June 13th-16th Tween waters getaway - whos going

[tphinney]

Just got off the horn with MM clearwater to sign up with them for the fathers day getaway. Anyone else going on this getaway.

I've vacationed a couple of years down in Captiva, but this will be the first time I go via boat.

 

[tphinney]

I've been meaning to update this post now that I went on the trip, but beteewn work and my dive certification classes this is the first oppertunity to update the post.

first let me say that if you want to take a vacation or a long weekend and get away from it all "Tween Waters" is the place. with dockage rates at $2.60 per foot per night it is very economical for a sleep aboard and this rate gives you full access to all the resort aminities including showers and Bathrooms a shore incase you don't have any or don't want to use your's. They also offere reduced room rates if you have your boat in the marina.

trip Log:

I start the trip early as the MM group was meeting at Egmont channel marker G3 green.

after clearing Channel A. I cranked up the tunes on the Ipod and started to chow down on my moring Donuts and coffee

I headed south. litterally the only boat on the water as the sun started to rise over down town tampa bay.

I headed south to Tierra Verde marina to Top off as to get to the meeting point it was nearly 40 miles for me and I need a full tank to reach Tween Waters in one jump.

From here I headed to the Meeting point G3 green in the egmont channel, or so I though. I was sitting at the G3 Marker for 45 Minutes waiting for the MM boat "Leading Lady". I though it was kind of Odd that they would want ot meet 15 miles offshore; but I have to admit that from that location it was an easy 89 miles jump direct to Tween Waters; so who am I to Judge.

Egmont Channel Marker G3 Green....

Land is somewhere that way over the horizon. it's 9:50 AM where is everyone......

I tried to raise someone on the VHF and I get crickets. now I did a radio check before I let and was reaching about 25 miles as the crow flies so they should have heard me.

at 10:00 I figure I'm at the wrong stop. pull up anchor and drop the hammer in 1 to 2 foot seas to head back in and try to hail the lead boat before it gets too far away.

at about 7 miles in; I turn the radio up to 25 Watts (normally use it at 1 watt setting) and I reach the "Leading Lady". they are headed south and clearing Anna Maria pass. Geart sounds like they are going to run inside I should be able to catch them no problem.

for the next 3 hours I run the inter-coastal south all the way to venice. I don't get it I should have caught them by now.

Intercoastal near Venice - absolutly beautiful if I did not know where I was I would have sworen I was in the Med...Beautiful Water...

After running in no wake zones for so long, I figured I would find an exit, refuel and run outside. It was a beautifull day and the temps where cranking up which made running inside unbearable.

it was just after this picture that I pulled into the Crows Nest at the Venice inlet and fueled up. There I met up with one of the boats on the trip that had been left behind by the MM boat "Leading lady" (so much for we will go as fast as the slowest boat).

I topped of and headed out after the rest of the boats and got so caught up in how beautiful everything was that I didn;t take any more pictures.

My last pic as I clear the pass at Venice.

from here I plotted a course to Boca Grand pass and just enjoyed the beautifull clear blue waters I was in. I even came across a huge sea turtel just hanging out on the surface about 3-4 miles off shore. Once I clear Boca Grand Pass, i ran in the intercoastal for a few miles and then vectored in on the entrance to tween waters. Right up until I got into the last mile (no wake zone) I was running in at least 10 feet the whole time as a minimum. I had looked at this on the charts and though it would be tough to get inthere but it was actually very easy.

I did give the MM Captain some s&*t the first night about next time issueing GPS coordinates so that everyone would not end up at the worng mark again and so I would not have to go chase them down. I also gave the Captian some s&*t over the alignment of his antenna. it was layed back at about a 70 degree angle ( and he said he could not hear me on the VHF, Yah no s**t with you antenna laid down).

anyway once I got there I had a great time. there where some folks on this trip that where great to hang out with at night on the docks. the Marina staff where real characters and great to deal with and the resort as a whole was super. I will definately be doing this trip agian with other folks who might want to meet up or travel togthere.

As for going on another MM trip; I don't know. the whole reason for going with MM on this trip was cause I had never done a long trip like this and did not have any local knowledge. As it turned out I did the trip completely Solo, both the trip down and the trip Back. The MM Captian seemed more interested in Catering to the 40 Foot + members of the group than the little guys like me. On the trip there where 2 240DA's and a 280DA and the rest where 40+.

any way had fun, wished I would have taken more pictures, I will definately be going back.

 

[highslice]

Sounds like a great trip. Doing solo too, great confidence builder:smt038.

We vacation on Sanilbel and Captiva often. Love it down there.

 

[wastinaweigh]

Tom,

Just for future reference, once you clear Venice Inlet going south, the going gets easier with respect to no wake zones. There is one that takes about 10 minutes a little past the inlet - it is the one around the Hatchett Creek and the Venice Ave. bridges. After that, there are only a few short ones all the way to Sanibel Island. So, inside is an okay option if the weather is dicey.

 

[ylwjacket]

MM won't issue GPS coord's any longer. They say they got sued by someone when a wrong number was punched in the list, or something like that. Someone doesn't check their charts, plugs in blind numbers, hits autopilot, gets lost, and sues, then MM can't give out numbers anymore.

Anyways, I'm surprised you couldn't catch up. I thought they only ran about 20-22 knots on those trips.

Tween Waters is a place I would love to go. Been scheduled to go there a couple of times, and had to cancel last minute.