Circle South Florida

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Wanderer

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Join Wanderer as she travels north from Marathon to the Everglades then on up the Florida West Coast and across the state on the Lake Okeechobee Waterway and south along the East Coast in the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) back to Marathon.

We plan to leave the first pleasant weather day after March 22nd. We are thinking 3 or 4 weeks. The first week should get us to Ft. Myers. During the second week we hope to explore the Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island Sound area. Week three should see us through Lake Okeechobee to Biscayne Bay. Two to five days back to Marathon.

About 500 nm, not counting the second week.

Anyone interested in any or all of the trip?
 
Hey George... Looks like a great "Little Loop". I'll be watching your post for updates. I will leave Montgomery, AL on 1Apr05 to put in for the Nashville Gathering, which we will start on 2Apr05 thru 4-7Apr timeframe, with a great part of the "city stuff" in the 2-4Apr days as to allow those who want to see Nashville/Grand Ol Opry on the weekend. Several of us will be bouncing around a bit from then/there. Would love to make the "crossing" with you as I would like to hope over from West Palm Beach over to Bahamas for a few days/week.. Have you heard anything from CPT D? He is suppose to be in the Bahama's now I believe...or has maybe just returned??
 
George:

On the way north, check out Everglades City and stay at the Fish and Game Club docks. They also have a great turn-of-the-century restaurant there. If you feel daring, anchor in the swamps off the main channel before it meets the Gulf. DO NOT show an anchor light! I spent a night anchored there years ago and lsitened to the drug boats rumble in and out of the cut all night. None were showing lights!

Try taking the rim canal around the southern end of Okechobee. It's a trip back in time and I actually watched a bridgetender open a bascule bridge manually, using a long pole in a windlass!

At Clewiston, after you lock through, you can stay at Roland Martin's Marina to starboard. He's that bass fishing guy on tv. There are probably a hundred bass boats docked there, all under roof and with two battery chargers per slip.

Heading south again, for a great view of Miami, anchor at Miami Marine Stadium, if there isn't a show there that night. The view of Miami to the west is specatular. Anchor well away from shore though. Be aware that the local rowing club may wake you up at Oh-dark-thirty doing laps around the stadium.

I saw your query on canvas. Try Keys Quality Canvas in Marathon, near Sombrero Resort and Marina. They did a great job with a dodger, extension and weather cloths for Spirit when I spent the winter in Boot Key Harbor.
 
:arrow: Byrdman,

I’ve been wistfully following the TN gathering thread. I even pulled up Mapquest to see how far Nashville is from Marathon – 1025 miles. I did make a note to look more carefully at the waters on both sides of the Land Between the Lakes for a future cruise. Early April this year does not work for us.

I have not read or head anything from CaptD. I think I read that he went offline at Thanksgiving. We would also like to find out more about crossing to the Bahamas in a CD 22.

:arrow: Valkyrie,

Penny and I took Wanderer to Flamingo and then over to the Little Shark River for 3 days two weeks ago. Next time out, we plan to head for the Ten Thousand Islands area and to visit Everglade city. I also printed your post with suggestions on places to visit and stuck it in the back of our log.

I’m currently reading an excellent book centered on the Ten Thousand Islands area. “Killing Mister Watson”, by Peter Matthiessen.

I’ve a bit to write favoring my working with Dave King of King Canvass. I’m waiting until I take some pictures to go with the discussion. The long and short of it is that I told him what I wanted; he built it along with the frame and shipped it all in a boat going to Cutter to save me shipping charges. I installed it all. I like the result. Dave was great to work with.
 
Wanderer, it looks like we'll be following you for part of your Florida circle, and might even be able to meet up at the beginning or end of your trip, depending on weather.

The current plan is for me to trailer Alma's Only from Richmond,VA to Miami or parts south the third week in March. My wife will fly in to Miami on Saturday, March 26, and I'll pick her up there, and we'll head out that afternoon, and begin our discovery of the Keys. Although we'd like to get as far as Key West, Marathon might be a more likely objective, depending on how much we dwell along the way. She'll fly out Friday, April 1, and I'll stay in the Keys for another couple of weeks, and hopefully be joined by my brother, for one, and daughter and grandson, for the other.

Weather permitting, we'll eventually get to the Dry Tortugas, before I have to head back to Richmond.

I notice from your other posts that you've been to the Tortugas, and would like to visit with you sometime and get a little "local knowledge" about the Keys and Tortugas.

