NAVCEN Launches Redesigned Homepage to Improve Access to Maritime Safety Information
The U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center (NAVCEN) has launched a newly redesigned homepage at https://navcen.uscg.gov/, providing faster and more intuitive access to critical maritime safety information and operational services.
The updated design improves navigation and information discovery, enabling mariners, industry partners, and stakeholders to reach authoritative content with fewer clicks and greater clarity. The homepage places greater emphasis on operationally relevant tools and services that support timely decision-making and maritime domain awareness.
New features highlighted on the homepage include:
Marine Safety Information Bulletins (MSIBs): NAVCEN now provides centralized access to Marine Safety Information Bulletins, making it easier for mariners to find national-level MSIBs addressing policy and regulatory-driven safety matters issued by the appropriate Coast Guard Headquarters offices.
U.S. Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking (SARSAT) Program: The redesigned homepage improves visibility of the U.S. SARSAT Program, which supports global search and rescue operations through satellite-based distress alert detection and coordination.
These updates reflect NAVCEN’s continued commitment to modernizing maritime safety information delivery and providing reliable, user-focused services to the maritime community. Users are encouraged to explore the new homepage and submit feedback via the Contact Us page.
This email was sent to nc-sceditor@cruisersnet.net using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: U.S. Coast Guard · U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Washington, DC 20528 · 800-439-1420
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Confidence is increasing for most or all of South Carolina to see a snowstorm this weekend.
Mainly snow will fall, but many areas may see light rain at the onset, and parts of the Coastal Plain may see up to a few hours of sleet and freezing rain. However, the risk for power outages will be low because significant ice buildup is unlikely, and the snow will be dry and fluffy.
Snow amounts are in question, and it’s still too early to provide specifics. However, it’s likely that the Catawba Region, the Pee Dee, and the Grand Strand will see the heaviest snowfall and have the best chance of three inches or more.
The potential exists for slippery travel starting Friday night with snow falling through Saturday night. Roads may remain slippery for a few days where substantial snow falls because it will remain cold behind the storm, resulting in slow daytime melting and nighttime refreezing. The extent and duration of potential travel problems are uncertain.
Winds will increase during the storm with peak gusts of 35-40 mph along the Coastal Plain and around 30 mph elsewhere on Sunday. The wind will cause blowing and drifting snow where we see a substantial accumulation. The winds will also drive wind chills down to the teens over most of the state on Saturday through Sunday and to the single digits Sunday night.
Another winter storm now looks likely for most or all of the state Saturday into Sunday. There is good computer model agreement that the storm will bring mainly snow, but they disagree on the amounts. Some show a major event with parts of the state seeing over six inches, while others show a peak of only a few inches.
In the meantime:
We’ll remain dry ahead of the storm, but a moisture-starved cold front will move through tonight into Thursday. Highs on Thursday will range from the low 40s north to near 50 south.
Clouds will increase on Friday ahead of the approaching storm. Highs on Friday will range from the low 40s in the Upstate to the upper 50s in the far south.
Uncertainties remain because of the complexity of the weather pattern over North America. The primary weather feature is moving southward from Hudson Bay today. It will cross the Great Lakes on Friday and reach the Tennessee Valley on Saturday. It will then move through the Carolinas and depart to the northeast on Saturday night into Sunday. Pacific disturbances now south of Alaska and west of Baja California may join with the storm and add moisture. However, the computer models could be off on the timing of those Pacific disturbances, and they may end up not becoming involved. More available moisture would lead to more snowfall.
This annotated infrared satellite image shows the complexity of our current weather pattern that leads to the uncertainties with this weekend’s potential winter storm:
The track of the primary feature moving south from Hudson Bay is in question, and slight differences in its track could make a big difference in how severe the storm is for South Carolina.
We may see weather features currently over the Pacific pulled into the weekend storm, and this would result in more moisture available and a more energetic storm.
Other weather features not directly involved in the storm may still influence its behavior.
Image Source: University of Wisconsin RealEarth
However, the range of scenarios points to at least a little snow falling over some or all of South Carolina as early as Friday night. Some scenarios would lead to less moisture available, and some would result in the storm not really getting its act together until it’s moving away from us. Others show the storm intensifying by the time it gets here, bringing a major snowstorm that affects most of the state. The truth is somewhere in between, but the model trend over the last day has been toward more snow.
