The problem is not so much that we don't have public beaches, we have quite a few, but because they are for "Public Use" most do NOT allow boat launching from that site. Even Cats on beach wheels, or even surfboards in some locations, they are banned or told to, "Go surf over there..." and there might be a special flag or poles set up that designate a surfing area. This is due to a concern for public safety. If a Cat (or jet ski, or surfer) were to run into a kid swimming at the local public beach, there would be hell to pay, as well as a huge lawsuit. So in the interest of "Public Safety", all boating and even surfing is usually banned at the public beaches. We have to get waivers and special permission and insurance every time we have a big regatta at a public beach, and they usually only allow one per year, like at Jetty Park Ocean Regatta, at Cocoa Beach, Fl.

So we do have public beaches, you just can't launch your boat there because you might hurt someone. You certainly would not want to leave your boat overnight at a public beach, it would be stripped of all lines and blocks, or gone by morning. Sailing here is considered a "Rich Man's Sport" so the public attitude is, get off my beach and go to your fancy Yacht Club...

The fancy Yacht Clubs don't have much space available for storing a bunch of cats, and most don't have good beaches for cat launching either, they have docks, lifts and ramps covered with slime, which makes it hard to pull your boat back up!