If you are a charter boat or know someone who does captained charters, let us hear from you. We have to assume that Ms Olsen is referring to the St. Johns River as “north central Florida.”
We are looking for a 3 or 4 nite trip in the waterways of north central Florida. There would be 2 coupels who would like to entertain the idea of a captain with sleeping quarters for us and stops and picturesque towns for food and exploration. Can you give us some ideas of how to arrange such a trip? Thank you Pam Olsen
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Comments from Cruisers (1)
Thomas Bonnett- January 16, 2015 - 2:26 pm
I am a charter captain and own a 60′ Hatteras convertible that we do use for charters such as your request. Moviing boat to st Augustine February 1, will be in Jacksonville Beach till then. We customize the trip to your wishes. My ph # is 612-251-4436. My business is Seahorse Charters&Cruises LLC. Regards, Capt Tom Bonnett
This response to an AGLCA Forum request for dry storage on the Atlantic coast comes from SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Bennett Brothers Yachts in Wilmington, NC. Patricia Bennett was recently featured by Marina Life Magazine, see /?p=145444.
Bennett Brothers Yachts is a AGLCA sponsor and we can accommodate catamarans! Our 70 Ton lift pit has a width of 26 ft so a beam of 22 ft is not a problem. We are located on the Northeast Cape Fear River in historic Wilmington, NC. Height is not a restriction! Long term dry storage is available for monohulls as well as multihulls. Please call Tricia Bennett for details – 910.772.9277, www.bbyachts.com Patricia Donovan Bennett President Bennett Brothers Yachts, Inc. Cape Fear Marina 1701 J.E.L. Wade Drive Wilmington, NC 28401 www.bbyachts.com 910.772.9277
Bennett Brothers Yachts (BBY) at Cape Fear Marina is a great place to launch and / or cross your wake! Located in the heart of Historic Downtown Wilmington, BBY is a looper and cruiser friendly place. Brokerage and boat works, recreation and socialize pretty much sum it up. Full service marina with amenities, 70 ton travel lift, paint shop, mechanical shop. Leave your boat with BBY and fly home no problem ILM Wilmington international Airport is 4 minutes away… We will give you the lift to get there! Thank You Cruisers Net for sharing a great secret. Get to Wilmington and have fun… BBY will see to it.
Now that many of you are in southern waters and maybe headed for the Bahamas, don’t miss this opportunity to link with the Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club. Check them out (see /?p=144940) and learn of the many exciting benefits a membership can bring and all the enjoyment it can add to your time in and around Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas. Drop a note to the club’s commodore, John F. Conley, at: commodore@rmhyc.com, or their membership Commodore, Valerie Nucci, at: benefits@rmhyc.com Keep us posted on all your fun times.
January 12 at 4:32pm RMHYC members receive a discount on our anchorage books. Chuck Baier and Susan Landry
Access to Dania Beach Marina from the ICW is restricted by a fixed bridge with 18ft vertical clearance, but the marina is well protected and located on the beach. The entrance channel is on the east side of the Waterway just north of the Dania Beach Boulevard Bascule Bridge. Skipper Mahler’s comments are from the AGLCA Forum.
Try dania beach municipal marina. It Is 2 miles south of port everglades inlet. Brand new marina, concrete floating docks. $750 per month annual I think $900 monthly. The price is by the slip not by the foot, slips can handle up to 50×17. Edward Mahler
Lake Park Harbor Marina is on the west side of the Waterway, one mile north of Lake Worth Inlet. These comments from Skipper Pattison are from the AGLCA Forum.
