s/v 'Puff' the Snapdragon, a great loop Great adventure!

[s/v Faith]

I hope you do not mind my starting a thread about your journey, I hope you receive this as encouragement :)

When are you planning to go?>  What goals do you have?  What have you studied?

PLEASE share your thoughts on the trip.   ;D

[Snapdragon]

What a thoughtful thing to do!  Thank you for starting this thread for me.  This is my first time to join a forum and I really appreciate the encouragement.
My wife and I just returned from our trip to Peoria yesterday, but as soon as we rest up a bit I'll work on finishing the preparations to launch Puff.  I hope to have her in the water by this weekend, just in time for the coming cool weather that is forecast.  The plan for now is to start sailing the Blackwater Bay and Pensacola Bay area for the next few weeks to work out the kinks in the on-board systems and practice our sailing skills.  This will also give us some time to resolve some medical issues that have served as a warning that we should not delay our departure too long.  I'll be looking for a safe anchorage or perhaps a place to tie up to a dock overnight in the Pensacola area if anyone has a suggestion.  With any luck we'll be on our way Eastward on the first leg of our Great Loop trip by the end of this month.

[CharlieJ]

Safe anchorages- Mosquito Cove (Ft McRae), Little Sabine Bay.

Can't say about marinas- we've always stayed at PSMC up Bayou Chico and found it nice.

[s/v Faith]

Do you have a photograph of your boat?

Maybe when you are sailing on the bay I could take one for your?  (maybe we could even swap cameras).

Let me know as your plans progress, I would very much like to hear of your progress.

[boblamb]

Same here...always interested in sailor's adventures.  Charlie & Laura's was extremely informative.  (Especially since I'm the same age as CJ :-X)
BobL

[Snapdragon]

It's raining.  I'll just practice my computer skills today.

[Snapdragon]

Wow, the picture upload really works!  Here's one that solves the rudder riddle of the outboard version of the Snapdragon 26.

[Jim_ME]

Appreciate the photo of the Snapdragon outboard well and rudder mystery solved. Good to see that the rudder skeg is so robust.

I can see that having a 25" extra-longshaft outboard could be a problem if the clearance is designed for a 20" longshaft one.

I'm curious about whether your outboard (shown in the photo) is a 20" longshaft one, or one of the extra-longshaft ones.

Also glad to see the photo of your boat on its trailer, with the keels fitting nicely within the wheels/fenders. I suspected that this would be the case, but had not actually seen a photo of one on a standard trailer.

The reason that I had asked about the keels width is that I will be hauling out and moving one soon, and wanted to be reasonably sure that it would fit on my trailer.

I have to confess that I was not familiar with the Great Loop route. Locally, I have heard of the loop from the Hudson River to Erie Canal to St Lawrence River to Lake Champlain and back to Hudson River. Or occasionally a loop including out the St Lawrence and around Nova Scotia and back to New York City and the Hudson.

I found this map of the "Great Loop"
http://cruisingthegreatloop.com/map.jpg
so assume that this is the one you are doing...

I will be interested to follow your voyage, and wish you all the best.

-Jim

[Snapdragon]

Jim,

Yes, that's the Great Loop I'm talking about.  I know it's pretty ambitious for an old man, but it's just too tempting to pass up.

The motor in the picture is supposed to be a 25" extra long shaft Nissan 9.8 hp.  I just went out and measured it to be sure, and it measured 25" from the top of the transom plate to the top of the gearcase flange.  It measures 32" from the top of the transom plate to the horizontal plane of the prop shaft.  The motor is mounted on a sliding transom plate so that it can be raised out of the water when under sail.  The keels are set completely vertical and centered 5 feet apart. they are approximately 4 inches thick at the bottom and 5'6" measured fore and aft.  The trailer is also used to haul cars on occasion.  It has an extra long tongue to accommodate the length of the boat, and you might want to consider that if you are planning to use a standard car hauler to move your boat.  Also, make sure that your trailer can handle the weight of the boat - about 5,500 lbs.

Snapdragons are pretty rare in this part of the world.  Where is yours located?

Bruce

[CharlieJ]

Ambitious for an old man??

Just how old is that?

Better be older than me ;D ;D

[Jim_ME]

Bruce, Thank you for the information on the Snapdragon keels and outboard.

