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    • ‘Wild Wild West of illegal boat charters’ – SunSentinel


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    • Inlet Trivia for the Holiday – Peter Swanson

      I found this article to be fascinating since I have entered many of these inlets while cruising up and down the East Coast.  It is interesting to read about the rich history of many of them.

      Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with salt water in their veins will subscribe. $7 a month or $56 for the year, and you may cancel at any time.

         
       
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      Inlet Trivia for the Holiday

      Doom for Confederate Hopes and Pirates, Too

        
      Ocracoke Island villagers salvage lumber from the shattered hull of the schooner Nomis in the summer of 1935. Nomis was carrying 338,000 feet of lumber from Georgetown, South Carolina, to New York City.

      Okay, its Fourth of July weekend, so the theme of this Loose Cannon installment is light and playful: Trivia related to various inlets along the Atlantic Coast from Virginia to the Florida border. I was digging for something in my archives, and I found historical summaries written over a decade ago but never published.

      Not all inlets are mentioned, and Charleston is omitted altogether because of its historic significance defies pithy summarization. And please do not assume that just because an inlet is included it is recommended for navigation.

      Enjoy.

      Virginia

      Rudee

      What is now Rudee Inlet began as a manmade drainage culvert. In 1968, the state created the current inlet, part of a $1 million plan to attract boaters. Now regular dredging is part of a cycle of a system to replenishment sand on the beaches of Virginia Beach. You can often see East Coast Navy SEAL teams launching boats for training exercises here.

        
      Navy SEAL stealth boat goes for a spin at Rudee Inlet, Virginia Beach.

      North Carolina

      Oregon

      In 1873 Congress approved and appropriated funds for the building of 29 lifesaving stations, one of which was the Bodie Island Station, located on the south side of Oregon Inlet. In 1883, the station on the north side of Oregon Inlet (also known as Tommy’s Hummock) was officially named the Bodie Island Station and the “old” Bodie Island Station (south of the inlet) was renamed as the Oregon Inlet Station. These are the antecedents to the current Coast Guard Station on Bodie.

      Hatteras

      The first Hatteras Inlet was formed south of the current inlet, but closed around 1764. The modern Hatteras Inlet was formed on September 7, 1846 by a violent gale. This was the same storm that opened present-day Oregon Inlet to the north. This became a profitable inlet, because it gave the Inner Banks,  a quicker and easier way to travel to and from the Gulf Stream. It was easier to come into this inlet from the north.

      Because of the increase of commerce, Hatteras Village Post Office was established in 1858. The initial invasion of the North Carolina coast, on Hatteras Island, during the Civil War called Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries came from Hatteras Inlet. The two Confederate forts guarding the inlet quickly fell. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is  also located here. Need we say more?

      Ocracoke

      The residents of this area have stoutly resisted modernization and change and a visit here is very much a trip back to the way it used to be. Ocracoke is part of the area known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, due to the many shipwrecks over the centuries—more than 600, according to some sources.

      Share

       Lookout Bight/Barden’s

      Home to whalers and Spanish privateers in the 18th century, Cape Lookout Bight is the location of the distinctively diamond patterned Cape Lookout Lighthouse. The wreck of the schooner Chrissie Wright occurred here on Lookout Shoals, where the entire crew but the cook perished in view of shore, rescuers unable to reach them until the next day due to the large breakers.

      Beaufort

      Pirate Edward Teach, popularly known as Blackbeard, lost his ship Queen Ann’s Revenge in 1718 after running aground at Beaufort Inlet. There is a fascinating multimedia display at the Beaufort Maritime Museum on his story, and the continuing excavation of his vessel. Blackbeard was later killed by naval forces off Ocracoke, but his head came home through Beaufort inlet, hanging on the bowsprit of the ship which captured him.

      Mason

      In March 2002, Mason inlet was cut through at a location about 3,500 feet northeast of what was then Mason Inlet. A week after the successful opening of the new inlet, the old Mason Inlet was closed. This engineering work, sponsored by local interests, was in response to the southward migration of Mason Inlet over the years to the point were it was threatening to undermine the Shell Island Resort and community to the south.

      Masonboro

      In November 1862, Union warships forced blockade running British schooner F.W. Pindar aground at the inlet, and sent a boat crew to destroy the vessel. The boat swamped and the crew was captured after successfully firing the schooner. In the same month, the Union Navy ran the British bark Sophia aground and destroyed her near the inlet as well.

      Carolina Beach

      Shoaling closed the original inlet in the early 1900s. It was blasted open again with explosives in 1952. In 2007, $1.2 million in federal funds were allocated for dredging Carolina Beach Inlet.

      Cape Fear River

      Cape Fear’s moniker comes from the fearsome Frying Pan Shoals offshore. This area marks the southern border of the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Bald Head Lighthouse, long known as “Old Baldy,” was North Carolina’s first lighthouse, dating back to 1796. Legendary 19th century singlehander Joshua Slocum came ashore in this region while returning from South America in a small vessel he built and wrote about in his book “Voyage of the Liberdade.”

      Lockwood’s Folly

       Lockwoods Folly Inlet was the scene of several Civil War confrontations. In an area noted as the Cape Fear Civil War Shipwreck District (shown here from a U.S. Army Corps survey chart), which crosses the inlet itself, are found the wrecks of Lisa MarieElizabeth, Iron Age and Bendigo. The name ‘Lockwood’s Folly’ came about when a certain Mr. Lockwood built himself a boat, which happened to have draft too great to transit the inlet. Some things haven’t changed. 

