Southwindsjuly2006

SOUTHWINDSNews & Views for Southern Sailors

The Great Circle Loop, Part II

The State of Sailing in New Orleans

How Fast Hurricanes Move

July 2006For Sailors — Free…It’s Priceless

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News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 3

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News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 5

SOUTHWINDSNEWS & VIEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS

From the Carolinas to Cuba…from Atlanta to the Abacos…SOUTHWINDS Covers Southern Sailing

The Great Circle Loop, Part II. Photo by John Kelly. Page 30.

The state of New Orleans sailing. Photo by TroyGilbert. Page 34.

6 From the Helm: Marco Waterways Organization Distorts My Views

By Steve Morrell10 Letters

16 Bubba’s Valet Parking Now AvailableBy Morgan Stinemetz

18 Short Tacks: Sailing News and Events Around the South

21 Southern Regional Monthly Weather and Water Temperatures

23 Our Waterways: Banana River Marina Conversion Opposed, Boot Key Harbor Expanding

26 Hurricane Season 2006. How Fast Storms MoveBy Steve Morrell

30 The Great Circle Loop by Catamaran, Part IIBy John Kelly

34 The State of Sailing (and Racing) in New OrleansBy Troy Gilbert

36 PHRF Racing Tips: So, You Have Race Committee DutyBy Dave Ellis

38 24th Bi-Annual Regatta al SolBy Julie Connerley

40 Key West Rendezvous 2006By Steve Morrell

42 Trimaran Nationals 2006By Kim Kaminski

43 Southern Regional Racing Reports and Race Calendars

62 The Sinking and Resurrection of Lil’ Flash: All in a Day’s WorkBy John B. MacNeill

52-53 Regional Sailing Services Directory - Local boat services in your area.

60 Alphabetical Index of Advertisers

61 Advertisers’ List by Category

61 Subscription Form

COVER:The main anchorage at Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahamas. Photo by Gary Hufford. www.beachmaster.smugmug.com.

6 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

Marco Waterways Organization Distorts My Opinions In May, I learned the following andbelow is a copy of a letter I wrote to theNaples Daily News (edited here for space):

I recently read in the Naples Daily News(5/01/06) that the Marco WaterwaysOrganization used one of my editorialsto advance its proposals in restrictinganchoring rights in Marco Island. Thearticle reported the MWO sent out apress release quoting my editorial(December 2005) on boat waste.

Did the MWO ask for my permis-sion to use my comments in support ofits views? No.

I want to make it perfectly clearthat I do not support the anchoringrestrictions, or the anti-boater attitude,put forth by the Marco WaterwaysOrganization. I wrote the MWO a letterlast September telling them my viewsand my opposition to their proposals. Ichallenged them to print those views ontheir Web site, but it appears they onlyprint those views supporting them. Myletter can be read at www.southwinds-magazine.com/resources/marcois-land.htm.

My editorial comments aboutsewage disposal were taken totally outof context, as I am sure they did notpublish the entire editorial in theirpress release. Nor did they publish allthe other comments I have written onthis issue. They picked and chose whatthey felt was useful to them. Is thisindicative of the kind of people that

make up this group?Did they mention my comments

that a cruise ship of 3000 people willdump 30,000 gallons of raw sewage aday off the coast of Florida?

Another comment I made: “Un-fortunately, the majority of all pollutionin the waters of the United States islegal. Few realize this, as their preju-dices run so strong, but the groundrunoff from land pollution does more topollute our waterways than any otherfactor. Runoff during rain from onewaterfront yard that uses fertilizer isone of the greatest contributors to waterpollution.” Did they print that state-ment? They probably don’t want thatfact publicized.

Did they mention other comments Iwrote of a Florida community dumping21-million gallons of raw sewage andhow common this is? Does this sort ofthing happen in Collier County? Hassewage from these waterfront residentsbeen “accidentally” dumped in localwaters? How many thousands or mil-lions of gallons?

In the Daily News article, reporterBilly Bruce wrote, “Morrell wrote in thepiece that he suspects there are fewboaters who adhere to the legal require-ment to pump out onboard sewagetanks three miles offshore.” I challengeMr. Bruce to show where I ever wrotethat I “suspect there are few boaterswho adhere to the legal requirements...”Did he read the article or make this up?

In my September letter to theMWO, I made this statement: “Manyboaters will dump sewage, but most,especially liveaboards, will respect thewaters and not do so.” Did theyrelease that?

I did make a statement that thosewho adhere strictly to the dumpinglaws are probably in the minority.Dumping is done by certain people, andsome groups are more apt to dumpoverboard illegally than others. I believethat most who do are actually boaters atmarinas who rarely cruise, and cruisersare least likely to dump overboard.Does that mean you should deduce thatthe majority of the boaters anchored outare dumping? Ridiculous.

To simplify my comments, takethem out of context and use them tosupport their cause, while knowing thatI oppose them, is really quite low.

All of my comments on this issueindicate that this is obviously a complexissue. Maybe the MWO can’t handlecomplexity.

I oppose not only the tactics, but theanti-anchoring, anti-boater attitude ofthe MWO. I support 90 percent of cruis-ers who are excellent, responsible citi-zens, something I can’t say for the peo-ple of the MWO who used me. Onething I am sure of about the MWO: Theyhave no principles.

Steve MorrellEditor

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News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS May 2006 7

SOUTHWINDSNews & Views For Southern Sailors

SOUTHWINDS Media, Inc.P.O. Box 1175, Holmes Beach, Florida 34218-1175

(941) 795-8704 (877) 372-7245 (941) 795-8705 Faxwww.southwindsmagazine.co

e-mail: [email protected] 14 Number 7 July 2006

Copyright 2006, Southwinds Media, Inc.

Founded in 1993 Doran Cushing, Publisher 1993-2002

Publisher/EditorSteve Morrell [email protected] (941) 795-8704

Associate EditorsLisa Hoogerwerf Knapp [email protected] Pierce [email protected]

AdvertisingGo to www.southwindsmagazine.com for information about

the magazine, distribution and advertising rates.Steve Morrell [email protected] (941) 795-8704David Curry [email protected] (941) 761-0048

Regional EditorsCAROLINAS AND GEORGIA

Walt McFarlane [email protected] (912) 429-4197

EAST FLORIDARoy Laughlin [email protected] (321) 690-0137

SOUTHEAST FLORIDALisa Hoogerwerf Knapp [email protected]

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA RACINGArt Perez [email protected] (305) 380-0106

Production Proofreading ArtworkHeather Nicoll Kathy Elliott Rebecca Burg

[email protected]

Contributing Writers Letters from our readers Winnie Beckett Julie ConnerleyDave Ellis Troy Gilbert Kim KaminskiJohn Kelly Sherry Lambert Roy LaughlinJohn B. MacNeill Walt McFarlane Art PerezHone Scunook Morgan Stinemetz

Contributing Photographers/ArtRebecca Burg (Artwork) Troy Gilbert Rachael GilletteGary Hufford Kim Kaminski John KellyRoy Laughlin Michal Leszczynski John B. MacNeillLaura Ritter

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS:ARTICLES & PHOTOGRAPHY:

SOUTHWINDS encourages readers, writers, photographers, cartoonists, jok-ers, magicians, philosophers and whoever else is out there, includingsailors, to send in their material. Just make it about the water world andgenerally about sailing and about sailing in the South, the Bahamas or theCaribbean, or general sailing interest, or sailboats, or sailing in some far-off and far-out place.

SOUTHWINDS welcomes contributions in writing and photography, sto-ries about sailing, racing, cruising, maintenance and other technical arti-cles and other sailing-related topics. Please submit all articles electronical-ly by e-mail (mailed-in discs also accepted), and with photographs, if pos-sible. We also accept photographs alone, for cover shots, racing, cruisingand just funny entertaining shots. Please take them at a high resolution ifdigital, or scan at 300 dpi if photos, or mail them to us for scanning.Contact the editor with questions.

Subscriptions to SOUTHWINDS are available at $19.95/year, or $37/2years for third class, and $24/year for first class. Checks and credit card num-bers may be mailed with name and address to SOUTHWINDS Subscriptions,PO Box 1175, Holmes Beach FL, 34218-1175, or call (941) 795-8704.Subscriptions are also available with a credit card through a secure server onour Web site, www.southwindsmagazine.com. SOUTHWINDS is distributed toover 500 locations throughout 10 Southern states. If you would like to dis-tribute SOUTHWINDS at your location, please contact the editor.

Read SOUTHWINDS on our Web site, www.southwindsmagazine.com.

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News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 9

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INTERCOASTAL VS INTRACOASTALPull your head out of your Googlesearch, pull out a good old dictionary,and look up the meanings of inter andintra. The Intracoastal Waterway is prop-erly named, despite your entertainingconfusion with the U.S. Constitution,commerce and the Interstate Highwaysystem, which runs between states(except in some areas including Hawaiiwhere a federally funded “Interstate”highway is actually intrastate and liesentirely within one state). TheIntracoastal Waterway doesn’t run“coast to coast” but lies within or along asingle coast (except here in southernFlorida where the ICW actually runsbetween the Atlantic Coast and the GulfCoast; hence, it could technically betermed the Intercoastal Waterway).

Fortunately, here in the South, wecan skip the pedantry and slur ourwords. Everybody understands when

we say “Innercoastal Waterway,”which may be the best match of theword and the actual usage of the ICWanyway.

Capt. Dave HaugeKey West, FL

I just read your comments on the nam-ing of the Intracoastal Waterway versusinter.

While I do not know the mind ofthe namer, my own thinking is that“Intra” is correct when framing thewaterway as a single Atlantic coastalwaterway. So, when traveling withinthe Atlantic coastal waterway (a singlynamed entity, i.e., it is ONE waterwayregardless of how many states it passesthrough...), “Intra” would be the cor-rect grammatical term to describe trav-el therein. What do you think?

Paul Chasse

See LETTERS continued on page 12

LETTERS

“Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one.” H.L. Mencken

In its continuing endeavor to share its press, SOUTHWINDS invites readers to write in with experiences & opinions.

SOUTHWINDS Letters to the EditorPolicy

Please send letters to the editor to [email protected]. Youmay also mail or fax them (see mast-head for contact info). Please limityour letters to around 400 wordskeeping them concise. (As MarkTwain once said, “I didn’t have timeto write a short letter, so I wrote along one instead.“) We would likeyour name, town, state (or yourboat’s location if you’re onboard) andboat name and type if applicable.

We have had inquiries to printletters to the editor from unknownsources, or to have the letter writer’sname withheld. SOUTHWINDS willwithhold the name of a writer, stating“name withheld,” if they request it bewithheld—and if we agree, as thereare just too many vindictive peopleout there, many being public officials,who take advantage of their posi-tions. We will never print a writer’sname if he/she will not allow us todo so. Equally, we will never print let-ters from sources who do not identifythemselves to us—in keeping with astandard policy of almost every pub-lication in the United States.

Steve Morrell, Editor

See LETTERS continued on page 12

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 11

I just read your article on the Intracoastal Waterway regard-ing its name. The Intracoastal Waterway is named as suchbecause much of it is within the coast, thus, “intra.” By“within the coast,” I mean between barrier islands and themainland or on other navigable waters that are not offshore.

The designation of intra or inter, in this case, relates toits location relative to the coast as opposed to going withina state or between states. An intercoastal waterway wouldgo from one coast to another. The Atlantic Ocean would bean example of an intercoastal waterway.

Brian McDonald

Dave, Paul and BrianI completely agree with all of you, see the error in my ways andhave acknowledged that in many letters’ responses in the Juneissue. I just get tired of writers who have been around the ICW alltheir lives sending me articles saying “Intercoastal” —the mainpoint of my editorial. In print we have to try to have more exact-ness. For example, in spelling, when we talk, we could care lesswhether the word “know” is spelled correctly or if it should be“no.” In conversation, it is inherently understood in the contextof its use. As for why the ICW is named as it is, that has beencleared up with help from people like you, but let’s get it right.

I know it could be hopeless, but perhaps more sailors will nowcall it the Intracoastal. As for slurring of speech—referring tosome calling it the “innercoastal:” That’s from the fact that theaverage sailor has been drinking excessively, and I am not sure ifit is the person listening, speaking or even both who hear this.

But the main point of all this is, as I say in the editorial, “Butthe name of the ICW is the Intracoastal Waterway for one simplereason: BECAUSE THAT IS ITS OFFICIAL NAME.”

Perhaps now a few more sailors now no (or is it know now?)its reel (sic) name. Eye hope sew (sic).

Editor

COASTAL SOUTHERN COMMUNITIES DO LITTLE TO INVITE CRUISERS AND LIVEABOARDSIn SOUTHWINDS, I have recently read various articles aboutdifferent anchorages and the relationships between boatersand the local residents, boaters and the various cities, andboaters and the regulations.

It seems to me that we sailors fall into different cate-gories, often changing from one to the other and many areoverlapping.

(1) True ocean wanderers sailing the world from place toplace.

(2) People who spend more than just a week or two on theirboat at a stretch (my wife and I, for example, cruise fromNovember through April, returning to work for the sum-mer). This category includes only those who very rarelybook into a marina. The people in this group tend to keep aclean, seaworthy vessel in compliance with all regulations.

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(3) People who spend as much time asthe above aboard, but tend to marinahop, with odd nights out on the hook.These people have ample opportunityto comply with all regulations.

(4) People who live on their boat inorder to be able to live and work in adesirable location. The housing pricesin southern Florida—especially theKeys—are completely out of control.People in lower paying jobs (oftentemporary) can’t earn enough to payfor a house even of very modest pro-portions.

(4a) People renting a slip in either amarina or from a homeowner. Thesetend to keep their boats in good orderand legal in all respects, though theyseem to have little time for sailing. Itshould be noted that slip rental is attimes as much or more than a housepayment, though, with a boat, youhave the advantage of being able toleave.

(4b) People who live on their boat inorder to live and work as above, buteither choose to—or are compelled to—anchor out in the harbor. Most of thesepeople keep clean, well-presented,legal boats, but there are some whoallow their boats to deteriorate. Thesevessels become an eyesore to the locallandsmen, who just paid 3/4 of a mil-lion dollars for their condo overlooking

the anchorage, as well as other boaters.The vessels often look as if they mightdrift off in bad weather, damagingother boats. The occupants of theseboats may not be true sailormen butlandsmen who need a cheap place tolive. Sometimes they are inhabited byindividuals whose personal appear-ance may cause distress to locals orother boaters, who are not used tointeracting with grubby-looking, long-haired, tattooed, bearded people—eventhough they may be upstanding citi-zens and possibly veterans.

It seems to me that the cities alongthe coasts make little effort to encour-age boaters, charging $5 a day to tie upa dinghy so that you can walk to townand buy groceries. I think that the boat-ing visitors must help support localbusiness. We all buy groceries, andmany like to spend time in bars/restau-rants. There are places that encouragevisitors to tie up and visit the localstores/restaurants; Morgan City, FL;Fort Walton Beach, FL; Stuart, FL;Punta Gorda, FL; West Marine inMarathon, Fl; and the Circle K inOffatts Bayou, in Galveston, TX, toname a few.

In conclusion, I think that if thecities were a little more tolerant of boat-ing visitors and residents, even encour-aging them to visit—maybe with aplace to tie up a tender for an hour ortwo—it would be great for the visitorsand good for business.

And for the liveaboards we couldmake an effort to keep our vessels ship-shape and ourselves presentable. Ahaircut and a shave for the sailor and agood scrub and a lick of paint for theboat would go a long way without cost-ing too much.

As for the regulations, I think thatit’s perfectly possible to operate a boatwithin the scope of the regulations,especially these days with pump-outboats roaming around all over the placeand numerous land-based pump-outstations that are either $5 or sometimeseven free.

Matthew MitchellS/V Drifter, Catalina 30

Written from Boot Key Harbor, Florida Keys

Matthew,I pretty much agree with what you havesaid here, but, in many ways, perhaps I ama little old-fashioned about the rights thatpeople have, sailors included. I don’t believethat the majority has a right to dictate tothe minority how it should live. The major-ity has certain rights, and the minority hascertain rights, the individual always hav-ing a great right to go his own way, choosehis own path. If people want to live onfilthy boats and be bums, that is their right.It might be more tactful for these people todress and act like these landowners whocomplain, but when everyone has to start

LETTERS

See LETTERS continued on page 14

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 13

LETTERS

14 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

looking and acting like the current majority, I dread that day.When they start encroaching on the rights of others, then wehave to take a closer look. And when the majority start encroach-ing on the rights of the minority, we have to take a closer look atthat, too.

What helps make this world go around is all those peoplewho go their own way, and sailors have been doing that for a fewthousand years. Two people living in a million-dollar house on awaterfront acre have two votes in this country, as do two peopleliving on a $20,000 old, wood sloop anchored out.Unfortunately, there are many people in power who often thinkotherwise. You don’t get more votes by owning more land andhaving more money. And those two people on the boat shouldn’thave to look or act like those two on land to have their rightsrespected. I say treat those on land and on the boat with respectand unprejudiced action, not judging them by the different paththey are on. The public streets and lands of the United States areopen to all citizens and guests. They are not gated communitieswhere to enter you have to dress and act a certain way, althoughI see more gated, closed communities every day. More and more,communities want to keep out those they don’t think are actinglike they should, and many use the waterways around them todo just that, thinking they can keep boaters out of “their” com-munities, although boaters have been using these waterwayslonger than they have—cruising the waters, anchoring out,coming ashore. Of course, the last group that came from the seaand landed ended up killing off those on land, taking their landand setting up their own communities. Is that what currentwaterfront property owners are afraid of? Hmm…

I have been, for many years, a supporter of a clean environ-ment, and I strongly believe that boats should not pollute theenvironment, but the greatest polluters I see in Florida, and mostcoastal areas are from landowners. It is well-known that runofffrom waterfront yards of fertilizers and other chemicals is a majorpolluter of the waters, probably tens of thousands of times morepolluting than all the liveaboards and cruisers in Florida. Onecruise ship dumps more sewage in the oceans in one day off theFlorida coast than probably all the liveaboards in one year. Onesewage overflow from one major metropolitan area does moreharm to the waters than probably all the liveaboards do in 10years. And these overflows happen regularly.

The boaters should be complaining about the landownersspoiling their waters, yet look who complains the most.

As for pump-outs all over, I haven’t seen that. In fact, the onehere in Tampa Bay just went out of business after 4 monthsbecause the owner was not welcomed or encouraged by local com-munities.

Editor

WORLD’S LARGEST RAFT-UP?I recently read an article in SOUTHWINDS about HillsboroInlet Sailing Club and its largest raft-up. I am the rear com-modore of the Boca Ciega Yacht Club, and we have thembeat by more than half! We had a raft-up in September of1996 that made the cover of BoatU.S. magazine. There were125 boats on the outside with three smaller raft-ups of 16,14, and 16 boats on the inside. I have enclosed a picture andwill be sending the same to Guinness. I applaud the mem-bers’effort and wish them well in the future, but I believeours definitely tops them.

Linda J. RayBoca Ciega Yacht Club, Gulfport, FL

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Purchase one of our2004 or 2005 Hunter466s and save up to $60,000. These highlymaintained yachts have been used for one yearin the Offshore Sailing School program.At the end of the program we put them throughan expansive systems check and refit, top to bottom and stem to stern. Only then do theyqualify as Massey Certified Yachts.

