Sailing with a group of friends and a few cats sailing from southern Florida to Key West and back. camping the shoreline along the way. Soaking up the sun and stopping at various destinations along the way; now that sounds like a sailing vacation.

Just trying to get some insight to this endeavor.

Well, since nobody else has answered, here is what I think I was told when I looked into the same trip.
There are not many sandy beaches in the Keys, and whats there is private or state parks. The state parks I called are booked well in advance and would not let me put the cat on their beach. The mangroves grow out into the water and make a place to land hard to find.
Somewhere, I saw that kayakers were trying to setup a paddling route with designated camping spots about twenty miles apart.
If you find any more info, let me know.
We did Steeple chase at Key Largo last December. Came in last place but several did not even finish. Is was about 130 miles of actual sailing in two days.

Starr, I had a feeling the keys would be as you explained.
I would imagine lots of rudder ripping coral and few places to beach/camp. Thanks for the reply.

If you or anyone else knows of a great place to catamaran, somewhere warm, lots of sights or destinations, please post it.

St Andrews State Park Panama City Beach Fl.


You can launch your cat from about 10 of their campsite.


Big Lagoon State Park Pensacola Fl.

You can drive from the boat ramp to about 30% of their campsites with the mast up.

From here it is about 6 mile to Pensacola Pass.


From here it is about 6 more miles to Key Sailing on Quite Water Beach. There is a hamburger shop over Key
Sailing that has good food.



Where are you located?




More photos here.http://www.thebeachcats.c…pictures&g2_itemId=21925
and here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19415531@N08/




edited by: skarr1, Aug 30, 2009 - 08:48 PM

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If you or anyone else knows of a great place to catamaran, somewhere warm, lots of sights or destinations, please post it.

Dunedin Fl is MECA as far as i am concerned...

Protected intracoastal, gulf of M access, spoil island for camping, clearwater beach nearby, etc etc etc

PS SHHHHHhhhh don't tell anyone :)

Damn that looks like a great park! Jealous. Its FREEZING up here and the surf has been brutal so no Nacra time two weeks running.

As far as the keys are concerned. I think someone mentioned kayak tours. Well if they have established camps on some of the mangrove islands that might work. Some of the islands have litle beaches. My inlaws lived in Key West for 25 years and I've never viewd the keys as particularly beach cat friendly. Very few beaches to begin with, lots of sharp coral amd flats at low tide. Not great.

Larry,
This weekend looked rough for sailing on Lake Michigan. When I checked the chicago forecast and saw NOAA forecasting possible "waterspouts" I had to look it up and decided that was a bad forecast, so I stayed home. Not to mention the 25mph+ wind and 4-7 foot waves in 65 degree air temp.

--
Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
--

Rick White has a 3 day event every winter in the Keys (Islamorada). It called the Tradewinds. 100's of cats, several classes hold their mid-winters there.

It would be a great way to go and scout out the area and meet other cat sailors.

http://www.catsailor.com/TradewindsNOR_07.htm

http://www.the-helm.com/

I hear the rest of the year at Founders Park you pay to get in the ramp area and after they close (early) the gates are shut. if your car and boat are still inside the gates... they stay ....

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More photos here.http://www.theb...itemId=21925
and here.
http://www.flic...64;N08/

Great pics!
Awesome park! sail up sites? mast up driving to your site?

Fun video on flkr! wild looking sprit bridal setup on the reacher pole...

Andrew, that's a Rick White Hooter

Scott,

I hear you. Hung out on the beach a bit last two weekends, no sailing.(yesterday the waves were INSANE). I leave for a week of business in Europe Saturday. Then with some elderly relative issues and more business travel, the season is vanishing before my eyes. Oh well, some seasons are better than others. We did have some stellar but cool days. I just hope we get a few good ones while I'm in town.

All you guys who live in warmer climes, count your blessings!

Larry

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All you guys who live in warmer climes, count your blessings!

i said it several times this weekend (and the wind wasn't so good) that we get to live the postcard (even if the postcard has a water spout or 2)



edited by: andrewscott, Aug 31, 2009 - 05:28 PM

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Andrew, that's a Rick White Hooter

cool
what do you mean? he sold you the sail and pole?

Andrew,

Hey that Panama City Beach thing was just what I was looking for. Thanks for the great posts/links.

Jim it was me that posted the Panama City Beach thing.
Let me know if you are interested in going and I will give you a list of good catamaran sites.

Andrew, Rick sells this as a kit. You can find all the info on that other catamaran site. Mine came off a Prindle 19 that a friend and I split. He took the boat an I took the hooter. Here https://store.catsailor.c…duct=8049&idcategory=261
and here https://store.catsailor.c…duct=8047&idcategory=261




edited by: skarr1, Aug 31, 2009 - 08:11 PM

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Jim it was me that posted the Panama City Beach thing

oopps...... sorry Starr.

I don't know if I will be able to go this year because business is way off due to the housing dilemma. If things turn around I'd sure like to go. I live in Michigan and I don't know how practical it would be to trailer my cat to Florida and back. Do they rent decent catamarans down there? Or do they only rent the casual type catamarans?
Just to go and hang out and sail with others would be just fine.

Quote

This weekend looked rough for sailing on Lake Michigan. When I checked the chicago forecast and saw NOAA forecasting possible "waterspouts" I had to look it up and decided that was a bad forecast, so I stayed home. Not to mention the 25mph+ wind and 4-7 foot waves in 65 degree air temp.

