Massive Protest in Miami Beach Planned...

Today, Sunday, March 13 about an hour ago, the Miami Beach Marine Police issued warning citations to all of the boats in the South Beach anchorage. Tickets will be given out to any boats remaining there next Sunday, and the ticket will be based on Miami Beach local ordinance 66-8, which I'll copy for you below.
I was informed of this by 'Mike', who's earlier letter about feeling threatened you've already read here in my last blog post.
Now the police are taking action, obviously at the orders of the City of Miami Beach.
Just who is Mike?
Mike is a veterinarian in Miami Beach, a professional. His boat is a 2000 Hunter 45 - and you can see by the photos that it is NOT a derelict boat in any way, shape or form. He takes it out regularly when his schedule permits, it does not sit and gather barnacles.
Mike is prepared to fight this ticket when it is given to him, and has already discussed it with his lawyer - my question of ALL of you is this - are YOU prepared to back up Mike now? Because Mike is fighting this ticket for you, for me, for all of us who treasure our right to cruise and to anchor.
We need you in Miami Beach for this - a major protest against both this ticket and the entire anchoring law. In the last two hours, I've already heard of a busload coming from Florida's west coast for this protest.
It's time to fight back, and the Miami Beach PD Marine Patrol has just given us the perfect gift - a boater, legally anchored and that no one could object to and a boat that is clearly not derelict. Let's do this. Join me in Miami Beach next Sunday.

For more information on the fight for Mike's right, go to Facebook's Sailing and Cruising group and sign up for this protest in the events section. We need every boater we can get out there to show the state of Florida we mean business.
Please, also share this with all of the boating groups, friends and others whom you think might stand in support of our rights this coming Sunday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is Mike's boat - 2000 Hunter 45

Sec. 66-8. - Limitations on anchoring or mooring within city limits. (full text here)
(a)
Purpose. This section is adopted for the following purposes and reasons:
(1)
The city commission finds and declares that the proliferation of watercraft in use for residential purposes or otherwise stored in the waters of Biscayne Bay within the boundaries of the city have had and have a deleterious effect upon the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the city in that they potentially serve as a source for pollution and contamination though discharge of human waste as well as garbage, refuse, debris, oil and other obnoxious products; constitute aesthetic pollution, being unsightly and interfering with views and enjoyment by the public of the beautiful vistas of Biscayne Bay; constitute nuisance and invasions of the privacy of homeowners and other residents of property adjacent or proximate to the bay; constitute a threat to the safety, health and welfare of residents of the city through unregulated activity upon and aboard such watercraft; and numerous other problems and disadvantages which adversely affect the quality of life of the residents and visitors to the city; and

looks in navigation to me!

(2)
It is the intent of the city to mitigate the adverse impact of anchored or moored watercraft, recognizing that the State of Florida has established a preemption of certain functions under F.S. § 327.60 and the Florida Administrative Code 68D-23.101(3), which address vessels in navigation but permit local regulation of vessels not "in navigation;" and
(3)
The city has conducted studies and observed the advent of vessels not in navigation and of vessels upon which persons are residing.
(4)
The attorney general has opined, AGO 85-45, that "vessels which are used as a person's primary residence may be 'live-aboard vessels' for purposes of municipal regulation permitted by F.S. § 327.60(2), even though they are not used solely as a residence but are also used for recreational purposes, if such vessels are represented as such person's 'legal residence' pursuant to F.S. § 327.02(16)(b), and that the determination of whether such vessels are represented as a person's legal residence may be based on a combination of the person's subjective intent and objective facts."
(5)
The city has determined that vessels anchored or moored within the jurisdictional waters of the city on which persons are residing as their primary residence or for more than seven consecutive or cumulative days within a 30-day period constitutes a legal residence for purposes of this section, and such vessels are "live-aboards" within the jurisdiction of the city to regulate.
(6)
The city has determined that evidence that vessels anchored or moored within the jurisdictional waters of the city for more than seven consecutive or cumulative days within a 30-day period constitutes prima facie evidence that such vessels are no longer exercising rights of navigation, and within the jurisdiction of the city to regulate.
(b)
Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1)
A vessel not "in navigation," or "not engaged in the exercise of the rights of navigation," is defined as one that evidences, through a case-by-case review of applicable factors, an abandonment, either temporary or permanent, of the exercise of rights of navigation. Factors to consider as evidence of such abandonment include but are not limited to, how long a vessel has been anchored within the boundaries of the city within a 30-day period, or whether a vessel has a current registration as required by applicable law, or whether a vessel is being anchored or stored on the water to avoid dockage or storage fees, sometimes evidenced for example by a sailboat that has removed its sails. A vessel anchored or moored within the jurisdictional waters of the city for more than seven consecutive or cumulative days within a 30-day period, constitutes prima facie evidence that such vessel is not "in navigation" or is "not engaged in the exercise of the rights of navigation."
(2)
A "non-live-aboard vessel" shall be a vessel that does not fall within the definition of live-aboard vessel as set forth in F.S. § 327.02(16), namely: "live-aboard vessel" means any vessel used solely as a residence or any vessel represented as a place of business, a professional or other commercial enterprise, or a legal residence. A commercial fishing boat is expressly excluded from the term "live-aboard vessel."
(3)
The fact of whether a vessel is a person's or persons' "legal residence," and therefore a "live-aboard vessel" under this section may be established by evidence that the person is or persons are using the vessel as his, her or their primary residence, including evidence of a combination of the person's or persons' subjective intent and objective facts, including the fact that the vessel on which the person is or persons are residing has been anchored or moored within city limits for seven consecutive or cumulative days within a 30-day period, or that the person has or persons have no other arrangements for residence in the area beyond the seven-day period.

Threatened Boater Appeals for Help

Hello everyone - sometimes we wonder why we do what we do, then we get a letter or comment from someone that makes sense of it all. That letter, from one of you people here, follows, and we all need to read it, and hear what this man is saying - that he's living in fear for his lifestyle and his livelihood because he's chosen to speak out - in America. We all know I'm not American, but as a Canadian I share with you the values of freedom and free speech. What is happening here is wrong and fully justifies our strongest opposition to this new legislation in Florida. You may never have been politically active before, but now it's time to take a stand for what we know is right. Mike, and others like him, like us actually, need your help. Let's get this done so we can live in peace and security, not in fear because we choose to live a different lifestyle that others may disapprove of. Thank you for your support. Wally Moran ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi Wally. Saw your feature in New Times. I'm getting a bit nervous as they are stickering and threatening some boat removals at my anchorage. They're claiming they are derelict and they're probably right on these particular boats. The Marine patrol have indicated that they want the liveaboards out but they seem to be focusing on the lower income status folks and haven't approached me about anything. I'm a bit nervous being so vocal and I've sort of ranted on facebook and Diedre from New Times will be printing an interview she did with me a couple of weeks back. I' guess I'm just reaching out to you because it seems you've been vocal too. I'm frankly worried about rocking the boat as they've largely left me alone so far. I fear a retaliation once the article comes out. Anyhow. I guess I don't really need any advice until something happens . My livelihood is a bit at stake as I have my office 2 blocks from anchor and dumped all my eggs in the liveaboard basket, so to speak. If they start illegally trying to remove us, what the heck do we do? I don't know that I can afford a maritime lawyer. Do I just refuse to leave? Just trying to think ahead and/ or worried ! Thanks for listening :) Mike

TIme to Fight the Anchoring Ban - YOU Are Needed Now!

Ok everyone - as noted by Mike Ahart (anchoring ban) the next hearing on the anchoring bill is this Wednesday coming up. I've copied all the relevant emails below, so start bombarding these people, let them know this isn't acceptable.
Two things I'd ask you to note - the first is that we're making some headway, the last vote was 5-4 rather than unanimous against us. The second thing - more than half of this committee is made up of women. Let's keep it civil please. Use strong arguments, NOT strong language, please. Here's the list - copy and paste it into your BCC on your email program, and it won't look like a group mailing.

latvala.jack.web@flsenate.gov, clemens.jeff.web@flsenate.gov, brandes.jeff.web@flsenate.gov, detert.nancy.web@flsenate.gov, portilla.miguel.web@flsenate.gov,gibson.audrey.web@flsenate.gov , hukill.dorothy.web@flsenate.gov ,sachs.maria.web@flsenate.gov , thompson.geraldine.web@flsenate.gov

Next, please be sure that you share this blogpost with every boater you know and on every social media site you can. The more people talk up against this bill, the better our chances of defeating it.

Time to Catch Up...and Go Sailing!

The Miami Boat Show - bling, bling, powerboats and still more bling and a few sailboats....but despite the fact it isn’t a sail oriented show like Annapolis, it’s still a good show.

This year, the big deal is the new location for the show - the former Miami Marine Stadium, over by the Richenbacher Causeway. It’s huge, and the best part of that is that the aisles are wide and uncrowded, even on Saturday. It’s also where a lot of the stuff you want to look at that isn’t sail focused, like anchors and electronics, is located. That means a show sponsored water taxi ride between the two. Count on two full days to explore both sides of the show, and three wouldn’t be amiss. 

Next year, I’m told the Strictly Sail show will move over there as well. In my opinion that will be a huge positive, generating much more traffic for all. It’ll also be a lot easier on me not having to bounce back and forth between the two venues, so I approve :)

I even made the news this year, you can read all about it here - New Times article.

This year, I’ve anchored out alongside the Venetian Causeway due to the new location and dinghied into the Strictly Sail show, a ten minute ride that takes me across Government Cut and the ICW both. Returning tonight after the Cruising Outpost beer and pizza party ought to be ‘entertaining’....(it was....ran into a good friend from Annapolis on his boat, and was waylaid onboard to drink still more beer! Thanks Tommy!)

I did a seminar on cruising Cuba on VIP day here at the show, and the attendance was impressive. Every seat filled, and people standing three deep at the tent’s entrance, and everyone with lots of questions about the topic. Just the stuff of a speaker’s dreams - a focused and excited audience engaged with the topic. You can purchase a copy of that seminar at www.thesailingchannel.tv/cuba

And Cuba Bound, the new north coast Cuba cruising guide which Waterway Guide has just published and of which I am a co-author, has been a huge hit here at the show. 

The biggest thrill for me however is the number of people who have stopped by Authors’ Corner just to say hello, people I’ve only known previously from the online Sailing and Cruising Facebook site. It’s so nice to be able to put a face to those tiny wee thumbnail photos. Thanks to everyone who’s come by!

Once the show is over, I will be starting on some ‘deferred maintenance’ on Gypsy Wind. Deferred maintenance is the term for work you should have done before but were too busy sailing or having a good time to get around to. 

Among my projects are a new dodger and bimini, but made out of plastic, not canvas this time. The genoa, which suffered damage in a 40 knot wind squall, needs some time under the Sailrite. 

As well, I’ll be working at putting together the details of this year’s Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, which will be leaving from Hampton VA in mid-October and ending in Miami in mid-December. I can tell you this much at this point in time - if you thought last year’s Rally was amazing, you’ll be astounded by what’s coming up this time. All of the great destinations we visited last year - Belhaven, River Dunes, Albermarle Plantation, Swansboro, Beaufort NC and so on - will again be front and center as we travel south. And let’s not forget that amazing welcome in Cocoa, FL - we’ll be stopping by there again. I’m also hoping to add another great stop and event in Florida at a location I’ve personally come to admire very greatly. Think free dockage, great pubs and restaurants, a fun and funky downtown and a pub with several hundred varieties of beer!

If you'd like more details on the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, you can check it out at www.ICWally.com, get a brochure with details, and contact me directly from there, or by using the pop up here on LiveBlogging. If you're interested in joining up, don't wait too long - we're already 25% sold out and it's only February - eight months away from the Rally.

If that’s not enough....well, there’s two other exciting projects I’ll be working on that you’ll hear about in the near future - one of which will save you considerable money on boat related purchases from deck shoes to deck repairs. Stay tuned for details.

For those following the Florida anchoring fiasco, the first of three Senate hearings is being held this coming week in the Senate. The Senate bill is even more restrictive than the House bill - the SSCA press release follows, and your help is desperately needed in contacting these members and expressing your opposition to this bill. Email links are included below.

The Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee of the Florida Senate is scheduled to take up SB1260 which is a threat to your anchoring rights on Wednesday, February 17. This is the first time this bill will be heard in committee this session. The bill is similar to CS/HB1051 but is more restrictive.  It provides for a total anchoring ban in Middle River, City of Ft. Lauderdale; Sunset Lake in Miami-Dade County along with three other areas and Crab Island near Destin.  While the bill is limited to only six anchorage, Seven Seas Cruising Association along with many other boating organizations oppose this bill. 

The main two reasons is that it sets a dangerous precedent that leaves the door open for other communities to add no anchoring areas through amendments before the session ends or come back next year with another list to add.  Secondly, it is premature for these three areas to receive special treatment to create outright bans on anchoring without any state oversight or review.  Since the Florida anchoring pilot program will end in July 2017, it is best for these three areas to wait until a statewide policy is created and passed next year. 

You need to contact the committee members today to express your concern about this bill.  You need to be sure that if you are a Florida resident and boater to identify yourself as such.  A phone call is the best followed up by an email.  They may not read them all, but they do count and if the phone is ringing off the hook you bet they at least know that is major opposition.

You can use the following as a part of your email and you may add anything else you wish.

“I am a boater and resident of Florida and am writing in opposition to SB1260.  Boaters who cruise Florida’s waterways have a right to reasonable opportunities to anchor our boats for recreation and to stage for longer voyages.  This bill proposes to remove five major anchorages from South Florida which will have a negative impact on the jobs created by business that rely on these cruisers who purchase fuel, food, supplies and seek repairs of their boats.

We also believe that this proposal to provide only three communities the chance to be exempt from the Florida Anchoring Pilot Program that you established in 2009 and extended in 2014 is premature.  These communities had the opportunity to participate in the program in 2009 and chose to opt out.  Now they want to be exempt from the program while many other communities are waiting until next year when the legislature will have to address anchoring provisions for communities as the program expires in 2017.  After that it would then prohibit any community from regulating anchoring.    We ask you to simply lay this bill on the table so that these three communities can participate in the process next year along with all communities in Florida.“

Here are the emails and phone number for the member of those committees. 

• Thad Altman, Cape Canaveral  altman.thad@flsenate.gov 850 487 5025
• Charlie Dean, Inverness, dean.charles@flsenate.gov   850 487 5005
• Greg Evers,  Pensacola, evers.greg@flsenate.gov  850 487 5002
• Alan Hays, Umatilla, hays.alan@flsenate.gov 850 487 5011
• Travis Hutson, Palm Coast, Hutson.travis@flsenate.gov 850 487 5006
• David Simmons, Longwood, simmons.david@flsenate.gov 850 487 5010
• Wilton Simpson, New Port Richey, simpson.wilton@flsenate.gov 850 487 5018
• Chris Smith, Fort Lauderdale, smith.chris@flsenate.gov 850 487 5031
• Darren Soto, Kissimmee, soto.daren@flsenate.gov 850 487 5014

Here is a link to the bill:
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2016/1260/BillText/__/PDF

2016 Sail to the Sun ICW Rally

Yes, it's official now. The Sail to the Sun ICW Rally will begin on October 17, 2016, and end in Miami on December 15, 2016.
For those who followed the Rally this past fall, you already know about the great time we had. Here's the big secret however - most people presume that one goes on a rally of this sort for competent guidance, assistance in navigation and other boating related issues. All true, but....
The big reason people choose to rally south is for the friendships! Think of it...you've left your home, your job (YAYYY!), your children, your friends and family, your social groups....you and your partner are all alone on your boat now and facing some very new challenges. What better way can you think of to face those new challenges other than with a rally full of new boating friends doing the same thing as you are?
What you'll discover at the end of the Sail to the Sun Rally, or really, any rally of this type, the Caribbean 1500, the Salty Dawgs, and so on - as so many others have - is that you have a wonderful new group of friends with whom you've shared sunsets and sundowners, sunrises (too many of them for some!), challenges, great anchorages, fabulous parties, wind, weather and really, everything you go cruising to experience.

When you have problems, you have help available. When you have concerns, you have advice from caring friends. When you have a birthday or other event, you have friends to party with.
Two years later, the ralliers from my first rally still maintain an active private Facebook site and keep in touch, visiting with one another whenever possible. Some are well into the Caribbean, others are back in the Great Lakes, but they keep in touch and share their goals, dreams and plans with one another.
My most recent Sail to the Sun ICW Rally has a public and a private Facebook site - you can see the fun we had last fall right here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaterwayGuideSailtotheSun/ You'll have to scroll back a bit, since the Rally ended in December, but it's worth it to see the good times we all had, from Deltaville VA all the way to Miami, and points inbetween.
Along with those new friendships comes lots of great parties, and formal welcomes from the many communities and marinas we visit - such as our huge blowout bash in Cocoa, FL....

Mayor Henry on the left....Cat and Brad with him.

even Mayor Henry came out to greet us. We also had a waterfront pizza pub as our local sponsor - talk about a cruiser's dream!
Let's talk about the practicalities... what about all those difficult areas of the ICW you keep hearing about? Well, dealing with them, that's my job.
I plan our passages so that our boats will be able to safely and without any drama transit the shoal and difficult areas of the ICW. This past trip, we had two boats with 7 foot draft, and no problems at the most serious problem areas.
I also leave adequate time for us to manage weather issues, should they arise. With luck, it's sunny and warm with balmy breezes all the way south, but when it's not - there are adequate lay days available that the bad weather doesn't have an impact on our trip.
On top of that, in the months preceding your trip, I'll be providing tips and suggestions to help you get ready - provisioning, boat setup, navigation requirements and so on. And if you have a question, I"m there to answer it, or find the answer for you.
It's all about living the dream - living YOUR dream, on your terms. I understand that, having been a full time cruiser for nearly 15 years now. I know the challenges you face because I've been there and dealt with them, and helped others through those same challenges as well. It's all about the experience.

Let's get to working on your dream, starting this fall. For more details on the 2016 Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, go to the Rally Page and use the links there to request a brochure. If you have questions, you can email me from that page, or via the popup on this page.
I look forward to hearing from you, and having you join us on the 2016 Sail to the Sun ICW Rally - and helping you realize YOUR cruising dream!

Ready for the 2016 Anchoring Fight?

This coming fight season year, the gloves are off. There’s not even the slightest pretence of ‘boater safety’ or any other relevant boating issue in the latest proposed anchoring legislation, as noted in Waterway Guide by Mike Ahart. http://www.waterwayguide.com/latest-news/news/6000/new-fl-house-bill-would-eliminate-several-popular-anchorages 

The issues are clear cut - they want us gone, out of their cities, and they're going to legislate to do it, even if they have to lie to us to do it. What, politicians lie? Yep, I'll tell you at the end of this blog post.

According to Mike Ahart, the legislation proposes to create no anchoring at night zones in several areas, including Middle River in Fort Lauderdale, Sunset Lake in Miami Beach, as well as areas along the Venetian Causeway, and several other areas. 

Note folks - our good friends, those charming anti anchoring advocates Frederick Karlton (of the 22 illegally anchored dinghies fame) and Mark Gold (sued a strip club for $19k he spent because he got drunk, claims they overserved him) live in Sunset Lake and along the Venetian Causeway. How coincidental is that? 

Just for fun, google both their names and couple them with the term ‘domestic violence’ and see what comes up. Such lovely people the politicians are asskissing for donations. This is what your vote - their political donations I should say - buys them. They’re so special....and wow, did you see that, I pegged the sarcasm meter that time.

I’ve been told that this bill is expected to grow, that amendments to it will expand it beyond what we’re seeing now as other legislators try to shoehorn their constituents’ wish lists into it.

In other words, everything we gave up to get the new anchoring legislation and the rules that led to the Pilot Program - all the effort and time - was wasted. I can’t say I told you so, I wasn’t so much a part of this fight back in 2007 - 09 - but there are people I know who can, people who warned those negotiating on our behalf, that this would happen. They were right it seems.

So now, instead of setting new laws in place that have been seen to work (in a perfect world of course) from the Florida Anchoring Pilot Program conducted by the FWC, we’re getting the same old crap we got ten years ago - Florida communities attempting to ban anchoring outright, to appease wealthy waterfront homeowners. 

We’ve spent close to ten years fighting to get - nowhere. We’re back where we were then, with municipalities trying to get rid of us with restrictive anti anchoring legislation.

Frankly, I’m sick of this, so I have a couple of suggestions for those of you who’d like to do something concrete about the situation. First, I need to tell you a story...you've probably already heard part of it.

In Miami Beach, the city council last spring set up ordinances that forbade tying off your dinghy to the seawall. Of course, there’s really no place else to tie off to in most of Miami Beach, so in effect, Miami Beach has effectively banned anchoring if you want to go ashore. (http://www.waterwayguide.com/latest-news/news/5501/miami-beach-cracks-down-on-dinghy-access)

I detect our friends Karlton and Gold behind this one - very clever, very slick, a nice and apparently legal way to keep boats from anchoring. To enforce this new legislation, the City of Miami Beach has contracted with Sea Tow to tow illegally tied dinghies away. 

Does Sea Tow perhaps not realize their income comes from boaters who own dinghies just like those ones?  We can’t fight City Hall - I tried, by the way, addressing Council on the anchoring issue some years ago and got shut down by the Mayor herself - but we can let Sea Tow know that we don’t approve of what they are doing. 

Sea Tow, since they answer to customers like you and I, rather than wealthy landowners, is vulnerable to pressure from boaters who can choose to buy - or not buy - their service.

I propose that each of us contact Sea Tow corporate at the email addresses noted below. Tell them flat out that you will not be renewing your towing policy with them if this Miami Beach agreement continues, if you have a policy. 

If you don’t have a policy with them currently, tell them that you will not even consider them for your towing company as long as this Miami Beach situation exists. Tell them you will also tell other boaters and ask them not to purchase Sea Tow services.

“But I live in Idaho, and only have a jon boat and never anchor’.....Fine. That doesn’t mean you can’t support us in fighting this injustice.  And frankly, we need your help here. We need everyone to lend a hand. We're in trouble big time this time around.

Call or email your local Sea Tow franchisee, let him know the situation in Miami Beach concerns you AND it should concern him as it will be costing him money. Trust me, he'll quickly be in touch with the Sea Tow franchisors and also with the guy who runs the Miami Beach franchise. 

That's what we want to happen. I don't like to see someone else suffer or lose money, but we're at the point were being nice just isn't getting the job done. We're way too close to losing our rights to anchor in this fight. Way closer than we've been since 2009 in my opinion. We need to act now.

Next, email the Sea Tow owners and executives shown below with your remarks, and if you’d please copy me at northchannelsailing@gmail.com, that would be great. Be polite, but be very clear - you object to what the Miami Beach Sea Tow franchise is doing, and you will not purchase Sea Tow services for yourself nor recommend Sea Tow services to others.

Trust me, if enough people do this, Sea Tow in Miami Beach will very quickly drop this contract, and I don’t see TowBoat US picking it up, since they strongly represent boaters' rights. 

Plus, the bad publicity for Miami Beach will help us in our fight against the rest of the anchoring laws. 

What can you do next? I’m not sure, to be honest. It's being discussed now, and no consensus has arisen yet. I will let you know once a direction has been decided upon.
One suggestion for you however: join the Seven Seas Cruising Association, as they will be front and center in this fight and they are 100% on the side of we cruisers. You can find them at www.ssca.org. Tell them I sent you, it gets me a free month of membership!

Also, consider giving an hour or two per week of your time as this situation develops to involve yourself more actively in this fight. Two things it will take to win this - money, and time, and the more of each we have, the better we can fight back.
Finally, be watching here, and on the Sailing and Cruising group on Facebook for updates. Another excellent source for current news is Mike Ahart's Waterway Guide updates.

I promised I'd tell you how the politicians are lying to you....ok, in Middle River in Fort Lauderdale, they want to create a recreational exclusion zone for water skiing,  and eliminate anchoring at night with this new legislation. 

But it's against the law to waterski at night in Florida.  So just who do they think they're fooling, making it illegal to anchor at night to permit waterskiing during the day? If this were for real, they'd eliminate anchoring during the day....oh wait....they are trying to do that too. For more on the Middle River and Fort Lauderdale situation, read this LiveBloggin' post  and see just what kind of people we're really up against in Middle River.
Thanks to Scott Doublisky of Sailing and Cruising for pointing the rule against waterskiing at night out.

Here are the emails for Sea Tow corporate offices:

Georgia Frohnhoefer - Executive Vice President

Captain Joseph Frohnhoefer III - Chief Operating Officer

Kristen Frohnhoefer - Chief Administrative Officer

Jim Foley - Chief Financial Officer

A Very Good Year....

Merry Christmas to all, and happy cruising in the New Year to everyone. Here’s hoping that your stockings are filled with spiffy new electronics and you find a new Mantus anchor and shiny G4 chain under the tree on Christmas morning.

It’s been an exciting year for this sailor, very exciting. As you know, I’ve just completed the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, leading 15 boats south from Deltaville VA to Miami. That journey, which ran from October 21 to December 15, was simply amazing. 

Those of you who followed my reports in Waterway Guide’s regular Thursday broadcasts are well aware of what a fabulous time we had. From the first party in Deltaville to our closing bash at Grove Bay, formerly Scotty’s, in Coconut Grove, it was one great floating party.

Many of the marinas and cities we stopped at held receptions and dinners for us. At Albermarle Plantation, the entire community came out to play, and we had a great time there. In Belhaven, the new owners of River Forest Marina, and the town, feted us with a wine and cheese reception. River Dunes Marina outside of Oriental, one of America’s top 25 marinas provided a great meal and entertainment from Bob Laverty, and we discovered that our very own Stan (the Man!) Eure could rock out Mustang Sally like no one else! 

In Beaufort NC, manager Claudia Black and the staff at the Boathouse Marina treated us like kings and queens, and then sent us off with a celebratory breakfast. 

Swansboro, that little town that everyone passes by, they put us up on their new town docks, and five restaurants provided hors d’oeuvres and music. If you haven’t stopped at Swansboro, you need to check it out - friendly people and an attractive small town, it sure beats out the Mile Hammock anchorage at Camp Lejeune.

And so it went - town after town, marina after marina - a tour de force! The highlight however, was Cocoa, Florida. There - be still my trembling heart - our local sponsor was a pub and pizza restaurant. It just doesn’t get better. We had a reception with the Mayor, and we were given beautiful commemoratives etched with our boat names, and a great new pennant to fly from our halyards. Brad, thank you for all you and your people did - it was great!

A special thank you must go to the folks at Waterway Guide, who as the Rally sponsor, helped set up and organize many of these events. They certainly made my life as Rally Captain much easier, no question about that.

Lastly, my heartfelt thanks to the Ralliers themselves, who made this adventure their own, and made it so easy for me to lead them. At our closing party, they gifted me with a t-shirt they'd all personally signed - I took some quick snaps with my phone of a few of the comments, and I'm very proud to show them here:

 

 

I am now preparing for the 2016 Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, and I assure you, it will be even better - although this year’s participants might want to ask how that could be. Stay tuned for an announcement coming soon. In the meantime, if you want details on the Rally, check the website, www.ICWally.com, and feel free to email me with any questions you might have. Also, if you missed the blog posts on Waterway Guide, they are here: Rally Posts

As most of you are aware, I’ve made several trips to Cuba in the past few years, written in SAIL about those travels and lectured at various boat shows about cruising in Cuba - even done a webinar live from Cuba last summer which you can watch here.

All of this effort is about to culminate in the launch of Cuba Bound, the newest and most accurate cruising guide available for Cuba. As you know, regulations surrounding travel to Cuba by Americans are rapidly changing, so Cuba Bound will be a print on demand book. As things change in Cuba, we will be able to quickly update the book, ensuring that it remains accurate over time. 

Cuba Bound will be published by Waterway Guide and be available in early January, including at the Toronto Boat Show. Stay tuned for the announcement, here in LiveBlogging and also on my Facebook group, Sailing and Cruising and it’s sister site, Sailing and Cruising: Cuba.
What, you aren’t a member of Sailing and Cruising? It’s only the best online cruising group out there. And S&C: Cuba has the most up to date information on Cuba you can find. 

That’s because members comprise Cuban liveaboards, expat Cubans now living in the US and Canada, and cruisers who regularly cruise there. If you want to keep up to date on Cuba, or have specific questions, S&C: Cuba is the group to belong to.

I mentioned boat shows. I will be speaking at the Toronto Boat Show in January, and at the Miami Boat Show. At both shows I will be giving my two signature seminars: the ICW, and Cuba. If you have plans to explore the ICW, or cruise to Cuba, be sure to join me and get your questions answered.

And that’s it for the moment. Now that Sail to the Sun is over for this year, I’ll have a chance to catch my breath, tidy up the boat and catch up on some deferred maintenance on Gypsy Wind, and blog more regularly.

Have a very Merry Christmas, and remember the reason for the Season. See you in the New Year.

If you would like to see how this year's Sail to the Sun Rally was, the following posts, courtesy of Waterway Guide, will give you the details.

Previous Sail to the Sun ICW Rally updates: 

• Dec. 10: Cocoa rolls out the red carpet for the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally
• Dec. 3: From St. Marys to St. Augustine - the Rally cruises on…
• Nov. 24: Sail to the Sun ICW Rally cruises the wilds of Georgia
• Nov. 18: Yes - you can sail on the ICW – Sail to the Sun ICW Rally update
• Nov. 12: The Sail to the Sun ICW Rally sails into Charleston
• Nov. 5: The Sail to the Sun ICW Rally rolls on...
• Oct. 29: Sail to the Sun ICW Rally enters second week
• Oct. 27: Daily Advance covers Sail to the Sun Rally visit
• Oct. 22: The Sail to the Sun Rally is on its way!
• June 10: Join the 'Sail to the Sun' southbound rally

Sail to the Sun ICW Rally Moving South, Having Fun!

When I left you last, the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally was in Belhaven, North Carolina, heading for Beaufort. On our way there, we stopped at River Dunes Marina, a lovely facility outside of Oriental NC.
While there, the marina put on a great party for us, complete with entertainment from Bob Laverty. A few of the group couldn't resist getting onstage with Bob, and the result was a rousing chorus of Mustang Sally - as you can see in this video. Honestly, looking at the smile on Bob's face and the fun he was having, he should have been paying us!
This night was the genesis of the latest cruiser band sensation, the Island Junkies, featuring Soulman Stan...they've since played again at Osprey Marina in Myrtle Beach, and their first formal gig will be in Cocoa, FL in December. I'll have more details for you later on this exciting development, once I get the t-shirts made and the media all primed up. We're hoping that they'll expand their repertoire to more than just Mustang Sally however...

Good times at River Dunes

Chuck from Trinity at River Dunes

Seriously, we do hope the guys will play at Cocoa FL, where that city is in the midst of preparing a great reception for us. Details later, don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone.
Moving on from River Dunes, we stopped in Beaufort NC to explore that city. The Boathouse on Front Street Village really rolled out the red carpet for us, providing us with golf carts to get around, and their trolley for our group's excursion to the Beaufort Maritime Museum. And to say farewell, they hosted us to an excellent buffet breakfast in their lovely facility. Even the owner was on hand to say a few words to the group. I want again to say thanks to Claudia, who was the most gracious of hosts to our group.
Most cruisers heading south stop at Mile Hammock, the anchorage inside Camp Lejeune, as I often have. For the Rally however, we had other plans.
I had met Mike Dunleavy a few weeks previous to the rally leaving Deltaville VA, and he suggested that he could 'rally' the town to do a reception for us - and so they did!

The reception at Swansboro

Five restaurants provided munchies as we partied in the Bake Bottle Brew Restaurant, again with entertainment, and a welcome from the town. Swansboro has these lovely new town docks you see, and they wanted other cruisers to know about them, so they made Sail to the Sun ICW Rally their first 'guests', hoping we'll tell the world what a great place Swansboro is to stop.
And we shall, especially when one of the locals says this on the restaurant's Facebook page: Tricia Stone Was so cool to see 13 sailboats in my town...5 anchored off my house, at least 8 at the docks. Lets bring the sailing community to Swansboro!
From Swansboro, we had a long day to Wrightsville Beach, where we anchored out, moving on to the lovely town of Southport the following day. There, we headed for Mr. P's Bistro for a great supper and still more laughter.

Onboard Pegasus

Naturally, there has been a continual round of sundowners and potlucks aboard the various boats....and some spectacular sunsets to go with those parties, such as this one...
If you want to keep up to date with the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally activities, like and follow us on Facebook, at Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, and if you want to find the location of the fleet, you can check that out at the Where's Wally page right here on LiveBloggin' the ICW.

Now, back to our Regularly Scheduled Programming...

I am willing to bet that readers of LiveBloggin' the ICW were beginning to think this blog was actually 'All Anchoring Fight, All the Time'. I'm pleased to say that isn't the case at all. Right now, there is nothing happening (publicly), but be prepared. It's coming, and I'll be sure to keep you up to date on developments in this fight.
As many of you know, I'm leading the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally from Deltavile VA to Miami FL, sponsored by Waterway Guides. It has been a fantastic trip already, with our first week behind us.
Currently, all but one of our 16 boats in the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally are in Belhaven NC, and the trip thus far has been just amazing. The weather has co-operated, although to avoid some nastiness on the Albermarle Sound, we left a day early from Albermarle Plantation and had a very calm run to the anchorage at the north end of the Alligator Pungo Canal.
We missed out on Sundays' oyster roast, but the spread they put out for us the night before was amazing.....we're talking three HUGE tables of food, and ANOTHER one just for desserts, PLUS wine and beer. These guys know how to show a sailor a good time, and I thank them again on behalf of all of us.
fyi, the Albermarle Plantation is part of the Albermarle Loop program, and you can get two nights free dockage there. Believe me, this place is worth the detour! Beautiful homes, beautiful grounds, clubhouse....
Lucky thing we chose to leave early however. The Waterway Guide boat, which left the following day, described conditions as 'sporty'....as in 3.5 - 4 foot square waves kind of sporty with 20 - 25 knot winds. Not a fun time at all, as Jim and Mary, our trawler couple on Pegasus, told us. They also left the following day due to some minor mechanical issues that required a mechanic.
In Belhaven, we were greeted at the River Forest Marina and given a true southern welcome last night. For those unaware, the River Forest Marina has been sold and the new owners are very rapidly bringing it back to what it was for many years - THE place to stop on the ICW. Big changes, upgraded docks, clean fuel and gorgeous facility.

River Forest Marina...

We were feted with a fabulous wine and cheese table, courtesy of Spoon River Restaurant

Pigeon Toes leaving Elizabeth City

- and is my waterline sinking after all this great food? - and some prize drawings, courtesy of the Belhaven Chamber of Commerce.
After this, we went on to the Tavern at Jack's Neck, which opened especially to host us. We had their fabulous pizza in the gorgeous surroundings...again, a place to check out.
From here, we move on to Beaufort, where we will be exploring the Maritime Museum, home of the Queen Anne's Revenge - Blackbeard's ride! This is a great museum, and we'll be delivered there via the trolley from the Boathouse on Front Street - talk about a class act and great fun.
You can follow the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally's adventures on our public Facebook page, and please feel free to comment, ask questions, or just enjoy the fun with us.
You can also follow us via the Where's Wally link on this blog - and see the exact location of the fleet as we chase the sun southward. Hopefully, next year you'll be with us on our journey!

Jim, from Pegasus, relaxing

Tavern at Jack's Neck - GREAT pizza

We're SCREWED - Florida Anchoring Meeting

Illegal dinghies behind Karlton's house in Miami Beach

Mike Ahart, Waterway Guide’s news editor, watched the entire anchoring hearing in Tallahassee today, and here's the link to his article - Waterway Guides. For those wanting the real deal, here's the link to the meeting video itself.
Let me summarize this for you - we are in serious trouble in Florida, very serious trouble. First off, let me tell you what boaters’ enemy number one, the infamous Frederick Karlton of Sunset Lake, Miami Beach infamy had to say about boats coming south in the winter:

“It becomes very dangerous" with too many boats, blocking access to docks, anchored too close and banging into the homeowners' docks and boats. "Our waterways literally become a shantytown," Karlton said. "There's a fishbowl effect at night...these people don't leave, they're dumping their solid waste in our waters”. Karlton also states that women on the waterfront are “living behind their curtains” because of boaters peering in windows at them. 

I’m not going to call Karlton a liar because I don’t care to be sued by him, but I do believe that if we asked him to prove any of this, he’d find it impossible to do so. 

Karlton has been caught telling tales about anchored boaters that didn’t hold up (such as waste discharge), since no charges regarding his complaints were laid by the police. And Karlton was cautioned by the police about harassing boaters near his house.
I will note here that the only boat accident I’m aware of near Karlton’s house was when Karlton himself drove his boat into an anchored boat less than 20 yards from where I sat watching it happen, in 2014. There was no one at the wheel of Karlton’s boat when he ran into the anchored boat - he had moved away from the wheel and wasn’t keeping any watch at all. The police, and I find this SO hard to believe, were not interested in what I had to tell them about what happened. When I tried to inform the Coast Guard boat that attended the incident - they chose to inspect my boat rather than investigate what happened.
Now you need to know, Karlton donates large amounts of money to politicians, so he gets listened to. He gets the best democracy he can buy.

Mark Gold is another individual (again, not the word I’d choose but this guy’s a lawyer and likes to sue people, as you’ll see) from Miami Beach who hates anchored out boats near his property. He claimed at an FWC hearing in Vero Beach last year that 10, 15, 20 boats anchored behind his property all winter long, stating they were in "his backyard". There’s only one problem with this - it isn’t true. He made similar claims today in Tallahassee.

There is room for perhaps a half dozen, at most, boats in that area. Mike Ahart estimated that four could anchor. I go past Gold's house several times every year and I’ve not ever seen one boat anchored there. Not once. I guess I need my eyes checked.

Interestingly enough, in the scurrilous rumors department, both of these men have been either accused of or charged with domestic violence issues in the past, and Gold once got so drunk at a Fort Lauderdale strip club that he spent some $19,000 in one night - and then sued the bar for the money, claiming they got him drunk. For details, see http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/beach-commission-candidate-fredric-karlton-had-some-lady-troubles-6552324, and also http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/mark-gold-ticket-lawyer-who-sued-strip-club-over-18k-bill-arrested-for-domestic-violence-6534306 and http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article1956640.html

What relevance does this have to the anchoring issue? None really, but the public needs to know what sort of individuals - not the word I choose to use, but again, I don’t want to be sued - that politicians are supporting in this fight. And perhaps those women in Karlton's neighbourhood have reason to be hiding....but not from we boaters.

Note that Gold states that he was behind the city of Miami Beach’s most recent ordinance, which wasn’t nearly as draconian as what he wanted: “We had asked for a 300' setback and a 2-day limit” Gold said. Miami Beach eventually went with a seven day limit on anchoring, which was rescinded when the pilot program came into effect.

Gold also claims that boaters are dumping raw sewage - apparently a favorite claim of these clowns - but I’d like to know how they can tell, since nearly every boat I’ve ever seen empties below the waterline. How do they know? 

The FWC's Richard Moore noted that they have no witnesses to this sort of behaviour - maybe he should go talk to Karlton and Gold - and see if their 'testimony' would pass muster. Somehow, I don't think it would.

The Florida League of Cities noted that a great many jurisdictions would want the right to create their own ordinances, and Rep. George Moraitus Jr. of Fort Lauderdale indicated that he intends to introduce (another) bill that allows local governance of anchoring for Broward County. The bill would also declare Middle River in Lauderdale a no anchoring zone.

Mike’s report makes for dismal reading. I meant it when I said that we, as boaters, are in serious trouble in Florida.

The vice chair of the meeting, referring to a Fort Lauderdale liveaboard in Lake Sylvia, actually asked a police officer, a friend of mine, if the police: “could just wake them out of there...”

If that’s what the committee vice chair is thinking out loud, suggesting an illegal act that in effect comprises harassment, to a police officer, just what is he not saying?

At this point, I have no idea if Rep. Caldwell took note of the many emails sent in by readers of this blog, and from the many Facebook pages my original blog post was copied to. I have asked him about it, but have had no response to my question. I’ll report back as soon as I hear anything.

So what can we do? I’m not entirely certain at this point - at the moment, there is little if anything to do, not at least until we hear what this workshop is thinking. 
However, if we do nothing, we are absolutely going to lose our rights to anchor in Florida. Only you can stop this from happening.

That you can count on. If you haven’t been involved in this fight yet, it’s time you got angry and did something, starting with joining the Seven Seas Cruising Association (www.ssca.org), who are the only organization fighting for the rights of we cruising boaters. After that, be prepared to write, email and make your views known.

This isn’t the last you’ll hear from me on this issue. We boaters are not a small group, it’s about time we roared our displeasure at what is going on, and made the politicians sit up and take notice. It's long past time we called out the Karltons and the Golds and made them back up their bogus claims publicly - which they cannot. 

It's time to drop the gloves here, and fight.

And it’s time that you, personally, got involved. We have very little time left if we are to win this fight, if indeed we can win it at all.

Florida is doing it AGAIN!

It’s no surprise that the majority of people affected by the Florida House of Representatives’ proposed workshop on the topic: “whether to restrict anchoring in public waters adjacent to waterfront residences”, will be unable to attend and make their views known.

Given the fact that the state of Florida has been attempting to restrict anchoring for years now, and continue to do so, these attempts to disenfranchise those most affected is now expected by those same people.

I don’t know about you, but I’m completely fed up with these ongoing attempts to eliminate the rights of the general public in favor of a few wealthy homeowners. To be very frank: it is long past time that politicians need to grow a spine - or perhaps some other appropriate appendages I won't name here - and tell these wealthy folk that the rights of the majority trump the wealthy homeowner's presumed right to an unimpeded view out their backyard.

In other words - tell them bluntly, no mincing of words - you bought the land to your property line, and not one inch beyond that. The rest of it belongs to the public and we, the State’s representatives, are mandated by the Public Trust Doctrine to preserve it for the public, not to grant you special rights to preserve your view.

What does the Public Trust Doctrine say? In part: 

“…lands beneath navigable water bodies are not held for the purpose of sale or conversion into private ownership, strict limitations are imposed on the state’s ability to transfer the water bodies, or parts thereof, into private hands.”

To quote from a well known court decision, Broward v Mabry:

Anchoring is a lawful use of the water, and that's according to the Supreme Court.

To limit the rights of the general public with any sort of anchoring legislation would be in essence a conveyance of those rights to the hands of those benefiting from said conveyance - the waterfront landowners. After all, it is they who are driving this process of endless fighting over this issue, not the boaters, not the guy living inland or the casual tourist visiting the state. It’s a few wealthy homeowners who are the force behind this fight. They are our enemy.

None of this is to deny that there are legitimate concerns, but those concerns can easily be handled by ordinances, not overreaching state law. Examples abound - an anchored boat is too noisy? Local noise bylaws come into play. Give them a ticket. Pumping waste overboard? There must be dozens if not hundreds of local, state and federal laws that can be resorted to.

Derelict? The FWC has regulations that, if enforced, would end this problem within a few months. Of course, it would require that the state fund these efforts, and they aren’t doing that. It’s simply easier and less costly to look like you’re doing something by passing a new law.

Also - if they enforced these regulations, a certain individual's 20 some rotomolded dinghies, anchored behind his house in Miami Beach, would be Public Enemy #1. Not only are they illegally anchored, they are, by the FWC’s own definition, derelicts.
But nothing happens there because, as one police officer told me, the word has come down from Tallahassee: leave this guy alone.

I guess that’s what happens when you donate large amounts of money to politicians...or when, as one well connected local news guy told me, you allegedly give a big screen TV to the local marine unit, who respond within minutes to his every complaint. 

Funny, but when my dad was a cop, he’d have called that TV a bribe. 

I’m serious about the response time though - anchor behind this guy's house and you will have a police boat there within ten minutes asking you to move on - even though asking that of you is completely illegal on the part of the police. This has happened twice to me, and on different boats too. 

For the record, I’m told that when a police supervisor found out about the TV, it was removed and returned to Karlton. Funny, because the last time I was in that station, there was a big screen TV on the wall. And the man's dinghies are still anchored, illegally, behind his house and not the FWC, the USCG or the MB Police Marine Unit will do a thing about it.

Here is what Jay Campbell, a retired lawyer and Florida resident, said about the most recent attempts last year to limit anchoring in Florida:  “The proposals [of the FWC] seem to be unlawful, poorly thought out, against the interest of Florida citizens who are boaters, against the interests of Florida businesses which cater to boaters, and in support of ONLY a few wealthy landowners, represented by legislators who control the FWC funding. This is not how laws and regulations should be developed and implemented to support the public interest.”

So when is the workshop? Thursday, October 8, 2015, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Morris Hall (17 House Office Bldg.), Florida Capitol, Tallahassee, FL. If you can be there, I suggest that you go, and bring all your boating friends. I cannot be there, I’m at the Annapolis Boat Show, where I will be speaking to every boater I see about this issue and asking for their support. 

So - I’m asking you to be there for me. Speak up. Speak loudly. Make sure the legislators and their people get the message: we will NOT put up with this any longer. It is time that the politicians started representing everybody, not just the rich.

Do not let the meeting organizers suggest or insist that one person speaks for your group. They are obligated to listen to you, and if it takes more than the allotted three hours they have set out - too bad. Most of you will have to travel to be there, taking precious time out of your day - don’t let these weasels take that from you. Insist on being heard.

Why? The rich landowners may have money but we have one thing they do not - we have many more votes - and when politicians see that they are going to lose votes, they pay attention. It’s time to show them where the votes are - they already know where the money is, as we can see by their actions. 

If you cannot be there, you can send an email to John Love, Administrative Assistant

State Affairs Committee, John.Love@myfloridahouse.gov, (850) 717-4890. Tell him you can’t be at the workshop but you want your views aired so that these politicians get the message.

One last thing - if you agree with this blog post, share it with all of your boating friends and ask them to do the same. Post it to your Facebook page, and share it into all your groups. 
Get the word out, and get the gloves off. Let's end this damn fight once and for all.