BoatUS remains the premiere advocate for boaters and boating safety on all waters and SSECN is proud to present BoatUS News.
May 4, 2016 NEWS from BoatUS Boat Owners Association of The United States 880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com
“How to Use GPS” Newest Online Course From BoatUS Foundation and US Power Squadrons Get More Out of Your GPS/Chartplotter Which way to go? The new BoatUS Foundation “How to Use GPS” online course shows the way to get there – by getting more out of your chartplotter/GPS.
ANNAPOLIS, Md., May 4, 2016 ‘“ It’s an important piece of equipment, able to get boaters safely home, to their favored fishing hole or weekend raft up spot. But if you’ve ever wondered about all of the features and functions on your boat’s GPS or chartplotter, this is your chance to learn by taking the newest online course from the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water and the United States Power Squadrons, `How to Use GPS.’ Available for a $30 course fee at BoatUS.org/gps, the course makes learning easy as it can be taken anytime ‘“ at home, office, or the boat. Course takers may stop and return as their busy schedules permit, and the course works well with any brand of GPS or chartplotter.
St. James Plantation Marina is on the Waterway’s northerly banks, about one nautical mile west of flashing daybeacon #16.
St James Marina, mm 315. Very friendly staff, quiet, protected marina, fuel, showers, laundry, excellent wi-fi, cafe/restaurant, “Tommy Thompsons”, and Enterprise will pick you up! A good place to hide, especially when the weather is bad. Bruce Franz s/v “Hemisphere Dancer” Dickerson 41
As Bruce Franz relates and Ms Wanda confirms, dredging at Alligator River Marina has been completed and invitations are extended to Spring Migrators! ARM lies on the western shore of the mouth of the Alligator River/AICW, just north of the swing bridge and southwest of flashing daybeacon #12. This facility provides the ONLY readily available dockage and fuel along the patch of the AICW between Coinjock, Elizabeth City and Dowry Creek/Belhaven!
Yesterday, proof positive our cruising friend’s 50 ft Gulfstar with a 6 ft draft can enter/leave Alligator Marina and visit Ms Wanda. Bruce Franz s/v “Hemisphere Dancer” Dickerson 41
Explorer Chartbooks, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET PARTNER, has long been the standard navigational supplement for enjoyable, informative, and safe cruising through the beautiful Bahamian waters and island visits.
Bahamas Chatter: New fuel and dockage survey for May New fuel and dockage survey for May Posted: 03 May 2016 12:14 PM PDT Fuel prices were mixed in this month’s survey. Three marinas raised dockage prices and two marinas lower their rates. The rest remained the same.
Harbour View Marina in Marsh Harbour announced the installation of five new moorings available for $15 a night. Emerald Bay Marina now has an ATM on site.
As always, we appreciate the individual reports you send us to keep this survey updated. Send an email to monty@explorercharts.com for any new prices you find until the next survey.
Explorer Chartbooks, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET PARTNER, has long been the standard navigational supplement for enjoyable, informative, and safe cruising through the beautiful Bahamian waters and island visits.
Bahamas Chatter: Many More Boat Thefts in Georgetown Many More Boat Thefts in Georgetown Posted: 02 May 2016 03:50 AM PDT This weekend was the Family Island Regatta in Georgetown. Two dinghy with outboards were stolen off the back of cruising bots anchored off of Chat & Chill. A working skiff with outboard was also stolen off of the back of a Long Island boat that was in Georgetown for the Regatta.
These are not the only thefts in the past several months. Boats from cruising inflatable dinghy to much larger boats with dual large outboards are being stolen.
The police have done nothing about any of the thefts and do not seem interested in pursuing any of the cases. If you talk to many of the locals on the island they seem to know who is responsible so the police probably know also.
Those boats staying in Georgetown are resorting to hauling their boats out of the water at night and other methods. However at least 2 boats that were chained have had the chains cut in order to steal the boats & outboards
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Larry Dorminy- May 7, 2016 - 4:09 pm
We just left George Town and we heard about the Long Island skiff. We did not hear about the dinghies. Nothing was said about the thefts on the morning net. Why was that? Dick Anderson
Longboat Key Club Moorings, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, guards the western shores of Sarasota Bay, north of the city of Sarasota, and south of Longboat Pass. With the advent of mooring fields in Florida, you might mistake this marina as just another set of mooring balls. But, believe you me, this is one gorgeous marina. Book Now.
