Guy Harvey Outpost Coming To St Pete Beach

Celebrated marine artist Guy Harvey will  open his first Guy Harvey Outpost in the U.S. in St. Pete Beach. Harvey and his partners plan to spend $3 million re-branding the TradeWinds Sandpiper Suites with his sportfishing motif. Construction will begin on the new hotel and restaurant in late February with an opening set for 2013.

The re-branding will include incorporating Guy Harvey art throughout the public and exterior spaces of the hotel. Guy Harvey décor will adorn guest rooms, which will get new carpet, paint, artwork and flat-screen TVs. The gift shop will make way for a Guy Harvey Adventure Center, to feature his signature clothing and marine-related goods. The restaurant will get a face lift and there are plans to develop a second, upscale restaurant featuring the Guy Harvey brand.

St Pete Beach was chosen because the Tampa Bay area has an endless amount of outdoor and marine activities to keep Outpost guests busy and because of it's easy access to the Gulf of Mexico and marine research facilities. Harvey, a native of Jamaica, is a marine biologist by training and  pioneered a diving technique that allowed him to photograph free-swimming billfish in the open ocean. Today, his realistic depictions of billfish have given him an international following and adorn millions of t-shirts worldwide, and more of those shirts are sold in the Tampa Bay area than anywhere else in the world.

The Outpost property will remain owned and managed by the TradeWinds, and will share privileges with its larger, sister property, the TradeWinds Island Grand. Guy Harvey Outpost Resorts has  re-branded two additional properties in the Bahamas.

 

Clearwater and Sand Key Host Sailing Regatta

The International Sailing Federation Laser Midwinters East Regatta will take place Feb. 22 - 26. This is the 11th straight year the Class 1 International Regatta has been hosted by Clearwater Yacht Club. Two hundred sailors from 16 countries will compete on the Gulf of Mexico just off Pier 60. Participants sail the Laser, a 13.8 ft. one-design boat carrying one main sail and 3 classes of Lasers, defined by sail size, will compete in several races over four days. Pre-race meetings, and daily launching and recovery of boats will be at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center on Sand Key. For more information go to www.clwyc.org.

Clearwater Designated Coast Guard City

Clearwater is now one of 14 cities in the United States to officially be designated a Coast Guard City, and the only city in Florida to hold the title.

The Coast Guard City program was enancted into law in 1998 to recognize communities that go above and beyond in their support of Coast Guard members and their families. Other cities to receive this designation include Grand Haven, MI, Eureka, CA, and Rockland, ME.

Clearwater is home to Air Station Clearwater, the largest air station in Guard. Air crews support a variety of missions with fixed-wing and helicopter aircraft. Their area of operations includes the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean basin and the Bahamas.

The Coast Guard Station Sand Key, is a 60 person unit with a 2k square mile area of responsibility in the Gulf of Mexico. The boat crews at the station perform approximately 300 search and rescue cases each year.

Port Security Unit 307, a Reserve unit based in Clearwater, just returned home from a 6 month Middle East deployment in support of Operations New Dawn and Enduring Freedom. PSU 307 provided security port locations around the Persian Gulf.

 

2012 Florida Boat Show Schedule

Stuart Boat Show
Fri Jan 13, 2012- Mon Jan 16, 2012
Stuart Harbor; Stuart, FL

Charolette County Boat Show
Thu Jan 19, 2012 - Mon Jan 23, 2012
Charlotte County Fairgrounds Port Charlotte, FL

Naples Boat Show
Thu Jan 26, 2012 - Mon Jan 30, 2012
Renaissance Village, 100 Goodlette Rd S, Naples, FL

65th Annual Jacksonville Boat Show
Fri Jan 27, 2012 - Mon Jan 30, 2012
Prime Osborn Center, 1000 Water St., Jacksonville, FL

Miami International Boat Show
Thu Feb 16, 2012 - Tue Feb 21, 2012
Where: Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr. Miami

Fort Myers Spring Boat Show
Thu Mar 8, 2012 - Man Mar 12, 2012
Where: Lee Civic Center, 11831 Bayshore Rd., Fort Myers, FL

