K⁠n⁠o⁠w t⁠h⁠e B⁠e⁠s⁠t M⁠o⁠n⁠t⁠h⁠s t⁠o E⁠m⁠b⁠a⁠r⁠k o⁠n A⁠n⁠y P⁠a⁠s⁠s⁠a⁠g⁠e

Oct 29

In August 2024, this Prestige 450 Flybridge ran over an uncrewed surface vessel on a research mission on Lake Erie.

We were just about the first national outlet to report it: On August 10, 2024 a recreational vessel on Lake Erie ran down and destroyed an uncrewed surface vessel or USV for short—a drone boat. “Is this just the beginning?” we asked in the headline as USVs were proliferating on American waterways.

That worry was shared by the National Transportation Safety Board, which on Tuesday issued six recommendations “to improve the perceptibility and safe operations of USV.”

(By the way, the “U” used to be for “unmanned.” Apparently they are uncrewed surface vessels now.)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was using the drone to collect water samples. According to the NTSB, the drone was damaged beyond repair for a loss of $186,000. The recreational boat, a Prestige 450 Flybridge, had $100,000 in damage from the 16-foot USV becoming entangled in its starboard propeller pod.

This is the uncrewed research vessel destroyed in a collision with a recreational vessel two years ago on Lake Erie.

The guy piloting the Prestige never saw the thing he hit. His boat didn’t have AIS, the radar mast was folded down, and he wasn’t monitoring the VHF or a chartplotter.

Operational shortcomings notwithstanding, the NTSB pointed out that the USV had only about a foot of freeboard and concluded that “the research vessel’s visual, electronic and audible detectability was inadequate for the area in which it operated.”

The NTSB wrote:

At the time of the collision, NOAA was operating the USV in “adapted hold” mode, which allowed the vessel to automatically return to preset waypoints if it drifted beyond a 150-foot radius established by its remote pilot. The pilot passively monitored the vessel from ashore while the system maintained its waypoints. The NTSB determined that this level of monitoring was insufficient for safe operation in an area frequented by recreational vessels.

THE REPORT

Collision Between National Oceanic and …

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Investigators also found that, at the time of the collision, there were no industry-wide standards specifically addressing the perceptibility, collision-avoidance capabilities and navigational safety of USVs operating in U.S. inland and territorial waters.

Our follow-up to the original accident report looked at a Coast Guard officer’s study which argued that uncrewed vessels failed to comply with regulations on keeping a proper watch.

Underway, Drone Boats Are by Definition Unlawful, Says Coast Guard Author

Jul 23

Read full story

NTSB’s Six Recommendations

To the U.S. Coast Guard:

Establish nationwide safety standards for uncrewed vessels, including visibility and collision avoidance.
Incorporate those standards into federal regulations.

To NOAA:

Require uncrewed vessels to be sufficiently visible to other boaters in their operating areas.
Test uncrewed vessels to ensure other boaters can detect them.
Require remote monitoring appropriate to each vessel’s actual autonomy, operating mode and location.

To the manufacturer of the USV, SeaTrac Systems:

Redesign the SP-48 research vessel to improve its visibility to other boaters, as practicable.

According to the NTSB, the U.S. Coast Guard has been working on a policy papers on USV operation for years:

When the collision occurred, the Coast Guard was in the process of drafting formal policies for the use of uncrewed and autonomous vessels. A Coast Guard Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC), “Best Practices for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships and Unmanned Maritime Systems,” was drafted in September of 2020, and a Coast Guard Commandant Instruction, “Autonomous and Remote Controlled Vessel Activities,” had been in draft stages since July 2021.
According to the Coast Guard, the NVIC and Commandant Instruction sought to establish definitions, an operational framework, a risk mitigation framework, and roles and responsibilities, among other items, to safely integrate uncrewed vessels into operational waterways.
As of the publication of this report, these documents have not been published.

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Nov 2, 2026by: Curtis Hoff No Comments

Times Report: Mexico Declares War on Seaweed – Loose Cannon

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When all else fails, try journalism.

