Key Lime Sailing Club, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, always has very special offers for their visitors! Key Lime Sailing Club is a unique slice of KEYS ENJOYMENT…give it a try and let us hear about your experience.
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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
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When all else fails, try journalism. ‘Seaman’s Manslaughter,’ Coast Guard Says, Referring Barge Deaths to ProsecutorsJuly Accident Killed Three Girls Learning To Sail
The operators of a barge that ran over a Hobie Cat in Biscayne Bay killing three young girls in July yesterday learned they are in the worst kind of trouble. Coast Guard investigators have referred the case for prosecution, specifically with seaman’s manslaughter as the possible charge. Seaman’s manslaughter is a federal offense that holds vessel owners, officers or crew liable for death that results from their misconduct, negligence or inattention to duty. The penalty is up to 10 years in prison, fines or both. “After conducting a thorough marine casualty investigation, we’ve referred this case to Department of Justice for criminal investigation to ensure full accountability and help deter similar cases in the future,” said Coast Guard Sector Miami Commander Capt. Frank J. Florio. “As the process moves into this new phase, our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by this tragic incident.” The accident happened on July 28 at around 11:15 a.m., when the barge hit the 17-foot catamaran, killing Mila Yankelevich, 7, Erin Victoria Ko Han, 13, and Arielle ‘Ari’ Mazi Buchman, 10. Two other girls were injured in the collision, which happened near Hibiscus and Monument islands off Miami Beach.
The excursion was part of a youth sailing program under the auspices of the Miami Yacht Club. Their instructor was a 19-year-old camp counselor. Lawyers for some of the victims praised Coast Guard action in the case. “This is a sign that the wheels of justice are moving in the right direction,” Attorney Judd Rosen told the Miami Herald (which, by the way, is the best conventional news outlet for coverage of this case). Rosen’s firm represents one of the injured survivors. “This referral for criminal charges brings our clients a measure of relief that meaningful steps toward justice are being taken,” said Justin B. Shapiro, an attorney for 7-year-old Calena Areyan Gruber, who managed to survive after having been trapped beneath the barge. The owner of the tug and barge in question is Waterfront Construction. In the lawsuit against Waterfront, Rosen faults the captain and crew of the tug Wood Chuck for failing to keep a proper lookout. Rosen said no one on the tug signalled with its horn even when collision was imminent. ACCIDENT ILLUSTRATIONS
The Coast Guard has not publicly talked about specific elements of its potential manslaughter case, but it would likely center around the issue of proper lookout. In its story today, the Miami Herald’s reporting touched on applicable regulations and the rules-of-the-road issues in the case:
Lorenzo Palomares, a lawyer for the owner of Waterfront Construction, has noted that the unnamed tug captain has 12 years of experience working on Biscayne Bay. Palomares told the Herald that the Wood Chuck crew had indeed been keeping a lookout.
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. You’re currently a free subscriber to LOOSE CANNON. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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When all else fails, try journalism. Uncrewed Vessels Will Use AI To Interpret Nav DataU.K. Researchers Teaching Control Systems How To Understand Sailing Directions
The author is a regular contributor to Marine Industry News of the U.K., which published this story on October 16. It is reprinted here with permission. By GEMMA HARRISA research project has been launched in Plymouth to teach autonomous vessels to read and act on official navigation data. The eight-month initiative, led jointly by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office in Taunton and Plymouth-based Marine AI, aims to develop AI that is capable of interpreting Admiralty sailing directions and radio navigation warnings. The Admiralty is the British government agency historically responsible for its Navy. Now, it is also in charge of hydrography, charting, marine data and advice on maritime matters. “This is the first time anyone has attempted to process Admiralty Sailing Directions and Radio Navigation Warnings in a way that an autonomous control system can act upon,” said Oliver Thompson, technical director at Marine AI. “By proving this capability on the water, we are closing one of the biggest gaps in (uncrewed vessel) autonomy and taking a major step toward safe, fully automated operations.” Such a project represents a world first in applying Large Language Models (LLMs) to process maritime navigation information for autonomous control systems. The maritime autonomy software firm, Marine AI, will retrain its baseline LLM to translate unstructured, text-based navigational data into formats usable by its GuardianAI autonomy software suite. The goal is to enable Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships to make safe, real-time operational decisions using the same authoritative information relied upon by professional mariners. Currently, uncrewed vessels depend on humans to interpret navigation warnings and sailing guidance, much of which is distributed through legacy systems and written in natural nautical language. The project will address these challenges by using AI to convert this into structured data that can be integrated into autonomous decision-making systems. In spring 2026, there is a planned on-water demonstration, when the ZeroUSVs Oceanus12 vessel, fitted with Marine AI’s GuardianAI suite, will navigate Plymouth’s waters using the newly developed capability. The trials will run alongside advanced simulation exercises and are expected to inform the International Hydrographic Organisation’s S-100 data framework—one that is underpinning the next generation of digital navigation standards.
