Local boaters throw in the towel
While offshore powerboat racers this weekend will be battling for the checkered flag of victory, bayfront boaters are raising the white flag of surrender.
"The previous commission sold us out," Ken Delacy wrote in an e-mail to his fellow boaters. "At this point I believe we can only hope the new commission will negotiate better deals than their predecessors did."
Boat owners are either moving out of the construction zone or looking for the nautical version of greener pastures. Will the area become our version of Newport or Monaco harbors? Will the area transition from beer to brie?
There is a moral to this decade-long saga. Until the reality of the change stared the boaters squarely in the face, they refused to get involved. Other players took charge of their fate. While other groups in the city have proved "you can fight city hall and win," the boaters turned a collective blind eye to their destiny. And another piece of old Sarasota enters the history books.
READY, SET, GO ... CRAZY
The Fourth of July weekend is the traditional time for "the showing of the nautical ignorance." It is a ritual akin to bird courtship or lemming migration, and it can be seen nationwide anywhere with enough water to float a boat. Locally it is especially concentrated on Sarasota Bay and at New Pass.
Game wardens (aka the Marine Patrol) can point out the various species. One that can be observed from land is the "launching loon." These creatures perform a ritual of several steps. The first is set to the tune of "March of the Backing Trailer." A proficient "loon" backs smartly into the launching area; it can be identified by its driving an old pickup truck with salt-water holes in the bed.
A less proficient loon, usually driving a new Ford "Exploder-series" vehicle, will make a variety of approaches in micro-stages, tying up the ramp for what seems to be hours. This loon is often accompanied by amplified hand gestures pointing a) to the proximity of the dock or any other hard surface, or b) indicating which way to turn the steering wheel.
These are best seen between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. They are unique among the various nautically ignorant species because they are sober. The other species on display generally are not, including the "return to the boat ramp loon." The subspecies propelled by wind power is especially comical when returning to dock. These loons can also be observed from shore, usually between the hours of 7 p.m. and the last flicker of daylight. Wind-powered loons seem to fear the dark. Gasoline-powered loons fear nothing after a few beaks in the brew.
Landlubbers often are scandalized by the lack of rules on the water. No center-line stripe, no speed limits, no common courtesy, no cops. The famous single-finger nautical salute is testimony to the anarchy out there. No species better displays this concept than the "me first-est." It is an arrogant creature, demanding total liberty on the water. It wants the prime spot at an anchorage. It wants all other nautical creatures to give it right-of-way. It demands unfettered use of the resource, including the right to dump paint, garbage and human waste over the side. Manatees fear it; they hide in Pansy Bayou on Independence Day.
One of the more insidious creatures on the water is the "sinner among us." While peculiar to Fort Lauderdale until recent times, it has spread throughout Florida. It preys on the weak, depending on summer sunshine, salt air and tropical drinks to lure the unsuspecting. "Come on over for boat drinks," is its cry. It is the nautical equivalent of an ant lion, for once you enter its trap you are doomed to either groping or dreary conversation … all without leaving the dock.
Among the various species on display this weekend, one remains pure. It is the "go-faster." This particular creature gathers countless resources to indulge itself in a single thrill – ultra-high-speed on the water in competition with others of its species. You can see it this weekend in both its varieties.
One is the wind-powered go-faster, competing in the annual Firecracker 400 Regatta, sponsored by the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Small sloops and large will vie for the trophy with the bullet hole. (Independence Day – in case you forgot – celebrates a bloody revolution.) Plus the usual BBQ and music on the bay culminating in one of the better venues for fireworks. From the squadron you can see "the works" from the Sarasota bayfront, Bradenton and Siesta Key (and maybe Lakewood Ranch, if the sky is clear).
The other go-faster, of course, will vie in the Grand Prix. Years and years ago as a young reporter, I was invited on a go-fast trip aboard one of these bodacious racing giants. It was akin to bailing out of an airplane, something so radical and noisy and stinky and fast that it took my breath away. From then on, I understood "go fast." Unlike the other species on our bay this weekend, both the Firecracker and the Grand Prix creatures know exactly what they are doing. Lesser species should observe and take note.
THE BITE
Reports on fishing are a mixed bag. Cap’n Jim Klopfer needed a pontoon boat for his party of six; he went out Sunday to catch 70 fish in Sarasota Bay – trout, blues, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, jacks, small grouper and snapper. He returned on Monday morning to catch 45 more.
On the other hand, Sut at the New Pass Bait Shop said, "Nice trout are anywhere in the bay." He suggested using artificial lures, especially "the bomber." And good-sized redfish are by the deeper docks. But otherwise, he said fishing has been spotty. "There’s a lot of fish out there," he said. "We just need more people to go get ’em."
Josh Long at Hart’s Landing said the weather hasn’t been good for fishing. Folks at Saprito Pier are pulling in some trout, sheepshead and catfish. He said he’s preparing for a surge of business over the holiday weekend, but with only one boat ramp open, he knows it’s a gamble. "People just might hang it up this weekend," he said.
The first phase of the Sarasota Tarpon Tournament closed Sunday the 28th. "The weather’s been horrible," said Aledia Tush at CB’s on Siesta Key.
Aledia Waters of CB’s on Siesta Key lands a 6-foot tarpon, with Capt. Ed Hurst (r.) helming the vessel and assisting. Photo courtesy Ed Hurst.
For more than two hours, she battled to bring a 150-pounder to the boat. It was almost 6 feet long, and 38 inches in girth, so she’s on the board. Mind you, the fish weighs more than she does.
The second phase of Sarasota’s venerable tarpon tourney will be the "fish-off" on July 11 to decide whose name goes on the ancient silver trophy, with a year’s worth of bragging rights.