The 175 white and blue-stripe moorings are in place -- anchored by bungee cords and bobbing proudly in the waters of Coconut Grove's Biscayne Bay. Another 25 beckon nearby at an island by the Coconut Grove Sailing Club.

It's one step toward implementing an ambitious Coconut Grove Waterfront Master Plan.

Stuart Sorg, a member of the Grove's Waterfront Board and Coral Reef Yacht Club, says that 145 of these newly-placed moorings are already spoken for by boaters who are willing to spend $225 or so a month to dock their vessels there.

The main mooring field, of 175, opens to the public Nov. 1, Sorg said.

But because of budget cuts, the county isn't able to hire a staff to manage the mooring field just yet. The city's marinas manager assistant Daniel Muelhaupt will assume duties to oversee the project.

``This can make money for the city,'' Sorg says, as he sits on the bow of a boat piloted by Muelhaupt.

Michelle Niemeyer of the Coconut Grove Village Council agrees with Sorg.

``When the city passed its budget they cut the funding for the staff that would run the mooring field,'' Niemeyer said. ``That needs to be dealt with because that will be a profit-making endeavor.''

The mooring field -- ``a maritime city,'' as Sorg calls it -- is the first implementation of a part of a master plan approved in July 2008 after many fits and starts by the Miami City Commission.

The $165 million waterfront master plan called for the consolidation of the U.S. Sailing Center and Coconut Grove Sailing Club into a single facility at Dinner Key. It also called for the construction of a three-story, $4 million new building for the dock master, the closure of the Seminole boat ramp plus museums and parks.

The plan approved the demolition of the Coconut Grove Expo Center.

But this has been delayed because it is the current home of the revenue-producing cable TV hit, Burn Notice.

``Realistically, for the plan to be implemented, it'll take time,'' Niemeyer said.

However, there will be some improvements before the larger endeavors can be considered.

Aside from the opening of the mooring field, residents should begin to see a rebuilding and extension of the dock near Kennedy Park. There will also be a public walkway upgrade at the edge of the mangroves at Kennedy Park to clean up nonnative species and open up views to the water.

Sorg would like to see the construction of a dock master building and, ideally, for the Miami Marine Patrol to move its base from off of MacArthur Causeway to the waters of the long-neglected but historic Miami Marine Stadium for its rapid proximity to the Grove's waters to better protect the expensive boats he envisions docked in the new mooring basin.

``The starting point is where we are,'' Niemeyer said.

``One of the real impacts of the waterfront process is that planners and Miami are aware of how important sailing is in Coconut Grove and what an international center of sailing we are.

``The really big dollar stuff, like building a sailing center, will require a ton of fundraising and bonding,'' Niemeyer said.

``The way the economy has turned, this will take some time to get this done.''

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