Good words about newly renovated (and under new ownership) Bucksport Marina and their on-site restaurant, continue to be recorded here on the Cruisers’ Net! Well, of course, these good people are a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS NET SPONSOR! PLEASE patronize them and all our other sponsors whenever possible!!!! We stayed at Bucksport on 4-5 and had [...]

The Isabel Holmes Bridge (Hwy133) lies north of the northernmost Wilmington Turning Basin in the northeast Cape Fear River and has a closed vertical clearance of 40ft. Wilmington, NC, off the AICW, is a popular side trip for many Waterway cruisers. NC – AIWW – MYRTLE GROVE SOUND TO LITTLE RIVER – CAPE FEAR RIVER [...]

The AICW follows the narrow, man-made canal known as Hell Gate between the Vernon and Ogeechee Rivers. These waters have been an “AICW Problem Stretch” for years. Fortunately, dredging during the summer of 2009 had kept depths decent until December of 2010 when reports of new shoaling began. Looks like the surrounding shallows are once [...]

Earlier reports have indicated depths of 5.8 feet at dead low in this perennial “AICW Problem Stretch” south of Charleston, SC. Earlier reports also suggest that the channel is shifting with the renewed shoaling. Abeam of “186″ at 1137 and followed the magenta line around to abeam “185″, entrance to the Ashepoo-Coosaw cutoff, and depth [...]

I. Recent ARGUS Sounding Data Indicates Shallow Water on Channel From Clearwater Pass to Clearwater Municipal Marina II. Caution Required at New Bridge Construction south of Norfolk, VA, AICW Statute Mile 3 III. Swan Point Marina Reopens Under New Ownership/Management (North Carolina AICW, Statute Mile 247 IV. Darien, Georgia Looks to Attract Cruisers With 48-hour [...]

I. Salty Southeast Cruisers Net, SURVICE Engineering and EarthNC Form Tri-Partnership to Bring Revolutionary Sounding Data to the Cruising Community! II. How Does It Work III. A Few Words of Caution IV. NONE of This Would Have Been Possible Without the Support of Our Sponsors Click Here To View the SSECN/EarthNC/ARGUS Announcement

I. Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net Partners With Marinalife To Provide Online Dockage Reservations II. How Does It Work III. Once Again, Our Sponsors Deserve All Your Thanks IV. There’s More Coming Click Here To View the SSECN/MarinaLife Partnering Announcement

I. Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net Special Spring, 2012 Transient Season Alert. II. AICW Problem Stretch Directory III. Navigational Alerts IV. Fuel Price Directories V. “Best-Buy Fuel Price Finder” Service VI. Find the Best Fuel Prices In a Port of Call VII. Find Sources for LPG (Propane) Tank Refills and Exchanges VIII. Cruising News IX. Marina [...]

A recipe calls for wine, but you don’t have any . . . what can you substitute? Here’s are 10 things that work well!

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Top Rack Marina is just north of the Steel Bridge in the Virginia Cut at Mile 8.8 Cruising News: Here we are again at the Top Rack Marina. Everyone knows about the great restaurant here, the Amber Lantern. And everyone knows about the great staff and service you get here. And everyone knows Brian and [...]

This historic community of Edenton, North Carolina lies near the western extremes of often choppy Albemarle Sound. Edenton is actually the state’s oldest town, though Bath, NC makes that claim based on incorporation dates. Edenton plays host to a wealth of historic homes and structures. We always feel that a visit to Edenton is like [...]

I’ve corresponded with Eric Steinberg for years — and wrote about some of his offshore racing electronics ideas in 2010 — but what a pleasure it was to meet him in San Diego. Aside from overseeing Farallon Electronics and IstarGPS, he is now Director of Electronics Systems for the Americas Cup Race Management and hence responsible for all the high tech gear on some 29 support vessels. Yet it was Eric who took the time to patiently explain the many-layered systems that I tried to lay outexplain in Yachting. He was especially proud of what they managed to squeeze into the “personal watercraft” (PWC) that some of the umpires use to chase the AC45 catamarans (pictured here)…

This new fixed bridge construction is between the old Jordan Highway Bridge (mile 2.8) on which demolition was begun last fall, 2011 and the Norfolk and Western Railroad Bridge at mile 3.6. Cruising News: May 16, 2012 A liquid running off new bridge being constructed splattered our decks, canvas and isenglass with a type of [...]

Port Consolidated is on the east side of the Waterway just north of Fernandina Harbor Marina. Diesel fuel at Port Consolidated (formerly Florida Petroleum) was $3.474 today, down from $3.51 yesterday. Something new-if you take on fuel and head out of state there is no FL sales tax, but you have to sign a form, [...]

This AICW troublesome stretch lies at the intersections of the Brickhill River, Crooked River and the Waterway. Our recommendation remains to take this passage at mid to high tide. Cumberland Dividings mile 704, had plenty of water-saw nothing less than 18′, when we went through around 1520; LT at Cumberland Wharf at 1230, +00.4′. Click [...]

This AICW/Jekyll Creek Problem Stretch has had shoaling for some time now with reports of depths below 5ft at low tide. Mid to high tide passage is still recommended. Passing through Jekyll Creek now. This is the area that has had some skinny water. Have HT at 1848, +07.2′. From the bridge to the Jekyll [...]

We are very pleased to report that Swan Point Marina, located just south of the AICW/New River/New River Inlet intersection has reopened under new ownership/management. According to a telephone conversation I had this morning (5/17/12) with co-owner, Jason, transient dockage is available, complete with 30-50 amp power hookups and fresh water connections. Overnight transient dockage [...]

Little Mud River is almost universally acknowledged to be the worst section of the entire AICW run from Norfolk, VA to Miami, FL. This “AICW Problem Stretch” lies some 21 statute miles north of Brunswick, Georgia. Earlier depth soundings from other cruisers have confirmed our recommendation to navigate this stretch at mid to high tide [...]

Back in February, of 2012, I visited the small, but surprisingly bustling community of Darien, Georgia by land yacht. I was impressed with the number of restaurants, the waterfront wine shop and the very welcoming attitude towards myself and cruisers in general. Now, with free 48-hour dockage, the city of Darien is making a real [...]

The small collection of islands known as the Tarpon Belly Keys flank the northeastern side of the Cudjoe Key Channel. This latter cut makes into the so-called, “Back Route” from Marathon to Key West, west of the turn at Harbor Key Bank Light. It’s a great spot, and we have never had a problem getting [...]

It’s virtually impossible to “perfectly” store coffee on a boat . . . but with these tips, you’ll come close!

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If you know of a source that lists locations of Florida anchorages with access to pumpout boats, please respond to this posting with your answers. Thank you! Cruising News: Would like to know source for information about anchorages with pumpout boats in FL. Mary Dixon

1. To see a photo title, hover your pointer over any thumbnail below. Wait a moment, and title will appear 2. For a larger/full size image, click on any thumbnail below; to return to thumbnails, click inside any full size image 3. To browse through full size images, either click the backwards and forwards arrows [...]

Back in April (2012), we published several reports from fellow cruisers detailing the very welcome new, floating docks at McClellanville, South Carolina’s Leland Oil Company (see http://cruisersnet.net/?p=81422 and http://cruisersnet.net/?p=85795). I had always wanted to recommend stopping in McClellanville, as this idyllic village is a real throwback to yesteryear, with its moss shrouded lanes, and quaint [...]

This has absolutely NOTHING to do with cruising, but if you are an animal lover like yours truly, and particularly if you or a loved one suffers from the scourge of cancer, then don’t dare miss this moving tale! As someone whose first-rate, first-mate has been, and still is, heroically fighting “never smokers lung cancer” [...]

Port Tarpon Marina is the largest of several facilities gathered along Anclote River’s northern banks near marker #40. Recommendations like the one from Captains Bob and Ann below are perhaps the very best indication of a quality operation!!! While on our trek home from Florida to Nashville, TN my wife came down with a very [...]

One of the real advantage to our new ARGUS service, is that we receive advance warning of new shallow water reports directly from Survice Engineering. Be SURE to follow the “Chart View” link below to get a bird’s eye view of where this shallow spot is to be found. After following the link, turn on [...]

Everyone refers to the large, downtown Sarasota, Florida “city marina” as “Marina Jacks” but, in reality, that is the name of the on-site restaurant, and the maritime part of the operation is officially known as “Marina Operations.” For twenty years, I’ve never heard a single, fellow cruiser use this moniker. Whatever you call it, the [...]

