Hi, Wayne, and group,

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 12 Jan 2006 19:14:30 -0500, "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach at
gmail dotcom wrote:

We expect to sail it straight through; the main portion of the trip is
pretty straightforward, but getting through the shoals around the west
side
are enough to make us wonder if it can really be done.

I assume you are talking about the west side of Marathon south of the
bridge? The bridge at Moser Channel has 65 ft at high tide so you
should be OK there.

Well, technically, as to the bridge, we're talking about the closest point
under the road to Key West in order to make our transit as short as
possible. The subject shoals are on the St. Pete side of the bridge, which
we assume to be mile marker 5 or some such. All the looking at paper and
electronic charts have not been very definitive about how to make that
happen successfully, and there seem to be several points where bridges are
high enough, which surprises me.


From the bridge go south about .75 nm to R2 before turning ENE towards
FL G '1' at the Marathon channel entrance. That will take you south of
Pigeon Key Banks and north of the 6 ft spot. We have no problem with
5 1/2 feet, lots of water. The real challenge is finding a place to
anchor or moor in Boot Key Harbor. You might be better off to just
get a dock for the night.

Is that the area south of Marathon, with a large shallows area across from
it? If so, that's where we hung our hook on the CCW direction trip.


If you don't want to do the run non-stop, Venice is a good stop over,
as is Ft Myers Beach or Marco Island.

Heh. Unless Venice has dredged, their ICW channel is from hunger - or, more
likely, starvation!, putting it charitably. We went aground a half dozen
times trying to follow directions (in the ICW!) to get to the yacht club.
We gave up and tied up at the restaurant/fuel supply. The next morning, we
went hard (fortunately we were pulled off by a monster sportfish delivery
captain we'd chatted up at dinner) aground, again in the channel, right
across from the fuel dock. I can't speak to the others...


If you really want to give FL the slip, run non-stop to the Bahamas.
Once you leave the marina in St Pete there will be no record of you
anywhere unless you transit a drawbridge at some point. Your entry
documents in the Bahamas will document your timing if it should ever
become an issue, which is unlikely in my opinion. Once you are over 3
miles offshore I believe you are technically out of state.

Probably - but the point isn't to flee, but instead prove to the folks in
Tallahassee that we're not using or enjoying our boat in FL, thus escaping
the multithousand dollar privilege of buying it in FL. So, our entry point
documents is a good thought, though, as it most certainly will become an
issue - we'll mail them a copy, rather than our fuel receipt. Hm. Maybe.
Do the entry documents include the boat, or just the people? And, given the
very narrow window available, we want to do that directly - and hope that we
can time the winds right...

Thanks.

L8R

Skip


--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

On Fri, 13 Jan 2006 17:25:10 -0500, "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach at
gmail dotcom wrote:

Well, technically, as to the bridge, we're talking about the closest point
under the road to Key West in order to make our transit as short as
possible.

That would be Moser channel at Marathon.

The subject shoals are on the St. Pete side of the bridge, which
we assume to be mile marker 5 or some such.

No. You are totally out of the ICW at this point.

All the looking at paper and
electronic charts have not been very definitive about how to make that
happen successfully, and there seem to be several points where bridges are
high enough, which surprises me.

Only at Moser Channel west of Marathon.

The approach from the north goes like this:

Aim for a way point at roughly Lat N24-55 by Lon W81-09.

From there proceed due south 6.7 nautical miles leaving Bullard
Bank to starboard.

Next, run a course of 213 magnetic for a distance of 3.7 NM leaving
Red Bay Bank to port.

Continuing on, go south again towards Moser Channel and the bridge,
taking a small westward jog around the 7 foot spot just north of the
bridge.

From the bridge go south .75 nm to R2, then turn ENE towards FL G
'1' at the Marathon channel entrance. That will take you south of
Pigeon Key Banks and north of the 6 ft spot.

If you don't want to do the run non-stop, Venice is a good stop over,
as is Ft Myers Beach or Marco Island.