      Shallotte

      The entire coastal area was a hotspot of activity during the Civil War. The Union gunship Penobscot, at 158 feet and 10-foot 6-inch draft, destroyed her first Confederate vessel, the schooner Sereta, which went aground and was abandoned off Shallotte Inlet in June 1862. In November, the Penobscot forced the British ship Pathfinder aground at Shallotte Inlet, then destroyed her. Penobscot was known as the “90-day gunship” for the length of time it took to build her.

        
      A “90-day-gunship,” sister ship to the USS Penobscot.

      South Carolina

      Little River Inlet

       Because of the marshes surrounding Little River, the area received little land traffic until roads were built in the 1920s. Along with the safety afforded by the harbor, it thus became somewhat of a haven for pirates and smugglers. Following the arrival of some ‘northerners’ after the War of 1812, the town was known as “Yankee Town,” certainly not a name fondly accepted by those born there.

      Murrells Inlet

      Close by Murrells Inlet lies Drunken Jack Island—and Drunken Jack. Legend has it that a pirate was accidentally marooned with nothing but a supply of rum. When the ship finally returned, all they found were empty bottles of rum, and the bones of poor Jack. The island is also another of those reputed to contain Blackbeard’s treasure.

      Winyah Bay

      The first Europeans to settle the banks of Winyah Bay were actually the Spanish, but after failing as farmers, they built a ship from the towering cypress and oak trees lining the swamps, and sailed off to the Spice Islands of the Caribbean, where there was a ready market for their slaves.

      Stono River

      Union naval forces controlled the Stono River during the Civil War, but got their comeuppance when a Confedate artillery unit set up on the banks by cover of darkness, bombarded a Union warship and forced her officers to row ashore to surrender.

      North Edisto River

      The North Edisto River inlet was often used as a back door for Union vessels to attack Charleston, as any vessel proceeding through the Charleston inlet was a sitting duck, unable to return fire with while inbound with Fort Moultrie forward of the alignment of her guns.

      St. Helena Sound

      St. Helena Island is considered the center of African American Gullah culture and is also the site of several forts which have been extensively excavated. During the Civil War, Fort Walker fell early, leading to the capture of Port Royal. The slaves were freed and measures, including land grants, were undertaken to assist them. Black history is such a powerful force in this area that those supporting the Gullah culture have been able to prevent the building of condos and gated communities on St. Helena Island.

        
      Portrait of a Gullah community after the Civil War.

      New River Entrance

      Camp Lejeune is located nearby and one will often see Marines on exercises. Kids will be thrilled as they roar by in their inflatable vessels, complete with weaponry, or operating tanks on the east side of the ICW or artillery towed behind trucks. Skippers knowing that this gear constitutes targets for shooting exercises may be a little less sanguine about them.

      Port Royal Sound

      Most mariners are aware that the Parris Island Marine Corps base is here. What most won’t know is that Cat Island, at the anchorage at Mile 544, was at one time a nudist colony. Hilton Head Island was at one time a prominent outpost of the Gullah community. (The nudist colony closed prior to World War II in case you were wondering!) 

      Calibogue Sound

      This entire area was fought over by the Spanish, French and British for years, and the coast was a favorite hunting ground for pirates, including Blackbeard. The area is noted for its Gullah heritage. Today, most of the coast is a major resort region, with golf on Hilton Head Island. being one of the biggest draws. The red-striped replica lighthouse at Harbortown Yacht Basin is one of the most photographed sights on the Waterway.

      Georgia

      Savannah River

      This entire area was fought over by the Spanish, French and British for years, and the coast was a favorite hunting ground for pirates, including Blackbeard. The area is noted for its Gullah heritage. Colonial Savannah, an early “planned city” (by Gen. James Oglethorpe), is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the United States.

      Wassaw Sound

      Thunderbolt was supposedly named after a lighting bolt struck there, creating a spring and giving native Americans a reason to settle there.

      Ossaba Sound

      Archeological evidence indicates Ossabaw Island has been inhabited for 4,000 years. During the last century it was a hunting retreat and then, a privately held scholarly and artistic retreat. When the owners could no longer subsidize the cost, they sold the island to the state of Georgia, thus preserving its natural beauty for the enjoyment of future generations.

      St. Catherines Sound

      A Spanish fort dating from 1566 was built on St. Catherines Island, which General Sherman awarded to freed slaves after the Civil war along with Ossabaw and Sapelo islands. This state of affairs lasted for two years, after which the island was returned to its former owner, and the new residents relocated to the Georgia mainland. An 1893 hurricane covered the entire island in water. Only one person survived.

      Sapelo Sound

      Sapelo Island’s ownership makes for a fascinating story. Fleeing revolution at home, a syndicate of French nobles purchased it in 1790, followed by a Danish sea captain, then a planter who was the only one who ever managed to make a profit from the island’s soil. In the 20th century, an excutive of the Hudson Motorcar Company, took possession, but the Crash of ’29 forced him to sell to R.J. Reynolds of tobacco fame. In 1969, Reynold’s widow donated part of it to the state of Georgia for a wildlife refuge. Now the entire island has protected status under government ownership.

        
      An old Coast Guard photo of the Sapelo Island lighthouse.

      Doboy Sound

      Cruisers using this inlet may well notice mounds of large rocks not native to the area, particularly on Commodore Island. These are ballast stones from tallships which used these waters in past centuries, tossed overboard to lighten them so they could navigate the shallower waters upstream with their cargoes.

      St. Simons Sound

      Originally built in 1808, St. Simons lighthouse was torn down by Confederate forces in 1862 and replaced in 1872. In 1953, the oil lamps were replaced by a Fresnel lens and the 106 foot structure can be climbed. The view is worth the effort.

      St. Andrews Sound

      The lighthouse on Little Cumberland Island operated from 1838 until its deactivation in 1915. The keeper’s house was destroyed by fire in 1968.

