Tierra Verde Resort and Marina Plans

A redevelopment project for the former Tierra Verde Resort includes a 90 room hotel, 208 more high and dry boat storage slips, 12,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and 11,000 square feet of marina facilities.

Tierra Verde Resort Marina LLC bought the former marina resort and timeshare property, which includes an existing high-and-dry facility with about 60 occupied slips, in January for $14.4 million. The Tierra Verde investment group includes Gary Boesch, owner of other commercial property in Pinellas County. Boesch was involved with another recent project, Fisherman’s Paradise, a 385-foot floating resort in the Gulf of Mexico off Clearwater.

The property on Madonna Boulevard is on a protected canal with access to the Gulf of Mexico and the Intracoastal Waterway. The site includes 10.3 acres of upland property and 5.3 acres of submerged land leased from the state. The existing high-and-dry facility will remain.The planned hotel will be the first along the Pinellas Bayway between U.S. 19 South and St. Pete Beach. Groundbreaking could take place early next year.

Clearwater Celebrates National Marina Day

The City of Clearwater will celebrate National Marina Day on Saturday, June 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Clearwater Harbor Marina, 210 Drew St.

At the Open House, learn more about your local marina, take a tour of the new Clearwater Harbor Marina, participate in a free fishing contest from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and win prizes as well as get a voucher for one free Pier 60 fishing admission. Have your vessel safety checked by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and see boats from the Clearwater Fire Department, Clearwater Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard and Pinellas County Sherriff s Office. Learn more about boating and downtown Clearwater from informational booths and register for door prize giveaways. There will be children s activities, including face painting. Free hot dogs and refreshments will be available while they last.

National Marina Day is managed by the Association of Marina Industries, a non-profit membership organization representing marinas and marina businesses throughout the U.S. Keep Pinellas Beautiful will be hosting a clean-up of the Clearwater Harbor Marina at 7:30 a.m. the day of the event.

The event is free. Free parking is available. For more information, call (727) 462-6954.

Clearwater Harbor Marina Receives BoatUS Award

The city s downtown boat slip project, recently renamed Clearwater Harbor Marina, is honored to have received a 2010 BoatUS Recreational Boating Access Award. The award is made in recognition of the city's ability to bring much needed boating access to Clearwater, that includes 126 permanent slips, more than 1,500 feet of side-tie docks for overnight stays and 650 feet of free side-tie dockage for day use.

BoatUS (Boat Owners Association of the United States) created the award program in 2007 to highlight successes in protecting water access as boaters and communities were losing marina slips, service yards and boat launching areas. The goal is to draw national attention to innovative solutions and share success stories so that others may help to solve their own waterway access challenges.

BoatUS is the nation s leading advocate for recreational boaters providing more than half a million members with government representation, programs and money-saving services.
For more information on the award winners for 2010, call D. Scott Croft at (703) 461-2864, or visit www.BoatUS.com/AccessAwardWinner.

Clearwater Beach Boat Ramp Open

Construction is complete on the Clearwater Beach Boat Ramp and it is open to the public again. The ramp is at the east end of Bay Esplanade Dr, next to the Recreation Center at 69 Bay Esplanade Drive.

The old ramp was replaced with a safer one, as well as the boarding dock to the south, providing additional launch width. The new ramp has new railings, sidewalks, and an erosion prevention feature. Portions of the seawall and seawall cap were also replaced.

Treasure Island Safe Boating Class Offered

The Boca Ciega Sail and Power Squadron is offering a safe boating class designed for boaters using all types of watercraft and satisfies the Florida state boating law requirements. The course covers general information about boats, personal watercraft, maintenance, boating safety, laws and regulations. Upon completion students will be eligible for a free six months membership in the United States Power Squadrons and take advantage of the other educational opportunities afforded to members. The class will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings 7 - 9 pm March 22 thruMarch 31, at the squadron building at 130 126th Ave. at Lagoon Lane, Treasure Island. The cost for materials is $35. For information and to reserve a seat, call the course chairman Nick Miller at 424-1810.

Tierra Verde Resort & Marina Purchased By Investors

An investment group has purchased the Tierra Verde Resort. The 50-year-old property features boat slips, a restaurant, and the former Tierra Verde Yacht & Tennis Resort timeshare and hotel buildings.

The marina portion features 114 wet slips and 151 high-and-dry slips. The new marina business model will focus exclusively on rentals. The group rebranded the facility as the Tierra Verde Marina Resort.

The investors plan to demolish the existing structures, except for the high-and-dry building. It then plans to develop a second 151-slip high-and-dry building and a 10,000-square-foot restaurant building.

The investor group already owns four marinas on the Gulf Coast and hopes to acquire several more in the region in the near future.

Historic Yacht Docked At New Clearwater Harbor Marina

The "Highlander", Malcom Forbes' first large yacht, is docked at the new Clearwater Harbor Marina in downtown Clearwater. The 116 foot Highlander is the largest vessel at the marina, and will make Clearwater home until spring. The historic yacht has recently been restored to its original condition by current owner, Victor Muller of Holland, owner of Spyker and Saab. The vessel will stay in Clearwater until April, when Muller participates in the Honda Grand Prix.

The Highlander was built in Holland in 1967 for publisher Malcom Forbes, and the interior holds many memories of the Forbes family, including pictures of them on the boat. The yacht is equipped with satellite TV, conducts its own electricity, and makes its own fresh water. “If we could make our own diesel, we would never have to come in to dock,” says Highlander Captain Craig Cannon. When not in use by the owner, The Highlander will be chartered for functions, with rates starting around $60,000 per week.

Downtown Clearwater Boat Slips Named "Clearwater Harbor Marina"

After opening 4 months ago, the new new Clearwater city boatslips finally have a name: "Clearwater Harbor Marina". There are slips still available, ranging from 30 - 65 feet. While the marina is only 38% full, the slips were at capacity during special events like the Jazz Holiday and Super Boat race.

The public can use the slips for free during the day but have to pay for overnight use. There are security gates, 24-hour security and security cameras, restrooms, showers, electricity, pump-out service, laundry facilities and water. The Jolley Trolley will be adding the marina to its route.

Clearwater Beach Boat Ramp Being Replaced

The boat ramp on Bay Esplanade is closed and should be open next month. The ramp is being replaced with concrete extending below the water line, and the boarding dock will be moved south to create more launching room. The ramp is the only one in Clearwater Beach and work is scheduled to be complete February 14th.

2011 Florida Boat Show Schedule

Naples Boat Show, Naples, Jan 27 - Jan 30

Miami International Boat Show, Miami Beach Feb 17 - Feb 21

Palm Beach International Boat Show, West Palm Beach Mar 24 - Mar 27

Central Florida Boat Show, Orlando Feb 3 - Feb 6

Ft Myers Spring Boat Show, N. Ft Myers Mar 10 - Mar 13

Pensacola Boat Show, Pensacola April 1 - April 10

Daytona Fall Boat Show, Daytona Beach Sept 9 - Sept 11

Ft Lauderdale International Boat Show, Ft Lauderdale Oct 27 - Oct 31

2011 Tides

Tide Tables, Charts and Scripts at FreeTideTables.com