The 324-foot ship Lady Luck was scuttled in 120 feet of water off Pompano Beach
on the afternoon of July 23, adding to the dive destinations already in Shipwreck Park.
Photo provided by Elaine Fitzgerald
The Ana Cecilia begins taking on water off Singer Island on July 13, when it was intentionally sunk
to become the county’s 151st artificial reef. Watch videos of the Ana Cecilia’s sinking at www.thecoastalstar.com.
Willie Howard/The Coastal Star
Videos: Cargo ship becomes Palm Beach County's 151st artificial reef | Aerial view of the sinking of the Ana Cecilia | Scuba Nation underwater video of the Ana Cecilia
By Willie Howard
A 170-foot cargo ship that delivered humanitarian goods to Cuba in 2012 and was later used to smuggle cocaine became Palm Beach County’s newest artificial reef on July 13.
A tugboat’s horn blasted and cheers rang out from a gathering of boaters and county officials as the M/V Ana Cecilia slipped below the surface in calm seas off Singer Island to become the county’s 151st artificial reef.
The Ana Cecilia is resting in 85 feet of water at the southern end of a line of 11 artificial reefs, about three-quarters of a mile long, that includes other ships, limestone boulders and debris from bridge demolitions.
That means scuba divers should be able to begin at the Ana Cecilia and drift north in the current over several other artificial reefs during a single dive.
The newly scuttled ship is resting just south of another ship, the 185-foot Mizpah. Coordinates for the Ana Cecilia are 26/47.118 N and 80/00.96 W.
The ship is expected to attract goliath grouper later this summer, and parts of the vessel are expected to become sleeping quarters for endangered hawksbill sea turtles, said Julie Bishop, a biologist with the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management.
“The Ana Cecilia will soon become a diver’s dream, bustling with underwater activity as she is colonized by algae, sponges and corals to support a diverse community of colorful marine life,” Bishop said.
The ship faces south, into the prevailing current. The top of the ship rises 35 feet above the bottom, meaning divers can reach parts of the Ana Cecilia 50 feet below the surface.
In addition to creating new habitat for marine life, the new artificial reef honors five people who died or were lost at sea recently in boating accidents.
Bronze plaques attached to the back of the ship’s wheelhouse bear the names of Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, the Tequesta teenagers who disappeared after leaving Jupiter inlet in a 19-foot boat in July 2015.
Another plaque honors Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputy Fernandez Jones, his 9-year-old son, Jaden, and his stepfather, Willis Bell. Jones and his family members died after their boat sank off Martin County in April.
“It’s always great to have something sunk that has some history and has ties to the community,” said Shana Phelan, owner of Pura Vida Divers in Riviera Beach.
Palm Beach County paid $110,000 to clean, tow and sink the 1972 ship after it was donated to the county by federal authorities.
In 2012, the Ana Cecilia became the first ship to deliver humanitarian goods to Cuba from Miami, but it later fell into the hands of drug smugglers.
Surveillance along the Miami River led agents from Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to 386 bricks of cocaine, which they removed from the ship in September 2015. The ship’s captain was indicted.
Federal authorities seized the Ana Cecilia and formally donated it to Palm Beach County in May.
Lady Luck scuttled off Pompano Beach pier
A 324-foot retired New York sludge ship was scuttled July 23 off the Pompano Beach fishing pier to create what promoters are calling the world’s first underwater art gallery.
Formerly known as the Newtown Creek, the new artificial reef joins 16 other wrecks in an area off Pompano Beach known as Shipwreck Park.
Marine artist Dennis MacDonald created a faux casino on the Lady Luck’s deck, including giant dice, poker tables, a mermaid serving drinks and “card sharks.”
The bottom of the ship sits in 120 feet, but divers can reach the upper parts of the ship about 40 feet below the surface.
For details, go to www.shipwreckparkpompano.org
Larger size, smaller limit for mutton snapper proposed
State regulators have recommended an increase in the minimum size and a decrease in the daily bag limit for mutton snapper, a popular South Florida reef fish.
A draft rule approved in June by the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission would increase the minimum size for mutton snapper by 2 inches, to 18 inches.
The proposed daily bag limit is three mutton snapper per person (as part of the 10-fish aggregate snapper bag limit). Currently, recreational anglers can take 10 mutton snapper a day.
The mutton snapper rule changes would not take effect until after the FWC’s final public hearing and vote, scheduled for early September.
Prizes awarded in Lake Worth Lagoon tournament
Participants in the first Lake Worth Lagoon Fishing Challenge won Penn rod-and-reel combinations and Engel coolers for catching fish in the lagoon and submitting their catches through the iAngler Tournament app.
Josh Divine, 9, of Lake Clarke Shores won the junior division by submitting 84 fish of 17 species during the monthlong tournament, held during June. Josh fished with his father, Matt, and sister, Ceci, in several parts of the lagoon using cut shrimp for bait.
Max Lichtig of North Palm Beach won the adult overall award by submitting 55 fish of 11 species. Matthew Buchanan of West Palm Beach won a cooler for submitting two bonefish caught in the lagoon.
Overall, 27 anglers submitted 456 catch reports during the tournament.
Catch reports are expected to help Palm Beach County environmental regulators track the whereabouts of fish and the condition of fish habitat in the lagoon, which stretches 20 miles from North Palm Beach to Ocean Ridge.
Coming events
Aug. 6: Regular spiny lobster season opens and remains open through March 31. Daily bag limit: six lobsters per person. Head section must measure at least 3 inches. Lobster must be measured in the water and landed whole. No egg-bearing lobster may be taken. Saltwater fishing license with lobster permit required (unless exempt). Details: www.myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/lobster
Aug. 13: REEF Palm Beach County Lionfish Derby based at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach. Late registration and mandatory captain’s meeting Aug. 12 at the Marinelife Center. Teams hunt lionfish all day Aug. 13, then bring them to the Marinelife Center at noon Aug. 14 for scoring. Awards and a public lionfish tasting follow scoring. Entry fee $120 per team (two to four divers). Call (305) 852-0030 or go to www.reef.org/lionfish/derbies
Aug. 13: Mark Gerretson Memorial Fishing Tournament to benefit youth causes in Delray Beach. Begins with a captain’s meeting set for 6-8 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Hurricane Bar & Lounge, 640 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. Tournament weigh-in at Deck 84 restaurant in Delray Beach. Entry fee $225 per boat. Details: www.mgmft.net
Aug. 27: Coast Guard Auxiliary offers basic boating safety class, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at classroom next to the boat ramps, Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, 2010 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. It’s free. Class fees covered by a grant from the Perry J. Cohen Foundation. Register at the door. Call 331-2429.
Aug. 27: Boynton Beach Fishing Club begins inshore/offshore fishing tournament. Runs through Sept. 5. Use iAngler smartphone app to submit catches. Fish can be released or kept if legal. Must pick up tournament ruler at captain’s meeting. Cash prizes. Entry fee $35 through Aug. 20 or $50 thereafter. Captain’s meeting 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 at Due South Brewing, 2900 High Ridge Road, Boynton Beach. Details: www.bifc.org or 703-5638.
Tip of the month
Say your grandchildren are coming for the weekend and want to go boating. You’ll need a life jacket of the correct size for each child on the boat, of course.
Don’t want to buy and store more life jackets?
Consider borrowing them.
Loaner life jackets are available through the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. The program allows boaters to borrow children’s life jackets for the afternoon, the day or the weekend at no cost.
Loaner life jackets for kids are available at more than 1,500 places nationwide (go to www.BoatUS.org/loanermap).
In south Palm Beach County, boaters can borrow kids’ life jackets from the dockmaster’s office at the Palm Beach Yacht Center, 7848 S. Federal Highway in Hypoluxo. Call 588-9911.
Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.
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