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Florida Boaters Now Have Access to Free State-Approved Online Boating Safety Course – BoatUS
BoatUS is the leading advocate for boating safety in the US and A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR.
Press Contact:
Alisha Sheth, BoatUS PR Manager
Florida Boaters Can Now Take Free
State-Approved Boating Safety CourseAt-home learning helps Florida boaters prepare for the water easily and conveniently
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – February 4, 2026 – The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water has launched the only free interactive boating safety course for Florida recreational boaters.
The course, which is approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and meets state boating safety education requirements, can be taken at the student’s own pace. After passing the exam, they can print their own certificate of completion for immediate use and will receive a lifetime card from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The course provides video demonstrations and sample common boating situations for students to interact with to better understand how to evaluate real-world instances. The learning experience includes storylines where the student “boats” to various places and includes interactive learning tools like flashcards and drag-and-drop features to enhance learning and retention. Course-takers will be able to design and name the virtual boat that takes them through the course and map how far they’ve “traveled” within it.
In the state of Florida, anyone born on or after January 1, 1988, who operates a vessel powered by 10 horsepower or more must pass an approved boating safety course and have in his/her possession photographic identification and proof of boating safety education
completion issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The online BoatUS Foundation boating safety course and exam are approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard as exceeding the minimum requirements for the National Recreational Boating Safety Program.
“NASBLA approval of our Florida Boating Safety Course is a meaningful investment in boater safety, said Lynne O’Hearn, Program Manager at BoatUS Foundation. “Boater education is one of the most effective ways to prevent accidents, and this course gives Florida boaters the opportunity to build their skills to better enjoy Florida waterways safely.”
To take the course, visit BoatUS.org/Florida. For more information about Florida boating safety education, visit myfwc.com/boating/
safety-education. About 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 740,000 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 safe and clean boating courses – including the nation’s only free online boating safety course – can be found at BoatUS.org/Courses.
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Severe Weather Risk For Southeast Update – Fred Pickhardt
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There is a risk for severe weather across the Southeast through Sunday due to severe thunderstorms with potentially damaging gusty winds and a few possible tornadoes, particularly across northern Florida and Georgia, including the adjacent coastal waters.
There is a 5 to 15% risk for wind gusts in thunderstorms to exceed 50 knots producing Hazardous sea conditions over the coastal waters of parts of Florida and Georgia.
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© 2026 Fred Pickhardt
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Fishermen’s Village February 2026 Calendars, Punta Gorda, FL
There is always plenty to do around Charlotte Harbor. While berthed at Fishermen’s Village Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, you are certain to enjoy visiting Western Florida’s beautiful Charlotte Harbor/Peace River.
Fishermen’s Village February Calendars of Entertainment/Events
February 2026 Sunset Beach Club Calendar
February 2026 Fisherman’s Village Calendar
Special Events & Community Relations941.639.8721
Click Here To View the Western Florida Cruisers Net Marina Directory Listing For Fishermen’s Village
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window Zoomed To the Location of Fishermen’s Village
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The Sea Pines Resort – February 2026 Events Calendar, Harbour Town Yacht Basin, SC AICW MM 565
Harbour Town Yacht Basin, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is ready for your reservation with newly renovated docks, upgraded electrical service and onSpot WiFi, also a CRUISERS NET SPONSOR. And, as always, numerous activities at the Sea Pines Resort are offered for your enjoyment, as you will see in the Event Schedule below. Hilton Head Island is absolutely marvelous any time of year.
Kerry Maveus
kmaveus@hunter-pr.com | www.hunter-pr.com
mobile: 831-917-2878
P.O. Box 1049 | Pebble Beach, CA | 93953
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Carrying a Tug and Towing a Barge, Ship Grounds at Caribbean Cruiser Harbor (Videos) – Loose Cannon
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When all else fails, try journalism.
Carrying a Tug and Towing a Barge, Ship Grounds at Caribbean Cruiser Harbor (Videos)
Engine Problems En Route From Louisiana to Puerto Plata in the D.R.
ENE Vision was pushed up against the rocky shore at the entrance to Luperon Harbor in the Dominican Republic. Before her plight had become this extreme, the barge she was towing was detached and towed inside by local boats. (Photo by Davy Ashcroft) Spanish chatter over the VHF was the first sign. Shortly after dawn a ship with a barge in tow was headed toward Luperon Bay’s tricky entrance. Although witnesses didn’t know it yet, the ENE Vision was experiencing engine problems, and her captain was seeking help from harbor authorities.
