Well the fact that there is 4 iches of snow on the ground and a friend phoned saying lets to something fun a sailboat that involves warm water and sun is bringing me to the forum. We want to go somewhere warm and sunny short notice (like middle April or May 2006). We can only go for 3-4 days max. It will just be the 2 of us. What can we do? I have thought about a charter in Tampa Bay but it may not be too warm. I was wondering if the keys have anything to offer? Bahamas? Am I nuts.....oh and the kicker -- lets be as frugal as possible. Thanks in advance, Dan B. Alton, IL Catalina 27 (burried under 4 inches of snow on teh 2nd day of spring)
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Come on Warm Times
WoW: I tink that I may feel the need to be warm again too. How bout the C-Peake Bay? Course if you feel that need to jump in, then further south is needed. Puerto Morales is sweet, and the nice part is all the people that I know there to make it a better stay. Until I can head south for awhile, the C-Peake has to do it for now. Nice winds last weekend, not to chilly! In fact I thought it was the end of May.
WoW: I tink that I may feel the need to be warm again too. How bout the C-Peake Bay? Course if you feel that need to jump in, then further south is needed. Puerto Morales is sweet, and the nice part is all the people that I know there to make it a better stay. Until I can head south for awhile, the C-Peake has to do it for now. Nice winds last weekend, not to chilly! In fact I thought it was the end of May.
Key West
That's what you need -- Key West! Fly to Ft Lauderdale $138; and drive down in a one way rental car $35; rent motor scooters $125; Weekly 2 BR condo withpool & Hot tub $1200. Fishing on the Jettys in 85 degrees every day - PRICELESS.
That's what you need -- Key West! Fly to Ft Lauderdale $138; and drive down in a one way rental car $35; rent motor scooters $125; Weekly 2 BR condo withpool & Hot tub $1200. Fishing on the Jettys in 85 degrees every day - PRICELESS.
Dont discount Tampa Bay this time of year.
the weather here in Tampa Bay could not be better with lows in the 60s and highs in the 80s. By April or May it will be much warmer. We are about a month into our premier sailing season. Predominant South Easterly flow of 10 to 15 knots with relative low humidity and sunny days. On June 1st hurricane season starts and by July and August our winds die and the humidity shoots up into the 90 percentile. Snow birds will be going home in the next couple of weeks if it stops snowing up north and prices and availability of charters are much better than in some of our southern cities. 3 or 4 days is not much but you can do a nice cruise in Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico barrier Islands. In Key West be prepared to spend a fortune and really there is not many places you can sail in that amount of time. As far as beaches, Key West's is man made but the Ana Maria Island in Tampa Bay has white sugary sand. You can get a bareboat charter in St Petersburg, FL and go down to Egmont Key, go on to Ana Maria Island, sail back to dowtown St. Petersburg and spend a night at the Vinoy Basin and then sail Tampa Bay for a few hours before returning your boat in time to catch your flight. (4 days)
the weather here in Tampa Bay could not be better with lows in the 60s and highs in the 80s. By April or May it will be much warmer. We are about a month into our premier sailing season. Predominant South Easterly flow of 10 to 15 knots with relative low humidity and sunny days. On June 1st hurricane season starts and by July and August our winds die and the humidity shoots up into the 90 percentile. Snow birds will be going home in the next couple of weeks if it stops snowing up north and prices and availability of charters are much better than in some of our southern cities. 3 or 4 days is not much but you can do a nice cruise in Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico barrier Islands. In Key West be prepared to spend a fortune and really there is not many places you can sail in that amount of time. As far as beaches, Key West's is man made but the Ana Maria Island in Tampa Bay has white sugary sand. You can get a bareboat charter in St Petersburg, FL and go down to Egmont Key, go on to Ana Maria Island, sail back to dowtown St. Petersburg and spend a night at the Vinoy Basin and then sail Tampa Bay for a few hours before returning your boat in time to catch your flight. (4 days)
vacation
Try Traveltalkonline.com go to St. Thomas or BVI... You will love it and never want to come home...
Try Traveltalkonline.com go to St. Thomas or BVI... You will love it and never want to come home...