Purchase now and receive new boat dealer support and a limited factory warranty. You save tens of thousands of dollars. There is verylimited inventory and when these Huntersare sold, the savings sail away with them.

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Palmetto 941-723-1610 • Ft. Myers 239-334-3674

www.MasseyYacht.com

Linda,Thanks for the info on your raft-up, which I have heard about formany years was one of the biggest. But you know what they say(please paraphrase on your own): “There’s always a faster gun.” (The photo sent was not enough resolution for print.)

Editor

FORT MYERS BEACH MOORING FIELD CHANGESI wish to report on Kathy and my April 2006 stay atMatanzas Harbor, Fort Myers Beach. As has been previous-ly reported, Salty Sam’s Marina manages a mooring field of75 moorings. The rate is about $13/day or about$250/month depending on boat length. They did awaywith the popular weekly rate and still require boat insur-ance. No one knows why. As a result of the mooring feeincrease and insurance requirement, there are usually plen-ty of available moorings, as the fleet of liveaboards simplymoved east to nearby Hurricane Bay. In fact there are asmany boats in Hurricane Bay as there are on moorings. TheFort Myers Beach Department of Public Works manager,retired naval officer Matt Feeney, who was responsible forthe mooring field and the contract with Salty Sam’s, had aplan to improve the harbor, which included upgrading thetwo public dinghy docks. He quit in a dispute with the newcity council, which repeatedly demonstrates its lack of man-agement ability.

There are three places you can tie up your dinghy forfree on the south, Estero Island, side of the harbor: oneunder the bridge, Bob Wallace’s pier and in the mangrovesbehind Topps supermarket. Salty Sam’s on the north sideprovides a dinghy dock, showers, laundry and a freepump-out boat. Bonita Bill’s, under the bridge on the northside, also lets “boat people” tie up—all in a pleasant, com-fortable stay with plenty to do ashore.

Dick de Grasse s/y Endeavour

Dick,Thanks for the information on Fort Myers. I have heard from afew boaters who have been frustrated with the management of themooring field. It appears the city wants to do it on the cheap. Iwish communities would really look into what boaters contribute,want and need. Too many think they are just people to be con-trolled. That’s hardly the case.

Editor

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LETTERS TO THE EDITORto:

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News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 15

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Events and News of Interest to Southern Sailors

To have your news or event in this section, contact [email protected]. Send us information bythe 5th of the month, possibly later. Contact us if later.

Racing EventsFor racing schedules, news and events see the racing section.

UPCOMING SOUTHERN EVENTS

EDUCATIONAL/TRAINING/SUMMER CAMPS

Ongoing – Boating Skills andSeamanship Programs. St.Petersburg, FL, Tuesday nights, U.S. Coast GuardAuxiliary. Satisfies the Florida boater safetyeducation requirements. Eleven lessons, everyTuesday. Lessons include: which boat for you, equipment,trailering, lines and knots, boat handling, signs, weather,rules, introduction to navigation, inland boating and radio.(727) 823-3753

Boating Safety Courses, St. Petersburg, FL: St.Petersburg Sail and Power Squadron. Six-week PublicBoating Course begins every Monday. Includes safe-ty information plus basic piloting; charts, courseplotting, latitude/longitude and dead reckoning.

Satisfies Florida’s under-age-21 boater require-ments. (727) 867-3088. The three-week Boat Smart

course begins July 8. (727) 565-4453. www.boat-ing-stpete.org.

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 14-4,Jacksonville, FL. One-day Americas BoatingCourse. Saturdays: July 22, August 12, Sept16. Captains Club, 13363 Beach Blvd.,Jacksonville FL. Meets Florida stateboaters card requirements. Contact John

Davis at (904) 821-9692.

Clearwater Coast Guard Auxiliary (Flotilla11-1) Public Boating Programs:

Americas Boating Course (2 lessons): July 15-16, Aug. 14, 17.Clearwater Sailing Center, 1001 Gulf Blvd., Sand Key(Clearwater). Open to adults and youths.

For more information on upcoming education pro-grams or to request a free vessel safety check call (727) 469-8895 or visit http://a0701101.uscgaux.info/.

Ruskin , FL, Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 75 OffersHome Study Safe Boating CourseThe Ruskin flotilla each month offers a Boating Safetycourse in Ruskin but has found that many boaters do nothave the time to attend the courses, so they are now alsooffering a home study course at $30. Additional familymembers will be charged $10 each for testing and certifi-cates. Tests will be held bi-monthly. Entry into the coursewill also allow participants to attend the classes. To apply,call (813) 677-2354.

North Carolina Maritime Museum, Beaufort, NC, www.ncmm-friends.org, [email protected], (252) 728-7317. On going adults sailing programs. Family ssailing. 2-6 people; 2-6 hours. Traditional skiffs or 30 foot keelboat.$50-$240. Reservations/information: call The Friends’ office(252) 728-1638

Marine Systems Certification, Tampa, FL. July 11-14.American Boat & Yacht Council. (410) 956-1050.www.abycinc.org.

Sea-N-Sail Adventure Camp, July 10-14, 17-21, 24-28. One week sessions offered to children ages 6-13. Maritimeand Seafood Industry Museum, 115 1st St, Biloxi, MS. (228)435-6320.Seven-one week sessions offered to children ages 6-13.Curriculum includes sailing aboard the famous BiloxiSchooners, cast netting, fishing, swimming, model boatforms, building, storytelling by American Indian

Greyhawk, basket weaving, constructing a maritime mosa-ic art piece and field trips to the Barrier Islands, Fun Factoryand a shrimping tour on the Sailfish. All counselors are CPRand first aid certified.

For more information, go towww.maritimemuseum.org.

OTHER EVENTS

Pepsi Americas’ Sail 2006: Tall Ships Come to North Carolina, June 30-July 5At the end of June, Pepsi Americas’ Sail 2006, a maritimefestival featuring some of the world’s most majestic tallships, will be held in Beaufort and Morehead City, N.C. The

Meka II, a 54-foot tall ship—a half-scalereplica of a 17th century pirate brigan-tine captained by Sinbad—is one ofseven tall ships that have already com-mitted to participate. Formal invitationshave been extended to dozens of shipsaround the world, and event organizershave received strong interest from manyships. The event expects to attract 15-20tall ships. www.pepsiamericassail.com

22nd Annual Underwater MusicFestival. July 8, Looe Key, Big Pine Key.Divers, snorkelers and swimmers enjoy afun and quirky form of underwaterentertainment. (305) 872-2411.

Hemingway Days Festival. July 18-23,Key West. The island of Key West cele-brates the legendary author’s work andlife with literary readings, theater, shortstory contest, exhibits and more. (305)296-2388.

Wild Horses in the Islands: Regatta Time in Abaco, July 3-11To be a part of the adventure, visitwww.rtia.net, or in the United Statescontact race committee Jon and CarolEwing, [email protected] or (305) 665-8316. An invaluable resource is SteveDodge’s The Cruising Guide to Abaco,which offers a wealth of local info. Onceyou’re in Abaco, the daily local cruisers’net is broadcast on VHF 68 at 8:15 a.m.and includes Bob Toler’s excellentweather reports. Known as BarometerBob, you can view his Web site atwww.barometerbob.com.

NEWS

Home of the Rum Runner toBecome Keys Luxury CondoResortHoliday Isle Resort in Islamorada recent-ly sold for $98-million. Holiday IsleResort has been a favorite major Keys

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 19

20 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

party location for about 30 years. Many believe—and the resort claims—a bartender created thefirst Rum Runner at the resort back in the’70s. The frozen drink is dispensed at thepush of a button out of machines behindthe bar like a Slurpie. Containing severalliquors and fruit juices, the drink isknown to be deliciously sweet, but dan-gerous. Eventually, rum runners wereserved at almost every bar in the Keys and havesince spread out around the world as a favored tropicaldrink.

The Holiday Isle Resort, along with being a springbreak destination, is also known for many famous sportfish-ing charter boats that called the resort’s 57-slip marinahome. The resort has an old-Florida style feeling of funky,laid-back charm with dozens of small shops, restaurants, abeachside pool, a small beach and several tiki bars, besidesthe main large indoor/outdoor tiki bar, called RumRunners, that has live music on weekend nights.Snorkeling, personal watercraft and parasailing are some ofthe many activities that are also available. On many week-ends, cars are parked on the side of the road a quarter-mileand more north of the resort to visit the famous bar, hearmusic, dance and wander around the resort.

The resort will be totally destroyed and a new five-star luxury resort will be built in its place with a new name.The sale will not go through till January, and then the resortwill stay open until the new owners, developers from WestPalm Beach, get all their permits in order. The existingresort could be open for another year, if not longer.

Reef Relief Closes Key West HeadquartersReef Relief, approaching its 20-year anniversary, will beclosing its educational facility, offices and gift shop at the

historic seaport in Key West. Educational efforts willbe turned over to the Monroe County schools,

which has increased its reef awareness andeducation largely through the efforts of Reef

Relief over the years. The organization willcontinue its efforts at new offices in KeyWest, but lack of grant funding and lossof volunteers has hurt the organization.

Reef Relief was founded in 1987 byCraig and DeeVon Quirolo to help stem the

continuing destruction of coral reefs (see “History of ReefRelief” SOUTHWINDS, April 2005). They first noticed thedestruction of Keys’ reefs by fishing and diving boatanchors and promoted the use of anchoring buoys. Theycontinued in their reef protection efforts over the years,eventually being the catalyst that got the Florida KeysNational Marine Sanctuary established. Craig Quirolo hasbeen cataloging the state of the Keys’ reefs for many yearsand will continue to do so as the organization goes throughthese changes. His images of the changing reefs is on theorganizations’s Web site. It is mainly because of the effortsof Reef Relief that the Keys community has become con-scious of the declining fragile coral reef system in the Keys.

In 1999, Reef Relief expanded its efforts of reef protec-tion and established the Captain Roland Roberts HouseEnvironmental Center in a restored 1840s Bahamian woodhouse in New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay, Abacos,Bahamas.

Recent Reef Relief efforts have concentrated on tryingto educate the public on the dangers of runoff from theFlorida Everglades and its impact on the waters of FloridaBay and Keys’ reefs. They have also been active in trying tobring about awareness of the continuing decline of coralreefs in the Keys, noting that there is only two percent cov-erage left of the original corals, and are trying to get the

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 21

NORTHERN GULF COASTPensacola, FL 75º lo – 91º hiGulfport, MS 74º lo – 91º hiWater Temperature – 85º

WEST FLORIDA St. Petersburg 78º lo – 90º hiNaples 73º lo – 91º hiWater Temperature St. Petersburg – 86ºNaples – 87º

FLORIDA KEYS Key West 80º lo – 89º hiWater Temperature Key West – 87º Gulfstream Current – 2 knots

SOUTHEAST FLORIDAMiami Beach –

77º lo – 91º hStuart – 74º lo – 90º hiWater TemperatureMiami Beach – 86ºStuart – 79ºGulfstream Current –

3.5 knots

EAST FLORIDADaytona Beach - 72º lo – 92º hiJacksonville Beach - 74º lo – 89º hiWater Temperature Daytona Beach – 80ºJacksonville Beach – 83ºGulfstream Current – 3.5 knots

CAROLINAS AND GEORGIACape Hatteras, NC 69º lo – 85º hiSavannah, GA 68º lo – 92º hiWater Temperature Cape Hatteras, NC – 78ºSavannah Beach, GA – 85º

Southeastern U.S. Air & Water Temperaturesand Gulf Stream Currents – July Weather Web Sites:Carolinas & Georgia www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/Southeast.shtmlFlorida East Coast www.ndbc.noaa.gov/Maps/Florida.shtmlFlorida West Coast & Keys http://comps.marine.usf.eduNorthern Gulf Coast www.csc.noaa.gov/coos/

WIND ROSES: Each wind rose shows the strength and direc-tion of the prevailing winds in the area and month. Thesehave been recorded over a long period of time. In general,the lengths of the arrows indicate how often the winds camefrom that direction. The longer the arrow, the more often thewinds came from that direction. When the arrow is too longto be printed in a practical manner, a number is indicated.

The number in the center of the circle shows the percentageof the time that the winds were calm. The lengths of thearrows plus the calms number in the center add up to 100percent. The number of feathers on the arrow indicates thestrength of the wind on the Beaufort scale (one feather isForce 1, etc.). Wind Roses are taken from Pilot Charts.

known as Masters Under Sail, at the boat show. The eventraised $20,940 for the hospital. SESA plans to re-create theevent this year, and volunteers are always needed. To volun-teer and for information, go to www.sailingvoice.org or e-mail [email protected]. You can also call (941) 795-8704.

22 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

public more aware of the problems created by cruise ships,which dump sewage, legally, off Florida’s coast, which endsup in the waters of the Florida Keys. Cruise ships can dump“gray water” wherever they want.

For more information on Reef Relief, go to www.reefre-lief.org.

Southeastern Sailing AssociationAnswers Phones at the All Children’s Hospital TelethonVolunteers and board members of theSoutheastern Sailing Association (SESA) tookpart in the All Children’s Hospital Telethonon June 3. The hospital is on a multi-yearfundraiser to pay for the new hospital, whichrecently broke ground in St. Petersburg, FL.All Children’s Hospital is one of the mostrespected children’s hospitals in the world,and its new hospital will do even more tohelp children who need extra care, as well asroutine children’s health care. The new hos-pital is expected to open in 2009. Thetelethon, on the weekend of June 3-4, raised$4,272,625.

The Southeastern Sailing Association founded the St.Petersburg Sailboat Show in 1993 and still takes an activerole in the show’s activities and planning, although theshow is now run by SailAmerica (www.sailamerica.com).At the 2005 show, SESA organized and ran the Sailing forMiracles fundraiser, which was a joint fundraiser for SESA,the hospital and the Sarasota Youth Sailing Program. Sailingfor Miracles brought together 10 of the country’s most well-known icons of the sailing world for a benefit sailboat race,

SESA volunteers who answered phones at the All Children’s Hospital Telethon on June 3.

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 23

Banana River Marina CondoConversion Plans Stifled byNeighborhood Opposition, Brevard County, FL

By Roy Laughlin

In an odd twist of the usual scenario, neighborhood opposi-tion caused the Brevard County commissioners to refuse acondominium conversion plan for the Banana River Marinaproperty on Merritt Island. Strong neighborhood opposi-tion to a dense assemblage of several-story buildings wasstrongly opposed by the neighborhood organization andmany residents who appeared at an April Brevard Board ofCounty Commissioners meeting.

The change of heart by the county commissioners—toan extent unexpected even in a usual election year—willhave little direct benefit to boaters, however. This marina,one of Brevard County’s best equipped for do-it-yourself

boat maintenance during the past 30 years, is unlikely toever be a public marina again. Zoning still allows the devel-oper to build a more typical tower structure, a scenariowhich neighborhood opposition may have less successstopping. For boaters, the lesson here may be to make a pactfor collaboration. While boaters want a marina, neighboringresidents may be motivated by a more general opposition tohigh-density development. United opposition, even withsuch different goals, may successfully preserve marinaselsewhere.

Florida Marine Trade OrganizationsSplit UpIn April, the Marine Industries Association of South Florida(MIASF) withdrew from the Marine Industries Associationof Florida (MIAF). The reason given by MIASF was differ-ences in the legislative approach taken by the two groups.MIASF indicated that there should be more than one voicerepresenting the marine industry in the state and that MIAFwanted to be the only voice.

The MIAF believes the real difference is that the MIASFreally wants to concentrate its efforts on the megayachtindustry, which is very prominent in South Florida, and thatthe MIAF represents all boaters in the state, and a large partof its efforts goes into improving boaters’ access, like pro-moting boat ramps and parking—one of the largest prob-lems for the average boater in Florida.

The MIASF represents about half of the MIAF member-ship. MIAF members can still separately join the MIAF, andmany have done so. The two groups expect to continue towork together in the future on certain common interests.

For more information on the MIAF, go towww.miasf.org. For the MIASF Web site, go to www.boat-florida.org.

OUR WATERWAYS

THE FUTURE OF OUR WATERWAYS: LINED WITH CONDOS?

SOUTHWINDS “OUR WATERWAYS” SECTIONSouthwinds has created this section to inform our read-ers about changes in our waterways. We believe thatSoutherners are in the midst of a great change occurringon our waterways—through the conversion of manyboating properties to condominiums, restrictions onanchorages once thought to be more open and nowbeing more restricted and regulated, and other econom-ic forces at work. This section will also concern itselfwith the environmental health of the waters we boatand swim in.

The waterways belong to all of us, and all of ushave a right to use them. The waterways are not just forthose who can afford to live on the water, and it is up tous boaters and lovers of these waters to protect thatright. We hope that by helping to inform you of thesechanges, we will contribute to doing just that.

We are looking for news and information onchanges, land sales, anchorages, boaters’ rights, newmarinas, anchoring rights, disappearing marinas, boat-yards and boat ramps, environmental concerns andother related news. Independent writers wanted onthese subjects. Contact Steve Morrell, [email protected], or call (877) 372-7245.

We regularly receive many letters to the editor onthese issues. See the “Letters” section for more opinionsand information. Some letters will be published in thissection if appropriate.

THE FUTURE OF OUR WATERWAYS: LINED WITH CONDOS?

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24 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

Bradenton Beach Continues Efforts toEstablish Mooring Field The town of Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island on thesouth side of Tampa Bay is continuing in its years-longeffort to convert the current anchorage off the island town’spier to a public mooring field. For as long as people canremember, the anchorage, just south of the pier, has been apopular spot for transients, liveaboards and wet storage.The city has plans to convert the area into a permanentmooring field for transients, using the pier for a field man-ager’s office, as well as bathroom facilities. The town hashad studies done of the bottom land of the area to see howmany moorings could be installed. The town is also consid-ering whether to have a pump-out boat or a pump-out facil-ity at the pier for boaters to use.

The town recently had problems with someone dump-ing a portable sewage container in one of the bathrooms atthe pier. The bathrooms are currently for the use of pier vis-itors, who are mainly fisherman. The town is hoping forpassage of a state law which will extend the town’s jurisdic-tion to include the waters off its shores, both on the bayside—which includes the anchorage—and the Gulf side. Ifthe law passes, the town will begin inspecting all the boatsanchored in the area to insure they all have the requiredonboard marine sanitation devices.

Boot Key Harbor Marina in MarathonExpected to Turn a Profit, State LeaseAllows for Mooring Field ExpansionFor the first time since taking over the marina in 2000, thecity of Marathon expects to turn a profit at the marina andBoot Key Harbor mooring field in 2006. With total expensesof $772,850 in 2005, the city had to use general funds tomake up for the shortfall of $239,742 that the marina had.But, with current projections, the marina is expected to atleast break even in 2006, and more than likely, it will makea profit.

After the 2005 loss, the city considered—last winter—the idea of privatizing the marina and mooring field opera-tions, but several factors changed that possibility. One mainreason is the expansion and opening of more floating docks,bringing in more revenue. Another is the increase in rates

(averaging 10 percent), the largest being the increase in thedaily rates, and the smallest increases were in the month-long liveaboard rates. One additional major factor was theloss of competition when the Dockside Lounge and Marinaclosed to liveaboards in 2005, as most of the liveaboardsmoved over to Boot Key Harbor.

Currently rates at the marina and harbor are $11.75 (offseason) per foot for seawall space, and mooring buoys gofor $160 a month, $60 a week and $15 a night.

