USCG Licensed Captain with 30 Years professional experience Including two transAtlantic deliveries. (443) 243-4925 or www.marylandsailing.com (5/06)
___________________________
Service Dept. Rigger. Massey Yacht Sales is accepting applications and resumes for sail and/or powerboat riggers/outfitters. Many employee benefits including paid holidays, paid vacations, health insurance, workmen’s comp insurance, performance bonuses, and good hourly salary. Must be hardworking, honest, have own tools and be a team player. Excellent service department support and organization. Call Alice Winter, ext. 10, service dept. mgr. at (941) 7231949, or fax resume to (941) 729-7520.
LEGAL LIVEABOARD IN MARATHON. Buy a boat slip in the Keys — use it or lease it! From $345,000 - Call The Wallace Team. Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Estate. (800) 366-5181. (305) 766-1745 Cell (5/06)
HELP WANTED ___________________________ Articles and race reports in the Carolinas and Georgia. editor@southwindsmagazine.com.
___________________________
Edwards Yacht Sales is expanding! Yacht brokers needed to sell sailboats on either coast. Will train! Excellent commissions, group health insurance, bonus plan. Contact Roy Edwards at (727) 725-1600, www.EdwardsYachtSales.com
___________________________
66
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
power yacht sales positions available in the Massey St. Petersburg and Palmetto dealership offices. Best marina dealership locations, excellent sales, marketing and service dept. support. We are new yacht dealers for Catalina, Hunter, Albin, True North, Nordic Tugs, plus offer a large inventory of brokerage sail and powerboats. Applicants must be computer literate, have successful yacht sales history, good knowledge of yachts and builders, be a team player, motivated and hard working. Best yacht sales income potential on Florida west coast. Call Massey General Sales manager Frank Hamilton at (941) 723-1610 or fax resume to (941) 729-7520.
HOMES FOR SALE OR RENT ___________________________
___________________________
Writers and Ideas Wanted on Waterways Issues. SOUTHWINDS is looking for writers, acting as independent subcontractors to research and write articles on subjects discussed in the “Our Waterways” section. Must be familiar with boating, good at research, have computer skills, high-speed Internet access and work for little pay. Most important, you must have an interest and passion for the subject and want to bring about change and improvement of boaters rights, waterways access, and disappearing marinas and boatyards—and have lots of ideas and energy to help bring about improvements through various means (that are, of course, legal and principled). You may choose your subject within these parameters. We would also like to get an organization going to promote these interests if you can help. Writers, photographers, cartoonists, jokers, magicians, philosophers and others of questionable professions may apply. Send info to: editor@southwindsmagazine.com.
___________________________
Marine Parts Counter Person Wanted. Experience with marine industry beneficial. Full time with benefits. Snead Island Boat Works (941) 722-2400. Palmetto, FL. (5/06)
___________________________
DOCKS/SLIPS ___________________________
A D S
Accountant Wanted. CPA (or someone who has good, successful experience in the following) wanted to help (with donated time) a non-profit, Florida Corporation—that is a sailing organization promoting sailing and youth sailing—become a 501C3 tax-exempt corporation with the IRS. Help needed and advice in putting together the application to the IRS. Any hard expenses paid, possibly some labor paid. Contact Steve Morrell, editor@southwindsmagazine.com; or call (941) 795-8704. Southeastern Sailing Association, Inc. www.sailingvoice.org. info@sailingvoice.org.
Sailboat Lover’s Dream Home!!! Open Tampa Bay view, deep sailboat water. 6’ at low tide, boat dock, 2200 sq ft, 3 br, 2.5 bath home, fireplace, bonus room, 2 minutes to I-275 and downtown St. Petersburg. Asking $695,000, 3620 Beach Drive SE, St. Petersburg, FL 33705. (727) 5151423 or jasonamir@hotmail.com. (6/06)
Sarasota, FL Waterfront Townhouse w/Deep Water Boat Slip For Rent. 3br/3ba, 3 floors, 2 fireplaces, gated, pool, tennis. Protected boat slip accommodates up to 70-foot Boat. Direct access to Gulf. Walk to restaurants and shopping. For info call (561) 213-2390. (6/06)
INSURANCE ___________________________
___________________________
Murray Yacht Sales is adding professional yacht brokers and customer service personnel to its successful team. Immediate needs include: Yacht Broker in St. Petersburg office, yacht sales experience required; Rigger/Service Tech in New Orleans office. E-mail résumé to info@MurrayYachtSales.com.
