My sailing club is planning a Christmas 2008 cruise to the Keys but
the more I think about it the more I wonder if this sort of thing can
work well. How do you decide whether to anchor out most of the time
or to use marinas half the time. What marinas do you use when people
have radically diff budgets (yes, I am cheap)?
I'll admit, having another boat to comisserate with on long boring
passages or for company on scary ones would be nice but a whole pack
of boats can cause problems. Many anchorages are just too small for
more than a couple of boats. Marinas are not likely to have slip space
for more than a couple of transients too.
How do you deal with these issues?

Frogwatch

On Oct 30, 7:28 am, wrote:
My sailing club is planning a Christmas 2008 cruise to the Keys but
the more I think about it the more I wonder if this sort of thing can
work well. How do you decide whether to anchor out most of the time
or to use marinas half the time. What marinas do you use when people
have radically diff budgets (yes, I am cheap)?
I'll admit, having another boat to comisserate with on long boring
passages or for company on scary ones would be nice but a whole pack
of boats can cause problems. Many anchorages are just too small for
more than a couple of boats. Marinas are not likely to have slip space
for more than a couple of transients too.
How do you deal with these issues?

Frogwatch

Here during the Harvest moon..(.270 boats) they invade and take over
the town. When all the slips are full people raft up some times 5-10
boats wide.

Joe

wrote in message
ups.com...
My sailing club is planning a Christmas 2008 cruise to the Keys but
the more I think about it the more I wonder if this sort of thing can
work well. How do you decide whether to anchor out most of the time
or to use marinas half the time. What marinas do you use when people
have radically diff budgets (yes, I am cheap)?
I'll admit, having another boat to comisserate with on long boring
passages or for company on scary ones would be nice but a whole pack
of boats can cause problems. Many anchorages are just too small for
more than a couple of boats. Marinas are not likely to have slip space
for more than a couple of transients too.
How do you deal with these issues?

Frogwatch



I attended a rendezvous for my class of trailerable mini-cruising sailboat
in early August.
It was great. A load of fun getting together with like minded people.
What you need is one or two energetic people to research all the options
well before hand and have the group vote on the best route/stops etc.

wrote in message
ups.com...
My sailing club is planning a Christmas 2008 cruise to the Keys but
the more I think about it the more I wonder if this sort of thing can
work well. How do you decide whether to anchor out most of the time
or to use marinas half the time. What marinas do you use when people
have radically diff budgets (yes, I am cheap)?
I'll admit, having another boat to comisserate with on long boring
passages or for company on scary ones would be nice but a whole pack
of boats can cause problems. Many anchorages are just too small for
more than a couple of boats. Marinas are not likely to have slip space
for more than a couple of transients too.
How do you deal with these issues?

Frogwatch



You could check out how they do it for the Baja HaHA... the same issue
apply.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

wrote in message
ups.com...
My sailing club is planning a Christmas 2008 cruise to the Keys but
the more I think about it the more I wonder if this sort of thing can
work well. How do you decide whether to anchor out most of the time
or to use marinas half the time. What marinas do you use when people
have radically diff budgets (yes, I am cheap)?
I'll admit, having another boat to comisserate with on long boring
passages or for company on scary ones would be nice but a whole pack
of boats can cause problems. Many anchorages are just too small for
more than a couple of boats. Marinas are not likely to have slip space
for more than a couple of transients too.
How do you deal with these issues?

Frogwatch


If you can't enjoy sailing by yourself and must have other boats cruising in
company then you're no sailor. Give it up, man! Trying to sail in a group
puts you at the mercy of the least competent of the bunch. Do you really
want that? Do you really wish to be ruled by the lowest common denominator?
Held back by stupid inept people like Skippy and his breakdown-prone,
system-laden pig of a Morgan? That's not sailing.

Wilbur Hubbard

"Wilbur Hubbard" wrote in message
anews.com...

If you can't enjoy sailing by yourself and must have other boats cruising
in company then you're no sailor. Give it up, man! Trying to sail in a
group puts you at the mercy of the least competent of the bunch. Do you
really want that? Do you really wish to be ruled by the lowest common
denominator? Held back by stupid inept people like Skippy and his
breakdown-prone, system-laden pig of a Morgan? That's not sailing.

