Abuse of the maritime radio frequencies is a serious offense and hurts all boaters. If you can help in determining the source of fake calls, please contact the Coat Guard.
Audio Release
U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic Contact: 5th District Public Affairs Office: (757) 398-6272 After Hours: (757) 434-7712 5th District online newsroom
Coast Guard seeks public’s help to identify hoax caller near Pamlico Sound, NC
Editors’ Note: Audio edited to omit profanity. Please email d5de@uscg.mil to request audio including profanity.
WILMINGTON, N.C. — The Coast Guard would like the public’s help to identify a suspected hoax caller who has made numerous hoax radio transmissions originating from the Pamlico Sound and Oregon Inlet area.
“The Coast Guard is committed to saving lives,” said Capt. Bion Stewart, the commander of Sector North Carolina. “When someone makes a hoax distress call, we are required to respond. This uses up our limited resources, which may reduce our ability to respond to mariners actually in danger.”
Sector North Carolina watchstanders have received several suspected or confirmed hoax radio calls believed to be from the same individual.
The calls in the Pamlico Sound were made on VHF-FM marine radio channel 16, a channel designated only for hailing and distress calls. The caller has stated that they were “going down” and regularly broadcasts “mayday” or “help” along with a string of other calls, including profanity.
Penalties for making a false distress call can include up to 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines, plus the cost incurred by the search.
In 2014, Homer Lewis Blackburn from Atlantic Beach was sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined $288,390.80 for making false distress calls to the Coast Guard. Blackburn made a “mayday” call to the Coast Guard claiming he was sinking and abandoning his boat near Cape Lookout and Shackleford Banks. The Coast Guard led a search effort involving the U.S. Marines, the National Park Service and a private salvage company.
“Hoax calls are not funny, nor are they clever,” Stewart said. “They are irresponsible and dangerous. Have no doubt, we are committed to identifying and stopping those who are making hoax calls.”
If you have any information leading to the identification of a hoax caller, please contact the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) through the Sector North Carolina command center at 910-343-3880. Information leading to the successful identification of the hoax caller may be subject to a reward from CGIS.
A call is considered a hoax when there is an intent to deceive the Coast Guard or emergency responders.
A search using an HC-130 Hercules airplane costs approximately $15,000 per hour, and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter operates at approximately $10,000 per hour. Boat rescues costs top out at approximately $5,000 per hour.
-USCG-
Share:
Be the first to comment!
Jun 28, 2019by: Larry DorminyNo Comments27.37,-82.61839999
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is a group of dedicated cruisers who always provide unique reports from the marinas they visit. Longboat Key Club Moorings, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is located on the western shores of Sarasota Bay, north of the city of Sarasota and south of Longboat Pass.
CCCC May Cruise to Sarasota
By Capt. Doug Rhees
Early in the year the CCCC cruise chairman made plans for the May Club cruise to take the Okeechobee Waterway, Caloosahatchee River, east to Lake Okeechobee, cross it and continue on east on the St. Lucie River to Stuart Fl. One of the Club members had made arrangements for 10 boats at Sunset Bay and Marina. As cruise time neared reports of shallow water east of Clewiston in the Lake had several members quite concerned about running aground.
This concern prompted a change in the May20 to 26 cruising dates as the safety of our members and their boats is paramount. We were able to obtain good dock space along with welcoming staff at both Marina Jack and Longboat Key Club in Sarasota. Because of the destination uncertainty and the late date change in venues, our numbers dwindled to just four boats. The trip up from Charlotte Harbor May 20 was pleasant as most boaters chose to run outside in the Gulf. The boat that came up the ICW found a pleasant ride as well with no bridge delays. Once all were docked Happy Hour was enjoyed by all at dockside.
Tuesday saw most members spending some time on boat projects prior to a group dinner at the Marina Jack upper level restaurant. Wednesday we all walked to the shopping area sightseeing and enjoyed a lunch at the Whole Foods store. We had an early group dinner at Owens Fish Camp (a local favorite and quite a unique spot). If you don’t get there early the wait can be very long.
Thursday we departed Marina Jack for a short 5 mile run up Sarasota Bay to the Long Boat Key Club to enjoy their pool and many amenities including the resort’s beach. Some of our group went via Marina shuttle to St. Armands Circle to shop. On day two the group spent time at the pool meeting new friends, and viewing the many large boats slipped at this beautiful facility. The evening meal was a group cookout using grills provided by the Marina.
