East Coast Alerts
By Mel Neale
October 18, 2007

MMSI Number Update:
The following is the text of an email being sent to all BoatUS MMSI registrants:

Did you know that you have to change your MMSI number if you want to cruise internationally?

Due to a glitch in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensing system, your MMSI issued by BoatUS is seen as "invalid" when you choose later to obtain an FCC radio license. BoatUS is trying to fix this problem. In response to a recent FCC Public Notice, we are writing to ask you to tell the FCC to fix their system so boaters can avoid this unneeded inconvenience and cost. Comments are due by November 13, 2007.

Background:  
Even though the MMSI VHF radio numbers issued by BoatUS come from the FCC, the FCC's radio licensing system does not accept our MMSI numbers (or those issued by any other private entity) back into their database. This problem occurs when a boater who obtained a number from BoatUS, intended for those boating only on U.S. waters and not needing a license, later decides to cruise to foreign ports and applies for an FCC Ship Station License, as currently required. The BoatUS MMSI numbers are rejected by the FCC, forcing the boater to (1) obtain a new MMSI number from the FCC and (2) go to the trouble and expense of getting their DSC radio reprogrammed with the new number. This often requires sending the radio back to the manufacturer or a service agency with fees.

In May, a petition was filed with the FCC to correct this problem by the National GMDSS Implementation Task Force, of which BoatUS is a member.

Current Situation:    
The FCC just released a Public Notice on this petition seeking comments from vessel operators on the inconvenience and cost of embedding new MMSI numbers in DSC VHF marine radios. This notice outlines the request, as well as the comment period which ends 11/13/07.

Click here to read the notice:   http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-07-4212A1.doc

BoatUS Stance:
BoatUS supports streamlining this system, so that boat operators can easily continue to use their MMSI number when they decide to travel internationally, and privately issued numbers are as trouble-free as those issued by the FCC.

What You Can Do:
Please let the FCC know:

That you want this problem fixed so that privately issued MMSI numbers are "portable," the same policy granted to cell phone users.

If you have had your own experience trying to use your MMSI number when applying for an FCC license, please include details, especially if there were costs involved in re-programming your radio.

As more people retire and decide to go cruising, this problem is very likely to get worse. The time to correct it is now.

The integrity of the U.S. Coast Guard's search and rescue system depends upon boaters properly registering their radios. Any unnecessary problems in doing so will deter people from registering or obtaining a license from the FCC.

You can send your comments via email, using the FCC's designated form. Send an e-mail to ecfs@FCC.gov with the words "get form" in the message. A reply e-mail with form and instructions will be sent to you. Remember that comments are due no later than 11/13/07. When you write, refer to the docket number: WT 07-230. All comments will be available for public inspection.

Please share this information with your cruising friends and clubs. We look forward to working together to make boating safer and to streamline compliance with government regulations.

 *Italicized text above and below indicates our comment or paraphrase. Plain text is copied from the Notices to Mariners or other sources given.

 LORAN-C Operations, Loran Data Change (LDC) Research:
From the 5 th and 7 th District LNM 42:

(A.) LORAN Stations Jupiter, Florida (7980-Y), Las Cruces, New Mexico (9610-X), and Middletown, California (9940-X) will be on air testing the Loran Data Channel (LDC) uninterrupted until further notice.

(B.) LORAN Stations Seneca, New York (8970-X), Gillette, Wyoming (8290-X), and Grangeville, Louisiana (7980-Y) will be on air testing LDC between 0800 and 1500 local time Monday through Friday.

(C.) LORAN Stations Dana, Indiana (9960-Z) and George, Washington (5990-Y) are expected to begin testing LDC in the near further.

(D.) The test broadcast will use pulse position modulation of a ninth pulse added one thousand microseconds after the standard pulse group. Throughout the test period the signal will meet all service performance parameters published in the 1994 specification of the LORAN-C signal. User should not experience any tracking errors or service interference from this test broadcast. Users will be notified of any changes to the test schedule and when the testing is complete.

(E.) LORAN users are encouraged to report any LORAN service degradation or outages that may experience via the Navigation Information Service (NIS) by calling (703) 313-5900 or by using the NAVCEN web site-s report a LORAN problem worksheet at www.navcen.uscg.gov. Additional information on the LORAN data channel and the 1994 LORAN-C signal specification may also be found at this website.

East Passage, Narragansett Bay, RI, Radio Fog Signal:
This is a new one on me. And won’t some folks have fun with this? From the USCG 1 st District LNM 40: The fog signal on Hog Island Shoal Light (18145) is being changed to radio activated. During times of reduced visibility, mariners are requested to turn their VHF radio to Channel 79. By keying their microphone, 5 times consecutively, while on Channel 79, this will activate the fog signal for 45 minutes. Any questions regarding this change may be directed CWO3 Mark E. Ferreira @ 617-223-8352 or mark.e.ferreira@uscg.mil.

Hudson River Dredging:
From the USCG 1st District LNM 41: Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co. will be conducting maintenance dredging in the Hudson River, east bank, approximately six miles north of the George Washington Bridge, 3/4 mile north of the Westchester County Treatment Works, and 1/2 mile south of the Yonkers Municipal Pier. Dredging will start on or about 08 October 2007 and will continue 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until approximately 15 November 2007. The clamshell Dredge 54, and the Tug Lemmerhirt will be on scene monitoring VHF-FM 13 and 16. Mariners are requested to navigate with caution when in the area of dredging.

Dredging and Blasting Operations in Newark Bay, NJ:
The USCG 1 st District LNM41 states that Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (GLDD) will start dredging in Newark Bay Areas C and D (east of berths 76 - 92), through July 31, 2009 on a 24-hour/7-days per week basis. The dredges 55 and New York, tugs Melvin Lemmerhirt and McCormack Boys, survey vessel Wolf River, and 7 - 5,000 cubic yard scows will be on scene. Newark Bay will not be closed to navigation and dredges will MOVE ON DEMAND. The dredges will be equipped with AIS and programmed to display the correct dredge size and location to AIS receivers. Dredging positions will also be reported via VHF marine band radio by known geographical boundaries (i.e. 100 yards off Berth 90) if requested by the mariner. Dredges & support equipment are required to report their movements and positions to VTSNY on Channel 14 every 2 hours or anytime their position changes. The Dredges are monitoring Channels 13, 14, and 1. Mariners are requested to contact the dredge on Channel 13 to make any necessary passing arrangements. GLDD will coordinate their dredging with the Vessel Traffic Service and the Port Authority of NY/NJ to minimize the impact on the adjacent berths. Turbidity sensors, marked with orange buoys, will be deployed within 200 yards of the dredges. A small boat will be on scene to tend the buoys and remove them at the end of each day or when navigational safety concerns are present. GLDD will report the buoy positions to VTSNY on Channel 14. Each vessel transiting in the vicinity of a work area where drill barges and/or dredges are located is required to do so at no wake speed.

Blasting operations will be necessary in the vicinity of Berths 86 and 88, possibly by the end of 2007. The following additional restrictions will be enforced during blasting ops:

a. All vessels must remain at least 150 feet from all drilling and blasting equipment.

b. No vessel shall enter or transit any buoyed work area where drill barges and/or dredges are located without permission of VTSNY.

c. No vessel shall enter an area of drilling or blasting when they are advised by the drilling barge or VTSNY that a misfire or hang fire has occurred. Vessels already underway in the blasting zone shall proceed to clear the impacted area immediately.

d. GLDD and VTSNY will make security broadcasts 2 hours, 1 hour, and 30 minutes prior to the blast.

e. 15 minutes prior to the blast: No vessels will be authorized within Newark Bay Channel between Newark Bay Channel Lighted Buoy 6 (LLNR 37410) and Newark Bay Channel Lighted Buoy 10 (LNLR 37435).

f. 5 minutes prior to the blast: VTSNY authorizes the blast and makes a security broadcast.

g. 1 minute prior to the blast: VTSNY and GLDD make security broadcasts.

h. 10 seconds prior to the blast: GLDD counts down the blast on CH 16.

i. GLDD announces -All Clear from Newark Bay Blasting- on CH 16.

j. Blasting operations may begin as early as the end of 2007. A revised LNM will be released a minimum of 5 days prior to the first blast. A safety voice broadcast will also be issued at that time.

10. VTSNY will continually assess conditions in the dredging zone and surrounding areas and may make further changes to navigation restrictions as necessary. Such changes will be disseminated in the Local Notice to Mariners, scheduled marine information broadcasts, and publication online at: http:\\homeport.uscg.mil/NewYork. Please address questions or comments to Mr. Patrick Mannion. at (718) 354 4191 or via email to Patrick.J.Mannion@uscg.mil.

Absecon Inlet Bridge, Atlantic City, NJ, Reduced Vertical Clearance
The USCG 5 th District LNM 41 states that Mariners are advised to take caution when approaching the Rt. 87 Absecon Inlet Bridge, Mile 0.6, in Atlantic City, NJ. The bridge will be cleaned and painted October 3 - November 30, 2007. Suspended rigging will reduce the vertical clearance from 60 to 56 feet.

Cape May , NJ , Bridges Closed for Christmas:
The USCG 5 th District Bridge Branch has informed us that the four drawbridges in the Cape May, NJ, area will be closed on varied schedules between Christmas Eve and December 26 each year from now on so the tenders may spend time with their families. Bridges can be opened with a two hour notice during these periods. If you need an opening, call the Cape May County Department of Public Works at 609 368 4591.

Dredging in Delaware River:
LNM 42, USCG 5 th District, announces that there will be dredging operations in the Delaware River beginning on October 17th, 2007 until approximately November 28, 2007. The CHARLESTON will commence dredging operations in the Marcus Hook Range of the Delaware River under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Submerged pipelines will run from the dredging area to various on-shore disposal areas. Operations will take place twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week until completion. The Dredge Operator will standby on channels #13 and #16 VHF-FM. Traffic should call thirty (30) minutes prior to expected time of passage. For any comments or questions, contact LTJG Steve Florio at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, PA. Telephone number (215) 271-4851.

Baltimore Harbor Area, Bridge Repair:
From the 5 th District LNM 41: Mariners are advised that cement repairs are in progress on the main towers of the I-695 Bridge, at mile 1.0, across Curtis Creek in Baltimore, MD. To facilitate repairs, a barge is positioned outside of the navigable channel at the rear of the fender system through October 31, 2007. Mariners are also advised to exercise caution when transiting the area.

Quinby Inlet, Aids to Navigation Change, NOT on the ICW:
This is a small inlet on the Virginia Eastern Shore that leads to the VIP (Virginia Inside Passage). Much of the VIP has shoaled to the point that markers have been removed. The chart (12210) shows most of Quinby Inlet as being very deep, but with a six foot bar (with breakers) across its entrance, inside of the seabuoy. This is typical of smaller unimproved ocean inlets. Always approach these with caution, and if the buoys have been removed as in this one, don’t even think about it! This is from the USCG 5 th District LNM 42: On or about 01 December, 2007, due to shoaling, the following aids to navigation will be discontinued or changed:

1. Quinby Inlet Entrance Light - Changed to warning daybeacon worded DANGER PILE.
2. Quinby Inlet Junction Light - Changed to warning daybeacon worded DANGER PILE.
3. Quinby Inlet Lighted Buoy 2-Discontinued.
4. Quinby Inlet Buoy 4 -Discontinued.
5. Quinby Inlet Buoy 7 -Discontinued.
6. Quinby Inlet Buoy 8 -Discontinued.

