Does anyone have any experience , good or bad, with any launch ramps near Ft. Walton Florida? We're planning to head down there March 11 and dip our toes in salt water for the first time. The plan is to head south/east on the ICW toward Panama City, then return, taking about 4-5 days of very leisurely cruising. I ordered the Young guide, but haven't gotten it yet. Any tips/pointers would be appreciated. Cheers, Brian/
Orion '96x
Launch site around Fort Walton Florida?
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Brian Russell
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Sloop John B
- Captain
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- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Florida 'Big Bend'. 02x Yamaha T50
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Brian Russell
- Just Enlisted
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2004 7:02 pm
- Location: Arlington, TN
- Contact:
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Sloop John B
- Captain
- Posts: 871
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2004 2:45 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Florida 'Big Bend'. 02x Yamaha T50
You're headed about 100 miles west of where I'm familiar with. And it's beginning to warm up a little. There's a bit of a twirl in the southern gulf at the moment. I did check the calender and it's really too soon to worry about anything catastrophic.
80 degrees in the blasting sun this afternoon. Bring loads of sun block and a good huge hat and be sure to fill up your tanks before you cross the Florida line.
80 degrees in the blasting sun this afternoon. Bring loads of sun block and a good huge hat and be sure to fill up your tanks before you cross the Florida line.
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Brian Russell
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My son (12) wants to know about alligators and can they crawl up the stern of the boat? I promised I would ask... I think as long as we don't leave raw chicken in the cockpit we'll be okay, but a local perspective would be useful.
BTW, we booked into Fred Gannon SP campground so we'd have a good place to leave the truck/trailer. I'll post some pics and info about the launching when I return. I wonder if there is a database on the web of boat ramp info...on to google.
Cheers
BTW, we booked into Fred Gannon SP campground so we'd have a good place to leave the truck/trailer. I'll post some pics and info about the launching when I return. I wonder if there is a database on the web of boat ramp info...on to google.
Cheers
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Steve
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Ramp in Ft. Walton/Mary Ester
I'm wanting to get down to Ft. Walton beach too this year to sail. I have done some powerboating there back in 2001. It was awesome. The sand there is like baby powder, very cool.
There is a great ramp right on the main drag along the coast, on the border of Ft. Walton and Mary Ester (Esther?) Can remember the exact name, but it's really nice, long gradual grade, and lots of parking.
From there you'll motor south a little ways until you come to the outlet into the Gulf. The outlet is only a few miles from the ramp.
Let me know how it goes and keep your GPS on. Hate to see you end up in Cuba!
Steve
There is a great ramp right on the main drag along the coast, on the border of Ft. Walton and Mary Ester (Esther?) Can remember the exact name, but it's really nice, long gradual grade, and lots of parking.
From there you'll motor south a little ways until you come to the outlet into the Gulf. The outlet is only a few miles from the ramp.
Let me know how it goes and keep your GPS on. Hate to see you end up in Cuba!
Steve
ramp
the ramp on the main drag is at the rear of a park just past the red lobster heading west,there is also a dive shop in the group of buildings just past the shop for air fills,etc//beautiful area enjoy
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Chinook
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Boarded
[quote="Brian Russell"]My son (12) wants to know about alligators and can they crawl up the stern of the boat? I promised I would ask... I think as long as we don't leave raw chicken in the cockpit we'll be okay, but a local perspective would be useful.
Hi Brian,
No experience with gators climbing aboard, but we did have an interesting experience one night at Pavilion Key, a little ways south of Everglades City on the Gulf side of Everglades National Park. Breeze out of the north, so we looked for a spot to anchor on the lee side of the island. We arrived near high tide, with lots of nice, sheltered water on the south side. Only problem was depth, and a rather noisy group of kayakers camped on the east end beach. We preferred to keep our distance, which meant moving over to 4 or 5 foot water depth. Tide tables confirmed that this area would be exposed at low tide, in the middle of the night. The bottom figured to be soft, so I decided to anchor right there and let our flat bottomed Mac 26X sit there until the tide came back in and refloated the boat. It seemed like a reasonable plan under the circumstances. I even remembered to retrieve the black plastic sack of garbage from the dinghy and place it in the cockpit for the night, to avoid attracting any vermin.