Plymouth, on the south coast of Southwest England, has become a national hub for autonomous maritime research, and this new project presents an opportunity to further strengthen its role as a testbed for uncrewed vessel technology. Read more stories like this one in the Marine Industry News. 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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When all else fails, try journalism. Two Iconic Coral Specials Are Now ‘Functionionally Extinct’ Off FloridaAuthors Witness Reef’s Bleaching and Devastation
About the authors: Carly Kenkel is associate professor of Biological Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences; Jenna Dilworth is a Ph.D. candidate in Marine Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Maya Gomez is a Ph.D. student in Marine Sciences, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. This story first appeared in The Conversation on October 23, 2025 and is reprinted here with permission. By CARLY D. KENKEL, JENNA DILWORTH & MAYA GOMEZIn early June 2023, the coral reefs in the lower Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas were stunning. We were in diving gear, checking up on hundreds of corals we had transplanted as part of our experiments. The corals’ classic orange-brown colors showed they were thriving. Just three weeks later, we got a call—a marine heat wave was building, and water temperatures on the reef were dangerously high. Our transplanted corals were bleaching under the heat stress, turning bone white. Some were already dead.
That was the start of a global mass bleaching event. As ocean temperatures rose, rescuers scrambled to relocate surviving corals to land-based tanks, but the heat wave, extending over 2023 and 2024, was lethal. In a study published Oct. 23, 2025, in the journal Science, we and colleagues from NOAA, the Shedd Aquarium and other institutions found that two of Florida’s most important and iconic reef-building coral species had become functionally extinct across Florida’s coral reef, meaning too few of them remain to serve their previous ecological role. No Chance To RecoverIn summer 2023, the average sea-surface temperature across Florida’s reef was above 87 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius) for weeks. We found that the accumulated heat stress on the corals was 2.2 to 4 times higher than it had ever been since modern satellite sea-surface temperature recordings began in the 1980s, a time when those two species—branching staghorn and elkhorn corals—were the dominant reef-builders in the region.
The temperatures were so high in the middle and lower Florida Keys that some corals died within days from acute heat shock. Everywhere on the reef, corals were bleaching. That occurs when temperatures rise high enough that the coral expels its symbiotic algae, turning stark white. The corals rely on these algae for food, a solar-powered energy supply that allows them to build their massive calcium carbonate skeletons, which we know as coral reefs. These reefs are valuable. They help protect coastal areas during storms, provide safety for young fish and provide habitat for thousands of species. They generate millions of dollars in tourism revenue in places like the Florida Keys. However, the symbiotic relationship between the coral animal and the algae that supports these incredible ecosystems can be disrupted when temperatures rise about 2 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit (1 to 2 degrees Celsius) above the normal summer maximum. By the end of summer 2023, only three of the 200 corals we had transplanted in the Lower Keys to study how corals grow survived. In the Dry Tortugas, corals’ bone-white skeletons were already being grown over by seaweed. That’s a warning sign of a potential phase shift, where reefs change from coral-dominated to macroalgae-dominated systems. Our colleagues observed similar patterns across the Florida Keys: Acroporid corals – staghorn and elkhorn – suffered staggering levels of bleaching and death. Of the more than 50,000 acroporid corals surveyed across nearly 400 individual reefs before and after the heat wave, 97.8 to 100 percent ultimately died. Those farther north and offshore in cooler water fared somewhat better. But this pattern of bleaching extended to the rest of the Caribbean and the world, leading NOAA to declare 2023-2024 the fourth global bleaching event. This type of mass bleaching, in which stress and mortality occur almost simultaneously across locations around the world, points to a common environmental driver.
