The following article was written by Pamela A. Keene and appeared in Lakeside News, Apr 5, 2024
By their own admission, Ted and Dora McGee rushed into marriage, meeting in college in Riverside, California, the Sunday before Halloween and getting engaged on their first date less than a week later. Four months later they married, and although some people said it would never last, here they are 54 years later continuing to live life their way.
Coastal cruising was one of the things Dora and I had in mind when we purchased our Catalina 22, so when Fleet 77 announced a Region 3 cruise we got very excited. I asked Bob Endicott, Cruise Captain, for a recommended list of supplies. We learned Bob and Trish live and sail big on their C22. They provided us with a "cruisers guide" complete with photographic illustrations, menus, GPS waypoints and many other useful tips. We followed their advice and at the end of the cruise we were glad we did.
Two year’s ago Paul Gallant (Hooligan) put together a trip down the Apalachicola River. The trip, known as Hooligan’s Chattahoochee Coup, started with 8 Catalina 22s on Georgia’s Lake Seminole and wound its way 106 miles down the Apalachicola River to Apalachicola, Florida. From Apalachicola the boats sailed west to Panama City and on to Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. You may have read about that trip in MainBrace or Mainsheet.
A.K.A. Hooligan's Chattahoochee Coup
Fleet 77 is well known for their annual Northern Gulf Coast Cruise, which has attracted C22 sailors from all over the country and Canada. The cruise is approximately one week long and follows the Intracoastal Waterway from Ft. Walton Beach, Florida to Wolf Bay, Alabama and back. This year Fleet 77 offered a second weeklong cruise. Paul Gallant, owner and skipper of Hooligan, came up with the idea for this cruise and did the research and planning. It soon became known as Hooligan’s Chattahoochee Coup. Understandably, one may not want to spend an extended cruise or brave an ocean passage on a smaller boat such as a Catalina 22, but adventure awaits the skipper of even the smallest yacht. Hooligan’s Chattahoochee Coup was just such an adventure.
Eight Catalina 22s sailed from Apalachicola on Saturday October 9, 2004. The trip was documented in MainBrace in an article titled “Hooligan’s Apalachicola Eight”. If you read the story you may recall a stopover made by two boats, Rhapsody in seA and Hooligan, at Little St. George Island. It was here that while we spent the day exploring the island Rhapsody broke anchor and followed the wind and current towards Government Cut, a pass that leads to open sea. Fortunately we had brought our dinghy, RoxseA, and were able to chase and eventually catch Rhapsody, about ½ mile before she entered Government Cut.
In November of 2002 eight Catalina 22s set off on an adventure known as Hooligan’s Chattahoochee Coup. Launching our boats in Lake Seminole we motored 106 miles down the Apalachicola River to Apalachicola, Florida, and then sailed west to Ft. Walton Beach. It was an awesome adventure, the kind you might hear about and want to do yourself. Fast forward eight years to October, 2010, and a new adventure called Hooligan’s Chattahoochee Coup Too was about to unfold.
Dora and I typically participate in two week-long Catalina 22 cruises a year; the Northern Gulf Coast Cruise hosted by Fleet 77 and a cruise in October that is usually hosted by a member of Fleet 77 or another participant of the Northern Gulf Coast Cruise. Past October cruises have taken us down the Apalachicola River and all along the Florida panhandle from Apalachicola to Ft. Walton, FL. We have also taken our boat and sailed around Charleston, SC with Robert and Bonnie Donehoo.
Prologue
The following conversation takes place on VHF radio, channel 71.
Ted: “Tango, Tango, Tango . . . Rhapsody in seA.”
No response.
Ted: “Tango, Tango, Tango . . . Rhapsody in seA.”
Beattie: “Hello Ted and Dora, where are you?”
Ted: “Hi, Beattie, we are just passing by your house now on our way to Specter Island.”
Beattie: “I see you now. Have a safe trip. We will get together at the club when you get back.”
Ted: “Thanks Beattie. Rhapsody in seA standing by on Channel 71.”
Beattie: “Tango standing by on Channel 71.”
Dora has worked for ACE Hardware the past 15 years. She will officially retires on July 1. ACE Hardware gave her a big send off on June 9th at Lake Lanier Islands, complete with a stay in a lake house and a houseboat dinner cruise on the lake. Gifts included roses and an engraved crystal plate to commemorate her time at ACE.
This year Dora and I did a little something different for our 2011 October cruise. We sailed out of New York on the MSC Poesia. My brother Don and his wife Beth arranged the cruise. In addition to Don and Beth our group consisted of Gary and Susan Moll. We had sailed with Gary and Susan along the west coast of Mexico a few years ago. Also cruising with us this time were Gary's two brothers Frank and his wife Diana, John and his wife Kathy and Gary's sister Christa and her husband Jim. They were all awesome and it was great fun to sail with them.
On July 9, 2011, Dora and I took a little different water adventure, white water rafting down the Chattooga River.The Chattooga River is where the movie "Deliverance" was filmed and we rafted many of the same rapids as featured in the movie. We went with two other couples who are friends of ours. David and Franziska Heinze, David and Franziska live in Germany. Scott and Jamie Gross live in the Atlanta area. David, Franziska, Scott, and I all work for Siemens.
The Hawaiian archipelago is made up of 137 islands spread over 1,500 miles. Hawaii was the 50th state to join the United States on August 21, 1959. The state capital and Pearl Harbor are located on the island of O'ahu. We visited O'ahu and the big island of Hawai'i in 2006. In 2020 we made a return trip to the big island of Hawai'i. Dora and I know more about the big island of Hawai'i simply because we spent more time there and researched it more.
MO Cruise, October 16-24, 2020
The MO Cruise, on the St Johns River, originated with two Catalina 22 sailboats, The Mari-Lee, sailed by Vernon Senterfitt, and Outrageous, sailed by John and Anita Kjallberg. Sadly, Vernon passed away. Anita planned the trip for us but at the last minute was unable to go. Dora and I have wanted to make this cruise, but time has always gotten the better of us and we haven’t been able to go. This year, due to COVID-19, we weren’t sure we would be able to make it. In spite of the turmoil of 2020 and the increased storm activity in the southeast somehow things worked out and the cruise was on!
Dora to Receive US Sailing
John H. Gardiner Jr One-Design Service Award
Congratulation to Dora McGee, Secretary/Treasurer of the Catalina 22 National Sailing Association, who is the winner of the 2021 US Sailing John H. Gardiner Jr One-Design Service Award in recognition of distinguished service and leadership in the promotion of one-design sailing and class organization.