The 24th Running of the Key Largo Steeplechase Coming up Soon
This is probably the most popular weekend distance race in the country because of the easiness of the logistics. You get a room in Key Largo on Friday evening and leave it on Sunday. You see, the race begins in Key Largo and ends in Key Largo -- a 110-mile trek around the huge Key. And the first nights beach stop is only about a 1/2 hour drive back to your hotel. Can't get any easier than that. And the course is really fun -- a drag race on the first and a finesse day on the second. For more info, The 24th Running of the Key Largo Steeplechase Coming up Soon
This is probably the most popular weekend distance race in the country because of the easiness of the logistics. You get a room in Key Largo on Friday evening and leave it on Sunday. You see, the race begins in Key Largo and ends in Key Largo -- a 110-mile trek around the huge Key. And the first nights beach stop is only about a 1/2 hour drive back to your hotel. Can't get any easier than that. And the course is really fun -- a drag race on the first and a finesse day on the second. For more info, http://www.catsailor.com/Steeplechase.html

Hey Rick,

Do you have a special rate at Gilberts for the regatta? I need to make reservations before it get too late.

email mary@catsailor.com and she knows more about that stuff. I will have her call and be sure they know we are coming.
Rick

Looks like Gilberts is hosting a wedding that weekend, no rooms available and they mentioned no use of beach for launching... Mary, can you keep us posted on what you find out?
Thanks,
Chris

guess that's another reason to start/finish at Key Largo Watersports, or whatever that hotel is that we round the bouy on day 2...

Rick and I just checked out the situation at Gilbert's today, and they are booked up apparently both Friday and Saturday, between a birthday party and a wedding.

So we are going to check out the Caribbean Club for launching. We will keep you posted on what we find out.

Too bad about Gilberts but I know Rick and Mary will figure it out!
We'll be down there early Friday morning...
Anyone going to be around with a tow vehicle that would be able to trailer a 6,000 LB 24' enclosed trailer from Tiki Watersports to wherever we launch on Friday morning? We are flying down and renting a car. We might have someone but we are just weighing our options.
Also... if anyone needs crew I know two people from FL that really want to sail.

My son, Dave, is a friend of the folks at Caribbean Club, and he checked last year about launching there, and they had not problem with it. We did not use the area because Gilberts was available.
He checked again to be sure last night. Haven't heard from him today yet, but feel certain that the Crib will be fine. There will of course be a launching fee you must pay the bartender.
We will also finish there instead of Gilberts, needless to say.

Also, I went down to Anne's Beach today and we will set the finish line between Green 17 approach marks for Caloosa Cove Marina and a red flag on the beach.
You guys are actually going to MISS the MUD.

The good part is that you might find better lodging now. Mary knows all the good places and feel certain she will post them here.

Rick

Carib Club sounds good...
They did give us a lot of hassle about raising masts to close to the power lines a few years about before Tradewinds when Olli, Robbie, Mike Easton, and I set up there but I think they realized we knew what we were doing and eventually left us alone.

Any chance we could discuss with them a group rate for launching? Rather than $10 per day and $10 per launch, maybe for every $100 for every 10 boats to cover the Fri-Sun span of boat and trailer storage?

It's not $10 per day - it's $10 total, because you are launching one day and delaunching on another day. However, they may also want something for overnight trailer storage. We will be finding that out. No matter what, it will be better than what the owner of Gilbert's told me a couple of years ago -- that it would be $30 a day. That was ridiculous!

Wildtsail,
One of their employees got lit up on those powerlines with a mast,awhile back. That's what killed our access to it for awhile. That's prolly why they were "hassling" you.
Todd

Todd...
Maybe "hassling" wasn't the word to use.
We were bothered by several of their employees constantly reminding us to be careful... if anything it was nice to see they were concerned.
They told us the whole story and we made sure we rigged as far away from the lines as possible.
-The other Todd

Whatever we do, we need to be reallllyyyyy nice to them.., we are running out of launching areas. They and Gilberts are the only two left on Blackwater Sound. And I cannot afford to buy back our hotel (by the way, we had one of three beaches on the entire bay, and they new owners turned it into a cliff -- go figure )
If we run out launch site on Blackwater, the next option is the Upper Keys Sailing Club. However, that makes it a pretty long sail to the starting line. Although we could start the race later, if need be.
Some have asked why not start at the club and make a longer first day, but that would put the entire fleet at the creeks at one time. That would be a nightmare. It would resemble a tangle of wire coathangers.
The other option is reversing the course from there. Problem is after Lower Matecumbe (Annes Beach) there are no more landing spots. So, it would a short first day and very long second day. Boats might be getting in after dark while the rest of the finished fleet would be biting nails to get back on the road.
Any thoughts are always welcome, however.
Rick

>...southwesterly to Channel Five Bridge, then through the bridge and then northeasterly up the IntraCoastal Waterway.<
Where is the finish? Is the starting line also the finish line?

The starting line is not the finish line. The start will be as always, at the north end of Jewfish Creek in Barnes Sound. The first day finish will be at Anne's Beach, as always.

We don't know yet where the finish line will be on the second day, but we are hoping it will be at the Caribbean Club.

That would be the direction, if we attempted to reverse the course, but as I pointed out there is no place to land the first day, going in that direction.
So, we WILL NOT run the course in reverse. It would be horrible.
Rick

Why don't you have the start and finish line the same like in front of the Caribbean club. If the draw bridge is gone why not just race through Jewfish creek. When we had the draw bridge we all ended up there at the same time and raced through.

I guess that would make getting to the starting line a bit easier...

What I would wonder about is trying to get the fleet up the creek (no pun intended) if it was like that run 2 years ago with light wind on the nose and a nasty south current. Took most boats 4-5 attempts with paddling to get through, didn't it?

Dave, that would be a nightmare. Bad enough when folks are just trying to get to the starting line, but racing? EEK!

And, from the Carib it will be the same as always, except we don't all have to wait until 8:30 and go through the bridge with one raising.
Now, folks can start early or start late, but just allow themselves time to get to the start line before it starts.
Rick

Hey Rick I was just trying to make it easy for you. I think the fleet would be spread out enough with about 2 miles to sail before the bridge. In the past we all went through at the same time. After all it is the Steeplechase and you can paddle.