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Author Topic:   BW Islamorada event

jjandpop posted 06-25-2008 06:18 AM ET (US)
We towed our OR 20 down to the event with the motorhome. Gasoline prices were not beneficial with prices running from $3.93 to $4.20 a gallon. We did not want to tow the boat with a full 77 gallon tank for the almost 500 miles to the event. Gasoline at the marinas in the Keys was $4.99.9. The $100 gift card sort of offset some of the expenses.
We opted to stay in the Long Key State campground for this 10 day vacation. This did mean that we had to drive the 12 miles each way to the event. Loralie,s restaurant was a nice venue for this event. The service was good and the food was excellent. I was able to keep my Whaler at their dock which meant I did not have to tow it there each day.
BW arranged for Capt. Billy, a charter captain, to give us all some pointers on fishing in the Florida Keys. Unfortunately, his advise was not too positive as the fishing had been pretty poor. Our first day out proved that he had been correct. The weather was hot with thunder storms predicted and the seas were running 3 to 5 feet. Most attendees opted to partake in activities closer to shore. On the second day we caught a barracuda in the channel that was about 4 feet long. We turned it loose. Out on the reef we caught 2 schooling dolphin but lost one when the line parted. We gave up and returned to the party with our 1.5# legal size fish and entered it in the competition. I took a lot of ribbing from the BW staff.
Later that evening, at the awards dinner, my name was called and I was presented with a trophy for bringing in the fish that took first place. Additionally, I was presented with a rod and reel and a $250 gift card for West Marine.
This was the second BW event we attended and I wish to report that the Boston Whaler folks put on a great party for the 30 familys that attended the gathering in Islamorada.
Duxbury Revenge posted 06-25-2008 02:36 PM ET (US)
I made it both events and had a blast.
I agree with you, the Whaler crew is exceptional and know how to put together an event.
Islamorada was fun. We stayed at La Siesta, did a little fishing and teh Cheeka Rocks and sandbar things. had a good time.
Bimini was tons of fun. There is something to running your boat over 45 miles of open ocean to another country that makes me feel alive. Not to mention the pristine water. The Sapona was visited, Honeymoon Harbor stingrays fed and a few yellow tail convinced to come home for dinner.
All in all, a great 10 days.
jjandpop posted 06-25-2008 03:49 PM ET (US)
My boat is not set up with sleeping accommodations. If it were, we would have crossed with you.
Jim
Duxbury Revenge posted 06-25-2008 05:00 PM ET (US)
There were two 220 Dauntless' that made the trip over.
The ride over would have been a little bumpy, but coming back was absolutely gorgeous.
Brian7son posted 06-26-2008 01:40 PM ET (US)
I made the Bimini trip and had a blast. We drove the boat from Merritt Island to Ft. Laud. on Saturday, 6/14. I had exited Sebastion inlet and planned to run a mile or so offshore down the coast to Ft. Lauderdale. However, the 1-2 ft sea forecast turned out to be more like a 3-5 with 15kt. SE winds with 3-4 second wave intervals. My crew didn’t care for the conditions. We entered the next inlet south at Ft. Pierce and took the ICW all the way to Lauderdale. It took twice as long to get there. We arrived at 6pm.
Sunday, we did a solo crossing to Bimini. The weather conditions were great. We arrived at Bimini Sands and ended up unexpectedly meeting some friends there that we had met last year. They have kids the same age as my kids. We spent 3 days at Bimini Sands and had a great time.
On Wednesday, we relocated to Bimini Bay, the day before the Whaler group arrived. The group arrived on Thursday and put on a nice dinner with great food and plenty of drinks. The weather was a little sloppy Thursday, so we didn’t fish.
Friday, we ran my Conquest up the Great Isaacs, about 30 miles north of Bimini and did some fishing. We had lots of knockdowns and lost one fish a after a short fight, but came back to the dock empty handed. Only one Whaler boat weighed in a fish in for the tournament Friday, it was a 9 lb Kingfish. In the afternoon we went to the rendezvous at Honeymoon Cove. There were about 25 boats. It was very nice.
Saturday, we trolled south of Bimini and caught a 6 lb Cuda. It ended up being the only fish that was weighed in on Saturday. That night at the awards banquet, my wife took female angler with the Cuda. There were no junior anglers that caught anything, so they had a contest with the 12 and under kids naming Atlantic fish. My 10 year old daughter won that. We won a few other door prizes and really had a nice time.
John Ward, Wil Rogers, Traci Davis and the rest of the Whaler group did an outstanding job in putting on a fun filled, family oriented event. They treated all of the owners like kings. I was glad that I went and I would highly recommend the trip to anyone.
Sunday, I left Bimini and did a solo crossing to Ft. Pierce and made it in just under 5 hrs. After we took on fuel and ate lunch, we headed up the ICW. We got caught in a very nasty t-storm for about 20 minutes. If you go outside the channel in the ICW, just north of Ft. Pierce, it is 2 ft or less. Therefore, I elected to just proceed north at 6 kts until we got out of the storm. We arrived home around 6pm.


