Scuttlebutt Spring 2014 Page 1

Scuttlebutt Vol. 27 No. 2

Waterway Radio and Cruising Club ‘Serving Radio Amateurs Afloat Since 1963’

I am sitting at home contemplating writing the notes

for the Spring Scuttlebutt and I can’t help thinking

about the vagaries of global warming or whatever you

may choose to call it. Today we have 70 degrees and

tomorrow the high will be 34 with rain, sleet and

snow. Of course, we could be in the Bahamas seeking

protection from the latest cold front. Hi, hi.

Following the success of our Waterway Club picnic

last year we will use the same format for 2014. That

is, a catered affair where all you need to do is send in

your payment. The picnic is scheduled as usual at

Wickham Park for the 16th of November in conjunc-

tion with the SSCA gam in Melbourne. Mark your cal-

endars now!

Thanks to Jeanie/N4WFM, our club Secretary, we

have received permission to reprint an editorial by

Claiborne Young from his Salty Southeast Cruisers

Net blog on the state of the ICW, particularly in Geor-

gia and South Carolina. He has proposed a way to

seek a solution which should be of interest to all of

us. A ‘Call to Action’ as Claiborne terms it.

From your Commodore

— Bob Norman, KE4OIL

Ridge/N3JUY, our Rear Commodore and Weather

Coordinator, has been working on incorporating the

new NOAA weather zones for New England and Mid-

Atlantic coastal waters into our weather format effec-

tive on 2 April. That is discussed in this Scuttlebutt

and should be read by all cruisers. It also involves a

radical change to our weather procedures for all

weather zones. Daily forecasts will no longer be auto-

matically provided. Instead we will use an on-request

system. Your responsibility as cruisers is to request a

desired forecast by zone number. If the new NOAA

web page works as advertised this should allow a

seamless real time fulfillment of each request.

A revised procedure for establishing a float plan has

been implemented. It merely legitimizes current pro-

cedure and emphasizes the cruisers obligations for

reporting on a daily basis and designating a contact

ashore who is available and understands their re-

sponsibilities. The procedure is available in the Net

Guide on our website www.waterwayradio.net. Take a

few minutes to read the entire Net Guide and browse

the rest of the website. Lots of useful info on many

subjects is available. This is a good opportunity to

mention the superb job that our webmaster Bill/

N4UMS is doing in keeping the website up to date

and relevant.

Many of you followed the saga of s/v Moya Mreeya

which partly took place on our Net. The sailboat

grounded on a reef near the coast of Cuba, and

thanks in great part to the coordination efforts of a

great many Hams over the course of thirty-six hours

she was finally pulled free. This story appears in this

issue and is the answer to anyone who questions the

need for ‘old fashioned’ amateur radio on ‘modern’

cruising boats.

I do want to recognize the exceptional efforts of Art/

KC0TPG, our Scuttlebutt editor, who, at last report,

was at the island of Dominica in the Caribbean, prob-

ably trying to find a reliable internet café in order to

put this issue of our newsletter to bed. Good luck and

smooth sailing, Art!

(Continued on page 2)

Page 2

Scuttlebutt Spring 2014

looking for fresh volunteers.

With the reconfiguration of the Atlantic zones – which

I do not disagree with, mind you – we are faced with

some delicate choices. Which areas and products do

we include in our reports, and which must we leave

out? For example: What is now (ANZ085) Baltimore

Canyon to Hatteras Canyon, by the time this article

goes to press will have become (ANZ825), (ANZ828),

and (ANZ925). Let’s face it, we simply do not have

enough time in our allotted slot on the Net to read all

the weather for every zone, especially with the ap-

proach of storm season when we must begin report-

ing the tropical weather as well.

So, here’s the plan. Beginning approximately April 2,

2014, our weather reporters will no longer read the

weather for (ANZ085) as it will soon become obso-

lete. Instead we will provide the following:

(ANZ898) – The synopsis for the New England Wa-

ters (during the appropriate seasons).

(ANZ899) – The synopsis for the Mid-Atlantic Waters

(during the appropriate seasons).

No daily reports will be given for these new zones or

any of the existing zones remaining after the recon-

figuration. For example; the Offshore Waters Fore-

cast for the SW N Atlantic Including the Bahamas,

the South Florida Coastal Waters Forecast, and the

Gulf of Mexico Offshore Waters Forecast will not au-

tomatically be read. Only the synopses and any

watches or warnings will be provided.

For the time being we will continue to provide Current

Conditions in the form of Buoy Reports. We may add

a few or remove a few as deemed appropriate in or-

der to keep our reports timely.

