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Comprehensive cruising resource for the Intracoastal Waterways
from Norfolk to the Northern Gulf and Bahamas.
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May OBX Park News: Meet Your Ranger, Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest, Pony Birthdays, and more!
Your May E-news preview: 
April was a month of celebration as we reflected on the impact you’ve helped us make in our Outer Banks national parks over the past five years. We are grateful to everyone who came out to Swells’a Brewing for our birthday party – it was great to see so many of our supporters together, and we officially kicked off our new partnership with Duck Donuts (more details coming soon)!
Last week, I attended the Friends Alliance spring meeting, a virtual gathering of national park partners from around the country. As we learned about topics ranging from environmental justice to how the National Park Service plans to commemorate America250 in 2026 by focusing on inclusive storytelling, I was reminded how special and unique it is that we have three amazing national parks right here in our backyards. As I talked to my colleagues around the country one thing was clear – our national parks need our support now more than ever. We will continue to celebrate our fifth birthday this year and look ahead to what we want to accomplish in the next five years as our parks continue to face challenges ranging from budget cuts to environmental changes. We’ll be looking to you to learn what you want to see us achieve in our parks, and ways you think we can continue to grow our impact as we work to protect and enhance these special places. Stay tuned! See you in our parks, 
Jessica Barnes
Director
Outer Banks ForeverSupport Our Parks 
Our Meet Your Ranger series introduces you to the many amazing people who support our Outer Banks national parks every day! This month, we’re pleased to introduce you to Mike Anderson, Lead Interpretive Ranger at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site!
Mike’s days are busy as he gives ranger programs, assists visitors, and plans projects and events for the park.
In his free time, Mike enjoys listening to tunes from Broadway musicals, watching “The Crown” and “Jeopardy!”, and 3-D printing movie prop replicas from Star Wars and Marvel movies! Meet Mike 
It’s our favorite time of the year – Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest season is here! Each year, hundreds of sea turtles make their way onto the beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore to lay their eggs.
Through our Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program, you can symbolically adopt one of these active nests!
Here’s how the program works:
- Donate: Give a tax-deductible donation of $100 or more to reserve your 2024 sea turtle nest. Your gift will help us fund important projects that protect and enhance the Seashore and the vital habitat it preserves. You will receive a confirmation email for your donation.
- Receive your nest assignment: Sea turtles typically start to arrive in May and June, and will continue to arrive until September. As nests become available, you will be assigned your sea turtle nest and receive an adoption certificate by either mail or digitally with initial information about your nest. Please keep in mind that if you reserve a nest in May, you may not receive your initial information until late May, June, or even later depending on how many early adoptions are received.
- Wait patiently for your nest to hatch! When your nest hatches later this summer or fall, you will receive a personalized update in the mail with information park rangers collect about your nest including the number of hatchlings that made their way out to sea.
A note about honorary/memorial gifts: If you choose to adopt a nest in honor or in memory of a loved one and provide an honoree’s mailing address on your donation form, a letter with nest information and a certificate will be mailed directly to your honoree. Your honoree will be notified of your gift and will receive a certificate when their nest is assigned, not at the time you make the gift. Please keep this in mind if your gift is time-sensitive.
NEW in 2024 – digital certificates are now available! If you would like to receive an electronic certificate or send an electronic certificate to an honoree, click the box “send certificate digitally” on the donation form and provide an email address.
Read our frequently asked questions for even more information about our Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest program!
Please note: No individual or group that participates in this program can claim ownership of a sea turtle nest, eggs, or hatchlings. Nature is also unpredictable. If your adopted nest is lost to a weather event or damaged by some other means, we will assign you a new nest that may or may not be shared with another individual or group. For the safety of the sea turtles and in alignment with National Park Service guidance, your nest’s exact location will not be shared until after it has hatched.
Adopt A Sea Turtle Nest Join us in celebrating the Ocracoke ponies who have May birthdays!
Did you know you can help these beautiful and unique ponies by symbolically adopting one or supporting the herd? Your support helps cover the costs of their ongoing care and feeding. When you Adopt A Pony or support the herd with a gift of $50 or more, you will receive an adoption certificate and a picture of your pony or of the herd to keep!Note: Our park staff will host a public meeting about the Ocracoke ponies at the Ocracoke Community Center (999 Irvin Garrish Highway, Ocracoke, North Carolina) on Tuesday, May 21, from 1 to 2 p.m. At the meeting, our park staff will seek input on the development of a management plan for the ponies and assistance in identifying issues, concerns, and opportunities. For more information on the meeting, click here. 
Winnie – May 3 Winnie is the youngest member of the herd, born in 2018 to her parents, Sacajawea and Captain. She spends her time learning from mom and exploring her island home. The next time you visit the Ocracoke Pony Pens, come say hi!
Jobelle – May 7 Jobelle is the daughter of Ocracoke ponies Jitterbug and Rayo. She was named by the Ocracoke School students; “Jobelle” is the local name for the gaillardia flowers (commonly called “blanket flowers”) which are found throughout the Outer Banks!
