Each year Sea Ray hosts a national raft-up party called Aquapalooza. The signature event in 2010 was held at Lake Travis, Texas and featured Brad Paisley. Unofficial estimates put the number of people at 50,000. The 2011 event, featuring Sawyer Brown, was held at Lake Martin, Alabama, but only attracted 25,000 people.

I’ve been to the local events at Lake Boca and Beer Can Island. Everyone was pretty well behaved. At the Lake Travis event there were 19 arrests for public intoxication and that’s out of 50,000 people. There was one ticket written for a fishing violation. What was he thinking? So what gives with Palm Beach County?  Starting May 18, booze is off limits on Peanut Island. Registered campers are exempt. This same logic is used at Oleta River State Park in North Miami Beach. John Lloyd Park in Dania also prohibits alcohol. But, they sell beer at the snack bar. It’s your guess if we have a monopoly issue or the American Temperance Society is still alive.

Several years ago I attended a picnic at John Lloyd with the Power Squadron. It was my first time at the park. We arrived by boat and there were no signs, where we beached the boat, warning us of the alcohol prohibition. I had just finished a cold brewski at our picnic table when Barney Fife shows up and wants to know whose beer bottle was on the table. The others in the group apparently knew about the rule and all swore that the bottle was not theirs. Barney went crazy and threatened us with an illegal search of our ice chests. After I accused him of harassment he left. But, not before ordering us to take down the Power Squadron Banner that was hanging from two palm trees. I also pointed out the balloons tied to a tree at the next picnic table. Barney wasted no time to ruin another party.

The few times I visited Peanut Island I drank a few beers without incident. The Sun Sentinel reported on any weekend there are a dozen vessels from county, state, and municipal police agencies checking that boaters are not operating under the influence. Marine officers check for drunken boaters when they see a vessel operating in an erratic manner. This should keep them busy. Because, when I’m on the water I see dozens of boats operating erratically and they’re sober. Just like Oleta State Park, the Peanut Island campers can drink all they want. I’m guessing that the number of camping permits will increase. Also you can still drink on your boat anchored a few feet off the island and then stagger around the island.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the Manatee Mounties will be preoccupied chasing drunks around Peanut Island.

The ICW was authorized by Congress in 1919. Florida, always ahead of the curve started construction in 1874. According to most sources the ICW begins in Manasquan NJ. However, the statute mile markers on the charts start in Norfolk, VA, which is the beginning of the section known as the Atlantic ICW. I haven’t found an explanation for the snub of my hometown, Manasquan.

The Florida ICW (originally called a canal) was completed in 1912. Initially tolls were charged, but the operation was never profitable. When I travel the ICW with landlubber guests, they would often ask whether I had to pay for bridge openings. I would collect $10 from my more gullible friends to defray the cost of boating. The ICW is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers, under the command of Major General Bo Temple. One of the first Chief Engineers, appointed by George Washington, was Rufus Putnam. Can you really take serious someone named Rufus? The name Bo gets your attention. In Florida, the Florida Inland Navigation District joins the Army Corps to keep the ICW open.

Much of the ICW is supposed to be maintained at a depth of 12 feet, with the section from Fort Pierce to Miami at 10 feet. Even with the best of intentions and now with the federal budget restrictions, this is easier said than done. The area passing by Bakers Haulover Inlet is one of the biggest challenges in South Florida. The constant shoaling inside the inlet provides a great place for small boats to anchor. However, in between dredging, the channel becomes very narrow making it difficult for two large vessels to pass. Although not mentioned in Obama’s Jobs Bill the shoaling does present opportunities for Sea Tow and TowBoatU.S. Both companies can usually be found close by on weekends.

Another issue affecting travel along the ICW is that the chart datum is years out of date. A good example is found at channel marker G “25” just north of the Julia Tuttle Causeway. This is a channel in Biscayne Bay, not part of the ICW, but it illustrates the problem. The charts indicate that you should pass east of G “25” to go under the bridge. If you do so you’ll be calling Sea Tow.

The G “25” marker is in the correct spot. So if you follow the rule “green to port heading south” you’ll be okay. Red markers are always on the mainland side. When you’re on the west coast of Florida green is still to port but you are heading north. So mariners don’t get confused by “red, right, returning” all ICW markers have a small yellow square or triangle on the marker. From Manasquan to Texas, the yellow square is on your port and the yellow triangle is on your starboard, regardless of the color of the Aid which they appear on. Needless to say, if you’re color blind and/or flunked geometry you may still have a problem.

There’s no reason not to feel safe when travelling the ICW. In addition to Marine Units from virtually every city along the ICW, there are federal, state and county agencies to keep an eye on you — such as the Florida Marine Patrol, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, USCG, Homeland Security, US Customs, Broward Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol, Miami-Dade Marine Patrol, and the FBI. I only saw the FBI marine unit once several years ago. I was in a slow speed zone in Hallandale and I was passed by the FBI going full speed, on their way to thwart a terrorist attack. When I got to Hollywood I was relieved to find there specials was no terrorist attack and the agents arrived at Capone’s Flicker Lite in time for the lunch.
By Bob E. Sherman
Syndicated Writer
http://www.bobesherman.com/

I parked at the garage at City Place. I checked the fine print and calculated that it would cost me about $5 to park. Luckily I had an extra ticket, so I waited by the box office for someone looking to save a few bucks. Admission was $14, so I thought $5 for the ticket was reasonable and it would cover my parking. I sold it to my first customer.

We took the free trolley from City Place to the show. When we got off the trolley I bumped into an old friend who was displaying a boat in the show. He asked why we were there so early? “What do you mean, the show opened at 10:00?” I said. “Better check the fine print on the ticket.” Sure enough the first day the show opened at 12:00. We were only an hour early. It was a long hour as my wife berated me for not reading the ticket. If that wasn’t bad enough, when we picked up our car to head home, the parking cost $10. I got another tongue-lashing for not reading the sign at the garage entrance. You’d think they would cut me some slack for my birthday.

When we finally went in, the ticket taker asked if I had a driver’s license. I said no. Those that produced their license had it run thru some gizmo. I should have asked what the purpose was. Maybe they are looking for any outstanding warrants; or the whole show is a big sting operation to catch deadbeat dads.

I had a good time looking at all the displays of electronics and nautical accessories. I signed up for every drawing I came across. The only thing I won was a free dessert at Duffy’s. I only looked at one boat, “Diamond Girl”, a 103′ Johnson Motor Yacht, which my friend was showing. At $6.3 million it was a bargain. You can also charter it for $50,000 per week, plus expenses of course.

One of my favorite boats was on display, a Marlow Explorer 65C. I didn’t bother to take a look, as this would be painful. I actually prefer the 53 which is a little more manageable for a couple. The 65 does have crew quarters should my nephew want a job.

The Palm Beach Show is smaller than the Miami or Fort Lauderdale shows. But, there is still plenty to see with a lot less hassle. There were no lines at the bathrooms, plenty of open seats at the entertainment barge and the Bud Girl was hot.

By Bob E. Sherman
Syndicated Writer
http://www.bobesherman.com/

The BoatFlorida Network

We moved from a county-based network to a regional network, for two reasons: (1) we felt most Floridians do not see Florida as a series of counties, but more as a series of regions. Thus, counties such as Citrus and Hernando were combined becoming “Nature Coast” and Lee and Charlotte and Collier are now “Southwest Florida.”  (2) we wanted you to have a broader base for your network. This gives you more opportunities to interact with other boaters and a more comprehensive resource.

The new list of boating sites is as follows:

• Panhandle http://www.boatpanhandle.com
• Nature Coast http://www.boatnaturecoast.com/
• Sun Coast http://suncoast.boatflorida.com/
• Southwest Florida http://boatsouthwest.com/
• Florida Keys http://boatfloridakeys.com/
• Central Florida http://www.boatcentralflorida.com
• Northeast Florida http://www.boatnortheast.com/
• Space Coast http://spacecoast.boatflorida.com/
• Treasure Coast http://www.boattreasurecoast.com/
• South Florida  http://south.boatflorida.com/

Please note: all of the old URLs are now redirected to these new sites. 

How You Can Help

Click on the ads when you visit the site. This allows us to provide a high quality user experience without any cost to our members. We are also looking for moderators and greeters for each of the BoatFlorida sites.

How You Can Connect

There are a few things we would love you to do as a member of BoatFlorida.
• Post a profile picture
• Join or start a group or forum
• Post pictures or videos from your boating excursions
• Comment on others’ posts and/or pictures
• Add a boating event
• Select people as friends
• Invite your friends

BoatFlorida Classified Ads

We reformatted the BoatFlorida Classified Ads. This new site allows you to buy and sell your used marine products and boats and most postings are free. Visit the site at http://classified.boatflorida.com/ for more information.

BoatFlorida Blog

The BoatFlorida blog at http://blog.boatflorida.com/ is refreshed and has moved to a new server for faster load times. If you enjoy writing and sharing your experiences on the water, we would love you to submit an article to rusty@boatflorida.com. If approved, the article will be featured on the site. This is a great way to get exposure as a writer and help the boating community.

BoatFlorida Radio

It has always been a dream of ours (well, mostly mine!) to create BoatFlorida Radio. We are excited to announce that the show will premiere on Blog Talk Radio in the coming weeks. The format is simple. We will cover news, events, safety information, classifieds ads, and special interviews as well as taking your calls each week. We feel this will make the BoatFlorida network more relevant and interactive as we proceed. More details coming in the next few weeks.

Florida By Water

http://www.floridabywater.com/

Florida By Water has always been a passion of ours. A destination based site, we list over 1500 locations (marinas, boat ramps, hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, and day trips) accessible by water. The site does not charge for listings. If you can get there by boat, we will list it.

We hope you see our commitment to you as a member is first and foremost. We truly believe that boating increases quality of life and makes meaningful memories for you and your family. We love boats and boaters and we hope it shows.

Thanks,
Rusty Gardner
BoatFlorida & Florida By Water

Peanut Island, located in the ICW close to the Lake Worth Inlet, is one of the most popular southeast Florida boating destinations.  Peanut Island Park is an 80-acre tropical park; its lush vegetation and bountiful underwater life make this the perfect spot for nature watching, snorkeling and diving.  There are both guarded and unguarded beaches for sunbathing and swimming, and the fishing is incredible both from shore and from the Fishing Pier.

Peanut Island offers boat docks on both the east and west side of the island.  All docks are day use only and are first come, first served.  There are beachfront campsites available through reservations with the park office.  Here you are allowed to keep your boat anchored in front of your campsite.

Another great West Palm Beach area boating hotspot is Delray Beach.  When you boat Delray Beach area, you have access to all that downtown Delray Beach has to offer, as well as access to gorgeous Florida waterways for cruising and relaxation.  If you need a place to dock your boat, Delray Beach offers plenty of full service marina options, including a City Marina.  Delray Beach City has something for everyone – excellent dining, great nightlife, thriving arts community, and fantastic community events.  There is so much to see and do in Delray Beach that you’ll need to take time out to relax out on the beautiful waters surrounding the city.

When you boat Delray Beach, you have your choice of cruising the ICW or heading out to the Atlantic for some deep sea fishing fun.  With incredible game fish always on the run off the coast of Delray Beach, the sport fisherman in your party is sure to land something fun.