As happens with most cruises the final day comes too soon and it was time to slip lines and shove off for home. Although some planned to head south on the outside for a faster return time, reports of an increasing south wind kept everyone in the ICW. It was crowded and slower but made for a safe ride home. Even a small group can and did have a great time. Hopefully a run to the east coast will be in the works for 2020.
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is open to new members who own a boat with overnight accommodations and
reside in the Cape Coral / Ft. Myers area. For membership information please contact Phil Kryger at
Derelicts have been and continue to be a major concern all along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. If you have had experience with these derelict removal grants, let us hear from you, especially if you applied as an individual through a government agency.
Derelict Vessel Removal Grant 2018-2019 4th Opportunity Announcement 06/25/2019 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is announcing the opportunity for State, County, Municipal and other authorized governmental entities, to apply for Derelict Vessel Removal Grants. The Fourth application period for the Bulk Derelict Vessel Removal Grant Program will begin on Monday July 1, 2019, at 8:00 AM (EST), and end on Wednesday August 14, 2019, at 5:00 PM (EST). Applications received after Wednesday August 14, 2019, will not be eligible for consideration in round four. All removal applications must demonstrate proof that due process was provided for each vessel’s owner. At a minimum, this would include an opportunity for the vessel owner to challenge the derelict vessel determination, either in criminal court or in an administrative hearing. Vessel cases not demonstrating that these opportunities have been offered to the owners of the vessels will not be considered for state funding assistance. A letter of Authorization for Removal from the law enforcement officer must also be included for each vessel applied for. Should funding be available for a fifth or subsequent round of applications, new announcements will be made. The grant guidelines and application form may be downloaded at: http://www.MyFWC.com/DVGrant.
You may also receive the guidelines and application by contacting Phil Horning at (850) 617-9540 or email DVGrant@MyFWC.com.
Applications that meet the requirements for the Rapid Removal Grant Program may be submitted at any time after the opportunity announcement start date, but no later than November 1, 2019, at 5:00pm (EST) (based on available funding). Rapid removal cases must meet requirements of published guidelines as well as due process requirements. Total funding allocated for derelict vessel removal for fiscal year 2018-2019 is $1,000,000. The balance remaining will be available for additional DV removal grant opportunities in the 2018-2019 budget year. Applications may be mailed to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Boating and Waterways Section, Derelict Vessel Grant Program Administrator, at 620 S. Meridian Street – Room 235, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1600 or emailed to DVGrant@MyFWC.com.
For further information, please contact:
Phil Horning, Derelict Vessel Program Administrator, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Division of Law Enforcement, Boating and Waterways Section, (850) 617-9540 or email Phil.Horning@MyFWC.com
Our thanks to Jim Standing for this report of a recent group voyage to the Albemarle Loop, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, in Albemarle Sound. Along the way they encountered two more of Cruisers Net’s finest sponsors, Dismal Swamp Welcome Center and Albemarle Plantation Marina. The Albemarle Loop is also home to historic Edenton, another CRUISERS NET SPONSOR.
The age old issue of converting popular ICW anchorages, such as North and South Lakes in Hollywood, into mooring fields has in the past been associated with municipal waterfronts like St. Augustine. The mooring fields are considered to be a way to prevent derelicts and long term, unattended anchored vessels. See Anchoring Hassels in Hollywood, Florida and Sewage in Waterway Blamed on Boaters, Hollywood, FL.
Our sincerest thanks to Greg and Barbara Allard for sharing their thoughts and beautiful photography from their Bahamas cruises. These photos and descriptions will have you aching to follow in the Allard’s wake! For more this excellent photography, type Allard in our Homepage search window for letters from previous cruises.
“People who live on continents get into the habit of regarding the ocean as journey’s end, the full stop at the end of the trek. For people who live on islands, the sea is always the beginning. It’s the ferry to the mainland, the escape route from the boredom and narrowness of home.”
We have been traveling with our friends Jim and Ellen. Jim has been playing with a new drone and has taken some excellent pictures, including this one of our boat Meander (lower boat, dark hull) in the mooring field at Warderick Wells. Their boat, Latitude, is just above ours. We’ll show a couple more of Jim’s drone photos later.
The water looks just like what’s shown in the photo; under the boats it is about 12’ deep. The lightest colored water is just inches deep.
A rock cairn, a decorative pile of rocks which has been used for centuries. Former boy and girl scouts will remember this is a way to mark a trail. It has also been used to delineate property lines This one was erected on the beach by visitors.
A sisal tree in bloom. These trees were brought to the Bahamas in the eighteenth century, as an excellent source of strong natural fibers which were used to make ropes for ships. That industry was long ago abandoned, but there are a few scattered trees which remind us of those times.
