It’s only been a few days since Brenda and I arrived here in Ft Lauderdale after our two month cruise to Cuba and I continue to feel a strong sense of “culture shock” at just how different some in our two countries are, particularly here in Florida.
Brenda and I have written extensively about how friendly and generous many of the Cuban people were that we met, especially in the more rural areas. Unfortunately, now that I am back in home waters, I am not feeling terribly good about some residents of my own country.
For several years now, there has been a contentious battle over anchoring rights here in South Florida where some waterfront residents feel that their ownership extends to the water and and includes the views in front of their multi-million dollar homes.
This “battle” has taken an unfortunate turn of while we were in Cuba with the Florida State Legislature agreeing that this privileged few do indeed have the right to keep “others from playing in their sandbox”. As of July 1st, several of the most popular anchorages in southern Florida will be off limits to overnight anchoring. And this includes Middle River, where Pandora is now.
I am not opposed to changes in the laws as it does not seem right that someone can plop down a hook and stay, where they don’t pay taxes, for months on end. And that doesn’t even begin to address the question of the “derelict” boats that litter some harbors in Florida.
Of the 3 other boats that are currently anchored in Middle River, all of them were there when we last visited in January on our way to the Bahamas. And, one of those boats appears to be moored there indefinitely, with an absentee owner who does not sleep on board and who’s boat drags all over the anchorage whenever the wind picks up. Clearly, these boaters are abusing the laws.
It seems to me, that a well maintained boats, such as Pandora, visiting a harbor for long enough to get a weather window to continue on is reasonable and that “cruisers” like us should not be lumped in with the “squatters” that camp out for months at a time or worse.
Early on in the “fight”, there was discussion about limiting the time that a boat could be anchored in any given harbor before they had to move on to another anchorage. That still seems like a reasonable option and is certainly in the spirit of the “cruising lifestyle”.
Another inconsistency in all of this is that there have been laws on the books for years designed to address the “derelict” boats that litter the waterways in some communities along the ICW. These laws are designed to remove boats that are clearly not in condition to “cruise” and are homes to individuals that have no intention of ever going anywhere.
This boat is just one example of what we have seen in our travels. I can’t imagine the owner of this “yacht” being able to find a way to “cast of the lines” and head into the sunset as there are so many of them ensuring that he will NEVER leave. 
Anyway, the fact is that somehow waterfront property owners of houses that look like this (not necessarily this owner) seem to have taken a “nuclear approach” to address a complicated problem that has ended up hurting everyone except the few that have waterfront property. Unfortunately, the few that “do not play well together” and have the resources, and “friends in the right places” have now been successful in securing their “saved seat” at great expense to the cruising community. 
Of course, the simple answer is for cruisers to avoid southern Florida and spend time elsewhere. However, as is so often the case, it’s not as simple as it might appear, especially if their cruising plans include the Bahamas. The reality of the Gulf Stream dictates that slower boats need to be at least as far south as Ft Lauderdale, or better yet, Miami, to be able to get a good angle to cross.
Another complicating issue is that there aren’t any affordable alternatives to anchoring in Ft Lauderdale or Miami, where the bans will be enforced. Transient slip fees in local marinas run in the $2.5-$5/ft per night. And frankly, spending $100 to $200 per night while waiting for a weather window to cross is just not in our budget. In January Brenda and I had to wait for two weeks, against our will, to cross and marina fees for such a period of time would be a total budget buster.
Yes, I agree that the anchoring issue is a complex one and if a ban is going to be put in place, as it will soon be, then there must be reasonable alternatives available. Currently, here in Ft Lauderdale there is a city managed mooring field but the fees are high at $45/night and there are only 10 available. Other cities, such as St Augustine and Vero Beach, that welcome cruisers, have great facilities, and they only charge about $20/night. They are very popular and I am sure that a similar program here would be well received. Visiting southern Florida need not be free, but it should be reasonable.
