Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with saltwater in their veins will subscribe. $7 per month or $56 for the year; you may cancel at any time.
The Bahamas always has a booth at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which happened this year from October 29 to November 2.
The Tribune newspaper of Nassau is reporting that marinas in the Bahamas are experiencing a a 20- to 60-percent decline in bookings “as they brace for a ‘dismal’ winter season.” The big reason, of course, is higher boater entry fees announced in July without notice or consultation with interested parties.
Every year, Bahamas tourism officials man one of the bigger booths at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show; others booths represent Bahamas resorts and marinas. This year, reps reported getting an earful.
The Tribune quoted Peter Maury, Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) president, as saying that captains and boat owners intend to divert to the Caribbean or the Florida Keys because the Bahamas “is not worth it anymore.”
Plus, the Bahamas may well have a Canadian problem too.
Effective July 1, 2025, the new cruising fees were raised to $500 for vessels under 50 feet, $1,000 for vessels between 50 and 100 feet, and $3,000 for vessels over 100 feet. There are also mandatory anchoring fees of $300 and $350 respectively. Before that it was $150 for boats under 34 feet for three months and $300 for boats over that, which included a fishing permit. Now, a fishing permit is an additional $100 a month.
A separate fee structure was introduced for the new Frequent Digital Cruising Card (FDCC), which is valid for two years: $1,500 for boats under 50 feet, $2,500 for boats 50 to 100 feet and $8,000 for boats over 100 feet.
Maury told Tribune Business Editor Neil Hartnell that the whole system stinks:
The relevant FDCC paperwork has yet to be posted online for easy access. And the introduction of revised cruising permit fees, as well as fishing and anchorage permits/fees, for non-frequent boating visitors has generated negative market sentiment towards The Bahamas especially given the lack of advance warning and consultation.
Most Canadian cruisers to the Bahamas—Maury told Loose Cannon they constitute about 20 percent of the whole—do not go back and forth from Canada itself, instead keeping their vessels in Florida storage yards during the off-season. The same negative feelings that are keeping Canadian tourists from visiting the U.S. may apply to Canadian cruisers as well.
Canadians are staying away in droves because they resent the tariff war waged against their country by the U.S. and the talk of forcing Canada to become the 51st state. Known for frugality, Canadians probably do not like the new fees anymore than their American counterparts.
Parsimony and patriotism, taken together, may provide Canadian cruisers with an even greater incentive than the rest of us to stay away. “Just like yachts can boycott The Bahamas. Canadians can control where they spend their money,” Maury said.
LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
Elizabeth City sits at the southern terminus of the Dismal Swamp Canal and has the well-earned reputation of being a transient-friendly town with free dockage for 72 hours.
The Cruisers Net team is deeply saddened to announce that our editor, Larry Dorminy, has passed away.
Larry was a long-time member of the Cruisers Net team and will be sorely missed. He was passionate about boaters and making sure they had the most up-to-date information. Larry was beloved by the cruising community that he had dedicated his retirement years to supporting.
So sorry to hear of Larry's death and hope he is now cruising Fiddlers Green with those he helped along the way like me. RIP… to a fine man and condolences to his family and friends.
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with saltwater in their veins will subscribe. $7 per month or $56 for the year; you may cancel at any time.
LooseCannon: Michael, Peter Swanson here. I’m writing a story about what a bad year 2025 has been for you, and I have a few things to run by you. I have a tape on which you tell Catalina’s workers that there might be a solution their pay dilemma. You refer to the D100 tranfer to Europe:
“I just delivered a 100-foot boat to France for Daedalus company. We haven’t received our final payment—as we should have—yet. A few technical issues need to be resolved on the boat.”
How can you tell them you expected a final payment when there was probably a year’s worth of work to be done on that boat before it could seatrial?
Michael Reardon: You only know 20 percent of a story, and have even less facts yet report it as gospel. The 100 is being fit out in France to avoid 25 percent tarrifs on European goods, i.e. all the interior and systems.
You have previously reported in the worst way.
Cease and desist. I am in confidentiality agreements from commenting further.
L.C.: Why did you tell the folks at Catalina you would be getting a final payment for the D100?
Reardon: The boat is still in construction, ergo payments incomplete. End! This is all I have left for you. Cease and desist!
L.C.: With Catalina and Daedalus closed abruptly, why would anyone have the trust to put a down payment on a new Tartan?
Reardon: Daedalus was not closed abruptly. It was a planned transfer. Catalina will reopen.
L.C.:How?
Reardon: None of your business, negative-news man. Run a positive news story on the largest export sailing yacht out of America in a decade. Then ask me for an interview in person.
L.C.: Ex-Daedulus workers say the Muffs (Reardon’s financial backers) pulled out because you started a fight on the factory floor. Is that true?
Reardon: $2.5 million savings on systems is the reason. Bye, bye now.
L.C.: The part about the fight is true though. It’s on video.
Reardon: You have only a portion. You don’t see the preemptive, where a worker is fired, then pushes me to the floor. You only see my reaction after.
Again negative sell. Run a positive price, then we can have a news story
L.C.: Just curious. Why did prosecutors drop the charges after you ran from local police in your car?
Reardon: There was no run. I pulled in at the closest safe point on the two-lane road with no shoulder. Hence, charges dismissed.
LOOSECANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Sometimes he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with saltwater in their veins will subscribe. $7 per month or $56 for the year; you may cancel at any time.
Company owner Michael Reardon was caught on tape telling Catalina workers that he expected a “final payment” on this vessel shortly and it would help pay their wages. The boat—a Daedalus 100—is shown here en route to a shipyard in France for the long process of fitting her out. “A shell” is how Daedalus workers described her.
This year has been an interesting one for boatbuilder extraordinaire Michael Alexander Reardon, to put it mildly.
