2014 Florida Get Together

[Billy]

+1 for Bert!

[Neil Holck]

 My wife and I have traveled quite a bit on land and water and feel there is nowhere as wonderful as the West Coast of Florida in January, February, and March.  To make sure the temps stay warm, we've found that the Fort Meyers area is the furthest north you can guarantee this. If everyone feels the East Coast of Florida works best, I would suggest Miami and south of there for the same reason. The best part of going in Jan., Feb. and March is getting away from the worst and most boring parts of Midwest Winter and not having flies and mosquitoes of the Summer Florida.
Hope everyone can work something out.  Getting away from the upper Midwest in those months makes a lot of us VERY happy.

[frank]

Bay side of Keys is amazing. The "Lora Li" bar in Islmorada is a definate stop   

[crazycarl]

i would like to see this happen between the 3rd week of april and mother's day. (can't fool with mother's day)

this is what i've come up with so far...

pensacola area:  gulf breeze, shoreline park.  we can leave our vehicles at the park for days and there are marinas and stores close by.  we can also camp on the islands if necessary.   we did the florida 120 last year, and this was the jumping off point.  aprils averages: high temp 76*  precipitation 4.32"
lattitude 30*21'5.53"N  longitude 87*10'32.27""W

key largo (bay side): manatee bay marine (very trailer/sailor friendly) access to biscayne bay where it's a beautiful sail to elliot key which could be a "base camp" of sort. there is also close by boca chita key, once owned by the howells of bell & howell with their original home, light house, and chapel.  also all the little bays and "keys" on the bay side to explore. +great snorkeling. aprils averages: high temp 82*  precipitation 1.88"
latitude 25*14'10.28"N  longitude 80*25' 57.47"W

cayo costa: i don't have any info on launch sites and i personally have never been, but many on this site do, and can give advice.  google earth shows beautiful sand beaches and plenty of anchorages of safe harbor. 
aprils averages: high temp 84*  precipitation 2.03
latitude 26*40'25.18"N  longitude 82*14'421.45"W

i personally like the idea of beaches/base camp because they will give us the opportunity to socialize and get to know one another.  the lack of beaches in the upper keys would be the reason for a base camp at elliot.  the waters are shallow enough to allow us to drop the hook and swim just about anywhere.  however, it's a long day of sailing (17 miles as the gull flys) to key biscayne if one needed supplies.

so here goes.  anyone who believes they have a good chance of attending, cast a vote for the place you would like this to happen, and at the end of the year (oct/nov) we should have a destination.

the coodinates are for anyone with access to google earth.

carl

[InertBert]

I wonder if there is mosquito data on these choices.  Beaches and food availability are a distant second to how bad mosquitoes are when I'm deciding where to camp.

[crazycarl]

i just remembered that there are cold water showers and bathrooms on elliot key.

mosquitoes, i was there in february so i don't know what they would be like in april/may. there weren't any in february!

http://www.nps.gov/bisc/planyourvisit/elliottkey.htm

carl

[thomeng55]

I would be interested in hitting almost any place in Florida.  I am pretty new with my CP23 only 3 weeks under my feet but looking for a trip to Florida next year and meeting up with you all would be great.  ITs a long haul from Chicago, but would love to join in.

[HideAway]

After reading the posts I had pretty much ruled out Tampa Bay area- IE St Petersburg, Clearwater but there are some advantages.  You will save a day's drive each way since we are in the center west coast of FL.  We can do a day trip to the Com-pac plant.  With notice and board approval we can use Boca Ciega Yacht Club facilities in Gulfport.  Ft Desoto Park, one of Leatherman's best beaches & a great on the water campground and excellent ramps are available.  The 19s and 23s can anchor close by in protected waters.   Its an easy daysail from Gulfport down the ICW into the Gulf and Bunces Pass.  To get an idea of the area almost all of my videos are filmed in this area, but Navigating the Narrow Shallows is specifically about Mullet Key & Ft Desoto and St Pete Beach Gunkhole Cruise is in the same area.  No matter where you go camping in Fl at this time of year requires reservations up to 6 months ahead.  For those with more time - Caladesi Island, Three Rooker Bar and Anclote Key beckon -I will be posting more videos & blogs about this cruise.  I have to disagree a bit with one post about timing.  Local cruisers consider Oct AND the first half of May as the best months.  Our opinion is Mid May because by then we do not have cold fronts, its too early for tropical weather and the serious heat starts Memorial weekend. Our recent cruise to Anclote Key from Gulfport was mid may - I have some pics on my blog.  google map/satellite any of those names too.  Some more good stuff to dream about     Matt 

[Ted]

The April timeframe mentioned above is getting a bit late. Bugs and heat... But, I will try to make it whenever/wherever.

