Support boat for kayaking expedition - Anegada passage

[Snore]

Originally Posted by mcwhouston

Also how far is Cedar Key to Tampa?

My GPS track shows I did 106 nm between 17:39 on April 1 when I left Cedar Key FL and 15:00 on April 3 when I got out of the boat in Tampa. The only way I was able to do this length without getting out of the boat is that I was in a Kruger DreamCatcher with a Balogh sail rig. This allowed me to snooze and sail. While this facilitated the transit, because the wind died on April 2, I to paddle this rig. That killed my average speed, but the weatherman kept promising wind. On the other hand, it also allowed me to cook and eat a hot meal the night of April 2 and rely on the outriggers....

It is important to understand that this rig is not intended for open water, I was outside the design criteria and relied on both 2-hour weather forecasts and a wealth of experience reading clouds and wind. If anything indicated a change in weather I would have had to high tail it east and seek shelter on the flats or in a cove. At the riskiest part I was 11 miles off shore of Crystal River, but only a few miles from the flats. I would NEVER take that rig on the trip you are considering. But Verlen Kruger did go across the Gulf with two of his boats catamaraned together using some extremely thick tubes. Krugers are not cheap, but they are still built like a brick outhouse.

The longest non-stop I have done in a kayak is Tampa's Ft Desoto to Port Charlotte, that is about 60 miles and took about 16-17 hours. That was in a NE Discover. However that leg can be done in the ICW, marginal wind and no real waves.

Keep planning! As long as you can manage your risks and NOT rely on others to save you, the trip is good. I have long considered a kayak trip to the Dry Tortugas, but always cancelled it because I could not manage the risks.

Cheers

Bill