Reardon is a native of Australia who has created an image of himself—cheered on by our slavish boating press—as a hugely successful boatbuilder with a reputation for technically wizardry. His resume, as shown below, includes employers such as Gunboat, Skagen and Greenline.
As we were about to publish, Reardon replied to a text message asking for his side of the story. You can read the interview here:
Reardon is arrested by police on February 5 for allegedly driving his unregistered car through a stop sign and speeding away from police “carelessly and heedlessly in willful and wanton disregard of the rights and safety of others.” (For the record, the North Carolina prosecutor dropped all traffic charges against Reardon without explanation.)
On April 11, witnesses say, Reardon attacks a worker on the floor at the Daedalus yacht factory. Reardon ends up on the ground when a second worker intercedes. A third worker videotapes the tussle, news of which will have an outsized effect on the future of the Edenton, North Carolina, builder.
Later in April, Reardon enters into a provisional purchase agreement with the California parent company of Catalina Yachts in Largo Florida. He takes ownership of the company with a requirement to make regular payments.
In late July, Reardon’s financial backer—and purchaser of the only boat under construction at Daedalus—had the vessel hauled out of the factory and put on a ship to France for completion there. There was a dramatic video on YouTube showing the move, copied here:
Best known as the inventor of Google Maps, Stefan Muff is advertised as Reardon’s partner in Daedalus. That carbon-fiber 100-footer above was being built for him and his wife, who visit frequently to check on the status of their boat.
According to former Daedalus employees, some of whom had formed their own relationships with the Muffs, the Swiss couple had been looking for a way to shed themselves of Reardon and Daedalus.
According to the ex-employees interviewed for this article, the fight on the factory floor provides the Muffs with a “last straw,” enabling them to nullify their contract. That’s when they take their boat and go back to Europe.
On August 20, the Daedalus workforce is furloughed. Owned by the Muffs, the factory itself is listed for sale for $3.5 million.
At some point in August, Reardon visits Anacortes, Washington, to discuss purchase of Tartan Yachts from owner Seattle Yachts. No one remembers Reardon saying anything about Daedalus going out of business. The sale of Tartan is finalized in September; the Ohio workforce is furloughed but returns to work soon after.
On September 4, Reardon visits the Catalina factory for a talk with workers who haven’t been paid in weeks. In an audio tape obtained by LooseCannon, Reardon can be heard telling workers that he was “under huge financial stress” but there is hope because of an expected windfall:
I just delivered a 100-foot boat to France for Daedalus company. We haven’t received our final payment—as we should have—yet. A few technical issues need to be resolved on the boat.
One quick visual clue that the boat is unfinished is the lack of paint. The boat was supposed to be two-tone with a dark hull and metalic silver on deck.
According to ex-Daedalus people, “a few technical issues” was a bit of an understatement. The boat that had left the Edenton plant was just a carbon-fiber shell, months or maybe a year away from any seatrial that would precede delivery and any final payment from the owner.
(The total cost of the finished boat had been estimated at $35 million.)
On September 18, California Catalina files a lawsuit against Reardon for non-payment of rent for the Florida Catalina factory and, by default, the $1 million promised for purchase of company assets—real estate, tooling, etc.
On October 14, the president of Catalina Yachts, Patrick Turner, is videotaped assuring workers that Reardon had “done his part,” trying to find an investor to keep Catalina going. According to Turner, Reardon had been dealing with an unnamed potential money-man who asked questions but did not commit. Turner announces that Catalina was shutting down “temporarily.”
On October 22, a Florida court grants California Catalina’s motion to have Reardon evicted from Largo premises, so no one except the family of late Catalina founder Frank Butler, or a successor company chosen by them, can reopen the plant. In the accompanying Q&A, Reardon says the plant will reopen but doesn’t specify how.
Meanwhile, the question has to be: With this kind of public record, who would ever be convinced to put a downpayment on a new Tartan? Reardon avoids answering that question in the accompanying Q&A with him.
Ken Bauer of the Catalina Owners Association has his own take on Reardon’s track record:
I get so frustrated when I hear people claim that Reardon is some sort of “corporate raider” or private equity guy. No, that’s giving him too much credit, because corporate raiders and PE guys know how to effectively plan for capital needs. They don’t make foolish mistakes like this. Reardon bought this company with no plan, and no clue how to make it work, and now everyone is screwed. This is the same guy, after all, who after many years has yet to deliver one single completed boat at Daedalus Yachts.
LOOSECANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Sometimes he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
Phil Friedman publishes “For Yacht Builders, Buyers, and Owners”. FYBBO is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts delivered directly to your email inbox, subscribe for free, or for the full experience, consider becoming a paid subscriber.
Catalina Yachts may disappear from the U.S. domestic manufacturing scene.
Peter Swanson, Editor and Publisher of the Loose Cannon newsletter on Substack, recently reported that the latest attempt to revive the nearly moribund operations of Catalina Yachts (Largo, Florida) appears to have fallen apart just a few months after being initiated.
The Loose Cannon piece, coupled with all the industry hoopla at the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, got me to thinking what can only be described (politely) as a “general lack of financial transparency” in the boat and yacht building sector.
More on that in a moment. But first, as the annual series of South Florida boat shows kicked off last week with FLIBS, the current state of the U.S. economy, tariffs and, specifically, the yacht manufacturing sector, lead me to ponder the danger signals that indicate a boat builder or manufacturer may be facing an imminent business failure.
This is especially important to potential boat buyers, because boat buyers who order a new boat for construction and delivery at a later date almost always end up in the position of being unsecured creditors of the seller, with their deposits and any “progress” payments they’ve paid to date at exceedingly high risk in the event of a financial failure of the builder. The same also applies to any marketing entity (dealer, etc.) who may stand contractually sales chain between the buyer and the manufacturer in question.
