Cape Coral Cruise Club visits Pink Shell Resort Marina
Pink Shell Resort Marina on Fort Myers Beach was the February destination for 18 Cape Coral Cruise Club boats. Pink Shell, with its floating docks, white sandy beach, three heated pools, spa, restaurants and attentive staff, proved once again to be a great place for a monthly cruise.
Boats participating were “Happy Ours”, Cruise Leaders Gary & Kathy Taake; “Sunkissed”, Phil & Lyn Quick; “Sharon Ann”, Sharon & Len Palmisano; “Moonlighter”, Lee & Brenda Jetton; “Bow’t Time”, Terry & Laurie Carlson; “Lady Blue”, Mike & Brenda Stewart; “KDJ”, Mark & Sue Thompson; “Y Knot”, Phil & Pat Kryger; Hardee II”, Hal & Dee Moss; “Lady Mar”, Rusty & Marlene Glover; “Knot Again”, Larry & Mary Ann Habich; “Desperado”, Jon Lynch & Debbie Schwab; “Semper Paratus”, John & Pati Queen; “New Horizons”, Ted & Beverley Hutson; “Robyn M”, Rich & Robin McGloin; and “Daisy May”, Bob & Bonnie Martin. Also joining the group were prospective members Bob & Carol Peterson aboard “C R Side” & Paul & Stephanie Carrico aboard “Infinite Sea”, both boats completing their shake-down cruise.
Arriving at the Marina, members were given electronic arm bands that provided access to all the Resort’s amenities. Then, at 4:30, members met on the marina deck for cocktails and light snacks, before moving to a meeting room at 6:00 for a Pot Luck Picnic. Cruise Leaders Gary & Kathy Taake had prepared large pots of Pork Ribs and Smoked Turkey, and others provided side dishes and desserts, so it was an eat-all-you-can-hold feast.
After dinner, members were split into 2 teams, each with a “Brenda” Captain (Jetton & Stewart). Captains selected team members to participate in a series of eight “A Minute to Win It” games. Roars of laughter erupted during every game, with contestants trying hard to win in a one-on-one contest. There was the “Nose Dive” game where both contestants stick their nose in a pile of Vaseline, then pick up a cotton ball with their nose and deposit them in a bowl of water, a “Dizzy Mummy” game where one contestant turns in circles while being wrapped in toilet paper, and 6 other games. Each team won 3, so there was a final tie-breaker for the 2 captains.
Each Brenda was given a pair of panty hose with a penny in each toe. The ladies had to slip a panty hose leg over each arm and extract the pennies without crossing their arms or using hands on the opposite leg. After wild gyrations, Brenda Jetton was the first to extract the 2 pennies, so her team was declared the winner. Prizes were $100,000… (Small candy bars called “Hundred Grand”) for winning team members and “dum-dum lollipops” for the losers. Every contestant was a very good sport, and our thanks go to them for participating. Lots of laughs!
The second day began with a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs with bits of prime rib mixed in, fresh fruit, and assorted breakfast pastries prepared by the Cruise Leaders. Bloody Marys were also available to wake up the sleepy heads. The afternoon was free for members to go to the beach, swim in the heated pools, shop, play games, dink ride, or ride the trolley to lunch. At 4:30, happy hour began on the marina deck with Mai Tai’s provided by the cruise leaders, followed by a catered private dinner buffet poolside, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Joining the group by car for the dinner were members Bob Martin, Jeanie Douglass, Joan Prosser, Joan Raymond, Bruce & Sue Longman, Mary & John Brehm, Chuck Pollack & Sue Herzog, and Larry & Ana Maria Mitchell. Everyone enjoyed a great meal in a wonderful setting.
The third day began with another breakfast of French Texas Toast, fresh fruit and pastries. Then it was once again a choice of activities and a lunch on your own. At 4:30, members gathered at Hal & Dee Moss’s boat, “Hardee II” for a new boat name christening. Cups of champagne were provided by Hal & Dee to toast the removal of the old name and the unveiling of the new name. All who attended enjoyed the ceremony and wished them good luck on their new boat. Happy hour on the marina deck took place before “dinner on your own”.
The next morning boaters departed with fond memories and full stomachs following this fun-filled cruise. Thanks go to Dave O’Connor, dock master, and his great crew. And special thanks go to Gary & Kathy Taake for putting on a wonderful cruise. Their planning and special touches made this a cruise to remember.
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is open to new members who own a boat with overnight accommodations. For membership information please contact Larry Mitchell at 239-560-2823. View a short picture video of Club activities and review additional Club information on its website, www.c-c-c-c.org.
by Lee Jetton
Another charter client, Mr. John Manteuffel of St. Paul, Minnesota is shown with a large Sheepshead caught on a Fiddler Crab ‘deep in the pilings’ in Pine Island Sound. John also hooked and successfully ‘angled’ a larger Sheepshead (around 18″) but was lost at the net ( I took responsibility for not getting the fish in the boat) and gave John credit for the catch.
(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor) Prior to the cold front and the ‘Full Moon’, fishing for all of my clients was fantastic! Boat loads of Spanish Mackerel were all over areas of Bokelia and Foster Bay, just to mention two prime locations. Big hungry Seatrout were present in deep holes (4-6 ft) while small Seatrout, Crevalle Jacks were all around. We caught Redfish on incoming and outgoing tides at openings (deeper ‘cuts’) protecting grass flats. Mangrove Snappers and big Sheepshead were caught around pilings using small shrimps and Fiddler Crabs. My baits of choice for the Spanish Mackerel were small to medium size shrimps. Cut Pinfish, ‘jumbo’ shrimps and Ladyfish were more effective for the bigger Seatrout and Redfish. Artificial baits were effective as well for Spanish Mackerel, Seatrout, Snook, Crevalle Jacks and Redfish.
Also, pictured are friends and repeat clients from Marshalltown, Iowa. Roger Chase is shown with his catch of a nice size Spanish Mackerel. His wife Sally, is proudly displaying a big Seatrout she caught on the ‘flats’ north of Foster Bay. Their friends (also from Marshalltown), Dennis and Sondra Buffington are pictured with a couple of their catches. Dennis (‘Buff’); is holding a huge Spanish Mackerel while his wife, Sondra displays her first Bluefish. Over one hundred fish were caught that day. Needless to say; ‘we all had a blast!
(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor) My fishing article in the January Issue of the Lee County monthly publication; The Nautical Mile, was titled ‘Seatrout Fishing 101’. If you are having or was having trouble catching Seatrout, may I suggest that you go on line to that publication or my website and read the article. Since the cold fronts have passed the trout fishing has been fantastic utilizing those basic techniques and strategies discussed therein. Pictured here are some of the Seatrout that was caught by my charter clients within the last week. They were found in ‘pockets’ surrounded by ‘Turtle Grass’ at depths of 3′ to 5′ deep. Jayne Henderson and Bob Wunsch of Kewaskum, Wisconsin are proudly displaying their catches of of 22 and 23 inch Seatrout. Their friends, Todd Schmidt and his wife Jo Ann of West Bend, Wisconsin are holding their prize catches as well.
Snook, Redfish, Spanish Mackerel, Sheepshead and other species have also been very active. Ten year old Vince Young of La Crosse, WI. (on the left) had a special birthday treat when he landed this nice 22 inch Snook in the canals of Cape Coral. His cousin, Jack Brooks of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (pictured with him) was along to witness the catch.
(Ft. Myers Beach to Charlotte Harbor) Regardless of the full moon cycle, the cool fronts have definitely slowed down the fishing as well as the ‘bites’. I have worked the flats and back country ‘on and off’ all last week and have found most success working the mangroves, pilings and structures for Mangrove Snappers, Sheepshead and Snook. Spanish Mackerel, Pompano and Seatrout still roam the flats but have been difficult to find during the cold spells. ‘Off-shore’ fishing and reports have been far and few between, due to the sporadic high winds.
The best way to check your rigging is have a qualified rigger go aloft and check the rigging from mast head to the chainplates.
Why do bottom job prices vary so much from boat yard to boat yard? The labor cost is close to being the same (within 5%) and the cost of material should be the same for all yards. So what is the difference?
The Sailor Wharf quotes ONE price and we have been doing it way since 1978. The only time we charge extra for bottom prep is when the barnacles are so large that you may even have oysters on your bottom. If your bottom paint is flaking off, the hull which happens when the original paint was not properly applied or, more common, when the original paint is so old that it no longer has the adhesion to stick to the hull, we would recommend the total removal of the paint.
To properly prep the boat’s bottom, we use vacuum sanders. It is not only the right way of doing it environmentally, it is also more efficient, since the dust is immediately removed and the sandpaper can do its job properly. The worker can also see exactly where he is going, since there will be a clean surface while he is sanding. The next step is to wash all the dust off the bottom and the prop(s) and running gear gets painted with quality metal paint for that purpose. The rest of the bottom gets painted with your choice of anti fouling paint which, we either roll or spray on, with an airless paint sprayer depending on the customer’s choice. We move the boat stands so we can have the entire boat painted except for the keel blocks. When the paint is dry (usually 24 hours) we lift the boat and paint the keel block areas and inspect the bottom one last time. When the final paint touchup is dry, we launch the boat and wash the deck.