      St. Mary’s Inlet

      Fernandina Beach on the Florida side was founded by Union soldiers, who returned there after having occupied Amelia Island during the war; they were drawn to the area’s climate and natural beauty. That may explain why the city’s downtown resembles a 19th Century New England town.

      LOOSE CANNON is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

       

       

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    • What’s Happening in Your Parks – Charleston Parks


      What’s Happening In Your Parks – Charleston County Parks

      Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission
      Peole practicing yoga on the beach at sunset

      Ready, Set…Tri!

      The Youth Triathlon returns to James Island County Park on July 26! Young athletes will swim, bike, and run their way to the finish line in this fun, confidence-building event. Cheer them on or register your future triathlete today!

      Let’s Dance, Y’all!

      Get ready to twirl under the stars at Dancing on the Cooper on July 18! Head to the Mount Pleasant Pier for live music, waterfront breezes, and plenty of room to groove. It’s the ultimate summertime dance party you won’t want to miss.

       
      Rise to the Challenge

      Join us for Adaptive Climbing Day on July 20 at the Climbing Wall! With specialized equipment and trained staff, this empowering event gives individuals with disabilities the chance to reach new heights in a supportive environment.

      Everyone’s Invited!

      Make a splash at Inclusive Swim Night on July 19 at Whirlin’ Waters! This after-hours event is designed for guests with disabilities and their families and caregivers to enjoy the waterpark with smaller crowds, quieter music, and lots of fun. We can’t wait to see you there!

      35 Years of ADA!

      The 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act is here, and we’re celebrating with a community event on July 23 in Park Circle, alongside City of Charleston and City of North Charleston.

      • Free admission
      • Free refreshments
      • Vendor booths
      • Have fun on largest inclusive playground
      • Keynote address by renowned speaker Alycia Anderson

      Join us as we celebrate inclusion, and 35 years of meaningful change.

      Mark Your Calendars

      July 17 Summer Entertainment Series: Friends of Coastal SC

      July 18 Homeschool in the Parks: Shark Secrets

      July 19 Early Morning Bird Walk at Caw Caw

      July 19 Skateboarding Lessons

      July 21 Youth Tri Swim Clinic

      July 25 Moonlight Mixer

      July 27 Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series Race 3

      Annual Partner
       
      Charleston Animal Society

      For information on sponsorship opportunities, please email the Sponsorship Coordinator.

       
       
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      Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission | 861 Riverland Drive | Charleston, SC 29412 US
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    • AIWA Newsletter July 2025

      Cruisers Net is proud to be a member of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association, whose lobbying work is crucial to keeping the Waterway navigable and safe. Your membership dollars directly support their vital work. Please join and encourage your boating neighbors to do the same, regardless of their home port.

       

       
      Recent Actions and Upcoming Congressional Hearings on 
      FY26 Federal Appropriations
      In contrast to a very busy May for waterway federal funding news, June has been relatively quiet as Congress’s attention is focused on consideration of the reconciliation package, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill. With recent passage of different versions of the reconciliation package by the House of Representatives and Senate, the Senate version was sent to the House for further consideration on July 1st. At present, we await a final vote by the House to pass the Senate version and send to the President for his signature and enactment. Fortunately, the voting on this bill will not impact the timing of consideration for the FY26 Energy & Water Appropriations bill which funds projects along the waterway.
       


      Looking forward

      With the release of the Administration’s FY26 funding priorities for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the next step is for the House and Senate to develop their appropriations bills. On July 7th, the House Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Energy & Water Development and Related Agencies has scheduled a committee hearing to consider the FY26 Energy & Water Appropriations Bill followed by a full House Appropriations Committee hearing on July 10th. Once the appropriations bill clears these two committees, it is eligible for a vote by the full House of Representatives.

      At this time, the Senate has not scheduled committee hearings on FY26 Energy & Water Development Appropriations.

      Below is a table outlining our recent success and the current state of waterway funding. It is possible that we could surpass the $220 million in waterway funding over the past five years with another successful funding cycle in 2026. 

       
      U.S. Coast Guard Releases Two Marine Safety Information Bulletins
      Impacting Waterway Users in
      North Carolina
      The U.S. Coast Guard has recently released two Marine Safety Information Bulletins (MSIB) that will have a direct impact on waterway users in North Carolina. The AIWA was engaged on both of these MSIB’s, and we greatly appreciate the opportunity to participate in the review of the two projects.

      One of the two projects, the Alligator River Swing Bridge Replacement Project (MSIB 09-25), will include multi-day waterway closures, but will allow for temporary deviations for waterway users. Please click here to read MSIB 09-25 for the project.

      The second project, the Onslow Bridge Replacement Project (MSIB-008-25), the waterway will be closed for daily demolition activities but will open daily between noon and 1pm, and outside of normal working hours. Please click here to read MSIB 08-25 for the project. 

      We understand that any closure of the waterway impacts our members and waterway stakeholders, and we are committed to participating in these types of projects to ensure that your voice is heard.

       
      Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association
      Annual Meeting
      November 18 – 20, 2025
      Savannah, GA
       
      Happy 4th of July 💥
       
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      Copyright © 2025. Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association. All rights reserved.

      The AIWA is a national non-profit organization with the mission of securing funding and support for the maintenance of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. We are the only organization dedicated to ensuring the future of the AIWW and proudly represent all stakeholders of the waterway. 