___________________________
Massey Yacht Sales Positions-Sail and/or www.southwindsmagazine.com
C L A S S I F I E D LODGING FOR SAILORS ___________________________
A D S
SAILING INSTRUCTION ___________________________
Ponce de Leon Hotell Historic downtown hotel at the bay, across from St. Petersburg YC. 95 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 550-9300 FAX (727) 896-2287 www.poncedeleon hotel.com
MARINE ART ___________________________ SAILS & CANVAS __________________________
T__________________________ ROPHIES/AWARDS HALFHULLS SAILING VIDEOS ___________________________
2" DISPLAY ADS starting at $38 941-795-8704 editor@southwindsmagazine.com News & Views for Southern Sailors
WINDSURFING GEAR ___________________________ Wanted: Used Prodigy (standard or race), other boards, miscellaneous windsurfing equipment. Steve (941) 795-8704, editor@southwindsmagazine.co SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
67
INDEX
OF
ADVERTISERS
TELL THEM YOU SAW IT IN SOUTHWINDS! SOUTHWINDS provides this list as a courtesy and asks our readers to support our advertisers. This list includes all display advertising.
BARGING continued from page 70 boat. and they seemed to be sweeping the area around us and to our right, back and forth. We stared at them, wondering. I could not communicate with them by radio, but they were obviously shining the light on us, but moving it off us, too. I had no VHF on this boat. Except for running lights and a knotmeter run by two batteries, there were no other electronics on board. (Hey! It was a simpler time, then.) As we stared at this moving searchlight, we saw they kept moving it between us and something to our right. Finally we realized what it was, an unlit barge! A moving barge! And there must be a cable connecting it to the boat ahead that was pulling it. And we were heading toward that cable! When I realized this, seemingly at the last minute, I immediately swung the tiller over, released the jib sheet and came about, averting a meeting between Trifid and that cable! Both of us looked—with mouths wide open—behind us as we saw the barge cross over our previous path, relieved, with hearts pounding a little harder. I guess we missed that cable by a few hundred feet. I thought all barges had to have lights, but I also heard that, in the Bahamas, not everything was done by the book. We continued on our way to Chub Cay, arriving without incident, and cruised happily for another three months in the Bahamas, getting down as far south as Staniel Cay in the Exumas. But the most memorable part of the trip was the crossing of the Great Bahama Bank and coming off the banks that night, entering the Tongue of the Ocean via the Northwest Channel. 68
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
Abaco Regatta Week 15 Air Duck 65 Anesco Marine 64 Abaco Regatta Week 21 Air Duck 66 Anesco Marine 65 Annapolis Performance Sailing 20 Aqua Graphics 60 Atlantic Sail Traders 27 Banks Sails 61 Beachmaster Photography 64 Beneteau Sailboats BC Beta Marine 31 Bluewater Bay Yachts 6,7,10 Bluewater Sailing Supply 65 Boaters Exchange 18,38 Bob and Annie’s Boatyard 22 Bo’sun Supplies 32 Bradenton YC Corinthian Regatta 23 Bubba Book 16 Catalina Yachts 9,19 Coconut Grove Sailing Club 25 Colligo Engineering 27 Cortez Yacht Brokerage 63 Crow’s Nest Restaurant 15 Cruising Direct Sails 14 Cs Canvas 60 Defender Industries 65 Dockside Radio 31 Dwyer mast 64 Eastern Yachts/Beneteau 9,57 Edwards Yacht Sales 59 E-marine 65 First Patriot Health Insurance 67 Flying Scot Sailboats 63 FX Sails 46 Garhauer Hardware 4 Glacier Bay Refrigeration 34 Gulf Coast Yacht Sales 56,62 Gulf Island Sails 7,18 Hanse Sailboats 63 Higgins, Smythe & Hood 57 Hobie Cats/Tackle Shack 53 Hotwire/Fans & other products 64 Hunter Marine 10,11 J/Boats - Murray Yacht Sales58,BC JR Overseas/Moisture Meter 29