In the summer of 2023, that environmental driver was clearly soaring water temperatures caused by climate change. Functionally ExtinctEven before the 2023 marine heat wave, staghorn and elkhorn numbers had been dwindling, with punctuated declines accelerated by a diverse array of stressors – hurricane damage, loss of supporting herbivore species, disease and repeated bleaching. The 2023-2024 event was effectively the final nail in the coffin: The data from our new study shows that these species are now functionally extinct on Florida’s coral reef. Caribbean acroporids have not entirely disappeared in Florida, but those left are not enough to fulfill their ecological role. When populations become too small, they lose their capacity to rebound – in conservation biology this is known as the “extinction vortex.” With so few individuals, it becomes harder to find a mate, and even when one is found, it’s more likely to be a relative, which has negative genetic consequences.
For an ecosystem-builder like coral, many individuals are required to build an effective reef. Even if the remaining corals were the healthiest and most thermally tolerant of the bunch – they did survive, after all – there are simply not enough of them left to recover on their own. Can Corals Be Saved?Florida’s acroporids have joined the ranks of the California condor – they cannot recover without help. But unlike the condor, there are still pockets of healthy corals scattered throughout their broader range that could be used to help restore areas with localized extinctions. The surviving corals in Florida could be bred with other Caribbean populations to boost their numbers and increase genetic diversity, an approach known as assisted gene flow.
Advancements in microfragmentation, a way to speed up coral propagation by cutting them into smaller pieces, and cryopreservation, which involves deep-freezing coral sperm to preserve their genetic diversity, have made it possible to mass produce, archive and exchange genetic diversity at a scale that would not have been possible just 10 years ago. Restoration isn’t easy, though. From a policy perspective, coordinating international exchange of endangered species is complex. There is still disagreement about the capacity to scale up reef restoration to recover entire ecosystems. And the question remains: Even if we could succeed in restoring these reefs, would we be planting corals just in time for the next heat wave to knock them down again? This is a real risk, because ocean temperatures are rising. There is broad consensus that the world must curb the carbon emissions contributing to increased ocean temperatures for restoration to succeed. Climate change poses an existential threat to coral reefs, but these advancements, in concert with effective and timely action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, could give them a fighting chance. 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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New mooring fields are always welcome, especially with the growing restrictions on anchoring. The Loggerhead Park Mooring field is located in Hollywood FL off the AIWW at mile marker 1070.6.
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When all else fails, try journalism. Investor Balked at Saving Catalina, Company President Told Workers (Video)Nine Unfinished Boats; President Goes to Tartan
Catalina Yachts President Patrick Turner stood before a couple dozen employees, explaining to them that the company needed an infusion of capital to stay in business. Catalina’s new owner, Michael Reardon, had been wooing a potential investor who ultimately refused to commit, Turner said, before announcing that they were all being laid off. “Michael, our owner, has done his part in getting someone involved, the investor.” Turner told workers at Catalina’s Largo, Florida, facility. “The investor was asking questions, and we’d keep answering, and he keeps asking more questions.” Reardon was owner of Daedulus Composites, a boatbuilder in Edenton, North Carolina. He purchased the assets of Catalina and True North powercraft from Catalina’s corporate ownership in California (California Catalina) in May. In August, he bought Tartan Yachts and two other brands. Soon after Turner closed down the Florida Catalina facility earlier this month, his LinkedIn page began listing him as president of Tartan Yachts, which is in Ohio. Layoff Video, October 14, 2025 On September 18, California Catalina filed a lawsuit against Reardon for non-payment of rent for the Florida Catalina factory and, by default, the $1 million promised for purchase of company assets. The suit listed the following boats as collateral; nine of the 11 are in various stages of construction, some near completion.
