Explorer Chartbooks, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET PARTNER, has long been the standard navigational supplement for enjoyable, informative, and safe cruising through the beautiful Bahamian waters and island visits. Bahamas Chatter: Boat buddy Boat buddy Posted: 15 Oct 2017 05:33 AM PDT We are presently located in NC and waiting on the season to end before heading to the east coast of Florida. (West Palm Beach area) and looking to head to West End in mid to late November. We are looking for other boaters to join in the trip. We are in a 30′ Bayliner and cruise around 20knts. We will eventually cruise our way through to DR and then on to home in Cabo Rojo, PR.
BEST SMALL MARINA Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina is, naturally, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR! The marina overlooks the westerly banks of the Mantanzas Pass channel, west of marker #13. Congratulations Pink Shell!
Marinalife Announces the Winners of the 8th Annual Best Marina Contest
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – Marinalife is pleased to announce the winners of the 8th Annual Best Marina Contest. Congratulations to Orange Beach Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama, voted 2017’s Best Large Marina and Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, voted 2017’s Best Small Marina.
As a premier marina on the Gulf Coast, Orange Beach Marina offers a safe, fully protected harbor with 161 slips available and family-friendly environment for all types of boaters. Conveniently accessible from the Gulf, Tennessee-Tombigbee, Intracoastal Waterway, Mobile or Pensacola Bay, their state-of-the-art docks, two on-site restaurants, and exceptional laundry and shower facilities offer guests a pleasant experience without leaving the marina.
“For the second year in a row, Orange Beach Marina is honored to be recognized as Marinalife’s 2017 Best Large Marina!” states C. Bennett Long, President. “This award demonstrates that hard work and attention to detail pays dividends. We also couldn’t be more thankful to our dedicated staff who routinely put our customer’s needs at the forefront of our family-owned and operated business we are proud to represent the entire Gulf Coast and our world-renowned hometown, Orange Beach, Alabama.”
Voted 2017’s Best Small Marina, the beautiful pet and family friendly Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina in Fort Myers Beach, Florida features 41 slips where boaters enjoy a host of amenities and services, whether staying for one night or one week. Just six miles from the Gulf of Mexico, dock your boat (up to 100 feet) and get full-access to the Resort’s pools, restaurants, and spa or soak in the sunshine along the quarter mile of sugar white sand beaches.
“We are honored to have been voted the Best Small Marina in this year’s Marinalife Best Marina contest,” said Pink Shell’s Dockmaster, Dave O’Connor. “We thank the readers and our marina guests for recognizing our commitment to maintaining a prestigious facility and our dedication to providing exceptional service.”
Due to the high number of votes, we recognize second and third place winners in each category. Kingman Yacht Center in Cataumet, Massachusetts was voted second place for the Best Large Marina, and River Dunes Marina in Oriental, North Carolina came in a close third. Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina in Islamorada, Florida was voted second place in the Best Small Marina category and in third place was Homeport Marina in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
We appreciate and thank all the marinas and boaters nationwide for participating in this year’s contest. Keep an eye out for announcements starting in the Spring of 2018 for Marinalife’s 9th Annual Best Marina Contest.
###
About Marinalife:
Marinalife brings together the boating community through a comprehensive membership program offering boaters online marina reservation services and valuable trip planning travel tools and resources. Marinalife publishes a quarterly magazine highlighting marina and boating destinations, members’ cruising stories and captain’s tips. Marinalife’s mission is to make boating easy by providing services and information to simplify logistics and alleviate stress for all types of boaters.
Longtime cruiser and Cruisers’ Net contributor, Captain Jim Healy, shares his knowledge and experience in these observations on these portions of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, complete with text and charts! Thank you Jim! NOTE: Further descriptions of the inlet intersections discussed have been designated Problem Stretches on Cruisers’ Net and can be found under North Carolina, NC AICW Problem Stretches on our Homepage. See Report from Shalotte Inlet Problem Stretch, AICW Statute Mile 330.
