Offshoreonly.com - Information Thread for Thanksgiving Weekend Charity Fun Run, Sat. Nov. 27/10

We have had to make some last minute changes to our upcoming Charity Fun Run on Saturday Nov. 27th. Upon my return from Key West yesterday I was greeted by a fax from Useppa Island informing us that they would not be able to accomodate our group on the 27th. Apparently, there are a larger number of residents coming to the Island for the holiday weekend than expected and they have priority. We have postponed our plans for a breakfast prior to the run and will instead be going into Tarpon Point Resort for our lunch. Details are as follows:

Our fun run to Tarpon Point Resort http://www.tarponpoint.com/ in Cape Coral is one of two fund raising events we have each year to help fund our Ft. Myers Offshore, Inc. student scholarship program.
If you are planning on attending this event please let me know by noon Thursday November 25th as the restaurant must order our food in advance. You may e mail me, or post up on the Ft Myers Offshore forums on OSO. I will only need a boat count as we have become pretty good at estimating total numbers based on the number of participating boats. If any club members choose to drive to Tarpon Point Resort to join us for lunch only, again it is important to let me know so we can make sure there is sufficient food. Attending Captains should read this information thread carefully to minimize any confusion.
As in past fund raising events there will be an entry fee of $100.00 per boat. What is different this year is that each Captain will receive a set of poker cards and an opportunity to win up to $500.00. Please see details below under the Blackjack Poker heading. Payment may be a check made out to Ft. Myers Offshore, Inc. or alternatively cash. Payment will be collected at the lunch stop. As well, our fund raising efforts will involve an additional Blackjack poker game open to everyone and we will be selling our FMO tee shirts and hats.
Come out and have a great day on the water with your friends at FMO and lets show our support for worthy students entering university / college or other institute of higher learning in Lee and Collier Counties. ( Please read our mission statement http://www.ftmyersoffshore.org ) We were able to award 3 scholarships again last year and hope to improve upon that this year.

Membership Renewal:

Think about renewing your membership for next year while at the lunch stop. Memberships expire at the end of the year and we are encouraging people to renew now and miss the end of year rush. There is no change in membership fees and will be good through till the end of 2011. Support your club. Go to www.ftmyersoffshore.org and download the membership form. We will also have membership forms available at Tarpon Point. If you are a current member we will only need basic information as it is already on file unless there have been changes in the information. People tell me all the time what a great thing FMO has going on here and it can only continue if you show your support.

Route:

Our starting point will once again be the south side of the Sanibel Bridge. Boats should assemble around 10:45 am and we will leave by 11:00 AM sharp.

Our route will be a circumnavigation of Sanibel and Captiva Islands and then over to Tarpon Point Resort in Cape Coral for lunch. When we start our run, we will follow the Team PREDATOR paceboat in single file until past the Sanibel Island pier where Jay will be positioned to take pictures. Speed for this portion of the run will be restricted to 50 MPH. After all boats have passed the pier we will then stop for a few minutes while Jay gets picked up from the pier. From there we will head south into San Carlos Bay and make a wide sweep around the bottom end of Sanibel Island, eventually going west into the Gulf and then north up the coast staying a mile or so offshore. Since there will be a wide variety of boats on this run capable of various speeds I am suggesting that once we reach the open Gulf that we settle into smaller groups that will run at a speed that you are comfortable with. The buddy system works great on these types of runs.
We will make our way off the Gulf and back into the ICW via Redfish Pass. If the seas are too rough for your boat, then the alternate route will be to run up the ICW as far as South Seas Resort and meet the offshore group there.
Once off the Gulf and inside Redfish Pass we should come off plane and wait for the back of the pack to catch up before we start the run back south in the ICW and into Tarpon Point Resort. When in the ICW please use extra caution as it is a holiday weekend and the waterways will be busy. The water is to be shared by all.

