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Posted by Capt Marti Every morning there is a cruisers net on vhf 68 that offers all sorts of wonderful info and help to both the liveaboard community and the transient cruiser. Recently, a harbor guide has been published that highlights the net and provides info on local vendors that provide services to the mariner. When you get to town be sure to pick one up. The Smorgasboat, run by Chris Boyle, has continued to run throughout the summer--even though business is slim during this time. The Smorgasboat has been a truly positive addition to the harbor as Chris provides a water taxi service that many of the working liveaboards use to get to and from work. The City Marina continues to offer outstanding customer service. The new dinghy docks have greatly expanded the dinghy landing area. On the far side of the fairway, the City Marina now has slips available complete with electric and water. The "honey dew" pump out boats continue to service the boaters both on the moorings and at anchor. The water quality has cleaned up a bunch and I'm seeing a lot more spotted rays, manatees, dolphins and fish in the harbor. The main source of pollution in the harbor now comes from the golf course and the landlubbers' septic tanks. Soon a City wide sewer system will rectify that part. The City moorings are jammed packed and I've heard that there are none left right now! They are available on a first come, first served basis. More moorings are still in the planning stage. The phone number at the City Marina is 305-289-8877 or you can hail them on vhf channel 16. The BKH swing bridge continues to operate on demand. The hours are from 7am to 7pm. They hail on vhf ch 9. Special request openings are available upon request. The cell phone to call is posted on the bridge. The boats that were sunk or washed aground during the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons have been removed! Yup even the huge and heavy red ketch that was aground on the grass flats has been removed. The City worked hard to obtain FEMA funding to help with the removal. Great job! The West Marine dinghy dock is back in operation after having been damaged in '05 by the storms. The liveaboard community here in BKH continues to be alive and thriving. All communities have diverse indivduals that comprise them and ours is no exception. I can personally attest to the fact that if you need help--information, advice or even physical help--the community here will be there for you. There aren't many land based communities that can say that or even put it into practice the way that this community does. It hurts my heart to see Liz (Lizard, The Other Lizard etc) continue to write hateful posts about individuals in this community. I can only hope that in her new home, in Fort Meyers, that she can find a positive support group and a good therapist to help her with her personal troubles. The fact of the matter is that Liz and her husband Sonny were a major part of the discontent here in the harbor. It was painful for me to watch the domestic abuse cycle of violence play out between them. And, it was embarrassing to watch the police have to come out to their boat and take one or the other away to jail time and again. For this reason, I personally breathed a big sigh of great relief when they left the harbor. I wish them both the best of success in their recovery and hope that all of this negativity ceases on this board. So, for now I look forward to the end of the hurricane season on Nov 30th and breathe another sigh of relief that during this season we only had to play the duck and cover game once with Ernesto! Cheers!
on October 28, 2006, 12:13 pm
70.9.160.116
First I'd like to thank Greg for moving this BB. I've been quite frankly embarrassed about the board due to all of the trashing and haven't posted for that reason.
I'd like to provide some positive info about BKH, the place that I've called home since '97.
Capt Marti
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