You can expect different impacts from this storm than from this past weekend’s, since it’s likely to bring snow rather than thick ice. Also, the snow will be dry and fluffy because it will be so cold, and it won’t adhere well to trees or power lines, so the risk for power outages will be low. Slick roads will be a problem, and it’s going to remain cold behind this storm, so the roads could remain slick for a while. How hard it will become to get around and how long the roads remain bad will depend on how much snow falls. It’s too early to give specific accumulation numbers (that’s coming tomorrow), but the area east of I-77 and north of U.S. 378 has the best chance of heavy snow. If you’re in that area, start planning to avoid travel Saturday through at least Monday. The rest of the state is likely to see lower impacts, but travel will be hazardous at least on Saturday and Sunday.
*** Thanks for being aboard while we save our piece of maritime history! ~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.
Sailing Vessel STEADFAST has gone gray, like many of us; in her case it’s literal, quick and dirty. In my case it’s been a long time coming.
Barely recognizable, sometimes like friends you haven’t seen in a while…
“You’re going gray,” I told my old wooden girl directly, “Just like me.” What I didn’t say was that, in my case, she is the cause. She’s not completely the cause, but you know what I mean. I give her considerable credit.
At some point over the last few weeks I conveyed to you the palpable relief I experienced when I pulled off my stiff, filthy TYVEK PPE suit for what I thought was the last time. On Wednesday I found myself re-draped in an XL complete with crotch just barely above my insulated knees. I rolled the pantlegs up once, again, and a third time, after those damn, already-bent brass hooks on my workboots relentlessly caught the hems and tripped me up, hard. Some days here seriously lack grace.
The respirator really caught my attention as to how permanent, how powerful, how poisonous, this layer must be. I filled every pinhole, every tiny imperfection in our new bottom with the gray plastic-ish solution that requires a certain temperature for application. Sun shone through our structure and I was highly overdressed; the sweat ran down my spine as well as from breastbone over ribcage. As I rolled it carefully on, a little piece of joy took me by surprise; each new step teaches me something, each step takes me closer to living back on the sea. The barrier coat of this vessel, properly applied, under ordinary circumstances, will outlast yours truly. You may already understand this project well enough so that you can foresee, prior to launch, applying yet another barrier coat (or two or three…) just to make sure we’ve got it right. It’s all about protection. It’s all about getting it right and we’ll get there, regardless of the redundancy and transformations required.
STEADFAST is now sporting a very stately, steel gray two-part epoxy barrier coat on her smooth new bottom, another layer of protection from formidable Mother Nature, this time on top of the seafoam greenish fiberglass (it was QUITE A PROCESS) below her waterline. Her careful replanking and recaulking, the new, bright white seams, the months of hard, careful labor, are no longer in evidence. I vascillate between disappointed and elated. Are YOU sporting a color? Does it change? Does it cover up all the hard work you put in? Or emphasize your best side?
When I first met my Sailor, he deemed himself ‘platinum’ not merely silver and most certainly not gray—this society’s tell-tale indicator of inevitable, oft-dreaded aging. As a child I can remember that my mom’s premature coloration—in her very early 30s—was costumed every few weeks by a private ritual. My blondish-brown has been transforming for years now; I’m thrilled with the fairly slow rate (accelerated by circumstances) and most certainly label the new tint platinum. Does that change the dynamic? Or buoy me from aging? My grandmother Pearl’s hair was white my whole life. No coverups. No shame. No regret. Gray that was white. An indicator of age that, on her, was timeless. Stately.
Could aging be described as some other color? And could that descriptor become some other perspective? Well, yes. And yes. I pluck almost-white eyebrow hairs as soon as I notice them. Since they are usually full-size (or impossibly appear even larger than their cohorts) by the time that happens, I clearly don’t pay attention very often. Or do those individuals suddenly turn, under stress or duress or neither, from my traditional, boring brown to course white and strikingly noticeable? That seems ridiculous, (and I know this is too much information!).Sometimes I tug out a brown one with the white by mistake, wonder how many of those I have to spare, and then also contemplate whether, when they’re mostly white, will I keep pulling or…the options are limited; after all…I won’t want to go without.
STEADFAST sports her custom steely gray better than I will. I find the whole graying process a tad disheartening, but that adjective is far too strong; if that’s my biggest problem in this mad mad mad world, I’m kicking ass. No one cares. Not even me. I used to, but we’re wiser, I think, and particularly in tumultuous, unpredictable times, so many other things take precedence, don’t they? ~J
If you think my work is worthy, it takes two clicks; the heart icon & the restack arrows to share it. Or… just privately love my writing & stay aboard. That’s perfect, too.