Unless you can find a private home with available dock space, rates for most places in SE Florida are pretty silly. The farther north you go, the better the rates. We’ve used Lake Park City Marina for several years and find it to be a good place to keep a boat. Their amenities are not great but the rates are better than most and they have great floating docks. Here is the link to their website: http://www.lakeparkmarina.com/ Dockmaster Ken is knowledgeable and a great help for anything you might need. Tell him we said hi if you go there. Jim Pattison m/v Samba & Island Bound
As described in Jim Flannery’s article below in Soundings Trade Only Today, the USCG got more than they bargained for when they requested comments on three railway bridges, see /?p=145271
Florida boaters flood Coast Guard with comments on bridge openings Posted on January 7th, 2015 Written by Jim Flannery
The Coast Guard gathered around 3,000 comments in hearings in November about the navigation needs of mariners at three railroad drawbridges that run over the New River in Fort Lauderdale, the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter and the St. Lucie River in Stuart, according to Barry Dragon, chief of bridge administration for the Seventh Coast Guard District.
Half to two-thirds of those comments registered concern with the All Aboard Florida high-speed passenger service proposed for the 128.5-mile Florida East Coast Railroad corridor from Miami to Cocoa and a new 40-mile east-west rail corridor on state-owned right-of-way from Cocoa to Orlando. But Dragon said that wasn’t the hearings’ purpose. The purpose was to gather information on how mariners use those waterways and what their `reasonable navigation needs’ at the bridges are ‘” today.
`The hardest part was getting mariners to tell me what their needs are, not what they think about All Aboard Florida,’ Dragon said.
I attended and spoke at the USCG hearings in Stuart re: St. Lucie River RR Bridge closings issue. While the USCG did state that they have no jurisdiction over the railroad, and therefore cannot take a position on the viability (or not) of All Aboard Florida’s (AAF) attempt to add 32 highs speed trains per day to the tracks between Miami and Orlando, USCG did say they are responsible and have jurisdiction over the waterways in so far as safe navigation is concerned. They can (and did in CT at the CT River Amtrak bridge in the 80’s) limit the closing of RR bridges if they interfere with the safe passage of vessels. The proposed AAG 32 high speed trains between Miami and Orlando would increase the “bridge close time” to a total of 75 minutes every hour (greater than one hour for those not mathematically inclined) which represents not only a navigation safety issue, but is in actuality a “BLOCKADE”. To be successful with the USCG in this matter, we must focus on what the USCG can affect, which is the impact of the bridge closings on safe navigation of the waterways. Capt. Ken Wright, North Palm Beach, Florida
BoatUS continues to be the nation’s leading advocate for boating safety, including the proper and consistent use of life jackets. Here is your chance to contribute to the future of boating safety by designing the perfect life jacket. Be sure to watch the video linked in the article below. SSECN is proud to have BoatUS as a SPONSOR!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com
Photo Caption: Could this be what some life jackets may look like in the future?
Win $10,000 in Life Jacket Design Competition
Judges Get Glimpse Into the Future
ANNAPOLIS, MD, January 8, 2015 ‘“ Here, in a building at a nondescript suburban office park just a mile from the harbor made famous as `America’s sailing capital,’ is a look into the future of life jackets for American boaters. It’s the headquarters of the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water, and on the line is a first place prize of $10,000 for the best new design submitted for the 2015 Innovations in Life Jacket Design Competition. However, for now, there are just a trickle of entries as boaters, arm chair inventors, design, engineering or high school students have until the April 15 deadline to submit their design to BoatUS.org/design.
Five competition judges are eagerly waiting to review the entries coming in for the design contest, which hopes to seek out the newest technologies and design ideas for the next generation of these life saving devices. Teamed up with the Foundation are the Personal Floatation Device Manufacturers Association as well as the National Marine Manufacturers Association, all looking to find the best new life jacket ideas based on four criteria: wearability, reliability, cost and innovation.
Not too distant on any of the five judge’s minds was the big news on October 22, 2014 — the US Coast Guard had eliminated the old Type I-V code labeling system which clears the path of out-of-box design ideas and is the first step in a multi-year process to get new designs to market (for more on this, go to BoatUS.com/typecodepr).
