Harbour Town Yacht Basin, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, is ready for your reservation with newly renovated docks, upgraded electrical service and onSpot WiFi. And, as always, numerous activities at the Sea Pines Resort are offered for your enjoyment. Hilton Head Island is absolutely marvelous any time of year.
August/ September 2025 Dockage Discount
Purchase 2 nights of dockage and get the 3rd night of dockage free
August 1, 2025 – September 30, 2025. Restrictions apply. Limit 4.
For more than 50 years, the red and white striped Harbour Town Lighthouse has welcomed visitors to one of the most unique and beautiful places on earth. Located in the heart of The Sea Pines Resort, and ideally situated on Hilton Head Island’s captivating Calibogue Sound, the Harbour Town Yacht Basin is recognized as a premier yachting destination on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The full-service marina welcomes boaters year-round and offers slip rentals and sales, fuel, professional yacht sales and brokerage dealer, as well as a friendly, experienced staff.
Developer Charles Fraser, considered the pioneer of Hilton Head Island, led the team that constructed the Harbour Town Yacht Basin in 1969. Inspired by a harbour in Portofino, Italy, Fraser’s vision for the basin was to attract mariners to Hilton Head Island, while preserving the island’s natural landscape. His unique vision resulted in a design that preserved centuries-old hardwoods, in lieu of additional slips, and included the construction of the island’s iconic Harbour Town Lighthouse.
Today, the Harbour Town Yacht Basin offers 100 slips in a world-class resort setting. Visitors have the option to dock for a day, a week, a month, or even a lifetime, and enjoy the marina’s facilities and services, as well as convenient access to The Sea Pines Resort’s amenities and accommodations.
What’s Happening In Your Parks during September – Charleston County Parks
An Evening at McLeod
On September 28, McLeod Plantation Historic Site hosts an evening of music, art, and history in support of the Charleston County Parks Foundation’s Cultural History Fund. This event showcases musicians from the Charleston Symphony as they perform transformative works by Charlton Singleton, Florence Price, and Jessie Montgomery, honoring the site’s legacy and impactful history. The event also features displays celebrating African American artists and hors d’oeuvres from Carolima’s Lowcountry Cuisine. Get your tickets today.
Sip, Sing & Soar
Flock together for a one-of-a-kind happy hour at Caw Caw Interpretive Center on September 27! Enjoy live music, cold drinks, and plenty of good company. Don’t wait—early birds who grab their Birds of a Feather tickets ahead of time save $5!
The Pickled Huguenot
Reserve your seat at the table for a food history lesson! On September 19, Julian Gooding will be teaching the art of pickling vegetables while sharing tales of the French Huguenots who brought this food preservation technique to the American South. Julian’s classes always fill quickly, so toss your name in the pot today.
Fall into the Music
Mark your calendars! Palmetto Park Jam returns on October 12, featuring Idlewild Revival, the ultimate Allman Brothers tribute band. So, if you need a break from tryin’ to make a livin’ and doin’ the best you can, get your tickets today!
New Day, New You
Greet the new day with an intention-setting workout – and a view no yoga studio can match! Start your morning right at Sunrise Yoga at Kiawah Beachwalker Park on September 6 to awaken your mind, body, and spirit.
We’d Love Your Input!
Our quick 6-question survey takes just a few minutes, and your feedback helps us make our parks and programs even better for you. As a thank you, you’ll be entered to win a Gold Pass! Survey closes September 1, 2025.
SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE brings you aboard as we joust our way back onto the water. We’ve come a long way with a ways to go… Your support is essential. Thank you. J
If you’ve just joined our engaging little community, please read SPARS & SPARRING, my introductory piece.…. ~J
Before we get to this week’s piece, please indulge me. Over 1800 folks viewed last week’s story, BOARDING SOLO, about my experience connecting with a fellow human being on a plane to Africa. I received a harsh opinion indicating that some of my word choices could be construed as inappropriate and/or offensive. I want to be perfectly clear in conveying that not a single word or description in that essay is derogatory; I’ve spent sleepless nights since hoping I haven’t hurt anyone and considering what is right. Therefore, I’m very interested in this audience’s perception of how I told the story, if you are so inclined. There is never pressure here. Any aspect, any tangent, any commentary is more than welcome and I’m grateful that some of you already voiced your thoughts, all of which were positive. Messages go to my personal inbox and are not public.
In case you didn’t have time to peruse it and want to:
It’s difficult to fathom that JAWS was released over fifty years ago. My mom wouldn’t let me see it for years, and probably with good reason, as beach vacations were her favorite by far, and mine, of course, as a water lover. Why ruin that? She was right, I think, to make me wait. I’ve always wondered (don’t you?) what’s beneath my toes in murky water and that movie was certainly impactful; ocean swimming plummeted, especially around Cape Cod. Great White Sharks were demonized; their reputation went from interesting and potentially dangerous to terrifying, mystifying, persistent and huge.
