[kidkoolers]

I have a 26 foot Catalina and would like to go from Ft Myers to Keys. Is this a bad Idea or any help on what to look for. Next fall also like to go Bahamas is this a good or bad idea?
I also have hard time finding my postes any help there be great.

 

[Barquito]

Welcome to Sailnet!

I will let others with knowledge of Florida answer the first question.

In the last sentence did you mean you are having trouble finding you posts here on Sailnet? Not sure what the question was.

 

[krisscross]

Is this C27? Not sure if there is C26.
If you and your boat are well prepared for this type of sailing, it should not be a problem.

 

[kidkoolers]

Sorry that is a 25 foot Cat. Also need a way to find my postes I have made.

 

[chuck53]

Sorry that is a 25 foot Cat. Also need a way to find my postes I have made.

In any of your postings, click on your name and a drop down menu will appear and click on "show all postings"

 

[krisscross]

There were several C25 boats made. Fixed keel or swing keel? Fixed keel would be more suitable for this kind of a trip.
A good, experienced sailor is a big factor in this consideration. And with a marginally suitable boat like C25, you will have to make sure you pay very close attention to weather and sea conditions.
You can find your old posts by clicking on your user name (top right on the screen) and opening the 'statistics' tab. there you have a link: 'Find all posts'

 

[eherlihy]

You would benefit GREATLY by taking a 2-6 hour private lesson from a local sailing school... or better yet, a private lesson, from an experienced skipper, on your boat.

 

[chuck53]

Also need a way to find my postes I have made.

Click here.

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/search.php?searchid=9049690

 

[DavyJ]

I owned a Catalina 25 for ten years. I sailed it all over the west coast of Florida. Yes your boat can sail to the keys and yes your boat can sail to the Bahamas.

The things you will need to do it are:

A well prepared boat.

Good weather or the time to wait out bad weather.

Experience with your boat in a variety of weather conditions, so you will know what to do and when to do it.

I suggest you go to the Catalina 25 International Association forum. You will find much more direct info on Catalina's there:

Association Forum

 

[MarkCK]

I agree with all the previous posts. You need to be able to wait on good weather. And figure out what your next closest safe harbor every time you leave your anchorage in the morning. That way if the weather turns bad unexpectedly you will automatically know where and how far a fast dash to safety is.

 

[Mechsmith]

I have made that trip six times but only once did I try it straight through. It didn't work that time as I ran out of wind.

I suggest that you leave Fort Myers a day early and spend the night in San Carlos Bay within sight of the bridge. Jump out early and head for Pavillion Key. There is a narrow channel on the north end that will get you a good anchorage in the bight of the island. IF the wind is good then you can go straight to Key West, Northwest Channel and anchor off Tank or Wisteria Island.

Use the big channel. The other channel that goes to Dodgers Key is narrow, shallow and twisty. I did it once and once I didn't. I draw 3 1/2 feet.

If the wind isn't good then go to Little Shark River. Good anchorage and marked channel close to the Gulf. Jump off from there.

Fort Myers straight to Key West would need good winds to make it and then you probably would be coming in near dark. There is too much skinny water for me to want to do that!

I have made the trip in my Seafarer 22 and also in my Seafarer 29. Never made it in one day.

For a boat your size. You cannot motor through Naples. Low bridges.
From Fort Myers.
San Carlos Pass is good. Big Hickory pass you can hide in good. Delnor Wiggins pass is shallow but good inside. Doctors pass is good.. Gordons pass is good. Marco river is good. Marco Island doesn't like overnighters. Simply take two lefts and go behind Keywadin Island.

Pass south of Marco Island is not good. Shallow twisty. Indian Key pass is very good.

Personally I have as much fun around the 10,000 islands as anyplace. You can go into the Huston river, and the Shark river and view pretty close to the primeval world. The Barron river takes you to Everglades City. Supermarket and friendly place all in all.

Have a nice trip. M.

 

[Mechsmith]

For some reason my edit didn't work. Post should read South end of Pavillion Key. Not too far off the beach 20-40- feet.

 

[MarkCK]

Marco Island gets a bad rap for not liking people anchoring out. And it's true that the powers that be don't like it but there isn't much that they can do about it either. I work at a marina on Marco and there are plenty of boats that anchor, sometimes for very long periods of time.

As for doing a long range navigation in a 26 ft boat my mind has been somewhat changed on what can be done. The other day a couple showed up at the marina looking for gas in a water blasted 26 ft Hunter. They said they came down from South Carolina did they Keys the Bahamas and were just in Marco. They have a blog, it's called nautical nitwits.blogspot or something like that. I looked it up but didn't get a chance to actually look at it to see if there stories lined up with what they told me.

That seems like too much for a 26 ft water ballasted boat, but they had no complaints.

 

[Skipper Jer]

I did the horn of Florida in a 25 ft Hunter fixed keel. Watch the weather. I left Marco and did an overnight to Ft Jefferson. No big deal. From Ft. Jefferson up through the Marquesas to Key West. From there back to Melbourne via the ICW. The only thing I worried about was the sudden loss of molecular adhesion of the boat and water.