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the
Great
Schedule
Ongoing
– Each Thursday
(though some have been missed) somewhere on the Manatee River or
Anna Maria Sound in Cortez you are invited to come sailing.
Bring your own boat or go in one of the Museum boats but please
do come, weather permitting. Thirsty Thursday Sailing is trying
to become a regular event, weather permitting, and on those
evenings when we’ve been able to do so it has been fun. Our main
objective is to get Jim and Gary Alderman to bring their
spritsail skiff and Bahama dinghy out for a race as part of the
Bradenton Yacht Club’s Thursday sails but they have been so
intimidated by our boat’s speeds that they have made
excuses…….Weather permitting please do your part at having fun
with the rest of the fleet any Thursday. Call ahead to Bob Pitt
at 708 4935 to get the details and the weather report for any
given Thursday, weather permitting (are you picking up on this
weather thing?).
For
all of these events please please please plan to bring a boat if
you have one. People and boats are what these things are all
about. If you don’t have a boat please do come anyway because
there’s always room and extra crew is more than welcome. For
more information contact Roger Allen at the Florida Maritime
Museum 708 6121.
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A
Calendar of Events 2007 -
2008
(Details
of the following events will be given closer to the time of the
event.)
September
2007:
Saturday
29th Dunedin
Cup Races, Dunedin, FL
We’re taking up all of the Bahamas dinghies to do a
“class race” as part of the larger show.
October
2007:
Friday
5th – Sunday 7th Mid-Atlantic
Small Craft Festival, St. Michaels, MD
:
This is the
same old fantastic event. The “Melon Seed Gang” is going
this year alone without any other Museum boats but generally a lot
of us make the trip with something new to show and tell in the
various contests they have. It is one of the oldest and next to our
own GFGCSCF the best.
Friday
5th – Saturday 6th Spat
Festival, Apalachicola
This is a new old festival being put on by a Fisherman’s
organization similar to FISH based out of the wonderful Apalachicola
up in the Panhandle. It is not an “in the water” event and Bob
Pitt and Jeff Moates are taking the Sallie Adams with some display
material. There are some wonderful places to go for a sail in the
vicinity if you decide to go early or stay late.
Saturday,
20th Anna
Maria Bayfest
Shine ‘em up for this out of the water display! It’s the
usual and please do plan to bring your boat so that we make as good
a presentation as the Antique Cars!!!
November
2007:
Friday,
16th – Dec. 8th ”The
Water is Wide” at Studio@ 620, Saint Petersburg Studio@620 is
a unique venue that presents works of art,
Bob Pitt and crew will be demonstrating traditional wooden
boat building by setting up and working on a Bevins skiff, a lovely
round bottomed row boat similar to a Whitehall. The program will
include presentations by Naval Architect & Sailor, Charlie
Morgan, the Tampa Bay Ship Model Society, the Main Hatch Motleys,
and others over a four weekend period.
December
2007:
Saturday 1st – Sun. 2nd Overnight
Messabout
Miguel Bay in Terra Ceia, FL
President Paul Thomas is organizing this overnight event on one of
the few places where such a thing can be done near by. We haven’t
done anything like this before here but have in other places with
other Chapters and it can be fun. Bugs should be limited and the
weather could be perfect. More details will follow.
Friday
December 7th
Probable Grand Opening of the Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez
We’ve been working for a long time for this and it looks like
we’ve finally made it. Invitations will be coming in the mail.
January
2008:
Sat.
Jan 12th FGCTSCA
Annual Dinner Maritime Museum in Cortez.
This is supposed to be our annual meeting though we haven’t
usually done that drill. Instead this has turned into an annual
lecture series and we’ve had some good ones. John Montagu of
“the 6 Hour Canoe” and “Weekend Skiff” fame, Robert Macomber
of the “Edge of Honor” series, and the late great Robb White
have all been our guest lecturers. This year will have someone of
equal interest so please mark your own calendar.
Sat.
Jan 19th – 10 AM
Fourth Annual
Fogartyville Messabout
Fogartyville, FL
This is our longest running messabout and a good one. It’s a
potluck lunch at the lovely home of Turner and Nancy Matthews in the
Fogartyville section of Bradenton. Turners dock and small beach are
handy for all sorts of boats and the launching ramps at Warner Bayou
and across the river in Palmetto are convenient. More details will
follow.
February
2008:
Sat.
16th (& Sun.17th)
TSCA “Raid Cortez”at the
Annual FISH Festival, Cortez This is the BIG FISH Festival where
they have seafood, crafts, art, and Music. There are lots of folks
here and it’s always worth 5 or 6 hours of time. We bring our
boats and launch at Coquina for the short sail to Cortez where we
dock at the Miller Covered Dock near the Star Fish Restaurant.