Tarpon Basin is crossed by the FL Keys Inside Route, just south of Blackwater Sound and Dusenberry Creek. There are at least 3 good spots to drop the hook here, and creative skippers will find more. A couple of years ago, Monroe County established a pump-out boat serving vessels anchored in Tarpon Basin, and the [...]

The best just keep getting better. Marineland Marina, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, has been racking up a whole series of impressive reviews here on the Cruisers’ Net and elsewhere. Now, one of the only drawback to staying here has been remedied. Looks like there’s now a good lunch spot just across the road [...]

The Kingsley Creek Railroad Bridge crosses the Waterway at Statute Mile 721, south of unlighted daybeacon #13. “Please be advised that the Kingsley Creek RR bridge mile 720.8 will be closed Monday, May 14 -Friday,May 18,2012 from 8:00AM-11:30AM and 1:00PM-5:30PM and opened 11:30AM-1:00PM. Ted & Audrey Stehle Click Here To View the Cruisers’ Net’s Eastern [...]

How can you test stainless quality on kitchen and galley items when it’s not marked? Actually, it’s easy to avoid the dreaded “rusting stainless!”

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The Lantana Avenue drawbridge with a closed vertical clearance of 12ft was closed to roadway traffic on March 18 and will be replaced with a new drawbridge with a vertical clearance of 21ft reducing the required openings by 40 percent. The new bridge is scheduled to be completed in November of 2013. The bridge is [...]

We heartily recommend a visit to Manteo, NC, with is really GOOD restaurants, plentiful shopping and access to multiple historical attractions. And, you simply can’t do better than to coil your lines at A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Manteo Waterfront Marina. Tell Captain Carl we sent you!!! Cruising News: What a swell place to [...]

Dowry Creek Marina is a fine family owned and family run marina. Off the AICW/Pungo River, north of Belhaven, NC, Dowry Creek Marina has long been a favorite among cruisers, as Jim and Talley attest below. Cruising News: We all tend to remember things being bigger, prettier, and brighter than they really were. Then we [...]

Oriental Marina is located on the eastern banks of inner Oriental Harbor off the Neuse River and is A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR! Cruising News: The Oriental Marina in NC continues to provide great accommodations and a wonderful stop. We are so glad that some fine things remain consistent. Here and Now Click Here [...]

Alligator River Marina lies on the western shore of the mouth of the Alligator River/AICW, just north of the swing bridge and southwest of flashing daybeacon #12. Cruising News: The Alligator River Marina is the oasis we all try to find when we’ve been out too long. It is the fertile ground where new friendships [...]

Most boat refrigerators are totally unlike anything you’ve used ashore. These tips will make them less intimidating!

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Harborwalk Marina, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR! is the northwesternmost marina on the downtown Georgetown/Sampit River waterfront. Check out their shiny new, first-rate, shower and laundry building! We were in Georgetown for one week. We anchored our cat in the harbor and dinghied over to Harborwalk Marina to use their laundry and shower facilities. [...]

ALL Cruising Visitors will want to check out this great resource for mariners making a visit to this timeless city!!! http://www.portofstaugustine.com/

Ladys Island Swing Bridge Opening for Sailboat (Beaufort, SC) Captain Bob Schwerzel

We have just published a lengthy, but very interesting article, that reports the city of St. Augustine’s anchorage regulations, put in place as part of this city’s participation in the Florida Pilot Mooring Field Program, are being challenged in Federal court. ALL cruisers even remotely interested in the Florida Anchoring Right Struggle will want to [...]

At the end of Wednesday’s discussion about cell-based mAIS – which only works via the Internet instead of direct VHF radio transmissions — I mentioned how I’d set up a real AIS receiver in my lab to forward real AIS target info to those same Internet services. In fact most all the actual AIS targets shown in those screen shots came through my basement. The set up turned out to be very easy and cost nothing as I already had an AIS receiver, a computer, and an Internet connection. The key is the free program AISdispatcher seen in the foreground above, which is offered by AIS Hub data sharing center. That’s their Web site in the background, showing the data I’m contributing along with that of other volunteer stations. But there are lots of holes in the coverage and I’m hoping that more coastal residents and particularly marine businesses will volunteer, and I think that the new mAIS concept could make the effort especially worthwhile… 

OK fellow cruisers, let me warn you in advance. This is a long, complicated posting, but it’s well worth the attention of ANYONE who is even vaguely interested in the issue of Florida Anchoring Rights. Read on! Back in April (2012), I was given permission to excerpt from an article contained in “Sandy’s St. Augustine [...]