If it looks like a red flag and waves like a red flag…
Ironically, the single most telling sign of an impending financial failure is a backlog of multiple pre-sold or deposit-paid units sitting unfinished on the builder’s shop floor. Never mind that the common wisdom is that a bunch of builds in process are an indication of a thriving business.
This is because a backlog of unfinished units, without any visible significant progress being made toward completing them for delivery to their buyers, signals that the manufacturer is out of working capital. Which is a condition no company can survive for any serious length of time.
In such cases, if there is to be any chance of effecting a turnaround, without resort to bankruptcy filings, it’s essential to structure a creative financial plan that includes eliciting the agreement of secured and unsecured financial and commercial creditors, as well as the agreement and cooperation of the workforce (which is frequently owed back wages), plus buy-in from any existing dealers (who may be awaiting delivery of boats), as well as the consent of any boat buyers involved.
Even then, a successful turnaround generally requires fresh, but significantly experienced, management that can run lean with the short-term goal in mind, namely, the completion and delivery of all pending unfinished builds and the generation of necessary cash flow which that brings with it. Anything less sets up a turnaround effort for almost certain failure.
A reasonable level of caution and common sense…
If you’re a potential (or actual) boat buyer, what does all this mean for you? If you’re contracting to have a boat or yacht to be built for you to order with, say, 10% down and the balance upon delivery of the finished vessel, then read no further. From a buyer’s standpoint, that is about as good as it gets.
True, few buyers would be elated over losing $10K on a $100K, and even less so losing $100K on an unfulfilled million dollar contract. But to put 10% at risk is usually manageable for someone in a position to “afford” the full-ticket sale price of a discretionary luxury purchase, in the first place.
However, if you, as a buyer, are required to put up more than that as a deposit, or if you’re required to make periodic “progress” payments during the build, you have to be particularly careful when buying a built-to-order boat or yacht.
First and foremost, you must have a clear written agreement as to delivered price, all included options and features, and a firm final delivery date (often called a “drop dead date”), after which you have the option of cancelling the order and receiving a full refund of all monies paid to date.
Note that I said you should have “the option”. This is because you may ultimately decide that, even though the builder is far behind schedule on completion and delivery, you really want the boat and are prepared to wait, just not forever. The drop-dead date in the sales contract assures that you won’t have to wait ad infinitum for your boat because the manufacturer just can’t get it done. And if you think that can’t happen, just take a look at the history of builders like Catalina which end up stalled with a dozen or more partially completed boats on their workshop floor — boats being built on contracts with significant payments outstanding to collect when those units are completed and delivered. Again, more on that later.
There are also several important additional steps you can (and should) take to protect your interests, under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which has been adopted, in part or in whole, by most states in the U.S. These steps are straightforward and focus on establishing a preferred first security interest in the boat during the period of time it is still in-process and could otherwise potentially fall subject to claims of creditors, should the builder fail financially.
This security interest will extend to all monies paid to date by you, the buyer, in the form of deposits and progress payments. And will grant you a first secured mortgage on the vessel, which lien will have to be “perfected” (properly filed) with the state where the builder is registered to do business.
Of course, you will not only have to bear the added cost(s) of proceeding under the UCC, you will generally have to push hard to gain the necessary cooperation from the dealer and/or the manufacturer involved. Consequently, you will need to gain agreement to cooperate from the dealer and the manufacturer before you place the order and pay your initial deposit.
With a preferred first security interest and a perfected lien, you will stand ahead of unsecured creditors for satisfaction of your claim in the event that a company is liquidated in bankruptcy or the company assets are sold in liquidation for the benefit of creditors. Except, of course, for the bankruptcy lawyers and court costs.
Which means you would have to be paid out before any of the proceeds of liquidation went to satisfy unsecured claims, for example, those for materials and fittings supplied by vendors to the boat manufacturer.
Nothing in life is completely without some risk…
Admittedly, it’s not a perfect solution, as there might not be sufficient value in liquidation to pay you out 100%. And it certainly won’t get you a completed boat. The most it would do is preserver you investment to date, but you’d then need to take possession and find a way to get the build completed. Still, it’s better than the alternative which, for unsecured creditors, is usually losing everything they’ve invested.
Whether what you stand to get, in the instance, would be worth the effort and hard costs of establishing a preferred first security interest in the boat you’ve ordered and partially paid for, is worth it, depends on how much in dollars is at stake. And that depends on your net worth and resources.
If you’re in a position to sustain, say, a five hundred thousand dollar loss without much noticing it, then perhaps the extra time and dollar cost of obtaining a preferred first secured interest isn’t worth the extra cost and effort. Understand that it’s entirely your call. Just don’t delude yourself into thinking a business failure will never overtake the firm manufacturing your boat. It never happens… until it does. And nobody ever loses money in a boat deal gone bad… until they do.
Thanks for reading For Yacht Builders, Buyers, and Owners. FYBBO is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts delivered directly to your email inbox, subscribe free or for the full experience, consider becoming a paid subscriber.
If you’re interested in the subject of transparency in the boat and yacht building sector worldwide, you might also want to look at the Loose Cannon article on the suit that’s recently been filed against Bering Yachts (Turkey) by two YouTube boat reviewers”:
1) The author of this article (namely, yours truly) was an active consultant in the acquisition of the assets of Tartan/Legacy Yachts by Seattle Northwest Yachts LLC in 2020, and later oversaw the completion and delivery of nineteen new yachts that, at the time of that acquisition, sat in various stages of in-completion, as Tartan/Legacy Yachts circled the drain.
