28 Skater vs.... Chuck Norris
#21
My 2 cent opinion. Keys down to Bahia Honda were a blast. Once we got to KW there was no place to go or really hang out. Dockage was a major issue. If you can get a dock it takes a marine and an acrobat to tie a 28'-30' cat to the pilings without falling off your boat (even sober) and then between wind tides and no rubrail you never sleep comfortably!
Craig had his tied to a floating dock on Stock Island but it's a haul to get to it by car. We took them over by boat since I was in Garrison Bight.
Boating was fun but with weather and exposure there were a lot of days we could not go out with the crew. The poor guys who had to boat home from KW Monday after the races to Miami took a beating in the rain.
If I had not boated the upper Keys the KW trip would have been a bust as far as boating. Jim and his wife were very gracious and included us on part of their trip down. Faro Blanca was a great place to stop and stay. Clean new facility and great dock. Centrally located with fun day trips north and south.
There are few places to store your trailer in KW and the City will ticket you if your boat is left in the trailer over night at the city dock parking. Don't even think about trying to flush and wash your boat Sunday after the races if you pull out then. So between taking care of parking a trailer finding dockage keeping your boat clean off the pilings and full of gas and cold beer (ice was scarce due to demand) the boating to work ratio is not good!
That being said I am considering keeping the boat in Florida this next winter. If a group od OB Skaters wants to go to KW I would be interested but I had to reserve dockage in January before the November races. FPC has everything locked up and even called me in October after I had my space and tried to tell me I had one of their slips but was not registered for the run. I registered anyway got the cooler Team T-shirts party and dinner passes but never went to any of the parties dinner or the run!
Jim would be a great guide and resource as he does this trip every year but he takes his Cigerette. That should tell you something......
#23
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Key West is a lot crazy and perfectly described above.
Could do it in conjunction better with Miami Boat Show run and just keep on going.
I'm out on the West Coast thing...for at least a few years.
The Jacksonville River Run is still my vote if it's a river - freshwater, in Florida, and good places to stop. That way "sea conditions" won't be a factor.
Could do it in conjunction better with Miami Boat Show run and just keep on going.
I'm out on the West Coast thing...for at least a few years.
The Jacksonville River Run is still my vote if it's a river - freshwater, in Florida, and good places to stop. That way "sea conditions" won't be a factor.
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Yes west Florida is good with me too.
Best dates for me are
December - early
Feb- late
Not March - kids spring break
April - mid to late - Havasu weekend would work great
May - early (graduations mid to late)
Summer - no....it's LOTO time!
I like Thursday night arrival (dinner), Friday and Saturday boating, Sunday pool/beach day or depart for those who need to, Monday depart for me.