Cruiser camping: vacationing on board

Byline: Dan Armitage

‘We’re gonna need a bigger boat,” was the first thing my better half said, echoing the classic Jaws line, when I informed her we would be living aboard a 25-foot cabin cruiser for a week. It was a plum assignment, I explained: We were to explore an alternative to cruising or boat camping in the traditional sense; instead, we would live dockside and use our floating home base for daytripping around the Florida Keys.

Maria was skeptical, and expressed concern that our family would be squeezed together like so many sardines. Even after scrutinizing the interior photos of the new Regal 2565 Window Express we would be using, she had doubts. “It looks nice,” she said, “but you know how they can make everything look bigger in pictures. And don’t forget that we’ll have a very active first-grader in tow,” she added, nodding to our son, Ethan, who was busy throwing dirt clods at the dog while swinging from a tire hanging from a tree.

When I pointed out that our water-going camper would be docked at a state park surrounded by white-sand beaches, offering everything from ice cream cones at the concessions building to interpretive programs by rangers, and that we would have use of the adjacent campground’s bathrooms, showers and other facilities, she started to relent.

When I mentioned that the cruiser was air conditioned and equipped with a flat-screen TV and a wet bar, I could feel her warming to the idea of a week on the water. By the time I said that the boat had a huge swim platform with a hot and cold shower at one end and was equipped with a power anchor windlass at the other, I knew the argument was mine.

“OK,” she said. “Game on!”

WIDE-OPEN SPACE

A little more than a month later, we were tying the Regal tight to the wall in the transient boat basin at Bahia Honda State Park in the Lower Florida Keys. One of only four boats in the acre-sized basin built to accommodate up to 20 craft, we were pleasantly surprised by the paucity of neighbors. The park’s campground is so popular that it doesn’t take reservations more than 60 days out and is frequently fully occupied, especially during winter and spring. That’s not the case for those who choose to camp aboard their boats, according to the Bahia Honda harbormaster, who says there are almost always spaces available for transient boaters. Like conventional shore-based campers, visiting “liveaboards” may reside for up to two weeks at a time at the state park.

Concerned about privacy, we chose to dock at the far end of the basin to avoid walk-by traffic–but we needn’t have bothered. The walkway is off the beaten path and the narrow spit of palm- and mangrove-studded sand and limestone that separates the basin from the Bahia Honda Channel is not often visited by campers and park visitors. For all practical purposes, it served instead as a private waterfront for those of us docked along the far wall.

The spot we selected for the cruiser was the farthest from the parking area designated for boat campers’ vehicles, but other than the day we arrived and launched and the day we hauled out, we had little reason to make the 200-yard walk to the truck. And when we did, we quickly learned to take the cast net and bucket along for the jaunt, just in case the basin’s resident mullet–which make excellent bait–made an appearance within netting distance of the wall.

SKINNY WATER

Fishing, of course, is a major reason to plan a cruiser camping getaway, and one of the chief draws of boating in the Florida Keys. The area of Bahia Honda in particular is a short distance to the more protected, albeit shallower, waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Referred to as the “backcountry” due to its remote feel, the waters due north of the island chain offer a siren call to those in the know.

Whereas Bahia Honda (which means “deep bay,” a name given to it by early Spanish explorers in reference to the adjacent anchorage) offers a broad channel that connects it with the Atlantic and gulf, the waterway also offers access to lesser channels that wind through the islands of the backcountry.

Skippers must know their watercraft’s draft and watch the tide, charts and depthfinder when exploring these shallow waters–especially aboard a cruiser–but the payoff for prudent boaters is world-class fishing, diving and wildlife viewing. An additional bonus is that you can enjoy these activities even on windy days by taking advantage of protected waters in the lee of backcountry islands.

Knowing we had a rising tide beneath the Regal’s 34-inch draft, we would motor into the gulf, get upwind of a large flat covered by at least 3 feet of water, and cut the engine. Donning ball-caps and polarized sunglasses we would gather on the foredeck, hunched over the bow railing with our legs dangling over the side. From that elevated vantage we would simply watch the show unfold below us, as the boat passed silently over fields of turtle grass, gardens of sponges and patches of colorful coral heads. Drifting quietly with the breeze, we were amazed at how close we could come to an amazing variety of fish and turtles. Bolder species such as sharks and rays often passed right under the hull without spooking.

