Cruising America's Great Loop and other inland routes
View all threadsI want to once again express my sincere thanks to everyone who helped me
to not only decide to go up the Tenn-Tom to the Great Lakes, but also
for your invaluable trip planning assistance. I even finally bought a
dinghy, in large part based on your comments. We had wrestled with that
decision for two years, but this trip I believe a dinghy will be quite
useful.
We head out from Key Colony Beach in the Fla. Keys Wednesday afternoon
and will travel all of seven (7) miles to our first overnight stay at
the Marathon YC, our local little club, where we will throw a going away
party. Thursday morning we will head North across the Gulf toward East
Cape, located at the SW tip of Fla. We plan to anchor out at one of
several locations I have selected, tucked in behind the 10,000 Islands,
a little South of Marco Island. This will give us some time to play with
the dinghy and try to figure out how to get in and out of the thing. We
are not really spring chickens any more; Im 67 and Joyce, my line
tosser & bow person, is 79.
We plan to use our reciprocal yacht club privileges and visit a number
of YCs on the way, take a side trip to Lake Okeechobee for some bass
fishing, and generally work our way up to Mobile.
I have got about 75 pounds of charts and guide books and we cant wait
to get started. I have also compiled a list of boat names and I will be
looking for you. If you see us, holler!
Ben & Joyce
34 PDQ Power Catamaran (with turquoise bimini)
Loop Group:
I have a 11.5 foot Alliance RIB dinghy, with rubber air sides. It is
crowded and wet in rough weather. I want to replace it with an 11 foot ish
dinghy that is dryer and one that has plenty of room for 4 people or 2
people and supplies. It needs to be easy to get into from the swim platform
and light enough to raise with my current lift system that raises the boat
to the top of the boat and sits on the aft deck roof. Current dinghy and 25
horse power engine weighs about 450 pounds. Suggestions appreciated.
Phil and Carey
MV Apolonia
43' Vista
Cell: 804-761-3425
email: pwbolin@earthlink.net
web: http://home.earthlink.net/~pwbolin/