In This Issue
I. First Annual "Taste The Good Life In Little Washington" Festival Slated For February 21, 2013 6:00 - 8:30pm
II. "Druggies" Using Crab Pots In the Gulf of Mexico??????
III. A New Wrinkle in the Florida Sojouners Permit/FL Registration Discussion
IV. AICW Problem Stretch Shoaling Confirmed Near McClellanville, SC, Statute Mile 434
V. Ft. Pierce City Marina Entrance Channel Dredging Underway, AICW Statute Mile 966.5
VI. Major New Facility, "Port City Marina" Slated to Open in Downtown Wilmington, NC During Summer, 2013
VII. IMPORTANT - Okeechobee Waterway to be Partially CLOSED, 2/11/13 to 3/11/13
VIII. Dredging of Two North Carolina AICW Problem Stretches Confirmed
IX. Ballast Point/Tampa Yacht Club Aid to Navigation Destroyed, Hillsboro Bay, Tampa, FL
X. Report and Comments on Bradenton Beach Anchorage (Western Florida ICW, Statute Mile 87)
XI. UPDATE ON GILMERTON BRIDGE!...AICW Statute Mile 5.8
River Dunes Marina North Carolina

I. First Annual "Taste The Good Life In Little Washington" Festival Slated For February 21, 2013 6:00 - 8:30pm

 
We are pleased to help promote a new, very special and undoubtedly very TASTY festival set in SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS' NET SPONSOR, Washington, NC!!! While the late North Carolina winter weather can be a bit unpredictable, we often do get conditions ideal for cruising up the Pamlico River to Washington's excellent city docks, in late February. If this happy condition proves to be the case, we urge all year round NC cruisers, or even very early northbound snowbirds, to take advantage of what I'm sure will be an absolutely scrumptious festival. I only hope that yours truly and his taste buds can be there!
R. E. Mayo Seafood Docks
Find all the mouth watering details at:

http://cruisersnet.net/?p=105799 
Anchorage Marina Western Florida

II. "Druggies" Using Crab Pots In the Gulf of Mexico??????

Honestly fellow cruisers, if you don't follow any other links in this Alert, PLEASE don't miss this one.

Deep Point Marina All I will say in advance is that this entire situation reminds me very much of the lyrics of one of my favorite 1960's songs:

"It's a strange, strong world we live in, Master Jack!"

Don't dare miss:

http://cruisersnet.net/?p=105807
Shores at Spooners Creek Eastern Florida, Florida Keys, Western Florida

 

III. A New Wrinkle in the Florida Sojouners Permit/FL Registration Discussion

 

The whole issue around the so-called Florida Sojourners permit seems to engender a discussion that never ends. It was only a week ago in our last SSECN alert that we linked yet another discussion concerning this issue, entitled "Florida Sojourner's Permit Reprise" (see http://cruisersnet.net/?p=104513).

Edenton North Carolina City Docks Well, that article has led to yet another, not completely resolved, discussion about several other issues centered about the Sojourners Permit:

1. Are Federally Documented vessels which are NOT ALSO state registered, in violation of Florida state law, if said vessels stays in Floridian waters LESS THAN 90 DAYS?

2. Are owners of Federally Documented vessels, whose home port resides in a state that refuses to state register Federally Documented vessels, and, therefore, their vessels are not state registered, in violation of Florida state law.
McCotters Marina
3. Are there any means for older vessels to avoid some of the Florida taxing and permitting headaches?

I will tell you in advance, that only item #3 above is completely resolved by the discussion linked below, BUT all this verbiage is very informative, and necessary reading for all who take, or plan to take, their vessels into Floridian waters.
Albemarle Plantation Marina
Don't miss:

http://cruisersnet.net/?p=105475
Dowry Creek Marina South Carolina  

IV. AICW Problem Stretch Shoaling Confirmed Near McClellanville, SC, Statute Mile 434

Toucan Grill Due to persistent shoaling, in early 2011 we designated the Waterway, south of McClellanville, South Carolina to Awendaw Creek, as an "AICW Problem Stretch."  Now, in a just published report, authored by Captain Ray Schmidt, we discover why these waters so richly deserve their "problem stretch" designation.

Check out:

http://cruisersnet.net/?p=105733
Eastern Florida

V. Ft. Pierce City Marina Entrance Channel Dredging Underway,  AICW  Statute Mile 966.5

Southport Marina The entrance channel leading to Fort Pierce City Marina, a SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS' NET SPONSOR, runs to the west, just south of the Fort Pierce high-rise bridge, and well north of marker #188. This passage is currently being dredged, leading to its being closed for a good chunk of the daylight hours.