On May 31, the state of Florida approved a 10-yearlease—at no cost—of 80 acres of submerged land lying nextto the current mooring field—to the city of Marathon. Theland was previously outside of the city’s jurisdiction andwas used by boaters as a free anchorage. Anchoring will nolonger be permitted in the harbor outside of the mooringfield as the city intends to pass an ordinance to that effect,although during a hurricane boats will still be allowed totemporarily anchor. The city will still have a free anchoragearea, but there will be no anchoring allowed outside thatdesignated area.

The lease will allow the city to add 162 mooring buoysto the current 66, giving the city a total of 228. The newbuoys will be installed in September through Novemberand will help the submerged lands because boats will nolonger be able to anchor in the harbor, since the large num-ber of boats that constantly anchor in the area scar the bot-tom. The main difference between the existing mooringfield and the new field will be the six-month limit for stay-ing on the state-leased area—a requirement that the statemade in its lease. Year-around residents will be allowedonly in the existing mooring field.

The lease also provides for the city to eventually builda new 170-foot dock with slips for boats and space for up to125 dinghies.

For more information on the marina, go towww.ci.marathon.fl.us/, departments.

Another Florida Marina Considered forCondos: Rowell’s Marina in Key LargoRowell’s marina, one of the Keys’ most visible workingmarinas, is possibly slated to become a condominium proj-

OUR WATERWAYS

Boot Key Harbor. Photo by Steve Morrell.

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 25

ect. The marina is currently zoned as a marina, and the zon-ing would have to change. The owners of the marina, BocaDevelopers LLC, is offering the Monroe CountyCommission an affordable-housing project at a property theLLC owns in Big Pine Key in exchange for the right to buildcondos at the Rowell Marina site. A county provisionknown as a “380 agreement” allows the county to go out-side existing county plans if it deems the exception to be ofbenefit to the community. The Key Largo Federation ofHomeowner Associations—a group formed to representproperty owners’ rights in Key Largo—has expressedstrong opposition to the agreement, which the county com-mission has not yet taken a stand on. The county was plan-ning to discuss the proposal in late June.

Venice, FL, Considers New MarinaWith 200 to 400 SlipsThe city of Venice in southwest Florida is considering thedevelopment of a marina with 200-400 slips. The marinawould be along the Intracoastal Waterway at the south endof the Venice airport, be separated from the ICW by twosmall islands—one of which would be a picnic island andthe other a wildlife island—and have a walk-around prom-enade. A pavilion and boat ramp would be part of the proj-ect. The city is seeking a grant from the federal government

to help build the marina but will seek funds elsewhere ifneeded. The city is expected to hear if federal funds will becoming in the fall. Some residents oppose the projectbecause of fears of more traffic problems from bridge open-ings, although the city council would like to limit the num-ber of boats at the marina that would need bridge openings.The council would also like to give preference to city resi-dents for slips at the marina.

The city’s management sees the marina offering moreboater access to the Gulf, plus the marina would help theairport’s budget. The marina would also be part of andenhance the Venetian Waterway Park Trail, which runsalong the ICW in the area.

The project would be completed by 2010. For moreinformation and a map of the proposed marina, go towww.venicegov.com.

Links for Our Waterways Issues

Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway issues. www.atlintracoastal.org.

BoatUS Foundation. Great source of information andlinks on miscellaneous issues. www.boatus.org.

Florida Inland Navigation District, a taxing district formanagement and maintenance of the AICW inFlorida. www.aicw.org.

Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. www.gicaonline.com. Marine Industries Association of Florida with links to

local associations. www.boatflorida.org. Marine Industries Association of South Florida.

www.miasf.org. National Waterways Conference promotes, educates

and lobbies on behalf of all of the nation’s inlandwaterways. www.waterways.org.

Ocean Conservancy dedicated to the protection of theoceans. www.oceanconservancy.org.

Reef Relief. A non-profit group which is dedicated topreserving the reefs, based in Key West. www.reefrelief.org.

Gulfbase.org. A research database for Gulf of MexicoResearch. www.gulfbase.org.

26 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

HURRICANE SEASON 2006

HURRICANE TIPSGot a tip to help others? Send them to

[email protected].

Here’s a Couple:

Need an extra place to secure additional dock lines toyour boat? Secure to the mast and winches, as they areall designed to take a lot of stress.

Halyard stuck and you are in a hurry to lower yourroller-furled headsail? Use an extra halyard(s) and, fromthe deck, wrap it around the headsail from the topdown. If you have two spares, wrap them in oppositedirections. From Dave Ellis.

Don’t forget lines stretch and new ones will stretch morethan short ones. If you can be at the boat during thestorm, keep an eye on them and adjust them.

Boats at Marinas: Our Target Audience This Month

This month’s (and June’s) articles are geared toward sav-ing the greatest number of boats, which is boats at mari-nas. SOUTHWINDS has published many stories in the pastabout boats at anchor and techniques used by others suc-cessfully, but boats at anchor are in the minority. To readthese articles, go to our hurricane page at www.south-windsmagazine.com.

I have read and heard many opinions about how manyboats didn’t survive at marinas because of all sorts ofreasons; storm surge, floating docks, fixed docks—youname it— and that your best bet is out at anchor, withlots of anchors and rode and chafe protection, so the boatcan turn into the wind as the storm passes through withthe changing wind direction. This might be correct, butwe must be realistic: Do we really think that the thou-sands of boats—or is it tens of thousands—at marinas aregoing to be moved away from marinas (as some marinaswould love to kick them all out), and owners are goingto anchor them out with the perfect system? There is noteven the slightest chance that is realistic. (Many boatowners won’t even remove their headsails.) So we musttry to help protect the most boats in the most likely sce-nario, and that is boats at marinas. And that’s what weare doing here and in the June issue.

How Fast Hurricanes Move: Do I haveEnough Time to Prepare My Boat?By Steve Morrell

Hurricane Charley came ashore on Upper CaptivaIsland on Friday 13 in August 2004, just before 4:00

p.m., as a Category 4 storm. Two days earlier, onWednesday morning, Charley was a tropical storm south ofJamaica, becoming a hurricane that afternoon. As the crowflies, that’s about 600 miles away (it took a slightly longerroute). That means Charley went from a tropical storm inthe Caribbean to a Category 4 hurricane hitting the UnitedStates in about 48 hours. That’s fast.

All these storms travel that fast in getting here. If theyslow down, it is usually after they are here, and then youwant them to move on as fast as possible. They almost

Well-secured boat with lots of dock lines.

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 27

never slow down on their way to the United States. Onegood thing we can say is that storm forecasters have gottenpretty good compared to when I first moved to hurricanecountry in 1979. You can count on the predictions as beingfairly accurate today: The storm will most likely fall in the“cone” that is predicted. Don’t think it will follow the cen-ter of the track line at the center of the cone. Charley stayedin the cone but wandered way off the center track line—justbefore it came ashore in southwest Florida.

Suppose You Had Just One DayAs you read this, put yourself in the position of from rightnow to two days from now. How would you plan your timeout to prepare everything for a Category 4 storm in that

How to Remove Your Roller Furling HeadsailIt is really quite easy: You get in your car, you drive to yourboat, you remove it. It is that simple, but I see so manyboats out there with their headsails up during high windswith the sail torn and blowing in the wind that I wonder ifpeople just don’t know how to remove it. What other rea-son could there be? I saw many boats that their only dam-age—and they were from tropical-storm-force windsonly—was a torn roller-furled headsail that was left up.Plus these boats can damage docks and other boats. Sinceinsurance companies have deductibles, these people did-n’t leave them up to get a new headsail. So there must besome other reason. Barring those who are stupid, lazy orhave more money than they can spend, I can only guessthat some just don’t know how, so we will give instruc-tions here.

I strongly believe this: There is probably no one thingyou can do in preparing your boat for a tropical stormthat has the greatest return for the smallest effort thanremoving your roller furling headsail.

Instructions for Removing Your Roller Furling Headsail In light or no winds (although it can be done in “stronger”winds with a bit more attention—especially if the boat isheaded into the wind), roll out your headsail as if you aresailing.• Release the headsail (jib) halyard. If there are enough peo-ple, have someone do it slowly, while the sail is lowered.• Stand at the bottom of the sail and pull it down and slide

it out of the groove that the front (luff) of the sail slides into.• When the top of the sail is down, disconnect the top(head) of the sail from the fitting that has come down withthe halyard—a small drum, the upper part of which isattached to the halyard and the lower part to the sail’shead.• Disconnect the sail at the fitting at the bottom (tack) ofthe sail. You are done. • Place the sail in a sail bag (or fold and wrap a line aroundit). You can either stuff it or fold it. It makes no differenceif it is a Dacron sail, if it is for a short time, like days, oreven weeks (and some believe stuffing is better). Fold it ifit is long-term. (If in a hurry and your sails are Dacron,stuff both the main and headsail in the bag—it is often bet-ter for the material over a short period.) Fold it if it is ahigh-tech material, like Mylar. You can leave the sheets onand stuff them in the bag or remove them.• With lines and/or bungee cords, tie the upper fitting(leaving it in the lowered position), which was attached tothe head of the sail, to the lower roller furling drum at thebottom and secure it tightly to keep it from movingaround. Tighten up the halyard. Also secure the lowerdrum to nearby points, like a stanchion, so it won’t twistaround in high winds. Untie the halyard from that smalldrum and secure the halyard at the base of the mast orsome other point.

That’s it. Now, there are no excuses left for leaving a roller-furling headsail up during a tropical storm.

These fenders weren’t placed very well.

time period? If you have a boat, house and family, can youget all three prepared for a storm in that length of time? Let’sassume that you are the one preparing the house and theboat, and your family is preparing themselves, by gettingready with food and water and belongings, to either weatherthe storm out at home or leave town in the family car.

In preparing for this storm, which are you going to do?Leave town or stay? If you are leaving town and the stormis going to make landfall near you, you better leave in about24 hours, maybe later depending on your location, destina-tion and routes. That means you have 24 hours to preparethe house and boat—and you need to sleep in that period.

Are you ready? This article is about preparing your boat, but one of the

most important things about preparing your boat is makingtime to do so, and all the best preparations and planning inthe world will be worthless if you don’t have time to carrythem out.

Last month, we made a big point of one very crucialfactor in preparing your boat for a storm: The complex, bet-ter plan is worthless if it isn’t carried out. The simple, infe-rior plan is superior if it is. Make it so easy and fast to dothat you do it.

The point of this article is to instill in boatowners how little time they have—if they waittoo long. Last month, we discussed simple andfast plans to prepare your boat—keep it simpleso you do it. Again, that’s easy. Carrying itout—and making the time to—is the hard part.

How your boat fits into your other priori-ties is one of the most important factors inwhether or not you carry out your plan to pre-pare your boat. I guarantee that your wife,daughter, son, mother, father, (and your life)etc.—and your house—will be much higher upthe priority list than your boat (I know thereare exceptions), and these people will have thebiggest impact in determining whether or notyou carry out your plan, so make sure you areready.

How quickly can you do the following(even if you have a plan and have practiced it)?• Double up all your dock lines, add a fewmore and make all of them adjustable from

shore (in case you can return during a storm).• Hang fenders near any docks or pilings.• Remove the headsail, mainsail, Bimini, dodger and securethe boom.• Stow the anchor and any other loose objects on deck.• Remove valuables from the boat and stow things secure-ly down below.

You will probably determine whether you will reallyleave town as the storm gets closer, but you must not waitin boat preparations, because if you do, you will definitelynot have time to carry out your plan if you do have to leavetown. You need do all these things if even a tropical stormhits your boat. If you are in the cone of probability, you willalmost certainly be hit with tropical storm winds. And don’tforget to plan for all those unforeseen events, rememberingthat every time you work on your boat, everything takestwo, three, four times as long. Of course, if you planned allthis out and practiced, it might not, but you never knowwith boats.

Do Some Preparations Long BeforeSome things you can predict with some probability. I canpretty much be assured that on opening day, June 1, of theAtlantic hurricane season, it is very unlikely we will be hithere in West Florida, and I feel pretty confident of thatthrough the month of June and fairly assured we won’t gethit during the month of July. But always keep in mind thatstorms do develop in June; they have just a low probabilityof hitting the United States, particularly the strong ones.Tropical Storm Arlene developed on June 9, 2005, and cameashore at Pensacola, FL, on June 11. But as we approachAugust, things begin to heat up. Charley struck August 13.

August, September and October: The Big ThreeThe big three months for the stronger storms that hit theUnited States are August, September, and October.November, the last month, is less likely, but HurricaneWilma hit and destroyed a lot of boats in late October 2005.

28 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

Nobody prepared these boats.

HURRICANE SEASON 2006

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 29

there is no stormthreatening your regionwith even the slight-est chance before youreturn, but keep aclose eye. Perhaps, atleast re-move yourheadsail (see Sidebar)and double up yourlines, but if you aregoing for 10 days ortwo weeks, I say havethe boat totally pre-pared for the worstconditions—and afriend who can dou-ble-check everythingif a storm really doescome by.

Oh! And don’t for-get to board up your

house and prepare it if you leave for two weeks.

In Summary: Make TimeLast month, we tried to create a simple plan—simpleenough to make sure it is carried out, saying that the worstplan is the one that never gets executed.

This month, we would like to add this: Make sure youhave time to prepare your boat. If you aren’t going to havetime to prepare your boat, then prepare it on June 1 andunprepare it on November 30. Or take it to a boatyard wayinland and put it on the hard. Or take it out of the hurricanezone entirely.

In the coming months during the hurricane season,SOUTHWINDSwill be publishing articles and information about preparing yourboat for a storm. Send us your stories and tips.

During those bigthree months, itmight be advisableto have the boatready for a stormwhen one looks asif its heading yourway – maybe whenit is four to fivedays out.

The only rea-son most of usdon’t have ourboats prepared dur-ing the entire hur-ricane season isbecause we wantto go sailing. (I amnot including allthe other reasons,like stupidity, lazi-ness, insurance fraud, etc.) Who wants to go out there andinstall their mainsail every time they go sailing? Or attachthe Bimini frame and canvas just for an afternoon sail?

Here are some things we can do that will allow us to gosailing yet have the boat prepared, without making a lot ofextra work:

• If you are going to secure fenders to pilings, do so andleave them up all season (or during the big three months).• Have all your doubled-up lines and extra lines alreadyattached to cleats and pilings (at least to the pilings—whichtake all the work).• Have your valuables already off the boat. What do theyinclude anyway? An extra handheld GPS, VHF, papers,etc.? They can all fit in one bag that you carry on and offwith ease. Plus: Securely store belongings down below thatwill stay onboard.

Remember: Make it so easy and fast to prepare your boat that you will do it.

If You Are Leaving TownIt is summer, it’s hot in the South and summer travel ispretty common. I wouldn’t worry about it if you leaveJune 1 for a week (but remember Arlene, so have someplan). But as the season progresses and we run into the bigthree months, you must prepare your boat before youleave town (or leave someone in charge who willabsolutely, without a doubt, prepare your boat). I can seescenarios where you can foresee a week out there and

Send Us Your Hurricane StoriesWe are always looking for stories on your experiences, tolearn those techniques that succeeded and those thatdidn’t, as we can learn from both. Ideas, tips and Web sitelinks wanted, too. [email protected].

SOUTHWINDS Web Site Hurricane PagesVisit the SOUTHWINDS hurricane pages at www.south-windsmagazine.com for stories and articles on how tosave your boat during a storm, tips, links to other Websites, great weather links for hurricanes and more. ThisWeb site is becoming the best save-your-boat Web site onthe Internet.

Even the bimini was left up on this boat.

30 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

Like giant river bugs they seemedto appear from nowhere, leaving uslittle room to maneuver. We almost“bought it,” when, suddenly, we cameupon a staging area where tows wereloading and unloading their barges.The power (and wake) of these mon-sters is quite impressive. I dartedaround and through the flock like theAFLAC duck going the wrong way ona highway full of 18-wheelers.

Tug TroubleAt one point, a tug’s prop wash violent-ly slewed us sideways. We werethrown to the starboard side of therock-infested maneuvering area. Igunned both of Cataline’s baby diesels,went hard to port, and literally missedthe rocks by inches!! I could hear thewarning whistles and shouts from thetow captains and imagined them curs-ing this wacko pleasure craft fromNorth Carolina. Another childhood les-son re-enforced: When at a “railroad”crossing, STOP, LOOK and LISTEN.

The Chicago River eventuallybecomes the Illinois, and just before the town of Alton, weslid over to join the Mississippi. The southbound currentnow picks up, the river gets muddier and the barge trafficgrows exponentially. The mighty Mississippi is one fasci-nating body of water. We will only travel 250 miles of it(about 10 days) but what an experience!

Cruising the MississippiThe Ol’ Miss is a working river. Not much in the way of fullservice marinas. Hell—not many marinas, period! At dusk,we tied up to fuel barges. Outside lock walls closed for thenight, and at times, we even tied up to shoreline trees.Nights were interesting.

The barge traffic was relentless. We’re talkin’ BIGbarges: 36 strapped together, six abreast, six deep, pushedby tugs sporting mega horsepower. It’s like a city blockmoving up and down the river. The tug’s big Cyclops spot-light eye scanning the shoreline for guys like us tucked in

One could define the Great Circle Loop in terms ofsegments: coastal ocean passages, inland lakes,rivers, canals. As we departed Lake Michigan

through Chicago, we entered the great river routes of mid-America which, after 1200 miles, would spit us out in theGulf of Mexico. These rivers: the Illinois, Ohio,Cumberland, Tennessee, Mobile and of course “Ol’ ManRiver” himself—the mighty Mississippi—lay before us.

We had been traveling south since hanging a left at thetop of Lake Michigan. Cataline and crew had covered some2100 miles and were about to enter the mid-America riversystems, which for us started in Chicago.

Cataline, being unrigged, had no problem with thefixed, low bridges of Chicago. We felt like a tour boat andglided south through one of the great American cities.Tourist euphoria rapidly dissolved, and we entered thecommercial aspects of the Chicago River—tows and tugs—and LOTS of them.

Entering Chicago.

The Great Circle Loopby Catamaran, Part II By John Kelly

We left the Kellys’ unrigged catamaran, Cataline (SOUTHWINDS,June ’06) halfway through their 5000-mile jaunt along the Great Circle Loop of America. Following is the completion of their voyage.

for the night hopefully out of their way. At Cairo, we headed east on the Ohio River,

then to the Cumberland and eventually ended up atthe top of TVA’s Barkley/Kentucky Lakes. Morehuge locks, pristine freshwater lakes, small yetclean, friendly marinas and beautiful fall weatherfollowed us south.

Somewhere around Tupelo, MS (boyhood homeof Elvis), we were roughly 600 miles abeam ourhome port of Carolina Beach, NC. Gee, just a day’scar ride home on I-40. Boat-wise, however, we were a littleover halfway around the Loop. Another 2400 miles to go.

We entered the Tennessee/Tombigbee/Black Warriorriver and canal system (the largest Corps of Engineers proj-ect in its history); a 450-mile jaunt of isolated wildernessthrough middle America, which eventually turns into theMobile River, thence to Mobile Bay. Along the way, we vis-ited the great Civil War battlefield of Shiloh (Tennessee) andstopped at Demopolis, AL, to haul the boat and prepare herbottom for the salt water she hadn’t seen in five months.Demopolis is a great watering hole for “loopers,” since it isthe first marina (Demopolis Yacht Basin) of significancebetween the Kentucky Lakes and Mobile that has haul-outand repair facilities, plus a restaurant, fuel and cold beer.The marina owners and staff are absolutely superb. I evengot a rebate check sent to us after an overcharge for someboot-stripe repainting. That has never happened to me inany boatyard!

