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Sneads Ferry, Newport Shaped by Marine Corps neighbors
The military has been a boon to North Carolina’s economy. It has brought in millions in government spending, thousands of jobs, and generations of families eager to live and retire where they used to serve.
Sneads Ferry, Newport shaped by Marine Corps neighbors
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Albemarle Sound boatbuilding exhibit to open Oct. 11
Whether building boats for business or recreation, or used as a means to freedom, boatbuilders, along with their vessels and shipyards, have impacted the maritime history of the Albemarle Sound.
Employees of Creef Boatworks in Wanchese are shown on a schooner under construction. Photo courtesy Outer Banks History Center, Manteo.
Albemarle Sound boatbuilding exhibit to open Oct. 11
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Why is Boat Speed Measured in Knots?
See also Why a Ship’s Speed is Measured in Knots
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Your Guide to NC’s Brunswick Islands by Chris Chamberlain
Holden Beach is home to a sizeable commercial fishing fleet, and it’s fun to watch them unload at the docks. Image: North Carolina’s Brunswick Island
Your Guide to NC’s Brunswick Islands
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Here Come the Wind Farms; Don’t Discard That Old Radar Reflector by Peter Swanson
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes mariners with salt water in their veins will subscribe.. $5 a month or $42 for the year and you may cancel at anytime.
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To Point or Not to Point, the Starlink Question by Peter Swanson
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes mariners with salt water in their veins will subscribe.. $5 a month or $42 for the year and you may cancel at anytime.
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Beaufort County’s history, natural areas add to its lure, Pamlico River, NC
A centerpiece of the Inner Banks, Beaufort County features a state park, several smaller parks to complement its colonial heritage and is home to CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, Washington City Docks.
Beaufort County’s history, natural areas add to its lure
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BoatUS offers 3 Boating Safety Tips Just Right for Fall Boating
BoatUS offers 3 Boating Safety Tips Just Right for Fall Boating
Annapolis, Md., Sept. 07, 2022 – Fall boating season has arrived, and with it come different types of risks that cold water and air temperatures bring. Here are three boating safety tips from the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water just right for leaf peeping season.
- A float plan is needed: A float plan is as simple as telling a responsible person where you will be going and when you’ll be back. With fewer other boats on the water (potential Good samaritans) after Labor Day, a float plan ensures rescuers will be notified if you ever fail to check back in after your outing. Additionally, leaving a note under your vehicle’s windshield wiper at the launch ramp can help trigger an alarm.
- Got a way back into the boat? Falls overboard may be ranked #5 on the 2021 U.S. Coast Guard’s list of the “Top Five Primary Accident Types” with 273 accidents, but they also led the most number of deaths (170 fatal), as well as more fatalities than all the other 4 top accident types combined (#1 collision with vessel-1226 accidents/31 fatal; #2 collision with fixed object- 508 accidents/43 fatal; #3 flooding/swamping-461 accidents/55 fatal; #4 grounding-308 accidents/23 fatal). Your boarding ladder should be functional and accessible as cold water can quickly sap strength. If your boat doesn’t have a built in-ladder, a compact emergency ladder or even a looped line attached to a cleat, pre-rigged with foothold loops every few inches and hung over the transom, can substitute.
- For life jackets, camo styling hides a danger: Dark green, tan and black camo patterns are remarkable at doing exactly as designed, blending you into your surroundings. However, that’s not a benefit if you happen to be floating in the water and rescuers are searching. If possible, make their job easier and wear a life jacket with high visibility. For smaller vessels and paddlers, leaf peeping season is also a really good time to secure the life jacket to your body – that includes using buckle snaps.
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- A float plan is needed: A float plan is as simple as telling a responsible person where you will be going and when you’ll be back. With fewer other boats on the water (potential Good samaritans) after Labor Day, a float plan ensures rescuers will be notified if you ever fail to check back in after your outing. Additionally, leaving a note under your vehicle’s windshield wiper at the launch ramp can help trigger an alarm.
Rediscover Fort Raleigh National Historic Site! Albemarle Sound, NC
Rediscover Fort Raleigh National Historic Site!
