New Miami (Dinner Key) Mooring Field

[chuckr]

We came into the new dinner key mooring field on dec 1 and they asked us to take a mooring on the outskirts of the field that was a fair dingy ride in and is subject to wakes from boats in the channels before they begin to slow down -- we are a 40' Jeanneau ds40 with a 5' draft -
as we dingyed in we noted several 40'+ boats with deeper draft closer in so we asked if we could move closer in as most of the field is currently empty --
we suggested a mooring number and told to go ahead and move which we did. Now we are told that the mooring we moved to is a 30' mooring and the original mooring we were on was a 40' mooring - in fact i would estimate that over 2/3 of the mooring field is designed for boats less than 40' and we were told that they can not accomadate any boat greater than 42' - when i told them a 47' boat just left for the islands they agreed and told us that the boat was told they could no longer use the field because they were to big -
there is also a very very tiny dingy dock
trying not to be to prejudical, it appears if this is a test field for the florida anchoring problem they designed it for failure - in fact you may just want to anchor on the other side of the mooring field and not have to pay which is right next to the 40-42' moorings
just my thoughts
chuck patty and svsoulmates
miami fl

[GordMay]

Thanks for the report, Chuck.

More

➥ Miami Boating News :: Miami Dinner Key Mooring Field Opens to Public

➥ http://www.miamigov.com/marinas/doc/Mooring_Rules.pdf

➥ Updated Mooring Field Plan - Dinnerkey.com - The Voice of the Coconut Grove Waterfront

[CarlF]

Seems like a fairly clever way to get around that inconvenient anchoring law.

Just fill all available anchoring space with more empty moorings than you'll ever need. Get grant to pay for it. Keep the moorings empty by making them too small for many of those boats that used to anchor. In case anyone misses the point, install a really small dinghy dock and make the really good mooring locations too small for just about any cruising boat.

With few boats left, trumpet fewer accidents, less pollution, and better view for residents.

They must have had a good chuckle when they came up with this plan.

Carl

[Red Mantis]

Originally Posted by CarlF

With few boats left, trumpet fewer accidents, less pollution, and better view for residents.

They must have had a good chuckle when they came up with this plan.

I've worked with a lot of local government bodies, and none of them possessed that kind of Machiavellian ingenuity.

Which just means that the plans must have been drawn up by the local condo ass'n.

[Vasco]

What are they charging?

[hellosailor]

"Keep the moorings empty by making them too small for many of those boats that used to anchor."
The numbers I keep hearing are that more than 90% of all recreational sailboats are 28' OAL and less, and that less than 5% are over 36' OAL, or something like that.
So this mooring field would be designed to accomodate 95% of all the recreational sailors on the market.
Now, unless Miami is so very different form the rest of the world...this might be shortsighted of them, but it might also reflect that last 5% of the sailors either want, or can afford, commercial dockage. Or, to use the open anchorage outside the mooring field.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

"Keep the moorings empty by making them too small for many of those boats that used to anchor."
The numbers I keep hearing are that more than 90% of all recreational sailboats are 28' OAL and less, and that less than 5% are over 36' OAL, or something like that.

The little ones might not need moorings. Are you including all the sailing dinghys and trailer sailors in that number? Are windsurfers included? Just walk through a marina in Florida and you'll be hard pressed to find a sailboat under 30 feet.

[micksbuddy]

No doubt! It would be much more useful to consider the average length of CRUISING sailboats (ie ones that might actually use a mooring) than all the dinghys and daysailors out there.

[CaptMarc]

Check out Coconut Grove Sailing Club. We have transient moorings available inside the mole Islands near the City of Miami mooring field.
The club monitors CH 78 and phone # 305-444-4571 www.cgsc.org

Moorings available up to 40 ft. Launch service (24/7) showers, and a great bar/restaurant to boot!!

A few board members hear are members, come on by!!

Marc - Past Commodore CGSC

[hellosailor]

Rick, the numbers are supposed to be for "sailing" in the US overall and yes that probably includes the daysailers. In Florida's Gold Coast I'm sure the numbers are different from any other location, geography and income can do that. Lots of money (even now), jumping off point for the islands, and local quotes that there were 50+ thousand boats competing for 30+ thousand docks and moorings, at least until the bottom dropped out of the economy.

No matter how you slice it--long term cruisers are a minority of sailors, and 40+ footers are yet another minority of sailors. Who knows what Miami was thinking, maybe the "next size up" in mooring screws and rigs would have just been too big a step up. Maybe, the local marine businesses said "Hey, don't you dare take those fat boys away from us!"

I'm just saying that accomodating "up to 40" isn't a totally irrational break point. Maybe CaptMarc can tell you why his club made the same decision.


"It would be much more useful to consider the average length of CRUISING sailboats (ie ones that might actually use a mooring) " I don't know that CRUISING boats are especially fond of moorings. Miami is a destination and a home port, and keeping your boat at a mooring even if you just take it out on weekends twice a month, is just a normal way to save on the east coast. 50,000 boats, 30,000 places to put them....Dockage ain't cheap.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by CaptMarc

Check out Coconut Grove Sailing Club. We have transient moorings available inside the mole Islands near the City of Miami mooring field.

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, CaptMarc.

Can you add anything to the Miami Herald story?

“Though significant changes are not imminent, the future of the Coconut Grove Sailing Club remains uncertain...”

➥ Coconut Grove Sailing Club's future still uncertain - Central Miami - MiamiHerald.com

[Vasco]

If any cruisers in the Biscayne Bay area are looking for transient moorings I would recommend Crandon Park Marina on Key Biscayne. Very sheltered. Water and fuel. Only drawback is the office was still in a couple of trailers (Jan 2009) and the showers were being built. In fact they'd been "being built" since 2004 at least.

[CaptMarc]

At the CGSC, we use dead weight moorings (cast concrete with iron ingots) they are calculated to hold a boat up to 18000 lbs, and fitting them in our area resticts us 40 ft. to maximise the number of available moorings.

The City's decision to limit to 40 ft is arbitrary. The crew installing them say they use the same rig to hold 60 ft. vessels. Another club member talking to a City employee says the 40 ft limit was chosen to mimic the Sailng Club mooring field. Of the 175 current City moorings, only 40 or so are spaced for boats 31-40 feet.

This has been a longtime issue in Miami, especially with the Club's moorings. Of our 180 boats, only 40 or so are under 30 feet. The largest group is 31-35 (100?) and the remainder 36-40ft.

My take on the City field is it's OK for a day or two. I would not keep a boat fulltime there as it on an unprotected lee shore. The new dinghy dock is being rebuilt and head showers are also "to be built" The City at least purchased a pumpout boat.

In response to Gord, the Club is still in negotiation for a new lease or management agreement. We're still on a month to month lease since 2000. The new Mayor likes the Club and proposes support. Other good news is we have community backing to save the Club founded in 1946.



Marc

[Quickstep]

One other thought on the difference between a 30' mooring and a 40' mooring is the spacing allowed between boats. In any kind of wind it isn't much of a problem, but with no wind and a slack tide you need to make sure that you might not turn opposite the boat next to you and collide. We've seen it happen.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Quickstep

One other thought on the difference between a 30' mooring and a 40' mooring is the spacing allowed between boats. In any kind of wind it isn't much of a problem, but with no wind and a slack tide you need to make sure that you might not turn opposite the boat next to you and collide. We've seen it happen.

Yes, the bum to bum bump does happen sometime. Most mooring fields allow for this, Vero Beach is a good example of a well run field. Three boats to a mooring and no problems. The only time you might bump is when a newbie extends the mooring pennant by putting another line on it or puts a line on the buoy much longer than the pennant.