Virginia Beach , VA , Pipeline Repair:
From the USCG 5 th District LNM 41: PRECON MARINE will be conducting pipeline maintenance operations in the vicinity of 42nd Street in Virginia Beach, VA between November 5, 2007 and October 1, 2008. PRECON will be monitoring marine band VHF radio channel 16 from a steel trestle supporting a 200 ton crawler crane as these operations commence from the shoreline in position 36-52.5N / 075-58.9W and continue into the Atlantic Ocean for approximately 2000 feet. Mariners are advised to use extreme caution as they transit this area.

Drought Continues at Dismal Swamp Canal:
The severe drought in Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina continues. The 5 th District USCG LNM 42 again states that due to lack of rain and subsequent low water levels in Lake Drummond and the Dismal Swamp, beginning September 24, 2007, and until further notice, the locks at Deep Creek, VA and South Mills, NC, will be operated only at 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., 7 days a week. The draw bridges adjacent to these locations will be operated in coordination with the locks.

You can call the USACE at 757-201-7500 (option 3) to check the status.

Hatteras Inlet Channel, Aids to Navigation Change, NOT on the ICW:
From the USCG 5 th District LNM 42: On or about 01 December, 2007 the following aids to navigation changes will occur:

1. Hatteras Inlet Channel Buoy 24A Discontinued.
2. Hatteras Inlet Channel Daybeacon 26 relocated to 35-13-14.818N, 075-41-55.194W.
3. Establish Hatteras Harbor Daybeacon 2 at 35-13-17.910N, 075-41-43.320W.
4. Hatteras Inlet Junction Light HR Discontinued.
5. Hatteras Inlet Light 2 renamed Hatteras Inlet Light 4 relocated to 35-13-14.403N, 075-41-41.010W.
6. Rollinson Channel Light 30 to 35-13-21.508N, 075-41-44.689W.

Topsail Inlet , NC , Not on ICW, Dredging:
From the USCG 5 th District LNM 41: The Dredge LEXINGTON will be conducting dredging operations in Topsail Inlet from 08 October until 15 November, 2007. The dredge will monitor VHF-FM channels 13 and 16.

Figure Eight Island Bridge , ICW Mile 278.1, Closure:
From USCG 7 th District LNM 42: Mariners are advised that the Figure Eight Swing Bridge, at AIWW mile 278.1, at Scotts Hill, NC, will be closed to vessels each day beginning November 1, 2007, until January 31, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 6 a.m., from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. to facilitate sandblasting and painting operations. In addition, commercial vessel openings will be provided at night if at least three hours notice is given by calling (910) 686-0635 or via marine radio on Channel 13. The available vertical clearance in the closed-to-navigation position is approximately 20 feet, above MHW. Also, the vertical clearance in this location is limited to 85 feet, above MHW, by the overhead power line. Mariners able to pass under the closed span may do so and should adjust their transits accordingly.

Oak Island , NC , Mile 316.6 Bridge construction Begins:
The USCG 5 th District LNM 42 states that Mariners are advised to take caution when approaching the construction site of a new highway bridge (Middleton Avenue) to Oak Island, over the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Mile 316.6, in Brunswick County, NC. The bridge will be under construction from October 9, 2007 through July 30, 2009. The waterway shall remain open to navigation until further notice.

Dredging, Charleston Harbor, Wando River Area:
The USCG 7 th District LNM 41 announces that Marinex Construction, Inc., has commenced dredging operations in the vicinity of Wando River Terminal Lighted Buoy 6 (LLNR 3320), Wando River Upper Reach, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. The dredge HAMPTON ROADS will continue on a twenty-four (24) hour per day basis, seven (7) days per week until completion on or about October 20, 2007. The dredge will monitor VFH Channels 13 and 16. All mariners are requested to use extreme caution while transiting the area. For further information please contact Mr. Thomas Payne at (843)722-9083.

Florida Bridge Update:
Ortega River Drawbridge Repair: Due to Emergency Repairs the Ortega River Bridge Mile .03, Ortega River, Jacksonville, FL, will be on single leaf operation on the hour and half hour from 8:00 a.m. to midnight daily. From midnight to 8:00 a.m. it will be closed to navigation. Three hours notice is required for double leaf operation. Estimated end of repair time is October 31, 2007.

George C. Musson Bridge, Mile 845: Beginning on September 24 at 7:35 a.m. and ending at 4:50 p.m. on December 21, 2007, the George C. Musson Bridge will open on signal EXCEPT: 7:35 a.m.-4:50 p.m. it will be CLOSED, and will only open at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The vertical clearance will be reduced by 4 feet due to scaffolding. Vessels may pass under the bridge during repairs.

Hobe Sound Bridge, Mile 996: single leaf operation, 6:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on October 30, 2007, for repairs.

Notice Concerning Indian River, Martin, Palm Beach and Broward County Bridges: The Florida DOT District 4 is changing the horn operations on all 38 drawbridges in the above counties on November 1, 2007. The Department asks that radio communication be used as the primary means for communication between vessels and bridges. They will continue to follow CFR Title 33, Section 117.15 (3): “Any of the means of signaling described in this subpart sufficient to alert the party being signaled may be used.” (The means of signaling given are radio communication, sound signals and visual signals.)

Broad Causeway Bridge, Mile 1081.4: closed 10:00 p.m.-5:a.m., Monday- Thursday, October 22-November 6, 2007, for repairs.

Lake Okeechobee Still Shallow:
The 7 th District LNMs continue to carry the same warning. We updated with the most current information: Due to extremely restricted channel depths in Lake Okeechobee, mariners are strongly advised that the following should be taken in consideration whether transiting the Lake or stopping for recreational activities such as fishing.

We checked http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/conops/structures/navbulln.htm for the latest figures:

As of October 17, 2007: Lake level is 10.5 feet.

Route 1: Navigational depths: 3.99 feet.

Route 2 (the Rim Canal) is closed with navigation depths of 1.39 feet.

This is up only .09 feet (or 1.08 inches) since Oct 2, the date of the last East Coast Alerts.

Bird Stakes, Everglades National Park:
This must be really important, as it is still appearing in the latest 7 th District LNM (42).While this area is not navigational for most boats, as it’s very shoal, the concept is interesting. If you see them clustered off to the side of the ICW channel, you might like to know what they are. They’re Bird Stakes for Bird “you know what.” Everglades National Park, Monroe County, Florida is commencing a seagrass restoration plan that includes the temporary installation of bird stakes. Bird stakes may be placed in restoration areas to encourage roosting of waterfowl and provide natural fertilizer to the seagrass beds. Bird stakes are constructed of ¾ inch grey PVC poles and 4 inch X 4 inch X 2 inch treated wood blocks attached to poles. Birds stakes will be placed just inside the immediate edge of injuries and throughout the interior of the injury area at 6.6 feet intervals. To aid in detection by passing mariners -No Boating/Restoration Area- signs will be posted at the restored area.

The sites are listed below.

Stiver Site: 24 deg 59-37.620N 080 deg 37-51.180W

Liebowitz Site: 25 deg 00-21.420N 080 deg 34-26.880W

Blonder Site: 25 deg 00-35.300N 080 deg 36-33.600W

For further information please contact Mr. Patrick Zuloaga at (772) 781-3425. See Enclosure Number 7 (to USCG 7 th District LNM 42) for Chartlett (Blackwater Sound to Matecumbe) of area.

This information is not to be used for navigation. Consult the latest charts and Local Notices to Mariners and use prudent seamanship. Conditions may change. Any person or entity that uses this information in any way, as a condition of that use, agrees to waive and does waive and also hold authors harmless from any and all claims which may arise from or be related to that use.