The Cape Coral Cruise Club is a group of dedicated cruisers who always provide unique reports from the marinas they visit. Fishermen’s Village Resort and Marina, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, is absolutely the most event active marina on the Gulf Coast for all seasons. As confirmed by CCCC’s recent report, you will feel right at home on your visit to Fishermen’s Village and Punta Gorda, also A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, on beautiful Charlotte Harbor.
April 2017 Cruise to Fisherman’s Village By Jeff & Joanne Ziemer
It was great! We had a final count of seven boats who found their way to Fisherman’s Village via the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway for our April 18-21, 2017, cruise. Three boats came all the way from Burnt Store Isles in Punta Gorda! In total, ten boats arrived after braving Charlotte Harbor on a somewhat windy day. We all made it safely and settled in for a fun-filled, three-day adventure.
The afternoon of Day One was a time to settle in, catch up, shop, or take a dip in the pool. We had snacks and docktails and a few rounds of cornhole before dinner. Dinner was pork tenderloin on the grill accompanied as usual, by some superb sides brought by members.
On Day Two, 16 CCCC members came by car to join us for a delightful cruise up the Peace River aboard the Lady Charlotte, a nearly new passenger/cruise vessel. Cruisers were treated to sightings of playful dolphin, beautiful Roseate Spoonbills, and a couple of good-sized gators. The tour was narrated by our own Captain Doug Rhees who is well versed on Florida wildlife! A few more carloads of members drove up from Cape Coral later to join us all for dinner at The Village Fish Market in Center Court of Fisherman’s Village. We had a hungry crowd of 48 diners! What a delightful turnout.
Day Three folks were free to explore on their own. A few took advantage of Punta Gorda’s free bike rentals and, literally, went to town! Other folks walked the hiking trails and checked out the workout stations along the way. Several others peeked into the many shops FV has to offer … I saw shopping bags! (And some of us napped!) Dinner was ‘on your own’ and there were several restaurants in the downtown area waiting to satisfy everyone’s appetite! As it turned out, twelve of us headed in one direction, while eight of us headed in another. After dinner, the evening… and the cruise… culminated with yet another magnificent Florida sunset!
Dolphin break the surface long side the Charlotte Lady
Thanks to everyone who came and helped make this a fun experience! What a great group of people that comprise the Cape Coral Cruise Club!
Roseate spoon bills on a Rookery island on the Peace River
Cruise vessel Charlotte Lady
Members enjoy an outside dinner at the Village Fish Market At Fisherman’s Village
The Cape Coral Cruise Club is open to new members who own a boat with overnight accommodations and reside in the Cape Coral / Ft. Myers area. For membership information please contact Phil Kryger at 239-541-0236. Read additional Club information on its website, www.c-c-c-c.org Like us on Facebook.
It’s hardly a new phenomenon — in fact, it’s been around for thousands of years — but Siesta Key residents fear red tide blooms are getting worse. by: David Conway Deputy Managing Editor CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REPORT from YourObserver.com
Georgetown and Harborwalk Marina, both SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSORS, continue to do everything possible to make your visit a special one. Located on the Sampit River, Harborwalk Marina is only a boardwalk away from Georgetown’s Historic District for history, entertainment, great food and shopping.