What's the best way to gather input on this to get the max members involved? Survey? I could setup a survey and we could see what we get.

[Cruzin]

The West coast of Florida mentioned by Hideaway are fantastic and should not be overlooked. I am a bit biased by spending my entire life on the West Coast of Florida. I live in the area of Crystal River and this area is beautiful as well. The area is known for the beautiful spring fed rivers and abundant natural attractions and wildlife. I particularly like Cedar Key as it is a very cool place. Cedar Key hosts a couple of paddling and small boat events yearly. There is also a Nature Coast Paddling Trail through the gulf coast with island camping! The Tampa Bay area is very nice, i just prefer the less populated Nature Coast area from Crystal River north. Caledesi Island area is beautiful! Use your web browsers and search Cedar Key, Crystal River, Citrus County Chamber of Commerce, Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce etc. You will be impressed! The keys are exceptional and worthy of a visit by all, but always more crowded than I prefer and usually expensive and a days drive at least from the Nature Coast area. Of course all of Florida is generally beautiful when you are on a sailboat with a cool beverage! Why live in the cold?
Dale

[Billy]

Isn't Ceadar Key & Crystal River pretty skinny? For a group w/out local knowledge that could be a problem.

Admins,
As Ted mentioned, is there a way to setup a poll or a vote?

One for locations and one for dates?

[Cruzin]

Yes it is some of skinniest water in Florida, but easy to navigate for most people. On the west coast of Florida the gulf water is generally clearer the further south you travel. The northern area is nothing like the keys for saltwater diving and snorkeling. The freshwater coastal diving and snorkeling is fantastic, but more limited. Cedar Key or Crystal River would make a nice stop over point for anyone traveling further south as well. If you traveled from approximately Crystal River to Islamorada (in the Keys) it is a little over 400 miles. I am in any for any location the group decides as it is all great! I would encourage any visitors and I would be happy to show you the area. I always need work done on my boat as well! Signing off as the official Florida Nature Coast Welcome Center!
Dale

[InertBert]

Lets rule out a few places until its narrowed down to just two or three then take a vote.  That way your vote isn't "wasted" on a place that had no statistical possibility of winning.  

A brief recap of the contenders:

Cedar Key
Wind/weather: 4/5
Navigation: 2/5
Nature: 5/5
Crowds: 5/5
Beaches:3/5
Diving: 2/5
Easy to get to: 4/5

Anclote/caledesi
Wind/weather: 3/5
Navigation: 3/5 (shallow anchorage)
Nature: 4/5
Crowds: 5/5
Beaches:5/5
Diving: 1/5
Easy to get to: 5/5

Ft DeSoto/Tampa
Wind/weather: 5/5
Navigation: 3/5
Nature: 3/5 (historic)
Crowds: 3/5
Beaches:5/5
Diving: 1/5
Easy to get to: 5/5

Charlotte Harbor/Cayo Costo
Wind/weather: 4/5
Navigation: 4/5
Nature: 5/5
Crowds: 4/5
Beaches:5/5
Diving: 2/5
Easy to get to: 5/5


Pennekamp
Wind/weather: 3/5 (trade winds)
Navigation: 4/5
Nature: 2/5 (Historic, touristy stuff to do)
Crowds: 1/5
Beaches:2/5
Diving: 5/5 (amazing)
Easy to get to: 3/5

Lower keys
Wind/weather: 3/5 (trade winds)
Navigation: 4/5
Nature: 2/5 (touristy stuff to do)
Crowds: 1/5
Beaches:0/5
Diving: 5/5
Easy to get to: 1/5

Biscayne bay (not a strong contender compared to others)
Wind/weather: 3/5
Navigation: 4/5
Nature: 2/5
Crowds: 1/5
Beaches:1/5
Diving: 3/5
Easy to get to: 3/5

I don't know much about the panhandle because I've rarely ever been there.  East coast has limited appeal for this type of get together due to limited anchorages and camping. 

[Billy]

My vote is
Anclote/Caladesei
Pennekamp
Charlote Harbor/Cayo Costa

In any order.

I prefer mid to late April as the water is warm enough to swim in but not too cold and the air is not too hot.

There is my vote.

[Ted]

Let's do a real survey. As asked above, admins, can we setup a survey? If not, I can create one on surveymonkey for us. I will wait unit I hear definitively from the admins.