Two hundred and fifty miles later we entered the busyport of Mobile and stayed in the Dog River Marina on thesoutheast side of Mobile Bay. We had followed the destruc-tion and plight of coastal communities from Katrina, andsadly we now could see it. The Dog River Marina was openbut barely: Docks were in disrepair, boats strewn about andservices limited. The marina staff, however, was cheerful,optimistic and very helpful. Got to hand it to those folks:They were going to re-build come hell or high water!Which, come to think of it, pretty well describes Katrina.

For the past few months, we were cruising in protectedfresh waters, traveling with pockets of friendly cruising“loopers” with little navigation issues (except for the oddfloating log or two). Entering Florida waters, however, it allchanged. Now we had tides, currents, early winter GulfCoast weather and sport fish blowing by with their usualun-concerning wakes. (Ah, but it was good to see dolphinsagain)

We motored along the Gulf Coast IntracoastalWaterway, through Pensacola, Panama City, Apalachicolaand on to Carrabelle. At this terminus, it’s decision time.Like African wildebeests, loopers gather to feed, discussand pick the best time/place to cross 160 miles of the Gulfto Tarpon Springs, FL, to re-join the protected waters of theGulf ICW.

Crossing the GulfAt Carrabelle—just east of Apalachicola—the herd

mentality comes into play. Here’s the deal: It’s early win-ter—hours are limited and the Gulf ain’t fun in a blow, evena minor one. Trawlers roll, sailboats pound, dishes fall, yourbeer spills, it’s dark, cold and you feel vulnerable (that’s’cause you have been a wuss the past five months—doing

the river, lakes and canal thing), so folks like to cross indefensive packs. The 12- to 15-knot power guys can cross in12-14 hours, whereas the blowboaters have to slog for 24-plus hours. Both groups, however, need a good weatherwindow.

The other alternative is to go the rim route: Carrabelle,Steinhatchee, Cedar Key, etc. This will cost you a few days,and it’s shallow and strewn with crab pots.

We sat there for 10 days with the herd. Many optionswere considered. The locals told grim tales of rough cross-ings, broken marriages, failed gear. Yada, yada, yada.

Eventually one late night, we—together with four otherboats—decided to “have a go” at 4 a.m. on the “morrow.”We’d do the rim route and strike out for Steinhatchee (73miles). It was Thanksgiving eve.

At roll call the next a.m., only two boats committed; we,and another “I’m-tired-of-waiting” ex-military pilot,shoved off in the dark. Threading our way with spotlights

Cataline tied up to a fuel barge on the Mississippi.

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 31

THE GREAT CIRCLE LOOP

complete the Loop.The trip home was superb—I love this part of the

waterway. We pass through northern Florida, Georgia, theCarolinas. It’s protected, uncrowded, has beautifulSouthern scenery—and lots of anchorages.

We closed the Loop on May 17, almost one year later.Was it a great accomplishment? Naw. It’s no big deal—butundoubtedly the best cruise I’ve ever taken. Even Jill, wholikes getting beat-up offshore reluctantly admits the meritsof this adventure.

The Loop shows the coastal cruiser a fascinating water-way slice of mid-America and Canada; rich in history, beau-tiful and ever-changing scenery, fascinating water townsand interesting people.

Some lessons learned1) Take your time. I was always concerned about beingbehind our weather schedule since we left Carolina a monthlate, but, in retrospect, we could have slowed down and

through the channels toward the open Gulf, we broke out toa glorious dawn, a beautiful day and an uneventful cross-ing. The rest of the herd back at Carrabelle waited another10 days for their weather window.

If not pressed for time, the rim route is a good choice.Steinhatchee is a pleasant fishing village with friendly folks,two transient marinas and a few good restaurants. CedarKey, a tourist town, is also a fun place to visit.

Haul-out in IndiantownWe eventually worked our way around and down theFlorida coast, entered the Okeechobee Waterway at FortMyers, crossed the lake, then on to the St. Lucie canal andinto Indiantown. We had made previous reservations tohaul and “park” our boat for the winter in IndiantownMarina’s 500-plus grass parking lot (see sidebar). They putCataline in the “storage only” area of their facility—wherethere’s neither electricity nor water available—sorta back inthe tree line. We cleaned, closed her up and kissed hergoodbye for five months.

Our homecoming arrival back in Indiantown on May 4was pleasantly surprising. I had expected to see Catalinewith trees growing up through the hulls and her interiorcovered in mold. Astonishingly, she didn’t look too bad.Yes, she was dirty and her cockpit had a coat of dead leaves,but her interior was relatively mildew-free. We sponge-bathed her hulls, re-activated (Scotch pad with water) herbottom paint, splashed her the next day and off we went to

The Great Circle LoopThe waterway loop is a 5- to 6000-mile loop up the U.S.East Coast to the canal systems of Ohio and New York.Canadian waters are entered around Kingston, Ontario,then route options (schedule, size of boat, weather, etc.)are available for entering the Great Lakes.

At the bottom of Lake Michigan, the route joinsthe mid-American river systems and exits at the GulfCoast, traversing western Florida, through or aroundFlorida and eventually back to your starting point. Onecan hop on the Loop anywhere along it. However, yourloop entry and traverse is season-dependent. (Not smartto do Georgian Bay, Canada, in January nor be south dur-ing the hurricane season.)

The route is generally traveled counterclockwiseto use prevailing current and wind conditions. There arenumerous detour and alternate routes along the way tovisit (by boat and/or auto) other areas supported bywaterways. The Loop is a virtual spider web of naviga-ble rivers and canals. Two hundred to 300 “Looper” ves-sels are stretched along the route at any one time.Loopers come from all walks of life and nationalities.Some do the loop in one go; others do it in stages. Theirvessels vary from kayaks to large power cruisers. Thereare some draft and/or bridge height restrictions depend-ing on routes taken. Sailboats can un-step and re-steptheir masts at several locations along the route.

An excellent organization, America’s GreatLoop Cruisers’ Association (www.greatloop.com), boastsa membership of 1700 and provides an outstandingsource of information and knowledge about “The Loop.”

A little “looper” cruising the Mississippi.

32 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 33

seen other areas along the Loop. 2) Proceed slowly and with caution if you go off exploring“Holy Grail” places off the Loop— especially rock-strewnCanada! 3) Don’t be a recluse. You will meet interesting and like-minded folks who are doing the Loop with you. In the smalltowns along the way, get off your boat for a day or two andchat up the locals at the barber’s, churches, picnic areas andsaloons.

Sadly, the cruising scene is changing, especially inSouthern waters. Public and transient marinas are closing,anchoring holes are shrinking, and some towns just wantyour cruising money—but “discourage” you from staying!

Ironically, some of our Northern states and Canadahave it right. They seem to cater to us water-bound visitors.In Michigan, for instance, the majority of marinas and theirfacilities are owned by the state. They provide ample, cleanand well-run facilities at very reasonable transient prices.Maybe our Southern communities could learn something?

What’s Cataline’s next saga? Our options: Sell her as is. Rig her and sell her. Keep her as a baby trawler. Rig her and sail her.

Or maybe a trawler on the horizon? But that’s anotherstory…

John Kelly can be reached at www.ayachtsurveyor.com.

Our Loop StatisticsPlaces visited: two countries, 16 states, six major rivers,

uncounted canals/lakes, 115 locks transited.Time to Complete: 11 months

(but five months were “on the hill”) Miles completed: 4700

(a mixture of statute and nautical miles)Average speed under way: 6 knotsEngine hours run: 772Fuel burned: 765 gallons

(approx .5/gal/hr/engine)Fuel costs: $2142 (@ $2.80/gal. average)

(highest paid - $3.45 at Hilton Head, SC)Wine consumed: gallonsVideo shot: 10 hours Pictures taken: hundredsExperience & memories: priceless

A flood wall on the Mississippi.

34 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

O ne of the many indelible images from those darkdays in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrinawas of the Southern Yacht Club burning to the

ground. For New Orleanians, though, the truly indelibleimages come from those rare moments in the long aftermathwhen they actually felt hope that their home, this mostunique city in America, might actually survive.

October 24th was one of those days for the New Orleanssailing community. A mere stone’s throw from the 17thStreet Canal breaches and surrounded by the wastes ofLakeview, the Southern Yacht Club—against near insur-mountable odds—held a regatta, the 156th running of itsClosing Regatta.

With the club unreachable through massive heaps ofboats and debris along with pools of still standing floodwa-ters, the SYC teamed up with the New Orleans Yacht Club toprovide water taxis from its dry storage area to Southern’s

still-green lawns. Dave Erwin, a NOYC board member,explains, “We rolled out the red carpets, so to speak, for ourneighbors and friends at SYC. The camaraderie betweenthe clubs was unprecedented.”

For the estimated 300 spectators—standing in the shad-ow of the yacht club’s burned-out husk under clear skies—to witness the 16 PHRF and 30 one-design boats race on thelake, it was a monumental victory. Spirits were through theroof, and the rum was plentiful as this community ralliedalmost defiantly in the carnage.

New Orleans Yacht Club, which, right after Katrina hit,watched its Internet message board become an invaluablesource of information, provided another service by re-open-ing its bar to the entire community on November 4.

Despite operating under generator power and with vol-unteer bartenders—amid blown-out windows, NationalGuard checkpoints and scattered damaged boats—lifealmost appeared normal, except, instead of swapping sail-ing facts and lies, the stories told were of survival, destruc-tion and heroism.

And the stories were plentiful as many yacht clubmembers were out the first week after the storm using theirboating expertise and knowledge of the neighborhoods—allinundated by over nine feet of water—to rescue people offrooftops and out of attics.

It was also obvious how the new New Orleans greeting,“So, how’s your house?” was quickly joined by, “So, how’syour boat?” A serious question, for out of the three largesouth shore marinas, two easily experienced a 65-80 percentloss of boats. According to Benz Faget, a local sailmaker,nearly 50 percent of those losses came from derelict ownerswho failed to properly secure their property. Walking alongthe piers, it wasn’t hard to come across an unsecured boatresting atop a properly secured one.

View of the Closing Regatta Party from a boat returning from the race.Picture taken on the boat taxi heading to SYC’sClosing Regatta.

Just Do It: The State of Sailing (and Racing)in New Orleans Post-KatrinaBy Troy Gilbert

After the storm, the NewOrleans racing community wasfaced with having to cancel theJ/30 North Americans. Thehometown crew of Zephyr was tocompete for its record fifth con-secutive championship.

It was also disappointingthat New Orleans was removedfor consideration to host the U.S.Olympic Sailing Trials. GuyBrierre, who heads the Gulf CoastOlympic Sailing Association,describes how, “Writing the letterto withdraw our bid for theOlympic Trials was one of thehardest letters I ever had to write.I was convinced that we had wonthe bid until August 29.”

Many who stood in front oftheir home for the first time afterthe floodwaters were pumpedout realized that rebuilding theirlives started by simply pickingup that first piece of debris. Thesailing community discoveredthat Southern’s Closing Regattawas that first step on the sameroad. After that, it came easier asthe second and third steps wererapidly taken with two moreregattas. All told, four were heldon Lake Pontchartrain before theend of 2005.

Brierre adds, “The water has a healing power. Whetheryou are out there racing or just ‘out there,’ it is a time to for-get your moldy walls, your fragile job situation, the sixinsurance claims and FEMA adjusters. We didn’t just wantto go sailing, we really needed to go sailing.”

Nearly nine months after Katrina, the pace has quick-ened. On the water, anyway. The New Orleans Yacht Clubstarted its Wednesday night racing, which lasts throughoutdaylight savings. It follows SYC and the Corinthian SailingAssociations’ first five-week series that hosted 19 boats eachnight, down from the pre-Katrina average of 50.

The Leukemia Cup was also held on the lake, where,according to chairman Riess Livaudais, sailors raised over$80,000—double what they expected.

The community is now look-ing forward to visiting theremains of the Gulfport YachtClub for the start of the Gulfportto Pensacola Race in late June.There is no doubt that the smacktalk is already heating up for thisyear’s Gulf Yachting Association’sChallenge Cup, which is nowgoing to be held in Pensacola.

Today, sitting and having abeer at either NOYC (which final-ly received power in late April) orat SYC’s new triple-wide mobilehomes, the conversations all nowappear similar from the yearspast, but in reality they are not.The casualness about life thatexisted before is gone. Everyonenow understands not only howmuch was lost, but also howmuch more could have been lostwithout the determination of eachindividual to get out on the waterand resurrect this small aspect oftheir lives.

This will to race sailboats andcome together as a community ishopefully a microcosm of what ishappening everywhere in NewOrleans and all along theMississippi Gulf Coast.

The street in front of NOYC.The entrance to Southern YC.

View from NOYC of the marina.

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 35

PHRF RACING TIPS

T here are few clubs that have perennial volunteer racecommittee members for PHRF races. Don’t take themfor granted. Most of us have to volunteer on a rotating

basis, giving up a few days a year to run races for the fleet.While we have all complained about an RC’s performanceon occasion, it can be daunting to be thrust into that jobwithout training.

For many years I was an employee of St. PetersburgYacht Club, managing the sailing center and serving asregatta coordinator. Major regattas were run using multiplevessels and dozens of volunteers on the water and othersdoing shore duty. But Friday night “around-the-cans”PHRF racing was staged by a small Whaler-type powerboatand only occasionally with any helper at all.

How can you produce a great racing experience foryour peers? Here are some tips for the shorthanded racecommittee duty.

Somewhere out there are a written Notice of Race andSailing Instructions. Often they are online on a club’s Web

site. Read them. Bring a copy with you. It will make you agenius.

Usually the course is chosen among several govern-ment buoys or permanently set club marks. Try to set thestarting line where there is a good upwind course to the firstmark. Most sailors prefer a windward start as it separatesthe fleet and gives more options to escape a bad start than areach or run.

If there is any current that is not perfectly in line withthe wind, do not rely on your homemade batten with alength of yarn to tell the wind direction. Instead, ask one ofthe competing boats, preferably one without an overlap-ping jib, to go up beyond your anchor line and go head towind for you. The direction that the boat is pointing is thesailor’s wind, including the current effect. In light air thiscan be a major change from what your anchored winddirection indicator shows.

If you use an existing mark for your starting pin, setyourself at right angles to the sailor’s wind. Simply face the

So You Have Race Committee DutyBy Dave Ellis

36 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

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direction that you have decided is to windward and putyour left arm straight out to the side. The pin should bethere or maybe a little to windward of there to try to getsailors away from your precious boat that you have volun-teered along with your time. For more security, float a littlebuoy a few feet behind your transom with floatingpolypropylene line.

Have plenty of anchor line so that you can drop thehook to windward of your chosen spot and drift back, withthe option of changing the scope to be in the right spot.

If someone else is setting the starting pin, the pro’s wayto do it is to hold the anchor in the attitude that it will bewhen hooked, with the buoy on the anchor line full lengthbehind the mark set boat. Slowly go up the sailor’s windtowing the mark. The RC crew sites the mark with their armraised high. When the mark gets to where you want it, dropthat arm with authority. At that time the mark set persondrops the anchor. The buoy will sit there while the anchordrops. Do some homework to make sure there is only a fewfeet more anchor line than the highest wave at the highesttide of the day so the line doesn’t tangle keels and rudders.

Any time you see someone throwing one of those littleanchors, be prepared to have a drifting mark. It tangles inflight and upon landing more often than not. Drop marks.

Before starting your flag sequence for the start (RacingRule 26, page 11 in your rulebook; back cover for otherflags) count how many boats are in the fleet. This is a safetymeasure.

You have flags to show which fleet is starting. Put themon the deck in the order of start. Spinnaker A, Non-Spinnaker, True Cruising, etc.; each will have a “fiveminute” debut. Some clubs use one flag and the SailingInstructions show the order of start. But that can be confus-ing since it is the dropping of the class flag that means “GO”and the raising of a class flag that means five minutes untilthe next start. Read the Sailing Instructions for direction.

PHRF racing depends on accurate timing of each boat’sfinish. It is best to use two watches, one being a stopwatchthat is started at the GO signal. With running starts, simplysubtract five minutes for each subsequent fleet. When youstart your sequence, do so at a convenient time of day. Forexample, start your five minute sequence exactly at oneo’clock with the second hand straight up. Write that timedown on your finish sheet. The actual start time for the firstfleet will be 1:05:00; the second fleet 1:10:00, etc. If there is a

problem and a start has to be delayed, just write downwhen the start did occur.

The biggest danger during volunteer race committeeduty is enjoying too much adult beverage while waitingaround for the finish and not being prepared for theonslaught of boats. So get your ducks in a row early.

Someone calls the finish line saying “MARK”, or“NOW” when ANY part of a boat crosses the line, includinga spinnaker. Someone with the watch or stopwatch recordsthat time along with the sail number of the boat. The scorermay not know the boat’s name or the skipper, so record thesail number for them.

If boats are really close at the finish, do your homeworkwith the numbers on the sails as they approach. The linecaller can then simply say, “Far boat, near boat, middleboat,” or whatever they see the order of finish was.

Most scoring programs will separate boats to theirproper fleet by sail number. Getting that number correct onthe finish sheet will save the scorer much head-scratching.

Finally, count finishers on your score sheet to make sureall are accounted for.

Guard that finish sheet well. Many experienced officialsmake a copy. Sheets have gone overboard, including at a100-plus-boat Optimist Dinghy regatta. Ouch.

Oh, and if you have set marks or a starting pin, don’tforget to pick them up. Bundle the flags, gather the hornsand stopwatch and deliver them back to the club.

Just think, next week you can critique the RC withauthority.

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 37

38 Juny 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

F orty-eight years ago some sailors decided to race therhumb line 555 nautical miles from Pensacola to thenorthern tip of a tiny island situated near Cancun,

Mexico, named Isla Mujeres. The race, named Regatta alSol, translated as “race to the sun,” has been held bi-annu-ally ever since.

Coordinated by Pensacola Yacht Club, Southern YachtClub in New Orleans, and Club de Yates de Isla Mujeres inMexico, the race itself is only half the story.

Isla Mujeres (Island of Women), a small fishing village,caters to tourists arriving by ferry, but treats sailors fromthe United States like family. Many of this year’s partici-pants, like Karen Kriegel of Pensacola, have raced in thepast 10 regattas. Others, like boat owner/skipper AlanSteele of Pensacola, competed for the first time and fell inlove with the island and its people.

Recognizing some basic needs, and in return for thegracious hospitality and genuine friendship of theMexicans, Regatta al Sol sailors began the tradition longago of bringing medical, educational, clothing and/or toysalong for the islanders.

Many records were set this year – including, unfortu-nately, the record low number of competitors (a lingeringreminder of recent hurricanes). Only 14 boats registered.However, unlike previous years when mechanical or otherissues prevented boats from finishing the trip, this was thefirst regatta in which every boat registered arrived inMexico (a new record)!

The racer/cruiser fleet left Pensacola on May 10. Theskies were overcast and the wind was blowing 15 knots outof the south—exactly the direction they were headed. “Thatwill make their first day seem very long and tough,” saidregatta co-chair and Pensacola Yacht Club Fleet CaptainJohn Matthews.

The racers left the next day under beautiful skies with16 knots blowing out of the northwest. Those who took an

easterly course had the current with them. Others, whosteered a course due south or slightly west, found them-selves in the doldrums for hours or days.