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Author	Topic: BW Islamorada event
jjandpop	posted 06-25-2008 06:18 AM ET (US) We towed our OR 20 down to the event with the motorhome. Gasoline prices were not beneficial with prices running from $3.93 to $4.20 a gallon. We did not want to tow the boat with a full 77 gallon tank for the almost 500 miles to the event. Gasoline at the marinas in the Keys was $4.99.9. The $100 gift card sort of offset some of the expenses. We opted to stay in the Long Key State campground for this 10 day vacation. This did mean that we had to drive the 12 miles each way to the event. Loralie,s restaurant was a nice venue for this event. The service was good and the food was excellent. I was able to keep my Whaler at their dock which meant I did not have to tow it there each day. BW arranged for Capt. Billy, a charter captain, to give us all some pointers on fishing in the Florida Keys. Unfortunately, his advise was not too positive as the fishing had been pretty poor. Our first day out proved that he had been correct. The weather was hot with thunder storms predicted and the seas were running 3 to 5 feet. Most attendees opted to partake in activities closer to shore. On the second day we caught a barracuda in the channel that was about 4 feet long. We turned it loose. Out on the reef we caught 2 schooling dolphin but lost one when the line parted. We gave up and returned to the party with our 1.5# legal size fish and entered it in the competition. I took a lot of ribbing from the BW staff. Later that evening, at the awards dinner, my name was called and I was presented with a trophy for bringing in the fish that took first place. Additionally, I was presented with a rod and reel and a $250 gift card for West Marine. This was the second BW event we attended and I wish to report that the Boston Whaler folks put on a great party for the 30 familys that attended the gathering in Islamorada.
Duxbury Revenge	posted 06-25-2008 02:36 PM ET (US) I made it both events and had a blast. I agree with you, the Whaler crew is exceptional and know how to put together an event. Islamorada was fun. We stayed at La Siesta, did a little fishing and teh Cheeka Rocks and sandbar things. had a good time. Bimini was tons of fun. There is something to running your boat over 45 miles of open ocean to another country that makes me feel alive. Not to mention the pristine water. The Sapona was visited, Honeymoon Harbor stingrays fed and a few yellow tail convinced to come home for dinner. All in all, a great 10 days.
jjandpop	posted 06-25-2008 03:49 PM ET (US) My boat is not set up with sleeping accommodations. If it were, we would have crossed with you. Jim
Duxbury Revenge	posted 06-25-2008 05:00 PM ET (US) There were two 220 Dauntless' that made the trip over. The ride over would have been a little bumpy, but coming back was absolutely gorgeous.
Brian7son	posted 06-26-2008 01:40 PM ET (US) I made the Bimini trip and had a blast. We drove the boat from Merritt Island to Ft. Laud. on Saturday, 6/14. I had exited Sebastion inlet and planned to run a mile or so offshore down the coast to Ft. Lauderdale. However, the 1-2 ft sea forecast turned out to be more like a 3-5 with 15kt. SE winds with 3-4 second wave intervals. My crew didn’t care for the conditions. We entered the next inlet south at Ft. Pierce and took the ICW all the way to Lauderdale. It took twice as long to get there. We arrived at 6pm. Sunday, we did a solo crossing to Bimini. The weather conditions were great. We arrived at Bimini Sands and ended up unexpectedly meeting some friends there that we had met last year. They have kids the same age as my kids. We spent 3 days at Bimini Sands and had a great time. On Wednesday, we relocated to Bimini Bay, the day before the Whaler group arrived. The group arrived on Thursday and put on a nice dinner with great food and plenty of drinks. The weather was a little sloppy Thursday, so we didn’t fish. Friday, we ran my Conquest up the Great Isaacs, about 30 miles north of Bimini and did some fishing. We had lots of knockdowns and lost one fish a after a short fight, but came back to the dock empty handed. Only one Whaler boat weighed in a fish in for the tournament Friday, it was a 9 lb Kingfish. In the afternoon we went to the rendezvous at Honeymoon Cove. There were about 25 boats. It was very nice. Saturday, we trolled south of Bimini and caught a 6 lb Cuda. It ended up being the only fish that was weighed in on Saturday. That night at the awards banquet, my wife took female angler with the Cuda. There were no junior anglers that caught anything, so they had a contest with the 12 and under kids naming Atlantic fish. My 10 year old daughter won that. We won a few other door prizes and really had a nice time. John Ward, Wil Rogers, Traci Davis and the rest of the Whaler group did an outstanding job in putting on a fun filled, family oriented event. They treated all of the owners like kings. I was glad that I went and I would highly recommend the trip to anyone. Sunday, I left Bimini and did a solo crossing to Ft. Pierce and made it in just under 5 hrs. After we took on fuel and ate lunch, we headed up the ICW. We got caught in a very nasty t-storm for about 20 minutes. If you go outside the channel in the ICW, just north of Ft. Pierce, it is 2 ft or less. Therefore, I elected to just proceed north at 6 kts until we got out of the storm. We arrived home around 6pm.