I'm located in Southern Maine. I have seen one other Snapdragon listed for sale on Cape Cod, MA, and possibly a second one in the MA classifieds.

I like these twin keel designs and also have a Centaur project. They draw 3'-0" and the keels are splayed out considerably, I believe the dimension across the outside of the keels is just under 8', which doesn't work so well with standard tandem trailers, since that is where the wheels are. Also over a ton heavier, and this makes them less convenient to trailer.

I was going to write that it seemed like quite an ambitious cruise (as is Charlie and Laura's).

Seems like you may want to take your time in the Florida area for the winter. Craig, Charlie, and others have great sailing blogs here (no doubt you've already found them) of their cruises to the Bahamas. I read an account of a fellow that cruised out to and around the Bahamas in his Alacrity 19 twin keel sailboat with his family.

My dream is to trailer a sailboat down to the Keys for some time during a winter. I recently got a (older 1-ton) diesel pickup and pickup camper with this in mind. On rainy cold days like today it seems like an especially good idea.   

[Snapdragon]

Charlie:  In deference to your seniority, my apologies - and thanks for making me feel like a kid again (I'm only 65)


Jim:  I've always admired the design of the Westerly Centaur but I've never had an opportunity to see one up close.
I do plan to take my time heading north.  I live near Pensacola FL, so I should be able to while away a few months traveling down the west coast of the state.  My present plans are to cut through Lake Okeechobee and wander up to the Jacksonville FL area by early March.
I'm trying to keep my itinerary very flexable in order to accommodate the needs of family and crew.  Even now my departure schedule is being affected by some minor medical issues, but i think it will all work out well.

[CharlieJ]

Oh-and I've got five years on you

[Jim_ME]

Bruce, I'm glad that I asked about the outboard, since I had assumed that the 20" longshaft would work, but looking at your photo and the waterline mark, it seems like it needs that extra-longshaft. Thanks again for that information, and a grog to you.

My trailer is an older large Triad stinkpot trailer with tandem 6k axles, and I have just removed the old made some level planked pad areas, and added a bow stop/winch stand--but it is considerably heavier and higher than yours. Those low crossmembers that you keels sit on, and the boat sitting so low seems ideal for towing and floating off/on with a tongue extension.

I'll be interested to hear how your local cruises on the Snapdragon go. I have not sailed a twin keel yet, but was told by a previous owner that under some conditions the belly of the hull can pound and that it can be disconcerting when you aren't used to it. In this area, the more exposed prop makes avoiding the all the lobster pots that much more important.

This time of year, I sure do envy you folks that are down South. You're just launching yours and it's past haul out time here...  

[CharlieJ]

Had a long post all typed up on this IPhone (using thumbs ya know) but lost it some how.

I'm not retyping it!!

But- be sure to visit Bradenton Beach. Good anchorage, clean 24 hour restrooms and showers on municipal pier, city run dinghy dock, one block walk to ice, two blocks to beach.. Free trolley service to groceries, hardware, West Marine, etc.

DON'T bother with Cortez, right across the river. Crusing guides build it up but it isn't cruiser friendly.

[Snapdragon]

Too bad about loosing the message you worked so hard on Charlie, but thanks for the effort.  I know it would have been well worth reading! 
Thanks for the info on Bradenton Beach.  It sounds like a nice place to visit and I'll be sure to put it on my "must see" list. 

I'd like to share with everyone a little poem that my Father In Law likes to recite when our discussion turns to my upcoming trip.  He learned it in school when he was just a youngster.  He celebrated his 95th birthday last month.


WINDS OF FATE

One ship drives East and another drives West,
While the selfsame breezes blow;
It's the set of the sails and not the gales,
That bids them where to go.

Like the winds of the seas are the ways of the fates,
As we voyage along through life;
It's the set of the soul that decides the goal,
And not the storms or the strife.

(by Elia Wheeler Wilcox)

[Snapdragon]

Today we launched the S/V "Puff" in preparation for our Great Loop Cruise.  We should be able to weigh anchor sometime this week, depending on wind and tides

[Snapdragon]

This is the first time I've raised the mast while the boat was afloat.  The lifting system works really well and can be easily managed singlehanded.

[Frank]

Glad the raising went well. Have fun out there and keep us "posted"   

[s/v Faith]

Congrats!

  Something just right about getting them back in the water, and getting the stick back up where it belongs!

Look forward to future updates!