Marathon's Message To Visiting Boats

[SunDevil]

It looks really crowded to me from the Google Earth image. Then again, there are people who have that kind of money, and would rather not buy a house there and pay the property taxes...

Now, what if you had an inflatable kayak, would that count as a dingy? What if someone dropped you off and then went back to their boat. Something like a water taxi? Maybe you just swim ashore.

It is stuff like that which makes this guys kayak trip look like a good idea.
http://www.portagetoportage.com/
It just seems like there are so many hidden rules, and things I don't understand about why people anchor or moor in one spot vs another.

[s/v 'Faith']

I spent a month there in Dec 2010/Jan 2011... IIRC there was a supposed dingy dock near West Marine... never went down there. Anyone know if there are any other places to do a quick landing? (I did dingy to Berdines, but that was only for some gas).

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by Gemini Dreams

They have also installed water savers in the shower, one hand on the handle or no water!

w

Unless the City of Marathon invested in an RO system all their water is piped from Miami. There are no wells in the keys. Making "Navy showers" mandatory isn't the worst idea in the world. In the VI you used to carry quarters into the shower stall to feed the water meter.
If you think nations fighting over oil is bad wait until the world starts running short of water. Alabama, Georgia, and Florida have already been battling for years over water rights.
Research what's being done and being proposed to be done to the Floridan aquifer in terms of drawing out water and deep well injection of various pollutants including sewage. It ain't pretty. It's been a while since I looked at it, maybe the situation has changed. I hope so.
End of rant (sorry for the thread hijack).

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

It looks really crowded to me from the Google Earth image.

Wow! Please tell me you really don't think that Google Earth is realtime.....

[SunDevil]

Originally Posted by DotDun

Wow! Please tell me you really don't think that Google Earth is realtime.....

No, it is from Dec 23, 2010.

Do you think the last time that area was imaged was back in 2010?

[travler37]

So this one went to heack.......
Any places south of Ft Lauderdale that have a home depot withing a 1/2 mile or so?And can just drop the hook?
Need to get out of cheep for Pompano beach dock but time to get on the hook and save for the future.
Thoughts
Mark

[gettinthere]

look at ft myers beach. moorings are $15/nite. Trolley runs to many stores.

Or go north to Ft. Pierce, Stuart, etc.

[travler37]

Originally Posted by gettinthere

look at ft myers beach. moorings are $15/nite. Trolley runs to many stores.

Or go north to Ft. Pierce, Stuart, etc.

What was avaliable there that i was looking at....
Home depot and a few overpriced boating stores.....
Last call for groceries.....
Now Home Depot was important cause i have a major cabinet/drawer refit to do.....6/800 bucks .....in materials.A shame if FL. does not want the 6.5% tax revinue on that......
Groceries and location is just a jumping off point.
So having no real intnary besides have to get off the dock and on the hook where is there a Home Depot/low's.ect north or south of Pompano beach?That is a dingy ride/walk away? And leaving the state is not a problem....
Any Thoughts?
Mark

[Jentine]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

We don't usually associate anchoring with going to town, shopping or gathering with crowds.

That is the dumbest statement I have ever seen in print. What is the point of anchoring if one does not intend to go ashore, go shopping or go to a town or ............. or ............... or. Anchoring is not an end in itself but a means of securing roots to enjoy the fruits of sailing. Otherwise one would be just as well off sailing non stop to nowhere without supplies or cameraderie or other forms of interaction.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Jentine

That is the dumbest statement I have ever seen in print. What is the point of anchoring if one does not intend to go ashore, go shopping or go to a town or ............. or ............... or. Anchoring is not an end in itself but a means of securing roots to enjoy the fruits of sailing. Otherwise one would be just as well off sailing non stop to nowhere without supplies or cameraderie or other forms of interaction.

Well for some cruisers, going to town, shopping, etc might be associated with tying up at a marina instead of at anchor.

Then anchoring can be to enjoy a calm harbor, solitude, swimming, diving, working on the boat, cooking a nice meal, sitting in the cockpit to watch the sun set and even rise again the next day. I have spent weeks anchored out with no need or desire to "go to town". I'm not a total hermit so have also spent plenty of time ashore and visiting town, other boats, shopping and other more social activities.

[tropicalescape]

The Fla. Keys are the most well regulated and governed place a person could go to,that being said I think the place is not for the person looking for an affordable place to hang out..The lawers and the police have the place set up for the turn of profit first and foremost and the person without a lot of spending cabbage is not a welcome guest,they will sniff you out if you dont have "enough money" .I went down once and my car broke down at the camp ground,we had another car so I drove back to Amelia island to get a tow dolly,when I returned the next day they made me pay for two days at the camp site ,I had arrived a few hours after they start the rate...I told the old battle axe at the office I might get a lawyer, in jest ,and she said that would be ok because the owners were lawyers and that the majority of everything down there was owned by lawyers and bankers and they would"wihip my ass" if I went there ..butt heads all..DVC

[CaptForce]

Originally Posted by Jentine

That is the dumbest statement I have ever seen in print. What is the point of anchoring if one does not intend to go ashore, go shopping or go to a town or ............

My "dumbest statement.......ever seen in print" was made with the same spirit as Skipmac. Sure, we anchor for provisions and laundry or other shopping, but our main enjoyment in anchoring is to be in wilderness places where the stars are brilliant and the silence may be broken only by a surfacing dolphin or the nearby surf. I like being many miles from other people and then taking a break now and then with the crowds at the "tiki bar". Just so I can get off the number one dumbest ranking, I would suggest you visit one of the threads about what is the best anchor instead of what is the best place to anchor. Don't consider that I'm offended by your "dumbest statement" comment and I do understand the joys of going to town and camaraderie.

[tropic.sails]

Sad to see the rates go up for sure. History (aka coastal development) repeats itself:

1. Cruiser havens (like Marathon and Key West) become the land-lubber tourist mecca.


2. Tourism brings high-cost-of-living and high density population.

3. Building the infastrucure (mooring balls, docks, showers, wifi, etc.) has start-up and overhead costs.

4. Local governments (city mooring fields) find ways to tax the non-real-estate owners (tourists and temporary residents). In this case they are cashing-in on "the Keys version of affordable housing" (live on a boat instead of an apartment when you can't afford to buy a home).

5. The nomadic cruiser is once again driven off to find another back-water location for R&R (which eventually becomes spoiled too) and these "developed" locations become reprovision (not destination) spots on our map.


Cruisers can't always get more for less (although that is usually our mantra/goal!). That is why we cruise-on....

[Waterwayguy]

And the fun never ends, Rewritten anchoring rules head to County Commission . Chuck

[Don L]

Originally Posted by Waterwayguy

And the fun never ends, Rewritten anchoring rules head to County Commission . Chuck

The changes seem very reasonable to me!