Bahamas Chatter is produced by Explorer Chartbooks, A CRUISERS NET PARTNER, which has long been the standard navigational supplement for enjoyable, informative, and safe cruising through the beautiful Bahamian waters and island visits.
Both red and green buoys are now missing at the entrance to Bimini Harbour. The shoal extending south from Entrance Point of North Bimini continues to extend to the south across the entrance of the channel to the harbour. Boats attempting to enter the harbour are running aground more frequently because they are relying exclusively on GPS positions on chart plotters and not attempting to look at the water and go where the water looks deeper. Visual piloting must be used here and is more important than electronic navigation in this area and others in the Bahamas. The bottom is easily seen here with good light and weather conditions.
The Bahamas Government has a long history of not maintaining aids to navigation and this should not be expected to change.
The current Explorer Chart for the Bimini Entrance was posted here on April 10, 2019. (Go to Posts, View All Posts, Click on Bimini on left menu, scroll down seven posts to “Continued shoaling at Bimini Harbour Entrance,” and click on read more.)
Expect the shoal to slowly continuing to move south.
The City of Gulfport and Gulfport Municipal Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, always have a full Calendar of Events for all ages. The marina and harbor, found on the northern shores of Boca Ciega Bay, are easily accessible from the Western Florida ICW, just north of Tampa Bay.
FOCUS ON Gulfport, Florida
Gulfport is a beautiful, quaint, waterfront “village” with good-ole southern Florida hospitality, charm and civic pride.
So many things to see and do in this seaside village that honors its past while enjoying the present. Truly a very unique historic village along Florida’s west coast.
Hosting all who arrive by sea is the comfortable, clean, protected and welcoming Gulfport Municipal Marina.
The marina is located on roughly eleven acres with over seven acres of marina waters protected by a concrete seawall and with 192 wet slips and 25 dry boat storage spaces. There is a boat ramp if needed and 70 trailer parking spaces available. A Florida CLEAN MARINA with a well-stocked ship’s store, two fueling stations, guest docking facility, showers and restrooms. If the marina is full, there is the Gulfport Mooring Field, also conveniently located near the heart of town. The well-engineered moorings offer a variety of amenities for the transient boater wishing to hangout in the bay. You are invited to stay a day, week or month. Many have even made Gulfport their new Homeport!
All this is located close to the town’s diversity of amenities and an enjoyable walk among the historic southern Florida homes, many with historic legacies. You can’t miss this town’s sense of community pride. You will find its unique civic engagements throughout the town, bringing daily non-partisan opportunities for the town folks to share a beverage and get involved.
The town has many very talented artists whose works you will see not only in shops, but throughout the community. On your walks around town, you may find a local artist at work in their favorite studio – their front yard, as this gentleman is illustrating.
On the first Friday and third Saturday of every month, there is the Gulfport Art Walk, an enjoyable walk on Beach Blvd and chance to witness the many independent artists at work, as well as their exhibits.
During your walks enjoying the artists’ work, you will often find live music at various venues throughout the town.
Getting tired of canned veggies? Well, you will not want to miss the chance to visit Tuesday Fresh Market !
Taking place every Tuesday on the following seasonal schedule.
October through April – 9:00AM until 3:00PM
May through September – 9:00AM until 2:00PM
Gulfport waterfront
Gulfport has very interesting shops where you just might find that treasure you’ve been looking for, for sooooo long.
Then, how about celebrating your finds at some of the town’s lively venues for food and beverages, several right on the waterfront, others along charming main street.
Check out the Visit Gulfport Florida website for more information, so you can enjoy as much as you desire.
And, yes sir, tired of walking? Grab a ride of the Gulfport Trolley.
Catching a beautiful sunset, walking the quaint streets of a genuine “village town” in the unique settings of Gulfport, is good for the body, mind and spirit.
Harbormaster, Denis Frain, and his staff will make sure your stay is comfortable and enjoyable. The marina is withing easy walking distance from the heart of this quaint and fun waterfront town. It is an easy, refreshing, and often entertaining stroll.