I kept a fishing rod rigged with a surface plug cradled in one of two portable Roberts-style rod holders I had bolted to the bow rail for when we drifted within casting distance of a barracuda, jack or tarpon.

OUT IN THE DEEP

Of course, the shallows are only one half of the Keys boating experience–there are also the offshore waters of the Atlantic. Eager to explore these, too, we made day trips offshore, dragging ballyhoo and lures in the deep blue waters of the Gulf Stream 10 to 20 miles north of Bahia Honda. While trolling, we kept cut bait handy to toss into the water when we hooked a mahi-mahi to keep the rest of the school around and feeding literally underfoot beneath the Regal’s extended swim platform.

When the wind picked up, as it did most afternoons, we were happy to have a big, seaworthy hull to whisk us back to our cozy dockside berth.Seas in the exposed Florida Straits (due south of Bahia Honda) build fast with the wind, and things can get even rougher when crossing the shallower waters of Hawk Channel that runs between the reef and the Keys. When marine weather forecasts call for waves running higher than 2 to 4 feet, the channel is not pleasant to run–especially with the family aboard. On “weather” days, we planned side trips for either land-based activities in and around the park, or in protected backcountry waters.

ALL THE COMFORTS

Clearly, the ability to enjoy a variety of water-based activities–everything from diving and swimming to tubing and just kicking back in subtropical sunshine, and often all on the same day–is a highlight of any cruiser camping vacation. As we learned during our week afloat, a 25-footer is plenty big enough for a family like ours, especially when you have the option of going ashore whenever you want. Our trip also proved that by trailering and camping aboard, vacationing families can partake in all that fun without leaving the comforts of their “home away from home.”

For example, an exhausted Ethan often dozed away the hottest hours of the afternoon in dark, cool comfort below as Mom and Dad continued fishing, cruising or canoodling topside. That’s not an option when camping in a tent, and one more reason to consider a camp-and-cruise vacation when planning your next family getaway.

Story and Photos by Dan Armitage

Get cooking by logging onto TrailerBoats.com to see how meals were prepared on the Regal.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOME SWEET HOME

Soon after launching our Regal 2565 Window Express it became obvious that the boat we had chosen for our waterborne camping trip was a good one. Featuring solid construction and 18 degrees of transom dead-rise, the OceanTrac hull handled offshore conditions well, and the boat’s 280 hp Volvo Penta 5.7L OSi/Duo-Prop delivered a decent turn of speed, pushing our fully loaded rig to 42.0 mph.

The Regal offers excellent space topside, with a convertible sun lounge and flip-down bench seat in the cockpit, where we spent most of our time when aboard. A full set of camper canvas made that possible even when showers blew through or on evenings when the wind dropped with the sun and mosquitoes went on the prowl. Zipped up, we could dine topside no matter how hard it rained. When the Florida heat conspired to drive us below decks, we enjoyed air-conditioned comfort courtesy of the boat’s shorepower system.

Below, my 6-foot frame had the headroom I needed, and compared to his twin-sized bed at home, my son Ethan’s midberth sleeping area was downright palatial. The convertible V-berth in the saloon was more than adequate for my wife Maria and me, although the presence of the DVD screen there often meant Ethan joined us in the wedge-shaped sleeping space. On several nights we returned the favor, falling asleep after reading him books while tucked into his cozy, queen-sized berth.

Besides the full galley and standup head, among the things we liked best about the Window Express were its large windows, much like a traditional cabin cruiser. The ports illuminate the saloon and really open up the cabin. On several nights we cracked the screened ports and hatch and slept under a cooling breeze spiced with the aroma of night-blooming jasmine. With water slapping gently against the hull, we were soon lulled into peaceful slumber.

Dan Armitage

SPECIFICATIONS

REGAL 2565 WINDOW EXPRESS

Base Price                $72,075
Price as Tested           $87,982
Length (w/ swim platform  27' 6"
Beam                      8' 6"
Weight (w/ std. engine)   5960 lbs.
Fuel Capacity             72 gals.
Maximum Horsepower        300

Regal, Dept. TBM, 2300 Jetport Drive, Orlando, FL 32809; 407/447-9360;
regalboats.com