Our anchoring plans didn't exactly pan out as expected. To begin with, the accustomed boat behavior while afloat and at anchor changed noticable when she began contacting the bottom on the falling tide. Even though the water was quite calm, every ripple created new and unaccustomed sound and motion. Sleep proved difficult until she finally sat firmly on the muddy bottom.
Sleep was shortlived, and punctuated by an elbow in the ribs and a "What's that noise" query from my wife. I roused and listened to a rattling, rustling sound clearly coming from the cockpit. We'd been boarded. Could be anyone/anything. I quietly grabbed the flashlight and eased my way back to the companionway hatch. I slid the hatch back, just enough to peer outside, and hit the flashlight switch. Two pairs of shifty eyes glared back from beneath the steering seat. Their masks instantly gave their identities away. Racoons. I shooed them away and crawled back to bed. Just started dropping off when the rustling sounds returned. They're baaack. I rousted them again, and over the side they went. After a third episode I followed them out into the cockpit with my spotlight. They were sitting in the motor well, waiting for me to go back to bed. I finally got them off the boat and onto the mudflats, and kept drilling them with the spotlight until they gave up and returned to Pavilion Key. I finally got some rest until, that is, the tide started returning, with a repeat performance of the strangely rocking boat.
Next morning I rose to inspect the damage. One sack of slightly rearranged garbage greeted me. That and dozens of muddy footprints on the cockpit floor, seat cushions, and motor well area.
If you're ever tempted to let her sit on a soft smooth bottom overnight, be forewarned. Strange things can go bump in the night.
Hi Brian,
No experience with gators climbing aboard, but we did have an interesting experience one night at Pavilion Key, a little ways south of Everglades City on the Gulf side of Everglades National Park. Breeze out of the north, so we looked for a spot to anchor on the lee side of the island. We arrived near high tide, with lots of nice, sheltered water on the south side. Only problem was depth, and a rather noisy group of kayakers camped on the east end beach. We preferred to keep our distance, which meant moving over to 4 or 5 foot water depth. Tide tables confirmed that this area would be exposed at low tide, in the middle of the night. The bottom figured to be soft, so I decided to anchor right there and let our flat bottomed Mac 26X sit there until the tide came back in and refloated the boat. It seemed like a reasonable plan under the circumstances. I even remembered to retrieve the black plastic sack of garbage from the dinghy and place it in the cockpit for the night, to avoid attracting any vermin.
Our anchoring plans didn't exactly pan out as expected. To begin with, the accustomed boat behavior while afloat and at anchor changed noticable when she began contacting the bottom on the falling tide. Even though the water was quite calm, every ripple created new and unaccustomed sound and motion. Sleep proved difficult until she finally sat firmly on the muddy bottom.
Sleep was shortlived, and punctuated by an elbow in the ribs and a "What's that noise" query from my wife. I roused and listened to a rattling, rustling sound clearly coming from the cockpit. We'd been boarded. Could be anyone/anything. I quietly grabbed the flashlight and eased my way back to the companionway hatch. I slid the hatch back, just enough to peer outside, and hit the flashlight switch. Two pairs of shifty eyes glared back from beneath the steering seat. Their masks instantly gave their identities away. Racoons. I shooed them away and crawled back to bed. Just started dropping off when the rustling sounds returned. They're baaack. I rousted them again, and over the side they went. After a third episode I followed them out into the cockpit with my spotlight. They were sitting in the motor well, waiting for me to go back to bed. I finally got them off the boat and onto the mudflats, and kept drilling them with the spotlight until they gave up and returned to Pavilion Key. I finally got some rest until, that is, the tide started returning, with a repeat performance of the strangely rocking boat.
Next morning I rose to inspect the damage. One sack of slightly rearranged garbage greeted me. That and dozens of muddy footprints on the cockpit floor, seat cushions, and motor well area.