2) Nothing in this article is presented as legal advice, but rather is purely the expression of personal opinion based on more than 40 years experience in the recreational marine industry. Anyone placing a substantial deposit or other payment with a boat dealer or manufacturer for building a boat to order, with a future delivery date, is advised to first review the potential issues and suggested remedies delineated here with a lawyer who has the necessary and appropriate experience. — PLF
Thanks for reading For Yacht Builders, Buyers, and Owners. FYBBO is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts delivered directly to your email inbox, subscribe free or for the full experience, consider becoming a paid subscriber.
Here is an informative newsletter to which you may subscribe. Its abundant harbor information will be useful as you travel the East Coast this fall, by boat or by car.
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with saltwater in their veins will subscribe. $7 per month or $56 for the year; you may cancel at any time.
Hurricane Melissa made a sharp right and kept on going.
The author is a postdoctoral researcher at the NOAA Hurricane Research Division, University of Colorado-Boulder. This October 29, 2025 article first appeared in The Conversationand is reprinted here with permission.
By ETHAN MURRAY
Hurricane Melissa grew into one of the most powerful Atlantic tropical cyclones in recorded history on Oct. 28, 2025, hitting western Jamaica with 185 mph sustained winds. The Category 5 hurricane blew roofs off buildings and knocked down power lines, its torrential rainfall generated mudslides and flash flooding, and its storm surge inundated coastal areas.
Melissa had been wobbling south of the island for days, quickly gaining strength over the hot Caribbean Sea, before taking a sharp turn to the northeast that morning.
Hurricane Melissa, shown on Oct. 27, 2025, grew into an extremely powerful 185-mph hurricane just south of Jamaica before turning sharply northeastward and crashing into the island. NOAA
As a hurricane researcher, I work with colleagues at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory to improve predictions of hurricanes’ tracks and strengths. Accurate forecasts of Melissa’s turn to the northeast gave many people across Jamaica, Cuba and the eastern Bahamas extra time to evacuate to safer areas before the hurricane headed their way.
Throughout 2025, most hurricanes similarly veered off toward the open Atlantic, sparing the U.S. mainland. To understand the forces that shaped these storms and their paths, let’s take a closer look at Melissa and the 2025 hurricane season.
Origins
Before they evolve into powerful hurricanes, storm systems start out as jumbled clusters of clouds over the open ocean.
Many of 2025’s Atlantic tropical cyclones began life far from the U.S. coastline in the warm waters west of Africa, near the Cape Verde islands. These Cape Verde hurricanes are consistently blown toward the United States, especially during peak hurricane season.
Storm tracks for the 2025 Atlantic tropical cyclone season, through Oct. 26. Hurricane Melissa’s meandering track is seen far to the south, just off the coast of Jamaica. Sandy14156/Wikimedia Commons, using NOAA data
The driving force steering these storms is a hot, semi-permanent high-pressure air mass often found spinning above the Atlantic Ocean known as the Bermuda high or Azores high.
When this high-pressure system, or subtropical ridge, is positioned farther east, closer to the Azores islands, its strong, clockwise-rotating winds typically curve tropical cyclones briskly out to sea toward their demise in the cold North Atlantic. When the high-pressure ridge is closer to the U.S. and centered over Bermuda, it can send storms crashing into the U.S. coast.
Because that high-pressure system was positioned further east in summer and fall 2025, many of the season’s strongest storms, such as hurricanes Erin, Gabrielle and Humberto, swung east of the U.S. mainland. Combined with an active jet stream above the Southeast U.S., most tropical cyclones were steered away from the Atlantic coast.
The clouds that eventually became Hurricane Melissa traveled farther to the south, avoiding the Bermuda high and making their way into the Caribbean Sea.
Balancing Act
After a tropical cyclone forms, its path is guided by the movement of air surrounding it, known as atmospheric steering currents. These steering currents direct the forward movement of storms in the Atlantic at speeds ranging from a sluggish 1 mph to a blistering 70 mph or more.
Hurricane Melissa’s meandering track was determined by these steering currents. At first, the system was caught between winds from high-pressure systems to its northwest and southeast. This setup trapped the storm over the warm Caribbean Sea for days, just to the south of Jamaica.
As a tropical cyclone is steered by outside forces, its internal makeup also constantly evolves, changing how the storm interacts with its steering currents.
When Hurricane Melissa was a weak, lopsided system, it didn’t receive much of a push from its upper-level environment. But hurricanes draw energy from warm water, and Caribbean sea surface temperatures have been rising. As Melissa gained strength from very warm ocean water below, it grew taller. Like a skyscraper reaching high into the air, major hurricanes like Melissa have towering thunderstorms and feel more of a push from upper-level winds than weaker storms do.
Melissa’s center also became aligned vertically, allowing the tropical cyclone to rapidly intensify from 70 mph to a staggering 140 mph sustained winds in 24 hours, and it would continue to strengthen.
Hurricanes need ocean temperatures above about 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) for a storm to gain enough energy to strengthen. The water south of Jamaica was much warmer than that while Hurricane Melissa meandered there, quickly gaining strength on Oct. 26, 2025. NOAA Coral Reef Watch
Eventually, the precarious atmospheric balancing act holding Melissa in place collapsed. A ripple in the jet stream known as an atmospheric trough steered the hurricane to the northeast and into the Jamaican coast.
Melissa’s snail’s pace of about 2 mph was rare but not unheard of. Slow storms like Melissa are more common in October, as steering currents are often very weak or pushing in opposite directions, which can trap a tropical cyclone in place. Similar steering currents affected Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
Tragically, stalled tropical cyclones often bring prolonged rainfall, winds, flash flooding and storm surge with them. The wind and downpours can be extreme for mountain communities, as their high topography enhances local rainfall that can trigger mudslides and flooding, as Jamaica saw from Melissa.