We will continue to conclude our reports by reading

the following:

“THAT COMPLETES THE WEATHER. WE HAVE

WEATHER AVAILABLE FOR ALL ATLANTIC AND GULF

ZONES IF YOU NEED IT. ARE THERE ANY FILLS RE-

QUIRED OR ANY REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL WEATH-

ER?”

Take this as a hint. If you NEED daily reports

(forecasts) for a given area, JUST ASK! Also, please

take the time to print out a copy of the forecast

zones in the link above to use as a reference in the

event you desire additional weather.

Clearly it is the intent of the Ocean Prediction Center

to provide mariners with more detailed and area spe-

cific weather products. With this goal in mind there

(Continued on page 3)

And, as always, a tip of the cap to all of the volun-

teers who make it possible to have an active Water-

way Radio and Cruising Club and a successful radio

Net. Thank you!

See you on the Net and on the water,

Bob KE4OIL

(Continued from page 1)

Weather Forecast Zone

Changes — Ridge Gardner, N3JUY

Ahoy fellow WRCC Members afloat and otherwise,

“Effective Tuesday, April 1, 2014, at 2:00 pm East-

ern Daylight Time (EDT) or 1800 Coordinated Univer-

sal Time (UTC), the Ocean Prediction Center (OPC) of

the National Centers for Environmental Prediction

(NECP) will reconfigure its marine zones for the off-

shore waters in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The Atlantic offshore waters include New England

and the west central North Atlantic. For the Pacific

this includes the offshore waters of Washington, Ore-

gon and California.” Thankfully the Pacific is some-

one else’s concern for now.

Currently there are 8 marine zones covering the At-

lantic offshore waters. These 8 zones will be recon-

figured into 18 zones. According to the OPC, “Marine

observations, local effects, and customer feedback

all indicate that the current marine zones are too

large to provide the necessary detail for the marine

community. This reconfiguration will serve to im-

prove the precision of marine warnings, forecasts

and other services by allowing forecasters to be

more area specific.” See link below for further detail:

http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/new_zones.php

Each and every morning our tireless and dedicated

WRCC weather reporters must download an increas-

ingly large amount of weather data and organize it

into a product that is accurate and informative for

our cruising members and non-members alike. Then

as soon as Net Control has finished asking for emer-

gency traffic, this information must be read over the

air; all in about 10 minutes or less. If you don’t think

that can present a challenge on certain days, I invite

you to join our ranks and give it a try. We are always

Scuttlebutt Spring 2014 Page 3

are a number of excellent resources being brought

on line even as we speak. The link to one such site

is listed below, and although it’s experimental, it

promises to yield tailored weather data based on a

number of criteria including weather zones and lati-

tude and longitude.

http://preview.weather.gov/edd/index.php?t=marine

Initially this transition will take some getting used to

and more than likely require a little “tweaking” to get

everything running like a smoothly oiled machine,

but let’s not forget, we’ve been doing this for over

50 years! I think we can handle it.

73 and smooth sailing,

Ridge – N3JUY

Rear Commodore/Weather Coordinator

(Continued from page 2)

Editor: Figure 3. Planned OPC Atlantic offshore waters zone configuration. Eighteen zones (18) cover

the OPC Atlantic offshore waters.

Copied from http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/new_zones.php

As control operator, on the ham bands at least, I

would like to add my thanks to all that helped during

this incident. A job well done by all. This very well

could have had a very different outcome were it not

for the communications provided by both marine

sideband and amateur radio. Many people were in-

volved in this effort starting with a weak Mayday call

put out by the SV Moya Mreeya on marine SSB in the

very early morning. An op in the Bahamas heard it

and got Ohla, VE3EPU, moved to Chris Parker's net

and then to the Cruiseheimer net. They started things

happening notifying various agencies in Cuba and

the United States. They were then moved to the Ham

band on 14300 and we all started to do what we do

best. Help people in distress when no phone or other

(Continued on page 6)

Moya Mreeya

— Paul VanMeurs , KM4MA

Page 4

Scuttlebutt Spring 2014

At the moment I am on the Carnival

BREEZE, tied up in Aruba. Wind east

at 20kt, mostly cloudy. (Editor: Wed,

Mar 19, 2014 in the PM)

Many of our readers have asked for

some of my cruise ship medical expe-

riences so I’ll share a few.

I hope you find some delight in these stories.

