Restless *o

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Surveyor !!!!

Last year i purchased a boat in Dunedin, Fl (Tampa Bay area) and used a surveyor named Rick Shelly. He lives in St. Pete and came to Dunedin. He was extremely thorough in his inspection, detailed some of the most minor items also. He also went for a sea trial when the boat was taken to the yard for the out of water portion of the survey. He sailed and motored it.I would highly recommend him. His name is:Rick Shelley, Marine SurveyorPhone: 727-480-3172 Best of luck no matter who you use. And, sail the boat back if you can.  Tony B

 

[SEADANCE]

re: Same boat as you showed me, B?

yes Brian and Bob you got me pegged : )Thanks for the well wishes all! (and Tony B for the surveryor name too)Nice N Easy good sailing this weekend.

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Seadance

Where are you going to keep your boat? I was wondering if the Gulfport Small Craft Harbor (Bert Jones yacht Basin) was open again. Tony B

 

[Honeyman]

My, my sailorboytonyb...

you are quite the mind reader to put words in my mouth that I never said! Wondering what set you off on me personally. I will apologize for using the word "stupid", but a whole lot of people besides me were saying the trip "as described" was ill advised...including yourself!!! Lets see, John Farnsworth who I really trust said "never commit to a departure date" and "rookies should not singlehand boats".Soling42 said "life raft and every piece of offshore safety equipment you can afford", "prep, prep, prep" and "patience for a departure window", "too spontanious".BobW said "not by your lonesome, hubby".NiceNEasy said "too much for a solo act".Even YOU said "It is quite foolish and reckless to take an unproven to you boat on a solo trip this far"!!!These were all comments in response to "Seadance" of the likes of "Nervous about taking a boat THIS size (30-33) on his OWN", "I don't want him to do this alone 1ST TIME OUT","Anyone sailed a just purchased boat home this way?", "Is this safe and has anyone ever done this?"So, I don't feel I was on near the rant that YOU unleashed on me! I did not mean to imply that 8 ft. or even 10-12 ft. seas were "life threatening", only that they were out there and to be considered. So anyway, me thinks that sometimes your GUTS overload your brain/mouth and maybe you should be careful about YOUR assumptions about other people. I'm very happy that Seadance and hubby found a boat, but she came here looking for advice and maybe YOURS isn't the only advice that counts.Bounce me if you think I deserve it, Phil.

 

[Rick Webb]

Seadance Don't Let Them Scare You

The trip is an easy one if you wait for the right weather windows. The part to be concerned about is from the east side of the Big Bend area Suwannee, Tampa or wherever you jump off from to Carrabelle, Apalachicola, Panama City, or wherever you head to. Carrabelle is the most benign Panama City and Apalachicola can be a challenge. Once "inside" it is real easy and the scenery from Apalachicola to Panama City is spectacular we almost always see eagles, osprey and all sorts of wildlife the kids would love it. It will take two days to Apalach a day to PC another day to FWB then another two long days to Biloxi probably three if you’re going to Gulfport. That is a week without any weather delays.I would absolutely encourage you to get help as far as Apalachicola after that if you have the charts and know the difference between the red triangles and green squares your home free. It is actually a shorter trip inside than outside to Biloxi at this point. With a forty-five foot mast you have no problem with any of the bridges along the way.Email me through this site I'd love to talk your husband and you before you take off on this adventure. If I can help out at all as you make your way through here I'd be more than happy to do whatever I can.

 

[tom]

Chartered a Hunter 30

We chartered out of Marathon and sailed to key west and back. I think that it only had a 12hp diesel. My son stopped up the head that I had to clear..YUK. We had a great time except for lobster pots. The boat wasn't the best sailer that I've sailed and I seemed to have trouble making any distance into waves and wind and ended up motoring on the way back. There were 5 of us and all slept well. I don't think that anyone would claim that a Hunter 30 is a blue water boat but the trip proposed is a coastal trip. Assuming that the boat is in good condition I wouldn't think that sailing back home was particularly risky. Have some sort of escape. Most coastal sailers don't have life rafts but do have dinghys. I think that the trip home by sail would be safer than the drive over. We are used to the danger on our highways and accept the risk. It is a rare situation in a sailboat that is as dangerous as my daily 40 mile commute on an interstate filled with 18 wheelers. It is just that we are used to driving along in heavy traffic at 80 mph... Almost daily I see wrecks and some are grusome. Sitting out in a boat out of sight of land is far safer it's just different.

 

[Ctskip]

Sounds like Rick has some local experience

and I would go with what he has to say. I have sailed in many areas. Most were new and unexplored by me. Never in the Gulf though. I see sailing as a adventure. Take a chance and go for it. No risk, no reward. If you listen to some ,you'll never go anywhere but your dock and the local harbor. Use your senses and get some charts and provisions and just do it. Enjoy yourself and error on the side of caution. I wish I was where you are at. I'm jealous. I'll be on the Gulf soon and you can give me some pointers and I will listen to your experiences. Have fun and be safe. Keep us updated, and above all, Keep it up, Ctskip

 

[soling42]

Gotta love this site

.. and this thread is a perfect example. Its shown how valuable info can help a new sailing family avoid a lemon, find help and get off to a safe start. Nice Gulf coast boat choice too. Hope the survey goes well and you find a delivery cptn to show you the ropes until applachicola. You've gotta watch captn Ron on DVD first(you're livin' it)! With a competant cptn you'll gain more confidence and know what systems need attn too. Not to mention if you both go green from being offshore he'll be able to get you in. I'm pretty sure you'd be up to an ICW run for the rest of your adventure. If weather moves in you just have to hole up and forget a schedule. Make sure your delivery captn shows you some basic but important VHF use, anchoring lessons and MOB procedures. Get real safety eqt, PFD's(with harness), jacklines, radios. You're biting off a lot for brand new sailors but it's do-able with some prep and paitience. Learning the ropes in a 20' boat in a bay is a different deal than an off shore delivery in a new to you 28yr old 30' footer. When you do intro the kids just keep them in a pfd at least until your experience level is up to an emergency retreaval in a pinch.Have a great time and stay open to the remote chance that this boat may not quite be the one, at least until the seatrial and survey are over. We all care how it goes. Be safe and paitient.Michael and Kelli

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Honeyman..........

I'm not trying to turn this post into a personal blog but its not what you the say, its how you say it. Most people find the word 'stupid' offensive and its not very nice to tell someone that their hubby needs a reality check. If you took the time to find everyone's opinion and cut and paste them, then you should have the time to pick and choose your words more carefully. After all. this particular 'poster' was harrassed off this site and it took some doing to get her back. That being said, lets just go on from here and wish her well in whatever her decision may be. If i still lived in Gulfport, i would welcome the chance to be part of the crew.I just hope they can find the time to make at least 3 trips to the boat for checkout before they make the trip. Tony B

 

[Brian D]

Sailortonyb spat...

"If i still lived in Gulfport, i would welcome the chance to be part of the crew."Word!+1I'd do it in a heart beat.

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Seadance.....

Please keep us posted. I'm sure that by the time you are ready to move the boat, you will have a few volunteers to help with the move. I have made trip sever times and so has Nice and Easy and so have lots of others on this site. As a matter of fact, Nice and Easy is great on mechanical systems including the engine should you have problems. I'm sorry to say, but I'm very biased against hiring professional Capt's. Its best if I leave my detailed opinions to myself. I'm sure when the time comes you will do what is right for you. The one thing I will say is GO GO GO for the trip. You will be sorry if you miss this one. The experience and confidence you will gain be invaluable. But, do leave the kids home. The boat still 'unproven' to you. Best of luck in whatever you choose. Tony B

 

[Ross]

Honeyman, I am with Tonyb, On this one! your

choice on words is in need of improvement. I presume that you have time to consider what you are going to say and how you are going to present it. As the well worn saying goes: " Presentation is everything." I posted a new rule a little while back . I said if you are going to be negative then smile . And then try really, really hard to say something useful.

 

[tom]

Cgeck out and Move TOO

You should be able to move the boat north from Tampa staying relatively protected and near shore one weekend before jumping across the bend.

 

[BobW]

OK, Honeyman apologized!

so why don't you two guys shake hands and we can get back to helping Seadance?You probably ought to, because you might just find yourselves both crewing for Seadance. ;DOr at least (based on your locations) sailing escort for her and hubby as they brave the Gulf on their intrepid journey home to Gulfport. Seadance, of all the advice you're getting about this trip, to me the most important is: Don't push it. If you're on the boat headed home and your decisions in a tight spot are being influenced by stuff like 'I've GOT to get home tomorrow becaue my mother-in-law is watching the kids and she has a dentist appointment in Houston the day after and we've just GOT TO push our way through this storm', your 'prudence factor' goes WAY down, and your 'risk factor' goes sky-high. That's when bad stuff happens.So take your time, get comfortable with the boat and its capabilities and then go have the time of your lives. ;DCheers,Bobs/v X SAIL R 8

 

[Rick Webb]

Forgot to Mention

When you are figuring out a time line count on something breaking that will add one or two days.You will probably be able to find another boat heading in the same direction and buddy up with them that takes out alot of anxiety as you leave sight of land.

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Seadance...

I made my official offer and it was accepted in mid Feb 2006,( Keep in mind that I work offshore and work 2 weeks and have one week off). I went back after the surveyor for the closing, approx. 3 weeks later. Then after several trips of test driving and going through the systems and 2 months of Florida slip fees, we finally moved the boat in mid May. We planned it ahead of time because my volunteer buddies all have other lives and 2 of them were making plane reservations for the trip so we picked this time frame. Mid May to Mid June is probably the best time to plan for this trip and the weather is usually pretty good. At the time I had been living in south Tx. after Katrina had run us off so actual driving for me was 2400 miles round trip each time. Anyway, after many eqpt. checks and sea trials, all was GREAT. We had tons of confidence and were on our way. As we left Dunedin and headed into the Gulf by motor, the engine crapped out. The wind was cooperating, so we raised the sails and Nice and Easy got the engine running again while under way. Day 2, the refrigeration system crapped out. Bill was a gourmet cook and I had bought tons of food. So we decided to eat alot and build our layer of fat rapidly and then live off of it. Then we hit strong head winds, strong Gulf Loop Currents ets and had to run the engine alot. It crapped out several times more till Nice and Easy finally found the problem and fixed it. To make a long story short, we stopped just short of cannibalism. Anyway, there is actually a point to this story and I'll be damned if I could remember it. OH. OK....All systems check out fine till you leave the dock (Murphy's Law). Try to have at least one person on board familiar with engines and some sailing knowledge. With all the little problems, none of them were upseting. The difference between an incident and an adventure is your attitude. We had a great time and a valuable experience to all, even for those of us that had done it before. It will be memorable for you also. Tony B