Cruising

SPYC were great hosts as usual, John and Chase at the marina are always very helpful. They were amazing at how little help our fleet needed in getting docked. Most times the boats were backing into slips and securing lines before they could even get down the dock. They said our fleet was the most self-sufficient they’d ever hosted! We had docktails Friday night from 5-7 at the marina. Then everyone went off on their own to sample all the great restaurants and activists St. Pete has to offer. Some ate at SPYC and discovered John in the piano bar was able to play any song requested. Others went to the seafood and music festival and feasted on Cajun delights, fantastic gyros, great local shrimp, and other seafood. The fried Oreos were a delicious surprise that delighted the people who tried them for the first time. The bands were great and dancing under the stars was a blast!

Saturday saw the fleet head out to the Saturday market, the Pier, the seafood festival, and the tiki bar and pool at the Club. Cards and naps were on tap for the afternoon. Everyone got together for cocktails again before setting off on independent adventures. We had some visitors that arrived by land to enjoy dinner at SPYC Saturday night Followed by a concert at the Mahaffy.

Dogs were also welcome on the trip. Yogi, Lucy, "Brad" Paisley, "Jimmy" Fallon, and Lou Lou Belle were all in attendance and behaved perfectly!

I’m not sure about the sail home but I hope the cruisers were all able to hoist their sails on the way back to Tampa. It was a very casual and relaxed weekend, and we all had a good time getting to know each other better.

Our next adventure is Fantasy Island hosted by Joel and Mayrelis Hutson, this is always a fun event and so close to DIYC, be sure to join the fun and bring a dish to share March 10-12, 2023! Don’t forget to wear your Island Wear!

ext is our Spring Cayo Costa Cruise hosted by Martha Bone and Bob Touton! They have loads of fun planned, including Cabbage Key, Captiva, Mar Vista, and more April 1-8, 2023!

Our Tall Ship Cruise to the Caribbean December 2-9, 2023, is filling up fast, the boat is almost out of cabins! With two Yacht Club Cruising Fleets attending, we will have plenty of sailors on board! If you want to join, now is the time!

Remember, if you want to join the Cruising Fleet, email CruisingFleet@DIYC.org.

Francine Messano hosted a fabulous Cruising Fleet event at Gulfport, FL from Friday, January 6 - Sunday, January 8. Two boats on mooring balls enjoyed stunning sunsets, four boats moored at the very convenient transient dock at the Gulfport Marina and one cruiser’s boat permanently resides at the marina. Fifteen people attend this Cruising Fleet event.

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January 6^th to 8^th, 2023 the Cruising Fleet will sail to Gulfport, Florida for a weekend of fun! Francine Messano has a full weekend of fun planned for everyone, from volleyball on the beach, to docktails, dinners, and late-night fun too!

Sailing Tips from your Cruising Fleet!

Tip from Francine Messano.

Francine recently invested in the EcoFlow 5000-watt Peak Output DELTAMax 2000 portable power station. It's heavy, about 45 lbs., but compact and can power any of her galley appliances.  Microwave, ice maker, and even a Nespresso machine,   It can be recharged via 12V, solar, or a regular 120V receptacle. She wanted a way to power everything and charge devices without having to use a generator or put an inverter and more batteries in the boat. It's also handy to bring home and power small appliances and charge devices when we lose power during a storm.

Please join our annual Holiday Dinner and Bonfire Friday, December 16, 2022, at DIYC, hosted by John and Anne Danner. It was a blast last year, the music was amazing and it was a magical evening.

We will enjoy a Secret Santa again as it was so much fun last year at the Bon Fire after dinner. Please bring one present per person to give away, no more than $25.00 per gift.

Many of us will stay on our boats and ready them for the Tampa Holiday Lighted Boat Parade on  December 17, 2022, with docktails and fun to follow!

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Our Sept/Oct event to SPYC was canceled due to Hurricane Ian. We all continue to donate things that may help those in SW Florida impacted by the Hurricane. Humans and our Fur Friends alike, all need our help.

Nov 11-13, 2022, we will be visiting Bradenton and Twin Dolphin Marina. There is a lot to do being right downtown and Twin Dolphin has a great heated pool. Many restaurants with live music are within a few blocks. We will have a potluck dinner Saturday evening at Twin Dolphin! Kate and Terry Kerr will be hosting this event. Lots of docktails and sailing stories to be told!

Cruising Tips! Following are books we keep on board and find excellent value in.

Chapman Piloting & Seamanship, 69TH Edition

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We planned our cruises at the annual meeting, and many chose events to host. We enjoyed dinner together and fabulous Sangria made by Cassie and Chef Eli!

The Cruising Fleet is headed to SPYC Sept 30 through Oct 2. It’s the first weekend of the Saturday morning market reopening just a block away from the marina and there is so much to do in downtown St Pete. Jackie and Bob Meyer are hosting.