Design competition Judge Lili Colby, Co-Owner of MTI Adventurewear, a paddlesport life jacket manufacturer, said, `Manufacturers will continue to use Type I-V coding until newer labels are designed, approved, and new standards are adopted, so it’s likely a couple of years before consumers will start to see a difference on store shelves. But this is where it all starts.’ Colby is an advocate of programs that increase paddling participation among young people, and understands how life jacket design can appeal ‘“ or alienate — the younger demographic. Colby’s out-of-the-box awareness generating campaigns have included offering promotional condoms imprinted with the `Wear it’ life jacket messaging. `It’s all about targeting your message ‘“ or product ‘“ with an appeal to a specific audience,’ added Colby, whose manufacturing and marketing expertise is being heavily tapped as a judge.
Also from the paddling industry is competition Judge Chris Stec, whose day job is COO of the American Canoe Association, which focuses on education, stewardship, recreation and competition. An Eagle Scout who was one of the authors of the revised Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Canoeing and Whitewater Merit Badge pamphlets, Stec also led the development of BSA’s Stand Up Paddleboarding Award. Stec clearly understands what works for youngsters.
Judge Chuck Hawley, a marine industry consultant, speaker on boating safety, and former `West Marine Advisor’ with 40,000 miles of open ocean sailing experience on both coasts is keenly on the lookout for better jacket ideas for offshore sailors. Hawley has sailed everything from 24-foot ultralights to the 125-foot catamaran Playstation and his expertise in the product development pipeline and the retail environment is helping the group make their decisions.
Joe Fogarty, VP at Image Base, a business communications company in Chicago, is also a judge. Joe’s insight on the boating consumer is adding an important voice to the judging mix. Fogarty has been knee-deep in the NMMA Discover Boating program for many years, producing videos that have contributed to driving over one million visitors to boatbuilder websites in 2013.
The fifth competition judge is Frank Solazzo, a Team Leader with Leland Limited which supplies life jacket manufacturers with the small, high pressure gas filled cylinders used for inflatable life jackets ‘“ arguably the most comfortable jackets on the market today. With his hectic schedule of trade shows and sales visits, Frank adds an important supplier voice, helping the group imagine what’s possible.
What these five judges decide may have a long-term impact on increasing voluntary wearing of life jackets and saving lives. `We know this is a whole new era of innovation and it is exciting to be a part of it,’ added Hawley. A short video about the competition is available at: http://youtu.be/wSfdANt_lGU. Winners will be announced in September at the International Boat Builders Exhibition and Conference in Louisville, KY.
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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 33 free state courses ‘“ can be found at BoatUS.org/courses.
About the Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association:
The Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association (PFDMA) is an affiliate of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), the leading trade organization representing the recreational boating industry. NMMA member companies produce more than 80% of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters and anglers in the United States. The association is dedicated to industry growth through programs in public policy, market research and data, product quality assurance and marketing communications. For more information about PFDMA, visit www.pfdma.org and visit www.nmma.org to learn more about NMMA.
The Waterway follows a short and narrow, man-made canal known as Hell Gate between the Vernon and Ogeechee Rivers. These waters have been an “AICW Problem Stretch” for years and mid to high tide is recommended for vessels drawing 5ft or more.
Today, Jan. 5th 2015 went thru Hell Gate at 14:00. Found only 2.7 feet at low tide. Very shallow, luckily my PDQ 34 power cat made it. Sailors be aware! Reiner Zeppenfeld
Captain Vic Wilreker- February 10, 2015 - 12:01 am
We came through Hell Gate at 1500 that same day (January 5, 2015). It was low tide. Add to that a NW wind blowing water out of the rivers all day and the tide was very low. Well, anyway, Hell Gate was closed to 4.5 foot draft vessels. Our first indication was the temporary green and red buoys laying on their sides in the mud completely out of the water. We dropped the hook to wait for the tide. An hour later, the tide had come up two feet, the buoys were floating, and we got through without a problem.
Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant and Pub on Longbeach, is just to the west of the Jewfish Key South Anchorage off northern Sarasota Bay. Our thanks to Skipper Fowler for the photos.
Larry – some new docks at Mar Vista restaurant at the anchorage behind Jewfish Key, near Longboat Pass. Winston Fowler
De Soto Point Anchorage is found in the pocket of 6-foot waters just inside the shelter of De Soto Point, south and east of flashing daybeacon #12. Snead Island Anchorage lies along the broad band of deep water northeast of unlighted daybeacon #11. Our thanks to Skipper Laura for this report.
This is an excellent anchorage and very popular with locals due to the nice beach and swimming area at the park. Weekends are crowded but it quiets down at night. DeSoto memorial park is worth visiting as well with a free museum and self guided walking tour. If the wind is blowing out of the northeast you could shoot across the way over to Emerson Point [Snead Island] which is another great anchorage with another great park to visit. No provisions nearby but you could head up river to nearby bradenton or palmetto and grocery is nearby via a cab (Publix). Laura
This report by good friends, Captains Baier and Landry, comes to us from the AGLCA Forum. As is usual with Big Bend Rivers, the Steinhatchee entrance channel is a long, drawn-out affair, from the deeper Gulf waters. It is well marked and perhaps the deepest of the Big Bend river channels. A third choice of marinas, but with only 4ft depth, is Gulfstream Marina located on the Steinhatchee’s southerly banks just upstream from Sea Hag Marina.
We’ve been in and out of the Steinhatchee and you should not have any problem as long as you pay attention and stay inside the channel markers. There are two marinas, Sea Hag which is before the bridge and River Haven which will require being able to clear the 25 foot bridge to access. We’re heading there as soon as the weather opens up. We’re currently in Carrabelle. Chuck Baier and Susan Landry
This article and video by David Flesher from the Sun Sentinel will be of great interest to the divers in our cruising community, particularly those of you located between Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale.
The off-shore locations of the coral are listed in the article.
This query is for our tall-masted friends. Captain Tilley is considering reducing his 65ft schooner’s mainmast air draft of 85ft to a height compatible with Waterway bridges. He welcomes your input and suggestions. You may respond here or directly to his email: joseph.tilley@ymail.com. Many thanks!
Larry Thanks for the information. And yes if you could pose the question on the form that would be great. Looking to reduce our masthead height so we can safely transit the ICW. Looking to cut mainmast down to 64 feet and want to know if this is sufficient. Thank you! Joe Tilley Captain Schooner Liana’s Ransom Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
I’ve been up and down the East Coast ICW and up to Tampa numerous times and my usual recommendation is a max. of 62 feet for relative ease on the East Coast. The official clearance on the East Coast ICW is 65 feet. The official clearance on the west coast of Florida is 55 feet up to Clearwater, but in reality you would be better off with 52 feet. I have seen 62 feet numerous times at places like the Wilderson Bridge, the Atlantic Beach bridge, and the Riviera bridge. Sometimes less. Bridge guages tend to be accurate. Down in South Carolina and Georgia there is plenty of tide, so usually bridge heights are less problematic, though you might have to worry about depths at low tide.
We just sold our 2005 41′ Hunter because of the fixed bridge issue. Our mast height was 63′. We have traveled from western Florida up the east coast to Long Island area four times in the past six years. With the changing weather patterns we have found heavy rains in the Carolina’s, North East wind in northern Florida have raised ICW water levels and blocked our passages due to fixed bridge clearances. If I were to recommend a mast height I would not go above 60′. A friend of mine has a 46′ Cat with a 64′ mast. Only at low tide and without an easterly wind can he proceed on the ICW. We have found the bridge gauges to be very representative of the actual clearances. Also because of your draft I would not travel the ICW without a copy of Skipper Bob’s Anchorage Guide. He has all the shoals listed and short routes to bypass them, when possible. Good Luck.
