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History, humor and hard news—it’s been another busy couple of months at the Loose Cannon one-manmedia empire. Subscriptions keep growing, though the free people continue to outpace the paying ones by a lot. Alas.
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LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
What’s Happening In Your Parks – Charleston County Parks
Cast Off Fishing Tournaments
Mark your calendar, organize your tackle box, and prepare to cast those lines. The 2025 Cast Off Fishing Tournament season continues on September 13 at the Mount Pleasant Pier!
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.
Sharks bitting off hunks of fish being reeled in by sportsfishermen is apparently a problem worthy of federal attention, according to Florida Senator Rick Scott.
The author is an 8th-generation Floridian, born and bred in Tallahassee, which probably explains her unhealthy fascination with Florida politics. Educated at Florida State University and Oxford University in England, she has been writing for newspapers since 1983. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Times of London, the Guardian, the Washington Post, the Oxford American, and Flamingo. This opinion piece was published on August 11, 2025 in the Florida Phoenix and is reprinted here with permission.
By DIANE ROBERTS
The sharks are eating the fish.
Too many fish.
Our damn fish.
For 450 million years, the sharks have had everything their way, swimming around the ocean like they own the place, chowing down on that endless seafood buffet.
Who do those sharks think they are? Other than, like, sharks.
We celebrate George Washington and Abraham Lincoln one lousy day a year.
No más. Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott means to show these arrogant top predators he means business.
Sen. Scott’s elegantly named and creatively capitalized “Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research, Knowledge, and Enhanced Dialogue (or SHARKED) Act will address bad behavior in the shark community.¹
No longer will the sharks be allowed to appropriate fish for their own selfish nutritional ends.
It’s a bipartisan effort: Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat, is Scott’s SHARKED co-sponsor, although he’s being cautious about what he says.
Schatz is from Hawaii, where certain sharks are considered sacred, what with them being people’s reincarnated ancestors.
Funnily enough, Schatz was once part of the shark-coddling caucus, all-in on legislation to protect those deep sea devils.
But he’s clearly seen the light, read the room, and smelled the Trumpy zeitgeist: It’s all about the money.
Sport fishing in Hawaii is worth hundreds of millions.
Scott also once expressed a bit of sympathy for sharks.
When he saw images of boaters “abusing a young tiger shark in Citrus County,” he wrote a tough letter to the head of NOAA demanding somebody do something.
The senator still wants somebody to do something, and, by God, the Scott-Schatz bill is going to do it.
More or less.
‘Unnatural Food Source’
It directs the secretary of commerce to put together a task force to figure out why elasmobranch cartilaginous fishes (as ichthyology nerds call them) gobble up the very fish sportsmen and women spend so much cash to catch.
You drop big money on a three-day charter out of Destin, spend another grand on your Yeti cooler, your Bora Bora hat, your Columbia convertible pants, your Coors, your Jack, your Pringles, your Publix subs, your peanut M&Ms, you finally get something on the line, but next thing you know, Mister Jerk Shark smells the blood in the water, swims up, and takes a big old bite of your 400 lb. blue marlin.
OK, maybe the shark was hungry, but that’s no excuse.
The American Sportfishing Association, the American Fisheries Society, and others rightly upset about sharks’ indefensible habit of consuming their usual source of protein, complain “shark depredation is clearly detrimental to anglers and predated fish that would otherwise be released.”
They point out all that illicit predation “creates an unnatural food source for sharks.”
The sharks would argue fish are, in fact, their entirely natural food source, but if it comes to a choice between those toothy behemoths and a $230 billion industry, the sharks lose.
LOOSECANNON 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.
Yes, humor aside, this is an actual bill. It’s goal is to “address shark depredation” and develop “techniques and strategies to reduce harmful interactions between sharks and humans, including the development and use of non-lethal deterrents.” National Marine Fisheries must report back to congress on this topic in two years.
Royal Marsh Harbour Yacht Club is a premier yacht club in the Abacos and A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR! If you cruise to the Abacos and the Marsh Harbour area, you should consider joining this great group of like-minded cruisers.
Here’s What’s Coming Up This Winter in Marsh Harbour with RMHYC!
It’s never too early to start planning, and your Social Chairs, Beth Pohle and Michele Rubeor, have been busy putting together an exciting calendar of fun for the upcoming season!
This is a tentative calendar, and events may change based on weather, or if we’re out cruising,—so stay flexible. Beth and Michele would love your help in making this a fantastic season. Get involved! Volunteer to lead an activity—it’s easy, and they’ll be around to assist as needed. Send an email to activities@rmhyc.com to let them know you want to help!
You can find the most current information on the RMHYC website home page under ‘Upcoming Events’, or check out the Monthly Calendar page.
Planned seminars and activity sessions this year include:
Medical & Health
Fishing
Creative Workshops
And more!