Better Forecasting
Meteorologists generally understand how atmospheric steering currents guide tropical cyclones, yet forecasting these wind patterns remains a challenge. Depending on the atmospheric setup, certain hurricanes can be harder to forecast than others, as changes to steering currents can be subtle.
New approaches to hurricane track forecasting include using machine learning models, such as Google DeepMind, which outperformed many traditional models in forecasting storm tracks this hurricane season. Rather than solving a complex set of equations to make a forecast, DeepMind looks at statistics of previous hurricane tracks to infer the path of a current storm.
NOAA Hurricane Hunter reconnaissance data can also accelerate progress in predicting tropical cyclone paths. Recent tests show how accounting for specific measurements from within a hurricane can improve forecasts. Certain flight patterns that Hurricane Hunters and drones fly through strong hurricanes can also improve predictions of a storm’s path.
Scientists and engineers aim to further improve hurricane track and intensity forecasts through research into storm behavior and improving hurricane models to better inform the public when danger is on the way.
LOOSECANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
Elizabeth City sits at the southern terminus of the Dismal Swamp Canal and has the well-earned reputation of being a transient-friendly town with free dockage for 72 hours.
The tropical Atlantic is quiet again. We have no organized features to track, and it’s unlikely we’ll see any form over the next two weeks. With only three weeks left in the hurricane season, there’s a good chance that we won’t see any more tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic until next season.
The satellite view of the Atlantic shows only one feature of interest: an area of disturbed weather over and east of the Lesser Antilles.
This visible satellite image shows only one feature of interest over the Atlantic tropics: an area of disturbed weather near the Lesser Antilles
Image Source: University of Wisconsin RealEarth
That feature will crawl westward in the coming days. Strong westerly winds aloft will cause too much vertical shear for it to develop through at least this weekend. Conditions for it will be less hostile once it reaches the western Caribbean Sea around the middle of next week. A few computer models think that this feature will become a tropical cyclone before reaching Central America, but not many. I think the chances of that happening are less than 10 percent.
Even if a storm did form, there’s no reason to believe that it would ever affect South Carolina. The few models that show a storm forming are keeping it buried over Central America until it dissipates.
While the tropics are not a concern for us now, and it may be months before we face any tropical threats again, it’s important to remain prepared. If it’s not something coming out of the tropics, it can be tornadoes, winter storms, and even earthquakes. So, check out those SCEMD webpages to be well-informed about disaster preparedness.
This week’s weather has been a case study in why we love living in South Carolina, but the stretch of warm, dry days is about to end. A trio of fronts will make our weather more active and flip us into a January-like setup by Monday. The current weather map from the Weather Prediction Center shows where they are.
The first is a stationary front to our south that will retreat northward this afternoon. It will only generate some clouds because we have dry air in place around the region. However, southwesterly winds ahead of the next front (now stretching from Lake Superior to Texas) will bring an increase in humidity. That front will cross South Carolina on Saturday and trigger a scattering of showers, perhaps as early as pre-dawn in the Upstate. The showers mainly stay confined to the north during the day, and a few spots may see a thunderstorm in the afternoon. Showers are likely to affect more of the state Saturday night. Otherwise, we remain warm with highs in the mid to upper 70s; the warmest spots could touch 80.
A Pacific-origin air mass will move in behind this cold front, so temperatures don’t fall much on Sunday; in fact, much of the state will see highs in the 75-80° range again, with only the Upstate seeing slight cooling. However, our third front, the one now over the upper Midwest and Plains states, will reach us on Sunday. There is some uncertainty about how much moisture from the Gulf and Atlantic this front will be able to tap into. Some models keep us mainly dry as this front moves through, while others show more scattered showers and even some thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening across the Coastal Plain. Any thunderstorms that do pop up could be locally gusty.
A polar air mass will rush in behind this front, causing the bottom to fall out of our temperatures. We go from October-like to January-like in hours. We drop to the 30s and 40s from Upstate to the coast by early Monday, and Monday’s highs will only range from the middle 40s along I-85 to the upper 50s at the coast. Monday’s also going to be blustery with gusts in the 30-35 mph range, making it feel even colder. Most of the state will see subfreezing temperatures Monday night into Tuesday morning, with a hard freeze over much of the Upstate and Catawba region.
Forecast lows for Tuesday morning from the National Weather Service
Image Source: WeatherBELL
The cold blast looks to be transient. Tuesday will also be chilly with highs only in the upper 40s and lower 50s, but we’ll warm up again starting Wednesday as we return to the 60s. By Thursday, most places will see highs of 65-70°, and Friday through next weekend will likely feature highs in the 70s again. Most models show a cold front approaching us next weekend, but stalling to our north. Some say enough moisture will get involved with the front for stray showers for parts of our state, but others think we’ll stay dry.
Speaking of dry, we’ve seen some improvements in this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor, which better captures the rain we saw about 10 days ago. However, a large chunk of the state is abnormally dry or in drought.
While much of the state will see some rain over the weekend, amounts will be light in most places. So, this won’t bring any significant drought relief. Next week looks dry, rain chances for next weekend are low, and prospects for the following week are also not great. So, the drought will likely worsen and expand again over the coming weeks.
Frank Strait Severe Weather Liaison S.C. State Climate Office
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources 260 D. Epting Lane West Columbia, SC, 29172
A longtime CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, historic Edenton always has an exciting calendar of events and places to visit! Edenton is at the mouth of the Chowan River on the northwest shore of Albemarle Sound.
Photo Credit Missy Mimlitsch and Yeopim Flowers Facebook
Thanksgiving Dinner Aboard the Albemarle Queen
Set Sail for a Coastal Thanksgiving to Remember
Join us for an unforgettable Thanksgiving dining experience aboard the Albemarle Queen Paddleboat, featuring a five-course holiday menu created by the culinary team at The Table Restaurant.
