Okeechobee Waterway Lock Operations during Hurricane Helene
REFERENCE: a. 33 CFR Navigation and Navigable Waters
Notice to Navigation
Notice is given that safe harbor lockages will begin on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 to allow safe passage for vessels before Hurricane Helene makes local landfall. Locks will be open 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. supporting vessel safe harbor passage. Lock operations will stop eight hours prior to landfall, as railroad and drawbridges will be lowered or rotated and locked into a secure position. It’s important that all vessels are at their intended destination before bridges are secured and passage across the waterway suspended. No mooring of vessels on Corps Structures during event.
For Lock Operator safety, the locks will:
Stop locking vessels or working outdoors if lightning is observed within five miles of the lock, and operations will not resume until lightning has not been seen in the area for 30 minutes.
Stop locking vessels when winds exceed 35 MPH.
After a storm, it could be days or weeks before the waterway is reopened, depending on damage to structures and how quickly debris creating navigation hazards can be removed. When locking is resumed, it will be at the site’s normal locking hours: Okeechobee Waterway Locks from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Canaveral Harbor Lock 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m..
For up-to-date Lock information, contact the shift operator 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at:
St Lucie Lock & Dam 772-287-2665 or 863-662-9148
Port Mayaca Lock & Dam 561-924-2858 or 863-662-9424
Julian Keen, Jr. Lock & Dam 863-946-0414 or 863-662-9533
Ortona Lock & Dam 863-675-0616 or 863- 662-9846
W.P. Franklin Lock & Dam 239-694-5451 or 863-662-9908
Canaveral Lock 321-783-5421 or 863-662-0298 (6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.)
//signed//
Christopher Rush
Acting Chief of Navigation
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
South Florida Operations Office
Jeffrey D Prater
Public Affairs Specialist
Corporate Communications Office
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District
Nick Bonzey captured a series of photographs showing giant bat rays, which are nearly four feet in diameter, leaping out of the water at Cabo Pulmo, along Baja Peninsula in Mexico.
This commodity is Old Growth Long Leaf Yellow Pine. On our south Georgia farm, my Grandad called it “fat lighterd” as in kindling wood for starting a fire. Thank you, Janice, for the memories.
SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE ~~ latest addition! Settle back for your Sunday Morning Read. I’m so honored that you’re following along. Thank you.
Please enjoy the latest passages from STEADFAST. As of August 1st, 2024 we are undergoing extensive repair and refit and will be for several months. In boating terms we are hauled out “on the hard.” I plan to mix Sailing Stories with the challenges and intricacies of restoring a 90-year-old Sailing Yacht. I’m always open to suggestions as to content….please feel free to weigh in. Thank you. J
Changes to the USCG Local Notice to Mariners (LNM) and Light Lists
The U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center announces upcoming changes to the Local Notice to Mariners (LNM) and the Light List, as part of our efforts to modernize and improve the accessibility, accuracy, and overall user experience for mariners and other stakeholders. What Is Changing? 1. Transition From Paper Charts: In January 2025, NOAA will discontinue the production of all paper charts. In alignment with this change, the Coast Guard will transition from using NOAA Paper Chart Numbers and Editions/Dates for disseminating Marine Safety Information (MSI) to using Official Waterway Names. 2. How You Will Access LNMs and Light Lists: The LNM and Light List data will now be available in a geospatial format, which will allow you to visualize information interactively on a map/chart. You can use your mouse wheel or the +/- buttons in the upper left portion of the screen to zoom in or out and navigate to your desired area on the map/chart. Once the area is displayed, you can generate a PDF of the LNM or Light List for that specific area, which you can then save and/or print. Alternatively, you can use a fillable form on our website to select your waterway byroutes. 4. Elimination of Weekly Files: Weekly LNMs, Weekly Light List Correction Files, Daily Discrepancy Files, and the Summary of Light List Changes will no longer be published to focus on providing the most up-to-date and accessible format. In the near future, we will also publish an Application Programming Interface (API) for interested parties to access the data externally. Why Are These Changes Being Made? The modernization of MSI delivery is designed to improve the U.S. Coast Guard’s aid-to-navigation data management and dissemination capabilities. By providing frequent updates, geospatial visualization, and digital access, we hope to achieve our goals of: • Enhancing Maritime Safety: By delivering the most current and precise information, mariners can make better-informed decisions, reducing the risk of accidents and ensuring safer navigation. • Improving Accessibility: The shift to geospatial visualization makes it easier for all users, from commercial mariners to recreational boaters, to stay informed. • Increasing Efficiency: The integration of LNM and Light List data into a geospatial format to simplify the gathering of safety information and facilitate easy route planning. When Will These Changes Take Effect? The transition to the modernized LNM and Light List platform (the Navigation Center website) will be completed by Monday, September 30th. How to Access the New Features? Starting on September 30th, 2024, you will be able to access the updated LNM and Light List through the NAVCEN website. A User Guide will be available on the NAVCEN website. Customers will still have the ability to download legacy versions of these products until October 21st. For any questions or assistance, please visit our Contact Us Page, select ‘LNMs or Light Lists’ from the Subject dropdown, and submit your inquiry. Thank you for your continued support as we work to improve the safety and efficiency of maritime navigation. U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center (www.navcen.uscg.gov) . name from the Light List and generate the LNM or Light List. 3. LNM and Light List Data Refresh Rate: LNM data will be refreshed every fifteen minutes. Light List data will be refreshed every 24 hours. This will give you a much more up-to-date operating picture, designed to enhance your efficiency and improve safety in your area of transit or planned.
