25sc on the beach

[AlexV]

My daughter and I beach the boat on Picnic island today.

[Big Block Power]

Very sweet! I would get a bigger anchor. It looks like that one is slipping! Jealous!

[AsLan7]

Great pic AV....so convenient with that front boarding ladder. Jealous x 2.

[AlexV]

It was an adventure for sure navigating SW Florida's waters. I spent a day with a capt. learning navigation last month. It made a world of difference. There are so many small islands around here to explore.

[Big Block Power]

Good for you getting a captain to show you around. I bet that was priceless!

[AlexV]

Good for you getting a captain to show you around. I bet that was priceless!

Absolutely money well spent. SW Florida is the hardest place I've ever boated. They have a saying here. To be a true Florida boater you have to have been stuck a few times. I'm qualified LOL. Now I study my paper charts the night before I'm going to a new place. Than I chart it on the nav, I still bring my paper charts with me and two pairs of reading glasses along with my Standard horizon hx890 radio. There's so much to see and explore here. It really is a boating paradise.

[willyswagon]

We have a saying at work.

There's 2 types of boaters... Those that have been aground, as those that are going to go aground.

It always brings a smile to someone in the crew that we just towed off/home.

Enjoy the SC, they're a great platform .

[AlexV]

We have a saying at work.

There's 2 types of boaters... Those that have been aground, as those that are going to go aground.

It always brings a smile to someone in the crew that we just towed off/home.

Enjoy the SC, they're a great platform .

Yesterday I was in a place called Matlacha pass. its a large body of water with very little room for error. Many oyster beds. I was on my way home and saw a another boater stopped in the channel. I stopped and asked if he was okay. he said he was unsure where he was because 2 markers are missing. Long story short he followed me up to the Matlacha bridge. It was a good feeling helping another guy out.

[willyswagon]

Good on you for stopping and helpng out. We get called out many times, and the first thing the stranded boater says is, Sorry to have to call you, but we were trying to get some help and no one would stop, even though we were waving our arms up and down in the air.

[AlexV]

Good on you for stopping and helpng out. We get called out many times, and the first thing the stranded boater says is, Sorry to have to call you, but we were trying to get some help and no one would stop, even though we were waving our arms up and down in the air.

I found the Towboat US and Sea tow are real nice guys too. I've asked both for directions before and they always take the time to help. A Towboat US guy came aboard to checkout my Auto guidance coarse I programmed. He didn't like it and adjusted it. Our next adventure is out to a place called Cabbage Key. https://cabbagekey.com/ It hasn't been great boating weather the last few days. The next few show warm but very windy. 10 to 20 knots, a bit out of my comfort zone.

[Big Block Power]

Do plan on boating to csbbage key then airbrush the night? How far is it from your slip?

[AlexV]

Do plan on boating to csbbage key then airbrush the night? How far is it from your slip?

From my house it takes about an hour for me to reach open water. I have to go south down the NW spreader canal. Than I have to go back north to cabbage key. its about another hour and 1/2. If I want to go to Sanibel island its about the same distance south. Where I'm at that NW Spreader its a no wake zone. Its a nice ride, you get to see a lot of nature but its an idle zone. It reminds me of the jungle cruise at Disney world. People are moving in here and there's talk of another cut-out near my house. If they do that i'll be out in open water in 10 min.
https://www.leegov.com/naturalresources ... 20Area.jpg

[Big Block Power]

That sounds nice either way.
A long no wake zone would be a bummer. My engine did not like a no wake for like 30 minutes this summer.

[BobRae99]

Good for you getting a captain to show you around. I bet that was priceless!

Absolutely money well spent. SW Florida is the hardest place I've ever boated. They have a saying here. To be a true Florida boater you have to have been stuck a few times. I'm qualified LOL. Now I study my paper charts the night before I'm going to a new place. Than I chart it on the nav, I still bring my paper charts with me and two pairs of reading glasses along with my Standard horizon hx890 radio. There's so much to see and explore here. It really is a boating paradise.

I learned the hard way sailing inland waters on Minnesota/Manitoba Lake of the Woods where you can be in 90' of water one minute and 3' of water the next. Constant stress while sailing because with 5' of keel under you, if you don't know where you are every minute you are lost. I started sailing that lake 20 years ago when GPS navigation was just getting started, so paper charts were the most common way to navigate. Didn't know what different buoys meant, colours, which to keep to starboard when returning to the harbour, etc.

After a close call, I signed up for a Power & Sail Squadron course which ran once a week for 3 hours over 12 weeks. Learned a ton of stuff, but what was the most useful was listening to the instructor's stories about the many ways things have gone bad for people on the water in various circumstances.

Have felt much safer on the water ever since and have never had an incident.

[AlexV]

Good for you getting a captain to show you around. I bet that was priceless!

Absolutely money well spent. SW Florida is the hardest place I've ever boated. They have a saying here. To be a true Florida boater you have to have been stuck a few times. I'm qualified LOL. Now I study my paper charts the night before I'm going to a new place. Than I chart it on the nav, I still bring my paper charts with me and two pairs of reading glasses along with my Standard horizon hx890 radio. There's so much to see and explore here. It really is a boating paradise.

I learned the hard way sailing inland waters on Minnesota/Manitoba Lake of the Woods where you can be in 90' of water one minute and 3' of water the next. Constant stress while sailing because with 5' of keel under you, if you don't know where you are every minute you are lost. I started sailing that lake 20 years ago when GPS navigation was just getting started, so paper charts were the most common way to navigate. Didn't know what different buoys meant, colours, which to keep to starboard when returning to the harbour, etc.

After a close call, I signed up for a Power & Sail Squadron course which ran once a week for 3 hours over 12 weeks. Learned a ton of stuff, but what was the most useful was listening to the instructor's stories about the many ways things have gone bad for people on the water in various circumstances.

Have felt much safer on the water ever since and have never had an incident.

So True. Many ways to go wrong but only one to go right when it comes to navigation. Many places in Florida only have 1 marker. You really need to know what side of the marker is the channel. A few feet off and your in an oyster bed. There's a spot in Matlache Pass called Hell Gate. Its marked on the chart. Its name fits, You just have a few feet in open water from the marker before you ground. Electronics are great I use the Garmin's all the time but for me I still study a paper chart the night before too.