With an exclusive Sarasota location, countless luxury resort amenities and 291 slips for yachts up to 150 feet, Longboat Key Club Moorings is the top destination for boaters on Florida’s west coast. RESERVE YOUR SLIP ONLINE NOW and take advantage of these special offers:
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Good reports keep pouring in for SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Marineland Marina which lies south – southeast of AICW marker #87, along the Waterway’s eastern shore. Still Clueless is definitely not clueless about Marineland Marina!
Had a wonderful stay here, once again! Eric and his staff are awesome 🙂 They go out of their way to ensure you, and your boat are comfortable! Super clean marina, and waters thanks to their efforts. Thanks again for a nice stay 🙂 Still Clueless
The Veterans Hospital Anchorage lies in northern Boca Ciega Bay northeast of the ICW’s flashing daybeacon #6 between Tampa and Clearwater.
We anchored here last night and it was beautiful and calm. Lots of room but wide open to southerly breezes. Can be busy on weekends and wave action since it’s in a wake zone and close to Johns Pass, which is a popular inlet for fishing in the gulf. Close to a bridge so there is some traffic noise but not bad. It was super calm last night which made this a perfect place to drop the hook. We didn’t drop the dinghy to explore but did hear about the dock and McDonalds and shopping nearby.
How nice it is to call attention to the work of one of our SSECN Team member, Curtis Hoff, of Sea Doc Software, who designed SSECN’s new mobile app. Comments and reviews, such as the one by Ben Ellison on PANBO in the link below, are extolling the many positive strengths of the new app. If you haven’t yet downloaded the app, give it a try, you’ll like it!
While the Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net website has long offered a vast trove of ICW cruising info that’s edited by obviously caring professionals, the ambitious-yet-free SSECN iOS app may display all the info even better (especially on a fast iPad). Click Here for more.
BoatUS remains the premiere advocate for boaters and boating safety on all waters and SSECN is proud to present BoatUS News.
NEWS From BoatUS Boat Owners Association of The United States 880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Does your insurance policy cover this? It all depends on the fine print.
Buying Boat Insurance: The Fine Print
Check Your Policy for These Six Coverages
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 27, 2016 – As boat owners prep for the season, it’s time to dust off the insurance policy and grab a magnifying glass to read the fine print. Unlike auto or homeowner’s insurance, recreational boat insurance has distinct coverages that can perplex and leave boaters scratching their head. What do you need to know? Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) takes a look at the fine print on six of the most important coverages.
The consequential damage fine print: Half of all sinkings occur at the dock when some small part below the waterline fails. However, these parts – an outdrive bellows, for example – most often fail due to “wear, tear, and corrosion” or a lack of maintenance, so the policy won’t pay for a new outdrive bellows. But here’s the rub: as a consequence of the failed bellows, your boat is now sunk and likely a total loss. Who pays for that? That’s why you need “consequential damage” coverage that pays for losses that often start with a failed part that may be excluded under the policy. The small inexpensive part that failed may not be covered but most importantly the rest of the repairs or total loss will be. One caveat: this consequential damage coverage often applies only to specific types of losses. For example, the immediate consequential damage resulting from any fire, explosion, sinking, demasting, collision or stranding.
The fuel-spill liability fine print: In addition to your policy’s standard liability coverage for physical damage or bodily injury to a third party, fuel-spill liability protects you from claims for cleanup or third party damage to the accidental discharge of oil or fuel that can occur in a sinking, fire, collision, or grounding. Some policies only pay the costs associated with a fuel spill up to the policy’s set limit of boating liability coverage. A better policy separates out fuel-spill liability and provides coverage up to the maximum amount you can be held liable for under federal law, which today is a whopping $939,800.
The on water towing fine print: Many boat insurance policies today offer some kind of on water towing endorsement that provides a level of towing and assistance for routine breakdowns or soft ungroundings. Know how you will be able to use that coverage – who provides the service and do they have 24-hour dispatch service to call for assistance? At what locations in the country will you have to pay for a tow out of pocket and be reimbursed? Having a separate on water towing membership plan can be a better bet as it can offer greater service levels, coverage options, direct billing so you can leave your credit card in your wallet, and priority towboat service on busy Saturday afternoons and evenings.
The salvage coverage fine print: When fires, sinkings, shed roof collapses or running up on a shoal damages your boat, you end up with a “salvage” situation. If the boat is not a total loss and needs to be recovered and brought to a repair facility, costs can escalate quickly. Most boaters assume the cost of raising or moving the boat to safe location is covered by their policy, but some marine insurers will subtract salvage costs from the insured value of the boat, reducing the funds available to repair the boat or the amount paid in the event of a total loss. Also in case of a total loss, you may receive a check for the boat’s insured value but only a small percentage of the insured value, just 5 or 10%, to pay for salvage costs, which may not cover the bill. That leaves your wallet short and you managing a potentially complex task. Better policies don’t let you go it alone, and provide salvage coverage that is separate, but equal to the boat’s hull value coverage.