For Mark Palermo of Slidell, LA, who won first place inSpinnaker Class A, the race went exactly as planned. In fact,it was almost a repeat performance. His Beneteau First 40.7,Sapphire, competed in 2002 and 2004. “Last time we came infirst in the cruiser/racer division and were the first to finishand first in fleet,” Palermo began.

“Hurricane Katrina did a lot of damage, but StackMarine did a great job putting the boat back together, andwe increased the inventory (adding a racing Dacron main-sail and Kevlar headsails) so that we would be more com-petitive this year.”

Palermo had other plans for this year’s race that hedidn’t share with his crew until after they were out ofPensacola Pass. “I didn’t bring any beer on board,” helaughed. Palermo and his closest competitor, Michael Finn,of Mandeville, LA, aboard his J/52, Kativa, monitored theloop current in the Gulf of Mexico and hugged the easternside in order to stay in the current, which helped keep themmoving. “We actually sailed 600-plus miles to get to IslaMujeres this year,” smiled Palermo, “but we got there fasterthan anybody else!”

Five of the 14 vessels eventually cranked their motorsso that they wouldn’t miss all the festivities. The festivitieshave become a tradition as well, beginning with the “earlyarrivals party” at Buhos (race headquarters), which isalways planned for Sunday following the race start.Participants include competitors’ spouses, officials, andracer-chasers, who swell the island’s hotels while waitingfor the boats to arrive.

Normally, by Monday, boats begin arriving in time toenjoy the 5:00 p.m. “welcome party” (again at Buhos) locat-

24th Bi-Annual Regatta al Sol SetsRecords and Continues TraditionsBy Julie B. Connerley

Race Headquarters. Buhos beach bar is laid back, but don’t letthe hammocks fool you. It is also party central as well as raceheadquarters during the Regatta al Sol festivities. Photo byRachael Gillette.

RACING

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 39

ed on the North Beach. Tuesday is special for the skippers.

They are declared distinguished guests during a receptionat the town hall, followed by a street party in the townsquare. Unfortunately, this military and flag ceremony,which includes introductions of several special dignitaries,had to be cancelled this year because of wildfires.

Mexico, with its high temperatures, has been parchedby lack of rain since last year and, combined with HurricaneWilma-felled trees, provided ideal conditions to producewildfires throughout the Yucatan Peninsula.

At least 22 separate wildfires have been reported sinceFebruary, charring thousands of acres of land and damag-ing the ancient Mayan cities of Chichen Itza (about 110miles west of Cancun) and Oxtankah.

The governor of Quintana Roo had called a meeting forall city and town officials in his state regarding the wildfiresituation, thus necessitating the cancellation of the distin-guished citizens ceremony for regatta skippers.

Wednesday’s festivities included a skippers’ cocktailparty at the Rock House, home of the Lima family (whoorganized the first Regatta al Sol), and later, a Mardi Graswalking parade—the locals’ favorite.

Veteran sailors, or perhaps veteran Mardi Gras revelers,come prepared. Besides a variety of trinkets to toss atsquealing children, many regatta participants bring sup-plies to create specially themed and decorated golf carts forthe ride through town.

Past experience has taught parade revelers that on IslaMujeres, the parade never stops. The same children catch-ing beads and trinkets at the parade start will be at the endof the route as well—so come well stocked!

Another record was broken this year when the “GoNads,” the American basketball team, won the regularlyscheduled Thursday afternoon basketball game against theIsla Mujeres locals. The islanders have won the game every year, despite thecrowd-pleasing, yet distracting antics the Go Nads’ cheer-leaders provide before, during, and after each run down thecourt. However, this year, the cheerleaders didn’t have tocheer so hard. Their team won by default when the localsfailed to show up at the appointed time.

Trophy presentations were also scheduled for Thursdayevening, allowing for those planning to sail back to begintheir preparations the following morning. Another recordwas set with the announcement that seven past com-modores of Pensacola Yacht Club were present at theawards ceremony.

In addition to perpetual and keeper trophies for compet-ing boats, race organizers have traditionally sponsored amenu contest, open to every vessel. Rules are simple. Submityour crew’s menu for the trip to Mexico. Judging is based oncreativity, presentation, variety, and nutrition. Or maybe it’sjust based on fun. Regardless, winners of the menu contest

Wearing flamingo sunglasses, the skipperand crew of Recess prepare their golf cartfor the Mardi Gras parade on IslaMujeres. Courtesy photo.

were just as happy to receive their ceramic trophies as theskippers were to receive their pewter trophies.

Ninety-two competitors raced and dozens more, whoflew to Isla Mujeres, gathered with their Mexican friends toenjoy some good entertainment, good food, good friends, andgood times, which is really what the Regatta al Sol is all about.

But the good times don’t end at Isla Mujeres. Often afew of the boats will take some extra time to explore otherports of call. First-time skipper Steele, whose boat Tangerine,captured second place in Cruising Class C, and third in fleetoverall, spent time exploring the Dry Tortugas, then leisure-ly cruising back up the coast of Florida.

Larry Bowyer, who won second place in Cruising ClassB aboard Loafer’s Glory II, is expected to return to Pensacolafrom points south of the border soon. Bob Kriegal’s CaribbeanSoul Too, first in fleet and first place in Cruising Class C andMike Beard’s Kanaloa, second in fleet and first place inCruising Class B, are still cruising the waters of Belize.

For a complete listing of winners, visit Southern YachtClub’s Web site at www.southernyachtclub.org.

40 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

I n recent years, the Key West Rendezvous has steadilygrown in size, in a large part because of the efforts of raceorganizer Fairlie Brinkley of the Clearwater Yacht Club.

The race’s main starts have been Clearwater and Naples. In2004, Boca Grande was added as a third start, and this year,Sarasota was added as a fourth. Fifteen boats started atSarasota, seven at Boca Grande and 33 at Clearwater.Naples had another strong showing with 18 boats. With 73boats in all four starts, the Key West Rendezvous againproved to be one of the most popular regattas in westFlorida.

Advantages to the new Sarasota start are many. GreggKnighton, who took first in Non-Spin in the Sarasota race,stated that the 168-mile trip from Sarasota is almost all theway on the rhumb line an easier ride than coming from

Clearwater, where boats have to head west to round a mark-er before they can get on the rhumb line to the finish. In pre-ceding years, he would have to travel a good distance fromhis home base in Sarasota to start from Clearwater. Manyothers agree.

Gregg and others started in solid, 15-knot afternoonnorth winds, which pretty much were sustained for the rideall the way down to the finish. They had their whisker poleup the whole way on one tack until they had to make twojibes in the Northwest channel coming into Key West, 26hours and 43 minutes later. Gregg said it was pretty much anideal trip with great winds all the way down—plus theycame into Key West just before 7 p.m.—just in time for stan-dard Key West festivities.

Although Gregg, on board his boat, Misty, was the onlyone in his class (and this race was part of the BOTY series),he had already claimed the Sarasota Bay Boat of the Yearaward with previous wins all season.

“Stars and Stripes” Dominates Clearwater RaceNormally, racers from Clearwater hope to arrive in Key Westno later than early Thursday evening, afternoon being evenbetter. This is to make happy hour. Stars and Stripes set a newstandard this year. The 60-foot catamaran that DennisConnor raced—and won—in the 1988 America’s Cup, bare-ly made the start in Clearwater. Steve Liebel, owner of theboat, and friends stayed up late the night before getting theboat ready—after two years of refurbishing since he boughtit in 2004.

On Wednesday morning, they left Steve’s home on theManatee River in Bradenton, where the boat is also kept,thinking they had plenty of time to make the 10 a.m. start.Steve’s 26-foot tender tows the boat, which has motors, tolocations it can’t sail to. After heading out to the Gulf—withnorth winds and a late start—they knew they would nevermake it, so they called ahead to the race committee, telling itto hold on, don’t leave—they would still start. The tenderheaded back to port as soon as they were in the Gulf, andStars and Stripes sailed north to Clearwater, passing some ofthe race boats heading south. An hour and half after the offi-cial start, they pulled a U-turn and began the race.

Winds were only about five knots from the north, butthis 60-foot America’s Cup catamaran was doing 10 to 12knots, passing race boats—that were doing three to fiveknots—within a few hours. Winds increased to 12-15 knotsas the afternoon progressed, and they were soon movingalong at 22 to 26 knots, leaving the other boats far behind.The wind maintained the same direction and speed allthrough the evening, and just after midnight on Wednesday,

Key West RendezvousMay 17-18:‘‘Stars & Stripes’’Comes From BehindBy Steve Morrell

Frank Hanna and crew receive their trophy for first place.Hanna won not only Suncoast Boat of the Year but firstin the Non-Spinnaker A fleet from Clearwater. Photo byLaura Ritter.

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 41

at 12:44 a.m. they crossed the finished line—still in time tohit a few bars in downtown Key West. So much for worry-ing about making it in by Thursday’s happy hour! Theirelapsed time was 14:29:39—clearly a new record—and thatdoes not include the hour and a half late start. (The tenderwas trailered down to Key West and towed them into adock from the finish line.) With a PHRF rating of -242, theircorrected time was 30:35:18. They took first in their class,which had one other boat.

Steve says it’s a good thing the boat is fast as there areno accommodations; no galley, head, berths—nothing. Thehulls are only about two feet wide, and there is no goingbelow. Getting into Key West that night was important sothey could sleep, eat, drink, relax.

The rest of the race fleet arrived on Thursday at more ofa “normal” pace. First to come in from Clearwater, with a 10a.m. Wednesday start—a 216-mile race—was most of theSpinnaker A fleet with Wired finishing at 2:15 Thursdayafternoon, although it took a third in corrected time. First incorrected time (01:01:38:41) was George and Ann Cussins’Fire and Ice, which was fifth in the class to cross the line. BopGlaser’s Orangutan took second in corrected time.

Other first-place finishers from Clearwater wereShibumi taking first in Spin B, Prime Plus in Non-Spin A andOoh La La in Non-Spin B. Long Gone took first in TrueCruising A and True Cruising B was Sonia-Cate.

First to cross the line in the 168-mile race from Sarasota,with a 4 p.m. start Wednesday, was Constellation, inSpinnaker class, coming in at 03:03:35 p.m. on Thursday—alittle under 24 hours of actual time. Mother Ocean, crossingthe line second, took first in the Spin fleet with a correctedtime of 17:50:52. First in Non-Spin was Misty, crossing the

line at 6:42 p.m. First in True Cruising was Adelie, arriving at4:52 p.m.

From Boca Grande, a 132-mile run, the seven boats rac-ing agreed to start at noon on Wednesday— hours earlierthan the last two years. First to arrive in Key West wasBahama Hunter, a multihull, arriving at 2:20 a.m. Thursdaymorning, although they took second in corrected timebehind Bilbo. First to cross the line—and first in correctedtime in Non-Spin—was Fancy Free, arriving at 4:55 a.m. Itscorrected time was 12:59:41. The only boat in True Cruising,Ironic Breeze, crossed the line at 9:21 a.m. on Thursday.

In Naples, with 16 monohulls and two multihulls rac-ing, the 95-mile race started at 7 p.m. Thursday evening. Thefirst boat to cross the line—and first in corrected time—wasPassion III, a multihull, arriving at 8:12 a.m. Another first-place finisher was, in the Non-Spin fleet—and also first incorrected time—Steve Romaine in his Jeanneau, Air Supply,finishing at 11:05 a.m. Friday morning. His corrected timewas 11:21:59. In the Spinnaker A class, first place was wonby Renegade with a corrected time of 11:14:24. Shady Ladytook first in Spin B with a corrected time of 11:00:55. In TrueCruising A, Miz Liz won with corrected time of 12:59:38, andTrue Cruising B was taken by Island Time with corrected timeof 12:46:15.

The race back from Key West to Naples, which starts at11:40 a.m. Monday morning, was taken by Midnight Rider inSpinnaker with corrected time of 24:03:16, although onlytwo of the five racers finished. First in Non-Spin A was FancyFree with corrected time of 23:55:32. First in Non-Spin B waswon by Steve Romaine on Air Supply with a corrected timeof 23:21:17 (although the three other boats in the class didnot finish).

42 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

TrimaranNationals 2006,Fort WaltonYacht Club, FL,April 17-22By Kim Kaminski

Amateur as well as professionals raced onChoctawhatchee Bay in Fort Walton, FL, forthis year ’s 12th Annual Trimaran National

Championship.Olympic and world-class sailor Randy Smyth, event

coordinator, offered “speed seminars” (one in a classroomsetting and one on the water) the two days before therace. This year’s national champion, Don Wigston, actedas the trimaran class coordinator and communicator.

Thirty-four boats in five classes with over 100 sailorscompeted for six days beginning April 17, which broughtpartly cloudy skies with a 6- to 10-knot southeasterlybreeze on the first day. The first race was a long-distancecourse using a staggered handicap Bermuda start fromFort Walton to Lincoln Park in Niceville, which is locatedin the northern end of Choctawhatchee Bay.

Race 2 in the afternoon after a lunch break was thesail back in significantly stronger winds (16 to 18 knots).In the Corsair 24 fleet, Don Wigston and crew on Malbec(the newest-designed boat in the Corsair series, a Sprint750) captured the lead in his class after the first race. TheOnsgard/Remmers team on Fifty-Fifty from Coral Gables,FL, won both races in the Corsair 28 fleet as did RussKincaid and his crew from Auburn, NY, on their F-27Formula, Blue Heron, in the Open class. Randy Smyth,Glen Howell and Bruce Kuerten took the first-place over-all on day one.

Day two was two offshore races out Destin Pass intothe Gulf of Mexico and began after a short delay becauseof a morning fog. Then racing began and continued underbright, sunny skies with 12- to 14-knot winds out of thesouthwest. Don Wigston’s Malbec crew seized the daysailing into first place for both races. Tony Hammer andcrew on his electric pink F25 C, called Panther, also sailedaway with two first-place finishes as did H. L. Enloe onLeiloe, a C31 1D trimaran. Tom Reese on Flight Simulatorand the Scharl/Winters team on Rocketeer II won a raceapiece in the Corsair 28 Fleet.

Friday, the third day of competition, held in thesouthern part of Choctawhatchee Bay, was the most chal-lenging with three races scheduled back to back.Competition was fierce and exciting. Bob Gleason and his

team on the Sprint 750 trimaran, Tri Me, stole the first-place position away from Don Wigston in both races fiveand six, but the Malbec crew took back the first-place winon the final race.

Richard Stephens from Ovid, NY, and his brotherWill from New Zealand had a captivating day with theircrew on Richard’s Corsair 24 CC, Trevelyan. Earning twofirst- place finish positions on the first two races and end-ing the day with a second-place win were definite high-lights for the team.

Randy Smyth and Peter Frendenberg battledthroughout the day with Randy’s Rockateer III teamtaking a first-place and two second-places, whilePeter’s Condor team took a second and two firsts. Thesetwo fierce competitors ended the series tied for firstwith a total of 15 points apiece, with team Rocketeer IIIwinning the tie after the final day. Steve March onDealer’s Choice and the Onsgard/Remmers team onFifty-Fifty also won first-place during day three’s com-petitive format.

Later that evening, following a banquet feast at theFort Walton Yacht Club, a severe weather system filledthe night sky with lightning and strong winds. For thosewho had anchored out during the competition, the stormmade for an exciting evening as the strong storms bat-tered the coast overnight.

The next day, race organizers were fearful that theprevious night’s storm would prevent any substantialwinds from forming for the final day of racing. Two raceswere planned, but with the lack of wind delaying thestart, only one race was completed. Don Wigston and hiscrew on Malbec enjoyed an impressive trial run on thenew Sprint 750 and earned this year’s national champi-onship title.

Bruce Kuerten and crew on Farfalla had an inspiringrun as well. Not only did the Farfalla crew win fourthplace in the overall championship fleet standings butalso won the first-place Overall Trophy for the best finishby an amateur team.

For complete results, information and photos, go towww.corsairmarine.com/EventsNORS/2006%20Trimaran%20Nationals.pdf

RACING

Don Wigston (right) and crew accept the championship awardin the Trimaran Nationals. Photo by Kim Kaminski

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 43

RACING

UPCOMING MAJOR SOUTHERN SAILING EVENTS, RACE REPORTS

Wild Horses in the Islands: Regatta Time in Abaco, July 3-11. See page 19.

A Subdued Tybee 500, East Florida to Georgia, May 14-19By Roy Laughlin

Distance races have been a rite of spring along Florida’s eastcoast for more than two decades. The Tybee 500 is currentlythe most prominent one. This year, it started out in goodwinds with the usual catamaran sleigh ride across the top ofwaves. The winds that bore the catamarans so swiftly thefirst couple of days relaxed to offshore morning zephyrswith afternoon sea breezes along central Florida’s east coast.

Sometimes not enough wind is more challenging than toomuch. This was especially the case by Tuesday when sailorson the leg between Jupiter and Cocoa Beach experiencedseven-knot winds under a decaying, drizzling cold front.Most arrived well after midnight on Wednesday morningrather than during late afternoon on Tuesday. All the sailorsmissed a Texas roadhouse barbecue dinner waiting for them.A few were lucky enough to have shore supporters describehow good it was while the sailors drifted near Sebastian Inlet.Cell phones often have mixed utility to sailors.

On Wednesday morning, the sailors were bleary-eyed.Few wanted little more than to arrive in Ormond Beach thatafternoon with sufficient time for dinner and a good night’srest. Most got that. By the last day, the teams experiencedthe usual generous winds off Georgia and had a great fin-ishing day.

Team Tybee, John Casey and Ken Pierce, won the 500-mile race. Team Casterol 1, Jay Sonnenklar and SteveLohmayer, both veteran distance racers, came in second.Last year, these sailors were in first place. Jake Kohl andFrank Moore, Team Seacats, were in third place.

The following teams, listed in order of completing theTybee 500 were:• Team Spacecoast Challenge, Mark Herendeen and TomLeobold. Both are veteran racers who have steadilyadvanced in the rankings each year• Team Casterol 2, Jarod Sonenklar and Jamie Livingston.This is the first time racing for Jarod, son of second-placefinisher, Jay Sonnenklar. Jarod has been ground crew forseveral of his dad’s races and apparently absorbed suffi-cient sea wisdom to do so well on his first attempt. He is theyoungest sailor, at age 18, to finish the Tybee 500. JamieLivingston is a veteran of winning Worrell 1000 and Tybee500 teams. • Team Casterol 3, Terry Greene and Christ Runge, have beenground crew for Worrell 1000 and Tybee 500 teams during thepast 10 years. This was their first time as a team on the water,an experience both appeared to enjoy immensely. • Team Tygart Racing, Doug Kirby and Andy Herbic, sacri-ficed third place when Andy was separated from the cata-maran just three miles from the finish. Doug Kirby, sailing adamaged catamaran that was unable to sail after Andy,requested assistance from the Coast Guard, incurring a DSQunder Tybee 500 race rules. Andy was found in good shape,with help from Team Spacecoast Challenge.

• The final team, Team Velocity, Trey Braun and TadPecorak, did not race the final day. This is the second yearin the Tybee 500 for this team of college students fromNorth Carolina. While they haven’t won a trophy yet,they’ve notably improved each year and have potential todo that in the future.• Team Cat in the Hat, Larry Ferber and Jackson Smith,started the race but did not finish. This team arrived at 8:30a.m. on the leg between Jupiter and Cocoa Beach. They didnot start with the rest of the teams on the next leg.