Wilbur Hubbard


Translation: No one wants to sail with Capt Neal on the chance they might
end up downwind of his mustard/mauve barge.

"Don White" wrote in message
...

"Wilbur Hubbard" wrote in message
anews.com...

If you can't enjoy sailing by yourself and must have other boats cruising
in company then you're no sailor. Give it up, man! Trying to sail in a
group puts you at the mercy of the least competent of the bunch. Do you
really want that? Do you really wish to be ruled by the lowest common
denominator? Held back by stupid inept people like Skippy and his
breakdown-prone, system-laden pig of a Morgan? That's not sailing.

Wilbur Hubbard


Translation: No one wants to sail with Capt Neal on the chance they
might end up downwind of his mustard/mauve barge.


Probably so, but what has that got to do with me? The main reason I do not
like to sail with other boats is they cannot keep up with my Swan 68. I
would have to tow a tractor tire or something like that to slow me down
enough so lesser boats could keep up with me.

Wilbur Hubbard

On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:29:48 -0400, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote:


"Don White" wrote in message
. ..

"Wilbur Hubbard" wrote in message
anews.com...

If you can't enjoy sailing by yourself and must have other boats cruising
in company then you're no sailor. Give it up, man! Trying to sail in a
group puts you at the mercy of the least competent of the bunch. Do you
really want that? Do you really wish to be ruled by the lowest common
denominator? Held back by stupid inept people like Skippy and his
breakdown-prone, system-laden pig of a Morgan? That's not sailing.

Wilbur Hubbard


Translation: No one wants to sail with Capt Neal on the chance they
might end up downwind of his mustard/mauve barge.


Probably so, but what has that got to do with me? The main reason I do not
like to sail with other boats is they cannot keep up with my Swan 68. I
would have to tow a tractor tire or something like that to slow me down
enough so lesser boats could keep up with me.

Wilbur Hubbard

Translation: Willie boy has been reading sailing magazines and doing
his Walter Mitty fantasy again.

Once again, Willie. The Yellow Mouse Boat IS NOT a Swan.(Do try to
remember - people are beginning to notice).

Bruce-in-Bangkok
(Note:displayed e-mail
address is a spam trap)

"Don White" wrote:


"Wilbur Hubbard" wrote in message
tanews.com...

If you can't enjoy sailing by yourself and must have other boats cruising
in company then you're no sailor. Give it up, man! Trying to sail in a
group puts you at the mercy of the least competent of the bunch. Do you
really want that? Do you really wish to be ruled by the lowest common
denominator? Held back by stupid inept people like Skippy and his
breakdown-prone, system-laden pig of a Morgan? That's not sailing.

Wilbur Hubbard


Translation: No one wants to sail with Capt Neal on the chance they might
end up downwind of his mustard/mauve barge.

That's not the translation. The translation is that Wilbur (or
whoever) can't read because the OP hasn't sailed in company and is
asking for advice on how it works. Which is the opposite situation to
the response.

In the keys it can be difficult, as finding an anchorage for dozens of boats
will be tough, but maybe not impossible. Marinas are expensive and as you
note, won't have enough trainsient space for a large club.

Several years ago I joined a friend's yacht club Maine cruise off and on
over a two week period. The organizer had set up moorings for all
participants in each harbor that they planned to spend the night in. The
cruise had about 25 boats. It was quite a challenge, but they pulled it off.
Even in Boothbay, Maine, they had enough moorings for all of the boats.

It was amusing when on one of the 15 or so nights they anchored instead of
moored at Wreck Island for a clambake. It was a hoot to watch all of these
sailors who had never anchored before. One brand new Sabre 402 tried for
about an hour to get his anchor to set with a 2:1 scope. I dinghied over and
offered to help, suggesting he let out all of his chain rode. The anchor
caught immediately.

So, it can be done, but it is a lot of work. I suspect most club cruises are
like the Maine one: most people want to stay on moorings and not on the
hook. But they don't want to stay at marinas either.

David