Day Sailing the Indian River-FLA

[Photomon]

Looking to retire in Florida and want to day sail a catalina 22-draws about 3 feet.

Don't want or need to go outside in the big water.

Are there good places in the Indian River near Melbourne, Vero Beach, fort Pierce to day sail a Catalina 22 where I don't have to keep my eyes totally glued to the depth finder, I don't have to stay totally in the IC waterway, and I don't have to tack every 3 minutes?

[skipmac]

You can see charts online at www.activecaptain.com to get details but in general YES, many parts of the Indian River you will have to watch the chart. North of Vero Beach many places just outside the channel will be 1-3'. A little further north around Melbourne you have a little more room but you still have to pay attention.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by Photomon

Looking to retire in Florida and want to day sail a catalina 22-draws about 3 feet.

Don't want or need to go outside in the big water.

Are there good places in the Indian River near Melbourne, Vero Beach, fort Pierce to day sail a Catalina 22 where I don't have to keep my eyes totally glued to the depth finder, I don't have to stay totally in the IC waterway, and I don't have to tack every 3 minutes?

Unless you already have the boat, consider the swing keel version in which case she'll float in as little as 2' of water, if necessary.

[Photomon]

Thanks--Last time I sailed a Catalina 22 with swing keel was many years ago. I seem to remember that the housing for the keel seemed to stick up into the cabin and was a bit of an obstruction in an already tight space. I later sailed the fin keel version down in Key Largo and liked it. However, I am seeing that if I want to day sail in the Indian River, a 2 inch draft on occasion might be great!

Is that still the case on the new boats?

[Photomon]

Skipmac-Thanks very much. The URL you cited is great. We are going up to the Melbourne area in a few days and the charts will help greatly.

[svHyLyte]

To get a gool look at the River you might want to log on at www.Activecaptain.com. You'll need to register but that's free and once registered, you can view the Charts for the areas you're interested in as well as maps and aerial photographs. For more information on the Catalina 22 take a look at (click on) CATALINA 22 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com and catalina22.org .

Good Luck!