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Last Tango
01-03-2009, 05:17 PM
We have been having unseasonably warm weather, even for Florida. Last weekend, I boated both on Saturday and Sunday to close out the 2008 boating season here. Temps both days were 80 deg and clear skies. Weather was a about 10 degrees cooler during the week, but warmed up again for this weekend.
Put the boat in at Ponte Vedra on the Intracoastal Waterway to open the boating season for 2009, and ran down to St. Augustine today. Tied up at the City Marina, and we enjoyed lunch at O.C. Whites (Aarrgh, Matey's!) and then ran back with a 36-something foot offshore cat and then a 40-something foot Hustler. No, I couldn't keep up with either one in my 22ZX, but they were having fun running with me for a while, then chased each other around for a while.
Last weekend I ran south on the St. Johns River from Goodby's Creek to Palatka. For those who have been to the SEADOG events we have had in Palatka in the past, the restaurant formerly known as Gator Landing, was bought by Corkey Bell's Restaurant and Corkey Bell relocated from Cyrstal Creek Marina to the new spot. Now that run is as ideal as it could be. About a 45 minute run at max range cruise speed, excellent docking in deep fresh water, and the best seafoood restaurant in North Florida (and very good prices).
Should we ever want to do that event again, I think folks will be very happy.
I just can't promise it will be 80 deg the last weekend of December and the first weekend of January every year.

Donziweasel
01-03-2009, 05:24 PM
I plug my car in at night.........:bonk:

Use to have a house at Ponte Vedra. Very nice area, do you take the intercostal down to St. Augustine?

Last Tango
01-03-2009, 05:39 PM
Yes, the Intracoastal Waterway has a ramp at SR210 in St. Johns County. From there, it is a straight shot south to downtown St. Augustine. At an easy pace it only takes about 35 minutes each way. That section is scenic for both the parts with the big homes and the larger part which is Guana State Park wetlands, salt marshes, pampas grass hammocks, birds, dolphin pods enjoying the bounty of things for them to eat.
The only idle zones are 300 yards each side of the bridges (few and far between). Otherwise you can run at whatever speed pleases you.
The City Marina chares $4 and hour to tie up, but that is dirt cheap since you are in downtown St. Augustine and everything is within 10 blocks walk.
Just stunningly beautiful today both on the water and in St. Augustine. We ate lunch on the waterfront, then strolled up to St. George Street for shopping and fresh home-made ice cream.
St. Augustine is about as fun and quaint as any place I have ever been. But them I am prejudiced since we have lived in this part of Florida for almost 40 years.

Donziweasel
01-03-2009, 06:42 PM
I agree, St. Augustine is a really cool place.

My grandparents had a house in Ponte Vedra. Stayed there the entire month on June every year from 1970-1985. From Sawgrass down to St Augustine there was nothing, no beach houses, etc...

Place has sure changed since then.

I am really jealous of your boating, real nice area. Will always have fond memories of Ponte Vedra. Glad you got a day out in January, hope you get a few more......:wink::)

Last Tango
01-03-2009, 06:55 PM
Don't be too jealous. I hold a certain amount of envy for your boating area. Your season is just a whole lot shorter. But your scenery is just breathtaking.

Cuda
01-04-2009, 06:36 AM
Ponte Vedra isn't exactly the low rent district. We've done several jobs off 210, and towards SA. We did the restrooms at a park for St John's County that you could barely see a house from. The county paid over 9 mill for the park.

When I was married, living in St Pete, we'd go to SA every year on vacation. My wife would drop me off at the inlet, I'd fish in the mornings, and she would shop, then we spent the afternoon checking the sights. It was a win-win situation.

Cuda
01-04-2009, 06:39 AM
I know I've lived in Florida too long. The other day, I was freezing, put on my wool socks, sweatpants, turned on the space heater in my office, and when I checked the temp on the net, it was 68. :eek:

CJmike
01-04-2009, 06:54 AM
-5 below this morning with windchills of -25 below zero. But it is going to warm up this afternoon to 9 above zero.:crossfing:

CHACHI
01-04-2009, 07:03 AM
[quote=Donziweasel;485724]I plug my car in at night......

You too.

Ken

Donziweasel
01-04-2009, 07:23 AM
Oh yeah, and it isn't because it's electric!:wink:

-25 this morning, wind chill is below -45.

breeze400
01-04-2009, 09:13 AM
:shocking:It's A hot 8 hear in down town Holland, NY. (Buffalo LOL) They say 36 and rain this afternoon. Then back to thw whight stoff tomorrow.

Sam:nilly:

Ed Donnelly
01-04-2009, 09:23 AM
Breeze400; Do you boat near Sherkston (sp)???..........Ed

BUIZILLA
01-04-2009, 09:29 AM
Oh yeah, and it isn't because it's electric!:wink:

-25 this morning, wind chill is below -45. at 10am we were 103* warmer than you... and the wind chill was a paltry 117* warmer :eek:

I think i'll go for a scooter ride :yes: :shades:

breeze400
01-04-2009, 09:38 AM
We generally go to Sun Set out of River Oaks Marina on Grand Island. But we do go to Canada frequently. A few years Ago we went right next door to shirkson. On the right faceing the beach. It was one of my faverite places to go. Now you cant go there anymore since new ownership of the beach to place A few years ago.

breeze400
01-04-2009, 09:40 AM
We do go to Cristal A few times A year!

gcarter
01-04-2009, 09:43 AM
Great 'glassing weather.

