GL: NH-to-FL aboard Sno' Dog

[HClews@aol.com]

Hello Loopers & Wannabees,
 
We've just completed the 1475-mile run  from Portsmouth, NH to Jacksonville, 
FL aboard Sno' Dog, our PDQ 34  powercat.  In addition to the  Norfolk-Florida 
ICW, we also transited the NJ ICW from Barnegat to Cape  May.  For anyone 
interested, I've just posted 6 new pages on our website  
(www.geocities.com/snodoglog) documenting the trip.  Click on the photo of Sno' Dog  in her covered 
slip to start your trip.
 
I gotta say, having done this trip  previously in a 5-foot-draft sailboat, a 
shallow draft boat with  protected running gear adds immensely to the 
enjoyment of the trip.  It's also fun to be able to run at 15 knots when conditions 
allow.  We  completed the trip in 24 days.  Total running time was 118  hours; 
total fuel used was 480 gallons.  Works out to an average speed of  10.9 knots 
(12.5 mph), average fuel consumption of 4.07 US gallons/hour and a  mileage of 
3.1 miles per gallon. (Total cost of fuel for this trip was $1196  USD).
 
It's hard to imagine a better boat for this type  of voyage.  We were inside 
when the weather was cold and blustery and  outside (on the fly bridge) when 
it was nice.  The boat is a dream to  maneuver (certainly compared to a  
sailboat); we often backed into slips and docks.  The shoal draft allowed  us to 
zoom by those poor souls poking along anxiously - constantly  searching for the 
exact center of "the Ditch".  
 
I suppose the only major drawback of the PDQ is the  initial cost.  But there 
are used boats available, and I suspect that if  properly maintained, they'd 
bring good resale at the end of the trip -  if that were your intention.  
 
Henry Clews  
(now home in snowy NH) 
www.geocities.com/snodoglog