Over the next month leading up to Public Lands Day on September 24,
we’re reintroducing you to our Outer Banks national parks and the amazing stories and experiences they protect!
Ranger Josh shares what you can experience at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.Watch Now When was the last time you experienced Fort Raleigh National Historic Site? Established in 1941, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is located on Roanoke Island overlooking the Albemarle Sound. The park is best known as the site of the first attempted English settlement in the “New World,” which is often referred to as the “Lost Colony” for its mysterious disappearance. Prior to the arrival of the English, the island was the home of the Carolina Algonquian peoples.
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site was also the site of the Freedmen’s Colony, which was established by freedom seekers and members of the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, the colony was disbanded, but some brave individuals and families joined together to buy plots of land and establish a community on Roanoke Island. Many of their descendants still live on the island today.
Thousands of visitors come to the park each year to learn how this small island has played such an important role in America’s history.
Whether you visit the park every year or haven’t been in a while, make plans to rediscover this amazing park:
- Reflect at the First Light of Freedom Monument. The First Light of Freedom monument commemorates the Roanoke Island Freedmen’s Colony that was set up during the Civil War. The colony provided a safe haven for freedom seekers to help prepare them for a new life.
- Visit the reconstructed earthen fort. Archeological evidence shows an earthwork and science workshop were present on the site in the 1580s. Copper nuggets, charcoal, furnace bricks, and more were discovered just west of the earthwork, which could be the workshop site of Joachim Gans, a metal expert on the 1585 expedition.
- Explore history and nature on two beautiful trails. The Freedom Trail is a 1.25 mile-trail through maritime forest that ends with views of the Croatan Sound on the western edge of the park, near the location where the Freedmen’s Colony and Civil War forts once stood. Return by the trail or use the bike path along Highway 64 for a loop back to the Visitor Center of 2.5 miles. For a shorter walk, check out the Thomas Hariot Trail, a 0.3-mile loop through the island’s maritime forest to the sandy shores of Albemarle Sound. Along the way you’ll learn about the forest habitat, the Carolina Algonquian methods for gathering food, and resources the English found valuable on Roanoke Island.
- View the 1896 Monument. On November 24, 1896, the Roanoke Island Memorial Association dedicated the marker to Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the “New World.”
PS: If you use social media, follow Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to stay up to date with the latest happenings!
Roanoke Island: New Clues Uncovered In
Enduring Mystery
Roanoke Island’s sandy soil has many stories to tell. One of those stories is that of the “Lost Colony.” Archaeologists with the First Colony Foundation – which is dedicated to conducting archaeological and historical research and learning about the first attempted English colonies on Roanoke Island – in partnership with the National Park Service, are working hard to understand what stories this soil holds.
Learn More Join A Ranger Program!
Check out the schedule below for a list of ranger programs that will be offered at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site now through October 9! Limited programs are offered throughout the year; visit the park’s website before you go for the most up-to-date schedule. The Freedmen’s Colony – The Civil War on Roanoke
A beacon of hope! During the Civil War, Roanoke Island became a safe haven for freedom seekers. Discover the successes and struggles of the Freedmen’s Colony and its fate after the Civil War.The “Lost Colony” – Walking Tour
Delve into the history and mystery surrounding England’s first attempt to establish a colony in the new world. This walk follows paved sidewalks and is .25 miles in length. Meet at the plaza outside the Visitor Center. This program is wheelchair accessible.Park Programs Your Impact: Telling Important Stories
With the help of our donors, we are currently working with our National Park Service staff and volunteers to create a new education garden beside the park’s Visitor Center! This education garden will include three 2’ x 8’ raised garden beds that will be used to grow crops that were cultivated by the Carolina Algonquian and members of the Freedmen’s Colony. The garden will allow our park’s staff and volunteers to share why these crops were vital to the history of our community.
The goal of this new education garden is to enhance the understanding of our local history, and to help our park better tell the important stories of the people who shaped our unique community. The garden will also focus on the role women from these communities played in leading, organizing, and performing agriculture.Consider a tax-deductible gift today to help us continue to protect and enhance this special place.
