Second Annual Jax Macs Labor Day Meet Up

bobaefa · Post by **bobaefa** » Thu Aug 26, 2010 8:17 pm

Dinghy or not to Dinghy? We have a two-three man Saturn inflatable with a 2hp motor. We can fit them both in the aft berth. Not sure if a Dinghy will be needed.

jcasale · Post by **jcasale** » Fri Aug 27, 2010 5:17 am

Bob

As it stands right now a dinghy will not be required but everything is subject to change. One captain offered to use his center console to ferry people from the mooring to the landing at St. Marys. Several of the crews will have a dinghy; but it is your call. If I had the equipment and the room, I'd bring it.

John
JMGT 2010

paj637 · Post by **paj637** » Fri Aug 27, 2010 6:01 am

Looking at the projected path of T/S(Phurricane) Earl, the sea state might be too rough for our Macs on the outside but I can assure all of you that the ICW is beautiful and well worth the trip. Looking forward to a great weekend!
Phil

jcasale · Post by **jcasale** » Fri Aug 27, 2010 6:28 am

Phil

Earl has got my hairs on end also. I already have a back up plan if the ICW and outside become too uncomfortable; we start at Sisters Creek and head south along the St. Johns with stops at downtown Jacksonville, Julington Creek and Green Cove Springs. More details to follow if required.
I came across this link last night and think it does a great job describing the river and what can be found along the way. Eventually I'd like to make the trip to Hontoon Island but thats at least 9 days worth of travel time.

http://greatharbourtrawlers.com/owners/ ... johns.html

John
JMGT 2010

paj637 · Post by **paj637** » Fri Aug 27, 2010 10:09 am

John,
You can borrow my old trailer and we can tow to Palatka to start. I would love to go sometime this fall.
Phil

jcasale · Post by **jcasale** » Fri Aug 27, 2010 10:44 am

Phil,
I just got done Google Earthing the route from Julington Creek to Hontoon Island. 120 miles from my mooring to the docks at the park, the last 30 or so have to be motored. The longest I've ever motored in a day is 78 miles (Auggie to Julington Creek) and it sucked.

This fall is probably not going to happen with my family commitments and job requirements but I should be up for a trip in the Spring. I'm already trying to accumulate bridge info, water depths, etc...

Sounds like the next Jax Macs adventure has been created

I'd like to take you up on the trailer offer but I think the bunks need to be modified. I'm searching the archives now.

John
JMGT 2010

jcasale · Post by **jcasale** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 3:15 pm

Greetings,

First, I need to apologize to the group for some mapping errors I have submitted. It seems the software I was using did not correct for the John factor and added ~7 miles to all of my distance calculations. The website is updated with the new, more accurate and shorter distances; I apologize for any inconvenience.

Also, it seems that more than one crew will me arriving in Jacksonville before Friday. If you still plan on arriving early I will be at the city marina finalizing things for my trip and would love to meet up. The Sisters Creek boat ramp is now only 19 miles away, not the previously stated 26.

Right now the weather gods appear to be favoring us with a nice window between Danielle and Earl. Lets keep our fingers crossed, but as Phil said earlier the ICW is fairly protected and there are plenty of great sailing grounds on the St. Johns. Still, please go through your boats inventory and double check all safety gear.

Lastly, if anyone has any questions or needs any assistance I will be on shift at the hospital for the next three days and reachable only via email. Beginning Wednesday morning I will be reachable by cell only. I will also be monitoring channel 16, call sign Untethered.

Take Care and travel safe,

John
JMGT 2010

gatorzip02 · Post by **gatorzip02** » Fri Sep 10, 2010 5:22 am

So, how about a trip report. How did things go? I followed this thread and last year's with great intrest. I live just down the road (Melbourne), and really wanted to join up with you fine folks. Unfortunately both last year and this year I have been deployed over the summer. Only one more month to go and I'll be back home cleaning my neglected Mac. Hopefully I'll be home next year and be able to join up with you. Please post pics if you have any. Thanks.

Joel

paj637 · Post by **paj637** » Fri Sep 10, 2010 9:48 am

Joel,
We all had a great time, lots of interesting things to discuss once everyone gets back into port. John and another couple were still on the water as of today but heading home tonight. Trip reports should be submitted by the end of the weekend.
PAJ

markh1f · Post by **markh1f** » Fri Sep 10, 2010 1:23 pm

Just a preview...
But who was highest and driest?

And then there was Sunset in beautiful Ft. George...

Mark

jcasale · Post by **jcasale** » Sat Sep 11, 2010 5:51 am

We did everything our boats are designed to do and we had a blast. Every night in a different port, everyday a new adventure. My boat covered 175 miles in 10 days, the S/V Coconut will have covered 215 in eleven days. Thank you to all of you who made this trip and helped support us along the way, without you none of this would have been possible.

I'm still trying to get my land legs so it will be a day or two before my trip report is complete. I am trying to gather all the pics from this years event so I can update the web site, does anyone have any ideas on how to do this effectively?

John

gatorzip02 · Post by **gatorzip02** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 10:44 pm

Sounds like the trip was a big success. Unfortunately my webfilter blocks photobucket for some reason so I can't see the pics Mark posted. I did see the website you guys made and it the photos are making me jealous. Were those all from last year? How many boats ended up making the trip this year? I've taken my boat down to the keys for a week and I'll be taking the boat to Tampa for a week as soon as I get back. So that will cover South and West, all that is left is North (not much to see going East). I'm definately eager to go check out the Jaksonville area. It seems like some great sailing. Any chance any of you local boaters might be interested in doing a smaller weekend get togegher sometime later this year or early next year? Labor day is such a long way away!

Joel

jcasale · Post by **jcasale** » Tue Sep 14, 2010 6:22 pm

Greetings and Salutations

I have completed the trip report and posted a small collection of the 1400 photos Kim and I took along our journey. The names have not been changed and the innocent are not being protected. When reading this trip report please understand that this is simply our perspective of an incredibly dynamic event. If you have any questions, comments, corrections or concerns...tough, write your own trip report.

Just kidding.
Links to two online photo albums can be found at the bottom of the page. Enjoy and I'll see you all at the next event.

Joel,
I keep my boat on the river. One of the crews who attended decided to keep their boat in Jacksonville instead of trailering it home. Phil is just as eager to sail as I am and Mark and Helen are always near by. So, the long answer to your question is yes. Weekend trips are always fun and we would love to have you and your crew come north, just PM me and we'll set something up.

Take care and enjoy the pics,

John
JMGT 2010 Trip Report

jcasale · Post by **jcasale** » Tue Sep 14, 2010 6:29 pm

Just a few teaser shots

Doug W · Post by **Doug W** » Wed Sep 15, 2010 6:59 pm

I just filled out a TOR (time off request) at work today for Labor Day 2011 so that my wife and I can tow our

down to the coast and participate in this trip next year!

Doug

MacGregorSailors.com

MacGregorSailors.com