1. Brown’s Inlet at Camp Lejeune is not a navigational problem for the fall or 2017. I note the USACE made some survey updates dated 2017-10-03 (my birthday), but I can say that I did not see a present or emerging issue when we passed that area on 2017-10-06.
2. Call the range office at Camp Lejeune to confirm the next day’s firing schedule. We were told that boat’s would be allowed allowed to transit on the ODD HOURS. Slow boats (I run 7.3 knots/8.5 mph through still water) can leave Swansboro around 06h15 to arrive at Onslow Beach Bridge for the 08h00 opening. At that point, you’re through the live fire zone before the start of the Marine’s play time.
3. The information for the New River Inlet crossing in ActiveCaptain from Bob423 and the USACE is correct. The suggested A-ICW route for New River drops south (east) at the inlet. As of 2017-10-06, the markers have not been moved and do not reflect the correct route. Some charts show a shoal there, but in real life, it is very clear that you’ll have plenty of visibility and room. Be careful of swift cross-currents; I was being timid, and operating at reduced speed/power. I got swept rapidly inland towards the New River by strong incoming cross-currents from the inlet. Ebbing currents could be hazardous too. This route was reliable, but check again in the spring, because it had several sand piles on the bottom and did not look like it would last long as the best route.
Lime line is Bob423; black route is USACE route I laid in for my own use.
4. Sanctuary and crew transited Snow’s Cut on 2017-10-06 at 1-1/2 hour before low tide. We found R”162″ relocated very dramatically to the south shoreline of the cut. So much so that it appears off-station. We verified it is an ICW marker, carrying a yellow triangle. Southbound, take R”162″ to STBD. We found at least 10 ft of water between the marker and the shore, but estimate the marker is only about 40 feet from what would be expected to be the green side of the channel in that area.
Lime line is Bob423; black route is mine.
5. ALL BOATERS should look at the website for the Wilmington Division of the USACE. They maintain surveys of all of the inlets in their district, which include all of the most challenging inlets in North Carolina (Shallottes, Lockwood Folly, Snow’s Cut, New River, Brown’s). Download the .pdf’s and set up the best route in your chart plotters or navigation software. They are your best chance to find the deepest and safest water in these areas. The website for the .pdf files is: http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Hydrographic-Surveys/Inlets-Crossings/.
6. Sanctuary and crew transited Lockwood’s Folly this morning, 2017-10-10, 09h00, 1/2 tide rising, +3.0 feet. I followed a route that “split the difference” between Bob423’s route and the 2017-07 waypoints from the USACE. The route takes you within about 100 feet of a large, prominent sand bar with people fishing. The incoming current was at max flood, at least 2 – 2.5 knots. We learned at New River that we’d need full power to manage that cross-current. Furthermore, the markers in the water still mark the old “north” route through the Folly. All in all, the transit is an act of faith. The standers-bye were AMAZED watching us just two boat lengths from them. Our faith was rewarded; the route works well. We saw one sand pile that was 10.5 feet, so the route would carry 7.5 feet at MLLW. This is probably a temporary alternative, as the currents will undoubtedly shift the route by spring.
There are comments in the Lockwood Folly ActiveCaptain thread from a few days ago that suggest the marked north route is about the same depth as we saw on this alternate route. That being the case, I’d recommend to less experienced people that they go with the marked route. To follow the alternative route without markers as physical reference points, you really need a route programmed into a chart plotter and an autopilot accurate enough to closely follow the unmarked alternate in strong cross-currents. The only other choice would be to run at slack where less than full power is needed.
Lime line is Bob423; fuscia line is USACE; black route is mine; blue highlighted line is our actual track.
7. Sanctuary and crew transited Shallotte Inlet this morning, 2017-10-10, 10h15, 2/3rds tide rising, +4.0 feet. The route has only one small change from last spring. G”81″ has been relocated about 100 feet toward the north shore. This makes the course a slight slalom. We saw one sand pile at 10 feet, so about 6.0 feet at MLLW.