Donate Now Virtual Education Programs
Virtual education programs are available at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site! Join a ranger from wherever you are to learn about the diverse stories that the park preserves. These programs are free and can be scheduled for schools and organized groups. Contact Josh Nelson, Lead Park Ranger, for more information: Josh_Nelson@nps.gov.
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Handling a Dinghy from Yachting Monthly
Dinghies and tenders might be small, but good seamanship is just as vital in these diminutive craft as it is in much larger boats, as Rachael Sprot explains.
Handling & rowing a dinghy: everything you need to know
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Navigating Under Bridges – Passagemaker
Bridges can be a bit intimidating, and judging from the number of scrapes or damaged timbers seen on fender systems, there is good reason for the concern.
Flagler Memorial in Palm Beach, on a single span opening
Navigating Under Bridges by Bob Arrington
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Ups and Downs of the Solar Coaster! Sun Powered Yachts
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The photo above is from when we hauled out Blake, our Dufour 382, for new antifouling.
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Good Reads for the Maritime Community – St Albans Press
A tale of modern day piracy on the high seas that had its roots in the second world war.
During the last days of World War II, two SS officers desert the German army and sail with two dozen hijacked tanks to a South American dictatorship. Decades later the same regime, facing a mortal threat, hires a British shipping executive and a former British army captain to perform a daring act of maritime piracy. As the two young Englishmen ally with the elderly SS men, the present mirrors the past – and a remarkable crime on the high seas races to an explosive conclusion.
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Stop Feeding Wild Animals by Alex Rickert
Social media might make it seem cool to go viral with the next mind-blowing animal encounter, but feeding many wild animals, especially marine mammals, is already illegal.
Sharks + intentional feeding = a dangerous situation for all involved. CONTRIBUTED
STOP FEEDING WILD ANIMALS by Alex Rickert
Keys WeeklyComments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Jim
We dump our sewer plant discharges into their water, then drain our streets and highways into their environment. But you are worried about humans feeding them???
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Boat Etiquette 101: How to get Invited Back
BOAT ETIQUETTE 101: HOW TO GET INVITED BACK – ONBOARD MAGAZINE
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Dare County has played key roles in NC history, tourism by Eric Medlin
In Coastal Review’s continuing series on coastal county history, the county named for the first English child born in the New World still draws people from around the world.
The current Washington Baum Bridge was completed in 1994. Photo: Roger Mulligan/Creative Commons
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NOAA Navigation Services Newsletter – July 2022
Quarterly Newsletter
July 2022
Creating customized nautical charts using the latest data
An image showing the output of the NOAA Custom Chart application with a chart covering the western side of the Chesapeake Bay.
Nautical charts have always contained a great amount of information – even more so with electronic navigational charts. This information is constantly being updated, necessitating the need to keep your nautical chart suite as current as possible. NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey’s online NOAA Custom Chart application enables users to create nautical charts directly from the latest official NOAA electronic navigational chart (NOAA ENC®) data. Users now have the ability to create their own nautical charts using individually set parameters, and then save this custom nautical chart as a file that can be viewed or printed.
NOAA Partners with U.S. Navy to Establish A New PORTS® in Washington
Aerial view of Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. (Credit: U.S. Navy/Naval Base Kitsap)
On June 13, NOAA announced a new partnership with the U.S. Navy to establish a new Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®) at Naval Base Kitsap, the Nation’s third-largest Navy installation and home of the largest fuel depot in the Continental U.S. NOAA has now established 37 PORTS® across the Nation through advanced technology and strong regional partnerships. PORTS sensor data is an invaluable decision support tool for the maritime community, and is used daily by professional and recreational mariners to safely navigate constantly changing weather and water conditions. The system near Naval Base Kitsap, Kitsap PORTS, consists of two current meters and one new water level and meteorological monitoring station. Its integrated sensors provide critical real-time information on oceanographic and meteorological conditions to improve navigation safety of vessels entering and exiting Puget Sound, Hood Canal, and Rich Passage. View the real-time data for the Kitsap PORTS here.
