St. Pete City Updates

St. Pete City Updates include news on the new pier

The new St. Petersburg Pier finishes later this year. The signature view will be a rippling, waving net sculpture inviting all to come by land or by sea.

Called Bending Arc, the wind-blown artwork will be 80 feet high and 425 feet long. Artist Janet Echelman released color sketches of Bending Arc and says it will transmit a message of inclusion “embracing everyone to come to this place.”

Echelman’s works are installed in Australia, Holland, the United Arab Emirates, and other international locations. As a Tampa native, she says a major work in Tampa Bay is like a dream come true.

The St. Petersburg Pier will reach 1,350 feet out over Tampa Bay, and the city forecasts
1.7 million visitors to the new pier each year. To accommodate more boaters, the city
will be installing additional transient vessel space near the pier and as well as full-service
megayacht docks in the Port of St. Petersburg. newstpetepier.com

The new pier district will be a big deal, but it’s only one piece of the Sunshine City’s master plan that includes redesigned waterfront parks. City marinas will add 25 new transient vessel slips, build full-service megayacht docks and install state-of-the-art breakwaters parallel to the pier, marinas, parks, and Port of St. Petersburg.

By Bill AuCoin, Southern Boating May 2019

More Gulf Coast Report:

New Hope Found

Florida Gulf Updates April 2017

Sand ‘Fantaseas’, new electronic boat shuttles, lingering Red Tide effects and more in the Florida Gulf Updates April 2017.

Sugar Sand Fantasea

Anyone with children understands Sand Castle Construction 101. However, put those same tools, including buckets and shovels, in the talented hands of 11 world-class sand sculptors and you’ll get an end result that’s worthy of PhDs in both art and engineering. On April 14-23, Clearwater Beach will host the 5^th Annual Sugar Sand Walk Exhibit. The event takes place just a block from the city marina at Pier 60. The theme changes every year, meaning you’re unlikely to see the same sculpture twice. Sugar Sand Fantasea, a Magical Adventure Above and Below the Sea is the theme for the 10-day event that features sand-sculpting classes, live entertainment, crafters, street performers, fireworks, and a sand-sculpting contest with a prize of over $6,000 to the winner. While the events are free, there is an admission charge for access to the Sugar Sand Walk. The fee is $10 for adults and $8 for adults 55 and over. sugarsandfestival.com

Free lift for Sarasota cruisers

Sarasota’s developing downtown district is only three blocks away from Marina Jack. But after a full day of browsing the artisan shops, stopping for a cappuccino at one of the many colorful sidewalk cafes and a gourmet dinner, a ride back to the boat may be in order. Sarasota has approved seven electric shuttles that carry six passengers each. Ferry tourists and residents alike can take advantage of the new ride option throughout the downtown district. This new feature is part of a city-funded plan to reduce motor vehicle congestion on the roads. The upcoming $339,000 project includes an app to hail a ride from the service and will be called Gotcha Ride.

Bay scallops – St. Joseph Bay

The residual effects of a prolonged 2015 Red Tide outbreak is anticipated to once again impact the annual Bay Scallop season in Florida’s Panhandle. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissioners (FWC) approved a recreational bay scallop season lasting from July 25^th through September 10^th off Gulf County. This also includes all waters in St. Joseph Bay as well as those west of St. Vincent Island in Franklin County through the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County.

Bag and vessel limits throughout the entire bay scallop harvest zone will be capped at two gallons of whole bay scallops in shell, or one pint of bay scallop meat per person, with a maximum of 10 gallons of whole bay scallops in shell, or a 1/2 gallon of bay scallop meat per vessel.

FWC researchers conducted a scallop restoration project last year within St. Joseph Bay to help speed the recovery of the scallop population. Scientists reported these efforts have been going well, and the scallop population has shown signs of improvement. Still to be decided are dates for the season in nearby Dixie and Taylor Counties.

Pirates threaten to seize Tampa

It’s not a hostile takeover, however, like Captain Phillips experienced. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

On January 28^th, Tampa’s flotilla of private pleasure craft intends to defend the city and square off against the annual pirate invasion for an epic weekend of hedonistic celebration. For 113 years, the city has surrendered amidst a cacophony of cannon fire as Jose Gasparilla, the world’s only fully-rigged pirate ship, shoots its way through thousands of boats that guard the downtown waterfront. Themed around the swashbuckling pirate Jose Gaspar, who menaced Florida’s Gulf Coast in the 1800s, the invasion is followed by a bead-throwing pirate parade that attracts a crowd of nearly half a million. This is the city’s signature social event led by Ye Mystic Krewe, a merry band of elite movers and shakers who don war paint, fake jagged scars and festive costumes.