The blue highlighted line is our actual track. From it, you can see where we diverted toward shore to pass G”81″ at a distance of 10′ – 12′.
8. USCG Sector Charleston is transmitting a “pan pan” for a storm-damaged dock with debris in the ICW at “Mile Marker 24,” presumably in South Carolina. The North Carolina/South Carolina border is approximately StM 331, and the Rock Pile is StM 553 – 557. So, there is no “Mile Marker 24″ in S. Carolina. We decided they must mean lateral marker R”24.” There is a R”24″ south of Myrtle Beach in the ICW, and it did have a board or two tied to the marker’s piling. There was no evidence of a damaged dock in that area. There is no more than the normal amount of flotsam in the water so far this season.
Hope this is useful.
Jim
Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary, currently at Socastee, SC http://gilwellbear.wordpress.com Monk 36 Hull #132 MMSI #367042570 AGLCA #3767 MTOA #3436
Once again, Bob and Ann Sherer, authors of 2017 ICW Cruising Guide and their popular blog, http://fleetwing.blogspot.com/, generously share their research with our readers. This is an excellent listing of information sites pertaining to the Intracoastal. Definitely a posting to save!
I compiled a set of links in north to south order:
– Weather buoys that give wind and wave heights along our ICW route
– Shoaling areas I’ve found by examining ACOE Surveys, mile by mile starting at Norfolk. It’s not just the inlets where we have surveys available for problem areas. It takes some digging to find all of them but here they are. ACOE uses the same link for each section of the ICW so the link provided will always bring up the latest survey.
The above sites are handy in doing a quick check on conditions before transiting an area. You might want to bookmark the page in your browser.
And this from Buddy DeRyder, a friend of the Sherers:
Thanks Bob, You may want to consider adding the York Spit buoy http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=44072 As it is on your rhumb line from Windmill Pt to Hampton and its added value is sea state height/period which you don’t get from the York River rear range station. It is a fairly new yellow buoy and does not yet show on NOAAs website composite pictorial graphic We decided to not go south this winter as I didn’t get accomplished what I wanted to get done and ICW (& Keys) conditions are not to my liking as I have been through all that before. On the positive side you don’t have a real worry with wrapping a prop on old hidden roof tarps blown off from previous hurricanes and Ophelia is way offshore! But buoy location is a worry to resolve. I moved my boat to our new F docks near the public piers and having Don Gulliver doing some AC work this week… he worked on your system a few years back… Give a shout if you have a need. Best Wishes, Buddy
Vessel Documentation Regulations – Technical Amendments Final Rule Published 20 SEP 2017
The Coast Guard is making technical amendments to its vessel documentation regulations, 46 CFR Part 67. The amendments make non-substantive edits to align Coast Guard regulations with current vessel documentation statutes, correct typographical errors, and align procedural requirements with current Coast Guard practice. Attached is a copy of the Final Rule for technical amendments made to the vessel documentation regulations. This final rule is effective September 20, 2017.
A call by city officials and the local populace to further restrict the opening schedule at the Bridge of Lions has been under consideration by the USCG for most of this year. This decision not to restrict the opening schedule is good news for boaters. See Schedule Controversy from April of this year.
At the intersection of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and the Okeechobee Waterway, Martin County, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, is a hub of boating activity and of events of interest to boaters.
Key Lime Sailing Club, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, always has very special offers for their visitors! Key Lime Sailing Club is on the Inside Route side of Key Largo. Key Lime Sailing Club is a unique slice of KEYS ENJOYMENT…give it a try and let us hear about your experience.
Welcome to our unique little hideaway. Secluded, serene, and perfectly located, our self-contained cottages have everything you need for a relaxing waterfront vacation.
Hey Winston, thank you very much for checking in. We’re doing fair, we have seven of our cottages open for Keylime sailing club. We’re still cleaning up and repairing and we have yet to get to South Dade Marina. The marina still has boats sitting on top of the dock; 40% of the dock is missing; the sunken boats and boats on the shore. But we will rebuild. And I know we share the story with a lot of marinas and places of business. I count ourselves lucky and pray for the people that have suffered much more than us. Paul Keever
Key Lime Sailing Club, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, always has very special offers for their visitors! Key Lime Sailing Club is on the Inside Route side of Key Largo. Key Lime Sailing Club is a unique slice of KEYS ENJOYMENT…give it a try and let us hear about your experience.
