Whenever we announce a new Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net service or feature, most of you have probably noticed we always ask for comments and input from the cruising community. That is not just idle verbiage, as you will soon discover below.

Just this past month, we announced our new, "Chart View" page based fuel price comparison feature. If any of you are new to this list, or have not yet tried this service, let me just say that this clever tool allows cruisers to quickly discover who has the best fuel prices within a particular community or area. Try out the example below to see how it works.

Back to input from our fellow cruisers. The heart and soul of our Fuel Price Comparison tool are "mini fuel-price windows" which open on a "Chart View" page. What we heard from two fellow cruisers were how much they liked this feature, BUT the date on which the fuel price data was gathered, and the availability of quantity, Boat/US or Sea Tow discounts was not included. Of course, this info is readily available on our fuel price listings pages, but there is no room to include this data in the "mini fuel price windows." That would just obscure too much data. What's a cruising web site director to do.

I'll tell you what's to do. We have now made the "mini fuel price windows" CLICKABLE, so that when they are clicked the user is taken to a full listing of ALL the facility's fuel price information.

Neat huh! Let me show you how it works! An example is worth another thousand words or so!

AFTER reading the instructions below, follow this link:

http://cruisersnet.net/cruisersnet-marine-map/?ll=33.3608333333,-79.2798666667&z=15

When invoked, this link will bring up a Chart View page centered on Georgetown, South Carolina. Now, look above the chart, and you will see two rows of check boxes. Look at the right column of unchecked, check boxes. Note the bottom two, which are labeled, "Gas Prices" and "Diesel Prices." Using your mouse, put a check in the "Diesel Prices" box.

Voila! A series of small mini-windows will now open on the chart, showing the diesel prices for the four marinas in Georgetown. At a glance, you can tell who has the best deal!!!!!

Locate the most upstream facility on the Sampit River (Harborwalk Marina, nearest to the left side of the Chart View window), and click anywhere within it's fuel price mini-window (which shows Harborwalk's diesel price as $3.73). After clicking, a separate browser window will open, and there you will see displayed ALL the fuel price data for Harborwalk Marina. Once you've derived the info you need, close the new browser window, and now you are back at the "Chart View" page showing the Georgetown waterfront. Remove the check mark beside "Diesel Prices," and the mini-windows disappear.  That's all there is to it! Of course, "Gasoline Prices" work the same way.

You can have your cake and eat it to. Quick fuel prices comparisons, and now full fuel price data only one click away. And, we are sure you will agree, the "free" price for this service is just really hard to take [grin!].

During this soon-to-begin spring, 2011 cruising season, fuel prices are going to perhaps be THE major concern for the cruising community. How fortunate that our new "Fuel Price Comparison" feature is ready to go at just this time. Please make use of this service OFTEN, and please let us know if anyone else has more ideas on how this service can be further improved.

Well, here we are talking about fuel prices again. That is probably going to be a very familiar refrain as spring, 2011 goes forward.

Would you believe, there is a way to get a partial refund for fuel purchases when you fill up in Virginia waters? Well, we didn't know about it either, but our education has now been furthered. If you would like to be similarly edified, go to:

http://www.CruisersNet.net/fuel-tax-refund-in-virginia 

VI. AICW/Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff Still Shoaling (Statute Mile 515) 

The Ashepoo Coosaw Cutoff connects the AICW in South Carolina between Rock Creek and the wide reaches of the Coosaw River (north of Beaufort, SC).  For several years now, we've listed the southwestern reaches of this cut as one of our perennial AICW Problem Stretches.

In spite of dredging here in 2010, reports coming into the Cruisers' Net show that mud is once again silting into the Waterway here. The channel is still passable for most cruising craft, even at low tide, but how long this will remain the case, is up for grabs.  

Check out the latest report we've received at:

http://www.CruisersNet.net/good-passage-through-ashepoocoosaw-cutoff-aicw-statute-mile-515

We have just copied a very interesting discussion from the AGLCA (American Great Loop Cruisers' Association) forum. The subject is whether it is possible to keep your vessel in Floridian waters for longer than 90 days before it is subject to property/use tax. Looks like there might just be a way! Check out:

http://www.CruisersNet.net/can-the-florida-90-day-propertyuse-tax-exemption-be-extended