      Contact:
      Atlantic Instracoastal Waterway Association
      5a Market |  Beaufort, SC 29906
      (843) 379-1151 |  atlanticintracoastal.org

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    • Southeast Marine Fuel Best Price Summary as of Jul 02

      This week’s lowest current marina fuel prices as of Jul 02
              Diesel Range: $2.91 to $4.85 Lowest @ Osprey Marina in (South Carolina)
              Gas Range: $3.64 to $4.69 Lowest @ Centerville Waterway Marina in (Virginia to North Carolina)
      Remember to always call the marina to verify the current price since prices may change at any time. Also please let us know if you find a marina’s fuel price has changed via the Submit News link.

      SELECT Fuel Type:
      SELECT Format:
      Lowest Diesel Price in Each Region

      Lowest Diesel Prices Anywhere

      All Regions (Price Range $2.91 to $6.00)

      $2.91 Osprey Marina (06/30)
      $2.96 Wacca Wache Marina (06/30)
      $3.00 Brunswick Landing Marina (06/30)

      Lowest By Region

      Virginia to North Carolina (Price Range $3.47 to $4.24)

       

      North Carolina (Price Range $3.32 to $5.60)

      $3.32 Albemarle Plantation Marina (06/30)
      $3.35 Dowry Creek Marina (06/30)
      $3.48 Belhaven Marina (07/01)

       

      South Carolina (Price Range $2.91 to $4.85)

      $2.91 Osprey Marina (06/30)
      $2.96 Wacca Wache Marina (06/30)
      $3.20 Grande Dunes Marina (06/30)

       

      Georgia (Price Range $3.00 to $5.00)

       

      Eastern Florida (Price Range $3.06 to $5.19)

      $3.06 Port Consolidated (06/30)
      $3.25 LukFuel (06/30)
      $3.40 Pelican Yacht Club (06/30)

       

      St Johns River (Price Range $3.70 to $6.00)

       

      Florida Keys (Price Range $3.99 to $5.49)

       

      Western Florida (Price Range $3.21 to $5.64)

      $3.21 Shields Marina (07/01)
      $3.38 Sea Hag Marina (06/30)
      $3.50 Safe Harbor Burnt Store Marina (06/30)

       

      Okeechobee (Price Range $3.54 to $3.85)

      $3.54 Gulf Harbour Marina (06/30)
      $3.85 Sunset Bay Marina (06/30)

       

      Northern Gulf (Price Range $3.29 to $3.35)

       

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    • Spring/Summer 2025 Newsletter! Outer Banks Forever


       

      Our Spring/Summer Print Newsletter Is Here!
       
      We’re excited to share our Spring/Summer 2025 Newsletter with you! Download your copy and learn about:

      • Our 2025 Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program
      • Bryan Burhans, Outer Banks Forever’s new Director
      • Beach and ocean safety on Cape Hatteras National Seashore
      • Robin Snyder, Deputy Superintendent of our Outer Banks national parks
      • The iconic Bodie Island Lighthouse
      Download Your Copy Today!
      Thank you so much for being a supporter of our Outer Banks national parks! We can’t do what we do without you!
      Happy Reading,  
      Rachael Graf
      Community Engagement Coordinator
      Outer Banks Forever
       
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    • Bahamas. Shenanigans. Fatigue – Peter Swanson

      Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with salt water in their veins will subscribe. $7 a month or $56 for the year, and you may cancel at any time.

         
       
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      When all else fails, try journalism.


      Bahamas. Shenanigans. Fatigue

      Like an Onion, Corruption Is a Many Layered Thing

        

      Phew!

      Four days: Three stories and one opinion piece about shennanigans in the Bahamas. Normally, I release stories on more of an every-other-day schedule.

      Anyway, if you are among those who have now joined us because of the coverage of Bahamas cruising-fee hikes and moorings boondogle, welcome.

      For those of you who are less interested in that topic, worry not. Loose Cannon will soon return to its normal nautical mix and to its normal pace.

      And you are hereby spared a fifth story on the topic.

      The story would have been about resurgent corruption in the Bahamas government, as it begins to assume the trappings of a narco-state, complete with a rise in gang violence and homicides. I have decided against a long-form treatment because the subject is not boat-specific enough. Someone should write it, though.

      Cliff Notes Version

      In writing their November indictment of 11 Bahamians, including high-ranking policemen, U.S. prosecutors set the stage for the arrests, describing the growth of Bahamas government corruption since the end of the Covid epidemic. Besides the actual defendants, the indictment repeatedly references “other corrupt officials” in “key government institutions.”

      One defendant gave feds the name of “a high-ranking Bahamian politician” who had offered to commit the country’s entire law enforcement apparatus to moving cocaine in exchange for a $2 million payoff. If true, that sum must now be considered the going rate to purchase, or at least rent a leader of the Bahamian people.

      Thankfully for the cruising crowd, most of the criminal violence isn’t happening in the Abacos, Exumas or Out Islands, but that does not mean we would be unaffected in the long run. One cannot help but catch a whiff of the same Nassau corruption in the mooring scheme and crazy fee increases. Both were rolled out with the kind of stealth and suddeness that suggest, as American prosecutors like to say, “a cognizance of guilt.”

      The Bahamas enacted some anti-corruption laws in response to the drug scandal, but an opposing senator this week noted that the actual enforcement budget was only $30,000 and no results have been produced.

      (By the way, it is not too farfetched to think that these laws may have been dictated to Bahamian leaders by the U.S. Justice Department via State, in exchange for not indicting that “high-ranking politician” and possibly destabilizing or—dare I say it—decapitating an allied government.)

      Interestingly, the institutions that track government corruption around the world based on measurable factors do not rate the Bahamas all that high in malfeasance. My conclusion is that the rankings must be based on lagging indicators.