Southeast US Boat Show 2012
Fri Apr 20, 2012- Man Apr 23, 2012
Where: Metropolitan Park and Marina, 1410 Gator Bowl Blvd, Jacksonville, FL

Safe Boating Class Offered In Treasure Island

The Boca Ciega Sail and Power Squadron will have a Safe Boating Class Mondays and Wednesdays, noq through February 1 from 7-9 pm. The squadron building is located on the south side of John's Pass at 130 126th Avenue at Lagoon Lane, Treasure Island. Cost is $35, and the course satisfies Florida State Boating Law requirements.  For information and to reserve a seat, contact Nick Miller at 727-424-1810 or visit usps.org/localusps/bocaciega

Inshore Tournament Open To Anglers & Boaters

The Johnny Kellar Inshore Tournament will be held on Jan. 29th by the Old Salt Fishing Foundation. The event  will target trout, flounder, black drum, sheepshead and redfish, and is open to anyone fishing from land, kayak, skiff or center console. The entry fee is $25, and benefits the All Children's Hospital hemophilia fund. The captain's meeting is 7 pm Thursday at the Daiquiri Deck at 14995 Gulf Blvd, Madeira Beach. Fishing starts at 6:30 am Sunday, and the weigh-in starts at 3 pm at Bay Pines Marina. For more info: oldsaltfishing.org

Free Boating Seminars Offered By MarineMax

MarineMax is offering free seminar on January 21. There will be a 45-minute seminar at 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm,  and 4 pm. Topics include knot tying, an introduction to boating, cooking on board, electronics and preventive maintenance. From 4 to 5 pm there will be an open forum, allowing attendees to speak to vendors and seminar leaders. There will be a screening of the film “Dolphin Tale” for children,

MarineMax is located at 18025 U.S. 19 N in Clearwater. To sign up, call 536-2628 or visit www.marinemax.com.

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

2010 Holiday Boat Parade Schedule

Tierra Verde Lighted Boat Parade
December 8th, 6 pm
Starts just east of Billy's Stone Crab, and travels the Grand Canal to the Tierra Verde Bridge.

St Pete Beach and South Pasadena Holiday Lighted Boat Parade
December 10th, 6 pm
Begins at Merry Pier in Pass a Grille and travels through St Pete Beach, ending in South Pasadena.

Treasure Island Lighted Boat Parade
December 11th, 6:20 pm
Begins at the Treasure Island Causeway Bridge, and ends at John's Pass

Dunedin Holiday Boat Parade and Tree Lighting
December 11th, 6 to 9 pm
Begins at Marker 1 Marina, travels south, and then heads north to the Municipal Marina adjacent to Edgewater Park.

St. Petersburg Illuminated Boat Parade
December 11th, 6:30 pm
Parade takes place near the Pier - Spa Beach, The Pier and Vinoy Basin are recommended for best viewing.

Gulfport Lighted Christmas Boat Parade
December 11 at 6 pm
Begins at the Gulfport Municipal marina, travels past the William's Pier and into the canals of Town Shores and Broadwater communities.

Island Estates Yacht Club Holiday Boat Parade
December 11 at 6:30 pm
Begins in Mandalay Channel, travels to Coachman Park, and to the Clearwater Yacht Club's judging stand.

Redington Beach and Indian Shores Lighted Boat Parade
December 19th, 6 pm
Begins at the Madeira Beach Causeway, travels through Redington Beach, North Redington Beach, and Redington Shores, then through Indian Shores, ending at the Pub Restaurant.

2010 Clearwater Holiday Boat Parade

The 36th annual Memorial Holiday Boat Parade, sponsored by the Island Estates Yacht Club, will be held on Saturday, December 11th. The event honors members of Island Estates Yacht Club who passed away during the year and is one of the area's largest holiday boat parades. Around 50 lighted and decorated boats will light up the waterways. Cash prizes and gift certificates donated by local businesses for the best decorated boats.

The parade will begin in Mandalay Channel between Island Estates and Clearwater Beach at 6 pm, head north through the channel, arriving at Coachman Park around 8 pm, then navigate under the Memorial Causeway Bridge to the Clearwater Yacht Club for judging.

If you are interested in entering your vessel, contact the Yacht Club Fleet Captain Tom Smith at (727) 776-3375 or Tom@TomSmith.com.