Praise for Windmill Harbour Marina, Hilton Head Island, SC AICW MM 558
Our thanks to Ted Arisaka for this firsthand report during Hurricane Idalia.
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Windmill Harbour Marina
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from Norfolk to the Northern Gulf and Bahamas.
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St Lucie County Artificial Reef Program, Fort Pierce, FL
Our thanks to Anne Bowen of Fort Pierce City Marina, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, for sending us this very interesting article.
Click here for St Lucie County Artificial Reef Program
coastalanglermag.comClick Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Fort Pierce City Marina
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How Did Portugal Launch the Age of Exploration?
How Portugal’s Seafaring Expertise Launched the Age of Exploration During the 15th century, a small European kingdom with a population around one million—and holding notable advantages in shipbuilding, navigation and mapmaking—initiated an age of maritime exploration that reshaped the world. Find out how. Read More 
Video: Explorers Not Named Columbus From John Cabot to Bartolomé de las Casas, learn more about other notable explorers who sailed the high seas. Watch Now 
7 Ships and Navigational Tools Used in the Age of Exploration These fast ships and navigational tools aided European sailors between the 15th and 17th centuries. Read More 
Polynesian voyagers crossed the Pacific and settled on distant islands using navigation skills based on observing stars, waves and currents. This allowed them to locate more than 1,000 islands without advanced instruments. Read more. 
Columbus: The Lost Voyage Ten years after his famous 1492 voyage, Christopher Columbus, awaiting the gallows on criminal charges in a Caribbean prison, plotted a treacherous final voyage to restore his reputation. Unlock this special and stream thousands of hours of acclaimed series, probing documentaries and captivating specials commercial-free in HISTORY Vault.
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Staniel Cay Yacht Club Important Dates of Closures, Staniel Cay, Bahamas
Even with these maintenance closures, the marina will remain available to boaters, just no services at the bar, dining, and cottage rental.
Please note the following important dates of closure:The SCYC cottages, restaurant, and bar will be closed for annual maintenance from September 17th – October 1st, 2023. They will re-open on October 2nd, 2023.
SCYC Marina and all marina services will remain open throughout this time. This includes the marina office, dockage services, fuel, ice, and bait.Be the first to comment!
NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey releases new Nautical Charting Plan
The Office of Coast Survey’s new Nautical Charting Plan officially released
Outlines Coast Survey’s efforts to meet the needs of users of nautical chart data into the futureDear Colleagues,
I’m pleased to announce that the Marine Chart Division (MCD) within NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey has released a new NOAA Nautical Charting Plan. The plan describes Coast Survey’s continuing efforts to meet the needs of mariners and other users of nautical charts now and in the future. This includes rescheming NOAA’s entire Electronic Navigational Chart (NOAA® ENC) product suite into a regular gridded layout, recompilation of ENC depth curves from feet and fathoms into meters, and other improvements to delivery authoritative, fit-for-purpose navigation products to users in a timely fashion. The Nautical Charting Plan also describes the ongoing program to end the production and maintenance of NOAA’s paper nautical charts and other raster chart products and services, which will be completed by January 2026.
This new charting plan is a major component of our implementation of the new Coast Survey Strategic Plan we announced last week. The new charting plan consolidates, and updates information previously found in the 2017 National Charting Plan, the 2019 Sunsetting Traditional NOAA Paper Charts, and the 2019 Transforming the NOAA ENC documents. Some of the more technical aspects of reschemed ENC design are now available in a new NOAA ENC Design Handbook. The focus of this plan, as it was for the documents that it supersedes, is the transition from the production and use of paper nautical charts to the production and use of NOAA ENCs.
Lastly, I would like to welcome Ms. Julia Powell as the new chief of Coast Survey’s Marine Chart Division, relieving Capt. E.J. Van Den Ameele who is retiring after over 30 years of service to NOAA and the nation. Julia comes to MCD after three years as the Chief of the Coast Survey’s Navigation Services Division and brings a wealth of experience with charting issues and stakeholder engagement. I am glad to have a capable and experienced leader to continue MCD’s work and implement this new plan.