Transient slips are ransomed for gold at the downtown Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina, Convention Center and Harbour Island docks, but if you know a resident along Harbour Island or Davis Islands that flank the channel to downtown, you may get lucky with an unused overnight slip. Now, here’s your tip. Located on the west side of Tampa’s peninsula is a hidden gem, West Shore Yacht Club, with space for vessels up to 80′. Dockmaster Ryan Smith says the weekend is popular and transients enjoy full use of the clubhouse and amenities. By boat you are less than 40 minutes away from joining the flotilla. Other marina venues close by include St. Petersburg Municipal, the nearby Vinoy Resort and marinas in and around Ruskin and Apollo Beach. Gasparilla is a weekend-long participatory sport. It’s best to bring beads for ransom and trade, plenty of that spicy brown concoction bearing the likeness of a certain pirate and ear plugs. gasparillapiratefest.com

Cabbage Key

A far less raucous destination this time of year is secluded and off the proverbial beaten path: Cabbage Key located just south of Charlotte Harbor. Every Jimmy Buffet fan knows that Jimmy sailed here, enjoyed a famous cheeseburger and maybe even signed a dollar like thousands of other mariners who continue the tradition of taping a beer buck to the ceiling. What you may have overlooked are the unpretentious docks with power for an overnight stay. The Inn and famous restaurant sit atop a 30-foot-tall Indian shell mound. Climb the water tower for an incomparable view of nearby Useppa Island Club to the east and Gulf of Mexico to the west. Dinner, the honky-tonk piano and stories well into the night, coupled with a lush, island-like display of tropical flora and fauna help you forget that the mainland and all those tourists covered in oil are just a few miles away. Not to be overlooked is pulling in for a simple breakfast of pancakes and eggs. Winter is an ideal time to visit. The air temperature is perfect and sunsets are as pink as steamed Gulf shrimp, but running the protected ICW is often necessary thanks to the weekly cold front that riles up the Gulf for a day or two. Docks that were rebuilt after a couple of hurricanes a decade ago are solid and well suited for yacht traffic. cabbagekey.com

By Alan Wendt, Southern Boating Magazine January 2017

Going once, going twice….Marina Jack SOLD!

Marina Jack in Sarasota, Florida, recognized as National Marina of the Year in 2015, has been sold to Suntex Marina Investors LLC. The Dallas-based investment firm did not disclose the sale price. The merger includes the 316-slip marina in downtown Sarasota, adjacent to Oleary’s Tiki Bar, as well as Bayfront Yacht Works & Marina, Bayfront Excursions and Turtle Beach Grill on south Siesta Key, Florida. “This is without question a merger of strengths from an operational and managerial standpoint,” says Robert L. Soran, CEO of Marina Jack. “We share a vision of future growth opportunities for our people and our combined companies.” Soran will have an equity interest and board advisory capacity with Suntex. Suntex now has a portfolio of 34 marinas in Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and St. Maarten.

With direct, no-bridge access to the Gulf of Mexico, Marina Jack’s marina operations have kept up facelifts and improvements at a pace that is matching the transformation of downtown Sarasota. The marina features slip accommodations for vessels up to 228 feet with 316 wet and dry slips, a full-service fuel dock, ship’s store, and an on-site Yacht Services department. Downtown Sarasota has become a trendy center for urban condo living and features many eclectic street-side dining venues for foodies, a Saturday morning farmers market, and an ever-changing collection of boutique shops that are favorites of cruisers.

Marina Jack acquired the Turtle Beach Marina in September of 2015. Now known as Bayfront Yacht Works & Marina, this south Siesta Key business features a full-service boatyard with haul-out capabilities for vessels up to 65 feet. Bayfront Yacht Works & Marina adds an additional 60 dry and wet slips to the portfolio, along with a rapidly growing boat and watersport rental business known as Bayfront Excursions. The merger also includes three well-known restaurants, including the Marina Jack II—a 96-foot passenger vessel known for Sarasota’s preeminent sightseeing and sunset dinner cruises.

Holiday Boat Parades

While a few communities are struggling to rebuild docks and find enough money just to survive, let alone sponsor annual lighted boat parades, the show will go on in some of Florida’s Panhandle cities.

• Carrabelle, December 10^th: The Boat Parade course starts at the Pavilion on Marine Street and proceeds up the Carrabelle River to the Tillie Miller Bridge. It can be enjoyed from anywhere along Marine Street and Highway 98. carrabelle.org

• Destin, December 11^th: Judging of the 30^th Annual Harbor Lighted Boat Parade will start at 6PM upstairs at Harry T’s Restaurant. Boats will start lining up in the harbor between 5-5:30PM. Fireworks in the East Pass will light up the sky after the parade.

• Cedar Key and Steinhatchee have both sustained significant dock damage, and at press time, were unsure whether the events normally scheduled for the first week of December would take place.