And don’t forget about the ongoing daily or weekly activities, including:
Water Aerobics
Pickleball
Yoga
Bocce
Movie Nights
Happy Hours
December
13
Christmas White Elephant – bring a boat related item no greater than $20
16
Activity to be announced
18
Birthday Night Vibes with Appetizers
24
Christmas Eve Potluck
31
New Year’s Eve Celebration
January
6
Activity to be announced
9
Activity to be announced
12
Birthday Night Vibes with Appetizers
15
Activity to be announced
15-21
Korn Ferry Tour (The Abaco Club at Winding Bay)
19
College Football Championship
20
Activity to be announced
22
RMHYC Annual Cook-off – Bring your favorite family casserole recipe
27
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
31
2nd Annual RMHYC Open (Bucket Golf)
February
2
Birthday Night Vibes with Appetizers
4
Bonfire on the Beach – Gilligan Island Style (come as your favorite character)
7
2nd Annual Pickleball Tournament
8
Superbowl Sunday
17
B I N G O Night
19
Commodore’s Ball – Under the Sea
21
Bocce Ball Tournament
24
Activity to be announced
March
3
Birthday Night Vibes with Appetizers
5
Cinco de Marcho Bonfire
11
Activity – Let’s talk about going south
Don’t forget about these great events in Hope Town!
Box Cart Race at The Big Hill – Saturday, November 29, 2025
Combustion Music – December 5 thru December 7, 2025 – for more details go to Combustion Music
HT Songwriters Festival – February 11 thru February 15, 2026
We’re looking forward to a fun-filled season—see you there!
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.
This English painting by Anton Otto Fischer (1882-1962) depicts the boats of USS Constitution towing her in a calm, while she was being pursued by a squadron of British warships on July 18, 1812.
THE JULY MORNING IN 1812 was sublime, with fair-weather clouds puffed across the sky and a light breeze rippling the Atlantic off the New Jersey coast. While conditions were balmy that day, the sailors of the powerful U.S. Navy frigate USS Constitution were too busy to notice. They were aloft in the rigging of the three-masted ship working the ropes—untying reefing nettles, loosing buntlines and clewlines, and shaking out the canvas of the man-of-war’s sails. Their instructions were to set every piece of canvas. The sailors used the ship’s ropes to set the sails to get as much speed as could be wrung from the weak wind. The events of the next few days would prove the vital importance of rope in the period between the 1450s and 1880s, called the Age of Sail, when wind-driven ships ruled the seas.
That July the conflict between Britain and the United States, the War of 1812, was only a month old. USS Constitution had been ordered from Annapolis, Maryland, to New York City, where Commodore John Rodgers was forming a squadron of American warships. The Constitution needed to get to New York as fast as possible, before the Royal Navy succeeded in establishing a blockade and bottling up the American ships.
The captain of the Constitution was Isaac Hull, an experienced commander and ship handler. He was so determined to join up with Rodgers that when a masthead lookout sighted the masts and sails of five ships on the horizon off Egg Harbor, New Jersey, Hull assumed that Rodgers had departed New York with his squadron and was sailing south to meet Hull and the Constitution. Even with all sails set, the wind was light, and the Constitution made slow progress through the day. But there was reason for good cheer aboard the frigate: soon the Constitution would add its firepower to Rodgers’s squadron.
As the five ships grew near, however, Hull had growing doubt about their status. As night fell, Hull ordered the U.S. Navy to light signal lamps to the nearest ship, off to the northeast. The ship did not respond with the counter signal, further raising Hull’s suspicions. When morning came, Hull saw that the five ships had spread on all sail and were headed toward the Constitution. And each flew the ensign of the British Royal Navy. The five ships bearing down on the Constitution were not Rodgers’s American squadron, but the British warships HMS Africa (64 guns), HMS Guerriere (38 guns), HMS Belvidera (36 guns), HMS Aeolus (32 guns), and HMS Shannon (38 guns). Even though the Constitution was a heavy frigate of 44 guns, Hull couldn’t hope to fight five opponents mounting a combined 208 guns. And for Hull to lose the Constitution would be a terrible blow to the small American navy of only eighteen ships. Hull had no choice but to turn and run from his pursuers.
Sailors scrambled across the deck and into the rigging. They handled the myriad ropes that controlled the sails as the ship made a painfully slow turn in the light wind. As the Constitution gybed before the wind, the enemy continued to close. Hull had his crew put on all sail, including the studding sails, which sit outboard of the main sails on either side and give the ship the look of sporting white wings.
The wind dropped to nothing for the Constitution, while the British ships still had a light breeze. Hull had to keep his ship moving, but the wind had betrayed the Americans. So he ordered the ship’s eight small boats launched. Rope would play another important role: as towing lines from the small boats to the Constitution. These boats were all equipped with oars, and the sailors who manned them could row and pull the ship along behind them. The sailors now worked the oars for all they were worth, slowly towing the ship forward. Soon the British lost the wind as well and the American sailors’ exertions kept the U.S. frigate just out of reach.