The keys are OK
I admit it has been a while since I chartered there, but I really enjoyed the vacation. It will probably be cheaper that the BVI or other Carribean destinations, which are definately preferable, but there is nothing wrong with the Keys - or at least when I was there like 12 years ago. Compared to Alton, you will be in heaven this time of year. You must sail on the Miss or the IL, is that right?
I admit it has been a while since I chartered there, but I really enjoyed the vacation. It will probably be cheaper that the BVI or other Carribean destinations, which are definately preferable, but there is nothing wrong with the Keys - or at least when I was there like 12 years ago. Compared to Alton, you will be in heaven this time of year. You must sail on the Miss or the IL, is that right?
Tampa Bay
We just did the 101/103 certification class in St. Pete and it was 80s and sunny all week...lovely! Now we're back in cold Wisconsin. BOO-HOO. I know nothing about this place but I had bookmarked the link for future use: www.keylimesailingclub.com Good luck!
We just did the 101/103 certification class in St. Pete and it was 80s and sunny all week...lovely! Now we're back in cold Wisconsin. BOO-HOO. I know nothing about this place but I had bookmarked the link for future use: www.keylimesailingclub.com Good luck!
Thanks for all the info!
I had the boat on an inland lake -- Carlyle Lake for 1 season and then came over to the Mississippi last year (once I get the outboard back on we will be on year 2 on the Miss). Sailing on the river leaves a lot to be desired but the boat is 15 minutes from home and work! I am so itching to go to the BVIs..time and money are not in the cards right now. If you had a prefernce on when to go to the BVIs when would you go? What charter company? What are the must sees? Thanks, Dan
I had the boat on an inland lake -- Carlyle Lake for 1 season and then came over to the Mississippi last year (once I get the outboard back on we will be on year 2 on the Miss). Sailing on the river leaves a lot to be desired but the boat is 15 minutes from home and work! I am so itching to go to the BVIs..time and money are not in the cards right now. If you had a prefernce on when to go to the BVIs when would you go? What charter company? What are the must sees? Thanks, Dan
BVI
We did the BVI in 2000, mid May, and had a blast. Just us two. We went with the Moorings and got a 33 footer, brand new boat with an autopilot. We went completely around Tortola hitting all the hot spots in a week. I programmed my handheld GPS before we left and took all the worry out of navigating. You've gotta try it at least once. We had perfect weather, light breezes every day, no worries just fun.
We did the BVI in 2000, mid May, and had a blast. Just us two. We went with the Moorings and got a 33 footer, brand new boat with an autopilot. We went completely around Tortola hitting all the hot spots in a week. I programmed my handheld GPS before we left and took all the worry out of navigating. You've gotta try it at least once. We had perfect weather, light breezes every day, no worries just fun.
Panama City
We have our boat at Panama city and plan on two weeks the last of April. Right now th eplan is to sail between Carabelle and Pensacola. The water is warm enough for snowbirds but a little cool for locals. But a lot of the beaches are deserted as are the anchorages. After easter everything is busier but it doesn't get real crowded until after June 1. Even in April the Keys and Bahamas require a wetsuit if you are in the water for very long. The best advantage is that in April the bugs aren't usually out in force and it is real pleasant during the day and cool enough at night to sleep well with a open hatch. Alligators usually don't feed when the water temperature is less than 68 and this is a little comforting if you have a dog as there are often gators in the ICW and on some of the barrier islands.
We have our boat at Panama city and plan on two weeks the last of April. Right now th eplan is to sail between Carabelle and Pensacola. The water is warm enough for snowbirds but a little cool for locals. But a lot of the beaches are deserted as are the anchorages. After easter everything is busier but it doesn't get real crowded until after June 1. Even in April the Keys and Bahamas require a wetsuit if you are in the water for very long. The best advantage is that in April the bugs aren't usually out in force and it is real pleasant during the day and cool enough at night to sleep well with a open hatch. Alligators usually don't feed when the water temperature is less than 68 and this is a little comforting if you have a dog as there are often gators in the ICW and on some of the barrier islands.
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