Ready to dive in? Your new membership to the Coastal Federation supports:
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The commodity is Purpleheart wood. Interesting information.
SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE ~~ latest addition! Settle back for your Sunday Morning Read. I’m so honored that you’re following along. Thank you.
Please enjoy the latest passages from STEADFAST. As of August 1st, 2024 we are undergoing extensive repair and refit and will be for several months. In boating terms we are hauled out “on the hard.” I plan to mix Sailing Stories with the challenges and intricacies of restoring a 90-year-old Sailing Yacht. I’m always open to suggestions as to content….please feel free to weigh in. Thank you. J
Our first commodity has arrived and is resting quietly, enshrouded in newly purchased canvas, protected, draped carefully and evenly on all sides, to avoid damage from exposure to the elements. Rock solid yet fragile, it will soon be essential in its new environment.
There’s a treasure from Mother Nature under there, enough Purpleheart to repair STEADFAST.
Purpleheart Tree, scientific name Peltogyne, has many variations. This miracle of Mother Nature goes by a plethora of other monikers: Amaranth, Violetwood, Purperhart, Pau Roxo, Pau ferro and the indigenous namesakes, Guarabu, Morado, Tananeo. There are no Purpleheart trees currently on endangered lists and many countries, including Panama and Costa Rica, regulate the harvest to assist in its viability.
Glorious, glowing Purpleheart; the color seems surreal and oxidizes to a more ordinary brown, which interestingly is the color when it is first cut.. In the middle photo, Boatbuilder Duncan MacFarlane planes the raw lumber.
I’m sure this commodity was essential in its old environment, too, near the equator, on another continent, albeit bordering the same mighty ocean. We estimate that this lumber came from an impressive tree at least four feet in diameter and research deduces a height of 130-150 feet with a brilliant, green, protective canopy and thousands of shiny, paired leaves, each turning carbon dioxide back into oxygen for the earth’s unsustainable population. The color and size vary within its vast range from southern Mexico to southeastern Brazil. The main attraction of this beautiful wood is the length of its armless trunk, which can be as much as seventy feet; the single board we purchased was 6” x 12” x 27’. Purpleheart is revered for natural rot and insect resistance as well as strength and hardness, perfect for projects such as ours. The blooms are coveted by bees and beekeepers. Secondarily, its stunning color is used for watch faces, furniture, trinkets and household items.
Although it may seem rare and exotic due to its striking appearance, wood-database.com tells us that it is a durable, long-lasting, stable and sustainable wood species. We are all aware of the centuries-old conflict; man trying his best to survive and earn a living, while preserving resources and forests for both future generations and the innumerable organisms that dwell in them.
To me? This is a truly PRECIOUS COMMODITY. That stack of lumber will save my home. I’ve called myself a ‘Conservative Tree-Hugger’ for decades and claim complete independence from political parties (I simply vote for the best candidate…). Mother Nature’s environment is one of my most pertinent concerns, as my immersion and reliance is deeper than most. I’ve never before chosen to utilize something as potentially controversial as Rainforest hardwood, and I hope there are positive economic effects within one of the poorest nations in South America.
This tree was harvested, we hope responsibly, in Suriname and imported directly by Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, USA, located on iconic Martha’s Vineyard. I was admittedly surprised at the location of our resource and told our resourceful Boatbuilder (previously employed there) exactly that. Self-described on their website as “a small, flourishing, boatyard whose mission and passion is designing building, repairing, maintaining and sailing wooden boats,” it seemed the perfect place to obtain our wooden boat’s new components.