The Constitution was losing the race, however. The British had cleverly sent the small boats of all the ships in the squadron to tow the Shannon, the closest frigate to the Constitution.
And with roughly thirty boats pulling the Shannon forward with rope-tow lines, the British frigate was gaining on the Americans. Something else was needed, or the Constitution would have to fight, allowing the other British ships to catch up and combine their cannons against the Constitution.
Hull had his men wet the sails with seawater so the canvas could catch every bit of the weak, fitful wind. He also ordered the crew to pump more than 2,000 gallons of water overboard to lighten the ship. The Constitution’s first lieutenant, Charles Morris, then hit upon an idea. He instructed the leadsman to throw his lead line (a rope attached to a lead weight that sank to the bottom for measuring water depth). The Constitution was in a depth of 26 fathoms (156 feet). Morris suggested to Hull that this depth allowed them to use a technique called “warping,” a method of moving the ship forward with the use of a special anchor called a kedge. This was a smaller anchor than the ship’s main anchors and could be carried forward in one of the ship’s boats and dropped over the side. The anchor would fall to the bottom, and then sailors on board the ship could turn the large, manually driven anchor winch to reel in the anchor line and pull the ship forward toward the kedge anchor. Morris had been aboard the U.S. Navy frigate President
when the technique was used, and it had attained a speed of up to 3 miles per hour—slow indeed, but perhaps it would be enough to keep the British hounds at bay.
The biggest question was: Given the water depth, did the Constitution have enough heavy rope on board to make the technique work? They needed to take the kedge anchor far out ahead of the vessel so the down angle of the anchor rope would be a narrow one. An anchor rope too short meant the angle would be too steep and the anchor would not grab the sea bottom; it would pull up as soon as the rope was tensioned. Morris quickly made an inventory of heavy
rope aboard the Constitution. He wrote this in his account of the chase: “We had been on soundings the day before, and on trying we now found [the depth to be] twenty-six fathoms. . . . It gave me confidence to suggest to Captain Hull the expediency of attempting to warp the ship ahead. He acceded at once; and in a short time, the launch and first cutter were sent ahead with a kedge [anchor], and with all the hawsers and rigging, from 5 inches and upward, that could be found, making nearly a mile of length.”
With this nearly 6,000 feet (a nautical mile) of rope attached between the kedge anchor and the ship, the crew commenced warping the ship forward. Now, in addition to the sailors rowing the ship’s boats, sailors on the deck of the Constitution put their backs into the task of escape. When the ship had been brought close to the anchor, the kedge was raised, brought forward again, dropped, and the process repeated. The 420 men of the Constitution kept up this exhausting routine all day and through the night.
Though the British frigate Shannon was able to draw even with the Constitution and managed to fire a few cannons at the American frigate, the British cannonballs did no damage. Finally, after fifty-seven hours of pursuit, Hull kept his ship just far enough away from the British that when a wind sprang up, the Constitution slowly pulled away from her pursuers. By the morning of the third day, the British ships, now having fallen several miles behind, gave up the chase. Without the lengthy ropes Morris found on board and tied together to make up that nearly mile-long anchor line, the Constitution would have been captured. The ship would very likely not grace the Boston Navy Yard as she does today, still a commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy.
LOOSECANNON 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.
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.
The top shot shows the moment just before the barge hits the sailboat. At bottom is a law firm’s illustration showing how the tug captain was effectively blinded by the gear in front of him.
The Hobie catamaran run down by a barge late last month was effectively adrift and unable to get out of the way, even though her skipper could see the 200-ton commercial combo coming at them, according to the lawyer suing on behalf of one of the victims.
The barge ran over the 17-foot Hobie, capsizing it and resulting in the deaths of three girls, ages 7, 10 and 13, who had been learning how to sail. They were participants in a sailing program sponsored by the Miami Yacht Club and under the tutelage of a 19-year-old camp counselor.
Attorney Judd Rosen of Miami represents one of the survivors, a nine-year-old. (Six were on board. The counselor and a fifth girl also survived.)
Rosen said the engineless Hobie was unable to maneuver to avoid the barge because of light air. “They could see the barge. They just couldn’t move the boat to get out of the way,” he said.
This screenshot doesn’t show the Hobie Cat in question very well in its position in front of the oncoming tug and barge, but the sailboats in the foreground appear becalmed, with the one at lower right apparently under tow.
This publicity shot from Hobie shows what a fully loaded Hobie Getaway 17 looks like under sail.