Kevane Sails 67 Lake Fairview Marina 7 Latts & Atts TV 67 Leather Wheel 60 Lex-Sea Charters 63 Life Captions Video 35 Massey Yacht Sales 10,12,30, IBC Masthead Enterprises 4,18,65 Mike Chan Fiberglass Repair 25 Murray Yacht Sales/ Beneteau 58,BC National Sail Supply 29 Nautical Trader 26 Noble Awards 67 North Sails 23,67 Patricia Knoll Realtor 8 Porpoise Used Sails 67 Precision Yachts 6,7 Pumpout Boat 26 Quantum Sarasota 3 RB Grove/Universal and Westerbeke 35 Rparts Refrigeration 38 Sailboats Florida, Inc. 63 Sailing Services 14 Sailtime Fractional Sailing 13 Sarasota Youth Sailing Program 56 Schurr Sails 24 Scurvy Dog Marine 28 Sea School 24 Sea Tech 39,65 Snug Harbor Boats 7 SSMR 15 St. Augustine Sailing School 67 St. Barts/Beneteau BC Suncoast Inflatables 18 Sunrise Sails 61,65 Sellstate Realty 8 Tackle Shack 7,53 Tampa Sailing Squadron Youth Program 36 Ullman Sails 16 Vista Galleries/Sail Portraits 67 Watersports West 65 Wellfound Yachts 10 West Marine 43,IFC Whitney’s Marine/Sail Center 10 27 Windcraft Catamarans
www.southwindsmagazine.com
ADVERTISER INDEX BY CATEGORY TELL THEM YOU SAW IT IN SOUTHWINDS! SOUTHWINDS provides this list as a courtesy and asks our readers to support our advertisers. This list includes all display advertising. SAILBOATS – NEW AND BROKERAGE Beneteau Sailboats BC Bluewater Bay Yachts 6 Boaters Exchange/Catalina Sailboats 18,38 Catalina Yachts 9,19 Cortez Yacht Brokerage 63 Eastern Yachts 9,57 Edwards Yacht Sales 59 Flying Scot Sailboats 63 Gulf Coast Yacht Sales 56,62 Gulf Island Sails 18 Hanse Sailboats 63 Hobie Cats/Tackle Shack 53 Higgins, Smythe & Hood 57 Lake Fairview Marina 7 Massey Yacht Sales/Catalina//Hunter/Shannon/Albin 10,12,30, IBC 4,18 Masthead Yacht Sales/Catalina Murray Yacht Sales/Beneteau 58,BC Sailboats Florida, Inc. 63 Sarasota Youth Sailing Program donated boats 56 Snug Harbor Boats 7 St. Barts/Beneteau BC Suncoast Inflatables/ West Florida 18 Tackle Shack/Hobie/Sunfish, St. Petersburg 7,53 Tampa Sailing Squadron Youth Program 36 Wellfound Yachts 10 Whitney’s Marine/Sail Center 10 Windcraft, Trimarans and Catamarans, Sail or Power 27 Watersports West/Windsurfing 65 GEAR, HARDWARE, ACCESSORIES, CLOTHING Air Duck Hatch Windscoop 66 Anesco Marine 65 Annapolis Performance Sailing 20 Bluewater Bay Yachts 6,7,10 Bluewater Sailing Supply 65 Boaters Exchange, boats, gear, etc. Rockledge FL 18,38 Bo’sun Supplies/Hardware 32 Colligo Engineering 27 Defender Industries 65 E-Marine 65 Garhauer Hardware 4 64 Hotwire/Fans & other products JR Overseas/Moisture Meter 29 Leather Wheel 60 4,18,65 Masthead Enterprises Nautical Trader/buy/sell/consign 26 Rparts Refrigeration 38 SSMR 15 Tackle Shack/Hobie/Sunfish, St. Petersburg 7,53 Watersports West/wet suits, etc 65 43,IFC West Marine SAILS (NEW & USED), RIGGING, SPARS, RIGGING SERVICES Atlantic Sail Traders 27 61 Banks Sails/new, used, repair & canvas/ West Florida Cruising Direct/sails online by North 14 Dwyer Mast/spars, hardware, rigging 64 Masthead/Used Sails and Service 4,18,65 National Sail Supply, new&used online 29 North Sails, new and used 23,67 67 Porpoise Used Sails Quantum Sails and Services 3 14 Sailing Services Schurr Sails, Pensacola FL 24 SSMR 15 Sunrise Sails 61,65 Ullman Sails 16 News & Views for Southern Sailors
West Marine CANVAS Banks Sails/new, used, repair & canvas/ West Florida Quantum Sails and Services USED SAILING/BOATING SUPPLIES Nautical Trader/buy/sell/consign, West Florida Scurvy Dog Marine/Used, Consign, Pensacola FL SAILING SCHOOLS Sea School/Captain’s License St. Augustine Sailing School MARINE ENGINES AND ACCESSORIES Beta Marine RB Grove/Universal and Westerbeke RESORTS, MARINAS, RESTAURANTS, BOAT YARDS Bob and Annie’s Boatyard Coconut Grove Sailing Club Crow’s Nest Restaurant & Marina FRACTIONAL SAILING/CHARTER COMPANIES Lex-Sea Charters MARINE SERVICES, SURVEYORS, INSURANCE, TOWING, BOAT LETTERING, ETC. Aqua Graphics/Boat Names/Tampa Bay or buy online Beachmaster Photography First Patriot Insurance Health Insurance Pumpout Boat Vista Galleries/Sail Portraits MARINE ELECTRONICS Dockside Radio JR Overseas/Moisture Meter Sea Tech/Navigation/Communication BOOKS/CHARTS/VIDEOS/AWARDS Bubba Book Noble Awards Lats and Atts TV videos Life Captions Video REGATTA ADVERTISEMENTS, BOAT SHOWS Abaco Regatta Week Bradenton YC Corinthian Regatta
