Memories

	Great Florida Gulf Coast Traditional Small Craft Assn.
	On the tropical shores of Florida's balmy Sarasota Bay

Paul Thomas, President
Florida Gulf Coast TSCA

Contact: Roger Allen
Florida Maritime Museum
P.O. Box 100
Cortez, FL 34215
Phone: 941-708-6121
Roger.Allen@ManateeClerk.com

900 pounds worth of Manly Men
in Howard's
Electric launch, "Chelsea"

Howard's "Chelsea" afloat

Lovely, lovely Melonseeds

...and four handsome men

...and a job well done

#6 Sam's Melonseed
#5 was built by Jose Avilla,
#4 Howard Heimbrock,
# 3 Stan Terryll,
#2 “Master stripper” Dave “the Captain” Lucas,
and ‘the once and future’ #1
(some day maybe) by #1.

#6 Sailing

#2 Loafing

Water Ballet
Where's #1 ?

Turner Matthews' Atkins power
dory Ravenstrike has served as
an all purpose works horse
under a full variety of power
supplies. Here she does
tourboat duty at Cedar Key

A fleet at Dave Lucas’ boatshop on
the Braden River. A Seabright skiff knock off, a dory, and a Whitehall make up for a fine showing of truly American Small Craft

the Great Memories

We've had a bunch of great times on the water and in the shop during the past couple of years. HERE ARE JUST A FEW . . .

Cedar Key Great non-organized Small Craft Event May 4, 5, 6 We went ... we sailed ... we conquered ! But ... we were too busy sailing to take photos. Sooooo ... you'll have to look for us at: Florida West Coast Trailer Sailing Squadron http://members.ij.net/wctss/wctss/photo12.htm

2nd Annual Florida Gulf Coast Small Craft Festival - APRIL 2007 Look all over our website www.fgcscf.org to find out the winners and see people you know.

4TH ANNUAL OLD FOGARTYVILLE MESS ABOUT - JANUARY 2007
What a perfect day...lots of boats, boaters and food. Perfect weather, a great day to be on the water, especially if you are in a Cortez Melon seed. We all were invited by the D. Turner Matthews family to bring a potluck luncheon to entertain him and his delightful wife at their lovely estate on the shores of old Fogartyville. The dock provided ample surface for a goodly number of boats and there was a small, mostly sandy, beach available for hand launching kayaks, canoes, and other small boats.




Rich Correa promised upon his life to bring his deeelicious fish stew and cornbread...AND he did!	I WANT ONE

The Motley Crewe entertained us with songs and good humor.

MESS ABOUT - PALMA SOLA - SEPTEMBER 2006

Palma Sola was to be the site of the Gulf Coast Chapter’s very first meet a few years back but the weather didn’t cooperate. It was freezing and rainy. This time the weather was perfect, albeit some slightly flukey winds.	Looking for the centerboard pennant that some one forgot to put a stopper not in. A great view of the underside of a melon seed. No wonder they’re so fast!
Not another Melon Seed? Yes... and Larry Page is sailing.	An Optimist Pram from the Board of legendary boatbuilder Clarkie Mills. A FLORIDA BOAT
Christening melon seed number 4. The libation was traditional and if the pagan Gods and Goddesses were listening there was no insult in the offering or the request to have the boat always bring her crew home.	Rick Correa makes a great GUMBO. Fresh shrimp, okra and a lot of other really good stuff. Honey in the corn bread too. MMMM....

the first Great
Florida Gulf Coast Small Craft Festival
APRIL 2006

MESS ABOUT - FOGARTYVILLE - JANUARY 2006

Not another Melon Seed….Laylah, hull #2. Stan Terryll has #3.	An Irishman’s boatshow… Doug Calhoun’s lovely Atkins Nina skiff on Christening Day. Just about perfection and the Adirondack Guideboat isn’t too poorly either.
Trying to figure out what these things are for…..You’d think after building the thing I’d know what it was used for…..	The Seelgens leaving Fogartyville for their Great lakes adventure. On the way they picked up Clayton’s Catamaran but you have to start somewhere….

