St. Augustine Lions Seafood Festival

Now in its 37th year, the Lions Seafood Festival is one of the most anticipated events of
the year. Held at Francis Field in downtown St. Augustine, March 16-18, the Festival is
not only a feast for the palate (18 individual restaurants and food trucks will be preparing
seafood specialties) but for all the senses, with live music, an artists village, and activities
for the whole family, including a pirate village, magic shows, and belly dancers.

All net proceeds go to Lions Club charities.

lionsfestival.com

By Bob Arrington, Southern Boating March 2018

More Southeast Updates:

Savannah Boat Show

Miami Sailing Week

Florida governor recommends GPS emergency beacons.

Boating tragedies in Florida’s waters prompted Governor Rick Scott to write a letter to the state constituents supporting proposed boating safety legislation. The legislation encourages emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) and personal locator beacons (PLB) to be part of all boaters’ onboard safety equipment, reducing registration fees for all classes of boats with the equipment.

Proposed law for FWC pullovers

Some say that overzealous Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers ruin great days on the water with their random checks. Others say they are necessary to deter illegal fishing, hunting and safety violations. Under a law proposed by Florida State Representative Ritch Workman, officers would need probable cause before stopping boaters. Workman said he wants to see more reasonable stops with FWC officers checking boats only if suspicious activity is observed. Workman said he envisions a safe boating sticker placed next to the boat’s registration after it passes inspection to limit boaters being hassled. If the proposed law (House Bill 703) passes, it would take effect July 1, 2016.

Improved Cuba charts

With increased cruising to Cuba from the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Cuba are working together to improve nautical charts especially in the Straits of Florida. Following up on a Spring 2015 meeting with U.S. and Cuban chartmakers in Havana to work on a new international paper chart—INT Chart 4149 covering south Florida, The Bahamas, and north Cuba—the group then met in Maryland to discuss future collaboration and improving nautical charts.

Shipwreck artifacts returned

Updating the discovery of items from the Confederate CSS Georgia shipwreck, 30,000 articles were raised. Unique items kept for archiving by the U.S. government include small buttons, hilts of knives and swords, an intact glass bottle, leather boots, and an earring. Texas A&M is studying 13,000 articles at their lab, and 16,697 non-unique articles were returned to the mud of the Savannah River in plastic boxes, which, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers archaeologist Julie Morgan, will help preserve them. The Confederate gunship was sunk in 1864 in the Savannah River by its own crew to prevent the ship’s capture by Union troops during the Civil War.

Shoaling at Lockwoods Folly Inlet

North Carolina’s Lockwoods Folly Inlet Intersection near Cape Fear River, Little River Buoy 47, has a 250-yard shoal extending into the federal channel with depths from less than one foot to five feet at mean low water.

Handicapped sailor sails solo

Be on the lookout for Cliff Kyle aboard his 26′ Pearson Abby Normal traveling south on the ICW. Sailing solo can be challenging and for a man with one leg it could be more so, but Kyle throttles full steam ahead with a cheery disposition. “One thing sailing teaches you is how to handle what’s thrown at you and navigate through it,” says Kyle. When his house in Kentucky was foreclosed a couple of years ago, 40-something Kyle headed back to the sea and lived off the coast of Florida in the 1990s. He personally made several modifications on his vessel while sailing to Block Island, Mystic and the Chesapeake Bay. His final destination this season is St. Augustine or possibly The Bahamas.

By Nancy E. Spraker, Southern Boating Magazine April 2016

Buccaneers return to St. Augustine.

St. Augustine, Florida, is about to get plundered just like it did four centuries ago! Join the annual historic reenactment of the sacking and burning of the town on Saturday, March 5^th. The event is a recreation of Captain Robert Searle’s and his privateers’ raid in 1668 and begins at 4:30PM in the old city starting at the Plaza de la Constitución and ending at the Old City Gates, where the English brigade will battle the pirates. (Searle and crew sailed from Jamaica to loot the silver ingots held in the royal coffers.) During the day from 10AM to 4PM, the Fountain of Youth Park will host drills, demonstrations and living history interpretations. The event is free and new recruits are welcome. hfm.club

Cocoa water tower gets recognition

The Cocoa water tower, a famous ICW landmark that guides mariners into Cocoa, Florida, was named 2015 Tank of the Year. The 156-foot tower is the cover photo on the 2016 Water Tank Calendar. Its freshly painted 25-foot-high American Flag must have wowed judges.

