Five Days Living Aboard in Perdido Bay - October 2018

Jan 25, 2017
147
Macgregor V222 Kentucky Lake
For the many who have followed our restoration of our beloved 1970 V222 - This post is overdue. We finished S/V "Sea Gypsy" right before Labor Day last summer. That gave us a few weekends to shake down any issues before trailering her nearly eight hundred miles to the Gulf of Mexico in late October, last fall.

The trials went well - as we spent three weekends on the water at Patoka Lake, Indiana and Lake Barkley / Kentucky Lake in far Western Kentucky. We "overnighted" at least one night on each of the three trips in preparation for five days aboard later that fall. This not only gave us a chance to shake down the boat but also get a feel for how she towed.

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"Sea Gypse" In tow near Kentucky Lake - September 2018

So, with the trials behind us, it was off to the Panhandle and Choctawhatchee Bay, or so we thought. With days before our trip, Hurricane Michael turns toward the Panhandle of Florida and we are forced to re-route to Perdido Bay.

So, on October 12th, 2018 on a very rainy Friday night we left Louisville Kentucky for Orange Beach Alabama and ports unknown. We had spent almost two years on her restoration and thousands of dollars on a boat that would never be worth more than three thousand at the very best. But, we were going.

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"Sea Gypsy" Moored at Bear Point Marina - Orange Beach, Alabama

We pushed through the rain and drove most of the night, only stopping for a quick nap seventy miles from Orange Beach. One of the things I'm going to love about being a trailer sailor is hopping in the boat at a rest stop of some sleep.

We arrived to beautiful weather and a mild 76 degrees. A far cry from the 40 degrees and rain we left far behind in Louisville. We wasted no time raising the mast and rigging our home for the next five days.

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We were fortunate enough to have her original canvas pop up for head room.

We spent the first night at Bear Point Marina after a long day of towing, raising the mast and rigging. The rollers turned out to be too much for us at Bear Point. We were literally nearly de-masted when the constant motion caused the starboard stay's turnbuckle to completely twist out in the time it took us to eat dinner. By the next day we made the decision to cross the bay to Pirates Cove, a decision we wouldn't regret or soon forget.

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"Sea Gypsy" Beached at Pirates Cove - Orange Beach, Alabama

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Beaching "Sea Gypsy" on a secluded beach near Pirates Cove

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Above is our hatch AC System. It worked like a charm and not overly complex. Just take it out and put it in the Jeep or leave it dockside while sailing.

We spent the rest of the week dodging the sand bars, eating cheeseburgers and drinking Bushwhackers. We were incredibly grateful when the folks at Pirates Cove literally said "just use that slip over there" and never charged us a dime. We returned many afternoons from cruising with dolphins in our slip.

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There where three of us for five days in the V222. Not a lot of elbow room.

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Molly and me near Perdido Pass - Orange Beach, Alabama
 
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Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
I've never been to that area. For my information why were the rollers so bad in the Bear Point Marina? It looks pretty sheltered on google maps. It sounds like a good trip so keep us posted on developments. We had at best 25 degrees today with a bracing North wind that cuts like a scimitar. So the image of that guy wading around the boat was a sight for sore eyes.
 
Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
Todd,
I've sailed that area many times from Navarre Beach & Pensacola, FL to Orange Beach, AL. Stayed at Bear Point several times. Also visited Pirates Cove marina & restaurant....that's a whole other world, but definitely worth visiting! Suspect wind was out of the North that caused rollers inside Bear Point Marina. For future reference, if the wind is North, stay at Pirates Cove Marina or Barber Marina on the North side of ICW as well as Ingram Bayou for a good anchorage on the North side of the ditch.
My favorite anchorage in that area is in Big Lagoon, specifically Spanish Point and the "Wash Out" between the Gulf, Pensacola Pass, and the ICW "cut"/ spoil area. If you check out the Blue Angels practice schedule, they fly low & directly overhead when they are approaching the air field at NAS Pensacola. If you get over to Pensacola Bay area, Bahia Mar is a nice marina on Bayou Chico (with restaurant) or anchorage in Little Sabine Bay at Pensacola Beach.
Hope you enjoyed your cruise there as much as I have. And, hopefully all went well with the boat.
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Nice write up and congrats on a wonderful adventure.
 
Jan 25, 2017
147
Macgregor V222 Kentucky Lake
You write pretty well. Got a blog?
Thank you... in fact I'm creating one now. It's for poor sailors like me! LOL Keep watching, I'll let the group know when it's up. The fact is I've been sailing a very long time. But, I grew up in Kentucky, was completely self taught on a Sunfish I paid $50.00 for, never knew the first term or even the physics behind it until much later in my adult life. So, I want to create something for folks like me... we just sail.
 
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Jul 29, 2010
1,392
Macgregor 76 V-25 #928 Lake Mead, Nevada
Todd, nice pics. You have done a great job on restoration. Did you install wheel or did the boat come with it. I've never seen a 22 with one.
 
Jan 25, 2017
147
Macgregor V222 Kentucky Lake
The PO installed the wheel. I upgraded it with the current wheel but he installed the hardware and system. I'm probably going to disable it or least make it possible to go back to tiller when needed. I'll post some pics, but basically, he used an older UFLEX type system. Very stiff and holds a course nicely. But a pain when you really need to maneuver like in a marina. I'll make a quick release (there is an articulating arm that comes out of a small rectangle cut in the transom, that is attached to push/pull box). I'll keep the tiller handy this season and use the wheel when cruising.
 
Jan 25, 2017
147
Macgregor V222 Kentucky Lake
I used float noodles to line the posts and guides on the trailer. I should do a post on that. I got a lot of "that's a good idea" comments when we were in Florida. It works really well and the noodles are cheap, so if you tear one up just cut a new one and attach with zip ties.
 
Jan 25, 2017
147
Macgregor V222 Kentucky Lake
We would like to find a slip or at least a yard so we could leave ours there some this summer. If you have any leads let us know. We don't really want to get a year-round slip because we pull her other places. But it's so convenient for us to pop up there from Louisville and a very nice lake... Always wind.