43,IFC
Regional Sailing Services Directory Subscription Information Alphabetical Advertisers’ List
60-61 69 68
61 3 26 28 24 67 31 35 22 25 15 63
60 64 67 26 67 31 29 39,65 16 67 67 35 21 23
Subscribe to
SOUTHWINDS $19.95/year $24/year
$37/2 Years $45/2 Years
3rd Class 1st Class
(941) 795-8704 • www.southwindsmagazine.com P.O. Box 1175, Holmes Beach, FL 34218-1175 Subscribe on line on our secure Web site with credit card www.southwindsmagazine.com Name ______________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________ City/St./ZIP _________________________________________ ENCLOSED $ ________ Check ___ Money Order ___ Visa/MC
#_________________________________________
Name on Card ______________________________________ Ex. Date _________ Signature _________________________ SOUTHWINDS
May 2006
69
Barging into the Tongue of the Ocean By Steve Morrell
I
tried to make that 60-mile crossing last n 1979, my girlfriend, Terry, and I as long as possible—we were coming were on a three-month cruise in off the banks. It was getting to be dusk, the Bahamas, entering in early and we considered stopping for one June at Gun Cay just south of more night but knew we were coming Bimini. We were sailing on my 26off the banks and into deep water, foot wooden Folkboat, Trifid. It was entering the Northwest Channel of the my second trip to these islands, the Tongue of the Ocean. We decided to first one being a 10-day shakedown continue on to Chub Cay, as there was a cruise a month earlier with another light there and we would be able to friend and a build-up to this longer safely sail at night and see it to spot our summer cruise with my girlfriend, next anchorage. It was only 15 miles who was moving out from east on a straight course, and we would California. Our overall plan was to have to tack a bit as the wind was comenter at Gun Cay, cross the Great ing from the east. It would only be a Bahama Bank to Chub Cay, cruise couple of hours of night sailing, the the Berrys and then head south to winds were perfect, and an evening sail Nassau and then on to the Exumas. seemed idyllic. Crossing the Great Bahama On board Trifid, I had two pieces of Bank is not done at night—at least plywood that could be placed to span not done by newcomers like me. The the cockpit seats to make one large flat banks in the Bahamas are spotted berth, and the two V-berth cushions, with coral heads, the tops of which reversed to each other, fit beautifully to are shallow enough to become a real make a comfortable bed, enabling Terry hazard with a sailboat of any draft, so and I to sleep on deck. We had done so daytime sailing is the norm, with Trifid under sail in the Bahamas. almost every night at anchor—one more someone keeping an eye out for the magical addition to nights in the coral heads since they appear as Bahamas—but had never set this up for sailing. It seemed like darker spots in the clear waters of the Bahamas. After a while, such a perfect night that we decided to try it. We had come off anyone who sails the Bahamas can tell the deeper coral heads the bank just before dusk, and darkness was setting in fast. from the shallow ones by their color. If I was to cross the banks Lying in bed with one hand on the tiller, sailing along in 12 today, though, with a GPS telling me a surefire route going knots of