FE, we will be doing a little stealth camping at South Lido County Park. In the Everglades Challenge, that type of camping is quite common. Hopefully, we will not have a problem. We will leave the place cleaner than we find it.
Keith
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| Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? http://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=7276 |
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| Author: | fusioneng [ Thu Nov 10, 2016 5:56 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
Keith: As you know I live in Sarasota, and know south Lido park well, are you sure you can camp there....... Just curious.. FE |
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| Author: | Chekika [ Thu Nov 10, 2016 6:00 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
FE, we will be doing a little stealth camping at South Lido County Park. In the Everglades Challenge, that type of camping is quite common. Hopefully, we will not have a problem. We will leave the place cleaner than we find it. Keith |
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| Author: | Chekika [ Wed Nov 23, 2016 6:32 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
EC Training Trip 1: Ft. Desoto to Checkpoint #1 This was the first of 3 training trips in preparation to do the 2017 WaterTribe Everglades Challenge. Three of us are working as a team, Debbie Turner, Rick Parks and myself. We were joined on this trip by Paul Links who came down from Atlanta, GA. He turned out to be a great partner. We didn’t get many pictures this travel day to Ft. Desoto, but Paul got this one of our camp. Ft. Desoto has a beautiful campground. Rick in the red jacket is readying the grill for an incredible gourmet meal he prepared. It was the most gourmet meal I’ve ever had camping. It would have been gourmet in anyone’s home. Kudos to Rick for getting us off to a good start. Charlie Fast, who moved my 4-Runner/trailer down to our destination, is seated behind the post. Thank you, Charlie. Don’t know what we would have done without your help. Jim Quinlan had sailed his 2015 AI in earlier to chat and offer best wishes for a safe trip.  Here is the track of our first day. It was about 31 miles with constant pedaling. There was minimal wind this day.  Paul enjoying the first day of our trip. Note how flat the Gulf of Mexico waters are.  One hazard of sailing in Tampa Bay is large ships crossing your path.  Closer.  And closer.  Paul with the Alcoma Value in the background.  Rick, myself, and Debbie at 3 PM on day 1. Pedal, pedal, pedal….  Paul got this sunset picture. It is 5:38 PM  We are to his left. Pedal, pedal, pedal….  We reached our campsite on Lido Key off Sarasota about 1 hour after dark. After setting up tents, we had dinner and went to bed.  We were up and on the water by 8 AM. Our route on day 2 would take us about 35 miles to Cape Haze Marina, Everglades Challenge Checkpoint 1.  Sometimes we have water visitors.  9 AM and not much wind.  Paul is out further.  Our friends, Ardelia and Roy McPhail, joined us for the morning.  Debbie and I were loaded the heaviest, and we fell behind if we did not pedal all the time. We’ve vowed to cut our weight significantly before our next trip. Of course, with such light winds, everybody had to pedal to some degree. Paul, packed the lightest and, with a tandem, probably pedaled the least.  Debbie thinking, “I’d rather be sailing.”  A couple miles from Checkpoint 1, Cape Haze Marina. It is 5:22 PM.  We made it to Cape Haze Marina after dark and had a difficult time finding our way into the marina. Here is our track as we wandered around in the dark.  After uploaded everything to my 4-Runner (thanks Charlie!!), we took it about 200’ to our campsite. Next morning we relaxed. Notice how tightly clustered our tents are. Hard to break old habits.  Debbie, Paul and Rick  This is a paddle board and kayak concession at the marina. Notice Miss Piggy dozing on the door step.  The little oinker wandered down by our campsite.  Rick and Paul loading boats for our trip back to Ft Desoto where we would spend one more night.  Debbie got this last sunset.  My partners, Debbie and Rick, were flat-out great! Paul was a huge plus. It was a successful trip. Paul headed to Atlanta. Debbie and Rick went back to Orlando. I made my way to Miami. We are getting ready for the next trip which will be in 1 week from this post--110 miles further south along the coast in 3 days. Pray for wind. Keith |
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| Author: | BobAgain [ Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:07 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
Looks like a fun practice run - thanks for posting, Keith. I liked the beach babe next to the Oinker in the concession stand shot. I could be wrong, but that floaty that she's wearing is not going to pass muster with the coast guard... |
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| Author: | Chekika [ Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:16 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
Bob, if she were real, I don't think we would care what she was wearing! Keith |
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| Author: | BobAgain [ Wed Nov 23, 2016 5:49 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