Heh. Unless Venice has dredged, their ICW channel is from hunger - or, more
likely, starvation!, putting it charitably. We went aground a half dozen
times trying to follow directions (in the ICW!) to get to the yacht club.

You don't need to go on the ICW if you are just pulling in off the
Gulf of Mexico for the night. There is a large marina on the right as
you go in (Crow's Nest Marina).

On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 00:14:35 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

The subject shoals are on the St. Pete side of the bridge, which
we assume to be mile marker 5 or some such.

Are you talking about taking the ICW south from St Pete or going under
the Sunshine Skyway out into the Gulf?

Are you starting from St Pete on Tampa Bay or from St Pete Beach on
the west side?

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 00:14:35 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

The subject shoals are on the St. Pete side of the bridge, which
we assume to be mile marker 5 or some such.

Are you talking about taking the ICW south from St Pete or going under
the Sunshine Skyway out into the Gulf?

Are you starting from St Pete on Tampa Bay or from St Pete Beach on
the west side?


We're in Salt Creek Marina. We'll go under the skyway and head south.

We'll go outside. The fastest route there is my target. Generally speaking
, from my very limited experience, I want to avoid the ICW in my remaining
few - and any other, unlikely, subsequent, US sailing days (once we leave
FL, we don't expect to return to the US).

Thanks for the waypoints and headings, btw!

L8R

Skip and Lydia

--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 13:11:28 -0500, "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach at
gmail dotcom wrote:

Thanks for the waypoints and headings, btw!

Glad to be of assistance. Keep us posted on progress and good luck
with your voyage.

Same here. And sorry I never got back to you on that genset.

"capt.bill11" wrote in message
...

Wayne.B Wrote:
On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 13:11:28 -0500, "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach at
gmail dotcom wrote:

Thanks for the waypoints and headings, btw!

Glad to be of assistance. Keep us posted on progress and good luck
with your voyage.


Same here. And sorry I never got back to you on that genset.


--
capt.bill11

Thanks, Bill, and group,

And not to worry about the genset - it sold to a relatively-local guy who
was just about to buy his M41OI. I met him at the Morgan Invasion. Now, if
I could just find someone who wanted my refrigeration, other than the "sent
you too much money, send me the overage via Western Union" scam I'm
currently playing out... (see rec.boats.marketplace if interested)

Meanwhile, I'll post again about it later, separately, but the PT and
surgeon are, respectively, thrilled and amazed, with my progress.

It's no longer a case of whether, but when, I'll be able to put my arm over
my head with no assistance, in bumpy conditions, the target of this long
travail. Still no departure target, as it moves too much, but we'll be
outta here in the next few months. Off to the boat again 15Feb while my PT
(and surgeon, too, as he's the team doctor in addition to the shoulder
wizard for all) travels with the Braves to spring training. It works out
that our Christmas work trip was very beneficial to the arm; I'm hoping to
see a similar startling difference when I return 27Feb.

L8R

Skip, in rehab so I can refit :{))

--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Jan 2006 17:25:10 -0500, "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach at
gmail dotcom wrote:
If you don't want to do the run non-stop, Venice is a good stop over,
as is Ft Myers Beach or Marco Island.

Heh. Unless Venice has dredged, their ICW channel is from hunger - or,
more
likely, starvation!, putting it charitably. We went aground a half dozen
times trying to follow directions (in the ICW!) to get to the yacht club.

You don't need to go on the ICW if you are just pulling in off the
Gulf of Mexico for the night. There is a large marina on the right as
you go in (Crow's Nest Marina).


That's the one where we eventually wound up tying up, and eating dinner,
too. And, for that matter, out in front of which we became hard aground IN
THE CHANNEL :{/)

NTL, if we had to, we'd go in, there.

L8R

Skip

--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
http://tinyurl.com/384p2 The vessel as Tehamana, as we bought her

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain