Hey Tom,

I see the problem with derelict boats down here as being largely distinct from the sort of thing that seems to be going on in Marathon, and anchoring rights in general as they relate to cruisers...

Places like Marathon are struggling with trying to manage an extremely limited resource, namely Boot Key Harbor... It's one of the few decent harbors in all of the Keys that's protected in all weathers, and of course offers very convenient access to the largest town between Homestead/Miami and Key West... There are a TON of boats that want in there, a mix of transients and locals, and all sorts of competing business interests... Not to mention, as the blogger Dave linked to does, if/when travel to Cuba does open up, Marathon will become Boomtown USA, with a lot of VERY powerful, well-financed, and politically-connected business interests jockeying for position... Kroozers will certainly become an endangered species there, whenever that occurs...

Combine that with the fact that Boot Key Harbor hardly flushes itself at all, unlike many other more open roadstead anchorages near passes throughout the Keys... Anyone who knows Boot Key from 20 years ago, and sees now how much the water quality has been improved today, has to admit that at least in certain respects, the efforts to "manage" such a resource has been a considerable success...

So, I don't believe what's going on there is as black and white as simply trying to get rid of the down & out, or the visually "undesirable"... I think it's probably more about a community simply attempting to maximize their revenue from such a revenue stream... Hell, remember about 10-12 years ago when the Bahamas first instituted the $300 fee for their cruising permit? We all went batshit at that time, all the forums lit up with talk about boycotts, and whatnot... How quickly that's been forgotten, it's more crowded over there every time I go back... (grin)

I did notice one interesting thing on my way down, passing Titusville, which has always been a popular stop for cruisers... As I approached there late in the day, it seemed to me that the cluster of anchored boats had moved slightly from it's usual position, right outside the little harbor which houses the city marina and a private boatyard... Sure enough, when I got closer, I could see that they've installed a mooring field, looked like at least 60 mooring or thereabouts, all in nice neat, tidy rows...

A total of TWO of the moorings were being used, both by Sea Ray-style powerboats... the cluster of 2-3 dozen cruising sailboats and trawlers had simply relocated a couple of hundred yards further out... LMAO!

So, unless the current Florida law is revised to the point where municipalities can absolutely prohibit anchoring per se, it's tough to imagine how a place like Titusville is gonna generate much revenue from their mooring field, existing as it does in an unconfined open roadstead... That's the big difference from Marathon, of course...

I certainly understand and admire Dave's sentiment in regards to this, but this is a very difficult issue, with no easy solutions... And, I'm reminded of the comments I've heard from years from people living in places like San Diego, whenever the subject of illegal immigration comes up: "You folks in the rest of the country, you just don't get it, we're dealing with some SERIOUS problems, down here..." Same sort of thing applies in Florida, especially the further south you proceed, you really have to see it for yourself, to appreciate the scope of the problem that derelict boats have become... These fiberglass boats today, they just don't slowly "disappear" any more, like the old woodies used to... (grin)

best regards,

Jon