Here is a simple one with a lesson to be learned. Yes-

terday a 24 y/o women came to the medical center

with her husband. She was 18 weeks pregnant and

had a bad case of diarrhea. It had started, not after

eating my ship’s food, but about 6 hours after eating

a meal while ashore in La Romana, D.R. that charm-

ing little port, more or less on the south-east coast,

just a few miles from the capital.

I find it to be a charming town, chosen by Carnival

because it is picturesque and generally safe for tour-

ists, and provides good tours. The problem for my

patient, of course, was that she ate local food and

likely suffered an attack of Montezuma’s Revenge,

the encounter with “third world” E. coli. The “take-a-

way” as they say on TV is..... If you can avoid it don’t

eat the native food when you visit a foreign island.

Sometimes you can prevent the illness by taking tet-

racycline ahead of time, or by eating ashore for sev-

eral weeks to work through the acclimatization to the

local food.

The second case deals, in a way, with suicide risks

on these big ships. On rare occasions these ships

seem to attract depressed people with morbid idea-

tions. We watch for them. They often travel alone.

They bring little or no baggage, and they are not very

social with others. If our crew members detect them

we do our best to offer them a better solution to their

despair, such as counselling or medical intervention,

a phone call to a relative, etc. One example gave a

surprise beginning and a surprise ending. The Securi-

ty Chief, an east-Indian fellow asked me to see a 65

y/o woman in her cabin. She was travelling alone,

had been walking in the passageway complaining to

strangers that she was alone and had no friends

aboard. Security had posted guard outside of her

cabin so she wouldn’t hurt herself. I came up and

interviewed her. She did not appear to be depressed,

just frustrated, and she explained why. She was a

widow. She and a girlfriend had planned to take a

cruise together but at the last minute the girlfriend

had cancelled out, leaving my patient to travel alone.

From my interview my guest did not come across as

suicidal but I felt I had to test her a bit more. It was

New Years’ Eve, about 22:30 hours. It dawned on me

I could accomplish two things at once. I could learn

more of her psyche and I could offer some situational

therapy by a simple maneuver. I excused myself,

asked my patient to wait for me in her cabin and I

would be back shortly. I dashed to the nearest ship’s

bar, bought two champagne cocktails and returned

to the woman’s cabin. I suggested we toast to the

New Year together. She smiled, and giggled and rose

to the occasion, and all of our problems were washed

away. There was one unexpected outcome. She

formed a passing “crush” on me, which took several

days to manage. The final solution came about when

I introduced her to my wife.

The third case I encountered just yesterday. A 48 y/o

retired truck driver was brought to me by his wife and

daughter. They had taken a tour in La Romana. Dur-

ing the tour he had developed a drooping side of his

face, loss of use of his left hand and leg, and loss of

vision to things on the left side. They suffered

through the next hour or two on the tour bus but fi-

nally got back to the ship and came to the medical

center. By then the man was “back to normal” His

symptoms were those of a “TIA”, a symptomatic

threat of a severe stroke, but on taking a careful his-

tory I learned that two years ago the man had had

brain surgery for a brain tumor and more likely than

having a stroke he had had suffered a silent seizure (Continued on page 5)

Comments from the

Sickbay — Jim Hirschman, MD,

Fleet Surgeon, K4TCV

Scuttlebutt Spring 2014 Page 5

Hello everyone. I had hoped by

now that you would have received

the new Roster in the mail and / or

via email. There have been some

complications at the printer and I

do not have them back yet and

actually do not foresee them get-

ting back to me before April 1. I am truly sorry for the

delay, and will try to do something about it for next

year. I know that some of you have drop-dead dates

on your seasonal mailing and I will make sure I pay

attention to that when I mail them out.

If your information is not correct in the Roster (some

changes were incorporated at the last minute so you

should see most of the changes you sent to me in

early March), please let me know. I have made an

updated version of the PDF if you would like it with

the last minute changes in it. I did not think that eve-

ryone would appreciate me sending it out again, but,

hey, what do I know? There actually were some big

errors, so if enough of you tell me you want it resent,

I will be happy to do that. I will definitely do it for

those that only get the PDF version of the Roster.

Secretary/Treasurer’s

Report — Jeanie Schreiber, N4WFM

with a transient post seizure paralysis. I ordered that

he be disembarked on the Dominican Republic for

medical care. He and his family refused me and elect-

ed to all fly back to Florida, taking a bit of a risk. This

case demonstrates several things. Sick people may

take cruises (not-too-smart), we ship doctors see

more than sea sickness and sore throats, and pa-

tients who are willing to take uncalculated chances

may opt not to follow the doctor’s advice. (Some

times without malice)

73 all and smooth sailing.

