Information Thread for Thanksgiving Weekend Charity Fun Run - Sat. Nov. 28 / 09
Our fun run to Harpoon Harry's at Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda is one of two fund raising events we have each year to help fund our Ft. Myers Offshore, Inc. student scholarship program.
If you are planning on attending this event please let me know by noon Wednesday November 25th as the restaurant must order our food in advance. You may e mail me, or post up here on the Ft Myers Offshore forums on SOS. I will only need a boat count as we have gotten pretty good at estimating a total as long as we have an acurate boat count. If any club members choose to drive to Harpoon Harry's and join us for lunch I should know as well so there is sufficent food. Attending Captains should read the information in this thread to minimize any confusion.
We are asking that each participating boat donate a minimum $150.00 ( more at your discretion ) towards this cause. You will be eligible for a charitable tax receipt since we are a 501 (c) (3) Charity. The preferred method of payment is a check made out to Ft. Myers Offshore, Inc. Checks will be collected at the lunch stop. In addition we will be selling 50/50 raffle tickets at lunch as well as selling tee shirts and hats bearing the new Ft. Myers Offshore logo.
Please note that club President Dan Davies and I have agreed to cover any shortfall in the cost of putting Jay up in the helicopter for the photo shoot. If anyone wishes to make a donation from $50 to $100 to help with this you are welcome to do so, however it is not expected of anyone. You can let me know.
Come out and have a great day on the water and lets show our support for worthy students entering university / college or other institute of higher learning in Lee and Collier Counties. ( Please read our mission statement http://www.ftmyersoffshore.org ) We were able to award 3 scholarships last year and hope to improve upon that this year.
Looking for Volunteers:
It is always a busy time on arrival at the lunch stop and I am looking for 6 or 8 volunteers to help with lunch ticket sales, hat and tee shirt sales, and 50 / 50 draw ticket sales. Please contact me if you see your way clear to assist with any of this. Thank you in advance, Bob
Membership Renewal:
Think about renewing your membership for next year while at the lunch stop. Memberships expire at the end of the year and we are encouraging people to renew now and miss the end of year rush. There is no change in membership fees and will be good through till the end of 2010. Support your club. Go to www.ftmyersoffshore.org and download the membership form. If you are a current member we will only need basic information as it is already on file unless there have been changes in the information. People tell me all the time what a great thing FMO has going on here and it can only continue if you show your support.
Route:
Our starting point will once again be the south side of the Sanibel Bridge. Boats should assemble around 10:45 am and we will leave by 11:00 AM sharp or shortly after the helicopter arrives. I will leave Marco Island at 10 AM to head up to meet the main group of boats at the Sanibel Bridge for the 11:00 AM start. Any boats from Marco or Naples wanting to run up with me should let me know.
We will be in two groups, according to speed. Group 2 will be those boats capable of cruising at 50 - 55 MPH and will be the first to start, at 11:00 AM, travelling up the Intra Coastal Waterway ( ICW ) . The pace boat for this group will be Terry Sobo in his new 39 ft Nor Tech center console. This route is 10 miles shorter than the offshore route that group 1 will be taking. Also please be aware that the ICW can be busy and we need to respect others using the waterway.
Group 1 will be boats capable of cruising at more than 65 MPH and will start a few minutes after Group 2 has left. I will serve as the pace boat for this group. When we start our run we will go south and make a wide sweep around the bottom end of Sanibel Island ( do not cut the corner as this part of San Carlos Bay is shallow), eventually going west into the Gulf and then up the coast staying a couple of miles or more offshore. We will make our way off the Gulf and into Charlotte Harbor via Boca Grande Pass. If the seas are too rough, then the alternate route will be to run up the ICW. Ideally both groups will meet inside where Boca Grande Pass meets the ICW, however this has never worked out in the past. LOL We will then head east into Charlotte Harbor making our way to Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda. We should be there by 12:15 p.m. for lunch. We will be docking on the west side of Fisherman's Village. Our area will be marked with caution tape. There will be some rafting so please be sure to bring your fenders.
Fuel / Distance:
From the Sanibel Bridge to Punta Gorda and back should be about 110 miles for those running offshore and 100 miles by way of the ICW both ways. There is non ethanol 89 octane available at Fisherman's Village Marina. Also South Seas Plantation which is in the ICW along the way has 89 octane fuel. 93 octane is very difficult to find these days so please leave with a full tank.
Food:
We will be eating at Harpoon Harry's on the main floor. They will be serving us buffet style with 2 lines to minimize waiting. BBQ Pork served with rolls, Roast Chicken, Fried Grouper bites, Coleslaw, Corn on the cob, coffee, tea, water. Mmmmmm looks like Thanksgiving all over again !!
