Boating

Women Getaways in the Florida Keys

With scores of recreational activities that cater to women, the Keys are a perfect destination for women-only getaways or solo adventures. Each area in the island chain that stretches from Key Largo to Key West offers its own one-of-a-kind attractions. And while the Keys have a Caribbean appeal, they’re actually all American — no passport is required and English is the native tongue. A selection of girls’ getaway activities is listed here, but in reality the possibilities are as diverse and intriguing as the island chain itself. Underwater Stress Relief Just beneath the tip of mainland Florida lies Key Largo, the northernmost of the Florida Keys. There, women seeking renewal beneath the sea can plunge 25 feet to discover the statue of Christ of the Abyss at Key Largo Dry Rocks. This nine-foot-tall bronze statute rises so close to the surface that it can be seen by snorkelers as well as divers.

Key Largo is known as the scuba diving capital of the world, but it also offers a way to experience North America’s only living coral reef without getting wet. Sail aboard the Key Largo Princess, a 70-foot, glass-bottom, 129-passenger yacht to view the exciting underwater world of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the only undersea park in the United States. The Key Largo Princess is located at the Holiday Inn Docks off U.S. Highway 1 at mile marker (MM) 100.

Islamorada, just down U.S. 1 from Key Largo, offers a wide variety of fine restaurants and day spas for sybaritic pampering. For women seeking an all-over tan, the tanning bed can be the large forward couch on Two Chicks Charters’ 26-foot Leisure Cat. The smooth-riding boat accommodates up to six people for an eco-tour to experience the natural beauty of the mangrove islands, an underwater treasure hunt, or a sunset on Florida Bay. Catch the boat at Worldwide Sportsman Bayside Marina, MM 81.5 in Islamorada. Read more…

Sea Tow automates radio checks in the Florida Keys

Boaters can check VHF marine radios any time through a new service in the Upper Keys. SeaTow announced July 8 that the company has an automated radio check operating around the clock on VHF channel 27.

A spokesman for SeaTow, a local marine assistance franchise, said the radio service is unique because it doesn’t depend on other boaters or watch-standers to reply to radio check requests. Boaters ask for radio checks to be sure their radios are transmitting

and receiving.

For the automated radio check, boaters should tune to channel 27 and ask for a radio check. The system will respond with an automated reply. It will replay the sending station’s transmission, so boaters can hear how well their radios are working. Capt. Steve Powers, owner of Sea Tow Key Largo/Tavernier, noted that boaters often use channel 16 for radio checks, which the Coast Guard warns against because Channel 16 is reserved for hailing and distress traffic.

” By offering the automated radio check service, we hope to help reduce unnecessary traffic on VHF 16 and encourage safe boating in the Upper Keys, ” powers said in a statement. The station hosting the radio checks is at Key Largo Harbor Marina, near mile marker 100, where Ocean Drive ends at Ocean Cay.

Florida Keys Paddle Challenge Feb. 18-21 2011

Capacity: 100 people
Distance: approx 30 miles
Registration: $200/person
Meals: $100/person

Before the great city of Miami existed, Henry Flagler envisioned a railroad across the sea that would promote a cultural and economic connection with Cuba, the Panama Canal and South America. Construction began in 1904. On January 22, 1912, Henry Flagler rode the railroad to Key West, where the project was heralded by the press as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” It was Flagler’s vision that makes the Florida Keys an economically viable destination. Today the Keys are a paddler’s paradise, with shallow water in five shades of blue and green. We hope you can join us to revisit Henry Flagler’s vision!
Itinerary:

Feb 18 – Curry Hammock State Park check in and set up camp. Kick-off dinner, overview of the trip and mandatory pre-launch briefing.

Feb 19 – Curry Hammock State Park to Knight’s Key Campground(11 miles). Depart Curry Hammock State Park after breakfast. Rest stop is at Sombrero Beach (8 miles).

The crossing from Sombrero Beach to Knight’s Key Campground can be hazardous and this trip is only for the first 100 experienced paddlers with boats that are appropriate for the conditions, meaning that paddlers should be paddling sea kayaks with skegs/rudders and spray skirts mandatory.  We will spend the night at Knight’s Key Campground for dinner and an evening program.

Feb 20 – Knight’s Key Campground to Bahia Honda State Park. (9 miles) Rest stop at Molasses Key (4 miles), halfway across the 7-mile bridge. Depart Knight’s Key Campground after breakfast for the Seven-Mile Bridge crossing.

During the scouting trip, we had 4-foot seas; it was clear that conditions can range from very rough to very calm. If conditions are not favorable to attempt the crossing, we will have an alternative day’s agenda. The rest stop is about halfway between Knight’s Key and Bahia Honda at the Molasses Keys, two islands that are south of the Seven-Mile-Bridge.

Once you make it to the Molasses Keys, you are halfway home. We are on the ocean side for the whole trip until we get to Bahia Honda, where we cut into the bay side right after Ohio Key. Camping will be at Bahia Honda State Park on the bay side of the island.

Feb 21 – Circumnavigate Bahia Honda before departure.

After breakfast, we will circumnavigate the island and return to the camp for departure.  Don’t forget, Key West is now just 35 miles away.  Those wishing to forego the last day’s paddle can take advantage of attractions offered at the park, including snorkeling trips to Loo Key.  We will have a barbeque with many photos opportunities, after the paddle and before departure.

Fenn Kayak Found Off Key Largo After 6 Week 600 Mile Trip

Few sights evoke such dreadful uncertainty as an unoccupied vessel adrift at sea. Fears for ill-fated passengers quickly arise from the only immediate clue. Fortunately, the case of a kayak spotted drifting off Key Largo recently ended favorably, as the U.S. Coast Guard located the vessel’s owner alive and well at his home in the Cayman Islands. Apparently, the kayak was lost at sea for about six weeks and drifted roughly 600 miles from the Cayman Islands to the Straits of Florida.

According to a Coast Guard report, identifying the owner involved extensive international collaboration. A Key Largo boater initially notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Key West, Fla., that the kayak was found drifting six miles east of Key Largo. Coast Guard responders searched the local area to find the owner and confirm no one was in distress. Once local search efforts were completed, the Coast Guard expanded its search and contacted a Fenn kayak distributor in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Notably, Fenn kayaks are manufactured in South Africa and sold by only two kayak distributors in the U.S. One of the distributors posted an online notice, which was spotted by the owner’s friend in Mauritius, an African country off the east coast of Madagascar, who contacted the owner in the Cayman Islands. The owner is now making plans to retrieve the lost kayak.

“This case was a good exercise for our search and rescue planners,” said Capt. Pat DeQuattro, commander of Coast Guard Sector Key West. “I’m very pleased with their determination and initiative to track down the owner of this unique kayak.”

Long Key State Park Hosts Peddle-Paddle

Bicyclists and kayakers are invited to the Long Key Bike-Kayak Ride and Paddle.

The free, family-friendly event, which participants can cater to their individual abilities, will be on June 5, launching at 10 a.m. from Long Key State Park at Mile Marker 67.5 oceanside.

A roundtrip bike ride through the park and over the historic Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail bridge, which at 2.3 miles is the second longest in the Keys, will be followed by a roundtrip paddle to Long Key Point.

Park entrance fees will be waived.

Contact Monica Woll at monica.woll@dep.state.fl.us or 305-360-0846, or Cristina Lindley at cristina.lindley@dep.state.fl.us or 305-360-2532 for information.

New Florida Boat Licensing Laws Start 1/1/10

Among the handful of new laws that will begin to be enforced on New Year’s Day, will be a handful that specifically impacts boaters across the state. The new laws will apply not only to boaters, but also to those of you who enjoy a nice ride on a personal water craft.

One new law that will impact everyone will be new licensing requirements to operate a sea craft. Anyone who wants to operate a boat or personal water craft has to be older than 22 years old. To get a permit, a person must take a course approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the National Association or take a “How to Boat Smart” correspondence course.

Once a class has been completed, you must submit a letter with your name, date of birth, return address, phone number, and proof of completion of the course to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Out of state visitors who don’t have a card issued by their home state will be allowed to take a temporary certificate test.

In addition, the penalty for boating under the influence has been enhanced to match the penalty for driving under the influence. The blood-alcohol or breath-alcohol level was also lowered from 0.20 to 0.15.

Click here for more information on the new licensing requirements from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

What Were You Thinking Kerry Harrison??????????????

Here is a story as printed in a local paper, with my remarks added in red.

A woman and her 2-year-old daughter were found trying to swim miles to shore in the Florida Keys after spending the night on a boat that had run out of gas, Why would you ever leave a floating boat when you are miles at sea? Who puts their 2 year old in that kind of danger? Sounds more like a suicide attempt then an attempt at survival. according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Kerry Harrison and her toddler, both wearing life jackets, were picked up Wednesday afternoon by a boater and taken to Caloosa Cove on Lower Matecumbe Key.

Their ordeal began about 8 p.m. Tuesday, when they left a friend’s house on Key Colony Beach for the five-mile trip to their home in Marathon. But they never arrived. At 11 a.m. Wednesday, a worried friend called the Coast Guard and a search began with the assistance of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. The mother and daughter were found by the private boat at 1:30 p.m. The boat ran out of gas shortly after leaving Key Colony Beach.  This boat must have had no gas. Harrison did not have a radio or cellphone. There are still people without cell phones?

Through the night, the boat drifted about 20 miles to the northeast, There wasn’t an anchor on board? All that water is less then 30′ deep, most less that 10′. ending up near Tennessee Reef Light off Lower Matecumbe Key in Islamorada. Sometime in the morning, the pair began the swim to shore, about four miles away.

”I’m extremely grateful they were located alive,” said Jim Olive, acting commander of Coast Guard Sector Key West. But he said in a statement the pair should have stayed with their boat. Duh!

There has got to be more to this story. Had she ever been in a boat before? Who let her take a boat with no gas? No radio? No signaling device?

Hopefully someone else will get custody of the child until her mom can get help.

New Marathon Boat Ramp Opens

 
A new boat ramp and marina bath house in the City of Marathon were officially opened to the public on Thursday.
 
It was a busy day for dedication ceremonies, as officials first opened the newly repaired 33rd Street boat ramp on Thursday morning. With the ramp back on line, the city now has three such public facilities within its borders. City officials hope the ramp will alleviate some of the stress from traffic on the Dodge Lake boat ramp, which is located in a residential neighborhood.

“This is another great benefit for the citizens and visitors of Marathon” said City Manager Clyde Burnett. The city’s third public boat ramp is located near The Island restaurant, north of Vaca Cut. [On the Gulf Side] All three public ramps have been fully repaired within the last three years.

The ramp at 33rd Street now features a 40 foot wide, pre-stressed launch, to replace the old 20 foot wide boat ramp. The parking lot was also repaved and the seawall was repaired. The parking lot and bathroom facility now comply with Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.

An hour later, officials headed across the highway to dedicate another convenience for boaters, a new 1,843 square foot bath and laundry building at the City Marina. The new bath house replaces facilities previously located in the main marina building. The bath house features card keys that allow boaters living in the harbor or on the seawall at the marina to gain access and pay for the laundry machines in the building.

Acura Key West 2009

Jan. 19-23, 2009: with nearly 300 racing yachts competing in this international regatta

(visit www.premiere-racing.com)

Acura Key West 2008 Sailboat Regatta

International fleet competes for world, More than 260 sailboats and sailing crews from around the world are to compete in the waters off Key West during Acura Key West 2008, one of the most prestigious sailing regattas on the international calendar.

The racing challenge is scheduled Jan. 21 to 25.

In its 21st year, Acura Key West 2008, presented by Nautica, is to feature national and international greats from the yachting world. Sailors are expected to hail from at least 20 countries and more than 30 American states.

“We’re pleased to be seeing a really great fleet come together,” event organizer Peter Craig said. “From custom IRC programs and established one-design classes to [Performance Handicap Racing Fleet National Championship] boats seeking the 2008 national championship, it’s going to be an exciting week.” According to regatta organizers, Acura Key West’s primary attractions for race teams include the high level of competition and the opportunity for January sailing in warm subtropical waters.

Competitors are to race on four courses set over a 10-mile stretch of the Atlantic Ocean just off Key West’s shore and inside North America’s only living coral barrier reef, which parallels the Florida Keys. The racing action is slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. daily. Read more…