January 9, 2009
It's the best part of five hours to Fort Lauderdale from St. Augustine, so I'm flying along I-95. Of course, I get pulled over by a radar car and my trip expenses take a serious tick upwards.
I make it to the airport with lots of time to spare - and to think about the wisdom of flying along the highway...
This is the first time I've flown with West Jet - it turns out they are merging with Southwest Air, with whom I have flown before. They share a similar philosophy, which is casual to say the least, and quite enjoyable. It's great to be able to fly into Toronto, rather than Buffalo as I usually do in order to avoid flying Air Canada, a company I detest since they screwed me over after the failure of Canada 3000.
My seatmates are Monte and Mrs. Kwinter. Monte is a longtime provincial Liberal politician, but so charming and entertaining that I have to forgive him for his choice in party affiliation. It turns out that the Kwinters own an Alberg 37, one of my favourite boats, so we talk sailing for quite a while. The flight goes quickly and we are soon in Toronto, feeling the cold as we enter the jetway. Brrrrrr......
January 10, 2009
Confusion reigns - it seems no one knows what to do with arriving speakers. I wait for quite some time in the show office until someone figures out what to do with me. In fairness, it IS the first day of the show. I am capably taken in hand by show staff and my problems solved.
After being shown the lecture room - easily capable of holding over 100 people, (and HOW will I fill it I ask myself) - and arranging the a-v equipment I'll require, I find a quiet spot to reread and rehearse my talk.
I arrive at the lecture room quite early, and am introduced to a standing room only crowd of 137 people. WOW! Nearly forty more have been turned away due to fire code
It's the best part of five hours to Fort Lauderdale from St. Augustine, so I'm flying along I-95. Of course, I get pulled over by a radar car and my trip expenses take a serious tick upwards.
I make it to the airport with lots of time to spare - and to think about the wisdom of flying along the highway...
This is the first time I've flown with West Jet - it turns out they are merging with Southwest Air, with whom I have flown before. They share a similar philosophy, which is casual to say the least, and quite enjoyable. It's great to be able to fly into Toronto, rather than Buffalo as I usually do in order to avoid flying Air Canada, a company I detest since they screwed me over after the failure of Canada 3000.
My seatmates are Monte and Mrs. Kwinter. Monte is a longtime provincial Liberal politician, but so charming and entertaining that I have to forgive him for his choice in party affiliation. It turns out that the Kwinters own an Alberg 37, one of my favourite boats, so we talk sailing for quite a while. The flight goes quickly and we are soon in Toronto, feeling the cold as we enter the jetway. Brrrrrr......
January 10, 2009
Confusion reigns - it seems no one knows what to do with arriving speakers. I wait for quite some time in the show office until someone figures out what to do with me. In fairness, it IS the first day of the show. I am capably taken in hand by show staff and my problems solved.
After being shown the lecture room - easily capable of holding over 100 people, (and HOW will I fill it I ask myself) - and arranging the a-v equipment I'll require, I find a quiet spot to reread and rehearse my talk.
I arrive at the lecture room quite early, and am introduced to a standing room only crowd of 137 people. WOW! Nearly forty more have been turned away due to fire code
regulations.
In the third row I see a couple of friendly smiles
- it's Steve and Shirley from Lady Galadriel, a
couple we met last year in Beaufort SC. who are
spending the winter in Kingston ON. They email
Susan in the midst of my presentation - there is
just no escaping! A few rows over are Mike and
Vicky, a couple I met in Port Colborne while
delivering
a PDQ 36.
The crowd is friendly and the hour goes in a flash, despite my nervousness. We retire to the smaller seminar room where I answer questions on the ICW for over a half hour.
Steve and Shirley, Mike and Vicky and I retire to one of the pubs to renew friendships.
January 11, 12
My lectures continue to be the best attended, with 87 and 94 on the following two days. And, as much as I'd like to believe they're coming to hear me, I realize it's the topic that attracts. After each talk, we retire to the small seminar room outside the lecture hall where eager 'wannabe' and 'gonnabe' cruisers ply me with still more questions.
It's all very flattering and my ego swells accordingly - it's rather nice to be the center of this much interest, but honesty compels me to realize that there are so many more people who could provide so much more information than I.
Conclusions - Of those attending my talks, about 30 - 40% indicated they were planning on heading south for the first time in the 2009-10 season. The majority of the rest were looking at a five year horizon. A good 80% or better were sailors, although the attendance may have been skewed by my being a known sailor!
The crowd is friendly and the hour goes in a flash, despite my nervousness. We retire to the smaller seminar room where I answer questions on the ICW for over a half hour.
Steve and Shirley, Mike and Vicky and I retire to one of the pubs to renew friendships.
January 11, 12
My lectures continue to be the best attended, with 87 and 94 on the following two days. And, as much as I'd like to believe they're coming to hear me, I realize it's the topic that attracts. After each talk, we retire to the small seminar room outside the lecture hall where eager 'wannabe' and 'gonnabe' cruisers ply me with still more questions.
It's all very flattering and my ego swells accordingly - it's rather nice to be the center of this much interest, but honesty compels me to realize that there are so many more people who could provide so much more information than I.
Conclusions - Of those attending my talks, about 30 - 40% indicated they were planning on heading south for the first time in the 2009-10 season. The majority of the rest were looking at a five year horizon. A good 80% or better were sailors, although the attendance may have been skewed by my being a known sailor!
The
interest in the topic surprised even the show
staff, who were impressed by not just the turnout
for the seminar but the eagerness of those
attending to hang about and ask questions.
I am now seriously considering a book on transiting the ICW. It is apparent that, despite the glut of books on cruising, no one is getting to this crowd with the information they require.
I am now seriously considering a book on transiting the ICW. It is apparent that, despite the glut of books on cruising, no one is getting to this crowd with the information they require.
Most
cruising books are long on horror stories, with
attendant lists of all the things you 'must' do and
have to safely make this trip. There's a tendency
towards intimidating the reader, the prospective
cruiser - I recall how nervous I was on my first
trip, and those fears weren't in the least quelled
by the opinions and statements of world cruisers
who opined in their wisdom that if you didn't have
'such and such', you were doomed - or worse! Since
most of the ICW isn't much more than 12 - 15 feet
deep, I hardly see the need for offshore gear as
recommended by some 'experts'.
In my opinion, someone needs to tell the truth - that you don't need a 45 foot ocean capable sailboat with EPIRB, SSB and a liferaft, to cruise the ICW. You don't need to have salt water in your veins, just a little common sense and a well prepared, seaworthy boat.
When I think of some of the boats I've seen that have done this trip - well, I suspect YOUR boat will have no problem. And as for some of the skippers - that's another whole story!
In my opinion, someone needs to tell the truth - that you don't need a 45 foot ocean capable sailboat with EPIRB, SSB and a liferaft, to cruise the ICW. You don't need to have salt water in your veins, just a little common sense and a well prepared, seaworthy boat.
When I think of some of the boats I've seen that have done this trip - well, I suspect YOUR boat will have no problem. And as for some of the skippers - that's another whole story!