Frankly, crowded anchorages are a pain and I, for one, would welcome a reasonably priced alternative here in Ft Lauderdale and I am hopeful that cooler heads will prevail as this unfortunate situation unfolds in the coming months.
It’s worth noting that the SSCA, the Seven Seas Cruising Association, has been very active with this issue and your donation is needed to help fund the effort. You can visit www.ssca.org to learn more about how you can help.
So, back to the issue of “culture shock”. As we settle back into life in the States, this whole anchoring thing reminds me of the nursery school adage “Jonny doesn’t play well with others”, a mentality that is in great contrast with what we experienced in Cuba where the approach is more akin to “it takes a village” or “we’re all in this together”.
Unfortunately, I fear, that as Cubans have more exposure to the “haves”, and especially those that have a LOT, from the US that they will loose the sense of community that makes them such a wonderful people to spend time with.
Yesterday, a cruise ship from Miami landed in Havana, the first in decades, and one more example of how things are changing in Cuba as more and more Americans travel there. This article in the NY Times reported on the great excitement that the arrival of the ship caused. Here’s the Time’s photo of the ship entering port, a big deal indeed. 
I fear that the opening of Cuba in the coming years with greater exposure to the “saved seat” mentality of many Americans, will cause the people of Cuba to be more like us than the other way around. That would be very unfortunate.
So, here in the “hostile waters” of Middle River I can only hope that cooler heads will prevail and that just because some have bank accounts that are bigger than others, that they won’t be able to take the position, like Yertle the Turtle, that they are “master of all that I see”. Of course, we all know that it didn’t work out too well for Yertle in the end. 
Perhaps by living in the “land of plenty” we have become too used to “having what we want, when we want it” without consideration of what that might mean to others.
Yes, we do live in a great country where just about everything we could want is right at our fingertips as these views of “plenty” at the local market here in Ft Lauderdale illustrate.
In Cuba, well, it’s a bit different. The “meat counter”.
Or the produce department. And, that’s all of it.
And, the local deli selling sandwiches. 
There is plenty that we American’s can learn from the people of Cuba but I fear that it’s the Cubans who will learn bad habits from us.
As a Cuban that I met when we first arrived in Santiago de Cuba said to me “Good will come from more openness with your country, but I hope that the good of Cuba will not be lost”.
Me too as there are clearly some here in the U. S. who have forgotten how to “play well with others”. Let’s hope that they don’t teach Cubans the same thing.
And, that night, we had a wonderful dinner with friends at a local spot a short walk from the Marina. 
Brenda 
Ok, now that that’s out of the way…
Papers signed, they boarded Pandora, in stocking feet of course, to confirm that we were not harboring any additional “stowaways”.
The excitement of the Cuban people as they look toward the future made our visit very timely and perhaps nothing illustrates the friendly people of Cuba better than this tiny fishing boat out for a day on the ocean. The crew ,as is always the case, waved enthusiastically as we sailed by. 
And, nothing better exemplifies the changes coming their way than this huge ship heading past us and that little fishing boat as they make their way into Havana harbor.
The Frontera were called out to check on a small sailboat that someone thought was having trouble. They passed right by us however, for a moment, I did wonder if perhaps they would board us for one last look as we headed home.
So, off we headed for the 250 mile run to Ft Lauderdale. About ten miles outside we were visited by a “stowaway”, we thought might be attempting to emigrate to the U.S.. I don’t know what type of egret this was but he stood nearly two feet tall. We have been often visited by birds in the past but never by one as regal as this.
First he tried to perch on the lifelines, right outside of the cockpit, not 5 feet from us. Not too comfortable as Pandora pitched in the short steep chop.
Then, he tried clinging to the bouncing dink on the stern.
Finally, he settled down on the deck where he rested for the rest of the day.
We did what we could to avoid frightening him away until we had to tack near dusk. The banging of sails as we came about, proved too much for him so he headed the 50 miles back to Cuban soil. So much for international travel.