The number of teams in this year’s Tybee 500 was con-siderably fewer than in the past. The reduction is duealmost entirely to the absence of teams from Florida’sPanhandle, which have consistently raced in prior races.The past decade of hurricane strikes along the Gulf Coast istaking a toll on the energy and livelihood of these sailors. Itshows well outside their hometowns. Hurricanes notwith-standing, the Tybee 500 remains one of the most challengingocean distance races doable by the capable beach cat sailor,as well as the beach cat sailing super heroes. It is one of thebest sailing antidotes to the disease that prevents adventurefrom coming to the couch.

For more information about the Tybee 500, please seehttp://tybee500.com.

REGIONAL RACING

Reports, News And Race Calendars

Regattas and Club Racing—Open to Everyone Wanting to RaceThe races listed here are open to those who want to sail. Noindividual club membership is required, although a region-al PHRF rating, or membership in US SAILING or member-ship in a regional sailing association is often required. (Ifindividual club membership is required, please contact usand we will not list their races in the future.)

For publishing of your event, questions and informa-tion, send us your race schedule by the 5th of the month [email protected]. Send in the name of theevent, date, location, contacts (Web site, e-mail and/orphone), and, if you want a short description. Do not justsend a link in to this information.

Since race schedules and venues change, contact thesponsoring organization to confirm. For changes to be pub-lished, contact the editor. Changes can be put on our Website, if possible.

Jake Kohl and Frank Moore, Team Sea Cats, launching from CocoaBeach heading for Ormond Beach on the third day of the Tybee500. This team finished third in the race. Photo by Roy Laughlin.

44 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

REGIONAL RACING

RACE CALENDAR

JulyLong Bay Sailing Association www.longbaysailing.org21-23 Rocket Regatta, Cape Fear,SC. 29 Wooden Boat Race, South Port, SC

Neuse Yacht Racing Association www.nyra.org8-9 Handcock Regatta, PHRF-NYRA boty,

Cherry Point, NC. 15-16 J-24 Weekend Regatta, J-24, Oriental, NC. 29 Parrot Head Regatta, PHRF, New Bern, NC.

South Atlantic Yacht Racing Association, www.sayra-sailing.com

1 Commodores Regatta, PHRF, Cape Fear Yacht Club, Southport, SC.

1-2 Independence Day Regatta, Open, Lake Norman Yacht Club, Mooresville, NC.

7 SAYRA Youth Championship, Laser, Sunfish, Optis, 420,Savannah Yacht Club, Savannah, GA.

8-9 Firecracker Regatta, Laser, Sunfish, Optis, 420, SavannahYacht Club, Savannah, GA.

8-9 Sears, Bemis & Smythe Semifinals, Lasers, 420, J22, College of Charleston, Mt. Pleasent, SC.

15-16 Beaufort Water Festival, Open, Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club, Beaufort, SC.

15-16 Charleston Yacht Club, Open, Charleston, SC.22-23 Hobcaw Yacht Club, Open, Mt. Pleasant, SC.29 Jolly Jordan, Optis, Carolina Sailing Club, Raleigh, NC.29-30 Carolina Yacht Club, Open, Charleston, SC.

RACE REPORT

Mermaid Regatta, Perfect Ending toSpring Series, Port Canaveral YachtClub, June 3

By Winnie Lambert and Sherry Beckett

The annual Mermaid Regatta at Port Canaveral Yacht Club(PCYC) took place on Saturday, June 3. This regatta signaled

the end of the East Coast Sailing Association (ECSA)Women’s Spring Series that began in January with monthlyraces on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. The Women’sSeries races usually take place on the Indian River, but thevenue for the Mermaid Regatta was on the Atlantic Oceanjust outside the port.

After an informative and entertaining skippers meet-ing with race chairman Gerry Moores, the women were offto their respective boats for an afternoon of comraderie andcompetition.

Six boats participated in the regatta, four spinnaker andtwo non-spinnaker. Airborne, a Melges 24 skippered byMaryAnn Ward; Mouse, a Lindenberg 28 skippered byRochelle Yates; Fast Lane, a Lindenberg 28 skippered bySherry Beckett; and Sneaker, a Tartan 10 skippered by PattiMassey, made up the spinnaker class. Sleighride, a J-30skippered by Rachele Ross, and Rendezvous, a PearsonFlyer 30 skippered by Rhonda Delmater, were the non-spinnaker boats.

The weather was absolutely lovely and, with the excep-tion of a little more wind, could not have been more perfect:warm temperatures, filtered sun, and a steady south-south-westerly breeze of 5 to 8 knots.

Two races were scheduled. The course for the first racewas a triangle windward/leeward race with legs of aboutone mile. Airborne crossed the finish first, followed by atight race between Fast Lane and Mouse, with Fast Lanepulling out ahead. Sneaker soon followed. The non-spin-naker boats pulled in a little later, Sleighride first and thenRendezvous. The second race comprised two windward/lee-ward legs. The finish order was about the same, with Mouseand Fast Lane trading positions.

After thanking the race committee for a great job, theboats headed back to PCYC for some drinks, great appetiz-ers, a little post-race analysis, and good conversation. Oncethey’d had a chance for a hot shower and some cool drinks,the ladies donned colorful Hawaiian print dresses and werejoined by their spouses and “significant others” for a luaudinner and tropical music.

The awards for the Mermaid Regatta and the overallSpring Series results were given out during the luau. After

The crew of the Pearson Flyer 30, Rendezvous, on the lookoutfor their competition and the next mark in the PCYC MermaidRegatta. Photo by Roy Laughlin.

accounting for handicaps, the top three boats in the regattaspinnaker class were Airborne, Sneaker, and Mouse, in thatorder. For the non-spin boats, it was Sleighride and Rendezvous.

For the Spring Series, all boats were in one PHRF cate-gory. After 10 races with two throw-outs, the top three boatsfor the Series were Fast Lane, Sleighride, and Rendezvous.

The Mermaid Regatta at PCYC is held every year inJune. The next ECSA Women’s Series begins on July 23. Formore information about women’s sailing in the BrevardCounty area, see the women’s sailing page athttp://www.sail-race.com/women. More informationabout the Port Canaveral Yacht Club (formerly known asCocoa Beach Yacht Club) and its other regattas can be foundat the PCYC Web site http://www.pcyc-fl.org/

Jetty Park Ocean Regatta: ATraditional Ocean Regatta for BeachCat Racers, Port Canaveral, FL, June 3By Roy Laughlin

The Jetty Park Ocean Regatta is one of two surviving oceanregattas scheduled this summer along Florida’s east coast.With increasing beach closures affecting beach cats, CapeCanaveral and Daytona Beach are the two remaining ven-ues with sufficiently active sailing clubs to sponsor an oceanregatta for beach cats.

Twenty-one catamarans raced this year, down from theusual 35-50 entries. Sailors from the Gulf coast and SouthFlorida, who have regularly attended this regatta, werenotably absent this year, probably reflecting the continuingeconomic and time constraints imposed in the aftermath oflast year’s record hurricane season

Conditions for this two-day event were almost perfecton Saturday, June 3. The races started on time at noon andcontinued for almost five hours. A southwest wind blew thewhole day, but it brought no rain. The wind blew about 10knots until the last race. Then it changed to the southwestand became stronger and more turbulent. The last race gavethe expected trap-line riding, adrenaline-pumping racingexperience. Good early summer regatta weather withoutafternoon squalls is one of the few advantages of springdroughts.

The race committee set up two courses, an inner trian-gle for the Hobie 16 B fleet and an outer course for the othercatamaran classes. It’s rare to have enough sailors for two“B” fleets, but there’s a small resurgence of interest in cata-maran sailing. Apparently, the Hobie 16 occupies the sweetspot in price, performance and ease of use. The Hobie 16fleet was a notable exception to the decline in participationin other classes.

On Sunday, the winds were lighter and initially fromthe northeast. The race committee intended to begin theraces at 10, but in a typical gesture of fickleness, the zephyrsstopped moving and changed directions a couple of timesbefore an easterly sea wind finally filled in before 11 a.m.Then the final two races began. The race committee con-ducted two long races on Sunday before the approach ofrain put an end to the 33rd annual Jetty Park Ocean Regatta.

Sunday’s racing brought on an anxious moment in theHobie 16 A fleet. Chuck Pickering and his son Charlie start-

ed the last race in first place. They collided with anothercatamaran, resulting in a hole in the bow of their boat. Theycontinued racing, thinking that the hole was a (relatively)insignificant fracture. Rounding the final mark for that race,their catamaran went over and appeared to be sinking withthe starboard hull full of water. A chase boat successfullygave them a tow into shore by tying a line to the floodedtrampoline’s front trampoline pedestal and pulling the cata-maran from that point. The towing speed gave this sinkinghull enough lift to keep it at the surface while the crewstayed over the intact hull, relying on its buoyancy to sup-port them on the boat. Catamarans with a flooded hulldon’t always behave so well under tow. Team Pickering hadmore good luck with the scoring. The unfinished race was athrow-out that permitted them to retain their first-placestanding. They won with just a single point more than MikeBurley and Earl Sanders, a team that has a string of first-place finishes of its own.

With decreasing venues for ocean races and increasingpermitting, insurance and beach access inconvenience,every year of an ocean race seems like its last. JPOR, as thisrace is often called, seems likely to continue for at least afew more years as long as weather and other interfering fac-tors don’t overwhelm the organizers’ lives. There’s nothinglike the experience of ocean sailing on a beach cat and nomore enjoyable place for it than east central Florida.

Results:Hobie 16B: 1, Michael Norton & Michael Norton, Jr.; 2, Lee &Stephanie Dunn; 3, Mark & Suzie Boxman; Hobie 16A: 1, Chuck &Charlie Pickering; 2, Michael Burley & Earl Sanders; 3, Javier Junco &Kate Brennan; Open High: 1, Marlene Sassman; 2, Craig Long & JohnHarrison; 3rd Wayne Lynch; Open Low: 1, John McKnight & TerryGreene; 2, Rich Ushchold & Joni Burman; 3, Frank Rodricks & Kathy;Formula 16: 1, Matt & Gina MacDonald; 2, Chuck Harnden & PaulAllum; 3, Robi & Mary Gilberison; Formula 18: 1, Brian Karr & AaronHayson; 2, Jennifer Lindsay & Fred Metcalf; 3, David & Kathy Ingram;Nacra Inter 20: 1, John Casey & Rachel Croughwell; 2, Terry & RickLoewen; 3, Mark Herendeen & Scott Huble.

RACE CALENDAR

July– Central East Florida1-2 Eau Gallie Cruise. East Coast Sailing

Association–Cruising1-2 Firecracker Regatta. Port Canaveral Yacht Club2,9,23,30 Small Boat Racing. Melbourne Yacht Club

John Casey and Rachel Croughwell head for a fly-over finishduring the first race. Photo by Roy Laughlin.

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 45

46 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

3-11 Regatta Time in Abaco3,12,19,26 Wed. Evening Summer Series, Indian River Yacht Club14,28 Summer Rum Race. Melbourne Yacht Club23 Fall Women’s #1. East Coast Sailing Association–Racing29 River Challenge. East Coast Sailing Association–RacingJuly – Northeast Florida. www.sailjax.com 8 Moonlight Regatta. Rudder Club15-16 1st Annual St. Johns Optimist Green Fleet Dingy

Regatta. The Florida Yacht ClubAugust– Central East Florida2 Mosquito Race (Wed. Evening Race), Indian River Yacht Club4 Fall Rum Race, Melbourne Yacht Club6 Small Boat Racing. Melbourne Yacht Club.9 Mosquito Race (Wed. Evening Race,) Indian River Yacht Club12 Single-Handed, Race. East Coast Sailing Association13 Summer Racing Series #2, Indian River Yacht Club16 Mosquito Race (Wed. Evening Race). Indian River Yacht Club18 Fall Rum Race. Melbourne Yacht Club19 Fun Race. East Coast Racing Association19 Beach Raft Up at Peck’s. Lake Stuart. Corinthian Yacht Club20 Fall Women’s Race Series #2. East Coast Racing Association23 Mosquito Race (Wed. Evening Race). Indian River Yacht Club30 Wed. Evening Fall Series. Indian River Yacht Club

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA

BBYRA #7 – KBYC Annual Regatta, Miami, FL, June 3

By Art Perez

The annual KBYC regatta was a poorly attended affair withonly 23 boats showing up for the start. The largest fleet(PHRF2) had six entries and continues to be the most con-sistent fleet for showing up at the start. Part of their goodattendance record can be attributed to the fact that only afew points separate the first four boats for the series. Withstill two races to go and three throw-outs, Jammin helmedby Russ Horn, holds a slight lead on the rest of the PHRF2fleet. PHRF1, on the other hand, has a clear winner in thehands of Pipe Dream XIV.

After a short postponement, the first race of the day gotunder way under sunny skies and a light, shifty breeze. Thewind had not yet completely filled in across the racecourseso it was a battle to find the pressure and keep the boatmoving, especially during the downwind leg. The light-dis-placement boats made the best of the circumstances, post-ing first-place finishes in their respective fleets. This advan-tage was to be short-lived. By race two, the breeze hadkicked in and settled around 12 knots, leveling the playingfield somewhat.

In PHRF 1, the battle continued between Thin Ice andthe perennial top finisher, Triptease. Today, it was Thin Ice’s

turn to win, with two convincing first-place finishes. ThePHRF2 fleet had its own battle brewing. NewcomerShadowfax, sailed by Oliver Waite, showed up sporting a newcarbon fiber mainsail from the Doyle Sail loft with sailmakerEamonn Delisser in tow as trimmer/tactician. That combina-tion proved to be the winning one, as Shadowfax proved to bea worthy competitor taking top honors for the day.

By 3 p.m., everyone was heading back to shore ready torelax and join in the festivities at KBYC. As is usually thecase, the club hosted a great after-party trophy presentation.It’s a shame that so many missed out on the fun.

Results:PHRF1; 1st Pl – Thin Ice/Stuart Hebb; 2nd Pl – Triptease/Rubin-Shellow; 3rd Pl – Pipe Dream XIV/Tom & Scott Piper; PHRF2; 1st Pl –Oliver Waite/Shadowfax; 2nd Pl – David Kurtz/Goombay; 3rd Pl –Jammin/Russ & Vicky Horn; PHRF3; 1st Pl – Karen Mitchell/Sailing forLife.Org; PHRF4; 1st Pl – Deadline/Gary Marston; 2nd Pl – NightMoves/Victor Brown; 3rd Pl – Maiden/ Lea Hume; J24; 1st Pl – I’llGo/Gonzalo Diaz, Sr; 2nd Pl – Joe Cool/Lional Baugh; 3rd Pl – Blah BlahBlah/Mark Milnes; Melges 24; 1st Pl – Group Therapy/Tom Seghi; 2ndPl – Huzzah!!!/George Coggeshall.

RACE CALENDAR

JULY4-14 Regatta Time in the Abacos. See ad page 21, and “Short

Tacks” section for more info.8 Venture Sailing Club Races open to the public. Miami,

www.venturesailingclub.com. 954-494-230415 J/24 Summer 3. Flat Earth Racing – J/24 one-design

racing. Must be registered with Flat Earth Racing.

AUGUST8 Venture Sailing Club Races open to the public. Miami,

www.venturesailingclub.com. 954-494-2304

Note: There are no BBYRA scheduled races during the summerbreak, July and August.

Legend for Above Yacht Clubs and Organizations BBYRA Biscayne Bay Yacht Racing Association. www.bbyra.netBBYC Biscayne Bay Yacht Club. www.bbyra.netCGSC Coconut Grove Sailing Club. www.cgsc.orgCRYC Coral Reef Yacht Club. www.coralreefyachtclub.orgKBYC Key Biscayne Yacht Club. www.kbyc.org.MYC Miami Yacht Club. www.miamiyachtclub.net.

RACING

PHRF1 in action at the KBYC Annual Regatta. Photo by MichalLeszczynski.

RACE CALENDAR

Key West Sailing Club. Every Saturday – Open House atthe Key West Sailing Club. 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (305)292-5993. www.keywestsailingclub.org. Sailboat Lane offPalm Avenue in Key West. Come by the club to sail. Non-members and members welcome. Wednesday night racinghas begun for the summer season. Skippers meet at theclubhouse by 5:00 p.m. and boats start racing at 6:00 p.m. inthe seaplane basin near the mooring field. Dinner anddrinks afterward.

Upper Keys Sailing Club.www.upperkeyssailingclub.com.

RACE CALENDAR

Club Racing Bradenton YC. Evening Races Daylight Savings time of year.

Races at 6:30 p.m. PHRF racing on Manatee River. For info callLarry Lecuyer, (941) 729-5401.

Venice Sailing Squadron. Saturdays. First Saturday of eachmonth, PHRF racing. Start at mouth of Venice Inlet. www.venice-sailing-squadron.org

Edison Sailing Center, Fort. Myers. Sunfish and dinghy rac-ing once a month, [email protected]

Port Charlotte. Third Saturday of month, year-round. [email protected]

JULY4 Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Firecracker Race. 4 Tampa Bay Catamaran Society. Race For Liberty,

Catamarans. 8 Cortez Yacht Club Commodore’s Cup Series (CYCCC).

Race #3. Cortez YC.22 Caloosahatchee Marching & Chowder Society. Firecracker

Night Race, PHRF.23-28 Sarasota Youth Sailing Program. US Optimist Dinghy

Assoc. National Championship. www.sarasotaysp.com.

AUGUST12 Cortez Yacht Club Commodore’s Cup Series (CYCCC).

Race #4. Cortez YC.

Correction on the Gulfport to Pensacola RaceLast month it was reported that the Gulfport to PensacolaRace would not be held due to Hurricane Katrina damageto the Gulfport Harbor. After the press deadline and threeweeks prior to the race on June 16, the decision was made tohold the 100-mile race out of Biloxi, MS, where a few dockslips were made available for the long-distance race partici-pants. Due to timing, this revised information did not makeit to print.

Ladies Sailing Trilogy – Fast Women, Bikini Regatta and Race for the Roses in July and AugustBy Kim Kaminski

Lady sailors along the Gulf Coast look forward to themonth of July, when the Ladies’ Trilogy sailing competitionbegins. The racing series starts with the Fast WomenRegatta, held by the Point Yacht Club in Josephine, AL, onJuly 15. For information go to www.pointyachtclub.org.

The second race is the Bikini Regatta, held by the NavyYacht Club in Pensacola, FL, on July 22. Last year markedthe 25th anniversary of this regatta, and this is the firstladies sailing event in the area. This year’s event shouldprove to be just as exciting when the Navy Yacht Club willbe celebrating its 75th anniversary. For more information,go to www.navypnsyc.org

The final race is the Race for the Roses Regatta, held bythe Pensacola Beach Yacht Club on Pensacola Beach, FL, onJuly 29. In addition to the series race, one-design competi-tion will also be held in conjunction with this event. Formore information, go to www.pensacolabeach-yc.org.

