Our New Years Day Fun Run will be to Marco Island. Again, we will start from the south side of the Sanibel Bridge at
11:30 AM. We will be having lunch at Guy Harvey's in the Esplanade complex. Danny has agreed to give us our own 2 hr. private setting from 1:30 till 3:30 PM before he opens to the public.
This run will be different in that we have hired a helicopter in order that Jay ( Jayboat) can provide you with aerial pictures of your boat. We are looking into video pictures as well.
If you are able to join us, post up here or let me know by phone: 239-776-0481, e mail:
bobthebuilder@rogers.blackberry.net or by way of PM here on OSO. Post your questions here on this thread and I will do my best to answer them.
The run is open to all offshore boats capable of a 50 MPH min. cruising speed so tell your friends but please help by making sure they get the information in this thread.
Bob
Route: From the Sanibel Bridge we will run a straight shot to the beachfront high rise condos at Naples and once we get south of Gordon Pass thought it would be neat to run just off the beach along Keewaydin Island to Big Marco Pass.
We will have 3 groups and 3 separate starts. Each group will have a paceboat identified by a different color flag. Please assemble close to the group you choose to run in. Group 1 will be boats capable of cruising at over 75 MPH and will start first, shortly after the helicopter arrives. I will be the paceboat for Group 2 for boats wanting to cruise at 65 to 70 MPH. The final start will be Group 3 consisting of boats cruising at 50 to 60 MPH depending on sea conditions.
Until you get your picture taken, we should stay in the same general vicinity and not be all over the Gulf. Once your picture has been taken there is no need to stay behind the paceboat.
We should all stop at Gordon Pass to regroup for the run down the beach to Marco.
Fuel / Distance: The distance from the Sanibel Bridge to Marco Island is about 45 miles each way. All boats are urged to leave with full fuel as there is no convenient fuelling on Marco Island or anywhere in between. 93 octane is available at the Caloosa Island Yacht Club in Goodland which is 10 miles southeast of Marco and not real easy to get to. 93 octane is also available at the Cape Coral Yacht Club.
Food: Danny and Bradley at Guy Harvey's Island Grill have put together a limited menu for us to select from. We can choose from their Bay Burger, Fish Sandwich, Chicken Sandwich, Philly Cheesesteak, Caesar or House Salad ( add chicken breast, shrimp, salmon or mahi mahi ) or their Key West Cobb Salad with lump crab. All sounds good to me. Salads start at $7.99 up to $11.99 for the Philly Cheesesteak.
Communication: Interboat communication to be on VHF channel 72. My cell is 239-776-0481. Anyone dropping out after the start should let me know so we do not spend time waiting or looking for you. Leave a voice mail if no answer.
Pictures:
Jay ( OSO / FMO Jayboat ) will be taking aerial pics from the R 44 helicopter. The cost will be $100 per boat. We now have confirmation that Donna C. ( Tom - Megabyte*3's wife ) will be in the helicopter as well, shooting video of the boats. All participating boats are asked to contribute unless for some reason we cannot get pictures of your boat.
Tide Info:
Cape Coral Bridge : HT - 10:57 AM; LT - 3:32 PM; HT - 9:28 PM
Sanibel Bridge: HT - 8:29 AM; LT - 11:59 PM; HT - 7:01 PM
Estero Bay: HT - 8:55 AM; LT - 12:50 PM; HT - 7:26 PM
Naples Bay: HT - 8:07; LT - 1:39 PM; HT - 7:25 PM
Marco River: HT - 8:20 AM; LT - 1:42 PM; HT - 7:38 PM
Waypoints:
Sanibel Bridge: N 26 29 00; W 82 00 88.
Naples: ( Gordon Pass ) N 26 05 50; W 81 48 67.
Marco Island: N 25 58 38; W 81 46 25
Weather / Sea Conditions:
See post # 133 for the latest weather posted at 8 AM this morning Jan. 1 / 08
Safety: Each boat Captain is required to operate his / her vessel in a safe manner and is responsible for his / her crew and their safety. Familiarize yourself with BSAFE ( Boating Safety Association for Events ). Visit
www.boatingsafe.org
Contact Info:
Bob cell: 239-776-0481 e mail:
bobthebuilder@rogers.blackberry.net
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So hope to see you all there
