SSECN Alert, 08/12/11

In This Issue

I. Swamp Wildfire Closes AICW Dismal Swamp Canal Alternate Route (Northeastern North Carolina)

II. Navigation Instructions for AICW/Matanzas Inlet Intersection, Statute Mile 793

III. Okeechobee Waterway To Be Closed 9/19/11 to 11/14/11

IV. Stump Pass Being Remarked (near Western Florida ICW Statute Mile 41)

V. Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net's Florida Keys and Western Florida Marina Directories Updated

VI. Dredging Underway in St. Augustine Inlet, near AICW Statute Mile 776

VII. Marker Restored and Hazard to Navigation Removed On Bowlegs Cut, Florida Keys Inside Route

VIII. Dramatic Photo Illustrates Shoaling Problems on St. Lucie Inlet (near AICW St. Mile 988)

IX. New Pipeline to be Installed Across Peace River near the Interstate 75 Bridge (near Punta Gorda, Florida)

X. Concrete Debris Reported Along the Path of the Georgia AICW in Altamaha River (Statute Mile 657

XI. Avoid Channel Leading from Cape Fear River Marker #41, to the AICW at Marker #162A

XII. Update on Florida Keys Pilot Mooring Field Program/Anchoring Regulations

I. Swamp Wildfire Closes AICW Dismal Swamp Canal Alternate Route (Northeastern North Carolina)

First of all, we have SO MUCH cruising news to present in this Alert, I will have to keep my introductory comments unusually short. PLEASE follow the links below for full details.

With that out of the way, let's move on to some really HOT (literally and figuratively) North Carolina coastal news. As of 8/11/2011, the Dismal Swamp Canal AICW Alternate Route has been closed to all navigation due to a raging fire in the heart of the Great Dismal Swamp. The so-called Farm Bridge, near the Visitors Center, is being used to transport fire-fighting equipment and fire fighters across the canal, and cannot be opened and closed for boating traffic. Thus, the decision was taken to close the canal for an indefinite period.

For full details, including a really neat map showing where the fire threatens, please go to:

http://www.CruisersNet.net/wild-fire-forces-closure-of-dismal-swamp-canal-until-further-notice

II. Navigation Instructions for AICW/Matanzas Inlet Intersection, Statute Mile 793

In an earlier Alert, we informed one and all that, AT LAST, dredging was underway at the Eastern Florida AICW/Mantanzas Inlet intersection. To be sure, that is GOOD news, BUT this project will take awhile to complete, and while underway, successful navigation of this crucial intersection, south of St. Augustine, is trickier than ever.

Fortunately, we have just put up an important posting from Captain Bob Shaw, who gives all of us some good advice on how to safely cruise through these "under construction" waters.

Take a good gander at:

http://www.CruisersNet.net/important-navigation-instructions-for-aicwmatanzas-inlet-intersection-statute-mile-795

III. Okeechobee Waterway To Be Closed 9/19/11 to 11/14/11

The US Army Corps of Engineers has just announced that the Okeechobee Waterway's Moore Haven Lock will be closed for maintenance from September 19, 2011 to November 14, 2011. Next, for those of you not familiar with the Okeechobee Waterway, when one lock is closed, the entire route is shut down. All locks must be operational to make the passage from Stuart to Fort Myers, or the other way around.

Normally, maintenance work of this ilk takes place during the summer months. Florida cruising veterans have grown used to the closure of this otherwise useful passage from June through August, possibly into the first half of September.
THIS TIME, HOWEVER, THE LOCK/WATERWAY CLOSURE IS SLATED DURING THE FALL MONTHS, AND WILL ENCOMPASS A MAJORITY OF THE FALL, 2011 CRUISING SEASON!

This closure will heavily impact fall, 2011 cruisers headed for the Western Florida coastline, or the Northern Gulf Coast, as well as "loopers" coming south, bound from Western to Eastern Florida.

