Longtime cruiser and Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net Contributing Editor, Captain Jim Healy, offers thoughts on his and his wife Peg’s favorite spots along the Atlantic ICW. Some of these ports are probably on your list as well and, of course, there are a number of SSECN Sponsors in these stops. And if this will be your first trip along the Atlantic Waterway, you will do well to heed Jim’s advice and visits and navigation.

Elizabeth City, NC, and the “Albemarle Loop:“ Elizabeth City is the anchor town on the Dismal Swamp Route of the ICW southbound from Norfolk/Portsmouth.  Elizabeth City has a marvelous small museum dedicate to the region.  The Elizabeth City Public Wharf is the Harbor of Hospitality.  Docks are free, albeit without services.  This is a favorite stop for us to relax and refresh.

The Albemarle sound is a shallow body of water; the “deep water” range is 12′ – 18′.  These waters are home to many crab fishermen; crab pot floats are to be found virtually throughout the sound.  The sound lies geographically East-West, and the prevailing winds are from the West and Southwest.  Winds greater than 15 kts can raise uncomfortable beam seas for North-South crossings.  Winds greater that 20 kts can produce uncomfortable chop in all directions.

While not technically part of the ICW, this “loop” is centered around the ICW Routes from Norfolk/Portsmouth to the southbound ICW at the Alligator River in North Carolina.  The “Albemarle Loop” [see /154885] is a cruising route that touches some wonderful and oft-overlooked venues.  On the Crystal Coast, the towns of Manteo and Ocracoke are excellent stops.  On the Western Albemarle, the towns of Edenton and Plymouth are delightful.  The history of the Albemarle dates to the earliest English colonists.  At Manteo, visit the Lost Colony Plantation.  At Edenton, visit the revolutionary period Chowan County Courthouse, St. Paul’s Church, learn of the ladies of the Edenton Tea Party, and visit many other historical sites.  Here is a link to information on the Albemarle Loop: http://albemarleloop.com.

Beaufort, NC: This is a seaport town near Morehead City; it’s a very pleasant, laid-back, “chillaxin'” place with a small but well done Maritime Museum, many shoppes and some nice local restaurants.  For those who might enjoy a short off-shore (maybe 10 miles) cruise, depart the Beaufort Inlet and head out the the bight at the Cape Lookout National Seashore.  It a large, well protected anchorage, with access to the beach for campfires and swimming.  The bight itself is well protected from winds and ocean sea states, but the trip out and back can be too much for some if the wind offshore is up. Plan accordingly.

Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA: magnificent old southern cities with many points-of- interest and fine restaurants; our strategy is to take a tour bus around the city.  Look for a tour company that has same-day on-and-off privileges.  (We do this every time we arrive somewhere we’ve not been before, including Canada).  We take the entire tour circuit first, then go back to places that we think we’d like to know more about.  At Charleston, start at the Welcome Center.  Or, take the tour boat to Fort Sumter; nice aquarium near the Ft. Sumter ferry docks.  In Charleston, there is a water taxi from the Charleston Maritime Center that goes back and forth to Patriot Point, which is where the USS Yorktown is located.  In Savannah, there is a nice stage theater within walking distance of the downtown waterfront (http://www.savannahtheatre.com).  The Savannah waterfront is very interesting, with a large riverwalk, wonderful park overlooking the River, and large shipping and commercial traffic as well as every kind of small-boat and pleasure craft.  There are several architecture tours in both cities, and both have lots of weekly and seasonal activity for visitors.  From Savannah (there are marina options in downtown Savannah on the Savannah River or at Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope), boaters can also visit Tybee Island (light house and Fort Pulaski).

Fernandina Beach, FL: City is easy walking distance right at the foot of the docks at the Fernandina Harbor Marina.  Take the tour to Fort Clinch.  Visit the house where the Pippi Longstocking movie was filmed.  Visit Billy Burbank’s trawl net factory; they make shrimp nets; they’re open to the public for tours, and it’s a very interesting afternoon.

St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine light house is open to the public; the Catholic Cathedral Basilica would be of architectural interest to all; the Fort itself (Castillo de San Marcos) is wonderful, and the docents that do the historical interpretation are excellent.  There are many restaurants within walking distance of the St. Augustine City Marina.  We like the a1a Ale House.

In this article from SAIL magazine, writer Donald McLennan describes and makes recommendations on 15 electronic chart apps.

In recent years it has become more feasible than ever to navigate using a smartphone or tablet. Apps have improved to the point where they rival paper charts and chartplotters. With so many good navigation apps available, the question is: which is best for you? There are free apps with basic chartplotting capabilities; reasonably priced apps with advanced waypoint and route management features; and apps with community-authored databases that include points of interest (POI). Ultimately, choosing an app comes down to evaluating which features are important to you and what you’re willing to pay for them.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

This excellent advice from Sea Tow comes from Soundings’ Trade Only.

Sea Tow offers on-water safety tips for holiday weekend
Posted on July 1st, 2016
Sea Tow issued safety tips for the Fourth of July weekend, when many boaters take to waterways to enjoy fireworks shows.
Boating at night and in the smoke that fireworks cause can prove challenging. The non-profit Sea Tow Foundation offers these six tips to boaters who are planning to watch holiday fireworks displays from the water:

*Ÿ Wear your life jacket. Make sure everyone onboard is wearing a traditional life jacket that fits properly or an inflatable PFD. Navigating at night in smoky conditions can be just as dangerous as boating in stormy weather or fog.

Ÿ* Designate a sober skipper to stay at the helm all evening and be responsible for returning the boat and its passengers safely to shore after the display is over.

Ÿ* Watch your weight. Don’t overload the boat with passengers. The number of seats on board is not always the best indicator of capacity. Look for the boat’s capacity plate on the transom or near the helm, or look up the passenger capacity in the boat’s manual.

Ÿ* Things look different at night. Remember that in the dark, visual navigation markers you rely on during the day may be invisible. Chart your route to your fireworks-viewing spot in advance, and use GPS-enabled electronics to help you find it, if necessary.

Ÿ* Listen up. Follow the directions that the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary issue about where you may safely anchor to view fireworks away from sparks and ash.

Ÿ* Relax and enjoy the show. Don’t be in a rush to get home; let some of the boat traffic clear out before you raise anchor after the display is over.

BoatUS remains the premiere advocate for boaters and boating safety on all waters and SSECN is proud to present BoatUS News. See /158020 for more information.

NEWS From BoatUS

Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304

The July issue of Boating Industry magazine features a readership survey on ethanol and boats.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com

Boating Industry Magazine Report:

`Ethanol Repair Issues Growing’

`It ruins their day, their boat and their entire boating experience’

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 30, 2016 ‘“ When it comes to recreational boating and the Federal Renewable Fuel Standard’s requirement to put more corn ethanol into gasoline, those that see its negative consequences the most are the industry workers that build, maintain, store or sell boats.

A newly released survey by Boating Industry magazine points to ethanol as playing an even `bigger role’ in service issues than it was just a year ago, with a remarkable `87% of our respondents reporting seeing boat engine damage caused by ethanol,’ said Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Sweet. The magazine reported that was up from 73 percent in the same survey in April 2015. BoatUS, a member of the Smarter Fuel Future coalition, hopes to share the survey’s findings to help change the broken federal ethanol mandate.

`Dealers, manufacturers and marinas are clearly very concerned about the increased use of ethanol,’ added Sweet. `According to our readers, ethanol is playing an increasing role in causing engine damage and other repair issues.’

The survey, sent to a mix of readers from dealerships, marinas, engine and boat manufacturers around the country, was answered in April and May. Most notably, many respondents raised concerns of misfueling at roadside gas stations. The Boating Industry survey follows a Harris Poll study conducted for the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute earlier this year, with 64 percent of American adults reporting they weren’t sure or didn’t pay attention to the type of gas they used.

`Misfueling is our #1 concern,’ said BoatUS Government Affairs Senior Program Manager David Kennedy. About 40% of over half a million BoatUS members report filling up the family boat at a gas station and another 35% use portable gas cans.

Continuing to make the connection between the Federal ethanol mandate and the negative consequences to recreational boat owners, survey respondents noted that while ethanol may be helping drive service department business, frequent issues run the risk of driving more people out of boating. As one boat manufacturer said in survey, `Ethanol is a boom for the service departments. Ethanol is a huge drag on our industry because it negatively affects the customers. It makes them hate boating. It ruins their day, their boat and their entire boating experience.’

According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the recreational boating industry in the United States has an annual economic impact of more than $121.5 billion, supporting 650,015 direct and indirect American jobs and nearly 35,000 businesses.

Signed into law in 2005, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requires an increasing amount of biofuels such as corn ethanol to be blended into the gasoline supply. When it was written, the RFS assumed that America’s use of gasoline would continue to grow.

Since 2005, however, gasoline usage has actually declined steadily which today forces more ethanol into each gallon of gas. To keep up with the RFS mandate, in 2010 the EPA permitted E15 (fuel containing up to 15% ethanol) into the marketplace. Even though E15 is prohibited for use in marine engines, snowmobiles, motorcycles, lawnmowers, and any vehicle made before 2001, it can now be found in 23 states, including: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

About Boating Industry magazine:

Boating Industry is the leading trade magazine serving the marine industry. For more than 85 years, boating professionals have turned to Boating Industry for market intelligence, product updates, best practices and industry news. For more information, visit BoatingIndustry.com.

About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):

Celebrating 50 years in 2016, BoatUS is the nation’s largest organization of recreational boaters with over a half million members. We are the boat owners’ voice on Capitol Hill and fight for their rights. We help ensure a roadside breakdown doesn’t end a boating or fishing trip before it begins, and on the water, we bring boaters safely back to the launch ramp or dock when their boat won’t, day or night. The BoatUS Insurance Program gives boat owners the specialized coverage and superior service they need, and we help keep boaters safe and our waters clean with assistance from the non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Visit BoatUS.com.