Free dockage & services

• Oriental, North Carolina: A free, town-maintained pump-out station is available. New restrooms for maritime guests were opened early December at Town Dock #2.

• Thunderbolt, Georgia: Just outside of Savannah on Country Club Creek, make way to The Wyld Dock Bar, where patrons can dock for free. Gypsy Jazz Music and a $20 all-you-can-eat oyster roast beckon for a stop over.

• Little Sisters Creek, Florida: At the junction of the St. John’s River and the ICW, Jim King Park offers free dockage. The park boasts a new ramp and is a prime spot for offshore and inshore fishing.

Changes to anchorage area

Two separate anchorages have been proposed to protect coral and its habitat in the Port of Miami area by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI). After eight years of study, SEFCRI, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Anchorage Working Group propose a western anchorage and a larger eastern anchorage. Damage to coral from anchoring not only affects coral survival but also the marine ecosystem as a whole. The Coast Guard oversees anchoring for both recreational and commercial vessels and has in the past established anchorages in the Atlantic Ocean east of Miami Beach. All agencies involved are reviewing comments.

Single-leaf operations

Repairs are underway on the Dania Beach Boulevard Bridge in Broward County, Florida, located across the ICW at mile 1069.4. The bascule bridge is on one-leaf operation with a four-hour notice for a double-leaf opening through March 30^th. For double-leaf opening call Quinn Construction at (941) 722-7722.

Caffeinated beaches

In December, coffee lovers’ dreams came true when hundreds of Cuban coffee cans and vacuum-sealed bricks washed ashore on Indialantic Beach, Florida. Delighted beachcombers scooped them into trash bags. The inadvertent presents were cargo from about 25 containers that fell off a large Puerto Rico-bound barge somewhere between Cape Canaveral and Palm Beach. Other lost cargo included cell batteries, ramen noodles, dog food, bird seed, and bags of wine. After the spill, mariners dodged wayward containers in the Gulf Stream.

By Nancy E. Spraker, Southern Boating Magazine March 2015

Upgrades in the Carolinas

New owners purchased the historic River Forest Manor and Marina in Belhaven, North Carolina, in October with renovations in mind. Most of the new owners are cruisers and members of the River Rat and Belhaven Yacht Clubs. All docking facilities will be fully operational during improvements. Visitors will find new bathrooms with showers, marina office and free laundry facilities upon completion. Services already available include diesel and non-ethanol 89 octane gas, 30-, 50- and 100-amp electrical services, Wi-Fi, golf carts, deep water transient slips, and a swimming pool. Belhaven is the birthplace of the Intracoastal Waterway and boasts of several popular eateries. riverforestmarina.com, riverratyachtclub.com, belhavenyachtclub.org

Fernandina Beach, Florida, has been called the “birthplace of the modern shrimping industry.” In 1902, Sicilian Mike Salvador introduced motorized boats to the industry, and generations of the Greek Deonas family helped establish what was the largest shrimping industry in the world for decades. Although tourism now replaces shrimping, Amelia Island remembers its past with a new satellite museum of the Amelia Island Museum of History in Fernandina Beach. Hours are 10AM to 4PM Monday through Saturday, and 1PM to 4PM on Sundays. ameliamuseum.org

After Georgetown, South Carolina’s devastating fire in 2013, debris was cleared and Harborwalk was rebuilt, but little else has taken place due to new construction standards and lack of funds. After some controversy, however, in November 2014 the city applied for a Community Development Block Grant funding for business development purposes. Hopes are that the waterfront will return to its former glory this year.

[photomosaic ids=”6018,6019,6020,6021″ orderby=”rand”]

Cruisers to St. Augustine, Florida, now have a shuttle bus service. The first of three bus routes takes visitors to St. Augustine Municipal Marina and other nearby marinas, Sailors Exchange, West Marine, and other businesses. Two other daytime runs stop at marinas, uptown St. Augustine, the Vilano Pier, Publix, restaurants, offices, and attractions. Evening routes accommodate area dining and entertainment. Updates are available at the St. Augustine Cruisers Net Facebook page. Schedule is available at waterwayguide.com/images/St-Augustine-Shuttle-SCHEDULE.pdf.

