RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — With Tropical Storm Debby, many in Riviera Beach are staying put. Some local boating charters are closing business for the weekend as this storm could pack a punch.
At Riviera Beach Marina, boats and jet skis were tied up Saturday morning. WPTV spoke to some captains who said they have no plans of hitting the seas.
“We just cancelled for Sunday already,” said John Krohn, who owns a fishing charter. “It hurts the business. I had a 12-hour trip today cut short.”
Krohn said he had taken a bachelor party fishing Saturday morning when the waves got too rough and they had to come back in.
“When we left the dock, it was nice but when we got out there, it was like 4 to 6 and then 8 [feet],” said Krohn. “Then the rain came. And then lightning. And then I see a waterspout.”
Krohn said the situation worsened.
“I had three guys sick," he said. "I didn’t want to take a chance with them. I took them in, it was getting too rough.”
Another charter boat company, The Scuba Club, was also forced to drop anchor.
“When it’s 6-foot seas, that’s when it cancels the weekend,” said Mike Healy, deckhand with The Scuba Club. “And the weekends are also our busier time.”
He said they would rather be safe than sorry, and cancelled trips through the weekend.
“It was a good week but not a good way to end the week,” said Healy.
WPTV First Alert meteorologist Jennifer Correa has been tracking the impacts the storm could have.
“It has to do with the strong winds and the fact that this tropical depression has also helped to increase the waves,” said Correa.