Gonna go do some in awhile.

zelatore
01-04-2009, 11:01 AM
at 10am we were 103* warmer than you... and the wind chill was a paltry 117* warmer :eek:

I think i'll go for a scooter ride :yes: :shades:

Wow. Now there's some perspective for 'ya.

I on the other hand am stuck in the typical NorCal winter 'generally crappy with rain but not really that cold and not really warm' weather pattern. At least it's not supposed to rain today. Maybe I'll break out the wood splitter and get to work on the log pile. Oh joy.

Last Tango
01-11-2009, 03:23 PM
Another crazy great weather weekend...
...and another day of boating, today.
Took advantage of the day to invite McGary911 to join me (his Critter is still snowbound even though he has lived here almost 2 years). Also invited several Porsche Club buddies to bring their boats, and we got our 2009 Coast Guard Safety Inspections and stickers done and then took the inspector to lunch by boat. He is also one of our group - Porsche/powerboater.

My turn is coming next week to be waste deep in snow and cold. I'm headed to Cleveland, OH for a week to be with Mom and Dad, and to attend the Detroit Autoshow (does it really deserve to be called the North American International Auto Show anymore?), and to go to the Cleveland Boat Show (aka Great Lakes Boat show).

Carl C
01-11-2009, 03:53 PM
I hate you! For some unknown reason our lakes have solidified.:nilly:

rtgogo
01-11-2009, 06:30 PM
YOU SUCK!...sorry, just had to say it, my boats been in storage a while and really gettin the itch! I feel a little better now...kinda...

wannabe
01-11-2009, 07:29 PM
Another crazy great weather weekend...
...and another day of boating, today.
Took advantage of the day to invite McGary911 to join me (his Critter is still snowbound even though he has lived here almost 2 years). Also invited several Porsche Club buddies to bring their boats, and we got our 2009 Coast Guard Safety Inspections and stickers done and then took the inspector to lunch by boat. He is also one of our group - Porsche/powerboater.

My turn is coming next week to be waste deep in snow and cold. I'm headed to Cleveland, OH for a week to be with Mom and Dad, and to attend the Detroit Autoshow (does it really deserve to be called the North American International Auto Show anymore?), and to go to the Cleveland Boat Show (aka Great Lakes Boat show).


The Detroit auto show could be worth freezing your azz off but the Cleveland Boat Show was a disappointment last year and will shrink again this year. They were selling floating mobile homes to replace the lack of boats filling the docks. They were expensive and very tight inside. Buy a large boat and don't run it. I went to Detroit and Cleveland boat shows with no Donzi boats at either show.

Last Tango
01-11-2009, 08:16 PM
RTGOGO, Carl C,
Yeah, you are probably correct. I do get a little perverse pleasure posting about boating at this time of year. But if I made the same post in July, who would care?... one way OR the other! LOL!
At least I heated you up a bit with my posts.

And in August, it will be the other way. We in Florida will be hiding inside from the sun, the heat, and the humidity, while you boat on cool fresh-water lakes.

Normally, I get my best top speeds at this time of year. However the addition of 10% Ethanol to all gas in the country really has hurt top end performance. Two years ago I could pull 5200 RPMs. Today, the best I could get was 4600 RPMs.
I was carrying a full tank of fuel, and two adult passengers, so maybe I should wait to worry until I have a low fuel tank, and my 10-year-old neighbor boy who boats with me most of the year as my "navigator."

Wannabe,
You are right about the Cleveland Boat Show. I have been attending each year for the past 55 years with my Dad (can't remember if he took me the five years before that, but I doubt it). The only thing consistent over that time is Squiggy the Waterskiing Squirrel (family business, third generation family, 20th generation squirrels). Dad turns 85 this year. We will attend together, anyway, as always. He mostly sits and drinks a beer, now, in the food area and scans the boats from there. I have some great memories of the "old days" when it was downtown at the Cleveland Auditorium. There are still some wooden boat builders who still show up each year - Lyman, to name one. We had a 14' Lyman in the 1950's with a 40 hp Evinrude outboard.

Cuda
01-11-2009, 10:10 PM
It was 70 here tonight at 10 pm.
I spoke to that girl in Minn today. It's supposed the 30 below all next week. :eek: And she wonders why I won't even entertain the thought of going there?:confused:

McGary911
01-12-2009, 11:38 AM
Mark, thanks again for great day on the water. Hopefully it'll be Crit' time by spring and I can run my own boat. :yes: Have fun in Cleveland.

zelatore
01-12-2009, 03:40 PM
It was 70 here tonight at 10 pm.
I spoke to that girl in Minn today. It's supposed the 30 below all next week. :eek: And she wonders why I won't even entertain the thought of going there?:confused:

So would would it be a bad thing if you told her "honey, you're good looking and all, but you aren't 30 below good looking!"?