This hazard is just north of the Waterway’s crossing of Dewees Creek and Dewees Inlet.
Our thanks for his kind words and for forwarding this report goes to Hank Pomeranz of Carolina Yacht Care and Southport Marina, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, located just west of the Cape Fear River along the northern banks of the Waterway hard by flashing daybeacon #2A. And, of course, our thanks to Robert Blakely for being a “cruiser helping other cruisers!” Thank you Rob!
Hi folks, Here’s a report from Skipper Rob Blakely of M/V Asolare that I think is worth sharing as we start to gear up for the Transient season.
Rob, both Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net (SSECN) (cruisersnet.net) and Waterway Guide (waterwayguide.com) are outstanding organizations supporting cruisers. Suggest you check them out if you haven’t already. Best Hank
From: Robert C Blakely Date: September 30, 2017 at 6:32:18 PM GMT+2 To: Hank Pomeranz Subject: Hazard in ICW
Just before Isle of Palms between makers 106 and 108 is this beast sticking out of water. It is in the channel about 20 ft I would estimate. This is a low tide so at high tide it would not be visible. Had friend in small boat check it out closer and he said it is stationary. Is there a way to report?
Robert C. Blakely, CFP, AIF, ChFC CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER 1022 Hutton Lane, Suite 109, High Point, NC 27262
UPDATE: Unified Command continues assessment of vessel affected by Hurricane Irma, prioritizes displaced vessel removal
Coast Guard Marine Science Technicians Petty Officer 1st Class Tonya Mulhern, left, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Stephen Hewlett assess damage to a vessel in Jacksonville, Florida caused by Hurricane Irma, Sept. 13, 2017. Hundreds of vessels have been reported as damaged or have sunk around the Floridian coast as a result of Hurricane Irma’s force. Teams consisting of federal and state response members are assessing the potential risk of pollution from these vessels. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony L. Soto.
Coast Guard Marine Science Technicians Petty Officer 1st Class Tonya Mulhern, left, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Stephen Hewlett assess damage to a vessel in Jacksonville, Florida caused by Hurricane Irma, Sept. 13, 2017. Hundreds of vessels have been reported as damaged or have sunk around the Floridian coast as a result of Hurricane Irma’s force. Teams consisting of federal and state response members are assessing the potential risk of pollution from these vessels. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony L. Soto.
MIAMI — The Emergency Support Function 10 (ESF 10) Florida, consisting of multiple state and federal agencies, is continuing efforts to assess and remove hazards in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission members are conducting assessments of damaged and sunken vessels in the areas most affected by Hurricane Irma. These assessments assist in providing an overarching image to the unified command of the effects of the storm, allowing for the effective placement of assets, expediting the response process.
“The response to Irma is a collaborative effort,” said Benjamin Franco, Environmental Protection Agency Incident Commander for the response. “Every member of this team, both local, state and federal, is bringing to bear all of their expertise, experience, and the assets necessary for an expeditious conclusion to this response. Our hearts go out to those citizens impacted by Hurricane Irma and we will make every effort to ensure their needs are being addressed.
“This command has found that all sunk and derelict vessels resulting from Hurricane Irma are a threat to the environment and our mission is to remove this threat,” said Cmdr. JoAnne Hanson, Coast Guard Incident Commander for the response. “The first priority is to remove actively polluting vessels. Second to that are the vessels that aren’t actively polluting, but where a potential for pollution exists.”
The following list represents an approximate number of vessels impacted by Hurricane Irma currently being assessed by each ESF 10 Branch Hazardous Material Assessment Team as of Sept. 25, 2017. These numbers are subject to change as more owners salvage their vessels and additional vessels are discovered in the affected areas and offshore assessments are conducted.
