By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

PENSACOLA - Marinas - the backbone of Florida's fishing, diving and charter boat industries - have survived hurricanes and skyrocketing property taxes, but the massive BP oil spill leeching into inland waters in the Panhandle may be a catastrophe they can't endure.

Even before tar balls started floating ashore from the Alabama line to Panama City, marina owners were feeling the pinch. Slip bookings and transient traffic have been dropping since the first news of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil geyser, yet to be contained after more than seven weeks, owners said.

The situation became worse last week, when oil from that well finally creeped into Perdido Pass, mouth of the Perdido River, which separates Alabama from Florida.

And Destin marina owner Brett Hinely expects it to only become worse.

"Initially, I was sort of optimistic about it and thought it was much ado about nothing. Within the past week, I've lost two boats. After Memorial Day, we looked at our transient traffic, and it is down exactly 50 percent from last year," said Hinely, whose Bluewater Bay Marina Complex offers 120 wet slips, 180 dry slips and a restaurant and bar on the north shore of Choctawhatchee Bay, seven miles east of Destin.

Hinely says permanent boat slip renters, like the two who pulled out last week, usually spend five times as much as the slip fees on marina store purchases, fuel and food and cocktails.

The $10,000-a-year loss on the two boats equates to a $50,000 loss overall, he said.

So far, his inland waterways haven't been affected, but on Thursday, tar balls were spotted in nearby Destin East Pass.

"If I've lost two boats before one tar ball hit the beach here in Okaloosa County, the closer it gets, the more reality sets in this stuff is hitting the beaches or coming into the bay, it's just going to increase exponentially," said Hinely, whose father opened the marina more than three decades ago. People are going to say that's it."

Charter fishing is at a virtual standstill despite the proliferation of fish during snapper season that began June 1 and lasts for 45 days. Most federal waters are closed, and many charter boat captains have signed on with BP's "vessels of opportunity" program to search for oil, drag skimmers or ferry supplies to boats offshore.

"We call it hush money. They pay them to shut the noisy fishermen up," said John Naybor, who owns three marinas on Bayou Chico, an inlet located off Pensacola Bay.

While the charter boat workers are getting paid just to be on call, marina operators like Naybor aren't as fortunate. Although BP will pay marinas or boats that leave because of the oil looming in the Gulf, they'll only get the payment until another boat of any size rents the slip. Because slip fees are charged by the size of the boat, the marinas may still see losses.

Naybor said he is normally around 95 percent full this time of year. Now he is down to 62 percent at his Island Cove, Palm Harbor and Yacht Harbor marinas on the bayou.

Naybor is active in a variety of boating organizations and works with the Department of Environmental Protection on the clean marinas program.

He said his bookings were up 40 percent until late April when the Deepwater Horizon rig blew up near Louisiana. "2007 was bad. 2008 was worse. 2009 was terrible. We were just coming out of a record slump," Naybor said.

Not far away, the parking lot of John Taggart's Pensacola Beach Marina is deserted on a sunny weekend afternoon. Nearly all of the charter boats have left his facility.

Taggart said he makes his year's living in the two or three month summer season, when in a good year he can bring in up to $300,000 a month, he said.

This month, Taggart fears his revenue will be zero. He said he doesn't know how long or even if he'll be able to stay in business.

"I'm definitely not happy. Absolutely not," Taggart said.

Boat sales have been down in the marine industry for a few years. Between 2005 and 2008, they saw a 9 percent drop, but still provided 200,000 jobs and contributed $16.8 billion to Florida's economy in terms of manufacturing, sales and direct and indirect services in 2008, according to the Florida Marine Industries Association. More current numbers are not available.

But association President John Sprague said, "When you can't go out in your boat because of oil or because of booms or concerns of the quality of fish you may or may not catch, you basically stop using your boat. When that stops, direct sales like fuel, ice and sodas and water and beer and fishing tackle stop ... If you were in the Gulf right now, would you go buy a boat? I don't think you would."

With marinas hurting because of the recession and now the BP oil disaster, Sprague suggests that the state give them a break on the hundreds of millions of dollars in fees they pay the state to lease its sovereign submerged lands. The Department of Environmental Protection charges marinas the greater of 6 percent of their gross income or 14 cents per square foot. Sprague says the governor and Cabinet should temporarily do away with the per-foot charges.

The decline in business for marinas is also hurting the other businesses they support -bait shops, dive shops, restaurants and a myriad of mom-and-pop businesses tied to boating.

At the Pensacola Shipyard, workers seek the shade of The Boat Store deck for respite from the 95 degree heat. Store owner John Higdon said his usual customers have all but disappeared.

Instead of selling paint and other expensive boat maintenance products, Higdon is trying to survive selling cold sodas. Half-way through going over his May accounts, he said he decided to file a claim with BP for his losses.

"Nobody's fishing or working on boats. We're just not selling anything," Higdon said. "It kind of reminds me of the movie The Night of the Living Dead. They're stone-faced. They don't know what to do. It's sad."

Product Review - Secure Stack Gas Tank

The Secure Stack portable six-gallon gas tank features an innovative design that helps you secure the tanks aboard, with deep, one and a half inch grooves for easy tie down. You can stack two together and draw fuel from both at once with an available dual fuel line. Handles at both ends make moving the tanks from boat to dock easy.

The high density polyethylene tanks are U.S. Coast Guard and ABYC approved and sell for approximately $29.95 each.

Boat Safety - Who has the Right of Way?

On a crowded, busy waterway, it can sometimes be difficult to tell who has the right of way. Unfortunately, many boating accidents result when drivers do not understand the ways in which boats are supposed to interact. Operating a boat is just like driving a car: if you do not understand the rules governing right of way, you are putting everyone around you in danger.

The most basic rule governing right of way on the water is that a boat must yield to any boat that is in the angle extending from the front of the boat forward and from the rear starboard (right) corner of the boat perpendicular to the boat. This area is known as the "danger zone," and boats are obliged to yield or "give way" to any other vessels in their danger zone. Conversely, if you are in another boat's danger zone, that boat is required to yield or "give way" to you. This basic rule of boating is most applicable when two boats are traveling towards the same spot; the yielding boat is obliged to slow down or "give way" and pass behind the boat on its starboard side.

At night, boats will display colored lights in order to maintain the proper right of way. The starboard side of the boat will have green lights, signaling to other boats that they have the "green light" to go ahead, while the port side of the boat will have red lights, indicating that boats on this side should yield or "give way".

The right of way on the water may also be determined by the types of boats involved. For instance, a powerboat (i.e., a boat with a motor) should always yield to a sailboat under sail.

Powerboats must also yield to any boats that are being towed or propelled with oars. These restrictions on powerboats are meant to keep smaller boats from being rocked violently by a large wake.

When two sailboats meet, a boat on a port tack is required to yield to a boat on a starboard tack. In situations where both boats are on the same tack, the boat closest to the origin of the wind should yield. As a sailor, one should always abide by these rules while remaining aware that not every sailor knows them. In other words, one should follow the rules and be vigilant to ensure that others are doing so as well.

Keep in mind the General Prudential rule: "When from any cause, the vessel required to keep her course and speed finds herself so close that collision cannot be avoided by the action of the give-way vessel alone, she shall take such action as will best aid to avoid collision".

Special Safety Report - Tow to Go for Adults Celebrating 4th of July Weekend

Joke of the Month - Know your Nautical Lingo

An ensign on sea duty for the first time overheard a recruit say he was going downstairs. "Listen, sailor," he snarled, "Downstairs is below, that side is starboard, that's aft and that's portside. If I ever hear you say one more civilian word like "downstairs" again I'll throw you through that little round window over there!"