For a full explanation, please go to:

http://www.CruisersNet.net/okeechobee-waterway-to-be-closed-91911-to-111411

IV. Stump Pass Being Remarked (near Western Florida ICW Statute Mile 41)

Stump Pass is an inlet that pierces the Western Florida coastline between Gasparilla Island and Venice. Since the early 1990's when I began researching the western coastline of the Sunshine State, I've lost count of the number of times this channel has been dredged. Don't know who knows what member of the US Congress to get all this work accomplished, but they are surely very effective in getting a dredging project underway. Trouble is, the sands are already sifting back into the "channel" by the time the dredge disappears over the horizon.

Well, Stump Pass has just been dredged again, BUT there are not yet any aids to navigation outlining the newly minted passage. Read how this problem will be solved, and why the interim could be a challenging time for navigators plying Stump Pass, by going to:

http://www.CruisersNet.net/stump-pass-being-remarked-near-statute-mile-41

V. Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net's Florida Keys and Western Florida Marina Directories Updated and Expanded

Just a quick note to inform one and all that we have just expended a great deal of effort and person hours updating and expanding the information available on the Net's Florida Keys and Western Florida Marina Directories. Every facility was either personally visited and/or telephoned so that we could relay the most accurate information possible. You will also now find such items as "Restaurant Recommendations" and "Provisioning Possibilities," plus fully updated transient dockage rates.

All this new and updated info is there for the use of the cruising community, without charge and without the need for a user name or a password. Enjoy!

VI. Dredging Underway in St. Augustine Inlet, near AICW Statute Mile 776

I'm sure just about everyone on the SSECN Alert list is getting a bit tired of hearing about the shoaling problems on Eastern Florida's St. Augustine Inlet. This troubled seaward cut has been the subject of many Net postings, two Navigation Alerts, and several mentions in past Alert newsletters.

Well, now things may be taking a turn for the better, but you will be surprised how
quickly this project is going to be accomplished.

Learn all by going to:

http://www.CruisersNet.net/dredging-underway-in-st-augustine-inlet-near-aicw-statute-mile-776

VII. Marker Restored and Hazard to Navigation Removed On Bowlegs Cut, Florida Keys Inside Route (Staute Mile 1165)

I think it was two Alerts ago that we informed the cruising community about a potentially serious, boat damaging obstruction on the Florida Keys Inside Route, at Bowlegs Cut. Well, happily, that situation has now, apparently, been corrected. Read all about it at:

http://www.CruisersNet.net/marker-restored-and-hazard-to-navigation-removed-on-bowlegs-cut-florida-keys-inside-route-staute-mile-1165

VIII. Dramatic Photo Illustrates Shoaling Problems on St. Lucie Inlet (near AICW St. Mile 988)

We have had several earlier postings on the Cruisers' Net about the shallow water difficulties on St. Lucie Inlet (near Stuart, FL), but a photo is worth a thousand words, particularly this photo!

http://www.CruisersNet.net/dramatic-photo-illustrates-shoaling-problems-on-st-lucie-inlet-near-aicw-st-mile-988

IX. New Pipeline to be Installed Across Peace River near the Interstate 75 Bridge (near Punta Gorda, FL)

OK, listen up out there all you Western Florida cruisers, particularly if you cruise the waters of Peace River upstream of the Punta Gorda waterfront. On-the-water work is beginning at the Interstate 75 twin bridges, crossing Peace River, that may dramatically affect your cruising plans on this otherwise delightful body of water.

Learn all at:

http://www.CruisersNet.net/new-pipeline-to-be-installed-across-peace-river-near-the-interstate-75-bridge-near-punta-gorda-fl.

X. Concrete Debris Reported Along the Path of the Georgia AICW in Altamaha River (Statute Mile 657)

The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway intersects the Altamaha River at mile 656 and runs in the Altamaha until entering Buttermilk Sound at mile 660. ALL cruisers traversing this section of the AICW need to be on maximum alert for the obstruction reported at: