All Aboard Florida RR to Impact OWW Boaters
The issue of RR bridge closures by additional All Aboard Florida trains in south Florida was protested and discussed by a number of folks in 2015. See /?p=153595 and /153911. The additional Brightline service is scheduled to begin operation in mid-2017. Our thanks to Ted Guy for reminding us of this potential problem for cruisers.
A big threat to OWW cruisers and local Stuart/Palm City boat owners is AAF’s plan to add 32 trains a day through Stuart over the FEC railroad draw bridge. 32 more trains per day; 20 minute closures for each; you do the math. The bridge will be closed more time than open. Most of the day!
You may want to contact C.A.R.E. for more info: http://www.stuartmartinchamber.org/member_profile.asp?memID=11085
W.E. “Ted” Guy, Jr.
Comments from Cruisers (1)
In effect, unless someone’s mast is unstepped /prior/ to reaching the Old Dixie Highway bascule bridge, travel to and Sunset Bay Marina and to Indiantown is effectively ended or at least severely restricted (perhaps “catastrophically” fits?) so people can go from Miami to Orlando?
Loggerhead Marina, and possibly small parts of Manatee Pocket, are the only tenable places to stop over or stay in the Stuart area. Anchorage in the open river is constrained by weather and severe waking (Loggerhead isn’t immune on this score). And it’s quite clear that coming ashore by dinghy is, at the least, unwelcome, and often impractical.
Where is the sanity in this? Where is the safety in this? I see neither. Nor do I see a clear cut way to exert pressure to at least limit the number of trips (are 32 trips per day /really/ needed???). Once again the boating community takes it on the neck for a special interest, where money trumps common sense.