East Coast Alerts
By Mel Neale
April 3, 2008

Shoaling at Matanzas Inlet Crossing of the ICW, FL:
Mother Nature is at work again:*
The USCG 7 th District had two mentions of this area:

FL AICW Matanzas River Shoaling has been reported in the vicinity of Matanzas River Buoy 81A and Matanzas River Buoy 81B.

It also noted that these two markers had been repositioned.

This passage gets regular dredging every year or so. Within a short period, it starts to fill in and the channel sometimes migrates westward, away from the inlet, towards the sand dunes on the mainland. Dredging took place here in the summer of 2007, less than a year ago, and it’s already filing in. The good news is that the Coast Guard usually moves the markers as needed. Check for local knowledge when you pass through, as conditions change.

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

Check Your Electronics:
From the various USCG District LNMs 11-14: REPORTS HAVE BEEN VERIFIED THAT SOME SAAB R3-AIS TRANSPONDERS, WHEN COMBINED WITH AN OLDER GPS RECEIVER, HAVE STOPPED WORKING WHILE GPS SATELLITE PRN32 IS IN VIEW. VESSELS AFFECTED ARE REPORTED BEING 'INVISIBLE' TO OTHER AIS EQUIPPED VESSELS IN ADDITION TO SOME AIS EQUIPPED SHORE STATIONS. IT HAS BEEN REPORTED VESSELS EQUIPPED WITH THE SAAB R3-AIS TRANSPONDERS CONTINUE TO RECEIVE AIS INFORMATION FROM OTHER AIS EQUIPED VESSELS. ALL VESSELS ARE ADVISED TO CHECK THE PROPER OPERATION OF THEIR AIS AND GPS EQUIPMENT. GPS PROBLEMS SHOULD BE REPORTED TO THE USCG NAVIGATION CENTER AT WWW.NAVCEN.USCG.GOV/GPS/USERINPUTGPS.HTM OR CONTACT THE USCG NAVIGATION INFORMATION SERVICE AT 703.313.5900.

Older EPIRBs Need to be Replaced:
From various USCG District LNMs 11-14: The International Cospas-Sarsat System will cease satellite processing of 121.5/243 MHz beacons on 1 February 2009. All beacon owners and users should begin taking steps to replace their 121.5/243 MHz beacons with 406 MHz beacons as soon as possible.- - International COSPAS-SARSAT organization with guidance from the UN. Operation of Class A/B/S EPIRB stations shall be prohibited after December 31, 2006.

MORICHES, NY DGPS SITE UNUSABLE TIME:
From the USCG 1 st District LNM 13: Unusable time is approved for the Moriches, NY DGPS site for RSIM recap (CRIA) install phase II.

Unusable time authorized for the following date/time:

Primary: 1400Z - 0200Z, 07 APR 08 (0900 - 2100 EDT)

Alternate: 1400Z - 0200Z, 08 APR 08.

Bridge Repair, Atlantic City, NJ:
From the USCG 5 th District LNM 14: Mariners are advised that emergency pile repairs continue through May 23, 2008, at the Route 30 Bridge, at ICW 67.2, across Beach Thorofare, at Atlantic City. To facilitate the repairs, a 16-foot work boat, a barge, measuring 50 ft X 120 ft and two work floats, measuring 16 ft X 8 ft, are being used. This is a movable operation as not to impede vessel traffic. Mariners are also advised to exercise caution when transiting the area.

Bush River, Upper Chesapeake Bay, Stone Shoal:
From the USCG 5 th District LNM 14: An uncharted stone pile has been reported at approximate position 39-19-51N, 076-14-46W at a depth of 4ft MLW. Mariners are urged to use caution when transiting this area.

Chesapeake Bay , VA Eastern Shore, Shoaling:
The USCG 5 th District LNM states that shoaling to a depth of 2.0ft MLLW has been reported between Mattawoman Creek Light 1 and Mattawoman Creek Light 2. Mariners are advised to use extreme caution as they transit this area.

Alligator River Entrance Shoaling:
The USCG 5 th District LNM 14 reports shoaling to a depth of 7.0ft MLLW has been reported in the vicinity of Alligator River Light 7 at approx position 35-56.46N, 075-59.52W.

Onslow Beach Bridge Construction:
From the USCG 5 th District Bridge Branch: Mariners are advised that the Onslow Beach Swing Bridge across the North Carolina Cut, at AIWW mile 240.7, at Camp Lejeune, NC, will provide vessel openings on the hour each day beginning on MON 31 MAR until FRI 4 APR 08, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., to facilitate structural repairs.  Mariners should adjust their transits accordingly.
Also from the USCG 5 th District LNM 11: Mariners are advised that structural work will be performed at the Onslow Beach Swing Bridge across the North Carolina Cut, at AIWW mile 240.7, at Camp Lejeune, NC beginning Monday, March 10 until Friday, May 23, 2008. To facilitate rivet repairs, scaffolding equipment will be used on the bridge reducing the available vertical clearance by approximately three feet to 9 feet, above mean high water. This work will not interfere with operation of the swing span. Mariners should use extreme caution when transiting the area.

ICW Shoaling, NC:
This is a quote directly from the USCG 5 th District LNM 12: NC – Shallotte Inlet SHOALING (chart 11534) Shoaling to a depth of 01ft MLLW 100yards west of Cape Fear River-Little River Daybeacon 75 (LLNR 40320) Ref. LNM 50/07.