An official dog park now adjoins the Vero Beach Municipal Marina in Vero Beach, Florida. The 6.5-acre field is completely fenced in with separate areas for big and little dogs. Private donations and volunteer grunt work made the park with its water fountain, bowls and a safety entryway possible. Seadogs and their masters may access the park with dinghies.

The Miami International Boat Show is headed to Miami Marine Stadium in 2016 and 2017, and possibly into the future. A $30 million renovation is in store for the battered Miami Marine Stadium that closed after 1992 Hurricane Andrew. Changes include replacing asphalt with grass and trees, as well as building a modest marine-exhibit building. The boat show will occupy existing parking lots, temporary structures and a small portion of its water basin with little interference to local rowers and paddlers.

Free pump-outs in the Florida Keys may end in 2017. Monroe County is losing substantial financial support from the state Department of Environmental Protection. The county’s proof of pump-out requirement in larger live-aboard anchorages helps protect Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

By Nancy E. Spraker, Southern Boating March 2015

“All Aboard Florida” Potentially Threatens the Marine Industry

Increased future rail traffic is certain to impact Fort Lauderdale’s marine industry. A high-speed passenger train between Miami and Orlando under the project name “All Aboard Florida,” and projects in Port Everglades and the Port of Miami require building several new bridges over 30 or more waterways. The New River railroad bridge in central downtown Fort Lauderdale is a main concern and when closed offers a slim four-foot clearance. Since many of the area’s refit and repair yards are up the New River, the slow-paced bridge would be closed more often. A 2009 study showed the bridge closing for 20 minutes, 11 times a day. Fear is that with added hindrance to marine traffic, repairs and jobs in the area’s marine industry will go elsewhere. Concerned citizens and boat owners are encouraged to contact Governor Rick Scott, state legislators, and Florida congressional delegation. allaboardflorida.com

Shipwrecks rich with history
A mysterious shipwreck near St. Augustine, Florida, was identified as the Bermuda schooner The Deliverance, wrecked in a brutal 1947 storm. The vessel was named after the original Bermudian Deliverance that helped settlers in Jamestown in 1608. The shipwreck of the SS Central America in 1857 led to the first worldwide financial crisis and is now being raised off the coast of North Carolina. Within its hold is 21 tons of gold worth $100 million. Its recovery by Tommy Thompson in 1988 led to litigation against him and his eventual fugitive status in 2012. And finally, budding maritime archaeologists are measuring and mapping century-old Carolina duck hunting skiffs to create models using 3-D printers at East Carolina University’s Maritime Studies Program. By doing so, students learn how a boat is put together—a prerequisite to examining shipwrecks.ecu.edu/cs-cas/maritime

Free dockage in North Carolina
Mariners Wharf’s free docks in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, are even more inviting to visiting cruisers this season with new restrooms and showers. Elizabeth City is on the ICW halfway between Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks. Restrooms are free and showers are $5, payable at Elizabeth City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau or the Elizabeth City Downtown, Inc. offices. Both offices are closed on weekends. discoverelizabethcity.com

Another friend to ICW transients is the North Carolina Museum in Beaufort, North Carolina, known for its artifacts from Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge. The expansion on Gallants Channel just north of downtown brings deep-water fixed 1,500-foot wharfs, 10-slip floating docks, and a 110-foot face dock. Short-term dockage is just $1 per-foot per-night or $10 per foot per month. Water and power are available, but there are no shore-side facilities as of yet.

Biscayne Bay navigation notes
Severe shoaling continues to be a problem along the ICW near Bakers Haulover Inlet near Biscayne Bay Buoy 7B south to DBN 11 and from Biscayne Bay 6A to Biscayne Bay DBN8. Channel depth and width vary, and at any tide boats may be pushed east or west out of the channel. Cruisers should contact dredge Jenni Lea II on VHF channel 13, 16 or 78, or local tow boat operators for information on a good deep water passage around the shoal.

By Nancy E. Spraker, Southern Boating July 2014