Otter-Lido Key Anchorage is found off the approach channel leading from Big Sarasota Pass to the Sarasota Yacht Club and west of unlighted daybeacon #7.
We anchored here last night and it was very nice. It’s a nice deep anchorage and you can get close to mangroves with out being in the backyards of the beautiful homes. No other boats were here, but loads of kayakers and paddle boards during the daytime. Oh and one tourist boat with palm trees on top cruised thru late afternoon. They took our pic, I took theirs too. We dinghied over to concrete bridge (2nd one) which puts you right on St Armands square which had tons of restaurants and shopping. There is a nice beach nearby as well. Great out of the way spot for a night or two.
The marked entry channel to Deep Point Marina – A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR! – lies northwest of Cape Fear River/AICW marker #20.
Just left Deep Point Marina and can’t say enough great things about the staff, facility and the other boaters I met there. Everyone was extremely hospitable and ready to help with whatever you needed. Historic Southport is a good two miles away from the marina so a ride is needed. Also, there are no grocery stores in historic Southport so you need to go a little farther to get to a Food Lion or Walmart. However, there are lots of great restaurants in Southport. Try Loco Joe’s for an incredible pork sandwich and Bernie’s for a deep fried croissant! Docking fee was extremely reasonable and since we arrived in December there was a special on top of that for staying three days. We will come back! Marcia
This member services locator map is a treasure to have on hand when you are cruising away from your home waters. File it among your important papers and efiles. SSECN is proud to have BoatUS as a SPONSOR!
BoatUS Member Services Locator
The BoatUS Member Services Locator (BoatUS.com/map) allows Members to locate the services and discounts in your boating area. Just by showing your BoatUS Membership card, you save at over 1,000 marinas, marine service facilities (repair shops, storage facilities, etc.), bait shops and guide & charter operators nationwide. Click here to view TowBoatUS ports and savings opportunities in the South East.
Located on the eastern shore of Biscayne Bay, Crandon Park Marina at 4000 Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne, FL, is a Miami-Dade County facility associated with Crandon Park Beach. The location looks very inviting and they do take transients on a space-available, no advance reservations, basis.
We live on Key Biscayne. Just a tip. There is good provisioning in Key Biscayne on Crandon Blvd in the village. Take the bus, every 20-30 minutes southbound right at the marina. Every third bus goes down Harbor Drive and is less convenient. There is grocery, restaurants and every sort of shopping just 5 miles away. Best beaches in Crandon Park and Bill Baggs State Park. I believe moorings are only for sailboats. Enjoy. Gregory Han
Definitely no trawlers on the mooring although they were half empty when we tried to get in 2 years ago. They do not monitor VHF and were very unfriendly towards us. Very disappointed after going right up the channel and nowhere is it clear that sail boats only on moorings. Expensive to dock so we went to Dinner Key. Would not bother there again.
The article below by John Hersey of Survice Engineering provides a thorough description of the technology of ARGUS and its application for boaters. SSECN is proud to be a pilot program utilizing ARGUS as part of our full Chart View feature. If you have not begun to use ARGUS, please open one of our Chart View charts, click the ARGUS button in the top menu and the depth indicators appear automatically. The indicators are best viewed zoom in.
THE GLOBAL MAGAZINE FOR HYDROGRAPHY WWW.HYDRO-INTERNATIONAL.COM NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 | VOLUME 18 NUMBER 8
Leveraging Technology and Social Media for Intracoastal Waterway Reconnaissance Crowdsourcing Enhances Navigation Awareness
In this internet age, crowdsourcing is fast providing practical contributions to our understanding of the world around us. Whether it be software developed in an open-source environment, inputs from ‘˜those in the know’ to create and maintain wiki pages, or the provision of weather and traffic data through the mobile devices we use every day, society as a whole benefits from what we each ‘˜know’ and the ability to communicate that information with today’s technology.
