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: Changed water depth after Mathew? Changed water depth after Mathew? Posted: 20 Nov 2016 04:08 PM PST Has anybody information about changed water depth after Mathew in any area of the Bahamas, especially on the route Memory Rock-Crab Cay?
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Danny Fraino- November 25, 2016 - 2:45 pm
I do not know about West End, However here in Freeport on Grand Bahama some of the canal entrances on the South side of Grand Bahama have had large boulders washed into them from hurricane Matthew and vessels entering these entrances should proceed with extreme caution especially at low tide.
This is the first in a series of posts detailing the capabilities of the New Chart View. This post provides an overview of the graphical layout and associated feature areas.
There are six feature areas to become familiar with. Each area is shown in the following graphic and generally described below.
1. Map Type
2. Tools
3. Display Options
4. View Control
5. Weather Overlays
6. Messages
1. Map Type
Map type choice is available in the upper left corner with the three similar options as the past: Charts, Hybrid and Map. Charts are now obtained from the official NOAA site versus through EarthNC in the past. Hybrid is a combination of aerial with street overlays and obtained from Google. Map is a traditional street map view and also obtained from Google.
2. Tools
The tool area is in the top center and provides general functionality including:
Help
Local information
Measuring
Routing
‘Go To Home’
– center at your current location, and
Latitude and longitude of the current mouse position when the window is active.
Measuring
allows you to measure on the map between two locations. You can drag the end points around and instantaneous distance and optionally the latitude and longitude of the points.
Routing
enables you to define a route on screen and download it or to upload a previously defined route from a file in gpx format. When defining the route the distance and bearing between each set of points is shown, the total distance to each point and, optionally, with latitude and longitude of each point.
Local information is comprehensive information based on the map center if you click the icon or anywhere you right click the mouse
. This comprehensive information includes the local regular weather forecast (daily, next few hours, weekly), marine weather forecast, sun/moon times and characteristics, nearest tide station (predicted, actual, difference) and nearest weather buoy.
3. Display Options
There are many options that can be toggled on / off from this area. Many are the same as the original chart view (marinas
, bridges
, anchorages
, etc) but several are new and innovative. Two of which are:
The Waterways option displays the various waterways (infamous Magenta line, etc.) and also contains dots at every 5 miles via the
icon. When hovering over a dot a popup shows the mile marker so you always have a quick reference to your mile marker location.
A second and highly innovative feature is the ability to show hydrographic survey data
. Depending on the data available, the survey data can be shown as depth dots like the Argus data or a color contour overlay. You can choose which form to show the survey depths when both types are available.
A separate post will detail these and the other options due to the extensive functionality and capabilities.
4. View Control
View controls are on the right side of the screen, these include:
Full screen option
at the top right which allows Chart View to cover your entire screen.
Zoom controls at the bottom right
.
Street view is selected via the yellow Pegman
. Stree view is enabled by clicking and dragging the Pegman to a location on the map. The map will automatically switch to the street view and the street view control
will replace the yellow Pegman. To exit street view click the arrow icon located in the upper left corner
.
5. Weather Overlays
Five different weather overlays are currently available.
Wind
Wave Height
NEXRAD Radar
Clouds
Lightning Strikes
Marine Warnings
Data for these overlays are obtained from NOAA.
6. Messages
Depending on your activities various message and information windows may appear. This will generally be shown from the bottom center of the view.
Fishermen’s Village Resort and Marina, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, is absolutely the most event active marina on the Gulf Coast. With celebrations honoring every season, you will feel right at home and will thoroughly enjoy your visit to Punta Gorda on beautiful Charlotte Harbor.
Fishermen’s Village Resort and Marina, the gateway to Southwest Florida! The Village is Florida’s unique combination of a full-service destination resort and a hometown hang out for visitors and locals alike. Fishermen’s Village Resort and Marina can fill a day, define an evening, or pack the itinerary of extended stay.
Conveniently located between Sarasota and Fort Myers, Fishermen’s Village is the waterside event center and launching site for Florida fishing and recreation, culture and entertainment, shopping and dining. See why Fishermen’s Village is the locals’ enduring favorite and the visitors’ top choice.