You know, just asking...

Ghost
01-12-2009, 04:37 PM
So would would it be a bad thing if you told her "honey, you're good looking and all, but you aren't 30 below good looking!"?

You know, just asking...

I like it. Maybe even "you're hot and all, but not 30-below hot." :idea:

gcarter
01-12-2009, 08:13 PM
Supposed to be in the 40's for the rest of the week.:nilly::nilly:

sweet 16 1966
01-12-2009, 09:37 PM
Remember the Sea Dogs last Polatka run? And the Springs? Silver Glen Springs I think- great place to tie up and people watch! Then the run down river - (don't remember any "No Wake" zones) - to the resturant where we ate fresh seafood! The I remember the 3-4' chop in Lake George that wanted to eat up my 16' but the 22ZX ran smooth. Then there was the band playing at the ole Bar which was missing the chicken wire only to be outdone by the air boat which sank in the river by a couple who were just married and trying to get it to the ramp in darkness but in the company of many on lookers.
Now, if we could work in a trip to St Augustine the next day, that would be choice!
Very in-expensive and something to do again one day!!

Last Tango
01-12-2009, 10:09 PM
Well, Russ, I agree completely. Let me work on that thought a bit. The logistics are doable, but it would be a very long weekend to try to do all of those things in one trip. The trouble with adding a trip to St. Augustine in that is that Palatka and St. Augustine are only about 30 miles apart, on the same latitude, and there are no rivers that go east-west there.
A good SEADOG run to St. Augustine should start at Mayport and use the St. Johns and the ICW one direction, and offshore the other, winds permitting.
That is a full day all by itself. Since St. Augustine is the destination for lunch, we need to start at Mayport in order to make a logical trip.
Tough to add Palatka-to-Silver Glen Springs in that mix on the same weekend.
And Palatka now has the destination waterfront restaurant.
And on and on.

For a normal 2-day weekend, we should try to limit the destinations. Now if you want to be my house guest for Spring Break, you can bring the boat down, and I'll point you in all the right directions for each day.
Unfortuantely for me, my employer is a Dutch company, and Spring Break is not one of their traditions. LOL!!!!!

I can tell you are itching to come back soon. I will be unavailable most of the rest of January since I will be in Cleveland this coming weekend through next, but I will keep you informed. We can make a SEADOG group of it when ChromeGorilla is home, and a few other folks.

sweet 16 1966
01-13-2009, 06:20 AM
Mark,
I too have trouble finding time but here are always possibilities. I do travel Florida several times per year and when working- there is no time for fun. With that said, there is a way- I-we- just have to find that right time. Its only gas! But logically, its not doable -You have to agree though- many good places to stay and many run possibilities. We will discuss again soon !
Take care and we will be running soon!!

gcarter
01-13-2009, 06:20 AM
[quote=Last Tango;487698]
A good SEADOG run to St. Augustine should start at Mayport and use the St. Johns and the ICW one direction, and offshore the other, winds permitting.
That is a full day all by itself. Since St. Augustine is the destination for lunch, we need to start at Mayport in order to make a logical trip.
Tough to add Palatka-to-Silver Glen Springs in that mix on the same weekend.
quote]

Or Ormand Beacch on the ICW.

Last Tango
01-18-2009, 08:46 AM
Well, they say payback is a M****F**** and my come-up-ance has arrived in the form of Cleveland, Ohio. Stepped off the plane last night for a week here with my parents (85 yrs old - celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past October).
The temp was a balmy 'teen-something, with snow "flurries" that had the plows running full tilt boogey on the runway before and after our landing.

I awoke this morning to the beautiful sight of actual snow flurries falling listlessly onto 2 inches of fresh, on top of 14 inches of day 'old, on top of several inches of all-this-past-week.
While I am here this week, there will be a one-day mini-thaw on Thursday with temps just above 32F before settling again below zero by Friday night. Lake Erie is frozen over and far as I can see from the bluffs on the shoreline, and will remain so for the next couple months.

All is not lost however.
This week is the Detroit Autoshow, and I might find my way up there on Thursday during the "thaw". I can take the direct route by driving on "Lake" Erie or just follow the track in the single plowed lane in the middle of I-80.
Of a more immediate urgency is the Cleveland Boat Show only a few minutes away from my childhood bedroom here at the house. Wednesday looks best for going there. So far.

The real good news is coming Saturday late afternoon.
I fly back to Florida.

Sunday it is back to the old grind. A younger "acquaintance" has promised that if I take her boating Sunday, she will strut her stuff in (and out) of her new Bikini. I promised to provide sunblock to keep her skin from getting a nasty burn.

breeze400
01-18-2009, 09:13 AM
To bad your flying back on Sat. I think my son and I are going to be at the cleveland show Sat.

Sam:cool: