That's our friend Eric from C://(ESC) up his mast at Vero Beach. Unfortunately, the anchor light he was about to install ripped out of the bag and ended up on the deck in many pieces. Harmony is the right hand catamaran rafted up with Zing.
We almost left yesterday for the Bahamas but it looked like a choice of sitting here for 5 days more or crossing and sitting in West End, Bahamas for 5 days. Also looks like a good window next week. Cross your fingers.

NOAA WEATHER: for Vero Beach, FL

Today: Sunny, with a high near 57. Wind chill values as low as 33 early. Northwest wind between 10 and 15 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 34. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 56. Wind chill values as low as 25 early. Windy, with a northwest wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 29. West northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 58. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. West northwest wind around 5 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. West northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. West southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Friday: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. West northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thur night is the only "window" as the winds do not come from the North quadrant.

Brrr in Florida

OK - so you guys have snow... I understand. BUT it is 48 degrees IN THE BOAT this morning and we don't have the kind of heat you take for ganted. This is supposed to be like this for another 4 days and nights at least. When we run the generator we can plug in the electric heater and wait. We close off everything but the salon & galley and maybe get this place up to 60. This is as close to the plight of homeless people living on the streets as I ever want to get! You can stay indoors and crank up the heat any time you want. If the heat goes out you can call the Gas company and they will come fix it, eventually. We just have to cope with this until Mother Nature decides to sweep away this horrible front that we're stuck in.

It got up to 50 in Maimi yesterday. That is farther south and should be warmer. Hah!

At least we brought arctic sleeping bags so we are reasonably warm at night. But mornings are brutal until about 9 or 10 AM when the sun has warmed up the cockpit. Our cockpit is enclosed so it heats up before the rest of the boat. Hopefully the sun will come out soon. Sometimes we sit out there in the sun and warm our bones awhile.

So much for the daily "report". Friends from NJ are returning to their boats this afternoon and we will have a dinner party for 7 or 9 people aboard. The body warmth will be nice.

We hear that Florida warms up in Mid-January, then we'll have the kind of weather you northerners seem to think we're having now. BRRRRR until then!? Christmas Day was nice. So was New Year's Day come to think of it. We take advantage of any sunny day and get the laundy done or go somewhere.

Julie's Birthday

Most people don't even know they are celebrating Ms. Proudfoot's (AKA my sister Julie's) birthday tonight but all over the world they do. Here in Vero, we will be lucky if we are able to stay up past 9pm. I talked to several other cruisers and they too plan to sleep thru the celebration...sorry Julie.
Today we had a treat and went to a movie at the mall. Meryl Streep starred in "It's Complicated" and Florrie and I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. I think tomorrow is laundry. Such is life.

Pelicans and Potluck

Anne, Lew and Florrie at the potluck.
This morning we watched the "pelican show" from our deck. We're at the south end of the Vero Beach mooring field, about 50 yards east of a mangrove and Australian pine island. The birds take naps after fishing in the early dawn. There was a Great Blue Heron, an egret, some smaller blue bird and an osprey, all within a few feet of each other. It is so funny to see half a dozen pelicans roosting on the same fluffy tree, making it bend almost to the water! About 8:30 they all take off and we don't see them until the next day, not in so many numbers anyway. There were over a dozen pelicans roosting in the area this morning.

We are very happy here. I love the sunny weather and all the wild life. Occasionally a dolphin comes into this mooring field to fish or just investigate us all. We are warm enough and are quite content to just hang out here for awhile longer.

Boaters are an amazing bunch of people. They really sieze the moment. In the past two weeks Lew & I have had more social life together than we have in NJ in 6 months. If anyone wants to get together, it is NOW... not two months from now, when someone's social calendar permits. We all know that we might not be able to spend more time with each other because everyone is on their way somewhere else. This morning a lot of boats left, going south. Yesterday our friends on Wilde Mathilda left. We have enjoyed their company so much and I wonder if we will catch up with each other someday in the future. I hope so. Their boats name, in German, is pronounced Vil-dah Matilda. It sounds like the beginning of an Ogden Nash poem.

The Christmas Day pot luck luncheon was so much fun! We were really lucky that the 40% chance of rain only gave us about 7 minutes of running for cover. More than 80 people from about 38 boats all brought their best recipes to share. Thanks to the folks on Kumbaya, who have a printer on board, we had an official signup sheet. That is all it takes to get such an event started. At about noon, Barbara from Laughalot, Sarah from Wilde Mathilda and Marge from Winfield Lash helped decorate and organize the varous dishes as they began to arrive.



The "buffet" was set up on the clothes washers and dryers. People could file through from one side of the building to the other. It was really very civilized. Then we all dispersed and found places to sit under the gazebos or in the lounge or on the various benches around the marina. For those of us who enjoy such marginal chaos, this was a wonderful event. A few boats had arrived the day before and were so glad to find out that something was going on to celebrate. We all miss our famiies and it helps a lot to enjoy happy company for awhile.

Of course such an event is not the cup of tea for some people. Probably less than half the boaters at the Marina participated, though some dropped in to say hello. Many flew home for the Holidays and will begin to return over the next few days. There will be a lull before whatever happens on New Year's Eve. For now, we all seem to be getting back to boat "fix it" chores.

We hope you all had a happily memorable Christmas.

Cold on Harmony

I know the northerners will give no sympathy and the southerners won't admit it but it gets cold in Florida. Went and checked the west coast even down to Key West and it is cold everywhere down here. In Vero it got down to 39 degrees last night and the Keys were not that much better. Thank goodness the sun is now out...at least until Thursday...and it should get into the high 50s today and a little warmer tomorrow.

Harmony in Vero

TEE HEE
Happy Birthday, Melissa
Happy Birthday...yesterday...Sarah

One adventure after another

From Vero Beach Municipal Marina,Thursday Morning.
 
Well folks, we finally made it to Vero Beach Municipal Marina.  We're rafted near "Puff" the boat of our friends Kathy and Dave, from Sayerville NJ. Considering that Harmony left Keyport early in September, it has taken over three months to go the distance it would take about 24 hours to drive.  This is not what people imagine when they think we are going "cruising". 
 
The past four days have given us a season's worth of adventures already.  Lew described the fog very well. We considered staying put until the fog completely cleared.  However, we really wanted to reach Dave & Kathy before they left "Puff" here to go north for Christmas.  Harmony as a good GPS system, so we decided to risk boating traffic and go south from our anchor spot in the Mosquito Lagoon.
 
By the way, the lagoon is well named.  Even in weather so wet you'd think the little critters couldn't fly, we killed seven buzzers during the night.  I think we got them before they got us.  The fog was too dense to see the birds that are abundant in that area.
 
It was a bit tense motoring just on the instruments but if Honeywind can do off the coast of Maine in fog, we figured we could.  We had far less to bump into than that rocky coast.  All we had to do was stay on the GPS line of the ICW.  That's all.  
 
We pulled up anchor at about 10 AM and headed on our way.  It felt like some clipper ship from "Master and Commander" was going to emerge out of the fog at any minute!  That's silly, of course, because the Lagoon is about four feet deep in most places, except for the dredged canal marked by red and green buoys.  We couldn't see from one marker to the next but when we got closer, the next one would emerge like a very still ghost.
 
We saw a number of local fishermen in their little 17' boats.  I guess fog is good fishng weather.  Thank heavens a power boat was coming out of the Haulover Canal, where we turn west through a narrow island out ofhe Lagoon, into the Indian River.  Totally unexpectedly the fog lifted completely when we went past the Bascule Bridge in the middle of the canal.  All of a sudden there were clear skies.  We looked back behind us and it was as if the bridge were holding the fog at bay. 
 
Across the expanse of the IndianRiver to Titusville, there was more fog but it was less dense.  It felt like we might be in an airplane flying through the very tops of cumulus clouds. It was a magical seascape.  Here and there there were glows of different colors as the sun reflected through thin clouds off denser ones farther away.  Hundreds of birds were sitting on sand bars, waiting for better flying weather maybe.  
 
We made it to Titusville about 1:30 on Tuesday afternoon. We were making good tme!  Even in the fog!  We got the fuel we needed, some simple groceries, and a pump-out.  Ready to keep going south in the now-clear weather, we found out that the swing bridge just below Titusville was broken! The Bridge Tender couldn't tell when he'd be able to open the bridge for the boaters.  It might not be until 5:30 - after dark!  Oh No!
 
Fortunately he was able to open it briefly.  Now the nerve wracking suspense was, would we be able to make it through the NASA (Addison Point) Bridge before it closed from 3:30 to 5 for Cape Canaveral commuter traffic?  Harmony was leading two more sail boats.  We all kept going at our fastest speed, which varied for each of us.  Harmony and Wide Matilda made it. TaTo got stuck on the other side.  NASA runs on a very strict clock!
 
Having anchored the night before near Wide Matilda in the fog and having been near her at a couple of previous bridge openings, we had some radio contact but no real meeting.  Tuesday evening, both anchored in a broad area of water that was not particularly protected but seemed fine.  We finally met Les  and Sarah when they dinghied over to us, joying drinks and noshes on deck as sun set.
 
The nights had been calm so far, which made for peaceful sleeping.  And that's what we got - until 3 AM when the anchor alarm went off!  Harmony had dragged quite a way away from the other boat.  Lew and I "did the deck dance", succesfully resetting the anchor and going back to sleep... until 5:45 when the alarm went off again. This time we said "the heck with it".
 
For the second morning in a row we took off in most unusual (for us) conditions.  In the pre-dawn dark, we relied on instruments again to get us down "the ditch" until we  see the markers.  The wind picked up to about 15, which helped us go almost 8 knots with the jib up.
 
You think the adventure was over?  Read on...
 
We surprised "Puff" by getting here at about 1:45.  We were tired but so happy to get a mooring right near our friends.  All we had to do was get our dinghy in the water and motor over to them.  Lew untied and lowered it and started the engine just fine.  Imagine our surprise when, as soon as I let the line to Harmony   go,the motor konked out! We were pushed by the wind back down the mooring field!
 
Lew was trying to row us but the wind was too strong and the oars kept coming out of the locks.  He got us near enough another boat for me to hang on.  I "walked" us around that boat and it's buddy on the mooring, finally getting up to the mooring ball a hanging on for dear life.  Thank heavens for cell phones.  We called Dave, who jumped in his dinghy and towed us back .
 
The end of this saga (so far) is that we had a wonderful evening with Dave and Kathy and Tom&June-their buddies on their mooring.  Today we will take it easy and maybe even get our motor fixed.  We're warm and safe and glad to be here.
(by Florrie it is extremely diffcult to correct spelling - sorry!)

---

Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now.

8 AM on Harmony

Picture the color light gray. Then picture youself surrounded by light gray. Thats us in pea soup FOG. It did clear up last night to a beautiful starry night. At least about 4 AM. But by 6, you could barely see the mast head light from our bunk so it was back to sleep for awhile. NOAA weather reports a "fog advisory" for all of central Florida so drivers take extra caution. We could go down the ICW by GPS except that it is very narrow and there is some commercial traffic. Do not want to meet a tug with no room to move. Parts of the channel have 2 feet debths on either side. So it takes an extra day or two to get to Vero. Oh well.

Mosquito Lagoon

View Larger MapThe fog began to clear about 10:45 so we took off. Got to Mosquito Lagoon when it socked us in again. Pulled about 1000 feet east of the channel and set the hook...about 3:15. We will stay here tonight and set out again, hopefully, tomorrow.

Daytona in fog

Another great picture from National Geographic.

Yesterday we left St. Augustine heading south. Got a late start (8:40) but averaged over 6 knots with the usual troubles. Arrived in Daytona about 4:30 and anchored just south of Memorial Bridge with about 20 other boats.
View Larger Map

This morning we got up about 5, Florrie misread the clock as 6, to heavy fog. Not going anywhere until that burns off at least enough to see the next mark.

pogo Xmas

Deck us all with Boston Charlie,
Walla Walla, Wash., an' Kalamazoo!
Nora's freezin' on the trolley,
Swaller dollar cauliflower alley-garoo!

Don't we know archaic barrel
Lullaby Lilla Boy, Louisville Lou?
Trolley Molly don't love Harold,
Boola boola Pensacoola hullabaloo!

Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Polly wolly cracker 'n' too-da-loo!
Donkey Bonny brays a carol,
Antelope Cantaloupe, 'lope with you!

Hunky Dory's pop is lolly gaggin' on the wagon,
Willy, folly go through!
Chollie's collie barks at Barrow,
Harum scarum five alarm bung-a-loo!

Dunk us all in bowls of barley,
Hinky dinky dink an' polly voo!
Chilly Filly's name is Chollie,
Chollie Filly's jolly chilly view halloo!

Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Double-bubble, toyland trouble! Woof, woof, woof!
Tizzy seas on melon collie!
Dibble-dabble, scribble-scrabble! Goof, goof, goof!

The picture came from National Geographic

Harmony at the dock

We are still in St. Augustine and at the dock. It has been rainy, windy and cold with fronts coming by every 2 or 3 days. I know we will get no sympathy from those from the north. Only one more package expected from West Marine and, if it warms up by Sun/Mon, we will take off for the Municipal Marina at Vero Beach for about 3 weeks. And now back to my book: Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (a birthday present from Florrie).

St Augustine

We arrived here yesterday morning...41 degrees and drizziling. Yuck. The sun came out in the afternoon but it didn't do much for the temperature. Luckily we are at a dock and have electricity and a heater for the boat. Woke up this morning with dew dripping on my face from the hatch. It doesn't look like it will warm up much until Tuesday when it will also rain (NOAA says 30 per cent chance). Florrie keeps asking about why we are here and do I really want to live on a boat. Bad times make good stories.

Norfolk to St. Augustine at SpotAdventures

Map created by SpotAdventures:GPS Geotagging

We (crew of Terry Parker and Gordon White) started out in Norfolk, Va when MOAA predicted a nice weather window with winds from the NW. Of course the actual wind was from the SE and on the nose. But if was light so we continued on down the Virginia coast past Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks NC. The wind did swing around to the NE and we had a nice sail/motor-sail for awhile. The starboard engine (that is the good one) overheated and we went on the port one while trying to fix the starboard one. The engine was pumping plenty of water so it wasn't the water pump or impeller. Finally we figured it out that the fan belt had broke. No problem. I had asked Florrie to pick up a couple of spares and they were on the boat. Sure! They were too small. We did gave one of these "link" fit any size belts which did actually work and around Cape Hat eras we went. The wind picked up and we got to sail...up to 10 knots down the 3 foot waves. After a few hours the wind died and we put on the engine again. Broke the belt several times. After about four hours working on it we were off Cape Fear and it seemed like a good idea to go in and get the engine working. By this time it was about 9 at night and we were 7 miles out. I didn't want to come in to the Cape Fear River at night so we Hove to. For those who don't know, heaving to is when you have the jib on one side and the main on the other working against each other. The main fills and drives the boat up into the wind where it luffs and the jib catches on the other side and drives the boat backward. You maintain this see-saw motion while the boat is pretty much sideways to the waves and end up going down wind at about 1/2 knot per hour. Effectively you are stopped and if the waves are not too steep, it is quite restful and comfortable. We stayed like this for 5 hours while I got some sleep. I woke up with what I thought might be a solution. The belt was about 1 inch short even with the alternator loosened all the way so I forced the belt over one of the pulleys with a couple of screw drivers and it was on with a little play. Tested it out and it worked like a charm. Set up the sails and we took off for Charleston at 8 knors. We had a nice motor sail and got into a slip in Charleston at about 7 PM. Tied up the lines and 15 minutes later the skies opened up and the Nor'Easter began. You remember...the one which joined up with Hurricane Ida and tore up the coast of the Outer Banks, Hatteras and Virginia Beach with 77mps winds and 18 foot waves.
We sat it all out while watching the weather channel at the bar and thanking our lucky stars. Three days later it was over and we took off about 6:30 AM. Got some fuel and rode the tide down the Charleston River to the ocean and headed SW in a light SW breeze. The trip to St. Augustine took 28 hours of ocean motor sailing. We could have sailed but I wanted to make sure that we got into St. Augustine during the daylight hours. Good thing as the shifting sands at the entrance means that they have to keep moving the markers and they are not on any of the charts. On top of that, NONE of the entrance markers have lights. We made the 1:30 opening of the Lions Bridge and motored up to Oyster Creek Marina on the San Sebastian River just behind St. Augustine. I left the boat there and hoped on a train from Jacksonville to Newark, spent the night at home and then drove to Maine for my Niece's wedding.

Catamaron Harmony. More on the trip

This link takes you a Google Earth map of our trip south showing the "check ins" we sent to the wives and a small section of the track where we were doing over 10 knots at times.

Charleston, SC

Click on the title to see us. Use the "satelite" function.
We left Norfolk on Saturday and went outside around Cape Hateras. On the nose for the first night with a bang bang here and a bang bang there.... The waves would go between the hulls and up hitting the underside of the boat and slaming under the table in the salon. Cleared the papers, etc off the table quite quickly. Not a fun night but then it swung around some and we had some pleasant motor sailing. Had some enging problems on Friday night so we hove to and rested for a few hours to regroup just off Cape Fear. I figured it out while asleep and during my 12-3 watch fixed the engine and we were on our way. Winds on the quarter and speeds down the waves up to 11 knots. Got into Charleston about 7PM, after dark trying to find the correct lights among the hunbdreds of distracting lights. Finally a good nights sleep.

FW: Check-in/OK message from LewHill SPOT Messenger

> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 18:45:39 +0000
> From: noreply@findmespot.com
> To: Lew_Hill@hotmail.com
> Subject: Check-in/OK message from LewHill SPOT Messenger
>
> LewHill
> Latitude:36.92223
> Longitude:-76.18909
> GPS location Date/Time:11/06/2009 13:45:54 EST
>
Click the link below to see where I am located. or on the title of this message:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.92223,-76.18909&ll=36.92223,-76.18909&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
> Message:I'm doing fine. Just letting you know where I am.

Catamaran Harmony getting ready for the trip south

Looks like it is all coming together for a departure on Nov.2 or 3 (knock on wood). Harmony is in Norfolk getting new struts fabricated and installed and we have new insurance with Travellers at 1/2 the cost of BoatUS and I have crew as of today. Want to get as far south as possible before I have to fly up for my niece's wedding in Maine. WHEW!
Oh yeah, we got the external track for the main which makes it much easier to hoist and lower. I can even do it with the drill winch handle. Even got new sumbrella for the jib leech. Although it is 2 weeks until we take off, "on the road again" keeps running through my head. Can't wait.

---

Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft. Get it now.

Message on trip from Keyport to Norfolk

Click on the link above to see a map of our location

Date: Fri, 4 Sep 2009 19:55:49

I'm doing fine. Just letting you know where I am.

Latitude:38.3677
Longitude:-74.8785

Nearest Location:Ocean City, MD
Distance:17 miles west of us

Our terrible summer

It has been one stinking summer. I have spent most of it sleeping with very little energy. I think this email from Florrie says it all.

Yesterday we went to Dr. E, the eye doctor who did the original cataract surgery. It is the first time he's seen Lew since the ER on July 16th. He said that Lew's eye is looking really good and he scheduled tentative dates when Lew can have the last surgery. Actually there will be a second one to take out the stitches. Now we have to wait for Dr. U, the retinologist, to say it is ok. Lew sees him on Monday. It looks like Lew will have the last surgery on either the 9th or the 16th of Sept. That is the good news.

The not-so-good news is that, because the third surgery is more invasive than the others (thanks to "issues" with Lew's eye), it will take ANOTHER 8 weeks to heal! That means we won't be able to move the boat south before November 4th at the earliest. I can't begin to list the ways this scrambles our "plans" for the fall. All we can do is take one little step at a time, fixing what doesn't require lifting of anything more than 30 lbs. We may be going down the ICW in the cold, behind the boaters' "migration" that will start from Norfolk on Nov 4th or so.

By the way - Lew's right eye also needs cataract surgery! But we can't do anything about that until this one is all healed, of course!

This has NOT been the summer we planned!!!! >:{

Hugs,
Florrie

---

Hotmail® is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. Try it now.

Changes to Florida Anchoring law

 

---

Thought this info (below and printable version attached) from BoatUS might be of interest to you.

Bess and Bill

 

 

Achoring Information

for Florida Cruisers

For several years, certain local cities and counties in Florida have been restricting the length of time that

boats are allowed to anchor. Legislative changes were made recently to Florida statute Chapter 327 which

should increase the boater's ability to anchor within Florida. Some changes take effect July 1, 2009, and

others on October 1, 2009.

Unfortunately, many local law enforcement personnel appear to be unaware of the changes.

Boaters continue to be told by some officials that they are subject to anchoring limits.

Below is a summary of the anchoring portions of the law with citations.

We recommend that boaters carry this sheet with them when cruising in Florida.

Courtesy of Boat Owners Association of The United States

What is a live-aboard vessel?

The definition of "live-aboard vessel" has been changed, effective 7/1/09. Active cruisers who live on their boats

with no permanent residence on land are no longer considered live-aboards and, therefore, their anchoring

cannot be regulated by local governments. It is no longer relevant that the vessel is a boater's "legal residence";

that term has been removed from the statute.

(from Chapter 2009-86, section 6)

327.02 Definitions of terms used in this chapter and in chapter 328.—As used in this chapter and in chapter 328,

unless the context clearly requires a different meaning, the term:

(17)"Live-aboard vessel" means:

a) Any vessel used solely as a residence and not for navigation;

b) Any vessel represented as a place of business, or a professional or other commercial enterprise; or

c) Any vessel for which a declaration of domicile has been filed pursuant to s. 222.17.

Can my anchoring be restricted by local governments?

Under state law, boaters who use their boats for navigation (even if only occasionally) will not have their anchoring

restricted by a local city or county outside of permitted mooring fields. Cities and counties will be expressly forbidden

to "enact, continue in effect, or enforce any ordinance or local regulation … regulating the anchoring

of vessels other than live-aboard vessels outside the marked boundaries of mooring fields."

Although local governments are allowed to regulate anchoring within the marked boundaries of properly permitted

mooring fields, there are currently a few such locations. These are Key West Mooring Field (149 moorings);

Ft. Myers Beach Mooring Field (70 moorings); Fernandina Beach Municipal Mooring Field (20 moorings);

Miami — Dinner Key Mooring Field (still under construction).

(Existing FL law) 327.60 Local regulations; limitations —

(2) Nothing contained in the provisions of this section shall be construed to prohibit local governmental authorities from

the enactment or enforcement of regulations which prohibit or restrict the mooring or anchoring of floating structures or

live-aboard vessels within their jurisdictions or of any vessels within the marked boundaries of mooring fields permitted as

provided in s. 327.40. However, local governmental authorities are prohibited from regulating the anchoring outside of

such mooring fields of non-live-aboard vessels in navigation.

(Effective 10/1/09) (from Chapter 2009-86, section 14)

(3) However, local governmental authorities are prohibited from regulating the anchoring outside of such mooring fields

of vessels other than live-aboard vessels as defined in s. 327.02.

What about the new mooring field pilot studies?

Over the next few years, the state will work in 5 geographic areas (two each on the Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coasts,

and one in the Keys) to test new anchoring and mooring concepts with both live-aboard and non-live-aboard

boats. They want to promote more mooring fields and public access to Florida waters, and to deter improperly

stored boats. Cities or counties in this program may regulate by ordinance the anchoring of all vessels outside of a

mooring field. However, this ordinance may only take effect after significant input from stakeholders and approval

from the state FWC. Any ordinances passed and the pilot program itself expire on 7/1/14.

The pilot program will be fully implemented over the next two years. No city or county has been accepted into

the pilot program – the application period has not even opened yet. It will take several months before the first

location for this program is selected and more time after that for an ordinance to be developed and approved.

As these locations are chosen, we encourage local boaters and boating groups to join the public stakeholder process

and help the cities or counties develop reasonable programs for locals and transient boaters. As of now, there

are NO enforceable anchoring ordinances outside the marked boundaries of mooring fields anywhere in Florida.

(from Chapter 2009-86, Laws of Florida)

Section 48. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in consultation with the Department of Environmental

Protection, is directed to establish a pilot program to explore potential options for regulating the anchoring or mooring

of non-live-aboard vessels outside the marked boundaries of public mooring fields….

What about boating restricted areas?

As of 10/1/09, local governments will only be allowed to create "boating restricted areas" (including but not limited

to restriction of vessel speeds or restriction of boating traffic) for public safety reasons. They must be approved

by FWC and the USCG before they are enacted and can only be put in certain areas. Until a uniform waterway

marker is placed in the water, the area may not be enforced.

These areas may include boating restricted areas located:

• Within 500 feet of any boat ramp, hoist, marine railway, or other launching or landing facility;

• Within 500 feet of marine fuel pumps;

• Inside 300 feet of any lock structure;

• Within 300 feet of any bridge fender system or a bridge span;

• Where vessel traffic presents problems of congestion or vessel safety.

(from Chapter 2009-86, section 13) 327.46 Boating-restricted areas.

(1) Boating-restricted areas, including, but not limited to, restrictions of vessel speeds and vessel traffic, may be established

on the water of this state for any purpose necessary to protect the safety of the public if such restrictions are

necessary based on boating accidents, visibility, hazardous currents or water levels, vessel traffic congestion, or other

navigation hazards…..

The 2008 version of Florida law may be read online at:

http://www.flsenate.gov/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=Ch0327/titl0327.htm

Please note that the compiled Florida Statutes, which will include these changes will not be available until this

fall. For a copy of Chapter 2009-86, law of Florida (house bill 1423) as signed into law and filed with the Florida

Department of State on May 27, 2009, go to: http://laws.flrules.org/files/Ch_2009-086.pdf

Reviewed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, July 2009

The Nation's Leading Advocate for Recreational Boaters www.BoatUS.com

---

Hotmail® is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. Try it now.