November 27th
Boarding begins at 12:30 PM
Set sail at 1:00 PM
Return to port at 4:00 PM
Departure: Penelope Barker House Dock, Edenton, NC
Savor an afternoon filled with the flavors of the season — beginning with our Gathering Boards from the Five Harbor Towns, followed by salmon and grits, honey-baked ham with cherry wine glaze, roasted turkey with all the trimmings, and a trio of decadent desserts.
Experience breathtaking waterfront views, Southern hospitality, and the warmth of a truly coastal Thanksgiving celebration.
Hotel guests – Book your stay online and add the Thanksgiving Package after selecting your room. (Need help? Just give us a call.)
Key Lime Sailing Club, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, always has very special offers for their visitors! Key Lime Sailing Club is a unique slice of KEYS ENJOYMENT…give it a try and let us hear about your experience.
Submit Your Entries Now! Win Stays at KLSC
Hey Key Lime family and friends! Don’t miss your chance to join our Photo & Video Contest — time’s almost up! Submit your favorite Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages memories for a shot at a FREE 3-night stay (best photo) or a FREE 5-night stay (best video). You can enter as many times as you like!
Voting starts December 16, so share your entries, tell your friends, and get those votes ready. Need a little inspiration? Check out our Facebook page to see what past winners have created. Click this link for rules and terms.
To enter, reply to this email with your photos or video links. We’d love to see your memories and welcome you back to make even more.
Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages | 305-451-3438 | 99306 Overseas Highway, Key Largo Florida | www.keylimesailingclub.com
Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages | 99306 Overseas Highway | Key Largo, FL 33037 US
A longtime CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, historic Edenton always has an exciting calendar of events and places to visit! Edenton is at the mouth of the Chowan River on the northwest shore of Albemarle Sound.
I know it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet, but the most wonderful time of the year is almost here, and we’re pulling out all the stops to make this holiday season unforgettable!
Mark your calendar for our highly anticipated Kickoff to Christmasevent, taking place one month from today, on December 6.
Hallmark has made dozens of movies about the magic of Christmas in a small town, and this is your chance to experience that movie magic in real life!
Edenton’s Kickoff to Christmas is more than just an event. It’s a town-wide celebration that brings everyone together.
4 PM
Everything kicks off at 4. If you come hungry (which you should), you can enjoy a variety of food trucks and local vendors. Then, once your belly is full, visit the Cupola House Gardens (just behind Edenton’s Colonial Park), spread out your blanket, and visit the Grinch and bring your kids to storytime.
If storytime isn’t your speed, stop by the community-wide gingerbread house competition that takes place at 101 W. Water St, next door, and get a cup of hot cocoa at the Waterfront Trolley.
The Chowan Arts Council is setting up shop in the courthouse of the Shephard Pruden Library to help you design your very own ornament.
5:30
Then, gather with everyone around the big tree as the mayor counts us down to begin Christmas in Edenton. There are even rumors that you-know-who will be there, with a few friends from John A. Holmes High School. Wink wink.
6:15
The night culminates with an authentically Edenton tradition, the Christmas Flotilla at Colonial Park. Once the sun goes down, boats from all across Edenton, decked out in Christmas lights, will assemble for a one-of-a-kind parade held only on this special night.
Whether you’re looking to make family memories, find one-of-a-kind gifts, or simply soak up the small-town charm, Edenton’s holiday festivities are sure to delight.
Plan Your Visit
Ready to make the most of your holiday season? Head over to the Kickoff to Christmas event page for the full schedule and all the details, including parking information and details on weather-dependent events.
And don’t forget to secure your home away from home. We offer a variety of charming accommodations, ranging from cozy inns and vacation rentals to hotels. Check out the Accommodations page and book your perfect holiday stay today.
Join us in Edenton for a Christmas celebration you’ll remember for years to come!
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with saltwater in their veins will subscribe. $7 per month or $56 for the year; you may cancel at any time.
This aerial photo shows the aftermath of the July 28 accident. Note the fact that the crane on the barge prevents anyone in the pilothouse of the tug from seeing what’s directly in front of them.
The operators of a barge that ran over a Hobie Cat in Biscayne Bay killing three young girls in July yesterday learned they are in the worst kind of trouble. Coast Guard investigators have referred the case for prosecution, specifically with seaman’s manslaughter as the possible charge.
Seaman’s manslaughter is a federal offense that holds vessel owners, officers or crew liable for death that results from their misconduct, negligence or inattention to duty. The penalty is up to 10 years in prison, fines or both.
“After conducting a thorough marine casualty investigation, we’ve referred this case to Department of Justice for criminal investigation to ensure full accountability and help deter similar cases in the future,” said Coast Guard Sector Miami Commander Capt. Frank J. Florio. “As the process moves into this new phase, our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by this tragic incident.”
The accident happened on July 28 at around 11:15 a.m., when the barge hit the 17-foot catamaran, killing Mila Yankelevich, 7, Erin Victoria Ko Han, 13, and Arielle ‘Ari’ Mazi Buchman, 10. Two other girls were injured in the collision, which happened near Hibiscus and Monument islands off Miami Beach.
From left, Mila Yankelevich, Erin Ko Han and Ari Buchman.
The excursion was part of a youth sailing program under the auspices of the Miami Yacht Club. Their instructor was a 19-year-old camp counselor.
Lawyers for some of the victims praised Coast Guard action in the case.
“This is a sign that the wheels of justice are moving in the right direction,” Attorney Judd Rosen told the Miami Herald (which, by the way, is the best conventional news outlet for coverage of this case). Rosen’s firm represents one of the injured survivors.