Autonomous crowdsourced bathymetry (CSB) is one of the newest tools in the hydrographer’s toolbox, leveraging the application of 21st century technology and social media, both now an integral part of our everyday lives. While high-end surveying equipment is still unmatched in precision and accuracy in the hands of a professional hydrographer, very capable surveying technology is now low cost, readily available and already distributed worldwide in the form of standard-equipment vessel electronic charting systems, or chartplotters. Combined with the wireless and cellular networks that we are all constantly connected to, we have the ready means to aggregate and share this distributed coastal intelligence; and with the application of scientific principles rooted in hydrography and big data, we also have the ready means to compute solutions (along with uncertainty estimates) of this data to meet a variety of needs. And thus, the science of autonomous CSB is emerging as a next-generation tool that mirrors the connected mindset of the next generation of hydrographers.
One such purpose for which autonomous CSB is being successfully implemented is as a reconnaissance tool for boaters on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) (see Figure 1). Some sections of the waterway consist of natural inlets, saltwater rivers, bays and sounds, while others are artificial canals. It provides a navigable route along its length without many of the hazards of travel on the open sea. The regional maritime community is taking advantage of CSB as a self-enabling technology through a creative collaboration with industry. Leveraging the public’s availability of modern technology and their natural desire to be well informed as well as to benefit society, mariners are providing data that bestow unprecedented insight into conditions and resources along the ICW.
The Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net (SSECN) is an online social media forum focused on the Atlantic ICW, and a treasure trove of useful reports and articles provided and consumed by the ICW community. The SSECN website informs others via familiar chart displays provided by EarthNC, enhanced with access to information such as fuel prices, marina accommodations and navigation hazards like misplaced buoys and shoaling. These reports are also enhanced by the millions of water depth measurements made by cruisers during their routine ICW transits, autonomously delivered and processed through the ARGUSâ„¢ CSB innovations of SURVICE Engineering and CARIS USA. This virtual, distributed surveying ‘˜vessel’ acts as a member of the SSECN cruising community, greatly enhancing condition reports provided through the SSECN website with a continuous flow of physical measurements as portrayed in Figure 2. This model provides the ultimate opportunity to engage the public as it both leverages and supports the public’s recreational and commercial interests in the ICW. What was previously a fleeting number on a chartplotter screen has become useful knowledge thanks to this pioneering partnership.
ARGUS Crowdsourced Bathymetry Autonomous crowdsourcing for maritime applications has been pioneered by SURVICE Engineering and CARIS USA through the innovations of ARGUS. ARGUS is a patented (US Patent 8,417,451) autonomous CSB system that provides continuous, automated acquisition and processing of CSB data. It universally interfaces with vessels’ existing GPS and depth-finding systems, automatically processes the GPS and depth signals, and leverages wireless technology and social media for both data aggregation and web dissemination of process outputs. Originally demonstrated as part of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Small Business innovation Research (SBIR) grant, ARGUS has processed over 100 million depth soundings from a distributed, international fleet of opportune vessels ranging from 18-foot recreational bass boats to 1,000-foot commercial cruise liners (see Figure 3). In the image, vessel traffic is clearly highest in the same coastal zones in which up-to-date reconnaissance is most needed. Studies suggest that ARGUS solutions can meet IHO S-44 Order 2 Standards. ARGUS has demonstrated a powerful and practical approach that inexpensively leverages an unlimited, distributed workforce. Fundamentally, ARGUS processes every GPS position and corresponding water depth measurement that is output from the chartplotter. The system operates autonomously with no operator interaction required other than turning on the chartplotter. Backend processing includes the application of vessel offsets, tide and other environmental corrections, various stages of quality control, and CSB-specific data aggregation methods. Output from the process can be managed through CARIS’ Bathy DataBASE (BDB), which is used to compile survey data with appropriate metadata that can be used for searching. CARIS’ Spatial Fusion Enterprise (SFE) then can be used to serve out the data via the web. CARIS BDB and SFE provide powerful post-processing and visualisation platforms for the web-served ARGUS solution sets, robust and scalable storage and analysis for the ever-expanding volumes of data, high-resolution graphics, industry standard bathymetric processing modules, and simple yet powerful end-user interfaces.
CSB Application on the ICW ARGUS has been in operation since 2010, acquiring over 100 million soundings from a distributed fleet of vessels navigating US and international waters. Over 20 million of those soundings have been processed over the 1,000+ miles from Norfolk to Key West, thanks to long-time contributors like Sea Tow, M/V Altair, M/V Chez Nous, Trawler Beach House, and Reality Check Sailing, and the data solution set is continually being refreshed. Figures 4 and 5 show two of the classic ICW trouble spots highlighted for SSECN readers: Georgia’s Jekyll Creek and Little Mud River, respectively. These are typical examples of ARGUS data providing a real ‘˜visual’ of the conditions and of the best route of travel through these trouble spots. Clearly evident in the case of the ICW, an especially hard-to-reach area for official survey assets, the swath of CSB data provides the partnership with a great opportunity to update the magenta line, or preferred route of travel, as currently represented on official charts. The magenta line was last comprehensively surveyed in the 1930s and desperately needs updating. Figure 6 shows one of many examples where the swath alone indicates the preferred route of travel, yet without consideration for which is the deepest part of the swath. Endorsed by the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association, this project will add a continuously updated magenta line as a layer in the SSECN chart windows. Since the CARIS-led introduction of autonomous CSB to the international hydrographic community in 2010, CSB’s potential value has been noticed and is rapidly moving to leverage its benefits. Among others, the development of CSB has since been endorsed and encouraged by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, the International Hydrographic Organization and the Hydrographic Services Review Panel in the United States. The application of inevitable hardware improvements along with scientific expertise promise to only make CSB solutions better ‘” in fact magnitudes better than the pre-1940s ‘˜soundings’ that are the basis for the majority of modern charts.
Who Benefits? Crowdsourcing provides an opportunity to apply innovative technologies while engaging partners from academia, the public and commercial entities. It also attracts populations that are currently underrepresented in the hydrographic science workforce. The continuous fl ow of coastal environmental information promotes stewardship and informs decision making by stakeholders, educators, students, and the public who are interested in science. Crowdsourcing is an effective engagement of key stakeholders and the public that can enhance literacy of our coastal environments.
Through this pilot application, SSECN readers are getting the benefit of a reconnaissance tool that keeps them best informed about the journey that lies ahead. The chart windows and layers allow planning for tomorrow’s journey while in a slip or on the anchor with a look-ahead view of current attractions, alerts and trouble spots. Information is bolstered by local knowledge of the SSECN community as the readers monitor local solution updates, make local chart comparisons and identify areas of interest (e.g., shoaling), which are then reaffirmed by and for the community. Reader testimonials indicate wide approval of these SSECN reports. The general public benefits from a reduced need to tax current observing systems, which are already 100 years behind schedule and with growing requirements. Steadily decreasing resources have reduced the number of hydrographic survey platforms worldwide to about 65% of what it was 15 years ago. This is in the face of commercial maritime trade that has increased three-fold since the 1970s. Especially in hard-to-reach areas such as the ICW, crowdsourcing can be used as a supplement to mission planning for official surveys requiring controlled measurements as shown in Figure 7. Resource-challenged hydrographic offices realize that they must rely not only on their own capabilities, but that they must also engage stakeholders and the public at multiple levels in order to build capacity and accomplish their missions. As demonstrated in other application areas such as the Chesapeake Bay, Antarctica, coastal New York and New Jersey, and the ports of Baltimore, New York, and Pittsburgh, one can see additional CSB networks being established to support local interests while complementing the work of hydrographic services and surveyors. Combined with the availability of the internet and wireless connectivity, remote sensing far beyond the capacity of all the world’s hydrographers combined is being realized. With the challenge of reduced resources, the use of CSB and other nontraditional methods for collecting data will grow to support the ever-increasing needs and uses for hydrographic data. The newest members of the hydrographic workforce’”the commercial and recreational vessel captains that value the waterways’”are bringing the fruit of their efforts to the benefit of the entire ICW community.