Enjoy your visit, your stay, and share you experience with Cruisers Net.
What implications such bans on this watersport will have on other boaters are unclear at this point, but one would almost forecast an increase in No Wake zones.
Wakesurfing is a water sport in which a rider trails behind a boat, riding the boat’s wake without being directly pulled by the boat. After getting up on the wake, typically by use of a tow rope, the wakesurfers will drop the rope, and ride the steep face below the wave’s peak in a fashion reminiscent of surfing. Wikipedia
One of our industry’s hottest sellers, boats designed to deliver perfect wakesurf waves, and boaters who cruise through Georgia could take big hits if legislation and new regulations are approved.
Earlier this month, State Sen. John Rodgers introduced legislation (SB 69) that would effectively ban wakesurfing in Vermont by prohibiting boat “plowing.” The bill would also allow and/or require the development of regulations to outright ban wake-sports boats from specific public waters.
Now in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, the bill is believed to be the first to call for a statewide ban of ballasted boats. Preventing this ill-conceived bill from becoming law is a top priority for the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the Watersports Industry Association and marine dealers in Vermont.
But dealers nationwide that sell towboats, indeed any boats for that matter, should be on guard for similar proposals in their states. Here’s a terrifying thought: The Vermont bill passes and becomes a model for other state. It’s not a fantasy. Here’s why.
The New Hampshire legislature has already commissioned a task force to look at wakesurfing from “every angle,” which other states could use to justify their actions and legislation. In fact, legislatures in Indiana, Idaho and Minnesota are now hearing bills related to wakesurfing. The Idaho bill would require a 200-foot buffer from shore or other structures; in Indiana the proposed buffer zone is 600 feet; and in Minnesota there’s a bill calling for 1,000 feet offshore.
In Oregon, the State Marine Board recently rejected a petition from an environmental group to close the Willamette River to wakesurf boats. However, the board acknowledged it’s in the early stages of considering rules related to wakesurfing. Accordingly, NMMA, MSIA, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and others are opposing the Minnesota and Indiana bills, though not the Idaho legislation. Lobbyists have been retained in Vermont, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Idaho and Oregon.
Dealers and marine trade associations wanting the latest information can contact Dave Dickerson, NMMA’s vice president for state government relations, at ddickerson@nmma.org.
Trade Only Today of Soundings joins the fray to highlight the very restrictive legislation recently enacted in Georgia. See Georgia Anchoring Advocacy Fund.
Don’t Drop Anchor in Georgia Fighting the good fight for boating and boaters never ends.
BoatUS is leading a push against a new Georgia regulation restricting overnight anchoring within 1,000 feet of any structure, such as public and private docks, wharves, bridges, piers and pilings, except in areas near a marina.
How did boaters get hammered this way? There was little notice or engagement with recreational boating groups by the Georgia legislature in approving House Bill 201. It was then quietly signed by Gov. Brian Kemp.
The legislation directed the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to develop rules regarding the anchoring of vessels in estuarine areas of the state. DNR proposed a rule that has rightfully raised serious concerns in the boating community.
“This 1,000-foot offset needlessly eliminates anchorages all over the state,” says Chris Edmonston, vice president of government affairs for BoatUS. “It will affect numerous boaters, many of whom transit Georgia waters as part of the annual migration along the Intracoastal Waterway. There is no reasonable safety or waterway-management reason for taking such a significant swath of state waters away from the boating public.
“Boating and fishing,” Edmonston adds, “are the second largest outdoor recreational activity in Georgia, bringing in more than $500 million a year in economic activity. Eliminating scores of anchorages will put a severe damper on this very important economic driver to many coastal areas that gain from boater spending.”
He went on to acknowledge the so-called “Marina Zones” that will allow boaters to anchor as close as 300 feet to marinas or facilities that provide fuel, dinghy access, provisions, vessel maintenance or other services. But that won’t reduce the negative economic impact of this poorly crafted legislation and resulting rules.
Perhaps the most persuasive argument is the BoatUS position that the final rule runs counter to the Public Trust Doctrine as codified in Georgia law. It states:
“The State of Georgia, as sovereign, is trustee of the rights of the people of the state to use and enjoy all tidewaters which are capable of use for fishing, passage, navigation, commerce and transportation, pursuant to the common law public trust doctrine.”
BoatUS submits that anchoring is an integral part of navigation.
Georgia dealers, employees and boaters should join the efforts of the grassroots group Save Georgia’s Anchorages, which was created in response to the law.
BY NORM SCHULTZ
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Comments from Cruisers (4)
Gregory Yount- February 28, 2020 - 3:16 pm
As poorly as Georgia maintains the ICW, this is just one more reason to bypass the state when traveling north/south. It's a shame as I have always loved anchoring in the marshes of Glynn, visiting Savannah, etc. Instead, I will take my tourist dollars elsewhere. That will also impact marinas such as Thunderbolt, Isle of Hope, etc. Too bad they are so short-sighted, all to coddle some wealthy interests.
To contribute to securing lobbying efforts on behalf of boaters, please open the link below. Cruisers Net joins America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association in urging you to get involved to repeal Georgia’s restrictive anchoring legislation.
Bahamas Chatter is produced by Explorer Chartbooks, A CRUISERS NET PARTNER, which has long been the standard navigational supplement for enjoyable, informative, and safe cruising through the beautiful Bahamian waters and island visits.
Bahamas Chatter: Navigational Hazard near the Berry Islands
A large excavator is now resting in approximately 3 meters of water, one and half miles south of the western tip of Little Stirrup Cay, northern Berry Islands. The position of the excavator is 25° 47.552′ N/77° 57.378′ W. It is believed to have fallen off a barge last summer and remains submerged near the surface, near the shoal extending south-southwest from Little Stirrup Cay. Google Earth’s current photo, taken on 8/15/19, shows a tug and two barges anchored next to the submerged object at that location. Apparently salvage attempts were unsuccessful.
Thanks to Ann and Mike on Beans for reporting the hazard.
Our thanks to Scott Coles for this update on Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club’s Continued Efforts of Assistance in Abaco. Well worth your donation!
It has been several months since Hurricane Dorian ravaged Marsh Harbour and the surrounding cays. Recovery has been slow because the damage was so extensive. Many great organizations are still on the ground helping with the recovery effort by providing materials and manpower as it is needed. Some will still be there for years to come.
At the Annual General Meeting of the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club (RMHYC), held on February 4th in Stuart, Florida, I announced the results of our Club’s initiative to donate 100% of the dues that we received during the fall renewal season. These would be memberships renewed for the 2020 season. I was happy to report that we were able to generate $12,000 for donations to hurricane relief in Abaco and the surrounding cays. We have been monitoring the situation very closely and looking at various organizations who are on the ground in Marsh Harbour and the cays trying to figure out where to donate our money. Several of our members are in Abaco now dealing with repair and rebuilding of their homes and had very good input to our decision making. One of our members, an engineer by profession, traveled with his wife to Marsh Harbour for a 2 week volunteer deployment with Water Mission International to service and maintain the several RO water maker plants they have placed in the area. The stories that these folks tell about the recovery and rebuilding effort are quite amazing.
The Club decided to divide our donation money among the four organizations who really stood out in the crowd. When we asked the question, these 4 organizations were always named as doing amazing work for the people of Abaco and asking nothing in return. We decided to give $3,000 each to:
Of course, there are many other worthy organizations who are doing fine work after Hurricane Dorian. These are just the ones that the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club chose to support.
Some of our members have recently crossed over to make the best out of the rest of this season. Some places like the Green Turtle Club are now open for business. Still others say they will be open in April.
What about next year? There have been many discussions about that. Many of the RMHYC members will go back next year. Next year will be very different for sure but we believe it is very important for the Club to return to Abaco. Our members make up an important part of the recovery; after all, we are essentially tourists. The sooner tourists can resume visiting the islands of Abaco, the faster the recovery will be.
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