MID-ATLANTIC SMALL CRAFT FESTIVAL - OCTOBER 2005

*Mary Anne*, the miniature Chesapeake Bay Log canoe, goes to war at the MASCF.	Sweet Sallie Adams won People’s Choice Best of Show at the MASCF in St. Michael’s
A lovely and powerful gaff sloop at St. Michaels. She won Best of Show the year before Sallie Adams. Big boat, big rig, big trailer but very lovely.	15’ Delaware River Tuck-up, *Raspberry Seeds,* built by John England of Urbanna, Va. The type is a racing class ca 1870 on the Delaware River and it carries a massive racing rig that’ll throw anyone in the water at the least chance. Lovely and unique lapstrake hull.
The *Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival* is a great place to see and sail a full variety of traditional boats. A great event worth making the long trip for.	Fair Hope won best Traditional Boat in the Builder’s contest. It’s obvious why.

MESS ABOUT - CEDAR KEY - MAY 2005

	A melon seed from the Midwest and a big Bahama Babe study each other carefully.
Babe is stolen away by Pirates at Cedar Key.	A well thought out basic cruising Sharpie at anchor off Atsena Otie Key. This great boat has made some remarkable coastal voyages in very skinny water. Minimalism at its very best.

Atsena Otie Key has lovely sand and is where half the Cedar Key meet takes place. The rest occurs on various beaches scattered around the Island, mostly in front of the three or four hotels folks frequent for the meet.
Sunset at Cedar Key. Bugs are out but who cares.	Robb White’s lovely high peaked, sliding gunther on one of his super light weight, staved, poplar masts on his last visit to Cedar Key.

MESS ABOUT - KEN THOMPSON - MARCH 2005

Now, what’s this for? A good shot of *Mighty Sparrow’s* deck and the headboard that is typical of Bahamian smack rigs.	A small fleet showed up on the rocky beach adjacent to the fantastic Sarasota Sailing Squadron at Ken Thompson Park.
Lots of choices amongst these boats for a pleasant afternoons sail. The small pram in the fore ground is a Joel White *Nutshell* pram. The larger version of the boat is a great all around boat for kids and for use as a tender. Great plans for the boat are available from WoodenBoat, and it is a great 1st boatbuilding project.	A Penobscot 14 being loaded. Very seaworthy small boats are launched from even the most primitive of beach ramps making them an ideal way to just get away from it all in out of the way places. With a little bit of gear the whole Gulf Coast is accessible.

RAID ON CORTEZ - FEBRUARY 2005

MESS ABOUT - FOGERTYVILLE - JANUARY 2005

This boat started life as a ‘Weekend skiff’ with a point on at least one end. When the builder found that she’d developed a problem because of some less than the best materials, he simply operated. You might call this a nose job
A local eskimeaux…
	A very well built and pretty *Partridge Penobscot* showing her colors at Turner Matthews’ on the Manatee River Old Fogartyville Boat works messabout year one
A newly rebuilt Bahamas sloop, *Mighty Sparrow* shows her true colors in Fogartyville.	The Beach at Fogartyville and a new dock courtesy of one of the storms that have visited in recent years.
Some folks just never feel very secure on the water and must be creative to stay upright…	Now this is the way to bring your kids up right. TSCA events are always family affairs.

MESS ABOUT - EMERSON POINT - JUNE 2004

Some how this showed up at the Messabout at Emerson Point….	Emerson Point has a minimal beach but is a great place. Lots of interesting walks and places to land a small boat.
Convenient places to sit for lunch were abundant and in the shade too.	Some of us got our first sail in *Skipjack*, Jim Alderman’s beauty.

CEDAR KEY - MAY 2004


Even trimarans show up at Cedar Key. Here three bananas work together	Low power, efficient, and eminently practical boatbuilding solutions to excessive consumerism


The late Dale Harvey donated this sailing dory to the Museum and it took some time for the rig to be figured out. The sail is a re-cut Comet sail that has been adapted for a sprit and boom to make it a traditional “shoulder of mutton” rig.	Cedar Key is a great event. The beach adjacent to the downtown bridge is one of the gathering places prior to the gathering out among the outer keys just offshore of town.