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To celebrate our
20 Years of Yachting Excellence, we have
asked our charter and school customers to
contribute their cruising memories to our
20th Anniversary Scrapbook. We will post
those favorite memories, logbook entries,
letters, photos, or Anniversary greetings
here each month for everyone to enjoy.
We also invite you
to join us for our two-year long 20th "Berth"
Day Party, July 13, 2003 through July 13,
2005, with discounts and other customer
specials to suite the occasion. Come and
celebrate with us!
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Cruising With Family
May 2004
We just completed our
10th charter and reflect back on the past 10
years afloat.
In June 1994 we
chartered "Blue Note" to see if the
"cruising lifestyle" was for us. My wife
Margaret, son Parker and daughter Elizabeth
had a wonderful time. My father, my mom had
just passed away, felt that it was something
he wanted to do to get away so we chartered
"Capella" and again had the time of our
lives. But, something was missing. We hated
to have to leave our other family member
Franz, behind. Franz being a miniature
schnauzer. So we put our boating adventures
on hold. Lo and behold, the next day the
"Yardarm" came with the news that pets could
be crew members also. Now we could resume
boating with all family members taking part.
Dad passed away in
February at 89 but enjoyed the time with us
cruising S.W. Florida aboard SWF Yachts.
Daughter Elizabeth and her finance' Chip did
a trip in May 03 aboard "Ariadne" and now
ask "When are we going again?" They were
married in April and after all the
excitement abated, Margaret, Franz and I
cast the lines on "Final Sea-Lection" for
our 10th charter. While at Useppa Franz
started to have problems and we departed at
dawn for the trip back to Marinatown. Barb
had made arrangements for us to see her vet
upon arrival. Denny took care of the boat
while we hurried off to try to get help. Dr.
Rohlk was waiting for us when we got to his
office and treated Franz as if we were
regular customers. We made the trip back to
Augusta the next day to continue treatments
with our vet. Sadly, Franz (13) had too many
problems to make a full recovery and passed
away.
While we mourn the
losses of Dad and Franz, we will always have
the memories of our wonderful times of
cruising with family together aboard "our"
yachts thanks to the crew and friends at SWF
Yachts.
Bruce and Margaret Ellen |
"Dad" aboard "Red Dog" |
"Franz" aboard "Patience" |
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Date:
Wednesday, October 17, 2001
Under way from Marinatown at 8:45 am for
the 40 mile run to Useppa Island. Small
craft warning in effect with 15-20 kt north
winds. The 36 ft Grand Banks handled well
in the 3 ft seas overtaking us during the
run down the Caloosahatchee River, but some
attention to steering was needed to remain
in the channel. The boat actually handled
better when headed into the wind and seas
during the run up Pine Island Sound. Arrived
at Useppa Island at 1:45 pm, where we moored
starboard side to the outer end of Pier
C. Since the north wind was pushing the
boat against the dock, we deployed three
large fenders to protect the boat's rub
rails. The fenders worked very well, although
we had to go outside and adjust one of them
at high tide, which occurred at about 2:00
am the next morning The wind and seas abated
during the second day, making this location
much more comfortable. This was one of the
best marinas in our 30 years of cruising
experience; with air conditioned, private
dressing rooms and showers; and an excellent
restaurant located in the Collier Inn. The
walk from the marina to the Collier Inn
along the paved, elevated "pink path"
was great, with its extensive landscaping,
interesting architecture, and beautiful
views of the Sound. We very much enjoyed
our brief visit to the Useppa Island.
-Ed
& Mary
Stuart, FL
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RENEWING VOWS ON THE BOW!
by Shauvon Powell
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A champagne toast by the happy
couple on their 20th wedding anniversary |
Martin Luther King weekend
was probably one of the coolest weekends of the
year for most Floridians! But the Powell family of
St. Petersburg did not feel the chill at all! In
fact, it was a time of celebration as Bob and
Shauvon Powell renewed their vows on board the
Grand Banks 36 trawler, "Blue Note:" to mark their
20th wedding anniversary! Bob and
Shauvon and their two sons, Alex, 18 and Brennan,
15, along with Alex's buddy, Nick (You gotta have
a crew!) enjoyed a pleasant sojourn along the
Caloosahatchee River to their overnight anchorage
near York Island in Pine Island Sound. With
guidance from SFY dock manager, Denny, and under
the command of Captain Gary Graham, "Blue Note"
and crew had a most enjoyable and memorable
cruise.
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Shauvon & Bob Powell renewing
their vows on their 20th wedding anniversary |
The highlight of the Holiday
was the special renewal of wedding vows on the
bridge deck with brother- in-law Reverend Joseph
Handman officiating. There wasn't a dry eye on
board as each of the guests contributed to the
ceremony on a picture perfect, warm and sunny
day! After the ceremony, champagne was shared by
all in the salon, with a a celebratory luncheon at
Hurricane Harry's restaurant located at the SFY
marina. To top it off, everyone watched the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers soundly defeat the Philadelphia
Eagles to win the NFC Championship and a trip to
the Super Bowl for the first time in history! (And
we all know what happened in Sand Diego!)
This perfect weekend will be
remembered for a long time to come!
Editor's Note: Thanks
for the memories, Shauvon and Bob! Best Wishes
from all of us at Southwest Florida Yachts!
RE: Memorable experience with
Southwest Charters
Dear Barb and Vic,
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Aboard "Blue Note" |
Last month, May 18th
, 2003, we were sailing out of Matanzas Pass to
watch the air show off Ft. Myers Beach. I was
observing this good looking trawler heading in,
and it triggered memories of chartering the Blue
Note way back in 1988. When the stern came into
view as we passed, sure enough it was the Blue
Note, 15 years later, looking good as ever.
My wife, Jackie and I, along
with Marge and Dave Stolee, were looking forward
to the boating experience, with a side goal of
"selling" Marge on their purchasing a trawler if
she had a good time. We spent the first night at
Tween Waters on Captiva Island, and awoke to a
beautiful sunny morning. Just as we were about to
pull away from the dock, a totally encompassing
fog bank rolled across Pine Island Sound, and in
minutes the whole Island was socked in. With it
came cool temperatures, and the fog hung around
for two days. We spent a lot of time in front of
the fireplace in the lodge and eating out with
friends on Captiva.
When the fog finally lifted,
the cold front really came through with strong
northerly winds. Considering the weather
forecast, (the previous night set a record low
with below freezing temperatures), we decided to
head back to home port with Dave and I on the
bridge wearing our "Minnesota" coats that we
arrived in.
In spite of the weather, we
had a good time, and certainly a memorable
experience. Marge, however, wasn't impressed with
boat living and Dave never got his trawler. He
has since succumbed to cancer, but he achieved one
of his dreams for that week.
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Engine Maintenance |
One of the pictures from that
trip shows Dave and I down in the engine room
following strict orders from Vic, about checking
the filters, and wiping up any oil leaks. Dave is
wearing white pants, and how many engine
compartments can you go into with white pants and
not get them dirty? We returned the Blue Note in
the same pristine condition we set out in, took
with us many stories to be retold many times over
the years.
Larry and Jackie Klopp
