Anchoring Debate in Florida Continues

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

I would like to recommend a "new gen" anchor and an all chain rode. After 35 years of anchoring in Florida/Bahamas, I have never had an anchor that digs in so quickly or holds so well as my Manson Supreme. I believe the others, like Mantus and Rocna, are equally good. I've had 3 years experience with this anchor and will never go back to anything else. And having all chain insures that no idiot on a powerboat can run across your anchor line and cut it.

I'm thinking that a 35lb manson and 120ft of 5/16 chain will hold your boat in anything short of a hurricane.

I am very happy with my Manson Supreme and a long chain. But I also have some nylon as well. Once I put out my 150 feet of chain it will hold well but nylon has the advantage of shock absorption.

[onestepcsy37]

Tom, I'm pretty sure you're cruising in the keys. Where do you get a chance to put out 150ft of chain? I have 140ft but have yet to put out 100ft - and I'm a big believer in lots of scope, 7 to 1 is minimum for me...

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

Tom, I'm pretty sure you're cruising in the keys. Where do you get a chance to put out 150ft of chain? I have 140ft but have yet to put out 100ft - and I'm a big believer in lots of scope, 7 to 1 is minimum for me...

Normally I try to anchor in maybe 8-10 feet of water with a 7 to one scope. There are ribbons on the chain every 25 feet so when I get to 75 feet of chain out I attach the bridle to the chain.

I do put out more at times not so much based on scope but on weather. Several times I have been caught in weather with winds as high as 52 knots according to park rangers at the Dry Tortugas. When it gets over 30 knots I like to have the shock absorption a nylon rope provides.

This does mean I spend time selecting a spot with good holding that is a fair distance from other boats. I also tend to think cruising in the Keys starts once you get West of Key West or in the back country on the Gulf side. Those areas are a lot different in terms of crowded anchorages than the more crowded places.

[Neeltje]

Originally Posted by Scot McPherson

Maybe we need a lobby group like the NCA (National Cruisers Association) that represents our interests in government policy the same way the NRA represents 2nd amendment supporters. Just be a member to put your name on any and all petitions related to guarding the rights of boaters in the free waterways.

Scot,

Sounds like a plan! And with a little bit of luck and tenacity, everybody will eventually have the right to anchor and/or swing within range of my dock, whilst I re-load my deck gun under said "2nd Amendment rights".

All seriousness aside, and as mentioned before by tomfl and others, it's not about the "Haves" and "Have Nots", it's about saturation. The East Coast of Florida has turned into an over-crowded Super Highway with too few palpable Rest Stops over the years, and it's not going to get any better, whether they "legislate" it to death or not.

The Anarchists among you should have already noticed that for lack of funding, even the current legislation isn't enforced, so unless you really make a constant nuisance of yourselves over a prolonged period of time, I really don't think you'll have to worry about further "restrictions to your freedom".

On the other hand, finding a secluded spot to drop the hook might become more and more challenging as time goes by, which is why I strongly recommend that you stop short of Florida's East Coast, and delve in the coastal beauty of the Carolinas instead (Please?).

Jacques

[smj]

Originally Posted by Neeltje

Scot,

Sounds like a plan! And with a little bit of luck and tenacity, everybody will eventually have the right to anchor and/or swing within range of my dock, whilst I re-load my deck gun under said "2nd Amendment rights".

All seriousness aside, and as mentioned before by tomfl and others, it's not about the "Haves" and "Have Nots", it's about saturation. The East Coast of Florida has turned into an over-crowded Super Highway with too few palpable Rest Stops over the years, and it's not going to get any better, whether they "legislate" it to death or not.

The Anarchists among you should have already noticed that for lack of funding, even the current legislation isn't enforced, so unless you really make a constant nuisance of yourselves over a prolonged period of time, I really don't think you'll have to worry about further "restrictions to your freedom".

On the other hand, finding a secluded spot to drop the hook might become more and more challenging as time goes by, which is why I strongly recommend that you stop short of Florida's East Coast, and delve in the coastal beauty of the Carolinas instead (Please?).

Jacques

There is no doubt an over abundance of boating traffic in southern Florida nowadays, but mainly small boat traffic or weekend Floridians. Once again I still haven't heard of the crowded anchorages that are being talked about or maybe I haven't come cross them.


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[tomfl]

Originally Posted by smj

There is no doubt an over abundance of boating traffic in southern Florida nowadays, but mainly small boat traffic or weekend Floridians. Once again I still haven't heard of the crowded anchorages that are being talked about or maybe I haven't come cross them.

I try to stay away from crowds. But there is some guy named Wally Moran on facebook that is a member of the Seven Seas Cruisers who seems to think there is a lake he anchors in at Ft. Lauderdale that would be affected. Some woman also claims there is a place she calls Sunset Lake in Miami Beach that also has crowds.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by tomfl

I try to stay away from crowds. But there is some guy named Wally Moran on facebook that is a member of the Seven Seas Cruisers who seems to think there is a lake he anchors in at Ft. Lauderdale that would be affected. Some woman also claims there is a place she calls Sunset Lake in Miami Beach that also has crowds.

If your going up the east coast of Florida from the Keys or Miami, there are no anchorages except inside the ICW. Until you hit Jupiter, your going to be in sight of housing virtually everywhere, and in most places, inside of 300 feet of a house. It's just really, really tough to find places to anchor, and there are precious few mooring spots along the way. To enter Jupiter from the Atlantic, you better hope for a calm weather situation, the tide be with you, and you need a shoal draft to get over the bar.

Ft. Lauderdale may well be affected. Lake Sylvia is the place many sailboats anchor, and it certainly could fall under the restrictions, except in the center. That would be a shame, as it is one of the few places one can duck inside when sailing north.

The concerns are real.

[smj]

Originally Posted by tomfl

I try to stay away from crowds. But there is some guy named Wally Moran on facebook that is a member of the Seven Seas Cruisers who seems to think there is a lake he anchors in at Ft. Lauderdale that would be affected. Some woman also claims there is a place she calls Sunset Lake in Miami Beach that also has crowds.

The Lake in Lauderdale was the one I referred to earlier which is Lake Sylvia. This is a small cove surrounded by multi million dollar houses that the locals frequent on the weekends and the cruisers during the season. This does get packed with boats, but the funny thing is it's legal to water ski in this protected little cove! Now if I was a homeowner I would rather be rid of the water skiers and the wakes that their boats produce undermining my bulkhead than the cruisers.
I've never anchored in Sunset Cove but have anchored outside of it. Supposedly there's one homeowner that holds a grudge against cruisers and will do what he can to get rid of them.
These are two isolated cases but not the norm in Southern Florida, or in all of a Florida. The only places that I can think of that had an over abundance of anchored boats in Florida now have moorings.


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[onestepcsy37]

My Lake Sylvia story.

Friends of ours stopped there after crossing over from Bimini. A few hours after dropping anchor the Water Nazi boat came around and told him he had to be out by 5 pm tomorrow. He looked the cop square in the eye and told him he didn't have to leave and he wouldn't. The cop told him he would be back tomorrow and his boat had better be gone. My friend just said to him "See you tomorrow!". They stayed two more days and were never bothered again.

And not once did my friend mention to the cop that he was a retired sheriff and not easily intimidated....