(Continued from page 4)

Since the last newsletter, my job has mostly been to

get the Roster database updated, format the publica-

tion, and get it to the printer. That actually takes a

fair amount of time, but then a lot has to do with me

being a perfectionist in some things. Picking out the

cover pictures and the matching spiral color was fun

though. Thanks to Bob Kovack and Ridge Gardner

for their beautiful pictures that we used this year. I

liked the contrast between the mountain sailing in

Grand Teton National Park and opening a bridge in

South Florida.

We do have 2 new members that I just could not fit

into this Roster printing cycle, so those are noted

elsewhere in this newsletter. Welcome aboard Bob,

K4RWD and Dave, VA3DMJ.

We now have an additional method that you can use

to pay your dues. If you have a credit card and wish

to pay with it but do not want to go to the trouble of

setting up a PayPal account, I now have a card read-

er and an APP that will let me either swipe a card, or

enter the card information that you provide over the

phone. I hope that you will take advantage of this if

you need that option. Just give me a phone call and

we’ll take care of you.

Jeanie, N4WFM

WRCC Secretary/Treasurer

Ron Knaggs N1GYX with his award for running Winlink

net after the WRCC net each Thursday since 1999.

Page 6

Scuttlebutt Spring 2014

Roster Updates

New Members Since 2014 Roster

K4RWD (G) Sea Trek Denman, Robert Sea Ray 330 Sundancer 1344 San Mateo Dr (941) 639-1393 Punta Gorda FL seatrek1@comcast.net 33950-6311 ___________________________________

VA3DMJ (-) Bodilla Jenkins, David Alberg 37 32 King St. West, Apt 10L (905) 664-4382 Stoney Creek ONT bodilla37@gmail.com L8G 1H5 ___________________________________

Additional Callsigns since 2014 Roster printing

VA3 DMJ - Dave Jenkins K4 RWD G Bob Denman

communications are available. I will not name all involved as this

was covered by both the Maritime Mobile Service Net, Waterway

Net and marine SSB nets and many people were involved. I will

mention those you may know from the waterway net.

A big thank you to Dick W3RDT, [ham & Marine radio] Art KC0TPG

and Dave N4NVI. A special thanks to those that stayed up all night

with me on 7268 taking situation reports from Olha and keeping

her company throughout the night and to the end at about 1430

the next afternoon. Almost 48 hours. They included Bill WA6CCA,

Larry KK4IBQ [now AC4GG], and Bill KI4MMZ. Thanks also to the

Waterway Net allowing us to use net time to work this situation

during part of the net. There were many others that helped with

this on radios, phones and with Emails to various authorities in

the US, Canada and Cuba. Thank you to all for a job well done!

73s KM4MA

CPR. Paul VanMeurs

Editor: the following e-mail is from Olha & Roman on s/v Moya

Mreera:

Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 03:27:00 +0000

> From: VE3EPU@Winlink.org

> Subject: Moya Mreeya

> To: KM4MA@MSN.com

> CC: VE7FHR@Winlink.org

>

> Hi Paul,

>

> First and foremost, let me thank you for all that you have done

throughout last weekend. It is thanks to you and all the other

ham operators who not only gave up their time but were a wonder-

ful support to us. You have no idea what it means to know there

is someone who is there for you as the waves pound, the wind

howls and the rain and lightning surround us. And all the while,

with each crashing boom against the reef, we wonder is this the

one that will break though the steel hull. Will we have to abandon

not only our boat but our dream? Our boat name means My

Dream in Ukrainian and this is my husband's dream, his blood

sweat and tears.

>

> We went aground on Friday at 3:00am, in the morning and were

pulled off the reef 36 hours later on Sunday afternoon. The 4

man crew were very professional and competent. The captain

would take no money from us. We signed a contract on an agreed

reasonable amount and we will be in contact when we get to Va-

radero. This is a salvage company that does all of Cuba but they

(Continued from page 3)

(Continued on page 7)

The WRCC 2013 Picnic Bar was well

stocked! The conversation was also

good!

Scuttlebutt Spring 2014 Page 7

CW Net — Chuck Grey, ND7K

SHORT HISTORY WW CW NET 1990-2013

In the spring of 1990 at a WRCC lunch in Marsh Har-

bor 4 members got together and started the CW net.

They were N4UAU, K1PT, ND7K and KA1RRT, all still

active. There had been a slow net before run by

KA3OCS. Morse proficiency was required for ham

licenses then. The new CW net met every AM and

grew and after about 6 months it was announced on

the WW SSB net and accepted as a companion net.

It has never had By laws or dues and the only officer

is manager now elected once a year. To join just

check into the CW net a few times. Within a couple

of years the net really grew and a roster was pub-

lished at least yearly. Over the years we have had

check ins from Nova Scotia to Panama and the USVI

to Hawaii and one from New Zealand. The average

number of daily check ins is now 20 or more. A CW

Net Yahoo group and Skype are also now active.

We hear paddles, bugs, straight keys and keyboards,

QRP to legal limit power and my left foot.

Chuck ND7K

Some web sites for help in determining what is going

on around the waterways this season:

Salty Southeast Cruisers Net cruisersnet.net

Waterway Guide waterwayguide.com

Active Captain activecaptain.com

Around the Waterways

I wish to express my appreciation for the hospitality

shown to me at the recent Marathon lunches.

Thanks to Chuck and "Snoozer" for their help in get-

ting my General license. Thanks to Mary Ellen, Tom

and Walt for helping "sort out" problems with my orig-

inal radio. Special thanks to Larry for help getting

the new rig operational.

73

Bill

KD8WMJ

Thank You

— Bob Russell, KD8WMJ

have no boat. They must travel by land to the near-

est Guardia and get a boat from them. The Cuban

Coast Guard and military own all boats. There were

9 men on the rescue barge. 2 Coast Guard, 3 "navy”

and the 4 who did the work.

>

> Antillana de Salvamento

> Pezuela# 48/e San Marcos Y More Cojimar H. del

Este, C de la Habana, Cuba

> Telef: 763 9785

> Telefax:766 7592

> E-mail: as@as.transnet.cu

>

> They monitor their line and on HAM 8110 24

hours/day.

>

> It bears repeating that we were very pleased with

their work. They checked the hull for any visible

cracks.

> It may take up to a week to know if there are in-

deed any cracks that may get bigger as time passes.

By then we will be in Varedero.

>

> Again, thank you for all you help and caring.

>

> Olha & Roman

>

(Continued from page 6)

Page 8

Scuttlebutt Spring 2014

Boat U.S. membership with our

group discount

is only $15.00 per year.

Sign up using our

GROUP ID:

Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Crisis

— Claiborne S. Young

How Did We Get Here And What Can Be Done

A MAJOR Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net Editorial

by Claiborne S. Young

Editor: Reprinted with permission from Clairborne S.

Young; Dated 2/21/2014 from the following link:

http://cruisersnet.net/atlantic-intracoastal-waterway-crisis-a-major-salty-southeast-cruisers-net-editorial/

Fellow cruisers, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway

faces a maintenance crisis, the likes of which we

have not seen since the mid 2000’s. Portions of the

AICW in South Carolina and Georgia are now all but

impassable at low tide for the vast majority of cruis-

ing sized vessels. Something must be done about

this state of affairs, and done SOON!

Of course, all of us at the Salty Southeast Cruisers’

Net are well aware that the Waterway has shoaling

problems. A goodly portion of every day is spent re-

searching, geographically cataloguing and publishing

reports from members of the cruising community

about waters along the AICW which have less than

ideal depths, sometimes grounding depths. Four

weeks ago, however, we discovered that we were

missing the forest for the proverbial trees, or, put

another way, we weren’t really in touch with the big

picture of Waterway problems. Now, all that has

changed, and changed in a big way!

This process began with a telephone call from Skip-

per Chase Fields, dockmaster at SALTY SOUTHEAST

CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Isle of Palms Marina, lo-

cated directly off the Waterway, north of Charleston,

SC. Chase expressed concern about low water

depths along the AICW stretch which passes just

north and west of his facility. And, with good reason!

As reported in an earlier SSECN posting (see http://

cruisersnet.net/?p=125717), the latest US Army

Corps of Engineers survey shows 2 ½ foot MLLW

depths on portions of the Waterway channel as it

passes north of the Isle of Palms and east (you can

think of that as “north”) of the Ben Sawyer Bridge.

Yikes

Skipper Chase asked us what the chances were of

getting this stretch dredged in 2014. This was our

“call to action,” not only to answer Chase’s question,

but also to discover how the Waterway had come to

this point.

And so, we set off to interview Brad Pickel, Executive

Director of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Associ-

ation, various officials in the USACOE, and other US

Congressional sources who have asked us not to re-

veal their identity.

What we learned is not only very interesting, but it is

also VITAL KNOWLEDGE for each and every cruiser

who ever intends on cruising the length of the Atlan-

tic Intracoastal Waterway. Let’s start with how the

Waterway got into this condition.

