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This post contains interesting information for any U.S.-registered boat, especially if you are considering traveling to Cuba.
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with salt water in their veins will subscribe. $7 a month or $56 for the year, and you may cancel at any time.
When all else fails, try journalism. Hallelujah! Fuel Spills Subside at Caribbean Hurricane HoleLeaky Fishing Fleet Finally Leaves Luperon Bay, a Wildlife Refuge
I started to write this story about Luperon Bay in the Dominican Republic two Mondays ago, but at 7:30 a.m. I got the message that Fernando Capellan’s luxury catamaran was destroyed by lightning. That news changed the focus of my workday, as you can see:
The story I had been about to publish was actually good news for this popular hurricane refuge, and the fiery doom of Capi IV, herself docked at Luperon, did not really fit that narrative. The good news: Luperon Bay appears to have turned the corner regarding it’s chronic petroleum spills. This slow-motion environmental disaster had begun sometime after 2021, when Dominican authorities exiled Puerto Plata’s ramshackle fishing fleet so as not to spoil the view for cruise ship guests arriving at the city’s newly opened Taino Bay cruiseship port.
This was the very definition of a Faustian bargain: Send your fishing fleet to a designated national wildlife refuge to spare American tourists the sight of rusting hulls and petroleum sheens near the cruise ship dock. After the move, fuel spills became a regular occurrence in Luperon Bay, often saturating the air with a smell of petroleum strong enough at times to wake members of the foreign sailboat population from a deep sleep.
American Captain Liza Hash, former master of a dive boat, is serving three years in U.S. federal prison right now for pumping her oily bilge overboard at sea, not in a wildlife refuge. There was no corresponding law enforcement effort to combat multiple offenses in Luperon, even though Dominican laws are similar. The elephant in the room was the fact that some number of the fishing fleet—25 or so boats at its height—were controlled by members of a drug cartel. Apparently, this had a paralyzing effect on local officialdom. Once the principals were arrested as part of “Operation Buffalo NK” in September 2024, three of the fishing boats under their control were seized and today remain in Luperon Bay tied to mangroves.
At the same time, the fleet was shrinking because of what could be described as a Darwin factor. Beginning in May 2023, five fishing boats were destroyed by fire attributed to careless fuel handling, not including a boat damaged and its crewman killed by an explosion caused by him cleaning the engine with gasoline. And then, recently, the rest of the fleet just went away—no official statement or fanfare. Spills have stopped (except for that one time when a salvage boat was being refueled at the government dock during the effort to remove the sunken hulks of the burnt vessels). According to a source, the next water-quality challenge will be to connect more homes in this village of about 17,000 people to its sewage treatment plant, operational since January 2021 but never built out fully.
LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Sometimes 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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A longtime CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, historic Edenton always has an exciting calendar of events and places to visit! Edenton is at the mouth of the Chowan River on the northwest shore of Albemarle Sound.
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Click Here To Open A Chart View Window Zoomed To the Location of Edenton Harbor City Docks
An Evening at McLeod – Sept 28 – Charleston County Parks
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Harbour Town Yacht Basin, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is ready for your reservation with newly renovated docks, upgraded electrical service and onSpot WiFi. And, as always, numerous activities at the Sea Pines Resort are offered for your enjoyment. Hilton Head Island is absolutely marvelous any time of year.
For more than 50 years, the red and white striped Harbour Town Lighthouse has welcomed visitors to one of the most unique and beautiful places on earth. Located in the heart of The Sea Pines Resort, and ideally situated on Hilton Head Island’s captivating Calibogue Sound, the Harbour Town Yacht Basin is recognized as a premier yachting destination on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The full-service marina welcomes boaters year-round and offers slip rentals and sales, fuel, professional yacht sales and brokerage dealer, as well as a friendly, experienced staff.
