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Please Note That Postings Below From Fellow Cruisers Are Listed in Chronological Order, Based on Publication Date
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| News Release | U.S. Coast Guard 7th District Southeast |
This shoaling appears to begin just north of Bakers Haulover Inlet. Slow speed and sharp watch are required.
FLORIDA – AICW – WEST PALM BEACH TO MIAMI – NORTHERN BISCAYNE BAY: Bakers Haulover Shoaling
Mariners are advised that significant shoaling has been identified in portions of the Intracoastal waterway within Bakers Haulover, in the vicinity of:
25-54-15.77N / 80-07-49.37W (25°54.2629N / 080°7.8229W, 25.904381 / -80.130381),
25-53-51.14N / 80-08-01.75W (25°53.8523N / 080°8.0291W, 25.897539 / -80.133819),
25-53-59.71N / 80-07-33.10W (25°53.9951N / 080°7.5517W, 25.899919 / -80.125861),
25-54-15.62N / 80-07-44.83W (25°54.2603N / 080°7.7471W, 25.904339 / -80.129119) .
The shoaling has resulted in depths being reduced below 10 feet in some areas with the most severe portions showing a depth as low as 2.9 feet.
Extreme caution should be exercised when transiting the area to avoid vessel damage and potential groundings.
Good news for cruisers who are not docking overnight in the Hollywood area or who might be anchoring. However, the nearest anchorage is three miles south.
Where boating is a pleasure: A new Publix could let you dock to shop
SunSentinel
TL;DR: It’s an empty lot. It *may* eventually be a Publix with a dock. Definitely not this season.
[Editor: Thanks Sean! Title has been adjusted. LD]
The age old issue of converting popular ICW anchorages, such as North and South Lakes in Hollywood, into mooring fields has in the past been associated with municipal waterfronts like St. Augustine. The mooring fields are considered to be a way to prevent derelicts and long term, unattended anchored vessels. See Anchoring Hassels in Hollywood, Florida and Sewage in Waterway Blamed on Boaters, Hollywood, FL.
Click here for Boat buoys could sink sailing on Hollywood lakes
Sun Sentinel
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District announces details for the public scoping meeting in Fort Lauderdale regarding the development of the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM). The meeting locations listed in the link below include Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Miami Gardens.
Our thanks to Specialist Erica Skolte for this notice.
Click here for Corps announces public meeting in Ft. Lauderdale on Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual
Contact
Erica Skolte
561-340-1527
561-801-5734 (cell)
Erica.A.Skolte@usace.army.mil
See Okeechobee Waterway Overview.
For details and admission, go the official site, Palm Beach International Boat Show.
Palm Beach International Yacht Show
Announcing the 2019 annual Palm Beach Boat Show, in West Palm Beach, Florida, from Thursday the 28th to Sunday the 31st of March, 2019.
If you are familiar with these two channels, located south of Key Biscayne, into Biscayne Bay, let Kevin and us hear from you.
Is anyone familiar with entering Biscayne Bay via the Cape Florida Channel or Biscayne Channel? I draw 4.5 feet. What are the currents like? Thanks.
You shouldn’t have any trouble with either channel. Key Biscayne channel is better marked and perhaps a little deeper, but neither is a problem for your draft. Enjoy the trip through Stiltsville. The Cape Florida channel is not as well marked, but again no problem. However, be cautious of the sportfishers that run through it on plane. Some sails chose to anchor near the channel for a quick start to a Bahamas trip – not a good idea. Also, on weekends there is a lot of traffic here going to and from No Name Harbor and its restaurant. Currents on each are not an issue for boats under power.
Great advice Bill. Thanks for helping a fellow cruiser .
MIAMI — State and federal responders are scheduled to begin vessel removal operations in Miami-Dade County Thursday as part of ongoing response efforts following Hurricane Irma.
Damaged vessels being removed will be stored at two newly established locations: Watson Island Marina and the Seminole Boat Ramp.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REPORT
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Evacuation Shelters in Miami-Dade County from The Miami Hurricane
In July of 2016, several popular Miami area anchorages, including Sunset Lake, were declared to be Banned Anchoring Areas by the FWC. See Bill Murdock’s article and chart on these banned zones: /163814
Cruisers’ Net would like to know if any of you south Florida cruisers have attempted to anchor in Sunset Lake and, if so, what were the results? Is the ban being enforced? Let us hear from you.
Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Anchorage Directory Listing For Sunset Lake
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Sunset Lake
Are you seriously asking people to admit, on the Internet, that they broke the law?
If you are headed for the Bahamas this summer and would like company, give John and Judy a call.
Looking for buddy boat(s) to cruise the Bahamas. John and Judy are sailing a 35 ft Heritage, departing the Miami area the end of June or early July, looking for the company of other boats to join us on the trip. We find that sailing with a “buddy” or 2 increases the enjoyment. The cruising area will be the Abacos and Bimini. We are a retired couple and are not licensed boat captains, but John has extensive experience in the Bahamas, but not recently. If you think you would like to take the trip, give us a call at 863-655-4153 and we’ll talk about it.
John and Judy Egizi
Hibiscus Island and Monumental Island anchorage are on the north side of the MacArthur Causeway in northern Biscayne Bay. The anchorage is northeast of Monument Island, accessible from the north and from the Waterway west of the area. Our thanks to Janice Callum, who is replying to Crackdown on Dinghy Landings Access, for this report and for her excellent advice on being good citizens while visiting “foreign waters” lest we be labeled as the “ugly boater.”
We are anchored off Hibiscus Island in Miami Beach. No visits from police or problems with anything! Boats are anchored off Star Island and the Collins Canal, no hassle. Many more derelict looking boats are anchored on the north side of the East Venetian bridge, but they also seem to be left alone. We saw one trawler named Lady J get pulled over by the water police…the officials are especially protective of the sea grass seedlings in this area and the No Wake zone in Maloy Channel, so crawl along those shores! Sunset Lake remains boat free; as well as free of the dinghies that were anchored around to obstruct cruiser’s anchoring. How ’bout if we all just leave that spot alone until the “unwelcome” (caused by the fellow who considers himself a Cuba expert who sails a near derelict red boat) wears off (and do let him know if you see him that none of us Snowbirds have appreciated the mess he’s caused for us down here). The good news, that we have not seen posted anywhere on the www, is that there is a wonderful dinghy dock up the Collins Canal across the street from the boater-friendly Publix….not just a chain, a real dock! But, fellow cruisers, please, PLEASE stop jamming your trash into the waste receptacle on the street by the dock! It’s beyond comprehension that anyone thinks this is an appropriate spot for trash bags; and, you are risking this spot to tie up for all of us! The police docks and park wall under the bridge (on the other side of the canal) are all posted Tow Away Zone or 20 Minute Loading Zone No Mooring. Let’s all be welcome visitors and do something helpful while we are here! Pick up your dog’s waste, keep your stereos down, anchor well off folk’s backyards and go somewhere else if you can’t handle the wakes.
Best regards, Janice Callum, “Calamus”
Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Anchorage Directory Listing For Monument Island
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Monument Island
This notice is for our friends and cruisers in south Florida.
New Zika transmission zone confirmed in Miami-Dade County
NBC 6 MIAMI , WPTV Webteam
4:20 PM, Oct 13, 2016
11:29 PM, Oct 13, 2016
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REPORT
This article and video by Todd Tongen comes from Local ABC News 10 of Hollywood, FL.
Hollywood condo owners blame live-aboard boaters for dirty waterway
Residents near North Beach Park say boaters dump sewage into Intracoastal
By Todd Tongen – Anchor/Reporter , Samantha Bryant – Intern
Posted: 6:19 PM, May 13, 2016
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Hollywood condominium owners are blaming live-aboard boaters for a dirty Intracoastal Waterway behind their complex.
Residents of The Moorings condominiums near North Beach Park in Hollywood told Local 10 News reporter Todd Tongen that the live-aboard boaters are nothing more than squatters on the water.
Marybeth Cullinan, a Moorings homeowner association member, reported seeing raw sewage dumped in the waterway.
CLICK HERE for the full article and video.
The vast majority of waterway contamination is not due to boaters but to surface runoff through storm drains. Intact feces could not make it through the choker valve on marine heads. They would most likely be dog dropping washed into storm drains. Similarly cigarette butts , styrofoam cups,paper and other trash are from irresponsible land dwellers, not boaters.
Dinner Key Marina is located at the western end of Dinner Key Channel on the western shore of Biscayne Bay. For more typical comments on Dinner Key Marina, see /25334.
