Registration Update: Spots are going fast!

 

Registration just officially opened and we are already at 1/3rd of capacity!  Don't sleep and miss out on this very special reboot of our old Florida retreat!

After the retreat...the adventure continues!

Following the Retreat, Saturday, March 4 thru 9, 2023, we will be sailing out of Tampa, FL aboard the Brilliance of the Seas, (Royal Caribbean Cruise Line); 5 nights traveling to Cozumel, Mexico, and then Georgetown, Grand Cayman Islands, with 2 at sea days. You can book a cabin by calling RCCL (Royal Caribbean) 800-465-3595, hit Option 4 for groups of 8 or more, and tell them you'd like to book with GROUP # 5269810, Castaway Music Cruise. You can also call Sharrie @ 440-478-1302 to have any questions answered or for help with booking. Prices subject to change daily - book now for these rates with totally refundable deposit: Interior cabin starts at $962.70 (includes all taxes & fees) - $481.35 per person Ocean View cabin starts @ $992.70 (incl taxes & fees) - $ 496.35 per person Ocean View Balcony @ $1500.70 - (incl taxes & fees) $ 750.35 per person $200.00 totally refundable deposit per CABIN will hold your reservation until final payment date of Dec 4, 2022. (Suites and other cabins are available; ask for pricing) As part of our group, we’ll eat together at 5:30 each evening in the main dining room, but you are welcome to dine anywhere onboard ship as well. There are some other dining options available as well as the buffet each night, if you want a different dining experience. Workshops will be offered for Mountain Dulcimer, Pennywhistle, Ukulele, and Jumbie Jam Steel Drum, with jamming each day as well as other musical and non-musical group events! Tentative workshop schedule is posted below, and descriptions and registration for WORKSHOPS will be available by September 10th, 2022. For booking, go to www.castawaymusiccruise.com Pricing for workshops, daily jams, learning workshops, and all music and social events will be $299.00 per person. Spouses are welcome to hang with us for all events at no charge.

2023 Castaway Cruise Tentative Workshop Schedule 3/5/23 At Sea Workshops: Guy - Pennywhistle Masterclass - Part I Bing - Mountain Dulcimer Masterclass - Part I Sharrie - Ukulele Strumming Masterclass Uke & Steel Drum Combo Class Evening all instrument workshop and Jam 3/6/23 Cozumel - Workshops: All Instrument Morning Workshop - Bing - Mountain Dulcimer Masterclass Part II Guy - Pennywhistle Masterclass Part II Sharrie - Ukulele All Level Orchestra Class 3/7/23 Georgetown - Workshops:Guy - Pennywhistle Masterclass - Part III Bing - Mountain Dulcimer Masterclass - Part III Sharrie - Ukulele Fingerpicking Masterclass Evening all instrument workshop and Jam 3/8/23 At Sea Workshops:Guy - Pennywhistle Masterclass - Part IV Bing - Mountain Dulcimer Masterclass - Part IV Sharrie - Ukulele Level Up Repertoire Class

We hope you will join us for any and all of the up-coming events! Please contact any of us with questions! Enjoy the fall weather and stay healthy, happy, and enjoying music and life! Cheers, Guy, Bing, Jae, and Sharrie

Early Registration NOW OPEN!

Howdy, friends! 

The 9th Annual Florida Gulf Coast Dulcimer Retreat will take place at The Hampton House in Homosassa Springs, just a few hundred feet up the river from our former location.  This expansive five-bedroom waterfront estate sits upon 2 acres of land that's exclusively reserved for our group!  Folkcraft Instruments is once again sponsoring the retreat and Richard Ash will have plenty of room for his customary display as will Guy & Sharrie George and Bing Futch.  

Many folks have already registered (carrying over their 2022 registrations) and we are very much enforcing an attendance cap of 50 people in order to make the best use of the space. So if you are thinking about going, we're anticipating a sell-out situation, so don't miss out!  