As reported earlier, Florida Catalina employees were working without pay for the last five weeks before the shutdown. As it happens, the company was also “out of trust” with its suppliers, too. No more materials or gear on credit. Catalina’s parts people began sourcing supplies from Amazon in an effort to finish boats. Unlike other builders who employ a series of “draws,” collecting a percentage of the purchase price at specified construction milestones, Catalina Florida took a single down payment with the balance due at delivery. For example, a C-446 goes out the door for more than $600,000, so revenue generated at delivery of even a single boat is substantial. Meanwhile, the workforce (many of them who were making just $16 an hour) are hoping someone reopens the factory so Sail Annapolis and others can get their boats. Michael Reardon has lost control of the building, having been evicted as a consequence of California Catalina’s lawsuit against him. So, some employees now hope that the people behind California Catalina—the family of the late Frank Butler—will get the resin flowing again and push those nine boats out the door. 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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Another week of SPARRING flies by! Your support is priceless. Thank you. ~J If you’ve just joined our engaging little community, please read SPARS & SPARRING, my introductory piece.…. ~J It was one of those mornings when, in our part of the northern hemisphere, there is an inherent change afoot; a crispness that is felt as the leaves turn and rustle on their branches, refusing to give up just yet. The sun is at the perfect angle for other-worldly reflections on the bottoms of the clouds, and even though castoff was imminent, I wandered, knowing it would be a while before we felt any peace. It was race week.  Mother Nature’s brilliance reflects the John Alden designed schooner RESILIENT. None of us had ever really sailed RESILIENT, much less raced her, and we all hoped she was aptly christened. The remaining sections of Baltimore’s Frances Scott Key Bridge, which shockingly collapsed like so many legos after a container ship struck a support tower in March 2024, were a powerful reminder of what happens when things go wrong on seagoing ships, large and small. Systems fail, forecasts are wrong.  Eastern and Western (under rebuild) spans. Below, also looking southbound, prior to collapse.
Before we left for the 118-mile Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, studying wind and wave forecasts, I declared, more to myself than to Steve, that I must be either brave or crazy to keep signing up and living a life that sometimes clashes with my bodily functions so strongly as to cause debilitation. I’m what is referred to as a seasick sailor…some folks are lucky enough to never experience that nasty affliction; and now you know for certain that our ability to explore (among other things) must make all the complexities of living aboard a wooden sailing yacht worthwhile. I can control my malady most of the time and recover quickly, life’s full of tradeoffs. The race began at noon and when, during the moonless night, the forecasted 20 knots turned to 32 (near gale force) ‘on the tail’ with a huge following sea, well, I couldn’t quite control that or the wintery wind chill. In such circumstances boats ‘surf’ down the front side of the six-to-eight foot waves and a vessel such as ours, which averages seven knots of speed, was able to hit over eleven. The sensation is hard to describe when your stomach drops like a roller coaster and the waves crest like an angry ocean. You can see the results and details here. We crossed both finished lines with just four vessels ahead of us despite their far greater size and experience. We are proud although the corrected times took us down a notch or two in the final standings. “Line Honors” it is called in the complicated, competitive world of sailboat racing. I have an expensive vine-draped education and knack for numbers, but those calculations remain a mystery to me.
After celebrating with fresh local seafood donated and served by the men who harvested them we were prudent enough to know that if we stayed for breakfast we’d have a rough return trip for certain; the latest forecast had wind and rain whipping up hard in less time than the passage would take us. Eighty hours after our odyssey began, I half-knelt, half-stood in the cockpit of the striking little schooner for the best possible vantage point, one hand guiding the helm in an irregular back-and-forth rhythm as the vessel turns into the wind and needs to be corrected to her course, and the other resting easily on another spoke, our responsibilities over, for the most part, except to get the vessel safely back to her marina a hundred miles or so to the north. That task sounds simpler than it would turn out to be, as things so often are when SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE.
The first eighteen hours northbound was a reward, the reason we tolerate the whims, the moods, the watch of Mother Nature; our propulsion was southeast blowing fourteen to seventeen knots; the last six hours built right back to the near-gale, on-tail we had sailed in the race. We were more prepared, more knowledgable, but worn a tad thin. Just after true dark, the fifth-of-a-mile-long Baltimore-based Carnival PRIDE cruise ship overtook us in the channel with its propellers churning, contrasting significantly with our peaceful passage using only the wind.
When underway sailing, a vessel shows just three lights; a rear white, red port side and green starboard side. This brilliant, simple system tells other vessels whether you are coming or going. The cruise ship glowed with what looked like a light for each of the 3,000 or so souls on board. In comparison, this is the view from our open cockpit navigating at night. While admittedly those folks have more creature comforts, it’s our perspective that I prefer.
We’ve spent fifteen long months working on STEADFAST. The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, while we didn’t get much rest, reinvigorated and further inspired me to get back out there. RESILIENT was appropriately named, after all. ~J To read more about following seas, take a look at this strongly opinionated piece by yours truly:
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© 2025 Janice Anne Wheeler
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