Find the pride of Charlotte Harbor’s maritime community. The protected, secure marina at Fishermen’s Village offers more than one hundred boat slips to accommodate power craft and sailing vessels up to 60 feet LOA and 7-foot draft. Family cruisers, fishing boats, sailboats, dinghies, and sport craft all find safe harbor, friendly dockhands, and the modern amenities that keep the jewel of Charlotte Harbor on the “Top 10” lists of sail and yachting magazines year after year. Slips have 30/50 amp electricity, dock boxes, potable water, cable television and Wi-Fi available. Additional amenities — from pump-outs to pizza delivery — are available upon request. Larger vessels can be side secured and 100-amp service is available. Gulf of Mexico mariners and inland bay day sailors confirm Dock Age magazine’s rating of Fishermen’s Village Marina as its undisputed “Marina of the Year.”
Recent renovations and dredging enhance the marina’s well-marked entrance channel. Controlling depth at mean low water is approximately 7.5 feet and dockside depths range from 7.5 feet to 3.5 feet at MLW. Valvtect gasoline and diesel available. Discounts for dock holders.
Fishermen’s Village Marina is located in Upper Charlotte Harbor, near the confluence of Florida’s famous Peace River. Outer Channel Marker: Red No. 2 at 26 deg 56.1 min N. 82 deg 04.4 min W. Harbormaster monitors U.S. Coast Guard radio channel 16.
Fishermen’s Village Marina 1200 W. Retta Esplanade Punta Gorda, FL 33950 941 575-3000 www.fishville.com email: marina@fishville.com Outer Channel Marker: Red No. 2 at 26 deg 56.1 min N. 82 deg 04.4 min W.
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: The end of sport fishing The end of sport fishing Posted: 19 Nov 2016 04:52 AM PST The following is an article from The Florida Times-Union: Florida wildlife officials expressed concern Wednesday the government of the Bahamas is in talks with China to split fishing rights in waters east of Florida.
State Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Nick Wiley said the potential deal, as reported, could impact Florida’s commercial and sport-fishing industries.
“China, their interests in this, would get exclusive access to fisheries in Bahamian waters,” Wiley said. “A lot of people may not realize this, but the boundary between the United States waters and Bahamian waters is still in dispute. It’s still not been clarified, so that further makes this an issue. The government of the Bahamas hasn’t released details of the negotiations.
The Nassau Guardian newspaper has reported that the government of the Bahamas has given the green light to its embassy in Beijing to pursue agricultural and fishing partnerships with China. The proposal reportedly could bring $2.1 billion in cash, along with agricultural and farming equipment, into the Bahamian economy, over 10 years.
The proposal by the Bahamian government, according to the Guardian, states: “While realization of a reasonable return on an investment in agriculture is a relatively slow process, requiring substantial capitalization over many years, participating companies in the initiative will within months of commencement of operations realize positive cash flow from the sale of seafood.”
Under the reported terms of the deal, the government would lease to 100 companies — each jointly owned by Chinese and Bahamians shareholders — 10,000 acres in Andros Island, along with fishing licenses.
“It is anticipated that the agricultural products and the seafood will be used either for local consumption or will be exported to China or the U.S.A. for sale,” the proposal says. “The management of participating companies will resolve to do what is in their best interest.”
Commercial fishing for conch, lobster, snapper and grouper are mainstays of the Andros Island’s economy. However, the indication is that the Chinese firms want to target dolphin, kingfish, marlin, tuna and wahoo.
Wiley said the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has reached out to the government of the Bahamas for additional details.
“It’s something we really need to figure out what is going on. We really don’t understand it yet,” said Commissioner Robert Spottswood, the president of a Key West real-estate development company. “But the potential impact for us in the Keys, in Florida and for the U.S., of the Chinese government getting involved in fishing in the Bahamas could certainly affect the balance of what is going on in fisheries in South Florida.”
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Michael Albury- November 29, 2016 - 3:16 pm
According to the latest report, directly from our Prime Minister, this conversation/idea is dead. It was an idea our minister of marine resources put out to the Chinese for feedback. There was quite an uproar here in the Bahamas. I don’t expect to hear much about it except from those that will get the information later and believe it is an ongoing process. Thank you for making the post. MOST OF US KNOW WHERE OUR FRIENDS ARE : ))
Not knowing the actual numbers it seems unlikely China would be willing to compensate the Bahamian population(this affects ALL Bahamians not just the government) for the loss of American tourist dollars brought in by the fishing industry.