If the customer service in most places in Miami is subpar, then the service at Dinner Key Marina is absolute garbage. The kind of service that makes you immediately regret having moved to Miami (and I speak fluent Spanish). The kind of service that forces you to set aside ample time to sit down and write a juicy, one star review just like the one that you are about to read. So you do not mistake this review for one coming from a non-credible source, I should probably mention that I am a USCG licensed Captain (50 ton Master) and a Cambridge engineering graduate with 20 years of boating experience. Also for the record, I have never really written a review before, but this nightmare could not have gone unpublished. Here is the sequence of events:
1. I signed a one year contract with the marina for a commercial slip in August of 2014. The plan was to run charters to small groups of elite guests aboard my 41-foot Maxum. Having endured a 3-hour long trip down from Fort Lauderdale, my father and I finally pulled into our allocated slip. The very next morning, we were rudely woken by a bunch of goons banging on the fiberglass, asking why we had parked there. They had chained the boat to the seawall. I kindly replied that I had signed a one year contract for that spot. They later unchained the boat and barely made an apology. That is Dinner Key Marina’s idea of a welcome, apparently.
2. One week following my arrival, I drove up to Orlando for a few days. There, the local police came knocking on my door announcing that they had found a boat registered to my name up on a beach in Fort Pierce (about 125 miles north of Miami). Long story short, a ring of drug smugglers stole my 41 Maxum from Dinner Key Marina. I still wonder if it was not someone from the marina who tipped off my absence. It took 3 months of investigations by the USCG, DEA, and the local Sheriff’s department, and an additional 3 months of quoting repairs before I recouped the money from the insurance company (the boat was declared a total loss). Dinner Key Marina did not help out with anything and did not even express their sympathies for what had happened. I later suggested that they install a camera to monitor that pier (Pier 9) and they really could not have cared less.
3. I returned to the marina with a new Concept 36. Why do you ask? Because none of the other 30 odd marinas in Miami had availability for commercial vessels. I should also mention that although Dinner Key Marina welcomes commercial vessels, they are not zoned for commercial use. I found that out following a visit to the City Hall trying to get my zoning permit. So technically, everyone there operating commercially is illegal. The operations lady at the Dinner Key Marina, Maria Busto, one of the most impolite, ill-intentioned, dysfunctional individuals I have ever had the displeasure to meet, had promised me following the theft of the 41 Maxum, that she would give me priority on my original slip. Sure enough, when I returned to the marina with the Concept 36, she had given it away to somebody else and left me with a slip amidst a bunch of shrimping boats. Just for the record, all of the frustrating experiences delineated above were delivered almost exclusively by her, Maria Busto. Do not waste even a second of your time with her. Talk directly to Stephen Bogner, the manager, anytime you need assistance. I found this out too late. He is of great character and although he does not have much control over what goes on in his marina, he means well.
4. My dad fell ill in early 2016 and I was forced to move back to Orlando to tend to him. I terminated my contract with Dinner Key Marina under this premise. My dad just passed away from heart failure at the age of 55. Even knowing about these circumstances, it took Dinner Key Marina nearly 4 months to refund my deposit. E-mails went unanswered almost every time. Every time I called in, no one was around even during business hours. Simply unbelievable.
5. Summarizing, this was the worst experience I have had with any company in my entire life. I failed to mention the countless times I had to fend off people trying to steal my stuff at the dock (and they did), obnoxious fishermen tossing garbage around and having to pick up after them, birds crapping shrimp guts all over my boat, vandalism, and daily encounters with ill-tempered employees of the marina (with a few exceptions, including Renato, an awesome security guy). Come here at your own peril. This place is a disaster. It will drain you emotionally and ruin your life!
Alexander N Endlein
Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Dinner Key Marina
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Dinner Key Marina
Peter Conway is inquiring about Hurricane Harbor on the southwestern shore of Key Biscayne. There is no charted channel into what appears to be a well-sheltered anchorage. If you have local knowledge of this harbor, let us hear from you.
What happened to the anchorage at Hurricane Harbor? Is it not still a permitted anchorage?