Chekika wrote: Bob, if she were real, I don't think we would care what she was wearing! Keith oh, that's hurtful..of course she is real, isn't she??  great pics by all!! How many miles did you end up peddling? After my "lost" adventure, a friend told me that mustard packets and pickles are both good foods for cramping muscles. |
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| Author: | Chekika [ Wed Nov 23, 2016 6:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
First day, probably 31-32 miles. Second, at least 35 miles. Your friend's food suggestions for cramps, probably both contain lots of salt, good for cramps. I did get cramps, especially on day one when it might have been a bit hotter. I was drinking a lot of Gatorade, my cramp preventative. The cramps in my left thigh (don't ask me why that one) were relatively light and after a few minutes rest, I could pedal again. Fortunately, Debbie, my partner, would continue pedaling while I took a break. She is a trooper. She also took an occasional break, but not often. Keith |
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| Author: | BobAgain [ Wed Nov 23, 2016 6:56 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
I hear that bubbly wine is also good for cramps - have a toast tomorrow and a Happy Thanksgiving to all!! |
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| Author: | tonystott [ Wed Nov 23, 2016 11:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
Looks like fun! Thanks for posting, Keith |
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| Author: | Aero_70 [ Thu Nov 24, 2016 8:11 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
It was a pleasure sailing with you and putting faces with names. If you ever get the pleasure of having Rick's "Camp" food you are in for a treat! My usual camping "grub" is closer to granola, sticks, berries, and grubs. Rick prepared lamb chops, crab dip, crab cakes, key lime pie, wine.... it was an amazing camp meal that sets the bar to a new level. Thanks you Rick for a fantastic dinner! The wind forecast all week was calling for 12-15mph tailwinds for entire trip. Of course, once I hit the road to drive down the forecast was revised to mph 1 mph gusting to 3! Wohoo! We actually had 3-5mph in the morning, then it was dead (note the bare poles in the pics) until around 3-4ish in the afternoon. Saturday wasn't so bad, but the winds were still very low. Maybe 6-7 max. Either way, I was happy to have the spinnaker ready to go and it was a great addition. We pedaled pretty much all day, then in the late afternoon the breeze picked up. We sailed as the sun went down and continued for a while under the "Almost" full super-moon. This was my first time sailing in the dark, although with the moon as bright as it was was, it wasn't very dark. We scouted out the campsite and setup under the moon. That night we were visited by the local raccoons. They kept the crawling on the trash cans and kept me awake doing their best 'raccooning' around the campsite. They chewed into one of my gallon water jugs. The next morning we packed up and and hit the water earlier than on the first day. I saw another TI with its spinnaker up coming out from Sarasota and that was Roy and his wife coming out to join us for a few miles. The second day was another long slow day. We split up a little further and would regroup every now and then. We hit Stump Pass at sunset and the tide made the entrance through stump pass quiet and uneventful. This put us on the inter-coastal waterway were we headed south from sunset to darkness,in search of Cape Haze Marina. By the time we were "near" the marina, we weren't exactly sure where we were going. Luckily there was a couple sitting on a balcony who saw us pealing in circles and pointed us to the entrance. We found our dock, we found Keith's SUV. But Cape Haze Marina has no boat ramps. Boats a kept in dry storage and launched by forklift. So we proceeded to unload everything, break down our boats and carry them up the docks. This took us a few hours and drove home the weight differences between the AI, and the older vs newer TI. The new TI is a pig and need handles. I will definitely will add another set of grab handles on the front and rear. Speaking of pigs... Its not every day that you wake up to a pig on a leash grazing nearby. I am sure that there is a great story but I never had a chance to ask. The next morning was the challenge of loading 2 TI's, and AI, and gear for 4 into Keith's SUV. I was impressed that we actually had everything loaded into a reasonable manner that made unloading back at Desoto Island a quick operation. Keith thanks for planning, coordinating, and driving us back from Cape Haze. For me this was a great confidence builder and prep for the EC. I dont know if I will be able to make it down for your later practice trips. The area where I really want to absorb some of your local knowledge the Chkpt 2, 10,000 Islands and south parts of the route. I am looking forward to seeing you, Debbie and Rick on Desoto in March. |
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| Author: | Chekika [ Thu Nov 24, 2016 6:23 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