I’m feeling like our world has gone from interesting and (merely) potentially dangerous to (downright) terrifying on a slew of levels and locations. I have lots of apprehension about what happens next in the United States government, but for now, here on STEADFAST, all I know is that “I’m gonna need a bigger brush.”
There are few movie lines that have stuck with me through the decades, and that one derives from JAWS, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” The balance of my favorite escapes are from Gone With the Wind and Casablanca. In fact, the latter has a perfect tie-in to last week’s tale of two interconnected encounters, “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world she walks into mine,” Rick.
On the topic of big vessels and small brushes, please click this link to see my first video attempt EVER. No judging.
We will, eventually, use bigger brushes…
These ‘chip’ brushes are what we use to get paint and protective products into the seams, cracks, crevices and all places that dominate our projects. The handles are wooden with no plastic components. While semi-disposable (I reuse when I can), they do eliminate the need for earth-unfriendly cleaning solutions. Everything, it seems, is a trade-off.
In general, boat maintenance is not environmentally friendly, but environmentalists still have boats; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute on the southern edge of Massachusetts’ famous peninsula came out with the first JAWS anniversary shirt I saw this summer, “We’ve got a pretty big boat.” And they do. If you’re a blue-water ocean creatures fan, I highly recommend their newsletter. The non-profit funding status seems uncertain (there is discussion in that link) and hopefully they remain able to continue their outreach and research.
If it’s been a while, I highly recommend JAWS, again. Actual screenshot by me.
Itfeels like a good year to make some popcorn from scratch and settle in for a classic escape from reality. Or two. ~J
No reality here. CHATGPT.
In our whirlwind lives, it’s hard to describe what a privilege it is to have so many people read my work on a weekly basis; I find it humbling, frankly, and hope I am becoming both a better writer and a more conscious, effective human. If you think SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE is worth sharing, the easiest thing to do is click the little recycle symbol just below here, which somehow sends my work through the collective universe to folks none of us have met, yet.
Trick, Treat & Trail Family Fun Run and Festival on Oct. 25 Get in the Halloween spirit with a fun-filled event for the whole family!
From: Sarah Reynolds <Sarah.Reynolds@ccprc.com> Date: August 25, 2025 at 1:00:00 PM EDT To: Sarah Reynolds <Sarah.Reynolds@ccprc.com> Subject:Trick, Treat & Trail set for Oct. 25: Family Fun Run and Festival at Wannamaker County Park
Trick, Treat & Trail Family Fun Run and Festival on Oct. 25 Get in the Halloween spirit with a fun-filled event for the whole family!
{NORTH CHARLESTON} — Get ready for a spook-tacular time at the second annual Trick, Treat & Trail Family Fun Run and Festival! Hosted by Charleston County Parks, the event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 25, beginning at 10 a.m., at Wannamaker County Park.
Check-in for the event and trick-or-treat bag distribution will be held from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Tupelo Shelter at Wannamaker County Park. The fun run begins at 10 a.m. The course closes for runners at 10:45 a.m. The course will re-open for trick or treating from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Festival will be open for the entirety of the event 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. A costume contest will be held at 12:15 p.m. Registration includes a custom trick-or-treating bag, finisher medal, and candy.
Participants are invited to dress in costume. Prizes will be awarded for the best Halloween costume in the following age categories: Under 6, 6-8, 9-10, 11-15, 16-20, and 20 and up. Awards will also be presented for the best pet costume, best duo costume, and best group costumes of 3 or more. The costume contest will be held shortly after noon.
Admission to the race and event will be charged per vehicle of up to 15 people. Advance registration is $20 per vehicle and ends Wednesday, Oct. 23. If not sold out, registration will be available on-site for $25 per vehicle only until 12 p.m. Advance registration is recommended. Register for the event on the event webpage at https://www.ccprc.com/3715/Trick-Treat-Trail.
The fun run is open to runners and walkers of all levels, including beginners. Accessible parking and restrooms are available. The route includes a grass meadow and paved trails. This is a loop course with water stations and an optional shortcut route. Dogs are allowed at this event but must remain leashed and under control at all times.
This event is hosted by Charleston County Parks. For more information about this event and to register, please visit https://www.ccprc.com/3715/Trick-Treat-Trail or call (843)-795-4386.
Owned by the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission, Wannamaker County Park is located at 8888 University Boulevard in North Charleston, SC (Hwy 78). The mission of CCPRC is to improve the quality of life in Charleston County by offering a diverse system of park facilities, programs and services. The large park system features over 11,000 acres of property and includes four land parks, three beach parks, three dog parks, a skate park, two landmark fishing piers, three waterparks, 19 boat landings, a climbing wall, a challenge course, an interpretive center, a historic plantation site, an equestrian center, cottages, a campground, a marina, as well as wedding, meeting and event facilities.The park system also offers a wide variety of recreational services – festivals, camps, classes, programs, volunteer opportunities, and more. For more information, call 843-795-4386 or visit www.charlestoncountyparks.com.
Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission / 861 Riverland Dr. / Charleston, SC 29412 / (843) 795-4386
This post contains interesting information for any U.S.-registered boat, especially if you are considering traveling to Cuba.
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.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Maple, a bouy tender whose homeport is Atlantic Beach, North Carolina, made the interception.
This is a weird one. The Coast Guard pulled a U.K. citizen named Miles Connors off a sailboat 40 miles south of Florida, brought him back to the U.S. and then charged him with being in the country illegally.
According to the federal criminal complaint against Connors, investigators found that Connors had been in the country illegally before sailing aboard Stormy Weather with two other people, bound for Cuba.
The two other people were identified only as S.V. and A.A. in court documents. Stormy Weather is a Florida registered boat owned by S.V., a Canadian who had entered the U.S. in July “on a valid non-immigrant B2 visa.” A.A. was captain of the vessel, described as a Russian-born U.S. citizen.
Connors, according to the complaint, “had several previous interactions with U.S. Immigration authorities,” beginning in 2006. His first deportation happened in 2008 at a port of entry in northern New York. The complaint picks up the narrative:
Subsequent to his first removal Connors was unlawfully found in the United States again, having entered at an unknown time and date. Connors was apprehended in the United States for driving without a license. His order of removal was reinstated, and he was ultimately removed on a flight from New York to the United Kingdom. His second removal occurred on June 29, 2010.
Connors was removed with the name “Myles Anthony O’Connor.” That name was listed on his previous passport, but his current passport reflects the name Miles Anthony Connors. Biometric checks revealed that Connors has gone by several variations of the same name. These records also revealed that Connors has an outstanding warrant in Pennsylvania from January of 2025.
The encounter with the Coast Guard happened at 11 a.m. on August 20 about 40 miles south of Marathon, Florida, the boat’s departure point. The Coast Guard was able to terminate the voyage and seize the vessel—at least temporarily—because it was determined that it did not have a Coast Guard permit to enter Cuba or Cuban territorial waters.
All three people were taken aboard the Cutter Maple, which proceeded to tow Stormy Weather back to Marathon. The boat’s Florida registry—a U.S. vessel—gives the Coast Guard jurisdiction over her anywhere in the world, even though the owner is Canadian.
(This should provide an example to those readers who continue to insist, contrary to all public information on the issue, that Americans can legally travel by boat to Cuba. Coast Guard form 3300 “permit to enter Cuban territorial waters” may exist, but Coast Guard officers have been instructed not to approve any 3300 application, as doing so would be contrary to U.S. foreign policy. You can’t get a permit, and going without a permit is unlawful, as the crew of Stormy Weather has learned.)
So, according to court documents, Connors had left but was brought back to face charges that he had been in the U.S. illegally before he left. Connors faces up to two years in prison for illegal reentry into the U.S. The documents don’t say what penalties, if any, S.V. and A.A. may face. They were given Miranda warnings while being interviewed.
If you know these people, please share their names so we can get some more answers.
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.
Please see the below Proposed Notice of Change regarding an Aid to Navigation (ATON) on the Ashley River:
ASHLEY RIVER
The following change is being proposed to the aids to navigation system in the Ashley River. Ashley River Daybeacon 16 (LLNR 3645) will be permanently discontinued. Due to construction for a large marina, DBN 16 impedes the expansion of the waterfront facilities for the new marina. After reviewing the waterway and surrounding aids to navigation the Coast Guard has determined that DBN 16 will no longer be needed.
All comments should be emailed to: D07-SMB-DPWPublicComments@uscg.mil or andrew.m.engle@uscg.mil with Ashely River DBN 16 as the subject line and be received by October 19, 2025. Comments can also be mailed to Commander (DPW), Southeast Coast Guard District 909 SE 1st Avenue (STE 406) Brickell Federal Plaza Bldg. Miami FL 3313.
SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE brings you aboard as we joust our way back onto the water. We’ve come a long way with a ways to go… Your support is essential. Thank you. J
If you’ve just joined our engaging little community, please read SPARS & SPARRING, my introductory piece.…. ~J
Please find this interconnectedness story a pleasant diversion from boatwork. For all of us.
I recounted this story at a friend’s dinner party and we could not stop raising our eyebrows. I’m not a big believer in coincidence; there are higher powers at work. This tale is not fiction. Let’s consider it the power of the universe, if you believe in such things. Or even if you don’t.
A handful of years ago, I booked a window ticket on one of those bulky, world-covering Boeings from Washington, DC southeast across a large portion of the planet; a trip through both time and space to Johannesburg, South Africa. My receipt indicated no stops, seventeen hours in the air. I settled in, gazing out and about. I can never stop myself from wondering how so many people can be going to the same place from the same place at the very same time as I am.
The passenger assigned next to me arrived as late as possible with an eclectic assortment of carry-ons. She settled in as well, clearly a seasoned traveler in colorful garb that emphasized her shiny, exotic, elephant-wrinkled ebony skin and regal air. A brilliantly aged African character in a tall head wrap straight out of National Geographic Magazine was sitting in 29B.
I was awed, and, for once, quietly considered protocol. She leaned her cane between us, greeting me politely but not openly, socks pulled high. The standard take-off rigamarole ensued with the pilot announcing that our arrival in Ghana was estimated to be slightly ahead of schedule. Ghana? Seriously? I scanned the cabin. “You are leaving me there,” she told me in a stunning mix of accents, and then, a completely different topic, “Where’s your husband?” she asked gently while somehow also eyeing me suspiciously. I explained my rendezvous plan to no avail or approval and we settled in, she watching a movie and me reading, dozing, gazing. With barely a glance in my direction, as sunrise arrived with croissants and tea, she began to speak, the same low, lyrical tone and clear command of English I had been treated to the evening prior.
Borrowed from SAA, couldn’t locate mine…
“In my country you pick your husband by his foofoo soup,” was her opening line. I raised my eyebrows, universal for that was unexpected….among other things…she continued, unphased. “Now, you remember dis,” it was a softly commanded request that I pay attention to her story, and her culture, and the importance of both.” In order to be a good husband you have to make foofoo soup. And just right. If he can’t make foofoo soup, he’s no good.” She nodded her elegant, wisened visage seriously, “I taught my son, and he married happy. I just saw him, two months, with a grandbebe.,” She went through the recipe and that, I admittedly, have lost to time, but I recall Cassava, which even as a Caterer I didn’t utilize on my traditional American menu.
As she spoke the animation grew; she told of a boy who failed the test and was heartbroken, and one who excelled and was chosen, assumably to live happily ever after. I was enthralled far more by the telling, even, than by the tale.
As the day brightened we landed on the beach-outlined coastline of Ghana, West Africa, a place I had never expected to be. I stood and she solemnly shook my hand upon departure; ensuring with a single finger in front of my nose that I would always remember what she had shared. Her straight, retreating back is the last thing I recall of her, shrugging off all offers of assistance.
I settled back into 29A and allowed my phone to find a cell tower, regardless of the fees. Those of us continuing on were not allowed to touch the ground here, and we had a tropical two-hour wait. I went through my peeps, especially those I had lost track of and sent them a text that simply said, “The only text message you will ever receive from Ghana.” Those random messages, my favorite kind, elicited interesting responses, amusing me for days. One was something about being shanghaied on a pirate ship; and now I wonder, how’s that for foreshadowing?
Upon my return to DC two weeks later I requested a long UBER ride and found myself behind the driver of a spotlessly clean older model Mercedes, remarkably reminiscent of Thailand and the gentleman I had hired there for pennies on the dollar. He peered at me in his rear-view mirror with a beautiful smile that split his strong coffee-colored face, and was careful to annunciate his words as he read the address of our destination. “Yes, thank you,” I told him, as he focused on his (I assume) lonely customer service job, the one where people aren’t interested, don’t inquire, don’t converse, preferring the comfort zone of their phone. My eyes were tired, my phone tucked away.
I let him navigate Dulles International Airport traffic and hesitated for a moment or two, wondering selfishly if a conversation would be complicated as he was clearly from far elsewhere, and a bit uncomfortable, perhaps, trying to make a living in a foreign land. I had a feeling, call it intuition, six sense, whatever, that I should delve in. “Where are you from?” I inquired, an ordinary go-to, given the circumstances. “Ah. West Africa, Miss. I am from Ghana,” he glanced again in the small rear-view, to gauge my reaction, my knowledge of geography, my inclusion, my acceptance.
“Ah,” I said in return. “You make good fufu soup?” The dark eyes widened. “You know fufu soup?” he was comically incredulous and expressive to hear of something from his homeland, I’m sure of it. I’m no hero, and not trying to be, but let me tell you that the connection I made with that man in that car will never be forgotten. I told him that I had just been there, and it was beautiful, and about the seemingly powerful, impressive woman on the plane. “When did you fly?” he asked, and I considered, finally producing the date. “That is my mother,” he told me, his voice mimicking hers now, “I miss her very much.”
I have never forgotten. ~J
Tell the world about your otherworldly connection, please.
Booking window: Aug 25 – Aug 31st
Travel window: Must buy and fly by Aug 31st
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