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    • Jul 29, 2021by:   Larry Dorminy 1 Comment

      Auto Routing Problems on the ICW by Roger Long

      Roger Long is an experienced yachtsman, Waterway cruiser and frequent contributor to Cruisers Net, Thank you, Roger, for this discussion of proper navigation protocols.

      My decade of annual ICW snowbird migrations has given me the impression that increasing numbers of boaters are running down the wrong side of the channel.  These encounters seem to be increasing  more each season and even my crew, who normally pays little attention to navigation, asked me, “Why is everyone on the wrong side of the channel this year?”   Failure to follow the navigational rule that vessels in narrow channels remain as far to starboard as safe and practical is especially aggravating on blind bends.  Suddenly there is a boat ahead and they will often be so close that there is not sufficient water to starboard for a proper port to port meeting.  I have moved over for boats and then had them follow me, pushing me into water so shallow that I have had to stop and wait for them to pass while several boat lengths of deep water lie on their other side.  Crossing another vessel’s bow in these situations is risky because, if they suddenly think they should do a proper meeting, there could easily be a collision.
       
      The concept of navigating by following a track downloaded from the Internet is becoming increasingly popular.  Bob Scherer, who provides tracks of the deepest water along the ICW, has recently written an excellent article for the new edition of the Waterway Guide on the need to depart from tracks to comply with the navigation rules and common sense safety.  I am not a user of Navionics auto routing and he pointed out something to me that may explain the failure of many boaters to respond appropriately when meeting other vessels.
       
      Navionics draws its routes around the inside of every bend at the safe depth the user has set for their boat.  This means that, if the channel curves to port and the person at the helm believes that they must follow the track closely, they will be rounding the bend on the wrong side of the channel for courteous and safe navigation.  Since the draft of most vessels on the ICW falls within a fairly narrow range, there will also be many circumstances where there is not enough depth between the offending vessel and the shore for a proper port to port meeting.
       
      There have always been and always will be idiots on the water.  However, having a popular navigation program prompting users to violate safe practice is certainly contributing to the problem.  Garmin clearly has the resources to program auto routing to distinguish between left hand and right hand bends.  We in the ICW community should be encouraging and pressuring them to do so.
       
      Roger Long
      M/V Gypsy Star

      Comments from Cruisers (1)

      1. Charles Williamson -  August 1, 2021 - 10:09 am

        Garmin has a great auto-route product, but most not only don't know this, if they did wouldn't take the time to look at the manual to change the settings.

        These are the same people who either don't know about their wake or misinterpret making a wake so they stop well into a marina setting thinking they are complying with a no-wake zone.

        Boaters with a checkbook and little else will always be a plague to boating UNTIL a proper education requirement is instituted.

        Reply to Charles
    • Jul 27, 2021by:   Larry Dorminy No Comments

      Hard Times: Voices from the Great Depression on NC Coast by David Cecelski

      Historian David Cecelski found interviews from the Great Depression from a seaman from Ocracoke, a country doctor from Lake Mattamuskeet, a Norwegian dredge boatman in Beaufort, a washerwoman in Elizabeth City and others.

       

       

      Hard times: Voices from the Great Depression on NC coast
      CoastalReview.org

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    • Jun 30, 2021by:   Larry Dorminy 1 Comment

      BoatUS News: With Passage of Florida Anchoring Bill, BoatUS Seeks Solution for the Long Haul

      A bill that aims to both address the continuing vessel anchoring challenges facing some Florida counties while balancing the needs of responsible vessel operators became law yesterday with the signing of FL S.B. 1946 by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

       

      With Passage of Florida Anchoring Bill, BoatUS Seeks Solution for the Long Haul
      BoatUS

      Comments from Cruisers (1)

      1. Alan V Cecil -  July 2, 2021 - 2:07 pm

        And so…this is not just a problem for AGLCA, MTOA, and Boat US members….it is an issue for used boat dealers, used cruising boat brokerages, and others in the marine trades industry.

        I realize that there are more proponents than vexed property owners at noisy nautical partiers! The acqusition of maria properties by conglomerates for residential development of waterfront properties and subsequent raising of rates for both resident and transient boaters.
        The dynamics of the rising cost of fuel, marina fees, mechanical maintenance costs and astronomical insurance premiums for the older boats that many cruisers have …oh and the general rise in the costs of all boats…may jolly well mean the demise of the middle American cruising public.

        So now is the time for all of those associations, businesses and cruising public to challenge this newly enacted "seizure of anchoring rights" by Florida, Georgia, and any other political entity in Federal cour as interference with interstate commerce and any other justicable issue with the same vigor and zeal as the NRA protects American 2nd Amendment rights.

        Boat US, being the "heavy hitter" must take the lead!

        Alan V. Cecil
        M/V SIGMACHI

        Reply to Alan
    • Jun 24, 2021by:   Larry Dorminy No Comments

      Florida Keys Pump-out Outfitting Program – MPOOP

      There are nearly 500 marine facilities throughout the Florida Keys with hundreds of liveaboard vessels at these locations. However, less than 30 percent of these facilities have pump-out equipment available. Monroe County has adopted policies to increase the availability of pump-out facilities in order to reduce pollutant discharges to protect our nearshore waters.

       

      Monroe County Marina Pump-Out Outfitting Program (MPOOP)

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    • Jun 19, 2021by:   Larry Dorminy No Comments

      AICW Infrastructure and Vision

      Congress authorized the creation of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in 1919 and the entire waterway was completed in 1940. It extends 1,100 miles from Norfolk, Va., to Key West, Fla.

      Waterway Infrastructure And Vision
      The Waterways Journal

      1 Facebook Likes, 1 Facebook Reactions

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    • Jun 18, 2021by:   Larry Dorminy No Comments 35.1852,-75.76279999

      ‘Ditch of Death’: Navigation in Hatteras Inlet dicey … again


       View In Chartview

      Shoaling threatens navigation in economically vital Hatteras Inlet, prompting frustrated fishers to dub the South Ferry Channel the “Ditch of Death.” A consultant, responding to conditions, told the Dare County Waterways Commission Monday that continuing to dredge the passage appears “futile.”

       

      ‘Ditch of Death’: Navigation in Hatteras Inlet dicey … again
      CoastalReview.org

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    • Jun 17, 2021by:   Larry Dorminy No Comments

      NOAA Navigation Services Quarterly Newsletter – June 17, 2021

      These quarterly newsletters report the work being done by NOAA to aid safe navigation.
       
       
      NOAA Navigation Services newsletter banner

       

      Quarterly Newsletter

      July 2021

      NOAA Custom Chart version 1.0 released to the public

      NOAA Custom Chart interfaceOn April 1, 2021, NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey released NOAA Custom Chart version 1.0, a dynamic map tool which enables users to create their own paper and PDF nautical charts derived from the official NOAA electronic navigational chart (NOAA ENC®), NOAA’s premier nautical chart product.

      Read more

      Sea level trends continue to increase at Atlantic and Gulf water level stations

      Map showing relative sea level trends

      The map above illustrates relative sea level trends, with arrows representing the direction and magnitude of change.

      NOAA calculated new trends for its long-term water level stations, incorporating all NOAA water level data up to the end of 2020. The data shows that most long-term trends along the U.S. coastlines point to long-term and persistent sea level rise. Specifically, all U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastal stations experienced an uptick in their sea level trends in 2020. However, many stations along the Pacific coast experienced a slight reduction in their sea level trends. These trends span over 100 stations along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts and islands within the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.

      NOAA’s Precision Marine Navigation data service receives first major update

      Precision Marine Navigation graphicThe Precision Marine Navigation (PMN) program has completed the first update of its prototype navigation data service – the PMN data processing and dissemination system and PMN Data Gateway viewer. The data processing and dissemination system provides surface current forecast guidance from NOAA’s forecast systems, in a prototype marine navigation data format. The viewer allows users to visualize the predictions and discover where they are. Both the system and the viewer were updated to include data from the recently upgraded Northern Gulf of Mexico Operational Forecast System (NGOFS2).

      Read more

      NOAA and its partners to host outreach webinar on upcoming vertical datum updates

      Tidal datums graphicNOAA and its partner agencies in Canada are updating three vertical datums: the International Great Lakes Datum (IGLD) used to reference water levels in the Great Lakes and connecting channels; the National Tidal Datum Epoch (NTDE) used to reference water levels along the U.S. ocean coastline; and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88), the geodetic vertical datum that will be replaced by the North American-Pacific Geopotential Datum of 2022 (NAPGD2022). The datum updates are expected to impact a range of communities, including: navigation and shipping, permitting and planning, surveying and mapping, and water management. To learn more, join us on July 15 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. (EDT) for a joint webinar, Vertical Datums: An Overview and Planned Updates.  

      Register here

      Coast Survey to shut down the Raster Navigational Chart Tile Service and other related services

      Raster Navigational Chart Tile Service interfaceNOAA will shut down its Raster Navigational Chart (RNC) Tile Service and the online RNC Viewer on October 1, 2021. The NOAA Seamless Raster Navigational Chart Services will be shut down on January 1, 2022. This is part of a larger NOAA program to end production and maintenance of all NOAA traditional paper and raster nautical charts that was announced in the Federal Register in November 2019.

      Read more

      NOAA works with partners to expand several Physical Oceanographic Real-Time Systems, enhancing safety of marine navigation

      NOAA has worked with its local partners on the Gulf Coast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast to expand its Physical Oceanographic Real-Time Systems PORTSⓇ to include important sensors that will improve marine navigation safety in these areas. The Corpus Christi PORTS upgrade includes several additional visibility meteorological stations, an offshore wave sensor, and current meters that will provide real-time information mariners can use to navigate the increasingly busy and congested seaport. The Sabine Neches PORTS added a current meter at an LNG facility in Sabine Pass, making it the eighth operational current meter in this PORTS. The Chesapeake Bay South PORTS also added a current meter, for a total of seven around the lower end of the Bay. Finally, a newly rebuilt water level and meteorological station was added to Jacksonville PORTS for monitoring along the St. Johns River, near the Buckman Bridge. The addition of these valuable real-time data helps mariners – particularly from large cargo ships and assisting tug boats coming in and out of port – to navigate safely, protecting life and property and keeping commerce moving smoothly.

      The Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping announces progress report on mapping U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters

      Unmapped waters as of January 2021The Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IWG-OCM) released the second annual report on the progress made in mapping U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters. The depth, shape, and composition of the seafloor are foundational data elements that we need to understand in order to explore, sustainably develop, conserve, and manage our coastal and offshore ocean resources. The 2020 National Strategy for Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone and the global Seabed 2030 initiative make comprehensive ocean mapping a priority for the coming decade. The Unmapped U.S. Waters report tracks progress toward these important goals.

      Read more

      New coastal models will aid mariner safety on the west coast and Gulf of Mexico

      Cargo vessel docked in Corpus Christi, Texas

      NOAA operational forecast models can help ships like this one docked in Corpus Christi anticipate coastal conditions that may impact the safety and efficiency of their travel routes.

      NOAA has launched two new models along the west coast and northern Gulf of Mexico that will provide continuous quality-controlled data on water levels, currents, water temperature and salinity out to 72 hours. These models will cover the entire west coast from Baja Mexico to British Columbia and the entire northern Gulf including the mouth of the Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain, and the Texas border. NOAA’s network of operational forecast models are being implemented in critical ports, harbors, estuaries, Great Lakes, and coastal waters of the U.S. to form a national backbone of real-time data, tidal predictions, data management and operational modeling. This network promotes safe marine navigation in the Nation’s waterways.

       Read more

      NOAA’s National Ocean Service · SSM
      C4, Room 9601 · 1305 East-West Hwy · Silver Spring, MD 20910      		GovDelivery logo

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    • Jun 16, 2021by:   Larry Dorminy No Comments

      Our NC Coast’s History: The Herring Workers

      Coastal Review is featuring the work of North Carolina historian David Cecelski, who writes about the history, culture and politics of the North Carolina coast.