If you're ever tempted to let her sit on a soft smooth bottom overnight, be forewarned. Strange things can go bump in the night.
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Sloop John B
- Captain
- Posts: 871
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2004 2:45 am
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Florida 'Big Bend'. 02x Yamaha T50
Raccoons are as smart at little children and if you look, they have hands. By that, I mean a moveable thumb.
Theyre pesky and disruptive and are the number one or two carriers of rabies. For that reason the loving animal control people advise to blast them with a shotgun and bury them deep. Well, thats pretty hard to do if you ever get a chance to watch them operate at night.
About 0130 one morning the mate shakes my nose and says, Cmon, you gotta see this.
Four raccoons rummaging about the back porch. We sit down in the dark kitchen with a nightcap. They methodically go about their business. One picks a cigarette butt out of an ashtray. Yuk. Another unrolls the top of a big bag of dog food and tests a nugget. Pew. Another unrolls the cat food. Yummy. He gives a human like high sign to his pals and they begin to devour the Meow Mix
Then one of them glances over his shoulder and sees us sitting in the kitchen. He taps his pal on the shoulder and points at us with his index finger. They trudge over on their hind legs and stare at us, and begin chuckling and pointing. A young family visiting the zoo, and were the zoo.
Cant have this so we set the have a heart trap. Huge cage with a bait loaded trigger at one end that slams a spring loaded door at the other end shut.
One morning before daybreak I look out to distinctly see four raccoons trapped in the cage. I go back to bed.
Later, the mate grabs my nose and says, We have three racoons in the trap.
No, theres four. I go out and count three. Oh, man, may be time to go see a doctor.
They are released across the river and down the road where the pickings look good.
Shortly we find one snoozing in the cage. He can wait, I gotta have my coffee.
Mate says, Hey, look at this. The little guy is scooched down by the door on his back. Its hard to describe this thing but he reaches through the cage to the spring loaded outer door and pulls it toward him. With his hind legs, he pushes the now released inner door up and Zip, off he goes. I rear back and roar with laughter.
Whats so damn funny?
Im okay, Im okay, ha ha haa, it was Houdini!
Mates now thinking about maybe calling the doctor.
Theyre pesky and disruptive and are the number one or two carriers of rabies. For that reason the loving animal control people advise to blast them with a shotgun and bury them deep. Well, thats pretty hard to do if you ever get a chance to watch them operate at night.
About 0130 one morning the mate shakes my nose and says, Cmon, you gotta see this.
Four raccoons rummaging about the back porch. We sit down in the dark kitchen with a nightcap. They methodically go about their business. One picks a cigarette butt out of an ashtray. Yuk. Another unrolls the top of a big bag of dog food and tests a nugget. Pew. Another unrolls the cat food. Yummy. He gives a human like high sign to his pals and they begin to devour the Meow Mix
Then one of them glances over his shoulder and sees us sitting in the kitchen. He taps his pal on the shoulder and points at us with his index finger. They trudge over on their hind legs and stare at us, and begin chuckling and pointing. A young family visiting the zoo, and were the zoo.
Cant have this so we set the have a heart trap. Huge cage with a bait loaded trigger at one end that slams a spring loaded door at the other end shut.
One morning before daybreak I look out to distinctly see four raccoons trapped in the cage. I go back to bed.
Later, the mate grabs my nose and says, We have three racoons in the trap.
No, theres four. I go out and count three. Oh, man, may be time to go see a doctor.
They are released across the river and down the road where the pickings look good.
Shortly we find one snoozing in the cage. He can wait, I gotta have my coffee.
Mate says, Hey, look at this. The little guy is scooched down by the door on his back. Its hard to describe this thing but he reaches through the cage to the spring loaded outer door and pulls it toward him. With his hind legs, he pushes the now released inner door up and Zip, off he goes. I rear back and roar with laughter.
Whats so damn funny?
Im okay, Im okay, ha ha haa, it was Houdini!
Mates now thinking about maybe calling the doctor.