The 1350-pound slabs of eggplant-purple lumber will hold STEADFAST together and get her to another ninety years. Her stem (the very front piece of any vessel) and her knee (which attaches the stem to the keel, or bottom) were originally built of American White Oak and, while we found rot, it was due to ingress of water and not the quality or choice of the product itself. The most common phrase on this project? “It lasted ninety years. It doesn’t owe anyone anything.” And frankly, most of both of the pieces being replaced are still darn solid. These are the originals.
The knee is on the left, on the right the stem is being removed. Yep, these are essential.
Our second commodity is, perhaps, even more interesting if less exotic and colorful. STEADFAST was built by Brooklyn, New York’s Wheeler Shipyard in 1934; the exterior planking was Old-Growth Long Leaf Yellow Pine, which, according to The North Carolina Division of Parks & Recreation (here) www.ncparks.gov covered millions of acres of the southeastern United States. All harvestable trees experienced that demise by 1930 with the exception of a few in their state parks, one of which is claimed to be a remarkable 473 years old. I was exquisitely curious as to how they would know that about a living tree, but was not able to discern their method of determining such a tremendous and exact age. Does anyone know?
Regardless, we all realize that the natural resources of North America were ransacked upon ‘discovery’, particularly during the Industrial Revolution as it was such a period of massive construction. Prior to that, the British Crown exported many prime products to build warships, which the Colonies then fought against during the Revolution and beyond. The Long Leaf Yellow, also known as Heart or Loblolly Pine, was so strong and plentiful that it was used for everything from factories and railroad ties to boatbuilding. It, like Purpleheart, is naturally rot and insect resistant, allowing many of the beams from textile mills in the south as well as industrial buildings nationwide to be reclaimed. After many dead ends and one strikingly expensive option we were able to track down a true gentleman in Pennsylvania (and were sworn to secrecy) who is currently compiling the 600 board feet required to recreate STEADFAST’s bow with plank materials specified in the 1930’s. Our decision to not use original materials in the knee and stem was influenced by the fact that there aren’t pieces of oak as large as we wanted. You know why; that commodity, too, was overharvested.
Much of the lumber that you see today is Yellow Pine; it grows fast enough to farm and is so resilient that it has become a remarkably renewable resource when well-managed by landowners and lumber companies. The new growth is completely different than the centuries-old giants which fell before any of us were born. The difference between modern lumber and original old-growth is distinctive; note the very tight grain on the left vs a typical new growth plank.
Old Growth is on the left. Most modern lumber looks like the piece on the right. In the 1980’s STEADFAST was refit and some planking was replaced with modern lumber. The bronze at the bottom is our original rub rail, 2” wide.
Is this interesting to you, my readers? I don’t want to lose any of you and hesitated to write a story about lumber until I built this particular paragraph in my mind, standing on the elevated deck of STEADFAST, watching the reflecting pink sunset silhouette a church spire. Here’s the thing. One more thing.
This information about trees is perhaps not relevant to more than a few of you. But what we as curious, present, and forward-thinking individuals, understand and should keep in mind, on a daily basis, ishow much we don’t know. And to me, nearly everything is interesting. “Who knew?” The inquisitive, the explorers, the travelers of the world are humbled, I think, when we realize how much we still have to learn, see, and perhaps experience, not everyone wants or is able to wander the planet.
Many of my favorite Substack comments come from readers who are intrigued or even intimidated by my experiences. Living on the water is understandably not appealing to most. I know we’re a little crazy. Many have had admirable instances of their own and now prefer to read from the comfort of their recliner. I hope, from the bottom of my writer’s soul, that I do an appropriate job transporting people to the rough North Atlantic or a quiet Bahamian beach. That is the writer’s goal, after all, isn’t it? To place the reader precisely where you are describing. No simple task, and I take it very seriously.
Reading can take you places that you have never been or never really wanted to go. It can teach you many things. In this modern age the same thing goes for audio and video, although I’m of the generation that I still prefer to hold a book in my hands for the full, relaxing, transporting, immersion. While I say that, every day I experience all of you electronically and IT’S WORKING WONDERFULLY!
Thanks for being interesting. J
Here’s your weekly sunrise from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, or as I call it now, Merry-land. After all, we’re staying through Christmas….
SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE has taken a bit of a turn from jousting on the deep blue sea with white sand and palm strewn remote islands to an unexpected and long term refit/rebuild. Like all dynamics this world tosses us, we adjust. My work on Substack is the best part of my week. I share my unique world with people who buy in, respond, empathize and contemplate. Please share these stories with others who you think may enjoy them. My telling seems to resonate with a few people and that just brings us all closer to humans in a busy, complicated world. So, simply and importantly said, thank you.