RACE REPORT

Grimm named GYAWomen’s PHRF ChampionBy Julie B. Connerley

The 2006 Gulf Yachting Association’s Women’s PHRFChampionship was held on Lake Pontchartrain June 4-5

See NORTHERN GULF COAST SAILING continued on page 52

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 47

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50 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 51

52 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

BOAT LETTERING

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YOGA SAILING CHARTERS (305) 989-7181Enjoy a Magical week of Yoga & AdventureSailing in the Bahamas or Belize Oct. 05 orJan & May 06 www.dutchlove.com

CAPTAIN SERVICES

CAPT. KEVIN MURPHY . . . . .(340) 277-1026USCG Licensed Master, Deliveries, Instruction [email protected]

TOPSAIL SERVICESDeliveries • Consulting

Power • SailUSCG Licensed Master • Unlimited TonnageDon Charland (910) 279-6315

[email protected]

COMMUNICATIONSDOCKSIDE RADIO www.docksideradio.comPactor II/III Modem Sales & Support; FCCMarine Radio License filing; SailMail WinLinkInstallation & Training . . . . .(941) 661-4498

CUSTOM BOAT SERVICES & REPAIRS

ELLIE’S SAILING SHOP . . . . . . . . . .Clearwater Lifelines, rigging, hardware, repairsServing small boat sailors Since 1958Sunfish Boats and Parts . . . . .(727) 442-3281________________________________________

GLASTECH YACHTS . . . . . . .(727) 544-5512Full Service Marine Yard & Mobile ServicePower & Sail • Serving West Floridawww.glastech34trawler.com________________________________________

Industrial Marine Supply . . . . . . . .Tampa BayGas/Diesel Repair & MaintenanceCertified Electrical & Plumbing Underwater work . . . . . .(775) 771-8515 cell

FISHING GUIDES

FL KEYS BACKCOUNTRY TRIPSWith Pro Guide Capt. “BR”Exploring, Sportfishing, Birding(305) 304-2258 www.keywestsportfish.com

MARINE DIESEL SERVICE

INLAND MARINE DIESEL . . . . . . . . . .AtlantaService/Parts for all makes of diesel auxiliaryNew Engine Sales–Universal, Beta, Yanmar,and Westerbeke . . . . . . . . ..(404) 513-4414

MARINE SURVEYINGTAYLOR MARINE SURVEYING &CONSULTING, LLCSpecializing in Sailing Vessels (904) 466-0602www.taylormarinesurveying.com

RIGGING SERVICES

REGIONAL SAILINGSailing Services Directory starts as low as $10 a month.

Advertise your services here

1" boxed-in ads for $240 a year

under sunny skies amid a sailing com-munity determined to rebuild afterHurricane Katrina.

Now in its sixth year, the Women’sChampionship began as an all-femaleregatta in 1988 called the Race for theRoses, hosted by Pensacola Beach Yacht

Club. In 2001, PBYC petitioned theGYA to have the race sanctioned as theWomen’s PHRF Championship andhas hosted the event yearly.

“After 2005,” said former PBYCcommodore, Tim Simmons, “PBYCproposed, in the interest of furtheringwomen’s sailing within the GYA, thatthe event be hosted by another yachtclub, and from that point forward, the

winning boat or skipper could host thechampionship if they so desired.”

Southern Yacht Club coordinatedthis year’s two-day event, which washeld in conjunction with the annualFleur de Lis series co-sponsored bythe Lake Pontchartrain Women’sSailing Association, SYC, NewOrleans Yacht Club, and CorinthianSailing Association.

ADVERTISE IN THIS

SERVICES DIRECTORY

STARTING AT $8/ MONTH.

EDITOR@SOUTHWINDS-

MAGAZINE.COM

OR CALL

(941) 795-8704

NORTHERN GULF COASTcontinued from page 47

SERVICES DIRECTORYCall (941) 795-8704 or e-mail [email protected]

RIGGING SERVICES

Bay RiggingTAMPA’S MOBILE RIGGING SERVICE Yacht Rigging • Furlers • Lifelines

Cell (727) 215-0704www.bayrigging.com

SSMR. INC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .727-823-4800Complete Rigging Services

On-Site Crane, Splicing & SwagingCommissioning Services

On Salt Creek at Salt Creek Boat WorksFax 727-823-3270 . . . . . . . . . .St. Petersburg

SAILING INSTRUCTION

ADVENTURE CRUISING & SAILING SCHOOLA sailing school for Women and Couples• ASA • West Florida and Chesapeakewww.acss.bz . . . . . . . . . . . . .(727) 204-8850

YACHTING VACATIONS Punta Gorda, FL Sailboat Charters 22’-48’ ASA instructionLive-aboard/non-live-aboardwww.yachtingvacations.com (800) 447-0080

SEA TIME SAILING SCHOOL . . . . .Miami, FL Offshore trips/Sailing courseswww.seatimesailing.com . . . .(954) 636-9726

SAILMAKING, REPAIRING& CLEANING

ADVANCED SAILS . . . . . . . . .(727) 896-7245Quality Cruising Sails & Service

Closest Sailmaker to St. Petersburg MarinasKeith Donaldson . . . . . . . . . .(727) 896-7245

C’S CANVAS AND SAIL REPAIRSee ad in Canvas & Cushion Services

MASTHEAD USED SAIL . . . .(800) 783-6953www.mastheadsailinggear.comLargest Inventory in the South (727) 327-5361

PORPOISE SAILING SERVICES – Sarasota

*New/Used Sails * New Custom SailsRoller Furling Systems & Packages

(800) 507-0119www.porpoisesailing.com

Scuba Clean Yacht ServiceSee ad in Underwater Services

UNDERWATER SERVICES

Scuba Clean Yacht Service• Underwater Services • Canvas Shop • Sail Cleaning & Repair • Detailing

Serving Pinellas, Hillsborough, Sarasota,Pasco & Manatee Counties.

(727) 327-2628

Defending GYA Women’s PHRFChampion Elaine Boos, SYC, lost herJ/30, Gritz, to Hurricane Katrina.Besides finding an alternate boat to use,Boos, like many New Orleans sailors,had to find replacement crew for someof her regulars who have since movedfrom New Orleans.

Sailing a J/24 named Siren, DebbieGrimm, New Orleans Yacht Club, real-

ly turned on the siren as she took threebullets to win the championship.Another veteran skipper, LouiseBienvenue, of South Shore Yacht Club,sailed a B-25 named Piranha into aneasy second place. First time skipperDee Mollenkopf, of New OrleansYacht Club, captured third place in J-Rex, a J/92.

RACE CALENDAR

Wednesday Evening Fun Races –

Pensacola Yacht Club – 2nd and 4thWednesdays of the Month - April thruOctober

Fort Walton Yacht Club – April thru October

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SERVICE DIRECTORY

Starting at $96 a year

[email protected]

(941) 795-8704

See NORTHERN GULF COAST SAILINGcontinued on page 60

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 53

BOATS & DINGHIES_________________________________________

Inflatable Dinghy for sale. 8’ 8” PlastimoP270K. Solid wood floor. PVC. Oars. Neverused in perfect condition. $850/Best Offer. Bradenton, FL. (941) [email protected]._________________________________________

27’ ERICSON. Carefully maintained, fast, stur-dy, many upgrades & extras, roller furlinggenoa, autopilot and remote, A/C, Bimini,inboard runs great, sailaway, 1 mo. free slip!Reduced! $9,400 offers. Call (727) 364-6710.(7/06)

Catalina 30, 1990 Std Rig, Wing Keel, 2001Westerbeke 26 HP 525 Hours, two 155 Jibs, 2Mains, Spinnaker, Profurl, A/C, Refrigeration,Propane Stove, Hot Pressure water, FullCanvas covers, Auto Pilot, Full electronics,Beautifully Maintained. Call for Specifications$47,500 (239) 768-9205. (8/06)

32’ HUNTER 320 2001. Freshwater, ICW,loaded w/extras, In-mast furling main, autopi-lot, 80-watt solar panel, bimini, dodger, stereosystem, companionway teak doors. $69,500/obo. Luka, MS, (731)394-1897, [email protected]. (8/06)

1985 Bayfield 32C Cutter full keelcruiser.with 18HP Yanmar diesel and only 3’9” draft. Edson wheel sterring. Datamarinedepth and speed. 25# CQR anchor with chainand rode. Bow sprit. Dorade vents. Isomatspars. 8 winches. Excellent sails. S/S stove andoven. Ice box. Sleeps five. Classic H.T.Gozzard design. Only $22,500. Major Carter.www.CortezYachts.com (941) 792-9100

32’ Anastasia Double-ended Cutter, main, jiband staysail, Yanmar 3 cylinder diesel, hull per-fect, house needs completion and minorrepairs, No storm damage, Pensacola,$10,000 OBO, Photos on [email protected]. (7/06).

33’ Glander Tavana 1985 center board masthead sloop. Newly painted bottom, hull, top-sides and non-skid. New rub rail, teak hatch-es. New jib sail. 30 HP Vetus diesel. GreatFlorida and Bahamas boat, draws 3’ board up.A no- nonsense boat offered below market at$12,900/best offer. Needs TLC. Call MajorCarter (941) 792-9100.

• Classified ads with text only for boats are $25 fora three-month ad for up to 30 words. $50 for adwith horizontal photo ($65 if vertical photo). Checkor Credit cards accepted. Must be for sale by owner– no business ads. Boats wanted ads included.• Free ads for boats under $500 (sail and dinghiesonly), all gear under $500, and windsurfingequipment. For sale by owner ads only.• All other ads (including business ads) are $20 amonth for up to 20 words, add $5 a month foreach additional 10 words. $10 a month for a hor-izontal photo. Frequency discounts available.Contact editor.• All ads go on the SOUTHWINDS Web site. For aone-time $10 fee, we will place your ad on theInternet before going to press on the next issue. • No Refunds • The last month your ad runs will be in parenthe-ses, e.g., (10/06) is October 2006.

• Ad must be received by the 10th of the month.

TO PLACE AN AD:1. On the Internet www.southwindsmagazine.comThis applies only to the $25 and $50 ads above withand without photo. Pay with Paypal and put yourad in the subject line. If a photo, then e-mail [email protected] as a separate jpegattachment.2. Via E-mail and Credit Card. E-mail your ad [email protected]. Text can be put inthe e-mail. Send photos as a separate jpeg attach-ment to the e-mail. Pay by mail (see below) or creditcard. You can call us with a credit card number. Giveus the credit card number, expiration, billing addressand name on card. Call (941) 795-8704.3. Mail your ad in. Mail to SOUTHWINDS, PO Box1175, Holmes Beach, FL 34218-1175. Send a checkor credit card number with information as listed in #2

CLASSIFIED ADS — 3 Months for $25Place your ad early on the Internet for $10

above. Mail the photo in (35mm best). If you wantthe photo back, enclose a SASE. Add $5 for a typingcharge.4. Telephone or fax your ad in. Call (941) 795-8704and give us your ad over the phone. There is anadditional $5 typing charge. If you have a photo,you can mail it in. We can take your credit card num-ber, or you can mail a check. Fax: (941) 795-8705.5. Do a combination of the above. E-mail, call in orsend the ad text in via Paypal on our Web site. E-mail the photo directly to the editor. If you don’thave a scanner, mail the photo to us separately. Callthe editor at (941) 795-8704 with any questions.6. We will pick up your ad. Send the editor a checkfor air flight, car rental, hotel, travel, eating andentertainment expenses, and he will come to yourlocation and pick up the ad. Any ads to be pickedup on tropical islands or other resort destinationswill be free.

DISPLAY CLASSIFIEDSAdvertise your business in a display ad in the classifieds section. Sold by the

column inch. 2 inch minimum.(3 column inches is 1/8 page)

MONTHLY COST MINIMUM TOTALADS PER INCH INCHES COST

12 $19 2" $386 $22 2" $443 $25 2" $501 $29 2" $58

54 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

ADVERTISEYOUR BOAT

Starting at$25 for 3 months

C L A S S I F I E D A D S

1973 S&S DEB 33 centerboard sloop. 3’7” -6’3” draft, diesel, tiller autopilot, good sails,Bimini, dodger, VHF, depth, roller furling,AC, 8’ dinghy w/OB. $20,000 OBO. (941)918-8310 (941) 320-7505. (8/06)

1977 Trident Warrior 35. Well-maintainedand equipped for offshore. Call for Details.(850) 866-4490. $46,500 OBO. 8/06

1970 Ericson 35 MKll - Bruce King classicdesign hull #164. Universal 30 HP diesel,Wheel steering w/ emergency tiller, All lineslead aft, Newer sails; 130% UK Kevlar, 170%dacron genoa, & fully battened main w/ reef-ing system. Lazy jack system, Harken dualsheet traveller, Harken roller reef, dodger w/dodger, bimini & full canvas cockpit enclosureincl screens. updated interior cushions, 150’chain w/3 anchors, electric windlass,AM/FM/CD stereo w/cockpit speakers &power amp, Marine Radio, Auto Pilot 4000,Many upgrades incl. opening port lightsthroughout, newer AC & DC throughout.Documented. Great sailing boat w/ lots ofnice gear. Partial trade for smaller trailerableboat considered. $19,000. (727) 363-4000.(7/06)_________________________________________

1995 Hunter 35.5 Only 615 hrs on Yanmar27. New canvas, Navico autopilot, ST 60depth, ST 60 speed, Furuno GPS, SGC SSBradio, Apelco VHF, dinghy w/OB engine, rollerfurling, full batten main w/dutchman, solarpanel, S&L windlass, holding plate refrigera-tion, SS propane stove, 12000 BTU marine air,TV, stereo. Ready to sail with performance andpleasure. $69,900. www.cortezyachts.com.(941) 792-9100.

1994 Hunter 35.5 Yanmar 27 HP recentlyserviced with 780 hours, NEW stereow/remote control, NEW refrigeration, NEWIsenglass in dodger, NEW Batteries (3), NEWBottomsider cockpit cushions, NEW AC ther-mostat, NEW electric windlass w/remoteswitch in cockpit, MarineAire AC, 16,000BTU, recently serviced, Davits, inflatable and2-hp Honda 2-stroke recently serviced.Massey Yacht Sales & Service (727) 824-7262.

Catalina 36, 1984. Full racing/cruisingupgrades, Tall mast, 5’10” draft, rigid boomvang, upgraded flat travel, AC, self-tailingtwo-speed winches, good condition, newheadsail, roller furling, cockpit shower, 3 GPSunits, 2 VHFs, bimini and dodger, 4 batteries,all lines lead to cockpit. $48,900. Autohelm4000. (941) 795-4646. Tampa Bay. [email protected]. For pictures and more info,go to www.catalinaowners.com and do asearch for this boat in classifieds. (7/06)

1978 Jeanneau 37’ Gin Fizz with Perkins 4-108 diesel low less than 100 hours SMOHThis popular center cockpit with aft cabin is acruisers choice. 2 blade Maxi prop and newshaft. Bimini and dodger. Main sail, jib, genoaand spinnaker. Horizon depth, wind speedand direction. Roller furling needs work orreplace. Manual windlass. Bruce anchor w/20’chain and 300’ rode. Pressure hot and coldwater. Micro wave built in. Adlar Barbor refrig-eration. Head with shower. VHF radio, AplelcoGPS. Stereo. Best buy on the market. $36,900Major Carter. www.CortezYachts.com 941-792-9100

IRWIN 37’ cruise equipped, AutoPilot, diesel,center cockpit, watermaker, GPS’s, VHF/HFradios, solar panels, Wind-Gen. Dinghy & OBSpares, complete, working, everything youneed, needs TLC $29,900 (305) 731-3911. [email protected]. (8/06)

38’ Lagoon Catamaran. 2002. Excellent con-dition. One of the best on the market for themoney. Very well-equipped. Lots of new andupdated equipment. $295,000. Call Bob,owner, at (507) 951-1625, or call YachtingVacations (800) 447-0080. Burnt Store Marina,Punta Gorda, FL. (7/06)

DISPLAYCLASSIFIED ADS

STARTING AT$38/MONTH

C L A S S I F I E D A D S

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 55

Columbia 40 1966 centerboard diesel sloop.This classic Maine yacht needs elbow grease onthe bright work. First $21,000 firm. Lying FortMyers. (239) 454-6404. (8/06)

45’ 6” LOA Bayfield 40, Hull # 34 full keel 5’draft, cutter ketch designed by H.T.Gozzardbuilt in 1984. Exceptional condition with lotsof new gear. Harken roller furling on all sails.Marine air, WS, WD, depth, VHF w/remote,SSB, cd/radio, autopilot, chartplotter, Radar,dinghy, life raft $114,000 Call Major Carter orvisit www.Cortezyachts.com

BOAT GEAR & SUPPLIES_________________________________________

Used Boat Gear for Sale. 10’ Zodiac RIB,Paratech 15 & 18—both with line and chain,Teak doors, Stainless Propane stoves,Sospenders, Offshore life vests, 6-man coastallife raft, 36’, 26’, 30’ masts & booms, somewith rigging. Nautical Trader, 110 E. ColoniaLane, Nokomis, FL, (941) 488-0766. Shoponline at www.nauticaltrader.net. _________________________________________

CQR 25 Anchor for sale-No Rust. $75.00.Pompano Beach (954) 558-1360. (8/06)

Two Montague folding, full-size bicycles;perfect for cruising. Like new, with manyextras, including soft carrying cases. “A bicyclethat folds, not a folding bicycle.” $350 each.(941)743-7156 or (941)504-3302. (8/06)_________________________________________

Wanted. Used Aluminum Boom forLightning. (904) 794-0937. (7/06)_________________________________________

Yanmar 10hp 1GM10 Diesel. ExcellentCondition. All gauges and controls. Tank, propand shaft, extra filters and parts. $1600. (727)804-4508.

C L A S S I F I E D A D S

56 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

Tohatsu 18 hp long shaft model. Recentlytuned. Propped for maximum thrust at lowoperating rpms. Dependable. Ideal for 27-footsailboat. Capable of 6 knots to weather in snot-ty seas. Tilt mechanism recently reconditionedand now smooth as butter. Sexy paint job withflames on cowl. Silver cowl and blue shaft.Offers. (941) 722-9022. (8/06)_________________________________________

Boat Diesel Engine.Volvo Penta 3000. 27 hp.Two cylinder. Total hours 3338. Includes manynew parts. Instruction manual. Parts list.Running condition. $2500 negotiable. BestOffer. Ask Mark at (772) 283-1947 from 8 a.m- 4 p.m. (7/06)

Anchor CQR plow. 25 lb. Never used. $200.St. Pete. (727) 344-2092. till 7 p.m. (7/06) BOOKS & CHARTS

_________________________________________

Ocean Routing – Jenifer Clark’s Gulf StreamBoat Routing/Ocean Charts by the “best inthe business.” (301) 952-0930, fax (301)574-0289 or www.erols.com/gulfstrm

BUSINESSES FOR SALE/INVESTMENTS

_________________________________________

FOR SALE: Florida East Coast Sail Loft.Established 10 years. Well-equipped, exten-sive inventory and client list. Walking distanceto several marinas. New sail design, construc-tion and repairs. Custom canvas work, exteri-or/interior, and cushions. Strong used sailinventory. Respond to [email protected]_________________________________________

Licensed contractor in Florida with experi-ence in high-end residential work and lightcommercial, both new and remodeling, seeksto qualify a builder/company. I am a veryresponsible, honest experienced builder withexcellent qualifications seeking a companyneeding my advice and experience in thecontracting business. Only very quality-ori-ented and responsible people need contactme who are in the Tampa Bay [email protected].

