tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28028277046171172382024-03-05T14:40:03.198-05:00LiveBloggin' the ICWHeading south on the<br>US east coast on a <br>34 foot sailboat...<br>join in on the fun!Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comBlogger363125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-50882622835286188622024-02-21T14:02:00.004-05:002024-02-21T14:12:55.508-05:00Miami Beach Boaters Are Being Screwed...And You are Next!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWcildd2IxJbLUCDwxSrmQScAQItPaZzBQ2coj7O4XijYkyTkEsVCVSVhs1E_kaIbljKamIdtRBfjAj6m7yxXc3_lgY_CMByF0TVdi9nu7hAGdpDvCWg6y1dSNfUtAm9-rDdTwIgCSeWyh9d3bX2C3lIapK0-EernrgwFo7gQnFqExTYqaJVoteQW490/s1920/anchors%20war.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1920" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWcildd2IxJbLUCDwxSrmQScAQItPaZzBQ2coj7O4XijYkyTkEsVCVSVhs1E_kaIbljKamIdtRBfjAj6m7yxXc3_lgY_CMByF0TVdi9nu7hAGdpDvCWg6y1dSNfUtAm9-rDdTwIgCSeWyh9d3bX2C3lIapK0-EernrgwFo7gQnFqExTYqaJVoteQW490/w451-h200/anchors%20war.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>Where to start this post? I have never in my life seen what I'm seeing now in Miami Beach. Essentially, Miami Beach is out to screw anyone anchoring out in their waters. And, to their credit, they are doing it <b><i>very</i></b> efficiently.<br /><br /><div>Miami Beach has been anti-anchoring for as long as I can remember, and that memory takes us back to the early 00s. For some history on what's gone on in Miami Beach, see <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2802827704617117238/7655426469132181731" target="_blank">this blog post</a>. These people have hated boaters anchoring out for many, many years.<br />Recently however, Miami Beach has managed to excel itself in its hatred of anchored out boaters. I know, hard to believe. Here's the scenario. <p></p><p>Currently, there are ~137 boats anchored out within Miami Beach's jurisdiction, and that includes some 100 or so people living aboard. I took a run through the anchorage about a week ago - there are a couple of sketchy boats and a small houseboat the size of a large shed, but by and large, the boats run from decent to very good condition. There's a jet ski rental operation at anchor to avoid Miami Beach regulation - that is a problem. Otherwise, it's a fairly typical anchorage.</p><p>However, Miami Beach residents, including a number of "<i>condo commandos"</i> in the nearby towers, have complained about boats at anchor. The city council is listening to them and has decided to act. Here is how it's going down.</p><p>In 2022, MB applied for a mooring field. The usual process of setting up a mooring field typically takes 2 - 3 years from first proposals to opening day. MB's process is at the two year mark and the field won't be open until March 2026. </p><p>Ok, so what's the problem here? The city refuses to complete the mooring field process unless it gets permission for an Anchoring Limitation Area (ALA) from Miami Dade County. It has made this decision part of its process for proceeding with the mooring field. No ALA, no mooring field. From what I've seen, the City expects this to be granted. What it means is that the city can then remove the anchor outs after 45 days after the ALA is granted and properly set up.</p><p>I just spoke with people at Miami Dade County who are involved with permitting any mooring field in the county. There is no chance that an ALA will be in place this year, and from the discussion, it's not very likely to happen in 2025 either. Therefore, based on the City's own resolution, there will be no mooring field.<br />City of Miami Beach officials were unaware of this fact. They advise me that they are continuing to work on the mooring field, as ordered by management, which of course is acting on the orders of the Commissioners. </p><p>But - on top of this, the Florida legislature has a bill in front of it, SB 192 in the Senate, that if passed will disallow overnight anchoring within 200 yards of Miami Beach's shoreline. The problem there is that anything beyond that 200 yards is much too shallow to anchor in. The bill effectively outlaws anchoring in Miami Beach.</p><p>How does that work? If SB 192 is passed, there will be no boats anchored in Miami Beach. No boats, no need for a mooring field, right? </p><p>If SB 192 is passed, it will be illegal to anchor overnight anywhere in Miami Beach after July 1, 2024.. If the bill is not passed, and the ALA is permitted by the County, then 45 days after the ALA is permitted, any boats anchored in Miami Beach will have to leave within 45 days, because the mooring field won't be open.</p><p>Basically, if you're living aboard or have your boat anchored out in Miami Beach, you're screwed. <br />I grant you, this is very clever on the part of the Miami Beach city commissioners. They want the boaters gone, and this, if they get their way, will accomplish it.</p><p>But wait, you say. In 2025, the boaters can return to the mooring field. Or in the meantime, they can move to a marina.</p><p>Well, maybe. Actually, maybe not. The boaters who will have left will have re-established themselves elsewhere, or moved ashore. My bet is that the moorings will go to non-liveaboard boaters, locals who want a cheaper place to store their boat.</p><p>And if the current boaters move to a marina - oh, wait. There are no marina slips available. I phoned every marina in Miami and Miami beach last week. There weren't even ten transient slips available, much less any long term liveaboard slips.</p><p>All this is assuming that the mooring field actually is put in place. If that sounds cynical, there's this in the mooring field information:<br /></p><p class="p1" style="color: #060606; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b></b></p><blockquote><b>The City will permit the entire mooring field area and build the anchors/mooring balls as needed, but the entire area will be under City control even if no anchors are installed. As a result, the marina patrol can enforce any unauthorized mooring.</b></blockquote><p></p><p>Did you get that? If the city gets permits and then decides NOT to put up moorings, they can still police the area and ticket boats that anchor there. That's world class sneaky right there. And why would they choose not to install the mooring balls? Maybe because there's no need, as there are no boats anchored out, because of SB 192? Or am I just being overly cynical? </p><p>Bottom line, there is no place for these boaters to go if they want to remain on the water, other than to move away from their jobs and their loved ones, or give up their boats and move ashore. And there's no place for you, as a transient boater, to anchor out anywhere in Miami Beach.</p><p>I mentioned that Miami Beach has been nasty - but I didn't get into that in detail. Let me do that now. </p><p>City commissioner David Suarez, newly elected last fall and who, because of his behavior and attitude is already despised by many in the city's administration with whom I've spoken, appears to be the tip of this spear. He seems to have the backing of all the commissioners on this issue.</p><p>Shortly before Christmas, the city removed the sole dock available for boaters to go ashore, located at the Publix store on the Collins Canal. Local boaters used this dock to go ashore for food, run errands and to go to work. With details from the Miami Herald...<br /></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></i></p><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">So Suarez and the commissioners removed the dock, tore it out about a week before Christmas, at night. They put up "NO TRESPASS" signs. And then Saurez went on TV and said gleefully that anchored out boaters would have to break the law to come ashore, and this would force them to move away.<br /><span color="rgba(13, 13, 13, 0.9)" style="background-color: #660000; color: white; font-size: 17px;">"They can’t live on a boat forever," Suarez said during discussion of his proposal at the Dec. 13 commission meeting. "They have to come to the land to get food, water and necessary supplies...</span></span></i><span style="background-color: #660000; color: white;"> </span></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="background-color: #660000; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span color="rgba(13, 13, 13, 0.9)" style="font-size: 17px;">..."we're cutting off basically their lifeline and then they’re going to have to be forced to do illegal trips to our sea wall."</span> </span></i></blockquote><span color="rgba(13, 13, 13, 0.9)" face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px;"></span><p></p><p><b>A WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Scrooge has nothing on this prick.<br /></b><br />Here's a <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/miami-beach-votes-to-remove-lifeline-for-people-who-live-on-boats/3189454/" target="_blank">link to the entire story</a>.</p><p>Now for the record - Suarez is not a lily white crusader saving the citizens of Miami Beach from the evil anchor outs. He has been arrested for burglary. In 2022, following his divorce, the courts ordered his guns removed from his home for the protection of his children. From the Miami Herald:<br /><span face="_OpenSans, OpenSans, "Helvetica Neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-size: 15.002px;"></span></p><blockquote><i><span face="_OpenSans, OpenSans, "Helvetica Neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-size: 15.002px;">Suarez was arrested in 2003 for burglary with tools and trespassing without authority as part of what he says was a “high school prank.” Prosecutors chose not to pursue the charges. During a divorce and custody proceeding in Broward County in 2020, a judge </span><a class="link rapid-noclick-resp" data-rapid_p="22" data-v9y="1" data-ylk="slk:ordered Suarez;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article280154134.html" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f69ff; font-family: _OpenSans, OpenSans, "Helvetica Neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.002px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">ordered Suarez</a><span face="_OpenSans, OpenSans, "Helvetica Neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-size: 15.002px;"> to temporarily turn over a dozen guns and his concealed carry permit to police amid concerns they weren’t being stored safely around his young child.</span></i></blockquote><span face="_OpenSans, OpenSans, "Helvetica Neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-size: 15.002px;"></span><p></p><p>And, he's currently being sued by a local developer for defamation. </p><p>More recently, on January 25, he got into an argument with a local boater. The police intervened to keep the peace and the event was captured on police body cam video. In the video, Suarez' dog can be seen running around with no leash, in violation of the city's leash laws. You can see the video, with Suarez arguing with the police and trying to push the officer around, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th_jh98HlwU" target="_blank">right here</a>.</p><p>It seems that Suarez likes to make others follow the law while he ignores it. </p><p>So what can we, as boaters, do to stop this? First of all, SB 192 needs to be stopped. If it isn't, other communities will demand the same sort of laws for their waters. If that happens, boaters will very shortly have no place left to anchor in Florida. Given that there is not nearly enough dockage for locals, much less transient boaters, that will create significant problems for all of us. </p><p>We need all boaters and anyone else concerned about this overreaching legislation to contact the Senate Rules Committee by email and/or telephone and register their displeasure with this bill. If you're a Boat US member, you've already (or should have) received a link to do this. If not, the emails you need to contact the Rules committee are at the bottom of this article. </p><p>A simple message stating that you are a boater and you object to Senate Bill 192 and want it removed from consideration will be adequate. Additional talking points will be on the Cruisers Rights Network FB page, details below.<br /></p><p>Please be sure to do this. The senators need to know that we are watching and that we do not approve of SB 192. If you're a Florida resident, contact your Senator by phone AND email and make him/her aware of your views. Tell them you expect them to vote against SB 192, and don't forget to remind them, there's an election coming up soon. That seems to get their attention! Can't imagine why...</p><p>Secondly - join the Cruisers Rights Network of North America's Facebook page, at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/savefloridasanchorages" target="_blank">Cruisers Rights Network.</a> There will be regular updates on this issue there. </p><p>Thirdly - we may need to fundraise for this effort. If we do, the appeal will go out on the FB page. Please be open to helping us fight to preserve your anchoring rights.</p><p>Lastly, and this is most important - spread the word to other boaters through your boating groups, your personal FB page and other social media. The more boaters who are aware of what is going on, the easier this will be to stop. There truly is power in numbers.<br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;">Constituency <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Talahassee<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Senator email</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(321) 409-2025<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5019<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:mayfield.debbie.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">mayfield.debbie.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(352) 264-4040<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(352) 670-4212<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:perry.keith.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">perry.keith.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(352) 750-3133<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5013<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:baxley.dennis.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">baxley.dennis.web@flsenate.gov</span></a><br />(954) 424-6674<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5035<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:book.lauren.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">book.lauren.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(941) 742-6445<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5020<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:boyd.jim.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">boyd.jim.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(407) 333-1802<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5010<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:brodeur.jason.web@flsenate.gov">brodeur.jason.web@<span class="s1">flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(850) 595-1036<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5001<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:broxson.doug.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">broxson.doug.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(813) 779-7059<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5023<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:burgess.danny.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">burgess.danny.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(863) 413-1529<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5012<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:burton.colleen.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">burton.colleen.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(727) 563-1910<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5018<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:diceglie.nick.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">diceglie.nick.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(305) 442-6841<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5036<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:garcia.ileana.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">garcia.ileana.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(727) 771-2102<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5021<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:hooper.ed.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">hooper.ed.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(386) 446-7610<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5007<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:Hutson.travis.web@flsenate.gov">Hutson.travis.web@flsenate.gov</a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(305) 493-6002<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5034<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:jones.shevrin.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">jones.shevrin.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(954) 321-2705<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5032<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:osgood.rosalind.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">osgood.rosalind.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(305) 470-2552<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5040<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:rodriguez.anamaria.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">rodriguez.anamaria.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(727) 822-6828<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(727) 822-6828<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:rouson.darryl.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">rouson.darryl.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5003<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:simon.corey.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">simon.corey.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(407) 846-5187<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5025<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:torres.victor.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">torres.victor.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">(904) 723-2035<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(850) 487-5004<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:yarborough.clay.web@flsenate.gov"><span class="s1">yarborough.clay.web@flsenate.gov</span></a></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="text-decoration-line: underline;">emails only: You can copy and past this list into your browser to save having to send multiple emails</span><span style="background-color: white;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="mailto:mayfield.debbie.web@flsenate.gov"><span> </span><span> </span>mayfield.debbie.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:perry.keith.web@flsenate.gov">perry.keith.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:baxley.dennis.web@flsenate.gov">baxley.dennis.web@flsenate.gov</a><br /><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:book.lauren.web@flsenate.gov">book.lauren.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:boyd.jim.web@flsenate.gov">boyd.jim.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:brodeur.jason.web@flsenate.gov">brodeur.jason.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:broxson.doug.web@flsenate.gov">broxson.doug.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:burgess.danny.web@flsenate.gov">burgess.danny.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:burton.colleen.web@flsenate.gov">burton.colleen.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:diceglie.nick.web@flsenate.gov">diceglie.nick.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:garcia.ileana.web@flsenate.gov">garcia.ileana.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:hooper.ed.web@flsenate.gov">hooper.ed.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:Hutson.travis.web@flsenate.gov">Hutson.travis.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:jones.shevrin.web@flsenate.gov">jones.shevrin.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:osgood.rosalind.web@flsenate.gov">osgood.rosalind.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:rodriguez.anamaria.web@flsenate.gov">rodriguez.anamaria.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:rouson.darryl.web@flsenate.gov">rouson.darryl.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:simon.corey.web@flsenate.gov">simon.corey.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="mailto:torres.victor.web@flsenate.gov">torres.victor.web@flsenate.gov</a></span></p><p class="p4" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 12.8px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p></div>Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-5139569647151242562023-11-22T01:05:00.006-05:002023-11-22T15:23:40.249-05:00March of the 423 Zombies<div class="separator"><br /></div><p><u> </u><b><u>Zombies</u></b> - you've seen them in the movies, mindlessly marching on, implacable, unthinking, terrifying, intent on their destination with no thought of what's around them.<br />The Undead. Much like many of the new boaters heading south on the ICW in fact - unthinking and intent on getting south with no thought of what's around them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgo_vXlXEVZBQN-eJ3f5JT5hl-Hgx1bQCO6AkyftvIktXDQ4iBUga-Ugye7V8t83woje_lO7B-M6woo6_qlL-ZiAAtdMtFZwXMAMzBgrEKPl0XIQaMpmDMQpNOw6G1y1OOKovBz81ZFXw8EA5ARo4SXETTEGLpF0Mik0bQ_WqaXJ4BTNh57TIkNLH6Bl_k" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgo_vXlXEVZBQN-eJ3f5JT5hl-Hgx1bQCO6AkyftvIktXDQ4iBUga-Ugye7V8t83woje_lO7B-M6woo6_qlL-ZiAAtdMtFZwXMAMzBgrEKPl0XIQaMpmDMQpNOw6G1y1OOKovBz81ZFXw8EA5ARo4SXETTEGLpF0Mik0bQ_WqaXJ4BTNh57TIkNLH6Bl_k=w459-h306" width="459" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">It's said that one of the best reasons for learning to sail is that at the end of the world, you're safe on a sailboat, because zombies cannot swim. I don't know the truth of that, but I do know this - zombies can sail. I've observed them many times on the Intracoastal Waterway, following their predetermined path with no thought, no eyes, for anything but that blue line on the screen they are staring at.</span></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">I saw two of them today in fact, motoring one after the other down the ICW in southern Georgia. There they were, at least 75 yards out of the charted channel, following the path that the 423 Zombies are mandated to follow, no matter where it leads, Aids to Navigation be damned!</div></span><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">I am speaking of course of those boaters who have joined the Cult of Sherer, the AquaMaps people, the 423 Zombies, who believe that their leader, Bob Sherer, can do no wrong.</div></span><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Now in this case, it might also just be that these followers, these sailors, being Canadian, were reaching out desperately for whatever assistance they could find on their trek south to the sun that long ago deserted the Great White North.</div></span><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Let's face it, it's a long way from the Great Lakes to south Florida.</div></span><div class="separator"><br /><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFr57qSmm1Rzx8IhDNFW8fogKSoz1qkwOEW1CbjHQ25WiYAhtuGrDvgxYsk5YVOtbD5e-NsAWzyrpleM8dMFuH8iI4iE7_zmi-jK3N8-qml3lcg44uhBK_zlH0xz1PjJg7VMXap1_Tnb__pUjnoRrwJ4uah4iW-klVrqy1Ycx3DmaHkJEyBXgiD7aIaSI" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="540" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFr57qSmm1Rzx8IhDNFW8fogKSoz1qkwOEW1CbjHQ25WiYAhtuGrDvgxYsk5YVOtbD5e-NsAWzyrpleM8dMFuH8iI4iE7_zmi-jK3N8-qml3lcg44uhBK_zlH0xz1PjJg7VMXap1_Tnb__pUjnoRrwJ4uah4iW-klVrqy1Ycx3DmaHkJEyBXgiD7aIaSI=w186-h233" width="186" /></a></div></div></div>The photo shown here is purported to be their demonic leader, but since I have never met the man, I cannot personally attest to that. However, considering the stranglehold he has on their navigational sensibilities, it would take someone this starkly evil and demonic.<div><div>I'm told that in a past life, their leader was a corporate executive, so I suppose this picture could easily be one from before he became the leader of the 423 Zombies. Living life as a corporate executive has been known to do strange things to people. Ask any wokester!</div><div><br /></div><div>By now, most of you have figured out that I'm trolling the sailors who travel the ICW using what have become known as Bob Tracks, a creation of GPX routes by Waterway Guide cruising editor Robert Sherer. </div><div>Essentially, what Bob has done is take a recording of his route along the ICW and transferred it online, making it available for download to his social media group. Once these folks have downloaded the tracks, they can transfer them to their AquaMaps app on their phone or tablet. They then simply follow the charted route. </div><div>Like zombies, never wavering from it.<br />Now don't get me wrong. For someone entirely new to the ICW, this has some advantages. They don't have to bother learning how to navigate for one thing. I mean, really, who needs to deal with issues of set and drift, plotting, getting a fix, or how to use dividers or understand what all those tiny letters on a chart actually mean? <br />It's SO much easier to just follow the blue line laid out in front of you on your tablet.<br />For those of us with a lot of experience on the ICW - I'm now somewhere around 50 transits - this can be entertaining as you watch a line of boaters follow a path that sometimes takes the long way around, or that avoids an "obstruction", or shoaling, that isn't really an issue.</div><div>The other day, I watched one boater directly in front of me go well outside of the channel at the Carolina Inlet to avoid what he was told was a shoal there. I continued on straight, knowing that the "shoal" was at least 8 feet deep at MLW and there was no need to change course.<br />Here's the chart for this area, with Bob's Tracks in blue. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjV4E7tsMYerjiH1sip9OPZyMfYu6wqmu7Rpz9tLCalD7YKFCBYCotzqyHHkhLe2XvDlm2gEav_IupxN4HFA9EyNNjMgQu1kNKCqag6kfmicQk4jt6Ss7POScPiPN1CFMOEdeV52IxoHDwXNf3Dkp5JE_2RCjXX8lpdX_vXJwl-LN7Z6nI290dkR0RHYQ/s984/carolina%20beach.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="821" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjV4E7tsMYerjiH1sip9OPZyMfYu6wqmu7Rpz9tLCalD7YKFCBYCotzqyHHkhLe2XvDlm2gEav_IupxN4HFA9EyNNjMgQu1kNKCqag6kfmicQk4jt6Ss7POScPiPN1CFMOEdeV52IxoHDwXNf3Dkp5JE_2RCjXX8lpdX_vXJwl-LN7Z6nI290dkR0RHYQ/w185-h222/carolina%20beach.jpg" width="185" /></a></div>As you can see, staying in the middle of the channel will keep you in a minimum of over 8 feet of water at MLW. At high tide, that will be over 12 feet of water, the tidal range here being 4 feet. There is no need to wander outside of the channel, and you would know this if you simply looked at the chart.<br />Is anyone hurt by diverting as this boater did? No, and if you feel better or safer by mindlessly following someone else's track in this way, go for it.<br />But as sure as God made puppies, there will come a day when two boaters going in opposite directions are going to meet at that diversion and someone is going to have to do some actual thinking about how and where to navigate their boat to avoid a collision or going aground. <br />And this isn't a joke. The outline to using the Bob Tracks discusses this exact scenario, advising boaters that they must pass port to port, that the regulations REQUIRE them to do so. The problem is, if you're so clueless about navigation that you have to use someone else's tracks to get where you're going, you're very unlikely to know the rules of the road.<br />So if that's all there is, why am I bitching about this? <br />Well, today I watched two sailboats coming down the ICW approaching the Kings Bay Naval Base in southern Georgia. That's the base where they keep nuclear submarines, in case you didn't know. The naval patrol boats that guard the base are extremely watchful, and if you come anywhere near the base - as in within 500 feet, they come out to greet you with a sailor standing on the bow manning a deck mounted 50 calibre machine gun. They are not kidding around. When a sub is moving out, all traffic on Cumberland Sound is stopped by the USCG. You're ordered to move to the far side of the channel and if you refuse, as one sport fisherman did years ago, you're pulled over and taken off your boat in handcuffs. <br />I was holding my position, waiting for two boaters from my Sail to the Sun ICW Rally to catch up. One had been having fuel problems and was moving very slowly with another of the group covering him. The two zombies were ahead of my two. At one point, the zombies moved out of the channel, leaving two red channel marks to port to avoid a shoal, as noted by the red arrows.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglO8vzHcCBapYGq2EDNjSwxjsbBpSAPyW0lzOkZPzhprvSXdRJitqxZ95iE3TdxGa0jnErkzDYbWhF5JhJCJ99ffXIq3as-cjmkf-H1K0RAJR5qZmaZ7dvEZ3dKE0txrQp3G56NbMFttY9RzqgHOj4yHD_dgir8wjMJiw5yfobP4SZn_7gVWElJYYfBXs" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1668" data-original-width="2224" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglO8vzHcCBapYGq2EDNjSwxjsbBpSAPyW0lzOkZPzhprvSXdRJitqxZ95iE3TdxGa0jnErkzDYbWhF5JhJCJ99ffXIq3as-cjmkf-H1K0RAJR5qZmaZ7dvEZ3dKE0txrQp3G56NbMFttY9RzqgHOj4yHD_dgir8wjMJiw5yfobP4SZn_7gVWElJYYfBXs" width="320" /></a></div>What could go wrong?<br />These boaters didn't know they were moving into a restricted area. But, they would not have been in that restricted area had they not been following Bob's Tracks. And fortunately, the patrol boat was at the far end of his patrol area when this happened.<br />Notice, there IS a shoal there, but by staying to center channel, as noted by the green and red markers, you're going to be in over 12 feet of water at MLW. We were an hour off high tide. I was sitting just outside the channel in 18 - 22 feet of water.<br />So I hailed the zombies as a courtesy to let them know they were out of the channel. One of them called back, Zombie-like, and said, I kid you not: "There's a shoal there and I'm the captain of my own boat." Well, I guess he told me, didn't he?</div><div>My response isn't worth repeating verbatim here, but it did involve telling this boater that a captain would have used his intelligence and stayed in the channel since it presented no hazards.<br />What hazards? You can generally be sure that the marked channel contains no hidden hazards, no sunken boats or debris from a hurricane that hasn't been removed. Outside of the channel, you have no guarantees. I have hit underwater debris when moving outside of a channel, fortunately not doing any damage. I've seen boats damaged in this way. My point is, that garbage is there and presents a hazard. Why push your luck by venturing outside of a marked channel when you don't have to?<br />Part of this attitude about honouring navigational marks comes from learning to sail, and then becoming a charter captain, in Lake Huron's Georgian Bay and North Channel. In those waters, the bottom is not mud, it's granite, as in "rock hard granite". Make a mistake there and you sink your boat, so I tend to honour navigational marks with a religious fervour. <br />The 423 Zombies, and I've seen this in person, follow their leader's tracks exactly. Given that the actual serious problem areas on the ICW number less than a dozen, and then only at low tide, with a very small bit of planning, that's not necessary. You can get by simply by approaching these problem areas at mid to high tide. <br />That's what I do. Rather than risk a grounding, I plan my approach to places like Little Mud River, Jekyll Harbor, Brown's Inlet and others so that I pass through with lots of extra water under my keel. That gives me a margin for error just in case I fail to pay close enough attention and drift off the deepest water.<br />An example will be useful here. The Sail to the Sun ICW Rally went through Little Mud River two days ago. Little Mud shoals to about 4 feet at MLW, making it impassable for most boaters. <br />The day previous to getting there, we ended our day five miles and an hour early, anchoring in Crescent River beside Creighton Island. Got the afternoon off to relax, soak up some sun, do some reading. <br />We started the next day a bit later than usual, so on arriving at Little Mud River 90 minutes after low tide, we had 2.5 feet of extra water underneath us and a rising tide. Our deepest draft vessel was five feet, leaving a good margin of safety. </div><div>This tactic also brought us to Jekyll Creek, another challenging area, later that same day at just after high tide, with 8 feet of extra water to safely get to the marina.<br />Planning is the key to comfortably and safely transiting the ICW, or any body of water. Take all the factors into consideration, and then time your passages to avoid problems, even if it means knocking off early the day previous. Running into the sunset until you can barely see before stopping is for delivery captains who know what they're doing, and fools who think they know. <br />I've been a delivery captain and run late when I had to, but I ain't no fool. And yes, I do take a look at Bob's Tracks, just as I check the online NOAA charts and other information in difficult areas to be sure I've not missed anything. I just don't follow the tracks religiously. They simply aren't that vital for all but the aforementioned problem areas on the ICW, and then, largely for newbies to the ICW.<br />Here's another thing I've noticed, and I'm quite surprised to see it. <br />My B&G chartplotter is in for repairs, so I've been using AquaMaps (without the tracks downloaded) in its place. I usually only use AquaMaps for planning purposes, as I like a properly designed chartplotter at the helm. <br />Why you ask? A tablet or phone will shut itself off if it gets overheated in the sun and won't restart until it has cooled down. </div><div>Imagine that happening while you're in the middle of navigating through a difficult area - suddenly, no charts! I've had my phone shut down while using it at the helm for music, leaving me having to sing to entertain myself. If you've heard me sing, you know that's not a good thing!<br />Anyhow, AquaMaps is quite the nice program, and I'm impressed with its features, including the ability to download hydrographic charts of the bottom so that you can be aware of shoaling and make plans for it. <br />Another feature are the Waterway Guide anchorages that can be downloaded to the charts, allowing you to find a decent anchorage at the end of the day. But - and this is a problem - I've noticed that several of the anchorages shown are in marked channels. If you've been boating for any length of time, you know you aren't supposed to anchor in a marked channel, such as the one in this photo shown by the arrow.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzJqshODqQYWEx9ZMD1cZ-jim4iwKHUaAHJQJN7DSqIgSs5oQ3sPPc1YWY8AJYFnWS745L1jEQZFFo5K3Zy3RvFf5tVBP8igDGwp-l1jMyPs8CypBgukDGgZSdWATSC62QNGPcKaiMrYjxQ56jngczY6L-exb5OaxryIUZlBoaxEvye_cW5t8M3XAlnNM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1668" data-original-width="2224" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhzJqshODqQYWEx9ZMD1cZ-jim4iwKHUaAHJQJN7DSqIgSs5oQ3sPPc1YWY8AJYFnWS745L1jEQZFFo5K3Zy3RvFf5tVBP8igDGwp-l1jMyPs8CypBgukDGgZSdWATSC62QNGPcKaiMrYjxQ56jngczY6L-exb5OaxryIUZlBoaxEvye_cW5t8M3XAlnNM=w433-h253" width="433" /></a></div></div><div>What these "reviewers", whose names I've redacted, seem to be unaware of is that at the end of this river is a fleet of shrimpers out of Darien, GA, who use this river regularly, day and night. And clearly, whoever chose to put this anchorage up isn't paying attention to the details either.<br />This is not a proper anchorage, it's a marked channel in which anchoring is not permitted.<br />And it's not the only one marked like this, so be aware.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do I use Bob's Tracks? As I admitted above, yes, I do. I review them as I do all the available information in order to plan my day's passage, because smart boaters use every little piece of information they can get. I just don't get all Zombie like over them, and neither should you, and I don't refer to them at the helm because my planning doesn't require that.<br />If you don't know or haven't learned how to navigate, contact your local Power Squadron, Coast Guard or sailing schoool and learn how. It's not all that difficult, and it gives you an incredible burst of confidence to know that, should your chartplotter ever fail while underway (it's happened three times to me!), you're fully capable of finding your way to your destination safely without it.<br /><br /></div><div><i>(Full disclosure - I was a cruising editor for over ten years for Waterway Guides. I have never been a zombie and the only dead flesh I eat is a medium rare strip loin!)</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></div></div></div>Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-62743033892032593552023-06-11T15:34:00.006-04:002023-06-11T15:34:45.247-04:00Engine Install Update...Day One.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56ZF4PdtdSSufhhMIdoV8l60uzIjlxt7z5yVbKLdTPgbG9Ae0RsYIgziiglOaID63XjB8uNREvEbIec3J9YxStq0Ikla_ZfCg0V5VSNcqSLdb7NL_G6hMR5rRvwGiHLT6r7LsDZHDvPmkiN_VuTomwsqLrnO5s6zmsP0vkjPPkCwt3i7RWqDpSS46/s1920/dirty%20face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56ZF4PdtdSSufhhMIdoV8l60uzIjlxt7z5yVbKLdTPgbG9Ae0RsYIgziiglOaID63XjB8uNREvEbIec3J9YxStq0Ikla_ZfCg0V5VSNcqSLdb7NL_G6hMR5rRvwGiHLT6r7LsDZHDvPmkiN_VuTomwsqLrnO5s6zmsP0vkjPPkCwt3i7RWqDpSS46/s320/dirty%20face.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>Here's what's happening.... I picked up a low hours 3GMF from a friend in the Keys, complete with transmission. It also comes with a Balmar alternator and smart regulator worth nearly what I paid for the engine. <br />The engine's mounts are in good shape, so that's $500 I won't need to spend.<br />An instrument panel came with the engine, but not the proper wire harness, so I'm looking for that - the same harness is used on these engines: 2GM, 3GM, 3GM30, 3GM30F, 3GMF, 4JH2-DTE, 4JH2-E, 4JH2-HTE, 4JH2-TE, 4JH3DTE, 4JH3-HTE, 4JH3-TE, 4JH-DTE, 4JH-E, 4JH-HTE, 4JH-TE, 4LH-DTE, 4LH-HTE,4LH-STE,4LH-TE. If you have one, please get in touch with me, thanks! <br />This is a fresh water cooled engine - the old 2QM20 was a raw water engine, so hooking it up will be a little different, but not a lot as the inlet is in the same position on both engines. Same with the exhaust.<br />I will change impeller, oil filter and thermostat before putting the engine in the boat, since it's much easier done on a bench. Fresh oil in the engine and transmission. The antifreeze is clean and doesn't need replacement. The oil filter looks new, but for $8.72, what the heck. Live large!<br />Yesterday, I started on removing the old 2QM. The toughest part was getting started as I don't really like greasy, dirty work - note the look on my face <img src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/teb/2/16/1f642.png" /><br />Two of the four engine mount bolts came off with minimal issues. The third is proving to be a problem - I needed a second 15/16th wrench or a 15/16 socket and a swivel. I'll be on the hunt for those shortly. The fourth mounting nut came off today as easily as the others. And naturally, it's that third one that's hardest to get at.<br />What's left after all this is unhooking the throttle and shift cables, water and exhaust hoses, and the electrical connections. All easy stuff and all done except for the alternator and the shaft coupling, which I've loosened but not fully removed yet. (Note to self: take lots of photos so you know what goes where later.)<br />The old mounting system I built 20 years ago will come out to be replaced by a new one. I made a few mistakes with the old one that I now have a chance to correct, simplifying engine alignment.<br />Next, remove the old engine, clean out the engine bay, install new soundproofing, tidy up wiring and remove old wires that aren't needed. <br />I'm looking forward to the install, since it won't be all grease and dirt, the engine space will be clean, the bolts will be fresh and new, not rusted - and coated liberally with anti seize against future work. Being a smaller engine, the new one won't be as difficult to work with for tightening up bolts and attaching cables, etc. All in all, other than cleaning up, the worst is over with. I hope!<br />I'll share photos of Yanni once I get him out of the boat. If anyone is interested, I'll send him to a new home for you to rebuild. He comes with a nearly new alternator and starter, stainless steel exhaust elbow, new oil filter and fresh oil, new alternator belt, new impeller and if you want new mounts, I've got brand new aftermarket mounts as well at a wholesale price. I can also include a spare starter and an 80 amp alternator that I've got in storage. <br />Now, back at it. Enough playing around!<br /><br />Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-80760981999368039682023-06-03T17:08:00.011-04:002023-06-04T13:03:09.240-04:00Announcing the Passing of Yanni the Yanmar...<p><span style="background-color: #332f2f; color: white;">Hi everyone - it's been a couple of years since I blogged here, and sometimes, as any writer will tell you, you need to break away, get a fresh vision, and that's something I've been working on. <br />Now that I've got that, I've been looking for a good place, a suitable "event", to start writing this blog again. This current event ought to get us off and running! </span></p><p><span style="background-color: #332f2f;"><span style="color: #01ffff;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /><b><i>All good things must come to an end</i></b>... <i>now before anyone panics, I'm not buying a trawler! Relax, let me tell you what's going on.<br /><br /></i></span></span></p><span style="background-color: #332f2f; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7qKsNHYqlqWp-wENOqFTp6wc5eL8jvS_k58rYWbTonDzCrsZOSMjYC5olP-HFvbu0GmEX-Rajg4a8QrWiaSuzCvpwCfQp3RA9N0FvVZuRL04lZHc1etBSvQSEOahk0u7m_QJC6mIGMVCsKTL-3rAwncv0acy5jBhA33HVLPnNMweivzrGg7kLPyJ/s1024/yanmar.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="1024" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7qKsNHYqlqWp-wENOqFTp6wc5eL8jvS_k58rYWbTonDzCrsZOSMjYC5olP-HFvbu0GmEX-Rajg4a8QrWiaSuzCvpwCfQp3RA9N0FvVZuRL04lZHc1etBSvQSEOahk0u7m_QJC6mIGMVCsKTL-3rAwncv0acy5jBhA33HVLPnNMweivzrGg7kLPyJ/s320/yanmar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>My unstoppable, tough little Yanmar 2QM20 that has been powering me between four countries and over 40 trips on the ICW, has passed on. Bit the dust, made its last passage, thumped its last thump. History, done for, fini. After well over 50,000 miles, it has sipped its last ounce of diesel.</span><p></p><span style="background-color: #332f2f; color: white; font-family: inherit;">And of course, it failed in the worst possible location, halfway between Beaufort SC and Charleston SC - with NO marina for miles. Heck, there was no human life for miles.<br />Fortunately, there was a cell signal, so I call my insurance company to send out a towboat. Because of the distance to the nearest marina, they asked me to sail further north to meet the towboat .... leaving me to explain the realities of sailing on the ICW on a completely wind-less day.<br />Let me check with management about that, Anna (the gal on the phone with me) says. Ten minutes later, it's organized.<br />The problem now is to find a marina. Every Charleston marina is full up, and even if they weren't, they won't accept a boat arriving under tow.<br />At this point, I actually thought my problem was with the starter. I didn't realize until yesterday that the engine had seized up. So I explained to the dockmaster at Bohicket Marina, about 14 miles away, that I would only be there for one to two days depending on how fast the new starter arrived.<br />"Nope", says he, not a chance. So - although I've actually been to Bohicket Marina before and it's nice, they are off my list of recommended stops because they showed no courtesy to a boater in need.<br />Another marina, one who was more polite about things, suggested checking with Ross Marine (<a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1fey0fg" href="https://www.rossmarine.com/?fbclid=IwAR020cu4Rpo31TGQiJTv5bIO3PHOcRL8d_TKDz2SH4winW3r8825pcVmW4c" rel="nofollow noreferrer" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://www.rossmarine.com/</a>), a boatyard a few miles to the south of Charleston, and that's where we went, to my great good fortune. It's a boatyard, and they've just decided to accept DIY boaters at their facility. More about this later, but if you need to know now, contact them and ask for Tom.<br />So the lovely lady at the other end of the phone at DB Electrical, who I admit I sweet-talked something awful, got my starter to me the next day, despite taking the order at 4:30. Astounding service!<br />I installed the starter, and got the same problem - CLUNK-click - but no "whirrrr" and then the sound of the diesel firing up. Clearly, something else was wrong.... I went below, cleaned up the grounds and connections, hit the button - CLUNK-click again.<br />Went below, had a wild thought, pushed the decompression levers down and tried to spin the engine, which should have been easily done by hand.<br />Nothing. Wouldn't budge. That meant my problem was much worse than I had thought. That clanking noise I heard when the engine shut down was not the starter self destructing at all. I wasn't leaving this place in the immediate future, at least, not in Gypsy Wind.<br />So, to fast forward to now, I've put out feelers for a new engine and have several good possibilities turn up in the last 24 hours.<br />I plan to remove this engine over the next few days while I decide on the new one, clean up the engine bay, tidy up wires and plumbing, install new soundproofing, redo the engine mounts to correct mistakes I made on the original installation and then fit in the new engine.<br />Shouldn't take more than a few hours, maybe a day? Sure, that sounds good.<br />So stay tuned here, I'll keep everyone up to date on this latest adventure.<br />In the meantime, one of the engines I came across, which won't work for me because I want to go to a more modern, lighter and smaller engine, belon</span><span style="background-color: #332f2f;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">gs</span></span> to Kimberly House, in central Florida.<span style="background-color: #332f2f; color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br />It's a Yanmar 2QM20 and it's too big for her boat's engine space. She needs to sell this engine before she can get a different one, so if you can help her out here, please do so.<br />I will say this for the 2QM20 - they are a fabulous engine and as long as you're ok with the size and weight of it compared to a more modern engine, they will go virtually forever. Mine has easily over 15,000 hours on it and has only ever needed to have a fuel line repaired in 16 years.<br />That's because they were originally built as a tractor and industrial engine, so they were built to be bulletproof. Someone will buy my old engine to rebuild it and likely get another 15k hours of adventuring out of it.<br />There's a part of me that says, yes, just put in another one, and that's tempting because it would be so easy to do it that way. But getting more space in the engine room and losing about 100 pounds from the back of the boat is a strong incentive to switch. Besides, as anyone who knows me will tell you, I never do things the easy way! That would be, well... too easy!<br />Stay tuned to this space for updates on the new Yanni Jr. installation. And someone please buy Kim's engine from her! Contact me via email or messenger for details.</span>Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-66563382380041671182021-04-21T13:57:00.000-04:002021-04-21T13:57:04.413-04:00Boating Organizations are Failing Us<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div id="fb-root"></div><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<script async="" crossorigin="anonymous" defer="" nonce="I2IUkNuB" src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v10.0&appId=171095176620319&autoLogAppEvents=1"></script>Earlier this week, I sent a letter to the leaders of the boating organizations and businesses that are supposedly representing us in Florida with regards to the anchoring legislation. </span></span>I have not heard back from them about the concerns I brought up. <p></p><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Those organizations include the Seven Seas Cruising Association, the Marine Trawler Owners Association, the American Great Loop Cruising Association, Boat US and Waterway Guide.<br />Why should this concern you? </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's because I wrote to them about significant issues in the anchoring bills currently in front of Florida’s legislation, including two major issues I have not yet brought up in public until now. (Portions of that letter are excerpted in this blog post.)<br />These boating groups that you support financially are failing to represent your interests by not fighting to stop HB 1515 and S 1946, which are the Anchoring Limitation Area bills. </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the leaders in this group has told me that they don't like these bills, but that they are the best we can get so they are going along with them. That's a winning strategy if I've ever heard one.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These bills as written will keep you from being able to anchor for more than 30 days out of six months in designated areas, areas determined by local governments. And you can '<i>bet your bippy</i>' that those will be areas that are ones boaters have found to be both safe and convenient.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So why are these groups not fighting these bills? It’s because they think, wrongly imo, that these bills won’t affect cruisers. And as I said, it's because they don't believe that they can stop the legislature from enacting them. </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That attitude is exactly how we got FL § 327.4108 and lost the right to anchor in Sunset Lake, Miami Beach, and Middle River, Fort Lauderdale in 2016/17.<br /> <br /><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">Fine, you say!</span></b><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I never anchor more than a couple of weeks in any one place anyhow. <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Great! And what happens when that one month in six gets reduced to two weeks, or one week, or 72 hours? That's what will happen as local jurisdictions start using the new laws. They'll ask for more and more restrictions on boaters until all our rights to anchor are gone, until we return to the mess that we had prior to 2007.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"><b>Can't happen?</b> </span><br />Uh, yes, it can. Why do you think we had Florida § 327.60? It was to prevent the patchwork of different local laws that we had prior to 2007 where places like Melbourne and Fort Lauderdale had 72 hour anchoring limitations. </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were promised by the legislature that local authorities would not be permitted to enact local ordinances - and now we're right back to that.<br />Regardless of anything else, that simply isn't right. But there's worse, much worse, in these bills. Be afraid.<br /></span></span><b style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 18px;"><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">There are serious problems with this legislation</span></b></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">HB1515 has some huge problems associated with it. For starters, the FWC who will be tasked with implementing and enforcing it are concerned. More than one senior staff at the FWC has told me quietly that they do not have the resources - fiscal or personnel - to take on the requirements of HB 1515.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They were unable to complete the survey required of them in HB 1221 (2019) and now the legislature is considering adding even more to their workload?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> How will that work out?</span></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The FWC does not want, and cannot handle, the extra responsibilities mandated by the bill. They will be in favor of any effort put forth by the boating associations put forth to kill it.</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Secondly, and again this is from the FWC, there is no data available, no survey, for any county in Florida on the extent of the “navigable waters” of the state. That being the case, there is no valid or legal way they can permit 10% ALAs because they simply don’t have the data to determine just how big 10% actually is.</span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, some county can say that their proposed area is clearly less than 10% and yes, they could clearly be correct about it, but without the data showing what the facts are, those claims cannot stand. Florida doesn’t even have a legal definition of “navigable waters”, although they are trying to create one in the legislation. But, this lack of data is too big a weakness to be papered over.</span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Anything that any county does to create an ALA will be subject to a legal challenge</u> demanding that the county present proper studies justifying their request, including a legal definition of what constitutes “navigable waters” - a state issue. If the bill does pass, it will be years before any community can get an ALA, provided that there is an entity willing to sue. And I assure you of this, there will be one, the Cruisers Rights Network of North America.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gulfport found that out the hard way last spring. We won’t back down.</span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Local governments will not want to spend the money on dealing with these lawsuits, or with doing the requisite surveys to authorize their ALAs, and the FWC has neither the funds nor resources to deal with doing the surveys.</span></span></p><p class="p4" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These weaknesses are exploitable - provided these organizations wish to exploit them to defeat this bill.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> And so far, they have not.<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">But there is still far worse here: a Constitutional Violation of your rights</span></b></span></p><p class="p6" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">HB1515 states the following:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="p7" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: inherit;">(b)1. For a vessel in an anchoring limitation area under subsection (2), upon an inquiry by a law enforcement officer or agency, a vessel owner or operator must be given an opportunity to provide proof that the vessel has not exceeded the limitations described in subsection (2). </span></span></p><p class="p7" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: inherit;">Such proof may include any of the following: </span></span></p><p class="p7" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: inherit;">a. Documentation showing that the vessel was in another location at least 1 mile away within a period of less than 30 days before the inquiry. </span></span></p><p class="p7" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: inherit;">b. Electronic evidence, including, but not limited to, navigational devices or tracking devices that show the vessel was in another location at least 1 mile away within a period of less than 30 days before the inquiry.</span></span></p><p class="p7" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #fcff01; font-family: inherit;">2. If a vessel owner or operator fails or refuses to provide proof that the vessel has not exceeded the limitations described in subsection (2), the law enforcement officer or agency may issue a citation for a violation of this section.</span></span></p></blockquote><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two lawyers and an out of state legislator have said to me that in their opinions this section violates the federal Constitution’s concept of "presumption of innocence”. For our purposes here, the definition of “presumption of innocence” from an online legal dictionary is useful, and is essentially the same regardless of which source you choose:<br /></span></span></p><blockquote>“Presumption of innocence: A principle that requires the government to prove the guilt of a criminal defendant and relieves the defendant of any burden to prove his or her innocence.”</blockquote><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is there any reason that this has not been brought up to the various committees examining this bill? Isn’t this something vital that our associations would want to address? <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What the law currently requires of a person charged under HB 1515 is that they go to court to prove their innocence, if they could not do so when offered the opportunity by the LEO at the time of writing the citation. And that, to any thinking human being, is the exact opposite of “presumed innocent”.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, would you like to know why this bill is written in this manner? It’s because it is absolutely impossible to get a conviction without having monitored the boat in question for the entire thirty days.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All the individual charged has to ask the officer in court is the following:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p12" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px 36px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />“Sir/Ma’am, did you observe this boat continuously for the past thirty days?”<br />You did not? Then please, Sir/Ma’am, provide this court with proof that the boat in question did not leave the ALA for thirty days.”</span></span></p><p class="p13" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; min-height: 14px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">END OF STORY right there. It is the prosecution’s legal obligation to provide proof of guilt. It is NOT the accused’s obligation to prove he left the ALA before the 30 days was up. There can be no conviction and NO way of forcing anyone to move their boat without significant legal issues arising to the prejudice of the acting authority.</span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let us consider this point: shouldn't this very important issue be brought up with the boating group members? This one thing alone will kill HB 1515 at this late date. It's central to the entire bill. </span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I won’t even get into how the way this bill is to be enforced is basically an intimidation tactic, one that will force boaters to leave rather than fight for what is theirs: the right to remain legally anchored.</span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">Oh, What the Heck, Let’s Go There.</span></span></b></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, you tell me, if the boater is over thirty days in one place… they need to move on. They won't be harassed if they’ve not been anchored there that long.</span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sorry, here’s what will really happen, because I’ve seen it happen way too often, including to myself back before 2007 when I was in Fort Lauderdale’s 72 hour anchoring bylaw area. </span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The law rolls up in his/her police boat and demands you prove you haven't been there for 30 days. For whatever reason, you cannot prove this and you are forced to move, or you get a citation to appear in court. Most boaters of course will simply move on, they don't want the fight. That's what I did in Fort Lauderdale.</span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #fcff01;">Can't happen, won't happen, you say?</span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sorry, but it will. Here’s what I’ve personally observed in the past.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 2007, an assistant city attorney in Melbourne blatantly told me that she would charge boaters under their local 72 hour ordinance, regardless of the terms of Florida Statute 327.60, and let the accused appear in court to prove her wrong. I stopped that from happening and forced Melbourne to stop enforcing their local ordinance.</span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In 2016, Miami Beach attempted to enforce their illegal anchoring bylaw. Working with a local boater, Dr. Tenzer, a group of us put a stop to that. Tenzer got a financial settlement from the City for his legal costs.</span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the spring of 2020, the Chief of Police in Gulfport FL lied outright about the issue of their illegal enforcement of 327.60. As you all know, the CRNNA stopped the enforcement of their illegal ordinance.</span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just a few weeks ago, the City Attorney in St. Petersburg tried to BS me about whether their police were attempting to enforce their local, illegal anchoring ordinance, which they were doing. We ended that practice there also.</span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you believe this can't happen, you're mistaken. As I’ve just demonstrated, it can, it has and it will again.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s happening now in fact. Some of you have told me of several jurisdictions that are using illegal ordinances to intimidate boaters and move them on. The CRNNA can’t deal with these communities yet as we don’t have the evidence we need to stop them. And for the record, we do this work quietly, respectfully and seeking to gain the co-operation of the local authorities in eliminating enforcement of these illegal ordinances. We’ve been successful in every case, although St. Petersburg did require a second warning before they got the message.</span></span></p><p class="p11" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 1px; text-indent: 18px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bottom line here as we know is that local authority listens to their local taxpayers, not the individual boater, and really, what would you do as the boater in this situation? Take the ticket and go to court, or move on? We all know the answer to that one, don’t we?</span></span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-kerning: none;">HB 1515</span><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> will affect every cruiser traveling in Florida who chooses to anchor. This kind of behaviour from local law enforcement was the case pre-2007, it’s been the case all along, and it will be the case going forward, but it will be far worse without the protection of 327.60.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br /><b><br /><span style="color: #fcff01;">So What Can I Do?</span></b></span></span></span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><u>First</u> of all, if you're a member of one of the above organizations, contact your executive and ask them why they aren't acting on these issues. </span></span></span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">Here's what you'll get back from them.</span></span></span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">They'll tell you I don't know what I'm talking about, or I'm wrong, or I'm an idiot and you should just ignore me. </span></span></span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">Please tell them, from me, that if they believe any of that then they should explain why, to me, instead of ignoring what I've said, so I can give you the correct information. Tell them also that they were wrong in 2016/17 and they are making the same mistake now - trusting the legislators to not go back on their word. <br /></span></span></span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><u>Secondly</u>, demand that they address these issues before we lose our rights to still more anchorages in Florida. They were, all of them, wrong in 2016 and 2017 and they are doing the same thing now. These groups are your groups if you pay dues and they are supposed to do what you want.</span></span></span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><u>Third</u>, and this applies to everyone, you need to right now contact the members of the Florida legislature about these issues and kick up a fuss. Send emails and even more importantly, phone them. Make it clear to their staff, since you likely won't reach the member, that you are concerned about the significant problems these bills have.</span></span></span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><u>Next</u>, contact your boating and local media, particularly if you live in Florida. Explain to them why you are concerned. </span></span></span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><u>Finally</u>, share this blog post with everyone you can. More than just boaters need to be concerned when the error in the bill is a violation of your Constitutional rights.<br /></span></span></span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">You can follow this issue on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/savefloridasanchorages" target="_blank">CRNNA's Facebook page</a> for up to date information.<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><b><span style="color: #fcff01;">We have only a few days to stop this from happening.</span></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #fcff01;"> </span></span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you don't take action immediately, you can expect these bills to pass. I promise you that if we don't act now, within three to five years, there will be huge areas in Florida where you will not be able to anchor overnight, if at all. </span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wish I was wrong - but I'm also wishing I'd spoken up in 2016 when the original mistakes that lead us to this point were made by our boating organizations.<br /></span></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;">The people running our boating groups think they are right, they think they are doing the proper thing here. Bless them, their hearts are in the right place, but they are not doing what needs to be done and that has to change.</p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"></h3><h2 style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><b><span style="color: #fcff01; font-size: medium;">It's time to get angry and speak out. Today. Right now. We don't have any time left. If you're a boater and don't want to lose your right to anchor in Florida, act now.</span></b></blockquote><div class="fb-share-button" data-href="https://bloggingtheicw.blogspot.com/2021/04/boating-organizations-are-failing-us.html" data-layout="button" data-size="large"><a class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbloggingtheicw.blogspot.com%2F2021%2F04%2Fboating-organizations-are-failing-us.html&src=sdkpreparse" target="_blank">Share</a></div></h2><p></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><br /></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><br /></p><p class="p8" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p>Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-62421840865709028842021-04-18T07:20:00.006-04:002021-04-18T07:35:08.458-04:00The Lies About Anchoring Limitation Areas<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3BwmYE-9y5Kx_44CErwpvBU3iMarUlNyzkTBO2gOzbjhi0IJOHIDT35RErvnd65nxhSpUx7uj-fz0W7CMxRAIi4jrrlyDr73lRE33pSbLY9OFzKHNq0AI-Onh1pBk1BZ3q_YTkkOeNs/s1000/boat-anchor-stranded.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1000" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3BwmYE-9y5Kx_44CErwpvBU3iMarUlNyzkTBO2gOzbjhi0IJOHIDT35RErvnd65nxhSpUx7uj-fz0W7CMxRAIi4jrrlyDr73lRE33pSbLY9OFzKHNq0AI-Onh1pBk1BZ3q_YTkkOeNs/w400-h224/boat-anchor-stranded.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>If you've been following the anchoring issues in Florida this year, you're aware that the legislature has six (count 'em!) bills on the issue in front of them. All six of those bills threaten to take away significant anchorages, and even your right to anchor at all in the state.<p></p><p>A lot of attention has gone to HB (House Bill) 639, which started out quite benignly, even adding some much needed powers to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission's ability to deal with derelict boats. It was then amended to include a <i>'90 day and move'</i> limitation on anchoring in Monroe County, the Florida Keys. Once you're boat had been in the same location for 90 days, you had to up anchor and move, according to some accounts, as much as five miles away.<br />That of course would cause incredible harm to the Keys' workforce and economy. Many Keys residents live aboard as there is no affordable housing in the Keys - well, not if you aren't a tourist, or very, very wealthy. On top of that, all the marinas are full (and that's presuming they're affordable which for many they aren't) and the moorings are also full.<br />As a result of the pushback from Keys' boaters, 639 has been amended to require that Monroe County install 300 moorings in the Key West area to accommodate those who would be affected by this bill before the 90 day limit can be enforced.<br />The end result, should 639 pass, is that the situation is now in the hands of local politicians and boaters. Keys' boaters are organized, and able to fight for their rights, and local politicians are aware of the issues. The likelihood of these moorings being installed anytime in the near future is fairly low, so that threat seems to be over. For now.</p><p>
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<p><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><span style="color: white;">HB 1652/
S1337 are bills that would have ended overnight anchoring in several locations in North Miami, as well as North and South Lakes in Hollywood, and in Lake Sylvia in Fort Lauderdale. Those last three are important 'staging' anchorages for cruisers heading to the Bahamas or further south.<br />Fortunately, these two bills are moribund and have not seen any committee action to move them forward.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">The last two bills, </span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">HB 1515 and its companion in the Senate, S 1946, in my opinion present the real threat to boaters and cruisers. <br />These are the so called '<i>anchoring limitation area'</i> bills which amend Florida Statute 327.4108. They propose to allow county governments in Florida to limit anchoring to 30 days in any designated "anchoring limitation area" - defined as up to 100 acres and to a maximum of 10% of a county's navigable waters. <br />There are significant problems with these bills. Disregarding the fact that these bills are a violation of the promise boaters were given in 2007 </span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">when Florida statute 327.60 was created</span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">, to wit, to disallow local governments any authority to enact anchoring legislation, there is no definition of "navigable waters". <br />The FWC has advised us that there is no data for any Florida county as to how much water is "navigable". There is in fact no definition of "navigable" in the bill, although an amendment, withdrawn, did attempt to make such a definition.<br />In addition to that, the FWC has informed me that they simply do not have the manpower to conduct the requisite surveys that would determine this information.<br />So tell me if you would, how do we know when that 10% limit has been reached in any county? We don't, we can't know, can we? On top of that, just what portions of the water are navigable? How do you define "navigable"? I and others have not been able to find a definition of the term in the Florida statutes.<br />Is it six inches, navigable for a canoe or SUP? Is it three feet, navigable for small powerboats? Or is it six feet and more, a depth useable to the vessels which this legislation will affect, since canoes and SUPs generally don't anchor overnight. <br />This being Florida, I won't say they never do, because, well, we're talking about Florida.<br />But it gets even more egregious, if you can imagine that. These bills state the following:<br /></span></span></p><blockquote><i><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;">(b)1. For a vessel in an anchoring limitation area under subsection (2), upon an inquiry by a law enforcement officer or agency, a vessel owner or operator must be given an opportunity to provide proof that the vessel has not exceeded the limitations described in subsection (2). <br />Such proof may include any of the following: <br />a. Documentation showing that the vessel was in another location at least 1 mile away within a period of less than 30 days before the inquiry. <br />b. Electronic evidence, including, but not limited to, navigational devices or tracking devices that show the vessel was in another location at least 1 mile away within a period of less than 30 days before the inquiry.<br />2. If a vessel owner or operator fails or refuses to provide proof that the vessel has not exceeded the limitations described in subsection (2), the law enforcement officer or agency may issue a citation for a violation of this section.</span></i></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><span style="color: white;">Now correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this violate the Constitution? Isn't there this concept called "presumption of innocence"? Since when is it a citizen's obligation to prove s/he is innocent to avoid getting a citation?</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><span style="color: white;">That I am aware of, the only groups that are opposing these two bills are the National Marine Manufacturers Association and the Marine Industries Association, and of course, the <a href="http://www.crnna.com" target="_blank">Cruisers Rights Network of North America</a>, of which I am president.<br />The other boating organizations/businesses involved in this issue - the Seven Seas Cruising Association, the Marine Trawler Owners Association, the American Great Loop Cruising Association, Boat US and the publication, Waterway Guide (full disclosure, I worked as an editor for WG for over 10 years) are all in favour of these bills.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: white; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><b style="background-color: #444444;">Beyond what I've noted above, just what other issues are there with these bills? </b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">I'm glad you asked that.<br /></span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Florida statute 327.4108 is the bill created in 2017 that ended our right to anchor overnight in Sunset Lake and most of the Venetian Causeway in Miami Beach, and Middle River in Fort Lauderdale. You can read more about that fiasco </span><a href="https://bloggingtheicw.blogspot.com/2017/06/florida-anchoring-sneak-playwe-were.html" style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Essentially, the legislature lied to boaters in 2016 and we lost the right to anchor overnight in those three areas. The boating groups dropped the ball on this, and we cruisers pay the price.<br />The current anchoring bills posit that ALAs (anchoring limitation areas) will be a maximum of 30 days out of six months. My question - and it should be yours also - is this: how long before 30 days becomes 15 days becomes one week becomes 72 hours?<br />How long before some county is given the right to ban all overnight anchoring? You know it's going to be demanded, and given what happened in 2017, how can any county or city be told 'no'? The precedent has been set.<br />How long before we return to the "wild west", as the late Claiborne Young called it, of a patchwork of anchoring rules across Florida?<br />Answer to all of the above? Not long at all.<br />The way these bills are written, the FWC is tasked with approving these ALA's. They have already indicated to myself and others that they don't want, and cannot handle, the additional workload of these bills. That is before adding in the requirement of surveying navigable waters and proposed ALAs, which they would be required to do to approve these new restrictions.<br />Oh, and have I mentioned that these bills clearly violate the Public Trust Doctrine, which states that the waters of the state of Florida are held in trust for the use of all?</span></p><p><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><b>So what would these bills actually do to cruisers like you and I?</b> </span></p><p><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Essentially, communities that want to eliminate anchoring in residential neighbourhoods will use them to remove boaters, shepherding them into areas that do not offend the homeowners. It is guaranteed that these locations will not be suitable for anchoring and will be inconvenient for shore access or local amenities.<br />But, you say, I can anchor for 30 days!<br />Yes, you can. Then the law rolls up in his/her police boat and demands you prove you haven't been there for 30 days. For whatever reason, you cannot prove this and you are forced to move, or get a citation to appear in court. <br />Can't happen? I had an assistant city attorney in a major east coast city tell me, back in 2007, that she would charge boaters under their local ordinance regardless of the terms of Florida Statute 327.60 and let them come to court to prove her wrong. <br />In the summer of 2020, the Chief of Police in Gulfport FL lied outright to me about the issue of their illegal enforcement of 327.60.<br />Just a few weeks ago, the City Attorney of a major Florida west coast city tried to BS me about whether their police were attempting to enforce their local and illegal anchoring ordinance.</span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"> <br />So don't tell me it can't happen. It can, it has and it will. These people listen to their local taxpayers, not you and I, and really, what would you do? Fight, or move on?</span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><br />This will affect every cruiser traveling in Florida who chooses to anchor.<br /><br />In other words, these two proposed bills, 1515 and 1946, are a mess. They should be voted out of the House as poorly considered, poorly researched, and damaging to everyone's interests. While they seem reasonable at first glance, they are anything but. <br />Furthermore, they will be amended as time goes on to permit more, and more restrictive, limitations on anchoring. They will eliminate valuable anchorages that cruisers depend on to travel through Florida on their way to the Bahamas and elsewhere, or just to hang out in for a night or three as they explore the state.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Oh, but your boating organization - the SSCA, MTOA, AGLCA, Boat US, the Waterway Guide - they say it's all good, don't worry, be happy?<br />With the exception of the Waterway Guide, which was not then involved, <b><i>they were all wrong in 2016, and all of them are wrong again today.</i> </b>Let me repeat that - they were all wrong. They blew it.<br />That statement is not going to make me any friends in that group - but since they can't stand me anyway because I don't fall in line with how they want to play this game, it's no loss. Someone has to speak the truth.<br /><u>If you are a member of one of these organizations</u>, you need to contact your president and fellow members and acquaint them with the facts as I've laid them out. <br />I promise you, they'll tell you I'm being a fear monger. They said that back in 2016. They'll tell you I don't know what I'm talking about. <br />They said that too back in 2016.<br />Demand that they show you where I am wrong. They can't. I've already seen them try. <br />We have very little time left to fight back against HB 1515 and S 1946. You need to step up and make your concerns known to your boating organizations, to your fellow boaters and to the legislators. <br />We have the emails and an email responder set up at the CRNNA's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/savefloridasanchorages" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> for you to contact the legislators. Join us there for more information. Share this blog post far and wide with your groups and on your FB page so that other boaters become aware of what's going on. Even if you're not in Florida, you can speak out, you can help.<br /><br />Lastly, what will the<b><i> <a href="http://www.crnna.com" target="_blank">CRNNA</a></i></b> do should these bills pass? We do have a plan, which will be to challenge these bills in court. According to lawyers I've spoken with, these bills are very vulnerable to a legal challenge on numerous fronts. I'd rather not have to go that route, so let's do what we need to do and stop these bills now.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cXKXjwGjEZUx98zmPapTTyj9locXpJOGPa4wFUpoIrfW3F-lKj_k0zTNbbTppfaic_sZBEX786A7-ZTTp6L7xpHdrx4RTYjn9U5IsHEI40g8Wgg2PtOrtu8B95-7wlcnBJwQt1qRK5M/s1200/CRNNA+logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cXKXjwGjEZUx98zmPapTTyj9locXpJOGPa4wFUpoIrfW3F-lKj_k0zTNbbTppfaic_sZBEX786A7-ZTTp6L7xpHdrx4RTYjn9U5IsHEI40g8Wgg2PtOrtu8B95-7wlcnBJwQt1qRK5M/s320/CRNNA+logo.jpg" /></a></div><p></p></div></div></div></div><p></p>Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-28949158622843320782020-05-19T16:49:00.001-04:002020-05-19T16:49:20.185-04:00Fighting the Good Fight - Meet CRNNA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlw-kslGMfjxGc-8NXzXnbE_pqVQq2TkPwEXJH2PgFcSZmsPuhy3a-VlfI3_sbDVe0vyQSTJtKxYUNaNJd-qFcFZF7wXKf-pNHhzgTkpc2TAE7CV8H7IedrWKc-K-ZgLs1JJN6xm8KYk/s1600/member+sticker+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlw-kslGMfjxGc-8NXzXnbE_pqVQq2TkPwEXJH2PgFcSZmsPuhy3a-VlfI3_sbDVe0vyQSTJtKxYUNaNJd-qFcFZF7wXKf-pNHhzgTkpc2TAE7CV8H7IedrWKc-K-ZgLs1JJN6xm8KYk/s200/member+sticker+4.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>A</b></span> friend called me up in mid March to tell me about the hassles that he and others anchored out in Gulfport FL were experiencing. Seems that the City of Gulfport was enforcing a 72 hour anchoring ordinance and threatening to ticket them and impound their boats if they did not move outside of Gulfport's jurisdiction.<br />
In other words, same same ol' as usual in Florida. Problem is, such ordinances are illegal under Florida statute 327.60. No municipality can enact or enforce any anchoring ordinance on a non liveaboard vessel. So the City of Gulfport was acting illegally. They even handed out a ticket to one boater.<br />
I made some phone calls and asked some questions, did some research, spoke to the City Manager, City Attorney and Chief of Police, and got the usual runaround. They told me that in their opinion, they were acting legally. I told them, and got Boat US to tell them, and even got the FWC to tell their marine officer, that they were wrong.<br />
Over a month went by and nothing changed. The only way to deal with this was to sue the City. Thus, the Cruisers Rights Network of North America was born - <a href="http://www.crnna.com/">www.CRNNA.com</a> - a non profit organization.<br />
The CRNNA's purpose is to defend the rights of boaters, and to educate boaters, the general public and the authorities about the realities of the boating and cruising life. To demonstrate that we aren't all crack addled, mindless bums one step up from living under a bridge.<br />
We held an online fund raiser that was a huge success, hired a lawyer and are now working the legal process. We've moved to have the ticket dropped, and included the filing of a motion to declare the City's ordinance unconstitutional with notice to the State Attorney General. We have the support of the FWC in this also, and they have been most helpful.<br />
Future plans are to take this victory - because that will be the outcome - and start on educating every coastal city in Florida that they cannot violate the laws to get rid of what they see as a problem. Following that endeavour, we plan to start looking at our boating community, and find solutions to the derelict problem, and the problems created by people living on boats who simply should not be there. We will also be involved in the discussions about future legislation in Florida.<br />
In other words, a lot to do. (We could use your help if you wish to get involved, see the details below).<br />
But what about the other organizations? Well - the SSCA is a spent force, they've got enough internal issues surrounding just surviving as an organization that they can't deal with outside issues. Boat US and the MTOA and AGLCA are involved, as they have been in the past, but it's important to remember that they don't get down in the muck and fight, as we are doing in Gulfport. The CRNNA on the other hand is designed to function both in an advisory capacity as regards legislation, and as an 'enforcement arm' for boaters' rights should that be required.<br />
If you'd like more information - and there's lots more I haven't told you - go to <a href="http://www.crnna.com/">www.CRNNA.com</a>, and also to our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/savefloridasanchorages/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>. And please, sign up on our Facebook page. The more people we represent, the more impact we will have with the people we deal with, and the better we can look out for your rights on the water. If you're interested in becoming active in our work, email me at <a href="mailto:cruisersrights@gmail.com" target="_blank">Cruisers Rights.</a><br />
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<b>For anyone planning on going south</b> from the Great Lakes this year, some great news. According to the New York State Canal Corporation, locks will begin opening on July 4. The current schedule, according to the gentleman I spoke with, is subject to change, but it will be possible to transit through the locks to the Hudson River during the summer. In other words, all of you Great Lakes boaters will not have to give up your tropical cruising dreams! The updated schedule can be seen here, at <a href="http://www.canals.ny.gov/wwwapps/tas/notices/" target="_blank">Canal Corp.</a><br />
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I've not promoted this year's <a href="https://sailtothesun.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a> as heavily this spring due to the coronavirus issues, including the now resolved potential for problems getting through the Erie Canal. Now that that is no longer an issue, it's time to start planning your trip south this winter. If you'd like a Rally brochure, go to <a href="http://icwally.com/request-for-more-information.html" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun Information</a>, fill out the form and I'll get a brochure to you right away.<br />
This year's voyage will begin on October 20 out of Hampton VA, and end in mid December in Miami Florida. All of the past year's fun events will be included - the Pirate's Rum Distillery tour, the visit to the Beaufort Maritime Museum to learn about Blackbeard, the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Dinner, the dinghy raftups, shrimp boil, pig roast at Dowry Creek - plus all of the group dinners, docktail parties and fun times.<br />
All of your route planning is done for you, taking away the stress of worrying about currents, shoaling and provisioning. Also your dockage is pre-arranged for the Rally - something you can't do on your own as marinas typically don't want to reserve during the snowbird season.<br />
It's the most fun on the ICW, so if you're heading south, don't miss out! Just ask any past Rallier what they think of the Rally and you'll be signing up before they're done talking!<br />
If you don't know a past Rallier, here's a video that gives you a sense of what the Rally is about.<br />
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<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x2v-LZJe-yU" width="560"></iframe>Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-86447088948389634692019-06-26T17:15:00.002-04:002019-06-27T12:32:43.921-04:00Bonus edition - Two Rants!!! Georgia On My Mind, and West Marine Dinghy Design<b><span style="color: red;">YESSIREE FOLKS, STEP RIGHT UP, NOT ONE BUT TWO RANTS TODAY FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!</span></b><br />
I can hear everyone's heart going pitter pat with this announcement - not one, but two of Wally's world famous rants. This will be epic. Sit down, grab some popcorn and your favourite adult beverage, and enjoy!<br />
<h3>
Georgia On My Mind...</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVLC_VxtwOEW_gwHn7vniM1xNVF2VMM4F8Q8uCTjfTaOdeeFQK2OmBODHBSAkuVWaCmoZeD0d_zB2Sg1Qt0seFNnmr8h7L_RhSB-0_K7nK1GFwEzM_LPExq4Qe2O87m-zgGYY9YuRp-Y/s1600/jackGA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="748" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVLC_VxtwOEW_gwHn7vniM1xNVF2VMM4F8Q8uCTjfTaOdeeFQK2OmBODHBSAkuVWaCmoZeD0d_zB2Sg1Qt0seFNnmr8h7L_RhSB-0_K7nK1GFwEzM_LPExq4Qe2O87m-zgGYY9YuRp-Y/s320/jackGA.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
As many of you know, I've been involved in the Georgia anchoring debacle since late May when it became publicly known that the state wanted to create anchoring permits, charge people for anchoring, and limit where they could anchor. The cancer that we have been dealing with in Florida is metastasizing northward, sorry to say.<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;">What really gets my goat however, is how this came to be. The original complaint which led to the DNR creating this horrendous legislation allegedly came from a judge who claimed to have observed someone pumping sewage overboard from their boat. This information came to me through a political source and was trustworthy, but not quite on the money. Here, publicly for the first time, is how this monstrosity, HB201, was conceived.<br />This bill got its birth because a GA <span class="il">judge</span>, former Brunswick Judicial Circuit Chief <span class="il">Judge</span> Amanda <span class="il">Williams</span>, was upset over an old Navy vessel legally tied to a dock near her office building. She made a complaint to her House Rep, Don Hogan that a boat anchored out was pumping waste overboard. So she lied about the boat if this is true, and can anyone please tell me how she knew the boat was pumping out anyhow? Hogan, fyi, sponsored HB201, probably dealing with the DNR to create it. I'll get back to this point.<br />GAMBA, Georgia Marine Business Association, became involved. Why, when and how isn't entirely clear, but there appear to be significant connections between <span class="il">Williams</span> and marina operators who are GAMBA members.<br />Now <span class="il">Williams, who was the source of the original complaint, isn't your typical upright and honest judge. She</span> was formally removed from the bench some years ago and very nearly faced jail for serious charges - see this - <a href="https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local_news/former-judge-booked-released-on-bond/article_cc6fb210-73ad-59b2-84a1-06f2984d20f3.html?fbclid=IwAR3QZSqNDZtmQy3EKutVFjS_cS3sWV0W6GOdTRQbuygcIctEa6R7816UBU0" target="_blank">Former Judge Booked and Released on Bond</a><br />That is not the worst of it however, not from where I stand. <br />One of the beneficiaries of her brand of justice was the son of the current owner of a Georgia marina. Quite a few years ago, he was placed in a drug court diversion program, over the protests of the district attorney, for his offences. Nonetheless, successfully completing the program ensured that the participant would not have a criminal record, which I'm sure you agree is a substantial benefit. Don't get me wrong - if someone completes the program and stays on the straight and narrow, I'm all for it. It's a good thing, but that's not the point here.<br />This marina stood to gain from this legislation that this judge wants, and in particular the 1000 foot rule, because it eliminates an anchorage that they object to adjacent to their marina.<br />That being said, there is no evidence that the man's family interceded on behalf of the erring scion. Perhaps the judge is just a kindly soul and did this on her own. </span></span><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A favor was done, solicited or not. A debt was created, acknowledged or not</span><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;">Next, the president of GAMBA, Charles Waller, would receive a significant benefit from the 1000 foot setoff that was proposed. It would eliminate a USCG anchorage that is adjacent to his marina that he apparently finds problematical. Without any valid reason that I can see, I would add. <br />Again, there is no evidence to substantiate this motive, but I do have emails from GAMBA that alluded to this issue and Waller's problems with it.<br />Was this why GAMBA was so keen on this legislation, because two of their members stood to benefit from it? Seems likely, but I doubt we'll ever know for sure, and GAMBA is all on the side of cruisers' rights now.<br />Anyhow, what we are seeing is that Hogan got a call from <span class="il">Williams</span> about someone pumping overboard from the ex-Navy boat, and then got together with the DNR to deal with <span class="il">Williams</span>' issues. Along the way, members of GAMBA saw that they could benefit from this legislation and got behind it. <br />The bill got passed with no studies, no public input, nothing. Only one vote against it.<br />Then we, the boating public, found out about this at the end of May and raised a huge stink. GAMBA reversed its position, with Exec Director Amy Thurman telling the media that GAMBA wasn't supporting, never supported, the 1000 foot rule. Unfortunately for Ms. Thurman, I have the emails from her to prove she said exactly the opposite, that in fact, GAMBA strongly supported the 1000 foot setoff proposal.<br />Then - the judge who I'm told was the complainer showed up to speak at the DNR hosted public hearing in Brunswick last week. She made a lovely little speech, but never told us who she was.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span></span><br />
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However, a cruiser at the meeting was a retired FBI agent - I just love that touch, lends drama to the whole thing - and he busted her for her deceptions the next day in a post on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/SaveGeorgiasAnchorages/" target="_blank">Save Georgia's Anchorages Facebook page</a>.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BfkjgCV5wrj-Udw2_ff9ve5x4HB499tEv4zQ6zDFX8J9JiQVmyPjDETtyN3QtqfkOrHVJalnXALc-Ng668mLxsx0lKy-IljB_RB5bdVkAu5MBCePIcrpVHNHMEuFG2s25xN3BMGEtCw/s1600/statue+of+liberty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="884" data-original-width="539" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BfkjgCV5wrj-Udw2_ff9ve5x4HB499tEv4zQ6zDFX8J9JiQVmyPjDETtyN3QtqfkOrHVJalnXALc-Ng668mLxsx0lKy-IljB_RB5bdVkAu5MBCePIcrpVHNHMEuFG2s25xN3BMGEtCw/s200/statue+of+liberty.jpg" width="121" /></a>Since then, we've determined that the boat in question was behind her office, not her home. How did we do that? Her state House Representative Don Hogan, the bill's sponsor, made specific reference to it in his talk that night.<br />
It appears quite likely that House Representative Hogan was fed a line of crap about what was actually going on, was given a considerable amount of bad or dishonest advice from a number of people, including some at the DNR, and trusted people he should not have to do the right thing. It didn't help Hogan that the complainer was someone of significant influence, not just any upset waterfront property owner. Talk about caught between a rock and a hard place.<br />
So what happens next, now that the old boys (and girls) network has been caught out?<br />
The Save Georgia Anchorages group (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/SaveGeorgiasAnchorages/" target="_blank">see their Facebook page here</a>) is now working with the various members of the Georgia legislature to ensure that HB201 is brought back before the legislature in the 2020 session to be properly amended. We are also preparing a presentation for the Coastal Committee Board of the DNR, to ensure that cruisers' issues are properly presented to them before any new rules are put in place. And we need your support in this work.<br />
What can you do to support this? It's important that the DNR be aware that boaters object very strenuously to HB201. You can make your views know by writing to Kelly Hill, Coastal Resources Division, One Conservation Way, Brunswick, GA 31520 <<a href="mailto:Kelly.Hill@dnr.ga.gov">Kelly.Hill@dnr.ga.gov</a>><br />
Talking points, sample letters and other useful information are available at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/SaveGeorgiasAnchorages" target="_blank">Save Georgia Anchorages page</a>. Please join us in defending your rights to anchor in Georgia.<br />
<h4>
Is This Any Way to Build a Dinghy? NO!</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZ4AJx5daxqBKEukPXsCoegXiJ4Ps-DkS3lhhJO7YbsyLtjPxZVK6HMM-Otav_iQWXoJSvS81uOpfg_7d7wnCCyAQgf_RsLxaA08LZM2xihvIGNefmHo8B9x0cBOyxrsU5T4wu1Zj0NA/s1600/aluminum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZ4AJx5daxqBKEukPXsCoegXiJ4Ps-DkS3lhhJO7YbsyLtjPxZVK6HMM-Otav_iQWXoJSvS81uOpfg_7d7wnCCyAQgf_RsLxaA08LZM2xihvIGNefmHo8B9x0cBOyxrsU5T4wu1Zj0NA/s200/aluminum.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I just launched a West Marine inflatable after selling my 10 foot aluminum, which I now sorely miss. But hey, I got a great price for it.</div>
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Now there's nothing really wrong with the new inflatable, but there is ONE thing that drives me nuts, and it's the same thing I hated about the first one of these I had ten years ago: the drain plug.<br />
Just how hard is it to design a properly functioning drain for these little boats? Apparently, VERY hard.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-vcUDI9SPv0pZSerVzAte_l_6g6S8lYQGN9DeLdpaamepKNzQ9B7s5Xxu67K665gdhm5uvr4_8_MxOXErM0aTK1yhQBi37LI1bHEQR-4adjKi2IvwcG7L8BTu7BpN1mDcxzGgMBwB_s/s1600/drain+plug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-vcUDI9SPv0pZSerVzAte_l_6g6S8lYQGN9DeLdpaamepKNzQ9B7s5Xxu67K665gdhm5uvr4_8_MxOXErM0aTK1yhQBi37LI1bHEQR-4adjKi2IvwcG7L8BTu7BpN1mDcxzGgMBwB_s/s200/drain+plug.jpg" width="200" /></a>The first one of these I had had a fancy design with a lever, a screen, all sorts of little doodads to it as you can see from the photo. I am absolutely certain that the engineer who designed this monstrosity was overhyped on caffeine on a Monday morning. There is no other rational excuse for this thing. Ok, maybe LSD or magic mushroom, but other than those...</div>
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The problem is, it caught every single piece of debris in the dinghy, and plugged up. And when it plugged up, as often as not it would then bugger up the drain so that the drain leaked water into the boat.<br />
So we have a drain that won't drain when you need it to, and lets water into the boat at all other times. To fix it involved removing it from the boat, disassembling, cleaning and then reassembling and reinstalling it. Sometimes that was a weekly occurrence - but only when it wasn't happening every other day.<br />
So I eventually sold that boat, bought the aluminum, and then a few months ago, moved back to a new inflatable sportboat from WM. It does not have the same drain. If anything, this one may be worse.<br />
It doesn't have the fancy engineering. It's some kind of rubber flap, kind of a one way thing that supposedly keeps water from entering your boat, provided the plug is in place. We'll return to the plug in a moment, but suffice it to say, if the plug is in place, the flapper isn't needed. <br />
The problem is, the drain doesn't allow water out of your boat unless you continuously 'tickle' it with your finger. Why? I presume it's because minute particles of debris plug it up. At least the old design, bad as it was, needed a visible piece of crap to bugger it up.<br />
Then, it takes forever to drain because of the flapper valve, and because it keeps plugging up with tiny, invisible pieces of crap.<br />
Now, to the drain plug. This rubber beauty goes in the outside of the drain hole and is attached to the boat with a piece of string. If you lose one - which according to my extensive survey of Sportboat owners who were in Marsh Harbor on April 22 - takes 4. 873 days on average, it will cost you $20.95 US to replace it. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WZDbaWu_-OGatsJDBIvkJ6c58nY6mEY7fLro72msA_cNhjfL60O7jvMhjpw1vWYq_vIDKom_LigP065c42Vb5wcgfLRF9-CkL-OUdBZfZDN5-uQg-_ZAD4DBaCOkSS_e5vBnpi1mhQQ/s1600/rubber+drain+plug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WZDbaWu_-OGatsJDBIvkJ6c58nY6mEY7fLro72msA_cNhjfL60O7jvMhjpw1vWYq_vIDKom_LigP065c42Vb5wcgfLRF9-CkL-OUdBZfZDN5-uQg-_ZAD4DBaCOkSS_e5vBnpi1mhQQ/s200/rubber+drain+plug.jpg" width="165" /></a></div>
That's right. An Achilles Rubber Self Bailer Drain Plug with String (Part #ACHC441B), a 1 3/8" plug that is guaranteed to be lost will cost you more than three Kaliks at Snappas. That's just wrong. So if you're smart like me (ignoring that I was dumb enough to lose the stupid thing in the first place), you go to the local hardware store and get a rubber chair tip for $2.44 (but $5 in Marsh Harbour) which fits perfectly, AND you have a choice of beige or black. It's all about style, baby!</div>
So, I'm asking West Marine CEO Ken Seipel to get involved here.<br />
Ken, I know this isn't your fault, you've only been there since last December. But please - tell these engineers that designing a functioning drain plug for your inflatables is NOT rocket science. It's not.<br />
Here's how you do it.<br />
You drill an oversized hole low in the wooden transom of the dinghy. You then fill the hole with fibreglass resin, let it cure, then redrill the hole to fit the $20.95 goldplated drain plug. You put the drain plug INSIDE the dinghy, where it won't get broken off and sink into the depths. You use something more durable than a piece of "string" to attach it to the boat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwc2r9g_c0smukPQosUdM3YesWOqxTCzSVQybPFuWL27zQl4QSxWBmX9o9hyphenhyphenTnBbtYstd4WgxCJPZIGkHyAVS0pAPrsQyqL0CnZ8ZOHumtyM2W-mXUCFjL8IU78oVc8kXNs9LK4BHkiOA/s1600/drain+plug+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwc2r9g_c0smukPQosUdM3YesWOqxTCzSVQybPFuWL27zQl4QSxWBmX9o9hyphenhyphenTnBbtYstd4WgxCJPZIGkHyAVS0pAPrsQyqL0CnZ8ZOHumtyM2W-mXUCFjL8IU78oVc8kXNs9LK4BHkiOA/s200/drain+plug+3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
If you want to save your customers some money, you use West<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Marine part </span><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Model #</span> 375493, pictured to the left, which retails for $10.99 but that, because of its design, is unlikely to be lost. I know, because I had one in my aluminum boat for 6 or 7 years. Never had a moment's problem with it. <br />Uh, full disclosure here - I bought it at a competitor's place of business for $5.95. Sorry.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Please, Mr. Seipel, just do this before I buy my next dinghy. I don't know if I can stand the frustration of dealing with another overdesigned, underperforming drain plug. You can do this, Sir, and I and thousands of Sportboat owners beg you to do this.</span><span style="background-color: #444444; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thank you.</span></span><span style="color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<h4>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444;">Ok, enough ranting, on to happier things. The Fifth Annual Sail to the Sun ICW Rally is moving along well, and we're half full now. Our departure date from Hampton will be October 21, one week after the end of the Annapolis Sailboat Show. Our anticipated arrival in Miami is December 12, after eight weeks of fun and adventure on the not so high, but imminently comfortable, safe and enjoyable, seas of the ICW.</span><br /><span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">During that eight weeks of fun and frolic, there will be shrimp boils, a blue crab feast, a visit to a rum distillery for the pirates amongst us, dinghy raftups, dinners out, dinners onboard, and an all round great time for all. We're even considering an alligator bbq...yes, you read that right: gator burgers and steaks, done by a professional chef.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you want more information, or a brochure on the Rally, or even a free copy of my free ICW ebook, or all three - go to the <a href="http://www.sailtothesun.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally page</a> and you can request it f<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_178968677">rom </a></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">there.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bonus Rant #3 - The Last Straw</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_0HtMt0H5zWsaepZ05MGlsrtGGPUGwIUcgXKCAkOxnbQPogkjFfZFH1KEx0gMm2jtQaeqZ3AXURElRgDawgvvgvSChK4arVXrs4S4LkMR5yPqjcuqaSskd0fw0yaupD6SSE86HGnKcs/s1600/straws.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1424" data-original-width="923" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_0HtMt0H5zWsaepZ05MGlsrtGGPUGwIUcgXKCAkOxnbQPogkjFfZFH1KEx0gMm2jtQaeqZ3AXURElRgDawgvvgvSChK4arVXrs4S4LkMR5yPqjcuqaSskd0fw0yaupD6SSE86HGnKcs/s200/straws.jpeg" width="128" /></span></a><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: #444444; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some time ago, nine year old Milo Cress created a first-world fuss over straws. By his calculations, suspect at best, and as reported by USA Today: "</span></span><span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">as Cress began to dig into resea</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">rch on plastics and the environment, he noticed there wasn't much data: "I couldn’t find anything on our use of straws in the United States," he said. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gee, really? In all of history, nobody studied straw usage? I can't believe it, there has to be some useless little university researcher out there who had nothing better to do with $50,000 in grant money than to figure out what the story was behind straws.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So Cress determined the status of straws through a truly questionable study - about the kind of thing you'd expect from a precocious but misguided pre-teenager.</span>He called straw manufacturers himself, asking what they estimated to be the straw market in the United States per day. Some gave him a yearly estimate, which he divided by 365. "Others gave an estimate of around 500 million straws," Cress said. "That was the number that I stuck to, because it seemed to be around the middle of what they were saying.""<br />That's his research. On this sort of thing do our fates turn - a nine year old's guess at something of minimal importance in the greater scheme of things.</span><br />
So of course, following the young lad's revelations, everyone got all eco correct and decided to ban plastic straws. Good move, right?<br />Well, have you ever tried to drink a great thick milkshake - the only proper way to have one - through a paper straw? You end up with your lips caved in from sucking so hard, the staff at the Steak and Shake or Sonic Drive In laughing at you as they watch on their video monitors. How humiliating is that?<br />
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All of this over a 9 year old boy's unproven and unprovable contention that we use too many straws.<br />
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<br />Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-41854123708929410892019-05-31T14:47:00.001-04:002019-05-31T14:49:51.377-04:00Anchor Rant - Now it's Georgia's turn<div id="fb-root">
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Well, the Florida anti-anchor illness has now spread to Georgia. Georgia just quietly passed a law that will force you to pay $5 per night to anchor in Georgia, and you can only anchor in approved locations. You will also be required to keep a log of your pumpouts.<br />
Here's the problem. What locations are going to be approved for anchoring? What if they disallow anchoring off Fort Frederica? What if they forbid anchoring in any of the hundreds of side creeks, such as Kilkenny Creek, or Big Tom, or Warburg Creek, not that that would be real easy to enforce, but what if?<br />
It's almost impossible to go through Georgia without having to anchor out at least once in the remotest of areas, areas that often don't have phone or internet service. That means you may not be able to avoid breaking the law, because you can't get to the online portal when you arrive. That means you can't find out if the anchorage is permitted, and if it is, you can't get online to pay the $5 charge. Should a DNR vessel come by and demand your permit, you're screwed.<br />
Then there's anchorages such as the one in Jekyll Creek. The nearby marina is often full during snowbird season, and there is no place else nearby. Or how about Cumberland Island? Many cruisers stop to visit here and there is only the anchorage. What if they disallow these two locations?<br />
The fact is, we have no idea what is coming. The Department of Natural Resources has asked for public commentary. A shame they didn't do this before making the new law, but hey - our pols know what's best for us, don't they?<br />
Now here's what I see as an even bigger problem. Georgia has come up with a new idea here, paying for anchorage rights in designated anchorages, and Florida is going to look at this and wonder how they can adopt this for themselves. Count on it.<br />
What do we do then? And what if South Carolina follows suit? Suddenly, the thousands of boats heading south will all be forced into a limited number of locations. Can you see that working out real well? It's bad enough now as it is with no restrictions, since the lay of the land already eliminates many locations for us. Imagine what this will be like when a group of bureaucrats, with NO idea what's involved in cruising, decide where we can anchor.<br />
Georgia, up until now, didn't allow liveaboards to anchor out for more than 90 days per year. Now, they can anchor out year round for $240 per year. Those pristine anchorages that we now enjoy? They'll fill up with local liveaboards and be useless to those of us just passing through.<br />
Of course, we can always just go offshore and avoid Georgia. That's of course assuming that you are willing to do an overnight sail to accomplish this, that the weather is favourable, that you have the skills to do it and are properly equipped for offshore. Just forget about visiting Savannah, or Brunswick/St. Simons, or Jekyll Island and Cumberland Island. And what will this do to the annual St. Mary's Cruisers' Thanksgiving celebration? There is no dockage there. Are we looking at the end of that event? I sure hope not.<br />
At this moment, the Department of Natural Resources is looking for comments, and as cruisers, we need to fill their inbox on what a bad idea this is. You have until July 15 to comment, so do it now so you don't forget!<br />
Here's the link to make comments:<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> <span style="font-family: "aller" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Kelly Hill, Coastal Resources Division, One Conservation Way, Brunswick, GA 31520. </span></span><a href="mailto:Kelly.Hill@dnr.ga.gov" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(207, 0, 0) !important; font-family: Aller, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Kelly.Hill@dnr.ga.gov</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Additional information is available at </span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.CoastalGaDNR.org&source=gmail&ust=1559155546403000&usg=AFQjCNEQUySwp6XEOhV9RTTUXdsT8ST-ug" href="http://www.coastalgadnr.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(207, 0, 0) !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.CoastalGaDNR.org</a><span style="color: #002366;">.<span style="background-color: black;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;">Click on the “News and Notices” tab or click this link:</span><span style="color: #002366;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type%3Dclick%26enid%3DZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwNTI4LjYzNTYzNTEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTkwNTI4LjYzNTYzNTEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xNzM3ODg0NyZlbWFpbGlkPWxhcnJ5LmRvcm1pbnlAY3J1aXNlcnNuZXQubmV0JnVzZXJpZD1sYXJyeS5kb3JtaW55QGNydWlzZXJzbmV0Lm5ldCZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm%26%26%26101%26%26%26https://coastalgadnr.org/notice-rule-making-coastal-marshland-protection-and-boating-regulations?utm_campaign%3D%26utm_content%3D%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Dgovdelivery%26utm_term%3D&source=gmail&ust=1559155546403000&usg=AFQjCNGWEJsVviDNtAaxdnf0TkdbWwQfvg" href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwNTI4LjYzNTYzNTEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTkwNTI4LjYzNTYzNTEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xNzM3ODg0NyZlbWFpbGlkPWxhcnJ5LmRvcm1pbnlAY3J1aXNlcnNuZXQubmV0JnVzZXJpZD1sYXJyeS5kb3JtaW55QGNydWlzZXJzbmV0Lm5ldCZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&101&&&https://coastalgadnr.org/notice-rule-making-coastal-marshland-protection-and-boating-regulations?utm_campaign=&utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(207, 0, 0) !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://coastalgadnr.<wbr style="box-sizing: border-box;"></wbr>org/notice-rule-making-<wbr style="box-sizing: border-box;"></wbr>coastal-marshland-protection-<wbr style="box-sizing: border-box;"></wbr>and-boating-regulations</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">Here is a link to a letter from the executive director of the Georgia Marine Business Association. What she says sounds good - but note my comments following. </span><a href="https://cruisersnet.net/anchoring-under-attack-in-georgia/" style="font-size: 16px;">https://cruisersnet.net/anchoring-under-attack-in-georgia/</a><br />
We will be following this issue closely on Facebook, at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/SailorsandCruisers/" target="_blank">Sailing and Cruising.</a> Let us know what you think there.<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br />For some time now I have been considering the need for a national Boaters' Rights organization, one that will monitor attempts at regulations such as this and work to see that they do not infringe on our rights to anchor or otherwise enjoy the cruising lifestyle. The organizations currently in place do lobbying at the legislative level, and as we can see, have missed this entirely. That's not a good thing - we can do better. If you think a new organization is a good idea, let me know on Facebook and respond to the survey at </span><a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GLHQ7VV" style="text-align: center;">https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GLHQ7VV</a><br />
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In happier news, this year's <a href="http://www.sailtothesun.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a> is one boat short of being half subscribed, putting us well ahead of previous year's enrolments. If you're going south this year and want to have a hassle free trip, consider joining the Rally. On top of expert navigational advice and assistance to get you through the challenging spots of the ICW, you get to share your adventure with 19 other boats. You'll make new friends that will be closer than family, explore neat anchorages, villages and towns - and a lot of local pubs too - see a rum distillery, and participate in dozens of adventures.<br />
The Rally has been called "a two month long floating party", and I'm more than happy to go with that description. We have a great time every year, and you will too!<br />
If you'd like more information, or a brochure, go to <a href="http://www.sailtothesun.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a> and read all about it. You can also sign up directly from the site.<br />
Best of all - we'll get you through Georgia 'hassle free'. (full disclosure - the new rules don't start until 2020 :)</div>
Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-49556615406319201382019-04-20T18:46:00.000-04:002019-04-20T18:52:04.700-04:00Tired of Getting Waked by Inconsiderate Powerboaters?<style type="text/css">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQniKOb-cHGlAgfLdJGh6S-QdyivJiNBqrcAgDLDjPyhsP1VyS-TaAfrClVagPRyShLxdHSg19yP6_IGf_sfwa92ofBDa0soeBY2b0W5HYwUmZfovgPnSDOZuQEqLCpmOTnHj-XA08Lnc/s1600/powerboat+wake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="499" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQniKOb-cHGlAgfLdJGh6S-QdyivJiNBqrcAgDLDjPyhsP1VyS-TaAfrClVagPRyShLxdHSg19yP6_IGf_sfwa92ofBDa0soeBY2b0W5HYwUmZfovgPnSDOZuQEqLCpmOTnHj-XA08Lnc/s320/powerboat+wake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1">We’ve all been there - a narrow body of water such as the ICW, a fast powerboat coming from behind who is clearly not going to slow down for you. You know what’s coming, and you just hope that everything below is properly stowed.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Still, you get on the VHF and plead that the approaching vessel slow down to pass you. Your only reply, the sibilant hiss of the VHF. Now you know for sure. Your only remaining response - a finger raised to the cowboy who passes by you, oftentimes less than a boat length away - and too often with a big smirk on his stupid face. He knows what he just did. He thinks it’s funny. <br />
Last fall, leading 16 boats on the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, at the north end of Lake Worth and with several other boats also southbound, I heard a commotion on the VHF from the boats behind me. Looking back, I saw a large powerboat at high speed flying through the fleet, moving in and through them with a three foot or better wake. He passed several of the boats as close as ten feet, and at least one even closer.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">I tried to hail him myself on the VHF to no avail, and as he and his passenger roared past me at the head of the line and within 20 feet, I saw no antenna and no markings on the brand new 45 foot boat. Two of my Rally boats were well ahead of the main group at the inlet. They reported that the powerboat had slowed and turned around. They took photos, as did I when it came back past us heading north, this time at a much slower speed. On its side - a small sign indicating that it was a new boat for sale from a local - and large, well known - national brokerage. Several blistering phone calls were made to the local brokerage office. I myself spoke with the sales manager three times. Further investigation discovered that the company’s captain was showing off a boat for sale to a prospect, who had his 8 year old daughter with him on board.<br />
Later that day and a few miles further south near the Lantana bridge, the situation repeated itself. Another large powerboat roared through the fleet, only slowing when I and other boats spread out to block his progress and force him to the edge of the ICW where he had no choice but to slow down. He went a few hundred yards further at slow speed and then turned into the marina.<br />
The year previous, I had a large northbound trawler decide to try to make the Royal Palm Bridge in West Palm right after I’d passed under it. He firewalled the throttle less than 30 yards from me, throwing up a wall of water and burying my bow in the hole he created. He wouldn’t identify himself to me on the VHF, but the bridge tender on hearing us closed the bridge and informed him that without identifying information, he would be held there. <br />
So what’s the thread between all three of these incidents, and countless more I could recount for you?<br />
It’s this: the United States Coast Guard no longer acts on these complaints. You can complain all you want. The Coast Guard simply doesn’t have time for these complaints any longer. They have other duties and policing the waterways is no longer their job. The USCG directs you to contact the FWC (if in Florida) or local law enforcement.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The problem with that is that you typically cannot reach the FWC, especially on a weekend, and if you’re a transient, you probably don’t know who local law enforcement on the water is. Is it the town/city, the sheriff’s office, county mounties, or who? What is their number? Do they even have a marine patrol?</span></div>
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<span class="s1">And have you ever tried to reach the FWC or a water cop via VHF out on the water? I’ve rarely gotten a response, including times when I could see their boat.<br />
So typically, these on water cowboys with their big powerful boats get away with their dangerous behaviour. How dangerous?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The first boat, the one that blew through the Rally, knocked four people down on four boats, injuring two people, one seriously enough that he needed medical attention. Lawyers are involved and I imagine that legal action is likely if a settlement is not reached.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the third instance, I spoke with the local police, and requested they contact me after investigating. I never heard back from them.<br />
The problem is that because the laws are not being enforced by the USCG or state/local police, these incidents are becoming much more common. I warn people going south during my seminars that it is unwise to travel south of Palm Beach on the weekends, it’s that uncomfortable. Anchor up in Peck Lake and enjoy a couple of days break at the beach - and avoid the idiots. <br />
So what can we do to protect ourselves from these irresponsible clowns? </span></div>
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First of all, have your VHF on, and where you can hear it in the cockpit. Too many of we sailors can’t hear our radios and get waked by people who would otherwise slow down for us if they could contact us.<br />
Watch behind you. If you see a powerboat coming up fast, get on the VHF, identify yourself and offer to slow down so they can give you a slow pass. Most powerboaters, bless them, will appreciate that and accommodate you.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Slow down to under 4 knots so they can get their speed well down. Once they’re past, get in behind them so they can get back up on plane.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Be sure to thank them too, and by boat name. Not only is it polite (like mom told you to be!) and seamanlike, but other boaters hear you and are far more likely to be courteous when they go by you. It’s a win-win all around.<br />
But what if they don’t slow down? First of all, make sure that you protect yourself. Warn anyone below that you’re about to be waked. Turn the boat away as far as you can, and then turn bow into the wake as it hits you to minimize the rolling. Mutter the appropriate curses under your breath to get your heart rate down.<br />
Get on the VHF and warn other boaters ahead. Name the boat and it’s location, and speed. Every now and then this action triggers the lone brain cell these dopes still have and they slow down for boats ahead. It can’t hurt, and it might help.<br />
Then - contact the local authorities. Try the USCG on Channel 16 and give the details over the air. If the other boat hears it, again it may slow them down. Generally however, the USCG will give you the local police agency’s number. <br />
Get an officer on the line and get his contact information. Even if he says that he’s not the marine officer, get the email for them from him.<br />
Now email the photos you just took of the offending vessel - you did take photos showing the registration number, the driver, the wake the boat was throwing, right? - along with the time, lat and long of the incident, weather conditions, water state, other traffic and pertinent details. Tell them that you want this investigated and that you want to hear back from them about it.<br />
Then, follow up. Give them a week or so to contact the other boater, get his side of the story, and be prepared to be told that the other boater was warned about his behaviour and that is likely as far as it will go.<br />
The police don’t want to bother with this stuff. They’ve got more important issues to deal with, and I understand that. But unless we start reporting these incidents, they’re going to continue, and get worse.<br />
Yes, you’re right - that doesn’t seem like it’s enough to resolve the problem. Is there anything else we can do? I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. Let’s get a dialogue going and see if there’s a way we can make our waterways safer and more pleasant for all of us.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">There is one thing however - we need to demand that the police start aggressively going after these irresponsible boaters. When enough of the boating public speaks out, things will start to change. It’s on us to make it happen.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">For that reason, I ask you as fellow boaters to share this blog post to your own timeline, and to other boating groups you belong to. Make sure as many people as possible get the word. Just use the share button at the bottom of this page. Together, we can make boating safer, and more enjoyable.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Sail to the Sun ICW Roundup</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The 2019 Sail to the Sun ICW Rally is now 25% full, I’m happy to say, with a lot of inquiries coming in. I’m already in touch with several of the locations we visit to discuss this year’s itinerary. Our hosts at the marinas and towns we stop by are looking forward to welcoming the Rally crew again.<br />
The Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, for those not familiar with it, starts in Hampton VA and goes to Miami FL. We take two months, so it’s a very leisurely trip. Lots of time to explore, and relax while fleeing the cold north weather.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCI3uokGkW5kUQlnjzjIhi7Gncd6ppqjnwyVgiudvfKZ-W7OeoU3pGNTDgnc3wQjrDPhcblIT6-8kZ3njo55jbzl7unYD8pBZ4Ml2Nkt7jckE5u5ljj56dXaBtB-j_DrLoYl1S7gVnHyM/s1600/IMG_4542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCI3uokGkW5kUQlnjzjIhi7Gncd6ppqjnwyVgiudvfKZ-W7OeoU3pGNTDgnc3wQjrDPhcblIT6-8kZ3njo55jbzl7unYD8pBZ4Ml2Nkt7jckE5u5ljj56dXaBtB-j_DrLoYl1S7gVnHyM/s200/IMG_4542.JPG" width="150" /></a><span class="s1">There are a lot of intriguing events planned. For example, we’ll be visiting a rum distillery as all good pirates should. Also, we’ll visit a maritime museum in Beaufort and learn all about Edward Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard. A couple of days later, the town of Southport will host a dock party for us, one of many on our way south. Thanksgiving will be in St. Mary’s GA at the legendary Cruisers Thanksgiving Potluck. <br />
As always, we’ll stop at Windmill Harbor on Hilton Head to be treated like royalty by our wonderful hosts there.<br />
Hopefully, the town of Fernandina Beach will finally have its marina back in operation after hurricane damage repairs and we’ll spend a couple of days in this lovely small city. That’s after we leave Jekyll Island and Cumberland Island, exploring these locales. Both are exquisite, and in Cumberland, you’ll see wild horses, armadillos and sea turtles.<br />
One of the trip’s highlights is our stop in Cocoa. They roll out the red carpet for us with a courtesy van for provisioning, a mayor’s reception, a pub night with entertainment and for those who wish, a trip to the Kennedy Space Center. <br />
If you want more details on the Rally, you can go to the website, <a href="https://sailtothesun.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun</a>, and read more there. You can also <a href="mailto:ICW.Wally@gmail.com" target="_blank">request a Rally brochure</a> there from one of the links, or you can contact me directly <a href="mailto:ICW.Wally@gmail.com" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<br />Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-62399600236598472652019-04-15T21:52:00.000-04:002019-04-15T21:52:19.136-04:00Were we having fun? Sure looks like it!I was browsing through my files yesterday, trying to tidy up the computer, and got distracted by my photo file. I ended up reliving the past year on the water and the trip south with the crew of the 2018 Sail to the Sun ICW Rally. Looks like I was having way more fun than I realized!<br />
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The Sail to the Sun ICW Rally is now 25% full, so we're filling up faster than usual. If you're interested in more information about the Rally, click here: <a href="https://sailtothesun.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun</a></div>
<br />Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-63224436255995878512019-03-14T16:05:00.001-04:002019-04-02T10:14:04.520-04:00Moving Ahead with More Great Stuff...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As usual, January and February were busy months for me, preparing to head over to the Bahamas, plus doing some preparatory work on a new book. As a result, I have not been keeping this blog updated.<br />
The plan in 2019 is to post here at least a couple of times per month, and re-introduce some formerly very popular features such as our listings of free or nearly free sailboats. There is of course no such thing as a free sailboat, you’re going to spend a ton of money getting it ready to go, but… The thought is a nice one<br />
If you are aware of a free, or nearly free sailboat, send me the information with the link using the contact form, and I will post it here for others to view.<br />
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I've been remiss in summing up the 2018 Sail to the Sun ICW Rally. This year's Rally started off with 18 boats, the smallest being 26 feet and the largest nearly double that, a 50 foot Hunter. </div>
Interestingly enough, we had one person who had crossed the Pacific in his late teens, and two people who had done Atlantic crossings. There was some real sailing talent in this group. We had the usual mix of sailors hailing from the Northeast and Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay and even one from the west coast. All in all an interesting group of folks, and a lot of fun.<br />
We of course hit all of our regular stops - <a href="https://www.dowrycreekmarina.com/" target="_blank">Dowry Creek</a> (for the pilgrimage to the run distillery), <a href="https://orientalmarina.com/" target="_blank">Oriental</a> (where we had a huge shrimp boil), <a href="http://www.ospreymarina.com/" target="_blank">Osprey Marina</a> (great stopover), <a href="http://windmillharbourmarina.org/" target="_blank">Windmill Harbor Marina</a> (because it's so lovely and they treat us like kings and queens there), <a href="http://www.cmcevents.com/#" target="_blank">Charleston Maritime Center</a> (because it's SO well located to downtown Charleston), the St. Mary's Cruisers Thanksgiving Dinner, Cocoa FL (because they again treat us like kings and queens there)...<br />
As is expected of a group of sailors, there were many parties, dockside get-togethers and on board fun - such as the blue crab party in the ICW anchorage at the entrance to the Alligator Pungo Canal. I bought a bushel of blue crabs from a waterman I saw on the Albermarle ($30 if you can believe it!) and we feasted that night on the back of Irv and Bonnie Alpert's catamaran, Bonni Jean II. As always with blue crab, there was an awful mess left over when we were done, and I again thank Irv and Bonnie for hosting this messy - but tasty - event.<br />
These few pictures tell the story far better than I can, but as always, the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally was a huge, enjoyable good time for all.<br />
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For those interested in more information on the 2019 Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, go to <a href="http://www.sailtothesun.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun</a>, and if you'd like a brochure, <a href="http://icwally.com/icwally.com/Rally_Details.html" target="_blank">click here...</a></div>
I'm off to the Bahamas in a few days, so my next message will be from Bimini, or possibly the Abacos, depending on the upcoming weather. Cheers to all, and to my northerly readers, spring is coming. Be hopeful!<br />
<br />Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-84385554481186640922018-09-28T04:27:00.002-04:002018-09-28T04:43:42.618-04:00Yayyy! It's here!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As many of you know, I've been working on a book - what writer isn't? - and I'm super pleased to announce that it's finally available. It's called "<a href="https://www.seaworthy.com/product-p/978-1-948494-11-3.htm">The Un-Adult A-Rated Wally</a>", and it features sixteen of what I consider to be my best stories - un-cut, un-edited and un-usually fun reading. Some of the titles include "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Boat Show", "Zen and the Art of Furler Installation", "Paradise - Kiss it Goodbye", and of course, a story about my sailing partner and first pup, Aduana - "Man's Best <strike>Friend</strike> - First Mate". Notice how Aduana scored two photos on the cover? I've been photo bombed by my own dog!<br />
It's available right now from Seaworthy Publications, at<span style="background-color: white;"> <a href="https://www.seaworthy.com/product-p/978-1-948494-11-3.htm" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;" target="_blank">https://www.seaworthy.com/product-p/978-1-948494-11-3.htm</a> </span>and will shortly be available at Amazon.<br />
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Also - for those who will be at the Annapolis Boat Show, this year's <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-sail-to-the-sun-cruising-seminar-tickets-50087840078" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Cruising Seminar</a> will be on Monday, October 8 at the Annapolis Maritime Museum.<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"> a full day seminar discussing important cruising topics such as anchoring, crossing the Gulf Stream, cruising the ICW and hurricane preparation. Presenters include cruising experts Carolyn Shearlock (the Boat Galley), Dave Skolnick (past president of SSCA and delivery captain), Greg Kutson (owner of Mantus Anchors) and yours truly. Lunch and a happy hour is included. For more information,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-sail-to-the-sun-cruising-seminar-tickets-50087840078&source=gmail&ust=1538207491880000&usg=AFQjCNG0wyu3V8SGunOw-UzYYm9Hum-xRg" href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-sail-to-the-sun-cruising-seminar-tickets-50087840078" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>eventbrite.com/e/2018-sail-to-<wbr></wbr>the-sun-cruising-seminar-<wbr></wbr>tickets-50087840078</a></span><br />
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And that's it for today's blog post. Short and sweet, because I'm heading up the Chesapeake in the morning, and it's looking like the winds are favourable for a great day's sailing. See you at the show!</div>
Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-69043260638093874092018-09-18T15:03:00.001-04:002018-09-18T15:03:04.175-04:00Going with the Flo!<div class="p1">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijld7ZmPGbtIbLtqJEPcM0BZt5TTgRAqlqQYYYk3U21KK5uMocYT_Uu85vVOg38we4bQAaFWkW_nhOFvGIXv2fe1-orXatnkZQLvxES3PWotUXbHojJ7Z8C3_kPHm5ljUI1brp7ui32MCG/s1600/IMG_1109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijld7ZmPGbtIbLtqJEPcM0BZt5TTgRAqlqQYYYk3U21KK5uMocYT_Uu85vVOg38we4bQAaFWkW_nhOFvGIXv2fe1-orXatnkZQLvxES3PWotUXbHojJ7Z8C3_kPHm5ljUI1brp7ui32MCG/s320/IMG_1109.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Hurricane Florence was making her impending arrival in the neighbourhood known - winds were picking up and gusting to about 55. Although it had been raining off and on, the torrential downpours of later that evening had yet to materialize. It was looking to be a grim evening onboard Gypsy Wind, tied up at the head of a t-dock in River Dunes Marina, just outside of Oriental, NC.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">With sunset and the onset of the heavy rains and stronger still winds imminent, I took Aduana for her walk while being outside was still not totally an irrational place to be. A white Mercedes pulled up behind me, two ladies inside with travellers of white wine. This being the south, the driver, Cindy, politely introduced herself and her friend Hannah, and told me that if I wished, I was welcome to stay in Cindy’s guest house, two blocks up the way, rather than remain on the boat.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Thanking her, I said that I would consider it but since it wasn’t too bad on the boat (yet), I would probably remain there for the night. She assured me it was no inconvenience, that the pup and I would be much more comfortable, and if I changed my mind, just come on over.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I thought as they drove off that that was a lovely offer to make to a total stranger. ‘Only in the south’ I mused, does this happen.<br />Arriving back at the marina, I noted that the walkway to the dock was now six inches underwater and the docks themselves were floating four feet higher than a few hours earlier. There remained about another five feet to the tops of the pilings. And this was twelve hours before Florence even made landfall. I needed to think about this.<br />I had chosen to come to <a href="https://riverdunes.com/graceharbor">River Dunes Marina</a> to be safe and protect the boat. That’s because River Dunes is a well known hurricane hole. Marina manager Rich Beliveau is a friend and has been a marvellous supporter of and host to the <a href="http://www.sailtothesun.com/">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a> participants in years’ past.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Staying further south meant being too close to the storm if it made landfall as far north as some models predicted. Going further north, should there for any reason be a bridge closure at Alligator River, I’d be caught in an area with little protection from weather, and no resources or support. This was the best choice by far at a bad time.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">My boat, while heeling somewhat in the stronger gusts, was reasonably comfortable, but Aduana wasn’t real happy about that, and the noise of the wind now roaring through the stays. She stayed close by me, an indication of her nervousness.<br />My big concern was the rising waters - would they lift the docks above the pilings? This would make the entire dock, and the 25 or so boats on it, one big raft floating over to the other side of the lagoon - with me on the t-dock as the greeting committee when it hit the other shore. I was considering what to do to protect my boat, with all options made much more difficult by the now significantly stronger wind, rain and darkness.<br />Suddenly, a knock on the boat.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">“Let’s go, we’re getting you out of here” said the man on the dock, who I soon discovered was Cindy’s husband Gene. Since I had already started to put together some items, having decided to vacate the premises, it took only a few minutes to complete that process and get onto the dock with Gene.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Within a few minutes, I was ensconced in a lovely guest house behind Gene and Cindy’s home. Wood floors, two leather reclining chairs, hot shower, bath, and streaming video. ‘What could be better’, I asked myself.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Did I mention there was a fridge full of beer?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Then Cindy brought up an amazing homemade bean soup with corn bread for a light dinner. I was very grateful for this as I’d not had enough of an appetite earlier to cook for myself. Then came some great company as Ed and Hanna Miller joined Cindy and Ed to chat and enjoy a good cigar in my new abode.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">From hurricane to heaven, all in less than 30 minutes. Life was once again very good.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">It turns out that Ed is the developer of the River Dunes community. He assured me that the dock pilings were well anchored and that there was no danger to my boat.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">“Once the water gets high enough, it stops rising in the marina and starts to flood the property”, he told me.<br />Given that the docklines were tripled, I could now relax, knowing my boat was safe.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">After Flo Pool Party - see how stressed everyone is?</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">By the way, this is why hurricanes occur in the south - it gives southerners the opportunity to show the world what southern courtesy is all about, where total strangers become friends in a matter of moments. And it’s events such as these, when great things happen in the midst of strife or trouble, that keep me sanguine about the rough times.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">As those who know me know, in my life even the worst of times eventually turn into something great. It’s always been that way. You just have to have faith and believe in your heart that the world is a great place - because it is.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">As I write this, I’m looking at two white stripes marked on one of the trees behind the house. As long as the water didn’t get to the second white line during the night, which signified high water at the marina, all was good. Since I couldn’t get to the boat anyway in the event of high water, I simply didn’t look at the marks. What about the other mark? If the water reached that high, you reached for your water wings!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">This morning, with the change in wind direction, the water is now leaving the marina. The level is over a foot below the lower mark despite the continuing rain. The danger is past and I can relax. My biggest problem will be continuing north due to the debris picked up by the high waters from the storm. This problem will decrease as I move away from the storm battered region and head up to the Annapolis Sailboat Show, and the beginning of the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally a week later in Hampton VA.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The Rally has been described as “a two month long floating party”, which is not how I conceived it originally, but which has turned out to be a pretty fair assessment of the event.<br />I mean, consider all those wine and cheese parties, dinners and dock parties, dinghy raft ups, and even the occasional rum distillery tour for the pirates in the group. Most boaters heading south on the ICW worry about going aground - the Sail to the Sun participants worry about liver damage.<br />It truly is a good time, and along with the fun, we take away the concerns you might have of traveling this challenging waterway by providing expert knowledge of the entire 1095 miles of its route so as to avoid the various trouble spots along the way and keep you, and your boat, safe.<br />More than anything else, Rally folks are making new, wonderful lifetime friendships with people who are sharing the same adventure and together meeting the challenges and fun of a trip south with like minded sailors.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">There is one final spot available on this year’s Rally due to a participant unfortunately having to cancel last week due to an unexpected issue. If you’re interested in joining us, you can find more information at <a href="http://www.sailtothesun.com/"><span class="s2">www.SailtotheSun.com</span></a>, request a brochure and even sign up there.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">If you’re planning on heading south this fall, I hope you’ll consider joining us in what will become an adventure you’ll cherish forever.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">If you’re going south, even if not this year, you probably want more information about the hows of doing it safely. In that case, you should plan on attending the third annual Sail to the Sun Annapolis Cruising Seminar.<br />This full day seminar is held on the Monday of the Sailboat show, making this year’s date October 8. The speakers are all experienced cruising veterans with years of experience and thousands of miles of cruising under their keels. These are people who know what they’re doing and who can give you invaluable advice to make your ICW trip, and cruising in general, much easier.<br />Speakers this year include Carolyn Shearlock, of the Boat Galley blog, Greg Kutsen of Mantus Anchors, Dave Skolnick, delivery captain and past president of the Seven Seas Cruising Association, and myself. This year’s seminars are also 80 minutes long.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">That’s because, in past years, we’ve found that the well motivated cruising audiences were so eager for more information, and had so many questions, that a 60 minute seminar was simply too short to convey all the valuable information that speakers had. Everyone wanted longer seminars, so we’ve made that change for you.<br />Carolyn discusses preparing your boat for a hurricane - and having listened to her talk last year, and applied much of it to how I dealt with Flo, I can attest to how valuable her advice is. Carolyn’s boat was one of the very few to survive the massive destruction caused last year when Irma invaded Boot Key Harbor. This lady knows what she’s talking about, although we all sincerely hope you’ll never need to use her advice.<br />Greg Kutson is the president of Mantus Anchors, and before creating Mantus, he cruised full time. His experiences convinced him that a better anchoring solution was needed, and thus, the incomparable Mantus Anchor was created.<br />Greg discusses proper anchoring techniques which you can use with any anchor design. This is one of the top five or six seminars I have ever seen, in all my years of cruising, and if you enjoy sleeping comfortably while at anchor, it’s one you must see.<br />Everyone worries about crossing the Gulf Stream that first time - everyone except Dave Skolnick, who has done this more times and in more boats, than he can count. His seminar on crossing the Stream is guaranteed to give you the confidence you need to make this cruisers’ rite of passage with the assurance that you’re doing it right. Dave also busts some myths about how so called ‘experts’ say you must cross, but having put his advice to the test, I can assure you, he’s got the goods.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">I wrap the day up with my discussion on how to cruise the ICW, what to bring, what to leave behind, where the problem areas are and how to deal with them using my magical three word phrase, and much much more.<br />Along with all this great advice, you’ll have lots of time to ask your questions of the speakers. At the end of all this, we have a happy hour with drinks and nibbles during which you can meet the speakers and chat with them personally. Lunch is of course provided. For more information, or for tickets, click through to<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-sail-to-the-sun-cruising-seminar-tickets-50087840078"> www.eventbrite.com/</a></span></span></div>
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Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-48183756323745136402018-08-12T09:04:00.003-04:002018-08-12T09:04:46.065-04:00Where's Wally?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok, I admit it. I've been taking a break from blogging. If you blog, you know how challenging it can become. Between enjoying the Bahamas this past spring (ahhhh), putting the final touches on my new book (more on that in a bit!), my regular writing, organizing this year's Sail to the Sun ICW Rally (more on this too!), plus the usual rounds of boat fixin', rum drinkin' and socializing with fellow sailors, and then having my computer fail...<br />The Bahamas - as beautiful as ever, what can I say? I crossed over from Fort Lauderdale to West End, an uneventful crossing with some friends, Shawn and Shar, in their Pearson 35. We headed out onto the Banks the next day and were going to anchor at Carters Cay, about ten miles past Great Sale Cay. Then the fun started.<br />I was preparing to drop the anchor when I looked to the northwest. I saw what could best be described as a dark grey rug, all rolled up and coming our way, maybe five minutes tops to arrival. I've seen this before, it's never good, so I called Sean and Shar on the VHF. I suggested we hold off anchoring until that mess had gone through, that it would probably be 15 minutes of some blustery wind and rain.<br />Was I wrong! Almost an hour later, my bimini and dodger both torn off in what were probably 70 knot gusts, drenched to the skin in rain that at times was horizontal and stung when it hit, in a complete 'whiteout' for part of it, the winds finally fell back to 'blustery' and the rain was now merely heavy, rather than torrential. It's surprising how calm 25 knots is after experiencing 70.<br />
On the brighter side, we had both stayed in deeper water and protected our boats and, other than being somewhat rattled (!), we were good to continue. The lesson here is that had we opted to anchor, we wouldn't have had time enough to properly set the hook against winds of that strength - and we would have been within 200 yards of the shore in about 8 feet of water. Had either of our anchors not held, there was no guarantee that that boat wouldn't have been blown ashore, as the winds clocked a full 360° during that hour. I think they did anyway. The bread crumb trail on my chartplotter went in every direction.<br />That was the most excitement of the trip, fortunately. The most frustration was having my phone quit, and then trying to get it replaced in the Bahamas. Over the next three months (when I wasn't struggling with my phone company), I ventured as far as Little Harbour and Pete's Pub, hung out at Green Turtle Cay, Marsh Harbour, Hopetown and a few of the lesser cays in the area, did a little snorkeling, caught zero fish and generally had a great time, culminating in the Regatta Time in Abaco, a fun race series. Watch for an upcoming article in Cruising World, and check out this online article I wrote - <a href="https://www.cruisingworld.com/regatta-time-in-abaco" target="_blank">RTIA</a><br />On returning to the States - another easy Gulf Stream Crossing, this time West End to Palm Beach, I dealt with the usual round of fixing stuff that broke while in the islands - alternator and water pump this time around. The fun never ends, does it?<br />I'm now making my way up the east coast to Annapolis, and you can follow the trip at the <a href="https://bloggingtheicw.blogspot.com/p/wheres-wally.html" target="_blank">Where's Wally link</a>, which shows my position from my Delorme/Garmin Inreach unit. Later today, I'll be in St. Augustine before moving on to Fernandina Beach and into Georgia.<br />
I'm now looking at the final edit for my first book - "The Un-Adult, A-Rated Wally" - which is an anthology of 16 of my best stories. I've culled these gems from articles published in the past both in print and online, and added a few unpublished stories as well.<br />
It's a fun read - well, I had fun writing these stories and then polishing them up for the book - so I'm hoping you'll enjoy it too. Expect an announcement soon both here and on my Facebook pages when it's published.<br />
I'm quite excited about this - although it isn't my first published book, that was Cuba Bound and published by Waterway Guide, this is the first one under my own name. I promise you, it won't be the last. There are two more in the works now.<br />An update on my <a href="http://coppercoatusa.com/" target="_blank">Coppercoat epoxy</a> job: I'm very pleased. After a month on the ICW and three months in the Bahamas, there was no hard growth and the soft growth that was on the hull was wiped off with a scrub brush.<br />
On returning to the ICW, the product was really put to the test, in the nutrient rich waters at Cocoa. After three weeks, the prop was coated in barnacles to the point that it couldn't provide propulsion and had to be scraped. The hull had some growth at the waterline, but you could wipe it off with your hand - it simply didn't attach to the hull. I suspect that had I been moving and not anchored, even that little bit of growth would not have happened. So, I'm very pleased with the results of the product. When I next haul, I'll coat the prop as well and not have to deal with that job again.<br />Bottom line - the product isn't cheap, but it works as promised, provided you apply it according to the instructions. Here's the link for more information - <a href="http://coppercoatusa.com/" target="_blank">Coppercoat USA</a><br />
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Another product I'm super pleased with is my new Sigma Drive. It's a CV joint for your boat, and it has totally eliminated vibrations caused by misalignment in the drive train. It's very simple to install, and at around $550 isn't particularly cheap, but the reduction in noise and vibration are very noticeable. Watch for my upcoming article on this product in Cruising World.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.icwally.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a> is filling up rapidly - in fact, there are two spots only available as of today, and that only because one rallier had to back out due to a health issue. For those not familiar with the Sail to the Sun, it's a two month long rally from Hampton VA to Miami Fl on the Intracoastal Waterway.<br />It's been referred to as a "two month long floating party", and while it is a lot of fun, the goal is to make sure that the participants have a safe, enjoyable and stress free trip.<br />
The stress free aspect is aided along with lots of dock parties, wine and cheese receptions from marinas and cities and towns we visit, raft ups, a visit to a rum distillery...<br />Along with the 'stress elimination' aspects of the rally, there is also a day long seminar in Annapolis prior to the event. I have top rated speakers in to discuss cruising, with a focus on the ICW for first time cruisers, and ending with an open mic round table discussion where you can ask the group about your concerns. There is also a 'night before' discussion in Hampton where I again bring in speakers for the group during a wine and cheese 'meet and greet'.<br />This is the fifth year I have conducted this rally, and each year it keeps getting better. Of course, each year's 'graduating' class deems itself the best, and to be honest? They're all right about that!<br />If you have questions about the Rally, you can find answers at the Rally website, <a href="http://www.icwally.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun</a> or you can email me using the pop up on this page, or from the website. You can also request a Rally brochure from the site. Hope to see you this fall for 'the most fun on the ICW'.<br />That's it for today - time to get the anchor up and head off for St. Augustine.<br /><br />Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-79935074873945452922018-03-03T18:45:00.005-05:002018-03-03T19:33:28.250-05:00Time for a Little Ranting...<style type="text/css">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1wJn4lzwAg092xNv0hCBRzJDiLUbSJKgDn7Es9QDTT3avkh7okbDjTvE1uhMz4a-E32n_xrwBMYRcTKz_2Op3SGCjfGTgO_g-VUvZiI49InhpkYfZFVaImTp31Y2JQJ7eC42MkKQTak/s1600/rally-visit-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1wJn4lzwAg092xNv0hCBRzJDiLUbSJKgDn7Es9QDTT3avkh7okbDjTvE1uhMz4a-E32n_xrwBMYRcTKz_2Op3SGCjfGTgO_g-VUvZiI49InhpkYfZFVaImTp31Y2JQJ7eC42MkKQTak/s320/rally-visit-4.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="s1">Over the years, I’ve sounded off about people who make the ICW sound like a dangerous and frightening trip. Almost every time, the speaker, writer or blogger is someone who is trying to make a buck out of his baloney, selling a guide, or boating book, or, in the case of the ex-lawyer turned cruiser I’m about to discuss, hyping a Patreon page to support his travel. These people seem to think that drama sells, that making everything on a boat sound apocalyptic is the way to get clicks. <br />
How about they try for some honesty, some factual data, some accuracy and see how that works? It’s how I built my reputation as a boating writer, it’s why my editors publish my material, it’s why people trust my information. I’m proud of that too, which is why you’ll never see anything bogus from this keyboard.<br />
So to continue, a friend contacted me this evening, worried about a video he’d just watched about St. Andrew’s Sound in Georgia. “Reading bad stuff about that!!! Is there a way to miss it??” he said, referring to the area.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">He was very concerned, as he’s looking forward to doing the ICW in 2019 with his wife and doesn’t want her scared. This video was not a good advertisement for that part of the trip.<br />
He had been watching a VLOG put out by a new ICW cruiser, someone who left Norfolk in January, 2017 - after contacting me for advice on the correct anchor size and type, as he was, to quote “First time down ICW - newbie sailor, in general”.<br />
His big concern was that, without a windlass, would he be able to retrieve the 12 kg anchor he was considering replacing his Danforth with? And since he has no windlass, he didn’t want to try it first - “…but not sure I should test it anchored out”, so he asks me my opinion, telling me he has good upper body strength. (Insert major eyeroll here). This isn’t even considering the fact that a 12 kilo anchor is far too small for an 11,000 pound 34 foot boat, something else he seemed not to realize.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">While I admire his good judgement in consulting with me, an expert on boating or the ICW he is not, and his VLOG demonstrates that. It isn’t quite as cringeworthy as Redford’s ‘All is Lost’, but it’s in the running.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">This guy, an educated professional, is now online sounding off like he’s an expert, and he has a Patreon following, earning $150 per video. So he’s not stupid. But he’s contacting me for anchoring advice? Are these people sure they really want to follow this guy for his advice? Entertainment value, sure, but boating and cruising advice?</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In any event, his video - I will not perpetuate the crime by identifying who this guy is or where you can view the video - purports to show just how dangerous, how frightening, crossing through St. Andrews Sound is. To that end, he shows charts (but calls them “maps”), talks about other sources of information (not good ones) and reproduces comments from people who went through the Sound in bad conditions - and then has a video of a boat in a storm supposedly crossing through the Sound. It looks terrifying, especially if you’re new to the ICW.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I lost it at that point - here’s a screenshot of what I posted to this guy’s Facebook page</span></div>
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- and this is the fourth edit of what I wrote originally. The first one would have blistered your skin, I was so angry with this loon and his bad, dishonest advice.<br />
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<span class="s1">In another video - he’s apparently got over 100 out now - he discusses a near miss with a container ship coming in to Norfolk, and the “15 foot wake” the vessel put out that his boat fell off of “with a thud”.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">While I admire good fiction, there’s no more accurate way to describe that claim than as complete and utter BS. I’ve never seen a wake bigger than 6 feet from a freighter. Based on the marina he was coming from, he shouldn’t have been any closer than three miles to the ship’s channel except for the last two miles he covered, and by then, those ships have slowed down considerably. Of course, if he sailed straight out to the ship’s channel rather than staying well inshore in 20+ feet of water…but why would he do that, if he did? Oh, right, he’s a newbie.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">For someone who’s not ever been through this area before, the thought of a fifteen foot ship’s wake is frightening - completely false, but frightening - and this guy makes it sound even worse than it is. It’s totally unfair to new cruisers to put this garbage out because you need a few extra clicks to get new rigging for your boat - which it appears from his page is his current project needing funding.<br />
Sorry if that sounds ‘mean’ - but when it’s your turn to head out, I want you to enjoy your trip south, not spend every moment terrified that you’re going to go aground, sink, be swallowed up by the demons in St. Andrews Sound, run over by a freighter or capsized by the tsunami sized wake from one - or all of the above! That takes away a lot of the fun of the trip.<br />
If it means calling out the people who produce this kind of crap, well, that’s what I’ll do.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Now, here are the facts about St. Andrew’s Sound.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It’s the one portion of the ICW where you actually go out into the Atlantic for a few short minutes as you round ‘R32’ before turning back in. It can get quite rough in wind against tide situations - which is just fine, because it means you get to spend an extra day at Jekyll Creek Marina, on a lovely island with a great marina restaurant and lots of interesting places to explore. Or you can hang out in one of the best anchorages on the ICW if you prefer. You’d have to be a bit of a masochist to challenge St. Andrew’s Sound - or any of the big Georgia sounds - in bad weather, and that’s not why we go cruising in any event, is it?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Andrews Sound/Umbrella Cut</td></tr>
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If you’re really determined to get south RIGHT NOW! TODAY! and St. Andrews Sound is in a state, there’s always Umbrella Cut, an alternative route that is comfortably done in any weather on half tide and rising and that goes nowhere near the Atlantic Ocean.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">You see, that’s the difference between knowledge and newbies….this Vblogger likely has no idea that Umbrella Cut even exists as an alternative to St. Andrews Sound. I mean, it’s shown on the chart, (or “map” as he calls it), but I’m quite sure he doesn’t know that.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">In the chartlet, you can see the aids to navigation leading up to it (middle left), and the exit from Floyd’s Creek at the south on the Cumberland River end. I’d provide a more detailed chart, but the charts on my computer don’t cover the cut although it’s on my paper charts and plotter.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Should you take this route, get local info from the guys at the marina as the locals use it all the time, and be sure to do it on a rising tide. It’s also written up online in Cruisers’ Net, which is an excellent source of information. Minimum depths are reported to be 5 - 8 feet at MLW.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As for Hampton Roads, this guy describes the entrance as very narrow. It’s not - it’s over 3/4 of a mile wide. If you stay at the northern edge of the big ship channel as you come in from the Chesapeake, you’ll be in over 40 feet of water and a considerable distance from the big ships - certainly more than far enough away for safety. If you’re on the south side as he appears to have been, you should be able to remain a quarter mile away from any large vessels.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I actually enjoy a lot of the VLOGS I see produced, but if you choose to blog or vblog, be honest with your readers and viewers. Add to the knowledge out there, not to the piles of BS. If you’re new to cruising, discuss your concerns, discuss your thinking as you work your way through the challenges you face, discuss what worked for you and what didn’t.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Don’t pretend, as this guy does, that you’re some sort of expert, especially if you're trying to make a buck at it. You’ll get a lot more brownie points for an honest discussion of the facts, and you’ll leave behind a much cleaner wake.<br />
It’s been suggested to me that I do the Patreon thing as this guy has, get people to pay so much per blog post, per video, that I have a large enough readership that I could do very well at it. I’ve thought about it of course, but something about the ‘begging boater’ thing has always bothered me. Tonight, thinking about this guy’s VLOG and Patreon page, I finally figured it out.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In all the years I’ve been sailing, I’ve never once had someone not a professional ask me to pay them for advice - and I’ve had a great many pros offer free advice to be fair to them. A great deal of what I know, and all of what I’ve accomplished, can be traced back to the help, advice, assistance and knowledge that other, more knowledgeable cruisers have given me, free of charge except maybe a beer or three. That’s a price I’m happy to pay - or be paid!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">That’s a big part of what sailing and cruising is about - sharing the knowledge we have to help others along, just as others helped us when we were new to the lifestyle. Begging for boatbucks just isn’t how I want to make my way.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I spend a lot of hours with people online, in print and in person, providing advice. I’m happy to do it, and I actually have been rewarded for these efforts. Here’s an example…</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Years ago, I was coming into Covered Portage Cove in Georgian Bay, a favourite anchorage of mine I’ve written about in a national magazine. I was watching a boat leave the Cove and hailed them on the VHF, advising them to turn to port as they were too close to a rock at the edge of the channel.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">They safely cleared it and as they came past me, the guy’s wife yells out - “Hey, it’s Gypsy Wind, you’re Wally! We read your article and we came here because of it. Thanks for helping us out.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">That’s what I call a great payday! The best thing is, we can all earn that reward, or call it karma if you want, simply by being there for other boaters. You don’t have to write for a national magazine, or do boat show presentations. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Cruising Update - I’ve finished my maintenance at Green Cove Springs and am now heading south again, bound for Miami and then over to the Bahamas. The boat is running well, and if the winds would only co-operate a little more, all would be perfect.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">I’ve bought a new inflatable, so I’m selling my ten foot aluminum dinghy. It’s a v-bottom, and will handle a 6 hp outboard. It rows very well. If you’re interested in a really tough little boat as a tender, contact me about it using the popup on the page here. I’ll deliver on the east coast of Florida as I go by!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My ten foot aluminum dinghy</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">I am updating the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally page and hope to have it completed shortly with an updated itinerary. Otherwise, the information on the site is up to date. If you have questions about the Rally, or would like a Rally brochure, you can contact me at <a href="mailto:ICW.Wally@gmail.com"><span class="s2">ICW.Wally@gmail.com</span></a>. The Rally is quickly starting to fill up, with six spots confirmed, so if you plan on joining up this year, don't hesitate.<br />
This year’s Rally starts on October 15 in Hampton VA and ends in Miami on December 12. Along with the usual dock parties, potlucks, raftups, marina wine and cheeses and royal welcomes, we’ll also be enjoying a tour of a rum distillery, and a safari at a wild game park at one of our stops, and a tour of the Kennedy Space Center at Port Canaveral, to name just a few of the planned excursions.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Ralliers will also get free admission to the one day Sail to the Sun ICW Cruising Seminar during the Annapolis Sailboat Show, and there is of course the grande finale in Miami.<br />
And I promise you we’ll get through St. Andrews Sound, safely and without drama.</span></div>
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<br />Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-18392867666842866542018-02-13T22:06:00.000-05:002018-02-13T22:06:00.133-05:00Wally? Hello? Wally, you here?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi everyone - yes, I'm here. Been real busy and you're going to love love love the reason I haven't been blogging lately...I'm just finishing up my first book! Yes!<br />I signed the agreement just after the New Year and am now sourcing the photos for this project, which is tentatively named 'The Un-Adult, A-Rated Wally'.<br />This book, to be published by Seaworthy Publications, is a compilation of some past work and will contain 16 stories, some published and some blog posts, and several never before published gems - gems in my opinion anyhow, even if I couldn't get some short sighted editor to agree with me, much less pay me for the piece.<br />Here are some of the chapter titles: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Boat Show, A Visit to Yeehaw Junction, Pitchpoled!, Cuba's North Coast, Zen and the Art of Furler Installation, Paradise - Kiss it Goodbye, and more!<br />
This anthology will be available by this summer, and I'll happily sign your copy! So yes, I'm jazzed about this.<br />
Best of all, I'm also working on a second book, one that will be mandatory for anyone travelling on the ICW. Stay tuned for more information on both titles.<br />
In addition to writing, I'm also doing a <a href="http://www.coppercoatusa.com/" target="_blank">Coppercoat</a> epoxy bottom job on Gypsy Wind. This product, which takes a considerable amount of preparation to apply, will give me ten years before I have to do a bottom job again. Mind you, after all this work, it'll be ten years before I want to do it again!<br />Be watching for an upcoming article on this product in Cruising World. Given the legislation that many jurisdictions are putting in the way of anti fouling products, you may well want to consider this product for your own boat.<br />Once that job is done, (in the next day or so), and a couple of other minor maintenance jobs, I'll be back in the water and on my way to the Bahamas. And let me tell you, after two months of being on the hard at Green Cove Springs, I can't wait! I can only handle so much fun. I need to go sailing, and soon.<br />Some Sail to the Sun ICW Rally news - we finished the Rally in mid December in Miami. Before arriving there, we had some amazing fun times in Charleston, Windmill Harbor on Hilton Head, St. Mary's Thanksgiving Cruisers' Potluck, Fernandina Beach... Then there was the premiere full day seminar at Cocoa, which featured Fatty Goodlander as keynote speaker, plus Pam Wall and several other top notch speakers.<br />Members of this year's group are now in the Bahamas, Mexico and throughout Florida and the Keys. I hope to catch up with a few of them in the Abacos very soon, it was a great trip south.<br />
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The Sail to the Sun Cocoa Cruising Seminar in early December was a huge hit, with over 100 in attendance for a very long day - from 9 pm until after 7, with lunch, dinner, drinks and a lot of great cameraderie. We'll be doing it again, so don't miss out!<br />We'll have a professionally produced video of the entire seminar's presentations available very shortly - be watching, as it is an amazing cruising resource, with over four hours of Fatty's incomparable wisdom, plus another six hours of great stuff from Lee Chesneau (weather), Mike Gianotti (electronics), Pam Wall (Bahamas and Gulf Stream) and yours truly (Cuba).<br />Special thanks to everyone who made this amazing event happen, and especially the folks at the Historic Cocoa Village Association, and Brad Whitmore, who basically put this all together. Great work guys.<br />This year's Sail to the Sun ICW Rally registration is now well under way, with several boats signing up at the Toronto Boat Show. This year's brochure is now available, you can email me <a href="mailto:ICW.Wally@gmail.com" target="_blank">at this link for a copy</a>. If you're going south this fall, don't hesitate to sign up, as registration is limited and you don't want to miss out.<br />Along with all of our usual great events, such as this year's new Rum Distillery tour, we're going to add an African Lion Safari in 2018. That's what I love about the ICW - there's always something new, and this year, I found a game park just a few miles off the ICW.<br />Now that's almost as good as seeing a full sized elephant beside the ICW in the Myrtle Beach area - no kidding! Here's the photo in case you think I'm kidding you...<br />
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If you want more information on the 2018 Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, you can check out the website at www.ICWally.com - or contact me directly for more information at <a href="mailto:www.ICW.Wally@gmail.com" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a>. This is year 5 - can you believe it! - and I've got some special events planned to celebrate, including a reunion of the four previous events, plus this year's group. Stay tuned for details.<br />
Ok, that's it for now, but I promise I'll blog more regularly from here on in - I have had a lot going on, and sometimes, you just have to take a break. Like Mom said, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'. That didn't seem to work with Lori Lynn Green, but we were in grade seven, so who knows?<br />
Final comment - be watching in Cruising World for some of my upcoming articles, including an update on Cuba regulations, East Coast Hurricane Holes and more.<br /><br />
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Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-82347620392951730032017-11-10T13:25:00.004-05:002017-11-18T00:01:49.792-05:00Cuba Webinar, Cocoa Seminars, the ICW Rally and ICW news....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is so much going on right now, it's hard to know what to tell you first, but let's see what I can do. This post is going to be short and sweet, but full of stuff you need to know!<br />
First, let me remind you of the full day cruising seminar in Cocoa, on December 2. Our feature speaker is Fatty Goodlander, who will give the keynote address, and in the afternoon do a three hour cruising seminar. You can find more details, and get your tickets at <a href="http://visitcocoavillage.com/cruising-seminar/" target="_blank">Cocoa Cruising Seminar</a>.<br />
Let me remind you, this will be Fatty's last US appearance before he takes off into the blue on his fourth circumnavigation. I will be speaking on Cuba, and Pam Wall will be discussing crossing the Gulf Stream and cruising in the Bahamas. You don't want to miss this event.<br />
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Ok, next up - the new Cuba regulations have come out and are now in effect. Things are significantly different. If you are considering a cruise to Cuba, you'll need to know what's going on and what has changed.<br />
I'll be doing an online webinar on the topic on Monday, November 14 at 7 pm EST - here's the link for that: <a href="https://youtu.be/vEUGnaEh3C0" target="_blank">Cuba Cruising Seminar - the New Rules</a> You can set a reminder for yourself by clicking on the 'reminder link' on the youtube page.<br />
The Sail to the Sun ICW Rally is now in Charleston at Charleston Resort Harbor Marine, and everyone is having a great time. This Rally was called by one observer "a two month floating party" and it most certainly is that. Stay tuned for another blog post next week with a full update on the Rally, including photos.<br />
Lastly, if you're looking for top notch ICW navigation information, one of the people you need to be following is Tom Hale. Case in point - the New River Inlet in North Carolina has shoaled significantly in the past year, and following the magenta line at anything less than half tide is a guarantee that you're going to be calling your towing service.<br />
With 14 boats to bring through the area and at low tide no less, I was desperate for good information, so I called up Tom, a long time friend. Tom is a couple of days ahead of us, and he had the waypoints to get us through the inlet. I saw no less than 9 feet under the keel using his waypoints.<br />
Tom, thanks again for your help. Much appreciated.<br />
That's it for today - I'm off to join the group and explore Charleston.<br />
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<br />Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-84099662035900509302017-10-28T16:32:00.003-04:002017-10-28T16:43:02.416-04:00Sail to the Sun is Off Again!<div id="fb-root"></div>
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It's been a busy, busy time here preparing and then launching this year's Sail to the Sun ICW Rally. Thank God I love what I do, because why else would I work this hard? That, and the amazing and wonderful people I meet through this Rally make it all worth the effort.<br />
We started off with an amazing day long seminar at the Annapolis Maritime Museum on the Monday of the boat show. Our lead speaker was again Lin Pardey, discussing the "Unstoppable Boat", one of her favourite seminar topics.<br />
In short order, we presented Dave Skolnick with his superb seminar on crossing the Gulf Stream. This was and is a must see for anyone heading to the Bahamas. Jeff and Jean Grossman discussed cruising as a couple, which is a well received seminar for those new to cruising. After lunch, Greg Kutsen of Mantus Anchors discussed proper anchoring techniques and this is one of the best seminars I've ever seen on the topic. Carolyn Shearlock of The Boat Galley discussed hurricane preparation, and the audience was riveted to their seats by this one as you can imagine. Yours truly rounded out the day with my Sailing South on the ICW presentation.<br />
Then we all had nibbles and drinks. It was an excellent day, with everyone very pleased with the presentations they viewed and the quality of the speakers and information, so... be on the lookout for more of the <a href="http://visitcocoavillage.com/cruising-seminar/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun Cruising Seminars</a>, such as the one featuring <a href="http://visitcocoavillage.com/cruising-seminar/" target="_blank">Fatty Goodlander in Cocoa,</a> Florida on December 2.<br />
The Rally group met up at Bluewater Marina in Hampton on November 18, where we again had two great speakers:<br />
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my friend Ed Tillet of Waterway Guide, and Paul from the Salty Dog Rally, who spoke about their very different offshore rally. After he had heard about the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, this offshore sailor suggested that maybe he was on the wrong rally, ours sounded like more fun!<br />
And it has been fun! Our first night out we landed at the Great Bridges lock, where we immediately headed for the Dairy Queen. Our second night out, in Coinjock, we went out for the best prime rib on the ICW. I'm sure I heard some groans as chairs were pushed away from tables after that night.<br />
The following evening, we anchored out at Tuckahoe Point, the photo you see above - and thanks to Bill Ouellette from the 2016 Rally for that beautiful photo of a very quiet night. Well, quiet if you don't count the laughter from the Rally boats that is.<br />
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The following night we were in <a href="https://www.dowrycreekmarina.com/" target="_blank">Dowry Creek Marina</a>, just outside of Belhaven, NC. Dowry Creek has been a favourite stop for snowbirds for many years, and was purchased last year by Neil O'Neal. I'm pleased to say that everything you loved about Dowry Creek while Mary was running it - the friendly greetings, great service, clean showers and washrooms, etc., is still there. Except it's even better - Neal and his crew are improving on what was one of the best ICW marinas anywhere!<br />
For example - Neal rented a van to bring the group to the <a href="http://scottspointdistillery.com/pamlico-rum.html" target="_blank">Scott Point Distillery in Bath, home of Pamlico Rum!</a> Yes, a tour of a rum distillery for our budding pirates. We then ran out and purchased all of the available Pamlico Rum in both Bath and Belhaven. Pirates got to have their booty!<br />
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And yes, as you can see, even the young 'uns on the trip (on Paradise Nine) were flying high as we crossed the Albermarle in amazingly light winds.<br />
The weather gods had a surprise for us however. We had a violent and unpredicted storm strike us in the night while at Dowry Creek. By 2:30 am winds had gusted to over 50 mph and everyone was awake, helping one another add additional lines, and retie boats where lines were loose. Several of us helped tie down a flapping genoa on one boat despite winds still in the high teens. Our young family on Paradise Nine headed for the Captain's Lounge where they spent the night on the couches there. Good decision.<br />
As these middle of the night squalls usually are, this was an 'adventure' no one wanted, but everyone got through. I suspect, but do not know, that some of the Pamlico Rum purchased that day was imbibed after everyone returned to their own boats.<br />
While there was some cosmetic damage, no one in the group suffered serious damage, for which we're all grateful. Even that flapping genoa only needs the suncover replaced, there was no other damage. <br />
One Canadian trawler with a young couple aboard suffered serious damage to the rails and swim platform of their boat, but word is, insurance kicked in and they'll be fine.<br />
So the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally got off to a fine start, with fun, adventure, potential danger, ice cream, prime rib and rum.<br />
Join us for our next blog post as we head to River Dunes and a shrimp BBQ, then Beaufort and Southport. Also, I'll be introducing you to some of this year's Ralliers. <br />
You can follow us online as we Sail to the Sun at the <a href="https://bloggingtheicw.blogspot.com/p/wheres-wally.html" target="_blank">Where's Wally page</a> - and for those who reported problems with the page - thank you, and the problems are fixed.
<div class="fb-like" data-href="https://bloggingtheicw.blogspot.com/2017/10/sail-to-sun-is-off-again.html" data-width="40" data-layout="button_count" data-action="like" data-size="large" data-show-faces="true" data-share="true"></div>Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-68592054535910152342017-09-24T12:58:00.001-04:002017-09-26T23:59:10.168-04:00A Rough Couple of Weeks for Boaters...<div id="fb-root"></div>
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We all watched with some trepidation, and others with outright fear, as an alphabet soup of hurricanes descended on the Caribbean, US east coast and the Gulf Coast. Harvey, Irma, José and Maria have accounted for countless hours of websurfing and tv watching as boaters and others scoured the media for news of where these daemons were going to go in the US.<br />
How many of you now, when you turn on your phone, now have an image link to the National Hurricane Center, or Tropical Tidbits because you've viewed them so frequently? I do. It's funny, except that it's not. That behaviour was a reflection of real fear and concern.<br />
José fortunately didn't cause any serious problems. Maria seems like she might brush up against Hatteras, or possibly make the northeast coast somewhat breezier than normal. She ripped up Puerto Rico however and, coupled with that island's other issues, they've got big problems to work through now.<br />
Not so Harvey and Irma, which have caused huge, frightening damage along their paths, with the Florida Keys being horrifically hit. Friends have been sending me photos and videos of the damage there and throughout the Caribbean - it's staggering. I have no idea how the affected Caribbean islands are going to recover. The charter industry there is, in my opinion, decimated for at least the next two years as charter companies, owners and insurance firms deal with the hundreds of boats destroyed.<br />
For those heading south this year and thinking of the Keys, I strongly suggest you monitor events there and be prepared to reconsider. They simply might not be able to handle an influx of cruisers this winter. We'll know more over the next couple of months as they start the rebuilding process.<br />
On the bright side, and there IS a bright side to all of this despite the tragedies, lost lives and shattered dreams for which we all mourn - the boatbuilding industry is going to have a busy few years, which will be good for all of us. For those rebuilding boats, there's going to be a surfeit of boat parts available as destroyed boats are taken apart.<br />
Anyone selling a new or newish catamaran, and certain monohulls that work well in the charter industry, is going to get top dollar for their boat as the charter industry attempts to put boats back in place.<br />
On a personal note, four of my friends lost boats to Irma, and a fifth friend's boat took serious damage from Maria in Puerto Rico. Two good friends, former Sail to the Sun Ralliers, were trapped on Sint Maarten by Irma while awaiting parts; they were unable to escape.<br />
Due to the incompetency of Canada's Global Affairs division, they spent several days living in fear of running out of food, and of looters and rioting. Meanwhile, the American government had eight flights a day taking their citizens out of the dangerous conditions on the island. I am furious with my government over this, and have said so in a letter to my friends' federal Member of Parliament and the mayor of their hometown.<br />
And no, I haven't heard back from them and don't expect to.<br />
Let me lighten up here now. As usual with disasters of any sort, someone always finds something funny to say to pick up people's spirits. The best chuckle I've heard involves President Trump, and whether you lean left or right, it's a good one...<br />
<i>We now know that the President has control of the weather via his immigration policy. José and Maria didn't land in the US, but Harvey and Irma did. BADA BOOM! </i><br />
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For those of you paying attention, you know that Sail to the Sun now has two full day Cruising Seminars underway. Between the two seminars, we are bringing you the very best speakers in the cruising lifestyle, people who really know what they are doing and who want to share their knowledge with you.<br />
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The first seminar series, featuring Lin Pardey, is at the Annapolis Sailboat Show. Lin will be discussing her 'Creating the Unstoppable Cruising Boat". Lin tells me "<i>Unstoppable Boat is one seminar I enjoy doing</i>", so this will be a fun talk from one of our cruising world's true icons.<br />
Along with Lin, we have captains Jeff and Jean Grossman discussing how to work effectively as a cruising couple. We've all seen THAT captain who yells at his wife who, on the bow, struggles with getting a heavy anchor over, or throwing lines to a dockhand, and we don't want to be that couple! <span style="text-align: center;">It's a fun seminar with lots of useful information.</span><br />
Captain Dave Skolnick (past president of the SSCA) smashes some hoary myths about crossing the Gulf Stream, such as never crossing when the letter 'N' is in the forecast. With many years of delivery experience behind him, Dave knows what he's talking about and this is a seminar from which even old Bahamian hands will take away great information to make their crossings easier and faster. I know that last years Sail to the Sun ICW Ralliers enjoyed it and it helped make their Gulf Stream crossings easier.<br />
Greg Kutsen, of Mantus Anchors, gives what I consider to be the best seminar on anchoring I've ever seen. If sleeping well at anchor matters to you, this is a 'must see' seminar. Best of all, you don't have to have a Mantus anchor to take advantage of these tips and Greg doesn't base his seminar on his product either. Special thanks also to <a href="https://www.mantusmarine.com/" target="_blank">Mantus</a> for sponsoring our full day seminar. You can see their product line here - and if you want a special seminar discount on any <a href="https://www.mantusmarine.com/" target="_blank">Mantus</a> product, contact me directly using the popup in the lower left corner.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeSsSMylCrlXUxwtnZ3d3Xscao2oEa3zs1LDCnKCs2cb5IVsi-w1IVR99hpcuKUZIx7gEPMJ3S1nw-MUmWHo_s6inGjlV6mH4b4sm4PqGJX8JJCI20MSKrozr9Htybwr6Yy_-aLX17wg/s1600/Irma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="560" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeSsSMylCrlXUxwtnZ3d3Xscao2oEa3zs1LDCnKCs2cb5IVsi-w1IVR99hpcuKUZIx7gEPMJ3S1nw-MUmWHo_s6inGjlV6mH4b4sm4PqGJX8JJCI20MSKrozr9Htybwr6Yy_-aLX17wg/s320/Irma.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Boat Galley's well loved Carolyn Shearlock will be discussing <strike>"Provisioning for Cruisers Made Easy</strike>" Hurricane Preparation and How to Protect Your Boat".<br />
I didn't know until about five minutes ago that Carolyn got her start writing by discussing hurricane preparedness.<br />
Let me tell you how good she is - her Gemini catamaran 'Barefoot Gal' was one of the few boats in the Boot Key Harbor mooring field that survived Irma - not only survived, but with very minimal damage. In her usual humble fashion, Carolyn says this was partly due to luck, but frankly, her extensive preparations were the key to this outcome.<br />
This may well be the most valuable cruising seminar you'll ever hear. For a taste of this seminar, check out the Boat Galley's blogpost "<a href="https://theboatgalley.com/barefoot-gal-survive-irma/" target="_blank">How Did She Survive Irma?</a>"<br />
Leaving the best (and least humble!) to last, I will be discussing the "First Timer's Guide to Sailing South". This is my signature seminar and is based on 30 successful AND enjoyable transits on the ICW. You're cruise south on the ICW can be a purgatory, or a pleasure. I'll tell you how to make it a pleasure.<br />
After all of this great stuff, we are featuring a Round Table Question and Answer session so that you can ask the speakers the questions that are vexing you. For example, what are Dave Skolnick's tips on cooking on a boat galley, since he's an amateur boat chef. Or Jeff and Jean's tips on buying a cruising boat? They consult with purchasers to assist them in making the right decision. What was Lin's most frightening moment?<br />
You might want to ask Greg how <a href="https://www.mantusmarine.com/" target="_blank">Mantus Anchors</a> came to be, or about the places he's visited as a full time cruiser.<br />
Lunch is included of course, and after all of this thirst making work, we've got a happy hour for you where you can meet the speakers personally.<br />
It's going to be a great seminar, and I invite you to join us at 8:30 on October 9, at the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Here's a link to more information, including ticket information - <a href="http://icwally.com/icwally.com/Annapolis_Seminar.html" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Cruising Seminar</a>. Remember, seating is limited, so don't wait to purchase your tickets.<br />
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If you've been considering joining the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally this fall, leaving Hampton on October 19, you still have time to sign up - we have one spot left due to a family crisis that caused one couple to have to postpone their trip south to next year. <br />
For more information and to receive a Rally brochure, or to sign up, click through to '<a href="http://icwally.com/icwally.com/Join_Us_Now.html" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a>'. It's a "two month floating party" according to one participant, and the most fun you'll have sailing south. And that's what it's all about, right?<br />
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<br />Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-37622126864280333662017-09-02T07:54:00.001-04:002017-09-07T10:56:25.861-04:00Look Out! Here Comes Irma!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="s1">No sooner is Harvey over than Irma starts heading towards the Lesser Antilles packing a punch, then becoming a Cat 4 storm. The photos of the immense damage it has already caused are startling. It's the second largest hurricane ever in the Atlantic Basin. <br />I have always been nervous about hurricanes starting with ‘I’. Isabel was my first hurricane, coming the same year I bought Gypsy Wind, and ever since then, ‘I’ storms have somehow seemed to be the ones that cause me issues. Hopefully Irma will be a lady and behave, but it's not looking good at the moment.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Initially, there are two trains of thoughts about Irma. One was that it would go east and then north, heading up into Florida. The other, and early indications were that this would the one to bet on, it would turn north early, missing Florida and either stay out to sea, or head into the Carolinas.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">The end result now depends on a cold front coming down from Canada. If it moves Irma east at all, we get a break. If not… In the meantime, GO CANADA!</span></div>
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<span class="s1">For those interested in an easy to understand analysis of tropical weather systems, go to <a href="http://www.tropicaltidbits.com/" target="_blank">Tropical Tidbits</a>. This guy really simplifies things. For those more technically minded, Mikes Weather Page, also known as Spaghetti Models, might be your cup of tea.</span><br />
I am currently hiding out in a marina on the Canaveral barge canal that is known as a superb hurricane hole. There are 20 foot embankments all around the marina, and a line of large trees to the north, the direction from which the winds should come. The marina is entirely enclosed, so there's no danger from wave action. I'm quite confident all will be OK.</div>
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<span class="s1">I finally got the parts in to repair my transmission coupler. The problem was that I was told last year by a so called pro that I could use a one inch split coupler on a 25 mm prop shaft (one inch = 25.4mm). “That’s what all the mechanics do” he tells me. While that teeny difference doesn’t sound like it should be a problem, it was - and I have the badly damaged shaft coupler to prove it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
To make a long story short, I ordered a 25mm split coupler from Britain, along with an R&D flex coupling, which is often referred to as a 'drivesaver'. Interestingly enough, the cost of the flex coupling was 1/3 of its price in the US. Including shipping, my cost for the two items was within two dollars of the US price of the flex coupling alone. Delivery was three days. I hate to buy from offshore, but paying three times the price? That's just wrong.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The parts are now installed and everything is looking good. Be watching for the whole story in a future issue of Cruising World.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">As those of you who are members of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/SailorsandCruisers" target="_blank">Sailing and Cruising</a>, on Facebook, know, there are two exciting Sail to the Sun Seminar days coming up this fall. Both are geared towards supporting the specific interests of cruisers with a need to know what to expect and the speakers’ lineup reflects that.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The first seminar will be held at the Annapolis Sailboat Show on Monday October 9. Our keynote speaker will again be Lin Pardey, and she will be discussing how to make your boat the ‘unstoppable’ sailboat. She discussed this topic with Larry in their book, The Cost Conscious Cruiser and she will discuss the subject at length for you.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Along with Lin, we will also be featuring Carolyn Shearlock, of <a href="http://www.theboatgalley.com/" target="_blank">The Boat Galley.</a> Carolyn will be discussing “Provisioning for Cruisers Made Easy”. For those who aren’t familiar with Carolyn’s blog, it is an endless resource of material, and one I highly recommend you follow. And, guys, Carolyn is not all about pink jobs either. Check it out. There's some good engine tips and more there.<br />
If you’ve ever worried about correct anchoring technique, then you need to hear Greg Kutson, of <a href="https://www.mantusmarine.com/" target="_blank">Mantus Anchors</a>. Greg gives a superb seminar, with tips and techniques from his own cruising experience. This seminar ranks among the top five for content and presentation that I have ever heard.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Another top notch speaker who comes with solid qualifications is Dave Skolnick, past president of the SSCA (Seven Seas Cruising Association). Dave is a delivery captain who has done countless crossings of the Gulf Stream. If you’ve ever worried about this crossing - and who hasn’t? - Dave’s seminar will give you the facts about how to de-stress this part of your journey. And interestingly enough, he debunks the rule about never crossing if the wind has the letter “N’ in it.<br /><a href="http://www.twocansail.com/" target="_blank">Captains Jeff and Jean Grossman</a> address cruising as a couple, and deal with the challenges and issues that come with living together on a small boat. With humour and tact, they discuss how to divvy up the workload, how to identify your partner’s stress - for example, your spouse leaping into the Bay and swimming for shore while you’re heading out is a solid ‘tell’ - and how to alleviate the causes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Seriously, for those just starting to travel on a boat, there are challenges in the change of lifestyle, and Jeff and Jean can help you prepare for them.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">For those wondering how to handle the ICW, I will be giving my talk on “Sailing South, the Firstimers’ Guide to the ICW”. In this seminar, I discuss what the ICW is, what challenges are involved and how to cope with them, and what this year’s trouble spots are and how to deal with them. The goal is to make your trip south as stress free as possible, and more than that, to make it enjoyable. Last year we even discussed how to handle any problems thrown up by Hurricane Matthew, so the seminar is up to date with current conditions.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We finish the formal part of the day with a roundtable Q&A session where you can ask any of the speakers the questions you have about your trip. This fun session is often the most informative of the day, which is truly saying something in a day as jam packed with information as this one is.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We wrap up your day with a happy hour, giving you an opportunity to meet the speakers personally. Tickets are available at <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sail-to-the-sun-cruising-seminar-tickets-27014985549" target="_blank">Annapolis Cruising Seminar</a>, and lunch is included in the price. Seating is limited, so if you plan on attending, order your tickets today.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The next <a href="http://visitcocoavillage.com/cruising-seminar/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun Cruising Seminar</a> is December 2, in Cocoa Florida, hosted by the City of Cocoa, Florida and with media sponsor Cruising World. It’s a one day seminar focused on Florida, Bahamas, Cuba and Caribbean cruising essentials. For cruisers heading south, this date allows you to enjoy the Cruisers Thanksgiving at St. Mary’s GA before moving on.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Our keynote speaker for this event is Captain Fatty Goodlander, noted writer, author and raconteur. This will be Fatty’s last US speaking engagement for quite a while, as he will soon be off on his fourth circumnavigation.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Along with Fatty, </span><a href="http://www.pamwall.com/" target="_blank">Pam Wall</a>, the well known cruising consultant and writer, discusses crossing the Gulf Stream and Cruising in the Bahamas, her favourite cruising grounds. This 90 minute seminar, with time for questions, is the “local knowledge” for these beautiful islands that you need.</div>
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<span class="s1">Mike Giannotti, formerly of Hartge Yacht Yard in Annapolis, will discuss onboard electrical issues. As everyone knows, electricity does not mix well with salt water and Mike’s seminar addresses many of these issues. Mike’s knowledge is encyclopaedic and I should know - I’ve recently been picking his brains about some battery issues on Gypsy Wind and he’s been a huge help to me.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I’ll be discussing Cruising in Cuba, that amazing cruising destination just 90 miles south of the Keys. I’ll be talking about the changes in regulations, what you’ll need to cruise there, what to expect and how to make your cruise there a successful one. Special emphasis will be given to the new regulations brought out by the US and how they affect your ability to cruise there.<br />
For those who cannot get enough of Fatty, there is a three hour afternoon breakout session "Sailing, Cruising, and Heavy Air” in which he discusses, offshore sailing, passagemaking, and stormproofing, as discussed in his latest book, "STORM PROOFING, Your Boat, Gear and Crew”.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Following all of this, there is a Roundtable Q&A session with all the speakers, and then a happy hour, followed by dinner and entertainment with Captain Carl Dirkes. Some of you will have run across Carl, who regularly sails his boat to the islands, playing at various cruisers' hangouts in the Bahamas, so you already know this will be a great time.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">More information and tickets are available at <a href="http://visitcocoavillage.com/cruising-seminar/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun Cocoa Cruising Seminar</a>. Note that seating for this event is limited, particularly for the breakout session with Fatty, so order your tickets right away.<br />
There is still one space left available on the <a href="http://www.icwally.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally </a>- if you’re planning on going south this fall, this is the fun way to do it. In the words of one participant: “it’s a two month long floating party with all your best friends”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I couldn’t have said it better myself. For a brochure, or to sign up, go to <a href="http://www.icwally.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a>. (note - there have been some issues with the website (they now seem to be corrected), if you don't see the information you want, or would like a brochure on the Rally, you can email me direct at <a href="mailto:icw.wally@gmail.com" target="_blank">Brochure Please</a></span><span class="s1"></span></div>
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</style>Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-67104469300751865512017-08-14T17:15:00.000-04:002017-08-14T17:15:55.811-04:00Face time with Fatty Goodlander!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been busy. Honest. Very busy. Like really, REALLY busy!<br />
After leaving Cocoa, I realized that my exhaust elbow needed to be replaced, so I pulled up in Vero Beach. No sooner did I get a mooring ball then the alternator bracket cracked. And then, while investigating those problems, I realized I had issues with my shaft coupling and alignment - although to be honest, that's been a bit of an ongoing issue. Now was a good time to deal with it for good.<br />So I got the bracket welded and refitted, the exhaust elbow replaced with a nice shiny stainless steel unit, and now I'm waiting on a part to be shipped in from Europe. No wonder they call this place Velcro Beach - I feel I've been caught and can't escape.<br />
So, what's all this have to do with Fatty? Bear with me, I'm coming to that.<br />
As most of you are aware, I've been putting together a day long cruising seminar to take place next December in Cocoa Florida. The date is December 2, so the timing is exactly right when everyone is coming through on their way south, right after the Cruisers' Thanksgiving in St. Marys, GA. So as you can see, my time here when not fixing things has been put to very good use....<br />The big news is that <a href="http://www.fattygoodlander.com/" target="_blank">Fatty</a> has consented to be our keynote guest speaker for the seminar, and boyoboyoboy, are we excited about that. Along with Fatty, we have the inestimable <a href="http://www.pamwall.com/" target="_blank">Pam Wall</a> who will be speaking on crossing the Gulf Stream, and cruising the Bahamas. Then, we have weather guru <a href="https://mwxc.com/" target="_blank">Chris Parker</a>, who will talk about weather for cruisers - always a concern, and no one better than Chris to explain it. I'll be the guy up front taking notes!<br />We will also have a seminar on medical onboard emergencies, and I will be discussing Cruising in Cuba, and the changes that are taking place that affect American cruisers wishing to go to Cuba. Following all of that, there will be a Q&A Roundtable free for all with all of the speakers ready to answer YOUR questions on any topic. <br />And, don't forget the very special three hour breakout session with Fatty where he will speak to a dozen cruisers about <a href="http://www.fattygoodlander.com/" target="_blank">Offshore Sailing, Passagemaking and Storm Proofing</a> - Sailing, Cruising and Heavy Air. Those taking in Fatty's three hour breakout will get a free video of the entire day so they can watch the afternoon seminars at their leisure.<br />
Following the Q&A Roundtable, there will be dinner, with entertainment provided by fellow cruiser and entertainer Carl Dirkes. Carl toured when younger with some of the top bands of the day, so a good time is assured! You can learn more about him at <a href="http://www.carldirkes.com/" target="_blank">Carl Dirk's website.</a><br />
Lunch and dinner are included in your ticket price. This is a full day of education and fun with fellow cruisers. We'll be discussing the topics and destinations you'll need to know about to make the next part of your cruising adventure a success.<br />So as you can see, I've been keeping myself busy here. As if all of this wasn't enough, there's of course the preparations for the <a href="http://www.icwally.com/" target="_blank">2017 Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a> - hard to believe it's only two months away. The itinerary is finalized, and I'm now into doing the final prep. If you've been considering joining the Rally, there are two spots still open. After those are filled, we're done. You can find more information, or request a Rally brochure at <a href="http://www.icwally.com/">www.ICWally.com</a><br />
Whew! After reading this, I think I'm needing a nap!<br />Before I nod off, here's the link to the seminar and ticket information: <a href="http://visitcocoavillage.com/cruising-seminar" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun Cruising Seminar</a><br />Don't delay - seating is limited and it's first come - first served, especially for Fatty's breakout session. Come out and join your fellow cruisers, learn from the experts and have a great time.<br />
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P.S. Fatty will have copies of his books available for sale.</div>
<br />Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-35732863185475962542017-07-15T12:08:00.000-04:002017-07-15T12:08:06.389-04:00The Moor, the Merrier<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNqzlLZMWc4_bFqxy7_HVq-5tTvpTGV1kSTfAlJTDJyF7NbYL0pgyueDRtxnohyphenhyphenK9XXHIakNUF__SGFWM-JejaFrW2Kk_4gg8cA6snqoKzC2tXdBXYFFrpLI1AK5P4EXlGFSRDBhtn0k/s1600/dinghyairplane+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="636" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNqzlLZMWc4_bFqxy7_HVq-5tTvpTGV1kSTfAlJTDJyF7NbYL0pgyueDRtxnohyphenhyphenK9XXHIakNUF__SGFWM-JejaFrW2Kk_4gg8cA6snqoKzC2tXdBXYFFrpLI1AK5P4EXlGFSRDBhtn0k/s320/dinghyairplane+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>As usual at this time of year, I start hearing from people asking about where they can keep their boat in south Florida from December onwards, usually until they are ready to head over to the Bahamas.</div>
Alas, I have some bad news for you....according to several people who have been looking around, there is very little available for longer term dockage, particularly if your boat is 45 feet or more.<br />
