FMO Sarasota charity Auction Item # 2

Our FMO Sarasota weekend from Jan 31 to Feb 2 / 14 is coming up soon. We will be conducting a charity auction as part of the clubs charitable fund raising efforts in support of FMO’s student scholarship fund. We are are hoping that we will be able to award a record number of scholarships to worthy students in Southwest Florida in the coming months, just when it is needed most.
Bids will be accepted by e mail [email protected] , by posting on FMO’s Facebook page, or FMO’s OSO forum up until 8 PM Saturday Feb 1 / 14 after which only telephone bids will be accepted during the live auction. To register as telephone bidder please contact Eric Belisle at [email protected] or 239-849-6533 by Friday Jan 31st.

Auction item # 2 is 2 seats aboard Bob’s new Renegade CC when a group of 6 to 8 center consoles will accompany him on a 4 day / 3 night cruise to the Bahamas from Thursday April 10th with a return on the afternoon of Sunday April 13th. Plans are to overnight Thursday in Bimini at either Bimini Sands on South Bimini or possibly Bimini Bay Resort or the Big Game Club on North Bimini to be determined. Friday morning the group will cross the turquoise waters of the Great Bahama Bank on our way to Paradise Island / Nassau arriving in the early afternoon. That portion of the trip is almost 140 miles. The boats will stay at Hurricane Hole Marina on Paradise Island Friday / Saturday / Sunday. There will be several hotels to choose from with a wide range of prices on Friday and Saturday nights. On Saturday we will do an optional day trip 40 miles across the Bahama Bank to the northern Exuma chain to see some of the out islands and visit the iguana colony on Allan Cay. Sunday morning after breakfast we will depart for Ft Lauderdale with a lunch stop in Bimini or Cat Cay on the return. We plan to be back in time for people to catch a Sunday evening flight home if necessary. You will need a passport with this trip and there will be Customs formalities to deal with at both ends.

Trips to the Bahamas always require a backup plan. At times the seas are not friendly enough for a safe crossing. Not only do you need good conditions to get out there but also have a window that assures a safe return. I will not expose a group to a risky situation so if we are not able to comfortably and safely do the Bahamas trip, the backup plan is to head down into the shelter of the Keys and spend Thursday night at Hawks Cay Resort on Duck Key then go on to Key West for Friday and Saturday nights. We will depart Key West Sunday after breakfast with some boats returning to Ft Lauderdale while some may be headed for the Ft. Myers / Cape Coral area.

Notes:

1) You will be responsible for your transportation to and from Ft. Lauderdale as well as your hotel and meal costs. The auction is for the guided trip aboard Bob’s Renegade only. I am responsible for all boat related expenses.

2) You should probably budget $ 250 - $350 a day to cover your meals and hotel rooms. Neither Bahamas or the Keys are real cheap when it comes to that.

3) We have several other items available for the live and silent auctions. If you would like to hear more about the other items available to bid on, please e mail your request to: [email protected].

4) FMO is a registered 501 (c) (3) charity in the State of Florida.

Minimum Bid: $ 800.00

Thank you for supporting FMO’s student scholarship fund,

Bob