One concern I'm having is the apparent lack of trailer and tow vehicle parking facilities around Miami. Do you have any experience, suggestions or referrals? It might make sense to stay away from Miami proper, but although I've boated along this stretch of the ICW, I don't have particular knowledge of launch and parking facilities.

Any help would be appreciated, and we'll look forward to the possibility of hooking up with you on one end of your trip, or the other.
 
Alma’s Only

In a later post, let’s see if we can work out the details of a rendezvous.

This time I’ll address your questions.

The Keys and the Dry Tortugas:
I’d be happy to discuss what I know with you. The phone here is 305 289-9085. Also, you might want to take a look at the Dry Tortugas portion of our web site –
http://www.georgeberotti.com/Sailing/Dr ... rtugas.htm

Trailer and Vehicle Parking:
I have no knowledge of places to leave a boat and trailer in Miami. In fact, I have neither launched nor retrieved a boat from a boat ramp in Florida.

If you wanted to begin in Marathon you would be in the middle of the Keys. The Miami airport is about two hours from Marathon. There is an Airport shuttle which plies between the two spots.

The Boat House, where we keep our boat, does have a nice ramp. However, we had them lift Wanderer off the trailer when we arrived. They also store trailers. I don’t know if they will let you leave your vehicle. We’d offer you a place to leave your vehicle, if we had one. Our condo has no empty spaces. Barring all else, I think you could leave both trailer and vehicle at the Knights Key Campground in Marathon. They too have a ramp. If interested, let me know and I’ll look up some phone numbers for you.

The site below gives information on Miami and Monroe County (the Keys) boat ramps.

http://www.sailmiami.com/Fishing/Boat_R ... _ramps.htm

I can’t help but comment on the apparent lack of C-Brats cruising down here in the winter. If they only knew what they are missing…
 
One of the reasons to cruise the Keys in Winter.

USA Today for Wednesday, 4 Feb. 05 reported

Weather Extremes: US High

Marathon, Florida: 79 Degrees F
 
George, thanks for your informative reply to my inquiry. I'll give you a call to chat, and look forward to the possibility of meeting you.

Your web site is FANTASTIC. It's got the best photography, and one of the best layouts, I've ever seen. Everyone should take a few minutes to look at it. They will be well rewarded.

David on Alma's Only.

p.s. temperature in Richmond reached 40 degrees, and it was a cold 40, at that.
 
:arrow: Alma’s Only

Thanks for the kind remarks about the web site. It is woefully out of date. I need to stay off Wanderer long enough to get some work done on it. I have the whole Alaska trip to do; not to mention a new grandchild and a few family gatherings. I also noticed the actual Photo Galleries section does not show. I’ll have to fix that.

Our son and his family live in Chesterfield. Where around Richmond do you live?

Give me a call if I can be of help. I hope we can get together down here and maybe again on the Chesapeake.

:arrow: El and Bill

Thanks for the web comments.

Do you expect to be in South Florida this winter? If so, let us know! Hope we can connect somewhere.

I saw your post on the Eastern Shore thread. Will you approach the area by land or by water? Where will you go from there?
 
George and Penny
We just started a thread regarding an East Coast cruise. Are you planning to trailer back to Annapolis this spring, and if so, when do you plan to start north? Do you plan to stop at some favorite spots en route?
If you are interested, we might do some tandem cruising north. With two vehicles we can 'leap frog' the tow vehicles and reduce the need to return (on the water) to the starting spot.
 
David,

It looks like we will not be doing the South Florida Circle. As you’ve probably noticed, we are now planning to go to the Nashville gathering and cruise that area afterwards. All of the pieces are not in place yet; so, who knows.

If these latest plans work, we will be in Marathon on 26 March. Wanderer will be in the water until at least the end of the month. At the very least, we’d like to meet you and your crew. If closing up the condo for the summer and getting Wanderer ready to go north are under control, we will be up for a few days on the water.

Keep in touch.
 
Pat,

Thanks for the kind remarks. Yes, like Ansel I seek the grand landscape. Although you wouldn't know it from looking at the web site, I also prefer to print in B&W.

Regrettably, I have not paid any attention to the web site in over a year. We've been too busy traveling to spend time even in the digital darkroom.

Missing are a month in France, our cruise to the Bahamas in Vamoose and our RV trip to Alaska this summer.

Penny will forgive me those omissions; but the absence of the last two grandchildren from the family section, is unforgivable.
 
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