In This Issue
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 Directories
X. Anchorage Directories
XI. PLEASE Support Our Sponsors
Old Port Cove Marinas I. Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net Special Spring, 2012 Transient Season Alert   
 
This is a very special Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net Alert pointed at those of you who are already, or soon will be, a part of, the spring, 2012 northward migration up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Please allow us a few moments of your very valuable time to review the many ways that the Cruisers' Net can help to make your cruise a safer, more enjoyable, and, yes, even a less expensive, experience.

Panama City Marina And, before we get started with our SSECN service review, let me quickly acknowledge that some of the various capabilities outlined below will already be very familiar to many of you. However, we have TONS of new users, and even SSECN veterans will discover, I'm almost sure, some service they were not aware of, or had forgotten about, detailed below.

I will try to be as brief as possible, but an important part of this special alert is to impart instructions to best access the various services available on our site. In some cases, I will supply examples which will be far more informative than any verbal explanation I might supply.Key Lime Sailing Club

So, get out your bottle of "Murine," and let's get started! 
Intracoastal Yacht Sales II. AICW Problem Stretch Directory

Perhaps one of the most important Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net services we provide for AICW cruisers is our so-called, "Problem Stretch Directory." What we have done is to pick out a rogue's gallery of the worst 17 stretches of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, subject to continual and perennial shoaling and/or other navigational problems, between the North Carolina - Virginia Line, and Miami, Florida.

  

International Marine Service In our "AICW Problem Stretch Directory" we provide an in-depth look at the specific difficulties associated with the Problem Stretch in question, and provide advice as how best to bypass or deal with these navigational challenges.

  

Very importantly, we also provide a special link so you can easily discover what your fellow cruisers are saying about these particular waters. And, finally, we display a chartlet depicting the Problem Stretch! As you have probably guessed, these chartlets and clickable, leading to a Chart View page centered on the AICW Problem Stretch in question.

  

Follow these links to access our AICW Problem Stretch Directories:

  

All AICW Problem Stretches:Froli Sleep System

http://cruisersnet.net/category/all-other-news/icw-problem-areas/ 

   

North Carolina AICW Problem Stretches:   

http://cruisersnet.net/category/nc-aicw-problems/ 

  

South Carolina AICW Problem Stretches:

http://cruisersnet.net/category/sc-aicw-problems/ 

  

Georgetown, SC Georgia AICW Problem Stretches:

http://cruisersnet.net/category/ga-aicw-problems/ 

  

Eastern Florida AICW Problem Stretches:

http://cruisersnet.net/category/ef-aicw-problems/  

 

Maritime Insurance III. Navigational Alerts

First, let me differentiate between "Navigational Alerts" and "AICW Problem Stretches," described above. Problem Stretches are sections of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway that begin to shoal anew by the time the dredge disappears over the horizon. "Navigational Alerts" are particular causes of concern which are probably one-time events, though some of these can endure for months on end. Examples of "Navigational Alerts" are missing markers, a dredging project, a bridge with less than charted vertical clearance, and unexpected shoaling.

Kadey Krogen Yachts Follow these links to check out the current crop of SSECN Navigation Alerts:

All Navigation Alerts:
http://cruisersnet.net/category/br-chart-view-alerts/

North Carolina Navigation Alerts:
http://cruisersnet.net/category/nc-chart-view-alerts/

South Carolina Navigation Alerts:
http://cruisersnet.net/category/sc-chart-view-alerts/

Pilot House Marina Georgia Navigation Alerts:
http://cruisersnet.net/category/ga-chart-view-alerts/

Eastern Florida Navigation Alerts:
http://cruisersnet.net/category/ef-chart-view-alerts/

Florida Keys Navigation Alerts:
http://cruisersnet.net/category/flk-chart-view-alerts/

Western Florida Navigation Alerts:
http://cruisersnet.net/category/wf-chart-view-alerts/


Inlet Marina
Spotless Stainless IV. Fuel Price Directories

For the past several years, one of the most popular and useful services on our web site has been the various SSECN fuel price directories. As many of you already know, we actually call each and every fuel retailer for which we report fuel prices, once a week (usually on Wednesdays).  Note that we do NOT rely on marinas to send their fuel prices to us!

