The Cape Coral Cruise Club is a group of dedicated cruisers who always provide unique reports from the marinas they visit. Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina, A CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR and voted Best Small Marina in 2017, overlooks the westerly banks of the Matanzas Pass channel, west of marker #13. Pink Shell Beach Marina is a favorite of the CCCC, see https://cruisersnet.net/170308.
By Joanne Ziemer
An even dozen! That’s the number of boats that took advantage of the $1/ft. marina fee for our summer cruise to Pink Shell! Jeff & I settled in ahead of the arriving boats on Tuesday morning. Dave and Craig from Pink Shell were there to greet us in their usual cordial manner. Boaters arrived over the next several hours so, by Docktail time, we had a nice crowd gathered on the lawn for adult beverages and heavy hors de oeuvres. We were fortunate not to have the normal summer afternoon thundershowers.
Thanks to Michelle & Doug Rhees, and Becky & John Todd, Wednesday morning we served up a breakfast of sausage, eggs, fruit, sweet breads, and juice on the deck. It was HOT even at 8:30 a.m. but a few people found shade to enjoy their coffee and breakfast. After clean up, it seemed to be pool time for some folks. The wind was still out of the East, so no one was bothered by the effects Red Tide.
One group rented a pontoon boat for a leisurely cruise to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Others retreated to their boats for some “down time” or took the opportunity to just visit, and some headed to downtown to browse the many shops of Ft. Myers Beach. At 6 p.m., we reconvened for dinner on the lawn. It was again a concerted effort from my helpers who served up burgers and dogs along with the many varied and delicious sides our boaters brought! We had the 12th boat arrive today plus six folks by car so a total of 30 people for our BBQ! Again, the storms held off so no one got wet!
Thursday morning was a repeat of Wednesday. The temperature did not moderate, so another hot day was in store for us. Unfortunately, the wind shifted to the West, so even at the pool, we could feel the effects of Red Tide. No one stayed for a long time at the pool, most wandered back to the marina for some down time before gussying up for dinner. Tonight folks were on their own for dinner, and several headed to Fort Myers Beach to a favorite restaurant.
The last day of the cruise found all but four boats heading home. We were very fortunate with the weather this cruise. Although we had storms all around us, we did not experience any for the duration of the cruise. (For those of us who stayed Friday night; well, that’s another story!)
Thanks to all the participants! I know the staff at Pink Shell was pleased to have 12 boats nearly fill the marina!
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is open to new members who own a boat with overnight accommodations and reside in the Cape Coral / Ft. Myers area. For membership information please contact Phil Kryger at 239-541-0236. Read additional Club information on its website, www.c-c-c-c.org Like us on Facebook.
This week, North Carolina will be experiencing severe weather, including strong winds and a large amount of rainfall as Hurricane Florence makes landfall. There is potential for power outages and major flooding in low-lying areas, and the most important thing you can be doing is to start preparing for a direct hit. This includes:
Having emergency supplies in place at home, at work and in the car, including bottled water, nonperishable food items for three to seven days for each family member, prescription medications, first aid kits, flashlights, and extra batteries.
Creating an emergency communication plan with your family before the hurricane. Know where family members will be during the storm and how to get in touch with them.
Checking your insurance coverage and gather important documents.
Knowing your local evacuation plan and how to receive alerts.
Instructions on how to plan and prepare for severe weather as well as access to real-time weather, flooding, traffic and shelter information can be found at ReadyNC.org. I also want to make sure you have important contact information available if you need to deal with power outages or any emergencies.
For life-threatening emergencies, call 911.
For a toll-free hotline to speak with a trained specialist, call 211. They can provide you information on shelters, evacuation routes, storm clean-up, volunteer needs, and locating food and water. The service is available 24/7.
For road closures, call 511.
For Coast Guard search and rescue, call 1-757-398-6700.
For help finding fuel/gas, visit gasbuddy.com or download the app.
For shelter locations, visit redcross.org or call 888-892-1162.
If you have trouble contacting emergency officials, my staff can be reached at (704) 589-7493.
Below is additional information I hope you find helpful, please pass it along to family and friends.
Stay safe,
Power Outages
Customers may also report an outage or view current outages using the online outage map. Duke Energy also will provide updates on Twitterand Facebook to keep customers informed if significant outages occur.
Crews will work as fast as possible to restore power. Please call your local power company for more information (See below).
Our thanks to Bill Parlatore for permitting Cruisers’ Net to post articles from his excellent blog, Following Seas.
Prepare For The Coming Storms by Bill Parlatore Get ready for some nasty storms on the U.S. East Coast. Pam Wall shares some good information about how best to prepare. And take these storms seriously.