Developer Charles Fraser, considered the pioneer of Hilton Head Island, led the team that constructed the Harbour Town Yacht Basin in 1969. Inspired by a harbour in Portofino, Italy, Fraser’s vision for the basin was to attract mariners to Hilton Head Island, while preserving the island’s natural landscape. His unique vision resulted in a design that preserved centuries-old hardwoods, in lieu of additional slips, and included the construction of the island’s iconic Harbour Town Lighthouse.
Today, the Harbour Town Yacht Basin offers 100 slips in a world-class resort setting. Visitors have the option to dock for a day, a week, a month, or even a lifetime, and enjoy the marina’s facilities and services, as well as convenient access to The Sea Pines Resort’s amenities and accommodations.
What’s Happening In Your Parks during September – Charleston County Parks
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SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE brings you aboard as we joust our way back onto the water. We’ve come a long way with a ways to go… Your support is essential. Thank you. J
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If you’ve just joined our engaging little community, please read SPARS & SPARRING, my introductory piece.…. ~J
Before we get to this week’s piece, please indulge me. Over 1800 folks viewed last week’s story, BOARDING SOLO, about my experience connecting with a fellow human being on a plane to Africa. I received a harsh opinion indicating that some of my word choices could be construed as inappropriate and/or offensive. I want to be perfectly clear in conveying that not a single word or description in that essay is derogatory; I’ve spent sleepless nights since hoping I haven’t hurt anyone and considering what is right. Therefore, I’m very interested in this audience’s perception of how I told the story, if you are so inclined. There is never pressure here. Any aspect, any tangent, any commentary is more than welcome and I’m grateful that some of you already voiced your thoughts, all of which were positive. Messages go to my personal inbox and are not public.
In case you didn’t have time to peruse it and want to:
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It’s difficult to fathom that JAWS was released over fifty years ago. My mom wouldn’t let me see it for years, and probably with good reason, as beach vacations were her favorite by far, and mine, of course, as a water lover. Why ruin that? She was right, I think, to make me wait. I’ve always wondered (don’t you?) what’s beneath my toes in murky water and that movie was certainly impactful; ocean swimming plummeted, especially around Cape Cod. Great White Sharks were demonized; their reputation went from interesting and potentially dangerous to terrifying, mystifying, persistent and huge.
I’m feeling like our world has gone from interesting and (merely) potentially dangerous to (downright) terrifying on a slew of levels and locations. I have lots of apprehension about what happens next in the United States government, but for now, here on STEADFAST, all I know is that “I’m gonna need a bigger brush.”
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There are few movie lines that have stuck with me through the decades, and that one derives from JAWS, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” The balance of my favorite escapes are from Gone With the Wind and Casablanca. In fact, the latter has a perfect tie-in to last week’s tale of two interconnected encounters, “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world she walks into mine,” Rick.
On the topic of big vessels and small brushes, please click this link to see my first video attempt EVER. No judging.
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These ‘chip’ brushes are what we use to get paint and protective products into the seams, cracks, crevices and all places that dominate our projects. The handles are wooden with no plastic components. While semi-disposable (I reuse when I can), they do eliminate the need for earth-unfriendly cleaning solutions. Everything, it seems, is a trade-off.
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In general, boat maintenance is not environmentally friendly, but environmentalists still have boats; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute on the southern edge of Massachusetts’ famous peninsula came out with the first JAWS anniversary shirt I saw this summer, “We’ve got a pretty big boat.” And they do. If you’re a blue-water ocean creatures fan, I highly recommend their newsletter. The non-profit funding status seems uncertain (there is discussion in that link) and hopefully they remain able to continue their outreach and research.
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It feels like a good year to make some popcorn from scratch and settle in for a classic escape from reality. Or two. ~J
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In our whirlwind lives, it’s hard to describe what a privilege it is to have so many people read my work on a weekly basis; I find it humbling, frankly, and hope I am becoming both a better writer and a more conscious, effective human. If you think SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE is worth sharing, the easiest thing to do is click the little recycle symbol just below here, which somehow sends my work through the collective universe to folks none of us have met, yet.