By Alan Wendt, Southern Boating Magazine December 2016

Southern Traditions

As the first cool fronts make their way down from the north and with the holidays right around the corner, the second major boating season gets underway on the Northern Gulf Coast. Flatboats and pirogues are readied and ponds in the marshes are scouted. Fishermen head out for those big reds and trout that got away over the summer, and the oystermen fan out from the coast to bring in those salty mollusks so necessary for this coast’s holiday celebrations.

Thanksgiving and Christmas on the Gulf Coast have always featured time-honored traditions incorporating boating with holiday meals that reach back to subsistence fishing and hunting. It’s hard not to notice the flatboats covered in fresh marsh grass on Thanksgiving morning in New Orleans’ Garden District with hunters rushing in their camouflage gear to start the smokers. On the coast of Mississippi, boats skippered by “paw paws” and grandfathers are eased back onto their trailers as the proud and sleepy grandkids are ready for a nap from their quick morning of trawling for the day’s shrimp. On the bayous of Alabama, crab traps are raised and early morning trout are cleaned while the luggers in Apalachicola bring in those all-important oysters.

As families descend on their gathering spots on the coast from Pass Christian to Bon Secour and from New Orleans to Clearwater, ladies in their kitchens and men at their culinary stations out back come alive. Recipes handed down from generations long past are shared with the next in line. The number of oysters in this year’s dressing is marked on the handwritten recipe that now scrolls back fifty years. Empty shotgun shell casings and old tangled fishing line are placed with moss, green mirlitons and heirloom crystal candleholder centerpieces, while laughter and the smell of redfish court-bouillon permeate the house. Out back, brothers and uncles sip on cold beer while their sons and daughters watch as ducks wrapped in bacon are smoked to perfection—the black labs wait for that one dropped bird.

On piers and docks, oysters are charbroiled while a brisk cold wind whips down across the sounds and bays—boats pop in the water in a building chop while sailboat stanchions clink. Windows of the houses glow with the warm yellow light of families and friends gathered, their cars parked in the lawn underneath sprawling oaks next to a few boat trailers holding license plates from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

While the arriving winter means many cruisers across the country prepare to put their boats to bed under cover for the inevitable snow and ice, on the Gulf Coast and throughout the South, boating springs to life in a second season. Away from the summer waterskiing, regattas and the heat of waiting on that tuna to bite off shore, many might say that it’s the more important boating season.

By Troy Gilbert, Southern Boating November 2014

Mollusk Mania on Florida’s Forgotten Coast

July brings with it a unique tradition for recreational boat owners on Florida’s Big Bend on the Gulf Coast—bay scallop season. A run of sandy barrier islands and a marshy estuarine system contribute to an ideal salinity and ecosystem for the tasty mollusks, an environment unique to the Gulf Coast. Highly susceptible to even minute environmental changes, the harvesting of bay scallops is strictly controlled and no commercial activities are allowed. The one exception is for recreational boat owners and individuals who wade from shore with dip nets, a pastime that has led to an almost cultural institution on this stretch of Florida’s coastline.

Midsummer brings out the snorkels, flippers and mesh bags as Floridians and tourists peruse the sandy seagrass beds just offshore of Florida’s Forgotten Coast between Port St. Joe and Tarpon Springs. “Diver down” flags pop up above tried and true secret scalloping spots, and with scallops preferring depths of only 4-6 feet of water, it is a family-friendly experience. Port St. Joe also holds an annual Scallop Festival every August in this very authentic old-style Florida town.

Bay scallops once had an extensive habitat throughout the state from Pensacola to West Palm Beach on the Atlantic Coast, but it is increasingly shrinking due to development pressures. Today, isolated populations—still numerous enough to allow scalloping—can be found in the waters around Port St. Joe, Crystal River, Steinhatchee, and Homosassa on the Gulf Coast. Florida saltwater fishing licenses are required and scalloping charters can be found in many of the marinas. The 2014 season runs from June 28th to September 10th, and the per-person limit is two gallons of in-the-shell scallops per person on board, but no more than 10 gallons on board any vessel. It is best to clean scallops almost immediately after harvesting, for the bag limits are one pint of meat per person and no more than ½ gallon per vessel.

After long afternoons swimming in the cooling Gulf waters, families and friends get together for scallop feasts on the beaches or back porches, with most dishes lightly breaded, seasoned and flash-fried. Similar to an oyster in that it is a mollusk, bay scallops are more muscular because of their ability to actually swim. They have lean, firm meat but a very delicate flavor and as such, cooking methods should be light and gentle. More inventive dishes have been making the rounds in the past decades with scallops served in ceviche or lightly broiled and served in beautiful salads and even sliders. Many coastal restaurants will even prepare your fresh catch and simply charge a “corkage” fee for preparing your feast.

Scalloping is one of those unique institutions that hearkens back to a Florida of a bygone era. It is an ideal method to launch your boat and get your kids and friends out on the water—not that you ever need an excuse—and make them earn their dinner.

By Troy Gilbert, Southern Boating July 2014