On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 10:47:32 +0000, Parallax wrote:

I have read various cruising guides and many of them emphasize which
yacht clubs to visit, which restaurants have the best lobster bisque
(whatever the hell that is), which yards do the best varnish work,
etc. NOW, some of us just dont fit in at yacht clubs, Places with
names like "Ye Olde Downe Easte Lobster House" make me want to crave
molotov cocktails and I laugh myself as silly over seeing idiots
varnishing as I do over ppl cutting their lawns. So, for ppl who dont
know their PHRF rating and dont care, couldnt tell Spectra from
Lectra-San, and the only "Burgee" they would consider on their boat
would be the Stars 'n Bars, I want to write the "Sailboat Trash
Cruising Guide".
For convenience and cuz there are not yet many yachtish places yet, I
will start with the Florida Big Bend area such as Carabelle, Alligator
Harbor, Panacea, Shell Pt, Aucilla, Steinhatchee, etc. For
consideration in this guide, the place must be neglected by most other
guides, have at least one bar serving smoked mullet, cheese grits and
hush puppies, and be scary to anybody with varnished teak and
spotlessly white topsides. [SNIP]

I hear ya!

Trouble is, most of the spots I like don't HAVE a bar (or a fuel dock, or
a dock at all, for that matter...)

There's Scottie Bay at the north end of Lasquitti. There's a dock there,
but it's used by the fishermen to weld their boats. There's a restaurant
nearby ("The Tea House") that I'm told is excellent, but since it opens
"on a whim", I've never experienced it.

Gibson's used to be like that, but it's got all yuppy in recent years.
Years ago, I was having dinner at Gramma's Pub, a bunch of guys sat at the
table next to me, took their instruments out of their cases, and started
playing Bluegrass.

One night at Thetis Island Pub, the One-man band was going off-set, but
couldn't get his tape machine to work to play music while he was gone.
Half-jokingly, he said "anybody know any jokes?" Turns out one of the
waiters used to do standup, and he started it off. People came up from the
crowd, telling jokes all night long. The OMB never did come back on!

Then there's a whole pile of Great Anchorages that feature almost complete
solitude, but if I mentioned them they wouldn't be empty for long!

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36