Boat U.S. - May 2008 - (Page 34) Day Tripper Dues Water ont Living A fleet of sturdy Grand Banks provide a stable platform for students. Boomers. From the Beatles to Botox, they’ve been on a roll for over a halfcentury. But now, as the reality of Paul McCartney’s tune, “When I’m 64,” draws ever closer, more and more Boomers are choosing to do “The Great Loop” rather than “wasting away” as McCartney so indelicately put it in his closing verse. The Great Loop, for those unfamiliar with this particular nautical challenge, is a circumnavigation of the eastern part of North America. Depending on the route, it’s a 5,000- to 7,000-mile journey of discovery from the east coast of Florida up the ICW, through the New York State Canal System, to the Great Lakes, down the rivers of the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico and back to the west coast of Florida. It’s also the nautical alternative to retiring, getting into an RV and heading out on the proverbial Rt. 66 to see America. While The Great Loop may be a dream for some boaters nearing retirement, the reality is that the skills needed to undertake this 5,000-mile adventure are not necessarily the same as those acquired over the years in taking out a runabout or sailboat for a weekend cruise. To fill this void, the Florida Sailing and Cruising School of North Fort Myers, FL, has put together a number of comprehensive hands-on courses designed to instill confidence in those who have limited experience in handling a big displacement vessel. “The majority of our clients are 50-plus Boomers in pre-retirement syndrome, anywhere from two to 10 years away from retirement,” said Barb Hansen who, with her husband Vic, are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their parent company, Southwest Florida Yachts. Located in the Marinatown Marina on a little bayou just off the Caloosahatchee River, the Hansens’ powerboat fleet consists largely of Grand Banks trawlers ranging from 32 to 42 feet. A separate facility for their sailing school is located on the Gulf a few miles away at Burnt Store Marina. “I am convinced you can’t learn to properly operate a larger boat just from reading a book,” said Hansen, a BoatU.S. member whose school has taught thousands of students since it was established in 1990. She highly recommends taking the course with whomever you’re going to cruise with. “Our trawlers are your classroom, your kitchen, your dining room, your bedroom, and your assignment is to learn to operate a yacht,” she pointed out. For those who wish to spend a few extra days in the area, the school can arrange for you to stay at the nearby Best Western Waterfront on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River. It has a stunning view of the revitalized Fort Myers downtown area and is a bargain at less than $85 per night. Courses are limited to four or fewer students and can range from three to eight days depending on whether it’s basic powerboating, inland or offshore cruising. Teachers are U.S. Coast Guardcertified captains and during my time there, I was fortunate to have the services profes of Capt. Bill Rigby, a retired college professor of electronics engineering technology who had been a Great Lakes sailor for years before “retiring” to the Sunshine State. Our 10-mile treks out to the Gulf through a maze of markers were handled with the patience of Job, as he diligently went through the entire course with me over an abbreviated two-day period as if I were a novice. But the extra time spent backing a single-screw trawler into a slip was time well spent and is recommended for anyone who doesn’t do it often enough. And, just to make sure that I got the full taste of going back to school, I took the school’s 60-question written exam when our time together at the helm had come to an end. Hey Ma, I passed! — By Michael Sciulla Training at the flybridge helm is a plus. For more information on the Florida Sailing and Cruising School, go to www.flsailandcruiseschool.com or call 1-800-262-7939. A wealth of information on doing The Great Loop can be found at www.greatloop.com, the web site of the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association. 34 BoatU.S. Magazine May 2008 http://www.flsailandcruiseschool.com http://www.greatloop.com
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