Thanks, Paul, for your fleshing out parts of our trip. Thanks, too, for your generous comments regarding my contribution. Here is our updated practice trip schedule. Preparation for the WaterTribe 2017 Everglades Challenge Several of us (Rick Parks, Debbie Turner, and myself) are planning some training/reconnoitering trips in our preparation for the WaterTribe 2017 Everglades Challenge. If you are interested in doing any of these trips, please post here or contact me, 305-979-3362. Of course, you can post any questions or comments here. These trips will cover the general route from Ft Desoto Park East Beach (the start of the Everglades Challenge) to the finish in Key Largo in the Florida Keys, a distance of about 280 miles. We will likely have other trips of a more casual and “fun” nature during this year’s camping season. 2016-2017 Planned Trips • Completed. Nov 11-12, Ft Desoto to Cape Haze Marina (CKP 1), 65 miles. Camp at Ft Desoto Park Campground, site #5, on both Nov 10 and Nov 13. Rick Parks, Debbie Turner, Paul Links, and I did this trip. • Completed. Dec 1-3, Bokeelia on Pine Island to Everglades City, 105 mi. Currently, Rick Parks, Debbie Turner, and myself are doing this trip. • Jan 5, FLM to Bay Cove (Pelican Resort), 35 miles. We will meet in FLM on Jan 4, camp overnight, sail FLM to Bay Cove on Jan 5. • Jan 29-Feb 4, Chok to FLM, 70 miles. Enjoy fish fry’s and "easy" days. This is our annual leisure, fun-filled trip. (Last year, the trip was a challenge from start to finish. We caught no fish. In fact, we did essentially NO fishing.) • Mar 4-11, WaterTribe Everglades Challenge, 280 miles Keith 305-979-3362 |
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| Author: | fusioneng [ Fri Nov 25, 2016 8:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
Keith: I'm happy you were able to experience our area (the area around Sarasota Fl, where we go out most of the time), we really like the area. Lately we are around here (Sarasota) way more than Key West since my wife sold her store down in KW earlier this year. There is a pretty large contingent of Island type boats in the area, (all really nice people). South Lido park is overrun with raccoons unfortunately. Around the area you camped there are vast mangrove areas with mangrove trails and hidden coves all over the place, a really awesome kayak experience, (highly recommended if you are in the area). We have tried to go thru the mangrove tunnels with our TI with our sails down and the AMA's folded in, didn't work out so well (lol), however if you remove the AMA's and float them behind the TI (tied together, on a short leash), you can get thru there. You don't want to go thru there at low tide though. There is a kayak launch at South Lido, but it's not very friendly for TI's with trailers, you have to unload in the parking lot, then roll the boat down to the water ( a few hundred feet), not impossible, but not fun either, we have done it many times, typically when just kayaking, we will typically leave the sails, and AMA's back at the car, or leave them home. One of the nice features of owning these boats, in addition to being a great sailboat (actually family boat), they are also great kayaks (Our TI kayak is the best kayak we have owned). Here is a short video of the mangrove tunnels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnuqYKG20TU Here is a map of the park and kayak trails (I think you camped near point 5, the kayak launch is near point 4.  It's a fun area, lots to see and do, we sail up/back to Ft Desoto and Egmont key all the time, we have also sailed down/back to Stump pass a few times. We usually launch at City Island (right next door to Sarasota Sailing squadron). The weather,winds, and sea conditions you experienced are pretty typical here 80% of the time whenever we go out. Typically under 7mph winds and nice flat water (our preference). We have never ventured south of Stump Pass, and down in the south (in the Keys), we have never ventured north of Key Largo. Someday maybe... FE FE |
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| Author: | Chekika [ Sun Nov 27, 2016 4:36 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
FE, thanks for all the local knowledge. I can't say we "experienced" the area since we got into South Lido after dark and were on the water headed south by 8:00 AM the next morning. Still, we enjoyed the hospitality of the little park. The raccoons annoyed Paul with their racket, and, especially, since they bit into one of his water containers. As experienced campers, we would never leave a plastic water container out. We do freely leave Dromedary water bags out, because, for whatever reason, raccoons never bother them. We camped a bit north of the red triangle 5 on your map. This is Debbie Turner last summer in Matheson Hammock County Park a little southwest of Miami off Biscayne Bay.  Keith |
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| Author: | groberts111 [ Tue Dec 06, 2016 12:14 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
Hello from Punta Gorda, FL on Charlotte Harbor - a great place to enjoy AI fun! Thanks for sharing pictures and tales of adventures aboard AIs 
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| Author: | Chekika [ Wed Dec 07, 2016 8:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Have you done any "expedition" trips on the AI? |
Hi Glenn, looking forward to doing a trip with you. Everyone else who is interested. We completed our 2nd Practice Trip (see announcement above). It was 110 miles including tacking maneuvers. We started at the north end of Bokeelia and finished in Everglades City (near Everglades Challenge, Ckpt 2.) I plan to write up a story of the trip, but, unfortunately, left my camera at our last camping spot. If I don't get that back, no pictures! My good friend and WaterTriber, Alex Oancea, is going out to look for it this weekend. Keith |
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