 I. Our Sincere Thanks to the Cruising Community for a GREAT 2011
This is our first "Alert" of 2012, and now seems an entirely appropriate time to take a look back at the year that was. With your support, and that of the entire cruising community, 2011 was far and away the BEST year ever enjoyed by the Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net. We didn't just break visitorship records, we shattered them.  According to our AWStats software, which we strongly believe to be the best and most accurate way to track and report any site's statistics, in 2011 the SSECN enjoyed a 61.23% increase in visits, a 33.06% increase in unique visitors and a 37.39% increase in pages viewed, as compared to 2010 (previously our best year ever)!
Clearly, we could not have achieved any of this without your support, and the support of our sponsors. In fact,without our sponsors, we could not begin to bring any of the Net's many free services to the cruising community. So, as we always ask, please patronize our sponsors whenever possible, and let them know you appreciate their support of the cruising community by way of their support for the Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net! And so, once again, may we say THANKS to all those cruisers who visited the Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net in 2011, and, if possible, an even bigger THANKS to the hundreds of you who submitted cruising news, plus marina and anchorage reviews. With your help, 2012 can be even better! Let's get started! |
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 II. Important - Western Florida ICW/Pine Island Sound Marker #45A Destroyed (St. M. 16.5) - Broken Piling a Hazard to Naviagtion
A key daybeacon along the Western Florida ICW's run through Pine Island Sound has been destroyed, and its broken piling is now a very real navigational danger. We strongly recommend that ALL Western Florida cruisers follow the link below, and learn the full details about this potentially dangerous situation. Until this aid to  navigation is replaced. all cruisers should proceed through this section of the Western Florida ICW at maximum alert!
Check out:
http://cruisersnet.net/?p=77897
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 III. Attention: North Carolina and South Carolina Cruisers
This is a special notice to North and South Carolina cruisers who are members of US Power Squadrons, yacht clubs, sailing squadrons and other nautical organizations. I am seeking speaking engagements over the winter months, and would welcome the opportunity to make a presentation to your group.I can tailor my remarks to your group's needs and desires, but generally I speak on the latest cruising conditions  along either of the Carolina coastlines.
There is no charge for this service, but I do usually ask for automobile mileage, and if your group is located too far from my North Carolina home base of operations to go and come the same evening, one of your members will need to be kind enough to put me up for the night in a guest room. No need for expensive motel/hotel rooms.
If this sounds at all interesting, PLEASE give me a call at your  earliest convenience at 336-270-6876. My schedule usually fills up fast, and can get very complicated.
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 IV. Shoaling Worsening at Intersection of AICW and Browns Inlet (North Carolina AICW, near Statute Mile 237)
Until a few years ago, shoaling at the intersection of ultra shallow Browns Inlet and the AICW, south of Swansboro, NC, was never a problem. Then, something changed, and this juncture was added to our list of perennial "AICW Problem Stretches.
In spite of at least two dredging projects here, it's quite clear from recent reports  that things are not getting any better. In fact, we have just posted a message from Capt Jack Coulter about a Dec. 29, 2011 grounding on these waters.
This post is recommended reading for ALL year round North Carolina cruisers, and their counterparts who will be journeying north on the AICW this spring. Check out the latest at:
http://cruisersnet.net/?p=77709 |
 V. Marina/Anchorage Review Contest Now in Full Swing!
Now that all the Holiday hoopla is over, it seems a good time to remind one and all that our Marina/Anchorage Review Contest is still in full swing. As a reminder, between now and January, 31, 2012 the cruiser or cruising couple who submits the largest number of marina and/or anchorage reviews to the Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net, will be awarded two nights of free lodging at SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS' NET SPONSOR, The Inn at Tabbs Creek (http://www.innattabbscreek.com/index.html).
 Located in Port Haywood, VA, this beautiful Chesapeake Bay inn lies just off the East River and off Mobjack Bay. The two nights of free lodging can be used anytime in 2012, depending on room availability of course. Marina and anchorage reviews must be timely, which is to say the reviewer must have visited the site being reviewed within the last ninety days, and the reviews must be at least one substantial paragraph long. Please consider including a description of what you found at the marina or anchorage, what you liked, what you didn't like, and a few words about whether fellow cruisers will want to coil their lines or pitch out the hook at the site you are reviewing!
