Hi. New to forum. Looks like the Tampa Bay forum is not really active so I'll post my question here.
I live in central Florida (Ocala). Both the gulf near Tampa and Atlantic are about a 90 minute drive.
On the Atlantic side I have choice between St. Augustine or Ormond/Daytona Beach.
Any opinions as to how the sailing compares between gulf and ocean?
I have been advised that launching near Tampa or Clearwater typically is on the
intracostal
side and there are lots of shallows whereas the Atlantic is straight into the ocean.
i will be sailing a 17 foot ARC (Supercat).
Lastly for those of you familiar with the area is it preferable to launch near St. Augustine or Ormond Beach? They both have parking on beach so Cat Trax is a go. I'm just not sure which area is more cat friendly in terms of surf conditions.
As a new sailor I do not want to deal with 4 foot surf breaks
Any opinions are appreciated.
St. Augustine might be difficult to find a beach front launch. I think you can day sail out of there but they have very strict rules about leaving your boat on the beach overnight (I think the wording was something like; if you leave it on the beach overnight it will be considered trash and disposed of).
I live in central Florida (Ocala). Both the gulf near Tampa and Atlantic are about a 90 minute drive.
On the Atlantic side I have choice between St. Augustine or Ormond/Daytona Beach.
Any opinions as to how the sailing compares between gulf and ocean?
I have been advised that launching near Tampa or Clearwater typically is on the
intracostal
side and there are lots of shallows whereas the Atlantic is straight into the ocean.
i will be sailing a 17 foot ARC (Supercat).
Lastly for those of you familiar with the area is it preferable to launch near St. Augustine or Ormond Beach? They both have parking on beach so Cat Trax is a go. I'm just not sure which area is more cat friendly in terms of surf conditions.
As a new sailor I do not want to deal with 4 foot surf breaks
Any opinions are appreciated.
Check your PM.
Hi drjay,
I have a Supercat 20 and I am sure you will enjoy your Supercat 17. Both are good and have their benefits and draw backs.
Tampa Bay Cat Sailors has an active fleet that launches from the Dunedin Causeway. Their next race is Saturday and would be a great time to meet the locals and they can tell you about the area. Some of them sail out to some of the islands and camp out.
www.tampabaycatsailors.com
Daytona has a great fleet and they have the Gilligan's Run race coming up August 9th. It would be a good time to meet some of the local sailors.
http://fleet80.com
My personal preference is the OCEAN in South Florida. I sail out of West Palm Beach and my boat lives on Singer Island. The gulfstream is close to the coast and keeps the water warm even in the winter.
Hope this helps.
Appreciate the reply, Jake.
Actually in St. John's county (St. Augustine) they alow you to drive on beach but not overnite.
I was thinking pay the $5 and launch from beach for a couple hour sail. I just don't know if the surf is rougher in Ormond or St. Augustine
Probably have to check the local surf forecasts and beach-cams for each area, as conditions likely change by the hour depending on conditions.
As a newer sailor, it would be easier to get familiar with the boat and it's habits if you started on the
Gulf
side as there may be short/steep chop, but no considerable ocean swell or surf-break.
Once you get that squared away, you should be fine in either St. Augustine or Ormond.
If I recall the SC 17 doesn't have daggarboards, so shoals/sandbars may not be a big issue for you (I believe the rudders kick up if they hit the sand)
Enjoy your boat! Any boat that gets you on the water more is the
right
boat...