Category: Sports

Anna Maria Island Success Story: Galati Yacht Sales

Post author By Mike
Post date May 21, 2009
1 Comment on Anna Maria Island Success Story: Galati Yacht Sales

In 1970, Michael Galati, Sr., and his wife, Anna Maria, moved to Anna Maria Island and founded Galati Yacht Sales. It was a family effort, based on hard work and a strong commitment to taking care of the customer before all else. They have built their family industry into a company with 12 dealership locations around the Gulf of Mexico, including Palmetto, Cape Coral , St. Petersburg, Destin, and Naples, Florida; Orange Beach, Alabama; and Houston, Texas. They have 171 employees, according to Boating Industry.

Voted the number one boat dealership in the country, for 2007 and 2008, by Boating Industry, the commitment of the five Galati siblings has really paid off. Their Customer Satisfaction Index was 95 in 2008.

Boating Industry based their award of the number one spot on Galati ’s myriad ways of offering service. From the way the sales team is structured to the thoroughness of every service appointment to the friendly question of whether any help is needed every time a Galati boat is encountered, the management and staff take care of their customers very well.

Tags Boating, Cabo, Cruisers yachts, galati, luxury yachts, own a boat, St Petersburg, Tiara, Viking yachts, yacht sales

Sports

Kayaking on Anna Maria Island

Post author By Mike
Post date May 16, 2009
4 Comments on Kayaking on Anna Maria Island

The waters in and around Anna Maria Island are perfect for kayaking, and there are more and more people enjoying it. Inside Bimini Bay, the conditions are particularly peaceful. Beginners or those who don’t know how to swim can feel very safe there. Surrounded by land, except for the channel out to Tampa Bay, the water is usually flat and it’s very shallow. In fact, it’s so shallow at low tides that even kayakers should pay close attention to water depth, in order not to damage the fragile sea grass floor of this environmentally important location. Just north of Holmes Beach City Hall is a park with a boat ramp, from which it is easy to kayak into Bimini Bay, under the bridge to Key Royal.

Among the wildlife usually seen by kayakers in Bimini Bay are dolphins, with the occasional manatee. Birdlife is plentiful. Ospreys, pelicans and terns dive for fish. Gulls hang around hoping for scraps. Great blue herons can be seen nesting high in the Australian pines, or wading in the waters at low tide.

Sit-on-top kayaks require almost no instruction or technique, but it helps to keep a few things in mind. A stable way to get into these kayaks is by putting one’s bottom into the seat before trying to bring one’s legs on board. Paddling is quite straightforward, and it’s good to aim for rhythm. In addition to pulling back on the paddle with one hand, one pushes the other side of the paddle forward.

Tags Bimini Bay, boat ramp, canoe, Kayak, kayaking, Nature trail, paddle, paddling, sit on top, What to do on Anna Maria

Sports

Walking the Beaches of Anna Maria Island

Post author By Mike
Post date February 11, 2009
No Comments on Walking the Beaches of Anna Maria Island

With seven miles of continuous Gulf of Mexico beaches, Anna Maria Island is a beachwalker’s paradise. Whether one walks at sunset or at dawn, the beauty is breath-taking, and ever-changing. Not only does the light change as the day progresses, but also as the weather changes. The wide-open horizon offers a vista in which every cloud for miles around can be seen.

Aside from the West Coast of the United States, there are no other places in the United States where one can watch the sun set over a body of water as large as the Gulf of Mexico. And not every Gulf barrier island has as terrific an aspect from which to view the sun set as Anna Maria Island. Perhaps even more stunning than the sun setting over the Gulf is the view of the full moonrise just before dawn.

In addition to the differences in light, there are many differences in how people can choose to walk the beach. It can be a solitary time for contemplation, or a social time for a good conversation with a friend. It can be a brisk walk or an easy stroll. Barefoot, wading, and walking slowly or with shoes on, avoiding the gentle rise and retreat of foam on the beach. Some walkers are focused on shells. Others are focused on birds. Some run to the beat of a different drum.

Tags Anna Maria, Anna Maria Island, bird watching, island shores

Environment News Sports

Holmes Beach Surfs Hurricane Ike Surge

Post author By Mike
Post date September 12, 2008
1 Comment on Holmes Beach Surfs Hurricane Ike Surge

Anna Maria Island beaches felt the effects of Hurricane Ike this week with several days of high surf and high water.

Every day this past week brought a good swell and copious waves as Ike passed 300 miles away to the south west of Anna Maria Island.

The storm emerged off the coast of Cuba into the Gulf of Mexico with Tropical Storm strength winds and soon intensified into a Category 2-3 hurricane heading northwest.

Tags Atlantic hurricanes, Atlantic hurricanes 2008, flood, Gulf Coast surf, Holmes Beach, Hurricanes, Ike, Surf, surfcam, Tropical Storms, West Coast Florida surf

Sports

Surfing Hurricane Gustav At Holmes Beach

Post author By Mike
Post date September 1, 2008
3 Comments on Surfing Hurricane Gustav At Holmes Beach

Gustav sent a few waves to Anna Maria Island, Sunday, and brought out a crowd of surfers and onlookers. A high tide and offshore wind meant the waves broke close to shore but some good rides were possible.

Some gusty showers were about the only impact Gustav had on Anna Maria Island but the rain and possibly a raised sea level from the effects of surge caused an above average high tide.

Tags Atlantic hurricanes 2008, Gulf Coast surf, Gustav, Holmes Beach, Hurricane, Surf, surfcam, West Coast Florida surf