Feeling the Squeeze?

Increasingly, marinas and launch ramps, repair yards, bait shops, and other water-dependent businesses are being pushed off the waterfront as a result of residential development pressures and skyrocketing taxes. A bill now in Congress, H.R. 3223, would provide federal grants to coastal and Great Lakes states to help preserve and expand water access and protect working waterfronts.

Introduced by Rep. Thomas Allen (D-ME) and co-sponsored by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) the “Keep our Waterfronts Working Act” would provide matching grants through state coastal zone management programs to support “water-dependent commercial activities.” Local governments could use grant funds to purchase a threatened marina outright, or a non-profit entity could obtain a grant to buy development rights in order to keep a working boatyard, public marina, fish wharf, or crab wholesaler, for example, in business. To be eligible, a state would have to develop a working waterfront plan and appoint an advisory committee. You can check the progress of H.R. 3223 on the Web at thomas.loc.gov.

Show Time

If you aren’t venturing way south for the big show in Miami, there are two regional boat shows on tap worth your attention. The 61st edition of the Jacksonville, Florida, boat show takes place February 8-10 at the Prime Osborne Convention Center, and the 6th Annual Savannah International Boat Show, presented by Mercury Marine, will be held February 29-March 2 on the Savannah River and inside the Savannah Trade and Convention Center across River Street.

This Time He Means It

Founder of Nordic Tugs, Jerry Husted, officially retired on December 21, his 80th birthday. In the late 1970s, he and designer Lynn Seynour put their heads together to come up with a “fuel stingy boat that looked good going slow.” Their first effort was a 26-footer. Now the line extends to 54 feet and the smallest model is a 37. You might have seen Jerry on the waterways in his red Nordic Tug Big Fun, or his tug-like dinghy, Little Fun. Jerry actually quit working in 2003, which meant he was just showing up three days a week to manage sea trials. Now, Jerry and his wife plan to travel the U.S., sightseeing and riding their bikes and acting like retired people.

Silver Lining

There’s one good thing about the low water levels in the drought-stricken South, it makes it easy to pick up the trash. Poor Lake Lanier–now 19.5 feet below normal–is one spot where decades of abuse is visible. According to Jack Perko, manager of the Georgia District of Allied Waste, which has donated manpower and equipment to the lake-cleaning efforts, the volume of debris is tremendous. On one December Saturday, volunteers picked up three tons of trash, from boat motors and batteries to clothes and fishing rods. Perko compared the low lake levels to a bathtub that’s been drained, “Now we’re seeing the ring around the tub.” That’s one big ring–the Lake Lanier shoreline stretches 692 miles.

Another Lakely Story

As of December 16, Lake Okeechobee was at 10.29 feet above sea level. That’s up more than a foot from last July, but still more than three feet below the 40-year average. At press-time, the U.S. Army Corps of engineers listed the controlling depth at 4.23 feet with the key problem area on Route #1 east of green day marker #1. Even though the South Florida Water Management District has issued an order limiting landscape irrigation to one day per week, unless central Florida has a considerably wetter winter than usual, the lake portion of the Okeechobee Waterway will be closed to most cruising boats come springtime. Note that the W.P. Franklin and St. Lucie locks are restricted to one lockage each direction at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. You can check the lake depths daily by navigating to saj.usace.army.mil/h2o/reports/r-nav.html.