Our thanks to these three experienced cruisers for these reminders concerning conditions on the water and along the Waterway.

Although media reports are presenting better than expected storm results, we’re already seeing some significant changes to waterway facilities. The coastlines, especially in South Carolina, seem to have taken major hits. For example, there are reports of heavy damage to Palmetto Bay Marina in Hilton Head which has possibly been destroyed. A report said that Hinckley Yacht Services in Savannah no longer has any docks along the ICW. Note that these are unconfirmed reports.

It is still very early and much too soon to find out about sea floor changes through to southern Florida. I would put every non-ship inlet, especially the shifting minor ones like St Augustine on a no-fly list until there are many confirmed passages and verification of buoy placements by local facilities.

It will take at least a week to uncover the extent of the damage. We should be encouraging others, especially first-time ICW boaters, to slow way down. Assume that the marina where you have reservations doesn’t exist until you have new confirmation. Let’s all work together to share all information.

Confirmations and reports shouldn’t be proprietary in any way. This isn’t a time to make commercial gains due to the destruction of the waterways we all love. We consider all storm information we provide to be without copyright and with no need for attribution to ActiveCaptain. Take whatever is reported and share it far and wide on every source that exists.
Jeffrey Siegel

What follows is a reminder from the USCG forwarded by MTOA.

Mariners are reminded that aids to navigation, particularly lighted and unlighted buoys, may be moved from charted position, damaged, destroyed, extinguished, or otherwise deemed discrepant as a result of hurricanes and storms. Mariners should not rely solely upon the position or operation of an aid to navigation, but also employ such other methods of determining position as may be available. Port Hurricane Conditions are set up by the COTP and will change as the threat of severe weather increases, or as a storm approaches a specific COTP Area of Responsibility. For COTP-specific Port Hurricane Conditions, you should review information provided under the Port Directory tab of http://homeport.uscg.mil
Condition 4 – Hurricane Seasonal Alert. 01 June–30 November; port status: open.

Condition Whiskey – Sustained Gale Force winds associated with Tropical Cyclone activity are predicted within 72 hours; port status: open. Condition X-Ray – Sustained Gale Force winds associated with Tropical Cyclone activity are predicted within 48 hours; port status: open. Condition Yankee – Sustained Gale Force winds associated with Tropical Cyclone activity are predicted within 24 hours; port status: restricted; vessel/facility control measures in effect. Condition Zulu – Sustained Gale Force winds associated with Tropical Cyclone activity are predicted within 12 hours; port status: closed to all vessel traffic and waterside activities except for activities approved by the COTP.

Drawbridges along the coast may deviate from normal operating procedures. Drawbridges are authorized to remain closed upon approach of Gale Force winds of 34 knots or greater. Extended closure periods may be authorized up to 8 hours prior to arrival of Gale Force winds to facilitate evacuation of land traffic. Due to the uncertainty of hurricane movements and bridge closures, mariners are urged to seek passage through drawbridges well in advance of the arrival of Gale Force winds.
Mike Brown

For those underway there are some clear interests: flooding, shoaling, bridges out of operation, debris, clean-up operations, facilities (particularly for fuel, water, and pump-out but also for dockage and mooring with or without electricity), cell phone coverage, provisioning, and probably things I haven’t thought of. Sometimes the obvious escapes me.

Some of the sources cruisers are used to turning to are ourselves waiting for updates.

For my part I will reach out to fellow SSCA Cruising Stations, OCC Port Officers, and AGLCA Harbor Hosts to collect local information.

For those of you part of larger organizations if you do not want to be the point of contact for updates please let me know who you want on my distribution. I plan to set up a mailing list that anyone can use for the group Jeff identified and can add/drop anyone you like.

SSCA’s Seven Seas U has had a free, nightly webinar for the last week in which Lee Chesneau and Chris Parker provided their insights and a whole lot of information from sources not usually available to the cruising boater.