Check out the calendar for our November and December Cruising events.

Tips for Cruisers before you leave the dock:

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Cruising Fleet has many exciting upcoming events with lots of fun planned. We’ll be visiting some new places and have things planned we’ve never done before too! Be sure to check the DIYC website for our upcoming adventures!

A possible future event is Downtown Tampa! We’ll enjoy a private guided tour of the Tampa History center. One exhibit is the “Treasure Seekers” with info on pirates, shipwrecks and artifacts plus many additional exhibits. In addition, we will experience The Touchton Map Library which is home to thousands of original maps, charts and documents dating back to the discovery of the New World, plus thousands of additional maps as well. What Sailor doesn’t like Treasure, Ships and Old Maps? Will we find the map to Gaspar’s Treasure there? We will also enjoy dinners, listening to live jazz at a speakeasy and more adventure plus docktails (798) of course!

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The cruising fleet will race to Fort Myers in May and continue to the Dry Tortugas, Key West, and many other places along the way back! We look forward to the race and after-party in Ft Myers Beach with our racing fleet. Then on to snorkeling, treasure hunting, spending time with nature, sea life, the sea, Key West, and whatever else we can find along the way! I look forward to sharing lots of photos and tales of adventure in the next log!

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The Cruising Fleet enjoyed SPYC and downtown St Pete for the Easter Weekend. We welcomed new cruisers, the Lovell and Cichon families to our Cruising Fleet. Downtown St. Petersburg was lively all weekend.  The Saturday morning market had lots to offer, as usual.  Saturday night dinner at the SPYC was lovely with great conversation and laughter. After dinner, several stopped to hear the tunes and vocals of Tony playing the piano at SPYC. Several others ventured to find cigars and after-dinner drinks in the surrounding establishments. Sunday morning the Glass Easter Egg Hunt was a hit. Congratulations to cruiser Martha Bone who found not one, but two glass eggs. And to top it all off, the Easter Bunny stopped by the docks in the wee hours leaving everyone a surprise!

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The Cruising Fleet enjoyed SPYC and downtown St Pete for the Easter Weekend. Downtown St. Petersburg was lively all weekend. The Saturday morning market had lots to offer, as usual. Our Saturday night dinner was lovely with great conversation and laughter. After dinner, several stopped to hear the tunes and vocals of Tony playing the piano at SPYC while others ventured to find cigars and after-dinner drinks. The Easter Bunny stopped by the docks in the wee hours leaving everyone a surprise! Sunday morning the Glass Easter Egg Hunt was a hit!  Cruiser Martha Bone found not one, but two glass eggs!

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Get ready for island fun in March with a luau hosted by Joel and Mayrelis Hutson at Fantasy Island! They have tiki torches and everything for a weekend of festivities. Join us, you’ll feel like you’re with friends on a remote island oasis for dinner and a Luau! Don’t forget your hula skirt and favorite floral shirt! If you don’t have a dinghy, others are always happy to help! For more info, reach out to Joel or Mayrelis. We look forward to seeing you there!

Joel 813-777-9044 or May 813-239-6496

joelhutson1@gmail.com     mayrelishutson@gmail.com

The Cruising Fleet had a great time with some new members to the Cruising Fleet at Sarasota Yacht Club on February 4-6th. Everyone enjoyed meeting John and Robin Hanson and Steve Lancaster. The weather was tough getting into Sarasota Bay, but many enjoyed a pleasant weekend with great fun at an impromptu docktail party hosted by the Rabbitt’s. Dinner Saturday evening was full of laughter. Many, including the wait staff, wanted to crash the wedding in the next dining room, as we could hear their music most of the evening during our dinner! It added a festive tone for sure and our Cruising Fleet did not disappoint having hysterical discussions about the possibilities! What a fun dinner!

The Cruising Fleet enjoyed our visit to Bradenton Yacht Club from Jan 7-9. Seven boats participated, and twenty-four people attended dinner Saturday evening. BYC was very accommodating, did an excellent job with dinner and anything we needed. We enjoyed the heated pool, using the bikes at BYC to explore nearby Emerson Point Preserve, time socializing on boats, and the new outdoor lounge areas with propane firepits.

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The Dec Cruising Fleet dinner, Bonfire, and Secret Santa were well received. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner together in the clubhouse prior to adjourning to the fire pits on the point Larry Willis and Antony Dalton was so kind to get started and set up. Everyone had a blast with the eggnog and roasting marshmallows by the fire. Jim and Elizabeth Traun brought wonderful Christmas music for the background…The weather was absolutely perfect, just cool enough the fire was enjoyable, not much of a breeze, and the Christmas music really gave the entire evening an old-time holiday feeling. It was magical!

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