Forecasts for that day—July 28—called for winds of less than 10 knots. A screenshot from a video in the moments before the barge impact shows nearby sailboats with drooping sails. A video of the Hobie shows a close-hauled sail on mast standing straight up right up until the collision.
Sailors on Facebook, ignorant of any weather factors and eager to debate rules of the road, were split between blaming the barge skipper and blaming the Hobie skipper. The parents’ lawsuit finds fault with both by naming the barge owner and the yacht club (and its sailing camp) as defendants.
The lawsuit was filed last week in Miami Circuit Court. It asks for damages as determined by a jury trial.
According to the lawsuit, the counselor in charge of the boat was “careless, reckless and negligent” for her failure to avoid collision. Rosen said she had a handheld VHF, which she was using to communicate with the yacht club but did not use to warn the tug captain. The yacht club was to blame for its “unqualified and improperly trained counselors.”
In an interview with LooseCannon, however, Rosen seemed to reserve his harshest criticism for the crew of the barge. Rosen said there was apparently no observer at the front of the barge at the critical moment, even though the tug’s captain was blocked by a crane and construction material from seeing what was in front of him.
According to Rosen, the barge was traveling 3.5 knots, not fast, but with 200 tons of mass, not easily stopped either. “If they had a proper lookout, they could have dropped the spuds and stopped the barge within 10 to 20 feet,” he said.
Illustrations From Goldberg & Rosen
The fact that the barge captain failed to blow five blasts on the horn as a warning to the Hobie was indicative that no-one saw it coming, Rosen said. According to the lawsuit, defendant Waterfront Construction, owner of the barge, failed to hire adequately trained employees and did not have “a sufficient number of employees present on the subject barge…to keep an adequately lookout for other vessels.”
(One of the news stories reported that the crew consisted of a captain and one other man.)
Attorney Lorenzo Palomares, representing Waterfront Construction, told CBS News that the crew “absolutely tried to avoid hitting the sailboat.” An “experienced lookout” saw the sailboat before the crash, and the tug-and-barge crew “acted reasonably,” Palomares said.
Speaking to LooseCannon, Rosen did something a little unusual and walked back a key assertion in the parents’ lawsuit. He contradicted language in the suit that said the daughter had suffered “permanent injuries as a result of the incident.”
The parents now say she was recovering from minor injuries. The Miami Herald quoted the girl’s dad:
Thank God, physically, she’s doing well, Emotionally, we’re still trying to understand how she is doing. Our family is so thankful she is alive, but we’re hurtful for the other parents.
According to Rosen, the Coast Guard was not undertaking a criminal investigation and had assigned the probe to the branch’s civil fact-finding team. Seeing that as a failure, the parents were motivated to go to court, not only to represent their own family interests but on behalf of the girls that died, other sailing program participants and the community at large.
When the Coast Guard refused to divulge the name of the tug captain, they decided to file suit at once, only 11 days since the accicent. “I wasn’t going to wait around for them to release information,” Rosen said.
The language of the lawsuit appeared to suggest that it was a bad idea to train children to sail on busy Biscayne Bay at all. Not quite, Rosen said, but if you are going to teach kids in a busy port like that, there need to be more safeguards in place, such as multiple chase boats and areas designated as off limits to commercial traffic.
LOOSECANNON 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.
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.
August/ September 2025 Dockage Discount
Purchase 2 nights of dockage and get the 3rd night of dockage free
August 1, 2025 – September 30, 2025. Restrictions apply. Limit 4.
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 – Charleston County Parks
Summer Swing
Dance your way through the dog days of summer at our next Moonlight Mixer. On August 22, the Folly Beach Pier will sway to the sounds of crashing waves, shuffling feet, and live tunes from the Dave Landeo Band. Get your tickets today!
All-Access Pass
Determined to keep summer fun going through the school year? Treat your family to a Gold Pass! After-school trail walks, weekend beach days, post-game picnics, impromptu play dates…you’ll be ready for outdoor adventures all year long with unlimited admission to the Charleston County parks. Purchase your Gold Pass online or at our park offices.
Awaken Your Spirit
Start your day off right with an uplifting, intention-setting yoga flow, and a gorgeous early-morning view from Mount Pleasant Pier. On August 23, get your flow on at Sunrise Yoga, an inclusive, all-abilities class designed to enhance the coming day. Reserve your spot on the mat.
That Gator Grin
Wondering what secrets lie behind that sly smile? On August 28, join us for Gator Tales at James Island County Park to learn more about these captivating creatures, who call the Lowcountry home and pick up handy tips for how humans and alligators can safely coexist.
Let the Dogs Out!
Listen, life ain’t easy for your four-legged friend. Barking at the doorbell, begging for treats, and loving you unconditionally is hard work! On August 28, treat your very good boy or girl to a night out at Yappy Hour, with live music and cold drinks (for humans) and plenty of new friends to sniff (just the dogs, please).
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