Katrina Greenwood Drifting sands/shoaling will change inlets and on the ICW, creating maps to be inaccurate. Docks won’t have power. No pump out. Marinas may be closed completely. Stores may not open again and be stocked with supplies you need
Sally Grant Grave I came down after Hugo and we had to go outside quite a bit. Difficult passage, but the places that had managed to open back up were so very grateful to see us!
Kathy Kelly Kennedy Bridges on the ICW are already closed in SC. we are stuck in Myrtle Beach.
Clarkson Rollins I always go outside at Beaufort NC. Plan it right seas decent and wind good for a broad reach. Then come in at Jacksonville St Augustine or Coco.
Roger Long I just heard the head of the Katrina recovery task force say to expect everything east of interstate 95 in NC and SC to remain largely uninhabitable for at least weeks and possibly months. I’m trying to imagine ICW conditions 6 – 8 weeks from now and wondering where we will be. Wilmington at Thanksgiving was the plan but that looks subject to change. Bridges and inlets will be big problems. The swing bridge at Isle of Palms was blown off its mounts in Hugo and I can imagine places like Lockwood’s Folly and Shallotte being filled right in.
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Comments from Cruisers (1)
Laura Cheek- September 21, 2018 - 12:08 pm
We moved our boat from Jarrett Bay to Spooners Creek Marina yesterday with no problems. We went slow but saw only a little debris in the water in the port turning basin in Morehead. All Nav aids seemed to be in the right place.
Power is quickly being restored in most places and people are helping their neighbors clean up. We aren’t New Orleans. Eastern NC is resilient and will be back in business soon.
Laura, you are not alone in your sentiments. I doubt if there is a single boater among our readers who has not felt exactly the same frustration at one or more of the old bascule and swing bridges along the Waterway, not just in North Carolina. In our navigation of the Ditch, we always tried to make bridge and lock schedules a game testing our on-water planning against tides and boat speed. We also became very adept at dropping the hook to wait for an opening when arriving early. We do not want to lose Laura as a Waterway cruiser, so, if you have suggestions for her that might make bridge schedules less stressful, let us hear from you! And don’t forget that all bridge schedules are listed by state on our Homepage.
We have absolutely nothing against the State of NC, we love some of their cities and very dear friends abide in that state, but we do abhor their ridiculous ICW bridge restrictions. They open only on the hour and then we have to call to awaken the bridge tender to remind him it’s time to open. A few of these bridges are 4 miles apart so only the slowest sailboat would find that beneficial. Opening takes less than 5′ for traffic to stop, yet we wasted almost 2 hours of our day as well as fuel, just treading water awaiting the ‘appointed time’. There are lots of places we can spend our money, but it won’t be traversing NC’s ICW again. Laura Lane Bender Kindred Spirit III Grand Banks 42 Cl
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Comments from Cruisers (2)
Mike B.- September 7, 2018 - 1:55 pm
We always review the bridge schedules and set our speed to arrive close to scheduled openings. It’s not a big deal and simply good seamanship. We always call every bridge to let them know we wish to pass. They do not always assume every boat wants to go through and some keep track by name of all boats. Therefore, it’s not because they are sleeping. It’s because they don’t open at the appointed time if no one requests an opening. We’ve found nearly all bridge tenders to be professional, helpful and courteous. Mutual respect works both ways.
We feel very fortunate in our lives that we can boat at our leisure and thus we lack the sense of entitlement that causes some to think bridges should open at their sole convenience. There are thousands upon thousands of vehicles crossing those same bridges every day with people commuting, working, on emergencies, making deliveries and myriad other important and necessary things. That somehow recreational boaters should be the center of the bridge universe inciting a tantrum is self-centered.
Waiting a few minutes because I erred in my TSD calculation is a small price to pay for not occupying one of those thousands of vehicles on the bridge who need to be there.
I agree with Laura, the bridges in NC cause the most trouble on the trip from VA to FL. As noted, a few open on the hour only. Do not be late, even a minute in one place will have you waiting for the next opening. I have never had to remind one that it is time to open but sometimes you can tell that they are having a real bad day.
Our thanks to Bill Parlatore for permitting Cruisers’ Net to post articles from his excellent blog, Following Seas.
Monday Minute – Where Do Old Boats Go? I attended the annual boat auction in St Michaels, and wonder about the fate of old boats that no longer have a meaningful purpose.
After this tragedy, the Gulfport Historical Society can certainly use our help to keep their important educational and environmental work going, see https://cruisersnet.net/173192. See below for how to help. Gulfport Municipal Marina, A CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, and the City of Gulfport always have a full calendar of events for all ages. The marina and harbor, found on the northern shores of Boca Ciega Bay, are easily accessible from the Western Florida ICW, just north of Tampa Bay.