Prior to 2008, the AICW was also having some real

shoaling issues. Then, along came the “stimulus

package” which the first Obama administration was

able to push through Congress. Whatever you may

think of this bill, it did funnel more moneys than had

been available for years into the USACOE coffers, and

the AICW received a whole raft of much needed

dredging. Except for two trouble spots in southern

Georgia (Little Mud River and Jekyll Creek are special

situations), the Waterway was, all of a sudden, in the

best shape it had enjoyed since at least the early

1990’s!

And, for the next year or two, some additional dredg-

ing took place courtesy of what’s known as

“earmarks.” These are, or more precisely, “were,”

additional funding appropriations which were insert-

ed into bills which had nothing whatsoever to do with

the projects that were funded.

Then, as part of the so-called reform movement in

(Continued on page 10)

Scuttlebutt Spring 2014 Page 9

Sunshine

Where the WRCC

Meets to Eat

Bahamas, Nassau - Lunch

December-May, every

Thursday, 12:30

Green Parrot Restaurant C6AGG—Carolyn

Bahamas, George Town, - Lunch Weekly Jan-Mar

Details on the Net

FL, Marathon - Lunch Wednesdays @ 11:30

November to May

Lazy Days Restaurant ND7K-Chuck Grey

FL, Melbourne – Lunch

Dragons Lunch 2nd Wednesday 11:30, Pineda Inn, US Rt 1 North of Mel-bourne. Contact W4KS or KN4RB

FL, Pensacola Beach - Lunch

2nd Tues every month — Hemmingway’s on the Beach Contact Chuck Cook—KE4KEA (850) 380-4217

FL, St. Petersburg - Lunch 2nd Sat 1230 MIDTOWN Sundries, 200 1st Av S

Ken Cowan—KC4OSZ

(727) 821-5383

NC, Oriental - Breakfast - Last Sat 0900 @ Village Restaurant -(Repeater 147.210+ tone 151.4)

Listen to the Net for de-

tails: 7.268 MHz at approxi-

mately 0800 ET. Please con-

tact the Editor with any

changes to this list.

The following members or their families received a card or

flowers from the club:

January

Ridge Gardner N3JUY Surgery

February

Charlie Letourneau KB3HYD Silent Key

March

Chris Grey WA7WOT Accident

John Knauth KF4OIP Silent Key

Be sure to send any Get Well or Silent Key requests or notices to Debbie at

sunshine @ waterwayradio.net

— Debbie Lerner KD4GRR

Ham radio has long been pervasive among cruisers. Seven Seas Cruising As-

sociation (SSCA) Gams, particularly Melbourne and Annapolis, have often ar-

ranged license exams to support members and other attendees who wanted

to become licensed or upgrade. Sometimes arranging the exams has been

difficult.

SSCA is pleased to announce the establishment of a U.S. VE Team under the

auspices of the Laurel VEC. This means that our members with the appropri-

ate existing licenses can offer U.S. amateur radio license exams at a Gam,

breakfast, lunch, potluck or beach near you.

SSCA is proud of our long and enduring relationship with the WWRC. We will

be happy to support your events as well as our own to the best of our ability. If

you have an Extra, Advanced, or General Class amateur radio license and

would like to join the SSCA VE Team please contact Dave Skolnick, KO4MI, S/

V Auspicious at dave@skolnick.org for more information and to sign up.

Sail fast and eat well,

Dave Skolnick S/V Auspicious

SSCA VE Team — Dave Skolnick, KO4MI

Page 10

Scuttlebutt Spring 2014

The SEA CHEST

*FOR SALE*

For Sale: ICOM 718 HF Transceiver with AH-4 auto-

matic antenna tuner.. Lightly used. $200.00

Dick Weaver, KM4YB, stpetescorer@earthlink.net

*WANTED*

Place your wanted items here!

Editor — Remember, this is free. There are no charg-

es to place your item in the Scuttlebutt newsletter.

our Congress, earmarks were abolished. Now, the

Waterway had to sink or swim on specific bills intro-

duced and passed to maintain its depths. Quite

simply, no such bill has ever made it through either

the US House or Senate since the abolishment of

earmarks!

Needless to say, we asked, “Why?” and were some-

what taken aback by the answer. From sources

whose identity we will exercise our First Amendment

rights to protect, we were told that the lack of fund-

ing for the AICW is an up close and personal example

of the total, partisan gridlock now logjamming the US

Congress!

We’ve all heard about this sorry state of affairs on

the news, so amply sponsored by BOTH political par-

ties, but, WOW, talk about bringing a situation to light

in a venue that really HURTS; that’s just what we

have front and center with this lack of Federal fund-

ing for AICW maintenance.

