POLL - Florida Anchoring Limits

[Leadfree]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

I don't disagree with anything you say but wonder if you include private mooring balls as an exclusion to the rest of the public. Many mooring balls on the east coast (between NJ and Florida) are rarely used and some have not been used for many years.

I would include them, unless they have government permit, by which they are excluded from common by the government as representative of the public.

But that said, I believe I understand your meaning: people put moorings in to preclude others' use of the area, and that's not okay either. That happens in FL too, although usually they hang some sort of crap on it. Quite a few of the derelicts are nicknamed 'stored boats,' but what they really are, are just hulks put there by shoreside homeowners to keep people from anchoring in the area. I have seen that in Otter Key near Sarasota and there was quite a bit of that done in Miami before they cordoned off the Lido Keys area (guy hung a bunch of Sunfish to block people) and I suspect quite a few of the empty boats taking up anchorage along the west coast are the same.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Leadfree

I would include them, unless they have government permit, by which they are excluded from common by the government as representative of the public.

But that said, I believe I understand your meaning: people put moorings in to preclude others' use of the area, and that's not okay either. That happens in FL too, although usually they hang some sort of crap on it. Quite a few of the derelicts are nicknamed 'stored boats,' but what they really are, are just hulks put there by shoreside homeowners to keep people from anchoring in the area. I have seen that in Otter Key near Sarasota and there was quite a bit of that done in Miami before they cordoned off the Lido Keys area (guy hung a bunch of Sunfish to block people) and I suspect quite a few of the empty boats taking up anchorage along the west coast are the same.

Thank you for answering my question.

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

I don't disagree with anything you say but wonder if you include private mooring balls as an exclusion to the rest of the public. Many mooring balls on the east coast (between NJ and Florida) are rarely used and some have not been used for many years.

This is a major problem. It's bad enough in "mooring fields" where a few are unused. It's far worse at destinations, where the primary purpose is to reserve a spot in a popular location -- even if you only come 3 weekends a year. I don't normally take a vacant mooring for the night (one harbor -- North Cove of Old Saybrook -- I was told by a local that it was the norm). But I do not consider an empty destination mooring to provide "first there rights" and will happily anchor where I could swing into a mooring ball.


La Grosse Boule, an island in the Sept Iles chain on the north shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, is one such anchorage. The shore is very steep, such that the useful anchoring zone is barely 100' wide or so. There is a line of private moorings pretty much monopolizing the mooring area. Dropped anchor right between two and didn't loose a minutes sleep. Don't know how I'd have responded if someone showed up -- but these kinds of moorings are almost never used.

[sailorboy1]

and here I thought the topic was Florida laws/non-laws

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

and here I thought the topic was Florida laws/non-laws

Seems to address point #2 in the poll.

[jcapo]

Enforce the existing laws.

[Johan Leopard51]

Originally Posted by rognvald

Hi, J,
I bet that shows those evil rich people who's the boss, right? And, bribery??? Oh, boy . . .
Rognvald

It’s the rich foreign ARSEHOLES offering the bribes to the locals exercising their right to THEIR public waters.

If you want to dictate what happens in the bay in front of your villa : buy 1 mile of frontage for a few billion dollars and then maintain it. Your $5m villa buys you sweet blow fall