Not everyone is into racing. Sometimes just sailing with family, is a priority. Even just kicking back, listening to music is sometimes preferable to racing!

There was, or is, a Hobie fleet up in Jacksonville, that scheduled a week in the Keys as a family oriented gathering.

I thought that might be a good method for fleet building; especially for new groups like the F-16.

A daily schedule of events could include any number of activiites. I'll list a few, in no particular order, just as they pop into my heard.

breakfast, yoga class, bike riding, morning walk, canoeing/kayaking, sailing lecture, nature walk/talk, beach volleyball, beach croquet, mid-morning sail, beautiful baby contest, ugliest dog contest, ugliest beer-belly (I win!), picnic lunch, late afternoon racing (short courses), sunset sail with your honey, evening bar-b-que, lots of beer.

Obviously, racing alone is not "growing" the beach cat community. This is an alternative that can be adapted to any class or mix of boats, and for some folks, it's a very long drive JUST to race.

Opinions anyone?

Yes they still exist, and they still have a party problem (Which we all enjoy)
Fleet 111

also Indian River Cat Assoc. has a picnic April 1&2 at Sebastion Inlet.
IRCA

This might be what you're looking for if not let us know.

I wonder where the Jacksonville fleet is going to gather in the Keys from now on. They used to go to America Outdoors Campground in Key Largo, but that has been bought for condo development. It is taking reservations up until March 15th and will be closed completely starting April 1st.

We have a spot here they could probably use.

That's terrible that America Outdoors got bought! I stayed there two years ago. Aren't there enough condos on Key Largo already?

We (Fleet 111 & friends) have scheduled the week of May 19th through May26th for the Keys trip.
We leave Friday before the Holiday crowd arrives. We are staying at the Stone Ledge
Motel in Key Largo on the bayside; they gave us good rates and welcomed the beach cats.
There will be around 20 people going down with 5-6 cats and 2 fishing boats. We are
planning on day sails to Nest Key in Fla Bay, on/off shore fishing; low country
shrimp boil at sunset, and all the other related Keys activities. Come on down and have a great
time in the fabulous Fla Keys!
Note - we used to camp, but the cost was about the same as a room with an ac/shower/bed.

I don't have a Hobie, but if that's OK, I will try very hard to be there.

Condos are exploding all over Key Largo: The pattern is to buy out and close older motels on the water and their water access, and'or the closest marina.
Smash everything flat and put up a big wall.
Sell to $$$ people who live there in the winter, and who do not boat.

Well why don't we DO something about it!!

Not just Key Largo, every town in Florida is having the same problem. Tampa is losing all it's little Mom and Pop motels and all the trailer parks near any water to developers who are building high rise condo's.

Even here in tiny Sebring, a developer just bought 4 small lake front homes down the street from me, all side by side, buldozed them all and is putting up a bunch of condos on the property. It's going to get ugly in a couple years. Have you been to Marco Island lately? You can't even see the ocean anymore.

guess what happens when you live in paradise?

everyone else wants to join you!

It's already ugly, and you and I are underwriting it! We will now be asked to help pay for insurance for those folks who live on the water and block our access!

Basically, Citizens Inusrance, the insurer of last resorts, wants the legislature to pass a law requiring all Florida homeowners to pay part of the premiums for those living on the coast.

So far, though, in Key Largo it sounds like most of the condos are going to be operated like motels. Most, if not all the properties that have been purchased have commercial zoning, so the owners of the individual condos will not be allowed to actually live there for more than a total of 28 days a year. I know for sure that is true of both Gilbert's Resort and America Outdoors.

They call them "condotels" or something like that.

P.S. In the Keys you can't build over four stories high, and you can't have more than 10 units per acre, so I don't think it is going to get as bad as Marco Island. I hope.

That's fine, but don't try to keep me from using the water or the beach! There are plenty of places to live without that! Florida's a big place, plenty of room.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/loverskey/docs/brochure.pdf

btw- how's the weather up there. I was gonna cut the grass today, but it's a little warm! Think I'll wait 'til later in the day

To get back to the original post that started this thread.
Nobody has responded to it. Why not?

Hi Mary

I can speak for myself. I will work hard at organizing a race and building the club infrastructure so that this race happens year after year. This task falls under sailing activities.

I won't work at all to organize a beach party for others.

If I want a beach party for myself and family and I do this a couple times a year... then the task has fallen under the family activitity not sailing and I do all of the organizing, food, music etc.

I think what folks miss is that once upon a time... you could go the launch site on any weekend eg to Sandy Point, MD... Hobie Beach,Rickenbacher Causway Miami, Duedin Causway, Clearwater and find that casual social gathering (to name a few that I have visited.) Very laid back... nothing planned... hangout with sailing friends.. No racing planned.... Sail if the breeze was up... grill your own stuff etc etc.

Sandy Pt Maryland still exists but you hardly ever see a cat sailing off the beach anymore... much less a social gathering of sailors.

I believe you need a club with mast up storage these days for this kind of social gathering to take place. Sandy Hook is probably the best place for this kind of cat sailing because they have so many members.

My two cents worth.

Mark