      Altogether this is a tragic state of affairs, especially for honest Bahamians. Their island nation, a place of beauty, had also been a place of normalcy for cruisers, not beset by the thefts and thuggery of the lower Caribbean, nor the endemic official corruption at the retail level in many Latin American ports, nor the ever-shrinking options for anchoring of Florida waters.

      Folks, I’m taking tomorrow off. Maybe Monday too.

      As always, comes the pitch: If you’ve been with Loose Cannon for a while, and you like what you’ve been reading, and you can afford it, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription. There’s more where this came from.

      LOOSE CANNON is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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    • Toucan Grill – This Week’s Events – Oriental, NC (AIWW Statute Mile 181)


      Oriental is a wonderful place with friendly people and good food. And, if you do stop here, by all means, eat at our good friends at Toucan’s Grill and stay at Oriental Marina, a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR!

      Click Here To View the North Carolina Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Oriental Marina and Toucan’s Restaurant

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    • SCDNR to conduct courtesy boat inspections during July Fourth Day weekend Saturday and Sunday

      It is always important to ensure you are up to date on the legally required safety equipment and your boat and motor registrations.  Consider taking advantage of SCDNR’s courtesy boat inspections during the July 4th weekend to ensure you are in compliance.   Also, see the embedded link below to South Carolina’s boating regulations.

       
      SCDNR color logo and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in text on green background


      SCDNR to conduct courtesy boat inspections during July Fourth weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday 

      CBI

      SCDNR officers want to do everything possible to make sure boaters have a fun yet safe July Fourth holiday. Courtesy boating inspections will be offered at public boat landings around the state on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings.

      In an effort to keep people and waterways safe during the Fourth of July weekend, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Law Enforcement Division will be conducting courtesy boat inspections at public boat landings around the state.

      The July Fourth weekend is one of the busiest boating times of the year for South Carolina lakes and waterways and officers want to do everything possible to keep everyone’s weekend fun and safe.

      SCDNR boating safety and enforcement officers will perform quick but thorough inspections for required safety equipment and proper boat and motor registrations. Those who are not in compliance with safety regulations or registration requirements will not be ticketed during the complimentary inspections. Instead, they will be given an opportunity to correct the problem before they launch their boat. SCDNR officers will also be available to answer questions and give boaters tips on how to stay safe on the water. The boating inspections will be conducted Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 4-6.

      To report boating violations such as reckless operation or an intoxicated boat operator, call the SCDNR toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-922-5431 or dial #DNR on your cell phone.

      For a copy of South Carolina’s boating regulations, to find out about local boating safety courses, or to obtain a free float plan form, contact the SCDNR boating safety office at 1-800-277-4301 or visit http://www.dnr.sc.gov/education/boated.html.

      July Fourth weekend boat inspection locations (all inspections are from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.):

      Friday, July 4:

      • Spartanburg County: Lake Bowen
      • Pickens County: Twin Lakes
      • Fairfield County: Molly Creek
      • Lexington County: Lake Murray Dam
      • Horry County: Bass Pro Shop
      • Charleston County: Wapoo Cut Landing, ICW
      • Beaufort County: Battery Creek Boat Landing

      Saturday, July 5:

      • Anderson County:  River Fork Landing, Lake Hartwell
      • Oconee County: South Cove, Lake Keowee
      • Kershaw County: Clearwater Cove, Lake Wateree
      • Clarendon County: Alex Harvin Landing, Lake Marion
      • Berkeley County: Hatchery Landing
      • Charleston County: Remley’s Point
      • Charleston County: Buck Hall

      Sunday, July 6:

      • McCormick County: Scott’s Ferry, Lake Thurmond
      • Greenwood County: Hwy. 72 Landing
      • Oconee County: Seneca Creek, Lake Hartwell
      • York County: Ebenezer Park
      • Lexington County: Lake Murray Dam
      • Beaufort County: Lemon Island Boat Ramp
      • Charleston County: Limehouse Landing
      • Georgetown County: Carroll Campbell Boat Ramp

      South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, 260 D Epting Ln, West Columbia, SC 29172

      Department Phone Numbers

       

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    • Entry Fees Distract as Bahamas Eyes the Prize, a Carbon-Credit Boondogle – Peter Swanson


      Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with salt water in their veins will subscribe. $7 a month or $56 for the year, and you may cancel at any time.

         
       
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      Like crypto currency, the carbon-exchange market is something oft mentioned but little understood, including by me. This story assumes the concept is not just a figment of our collective imagination.

        

      A seagrass meadow: Where the moorings aren’t.

      Stand by for Bahamas Moorings II. The sequel appears likely. The key to understanding the “insane” and ultimately unsuccessful first attempt to establish rental moorings in the Exumas appears to have been something as mundane as seagrass.

      Not the actual turtle food: Seagrass, the idea.

      The Bahamas are sitting on a “blue carbon” treasure trove whose jewels are seagrasses, salt marshes and mangroves. According to DBG, a player in the carbon-offset industry, the Bahamas has $50 billion-worth ready to sell.

      So what did the Bahamas government do?

      On January 23, it leased the seagrass component of said trove to a private company in exchange for a promise of three pennies for every future dollar earned from mooring rentals—an unknowable revenue-stream.

      Bahamian leaders certainly must have known end of free anchoring would have been unpopular in its target market, foreign cruisers. Would we be willing to pay? That question is back again as cruising community reacts to the outrage of the day—a quintupling of entry fees.

      Stench

      The odor of corruption around that $2.5 million deal was so strong, that the same government that had secretly approved the project soon ordered that it “cease and desist” and that all moorings be removed. That was on February 23, and…goshdarnit… The moorings are still in place. Free, at least temporarily.

      Creating a mooring monopoly “doesn’t even make sense,” Peter Maury told The Tribune newspaper of Nassau as it followed up after Loose Cannon broke the story back in February. Maury is president of the Association of Bahamas Marinas, whose members, like most Bahamians, were blindsided by the sudden appearance of barges installing helix anchors and floating balls. “Insane,” one of Maury’s colleagues quipped.

        

      The moorings are still in place. Waiting for new management?

      The lease assigning control of more than 4,000 acres of seabed to a single company granted Bahamas Moorings Ltd. the right to provide mooring services “in the Exuma and elsewhere in the country.” Would the Abacos and Eleuthera have been next?

      As it happens, the Bahamas are home to an astounding 40 percent of the world’s seagrass beds, which sequester huge amounts of carbon on the seafloor, according to scientists. The moorings appeared to have been cover to exercise control over a carbon offset to be sold to industries unable to reduce their carbon footprint on their own.


       Without Warning, Moorings Going In Throughout the Exumas 

      Mooring fields at popular Normans Cay.


      Boaters Blamed

      In response to Loose Cannon’s back-to-back articles on the moorings controversy (but before the project was canceled), the Bahamas government issued a news release, which said the quiet part out loud: “This initiative is also a key component of the Bahamas Blue Carbon Project, which aims to generate funding through carbon credit sales linked to the protection of seagrass beds and marine sediment—critical natural carbon sinks.”

      The same release blamed you, the cruising public, for damaging seagrass beds:

      For years, unregulated anchoring has significantly damaged coral reefs and seagrass beds—critical marine habitats supporting biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Recent research by Beneath the Waves, a leading marine science organisation, has documented a 20-30 percent decline in seagrass coverage in parts of the Exuma Cays over the past decade, underscoring the urgent need for action. Installing these moorings will help preserve marine ecosystems while enhancing navigational safety by reducing anchor-related destruction and minimising seabed disturbance.

      Final Version Statement From The Governm…
      126KB ∙ PDF file
      Download

      But experts contradicted the government, saying many, if not most of the planned mooring fields have sandy bottoms entirely without reefs or grasses. A prime example—where mooring installation was underway until the cease and desist order—is the anchorage at Big Major Cay, famous for good holding and swimming pigs.

      “The initial mooring balls in Normans Cay, Big Majors and Black Point are installed in some of the best holding clear sand in Exuma. There are bits of grass around, but nothing that even remotely resembles a nursery environment,” said Addison Chan, author of the Bahamas Land & Sea app and its corresponding Facebook group.

      “I haven’t studied every chart in detail, but my sense is the leases cover the best anchorages in the Bahamas, which tend to be areas that are currently free of grass. Take for example the areas around Compass Cay, an area that is difficult to anchor because of shallow water and grassy flats, the leased lands cover the viable areas of clear sand. In fact, the area that falls within Pipe Creek appears to be shaped by the clear sand area.”

      Loose Cannon interviewed a Bahamian naturalist who asked not to be named for fear of retribution. Familiar with the cays in question, this person confirmed that many of the anchorages are entirely sand. “Grass ain’t everywhere they claim, so they ain’t saving no seagrass,” the naturalist said, rebutting to the government’s defense of the project.

      As far as potential for moorings to aid in seagrass restoration, it would likely happen only in places where grass beds had been historically. “Just putting moorings in pure sand doesn’t generate growth of seagrass, if it wasn’t there before,” the person said.

        
        

      Sand not grass. This is a photo of the large central mooring area noted on the Big Major chart. The bottom is nearly all sand, as anyone who has visited the swimming pigs can attest.

      And what about the proposal that cruisers could choose to anchor as long as they were willing to pay 55 cents or $1.10 per foot, depending on LOA? Critics back in February said that if saving the seabeed were really the motivation, anchoring would be banned altogether. Today, the new fee structure monetizes the practice by charging cruisers who wish to avoid marinas a $300 anchoring fee.

      A bill of lading obtained by Loose Cannon described the Bahamas Moorings order for Chinese-made helical screw anchors as being accompanied by 38 and 25mm open-link chain. While moorings employ significantly less scope than anchoring, an all-rope mooring rode would be even less damaging than a rope-chain setup that this document suggests.

      A photo taken by a cruiser shows one new mooring attached not to a helical screw but a big conventional anchor and chain.

        

      Big anchor, not a helical screw. Oddly, this sketchy set-up was intended for bigger yachts.

      Greenwashing

      So, how did the question of seagrass fit in the moorings/blue carbon narrative? The government says moorings will protect seagrass. Experts say there tends not to be seagrass where moorings were actually placed.

      Maybe, what was being sold is just the belief that mooring fields will protect Bahamas seagrass. The term for this is greenwashing.

      Cohn, Cohn & Colapinto, a U.S. law firm that specializes in defending whistleblowers, notes that carbon-offset scams often share the following characteristics:

      • Overstated impact: some projects may exaggerate the amount of carbon they can offset, leading to misleading claims.
      • Lack of transparency: scammers may avoid providing clear information about their projects, making it difficult to verify their claims.
      • Weak verification processes: some projects may rely on inadequate verification processes, allowing for fraudulent activities to go undetected.
      • Greenwashing: the use of misleading marketing tactics a company uses to portray themselves as environmentally responsible, even if their carbon offset claims are unfounded.

      Will Cruisers Quit Coming?

      The Tribune reporter also quoted Eric Carey, the ex-Bahamas National Trust (BNT) executive director, who worried that having to pay for moorings and/or anchoring may create a tipping point in the cruising community. What he said might well apply to today’s entry-fee controversy:

      A very careful assessment needs to be done of the carrying capacity of what boaters are willing to pay before boaters abandon The Bahamas because of what they can’t afford. It can’t be a licence to print money and boaters say, we’ll abandon The Bahamas. I’ve spoken to people at Black Point, Staniel Cay who have restaurants. They say that if those boats abandon us because they’re forced out, they’ll be severely impacted.