HARBORWALK MARINA 525 Front Street ! Georgetown, 29440 ! PO Box 274 ! Phone: 843-546-4250 E-Mail: stay@harborwalkmarina.com Web: www.harborwalkmarina.com May 9, 2017 Harborwalk Marina Expansion/Renovation Georgetown SC Harborwalk Marina of Georgetown, SC, will double its capacity to serve transient boaters on the Intracoastal Waterway with an expansion expected to be completed by September. [expand title =”Read More!”] The marina, an affiliate of Evening Post Industries located on the Sampit River at the foot of Queen Street in Georgetown, broke ground May 1 on the project that will add 825 linear feet of new floating dock that includes a new 100-foot fuel dock with new high-flow dispensers for gasoline and diesel. Improvements will also include a fuel hut on the dock for more convenient transactions, including ice and pump-out service, over 385 feet of new bulkhead and drainage allowing the marina to be dredged to 8 feet MLW, and improvements to parking and the marina building that will follow. “Harborwalk Marina accommodates over 1,600 individual boats a year,” said manager Chris Carroll. “This brings a major economic boost to the downtown Georgetown area. We are the closest marina to the downtown, and many of our customers shop and dine on Front Street. The marina, formerly known as Gulf Auto Docks, has been a Georgetown boating landmark for years. It was purchased by Evening Post Industries in 1989. It was renamed Harborwalk Marina in the mid-1990s. A major renovation in 2008 provided travelers with a new building offering climate-controlled showers, restrooms and laundry facilities, 725 linear feet of floating transient overnight dockage with WiFi, cable TV and clean municipal water seven days a week. With 7 to 12 feet of depth, the marina can accommodate vessels up to 200 feet. The building provides space to sell ice, batteries, oils, soaps, shirts, hats and boat supplies along with a wide porch and rocking chairs for travelers to enjoy the sunsets over Winyah Bay. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. “We like to think, we are not the biggest marina on the ICW,” Carroll said, “but we are one of the best.”
Good reports keep pouring in for SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Marineland Marina which lies south – southeast of AICW marker #87, along the Waterway’s eastern shore. Our thanks to David and Jaculeyn for sharing their delightful blog.
Folks at Vero Beach has recommended Marineland Marina to us as a “must do” layover. We are very glad we did. This marina is undergoing renovations. Brand-new floating docks have been installed. A new dock-master’s office is under construction. The staff are delightful highly customer-service focused young men who are enthusiastic about meeting the needs of boaters.
The Atlantic Ocean is directly across the road A1A from the Marina. We were able to enjoy walking on the sand but did not go in the water as it was quite rough.
We toured Marineland. The experience can best be described as a “blast from the past.” It is a simple place full of history and yet an active living aquatic experience for visitors today. Jackie remembers going to Marineland as a child, so this was a bit of a memory jogger for her. We had the honor of a “private” 45-minute tour with 2 delightful young women who clearly love what they do. Marineland was started in 1938 as a movie studio and then grew and changed over the years. It was the sight for WWII Naval training exercises. It was the first oceanarium and provided early training of dolphins. The first of whom was Nellie who lived to a very old age, the oldest known dolphin in captivity. Marineland now has an educational and research focus thanks to funding by the Vanderbilt Whitney family, the University of Florida and the Georgia Aquarium. There are no longer “dolphin shows” like Sea World or other amusement parks. It was fun to see pictures of the old TV shows and movies that have been filmed here. Jackie’s favorite was SEA HUNT with a very young Lloyd Bridges. We also got to see the educational part in action with a group of elementary school children on a field trip. They clearly were learning about the aquatic world and showed great enthusiasm for the dolphins and the other sea creatures here. David and Jaculeyn
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 touring fee at Highbourne Cay” plus 2 more
New touring fee at Highbourne Cay Highbourne Cay is now charging a $25 landing fee for persons who are not registered at the marina to tour the cay. This fee does not apply to persons just going to the store, the restaurant, or getting fuel.
New fuel and dockage survey Posted: 08 May 2017 02:22 PM PDT We just completed a survey of most of the marinas offering fuel and dockage in the Bahamas. Some we were unable to contact at the present time. More diesel and gas prices were up than down.
Please go to our website www.explorercharts.com under Fuel and Dockage Prices to check our latest findings. We will be updating continuously as we get new information.
Bimini Sands resturants.. Posted: 08 May 2017 02:16 PM PDT FYI…both resturants at Bimini Sands are now closed. To bad, as I always liked taking there bus out there, and enjoy the sand floor bar, and good burgers. There susi bar was always good. Gota wonder what was going on there…more stuff closing down…to bad..DenO
Our thanks to Captain Chris for this notice of dredging and shoaling near Fort Pierce City Marina, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR!. The entrance channel runs to the west, just south of the Fort Pierce high-rise bridge, and well north of unlighted daybeacon #188.
South of temporary buoy 188A. Sand bar off FP City Marina Discharge pipeline goes north to ship channel then out to sea and onto beach south of jetties. Captain Chris Caldwell
Authors/Cruisers Robert and Ann Sherer published the 2016 edition of their excellent guide and, as they have in the past, the Sherers graciously share their research on Atlantic Waterway inlet intersections with SSECN readers. This update is of a March 12, 2017 report.
Hi Larry, Here’s an article that might be of interest to your readers. It covers the latest info on all the inlets which I’ve verified in my trip up the ICW this spring. I’ve also included links to charts by the Charleston ACOE covering vital areas such as the Isle of Shoals and others. Here’s the article: ——————————————————————————————— There is even more good news for the spring migration. All of the problem inlets have been dredged, allowing a straight shot through in all cases except New River by Bogue Sound where a zigzag course was mapped out by the ACOE around a newly formed shoal. Even with the dredging, there are a few things to watch out for which is covered in the article. I’ve also included for the first time charts put out by the Charleston ACOE. They have reformed and now publish surveys with more detail on depths and in full color. Charts as far south as Port Royal as now linked with coverage of the Isle of Shoals, Dawho River, Ashepoo, and other interesting areas.
As those of you who cruise the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway may know, the quaint town of Swansboro sits right on the northern bank of the ICW. Swansboro is one of those down-east charming coastal villages whose warm hospitality, rich local history dating back to the late 1700’s, with its good eating places, is calling you for a visit at their Church Street Dock. The 10-slip Town Dock is located along the intracoastal waterway at Latitude 34 degrees, 41 minutes, 10.44 seconds and Longitude 77 degrees, 7 minutes, 10.08 seconds. Located at the intersection of Front and Church Streets, centrally located in the historic downtown district, within on block of the Visitors Center and Olde Towne Square.
Church St. Dock – Slip Reservations The Swansboro Church St. Dock is now available for overnight slip rentals. Slips can be reserved online by clicking Facilities on the left of the page. Slips are $1.50/foot/night for a maximum of 5 consecutive nights. Power is available for $5/night and sewage pump out for $5 per pump out. After Hours contact: 252-725-5400.
For those of you who still think “not in my backyard!” This epidemic of drugs is so commonplace that it is now genrally ignored.
News Release May 3, 2017 U.S. Coast Guard 7th District PA Detachment Tampa Bay Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment Tampa Bay (305) 965-4672
Coast Guard offloads $56 million of cocaine in St. Petersburg
Crew members from Coast Guard Cutter Tarpon, an 87-foot Coast Patrol Boat homeported in St. Petersburg, Florida, offload 1,735 kilograms of cocaine, an estimated wholesale value of $56 million and transfer custody of eight suspected drug smugglers Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Florida. The contraband and suspected smugglers were interdicted during four separate cases supporting Operation Martillo, a joint interagency and multi-national collaborative effort among 14 Western Hemisphere and European nations to stop the flow of illicit cargo by Transnational Criminal Organizations. (U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse) Crew members from Coast Guard Cutter Tarpon, an 87-foot Coast Patrol Boat homeported in St. Petersburg, Florida, offload 1,735 kilograms of cocaine, an estimated wholesale value of $56 million and transfer custody of eight suspected drug smugglers Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Florida. The contraband and suspected smugglers were interdicted during four separate cases supporting Operation Martillo, a joint interagency and multi-national collaborative effort among 14 Western Hemisphere and European nations to stop the flow of illicit cargo by Transnational Criminal Organizations. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse) Crew members from Coast Guard Cutter Tarpon, an 87-foot Coast Patrol Boat homeported in St. Petersburg, Florida, offload 1,735 kilograms of cocaine, an estimated wholesale value of $56 million and transfer custody of eight suspected drug smugglers Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Florida. The contraband and suspected smugglers were interdicted during four separate cases supporting Operation Martillo, a joint interagency and multi-national collaborative effort among 14 Western Hemisphere and European nations to stop the flow of illicit cargo by Transnational Criminal Organizations. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Fireman Kelly Clark) More than 3,825 pounds of cocaine await transfer to federal agents Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Florida. The contraband was interdicted during four separate cases supporting Operation Martillo, a joint interagency and multi-national collaborative effort among 14 Western Hemisphere and European nations to stop the flow of illicit cargo by Transnational Criminal Organizations. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse) More than 3,825 pounds of cocaine await transfer to federal agents Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Florida. The contraband was interdicted during four separate cases supporting Operation Martillo, a joint interagency and multi-national collaborative effort among 14 Western Hemisphere and European nations to stop the flow of illicit cargo by Transnational Criminal Organizations. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse) link to photo Crew members from Coast Guard Cutter Tarpon, an 87-foot Coast Patrol Boat homeported in St. Petersburg, Florida, offload 1,735 kilograms of cocaine, an estimated wholesale value of $56 million, and transfer custody of eight suspected drug smugglers to partner federal agencies Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Florida. The contraband and suspected smugglers were interdicted during four separate cases supporting Operation Martillo, a joint interagency and multi-national collaborative effort among 14 Western Hemisphere and European nations to stop the flow of illicit cargo by Transnational Criminal Organizations. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tarpon offloaded approximately 1,735 kilograms of cocaine Wednesday worth an estimated wholesale value of $56 million and transferred custody of eight suspected drug smugglers at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg.
The contraband and detainees were seized April 12 through April 21 during four separate interdictions by Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment Teams (LEDET) aboard several Coast Guard, foreign coalition and partner agency boats in coastal waters along the Central American coastline in support of Operation Martillo.
The most noteworthy and fruitful interdiction took place April 19 when Coast Guard LEDET personnel embarked on the USS Zephyr (PC 8), a U.S. Navy Cyclone-class patrol coastal ship home ported in Mayport, and coalition forces intercepted 750 kilograms of contraband and five suspected drug smugglers while on patrol in international waters 120 miles south west Mona Island, Puerto Rico.
The Zephyr, along with the Karel Doorman-class multi-purpose frigate HNLMS Van Amstel of the Royal Netherlands Navy, pursued and Coast Guard LEDET boarded a small panga fishing boat in the Caribbean Sea. The crews found and confiscated 750 kilograms of cocaine, a wholesale value of $22.5 million, and detained the five suspected drug smugglers.
“Over all, this offload represents our recent success in securing our borders and preventing illegal, regionally destabilizing narcotics from reaching our streets,” said Cmdr. Willy Carmichael, assistant branch chief of Coast Guard 7th District Response Enforcement. “It is truly an interagency and international effort that directly supports the commandant’s Western Hemisphere strategy.”
The contraband and detainees were transferred and offloaded by the crew of the Cutter Tarpon, an 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat homeported in St. Petersburg.
These interdictions were part of Operation Martillo, which is one component in the United States government’s whole-of-government approach to countering the use of the Central American littorals as transshipment routes for illicit drugs, weapons and cash. Martillo is an international operation focused on sharing information and bringing together air, land and maritime assets from the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as Western Hemisphere and European partner nation agencies, to counter illicit trafficking.
In the five years since its 2012 launch, Martillo has supported the seizure of approximately 693 metric tons of cocaine, $25 million in bulk cash, 581 vessels and aircraft and the arrest of 1,863 detainees, according to the U.S. Southern Command.
For breaking news, follow us on Twitter @uscgsoutheast.
Harbour Town Yacht Basin, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, is now essentially open, offering fuel sales and transients slips with water, but no electricity. As stated below, full service is expected to be restored in June. This definitely good news for Spring cruisers! Our thanks to Harbourmaster Nancy Cappelmann for this update.
The marina is now open to transient guests, however, we are still under construction and have limited amenities on the docks. In other words, we have running water. Our electrical contractor is on site and is working on the new electrical installation, and we should have power restored to some docks in the next 30-45 days. The full marina may not be restored till fall. Our commercial dock is in place and all of our charter operators are in full swing. Our fuel dock is open and fully operational. The Sea Pines Resort is fully operational and all of the restaurants, golf courses, tennis courts, fitness center, beach…all of the amenities are in fantastic condition. [See /164092 and /164507] While we still have construction ahead, we are very grateful to all of our contractors for their commitment to this project and to all of our returning guests for their patience and understanding. We look forward to the day we are running on all cylinders.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
We appreciate your support!
Nancy Nancy Cappelmann Harbourmaster, Harbour Town Yacht Basin 149 Lighthouse Road Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 Office 843.363.8335 Fax 843.671.0433 NCappelmann@seapines.com
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