“This referral for criminal charges brings our clients a measure of relief that meaningful steps toward justice are being taken,” said Justin B. Shapiro, an attorney for 7-year-old Calena Areyan Gruber, who managed to survive after having been trapped beneath the barge.
The owner of the tug and barge in question is Waterfront Construction. In the lawsuit against Waterfront, Rosen faults the captain and crew of the tug Wood Chuck for failing to keep a proper lookout. Rosen said no one on the tug signalled with its horn even when collision was imminent.
The Coast Guard has not publicly talked about specific elements of its potential manslaughter case, but it would likely center around the issue of proper lookout.
In its story today, the Miami Herald’s reporting touched on applicable regulations and the rules-of-the-road issues in the case:
Under federal law, commercial tugboats under 26 feet do not require the operator to be a licensed captain. The only requirement is that the operator be a U.S. citizen. A commercial maritime expert told the Herald that tugboat companies often advertise ‘No Licensed Captain Required!’ for pushboats or truckable tugs.
While a licensed captain isn’t required, Coast Guard Navigational Rules still dictate that a lookout must be on board the vessel. Eyewitnesses interviewed by the Herald said they saw a barge crewman warning the tugboat operator only at the last moment before the crash. And other eyewitnesses told the Herald they didn’t hear horns before the crash; navigational rules call for horns to signal when a vessel is approaching.
The Coast Guard’s Rules of Navigation generally grant the right-of-way to sailboats over engine-powered boats, but there are exceptions, including a vessel “restricted in her ability to maneuver.” This is defined in the rules as “a vessel which, from the nature of her work, is restricted in her ability to maneuver as required by these Rules and is therefore unable to keep out of the way of another vessel.” The exception includes one vessel towing another because the job “restricts the towing vessel and her tow in their ability to deviate from their course,” the Coast Guard rules say.
Lorenzo Palomares, a lawyer for the owner of Waterfront Construction, has noted that the unnamed tug captain has 12 years of experience working on Biscayne Bay. Palomares told the Herald that the Wood Chuck crew had indeed been keeping a lookout.
And actually saw the yacht club’s sailboat, which he said was part of a caravan of similar vessels traveling to Monument Island. But, that boat suddenly left the group and sailed into the path of the barge, Palomares said.
The tug captain had the caravan in sight and actually turned 10 degrees to ensure the tug and barge were clear of the group, but he did not see the sailboat separate from the other boats, Palomares said, stressing that tugboats pulling and pushing barges have very little time to react.
LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with saltwater in their veins will subscribe. $7 per month or $56 for the year; you may cancel at any time.
The autonomous ZeroUSVs Oceanus12 is designed to support extended maritime operations, allowing for deployments of up to 7,500 nautical miles, or approximately 60 days, without the need for external assistance.
The author is a regular contributor to Marine Industry News of the U.K., which published this story on October 16. It is reprinted here with permission.
By GEMMA HARRIS
A research project has been launched in Plymouth to teach autonomous vessels to read and act on official navigation data.
The eight-month initiative, led jointly by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office in Taunton and Plymouth-based Marine AI, aims to develop AI that is capable of interpreting Admiralty sailing directions and radio navigation warnings.
The Admiralty is the British government agency historically responsible for its Navy. Now, it is also in charge of hydrography, charting, marine data and advice on maritime matters.
“This is the first time anyone has attempted to process Admiralty Sailing Directions and Radio Navigation Warnings in a way that an autonomous control system can act upon,” said Oliver Thompson, technical director at Marine AI. “By proving this capability on the water, we are closing one of the biggest gaps in (uncrewed vessel) autonomy and taking a major step toward safe, fully automated operations.”
Such a project represents a world first in applying Large Language Models (LLMs) to process maritime navigation information for autonomous control systems.
The maritime autonomy software firm, Marine AI, will retrain its baseline LLM to translate unstructured, text-based navigational data into formats usable by its GuardianAI autonomy software suite. The goal is to enable Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships to make safe, real-time operational decisions using the same authoritative information relied upon by professional mariners.
Currently, uncrewed vessels depend on humans to interpret navigation warnings and sailing guidance, much of which is distributed through legacy systems and written in natural nautical language. The project will address these challenges by using AI to convert this into structured data that can be integrated into autonomous decision-making systems.
In spring 2026, there is a planned on-water demonstration, when the ZeroUSVs Oceanus12 vessel, fitted with Marine AI’s GuardianAI suite, will navigate Plymouth’s waters using the newly developed capability. The trials will run alongside advanced simulation exercises and are expected to inform the International Hydrographic Organisation’s S-100 data framework—one that is underpinning the next generation of digital navigation standards.
Mark Casey, head of Research, Design and Innovation at the Hydrographic Office, said: “Working with Marine AI allows us to push the boundaries of how autonomous systems can use official hydrographic information. The outcomes will not only support the safety of lives at sea but also feed directly into the development of the International Hydrographic Office’s S-100 framework, ensuring that Hydrographic Office data continues to set the global benchmark for safe navigation in both crewed and uncrewed vessels.”
Plymouth, on the south coast of Southwest England, has become a national hub for autonomous maritime research, and this new project presents an opportunity to further strengthen its role as a testbed for uncrewed vessel technology.
LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with saltwater in their veins will subscribe. $7 per month or $56 for the year; you may cancel at any time.
About the authors: Carly Kenkel is associate professor of Biological Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Jenna Dilworth is a Ph.D. candidate in Marine Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Maya Gomez is a Ph.D. student in Marine Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
This story first appeared in The Conversationon October 23, 2025 and is reprinted here with permission.
