Cruising
Southwest Florida has great cruising grounds. There are a myriad of ports of call within a day's sail from Venice. It is a great jumping off point to go either North or South. Because most of our fleet is moored near the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), there is easy access to the Gulf or protected passage via the ICW. What better place is there for cruising!
We have experienced cruisers who ply the waters on the Southwest Coast of Florida, venture up the East Coast to Maine, West Coast to Seattle and beyond, and cruise the Bahamas and the Caribbean Islands These folks have become very experienced and provide a wealth of knowledge to our members and other cruisers.
We typically schedule about seven cruises annually to ports of call on the Southwest Coast which last 2 - 10+ days. Sometimes our destinations are jumping off points to longer cruises for those that are planning on staying out longer. There are some nice islands and marinas where we enjoy the outdoors and camaraderie of our fellow sailors.
Cruising Activities for 2023-2024!
The cruises we have planned so far for this season are of different levels to allow participation of the members without boats, members with boats but looking for shorter local cruises and members with boats looking for longer term cruises and a taste of the cruising life:
Thurs Oct 19, 2023 to Mon Oct 29, 2023- Key West and Dry Tortugas via Marathon. This is a joint cruise with VYC and some boats will avoid overnight sailing by making more stops south. Cruise Master is: Marvin (Guy) Royal (True Love), VYC Fleet Captain Sail and VSS member.
Fri Nov 3, 2023 - Sunset Sail and "Docktails" at Harbor Lights. This event is open to the general membership and a sign-up sheet will be available at the October VSS Meeting. Cruise Master is Peter Tack (Destiny). Available spaces will be determined by how many boats participate.
Sat Jan 13, 2024 to Sat Jan 20th - Bareboat cruise in Antigua. We have a 45' Leopard Catamaran lease for a week and all berths are taken currently. We are hoping to sail to Barbuda and Montserrat if weather conditions permit.
Fri Feb 16, 2024 - Sunset sail and 'Docktails' cruise. For this event the Cruise Master is Bill Gately (Fruition) and "Docktails" will be hosted by boats docked at VYC. Again this will be open to the general membership with spaces limited by the number of participating boats.
Thur Feb 15 to Wed May 15, 2024 - Cruise to Exumas, Bahamas via Marathon and Great Harbor Cay, Berry Islands. Destiny will lead this cruise and the Cruise Master is Peter Tack. The duration is set by The Bahamas Cruising Permit of 90 days, but other VSS/VYC boats are welcome to join for shorter periods. We hope to see you out there!
Fri Mar 15 to Fri Mar 22, 2024 - Cruise to Gulfport and St Petersburg via Egmont Key. Cruise Master is Brian Taylor (Envision). This is a local cruise for boats wishing to participate in a shorter local cruise. Both locations offer great facilities with restaurants and shopping.
Fri Apr 12, to Tues Apr 16, 2024- Cruise to Tween Waters, Captiva via Pelican Bay, Cayo Costa. Cruise Master is Robert Foster (Joan Marie III). This is another good local cruise to a beautiful resort with easy access to the beach and a small town for evening entertainment.
All dates and destinations are dependent on weather conditions so maybe adjusted by the Cruise Master as required!
If you would like more information, please our Fleet Captain Cruising, Peter Tack at cruising@venicesailingsquadron.org. We look forward to seeing you in the near future.
List of Preferred Marinas, Yacht Clubs, and Anchorages - North to South
Click here
CRUISE REPORTS:
All cruise reports are available under the "Documents/Cruising Tab" which can be accessed from the home page.
Cruise - Venice to Key West - 0605-062121
VSS Cruise to Bradenton Pier AMI and Sarasota