Smfinley, Yeah what the heck happened on lake MI Sat night? I got a call from friend Brjair and said that he heard marine warnings come over the scanner. We went down there after midnight and the wind was blowing 25-35 mph (no big deal) but the surf was brutal.We could hear a strange whistle of the wind. (may have be blowing much harder at higher levels) We had 35ft boats loose from there moorings and getting pounded on the beaches. My guess it that it was a remnants of a hurricane passing through. Many smaller boats were cast about. We had seaweed 5ft up from the water line tangled in the forestay.???

They used to rent hobies and he still might but You would need to call. http://www.sunjammers.com/page/view/13

It does not cost that much to bring your own, if the trailer will make it.


We stayed here in Key Largo. http://www.kingskamp.com/


This is on the bay side of Key Largo.
They let us rig on their small beach.




But we had to tie to the dock afterward.






The campground was clean and quiet.




I could see the dock and beach from the tent



edited by: skarr1, Aug 31, 2009 - 10:28 PM

I practically grew up on Key Largo, bayside. I had my H16 there and would also sail a neighbor's H18. Most of the islands in Florida Bay are wildlife refuges and no landings are allowed, except for one island on which there is a campground. It was a great trip getting there and there was always alot of people there on weekends. I will try to look up the name of the island. I remember cutting across flats and makeshift channels getting out there. It was going towards Flamingo out of Key Largo.

--
Flightlead Bimare F18 HT SpaceCoast
--

Well, maybe it wasn't that far but it was fun. Nest Key is the name of the island, but there were several other islands that are state campgrounds on. I was living bayside at MM 96.5, near Pop's Motel...

--
Flightlead Bimare F18 HT SpaceCoast
--

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Andrew, Rick sells this as a kit. You can find all the info on that other catamaran site. Mine came off a Prindle 19 that a friend and I split. He took the boat an I took the hooter. Here https://store.c...category=261
and here https://store.c...category=261

cool, thanks
PS $2717 for everything? WOW

Spray_in_the_face

Quote

This weekend looked rough for sailing on Lake Michigan. When I checked the chicago forecast and saw NOAA forecasting possible "waterspouts" I had to look it up and decided that was a bad forecast, so I stayed home. Not to mention the 25mph+ wind and 4-7 foot waves in 65 degree air temp.

Smfinley, Yeah what the heck happened on lake MI Sat night? I got a call from friend Brjair and said that he heard marine warnings come over the scanner. We went down there after midnight and the wind was blowing 25-35 mph (no big deal) but the surf was brutal.We could hear a strange whistle of the wind. (may have be blowing much harder at higher levels) We had 35ft boats loose from there moorings and getting pounded on the beaches. My guess it that it was a remnants of a hurricane passing through. Many smaller boats were cast about. We had seaweed 5ft up from the water line tangled in the forestay.???

I of course decided to sail in it. You can read the whole gruesome story here http://www.hobiecat.com/c…656&f=13&t=14327&start=0. It's funny that the newbie sailed, and the veterans stayed home.

I've sailed around Florida Bay on similar days on my H16, except the shallow water and protected areas prevented the waves from being more than a 2' chop. I wore a full wetsuit, left the jib off, and reefed the mainsail. I was able to handle the boat solo out on the trap in 30 mph winds and light rain. I can't recall if the H18 mains have reefing holes in place. BTW, that maneuver of turning away from the wind is called a jibe and can be very dangerous in high winds (Be sure to duck your head).

--
Flightlead Bimare F18 HT SpaceCoast
--

[/quote]I of course decided to sail in it. You can read the whole gruesome story here http://www.hobiecat.com/c…656&f=13&t=14327&start=0. It's funny that the newbie sailed, and the veterans stayed home.
[/quote]
I see you have been properly admonished to be more careful next time. Veterans stay home because we've all ventured out at one point or another and gotten in over our heads. Yes that was "fun" but it could have gone the other way as well. Last Sunday, not even the best of our club left the beach. The Great Lakes are not merciful and bodies wash up all the time.

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I see you have been properly admonished to be more careful next time.

Hahah...i went back to the hobie site and "softned" my possition a bit, well at least i told him not to take it personally :

I thought i was a little to "high on my soap box"... as you said larry, we have all gotten in over our heads

Yes, I'm alive to be admonished.. Had the same thing happened out on the lake, instead of right next to shore, well.. The guy that picked me up didn't say much, except that an old salt told him this once, and he thought it applied. "better to be on land, wishing you were on the water, than one the water wishing your were on land". How true. The Great Lakes are a harsh mistress.

I am all too familiar with being in strong winds jibless. I've made some tacks going backwards and reversing the rudders, but usually I'm just too impatient for that so I opt for the jibe. I generally wait for a calm in the wind, get aft, head downwind with speed then get leeward just as the sail is about to catch the wind and push it over before the wind does it with violence. The thing that really stinks about this is having a obstruction on your downwind that you didn't plan for. ( like running out of room because of two failed tacks)

Kinda funny, a few weeks ago there was a small craft to my downwind and soon as I could clear him ( both going in the same direction) I circled him in a complete 360 with amazing speed. He looked in astonishment and was laughing about the maneuver. Sure glad he thought it was cute, because I didn't want to be the asss who slammed into moored boats.

andrewscott

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I see you have been properly admonished to be more careful next time.

Hahah...i went back to the hobie site and "softned" my possition a bit, well at least i told him not to take it personally :

I thought i was a little to "high on my soap box"... as you said larry, we have all gotten in over our heads

Nah...You lectured guitara like a dutch uncle! A fine wag of the finger we all need to heed at one time or another. (Like the time in my 20's when we drunkenly launched off the beach into obviously unstable weather in early April off Nags Head, NC without wetsuits. (and then got even more wasted) We were kissing the sand four hours later. Quite stupid and we were lucky. We were also being shadowed by a CC Helo for the last desperate hour.)