The boat trailer fine print: Not all boat insurance policies automatically provide boat trailer coverage so be sure to check, and also find out if there are geographic limits on where you may trailer the boat. Note that if you have an accident while towing, it is your boat policy that pays to repair or replace the trailer, but any third-party damage your trailer causes to property or injuries to people is covered under your auto policy.
The liability-only boat policy fine print: If you opt for a liability only policy make sure that it provides not only coverage for property damage and bodily injury to others, but that it also provides coverage for salvage and removal of wreck, and that a separate coverage is available for fuel spill incidents.
Need some help? The marine insurance specialists at BoatUS can help you review your current policy by calling 800-283-2883 and also offers free quotes at BoatUS.com/insurance.
About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):
Celebrating 50 years in 2016, BoatUS is the nation’s largest organization of recreational boaters with over a half million members. We are the boat owners’ voice on Capitol Hill and fight for their rights. We help ensure a roadside breakdown doesn’t end a boating or fishing trip before it begins, and on the water, we bring boaters safely back to the launch ramp or dock when their boat won’t, day or night. The BoatUS Insurance Program gives boat owners the specialized coverage and superior service they need, and we help keep boaters safe and our waters clean with assistance from the non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Visit BoatUS.com.
This Special Notice was issued last year, /148804, and the latest issue serves to urge NC boaters to use extreme caution in the inlets listed below. Shoaling in the inlets may well mean shoaling in the intersection of the inlet with the Waterway. Pay particular attention to the NC Problem Stretches that involve these inlets: Bogue, Browns, New River, Carolina Beach, Lockwoods and Shalotte. Details of these Problem Stretches are found in the links below.
NC – HAZARDS OF NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL INLETS This notice is to notify mariners about accessing hazardous inlets, to heighten public awareness about the hazards that exist in and around the inlets, and to provide the mariner with available information. Mariners are advised that shoaling conditions exist at following North Carolina coastal inlets: Oregon Inlet Hatteras Inlet Ocracoke Inlet Barden Inlet Beaufort Inlet Bogue Inlet New River Inlet Topsail Inlet Masonboro Inlet Carolina Beach Inlet Lockwoods Folly Inlet Shallotte Inlet Shoaling conditions increase the potential for groundings. These inlets are subject to continual and sometimes rapid environmental changes. Mariners are highly encouraged to obtain the most recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington, North Carolina District hydrographic survey information, centerline waypoints and controlling depth at: http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/HydrographicSurveys.aspx Mariners should use caution when navigating in these areas and passage through the inlets is not recommended without local knowledge of the area. The aids to navigation in these inlets may not be charted and may not be marking best water due to continually shifting shoals. Consult Local Notice to Mariners, 5th Coast Guard District for the latest positions and status of aids to navigation: http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=lnmDistrict®ion=5 To report any aids to navigation discrepancies (missing, damaged, off station, extinguished lights), shoaling, hazards to navigation, or discrepancies on bridge lighting, please contact Sector North Carolina Command Center (910) 343-2200. LNM 17/16
The New Bern Grand Marina lies in the heart of downtown New Bern, North Carolina, along Trent River’s northern banks between the low-level Trent River highway and railroad bridges.
Welcome New Bern Grand Marina and Yacht Club Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net welcomes aboard New Bern Grand Marina and Yacht Club as its newest Sponsor. We are honored to be able to connect cruisers and boaters with this outstanding destination up through the beautiful wooded areas surrounding the Neuse River off the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Southern hospitality awaits you in this friendly riverfront town and the New Bern Grand Marina is your perfect host. Located in the heart of historic New Bern and within easy walking distance of shopping, dining and many historic sites that date back to its settlement in 1710, New Bern Grand Marina invites you to visit as a transient or to make this your home port with all the many outstanding amenities and even more if you become a slip owner/club member.
Bridge Pointe Marina flanks the southern banks of the Trent River off the Neuse River, opposite the downtown New Bern, NC waterfront.
BridgePointe Marina is the bomb! It’s been a year since I left Bridge Pointe Marina and I’m missing my time there. It’s a really well built and well managed marina with a nice bunch of boaters including some locals and liveaboards who will welcome you to Sunday night pot lucks. It’s also a very good place to leave a boat for the winter, as I did, and I also enjoyed the town of New Bern when I was around. Ben Ellison
If you are a boater or resident in the area and are familiar with the history of the Port Canaveral Lock system, maybe you could address Travis’ questions. I think we would all like to hear from you.