Fortunately, cruisers in the know can avoid these restrictions Coinjock Marina with advance planning. Learn how at:

http://cruisersnet.net/?p=105730
Port City Marina North Carolina

VI. Major New Facility, "Port City Marina" Slated to Open in Downtown Wilmington, NC During Summer, 2013

Morehead City Yacht Basin The Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net is very pleased to announce that our latest SSECN Sponsor, Port City Marina, will open during this upcoming summer (2013) in downtown Wilmington, NC. This facility will offer the cruising community just about everything that a cruising captain and crew could desire, and will be a MAJOR boost to the cruising amenities offered by the city of Wilmington.

Port City Marina will be located upstream of the existing city docks, also on the Cape Fear's eastern banks. The marina's basin has been dredged (see photos in article linked below) immediately north of the Wilmington Convention Center.
Manteo Waterfront Marina
Coupled with SSECN Sponsor, Bennett Brothers Yachts - Cape Fear Marina, and the city docks, cruisers will now have a HOST of reasons to abandon the familiar confines of the AICW, and cruise upstream to this exciting port city.

Learn LOTS more about Port City Marina, and peruse an artist's rendering of the new facility at:

http://cruisersnet.net/?p=105721
Downtown Beaufort Marina Okeechobee Waterway 
 
VII.  IMPORTANT - Okeechobee Waterway to be Partially CLOSED, 2/11/13 to 3/11/13

Charleston Harbor Marina WOW, we have just received the extract linked below, cherry picked from the latest Local Notice to Mariners, from our "man on the scene" in Stuart, Florida, Captain Ted Guy, maritime attorney and past president of the Treasure Coast Marina Industry Association. Captain Ted really keeps the cruising community and the SSECN in the know about what's happening in his home, and nearby, waters!

Port Royal Landing Marina Taken at face value, this notice suggests that the Okeechobee Waterway will be CLOSED for much of the daylight hours from February 11, 2013 to March 11, 2013, thus requiring cruisers to transit the eastern section of this highly useful avenue for cruising from the west to the east coast of Florida, or the other way around, in the early morning or late afternoon. This means that Captains navigating the Okeechobee during at least the early part of the spring, 2013 transient season, will have to carefully manage their schedule around these restrictive hours.
Charleston City Marina
So, if you plan to cruise the Okeechobee between the dates listed above, run, don't walk, to:

http://cruisersnet.net/?p=105553
Dolphin Cove Marina North Carolina  Eastern Florida        

VIII. Dredging of Two North Carolina AICW Problem Stretches Confirmed

 

As previously announced here on the Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net, both the AICW/New River/New River Inlet Intersection (Statute Mile 246) and the AICW/Browns Inlet Intersection (Statute Mile 237) were slated for late 2012, early 2013 dredging. 


Dataw Island Marina We have just received on-the-spot reports that both of these perennial AICW Problem Stretch dredging projects are now complete, and the results, at least for the moment, are very good news.

Learn all there is to know at:

http://cruisersnet.net/?p=105787  (AICW/Browns Inlet Intersection)
Harborwalk Marina
and

http://cruisersnet.net/?p=105253  (AICW/New River/New River Inlet Intersection) 
Harbourgate Marina Western Florida

IX. Ballast Point/Tampa Yacht Club Aid to Navigation Destroyed, Hillsboro Bay, Tampa, FL

Skull Creek Marina Ballast Point, which flanks Hillsborough Bay's westerly shore, is the home of Tampa Yacht Club. This club's harbor is projected by an artificial reef. Looks like, according to the article linked below, cherry picked from the latest Local Notice to Mariners, that they've lost one of the markers denoting their reef.

Full details at:

http://cruisersnet.net/?p=105502
Myrtle Beach Yacht Club Western Florida

X. Report and Comments on Bradenton Beach Anchorage (Western Florida ICW, Statute Mile 87)

Osprey Marina Two important notes need to be considered when evaluating this anchor down spot. First, successful entry can be very tricky for first-timers, AND the city of Bradenton Beach has twice tried to regulate this anchorage, first by creating a mooring field, and later by city registration of boats. Both attempts failed, but who knows what the future may bring!

For a very up-to-date look at what's happening in this seemingly controversial anchorage, please visit:
Isle of Palms Marina
http://cruisersnet.net/?p=105162
St. Johns Yacht Harbor Virginia to North Carolina    

XI. UPDATE ON GILMERTON BRIDGE!  AICW Statute Mile 5.8

Gilmerton Highway Bridge crosses the Waterway just south of Norfolk and has been the subject of much attention since the construction and resulting number of closures began last fall.

Bucksport Marina For the very latest on this span, including a multi-day closure this month (January, 2013), please visit:

http://cruisersnet.net/?p=105154

That's all for now. Good luck and good cruising to all!

Barefoot Marina Claiborne S. Young
Salty Southeast Cruisers' Net
          
 
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