| Title: | SAILING |
| Notice: | Please read Note 2.* before participating in this conference |
| Moderator: | UNIFIX::BERENS |
| Created: | Wed Jul 01 1992 |
| Last Modified: | Mon Jun 02 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 2299 |
| Total number of notes: | 20724 |
I am considering a bareboat charter in the Florida Keys area for
a couple of weeks next year, round about July/August, as my vacation
with my sons. We are all fairly experienced having chartered before
in both Yugoslavia and Greece, plus I have my own boat on the Clyde
in Scotland. My sons both have Royal Yachting Association Day Skipper
qualifications and I expect this year to get the RYA Yachmaster.
Could anyone give any help with reputable charter companies I could
contact and also suggest (contentious this!) the best cruising ground?
I should point out that I'm not a long-distance cruiser when on
holiday, prefering to island-hop with maximum runs of 30-40Nm at
a time.
Share a larger boat with someone from over there would be something
I'd consider if anyone's interested?
Brian
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 690.1 | ZNTHER::NOLAN | Wed Nov 11 1987 08:48 | 10 | ||
Apologies, this is not directly related to the question posed in .0. Can someone please explain the difference between a "bareboat" charter and a "regular" charter? What is the meaning of BAREBOAT? thanks, chris. | |||||
| 690.2 | CASAD1::THOMAS | Wed Nov 11 1987 09:25 | 11 | ||
Never been in the Keys but further north along the coast check with
trhe US Coast Guard and local commercial fishermen to get accurate
(current) information on the coastal inlets. The channels change
quickly so the NOAA charts may not be accurate. The local term for
inlet is "Pass".
Fort Myers, up the west coast from the Keys, is a major charter
port.
Ed
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| 690.3 | BAREBOAT | RDGE43::BARKER | Under the sign of the Blue Shark. | Wed Nov 11 1987 12:39 | 4 |
Bareboat means with out skipper or crew etc.
Simple eh?
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| 690.4 | Do the Everglades! | EXPERT::SPENCER | Wed Nov 11 1987 14:15 | 27 | |
I sailed extensively in the Keys for 3 years, between Key Largo, Key West, and Everglades City (a misnomer if ever there was one.) My strong prejudice is to forego the deep-water-only stuff which restricts you to Hawk Channel and the Gulf Stream south of the Keys, and perhaps picking a careful path up to Flamingo in the Everglades National Park (but no further.) The truly amazing beauty of Florida Bay requires getting out into the flats, awakening next to key covered with roosting roseate spoonbills, watching the tarpon jump, and getting into the Everglades themselves. There's nowhere else on earth quite like it, and winter is the season to do it. There is a charter outfit specializing in shoal draft vessels somewhere near the north end of Florida Bay (Card Sound??), and to do the place justice that's where I'd go. You can sail the protected (quiet) passages north of the Keys, and still drop down at Marathon or Key West, or go out to the reefs for a day if you like. To enjoy a larger, deeper boat, I'd go further south, to the Caribbean proper. The shore life accessible to deep-draft vessels in the Keys is not my cup of tea at all. I'll look up the name of that charter company if you might be interested. I believe they have at least one 37' Meadowlark, a 12-18" draft leeboard delight to sail, or even pole along the flats if calm. John. P.S. If you do wish to get into the 'Glades, let me know if you'd like any information or advice on clothing, insect protection, routes, etc. | |||||
| 690.5 | Give it a try | SSDEVO::WILKINS | Trust me, I know what I'm doing | Thu Nov 12 1987 12:37 | 12 |
Florida Bay is indeed wonderfull. Two things to watch for. Wear
some large lead weights on your ankles to prevent being carried
away by the mosquitoes :^) and watch out for the shallow water.
Much of the flats become land at low tide. The "channels" are marked
by sticks stuck down a couple of feet into the muck by the locals.
If you don't mind polling around and getting a little muddy when
you get stuck there is no place like it in the world and the fishing
is great.
Dick
who_was_born_and_raised_there
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| 690.6 | Excellent Charter Broker | CASAD3::WALKER | Wed Nov 18 1987 09:19 | 9 | |
Have just returned from a Virgin Islands Charter which was arranged
by a charter broker...was pleased with the manner in which it was
handled and the subsequent follow-up to ensure all went as planned.
You might consider contacting Ed Hamilton, North Whitefield, Maine.
Think you will be pleased.
Regards
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| 690.7 | Thanks | AYOU17::NAYLOR | Purring on all 12 cylinders | Thu Nov 19 1987 05:04 | 11 |
Thanks for all the inputs - some via direct mail. I've even found
crew, surprise surprise.
The present state of the US dollar against the UK pound makes it
look even more attractive so I'll be contacting the firms you've
mentioned and stocking up on insect repellants.
May the wind always be a force 4 over a calm sea.
Brian
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