From the Atlantic, Canaveral Barge Canal, with a single 600X90ft lock, crosses Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island and intersects the Waterway at statute mile 894. The lock has been closed Monday – Friday from 7AM to 5PM since June of 2015. See /149146.
I would like to know how we could get the locks open to assist the lagoon as well, and what is the reasoning behind the lock system? Travis Zimmer
As I understand it, the purpose of the Port Canaveral lock is to isolate the port from the Lagoon to avoid strong tidal flow through the port and the attendant shoaling and difficulties for large ship maneuvering that come with strong currents. The lack of strong current on the ebb tide in the entrance channel does make the Port one of the safest entrances on the east coast in rough weather (no “stacking” of waves at the entrance).
Opening the locks to improve tidal flushing of the lagoon has been considered and has been modeled by coastal engineers, but would probably compromise the port operations and maintenance.
Marinas are filling up fast. Finding a slip in an area where you want to visit may be difficult.
We just came across a new web site that is putting together a data base of private docks that the owners are willing to rent to cruisers and boaters. It is based on the same principle that home owners rent their homes via the “peer-to-peer” platform works much like AirBNB. There are a lot of homes on the waterways with unused dock space. Upon learning about this we checked it out and it appears they are building inventory of available docks.
If you are looking for dockage or have a dock with an interest in renting it, you may want to contact them through their website, www.dockskipper.com, and either reserve a slip or make your dockage space available through their program.
It seems the founders of “Dock Skipper” are also fellow boaters who actively cruise and have applied a solution to what they believe is a growing need. We thought this information fit our motto of “Cruisers Helping Cruisers” !!
A reminder to our Virginia boating friends that this Boating Safety Education requirement is for ALL AGES operating powerboats over 10hp and all personal watercraft. BoatUS remains the premiere advocate for boaters and boating safety on all waters and SSECN is proud to have BoatUS as a SPONSOR!
NEWS From BoatUS Boat Owners Association of The United States 880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com
The BoatUS Foundation has a free online course that keeps Virginia powerboaters safe and also meets mandatory boating safety education requirements.
Virginia Powerboaters & PWC Drivers Need Boating Safety Education by July 1
BoatUS Foundation Online Course Cost: $0
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 25, 2016 ‘“ On July 1, all Virginia operators of motorboats over 10HP and personal watercraft will need to comply with a 2007 state law by taking a boating safety education course. To help them easily meet the requirement, the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water offers a no cost, online course that can be taken at home and paused and restarted at any time at BoatUS.org/virginia.
Boaters who successfully pass the course can print their own Certificate of Completion or order a plastic boater education card for a $10 fee. This course completion certificate or card must be kept within a boater’s possession when boating along with picture identification. Passing the course could earn a discount on a boat’s or PWC’s insurance policy.
The course includes interactive animations, videos and photos to give boaters an education that goes well beyond the basics of boating. Videos demonstrate important safety devices such as visual distress signals, how to get help in an emergency, how to prevent and extinguish fires aboard your boat, and tips on how to fit a life jacket to a child.
About the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water:
The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national leader promoting safe, clean and responsible boating. Funded primarily by donations from the over half-million members of Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the non-profit provides innovative educational outreach directly to boaters and anglers with the aim of reducing accidents and fatalities, increasing stewardship of America’s waterways and keeping boating safe for all. A range of boating safety courses ‘“ including 34 free state courses ‘“ can be found at BoatUS.org/courses.
A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Morehead City Yacht Basin, located on the southern flank of the marked channel that runs west from Mile 203 of the Waterway, just north of the Morehead-Beaufort, Newport River high-rise bridge.
The Yacht Basin was originally built in 1946. It started out as a pier and a building with an office, lounge with lockers, and a storage room. Around 1952, Bump Styron bought the Yacht Basin and added two piers. The Yacht Basin has always had close ties to the boating and fishing in Morehead City including the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament that started in 1957. Bump himself won the tournament in 1970 aboard the “Reel King”. Legend has it that even Ernest Hemmingway at one time fished for marlin out of the Yacht Basin. The Morehead City Yacht Basin has always been known for its customer service. James Hester, pictured below, greeted boaters for over fifty years and customers still come in and tell stories about his smiling, friendly service. Today the Morehead City Yacht Basin provides dockage both to slip owners, renters, and transients traveling up and down the ICW. With Mike Pollard as the head dockmaster for close to ten years the tradition of excellent customer service has continued. We have a very comfortable lounge for our guests and we are a short walk to over twenty great restaurants.