Adults : $20.00 tip and tax included Kids half price
Tammy at Harpoon Harry's advises that they will be playing the football games on their big screen TV's so no need to rush off after lunch unless you need to.
Communication:
Inter boat communication to be on VHF channel 72. My cell number is 239 776 0481. Anyone dropping out after the start should let me know so we do not spend time either waiting or looking for you. Leave a voicemail if no answer.
Pictures:
Club photographer Jay Nichols ( NaplesImage.com ) will be overhead in a helicopter getting shots of all the boats. Jay will shoot the slower group first then pick up the faster group of boats running offshore of Sanibel and into Charlotte Harbor. Club members will be given a disc with several high resolution pictures as well as a sampling of 8 X 11 pics of your boat at no additional cost. Larger prints may be ordered directly from Jay at jay@lettering.net and he will let you know the cost of enlargements.
Tide Information:
Marco River LT - 3:54 AM; HT - 10:54 AM; LT - 3:58 PM;
Naples Bay ( North End ) LT - 4:06 AM; HT - 10:28 AM; LT - 3:55 PM;
Estero Bay LT - 5:04 AM; HT – 11:11 AM; LT - 4:00 PM;
Sanibel Bridge ( Punta Rassa ) LT - 3:55 AM; HT – 10:55 AM; LT - 2:51 PM;
Cape Coral Bridge LT - 7:16 AM; HT – 1:11 PM; LT - 6:12 PM;
Punta Gorda LT – 6:34 AM; HT – 1:13 PM; LT – 5:44 PM
Waypoints:
Marco Island: N 25 58 38; W 81 46 25
Naples ( Gordon Pass): N 26 05 50; W 81 48 67
Sanibel Bridge: N 26 29 00; W 82 00 88
Redfish Pass- ( catch up stop # 1): N 26 33 14; W 82 12 70
Boca Grande Channel ( offshore): N 26 41 78; W 82 17 90
Where Intercoastal meets Boca Grande - ( catch up stop #2): N 26 42 88; W 82 14 62
Charlotte Harbor - Green #5 : N 26 45 71; W 82 04 38
Punta Gorda- ( Fisherman's Village): N 26 56 18; W 82 04 38
Weather / Sea Conditions:
To be posted on the Ft Myers Offshore forums here on SOS, 5 days prior to the run and updated daily referencing The Weather Channel and NOAA.
Safety:
Each boat Captain is required to operate his vessel in a safe manner and is responsible for his / her crew and their safety. Familiarize yourself with BSAFE ( Boating Safety Association for Events ). Visit www.boatingsafe.org
When running in the Intra Coastal Waterway ( ICW ) please be aware that this can be a high traffic area and we ask that other boats be given a wide berth and that the rules of the road ( waterway ) be adhered to.
Contact: Bob cell: 239 776 0481 or e mail: bobthebuilder@rogers.blackberry.net
Club Sponsors: Ft. Myers Offshore would like to recognize it's corporate sponsors for helping make these events possible and their contribution to our club and the student scholarship fund:
A-1 Fuel - Serving SW Florida with all types and grades of fuel delivered to your boat dock or construction site Phone: 239 246 4777 Contact: Mike or Karen
B & C Shutters and Awnings, Ft. Myers - Hurricane protection Phone:239 738 6200 Website: http://www.bcshuttersplus.com/ Contact: Bob Martin
Caloosa Isle Boat Sales and Service, Ft. Myers. - Certified Mercury and Yamaha Parts & Service Ph: 239 482 4511 Website: http://www.caloosaisle.com/ Contact: Tom Cullen
DoubleR Performance, ON, Canada - Nor Tech dealer and various used boat sales and Certified Mercury parts and service - Phone: 705 487 7575 Website: http://www.doublerperformance.com/ Contact: Peter Roberts
IBR Realty, Marco Island / Naples - Real Estate Sales Phone:239 389 1711 Website: http://www.ibrbrokerage.com/ Contact: Hans Haedelt
Nor Tech Boats, North Ft. Myers - Custom boat builder / sales and service Phone: 239 994 9470 Website: http://www.nor-techboats.com/ Contact: Terry Sobo
NaplesImage.com , Naples - Sports photography Phone: 941 276 5650 Website: under construction Contact: Jay Nichols
Sunmaster of Naples, Inc. - Storm / security shutters; ornamental metal; custom canvas Phone: 239 261 3581 Website: http://www.sunmasterinc.com/ Contact: JohnWilkinson
West Coast Custom Cabinetry custom cabinets and tile work Phone: 239 481 8109 Website: http://www.cabinetsclosetsandtile.com/about.php Contact, Ben Payne