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Expressions from centuries past still hold merit, whether first uttered by sailor, farmer, politician or poet. This particular phrase, “The best laid schemes of mice and men oft’ go awry…and leave us nothing but grief and pain. For promised Joy.” (translated from old Scottish). I didn’t know the verbiage or its origins until a bit of laser-fast research with Google (remember Reference Rooms in the Library? Giant, heavy tomes of information which included much less than we now hold in our hand!) taught me the balance and the longevity. Deeper delving uncovered a bit more.
Poet Robert Burns penned “To A Mouse” in November 1785 after destroying its home while tilling his field. Knowing the mouse had much work to do (re-do) before winter, he was inspired to write the tribute, seen it in its entirety here compliments of The Poetry Foundation.
It would be difficult to track or even estimate how many times I uttered “…THE BEST LAID PLANS…” without finishing (or starting, really) the sentence because I didn’t need to. Through time, society has shortened and slightly revised the original work. Now, somewhat perplexedly, most of the English-speaking world knows what those four words mean. I daresay many folks wouldn’t have cared as much as Burns when destroying the dwelling of a tiny, wild rodent. Perhaps I’m wrong (?); many of my readers chimed in last week (thank you!) to say that while some folks are malicious, the majority are still making a positive difference rather than creating chaos in this big ol’ world.
That little plant caused some chaos in this farm field, but it was saved!
The entire point is that, more often than not, our plans and schemes do not turn out as anticipated. We even anticipate that they won’t turn out as anticipated! That’s how often things go awry. Sometimes it’s difficult to remember that it’s not always a bad thing. I truly believe that. Most plans not going forward certainly don’t cause such dire circumstances as pain and grief. That was the plan, we say, tossing it aside and moving on.
Many plans on this vessel begin like this:
And then these turn into something, or not.
Plans (long term or short term), are created, communicated and initiated only to hear, oft’ as not, “Good Lord willing and the Creek don’t rise.” While many have interpreted the SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE meaning of this phrase, as in, “if nothing goes wrong, I’ll be there,” there is an historic secondary origin that begs discussion. According to Wiktionary, the phrase is actually credited to Benjamin Hawkins, Continental Congress from North Carolina and Indian Affairs Superintendent in the early 1800s. The story goes that he was requested to travel to Washington and his response was “If God is willing and the Creek don’t rise.” At that time, there was tremendous controversy with the Creek Native American People as they were being forcibly detained onto smaller and smaller reservations.
Google AI tells us that phrase is simply an American slang expression((!) I like the historical version myself) that implies or indicates ‘strong intentions that could be frustrated by uncommon but forseeable events.’
Please, tell me what you think. Weigh in. Do you use these phrases? And if so, in what form? Is there a favorite? How many generations do they go back? Do you think the expression created by a Creek rising or a creek rising? We may never know.
For months, as an additional source of income, I submitted stories to magazines, trying to get my first byline. I’ve been published in two. Two. That’s it. That’s all. My little italicized bio at the end of a SAIL Magazine article (June/July 2024) says “Janice Anne Wheeler and Steve Uhthoff depart this fall on a five-year voyage to the Caribbean and South America aboard STEADFAST, a 56-foot 1934 William Hand Jr. ketch. You can explore her work at JaniceAnneWheeler.com.” The second part of the bio is still true, the other part was just a plan. When that story was published, STEADFAST looked like this:
Now, STEADFAST looks like this:
Stem, knee and planking are being replaced, a months-long process.
The bow from below. This writer will learn the ancient art of Shipbuilding. So will you, if you subscribe and follow along!
Quite an adjustment, for all three of us, to say the least. And, of course, such a plan is not a plan like going to the grocery store this afternoon, it’s a dream, too. It’s big.
When STEADFAST was first contrived in the early 1930’s by designer William Hand, Jr, she looked like this: What a plan. And it, of course, came completely to fruition in 1934. 90 years later, we need a wee bit of repair…
Ah, THE BEST LAID PLANS. They change. We adjust. We smile. We cry. We laugh. Sometimes we forget what the plan even was! We delve into whatever life tosses our way, if it needs to be tackled, we tackle. If it needs to be embraced, we open our hearts and arms. I believe that somewhere, there’s a little bit of God’s will (however I perceive that entity) involved as well as lots of learning, empathy, flexibility and grit.
Man plans. God laughs. I credit this quote to the boatbuilder that saved this vessel once before, in the 1980’s, contributing years of work and resources. I imagine the origins of that expression, too, go back farther than any of us realize. It always makes me smile so I include it, hoping the same for you. Thanks for being here!
SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE, begun just six months ago, was originally envisioned to be stories of travel, sailing and the unending miracles and challenges that Mother Nature presents. Since she presented us with some rather insidious damage in the bow of our big piece of nautical history, we have hauled STEADFAST out in Cambridge, Maryland for the repairs necessary to keep her whole and us safe. It’s both involved and interesting; I’ll definitely be writing about the processes.
The best of human nature has been encountered here; we found a place to live, work & play that, while close to the water, is still a tremendous adjustment. (We do get long, hot showers, something that never happens living aboard). I chose to write on SUBSTACK for the very reason that I could choose all of my own topics and take my writing in any direction that I wished…although I did not foresee this particular creek rise.
*** I will always keep the articles I have written available for free to my readers. If you see value and possess the means, it’s great encouragement to have paid subscribers. If not, simply ‘liking,’ commenting, restacking and sharing these tales helps spread the word about me and what I have chosen to do. There should be someone on your email list that would be intrigued!
Most importantly, YOU ARE TREMENDOUSLY APPRECIATED!
And lastly: our weekly sunrise. These can be seen on Facebook YACHTING STEADFAST each and every morning until 2025. This one’s from the scaffold, where I spend an inordinate amount of time writing stories in my brain and pulling really old cotton out from between these long, lovely planks. Later, we’ll show you how to put all those components back!
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SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE discusses many worldly elements in one form or another. To receive your weekly Sunday Morning Read simply become a subscriber! Thank you.
How these changes will affect the posting of LNMs on Cruisers Net is not clear, but we will attempt to continue the daily posting of LNMs as they are received.
Notice: Changes to the USCG Local Notice to Mariners (LNM) and Light Lists
The U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center announces upcoming changes to the Local Notice to Mariners (LNM) and the Light List, as part of our efforts to modernize and improve the accessibility, accuracy, and overall user experience for mariners and other stakeholders.
What Is Changing?
Transition From Paper Charts: In January 2025, NOAA will discontinue the production of all paper charts. In alignment with this change, the Coast Guard will transition from using NOAA Paper Chart Numbers and Editions/Dates for disseminating Marine Safety Information (MSI) to using Official Waterway Names.
How You Will Access LNMs and Light Lists: The LNM and Light List data will now be available in a geospatial format, which will allow you to visualize information interactively on a map/chart. You can use your mouse wheel or the +/- buttons in the upper left portion of the screen to zoom in or out and navigate to your desired area on the map/chart. Once the area is displayed, you can generate a PDF of the LNM or Light List for that specific area, which you can then save and/or print. Alternatively, you can use a fillable form on our website to select your waterway by name from the Light List and generate the LNM or Light List.
LNM and Light List Data Refresh Rate: LNM data will be refreshed every fifteen minutes. Light List data will be refreshed every 24 hours. This will give you a much more up-to-date operating picture, designed to enhance your efficiency and improve safety in your area of transit or planned routes.
Elimination of Weekly Files: Weekly LNMs, Weekly Light List Correction Files, Daily Discrepancy Files, and the Summary of Light List Changes will no longer be published to focus on providing the most up-to-date and accessible format. In the near future, we will also publish an Application Programming Interface (API) for interested parties to access the data externally.
Why Are These Changes Being Made?
The modernization of MSI delivery is designed to improve the U.S. Coast Guard’s aid-to-navigation data management and dissemination capabilities. By providing frequent updates, geospatial visualization, and digital access, we hope to achieve our goals of:
Enhancing Maritime Safety: By delivering the most current and precise information, mariners can make better-informed decisions, reducing the risk of accidents and ensuring safer navigation.
Improving Accessibility: The shift to geospatial visualization makes it easier for all users, from commercial mariners to recreational boaters, to stay informed.
Increasing Efficiency: The integration of LNM and Light List data into a geospatial format to simplify the gathering of safety information and facilitate easy route planning.
When Will These Changes Take Effect?
The transition to the modernized LNM and Light List platform (the Navigation Center website) will be completed by Monday, September 30th.
How to Access the New Features?
Starting on September 30th, 2024, you will be able to access the updated LNM and Light List through the NAVCEN website. A User Guide will be available on the NAVCEN website. Customers will still have the ability to download legacy versions of these products until October 21st.
For any questions or assistance, please visit our Contact Us Page, select ‘LNMs or Light Lists’ from the Subject dropdown, and submit your inquiry.
Thank you for your continued support as we work to improve the safety and efficiency of maritime navigation.
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