Naples, FL - Key West in April, Spring Vacation Planning Help
01-01-2011, 01:42 AM
#11
Registered User
Gold Member
Boating in the area youll be visiting is some of the best in the world. If you choose to stay local instead of hitting kw you have an amazing amount of day trips to local bars and rest in the area. Just post when you will want to do a trip and some FMO boater will surely show you around the area. Some of the greatest people I have ever met come from this area. Welcome
01-01-2011, 11:06 AM
#12
Registered
Thread Starter
Couple of tips from some of my longer trips-
1-we all know the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line, but sometimes the safest way may be a longer trip- can you run down closer to the coast so if something happens you have less distance to help?
2- how much range/reserve will you have on full tanks? Try to have 50% more range than the trip, weather or other contingencies can play a factor
3- didn't see you mention a VHF- do you have one in addition to the EPIRB? If you do, is it a handheld? Can you mount a temporary external antenna to boost the range? I have a handheld in addition to a PLB for minor issues that don't require the PLB, but range is generally only about 10 miles- no good if your 40 miles offshore
4- test everything before you leave, don't want dead batteries in the EPIRB if you need it
5- carry extra food and water, I normally take 2 gallons extra for each person
6- is there someone besides you who knows how to operate the boat and all the safety equipment in case something happens to you?
7- as Bob said, MAKE SURE YOU FILE A FLOAT PLAN INCLUDING ETA!! If everything in the world goes wrong, at least they have a place to start looking!
Last but not least, have fun, try to plan for anything that COULD come up, and make sure you keep us detailed how it works out!!
Scott
1-we all know the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line, but sometimes the safest way may be a longer trip- can you run down closer to the coast so if something happens you have less distance to help?
2- how much range/reserve will you have on full tanks? Try to have 50% more range than the trip, weather or other contingencies can play a factor
3- didn't see you mention a VHF- do you have one in addition to the EPIRB? If you do, is it a handheld? Can you mount a temporary external antenna to boost the range? I have a handheld in addition to a PLB for minor issues that don't require the PLB, but range is generally only about 10 miles- no good if your 40 miles offshore
4- test everything before you leave, don't want dead batteries in the EPIRB if you need it
5- carry extra food and water, I normally take 2 gallons extra for each person
6- is there someone besides you who knows how to operate the boat and all the safety equipment in case something happens to you?
7- as Bob said, MAKE SURE YOU FILE A FLOAT PLAN INCLUDING ETA!! If everything in the world goes wrong, at least they have a place to start looking!
Last but not least, have fun, try to plan for anything that COULD come up, and make sure you keep us detailed how it works out!!
Scott
1 - I'm not sure running down the coast puts me much closer to civilization, and I'm pretty comfortable with the crossing.
2- Being a Pilot, planning is my thing. We have 130 Gal on board and usually average about 2 mpg. Puts us well within the 50% range reserve.
3- I should have mentioned VHF, we have an installed unit with a whip, and also a waterproof handheld in the emergency kit.
4 - Good call.
5 - Food and water is usually no problem, I keep the freshwater on the boat full, and have at least a case of bottles under the rear seat.
6 - I will have 2 other people on board that are more than able to operate and Navigate in case something were to happen to me, this is important.
7 - This will be a must, I honestly don't think I would have done that if it were not for the suggestion.
Thanks for all the info guys, I have found it very useful, and I hope this thread will be a resource for those wanting to make the trip in the future. I will definitely give a detailed report when we get home!
Boating in the area youll be visiting is some of the best in the world. If you choose to stay local instead of hitting kw you have an amazing amount of day trips to local bars and rest in the area. Just post when you will want to do a trip and some FMO boater will surely show you around the area. Some of the greatest people I have ever met come from this area. Welcome