 

Bald Head Island Marina We tried this work saving procedure once some years ago, and discovered that about 2/3 of the marinas/fuel dealers, never bothered to send us their prices. So, it was time to bring the mountain to Muhammad, and thus our long suffering Fuel Price Editor, Captain Kaye Adams, spends hours and hours on the phone every week getting the latest and most accurate fuel price numbers. 

   

Another IMPORTANT point - if Captain Kaye is not able to reach a marina/fuel Washington NC price distributor, even after several attempted calls, WE DO NOT JUST LEAVE THE PRICE REPORTED THE WEEK BEFORE IN PLACE! Instead, we post the message, "Unable to Obtain Info" in the fuel price fields. We feel strongly that this plan best serves the cruising community's needs, rather than leave outdated prices in place.

Use these links to access our fuel price directories:

Hidden Harbor VA to NC Fuel Prices:
http://cruisersnet.net/category/nc-fuel-prices/

South Carolina Fuel Prices:
St. Johns River Fuel Prices:
Longboat Key Club V. "Best-Buy Fuel Price Finder" Service

Only a few, short weeks ago, on 3/9/12, we announced our new Salty Southeast Cruisiers' Net's "Best-Buy Fuel Price Finder" service. I can't remember receiving so many compliments on a new service since the SSECN first went live in 2005. Below, we present a summary of how this exciting feature works for those who have not yet taken advantage of this service.
 
As usual, an example is worth another thousand words of so. We are going to pick on the South Carolina coastline for this example, but our new service works in the exact same fashion for all our coastlines where we report fuel prices. Also, you might want to print out the instructions below, so you can follow them step as step from the Cruisers' Net web site. 

  

1. Go to our home page at http://www.CruisersNet.net 

  

2. Scroll down a bit, and locate the red, vertically stacked menus on the right side of the page.

  

Mile Marker 0 Marine Supplies 3. Click on "South Carolina" and a drop down menu will appear

  

4. Now, click on "SC Fuel Prices"

  

5. This action will open our South Carolina Fuel Price page, with all the facilities and retailers for which we report fuel prices sorted geographically, moving north to south. This is the format we have always used, and it remains the default view.

  

Bennett Brothers 6. Notice, HOWEVER, to the right, and a little above the page title, "South Carolina Fuel Prices 3/7/12," there is a new, horizontal button labelled, "Sort Fuel Prices - Find the Best Deals"

  

7. Hover your mouse pointer over this new, "Sort Fuel Prices - Find the Best Deals" button, and a drop down menu will appear

  

8. Click on the second choice, "Diesel Prices (Low to High)"

  

Boat Peeling 9. After a second or two, the page will refresh, and NOW THE VARIOUS SOUTH CAROLINA FUEL PRICE FACILITIES ARE RESORTED, WITH THOSE HAVING THE LEAST EXPENSIVE DIESEL FUEL AT THE TOP OF THIS SECTION, AND DESCENDING DOWN THE VARIOUS PAGES TO THOSE WHICH HAVE THE MOST EXPENSIVE DIESEL FUEL PRICES!!! 

  

10. At a glance, you can now tell which fuel price retailers on the South Carolina coastline have the best deals on diesel fuel - NEAT, HUH!!!!

  

Marineland Marina 11. Now, hover your mouse pointer over the "Sort Fuel Prices - Find the Best Deals" button again, and again the drop down menu will appear. This time, click on the "Gas Prices - Low to High" choice. Once again the page will resort itself, this time with those offering the least expensive gasoline at the top of the page, descending to those with the highest gasoline prices.

  

12. Finally, hover your pointer one last time over the "Sort Adventure Yacht Harbor Fuel Prices - Find the Best Deals" button, and this time click on the first choice, "Geographic Order (Default View)," and, as you would expect, the page will once again resort itself into its default geographic, north to south format.  