Peter Conway
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Hurricane Harbor
Our thanks to Mike Ahart of Waterway Guide for posting this information. Collins Canal runs northeast from Biscayne Bay near AICW Statute Mile 1088. This article was first posted in August of this year. Let us hear from you if you have experienced this enforcement./p>
Miami Beach cracks down on dinghy access
Date Reported: Aug 6, 2015
Reported By: Mike Ahart, News Editor
Source: WG Staff
Miami Beach’s anchorages have a lot to offer to cruisers, including good holding, protection, and a beautiful view of 
The City of Miami Beach passed an amendment to an ordinance which now makes it unlawful to tie a dinghy to the canal wall to visit the city. Signs were installed all along the public sections of seawall on May 15, 2015, according to Nannette Rodriguez of the Miami Beach City office. SeaTow has been removing “many boats,” according to a SeaTow representative, who also said that the city is strictly enforcing the 20-minute limit for the dinghy dock at the end of 17th Street.
Larry,
We had heard rumors of towing dinghies. I hadn’t seen any news so I called Seatow and the Miami marine patrol. Seatow said they are towing dinghies on orders from the police. There are signs posting this policy on the Collins canal and some sea walls.
I spoke with the police and the policy is a result of the derelict boats. They are aware that it “may cause ” an inconvenience to the transient population. He reported some of the difficulties they have dealt with,most recently a 16 month old drowned after falling overboard. He said you can tie at the police dock for short periods. The sign says 20 minutes but also said they have some latitude with that number. He also said the dock at the old Publix can be utilized. That dock is problematic at low tide.
The officer also said the whole situation is a moving target and recommended speaking with the marine patrol when we get there.
Jim O’Shea
svKismet
December 8, 2015
Well we finally made it to South Beach after being pinned down in West Pam Beach and Ft Lauderdale. I haven’t spoken to the police yet but after talking to a local liveaboard it seems that everything I posted earlier is still true.
That is, there is some leniency at the police dock and the only “legal place “tot tie your dinghy is at the old Publix on the Collins Canal. It may sound inconvenient but it isn’t as bad as it may sound. The problem is people tying too close too the dock so you can disembark.. This isn’t that unusual so we can adapt. I went a bit further down the wall and walked the small ledge back to the dock. The water is quite high from all the rainfall so I can’t attest to low tide conditions.
Another thing would be to have one dinghy take multiple boats in and then pick them up, If they have large loads they could come back and get their dinghy and get the mate and packages from a convenient spot.
All in all it is not worth crossing South Beach off the itinerary.
Jim O’Shea
svKismet
Click Here for the full article.
We are anchored off Hibiscus Island in Miami Beach. No visits from police or problems with anything! Boats are anchored off Star Island and the Collins Canal, no hassle. Many more derelict looking boats are anchored on the north side of the East Venetian bridge, but they also seem to be left alone. We saw one trawler named Lady J get pulled over by the water police…the officials are especially protective of the sea grass seedlings in this area and the No Wake zone in Maloy Channel, so crawl along those shores! Sunset Lake remains boat free; as well as free of the dingies that were anchored around to obstruct cruiser’s anchoring. How ’bout if we all just leave that spot alone until the “unwelcome” (caused by the fellow who considers himself a Cuba expert who sails a near derelict red boat) wears off (and do let him know if you see him that none of us Snowbirds have appreciated the mess he’s caused for us down here). The good news, that we have not seen posted anywhere on the www, is that there is a wonderful dinghy dock up the Collins Canal across the street from the boater-friendly Publix….not just a chain, a real dock! But, fellow cruisers, please, PLEASE stop jamming your trash into the waste recepticle on the street by the dock! It’s beyond comprehension that anyone thinks this is an appropriate spot for trash bags; and, you are risking this spot to tie up for all of us! The police docks and park wall under the bridge (on the other side of the canal) are all posted Tow Away Zone or 20 Minute Loading Zone No Mooring. Let’s all be welcome visitors and do something helpful while we are here! Pick up your dog’s waste, keep your stereos down, anchor well off folk’s backyards and go somewhere else if you can’t handle the wakes. Best regards, Janice Callum, “Calamus”
I just sent an email to Sea Tow head office informing them that I will use BoatUS for our southern voyages from now on due to their collusion with the City of Miami. Suggest all do the same.
Heading south again from Toronto next summer. We will be getting our towing insurance from BoatUS. Sea Tow won’t see another dollar from me.
Telling the Politicians and homeowners in Miami that we as cruisers are going to go elsewhere to spend our money is self defeating. That is exactly what they want us to do. The issue of dinghies in the Collins canal has little to do with abandoned boats and all to do with homeowners not wanting any cruisers anchored in the way of their view. If they can limit the places where a dink can be tied up to access the shore, then they can make it difficult for cruisers to stay anchored. If the rule was that no dinghy be tied up in the canal between the hours of 3AM and 5AM that would solve the abandoned dink issue and still allow cruisers to have access to shore facilities. There is also the issue of the Seatow company agreeing to do this towing of dinks. Have they forgotten who they were created to serve.
So sorry to read of this ! This WAS a favorite spot to reprovision, but with all of this activity in Florida to restrict anchoring again and to limit shore access, I feel that FL. Has become cruser un-friendly and will for me be just a place to pass through on my way to somewhere that makes me feel welcome !!! I will vote with my wallet since I can not cast a vote here.
We have enjoyed visiting South Beach on Magic Carpet many many times since first sailing there in 2000. We have always used the Publix cable to secure our dinghy in the Collins Canal and consider it essential to cruise there. Frankly, I am not sure where else to tie up along that canal. Prior to our first visit stepped up enforcement of using of the boat ramp dinghy dock eliminated a safe place in that area. It just gets tougher and tougher to get ashore in Florida.
Please don’t paint all of Fl with the same brush. I am currently anchored in Stadium Marina in Miami. No problems docking the dink at all.
We gave up on Miami years ago. We now cross the lake and base in Ft. Meyers.
Lots to do with prices a lot lower than Miami and a straight shot to Key West.
Errrr, Miami is a giant festering tent city cess pool with colonized causeways, why would anyone go there in the first place? Interfering with the right to navigation is a crime too, it is time for a class action lawsuit based on the US constitution, also I will not be renewing with Seatow ever again.
No one seems to measure the money we cruisers spend but the marinas and marine services will notice if we no longer stop in the Miami area. We will no longer stop at Coconut Grove, shop at Publix in Miami or Key Biscayne, West Marine? Not in Miami. Miami boat show in Feb? Nope. A favorite mechanic is in Miami… sorry Lenny. Have to go somewhere else. Maybe these businesses will pressure their polititians if their customers move on. The pols are not interested in us. Not advocating a boycott. We’re just not spending any of OUR money in Miami.
WELL…. these laws are so limiting for cruisers, that wish to stop in Miami Beach, and provision the vessels, or spend money there… I guess we’ll skip Miami, and Miami Beach… and just go straight to the Bahamas, Keys, or the west side of FL.
You can’t even get a burger at the B&B in less than 20 minutes… much less shop at the Publix, and return to the dinghy dock.
Thank you Skipper Clueless for sending what amounts to a retraction to your earlier report. SSECN is glad to hear of the needed improvements to be made. Hollywood Municipal Marina lies south of AICW marker #40, on the southern shores of North Lake.
I’ll start by saying, this is beyond `you get what you pay for!’ Spend the money, and go somewhere else! When we made the reservation, we were told that they had 50 amp electric. NOT! We pulled in late (at dusk), and there was know one to answer the radio. I had called ahead, and was given our slip assignment. Once in the slip, we discovered that they only had 30 amp. We found the `security’ guard that checked us in, and asked about moving to where they had 50 amp service. He laughed and said: `don’t know what to tell ya, except you won’t use much fuel to run your generator!’ Since it was dark at this point, we had no choice than to stay in the slip, and run the generator for power. This place is ridiculous! They also would not take cash! LEGAL TENDER!! Had to use a credit card!! Also, had to fill out 3 pages of legal mumbo jumbo! They insisted on a copy of our insurance! All this, and NO POWER! Ugh! Never again.
Still Clueless
Happy Ending!
I would like to add (or subtract) from my previous post:
Since writing this review, I was contacted by the NEW dock master who explained and addressed each and everyone of my issues. Has also provided a full refund for the stay. This marina is in dire need of several upgrades, and he has assured me that everything addressed will be in the works (if not already) for updating and change. They will immediately start taking cash! I promised, I would return once I have heard of the changes. They are a very inexpensive marina, and in a wonderful location. If you want to give them a try, just ASK about power prior to booking 🙂
Still Clueless
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Hollywood Municipal Marina
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