May 9, 2012 The Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net (SSECN), SURVICE Engineering, and EarthNC, Inc. announce an exciting new tri-partnership that will provide SSECN users with the benefit of 25 million soundings acquired and processed with the ARGUS (Autonomous Remote Global Underwater Surveillance) system. The Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net is the FIRST web site to offer [...]

Captains Jim and Talley Powell included some really neat photos with their recent posting concerning a visit to Swanquarter, NC, off southwestern Pamlico Sound (see http://cruisersnet.net/?p=87218). This port of call remains one of the most isolated on the Tar Heel coastline, with only one small marina (mostly geared towards commercial fishing craft) and very little [...]

1. To see a photo title, hover your pointer over any thumbnail below. Wait a moment, and title will appear 2. For a larger/full size image, click on any thumbnail below; to return to thumbnails, click inside any full size image 3. To browse through full size images, either click the backwards and forwards arrows [...]

There’s never a dull moment at this SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR!!! “Mothers Day”  is this Sunday  Keep the gift shop in mind for your unique shopping needs.  I have just ordered some new jewelry that I guarantee will get you gold stars from your favorite Mom. Now that we have had some rain which [...]

At first Boat Beacon may look like yet another iPad or iPhone app for viewing online AIS tracking services like ShipFinder, but in fact it’s a very new and slightly disconcerting form of AIS transponder. In other words that “Panbo BoatBeaconTest” target seen above is not the test transponder I sometimes run in the lab but simply my iPad running Boat Beacon and using its online connection to send my position, MMSI, and “boat” data to a central server where it’s also getting the regular AIS data for those various vessels in the Bay. The concept doesn’t really have a name yet — except maybe for mobile AIS or mAIS, as I’ll get to — but I think it’s going be huge, and also confusing… 

May 9, 2012 The Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net (SSECN), SURVICE Engineering, and EarthNC, Inc. announce an exciting new tri-partnership that will provide SSECN users with the benefit of 25 million soundings acquired and processed with the ARGUS (Autonomous Remote Global Underwater Surveillance) system. The Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net is the FIRST web site to offer [...]

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 9, 2012 Salty Southeast Cruisers Net, SURVICE Engineering and EarthNC Form Tri-Partnership to Bring Revolutionary Sounding Data to the Cruising Community! The Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net (SSECN), SURVICE Engineering, and EarthNC, Inc. announce an exciting new tri-partnership that will provide SSECN users with the benefit of 25 million soundings [...]

It’s easy to peruse ARGUS data on our Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net “Chart View” pages. Below, we provide several examples of how to make use of this neat, new tool. It might be a good idea to print out the rest of this posting, so you can easily follow the step by step instructions below. [...]

Make a dinghy bailer from an empty jug instead of having it take up space in the trash.

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Hatteras Inlet is well off the Waterway in Pamlico Sound. This narrow, unstable seaward passage cuts the southern reaches of Hatteras and Island and the northern strands of Ocracoke Island. For years and years, we’ve been advising that no-one attempt to make use of this inlet channel without very specific local knowledge! NC – CAPE [...]

This unusually high tide could be because of the Super Moon condition we are finding both high and low tides along the east coast. The bridge and its gauge are relatively new and should be accurate. This new bridge replaced the old pontoon bridge to Sunset Beach. We’re seeing a 62′ reading on the tide [...]

Hatteras Inlet is well off the Waterway in Pamlico Sound. This narrow, unstable seaward passage cuts the southern reaches of Hatteras and Island and the northern strands of Ocracoke Island. For years and years, we’ve been advising that no-one attempt to make use of this inlet channel without very specific local knowledge! NC – CAPE [...]

Marineland Marina, A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, lies south – southeast of AICW marker #87, along the Waterway’s eastern shore. This marina had been closed for many years, but just recently reopened. While there are not yet any nearby restaurants or good provisioning possibilities (though these are planned for the future), the new incarnation [...]