       

      Women gutting and heading herring at either the Perry-Belch or Cannons Ferry fishery, ca. 1937-41. Like so many women in those days, they’re using old fertilizer bags as aprons. Many a family came down to the river with that kind of fertilizer bag and carried salt herring home in them, too. Photo by Charles A. Farrell. Courtesy, State Archives of North Carolina

       

      Our Coast’s History: The Herring Workers
      CoastalReview.org

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    • Jun 7, 2021by:   Larry Dorminy No Comments

      Ten State Parks in the Florida Keys

      Many people do not realize that the Keys are home to ten state parks. Each has something unique to offer and provides expansive scenery and wide-open spaces.

       

      “CHRIST OF THE DEEP” IN JOHN PENNEKAMP CORAL REEF STATE PARK (PHOTO CREDIT: STEPHEN FRINK / FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU)

       

      The 10 Incredible State Parks In The Florida Keys
      TravelAwaits

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    • Jun 1, 2021by:   Larry Dorminy No Comments

      Battery Power by Barry Parker

      This discussion of battery powered ships focuses on commercial shipping, but can battery powered recreational vessels be far behind?

       

      Battery Power
      Marina News May 21, 2021

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    • May 25, 2021by:   Larry Dorminy No Comments

      News from BoatUS: Five Things You Can Do to be Found in an Emergency

      The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water offers five tips that can potentially speed a rescuer’s response to a boater in need of emergency help.

       

      Five Things You Can Do

      to Take the ‘Search’ out of Search and Rescue

      Are you making it difficult to be found in an emergency?

      ANNAPOLIS, MD., May 25, 2021 – “Do I know how to be found in an emergency?” That’s a question every boater should ask at the beginning of the boating season. The answer, however, is likely to go far beyond simply having a cellphone aboard. The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water offers five tips that can potentially speed a rescuer’s response to a boater in need of emergency help.

      1. File a float plan: Telling a responsible family member or friend, leaving a note (on your vehicle’s dashboard) at the launch ramp, or using a smart phone float plan app, are great ways to allow someone else to trigger the alarm if you fail to return by an appointed time.
         
      2. Have a VHF radio aboard — but not just any old VHF radio: All VHF radios are not alike. One of the best ways to speed an on-water rescue is to have a Digital Selective Calling (DSC) VHF radio aboard. A DSC-VHF radio does all of the things a regular VHF does, but it also has a unique press-one-button mayday feature that gives rescuers your vessel’s location — taking the “search” out of search and rescue. The newest waterproof handheld DSC-VHF radios are great for small boats. Before you install your DSC-VHF radio, be sure to get your radio’s Maritime Mobile Service Identity Number (MMSI) that is your vessel’s unique ID. BoatUS members can request one for free.
         
      3. Label your SUP, canoe, or kayak: Adding contact information on the inside of your paddlecraft with a waterproof marker could mean less time U.S. Coast Guard and first responders need to spend chasing down false alarms. This frees up valuable resources when time really counts. And let’s face it, another benefit is that you may get your paddlecraft back after it blows down the lake. It’s also a good idea to let authorities know if your paddlecraft has gone missing.
         
      4. Do not leave shore … without a fully charged phone: Smartphones are part of life ashore and aboard. The reality, however, is that many boaters put all their safety eggs in one basket and rely solely on a cellphone to call for help. Cellphone batteries generally don’t do well after a long day of running apps, listening to music, texting, and taking photos. And for many phones, water is the enemy. Consider keeping your phone a waterproof pouch or case. If you need help for routine, nonemergency assistance, such as a tow home, battery jump, fuel delivery or soft ungrounding, download the BoatUS App that connects boaters to closest local TowBoatUS response vessel.
         
      5. Register your EPIRB or PLB: The U.S. Coast Guard receives hundreds of false alerts each year from these critical safety devices. To free up more time for responsing to real emergencies, boaters need to properly register their Emergency Position Indicating Rescue Beacon (EPIRB) or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). If you need a beacon for only a short period of time, rent one from the affordable BoatUS Foundation EPIRB/PLB rental program.

      ###

      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 more than 800,000 members of Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), the nonprofit 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 36 free state courses – can be found at BoatUS.org/Courses.

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