CREW AVAILABLE/WANTED_________________________________________

Visit SOUTHWINDS “NEW” boat and crewlisting service at southwindssailing.com

DELIVERY SERVICES_________________________________________

DELIVERIES. ICW, Coastal, Caribbean & Gulf,Sail or Power, by USCG Licensed Captain with30 Years professional experience Includingtwo transAtlantic deliveries. (443) 243-4925or www.marylandsailing.com (8/06)

HELP WANTED_________________________________________

Marine Store help wanted. JSI in St.Petersburg needs PT help in the ShipsStore. Sailing experience needed. Computerand retail experience helpful. Mon-Fri. CallKen Roy @ 727-577-3220 [email protected]_________________________________________

Articles and race reports in the Carolinasand [email protected]._________________________________________

C L A S S I F I E D A D S

News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 57

Classifieds on the internet: www.southwindsmagazine.com

Edwards Yacht Sales is expanding! Yacht bro-kers needed to sell sailboats on either coast. Willtrain! Excellent commissions, group health insur-ance, bonus plan. Contact Roy Edwards at (727)725-1600, www.EdwardsYachtSales.com_________________________________________

Writers, Reporters, Articles, Photos Wanted.SOUTHWINDS is looking for articles on boating,racing, sailing in the Southern waters in allregions, the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Weare also looking for other articles on the follow-ing subjects: marinas, anchorages, mooringfields, disappearing marinas and boatyards,marinas and boatyards sold for condos,anchoring rights, sailing human interest stories,boat reviews, charter stories, waste disposal—and more. Photos are wanted on all these sub-jects, plus we want cover photos (pay $65 forcover photos) of both race and non-race sub-jects, but about sailing. Cover photos must bevery high resolution and vertical format._________________________________________

Service Dept. Rigger. Massey Yacht Sales isaccepting applications and resumes for sailand/or powerboat riggers/outfitters. Manyemployee benefits including paid holidays, paidvacations, health insurance, workmen’s compinsurance, performance bonuses, and goodhourly salary. Must be hardworking, honest, haveown tools and be a team player. Excellent servicedepartment support and organization. Call AliceWinter, ext. 10, service dept. mgr. at (941) 723-1949, or fax resume to (941) 729-7520._________________________________________

Writers and Ideas Wanted on WaterwaysIssues. SOUTHWINDS is looking for writers, act-ing as independent subcontractors to researchand write articles on subjects discussed in the“Our Waterways” section. Must be familiarwith boating, good at research, have comput-er skills, high-speed Internet access and workfor little pay. Most important, you must havean interest and passion for the subject andwant to bring about change and improve-ment of boaters rights, waterways access, anddisappearing marinas and boatyards—andhave lots of ideas and energy to help bringabout improvements through various means(that are, of course, legal and principled). Youmay choose your subject within these param-eters. We would also like to get an organiza-tion going to promote these interests if youcan help. Writers, photographers, cartoonists,jokers, magicians, philosophers and others ofquestionable professions may apply. Send infoto: [email protected]. _________________________________________

Massey Yacht Sales Positions-Sail and/orpower yacht sales positions available in theMassey St. Petersburg and Palmetto dealer-ship offices. Best marina dealership locations,excellent sales, marketing and service dept.support. We are new yacht dealers forCatalina, Hunter, Albin, True North, NordicTugs, plus offer a large inventory of brokeragesail and powerboats. Applicants must be com-puter literate, have successful yacht sales his-tory, good knowledge of yachts and builders,be a team player, motivated and hard work-ing. Best yacht sales income potential onFlorida west coast. Call Massey general salesmanager Frank Hamilton at (941) 723-1610or fax resume to (941) 729-7520.

Murray Yacht Sales is adding professionalyacht brokers and customer service personnelto its successful team. Immediate needsinclude: yacht broker in St. Petersburg office,yacht sales experience required; Rigger/ServiceTech in New Orleans office. E-mail résumé [email protected]._________________________________________

Salesperson wanted to do ad sales forSOUTHWINDS Magazine, selling ads.Experience in sales a must and must be aboater, preferably a sailor, know computer useand email. You can work from anywhere onthis. Commission based. [email protected]. (941) 795-8704. Steve Morrell

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE OR RENT_________________________________________

For Sale - Shows Like A Model - 3BR, 2 fullbaths, 2-car garage with enclosed Floridaroom, patio and vaulted ceilings. Builtlate 2003 on premium lot. Surrounded bymature palms, sprinkler system, well andground lighting. Upgrades galore. Appliancesstay. Generator and hurricane-ready. Located inprivate community in Edgewater, Florida. Closeto beaches, ICW and parks. $284,900. Call(386) 846-9185 for details. All offers enter-tained. (8/06)

South Brevard, Florida Townhouse.Intracoastal Waterway. Deep water. Dockageavailable. No bridges. 2/2.5. New roof andAC. Pool. Tennis. Built 1974. Association fees$236 including water. $249,[email protected].

Waterfront Home for Rent in New PortRichey! (Pasco County). 2BR, 1BA, 1 Carport.40-foot Boat Dock. On 15-foot deep sailboatcanal! Neat and clean. New tile and paint. Just30 minutes from Clearwater. $1,300/month.(727) 452-4851 or (727) 939-4850.

Sarasota, FL Waterfront Townhouse w/Deepwater boat slip for rent. 3br/3ba, 3 floors, 2 fire-places, gated, pool, tennis. Protected boat slipaccommodates up to 70-foot Boat. Directaccess to Gulf. Walk to restaurants and shop-ping. For info call (561) 213-2390. (6/06)

Perfect 2 bedroom Waterfront TownhouseFor Sale. Ultra-furnished—even has HDTV.Very close to Fort Myers Beach. 16-foot boatdock at front door—seconds to the Gulf.$489,000. (239) 565-2277 or (239) 454-1817.

INSURANCE_________________________________________

LODGING FOR SAILORS_________________________________________

Ponce de Leon HotelHistoric downtown hotel at the bay, acrossfrom St. Petersburg YC. 95 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 550-9300 FAX (727) 896-2287www.poncedeleonhotel.com

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TROPHIES/AWARDS HALFHULLS__________________________________________

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Wanted: Used Prodigy (standard or race),other boards, miscellaneous windsurfingequipment. Steve (941) 795-8704,[email protected]

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News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 59

60 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

Air Duck 56American Marine & Supply 10Anesco Marine 57Annapolis Performance Sailing 41Aqua Graphics 52Atlantic Sail Traders 25Banks Sails 53Beachmaster Photography 56Beneteau Sailboats BCBeta Marine 30Bluewater Bay Yachts 3Bluewater Sailing Supply 57Boaters Exchange 10,40Bob and Annie’s Boatyard 16Bo’sun Supplies 14Catalina Yachts 7,10Colligo Engineering 35Cortez Yacht Brokerage 56Crow’s Nest Restaurant 26Cruising Direct Sails 14Defender Industries 56Dockside Radio 23Dwyer mast 56Eastern Yachts/Beneteau 51, BCEdwards Yacht Sales 49E-marine 56,57First Patriot Health Insurance 58Flying Scot Sailboats 55Garhauer Hardware 4Glacier Bay Refrigeration 35Gulf Coast Yacht Sales 48,54Gulf Island Sails 10Hanse Sailboats 55Higgins, Smythe & Hood 48Hobie Cats/Tackle Shack 33Hotwire/Fans & other products 56Hurricane Hoops 29J/Boats - Murray Yacht Sales 50, BCJR Overseas/Moisture Meter 34JSI - New JSI 21Kevane Sails 59Latts & Atts TV 59

Leather Wheel 52Lex-Sea Charters 56Life Captions Video 20Massey Yacht Sales 9,15,31, IBCMasthead Enterprises 4,10,59Murray Yacht Sales/Beneteau 50,BCNational Sail Supply 36Nautical Trader 11New JSI 21Noble Awards 59North Sails 8,59Patricia Knoll Realtor 22Porpoise Used Sails 59Precision Yachts 13Quantum Sarasota 3RB Grove/Universal and Westerbeke 25Rparts Refrigeration 24Sailboats Florida, Inc. 55Sailing Services 18Sailtime Fractional Sailing 17Sarasota Youth Sailing Program

donated boats 51Schurr Sails 39Scurvy Dog Marine 38Sea School 28Sea Tech 30,57SSMR 11St. Augustine Sailing School 59St. Barts/Beneteau BCSuncoast Inflatables 20Sunrise Sailing Services 57Sunstate Realty 22Tackle Shack 33Tampa Sailing Squadron Youth Program 36UK Halsey Sails 19Ullman sails 37Vista Galleries/Sail Portraits 59Watersports West 57Weathermark 10West Marine 2Whitney’s Marine/Sailtime 17Windcraft Catamarans 32

LIL’ FLASH continued from page 62

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and found that the crank-up cable hadunraveled off the drum. The keel wasdragging the bottom of the river, andwe were hauling them backwardsbecause it was aside us stern to bow.Hasty put Skimmer in reverse andturned the assembly 180 degrees. Joespent the time on the way to the clubdiving to sort out the cable and lift thekeel.

We came up the harbor channelmotoring backwards and made anundignified, but proud, turn past theCharthouse restaurant. Some of thediners and a few of the kitchen staffcame out to watch. Jack Leahy ran

ahead in his Whaler to move the float-ing dock from in front of the club liftand offered to be tugboat, if needed. Inthe heart of the harbor, Hasty turnedSkimmer around and drove forwardbetween the boats on the two adjacentdocks to deposit our cargo as close tothe lift as the mud allowed. BobHughes tied a line around the base ofthe lift. He tossed the other end to Tomat a winch on Lil Flash.

John MacNeill jumped off Skimmeras soon as possible and went to get agas-powered water pump. He gaveWendy Hughes the digital images, andshe had the pictures showing on the

club computer and TV by the time hecame back. A sling was fabricated fromlines and put under the hull. The liftpulled the deck above the water, andlots of bucket bailing was under way.Once it was running, the power-strawsucked out most of the rest of the waterin less than a half hour.

They worked on the boat andmotor late into the night and early thenext morning. Then they sailed it to sec-ond place in the regatta the next twodays with newly applied duct tape seal-ing those pesky hatches. Lil’ Flashmissed first place only because theyblew the outhaul in a race on Sunday.

RACE CALENDAR

JULY1-2 Horn Island Hop (one

design/multihull). OSYC1-3 U.S. Junior Olympic Festival –

PYC8-9 Meigs Regatta (Capdevielle).

FWYC8 Around the Lake. CSA8 Commodore’s Regatta. (Sunfish).

NYC8 Patriot’s Day Regatta. PBYC8 Single-Handed Regatta. FYC8 Race for the Case. GYC8 Rhodes 19 Nationals . FYC15-16 Summer Regatta (Capdevielle).

MYC15 Fast Women Regatta. PYC15 Bastille Day Regatta. NOYC15 Night Race #2. FWBYC22-23 Weatherly Regatta (Capdevielle).

GYC22-23 U. S. Junior Women’s Single-

Handed Regatta, Leiter Cup. Houston Yacht Club

22,29 Summer #1, #2. CSA22 Bikini Regatta. NYC29-30 Junior Lipton Cup. SYC29 Race for the Roses. PBYC29 Cruising / Raft-up. PYCAUGUST5 Summer #3. CSA. 5 Commodore’s Cup #4. NYC5-6 Angus J/22 Regatta.GYC12 Round the Rig. MYC12 PYC Championship #3.PYC12 John Chappell, Lee Stitt Regatta

(one design). PYC12-13 Knost Regatta (Capdevielle).

PCYC19-20 J/22 Charles R. Galloway GYA

Sunfish/Laser. GYC19 Big Mouth Regatta. PBYC20 Single-Handed Regatta. CSA26-27 GYA Lightning26 Pam Sintes Regatta. CSA, SSYC

NORTHERN GULF COASTcontinued from page 53

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ADVERTISER INDEX BY CATEGORY

SAILBOATS – NEW AND BROKERAGEAmerican Marine & Supply 10Beneteau Sailboats BCBluewater Bay Yachts 3Boaters Exchange/Catalina Sailboats 10,40Catalina Yachts 7,10Cortez Yacht Brokerage 56Eastern Yachts 51,BCEdwards Yacht Sales 49Flying Scot Sailboats 55Gulf Coast Yacht Sales 48,54Gulf Island Sails 10Hanse Sailboats 55Hobie Cats/Tackle Shack 33Higgins, Smythe & Hood 48Massey Yacht Sales/Catalina//Hunter/Albin 9,15,31, IBCMasthead Yacht Sales/Catalina 4,10,59Murray Yacht Sales/Beneteau 50,BCSailboats Florida, Inc. 55Sarasota Youth Sailing Program donated boats 51St. Barts/Beneteau BCSuncoast Inflatables/ West Florida 20Tackle Shack/Hobie/Sunfish, St. Petersburg 33Tampa Sailing Squadron Youth Program 36Weathermark 10Whitney’s Marine/Sail Center 17Windcraft, Trimarans and Catamarans, Sail or Power 32Watersports West/Windsurfing 57GEAR, HARDWARE, ACCESSORIES, CLOTHINGAir Duck Hatch Windscoop 56Anesco Marine 57Annapolis Performance Sailing 41Bluewater Bay Yachts 3Bluewater Sailing Supply 57Boaters Exchange, boats, gear, etc. Rockledge FL 10,40Bo’sun Supplies/Hardware 14Colligo Engineering 35Defender Industries 56E-Marine 56,57Garhauer Hardware 4Hotwire/Fans & other products 56Hurricane Hoops 29JR Overseas/Moisture Meter 34JSI - New JSI 21Leather Wheel 52Masthead Enterprises 4,10,59Nautical Trader/buy/sell/consign 11NEW JSI21Rparts Refrigeration 24SSMR 11Tackle Shack/Hobie/Sunfish, Precision 33Watersports West/wet suits, etc 33West Marine 2SAILS (NEW & USED), RIGGING, SPARS, RIGGING SERVICESAtlantic Sail Traders 25Banks Sails/new, used, repair & canvas/ West Florida 53Cruising Direct/sails online by North 14Dwyer Mast/spars, hardware, rigging 56JSI - New JSI 21Masthead/Used Sails and Service 4,10,59National Sail Supply, new&used online 36NEW JSI 21North Sails, new and used 8,59Porpoise Used Sails 59Quantum Sails and Services 3Sailing Services 18Schurr Sails, Pensacola FL 39

SSMR 11Sunrise Sailing Services 57UK Halsey Sails 19Ullman Sails 37West Marine 3CANVASBanks Sails/new, used, repair & canvas/ West Florida 53JSI - New JSI 21Quantum Sails and Services 3USED SAILING/BOATING SUPPLIESNautical Trader/buy/sell/consign, West Florida 11Scurvy Dog Marine/Used, Consign, Pensacola FL 38SAILING SCHOOLSSea School/Captain’s License 28St. Augustine Sailing School 59MARINE ENGINES AND ACCESSORIESBeta Marine 30RB Grove/Universal and Westerbeke 25REAL ESTATEPat Knoll, Sunstate Realty 22RESORTS, MARINAS, RESTAURANTS, BOAT YARDSBob and Annie’s Boatyard 16Crow’s Nest Restaurant & Marina 26FRACTIONAL SAILING/CHARTER COMPANIESLex-Sea Charters 56Sailtime Fractional Sailing 17MARINE SERVICES, SURVEYORS, INSURANCE, TOWING, BOAT LETTERING, ETC.Aqua Graphics/Boat Names/Tampa Bay or buy online 52Beachmaster Photography 56First Patriot Insurance Health Insurance 58Vista Galleries/Sail Portraits 59MARINE ELECTRONICSDockside Radio 23JR Overseas/Moisture Meter 34Sea Tech/Navigation/Communication 30,57BOOKS/CHARTS/VIDEOS/AWARDSNoble Awards 59Lats and Atts TV videos 59Life Captions Video 20

Regional Sailing Services Directory 52-53Subscription Information 61Alphabetical Advertisers’ List 60

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News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS July 2006 61

We were motoring out of theharbor in Melbourne, FL, onSkimmer, Hasty Miller’s ver-

sion of a Nightwind 35, heading forthe Yankee/Rebel Rallysailing race at 1745 onFriday, April 28. As wepassed the Charthouserestaurant, Jack Clarkstarts hollering, “Look!Look!” He was point-ing at a Catalina 22named Lil’ Flash whileit broached a quarter-mile away on theIndian River.

Normally, keelboatsright themselves, butnot this time. They hadpartially lifted theirswinging keel to clear asandbar, and, in theirzeal to play with thenew spinnaker, theyforgot to lower the keelback into position.They launched thechute to port and creat-ed a dramatic eventafter a gybe. As soon asthe sail refilled, the boatbroached and took avicious knockdown.

As a crewmemberfell to the aft corner ofthe cockpit, two othersjumped on the keel, try-ing to pop it back uplike a Laser. The partially lifted keeldidn’t provide enough leverage, andthe wind pushed on the hull. The low-side seat hatches let in huge amountsof water. In less than 30 seconds afterthe mast hit the water, the hulldropped out of sight with blasts ofspray from escaping air. The crew wasleft standing on the port side of thehull—sunk in 8-1/2 feet of water withthe masthead in the mud.

Whattaride, Bad Penny, Maverick,Chasing Rainbows and Skimmer hadalready done an immediate “fleetleft” under power. All we could seewas four heads and eight arms wav-

ing in the six-inch chop. The crews onthe approaching boats were tyinglines to dock fenders, and the firstquestion was, “Is everybody safe?”

On board Lil’ Flash, crewmembersTom Bremen, Joe Fema, Al Jepson andDon Stanley were wet, but okay. Acrewmember from Whattaride tossed afender over. Tom grabbed it and doveto tie it to the pulpit to mark the boat’slocation. He tied another as high upthe mast as possible. A plan was afoot,hoping to set this boat upright usingSkimmer.

We clipped a spinnaker halyardto the line from the mast. We startedcranking the winch as the wind blewus away. The combined tension liftedthe mast out of the mud and abovethe water. Thick mud, known locally

as the “MYC (Melbourne Yacht Club)Black Badge of Courage,” stuck to themasthead.

Both crews worked to strip thesails and hauled themonto Skimmer. Then weused the end of ourmain halyard loopedaround its mast justbelow the spreaders tostand the boat up, leav-ing the deck still underfour feet of water.

The other boatswhich had come totheir aid, seeing that thecrew was safe, andthings were under con-trol, headed off to race.During all this, Lil’ Flashhad been hemorrhag-ing full cans ofBudweiser and bottlesof Gatorade. Whattaridepicked up a few, andone of the shipwrecksurvivors popped thetop of a can thatappeared from thedepths.

Jack Leahy arrivedfrom the club on his 13-foot Whaler. Tom andJoe once again dove toplace bow and sternlines to the towing eyeand the traveler bar ofLil’ Flash. Hasty and the

crew on Skimmer worked the electricwindlass and the various winches topull the boat off the bottom as webrought it up to our chine. A Lil’ Flashcrewmember placed fenders, then puthis feet up on the hull of Skimmer, andHarry Stapor sat on our rail with hisfeet on its pulpit. We headed for theharbor with its deck awash.

Hasty was thinking about theMYC boatlift. Since we knew thewater was skinny near the lift, weasked if they could pull the keel allthe way up. Joe dove into the cabin

See LIL’ FLASH continued on page 60

62 July 2006 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com

The Sinking and Resurrection ofLil’ Flash: All in a Day’s Work

By John B. MacNeill

Lil’ Flash being towed—right after they righted her in the harbor.

Lil’ Flash ready to be lifted up out of the water at the yacht club.