SV Sandy Botto

SERE Bear

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My wife and I have purchased a 2005 Lagoon 440. Its the 3 cabin 3 heads version. 44ft long, 25.5 ft beam (wide).

The goal is to quit working by March and go cruising for about 2 years. After that we will either sell the boat or make money on the water. (Lots of options to do that.). Here are a few links to pics of the boat because Google photos is not letting me embed the pics.




https://photos.app.goo.gl/sQ3J7g8mFyViffn98

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WWHaCwBgYbkEXsNM7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/7kRsNhWWNfwbgvjD6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dV6ik6UCaMzv8An3A



Thus far we have moved SV Sandy Bottoms a little in an effort to get SV Sandy Bottoms toward Texas for repairs. The crew consists of My wife, Father, my sister in law and her boyfriend.
Day 1- last Thursday Dec 6th. Sailed from Key Largo Fl to Marathon Key for 8 hrs. Our dog Daisy waited all day before finally agreeing to releive herself where we directed her to go on the boat. We Anchored off of Boot Key for the night and took the dingy to a restaurant that had a dock to tie up to.
Day 2- Friday the 7th we went through 7 mile bridge which has 65ft vertical clearance, our mast is 64ft tall. We waited until 3pm for low tide to go through but Crap that was stressfull! Once we cleared the bride we had to motor to navigate through shallow waters for a few hours and sighted a huge stingray leaping in and out of the water. We sailed into the night and past the Everglades. We kept 50 miles off shore, the night was clear and the stars were incredible. So many stars but not one ship (or land) in sight. There was no moon so the night was black except for the stars.
Day 3- Saturday the 8 we continued to sail up the west Florida coast and sunrise on the ocean was spectacular. SV Sandy Bottoms under sail all day and into the night nonstop. My wife saw a huge bright-orange object in the water and thought it was a human body until we came along side and realized it was one of the biggest sea turtles we have ever seen. Thank goodness, I didnt want to have to fish a body out of the ovean!
Day 4- Sunday the 9th sailing and a lunch time visit from Dolphins! 3 large dolphins played in our bow waters for a few minutes. I realized that Dad is always on shift at the helm when cool stuff happens. He was at the helm day 2 when we saw the stingray jumping too. He must be our lucky charm! Latter that day the winds died, shifted, died, shifted and I didn’t secure the boom correctly resulting in breaking one of the many connections to the mainsail. Bummer, no more mainsail until I get a part. We ran on one motor to save gas with the jib sail up into the night.

By 1130pm I was at the helm alone and decided to head toward shore to get cell service and download a current forecast. That is when things got “sporty”.
The closer we got to land the higher the winds got and the rougher the seas. Oh yeah, and it was pitch Black out, not a star in sight.We saw 30 knots and constant 4-6 ft choppy water. The boat lurched and slammed but handled it fine. Honestly this boat can handle more than the crew can haha. I decided that obviously the forcast had change from 4 days ago and that there was no way I was taking my crew back out into this weather. We came into Tampa Bay and tucked into the Manatee River finally dropping anchor at sunrise. The crew was pretty tired but happy to call loved ones who had been worried for a few days about us.



Monday and Tuesday were spent on anchor on the Manatee river and indead the forcast has changed. There is no way we can cross the Gulf Of Mexico this week because of the weather. I found a Boat Yard in Tarpon Springs that can do some work we need done on the boat so tomorrow we will move the boat there and rent a car to get back to Texas. We did go to a fuel dock today so I had to dock our life savings for the first time.... more stress but all the crew was in position to put huge fenders between us and the dock when needed. Everything went off without a hitch and we are fueled and ready for the 8 hour motor to Tarpon Springs tomorrow. We will probably come back to SV Sandy Bottoms after the new year to get her to Texas where we can fix her up as we want to on weekends until we move on to her full time around March.
 

number51

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Congratulation, beautiful ship.
 

SERE Bear

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BTW there is huge difference between 4-6 ft seas and 4-6 chop. 4-6 chop is constant and confused, it sucks. 4-6 seas is nothing at all and has a period of time between wave of 4-8 seconds. i have been in 7-12 seas on a 44ft catamaran and was comfortable. That 4-6 ft chop was the most uncomfortable I have ever been on a boat. Like being in a washing machine..
 

Chief Walking Stick

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Wow man, big congrats. Being able to drop your metaphorical career anchor and just go have fun for two years is a huge luxury.

Hope you're able to get everywhere you want to visit and have a blast doing it.
 

KittiesKorner

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hope you all get a lot of nauts out of it, Sere Bear! You're one of the good'uns!
 

Burque

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Do your plans include traveling across the ocean?

I am ignorant so forgive me, but is it good to go around the world? Or is it a cruise the coast of the Americas sized boat?
 

SERE Bear

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Do your plans include traveling across the ocean?

I am ignorant so forgive me, but is it good to go around the world? Or is it a cruise the coast of the Americas sized boat?

The boat is capable of going around the world & many people have taken a Lagoon 440 across the Atlantic & Pacific however our plans are to sail the Carribbean and US.
 

nvanprooyen

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You did it :) Awesome. Congrats man. Also, the thought of docking a 44 foot cat is terrifying. Biggest thing I've ever docked was a Catalina 27, and I didn't have a giant financial investment in it:)
 
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nvanprooyen

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So where to in March? BVI?
 

SERE Bear

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Probably back to the Florida Keys and then up the East Coast
 

SERE Bear

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We are through and out of Tampa Bay now. Had to cross the major shipping channel under the watchful eye of the United States Coast Guard that was sitting there
 
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SERE Bear

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If Any of you are at Madeira Beach in Florida come outside and wave as we go by now
 

nvanprooyen

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Go to Orlando and pick up NVAN.
I would totally crew. I'm not super experienced, but I know enough to be helpful. ASA 101 was about as far as I got. Want to pick it up again though when time allows. Fair winds and following seas SERE.
 

Hawkeye OG

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Very cool. Good luck on your future travels!
 

SERE Bear

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More dolphins came to play in our bows this morning. My wife and her sister go crazy every time the dolphins show up lol
 

SERE Bear

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I would totally crew. I'm not super experienced, but I know enough to be helpful. ASA 101 was about as far as I got. Want to pick it up again though when time allows. Fair winds and following seas SERE.
You probably have more experience than me. This is my first sailboat. We took sailing lessons on a leopard 44 in 2016 And have managed to get on a boat here or there cents. We spent four days with a captain in Key Largo practicing docking and close maneuvering around million dollar boats and taking it out to sail before we took off on our own.
 

Ares

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I just bought a helicopter and I am recruiting CCS brethren to train with me to become an elite strike team.

We will launch from SERE's boat and rid the world of evil, then meet SERE for beers after.
 

Hawkeye OG

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I just bought a helicopter and I am recruiting CCS brethren to train with me to become an elite strike team.

We will launch from SERE's boat and rid the world of evil, then meet SERE for beers after.

How do you apply? I have shot two guns in my life and used to jump off my parent's roof as a kid.
 

KittiesKorner

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I just bought a helicopter and I am recruiting CCS brethren to train with me to become an elite strike team.

We will launch from SERE's boat and rid the world of evil, then meet SERE for beers after.

can I bring my gator?

d250aead-5de4-467e-a05a-f6e1bf0a8385.jpg
 

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