Times Report: Mexico Declares War on Seaweed

The Ocean ‘Was the Color of Chocolate’

Oct 30

Vessels operated by the Mexican Navy gather sargassum off the beaches of Puerto Morelos, Mexico.

Here’s another piece from the New York Times. We have started sharing stories designated as “gifts” from our Times account. This one was first published on October 28, 2026. Use the link below.

By DAVID SHORTELL

Commander Álvaro Villanueva and his crew were a half mile off Mexico’s coast last month when they spotted their target: a mustard-brown seaweed known as sargassum that had massed to gargantuan size.

The Mexican Navy had been after this patch for hours, monitoring its approach via satellite and tailing it with a drone to help establish a closer heading.

Switching on conveyor belts that extended from the stern of the ship into the water, the crew began to haul in streams of seaweed, dumping it onto the hull, where workers packed it in with a bulldozer. It was one of the best days of the Mexican Navy’s sargassum-hunting season: more than 400 tons of seaweed removed in just a few hours.

The operation amounts to the front line of Mexico’s war on sargassum, declared earlier this year as the seaweed choked off the country’s tourism industry.“It all joins up and keeps growing,” Commander Villanueva said on another recent trip to sea. He stood on the bridge of his ship, the Natans, a one-time garbage collecting vessel that was retrofitted to suck sargassum out of the water. “We call them agglomerations when a cluster forms that’s the size of a soccer field.”

Since spring, when the sargassum bloom begins an annual period of growth, thousands of tons of the seaweed have washed up on Mexico’s Caribbean shores every day, blighting a part of the country with an economy built on its turquoise water and powdery white sand.

With climate change helping to fuel a record expansion of the seaweed throughout the Caribbean and up the coast of the U.S. — reaching as far as North Carolina this summer — the Mexican efforts are being held up as a potential test case for a sustainable solution.

“Our beaches are filthy, the smell is horrendous,” Santia Bradshaw, Barbados’s minister of environment, national beautification and fisheries, said this month at a global sargassum conference in Cancún, the Mexican resort town. “Small island developing states need the support of our regional brothers and sisters.”

Christmas Promo: Up Your Game and Get a Painting of Your Boat for a Hundred Bucks

Oct 28

Read full story

Sargassum is a naturally occurring macroalgae that serves as a habitat for marine life in the North Atlantic. Christopher Columbus was the first to document its presence there on a voyage in 1492.

Since 2011, however, ocean currents and winds have swept the seaweed out of its home and into the open ocean, where ideal conditions — rising ocean temperatures, direct sunlight and abundant nutrients, including agricultural chemical runoff — have caused it to double in volume every five years. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, as the bloom is known, now stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to Brazil and the west coast of Africa.

“Nothing grows this fast,” said Chuanmin Hu, director of the Optical Oceanography Lab at the University of South Florida. “The territory has increased, meaning more countries suffer from sargassum today, and the intensity of sargassum inundation for a given region has also increased.”

READ THE REST OF THE STORY FOR FREE

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Nov 2, 2026by: Curtis Hoff No Comments

Which months are safest for your passage?, PredictWind

For ragbenders and stinkpotters alike, PredictWind offers Passage Guides to help you “know the Best Months to Embark on Any Passage”. Cruisers Net is not associated with PredictWind.

PASSAGE GUIDE

K⁠n⁠o⁠w t⁠h⁠e B⁠e⁠s⁠t M⁠o⁠n⁠t⁠h⁠s t⁠o E⁠m⁠b⁠a⁠r⁠k o⁠n A⁠n⁠y P⁠a⁠s⁠s⁠a⁠g⁠e

When you’re planning months or even years ahead, it can be hard to know where to start.

We’ve just launched Passage Guide, which shows you the best time of year for passages around the world, based on 10+ years of historical weather data. Choose the season with the calmest, safest conditions and plan a trip everyone onboard will enjoy.

Explore Passage Guide

A powerboat on turquoise water beside Passage Guide for a Newport to BVI passage, with month-by-month ratings and a climate map.