The Bahamas are primarily made of limestone, and only a few of the islands have enough soil to grow some vegetables and fruit. The rest of the vegetation has to find a nook or cranny to set down roots in the rock or sand, sometimes not successfully. This was once a bush along the beach, but it seems to have taken a new life as a model for “The Creature from the Deep”.
The end of the school day at Black Point, a time loved by children everywhere. All Bahamian school children wear uniforms.
Black Point is an island community, one of our favorites. The island has a population of around 400, many of whom work on neighboring islands and commute there by boat.
This young man was enjoying his ice slush. He’s thinking: “Don’t even try to take this from me.” Love the hair.
Peermon Rolle runs a bakery out of her home. She makes some of the best Bahamian bread, especially her coconut bread. We can’t go to Black Point without buying several loaves.
Peermon’s granddaughter, and great granddaughter.
On the quiet main street of the Black Point settlement, you’ll find any number of residents sitting in their front yards “plaiting” – that is, weaving thin strands of palm into long strips of material usually between two and four inches wide. Those strips are then sold, by the roll, to straw makers in Nassau, who use the strips to make bags, hats or baskets. Most of the straw weavers engaged in this cottage industry are women, but this man named Boise was busy at work; his fingers were impossibly fast. We bought three rolls of plait from Boise and his wife Corrine, also a weaver.
The next day, Peermon showed Barbara and Ellen how to use the strips of plait, and the techniques for fastening them together.
Is this a boat-goat, or a goat-boat? As billy-goats go, this one was friendly, taking some shelter from the sun under this Bahamian competitive sailing vessel.
In the last Letter, we showed you a photo of a spotted eagle ray. This is a different photo of the ray, more clearly showing a remora fish under the ray’s left wing. In this case, the remora is not attached to the wing and is just swimming freely under the ray, but usually the remora attach themselves to rays, sharks and other fish, and go along for the ride.
This photo is of a large free swimming remora (also called a suckerfish), which swam under the dock at Black Point. They are regularly 8-15 inches long, and usually not more than 31”. This remora is a large one, almost three feet. Note the strange flat disc on his head which is what he uses to clamp onto the host fish. The vanes of the disc act like suction cups. It is said that the remora serves to clean the undersides of their host fish from parasites and growth. We’ve never experienced it, but we have heard that sometimes they approach divers or small boats, and attempt to attach to them; they are easily removed if pushed forward.
This seagull was lucky. It’s likely he lost his leg to a shark.
A green sea turtle, in one of the creeks at Shroud Cay.
Diving Thunderball at Staniel Cay. This rock island, with an underwater cave, is named after the James Bond Thunderball movie, where a few of the scenes were filmed. The best snorkeling is not in the cave, but outside, on the east, north and south sides, where there are some excellent coral formations with a good variety of fish, and fewer divers.
A blue Tang.
In a prior letter we showed you a hand-carved fish head from Spanish Wells. We found this driftwood board, with its fish created by nature, on a beach in the Exumas.
Barbara navigates our dinghy through the shallows.
We mentioned earlier that our friend Jim was experimenting with a new drone, and he took these next two pictures. I’m including them here, because they offer a different perspective on the beauty of the Bahamas.
This is a view of Shroud Cay with its serpentine creek which cuts right through the island, running from the Exuma Banks to the Exuma Sound. At high tide we took a dinghy through it; someone compared it to an African Queen experience.
Just south of Warderick Wells. There are no other words needed for this photo.
This derelict boat washed up on the beach in front of David Copperfield’s house on Musha Cay. Usually boats like this are difficult to get rid of, but we suspect that David will make it disappear.
A simple but engaging painting by a local Bahamian artist.
The end of the day, with the sun melting into the ocean.
This will be our last Letter from the Bahamas. Later this week, weather permitting, we will cross the Florida Straits (the Gulf Stream) back to the U.S. It has been another excellent cruise through this beautiful sea-based country, with its stunning vistas and warm, friendly people.
Hello, I enjoyed reading your articles on Cruisers Net. We are looking for another couple to cruise with, going from FL to the Bahamas in May/June 2020. We have a 48' Searay Sedan Bridge. It would be our first time there, so we'd like to go with someone who has been there before.
I've put my contact information [email] below. We live in St. Petersburg FL.
Bennett Brothers Yachts/Cape Fear Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is located on the eastern banks of the northeast Cape Fear River, just north of the Isabel Holmes – Highway 133 bascule bridge, and only a few steps from the downtown Wilmington waterfront.