Furthermore, the Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net has

been informed that there is 0% CHANCE OF BREAK-

ING LOOSE ANY FEDERAL MONEYS FOR WATERWAY

DREDGING DURING 2014, AT LEAST! And, the future

of any Federal Waterway funding seems problemati-

cal, to say the very least!

So, we have the following “AICW Problem Stretches”

which are simply going to get worse and worse:

AICW Channel South of McClallanville, SC to

Awenday Creek (see http://cruisersnet.net/?

(Continued from page 8) p=56218)

AICW North of Ben Sawher Bridge to Isle of Palms

Bridge (see http://cruisersnet.net/?p=101792)

Ashepoo – Coosaw Cutoff (see http://

cruisersnet.net/?p=5480)

Intersection of Wright River and Northern Fields Cut

(see http://cruisersnet.net/?p=5487)

Fields Cut (see http://cruisersnet.net/?p=5479)

Hell Gate (see http://cruisersnet.net/?p=5478)

Little Mud River (see http://cruisersnet.net/?

p=5477)

Jekyll Creek (see http://cruisersnet.net/?p=5476)

AICW Channel Through Cumberland Dividings (see

http://cruisersnet.net/?p=36781)

Now, those who are very perceptive may have no-

ticed that none of the “Problem Stretches” listed

above reside in the states of Florida, or North Caroli-

na. Herein lies HOPE for the future of the AICW!

Since the 1930’s Florida has had a state agency

known as the “Florida Inland Navigational District (or

“FIND”), which is funded by a portion of the taxes

collected from all state citizens. Put in its simplest

terms, where the Federal government does not

dredge the Florida portion of the Waterway (and oth-

er coastal waters such as inlets), “FIND” does!

Far more recently, my home state of North Carolina

made a bold move in 2013 to improve both mainte-

nance of the AICW and inlets along the Tar Heel

coastline. A new bill was passed by the legislature in

Raleigh which diverts a portion of the revenues col-

lected by both boat registration and taxes paid on

marine fuel purchases, into a fund to dredge coastal

waters. Along with some Federal hurricane relief

moneys courtesy of Hurricane Sandy, this new law

has resulted in currently underway dredging projects

which will address ALL AICW Problem Stretches

along the North Carolina portion of the Waterway. A

completion date for all this dredging activity is slated

for early April, 2014 (see http://cruisersnet.net/?

p=135383).

Unfortunately, as I have been preaching for the last

15 years (at least), if the AICW becomes unnavigable

in one place, that disrupts the entire semi-annual

“snowbird migration” cycle. And, the entire South-

eastern USA pleasurecraft industry, including mari-

nas, repair yards, boat manufacturers and equip-

ment suppliers, is predicated on this twice a year

(Continued on page 11)

Scuttlebutt Spring 2014 Page 11

movement of vessels north or south on the AICW.

So, no matter how good the condition of the Water-

way in North Carolina and Florida might be, there are

still two other states in the middle. If the AICW deteri-

orates in SC and GA, the migration will be disrupted,

and we are back to proverbial “square one.”

What must be done is to convince the state legisla-

tures in South Carolina and Georgia to undertake a

similar plan of action as that adopted by North Caroli-

na in 2013. Until and if the situation in Washington is

straightened out, our sources tell us this is the only

viable plan of action.

How can members of the cruising community help?

First, as you are cruising south or north on the Water-

way, or just doing some in-state exploration of your

home waters, and you observe depths that are less

than what is expected on the AICW, SEND THE SALTY

SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET THAT INFORMATION AT

YOUR EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY. We will not only

make sure fellow cruisers share in your observations,

but, working through the Atlantic Intracoastal Water-

way Association, we can use this data as

“ammunition” with the South Carolina and Georgia

legislatures.

Secondly, we urge you to spend a whole, whopping

$25.00 and join the Atlantic Intracoasal Waterway

Association (“AIWA,” http://www.atlintracoastal.org/

join-aiwa). These good people are taking the LEAD in

lobbying the Palmetto State and Peach State legisla-

tures to do their part in taking care of the AICW. THE

AIWA DESERVES THE SUPPORT OF EVERY CRUISER

WHO PLIES THE WATERS OF THE ATLANTIC INTRA-

COASTAL WATERWAY!

Finally, and on a personal note, so my late Mother

told me, I have been cruising the Waterway since I

was 2 years old (really don’t remember that first trip

or two), and I grew up making the semi-annual trek

from North Carolina to Fort Lauderdale in the fall,

and then reversing the process come spring time. I

can’t imagine Southeastern USA cruising without the

AICW, and I bet you can’t either.

Let’s all do our part to preserve this magnificent re-

source, and save it for future generations of cruisers.

Thanks so much for your time and attention. Good

luck and good cruising to all!

— Claiborne S. Young

(Continued from page 10) DECEMBER PRIDE

It was the month of December, there was plenty of

snow,

The dedicated trafficer listened to the radio,

To be on a net, to help if they might,

To relay or deliver, a message in flight.

The traffic kept coming, it seemed by the score,

The NCS put both feet on the floor,

One hand held a pencil, the other a key,

He kept turning the dial, for a clear frequency,

To send off some stations, to bring the count down,

One look at his face, showed you a frown….

But after a callup, the frown changed to a smile,

Because at a glance, he knew that the pile,

Of traffic that was listed, there on his sheet,

Could now be handled, by those he did greet.

Some ask why we do this, you know it’s not pay,

There’s one thing I know you safely can say,

That we in Public Service are proud of our work,

Just doing a job, we know we can’t shirk.

So why do we do it,’ cuz it’s just plain fun,

To deliver a message saying ARL sixty one,

To a complete stranger on the other end of the

phone,

Who knows now on Christmas, they aren’t alone.

Many Decembers have passed, and here we still sit,

At our ham shack desks, listening to dahs and dits,

As we copy the message, letter for letter,

Knowing our time could not be spent better.

A smile on our faces, a good feeling inside,

What is it called? I think it’s called PRIDE.

By Mark Rappaport W2EAG

December, 1985

Bill-WA6CCA & Naoma-N4QIW—2013 Picnic

Waterway Radio and Cruising

Club

Scuttlebutt is published quarterly to inform membership about Waterway Net news, activities and items of interest. Club Officers and Staff: Commodore: Bob Norman KE4OIL Vice Commodore: Al Miles KG4VIB Rear Commodore: Ridge Gardner N3JUY Sec/Treas: Jeanie Schreiber N4WFM Send Roster Updates & Address Changes to: secretary@waterwayradio.net Fleet Capt: Ed Napoleon KC4JKW Safety Officer: Tom Rader K4WJC Scuttlebutt Editor: Art Howard KC0TPG Send articles and pictures to: Editor@waterwayradio.net Exam. Coordinator: Ron Knaggs N1GYX Fleet Surgeon: Jim Hirschman K4TCV Sunshine Fund: Debbie Lerner KD4GRR Requests: sunshine @ waterwayradio.net Weather Coord.: Rich Gardner N3JUY Historian: Open ………. Webmaster: Bill Boyle N4UMS Contributions Please send to: Jeanie Schreiber N4WFM Membership Application may be downloaded from the WRCC web-site: www.waterwayradio.net

Inside This Issue Commodore’s Message ............... 1 Weather Forecast Zone Changes .. 2 Moya Mreeya ........................... 3 Comments from the Sick Bay ....... 4 Secretary/Treasures Report ......... 5 Roster Updates......................... 6 Thank You .............................. 7 CW Net ................................. 7 Around the Waterways ............... 7 Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Crisis ............................................ 8 SSCA VE Team ........................ 9 Sunshine ................................. 9 Luncheon Schedule .................... 9 Sea Chest ............................... 10 December Pride ...................... 11

Scuttlebutt Waterway Radio and Cruising Club

27 Cheyenne Ct.

Palm Coast, FL

32137-8966

S/v Samana is at anchor in Prince Rupert Bay, Ports-

mouth, Dominica while I put together the Spring Scuttle-

butt. All the WiFi is either expensive to purchase or

locked up with a security code, as it should be. We took

a dinghy ride to the Blue Bay Grill and Bar and obtained

the code for their WiFi. So now I have WiFi on the boat

since we are not anchored very far away. In return we go back for sun-

downers and an occasional snack. Everyone stays happy this way!

I have lost track of how many different places your Scuttlebutt has been

edited. This issue and possibly the next will be from some place in the

Eastern Caribbean where the weather has been very nice this winter. The

Christmas trades were really strong but now the trades are starting to

slacken some. There may be many more pleasant days coming in the

spring. Listening to the Coconut Telegraph on 8.170 MHz USB, where I

check in sometimes, there are boats already positioning for haul out this

time of year. For some the winter cruising season is ending already!

Please share your news, stories, photos, items of interest, comments and

suggestions. Send them to:

Editor@waterwayradio.net or

alhowar@attglobal.net.

73, Art — KC0TPG

Vol. 27 No. 2, Spring 2014