Captain – May 9 Captain is a chestnut stallion who was named after the late Captain Marvin Howard, a local Ocracoke Island resident who founded the first — and only — mounted Boy Scout troop in the United States. The boy scouts were responsible for taming and caring for the wild pony herd in the 1950s.
Maya – May 24 Maya is a paint mare who was born in 2000. She has four siblings in the herd and is known to be the tallest and most vocal pony in the Ocracoke herd!
Adopt A Pony 
Remember or honor the special people in your life who shared or share your love of our Outer Banks national parks. When you choose the “Donation Dedication” option when you donate, we will send a special acknowledgment to the individual or family you chose notifying them of your thoughtful gift. Learn More 
Want to dive deeper into the history and biodiversity of our amazing Outer Banks national parks? As a visitor to Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial, you can enrich your visit by attending our parks’ ranger programs! Ranger programs are open to visitors of all ages — from the young to the young at heart. No matter your interests, ranger programs offer something for everyone!
To stay up to date with programs and events, check out our parks’ online calendars below: - Cape Hatteras National Seashore: www.nps.gov/caha
- Fort Raleigh National Historic Site: www.nps.gov/fora
- Wright Brothers National Memorial: www.nps.gov/wrbr
If you’re in the Outer Banks on June 1, come join our friends from the Dare County Trails Committee, Dare County Parks and Recreation, and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site for a walk/hike to celebrate National Trails Day! National Trails Day is an annual event that celebrates the importance of trails in our lives — bike trails, walking trails, multi-use paths, ADA trails, canoe and kayak trails, and more!
- Date: Saturday, June 1
- Time: 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Location: Meet at the North End Parking Lot on Roanoke Island. Options for a 1.3 mile and a 2.5 mile walk/hike are available. For more details, click here to see the map.
Make sure to wear comfortable clothing and walking/hiking shoes and sunscreen, and don’t forget your water and bug spray! To RSVP for the event on Facebook, click here. Photo Credits: Haley Heard – Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Mike Anderson, E. Moses – National Park Service.Connect With Us!
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Three Types of Weather to Watch When You’re Cruising – the boatgalley
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LNM: AICW MM 536 Schedule Change, Comment Period Ending Soon,Ladys Island Bridge, Beaufort, SC
This reminder from Ted Arisaka: Comment period ends May 20.
Three and a half hours to accommodate “rush hour” vehicle traffic twice daily seems extreme, especially during summer months. Please see Comment Portal link below to submit your opinions. With a closed vertical clearance of 30ft, the Ladys Island Bridge crosses the Waterway at statute mile 536 on the eastern edge of Beaufort. Vessels capable of transiting without an opening may pass under the bridge.
SOUTH CAROLINA – AICW (BEAUFORT RIVER) –LADY’S ISLAND (WOODS MEMORIAL) BRIDGE: Rulemaking / Temporary Deviation:
The Coast Guard is proposing to change the operating schedule that governs the Lady’s Island (Woods Memorial) Bridge across the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (Beaufort River), mile 536.0, at Beaufort, SC. SCDOT has requested a permanent change to the drawbridge operation regulation for the Lady’s Island (Woods Memorial) Bridge. This temporary deviation will test an operating schedule to determine if a permanent change is necessary.
Under this temporary deviation, the Lady’s Island (Woods Memorial) Bridge shall open on signal; except that the draw need not open from 6 a.m. to 9:29
a.m. and 3:31 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays, the draw need open only once an hour on the half hour. Public vessels of the United States and tugs with tows, will be passed through anytime.
This temporary deviation is effective from 12:01 a.m. on March 25, 2024, through 11:59 p.m. on September 29, 2024. A request for comments will be published in the Federal Register. Comments may be submitted under docket number USCG-2024-0198 using Federal Decision Making Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. If you have questions on this rulemaking, call or e-mail Ms. Jennifer Zercher, Bridge Management Specialist, Seventh
Coast Guard District, telephone 305-415-6740, email Jennifer.N.Zercher@uscg.mil. LNM: 10/24Click Here To View the Cruisers Nets South Carolina Bridge Directory Listing For Ladys Island Bridge
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Ladys Island Bridge
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BoatUS Spring Commissioning Checklist
BoatUS is the leading advocate for boating safety in the US and A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
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Sailing Legend Don Street Is Dead – Peter Swanson
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes mariners with salt water in their veins will subscribe.. $7 a month or $56 for the year and you may cancel at anytime.
Click here for Sailing Legend Don Street Is Dead
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US Harbors Newsletter
Here is an informative newsletter to which you may subscribe. Its abundant harbor information will be useful as you travel the East Coast this Spring, by boat or by car.
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BoatUS: 7 Practical Boating Tips for a Safe, Fun Summer on the Water
BoatUS is the leading advocate for boating safety in the US and A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
Having a comfortable life jacket such as these inflatable types likely means you will wear it more often.
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BoatUS Offers 5 Reasons To Thank Your Local ABYC Marine Tech
BoatUS is the leading advocate for boating safety in the US and A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
An ABYC technician can ensure critical running gear doesn’t rot away like this outboard motor mount (credit: ABYC).
