Florida Overtakes Michigan as Nation's Boating Capital
St. Petersburg - Clearwater area leads in the state

Posted Thursday, September 14, 2006

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CLEARWATER, Fla. --Florida has overtaken long-time leader Michigan as the state with the nation’s most registered boats. Boating’s growth is attributed to the Sunshine State’s growing population, especially in coastal areas like its long-time boating-sailing capital, the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area.

 

U.S. Recreational Boat Registration Statistics from the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association (NMMA) show that Floridians registered 946,072 boats in 2004 compared to Michigan’s 944,800 and California’s 894,884. Other states in the top ten were, in top-down order, Minnesota, Texas, Wisconsin, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, and Illinois.

 

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission actually counts 978, 225 registered boats in Florida, 30,000 more than the NMMA. Florida’s population growth, about 1,000 new people a day, accounts for most of that growth. In fact, many non-residents also register and leave their boats in Florida for use when they visit.

 

The St. Petersburg-Clearwater area on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico – Floridasbeach.com on the Internet -- continues to lead the state with 57,096 registered vessels, helping make its case as the boating and sailing capital of the U.S.

 

Its popularity as a boating destination is due in large part to geographic blessings, observers point out. Pinellas County simply has more good boating water than perhaps any other area of the U.S. It is a peninsula; actually, almost an island. On its west is the Gulf of Mexico. On its east is Tampa Bay including several inlets and protected bays and anchorages like Riviera Bay, Coffee Pot Bayou and Big Bayou. At the bottom of the county is Boca Ciega Bay. Add in miles and miles of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway between the mainland and Gulf barrier islands and numerous inlets, called passes on the Gulf Coast, that provide convenient boating access to and from the big water. Don’t forget to add about 200 miles of residential canals (with great winter fishing.) Also, factor in Lake Tarpon and Lake Seminole, two large freshwater lakes.

 

In summary, Pinellas County has water suitable for every boating taste including power cruising, sailing, offshore fishing, inshore fishing, scuba diving, water skiing, wakeboarding and personal watercrafting. The county also boasts thousands of un-powered (and unregistered) vessels like kayaks and canoes whose owners enjoy many miles of salt and freshwater paddling trails.

 

Good boating water is one critical ingredient to being a top boating area. Affordable access to the water by boaters is another. Here the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area surpasses most other areas with a strong mix of privately-owned and publicly-owned marinas and launching ramps.

 

The City of St. Petersburg operates the state’s largest marina with 610 slips and 250-feet of transient dock space in the middle of downtown. Clearwater Municipal Marina is a 220-slip marina with 23 slips for visiting boatmen. County administrators, watching the conversion of several marinas into condo complexes that restrict public access, have shown they are open to buying marinas to guarantee boating access to the water by citizens and visitors.

 

The county also boasts 27 publicly-owned boat launching ramps plus many more operated by private owners. One boat ramp at Fort DeSoto Park is the king of boat ramps with 32 launching lanes and parking for 196 tow vehicles and trailers.

 

Many tourists come to the county to charter vessels for fishing and cruising, to learn to sail, to take a dinner cruise, or just cruise around to see the sights, watch the dolphins, and see a glorious Florida sunset from the water.

 

A colorful history also underscores St. Petersburg-Clearwater area’s title as America’s boating and sailing capital. The St. Petersburg Yacht Club on Tampa Bay, established in 1909, was one of the first yacht clubs in the country. The Clearwater Yacht Club was founded in 1911.

 

In the 1950s St. Petersburg was the starting line for the Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC) races, which featured the most technologically-advanced boats and the most competitive sailors including Americas Cup winner Ted Turner (pre Jane Fonda, pre-CNN), Dennis Conner, Olin Stephens, Ted Irwin and Charley Morgan. Today, the National Offshore One Design Regatta Series kicks off its nine-venue season in St. Petersburg.

 

Weather in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area is suitable and typically ideal for boating year around. St. Petersburg holds the world record for the most consecutive days – 761 days – of sunshine. Gulf and bay temperatures moderate the air temperature, warming it in winter, cooling it in summer.

 

No matter how it is measured, the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area keeps coming up as the boating and sailing capital of America. Other popular boating areas make the claim as well but fall well short in one category or another, usually weather.

 

Doran Cushing, who has sailed the four corners and the middle of the country, expressed it best. “The reality is that if you live on Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes or along the Atlantic or Pacific Coasts you sail between Memorial Day and Labor Day and that’s it,” he said.

For more information

For more information about boating and sailing opportunities available in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area, visit www.floridasbeach.com or phone 877-352-3224.

 

Other websites of interest…

 

http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/05_Ft_DeSoto.htm

 

http://www.pinellaslife.com/water/boating/ramps.htm

 

http://www.paddle-fishing.com/

 

http://www.spyc.org/Club/Scripts/Home/home.asp

 

http://www.clwyc.org/

 

http://www.sailbcyc.org/BCYC/index.html

 

http://www.pagyc.com/

 

http://www.gulfportyachtclub.com/id15.html