By CARLY D. KENKEL, JENNA DILWORTH & MAYA GOMEZ
In early June 2023, the coral reefs in the lower Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas were stunning. We were in diving gear, checking up on hundreds of corals we had transplanted as part of our experiments. The corals’ classic orange-brown colors showed they were thriving.
Just three weeks later, we got a call—a marine heat wave was building, and water temperatures on the reef were dangerously high. Our transplanted corals were bleaching under the heat stress, turning bone white. Some were already dead.
That was the start of a global mass bleaching event. As ocean temperatures rose, rescuers scrambled to relocate surviving corals to land-based tanks, but the heat wave, extending over 2023 and 2024, was lethal.
In a study published Oct. 23, 2025, in the journal Science, we and colleagues from NOAA, the Shedd Aquarium and other institutions found that two of Florida’s most important and iconic reef-building coral species had become functionally extinct across Florida’s coral reef, meaning too few of them remain to serve their previous ecological role.
In summer 2023, the average sea-surface temperature across Florida’s reef was above 87 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius) for weeks. We found that the accumulated heat stress on the corals was 2.2 to 4 times higher than it had ever been since modern satellite sea-surface temperature recordings began in the 1980s, a time when those two species—branching staghorn and elkhorn corals—were the dominant reef-builders in the region.
A sea-surface temperature map from mid-July 2023 shows the extraordinary heat around the Florida Keys. NOAA Coral Reef Watch
The temperatures were so high in the middle and lower Florida Keys that some corals died within days from acute heat shock.
Everywhere on the reef, corals were bleaching. That occurs when temperatures rise high enough that the coral expels its symbiotic algae, turning stark white. The corals rely on these algae for food, a solar-powered energy supply that allows them to build their massive calcium carbonate skeletons, which we know as coral reefs.
These reefs are valuable. They help protect coastal areas during storms, provide safety for young fish and provide habitat for thousands of species. They generate millions of dollars in tourism revenue in places like the Florida Keys. However, the symbiotic relationship between the coral animal and the algae that supports these incredible ecosystems can be disrupted when temperatures rise about 2 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit (1 to 2 degrees Celsius) above the normal summer maximum.
By the end of summer 2023, only three of the 200 corals we had transplanted in the Lower Keys to study how corals grow survived.
In the Dry Tortugas, corals’ bone-white skeletons were already being grown over by seaweed. That’s a warning sign of a potential phase shift, where reefs change from coral-dominated to macroalgae-dominated systems.
Our colleagues observed similar patterns across the Florida Keys: Acroporid corals – staghorn and elkhorn – suffered staggering levels of bleaching and death.
Of the more than 50,000 acroporid corals surveyed across nearly 400 individual reefs before and after the heat wave, 97.8 to 100 percent ultimately died. Those farther north and offshore in cooler water fared somewhat better.
But this pattern of bleaching extended to the rest of the Caribbean and the world, leading NOAA to declare 2023-2024 the fourth global bleaching event. This type of mass bleaching, in which stress and mortality occur almost simultaneously across locations around the world, points to a common environmental driver.
A bleached and dead staghorn coral thicket in the Dry Tortugas, already being overgrown by seaweed in September 2023. The corals had been healthy a few months earlier. Maya Gomez
In the summer of 2023, that environmental driver was clearly soaring water temperatures caused by climate change.
Functionally Extinct
Even before the 2023 marine heat wave, staghorn and elkhorn numbers had been dwindling, with punctuated declines accelerated by a diverse array of stressors – hurricane damage, loss of supporting herbivore species, disease and repeated bleaching.
The 2023-2024 event was effectively the final nail in the coffin: The data from our new study shows that these species are now functionally extinct on Florida’s coral reef.
Caribbean acroporids have not entirely disappeared in Florida, but those left are not enough to fulfill their ecological role. When populations become too small, they lose their capacity to rebound – in conservation biology this is known as the “extinction vortex.” With so few individuals, it becomes harder to find a mate, and even when one is found, it’s more likely to be a relative, which has negative genetic consequences.
Live elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, off Florida before the marine heat wave. NOAA Fisheries
A bleached colony of elkhorn coral in Dry Tortugas National Park off Florida on Sept. 11, 2023. Shedd Aquarium/Ross Cunning
For an ecosystem-builder like coral, many individuals are required to build an effective reef. Even if the remaining corals were the healthiest and most thermally tolerant of the bunch – they did survive, after all – there are simply not enough of them left to recover on their own.
Can Corals Be Saved?
Florida’s acroporids have joined the ranks of the California condor – they cannot recover without help. But unlike the condor, there are still pockets of healthy corals scattered throughout their broader range that could be used to help restore areas with localized extinctions.
The surviving corals in Florida could be bred with other Caribbean populations to boost their numbers and increase genetic diversity, an approach known as assisted gene flow.
Maya Gomez, one of the authors of this article and the study, takes photos of transplanted corals off Florida. Jenna Dilworth
Advancements in microfragmentation, a way to speed up coral propagation by cutting them into smaller pieces, and cryopreservation, which involves deep-freezing coral sperm to preserve their genetic diversity, have made it possible to mass produce, archive and exchange genetic diversity at a scale that would not have been possible just 10 years ago.
Restoration isn’t easy, though. From a policy perspective, coordinating international exchange of endangered species is complex. There is still disagreement about the capacity to scale up reef restoration to recover entire ecosystems. And the question remains: Even if we could succeed in restoring these reefs, would we be planting corals just in time for the next heat wave to knock them down again?
This is a real risk, because ocean temperatures are rising. There is broad consensus that the world must curb the carbon emissions contributing to increased ocean temperatures for restoration to succeed.
Climate change poses an existential threat to coral reefs, but these advancements, in concert with effective and timely action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, could give them a fighting chance.
LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Sometimes he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
Non-hotel guests Reservations required | 252-482-3641
Be the first to comment!