Miami
Vessels assessed: 200; Vessels removed: 43
St. Petersburg, Florida
Vessels assessed: 182; Vessels removed: 42
Jacksonville, Florida
Vessels assessed: 134; Vessels removed: 26
Key West, Florida
Vessels assessed: 336; Vessels removed: 1
Due to the complexity and scale of operational requirements, the Unified Command for ESF 10 Florida has established a Joint Information Center. Media members are requested to call 305-985-2867 to receive the most timely and accurate information concerning the on-going response to Hurricane Irma.
The Unified Command consists of U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. JoAnne Hanson serving as Incident Commander, Mr. Benjamin Franco, Environmental Protection Agency Incident Commander, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Capt. David Schaffer as State On-Scene Coordinator and Florida Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Administrator Kent Edwards as State On-Scene Coordinator. Currently, response teams are conducting assessments of the most affected areas to include the ports and waterways from Jacksonville, Florida to Miami, Key West, and around to St. Petersburg.
The ESF 10 is the framework by which federal support is coordinated with state agencies in response to actual or potential oil spills or hazardous material releases. Partner agencies, including Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, are contributing expertise and experience to the assessment efforts.
See /166809 for warnings to navigation in the Keys.
9/26 UPDATE: Unified Command continues assessment of vessels affected by Hurricane Irma, prioritizes displaced vessel removal
MIAMI — The Emergency Support Function 10 (ESF 10) Florida, consisting of multiple state and federal agencies, is continuing efforts to assess and remove hazards in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission members are conducting assessments of damaged and sunken vessels in the areas most affected by Hurricane Irma. These assessments assist in providing an overarching image to the unified command of the effects of the storm, allowing for the effective placement of assets, expediting the response process.
“The response to Irma is a collaborative effort,” said Benjamin Franco, Environmental Protection Agency Incident Commander for the response. “Every member of this team, both local, state and federal, is bringing to bear all of their expertise, experience, and the assets necessary for an expeditious conclusion to this response. Our hearts go out to those citizens impacted by Hurricane Irma and we will make every effort to ensure their needs are being addressed.”
“This command has found that all sunk and derelict vessels resulting from Hurricane Irma are a threat to the environment and our mission is to remove this threat,” said Cmdr. JoAnne Hanson, Coast Guard Incident Commander for the response. “The first priority is to remove actively polluting vessels. Second to that are the vessels that aren’t actively polluting, but where a potential for pollution exists.”
The following list represents an approximate number of vessels impacted by Hurricane Irma currently being assessed by each ESF 10 Branch Hazardous Material Assessment Team as of Sept. 25, 2017. These numbers are subject to change as more owners salvage their vessels and additional vessels are discovered in the affected areas and offshore assessments are conducted.
Miami
Vessels assessed: 200; Vessels removed: 43
St. Petersburg, Florida
Vessels assessed: 182; Vessels removed: 42
Jacksonville, Florida
Vessels assessed: 134; Vessels removed: 26
Key West, Florida
Vessels assessed: 336; Vessels removed: 1
Due to the complexity and scale of operational requirements, the Unified Command for ESF 10 Florida has established a Joint Information Center. Media members are requested to call 305-985-2867 to receive the most timely and accurate information concerning the on-going response to Hurricane Irma.
The Unified Command consists of U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. JoAnne Hanson serving as Incident Commander, Mr. Benjamin Franco, Environmental Protection Agency Incident Commander, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Capt. David Schaffer as State On-Scene Coordinator and Florida Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Administrator Kent Edwards as State On-Scene Coordinator. Currently, response teams are conducting assessments of the most affected areas to include the ports and waterways from Jacksonville, Florida to Miami, Key West, and around to St. Petersburg.
The ESF 10 is the framework by which federal support is coordinated with state agencies in response to actual or potential oil spills or hazardous material releases. Partner agencies, including Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, are contributing expertise and experience to the assessment efforts.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To A “Navigation Alert” Position at Dewees Creek
Be the first to comment!