Schooner Clearwater – Clearwater Beach Marina
WOW did we have TONS of FUN (22.5 tons to be exact – the weight of the vessel!!) aboard the Schooner Clearwater, Clearwater Marina’s newest marine attraction, back on Wednesday evening May 2!
We had 21 hardy souls out on our sailing adventure, with a couple of new faces, C.B.C. of C.’s Jessica Chacon & Sydney Veimau, out to enjoy the sunset and our camaraderie. The 52’ vessel is what’s called a Staysail Schooner, a twin-masted sailing craft that has many sail configurations, most notable being their signature ‘upside down’ triangular sail hoisted between the 2 masts, that can quickly adapt to changing wind conditions. The schooner, built locally right here in Clearwater over a 4 year period and launched in Nov. 2016, is hand constructed out of steel with a keel that draws 6’ and together with the aforementioned 22.5 tons, those wary of healing over at 20 degrees are in no danger of capsizing!
The wind was up and we were ‘rockin & rollin’ at about 10-12knots thanks to the steady hand of Capt. Mark on the wheel and First Mate Zack up on the foredeck hoisting and trimming the sails. And of course the steady hand of the beautiful & talented Maryellen passing up the Stella Artois and wine from the galley! It made for some comical interactions, especially after a couple of beverages, with our folks trying to steady themselves and bouncing off each other. No seriously, the vessel was quite comfortable with padded seating in 2 areas, one in the stern under the bimini top next to Capt. Mark and one midship open to the sun. A few intrepid souls even ventured up to the bow pulpit ‘ala’ Titanic !!
Capt Mark is a local boy with nearly 40 years of Merchant Seaman experience and the lovely Maryellen is an absolute jewel to deal with on the phone making the bookings and providing the paperwork so you are all in good hands! The vessel performs 2-Hour outings, Afternoon Sails between 3:30-5:30pm and Sunset from 6:30-8:30pm, which may vary seasonally. The yacht is Coast Guard certified for up to 34 passengers, but for comfort Maryellen prefers a maximum of 22. On board this vessel you can be as interactive as you like, helping steer, hoist or crank-in the sails or just sit back and relax with a cold one and watch the water gurgle on by. Cost = $45/Adult & $30 Children 5-12yrs…. Sorry NO small children. Full pre-payment via credit card is required to hold space aboard and please be mindful of their cancellation policy. Private Charters can be arranged and on Open Sails, a minimum of 6 full-paying passengers is needed before the vessel can depart from the dock.
For sailors driving in, parking in the Marina Lot can be tricky, especially on busy weekends, so arrive early so as not to miss the boat and be subject to penalties. During the day, the parking meters have a 30 minute maximum @ $.50, so you will need to acquire a Parking Pass from Maryellen or from the Parking Office inside Marina Cantina bldg. open 6AM-6PM daily at $1/hour – CASH. After 6PM, the meters are free!
Thanks again Maryellen, Mark & Zack for a great time, we support you and wish you much success with your new enterprise! For more information, please see their website: www.schoonerclearwater.com
H2O JET SKI RENTALS
Before our sailing adventure aboard the Schooner Clearwater, we visited a few slips down from the yacht with Robert Hoffman and Ashley, proprietors of H2O JetSki Rentals where we were very well received! Robert took over the business from the previous owner midway through last year and has made a lot of improvements, garnering themselves a plethora of positive reviews on Trip Advisor. He has 8 of the latest models of Yamaha VX Waverunners available for your guests and specializes in 90 minute guided Island Tours up to Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands, cost = $130/unit. Reservations for the tour are strongly recommended and they will gladly take your bookings promptly over the telephone, unlike their competitor in the slip immediately adjacent to the schooner who is insistent upon booking via the Internet…. Booo. Robert & Ashley and their assistants offer a personal touch and will tailor an outing suitable to your guests’ expertise with the waverunner. These are the kind of folks you can feel confident in referring to who will treat your guests to a great experience. Let’s all support H2O – for further info, check their website: www.ClearwaterJetSkis.com
USA TRIKE ADVENTURES
After our sailing adventure, we were met at the dock by Mr. John Spina of USA Trike Adventures, along with his drivers Chad & Jared, and we were lucky and fortunate to be able to go for a spin on their 2 AWESOME Choppers! It was nice to see Amy and Gillian & hubbies and Robin and her son participate along with me & Jen and a couple of others. These are not just your ordinary trike bikes, these are custom built German luxury 3-wheel vehicles that are powerful yet relatively quiet; unless you take into account their killer sound system!! 2 Passengers can ride comfortably in the plush seats elevated behind the driver and provide you a rush as you take in all the surroundings. These vehicles are real head-turners as pedestrians along our route were waving and cheering when we rode on by! Safety is stressed and you are asked to wear a ‘do-rag’ to keep their helmets sanitary. Based out of East Tampa, John can custom-tailor an outing to your guests’ needs, one of which is an adrenaline jaunt across the Sunshine Skyway…. Hold on to your helmets!! This is a really cool, different attraction to offer your guests and tour rates start at only $99/hour. Thanks again John for taking us out for a thrill ride, please drop him and his gang a note of appreciation and he can supply you with more info. www.USATrikeAdventures.com