Legislative changes to anchor within Florida.

[trapeze]

It looks like the anchoring laws have changed for the better in Florida. Take a look at this Boat US article.

http://www.boatus.com/gov/GA005FLAnchoring.pdf

[Love MACs]

Interesting, this ought to ruffle the feathers of some local governments

[Rick Westlake]

And it's bringing a sigh of relief from people in my "other" sailing association, the Seven Seas Cruising Association.

I can't blame a waterfront community for wanting to get rid of "eyesore" junker boats that just sit at anchor and rot. However, different municipalities had different laws and regulations to try and handle this problem - and some of them just got so restrictive that it was hurting not only the cruisers who werre "just passing through," but the marinas and businesses that now weren't getting them as customers.

The laws, in many cases, weren't set up to differentiate between Bo Bohunk, squatting aboard a Leakin' Lena that hadn't moved for years and is sitting in a self-made beer-can reef, and Jonah Ishmael on his Crealock 37, who's been anchored out a day too long while a new frammitz for his engine is getting shipped from the West Coast. Maybe Jonah's anchored in front of the mansion of Reginald Rollindough, who's jealous of his "priss-tine" view across the Bay ... and his blonde trophy wife, who has to cover 'em up because "that goddam sailboat" is anchored close enough for a view. So he calls the County's Finest to roust out Jonah....

The new law defines "live-aboards" in a way that will clearly exclude Jonah, but provides for clearing out the Leakin' Lena and its portable shoals. Boats'R'Us has really helped Floridian boaters, and visiting boaters, by shepherding it through. I'm hoping to take Bossa Nova down to Florida this winter - for a while, at least - and I'm reassured by the new law.

(Thanks to Ken McLemore for providing the illustration - on an unrelated thread!)

[bubba]

I like the part about vessels that are used for navication are legal. In the Salish Sea ( Pudget Sound ) in locations like Eagle Harbor where they have floating shanties or small cotages on the water are an eyesore along with very old boats without a mast or sails or working motors need to move to the hard.