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Mother’s Day Magic in Key Largo! Key Lime Sailing Club, FL
Key Lime Sailing Club, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, always has very special offers for their visitors! Key Lime Sailing Club is a unique slice of KEYS ENJOYMENT…give it a try and let us hear about your experience.
Charm & Adventure in Key LargoCelebrate the special bond you share with Mom this Mother’s Day. We have open cottages for Mother’s Day week!Surprise her with a stay at our charming Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages, where you can create unforgettable memories. Picture fun time in the water, lazy beach days, delicious Keys cuisine, beautiful sunsets, and quality time without distractions. It’s a chance to reconnect and show her your endless love and appreciation.Available Cottages and Dates
When you book one of our cottages, you get more than just a great escape. You also get free access to water amenities. If you’re a qualified sailor, you can use a 22′ sailboat. You can also take a relaxing kayak ride, paddleboard on the bay side calm waters, or explore the clear waters with our snorkel gear. This is what the Florida Keys are all about, and it is why guests keep coming back to Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages. It’s a hidden gem that captures the true spirit of the Florida Keys, just like in Jimmy Buffet’s songs and Hemingway’s stories.Plus, if you’re interested in learning to sail, we have a sailing school right on-site. The American Sailing Academy offers a 2-hour Introduction to Sailing, a 2-hour refresher (for those with experience but needing a little refresher), and ASA beginner and advanced certified classes.
You can learn to sail in just 2 days with our in-house sailing endorsement class (non-certification). When you pass the endorsement class, you would have the use of one of our 22′ Catalina sailboats for FREE during the rest of your stay. (Non-guests can rent a sailboat for $300 a day but it’s free for our qualified sailor guests staying at Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages.)For more information on the sailing classes, call Capt. g at 305-896-5555, or send an email to captg@keylimesailing.com.And that’s not all! We’ve got more in store for you such as sailing and power boat excursions* which include captivating sunset cruises, immersive kayaking tours, and exhilarating snorkel adventures. Departing from the KLSC docks, these fantastic outings are easily accessible to all our guests. Don’t miss out on these extraordinary excursions, create unforgettable memories.*Booked through Morning Star Charters and guests staying at KLSC receive a 10% discount. Call or text 305-451-7057 or click here for more info.Upcoming Florida Keys Events
28th Annual Key West Songwriters FestivalMay 1, 2024 – May 5, 2024 – Key WestJoin us for the ultimate 10-day celebration at the 42nd Annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration in Key West! From April 19, 2024, to April 28, 2024, experience the iconic Conch Shell Blowing Contest and Drag Races on Duval, the majestic Naval Parade in Key West Harbor, and the historic Schooner Wharf Wreckers Race Series. This event promises non-stop fun for all ages, with pirates, admirals, and island royalty coming together for an unforgettable celebration of freedom and independence. Don’t miss out on the chance to experience why “We Seceded… Where Others Failed.” For more information and event details, visit their official website and get ready to be a part of 42 years of FUN-Dependence at sea!
Key West Key Lime FestivalJuly 3-July 7, 2024 – Key WestJoin us on Saturday, July 20th, as runners, walkers, and paddleboard enthusiasts come together to showcase their abilities and pay tribute to Ernest Hemingway’s love for sports at the Hemingway 5k Sunset Run and Paddleboard Race. These thrilling athletic competitions are an integral part of Hemingway Days! For additional information, please visit their website.
Hemingway 5k Sunset Run and Paddleboard RaceJuly 20, 2024 – Key WestGet ready for a burst of citrusy fun! Key West’s annual Key Lime Festival returns, celebrating the birthplace of the iconic Key lime pie. Join the party with a Key lime pie drop, zesty cocktail strolls, special brunches and dinners, and of course, the legendary Key lime pie eating championship on July 4th! Visit their website for the full scoop on this deliciously fun event.
Win Stays at Key Lime Sailing Club
To our past and present guests: Here’s a chance to come back and vacation at KLSC for free! Send us pictures of your stay here and win a free 3-night stay by participating in our 14th Annual KLSC Photo Contest. Check here for details.Got a talent for video making? Enter our KLSC Video Contest and get a chance to win a free 5-night stay! Check here for details.We at Key Largo Cottages at Key Lime Sailing Club love our guests and we would love to see you back again for another fun-filled and relaxing Florida Keys vacation!Reservations is standing by at keylargocottages@keylimesailingclub.com or call 1-305-451-3438. Thank you and see y’all in the Florida Keys!Follow Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages on Social Media:Learn ASA Certified Sailing at American Sailing Academy. Call us at 305-896-5555.Enjoy a Snorkel or Sunset Cruise both bay side and ocean side as well as sailboat rentals from 22 foot to 40 foot through Morning Star Sailing Charters. Call us at 305-451-7057.South Dade Marina, Wet and Dry Slips Available. Call 305-247-8730Sommerset Sails, makers of excellent quality sails for your boat.Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages | 305-451-3438 | 99306 Overseas Highway, Key LargoFlorida | www.keylimesailingclub.comKey Lime Sailing Club and Cottages | 99306 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037 Be the first to comment!
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