Web-Based Tools Make Submitting Data to NGS Easier
Last summer, NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey introduced new web-based tools for submitting geodetic survey data through its Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) Projects 4.0, allowing users nationwide to increase the number and volume of submitted survey data. Web-based tools offer an easy, intuitive way to manage and process geodetic survey projects involving multiple sites and multiple occupations. A quote in a recent California Department of Transportation newsletter called the tool “a great way to process, manage and share high-quality geodetic control with the geospatial community. It can reduce time spent researching by having data in a nationally maintained, recognized, and accessible online location.” The National Geodetic Survey relies on federal, state, and local partners to supply geodetic-quality data to maintain the National Spatial Reference System.
NOAA focuses on the Great Lakes for the 2022 field season
NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson shown from the bridge wing of a passing ship outside of Montreal, Quebec. (Credit: St. Lawrence Seaway Pilots)
In 2022, NOAA and NOAA contractors will survey U.S. coastal waters and beyond, including multiple missions in the Great Lakes. As the volume, value and size of marine vessels in U.S. waters continues to grow, it is essential that NOAA increase the accuracy and frequency of surveys. A great amount of data on nautical charts of the Great Lakes is more than 50 years old, and only about 5 to 15 percent of the Great Lakes are mapped to modern standards using remote sensing methods such as light detection and ranging and sound navigation and ranging.
New Meteorological Station On Narragansett Bay Enhances Local Maritime Safety
Narragansett Bay PORTS is made up of several types of sensors including water level and meteorological stations, and a current meter.
The NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services worked with the Rhode Island Department of Emergency Management, one of NOAA’s local partners for the Narragansett Bay PORTS®, to install a new meteorological station at the Davisville Terminal. Located within the Quonset Business Park in the Port of Davisville, Rhode Island’s only public port, the new meteorological station delivers wind, air temperature, relative humidity and air pressure data to the community. Access to site-specific wind data at this location will enhance the safety and efficiency of navigation for Narragansett Bay PORTS®. Davisville is one of the top ten auto importers in North America. In the near future, there will be growing utilization of this facility for wind turbine equipment, due to its proximity to several offshore wind farms.
Ocean and coastal mapping matching fund opportunity
NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey invites non-federal entities to partner with NOAA National Ocean Service’s ocean and coastal mapping programs on jointly funded projects of mutual interest using NOAA’s geospatial contracting vehicles. Known as the Brennan Matching Fund, the opportunity relies on NOAA’s mapping, charting, and geodesy expertise, appropriated funds, and its authority to receive and expend matching funds contributed by partners to conduct surveying and mapping activities. Partners benefit from this opportunity by leveraging NOAA’s contracting expertise, including its pool of pre-qualified technical experts in surveying and mapping as well as data management to ensure that the mapping data are fit for purpose and are usable for a broad set of purposes, including, for example, safe navigation, integrated ocean and coastal mapping, coastal zone management, renewable energy development, coastal and ocean science, climate preparedness, infrastructure investments, and other activities.Great Lakes Stations Now Available in Coastal Inundation Dashboard
The Coastal Inundation Dashboard is a decision support tool that helps communities anticipate and monitor what sea levels will do along the coast in the short-term and plan for the impacts of a high water event.
In the wake of record or near-record Great Lakes water levels in 2019 and 2020, NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services has added 50 Great Lakes water level stations to the Coastal Inundation Dashboard. Real-time and historical water levels are available through the web-mapping application, overlaid upon National Weather Service flood impact thresholds (where available). In addition, users now have the ability to view up to 20 water level stations on a single page via the Multi-Station View feature, allowing them to easily monitor water levels across an entire lake or region. Planned improvements over the next several months to this feature include adding historical station top-ten water level data, the integration of National Ocean Service Operational Forecast System model guidance and display of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 6-month lake-wide water level forecast information.
Emergency Response Imagery Updated for 2022
NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey released this year’s emergency response pre-event imagery. Coverage includes the East and Gulf coasts, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Images for the West Coast have also been collected and should be available in the next two months. These image releases support emergency response efforts and allow for quick comparisons as responders analyze the areas hardest hit by events such as hurricanes, tornados, and floods. This imagery is also available on the NOAA Open Data dissemination site.
Nautical
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Bradenton on the Manatee River, FL
Officially “The Friendly City,” Bradenton is a vibrant city located along the Gulf Coast in Manatee County in the US State of Florida.
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Pine Island, FL north of Okeechobee Waterway
Cruisers Net lists only one marina, Four Winds Marina, suitable for drafts less then 3.5ft, at the northern tip of Pine Island. However, there are several good depth anchorages at the southern tip of the island just north of the Caloosahatchee River and the Okeechobee Waterway.
Pine Island, Florida
Pine Island is the biggest island in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida Peninsula, just outside Fort Myers. In this small and idyllic oceanfront community, visitors will be welcomed with tropical plants, beaches, marine preserves, and greens expanses filled with palm trees. With a favorable climate that feels what many would describe as paradise, one can fall in love with the vintage and rural Florida atmosphere. Pine Island is home to several outdoor recreational activities and is filled with aquatic wildlife. It has grown to notoriety for its abundance of tropical fruit such as mangoes and lychees, which visitors flock to the island for. Geography Of Pine Island
Welcome sign at Pine Island, Florida. Editorial credit: SR Productions / Shutterstock.com Of the entire US, Pine Island is the 118th largest island and resides in Florida’s Lee County, which is west of Cape Coral. Pine Island is a part of a chain of islands that constitute the Matlacha Pass and separates it from the Florida Mainland. On the west side of Pine Island reside the Intracoastal Waterway, a waterway that runs from Massachusetts to Texas, passing around the Florida Peninsula. Of the nearby islands, Sanibel Island lies to the south, North Captiva Island to the west, and Captiva Island to the southwest.
Geology Of Pine Island
Similar to nearby Fort Myers, Pine Island is made up of deposits of coral rock. This variation of limestone encrusted with fossilized shells, animals, and even pine trees found in the northern tip from the excavation is common throughout southern Florida. Following millions of years of North America settling into place from the continental drift, that state’s land mass was twice as large. This saw extensive forests, dunes, and tributaries with the coast of the Gulf of Mexico starting another 100 miles west of Pine Island. Thus, came the ice age, which brought forth flooding as the glacier defrosted. Around 4500 BC, the shape of Florida formed into something similar to today. The former ice age also increased water levels and created the long and narrow islands seen off the gulf coast, including Pine Island. With churning ocean water, channels, shoals, and the unnamed sand beaches that are a familiar attraction of Pine Island formed. However, the mingling of freshwater and saltwater from the tributaries’ output created sedimentation. The fallen trees from the shore, among shells, animals, and other items fossilized in this sedimentation, created the limestone, better known as coral rock.
Brief History Of Pine Island
Long before the town of Pine Island existed, the Calusa Indians were the first known inhabitants of this island, around 800 AD. The first contact with outsiders did not occur until the mid-16th century when Spanish conquistadors landed. By the 19th century, there were no further documented occurrences of the Calusa Indians, and it is believed the tribe could have died off or dissolved into other tribes. Ongoing research is being conducted on Pine Island to further understand the Calusa Indians, with artifacts being unearthed as of today.
Ecology Of Pine Island
Pelican and fishermen on Bokeelia Pier in Pine Island, Florida. Editorial credit: SR Productions / Shutterstock.com The natural beauty of Pine Island is an attraction in itself and draws nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts from all over the US. On the island, there are many wildlife or aquatic preserves. Nestled between Pine Island and the Florida mainland, the Little Pine Island Reserve can be found. This smaller island of the same name is entirely a state-owned refuge with a series of hiking trails. Little Pine Island serves as a roosting spot for many migratory birds such as ospreys, egrets, and the roseate spoonbill. To the northeast and across the Matlacha Pass is another Preserve by the name of Matlacha Pass Aquatic Outstanding Florida Water. This marine protected area contains 538 acres of marine estuary and over 20 islands. With wide varieties of wetland trees, the red, black, and white mangroves are found in abundance. Of the many endangered species, the West Indian manatee, eastern indigo snake, and wood stork call this preserve home.Be the first to comment!
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