Florida get together

[Awfeith]

Anyone interested in meeting up on the gulf coast this winter?  Had fun last year in Dunedin. How about Tarpon to Sarasota? 

[alsantini]

Depending on date, count me in.  We are in Nokomis FL for the winter.  Charlotte Harbor might be a good choice also since there are a few SunCats, an Eclipse and I think a 19 already on the water.  Charlotte Harbor has a good launch at the beach complex in Port Charlotte.  Good sailing conditions usually.  My Eclipse is ready on a moments notice....    Al

[Awfeith]

There doesn't seem to be much intrest!

[hoddinr]

I'm in, depending on the date selected.  Can bring another few Com-Pac owners from the WCTSS ranks.  What about it, Tom?  Billy?

Ron

[Cruzin]

I would be interested as well. I would have to make sure dates work with my schedule.

Dale

[Tom L.]

Yep sounds good to me. Set a date and we will try to make it happen on our end.

Tom L.

[Gerry]

Would you folks be interested in visiting with a snowbird whose boat is on the hard in Wisconsin?  I'm in Tarpon Springs for Feb and St. Pete for March.

Gerry

[mayrel]

Awfeith, we have long wanted to spend time in FL during the winter.  We've recently purchased a CP16 which may be too small by some sailors' standards for long term cruising.  However, as car campers and having owned other small sailboats, we feel the CP16 can be outfitted with primarily a cockpit enclosure to provide additional privacy/room for sleeping aboard and remaining on the hook for longer periods of time.  Being retired military we also have the option of launching and storing our tow vehicle/trailer at military facilities for a small fee during longer periods of time.  One such location is Tampa(MacDill AFB), an excellent jumping off place for exploring the ICW and working our way south.  We're not sure what your gathering would entail in terms of cruising, but seems you indicated Tarpon to Sarasota as your desired cruising grounds, which I'm sure is perfect.  Of course, with our CP16 we would need to find a marina about every three days or so to resupply, get a real shower and just get off the boat for a day or two.  We may have some difficulty obtaining a slip for our small boat, but I'm confident this won't be a major issue.  Obviously we need to do more research and take advantage of the various cruising guides; not sure which one is best, so any suggestions here?
We won't likely be ready to head south this winter, but certainly next winter.  It's always nice to meet other enthusiasts.  Between my wife and I we are capable of navigation, safety, radio operation and enjoying the passion of sailing, or just being on the water.  Sailing the ICW is great when conditions permit, but most of the time we'd likely be motoring.  Again, exploring various locations along the way would be part of the challenge and fun.  Being able to keep in touch via computer with our financial institutions, friends and other information, adds to the ability to enjoy this lift style with the added bonus of escaping the cold of winter.  We have a log cabin on Lookout mountain near the small town of Mentone AL.  Being a minimum of 6 hours from the Gulf was another factor we considered when purchasing the CP16.  Our Montgomery 17 became a bit too much work for towing, rigging, launching and retrieving.  Our Montgomery 15 was just a bit too small.  The CP16 with her larger cockpit and open cabin layout should work just fine, with a cockpit enclosure.  We look forward to hearing more about this gathering, is it an annual affair, or just an informal invitation to get together?  Thanks for the information....John and Joy

[Billy]

I'm interested. Just really busy with work and a new baby. I was really excited about last year's get together which was right in my back yard but I then I wasn't able to make it at the last minute.

Don't plan around me but if I can make it I most certainly will.

Ron, congrats on switching over from the dark side. Glad to see you got a Com-Pac!

[hoddinr]

Thanks Billy.  I'm enjoying it!

Gerry, yes let me know when you get here, and we'll get together.
The WCTSS has a great cruise to Cayo Costa in March.  http://ftp.ij.net/wctss/wctss/dates.htm

Menu Item #6 on the page above.

Ron

[Mike K]

Ron,

Thanks for the "heads up" about the West Coast (FL) Trailer Sailing Squadron (WCTSS) sail on Charlotte Harbor to Cayo Costa March 20-22.  I don't know if they have a nice message board like this Com-Pac site??

I have a Com-Pac Legacy in North Port Florida, and although I live in Delaware, I'm seriously thinking about taking a week vacation and heading down there to participate in the event.  My wife can't go (new job and no vacation), so I'd be sailing alone with a small dog for company (she's too small to pull up the anchor though!)  I've never sailed solo before, so it might be challenging, and I'd need some contraption to keep the tiller straight while I'm hoisting the main.  I'd do about anything to get out of this winter weather for awhile!

I was in Pelican Bay at Cayo Costa last March on a 35' catamaran, but never made it to shore as I was busy taking ASA tests for my bareboat certifications.   It was so beautiful that I really want to go back and explore the island and the Gulf side.

I'm not a member of WCTSS yet ($20), but if I go, I will probably be launching a trailer from Bookelia on Pine Island.  It may be a little party crashing for a couple of Com-Pacs to just show up, but there's plenty of room in the bay for our smaller boats!  Is anyone else thinking about going?  Maybe Al in your Eclipse?

[hoddinr]

Well, don't worry about party crashing!  I'm the founder of the WCTSS (1998), and we don't have a great message board like this, but we get by with our web site, Yahoo Group, and Facebook page.

All ComPac owners are welcome to join us, and you don't have to pay the dues.  That's only if you want to be a member, and would be joining us on a regular basis.  Then it would only be fair, right?

One year we had over 30 small sailing yachts at the Cayo Costa event.  There's plenty of room for more.  It's  a fun group, non-competitive, and experienced sailors mostly.  Tom Ray has been out there with us, as has Don, Capt. Nemo on another occasion.  Just come prepared to relax and enjoy the island the variety of boats (not all ComPac) and the friendly folks.

Ron Hoddinott
Founder ~ WCTSS ~

[Tom L.]

I will second the comments by Ron. I am a new Sun Cat owner and only about five months with the WCTSS group. The guys I have met so far are as friendly and helpful as they come. Check the web site and click on the events to see where they will be going next. Join in or just come by to say howdy. We cover a lot of central Florida from The east coast ICW to the west coast ICW and several Lakes in between.

Tom L.

[Mike K]

Awfeith, I apologize for potentially hijacking your thread by talking about the WTCSS trip to Cayo Costa.

Anyway, Ron and Tom L. thanks for the welcome.  Since I live in Delaware now, aside from the Cayo Costa trip, I probably will not go on too many other WTCSS events until I fully retire in a few years to the Charlotte Harbor area.   I have no problem joining WTCSS now to keep abreast of the activities, and I loved reading your "trip reports" of past events--wonderful reading and pictures!

I got the green light from the Admiral today (who has no vacation time off) about going solo down to our vacation home in North Port, doing some maintenance on it, and going sailing to Cayo Costa for a few days.  So I will most likely join you guys for the Cayo Costa weekend in March!  I just had to promise her that I won't have TOO much fun without her, and that I will actually come back to the cold, snowy north!

[hoddinr]

That's great!  Will look out for you!

And I also apologize for the thread hijack. 

I'd be delighted to attend a ComPac owners group outing in Florida... anywhere.

Ron