breeze—you can imagine what a fantasy this was— around these heads, I would not do so. Not because of the we studied the stars overhead, a hobby of mine at the time. uncertainty, but because of the magical feeling one gets of This is one of those sailing nights I will never forget. cruising and stopping on the banks. It had been totally dark for at least an hour when we Each day, in the late afternoon—we were in no hurry— saw another boat coming up on us from behind, obviously a we would look for one of these coral heads and anchor nearpowerboat. It was moving fairly quickly, compared to us, by one for the night. We would then spend an hour or two anyway. As it grew nearer, we could see it was a good-sized leisurely snorkeling in the area—and often there were other working boat of some sort, but it was hard to make out in the coral heads not far away to check out—me carrying my pole dark exactly what it was. It was clearly not a recreational spear in search of a fish for supper. Having spearfished all boat, though. Either way, we continued to sail on, the boat my life, it was rare I didn’t bring one in. being clearly out of our path and a couple of hundred yards What I will remember—and cherish—for the rest of my away. It crossed slightly in front of us as it overtook us at an life is that feeling of sailing across this sea—out of sight of angle, as we were on a port tack, heading southeast and it land—where the water depth is in the range (from what I was heading more to the east. We were heading to cross the remember) of 5-15 feet, where you can drop anchor whenevpath it had just made—at an angle and behind it. As we lay er and wherever you want, jump into warm tropical waters, there, half dreaming and listening to the hum of the other swim around, stay the night, pick up anchor and move on. boat’s engine, we continued to look at the stars. Spending a quiet evening at anchor in this setting was perAll of a sudden, a bright light seemed to be flashing and haps one of the most beautiful and magical experiences I sweeping the area. It was a powerful searchlight of some have ever had. And being anchored out of sight of land is sort, and we had no idea what was happening. We sat up what magnified this feeling. My experience in sailing and immediately, startled. The light was coming from the other diving was in the Pacific—in California, Mexico and Hawaii. Shallow water in the middle of the ocean was unheard of. But all good things must pass, and on the third day—we See BARGING continued on page 68
70
May 2006
SOUTHWINDS
www.southwindsmagazine.com
IN STOCK & Sail Away Ready
IN STOCK & Sail Away Ready
2006 Hunter 41 AC
IN STOCK & Sail Away Ready
2006 Hunter 41 DS – New Model
IN STOCK & Sail Away Ready
2006 Hunter 44 DS IN STOCK & Sail Away Ready
2006 Hunter 44 AC
2006 Hunter 46LE
The Best Boat – The Best Deal
Save up to $38,000
2006 Hunter 45 CC Master Cabin IN STOCK & Sail Away Ready
2006 Hunter 45 CC New Center Cockpit Model – Must See
Visit our Hunter Yacht Sales Center and inspect the largest fleet of Hunters in the Southeastern United States. In the water and ready for immediate delivery, all new Hunters include a wealth of purchase incentives, plus free delivery to your slip.Trades considered. Call Massey today.
Sail and save now! HUNTER Custom Massey Outfitting Quote in less than one hour with
St. Pete, FL 727-824-7262 TOLL-FREE 877-552-0525 Call Sheryl Boddy for Best Rate Yacht Finance Quotes and FREE Pre-Qualification
941-723-3991 Bill Wiard
Al Pollak
Ft. Myers, FL 239-334-3674 TOLL-FREE 800-763-3157
Palmetto, FL 941-723-1610 • TOLL-FREE 800-375-0130
Dan Howland
Brad Crabtree Scott Pursell Frank Hamilton John Kelley
www.MasseyYacht.com • E-mail: yachtsales@masseyyacht.com
Just pick your yacht and call with your options. Hunter 31, 33, 36, 38, 41, 41DS, 44, 44DS, 45CC, 46LE