      What Carey may have been too polite to say is that cruisers as a whole are a parsimonious lot. Groceries, liquor and fuel are already 30 percent higher in the Bahamas compared to the U.S. Dockage is very expensive, too. Recently, Bahamian officials have been enforcing immigration rules in capricious and arbitrary ways, stressing out many mom-and-pop cruisers.

      Free anchoring has been the spoonful of sugar that helped the medicine go down. Without it, the Bahamas marine industry fears the worst. Surely, the principals of Bahamas Moorings and their eco-affiliates had to have been aware that their overt business might have failed simply because cruisers wouldn’t participate.

      Maybe, that new $300 anchoring fee is intended as an incentive to use those leftover moorings once a new administrative structure is in place.

      The lead story in the May 1 Guardian newspaper described how the prime minister was “pushing ahead with its efforts to monetize blue carbon credits through a new agreement with a Chicago based company.” A government news release described how Carbon Management Limited (CML), a Bahamian-controlled public-private partnership, will turn seaweed into cash:

      Using Laconic’s innovative Sovereign Carbon Security, which does not require a sovereign guarantee, the program will see verified, additional and real carbon removals generated by the CML’s scientific management of up to 150,000 square kilometers of the nation’s seagrass ecosystems monetized over the next five years in full compliance with Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement,

      The question is: How might this lucrative scheme be related to the new fee structure? The timing, of course, could be nothing more than coincidence. Come forward, Bahamas sources, and enlighten us. Tell us about those “real carbon removals.”

      Stand by for more reporting on the fees, moorings and other shennanigans happening in our favorite island nation. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe the next day.

      LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.

       

       

       
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      411 Walnut St. No. 1944, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043
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    • I Grew Up by the ‘Jaws’ Location. Never Saw a Shark, But Now…Wow! – Peter Swanson

      Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with salt water in their veins will subscribe. $7 a month or $56 for the year, and you may cancel at any time.

         
       
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      When all else fails, try journalism.


      I Grew Up by the ‘Jaws’ Location. Never Saw a Shark, But Now…Wow!

      ‘Shark, Shark, Shark! Get People Out of the Water!’

        

      The 50th anniversary of the movie Jaws is being widely commemorated because of the film’s cinematic, cultural and social influence. It is being marked by television specials and multiple events around where the movie was filmed, which is also where the fictional events were to have happened.

      I was 20 when “Jaws” came to the Buzzards Bay Theater in 1975. My hometown of Wareham was just around the corner from the island of Martha’s Vineyard where Jaws was filmed.¹ I had spent the past dozen years swimming in local waters and sailing our Cape Dory sailboats²—almost daily all summer long.

      Wareham has more miles of beachfront than any other town in Massachusetts—54 miles compared to about 125 for the entire island of Marthas Vineyard.

      I never, ever saw a single shark off any beach. Not a single shark while underway on Buzzards Bay or Cape Cod Bay. I never saw a shark when I sailed to “the Vineyard.” I never heard talk about anyone seeing one either.

      The closest thing were the dogfish we’d catch while fishing offshore for cod. When we were stupid enough not to throw them overboard, the darn things would give birth to live little sharks as they lay dying in the cockpit of a cabin cruiser. ³

      Point being: Jaws may have been a scary monster movie, but it was as remote as Godzilla from actual experience in our corner of New England. Sharks were not a thing back then, but the movie took a psychological toll nonetheless.

        
      Our connection to Hollywood.

      My uncle Jack Carlson had been an early adopter of SCUBA diving during the 1950s and 60s, when they were still developing the technology we use today. Uncle Jack was good at it. He got regular calls from police asking him to retrieve the corpses of folks who had fallen through pond ice and drowned.

      He also had a recreational license to dive for lobster in Massachusetts waters. At some point, he did a 90-foot free-dive at a drop-off near Provincetown after reading about Polynesian pearl divers doing so.

      Share

      Jack was as lean and fit as ever when I asked him how the diving was going. “I quit,” he said. “Ever since Jaws, I couldn’t enjoy it anymore.”

      A great white shark was swimming inside Jack’s brain—dun-dun, dun-dun—even though the animals themselves were absent. Galeophobia is the clinical term for a fear of sharks, and my uncle was exhibiting the symptoms.

      Origins

      The Jaws story, as written in the Peter Benchley novel, had its origins in a series of 1916 shark attacks in New Jersey and a real-life shark-murdering guy named Frank Mundus who fished out of Montauk on Long Island. Mundus is widely believed to have inspired the Quint character in the novel and movie.

        

      Four swimmers were killed and another critically hurt in the Jersey Shore attacks, though it is just as likely that a bull shark was responsible, not a great white.⁴

      Food Source

      Just 18 years before the New Jersey attacks, Massachusetts and Maine had begun encouraging the killing of seals, through a bounty system. Fishermen argued that seals were stealing their livelihood, which was true in a way. Lobstermen were even convinced that seals were opening their traps to eat the bait and catch.

      The solution was a shotgun loaded with deer slugs. At town hall, you could trade a sliced-off seal snout for ten bucks. (By comparison, crows’ feet only got you a nickle.)

      According to researchers, 135,000 harbor and grey seals had been killed under the bounty system by the end of the 1960s. Then, the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 outlawed seal killing altogether. The seals gradually repopulated.

      By the 1990s I was using a long lens and a tripod to try to get photos for my newspaper showing small seal colonies sunning themselves on rocks at the mouth of the Merrimack River.