You can register by visiting the retreat site today at www.GulfCoastDulcimer.com and choosing your payment option on the right side of the screen. Lodging will once again be available at the Florida Cracker Riverside Resort as well as numerous other hotels and campgrounds nearby.  The retreat site has info on area accommodations, shopping, dining, and attractions to check out while you're in Old Homosassa.

Workshop descriptions and schedules are already posted and we'll decide which parts of the estate are "area 1" and "area 2", respectively.  We have lots of options.  

Let us know if you have any questions - we're so excited to be back with a brand new space!

Sincerely,

Jae, Bing, Sharrie, Guy, Richard, and Aly

Details and Options For 2022

Here are some details for refunds on registrations and reservations:

If you decide to opt-in and roll-over your 2022 retreat registration to 2023, please contact either Bing (bingfutch@yahoo.com) or Jae (bluezfan@yahoo.com) so we can record that info into our spreadsheet.

The Florida Cracker Riverside Resort will NOT be charging for room cancelations.  If you're planning on coming to Homosassa regardless, and want to stay in your room, your original rate applies.

If you're planning on staying, and want to still make a little music, Sharrie's info below will help you decide if you'll want to join us for the cruise:

We’re all disappointed not to see you all for the Retreat in Homosassa, but if you are interested, the Castaway Music Cruise is still an option if you have the dates available.

You can book a cabin for the prices below and pay $200.00 now and the balance by the 28th of January. Royal Caribbean is offering a “Cruising with Confidence” guarantee that says you can cancel up to 48 hrs before sailing and get your full amount paid as a “future cruise credit” that can be used within 1 year of our sail date. (They will refund if you have documentation from a doctor stating that it is not safe for you to sail, but they would review your cancellation first)

Cruising out of Tampa, FL aboard the Brilliance of the Seas for 5 nights, sailing to Nassau, Bahamas, and CocoCay, RCCL's Private Island.  Leaving Monday, Feb 28th, Returning Saturday, March 5th, 2022.

Prices as of Today:

Interior Cabin for 2 People starts at $729.52 total includes taxes and port fees - everything but gratuities which is $14.00/day/person)

Ocean View Cabin for 2 People starts at $791.52 total includes taxes and port fees - everything but gratuities which is $14.00/day/person)

Balcony Cabin for 2 People starts at $1283.26 total includes taxes and port fees - everything but gratuities which is $14.00/day/person)

These fares include all your meals, so if you compare that to what you would have been paying for the Retreat, the cost may be similar. Also, we are not charging for any workshops or jamming on the cruise. We are doing limited workshops by request and private lessons as available. But we will be doing daily activities and get-togethers with everyone, starting with Tai Chi at 6:30 am with Guy on Los Lobos Deck!

Royal Caribbean has taken many steps to make the cruises “safe and protected” for us all amid the new “Keep Safe from Covid” era.

1. All ships are sailing at a reduced capacity to ensure that social distancing can be maintained when inside the ship. (You may have heard the stories of ships that have returned home with folks testing positive, but there are plenty of ships sailing that the media don’t talk about because everyone is safe and testing negative.)

2. Only vaccinated individuals with proof of vaccination will be allowed to board the ship, and a negative test is required within 48 hrs of boarding. 

3. The crew are all required to have the same vaccination and tested each time they sail.

4. They are constantly sanitizing surfaces all over the ship as well as your cabin each day, something we saw happening the last time we all sailed in 2020 (we were on one of the last ships to cruise before the pandemic)

5. Masks are required for everyone when you are moving about the ship or in any area where social distancing is not possible unless you are seated or eating or drinking. 

6. We have 2 large conference rooms where we can jam, teach, and gather until 9 pm at night without any worry about distancing. (Very large rooms)

As hosts of the Castaway Music Cruise, Bing, Jae, Guy & Sharrie have all made the decision to sail unless Royal Caribbean feels it is not safe and cancels the cruise. We have 24 people in the “Castaway Crew” who are all going, and we would love to have you join us if you can!