U⁠s⁠e P⁠a⁠s⁠s⁠a⁠g⁠e G⁠u⁠i⁠d⁠e t⁠o⁠:

P⁠i⁠c⁠k t⁠h⁠e r⁠i⁠g⁠h⁠t m⁠o⁠n⁠t⁠h t⁠o g⁠o

See which months historically bring the safest, most comfortable conditions for a passage, with each month rated Good, Marginal, or Avoid, alongside an in-depth text summary.

C⁠h⁠o⁠o⁠s⁠e w⁠h⁠e⁠r⁠e t⁠o g⁠o n⁠e⁠x⁠t

Already know when you’re leaving? Browse passages around the world and see which ones line up with the best seasonal weather for that time of year.

U⁠n⁠d⁠e⁠r⁠s⁠t⁠a⁠n⁠d t⁠h⁠e r⁠a⁠t⁠i⁠n⁠g⁠s

Read a short summary of each passage, then dig into the historical wind, wave, and temperature trends, recommended departure windows, planning notes, and the limits of the data.

PredictWind is built by boaters, for boaters, and we’re excited to give you another tool for planning safer, more enjoyable passages.

Cheers,
Dave from PredictWind

PredictWind • Auckland, New Zealand

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Nov 2, 2026by: Curtis Hoff No Comments

Coming Soon: Drama & Doom, Sex & the Deep Blue Sea – Loose Cannon

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When all else fails, try journalism.

Coming Soon: Drama & Doom, Sex & the Deep Blue Sea

Plus, Great Writing (Not by Me), Tyrell Bay and a Boat Portrait Deal for Christmasy

Nov 1

Dear Subscribers,

Have I got a story for you! Mystery. Drama. Sex. Events that span decades. And, of course, a boat. I cannot say any more for reasons that will be apparent when I finally do. I don’t usually telegraph this sort of thing. In fact, I never have.

Stand by, folks. Take a number, Netflix.

Genevieve Jacobs

Another bright development here at Loose Cannon has been the continued willingness of writer Genevieve Jacobs to share her remarkable sailing memoir with our audience. Each chapter demonstrates her uncanny ability to channel a younger self as she enjoys adventure or faces hardship at sea. Each comes with a surprise.

Yesterday, in her Halloween piece “Grabbed by The Kraken,” we had our AI powder monkey put a conical black hat on her head for a picture labeled “Word Witch.” That wasn’t just being playful, it was a recognition of this:

But other times, when you look into the void, the void looks back at you.
Suddenly, opening her vast eyes to stare back into yours, when a squall comes blinding through the night, waterspouts winding and wavering all over the seas like wild little white tops, like your long-ago mom pulling her meringue from her blender to see if it peaks, like the skyscrapers you glimpsed through the back windows of the car once upon a time as you wakened, these towering wavering white menaces in giant forms spinning willy nilly, lit up by the lightning stalking on blazing hot legs from all directions, these many-legged monsters of brilliant blazing electric stink, stalking the entire scope of your vision.
You can smell it. It smells like a tangy, hot, spicy thing you would like to eat if you could. You know it would make you sneeze.

Jacobs is what literature would get if William Faulkner and Virginia Wolfe had a baby. That mass of text in the middle? That is a single effing sentence! In a story about running into some debris floating in the Doldrums! The many legged monster of brilliant blazing electric stink. Move over, Mrs. Dalloway. Ms. Genevieve is planning the party now.

Quick News Note: Carriacou Trapped Boats Finally Free

After months of being trapped behind an illegal fence at Tyrell Bay Marina, owners have reported that they are back in the water:

Most of the boats that were being held “hostage” were relaunched a few days ago, as the marina was finally able to organise the operations under normal conditions again.
The injunction that the marina had filed back in June, which the judge at the time had dismissed, was appealed, and the verdict finally came through this October.
This fence should never have been there, neither in principle nor in the way it was built. Since the ongoing civil case between the marina and this family had not yet been resolved, the latter had no right to put it up… It’s a bit like taking possession of something by force!
The court therefore ordered the complete removal of the fence within a specified deadline, which made it possible for the marina to proceed with the relaunching operations.

Caribbean Cruisers Trapped in Tyrell Bay Marina Dispute

Curlan Campbell

Aug 15

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Three Weeks Left for Bargain Boat Portraits

We may not be AMEX, but membership here also has its privileges. Right now we are running a Christmas promotion that allows paid subscribers (and free subscribers who upgrade) to have a picture of their boat painted in acrylic on canvas for short money.

This is a terrific deal, and it expires in three weeks. I say again: Terrific deal! Read this and run the numbers.

Christmas Promo: Up Your Game and Get a Painting of Your Boat for a Hundred Bucks

Oct 28

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Nov 2, 2026by: Curtis Hoff No Comments

THE PRICE OF DIRT, THE COST OF LIVING – Janice Anne Wheeler, Sparring With Mother Nature

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Welcome aboard plethora of new subscribers! Our intro: SPARS & SPARRING—- highly recommended to explore what we’re all about. ~J

THE PRICE OF DIRT, THE COST OF LIVING

I am perhaps out of touch with current US pricing, but this seems ridiculous, if that’s a strong enough word.

Janice Anne Wheeler

Nov 1

Listen to post · 6:09

If you’d rather listen to me read this one, click up there:

Seriously?!

The price of dirt, the cost of living. Eye-brow raising, breath-taking, laughable in a near-hysterical sort of way, like when something is so preposterous that you can’t believe you’re even seeing what you’re seeing, something ordinary that couldn’t, in your wildest imagination, be worth what the big yellow price tag says they are asking. I mean. It’s DIRT. In a bag. OK, it may be special dirt, if you believe all the claims. Still DIRT. In the 70’s I would have glanced around to see if there was a Candid Camera hidden somewhere. Remember that show? Creative stuff. Good clean fun, pardon the pun.

THE NEW(EST) BLACK GOLD… originally Black Gold was crude oil—there’s another flashback, remember the show Beverly Hillbillies? Oil is still black gold, IMHO, but this newly expensive commodity took me by surprise in a time when it takes more and more to amaze. Remember when gas was 50 cents a gallon/15 cents a liter? Potting soil was a couple bucks? Yeesh. I want to swing back by that store and see if anyone actually bought one, then if so, hunt them down and shake some sense into that individual.

I know. I’ve got too much time on my hands some days, I’m nearly recovered from the double c knockout (thanks for the kind words, so appreciated) and it feels like I’m waiting for (more) bad weather but really there are life-type issues keeping us here; no point complaining. Still tied to a dock, we have a final commitment on November 7th, (not going anywhere with the current ten-day anyway), still antsy, ended up grabbing something at a national hardware chain store only to be gobsmacked by the price of dirt, which, as it turns out, I had to share.

Good news is that after our two-year rebuild this old wooden girl is seriously ready for some sailing. At ninety-two, we don’t take her out in the worst of conditions; you don’t take your great-grandmother rock climbing, but she’s ready for some SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE that does not involve sandpaper or birds perching on the rig doing what they do. And so am I! Bad news is that it will cost just a tad under $4,000USD to fill the diesel tanks on this ol’ girl, so we’re hoping for wind, but not too much wind, not NO wind…I know. I know.

There was another Nor’Easter blowing just northeast of us and one forming in the long-term forecast southeast of us(!!)…(or a Subtropical Low, or Tropical Storm, can it be all three, one becoming another?? Can it be?).

Importantly, no one REALLY noticed (or at least no one notified about) the first big blow until STEADFAST’s lines were creaking hard. Then one morning a little triangle with ! showed up again on the Weather Channel, my pre-coffee morning go-to. Generally it’s just a temperature check, since my thin-blooded self has to walk outside to get to the coffee pot. It felt like they might be saying, “Oh, yeah, BTW. Big storm. We didn’t really forecast this one either, uhmm, sorry. Oh, and it starts, well, now, really…. watch out for that….”

Importantly, no one REALLY knows what Mother Nature is going to toss our way. Even our fancy maritime forecast system Predictwind Pro, which costs a considerable amount, didn’t tell me anything was coming my way, especially something forming such perfect spirals and eyes and eyewalls. It’s pretty darn early for two Nor’Easters in the already-cold-and-cranky Northwest Atlantic.

Here’s the plan: we’ll sail south with a gorgeous native American summer mid-November and be happy happy happy. Put all your higher power good juju behind that thought, wouldya? Thanks.