As we’re discussing colors and concepts, I’ll offer a provocative, creative perspective on an entire year of gray from ‘Stacker Amy Cowen, Illustrated Life. Color yourself, color your year. I give her credit for inspiring for some of this content.
Spelling: did you wonder gray vs. grey? I did, and found a tremendously refreshing change; everyone is correct.
See you next week! It’s a pleasure to have you here.
I so appreciate your support of my work. Have a wonderful week!
As we begin a new year, I want to extend my deepest thanks to each of you for your extraordinary outpouring of generosity last month. Your support was truly record-setting as we wrapped up 2025, and it speaks volumes about how deeply members of our Outer Banks Forever community, near and far, care about our three Outer Banks national parks. Because of you, we are starting 2026 with renewed momentum, confidence, and optimism!
Your generosity does more than fund individual park projects. It helps build the long-term capacity of Outer Banks Forever by strengthening our ability to have more impact on our national parks, take on more ambitious projects, and serve as an even stronger partner to the National Park Service. That kind of support is transformational. It allows us all to not only preserve what makes our national parks special today, but also to plan boldly for the future.
And 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year. We expect to complete the new bathhouse along the new pathway at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, an important improvement that will enhance the visitor experience at one of the most iconic sites on the Outer Banks. We also look forward to finishing the restoration of the Double Keepers’ Quarters at Bodie Island, which suffered significant internal damage from a fire in 2025. Seeing this historic structure brought back to life will be a powerful reminder of why fundraising efforts matter and what is possible when a community comes together.
These milestones are just the beginning. We have many more plans for 2026: projects that will protect historic structures, improve visitor access, and deepen the connection people feel to these remarkable national parks. Thanks to your support, we are well positioned to turn those plans into reality.
On a more personal note, I have thoroughly enjoyed the Outer Banks off-season. It has been a gift to spend time connecting with local businesses, meeting second-home owners, and getting to know even more people who make this place so special. The quieter months offer a chance to truly appreciate the strength, generosity, and pride of the Outer Banks community I am fortunate to call home.
As we look ahead, I am excited for the return of spring and summer, when families and friends once again pour into the Outer Banks. They come to build memories, reconnect, and add new chapters to their personal stories, which are so often centered around this magical place we all love.
Thank you for making our work possible. I cannot wait to see what we accomplish together in 2026!
Happy New Year, and thank you again for your support!
PS: New year, new inbox! To ensure you continue receiving our monthly e-newsletters and other email communications, please add info@obxforever.org to your email address book or contact list if you haven’t already done so. For additional tips, click here.
In the tenth installment of the Wright Flight Academy video series, current and former First Flight High School Aviation students celebrate the completion of their airplane — and the community members who made it possible — which is only the second aircraft built on the site of the first flight since December 17, 1903!
We’re proud to support this program by sponsoring this video series created by Rayolight Productions. As additional videos become available, we’ll be adding them to our YouTube channel, sharing them on Facebook, and including them in our monthly e-newsletters.
We’d like to introduce you Shannon Painter, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Sun Realty!
Shannon (pictured center) grew up in Currituck on the Outer Banks and is passionate about introducing visitors to our three Outer Banks national parks. She and her team at Sun Realty have generously supported us and other great Outer Banks nonprofits through their annual Giving Tuesday campaign!
This content is brought to you by our National Park Service partners.
The development of the Freedmen’s Colony of Roanoke Island was made possible through the dedicated efforts of missionaries who arrived on the island to assist the formerly enslaved people.
Sarah Freeman was one of the tireless teachers of the Roanoke Island Freedmen’s Colony who worked to provide education to recently freed people. Working through adversity and hardship, she gave her life to other people in the hopes that they would have a better life through education and opportunity.
Sarah’s story is featured as part of the Freedom Trail at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on Roanoke Island, where life-sized silhouettes help bring these inspiring stories to life. On your next visit to Fort Raleigh, we encourage you to stop and reflect at the First Light of Freedom Memorial, attend a ranger program, and explore the Freedom Trail to learn more about the freedom seekers who risked everything to find a safe haven and rebuild their lives on Roanoke Island during and after the Civil War, and how their stories and legacies continue to shape our community and our nation today.
Looking to make a new year’s resolution you can keep? Consider monthly giving to Outer Banks Forever!
Your monthly gift is automated, so all you have to do is set it up! Every gift, no matter the size, helps us protect and enhance Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial, now and forever.
Interested in monthly giving?
Email Nicole Erickson, Development & Adoption Programs Manager, at nicoleerickson@obxforever.org for more information.
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