Good news for Canaveral anglers—69 square miles of Atlantic Ocean adjacent to Cape Canaveral have been reopened to public boat access. Secondly, the U.S. Coast Guard revealed kayakers and canoeists, once again, can prowl certain parts of the eastern half of the illustrious Banana River No-Motor-Zone.

Marine security zones in the vicinity of the Kennedy Space Center are to be closed only four days prior to a launch of the space shuttle, or within four hours of a rocket launch, explained Roddy Corr, USCG Chief Warrant Officer, at a recent Canaveral Charter Association meeting. Some may know Corr as Rodzilla on the FS Forum.

Note that the southern end of Mosquito Lagoon (below a line due east from the entrance to the Haulover Canal) and the Black Point/Dummit Cove quarter (south of the Intracoastal Waterway) are subject to the same closures prior to Space Center takeoffs.

Prior to mid-August, the red ball held high on the 90-foot pole north of the Canaveral jetty signified the area remained locked to anglers. Local fishermen who ventured into the area were confronted by armed “gray boat” security hired by the 45th Space Wing.

“The ball, if you notice right now, is down,” said Corr. “The closure was mistakenly being enforced twenty-four-seven, 365 days a year. That has been straightened out.”

That ball will continue to be used for temporary closures during Space Center launches, as will a second ball at the northern end of the zone--on the beach at 28-35’N.

Offshore, four buoys—marked A, B, C and D—indicate the 3-mile seaward limit of the launch security zone, which touches Wreck Buoy 6 before intersecting and paralleling the north side of the Port Canaveral Channel at red buoy number 10. Beach access is not allowed at anytime. Recent nautical charts mark the zone along the beach as 165.701.

The Banana River No-Motor-Zone security closure, when implemented, refers to all waters east of the marked channel that runs north from the barge canal to the 405 bridge. When the closures are not in effect, anglers may access a few spoil islands on the east side of the channel--but the remaining area in that half of the river is a permanent restricted area. Waters west of the channel remain open year-round to non-motorized public access.

Closures are announced locally on VHF 16 and 22. For clarification, contact the Range Operations Control Center on VHF 18a. Also announced over VHF will be the broader 12- by 12-mile Safety Zones implemented 45 minutes before launches, largely to protect boaters from falling debris.

Note these other Port Canaveral measures. There are continued closures of the Trident Basin; the West Basin is closed four hours before a cruise ship arrives, FWC boats will be there to inform. Naval vessels, cruise ships and other escorted vessels get 100-yard moving security zones. The Naval Wharfs in Middle Basin get a 200-foot perimeter zone. General cargo piers get a 25-foot perimeter and berthed vessels get 100 feet.

A Coast Guard Web site for the closures is supposedly in the works, but until then for more information call Port Authority (321) 783-7831 ext. 250, or USCG officer Mark Carstens (321) 868-4238.