Amelia Island Yacht Basin VI. Find the Best Fuel Prices In a Port of Call

Here's a nifty, often overlooked Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net service which will help all cruisers quickly and accurately determine who offers the best diesel fuel and gasoline prices in a particular port of call. Follow along, and we'll show you how it works.

Rivera Dunes Marina As an example, we are going to pick on Georgetown, South Carolina, but you can use this service in exactly the same way for any port of call. And, you may want to print out the steps outlined below so you can follow along.

First, go to:

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

Clicking this link will open a Chart View page centered on Georgetown. Notice the four "M" icons, showing that this port of call boasts five marinas.

Now, just above the chart, near the left to right center of the page, you will see a check box labeled, "Diesel Prices." Click in this check box, and voila, mini-windows open atop each "M" icon, showing our latest reported diesel fuel prices for each facility.

Notice that the easternmost marina seems to have the best diesel prices at the moment. Click in the mini-window above the easternmost "M" icon, and you will be taken to a full listing of fuel price data for Georgetown Landing Marina. Neat, huh!

Isle of Hope Marina Uncheck the "Diesel Prices" check box. and now click in the check box beside "Gasoline Prices." Again, mini-windows open showing you the various Georgetown marina's latest reported gasoline prices.

Notice the northernmost marina seems to have the best gasoline prices at the moment. Click in the mini-window under this northernmost "M" icon, and presto - chango, you are now transported to full fuel pricing info for Harborwalk Marina!

That's all there is to it. Happy fuel price hunting! Jekyll Harbor Marina
Sunbury Crab Company
VII. Find Sources for LPG (Propane) Tank Refills and Exchanges  

The Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net features special, professionally researched, constantly updated directories designed to help cruisers locate dealers who will exchange and/or refill LPG (propane) tanks in any Southeastern USA port of call. This same data is available in our Marina Directories (see below), but last year it became apparent to us that it would make life lots easier for our fellow cruisers to have this info split out into its own set of directories.

   

Titusville City Marina So, if propane is what you seek, follow these links:

  

North Carolina LPG Availability:

http://cruisersnet.net/category/north-carolina-lpg-cng-availability/ 

  

South Carolina LPG Availability:

http://cruisersnet.net/category/south-carolina-lpg-cng-availability/

  

Georgia LPG Availability:

http://cruisersnet.net/category/ga-lpg-cng-availability/ 

  

Lambs Yacht Center Eastern Florida LPG Availability:

http://cruisersnet.net/category/e-florida-lpg-cng-availability/ 

  

Florida Keys LPG Availability:

http://cruisersnet.net/category/fl-keys-lpgcng-availability/ 

  

Western Florida LPG Availability:

http://cruisersnet.net/category/wf-lpgcng-availability/ 

Palm Cove Marina VIII. Cruising News

 

The oldest and arguably still one of the most useful features of the Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net is found in our various "Cruising News" sections. Here is where your fellow cruisers pass along their most recent on-the-water experiences and advice. Nowhere else is our site's motto, "Cruisers Helping Cruisers" better exemplified.

Ross Marine What some may not know is that you need NOT wade through all the messages from your fellow cruisers pertaining to an entire coastline ("Georgia" for instance). Some years ago, we broke up each Southeastern USA coastline into sub-geographic regions, so that our users could zero in on their waters of interest.

To access these Cruising News sub-regions, locate the red, vertically stacked menus on the right side of all (except Chart View) SSECN pages. Click on the coastline of your choice, again, "Georgia" for example. A sub drop down menu will appear. Now, to continue using Georgia as Legacy Harbour Marina an example, click on "GA Regional Cruising News," and a sub-sub drop down menu will appear. Click on the sub-geographic region of interest, and you will be taken to a page where ONLY those messages from fellow cruisers pertaining to your waters of choice are displayed.