Click Image to Enlarge
What a day this has been.
This morning, we had a fire at the Gulfport History Museum.
Most importantly, no one was hurt. This is the thing we must bear in mind as we move forward. No. One. Was. Hurt.
It could have been far, far worse. The quick actions of the Gulfport — and St. Petersburg — fire department spared most of the building as well as paper records and photographs. They risked their lives to save our town’s history this morning — if they hadn’t been so quick to act, everything would be lost. As it stands now, it looks like our main historic losses are the historic Shuffleboard Club sign and the Gulfport Historic Register sign (we’ll know more after the investigation is complete and we can conduct a full assessment). These things are not replaceable, and their loss is real and tragic.
Thanks, too, to the Gulfport PD for being on hand, assisting and apprehending a suspect. We also want to thank everyone who stopped by to tell investigators what they saw, extend their sympathy and join with us in our communal heartbreak. We also want to thank representatives from Gulfport Beach Bazaar and Stella’s, and councilfolk Paul Ray and Christine Anne Brown, who wanted to see how they could help — along with countless others we’re probably too addled to properly thank.
We were touched by all of your support, and also by the number of people asking how they could help. Thank you for the special trip you made to tell us you wanted to help; your kindness to us and reverence for our history touches us.
Finally, we want to thank the city staff who came in before 8 a.m. on their day off to help us with debris clearing and securing the museum. Your dedication to this community means more to us all than you will ever know.
We don’t know what lies ahead, but we’re still here. We’re just a little… charred… right now (here are some photos of what the inside of the museum looks like, and for those of you not in town, what damage the outside suffered).
We’re seeing a lot of talk on social media right now, about arson and who it might have been. Please remember the important things: no one was injured, the losses could have been far greater, and mental illness is a disease. It is our most sincere hope that if it was arson, whoever set the fire — for whatever reason — is able to get the help they need in a safe place. Our hearts break for them and what must be happening in their head.
While we can’t replace the historical items that were lost, we can take steps to further protect our records. Since Hurricane Irma swept through town almost one year ago exactly, we’ve had some big discussions on how to safeguard our town’s history.
What we know we need to do: We need to digitize all our photographs and records — which include historic maps, charts, property information, historic records of construction, property tax records, the Seabreeze and Gulfport Tribune… the list goes on and on. Quite frankly, it’s overwhelming to think about what needs to be done, in part because it’s beyond our immediate ability to do so.
There are, of course, services that can do this — Olive Software has met with us (along with the head of the library, David Mather) about digitizing the collection. They’ve done this for other local groups — take a look at how they’ve archived Dunedin’s records and made them searchable.
This is the most prudent course of action for the Gulfport Historical Society. It will keep our history preserved in perpetuity, safe from any act of nature (or person), and it makes it accessible to people not within striking distance of the physical museum. That means those of you who don’t live in Pinellas County would be able to look at all our records and pictures — and search them to find exactly what you wanted to find — anytime you wanted.
So what’s stopping us?
Excellent question.
Money. It’s all about money. To take the whole of our paper records and images, digitize them, give us a digital copy and maintain an online searchable database of Gulfport’s history is the best possible thing we, as a society entrusted with safeguarding the town’s history, could possibly do. However, the price tag is somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000.
Right.
We’d discussed hiring someone to do development to raise the money, but that’s not something to be taken lightly and the board hadn’t yet voted on this. So many people have asked us today, “What can I do?” it seems the best response we can give you is this:
Donate so we can afford to digitize our history. Insurance money will replace the porch. We can find great porch furniture somewhere (the last set was donated), and there’s nothing we can do to replace the two artifacts we lost today (and, again, how blessed were we to only lose two? Thank you so much, Gulfport and St. Pete firefighters), but we’ve now dodged two potentially devastating bullets: Hurricane Irma and the Labor Day Fire.
The third time, as they say, is the charm. That’s why we’re asking you to donate in case we aren’t lucky one more time. We don’t care if it’s $20,000 or 20¢; every penny helps.
Every. Penny. Helps.
You have trusted us with your history but we need your help to keep it truly safe. Please help preserve Gulfport’s history. Donate here.
We cannot do this without you.
I’m certain, in a week or two, our brilliant board will come up with donor gifts and rewards, but right now, tonight, it’s important we get your donation. It’s important we start to move forward on what we need to do — save Gulfport’s history for the future. This is why I’m asking you — without artifice, and without any glossy sales pitch — to please, please help us avoid losing everything.
Thank you for your support. As we say so often — and we mean it — we cannot do this without you.
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