What usually happens is that cruisers get their boat south sometime in December, at the height of the season. They've been looking for a slip, and probably not having a lot of success.<br />
Believe me, I know - I book slips for up to 20 boats for the <a href="http://www.icwally.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally,</a> and the further south we get, the more of a struggle it becomes.<br />
Let's discuss this a little. First of all, is it mandatory that you be in south Florida? And just how long do you plan to be there before you move on?<br />
Although you can get chilly weather in central and north Florida, it's a relative thing. 50° may be cold for Florida in mid January, but compared to where you've come from? You'll survive! And if you're a Canuck like me, that's t-shirt weather at that time of year.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>South Florida?</i></td></tr>
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If your goal is to leave the boat over the Christmas holidays before returning to head for the Bahamas, you might be wiser to stop further north and complete your trip south on your return.<br />
Doing that, you could consider anyplace in Florida that is reasonably proximate to an airport instead of getting into the battle of finding a spot in the south.<br />
That is, unless you're like our friend above, who simply sticks wings on her dinghy like you see here. That's the way to do it!<br />Fernandina Beach, Jacksonville and St. Augustine all are close to Jax Airport. Further south, Titusville, Cocoa, Canaveral, Melbourne and Fort Pierce are all within a reasonable distance of Orlando. And still further south, you have Fort Pierce through to Palm Beach - all with access to Orlando, Palm Beach and even Lauderdale airports. Best of all, prices are going to be less than in S FL - considerably less in fact.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9uXnaCPCAer9-LobRoV12uabWIYB-edfb7Sy2l2GRqK_8EDYk8yHIJ2pwWhdWPPPg6yquwH2cq5yfKdbT68r07OGvENDT0n9Cn4pw8kPFGawBCbAQbUWJzo0JgCjtHhsr6MS85AslYs/s1600/coconut+grove+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9uXnaCPCAer9-LobRoV12uabWIYB-edfb7Sy2l2GRqK_8EDYk8yHIJ2pwWhdWPPPg6yquwH2cq5yfKdbT68r07OGvENDT0n9Cn4pw8kPFGawBCbAQbUWJzo0JgCjtHhsr6MS85AslYs/s320/coconut+grove+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dinner Key Marina and Coconut Grove behind</i></td></tr>
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You could also consider a mooring field. There are mooring fields in St. Augustine, Titusville, Stuart and Vero Beach. Of those, Titusville and Stuart offer the best chance of getting a spot, but Vero Beach is far and away the safest place of the three to leave your boat on a ball. Stuart is very nice, but a bit off the beaten path.<br />Boot Key Harbour in Marathon, in the Keys, is the other possibility for a mooring ball, but it's typically got a waiting list of over 20 boats by mid December. And it's a long way down, especially if the Bahamas are your destination.<br />But what if you must must must have your boat further south? In that case, you're just going to have to struggle with finding a slip. I honestly can't recommend the Dinner Key mooring field, it's too exposed and rough. If you can get a ball at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club - they do occasionally have one available and you can see the club in the photo here, it's above Dinner Key Marina - that would be the best of all. They have a great clubhouse also. Probably my favourite spot in S FL in fact.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i> Coconut Grove Sailing Club</i></td></tr>
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Just south of Fort Lauderdale, there's the Dania Beach Marina. Good marina with reasonable prices, good security and protection, but absolutely no space unless you're lucky and call at the right time. Loggerheads, just south of that on the other side of the bridge, may have a spot for you, again, very well protected but it won't be as cheap as its neighbour.<br />
Your two best online resources for searching out a marina are the websites <a href="http://www.waterwayguide.com/">www.WaterwayGuide.com</a> and the <a href="http://cruisersnet.net/" target="_blank">Salty Southeast Cruisers Net</a>. Both have excellent resources and complete information on every marina on the east coast.<br />Another potential resource is a private slip. although they tend to ask for long term dockage. Most of these will be in the Lauderdale area where many homeowners on the canals rent out their docks. One place to search for these is <a href="http://www.docksearch.com/">http://www.docksearch.com/</a>. There are other online resources, but they seem geared to huge powerboats rather than our smaller, more restrained yachts...and of course, there's always Craigslist. With these, keep in mind, it's caveat emptor. Be sure of what you're getting. A lot of places won't permit living aboard for example, since you'd be living in that person's backyard.<br />
You could of course anchor out, but I won't anchor out and leave my boat except in very specific circumstances. There's simply too much risk involved: being broken into or dragging are the two biggest ones.<br />
If you're aboard the boat daily, that's another situation. Anchoring out has lots of advantages, especially if you are in a well protected area. Contrary to what you might have heard, most of Florida is still open to anchoring, although it's not without its challenges (he says with a wry grin!).<br />One of those challenges is finding a place that is friendly to cruisers, has a convenient dinghy dock or other means of going ashore, is protected from the elements and has a good liveaboard or transient cruiser population.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palm Beach Anchorage looking south</td></tr>
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One of the nicest spots is, believe it or not, West Palm Beach, at the city docks downtown between Flagler Memorial bridge and Royal Park bridge, at the top of the photo.<br />
As you can see from the photo, taken just before the boat show when the boats are moved out, it's a nice, protected anchorage. If you need to bring the boat to a dock, say for shopping, you can do so during the daytime. The small liveaboard population there is very watchful and more than happy to help you out. You're right beside the downtown with its lively ambiance, including a great pizza restaurant nearby and several good pubs, and there is a free trolley that will get you to the grocery store and other needful places.<br />
Another nice spot for transients is Cocoa, on either the northeast or southwest side of the Hwy 520 bridge. Why either side? Depends on which way the wind is blowing of course.<br />
During the winter months, the southeast side is often more comfortable and, during the spring and summer, the northwest. On the southwest side, you have a lovely downtown, convenient dinghy dockage, and a dock where you can get up to four nights per month (no power or water though). On the other side, you have grocery and other stores within walking distance, and water. I often move back and forth between the two, depending on weather and my needs at the time.<br />
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<a href="https://bloggingtheicw.blogspot.com/2017/07/get-rich-as-rock-star-sailing-writer.html" target="_blank">My last blogpost</a> brought out some rather entertaining comments, a couple of snarky ones too. I seriously hope that I helped to encourage a few of you to work at your writing and to consider the projects I suggested. If I did, and you'd like to discuss them with me, contact me using that super annoying (but useful) popup here on the page. I'll give you whatever help I can.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.icwally.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a> itinerary has been finalized, and it can be seen at<a href="http://icwally.com/ICWally/Rally_Itinerary.html" target="_blank"> Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a>. For those heading south, the itinerary will allow you to avoid the congestion that sailing with 15 - 20 boats can create at the marinas we come to.<br />There are still a couple of events that I'm working on for the Rally, including a full day seminar event to be held in Florida with world class speakers on cruising. Stay tuned for more information on this event as it will be open to the public.<br />
It's one you won't want to miss, and it's timed perfectly for snowbirds heading south. If you're looking for good information on your next destination after leaving Florida, about crossing the Gulf Stream and other cruiserly subjects, this will be the event to attend. Then there's the party afterwards...<br />
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Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-59585449844511273722017-07-06T18:23:00.001-04:002017-07-06T18:23:30.507-04:00Get Rich as a Rock Star Sailing Writer...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok, just the title alone should tell you that this post is fictional! Writing about sailing is not the way to become rich and famous, I can assure you of that. But, writing about your passion can be very satisfying and, if you'd like some suggestions on how to go about writing a basic blog or magazine article, read on.<br />
You just might find your métier in these words! And if not, it could help your blogging or other writing projects.<br />
For those who might have a more serious interest in this topic, at the end of this blogpost I'm going to give you four potential projects that you can apply your skills to.<br />
First of all - writing successfully is not as easy as you might think. Many people believe they are good writers and in my experience, a lot of them are fooling themselves. Just because your friends adore your blog doesn't make you a budding Lin Pardey, or Fatty Goodlander.<br />
Friends are very tolerant and forgiving of errors in writing that editors - who pay for this stuff - simply won't live with. I can't tell you how many times as a publisher I received submissions that were just unreadable. This doesn't mean you can't become a good writer though, with some work.<br />
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To be blunt now - spelling DOES count. So does grammar, punctuation, syntax, the basic organization of your article and a few other things as well.<br />
If you're sitting there wondering what I just said - writing may not be for you. On the other hand, I've met people who could dangle a participle with the best of them, but their writing was so dull it would make your eyes glaze over like a donut. (That, by the way, was a simile).<br />
When I was publishing my newspapers, I'd often get requests from people who weren't sure how to go about writing an article. I had a simple method for them to follow that worked well. It can work for you too.<br />
It's simply this - write your story as if you're 'telling' your story to a friend.<br />
That's it. Write down your story as if you were telling it verbally. Don't worry about grammar, punctuation or any of the things I just told you about - for now, anyway. That all comes later. Simply tell your story, get it on paper - or your screen, but that really doesn't sound as traditional, does it? Anyhow, write it down and don't sweat the details at this point.<br />
Now, put it away for a day or two. You need to come back to your work with a fresh mind, because you're about to become your own editor. Editing too soon means you won't see the mistakes you've made, because your mind is overfull with what you've just done and thought (wrongly) that you got correct.<br />
When you return to your work, slowly re-read the story to be sure it's organized. Does it flow, does it make sense? Is the organization logical? A story that jumps all over the place is usually not a well written story. If it isn't well organized, deal with that first.<br />
Take whole sentences and paragraphs and put them where they make more sense. Don't worry too much about individual words here - it's the overall flow and feel of the work you want to get right, not the details.<br />Once you've done this, correct basic grammar and spelling errors. Eliminate or replace words you've used too frequently.<br />Don't use a computer program to do any of this either. It's you who needs to know how to do these things, so that writing well and correctly becomes natural to you. Yes, it's work.<br />Now, have someone else read your story, preferably someone with good English skills, and when you do, park your ego!<br />
People with weak egos who can't stand criticism of their writing will never become good writers. You want whoever reads your work to be honest with you and to point out the weaknesses and errors. You need to be strong now, face up to the criticisms. Trust me, there will be errors.<br />
That's ok - errors can be corrected. Very, very little of what you read today hasn't been edited, often extensively. By the time you read this post, I'll have read it over a dozen times, and made over a hundred changes to it. And this is a blog post - you would be astonished at the work that goes into something I'm being paid for.<br />At this point, correct the mistakes your 'editor' has pointed out to you. You'll also at this point probably see better ways of organizing your work or making your point. Go ahead, make those changes. Writing is a craft, and changes are normal.<br />
That's not to say that sometimes you don't get it right the first time, but that's actually very rare. Fun when it happens though. In my case, twice in nearly 30 years, so I know how Snoopy feels in the cartoon below.<br />
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Let's discuss some basic mistakes that everyone makes. Remember, there are times when you do break all the rules, but not - repeat not - when you're beginning.<br />
One of the worst mistakes sailors make is to make their account sound like a logbook notation, thinking it's a sailorly way of writing. That's dull, dull and duller. I'd rather read an economics textbook. And, it's not the way you talk, is it? I sure hope not.<br />
Another mistake is using, and overusing, clichés. For example, describing the logbook notation style as 'duller than ditchwater'. You want to avoid that sort of writing like - well, er, like the plague!<br />
The next big mistake is trying to be too clever, or using a plethora of extraneous information and verbiage that serves to obfuscate your reader. Effective writing is communication and communication is only effective when it's understood.<br />
As you can imagine, I have a fairly extensive vocabulary because of my work, but you will very rarely find me using words past the high school level of understanding. You know, like that phrase that jumped out at you above...."a plethora of extraneous information and verbiage that serves to obfuscate...".<br />
Skip that kind of gobbledygook, it only serves to alienate your reader. If you wouldn't use a word in general conversation, then as a general rule, you probably shouldn't be using it in your writing either.<br />
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One of the most famous of all opening sentences is "It was a dark and stormy night..." You probably remember that from Peanuts as Snoopy's favourite phrase, but doesn't it make you want to read on and find out what happened on that "dark and stormy night"?<br />
The phrase, by the way, was originally from Washington Irving's 1809 "A History of New York". It was made famous by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in the novel "Paul Clifford".<br />
You could appropriate that phrase in a story about having friends over for sundowners on your boat - "It was going to be a 'dark and stormy' afternoon. Bob and Carol were bringing over Cuban rum and ginger beer to make the iconic sailors' drink..." Kind of makes you wonder where this story could go, doesn't it?<br />Flesh out your article with the details. Keep them interesting. Remember that short sentences usually read better and are easier for a new writer to wrestle into shape.<br />
In this story about 'dark and stormy', you might just discuss the different types of rum and the islands you had to visit to get them. You might discuss the characters at the various distilleries you went to.<br />Finally, sum up your article and leave your readers feeling fulfilled: "As Bob and Carol clambered into their dinghy to return to their boat, all of us laughing uproariously, we realized how fortunate we are to enjoy this gypsy lifestyle, and to have such great friends to share it with". That's a bit trite, but you get the idea. Wrap it up, don't leave your reader hanging.<br />
Now, the projects I promised to tell you about. The first two and the last are projects that were abandoned by their creators, but for which there is a significant need in the cruising community. The third one is something I haven't seen done yet but which I feel would have a good audience with boaters.<br />
The first two are going to require a special kind of technical expertise and knowledge about navigation. The third and fourth might be accomplished by anyone with an interest in the topics who is willing to do the necessary research.<br />We need someone to replace the anchoring guidebooks "The Great Book of Anchorages" by Susan Landry and Chuck Baier, and the "On the Water Chartguides" by Mark and Diana Doyle.<br />While different in their approaches to the topic - anchoring on the East Coast Intracoastal Waterway - both books offered valuable information that simply was not available elsewhere. It would be great to see someone take these projects up and again provide this kind of information to cruisers.<br />The next writing project that I see a need for is one involving cruising pets, particularly cats and dogs on board. The perfect person for this project is actually a friend of mine who has a great deal of veterinary experience (hello Tara!), but a non-technical person who can research the topic could do very well with this.<br />
And the last one....do you remember 'the Head Mistress'? She wrote about 'head' issues and was an expert on the various toilet technologies and associated problems to be found on boats. If I had a nickel for every post I've seen on Facebook about head problems on board, I'd have...well, I'd have a lot of nickels, wouldn't I?<br />
So if you want to be a writing rock star in the sailing and cruising world, those are four potential projects that you could consider.<br />
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In other news, I've just today posted the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally itinerary, at the <a href="http://www.icwally.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally page</a>. There are only a few spots left in this year's <a href="http://www.icwally.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a>. If you've been thinking about joining us for this epic trip on the ICW, you need to sign up very soon. </div>
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You can get a brochure by clicking through at the <a href="http://www.icwally.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun website</a>, or by contacting me directly at <a href="mailto:ICW.Wally@gmail.com">ICW.Wally@gmail.com</a></div>
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Hope to see you this fall, as we Sail to the Sun. Maybe even discuss your new writing career...<br />Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802827704617117238.post-68272588955878548292017-06-20T15:26:00.001-04:002017-06-20T15:43:15.227-04:00Changes to Cruising in Cuba, Sail to the Sun and more....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well - <a href="https://bloggingtheicw.blogspot.com/2017/06/florida-anchoring-sneak-playwe-were.html" target="_blank">that last post</a> certainly got some attention - nearly 7000 hits in only four days, and that doesn't count the shares and email reads. It is now my all time blog post leader...you folks seem to have an insatiable appetite for the baloney that Florida throws at us over the anchoring issue, because the next four top posts are all Florida anchoring issue stuff. I should be grateful to the politicians there for providing me so much to blog about. Hah!<br />
President Trump has given me my next topic to discuss, Cuba. Cruising World just published my update on the changes to Cuba travel announced on June 16 in Miami. You can find that article <a href="http://www.cruisingworld.com/changes-to-cuba-cruising" target="_blank">here at Cruising World.</a> Yes, there are changes, but it will still be possible for Americans to cruise to Cuba - as the regulations come out and we have more details, I'll update all you LiveBloggers, or you can follow the issue on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/SailingandCruisingCuba/" target="_blank">Sailing and Cruising Cuba</a> group on Facebook. As my article for CW starts out, the devil is in the details...<br />
Plans are continuing for this year's Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, and people are getting excited about joining the most fun you can have heading south. Your Rally includes the day long cruising seminar at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, which last year featured Lin Pardey as our guest speaker. Along with Lin, we had Greg Knutsen, of Mantus Anchors, and Greg gave the best anchoring seminar I've heard yet. Jeff and Jean Grossman discussed cruising as a couple, and Dave Skolnick discussed the various means of crossing the Gulf Stream and actually enjoying it.<br />
As in year's past, the Rally will begin in Hampton VA with a brief welcoming party and some speakers with still more cruising advice. <br />
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It looks like we'll be able to do the Dismal Swamp this year, as word is it will be open for the fall migration. The Dismal is always a welcome stop, and from there, we head to Elizabeth City for their Rose Buddy greeting, an ICW tradition.<br />
Then it's on to places such as River Dunes (rated in the top 25 of American marinas!), a visit to Dowry Creek Marina, now under new management - they're suggesting we take in a visit to a nearby rum distillery while we're there. Then on to Beaufort NC, Beaufort SC, Charleston, Savannah, Southport, and the many many other charming stops along the ICW.<br />
One of the biggest reasons people join the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally is for the assistance and advice on how to make the trip easier, safer and more fun. And perhaps the best way to demonstrate the value of that is to quote a friend of mine, Dana, who was unable to join the Rally for his first trip south and told me this just yesterday...<br />
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<i>If I could do it over I'd have made sure I was in the rally! We had to learn a whole lot doing the ICW...(and we're still only in Jacksonville! More learning I'm sure) it would have been nice to "be led" and "be instructed" along with the other first timers. Luckily, you and only a few others were there to give advice along the way (it really did help us). One tends to listen to too many people and read too many stories, that it rather starts to confuse, than educate. I, like many I'm sure, fell into that a few times along the way. By the time we were on the last leg of our journey, we had gained enough knowledge to be a lot more relaxed, and so enjoyed that part of the trip much more. God was good to us.<br />I wish there was some way to express to those who will make this trip, how good for first timers your Rally is. Not just for the fun part...but to go thru the tough parts with others in the same boat, so to speak... and being led by experienced people.</i><br />
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Hey Dana, thanks for the kind words! I remember what my own first trip was like - very much as Dana noted above, very challenging and stressful, always wondering and worrying about what was coming next. And on top of that, you're on your own. It's so much nicer to be able to do the trip with new friends sharing the same adventure.<br />
The best part of that is that these new friendships don't end in Miami. Everyone keeps in touch with one another, making plans to travel together to the Bahamas, the Caribbean for the more adventurous, and to keep in touch for future meetups.<br />
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One of the most enjoyable stops during the Rally is Cocoa Florida, where the Historic Cocoa Village Association rolls out the red carpet for us. <br />
Once again, a royal welcome from Cocoa is in the plans, including a Mayor's reception and some great dining spots over the course of several days. Side trips to Cape Canaveral Space Center are organized, as well as provisioning to grocery stores and of course, West Marine.<br />
A lot of the fun of the Rally is due to the Ralliers themselves - potlucks, side trips, adventures, croquet tournaments, shrimp bbqs (31 pounds!) and one memorable night of karaoke in St. Augustine! They even convinced me, after a few brews, to get up and sing. Yes, there is video...<br />
Another of 2016's highlights was the <a href="http://windmillharbourmarina.org/" target="_blank">Windmill Harbour Marina </a>on Hilton Head.<br />
The folks literally opened their doors to us, and we had an amazing time here, with tours of Savannah, GA, a pizza party, dinners and a fascinating talk about the history of Hilton Head from one of the people who helped create Windmill Harbour.<br />
There's more, you can take a look at the public <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/SailtotheSun/" target="_blank">Facebook Sail to the Sun</a> page (Ralliers have their own, private page) and hint hint!!! that video of me singing karaoke is there, along with photos of events from the past three year's rallies.<br />
If you've been thinking about joining the <a href="http://www.icwally.com/" target="_blank">Sail to the Sun ICW Rally</a> this year, don't delay much longer - the Rally is half full, and there have been a great many recent inquiries for information. If you'd like a brochure, you can request one from the links at <a href="http://www.icwally.com/">www.ICWally.com</a>, or by using the contact link from this page. And there's lots of Rally information at www.ICWally.com, including an itinerary and more.<br />
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Last minute addition - for those travelling south from the Great Lakes, be aware that the Erie Canal is closing early this year, on October 11, not mid November. Adjust your plans accordingly and stay tuned either here or at Facebook Sailing and Cruising for more information.</div>
<br />Wally Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07685097892987918671noreply@blogger.com