2007 SOAPA Fly-In at Lucaya.
 

Fellow SOAPA Members,

The SOAPA E-Board has entertained nominations and voted on the location and time for the 2007 SOAPA Fly-In, and I'm happy to report the following schedule:

5/14/07 Monday afternoon/evening: See Daytona Beach Like a Native. Sunset Happy Hour and dinner on an Intracoastal Waterway riverside restaurant facing west over the water, with live Island Music. "Flying to the Bahamas" briefing.

5/15/07 Tuesday: Fly to Great Harbour Cay (aka "Ernie's Island"). Afternoon trip to the fabled "High Dive Blue Hole". Dinner at the Yacht Club (or some similarly swanky place - or maybe some local dive with great Margaritas - we'll see!).

5/16/07 Wednesday: Fly to Lucaya, Freeport International. First plenary session in the afternoon. Ealry evening: Poolside Skymaster Happy Hour - first drink's on SOAPA!

5/17/07 Thursday: Plenary sessions. Evening: The famous SOAPA Fly-In Sunset cruise.

5/18/07 Friday: Morning plenary session, afternoon at the airport, departure for those on a tight schedule. Evening free. Attendees who wish can remain the weekend or fly to other islands like Abaco (home of Treasure Cay - 40 minute flight), or even the out islands.

Port Lucaya, next to the city of Freeport on the island of Grand Bahama, offers lots of activities for both attendees and significant others. Plentiful restaurants, taverns and shops fill Lucaya Marketplace, with a straw market adjacent. Nightly limbo contests with live Caribbean music are a sight to see - how low can they go??

A visit to Paradise Cove at Deadman's Cay is a relaxing afternoon trip; there are casinos, international shopping, and island tours galore to occupy those motivated to leave the pool or beach. Like Key West, Port Lucaya promises to be a vacation destination attractive to the whole family, worthy of vistiting even if the SOAPA Fly-In weren't there.

And of course the beaches, snorkling and scuba are superb, as in any Bahamas destination, but in addition Port Lucaya boasts the renown UNEXSO snorkling/diving adventures purveyor, featuring dolphin encounters, classes, even shark dives for the adventurous!

More details on the home page will follow this "Heads-Up". Remember to keep the week of May 14-18 open for the SOAPA 2007 Fly-In - it promises to be better than ever!

Paul S. Rooy
President, SOAPA

For more information on the meeting and Fly-in go to www.337skymaster.com/2007flyin.htm

Registration for the 2007 Meeting & Fly-in is now open! The Fly-in web page has been updated with information on how to register, hotels and planned topics for the meeting. It's at www.337skymaster.com/2007flyin.htm

Ernie

The Fly-in web page has been updated again, this time with information on activities for "significant others", prepared largely by Mary Lightfine. It's at www.337skymaster.com/2007flyin.htm

Ernie

For any of you flying to the Bahamas, be advised that St. Augustine has great fuel prices at the self serve pump. I've been based there for a few months, and it is very convenient, located at the base of the control tower. Currently $2.89 @ gallon.

When you pull up to the pump, get your wing as close as possible as the hose isn't really long, so you want to be able to reach your furthest outboard.

From there it is just minutes to Daytona.

Here's a little preview of comming attractions, everybody! Mary and I flew down to Salt Cay, Turks and Caicos, recently, and actually saw some whales (see bottom picture - it's there entirely gratuitously, nothing to do with the Fly-In).

A propos to the Fly-In, the following picture is New Smyrna Beach airport, our overnight stop for the Daytona Beach pre-event, with Ponce Inlet and the lighthouse in the foreground.

The following picture is ERNIE'S ISLAND, site of the other pre-event - the hotel is right on that crescent beach!

Whoops, looks like we'll have to do the pix one-by-one. Here's New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet, just south of Daytona Beach, FL:

Paul & Mary

And finally, ERNIE'S ISLAND! We're looking forward to seeing ya'll in May!

Fly-In Page Updated!

To print the updated Fly-In page, click on File, then Page Setup, then reduce right and left margins to 0. This should eliminate any right margin bleed-off.

Paul

Reminder: This from Pelican Bay Hotel, Lucaya:

Please be reminded that the cutoff date for the group room block is April 20, 2007.



Should you need any assistance I will be happy to help you.



Colleen Munroe

Reservation Sales Consultant

Pelican Bay Hotel

Thanks Paul
The Michigan Flyers will see you there.

Subtropical Storm Andrea.
 

2007 SOAPA FLY-IN Amigos (& Amigas),

You may have noticed our very first tropical storm of the season ANDREA is milling around off the coast of Jacksonville FL. This storm has 40 MPH winds, which are not expected to strengthen. Originally ANDREA was forecast to make landfall Saturday or Sunday at Daytona Beach and then peter out as it headed west. The latest forecast track apparently anticipates the storm to meander around off-shore.

With any luck ANDREA will go elsewhere or die a natural death before it impacts our Fly-In. In the meantime let's continue to monitor the situation - the http://www.nhc.noaa.gov site has 3 and 5 day forecast tracks, for those interested.

Think sunny thoughts, everybody!

Paul & Mary

Does anyone know the price of fuel at MYGF??

In the thread "Flying to the Bahamas for the Fly-in" I gave the price as of 3/31 at $5.35 and the phone number so you can call the airport for an update. I just called and it's now $5.75. If you go to AirNav.com you should find 100LL in Florida in the $3.50 range, and with a fill-up you should have no problem making the round-trip flight from there to Freeport to Ft. Pierce (or whatever other Florida airport you use to re-enter the U.S.).

Ernie

Some of us are back from the meeting, and it was a huge success. I think everyone had a good time and the whole set-up -- from hotels to meeting room to sunset cruise -- was great. I've changed the Home page of this website, with a brief note about the meeting, but I'm sure others will jump in here and add further details. Please note also, that in the Message thread entitled "Those Michigan Flyers..at it again" Larry Bowdish has posted the first pictures coming out of the meeting.

Ernie