Boating in Naples: Etiquette, Rules and What to Pack

Naples Bay is busy, shallow in places, full of manatees, and watched closely. Whether you are on your own boat, a rental, or a chartered one, knowing how it works makes the day better and keeps you out of an awkward conversation with FWC.

The rules that are actually enforced

• Manatee and no-wake zones. Most of Naples Bay is speed-restricted, seasonally in some sections and year-round in others. Signage is posted and it is enforced. 'Slow speed, minimum wake' means the boat is off plane and settled, not merely slower than it was.
• Gordon Pass. The marked channel matters — there is shoaling to the north side and current runs hard on the tide. Stay in the channel, watch for boats coming the other way, and give sailboats and larger vessels room.
• Life jackets. One wearable USCG-approved device per person aboard, and children under six must wear one on vessels under 26 feet while underway in Florida.
• Wildlife distance. 50 yards from dolphins and manatees, no feeding, no pursuit.
• Alcohol. Florida's BUI limit matches the driving limit. Passengers may drink; whoever is driving cannot.

The etiquette nobody tells you

Wake is a moral issue here

Naples Bay is lined with docked boats and seawalls. Your wake rocks somebody's boat, slaps somebody's dock and reflects back at you. Locals notice, and they will let you know. Slow down well before you pass moored boats and anglers, not as you pass them.

Raft-up rules at Keewaydin

Anchor downwind of the existing line, not in the middle of it. Do not anchor across somebody's swim area. Keep music at a volume that stays on your boat. And there are no bathrooms on Keewaydin, which means everyone is using the water — bear that in mind about where you swim on a crowded Saturday.

Ramp discipline

At Bayview Park and the other public ramps, rig the boat in the parking area, not on the ramp. Load, launch, move the trailer, then tie up. On a January Saturday morning the queue is real and the patience is not infinite.

On a charter

Ask before you board with shoes on. Do not step on the gunwale to get in. Ask where to put a wet towel rather than draping it on the electronics. And tipping the captain and mate is customary in Florida — 15 to 20 percent of the charter fee is the widely used range.

The packing list

Bring

• Reef-safe mineral sunscreen, SPF 50, plus a stick for face and ears
• A long-sleeve sun shirt — the single best piece of boating kit for Florida
• Hat with a chin strap and sunglasses with a retainer. The Gulf keeps everything you drop.
• Towel per person, and a second dry one for the ride back
• Water: two litres per person minimum, more in summer
• A soft-sided cooler bag — hard coolers eat deck space and some boats supply their own
• Dry bag or zip bag for phones, keys and wallets
• Motion sickness tablets taken an hour before departure if you are prone; they do nothing once you feel it

Leave behind

• Black-soled shoes
• Glass bottles — banned on most charter boats and a genuinely bad idea on a wet deck
• Bananas, if your captain is superstitious. Many are, and it costs you nothing to humour it.
• Anything you would be upset to lose overboard