I know the Chinese have long held a large tract of land on the tip of Grand Bahama Island where they have oil storage and tanker terminal facilities but surely this is helping China out a lot more than the average Bahamian.
History has shown us what will happen when Governments , who care nothing for conservation, get involved. Does anybody trust the Chinese to adhere to the catch limits placed on Sportfish ? ! !
The US needs to do more to strengthen relations with the Bahamas so they won’t look to the Chinese for support in our backyard. We need to recognize the economic expansionist goals of the Chinese (see South America and Africa) or we will be caught flat footed again. Pass this article on to Senators Nelson and Rubio
Our thanks to Dave Boxmeyer for this report and warning. Dave is referring to George Hospodar’s October comments on this Problem Stretch, /160670. Unlike the Chesapeake, crab traps are not the usual hazard in the Waterway.
I agree with George, we came through here yesterday at dead low tide and found no less than 5 foot of water under the boat. We draw 3 1/2 feet. The larger problem are the crab traps. They are everywhere, shore to shore and the channel is no exception. Took us a lot of “S” turns, but we managed to miss them all. You have to really pay attention to the depth finder and out the window in this stretch. Dave Boxmeyer
Doctors Inlet is on the west side of the St. Johns just south of Orange Park. If you have knowledge of these uncharted markers, let us hear from you.
Good morning – We live on the west shore of the St. Johns River (FL) just north of Doctor’s Inlet, and have just recently noticed what appear to be new flashing markers (3 red, one green) near the east side of the river, north of Mandarin Point and just north and east of the flashing green “11” on chart 11492. They are not charted, and I can’t find them on any recent notices to mariners. Anybody know anything about them? Thanks. Bill Healy
Oriental is home to two SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSORS, Oriental Marina and Nautical Wheelers! and the Christmas Flotilla is the perfect start for the Holiday Season.
Christmas Flotilla in Oriental There will be a Christmas flotilla as part of the 2016 annual Oriental Spirit of Christmas festivities. Boats will rendezvous at Oriental marker “1” at 1645 on Saturday, December 10th and proceed on a prescribed route. Those participating and desiring a reserved slip at the free town dock will be provided one on a first to register basis. This dock will be reserved from Friday noon until Sunday noon. A limited amount of electricity will be provided at this dock for lighting only. We will also have free overflow slips available throughout Oriental for participating out of area or out of town boaters. Please contact Joe Valinoti via email at joesail1@gmail.com for the entry form and flotilla instructions including slip assignments. Joe Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s North Carolina Marina Directory Listing For Oriental Marina
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: New marina in Spanish Wells… New marina in Spanish Wells… Posted: 12 Nov 2016 04:08 AM PST Just wondering if anyone has any reviews, and also pricing for the new Yacht Haven Marina in Spanish Wells? DenO
This is good news for cruisers visiting Lido Key which lies west of southern Sarasota Bay and south of New Pass. This notice comes from www.yourobserver.com.
On Nov. 3, the Lido Pavilion hosted the key’s inaugural Veggie Market, a weekly open-air produce sale designed to serve barrier island residents. by: David Conway Deputy Managing Editor
Intracoastal Yacht Sales, a long-time SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, offers full service brokerage representation from three locations, Wrightsville Beach, NC, Little River, SC and Charleston, SC. You will want to see these new offerings!
St. Lucie Lock, the easternmost Okeechobee lock, lies west of Stuart, FL near Okeechobee Waterway Statute Mile 15.
St. Lucie Lock
U.S. Army Corps will suspend water flows to the St. Lucie Estuary beginning Friday WPTV Webteam 11:50 AM, Nov 3, 2016
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday it will suspend water flowing from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie Estuary and reduce flows to Caloosahatchee Estuary.
The Corps cited falling water levels in the lake as the reason.
It said no water from the lake will be released through the St. Lucie Lock near Stuart. This is the first time since late January that discharges have been suspended from the St. Lucie Lock after a wetter than usual dry season last winter.
However, the Corps says runoff from rain that accumulates in the St. Lucie basin will be allowed to pass through the spillway.