Before leaving this topic, do note that if a Cruising News posting references a marina, anchorage or bridge, we provide St. Petersburg Municipal Marina links to that marina's/anchorage's/bridge's listing in our corresponding directory section. We also provide an easy-to-use link which opens a "Chart View" page centered on the marina/anchorage/bridge in question. 

Gulf Harbour Marina IX. Marina Directories


The Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net's Marina, Anchorage and Bridge directories are part of the "reference content" portion of our web site. So, what do we mean by "reference content?" Quite simply the data presented in these directories has been "professionally researched" by yours truly and/or the SSECN staff. In all cases, each and every marina and anchorage has been personally visited to garner the most up-to-date and accurate information possible.  

 

Fort Myers Municipal Marina And, during the 2011-2012 winter season I personally visited the vast majority of the marinas between North Carolina and and Melbourne, Florida. All the data that was acquired during these extensive travels has already been fed into the various SSECN Marina Directories.

 

Let me also briefly mention a little about what sort of data is provided in our Marina Directories. Our users will find such information as transient dockage rates, type of dockage, total number of slips, available shoreside power hookups, full contact information, and even whether the marina's shoreside showers are climate controlled (air conditioned and/or heated). There is also a chartlet showing the marina's Twin Dolphin Marina position, which is clickable, and, when clicked, opens a Chart View page centered on the marina in question. In short we do our very best to provide you with will ALL the info needed to make an intelligent decision about where to stop along the way.

 

The best way to access our Marina Directories is once again Southwest Florida Yachts by way of the red, vertically stacked menus on the right side of most all SSECN pages. Click on the coastline of your choice, "South Carolina" for example, and then click on the marina choice, in this case, "SC Marinas." A sub-menu will then open, from which you can choose to view all SC marinas, an alphabetical listing of SC marinas, or only those marinas confined to a particular geographic sub-region.  

 Marina at Factory Bay X. Anchorage Directories

Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net Anchorage Directories are very similar to our marina directories, as outlined above. Once again, we present professionally gathered data on a broad range of possible anchorages along the various Southeastern USA Coastlines that we cover on the SSECN. Much of this information is drawn from my 30 years of experience as a cruising guide author, sticking our bow into every nook and cranny repeatedly.

Fort Myers Beach Anchorage SSECN Anchorage data includes an anchorage rating, full location information, depths, swing room and an evaluation of the anchorage's shelter from foul weather. Again, our goal is to provide you, the cruiser, will ALL the professionally researched data necessary to pick out just the right spot to drop your hook for the evening, with reference to the prevailing weather and your vessel's size and draft.

Once again, the best way to access our various Anchorage Directories is by way of the red, vertically stacked menus on the right side of most all SSECN pages. Click on the coastline of your choice, "Florida Keys" for Port St. Joe Marina example, and then click on the anchorage choice, in this case, "FLK Anchorages." A sub-menu will then open, allowing you to choose to peruse all Florida Keys anchorage or narrow your focus to only those anchorages found within a particular geographic sub-region.  
Cammachee Cove Marina XI. PLEASE Support Our Sponsors

May I be so bold as to point out that all the above detailed services, and many more which we simply don't have room here to mention, are provided free of charge to the cruising community. You don't even need a user name nor a password to take advantage of these features.

Vero Beach Municipal Marina The ONLY way we are able to provide these services is through the support of our sponsors, many of whose sponsorship panels you will find sprinkled throughout this special Alert.

We humbly ask that you please patronize our sponsors whenever possible, and mention to them that you appreciate their support of the cruising community, by way of their support for the Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net!

New Smyrna Beach Marina And, of course, we would LOVE to have some additional sponsors as well. It wouldn't hurt my feeling one little bit if my fellow cruisers mentioned to nautical firms who are not yet sponsors, that they might want to consider getting aboard.

Thanks to one and all who made it this far in their reading. We'll have a normal Alert for one and all next week. Until that happy occasion, the entire Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net Staniel Cay Club bunch joins with me in wishing you good cruising and fair winds! 
 
Claiborne S. Young

Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net

http://www.CruisersNet.net  

[email protected]  

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