V/r
Rear Admiral Benjamin K. Evans, NOAA
Director, NOAA Office of Coast Survey
NOAA Office of Coast Survey is the nation’s nautical chartmaker. Originally formed by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807, Coast Survey updates charts, surveys the coastal seafloor, responds to maritime emergencies, and searches for underwater obstructions that pose a danger to navigation.
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New South Carolina Boating Law Strengthens Safety Requirements
South Carolina is currently one of only four US states with no boater education requirements. The new bill will add South Carolina to the majority of states that require boating safety courses for some or all boaters.
Click here for New South Carolina Boating Law Strengthens Safety Requirements
Steinberg Law FirmComments from Cruisers (3)
- Reply to Rick
As the article points out, South Carolina is one of only 4 states that did not have a similar training requirement. Whether the boater training is actually adequate or not is open for discussion. IMHO, in person classes done by the Power Squadron or USCG Auxiliary are probably pretty good – the states that only require on-line computer classes that comply with the content standard not so much.
I lived in the Midwest until the mid-90's. My state already had a law back then. And like the South Carolina law, the requirement is for everyone whose birthday is prior to a certain date. Anyone younger than about 45 from my former home has to have had the training by now, or to get it if they acquire a boat.
Since most fatal boat accidents involve excess alcohol, I suspect that you are right that younger boaters in their 20's and 30's are probably involved in a disproportionate share of accidents. Rigorous enforcement of BWI laws would probably have a larger impact on safety than training of young people, but that doesn't make the training requirement a bad idea.
BTW, the USCG publishes statistical data on boating accidents and events like boat fires every year. Look on the Coast Guard website if you want to find it.
- Reply to Phil
As a follow up on my comment last month how about a breakdown on boating accidents by age responsible?
Without that data, we're just blowing smoke and can't be sure we're actually addressing the problem.
Anyone? - Reply to Phil
I would like to see some STATISTICS on boating accidents/fatalities from states that have these laws and those that don't. And do these laws make a difference? 16 years old or younger? Like driving a car, I suspect many if not most boating accidents are caused by older teenagers and those in their 20s.
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Scientist urges more Vibrio awareness as risk moves north
Vibrio is a vicious, flesh-eating bacteria that can kill within 48 hours of exposure to warm, brackish water.
Original locations of the 709 confirmed nonfoodborne V. vulnificus infections reported to the Cholera and Other Vibrio Illness Surveillance, or COVIS, database between 2007 and 2018 within 125 miles of the coast, in blue. Graphic: “Climate warming and increasing Vibrio vulnificus infections in North America” report
Click here for Scientist urges more Vibrio awareness as risk moves north
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Ships Store Open to All, Isle of Palms Marina, SC AICW MM 460
The South Carolina barrier island just 30 minutes from Charleston may just be the area’s best-kept secret and, of course, is home to CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, Isle of Palms Marina.
Cruisers Net was advised this morning that the “Ships Store” at Isle of Palms marina is fully open and available to all. Fully operational. Boaters are invited to visit IOP and enjoy all the amenities.
Click Here To View the South Carolina Cruisers Net Marina Directory Listing For Isle of Palms Marina
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window Zoomed To the Location of Isle of Palms Marina
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Buddy Boating – Bob Arrington, Passagemaker
There are a litany of good reasons to travel with other vessels, but due diligence is required to have realistic expectations.
Click here for Buddy Boating by Bob Arrington from Passagemaker, September, 2023
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NOAA Navigational Services Quarterly Newsletter, August 2023
Quarterly Newsletter
August 2023
You are invited to join a PORTS® workshop!
A graphic showing a representation of the PORTS network and how it operates.
NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) is currently conducting an assessment of its Physical Oceanographic Real Time System (PORTS®) Program to better understand data and gauging needs as well as funding required to expand, enhance, or implement PORTS at all U.S. seaports. As part of this effort, we are inviting stakeholders to participate in a virtual workshop and provide crucial insight into the data needed to ensure safe and efficient marine commerce. Several targeted regional workshops have taken place this summer and a few remain.
Upcoming Regional Workshops:
- Great Lakes – August 9th
- Mid-Atlantic – August 24th
- New England – September 13th
Make-up sessions are also available for interested parties in any region. Access the make-up registration link here and select from a date between now and September 19.
Who should attend?
Individual seaports, harbor or terminal operators, marine exchanges, harbor/river pilots, tugboat/assist operators familiar with seaports in the region that 1) either already have access to local NOAA PORTS data or 2) who navigate in locations in need of PORTS gauging. Please feel free to forward this to colleagues in this region who might be interested.
For more information, contact: PORTS_program@noaa.gov.
NOAA releases 2023 hydrographic survey season plans
An image of several survey vessels within the NOAA fleet.
NOAA hydrographic survey ships, navigation response teams, and contractors are preparing for the 2023 hydrographic survey season. The ships and survey vessels collect bathymetric data (i.e. map the seafloor) to support nautical charting, modeling, and research and collect environmental data to support a variety of ecosystem sciences. NOAA considers hydrographic survey requests from stakeholders such as marine pilots, local port authorities, the Coast Guard, and the boating community and considers other hydrographic and NOAA science priorities in determining where to survey and when. Visit our “living” ArcGIS StoryMap to find out more about our mapping projects and if a hydrographic vessel will be in your area this year!
CO-OPS Has Expanded the Cape Cod-Buzzards Bay PORTS®
A graphic showing the location of stations in NOAA’s Cape Cod-Buzzards Bay Physical Oceanographic Real-time System (PORTS®)
Early this year, NOAA expanded its Cape Cod-Buzzards Bay Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®), installing two new stations at New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts. The new stations are now fully integrated into the PORTS, which provides data to support critical maritime decision making on both sides of Cape Cod and through the Cape Cod Canal. As part of this project, a tidal water level station was installed at the southern end of the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal (NBMCT), a 29-acre terminal site at the New Bedford Harbor. Additionally, a stand-alone meteorological station measuring wind, air temperature, and air pressure was installed on the New Bedford Hurricane Protection Barrier gate. Data from these stations will be particularly valuable for mariners navigating to and from a robust 1,200-foot-long pier equipped to support heavy lift cargo shipping and specialty vessels. Additionally, wind data from the new meteorological station will provide information for vessel loading operations and aid channel navigation at the Hurricane Protection Barrier.
NOAA Custom Chart version 2.0 now available to the public
Earlier this year, NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey released NOAA Custom Chart version 2.0, a dynamic map application which enables users to create their own paper and PDF nautical charts. The custom charts are derived from the official NOAA Electronic Navigational Chart (NOAA ENC®), NOAA’s premier nautical chart product. The online application uses the latest official NOAA ENC data to create nautical charts with customized scale and extent, which can then be downloaded as PDF files. The data on the chart is presented in a manner similar to traditional paper nautical charts, showing soundings, buoys, beacons and other aids to navigation, compass roses and the like.Ocean and coastal mapping matching fund opportunity
Calling all ocean and coastal mapping enthusiasts; the Rear Admiral Richard T. Brennan Mapping Matching Fund program announcement has been released. This particular partnership opportunity is geared towards non-federal partners (academia, tribes, private sector, states/regions/localities, etc.). We need everyone’s help pushing this notice out to external stakeholders. Please share this opportunity with your contacts interested in ocean and coastal mapping of their waters—all interests are welcome! Questions or interested in learning more? Register for our informational webinar on August 10, 2023 at 1 p.m. (EDT). Federal Register Notice. Nautical
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