Further Reading Van Norden, M., P. Cooper, and J. Hersey. Crowdsourced Bathymetry: One Solution for Addressing Nautical Chart Data Deficiencies. US Hydro 2013. Sedaghat, L., J. Hersey, and M. McGuire. Detecting Spatio-Temporal Outliers in Crowdsourced Bathymetry Data. GEOCrowd 2013. SURVICE Engineering ARGUS Website, http://argus.survice.com/. The Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net (SSECN) Website, /. The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA) website, http://www.atlanticintracoastal.org/. John A. Hersey John Hersey is the Research and Technology Team leader for SURVICE’s Applied Technology Operation, focused on the development of innovative solutions to meet the requirements of federal and commercial customers. He is the lead engineer and project manager for ARGUS, coordinating all of the contributing vessels and processing methodologies employed in the various application areas, such as the ICW. john.hersey@survice.com Paul R. Cooper Paul Cooper is the vice president of CARIS USA and the current president of the Hydrographic Society of America. He is also vice president of the US National Section of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History and a board member of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS). paul.cooper@caris.us
Susan and I are very happy to be part of this wonderful service. Beach House will continue to contribute as much as we can. Chuck Baier and Susan Landry
Our thanks to Skipper Boyd for this message and link in response to one of Claiborne’s “tales” – see /?p=117868. And see “Young’s Yarns” on our Homepage for more of Claiborne’s sagas! Lockwoods Folly Inlet, just east of Holden Beach, is well known to Waterway cruisers, not for the Inlet proper, but because of the perennial shoaling at the intersection of the Inlet and the Waterway.
This notice of an update of ARGUS by John Hersey is definitely GOOD NEWS for Waterway cruisers. If you are not now a user of ARGUS, give it a try by clicking the ARGUS box at the top of any of our Chartview windows – it is an amazing technology! Keep your fingers crossed that NOAA will wake up and begin to use ARGUS in place of the infamous magenta line. The proposal to use ARGUS as the magenta line has been endorsed by the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association.
John Hersey is the Research and Technology Team leader for SURVICE’s Applied Technology Operation, focused on the development of innovative solutions to meet the requirements of federal and commercial customers. He is the lead engineer and project manager for ARGUS, coordinating all of the contributing vessels and processing methodologies employed in the various application areas, such as the ICW.
Hi Larry, Just a note to let you know we just updated the AICW solution set this morning, thanks to about 7 million new soundings since March from a bunch of boats including long time contributors M/V Altair, M/V Chez Nous, Trawler Beach House, Reality Check Sailing, M/V Jackets II, S/V Makai, and M/V Elixir. The update reflects several additional transits between Norfolk and the Keys, new Bahamas cruise ship data, St. John’s River updates from Jacksonville to Sanford, and previously uncharted waters on the west coast of Florida thanks to the adventurous expeditions of Trawler Beach House! The total AICW soundings count that makes up the SSECN ARGUS layer is now up to about 30 million. Also FYI, our magenta line proposal is back in NOAA’s hands. We appreciate your continued encouragement and support as we move forward in applying ARGUS data to help update the magenta line! Just let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, John
Comments from Cruisers (1)
I am a charter captain and own a 60′ Hatteras convertible that we do use for charters such as your request. Moviing boat to st Augustine February 1, will be in Jacksonville Beach till then. We customize the trip to your wishes.
My ph # is 612-251-4436. My business is Seahorse Charters&Cruises LLC.
Regards,
Capt Tom Bonnett