New Smyrna Beach Marina, Day 2

Weather: sunny, 80 degrees, east wind at 6 knots

Still in New Smyrna Beach, wishing we were moving further south.

We have been trying to figure out what the real requirements are for using our dinghy in Florida. One would think this might not be too difficult to determine. Someone ought to know, right? We have heard so many different versions from so many different people that today we decided to try and find out for sure, rather than have some unexpected detainment by some unwelcomed local official at some inconvenient moment in the future.

Here is a partial list of the people from whom we have attempted to understand the official requirements: the dockmaster, local liveaboards with Coast Guard documented boats (such as ours), local vehicle registration office, Fish and Wildlife Commission, Coast Guard, Florida Dept of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles,  transients with CG documentation, and the internet.  It has been a nightmare of contradictory opinions. We have been told that unless your dinghy is registered somewhere, the local militia can prevent you from moving your main vessel until you get registered in Florida (or somewhere else, presumably). We have also been told this is wrong and only an intimidation technique by local officials. We have been shuffled around from one office to the next (fortunately by phone), everyone passing the buck so to speak, and no one willing to say definitively what needs to be done.

We think we have determined that only the dinghy is of issue, but we're not sure. The difficulty expanded since we never had a title or bill of sale for the dinghy when we bought Kentris. We assumed it was not needed. But, apparently, it is for registering it in FL. So Tom has spent several hours trying to decide what to do about that. Suffice it to say, he has obtained a bill of sale and has finally completed registration procedures for the dinghy.  All we have to do now is buy numbers for it and hope that takes care of things.  At least we have tried (hard) to be compliant. 

A side note: as we were coming into NSB, a sheriff boat approached us and asked where we were headed.  When told we were preparing to dock at a marina, he asked "If I was to put dye in your head, where would it go?"  Tom replied, "Into my holding tanks."  Sheriff then said, "And how are those heads secured?"  Reply: "With a chain and lock."  We were then allowed to move on.  He never boarded us, just asked his questions.  I wondered if we had been preparing to anchor instead of spending money at the marina if his benevolence would have been the same.