Until next week, I hope you don’t need dirt or diesel and may the weather settle a bit, whatever hemisphere you occupy. ~J

Is the topic of dirt worthy of this publication? Of course it is, or should I say, I think so… What we talk about here is ultimately principles, isn’t it? Right and wrong, should and shouldn’t, to be or not to be, preparation and consequences, going forward or backward. If some topics don’t stop you in your tracks, don’t ditch me, please don’t unsubscribe, just smile and wander on. And also please, if you are happy with the subtle wit and sarcasm of this current events topic, please, real quick, click the little heart and the little circle of arrows. It unfortunately really does matter in a world of AI and algorithms; only WE know that you enjoy my work…so please share your opinion with Substack and then they’ll spread me around so more folks can join us. Don’t make me beg. I’m not above it but it’s not my favorite thing. Thank you! ~J

Here’s October 30 sunrise. Yes, I’ve taken too many photos of that particular bridge, but they are pretty spectacular and this might just be the last one….!! (until next year, so not, like, the last last…) 😉

Random information & refreshment: Initiated in March of 2024, SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE was originally designed to be a sailing & travel blog, but, as in life, the unexpected happened and STEADFAST was under repair for nearly two and a half years. My subscribers and I learned, together, what it takes to save a classic wooden yacht. Way more than I ever imagined, that is for certain. In heart, soul and investment, she has required more than I ever imagined. YET, I would not make a different decision in buying her or in the quarter-million it took from my retirement funds to get her back on the water. Starting in late August of 2024, you can follow our path during the reconstruction, if you are so inclined. In November of 2026, we will once again be sailing south along the East Coast of the US, hoping for the Bahamas, and cannot thank you enough for staying aboard! It would have been easy to jump ship, but NO ONE did! For that, I am eternally grateful and more importantly, ridiculously happy to be writing these stories.

I truly appreciate your support of my work. Saving a piece of maritime history is far more complicated than I ever imagined! ~J

If you’re new here, please read SPARS & SPARRING, it’s essential!

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Restack

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Nov 2, 2026by: Curtis Hoff No Comments 27.7403,-82.69619999

City of Gulfport Monday (11/2/26) Newsletter, Gulfport, FL

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The City of Gulfport and Gulfport Municipal Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, always have a full calendar of events for all ages. The marina and harbor, found on the northern shores of Boca Ciega Bay, are easily accessible from the Western Florida ICW, just north of Tampa Bay.

City of Gulfport Monday Newsletter

City of Gulfport, FL

Mon, Nov 2, 2026 at 12:06 PM

Reply-To: info@mygulfport.us

To: larry.dorminy@cruisersnet.net

Weekly news & updates

November 2, 2026 | City of Gulfport, FL – Gateway to the Gulf Newsletter

E-Newsletter: Monday, October 26, 2026

Missed last week’s update? Click here to read it now.

Upcoming Events

See what’s happening this month.

Senior Center E-news

Click here to see what’s happening next.

Library Calendar of Events

Upcoming activities at the Gulfport Library.

Recreation Center

Click here to see all classes and activities.

Gulfport Community Update

Click here to read more.

Gulfport Arts & Heritage

Click here to see upcoming events.

Be Prepared This Hurricane Season!

The Atlantic hurricane season ends November 30.

Be prepared, visit the City of Gulfport Hurricane Center for important storm preparedness information, resources, and updates.

Hurricane Center

Gulfport City Council

Mayor

Karen

Love

Smiling woman with short reddish hair wearing a brown top against a light blue background.

Report

826-7208

Ward 1

Jennifer Daunch

893-1002

Vice Mayor

Marlene Shaw

A smiling woman with long gray hair. Wearing a black jacket and a red blouse stands in front of vibrant pink flowers.

Report

826-7311

Ward 3

Jennifer Webb

Smiling young woman. Long wavy brown hair. Blue and white striped shirt. Green plants and tree in background.

893-1001

Ward 4 Nancy

Earley

Smiling woman. Long straight brown hair. Black turtleneck. Arms crossed. Plain light background.