Abandoned Yachts New Sign Of Economic Times

It is usually not one of the leading economic indicators that most analysts would look to but if you were anywhere near the coast of Florida these days you would not be able to miss it. There are dozens of Yachts literally bobbing in the waves off Florida that have been abandoned by their once wealthy owners. The economic downturn has hit many formerly wealthy people hard and they are shedding all of their toys too. It costs a fortune to keep a yacht and maintain it and many owners are simply putting the boats out to sea in order to get rid of them and the costs that go along with maintaining them. Some have even gone so far as to scrape off the names and serial numbers from the boats to prevent authorities from tracing them back to their owners. There are so many of them now in fact that they are causing a little bit of a maritime problem in that they drift aimlessly out at sea and sometimes can end up in busy shipping lanes and cause a hazard. There is a small fine and some jail time even if the boats can be successfully traced back and the owners found. It has become a last resort for any boat owner who has not been able to sell their once proud sailing vessel to just simply sail it out into the Florida keys and ditch it.