News, Events and Specials

OBYC Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Shrimp Festival

Oyster Bay Yacht Club and Marina is looking forward to another successful and FUN Shrimp Festival Weekend this year!

Currently, we have approximately 45 boat slip reservations and look forward to welcoming our visitors for this special event weekend.

Priority Reservations for dining, water taxi and Saturday Dinner Event is now open to OBYC members only until March 22.

After March 22, the invitation will be sent to the visiting boat clubs and all reservations will be subject to availability.

For Reservations, contact Terrie Sanders TerrieOBYC@gmail.com or call 904 261 4773

NEW this year…

• Dinner reservations will be required Thursday, Friday and Saturday Night for this special event weekend

• Amelia River Cruise will provide the water taxi service on Saturday, May 4

• Water Taxi will depart OBYC promptly at 10am for Fernandina Harbor

• Water Taxi will Depart Fernandina Harbor at 3pm promptly for OBYC

• Water Taxi Reservation & Prepayment Required no later than April 26 and is subject to availability

• $10 per person/Round Trip (plus 18% gratuity for the Captain)

We regret that there is no children discount pricing available.

For Weekend line up and Saturday night dinner event details click on READ MORE!

2013 Hurricane Season Forecasted to be Active

Last week the annual hurricane predications have begun to roll out for the 2013 season.  “Hurricane season” runs from June 1 through November 30 with peak season from approximately September 15 to October 15 each year.  Dr. William Gray, the renowned Colorado State University climatologist at The Tropical Meteorology Project is predicting the fourth busy storm season in a row for this year.  According to his 2013 Atlantic hurricane season forecast, he predicts 18 named storms, including nine hurricanes of which four will be major storms (category 3 or higher). The average season sees 12 storms, including six hurricanes, three with winds greater than 110 mph.

Here on Amelia Island we are extraordinarily blessed to be well insulated from the problem of hurricanes.  Our unique position near the Florida-Georgia state line, at the inside of the elbow joint on the Atlantic coastline, seems to keep us safe from the vast majority of Atlantic storm activity.  An excellent resource for historic hurricane data and information is Jim Williams site, Hurricanecity.com.  Big or small, Mr. Williams tracks and records it all.

I am reminded however this week by the Florida Insurance commissioner, if you are living in a water-oriented community (like ours) there is never a better time for you to think about calling and speaking with your insurance agent about the benefits and costs associated with flood insurance in your home community.  Having survived Hurricane Katrina myself and with relatives still slogging it out on repairs to their homes in Staten Island in NY, I cannot possibly stress importance of this conversation enough.

The Florida Insurance Commissioner provides helpful information at their website.  It will cost you nothing to call and ask your home insurance agent about this today and yet it could save you thousands of dollars and many tears in the long run.  Typically there is a 30-day waiting period for any new policy written so now is the time to evaluate this matter for your home, family and belongings.  Also keep in mind that once a storm is given a name, there will be a freeze on writing a flood policy until the threat from that particular storm has passed.  As an added FYI – this is the perfect time to discuss what is and is not covered by your existing homeowner’s policy (the pool?  the pool enclosure? septic system?)  and compare that to what would be covered by an actual National Flood Insurance policy.

A great deal of the heartache (and eventual litigation) for homeowners in Katrina-land was caused by an inadequate understanding of the insurance industry’s definitions of wind-driven water versus rising flood water, surge and other terms.  If you would like to explore this topic further before picking up the phone, the National Flood Insurance Program’s consumer website is a great resource at Floodsmart.gov.

Great Fishing Expected at the Jetties

After a slow first quarter of fishing I am looking forward to a great spring. Last week the water temperatures dropped back down below 60 degrees shutting down the black drum bite that just started. Now the water temps are climbing, once it hits mid 60’s everything will be on fire.

The large schools of decent trout only came through the docks a handful of times, nothing like the “every cast” days we had last season.

Luckily the sheepshead, puppy drum, and occasional trophy red took up the slack. Away from the docks the slot reds are still in the flats and will make their way to the jetties. The best chance for a big trout will be at first light, especially when the bait starts showing up. Along with the black drum bite that started a couple weeks ago, anglers harvested a fair share of bull whiting.

Offshore is still not worth it, grouper season opens in May followed by black sea bass in June. By that time cobia and kings may be here. The future bite is bright on the water!

It is also time to begin or review your hurricane plan. Remember we had our first named storm last year develop two weeks before the June 1st Atlantic season. This year’s forecast calls for an active one, with over 16 named storms predicted and at least 3 of them becoming major storms. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or assistance in developing a plan.

Stay between the buoys,