March
2008:
Saturday,
15th
Manatee Heritage Days,
Manatee Historical Village, Bradenton, FL
A landlocked show and tell at the Old Fogarty Boatshop as part of
the wonderful Villages long running historic presentations.
Saturday,
22nd Tentative
FGCTSCA Rendezvous
Emerson Point Park, Bradenton, FL
We tried this once before and ended up being scattered all over the
shore line but even then it was worth it. Emerson Point is a jewel
of a park and they’ve recently put in a dinghy dock to encourage
waterborn visitation.
April
2008:
Fri.
18th – Sun. 20th
”G-3” Great Florida
Gulf Coast Small Craft Festival:
There is nothing that needs to be said except, "THIS IS
THE BIG ONE!” Be here if nowhere else because this is our
signature event of national scope.
May
2008:
Fri.
2nd – Sun 4th
Cedar Key Small Craft Non-Meet, Cedar Key, FL
The
oldest unorganized small craft meet in the United States and a great
one! If you’re anybody in the world and you have a small boat you
come to this event eventually. Beautiful Keys to sail around, fun
get together put on by the World Trailer Sailors, and some good
restaurants to visit while you’re in town. Get your motel
reservations earlier than you think you should because the place
fills up.
June
2008:
Sat.
21st & Sun. 22nd 2nd
Manatee Outdoor
Festival Coquina Beach, FL Think
Kayak Worlds. Lots and lots of Kayaks. More than you ever thought
there were. We try to add some balance by giving our sailboats as an
alternative means of recreating on the water for discerning folks
who agree that facing forwards is not natural in a boat on the
water……
July
2008:
Sat.
12th
Youth
Sailing Program at Sarasota Sailing Squadron
Kids in Boats! What could be better? Come and take a kid sailing
with crew from the Sailing Squadron. This was a great program last
year and believe me you want to come to it to find out that there
are some really wonderful kids out there despite what you might
otherwise believe. This is your chance to let them in on the big
secret of messing about in small boats ... and their parents too!
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Events
Just Past
Messabout
with Yutes and O.P.s (old persons)
Saturday
July 14th 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
One
of our big concerns in TSCA
and at the Florida
Maritime
Museum at Cortez is that getting new younger folks
involved with traditional boats. We have a fun chance to do just
that by doing a joint program with the Sarasota
Sailing Squadron. It seems some of the folks
down there were so impressed with the various boats at our Great
Florida Gulf Coast Small Craft Festival that
they came up with the really great idea of doing a traditional boat
sailing program on the water for some of their younger people, with
parents along for the fun of it. So, YOU come do this
thing with us. We will be bringing everything that floats from
the Museum. They’re asking us to get everything else we can from
our TSCA member’s fleet. This is a moment where we get to shine or
swim, Boys and Girls so…..LET US DO THIS GOOD THING!
If you can, bring a kid as well.
Where:
The
Sarasota
Sailing Squadron
May 4, 5, 6,
2007
- Cedar Key Great non-organized Small Craft Event.
Like
no other this is the original real small craft event in Florida,
unhosted by the Florida Trailer Sailors. Always worth going,
staying and playing with everyone there. Great place to go
sailing. Make reservations by February because rooms get hard to
come by if you wait.
April 12-15,
2007 - 2nd Annual Great Florida Gulf Coast
Small Craft Festival.
What can we say? This is the biggest and best event in the whole
world, or will be if you put it on your calendar, bring your
boat, family, friends and a good attitude. (See the article in
England’s Classic Boat and Messing About in Boats
Magazines).
February 17,2007
- Raid Cortez at the FISH Festival.
The
raid is a row/paddle/sail event where we launch at Coquina Beach
and have a leisurely trip to Cortez. The effort is part of the
great 2 day FISH Festival and is a good chance to enjoy the show
as much as anything else.
February 2-4,
2007
- 2nd ever Age of Sail, Age of Steam model
Expo.
This
is primarily an event for those interested in maritime models,
though the event this year has been expanded in theme to include
model railroad and engine models as well. It is presented at the
Manatee Convention and Visitor’s Center in Palmetto. Last year
was wonderful with over 158 world class ship and boat models
including static and RC boats.
January 20,
2007 - 3rd Annual Old Fogarty Boat Company
Messabout.
Our
longest running FGC TSCA messabout and one with the largest
turnout. Turner and Nancy Matthews host this illegal event at
their non permitted dock on Bradenton’s Manatee River
waterfront. Sailing has traditionally been great and it’s a nice
place to paddle and row too. It is a pot luck lunch kind of
affair.
January 13,2007
- FGC TSCA Annual Meeting and Mullet Feed.
The
date is still tentative but probable. Robert Macomber, Maritime
novelist, was Guest Speaker.
November 18,
2006
- Rainbow River Canoe and Kayak trip.
This
river and its adjacent park are what most folks think of when
they think of Florida, crystal and pristine.
October 28,
2006 - Circus McGurkus. a couple of our boats on display.
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