We also reserve the right to reject ANY review which we consider untimely, less  than factual and/or sent to the Cruisers' Net for a purpose other than to share good information with fellow cruisers! Rejected reviews will NOT be tallied in the final calculations to determine this contest's winner! Reviews can be sent directly to [email protected], or follow the "Click Here to Submit Cruising News" link found near the top right of all (except Chart View) Cruisers' Net pages. OK, put those fingers on your keyboard's home keys! Ready, set GO!!!!! |
 VI. Charlotte Harbor Marker #4 Destroyed/Damaged (Western Florida, northeast of Boca Grande Pass)
We have cherry picked an important item for Western Florida cruisers from the latest Notice to Mariners. Apparently, one of the key aids to navigation in southern Charlotte Harbor (south of Punta Gorda) has been damaged. And, in a situation very  similar to our report on the destroyed Pine Island Sound aid to navigation above, it might be an all too simple a proposition late in the day, or in choppy conditions (not to mention night-time running) to run afoul of this marker's splintered piling!!!
So, may we be so bold as to strongly suggest that all Western Florida crusiers take a gander at:
http://cruisersnet.net/?p=77659 |
 VII. Okeechboee Waterway/St. Lucie River Daybeacon Destroyed (Stuart, Florida)
Seems like we must have a maddened tow operator out there somewhere. I can't remember when we've had so many reports of destroyed aids to navigation in one alert!
 Well, whomever is knocking down daybeacons, we have another one destroyed just east of the high-rise Roosevelt Bridge, near downtown Stuart, Florida. Local Eastern Florida cruisers plying the waters near Stuart, and all mariners bent on a run along the Okeechobee Waterway, should spare no effort to read:
http://cruisersnet.net/?p=77918 |
 VIII. A Great Anchoring Tale
Yours truly recently started a discussion about how the Florida anchoring rights controversy is impacting marine business in the Sunshine State, on the "Boating Writers International" Linked-In group. This group is NOT open to the general public, BUT, by special permission, we have reprinted a short, but side-splitting anchoring tale from fellow nautical writer, Captain George Bason.
Don't miss it!!!!!!
Check out:
http://cruisersnet.net/?p=77943 |
 IX. Shallow Spot in Cedar Key's Northwest Channel (Western Florida - Big Bend Region)
Cedar Key is one of a limited number of ports of call along Western Florida's waterwayless Big Bend region (the Western Florida coastline between Anclote Key and Dog Island). Honestly, Cedar Key has never been one of my favorite places, with difficult channels, little in the way of really good anchorages, and a downtown business district which exhibits some garish, modern development. Others disagree, however, and many cruisers stop here time and again while crossing the sometimes daunting Big Bend passage. Cedar Key is served by two channels. The Main Ship Channel (known to some locals as the "Seahorse Key Channel"), has an "S" turn along its easterly reaches which has to be seen to be believed. The other entrance and egress passage, which is the primary focus of a recent Cruisers' Net posting, is known as the Northwest Channel. This passage has had depth problems for as long as I can remember.
That's particularly important as it LOOKS on the charts as if the  Northwest Channel might be the better entry route for southbound vessels. But, as you will read by following the link below, that's probably not the case: http://cruisersnet.net/?p=77935 |
 X. St. Johns River "FEC Bridge" May Be Partically Closed Until Mid-March, 2012 (Jacksonville, FL) - 5-Foot Closed Vertical Clearance
Here's a chunk of cruising news that's going to cause no end of problems for mariners plying the St. Johns River in the Jacksonville region. There's no reason to repeat all the ins and outs of this situation here. Just follow the link below to learn all.
 First, however, let's do note that Captain Downing Nightingale, Jr., at SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS' NET SPONSOR, Lamb's Yacht Center, (located a short hop upstream of the bridge in question, on Ortega River) is making a genuine and much appreciated effort to try and remedy this situation.
Read all about it at:
http://cruisersnet.net/?p=74983 |
 XI. Dredging and Marker Replacement at AICW/Matanzas Inlet Intersection Pays Off (Statute Mile 795)
Until a few months ago, the intersection of the AICW and Matanzas Inlet, south of St. Augustine, was near the top of our AICW "Rogues Gallery." Now, recent dredging and marker replacement have vastly improved this situation.
Check out a just posted report from Captains Donovan and Holden about what you can now expect to encounter at this crucial intersection:
http://cruisersnet.net/?p=72145
That's all for now. Good luck and good cruising to all!
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