Florida Anchoring Update March, 05, 2017
See also Florida Wildlife and Fish Commission Proposed Anchoring Program and Lobbyists’ Report: Florida Legislation Sessions.
Florida Anchoring Update March, 05, 2017
Capitol Access is contacting other Lobbyists that have an interest with the navigable waterways, to understand each of their positions relative to ours. So far, the groups are synchronized in their positions fairly well … they are not promoting any issues or amendments that are averse to ours. This process of collaboration among all similar (and dissimilar) groups must take place continually, on a day-to-day basis, throughout the session.
Currently, Capitol Access is tracking House and Senate bills to identify any amendments that might get filed … they are ready to take a position on them as the bills get scheduled for hearings throughout the committee process. We are well-positioned with this. Capitol Access will keep us updated as amendments may be filed and as the bills get scheduled for hearings.
Survey: A lobbyist for Rybovich Superyacht Marina in Palm Beach County (http://www.rybovich.com/directions) has mentioned interest in anchoring restrictions at or near their entrance channel to ensure adequate ingress/egress/turn-around for the large vessels that they service. We not familiar with that channel. Presumably there are areas in this proximity where cruisers commonly anchor. If an amendment is filed to create a no-anchoring zone, we need local knowledge to assess the scope/breadth of the language relative to the
facts on the water.
Please advise if any boater can offer information relating to anchoring on the ICW between West Palm Beach and North Palm Beach. Respond to Mike Bodin mbmtoa@gmail.com
Comments from Cruisers (2)
Many times we have anchored south of Peanut Island opposite the Palm Beach Sailing Club, sometimes near, sometimes pretty far away. However, when we were there in 2015 and 2016, there were many, many private moorings in that area. We could not find any location we considered safe among the moorings.
We continued south of the channel used for access to Rybovich, and we anchored there in nearly 20 feet of water. We saw numerous large boats go in and out of Rybovich with no problems obvious to us. I can’t imagine what the complaint is about.
When we were anchored outside of the Rybovich yacht basin (not the Rybovich yard which is further north), the yachts would generally enter by coming down the eastern channel and then cut across spoil area, which is generally free of boats, then across the ICW western channel and into the basin. They seemed to have plenty of room.
Unfortunately that anchoring area south of the spoil area just outside Rybovich is one of the few areas south of peanut island and north of the bridge that you can get access to a dinghy dock and water, via the Palm Beach Sailing Club. It can get quite rough there when there are north and south winds, especially when the 2 knot current is going against the wind. While not a long dinghy ride in good situations, during the rougher weather it can trying and sometimes dangerous.
Without access to this dock from a close location you would have to be in the anchorage just south of Peanut island and take the dinghy over to the muni marina, which is too far a dinghy ride for those near the Palm Beach Sailing Club.
Then next best location would be south of the bridge near Clematis street.
It doesn’t appear to me at all that the megayachts have any trouble transitioning into Rybovich. Maybe the problem is with the facility and not with the ICW.