        

      The mechanical great white in Jaws was all alone in 1975 because real sharks stayed away. There were no seals to eat. When the seals did come back—New England now has an estimated 100,000 harbor and grey seals—so did the great whites.

      There’s irony in that. Scientists have estimated that there have been up to 800 individual great whites in Cape Cod waters over a recent four-year period.

      If the great white shark were as malevolent as Benchley and Jaws diretor Steven Spielberg had portrayed, the species would be chowing down on tourists like they were shrimp in a wedding buffet.

        
      The mechanical shark was scary enough, but didn’t work very well, so director Spielberg relied on the soundtrack to create tension: “dun-dun, dun-dun.”

      Jaws Moments

      In 2018, Massachusetts finally had a couple events right out of the Jaws script. Two great white attacks happened in Cape Cod waters, one of which was fatal. Arthur Medici died while surfing off Wellfleet on the “Outer Cape.”

      Writing in a May 14, 2019 story for Boston magazine, writer Casey Sherman described the event in gruesome detail:

      Fellow surfers saw a giant eruption of water, followed by the sight of a shark thrashing and whipping its tail back and forth around Medici’s body. Before Rocha could think, his arms and legs began churning furiously toward Medici, closing the distance with each stroke. “Arthur! Come to me, come to me!” he shouted, swallowing and spitting out mouthfuls of bloody saltwater. “You’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.”

      Medici did not respond, floating motionless atop a small wave. When Rocha finally reached him, Medici was unconscious with his head face-down in the water. The Everett High student and commander of his school’s junior ROTC class instantly remembered his rescue training, getting behind Medici, placing both hands under Medici’s armpits, and swimming several more yards until his feet touched the sand. Rocha used his remaining strength to drag his friend onto the beach.

      “Shark! Shark! Shark!” he gasped. “Get people out of the water!”

      Predictably, there were some calls to kill sharks or kill seals, or both, to save Cape Cod’s all-important tourist industry. Calls for “lethal management”⁵ of sharks has its own sociology term. It’s called the “Jaws Effect.”

        
        
      Besides Jaws’ own sequels, Hollywood made copycat films such as Barracuda and Orca. Both creatures were a lot bigger than the real thing.

      In Massachusetts, however, the official response to shark attacks was very un-Jaws-like. Public attitudes toward sharks had evolved quite a bit over the past four decades. Even shark tournaments down in Montauk are catch-and-release now. Lethal shark-fishing contests, which had thrived post-Jaws in the spirit of revenge,⁶ have come under increasing fire by the ecology-minded and animal-rights crowds.

      Retiring the Man-Eater Myth
       

      Retiring the Man-Eater Myth

      11:14 AM
      Read full story

      As for killing seals, well, they are just too darned cute. (Unless you fish for a living, then they are not cute at all.)⁷ Here’s what the 2021 study “Human Dimensions of Rebounding Seal and Shark Populations on Cape Cod” said:

      Voters and especially tourists view seals favorably. They hope to see them on Cape Cod. They largely perceive seals as beneficial, positive and enjoyable. They believe that seals are an important part of the marine ecosystem and a sign of a healthy environment. Commercial fishers hold different views and are more negative in their perceptions of seals and their ecological, economic and fishery impacts. Commercial fishers blame seals for reducing and suppressing fish stocks, hurting the economy and creating public safety risks by attracting sharks to the area.

      Sharks are scary but also get a pass, according to the study:

      While sharks generate fear and are viewed as a threat to people by the majority of voters, tourists and commercial fishers, the perceived benefits of sharks appear to outweigh the risks. Respondents in all three stakeholder groups view sharks as important to the marine ecosystem. By large margins, respondents in all groups agree with the statement, “I am willing to accept some inconvenience and risk in order to have oceans where marine wildlife can thrive.”

      Survey Results, Sharks & Seals

        

      Unlike the folks of fictional Amity, hardly anyone nowadays is blaming the shark. Only a small percentage of people in the three groups surveyed said they thought shark bites were intentional. About 90 percent said sharks bite people by accident.

      So, instead of recruiting a 2025 version of Quint, Bay State authorities are relying on signage, lifeguard training, beach patrols, shark-alert systems and public education. (For example, don’t hang out in the water with a bunch of seals, no matter how cute they may be.)

      What else helps keep casualties down: 46 percent of tourists surveyed said they won’t go in the water. What’s that word again?

      Galeophobia. (Dun-dun, dun-dun.)

        

      LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.

      1

      The movie was filmed in Vineyard Haven, Menemsha, Chilmark and Edgartown, but mostly in Edgartown. So fictional Amity is most likely based on Edgartown.

      2

      I’m talking about the earliest Cape Dories, the actual 10 and 12-footers and the 16-foot Handi-Cat, a beefed up version of the traditional Beetle Cat design.

      3

      In the 1980s, an industry was established that sent frozen filets of dogfish (aka sand sharks, perhaps incorrectly) over to Britain for fish and chips. But we had no notion of how to make them edible ourselves.

      4

      Researchers say warm-water shark species such as bulls are expanding their range northward because of warming ocean temperatures. They are expected to join their great white cousins in New England waters in the near future.

      5

      Think “humanely euthanized.” For example, tickling your target to death.

      6

      Jaws Director Steven Spielberg, 78, has expressed remorse over Jaws—even though it established his status as a talented director, while he was still in his 20s. “I regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and film,” he told the BBC in 2022. “I truly and to this day regret that.”

      7

      Back in the day, I had always attributed the notion of seals breaking into traps as typical lobsterman bluster, but sure enough contemporary accounts and even a YouTube video make the case pretty convincingly.

       

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