Indeed, the barge she was towing was disconnected and maneuvered into the harbor by local boats, which benefitted from calm conditions. Despite assistance from officers of the local Navy base, the mothership ended up anchored on short scope and grounded on a reef on an ebbing tide.
Rising wind and waves throughout the day pushed ENE Vision right up against the craggy shoreline.
Luperon is a cynched purse of an anchorage, with reefs on either side of the entrance. Plenty of boats have gone a ground hereabouts over the years, but this one may well be the biggest to have ever done so. Drawing about 12 feet, ENE Vision was never a candidate to enter the bay itself, which will only accept up to 10 feet of draft on a high tide.
ENE Vision’s skipper may have hoped to drop a hook just outside the narrow entrance to the bay—call it the outer harbor—a stone’s throw from where Columbus caught up with the Pinta during voyage No. 1. Captain Martin Pinzon had anchored her there in January 1493 after his unauthorized expedition to the Turks & Caicos seeking gold.
From Damien Christie of SV Suzie Manuela
Somebody Else Should Take Credit for This Video
According to witnesses, two tugboats arrived and tried to tow ENE Vision into deeper water, but that didn’t work; the ropes broke. A RoRo vessel also arrived to help, but it’s not clear what went on with that. ENE Vision was still on the rocks at the end of the day yesterday.
At first, it was thought that the 190-foot multi-purpose support vessel was the HOS Crossfire because apparently the MarineTraffic AIS website hadn’t gotten the memo. According to a spokesman, Hornbeck Offshore Services of Louisiana had sold Crossfire “years ago,” despite her AIS ping having been identified as belonging to Crossfire.
She was now registered in the Dominican Republic as ENE Vision and is displayed as such by MarineTraffic, but only when one digs deeper into the vessel’s information and photo gallery, for example:
Here is an image on MarineTraffic showing ENE Vision leaving the Amelia Shipyard in Louisiana earlier this month with a tug on her aft deck. The current owner has not been confirmed but the “ENE” in ENE Vision might hold a clue. It’s customary for three-initials in the front of a name to stand for the corporate owner, as, for example, the “HOS” in HOS Crossfire stood for Hornbeck Offshore Services.
It happens that ENE Shipping and Trade in the Turks & Caicos owns vessels, though no mention of ENE Vision itself could be found on its website. ENE Shipping is a subsidiary of Olympic Group, possibly the biggest builder in the Turks & Caicos. Most construction material used in that desert island nation, all the cement and blocks, comes from the D.R. by ship.
ENE Shipping did not reply to an email.
A yola with harbor personnel rushes to the grounded ship. (Photo by David Herrera of SV Oniwa) LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
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TopSide Marinas Acquires Another Marina
TopSide Marinas, a family-owned company that acquires and operates high-quality marinas around the country, recently announced the acquisition of another marina. TopSide Marinas is A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
TopSide Marinas Expands into Michigan with Acquisition of Bay Harbor Marina
TopSide Marinas, a family-owned company that acquires and operates high-quality marinas throughout the United States, has acquired Bay Harbor Marina, a full-service marina located along the Saginaw River in Bay City. The acquisition marks TopSide Marinas’ first entry into the Michigan market.
Established in 1967, Bay Harbor Marina spans 80 acres and offers extensive amenities for recreational boaters. The marina features 400 wet slips, 100 dry stack slips, and more than 500 winter storage spaces, including over 120,000 square feet of heated indoor storage. On-site services include fuel docks, a ship store, mechanical and electronic repair, fiberglass and paint services, haul-out capabilities, and both indoor and outdoor storage options.
Bay Harbor Marina serves boaters of all kinds, with members ranging from pontoon and sailboat owners to those operating large cruisers. Its location makes it a strategic stop for transient boaters as it’s less than two miles from Saginaw Bay and in route to Lake Huron.
“We are excited to enter the Michigan market with our first marina, Bay Harbor, welcoming new team members to the TopSide community as well as our newest boating enthusiasts. Our newest marina provides the ideal location to serve customers passing through or for those who have a slip with us,” said Ryan Skiles, Regional VP at TopSide Marinas.