Pictures:

Club member Alec Cloke ( OSO Catastrophe ) and myself ( OSO Bobthebuilder ) have agreed to cover the cost of providing each participating boat with a 8 X 12 picture of your boat taken by Jay ( OSO Jayboat ) on this run. We ask that you provide Jay with your mailing address when at lunch so he can send you your picture. As mentioned, Jay will be positioned on the pier at the south end of Sanibel Island. In addition Jay has invited his photographer buddy Al along and he will be shooting from Alec's 43 Nor Tech center console. When the opportunity presents itself run alongside Alec for additional pics of you and your crew. Between these two professionals, we can look forward to lots of great pics on this run. Jay will also be posting his pictures on OSO afterward. Jay's contact numbers should you wish to purchase any additional pictures from him are: cell – 941 276 5650 or e mail: [email protected]

Fuel / Distance:

From the Sanibel Bridge to Redfish Pass and back down the ICW to Tarpon Point Resort should be about 50 miles. I expect that all boats starting with full fuel should have enough to do the complete run. There is 89 octane available at South Seas Resort which is just inside Redfish Pass and is approximately half way. 93 octane is very difficult to find these days so please leave with a full tank.

Blackjack Poker:

FMO board member Joe Rutter has agreed to organize a couple of Blackjack poker games to add a new element of interest to this run. One game will be restricted to the boat Captains only, so one or more of them will go home with all or some of the $ 500.00 prize money. As mentioned above, the Captains will be issued playing cards on payment of their $ 100.00 entry fee and can be paid by cash or check. There will be another game that will be open to ALL attendees at the lunch that are of age. Cards in that game will be $25.00 per hand and should be by way of cash rather than check. Half of the sales will become prize money and the other half will go towards FMO's student scholarship program. Joe is working on a set of rules that will govern the poker game and will be printed and available at our lunch at Tarpon Point.

Food:

We will be eating at Tarpon Point Resort in the ballroom. They will be serving us buffet style with salad, chicken marsala, salmon teriyaki, potatoes, vegetables, rolls, desert, coffee, tea, ice tea, water. Mmmmmm looks like Thanksgiving all over again !!
Adults : $20.00 with tip and tax included. Kids half price. Tarpon Point Resort has requested that we pay for our lunch with cash as they do not want to process a high number of credit card transactions.

Communication:

Inter boat communication to be on VHF channel 72. My cell number is 239 776 0481. Anyone dropping out after the start should let me know so we do not spend time either waiting or looking for you. Leave a voicemail if no answer.

Tide Information:

Marco River HT: 3:36 AM; LT: 11:18 AM; HT: 5:50 PM
Naples Bay ( North End ) HT: 3:24 AM; LT: 11:20 AM; HT: 6:04 PM
Estero Bay HT: 3:46 AM; LT: 11:59 AM ; HT: 7:04 PM
Sanibel Bridge ( Punta Rassa ) HT: 3:32 AM; LT: 11:20 AM; HT: 6:50 PM
Cape Coral Bridge (Caloosahatchee River) HT:5:48 AM; LT: 2:41 PM; HT: 9:06 PM
Punta Gorda HT: 6:01 AM; LT: 1:59 PM; HT: 8:41 PM

Waypoints:

Marco Island: N 25 58 38; W 81 46 25

Naples ( Gordon Pass): N 26 05 50; W 81 48 67

Sanibel Bridge: N 26 29 00; W 82 00 88

Redfish Pass- : N 26 33 14; W 82 12 70

Weather / Sea Conditions:

To be posted on the Ft Myers Offshore forums here on OSO, 5 days prior to the run and updated daily referencing The Weather Channel and NOAA.

Safety:

Each boat Captain is required to operate his 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
When running in the Intra Coastal Waterway ( ICW ) please be aware that this can be a high traffic area and we ask that other boats be given a wide berth and that the rules of the road ( waterway ) be adhered to.

Contact:

Bob cell: 239 776 0481 or e mail: [email protected]