In 2014, Jet Matthews tripled the size of the Morehead City Yacht Basin with modern floating docks, 87 large interior slips, and over 1,250 feet of side tie dockage to accommodate vessels up to 200 ft with 30/50/100 amp power and 2 x 100 amp pedestals.
You only have to spend a short time talking with Randy Mims to know that he has the soul of a true sailor. Randy not only built his 27ft gaff-rigged cutter, Ideath, but each year he single-hands the cutter from North Carolina to the Northern Gulf Coast and back again. “Ideath” is pronounced Idea-th and loosely translates as “house of ideas”. Randy stops along the way to visit maritime museums and, indulging his passion for music, he volunteers to sing in church choirs along the way. He also takes time to share his travels with his friends and has agreed to allow SSECN to post his emails. For more photos and more on Randy, go to http://towndock.net/shippingnews/ideath?pg=1 from TownDock.net in Oriental. See previous installment:/155116 .
Dear Friends, Just a quick update to let you know that this morning the Travellift came and put “IDEATH” back in the water or “Splashed her” in boat yard jargon. It felt great to have her moving again. The engine cranked right up and I took her out into the Neuse River. It was so wonderful just to be on the water. I anchored and did some maintenance things that I dared not do while the boat was being held up by jack stands. After waxing the Mast and lubricating the gaff and boom, I hauled up the anchor and spread her wings. With plan sail set and drawing, she fairly danced to windward down the river. The wind was perfect for fine tuning all the rigging and sails. After a couple of hours the wind died away and I put the engine through it’s paces on the way back to the marina. All the new parts performed beautifully. There were no leaks at any of the hose connections and with the new engine mounts and cutlass bearing on the propeller shaft, the worrysome vibration that had developed was completely gone. She even went faster at her normal cruising RPM. Nothing like a clean bottom. I will be doing more testing over the next several days but all indications are that the repairs and upgrades to the boat are a complete success. I plan to go to Greensboro for my Fathers birthday and then take the van back to Apalachicola. I am not looking forward to the bus ride back to the boat, but I can’t wait to be voyaging again in the newly restored “IDEATH”. I hope you have a great spring, the flowers here are amazing. I am sure there will be exciting things to write about on the voyage back to Florida. Love and Peace to you all, Randy
For nearly thirty years, Captains Mark and Diana Doyle have been providing low cost, “almost free” professional grade navigation guides and SSECN is sorry to see them leave the business. Mark and Diana have been good partners in the effort to keep boaters well-informed and safe. We wish them the very best on their quest to see more of the world – at least more of the drier parts!
`If words can describe where you are … keep going.’
We love that quote, and after nearly 30 years it turns out that Mark and I can describe the ICW pretty well ‘¦ so we figure it’s time to keep going. In Cuba this winter we talked daily about building a plan for our next ten years. The result is that m/v Semi-Local is for sale, we’ve bought another RV, and we’re prepping some long hikes and looking forward to lots of international travel! First, we want to thank everyone for all of the friendship and support you’ve offered as we’ve stumbled through this self-publishing obstacle course together. Second, we want to wish each of you success and happiness in chasing your own dreams ‘¦ on whatever magic carpet you choose. Many will ask, `Why shut down On the Water ChartGuides?’ The reason is pretty simple and we think you’ll understand and respect our decision. Our books, and our reputation, were built upon really-really being there. We were current, accurate, and detailed. And that will no longer be possible. So rather than milk the cash cow and sell stale info, or worse yet, become yet another of today’s armchair-cruising Google-researching guide publishers, we’re shutting down our Apple iBook Store and selling off the remaining print inventory from our website. We’re water dogs, so we’ll undoubtedly see many of you again. And as more and more of you travel to places away from shore ‘¦ well, who knows? All National Parks are on our bucket list. So is RVing New Zealand, hiking Kilimanjaro, and riding a camel at the Great Pyramid! We’re ready for that new plan ‘¦ it’s called, `Other People’s Guides.’ (wink) Best, Diana and Mark
We did the same thing two years ago. Amazing how similar land cruising is to boat cruising. John still blows the conch every night. Hope to see you bout here. Look for the SSCA burgee flying from our RV.
The SSECN Team appreciates those who have already taken the 2016 Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net User Survey. The results are very important to help the Team add new features and improve the website and Mobile App.
Only 10 Days Remain Make sure your vote counts by taking the 2016 Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net User Survey, if you haven’t done so already. The survey runs until the end of April, so you only have 10 days remaining.
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