TopSide Marinas plans to build upon Bay Harbor’s strong foundation, expanding its service department to include additional original equipment manufacturers such as Mercury outboards, Volvo, and Kohler (Rehlko). Enhancements are also planned for the store to offer best-in-class products along with expanded storage availability.
Following its November 2025 acquisition of Pikes Bay Marina in Bayfield, Wisconsin, TopSide Marinas continues its U.S. expansion, strengthening its commitment to operational excellence, community stewardship, and preserving the spirit of recreational boating. TopSide Marinas also owns and operates marinas across the country including Hideaway Marina, Cape Fair Marina and Campbell Point Marina in Missouri, Galveston Yacht Marina, North Point Marina and April Plaza Marina in Texas, Beavers Bend Marina in Oklahoma, Rock Creek Marina in Kansas, Bay Marine of Sturgeon Bay in Wisconsin, and Larsen Marine and Bay Marine of Chicago in Illinois.
Copyright © 2026 TopSide Marinas, All rights reserved.
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WANDERLUST KICKED IN – Janice Anne Wheeler, Sparring With Mother Nature
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Time is a precious commodity—thanks for spending some of yours SPARRING with me! ~J
If you’ve just joined our engaging little community, please read SPARS & SPARRING, my introductory piece.….and share it, if you are so inclined….that works wonders.
As the gurus of Substack send this out to you diverse and delightful readers, I am sipping my hot, sweet coffee in Guayaquil, Ecuador in preparation for a 600 mile hop west to the Galápagos Islands where I will spend the next ten days drinking in some of the most famous and unique places and creatures in the world. It’s a place I’ve dreamed of since I first learned about Darwin and his sturdy vessel BEAGLE, and nothing goes to windward (or the Pacific) like a 737.
Yes, I left this to go to the equator. (!) In particular I’m searching for the restaurant where the sea lions can be found beneath the bar stools—: if Clare Polders of Wonder, Wander, Write, hangs out with them it must be an adventure. I appreciate and recommend her sage advice—the second in her excellent, informative series on the Galápagos can be found here.
Simply said I was far too wound up gathering information and booking SCUBA to concentrate on boat rebuild and the contemplation thereof, much less write about this week’s challenges… I leave the project in more capable hands than my own.
Have a wonderful week!
You know the first thing I packed was my SARONG & you can read about those here:
THE SARONG
·June 22, 2025Read full story More on WANDERLUST—
WANDERLUST
·November 23, 2025Read full story And more—
OH, THE PLACES I’LL GO
·December 7, 2025Read full story And more—a different perspective—
CLOSE TO HOME
·December 14, 2025Read full story Thanks for being on board! ~J
I so appreciate your support of my work. Have a wonderful week!
© 2026 Janice Anne Wheeler
Living aboard Sailing Yacht STEADFAST again soon!
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South Carolina Wildlife magazine: Don’t miss the March_April issue! – SCDNR
SCW February 2026
South Carolina Wildlife magazine . . .
behind the scenes!
Here’s a sneak peek of the March-April 2026 cover of South Carolina Wildlife magazine, the flagship publication of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. SCW Editor Cindy Thompson captured this photograph, a tranquil moment at Morris Island as the sun was setting over the ocean horizon.
Observing Nature
South Carolina Wildlife magazine’s March-April 2026 cover features a serene sunset on a springlike day along the Carolina coast. Gulls and terns flying overhead, marine life streaming through the salt water, waves lapping gently against the shoreline. The perfection of nature’s work, in every season, is profound.
The recent snowfall across South Carolina offered an opportunity to slow down and soak in the tranquility of nature’s grand displays. During this cold snap, many of us took note of robins, cedar waxwings, red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, cardinals and other birds as they flocked through the skies and visited our back yards. Their collective symphony rings on in our memories even as we resume our regular errands throughout the day. Magical, memorable, irreplaceable.
Robin in the snow, by Cindy Thompson
As the temperatures plummeted and a mix of rain, snow and sleet fell to the ground between the final hours of January and the first of February, a flurry of photos, texts and phone calls ensued. “How much snow did you get?” we asked one another.
Each brilliant season of the year is filled with vast changes in nature that present wonderful opportunities to be curious, to learn and explore.
The March-April 2026 edition of South Carolina Wildlife magazine (the flagship publication of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources) shines a spotlight on the importance of observing nature and ways to work in concert with nature, serving as stewards of our state’s natural resources.