Call Sharrie @ 440-478-1302 for more information and booking.  We’d love to be with you all and we’ll do the Retreat as soon as we can again!

ANNOUNCEMENT: Retreat Cancelation

We have been closely monitoring the situation with the COVID-19 variant Omicron, and after much consideration, we have made the decision to cancel the 2022 Florida Gulf Coast Dulcimer Retreat. All registered guests will either receive a full refund of registration fees or can opt-in to have their fees carried over to our 2023 event. 

This is not a decision we have taken lightly.  Our primary concern is always the responsibility we feel towards our registered guests, with public safety as our number one commitment. 

We are very disappointed that we’re unable to go forward with the retreat, but we know it’s the right decision based on the information we have today.  

We will be posting details regarding refunds and room reservation cancellations on our Facebook page as well as the main retreat site at www.GulfCoastDulcimer.com

Take care of yourselves, and we look forward to hosting you in 2023.

Sharrie, Guy, Jae and Bing

2023 Schedule

Hello, all!

Here is the schedule for our 9th Annual Florida Gulf Coast Dulcimer Retreat.  Unlike past years, we will have at least two primary locations for workshops.  Currently, we'll simply call these "Area 1" and "Area 2."  Be sure to check the workshop descriptions for skill levels and details!

Thursday

8:30 am - 9:30 am - Ukulele Basics! - BEGINNER - Sharrie (UKE) Area 2

9:45 am - 10:45 am - Beginning Pennywhistle or REVIEW!! - Guy (PW) Area 2

11 am - 12 pm - Right-Hand Strumming - Richard (MD) Area 2

12:15 pm - 1:15 pm - Manatee Orchestra - Mountain Dulcimers - Bing (MD) Area 2

1:45 pm - 2:45 pm - Manatee Orchestra for Hammered Dulcimer, Pennywhistle, & Steel Drum - Guy (HD, PW, SD) Area 1

3 pm - 4 pm - Melody, Harmony, Fills & Thrills on the Ukulele - Manatee Orchestra - Sharrie (UKE) Area 2

4:15 pm - 5:15 pm - Tuning Your Dulcimer By Ear - Richard (MD) Area 2

4:15 pm - 5:15 pm - Learn & Play the Jumbie Jam Steel Drum! - Guy (SD) Area 1

Friday

8:30 am - 9:30 am -  Murder Ballads Greatest Hits - Richard (MD) Area 2

9:45 am - 10:45 am - Part 1 - Hammered Dulcimer, Pennywhistle, & Steel Drum play Calypso Music! - Guy (HD, PW, SD) Area 1

11 am - 12 pm - Mountain Dulcimer - Key Changes Made Easy! - Bing (MD) Area 2

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm - Strum Some Fun on the Uke! - Sharrie (UKE) Area 2

1:45 pm - 2:45 pm - Shenandoah Variations - Richard (MD) Area 2

3 pm - 4 pm - Mountain Dulcimer - Fingerpickin' Good - Bing (MD) Area 2

4:15 pm - 5:15 pm - Part 2 - Calypso & Pirate tunes on HD, Pennywhistle, & Steel Drum! - Guy (HD, PW, SD) Area 1

Saturday

8:30 am - 9:30 am - Jazz Up Your Chords on Ukulele - Sharrie (UKE) Area 2

9:45 am - 10:45 am - Learning To Play Native American Flute - Bing (NAF) Area 2

11 am - 12 pm - Hawaiian Strumming - Fast! - Sharrie (UKE) Area 2

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm - Manatee Orchestra - Mountain Dulcimers - Bing (MD) Area 1

1:45 pm - 4 pm - Manatee Orchestra Rehearsal Area 1

The Manatee Orchestra will open up the Saturday evening concert at 7 pm

Sunday

9:45 am - 10:45 am - Sunday Morning Coming Down - Bing (ALL) Area 2

9th Annual Florida Gulf Coast Dulcimer Retreat - 60 Second Promo