It is always nice to get compliments, especially from an experienced Waterway traveler. Thank you, Mike, for your kind words and we wish you high bridges and deep channels this Fall.

Love your website.
Delivering our 2006 38ft Hunter sailboat from Galesville, MD to Fort Pierce, FL beginning October 20 or21 and will be using your website for our trip. Have been up and down the ICW from Miami to NJ but there are a lot of alerts this month and the water keeps getting lower in ICW. Hate going thru part of SC and GA!
Did the trip last year in our 26ft Cutwater and it was great with the 2ft draft! Needed more space so went back to sail.
Mike Harbin
S/V Elan

This Federal funding for the improvement of the Waterway is certainly news for cruisers of the Ditch.

America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 Passes Senate

Boaters stand to gain with president’s signing

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 11, 2018 — With passage yesterday of infrastructure legislation by the U.S. Senate, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill is on its way to the president’s desk. The nation’s advocacy group for recreational boaters, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), commends Congress for taking action to support this crucial infrastructure legislation that will improve the waterways for boaters.

BoatUS particularly notes the leadership of Bill Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Peter DeFazio, ranking member, along with John Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Tom Carper, ranking member, for their work on developing and passing the WRDA legislation.

“While not the most high profile of issues coming from Washington these days, the WRDA legislation is ‘must-pass’ legislation for America’s boaters” said David Kennedy, BoatUS Manager of Government Affairs. “Getting this bill done will make a difference for everyone who enjoys spending time on the water.”

The 2018 WRDA bill contains funding authorizations and policy changes for a wide range of water projects including funding of environmental-restoration programs and dredging of smaller harbors.

Despite hundreds of complaints and requests from the boating public to reduce ethanol in gasoline, the government opts to do exactly the opposite and increases the use of ethanol. This plan especially affects the small boat owner and boaters whose area fuel suppliers do not provide no-ethanol gasoline.

President’s Plan to Seek Clean Air Act Waiver to Allow Sale of E15 Fuel Year-Round Doesn’t Sit Well with Boater’s Advocate

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 10, 2018 — The nation’s largest advocacy, services and safety group for recreational boaters, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), reacted negatively to the recent news of the Administration’s plan to permit the sale of E15 (15 percent ethanol) fuel year-round.

E15 is prohibited by federal law for use in recreational boat engines, voids many marine engine warranties, and is currently banned for sale in many states by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during summer months over concerns that it contributes to smog on hot days. Under the Administration’s new proposal, however, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would grant a waiver to the Clean Air Act to permit the sale of E15 in all 50 states year-round at the same roadside gas stations where most recreational boaters refuel their trailered vessels.

The BoatUS statement said today:

“The proposal to permit the sale of a fuel (E15) during the peak summer boating season that is both harmful and illegal to use in marine engines is a major concern for boat owners. The nation’s 11 million recreational boaters want fuel that is safe for their boats, however, this proposed EPA policy change will increase the chances that boaters could inadvertently put engine-killing E15 into their tanks. Unlike the physical barriers that prevent misfueling between gasoline and diesel fuel-powered vessels, just one small orange warning label on the fuel pump is all that stands between a boat owner making a misfueling mistake that could lead to expensive, warranty-voiding repairs and catastrophic engine failure.”

At the core of the issue is the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). When it was passed in 2005, RFS assumed that America’s use of gasoline would continue to grow. Since then, however, gasoline usage has not increased as forecast, which today forces more ethanol into each gallon of gas. To keep up with the RFS mandate, in 2010 the EPA granted a partial waiver to allow E15 into the marketplace – which they are now expanding regardless of market demand and infrastructure constraints. Only fuels containing up to 10 percent ethanol (E10) are permitted for use in recreational boats.

The more than half-million-member boat owners group is a member of Smarter Fuel Future and supports fuel choice, including smart biofuels development such as biobutanol, and the availability of ethanol-free fuels that most boat owners prefer.