Oftentimes many wondrous events in nature can be observed right outside a window or in a back yard. Citizen science is a rewarding way for communities to collaborate with local and large-scale scientific research. And the beauty of citizen science is that we can serve as local conservationists who are making positive changes at the global level by recording observations while we are in our back yards, at a park, on school grounds or simply looking out a window.
Every Drop Counts!
CoCoRaHS
Many citizen science opportunities are featured in the lineup of stories in the SCW March-April 2026 issue. The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network (CoCoRaHS) is a grassroots citizen science project that engages backyard weather observers. This is a very popular volunteer weather observation program in South Carolina! CoCoRaHS incorporates science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills. And it’s fun for all ages! If you are interested in observing precipitation in your backyard, visit CoCoRaHS today! April is National Citizen Science Month, and in addition to CoCoRaHS, SCDNR has multiple Citizen Science Opportunities that rely on participation of citizen scientists.
Read the full article, written by SCDNR State Climatology staff, in the upcoming issue of South Carolina Wildlife.
Rain showers over a field of sunflowers, by Cindy Thompson
Great Backyard Bird Count
Download Merlin or eBird apps on your cellphone and you can participate in a global bird count this weekend! The Great Backyard Bird Count will take place from Friday, February 13 through Monday, February 16, 2026. Join the world in this international bird count. You can follow the excitement via www.BirdCount.org. The world map on this website will light up as bird sightings around the world are submitted via Merlin and eBird.
Great Southeast Pollinator Census
The SCW March-April issue also features a beautifully illustrated and informative article about pollinators that is contributed by Clemson Extension School and Community Gardening Coordinator Amy Dabbs. This article announces the results of the 2025 Great Southeast Pollinator Census, and provides all you need to know to sign up and get ready for the August 21 and 22, 2026 census.
Joe-Pye weed, photo courtesy of Barbara H. Smith, Clemson Extension
Painted lady visiting blazing star, by Barbara H. Smith, Clemson Extension
In her article about the Southeast Pollinator Census, Dabbs lists the top five native plants visited by insects during the last Southeast pollinator count: Joe-Pye weed, cutleaf coneflower, narrowleaf sunflower, swamp milkweed and dense blazing star. Incorporating native plants in landscape planning will support more pollinating insects, Dabbs explains, because these plants provide abundant, high-quality nectar and pollen. Coordinators of the census are striving to increase participation in the 2026 pollinator census, because pollinator populations are declining, and citizen scientists can help reverse population declines. Visit https://gsepc.org/ to sign up or learn how to help pollinators in your backyard. Read the full article in the upcoming edition of South Carolina Wildlife!
Wildlife on Your Land
Be sure to check out the next “Wildlife on Your Land” segment in the March-April issue of South Carolina Wildlife!
SCDNR Small Game Program Leader Michael Hook explains how a partnership between the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the SCDNR has created a team of “private lands biologists” who are working across the state to assist landowners.
Hook explains, “With the amount of forest land scattered across the state, many of the landowners that reach out for assistance are forest landowners. These properties range from five acres to several thousand acres.” This team of biologists offers a broad spectrum of expertise to provide guidance in agriculture and wildlife management, erosion control and more. If you are interested in learning more about these services, visit https://www.dnr.sc.gov/
wildlife/species/quail.html. 
Landowner Field Day, photo courtesy Michael Hook
This is just the tip of the iceberg! The March-April edition of South Carolina Wildlife will feature articles about owls, bats of Oconee, boating safety, archaeology, the Carolina Wren, the story of an incredible turkey hunting triumph, an award-winning Greenville Conservation District team, and much more!
Don’t miss a single issue of South Carolina Wildlife!
If you are not already a SCW subscriber, please visit GoOutdoorsSouthCarolina.com or SCWildlife.com to subscribe today.
South Carolina Wildlife throwback
Spring 1968
South Carolina Wildlife, Spring 1968
Many Thanks!
Thank you for supporting South Carolina Wildlife magazine, the flagship publication of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
If you are not already a subscriber, please visit GoOutdoorsSouthCarolina.com or SCWildlife.com to receive bi-monthly editions of this award-winning magazine.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
South Carolina Wildlife magazine
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Columbia, SC 29202Stay Connected with SCDNR: 
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