The Florida Legislature is closer to adopting a sales tax cap of $18,000 on boat purchases, as part of two tax incentive packages that passed in late March. The tax incentives must be combined and signed by Gov. Charlie Crist for the tax cap to take effect July 1.

For those who know the cut over the bank to Bimini you might recognize this. Yes, the one where they did not replace the missing bouys that were there last year. This poor 50-footer got pushed/blown out of the cut on Wednesday , March 10 shortly after 2 p.m. under heavy seas. She was entering for the first time, with the quarentine flag and courtesy flag up. 

Week eight of Lia Ditton’s Atlantic Row has seen the much improved relationship on board Dream Maker help the crew deal with the frustrations surfacing as a result of the ‘stop-go’ nature of this year’s event. Worn out behinds, the need for sleep and longings for real food have taken their turn in the forefront of the the team's thoughts. Currently in 8th position, 2 miles behind and 20 miles ahead of young all male crews, the pressure is on for the final 600 miles!

Sometimes, it's best just to let the captain tell his story. "We were sitting in Panama, coming this way because of the weather, and we're coming right by Haiti so we wanted to see if we could do something. So we loaded up with rice, water, baby food, canned foods and came over. We're sitting now 37m off Port au Prince."

Lia Ditton continues to battle to overcome the emotional and physical hurdles of one of the world’s toughest ocean rowing challenges. Week seven of the Atlantic Rowing Race 2009 has seen a certain harmony return to life aboard Dream Maker. Now over two thirds race distance, the countdown to the finishing line is being frustrated by uncharacteristically light winds to help them towards Antigua.

A 38-year-old man was bitten by a shark while kiteboarding off the coast of Stuart, Fla., about 100 miles north of Ft. Lauderdale. Stephen Howard Schafer later died from the two bites, according to news reports. It was not known if he worked in the yachting industry.

The homeland security exercise will take place tomorrow (Feb. 10) and is based on the Area Maritime Security Training and Exercise Program (AMSTEP). The AMSTEP is focused on building relationships within the Federal Maritime Security domain to write, review and update the Area Maritime Security Plan in addition to supporting other transportation entities that rely upon the port being secure. As the Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, the Coast Guard has the lead in coordinating such exercises.

Ever Wonder What It Would Feel Like To Walk Across The Finish Line Of A 13.1 Mile Half Marathon?? Yes walk! You and your friends at Hall of Fame Marina, along with other area Westrec Marinas, will be walking together and having a great time enjoying Fort Lauderdale.

This story was actually a presentation at the Triton Expo in Ft. Lauderdale in November. For the next several months, we will print the presentations, all given by captains and veteran crew.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Small Vessel Security Strategy has been criticized as not being effective to protect Americans from what government officials believe is a threat from small vessels. “DHS has not provided a comprehensive strategy for addressing small vessel threats,” DHS Inspector General Richard Skinner wrote in the 19-page audit released in October.