THANK YOU & have a classic, colorful week.
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I so appreciate your support of my work. Have a wonderful week!
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© 2025 Janice Anne Wheeler
Living aboard Sailing Yacht STEADFAST again soon!
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Trick, Treat & Trail Family Fun Run and Festival on Oct. 25
Get in the Halloween spirit with a fun-filled event for the whole family!
From: Sarah Reynolds <Sarah.Reynolds@ccprc.com>
Date: August 25, 2025 at 1:00:00 PM EDT
To: Sarah Reynolds <Sarah.Reynolds@ccprc.com>
Subject: Trick, Treat & Trail set for Oct. 25: Family Fun Run and Festival at Wannamaker County Park
NEWS RELEASE
Public Contact: 843-795-4386 / www.charlestoncountyparks.com
Media Contact: Sarah Reynolds / (843) 762-8089 / sarah.reynolds@ccprc.com
Read this online: www.ccprc.com/newsreleases
Trick, Treat & Trail Family Fun Run and Festival on Oct. 25
Get in the Halloween spirit with a fun-filled event for the whole family!
{NORTH CHARLESTON} — Get ready for a spook-tacular time at the second annual Trick, Treat & Trail Family Fun Run and Festival! Hosted by Charleston County Parks, the event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 25, beginning at 10 a.m., at Wannamaker County Park.
The festival includes ghoulish music, trick-or-treating, jump castles, face painting, and a craft. A variety of vendors will be on site selling food and refreshments, including King of Pops, Donut Daddy, Miracle’s Tasty Express, and Sweet But Not So Sweet.
Check-in for the event and trick-or-treat bag distribution will be held from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Tupelo Shelter at Wannamaker County Park. The fun run begins at 10 a.m. The course closes for runners at 10:45 a.m. The course will re-open for trick or treating from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Festival will be open for the entirety of the event 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. A costume contest will be held at 12:15 p.m. Registration includes a custom trick-or-treating bag, finisher medal, and candy.
Participants are invited to dress in costume. Prizes will be awarded for the best Halloween costume in the following age categories: Under 6, 6-8, 9-10, 11-15, 16-20, and 20 and up. Awards will also be presented for the best pet costume, best duo costume, and best group costumes of 3 or more. The costume contest will be held shortly after noon.
Admission to the race and event will be charged per vehicle of up to 15 people. Advance registration is $20 per vehicle and ends Wednesday, Oct. 23. If not sold out, registration will be available on-site for $25 per vehicle only until 12 p.m. Advance registration is recommended. Register for the event on the event webpage at https://www.ccprc.com/3715/Trick-Treat-Trail.
The fun run is open to runners and walkers of all levels, including beginners. Accessible parking and restrooms are available. The route includes a grass meadow and paved trails. This is a loop course with water stations and an optional shortcut route. Dogs are allowed at this event but must remain leashed and under control at all times.
This event is hosted by Charleston County Parks. For more information about this event and to register, please visit https://www.ccprc.com/3715/Trick-Treat-Trail or call (843)-795-4386.
Owned by the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission, Wannamaker County Park is located at 8888 University Boulevard in North Charleston, SC (Hwy 78). The mission of CCPRC is to improve the quality of life in Charleston County by offering a diverse system of park facilities, programs and services. The large park system features over 11,000 acres of property and includes four land parks, three beach parks, three dog parks, a skate park, two landmark fishing piers, three waterparks, 19 boat landings, a climbing wall, a challenge course, an interpretive center, a historic plantation site, an equestrian center, cottages, a campground, a marina, as well as wedding, meeting and event facilities. The park system also offers a wide variety of recreational services – festivals, camps, classes, programs, volunteer opportunities, and more. For more information, call 843-795-4386 or visit www.charlestoncountyparks.com.
Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission / 861 Riverland Dr. / Charleston, SC 29412 / (843) 795-4386
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