Bennett Brothers Yachts/Cape Fear Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is located on the eastern banks of the northeast Cape Fear River, just north of the Isabel Holmes – Highway 133 bascule bridge, and only a few steps from the downtown Wilmington waterfront. Bennett Brothers has graciously extended their complimentary week of dockage through July 31.
BENNETT BROTHERS YACHTS is offering a complimentary week of dockage at the Cape Fear Marina in Wilmington, NC. Located on the Northeast Cape Fear River just steps from historic Wilmington, it is a great stop for those traveling north this spring. BENNETT BROTHERS YACHTS is a full service repair facility located at the Cape Fear Marina with full departments in all aspects of yacht repair and restoration. Please call BENNETT BROTHERS YACHTS for details – 910-772-9277. We hope to see you around the docks!
Key Lime Sailing Club, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, always has very special offers for their visitors! Key Lime Sailing Club is on the Inside Route side of Key Largo. Key Lime Sailing Club is a unique slice of KEYS ENJOYMENT…give it a try and let us hear about your experience.
LET Summer begin Friday June 21, The longest day of the year!
What are solstices?
Solstices are the longest and shortest daylight of the year days.
The summer solstice happens on one day June 20 – 22 each year, with the longest daylight time and also marks the first day of summer. The winter solstice, happens on December 20 – 22, has the shortest daylight of the year and marks the first day of winter.
Here is our Sailstice Discount you can take advantage of:
* Book a reservation staying from 6-21-19 to 7-5-19 and receive 21% off our peak session rates. Valid for new reservations only.
Celebrate the shortest day of the year Dec. 21st 2019 by sailing the frozen winter in warm tropical waters of the FLORIDA KEYS. YES, Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages coins the WINTER SAILSTICE. AND YES! Start off winter by sailing!
* The DEAL
Book your reservations within the next 5 days for a 5 night stay between Dec 15th and checking out Dec 22 2019 and receive 21% off Peak Season rates.
WHERE WILL YOU SAIL ON HE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR,
Tell us on our face book page key lime sailing club and cottages.
Want to improve or learn Sailing? We got you covered! VisitAmericanSailingAcademy.com or call Capt G. 305-896-5555 tell him u seen it in our email and get 10% off if you book a course in next 5 days.
Register your winter sailing event on the Winter Sailstice Page for a chance to win a Vacation gift certificate and other nice prizes. Enter here.
Our Summer Season Rates are still in effect! From May 1st to August 15th, 2019 you can take advantage of an amazing summer vacation in the tropical Florida Keys for as low as $200 per night in our cottages.
Here are our available dates and cottages for the next three months:
Cottage rental includes unlimited use of a 22’ sailboat (for qualified sailors), kayaks, paddle boards, water toys, bicycles, snorkel and fishing gear at no extra cost.
Visit our website www.keylimesailingclub.com and send us a Request to Book! You can also call or text our reservation specialist at 305-451-3438 almost any time day or night!
Key West International Guitar Festival: Bridges to Paradise
Jun 21, 2019 – Jun 23, 2019 in Key West
The festival features a fusion of master guitarists performing classical, jazz, Latin, blues, folk & contemporary music in historic venues throughout the island, in a series of world-class concerts. Food and wine events are to be paired with music throughout the island offering a culinary and cultural experience highlighted by a special event, “Virtuoso Chefs of Key West.” Featured artists include Mateo, Belle, Rolando Rojas and Larry Baeder. Tickets on sale April 6, online. Call 305-304-1437 or visit their website.
Mango Fest of Key West features all things mango including mango tasting, mango trees and mango daiquiris. The culinary competitions between local chefs and residents alike showcases the colorful abilities of what the mango, also known as the king of fruit, has to offer. The Vendor Village gives art collectors and foodies the experience of a festival atmosphere. Music is provided along with live radio broadcasts. From 10AM to 3PM, Bayview Park, 1400 Truman Ave. Visit their website for more info.
You can check out more upcoming Florida Keys events at FLA-Keys.com.
Win Stays at Key Lime Sailing Club
To our guests and friends, get a chance to go back and vacation at KLSC without paying anything by sending us pictures of your stay here! Win our 8th KLSC Photo Contest and get a free 3 night stay. Check here for details.
Got a talent for video making? Enter our KLSC Video Contest and get a chance to win a free 5 night stay! Check here for details.
We at Key Largo Cottages at Key Lime Sailing Club love our guests and we will be happy to have you back again for another fun filled and relaxing Florida Keys vacation!
Enjoy a Snorkel or Sunset Cruise both bay side and ocean side as well as boat rentals from 22 foot to 68 foot. at Morning Star Sailing Charters. Call us at 305-451-7057.
Be the first to comment!