“Drier weather has taken hold and the lake continues to recede,” Candida Bronson, Acting Operations Division Chief for the Jacksonville District, said in a news release. “Barring an unexpected heavy-rain event, we expect the recession to continue. We can safely suspend releases to the St. Lucie and will continue reducing flows to the Caloosahatchee from 2,800 cfs to 650 cfs over the coming week.”
The water level at the lake stands at 15.40 feet which the Corps says is down .21 feet over the past week.
The changes announced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin Friday.
We post this complaint only to compare the experience of this skipper with Imron versus Awlgrip. We also trust that the results of this particular work are not typical of Hinkley’s expertise. See Tom Law’s comments below.
You don’t always get what you pay for! With such great reviews we decided to use Hinckley to paint our boat. We got a bid to have our 49 Hylas yacht painted in Awlgrip in January 2016. We have used Awlgrip paint before and found it to be durable, easy to clean and long lasting. A few weeks after we got the bid to paint the topsides in Awlgrip by the manager, we were handed off to [another worker] to coordinate the work we needed done. Then came emails and phone calls to use Imron paint. Imron paint is cheaper than Awlgrip. Although we loved Awlgrip we decided the “professionals” knew better and so we went with their product Imron. We felt that on every step Hinkley encouraged us to do more and more work than we felt unnecessary. It always started with “at Hinckley we do it this way because it’s the best”. They faired the transom and built it up with a compound to fix a few dings. We were not in Florida when the work was done which was Big mistake. When we arrived in late January the first issues started. First issue was we had covered our boat to protect the deck from the harsh Florida weather .We always do this when leaving our boat in storage. Hinckley removed it when they stepped the mast right after we left and never replaced as they deemed it unnecessary. We reminded them to put it back on after the mast was stepped and were assured they would do so. We had new [name] signs put on the boat. When I showed [the worker] that they were peeling, he suggested a little clear nail polish on the edges to keep them from peeling off! I was starting to regret using Hinckley. Most worrisome was the paint job. The Imron just wasn’t the right type of paint for a sailboat that actually gets used. This became apparent a few months later. We sailed from Hinckley directly to the Bahamas and Cuba for 4 months. The boat was only in a marina once where it was rinsed down and washed. It was there we noticed that salt had etched the paint. When we returned to Hinckley five months after the initial painting we had to haul the boat and they had to use an acid to remove the salt. Even the yard and paint distributor said they had never seen anything like it. Never in 25,000 miles of sailing with Awlgrip had we ever used anything but Awlgrip wash to clean our boat of salt residue. It always looked great. Next issue was discovered by the guys who polished the boa. He t noticed small cracks all over the transom. Brian tried to explain it as fiberglass from under the bonding they used was suddenly erupting through the paint. Riduculous? Of course. But our choice was to stay in Florida and haggle with Hinckley or just consider this a VERY EXPENSIVE lesson. We realized we would never be satisfied and left. We are currently in Europe and have now noticed that everything scratches this paint. Mooring lines that rub remove the paint down to the primer. Bumpers rubbing wear off the paint, a small bump on a plastic dock scratches. Even my finger nail can scratch through the paint! Two professional painters here in Europe laughed at their explanation on why the transom had cracks. Both explained it was too much compound used and the compound was cracking underneath. This of course makes more sense. I will say that Hinckley did reimburse me the costs of the signs. Lessons learned. Never would I recommend Imron paint and never would I recommend Hinckley Boat yard. Maureen Gapp
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Tom Law- November 15, 2016 - 10:18 pm
I think this refers to Hinckley, Stuart. Not Hinkley, Thunderbolt. Perhaps, a minor point; however, I’m sure it will be appreciated by Hinckley, Thunderbolt. We had our 43 foot American Tug painted with Imron at Hinckley, Stuart, a few years ago and were very pleased with the workmanship and the result. Different boats and different experiences; however, I did want to state a positive experience with Hinckley, Stuart.
Comments from Cruisers (1)
I do not know about West End, However here in Freeport on Grand Bahama some of the canal entrances on the South side of Grand Bahama have had large boulders washed into them from hurricane Matthew and vessels entering these entrances should proceed with extreme caution especially at low tide.