Would anyone be interested in supporting, perhaps on a rotating basis, a similar effort to help cruisers understand the damage they face heading South? This could be an opportunity to reinforce the message of slow down, call ahead, plan for getting held up, …

sail fast and eat well, dave
Dave Skolnick S/V Auspicious

Here is another survey for you to take – after you have completed  the FWC Survey! – while you are holed up waiting for Matthew to pass. Kevin’s email is ksorn@ncsu.edu and his phone is 704-582-3859.

Hello,
I am a NC State University student seeking assistance for my senior design project. I am looking for a few minutes of your time to answer a few questions regarding bridges to help get a better understanding of our idea’s feasibility and general knowledge of bridges/ships in general. It would be greatly appreciated!

Please feel free to reach me at 704-582-3859 if you would like to help or reply back to this e-mail. If instead you have contact information of someone that might be interested in helping me out, please let me know as well!

Below are the interview questions:

1. How often do cruisers have to pass through city bridges?

2. Do most cruisers meet clearance requirements to fit under the majority of city bridges without opening?

3. Are most cruisers fully aware of their height clearance?

4. Do cruisers rely on bridge operators to determine if their height meets clearance specifications?

5. How do cruisers contact bridge operators to open a bridge?

6. How much time is consumed in this process?

7. Do any cruisers have a method for determining if they meet clearance requirements for an incoming bridge?

8. Can you recall any recent cruiser collisions with bridges?

9. How often do these collisions occur?

10. If there was a dynamic sensor for clearance with a heads up display letting the cruiser know they are clear to pass without disrupting the bridge, would you be interested?

11. Why would you/would you not be interested?

12. What do you think is a major problem with bridges over water currently?

Thank you so much for your time,

—
Kevin Sorn
North Carolina State University
Senior in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Margaret Bonds Podlich

Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net and BoatUS have always had a cordial working relationship and we will miss President Podlich’s support and friendship. We wish her the very best in the next phase of her life.

BoatUS president will step down on Friday

After 23 years at BoatUS, Margaret Bonds Podlich said today that she is stepping down as president, effective Friday.
A search has been initiated for a permanent replacement to lead the national boating advocacy, services and safety group.

“We want to thank Margaret for her many years of service and dedication to America’s recreational boat owners,” BoatUS CEO Kirk La said in a statement.

“She made boating better by making government more accountable to boat owners, ensuring that their voice was heard when unfair legislation was being debated. She’s been a strong environmental advocate and played a big role in successfully growing BoatUS into the more than half-a-million-member association that we are today.”

Podlich began her career at BoatUS in 1993 as director of the Clean Water Trust, now part of the 501(c)(3) non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Under her direction, the trust (and later the foundation) grew to play a national role in clean water issues that affect recreational boaters. Many of today’s Clean Marina programs were developed under Podlich’s vision and leadership, and now these efforts are accepted as an essential part of managing a boating facility.

A 2014 honoree of the Darlene Briggs Marine Industry Woman of the Year award, Podlich also worked to promote boating safety initiatives and participated on the prestigious Coast Guard National Boating Safety Advisory Committee.

As former BoatUS vice president of government affairs, Podlich supported realistic, boating-friendly policies and helped successfully pass the 2008 Federal Clean Boating Act, which freed boaters from a new state operating permit.

Podlich is also credited with leading BoatUS to work with the recreational boating industry, working on policy and programs mutually beneficial to boat owners, manufacturers and service providers, such as combating the spread of ethanol fuels and saving the GPS system.

In 2012 she received the NASBLA Award from the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, its highest recognition, for notable contributions to the betterment of boating.

Along the way, Podlich campaigned her Laser sailboat in national championships, most recently taking the top women’s radial trophy at the 2014 U.S. Laser Masters Championships and the Atlantic Coast Championship. She was also a crewmember on the 2006/2007 U.S. Sailing Team, campaigning the three-woman Yngling while vying for a slot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

BoatUS said Podlich made it her mission to be a “president of the people,” taking great effort to address BoatUS members’ concerns. When boating on her family’s small fleet of both sail and power watercraft, she was known for approaching other vessels flying the BoatUS flag, eager to talk boating.
From Soundings’ Trade Only Today