I investigated further the USCG LNM report of shoaling to 1-foot in the vicinity of Shallotte Inlet marker, green “75,” and found a US Army Corps of Engineers Survey of that area conducted in October, 2007. They call this the “ Shallotte River Crossing” of the ICW, and it’s now on my list of ICW problem spots. You can look at the survey at http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/nav/AIWW/CFLR/T18.pdf. The shoal to 1-foot extends from “75” westward on the green side outside edge of the channel and towards green “77.” The red side is to the north and not marked. The ICW is oriented east/west here. The problem is that there is also an area of shoaling on the red side, to 4-5 feet, extending towards the shoal on the green side, leaving a narrow swath of deeper water. However, the deeper water is only in the7-8 foot range. This looks somewhat like a shoal “across the channel” to me. The survey gives GPS waypoints for the deepest water, with controlling depth of 7.1 feet. Depths refer to Local Mean Low Water.

We passed through there on April 1, 2008. There is a new red nun, “76” marking the shoaling on the north side. We had adequate depths for our 5 foot draft in the center of the channel. Remember that conditions can and do change.

Fields Cut, SC, Shoal:
From the USCG 7 th District LNM 13: Extensive shoaling reported in Fields Cut when entering from the Wright River. The reported depth at MLW is approximately 3-4 feet. The shoal is located from the northwest bank and extends past the center of the channel in a southeasterly direction. Mariners are urged to transit the area with caution. This area has been shoal for a long time. There is an additional shoal at the southern end of Fields Cut near the point where it empties into the Savannah River.

Jacksonville , Florida, Marina Dredging:
The 7 th District LNM 14 reports that Subaqueous Services, LLC has commenced dredging operations at the Metropolitan Park Marina in the vicinity of 30-19-11.13N, 81-38-27.42W in Jacksonville, Florida beginning March 17, 2008. The dredge -BME1- will be operating daylights hours only seven (7) days per week for sixty (60) days or until project completion. For safety and maneuvering information all Subaqueous Services, LLC vessels can be contacted on marine radio VHF channels 13 and 16. For further information please call Mr. David May, VP Operations at (954) 658-3767. All mariners are requested to transit the area with caution.

St. Augustine Inlet Buoy Report:
The 7th District LNM 12 reported that St. Augustine Inlet Lighted Buoy “5” was reported to be off-station. We exited St. Augustine Inlet, Florida on March 27, 2008 around 8:00 a.m. All markers appeared to be on-station including green flashing buoy "5" that had been reported off station in the USCG 7th District LNM 12, but this was from our “eyeballing” the area. We did not conduct a survey. 

Long-Awaited Dredging Starts in New Smyrna Beach, FL, Area:
The USCG 7 th District LNM 13 reports that Southwind Construction Corp., will began hydraulic dredging in the Intracoastal Waterway in the vicinity of New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, on or about April 2, 2008. The area of operation for this project is between Ponce de Leon Cut LT 4 and New Smyrna Beach LT 38. Dredge operations will continue twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven days per week until project completion on or about August 1, 2008. Two (2) booster barges, Tenders Miss Leanne, Proud Mary, Tugs Danny Joe, Betty Lou with floating rubber and submerged polyethylene pipelines associated with this dredging operation will be on scene. Pipelines and vessels will be visibly lighted and marked according to Coast Guard regulations. For safety and maneuvering information dredge WILKO, can be contacted on VHF-FM Channels 13, 16 and working channel 79. Mariners are urged to use extreme caution in the area, transit at their slowest safe speed to minimize wake, and proceed with caution after passing arrangements have been made. For further information please contact Mr. Darrell Stewart at (812) 867-7220 or Cellular Phone (812) 455-7199.

GPS Signals May be Unreliable in Canaveral Area:
The USCG 7 th District LNM 14 reports that the GPS Navigational Signal maybe unreliable from October 24, 2008 to April 24, 2010, due to interference testing on GPS frequencies used in shipboard navigation and handheld systems. GPS systems that rely on GPS, such as E-911, AIS and DSC, may be affected within a close proximity of position 28-28-10.5N 080-34-44W. During this period GPS users are encouraged to report any GPS service outages that they may experience during this testing via the Navigation Information Service (NIS) by calling (703) 313-5900 or by using the NAVCEN's web-site's "GPS a problem worksheet" at www.navcen.uscg.gov.

This position is on land, on the Canaveral Peninsula, west of Cape Canaveral Light.

Lake Okeechobee Report:
We checked http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/conops/structures/navbulln.htm for the latest depth figures on the Okeechobee Waterway:

As of April 1, 2008: Lake level is reported at 10.27 feet.

Route 1: Navigational depths: reported at 4.21 feet.

Route 2 (the Rim Canal) is closed with navigation depths reported at 1.61 feet.

This is up .72 inch from the last alert two weeks ago.

Dredging in Jupiter Inlet and ICW:
From the USCG 7 th District LNM 13: Subaqueous Services, LLC will commence dredging operations in the vicinity of Jupiter Inlet at 26-56-50N, 80-04-48W on March 25, 2008. The dredge -"JERI-B" will continue work though April 30, 2008. There will be one (1) 130ft x 25ft Hydraulic Pipeline Dredge, one (1) 30ft x 70ft Crane Barge, and two (2) Tender Boats working near Temporary Buoys 1 and 3, and also in the Jupiter Sound Intracoastal Waterway between Daybeacon 57 and Daybeacon 60. Dredge operations will continue twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week for thirty-days or until project completion. For safety and maneuvering information all Subaqueous Services, LLC vessels can be contacted on marine radio VHF channels 13 and 16. For further information please call Mr. Joey Walsh at (904) 327-3485. All mariners are requested to transit the area with caution.

Tampa Bay Area Water Restriction for Auto Race and Air Show!! |
An interesting item from the USCG 7 th District LNM 14:

This section contains information of special concern to the Mariner.

FLORIDA-TAMPA BAY-ST PETERSBURG: Grand Prix Auto Race and Air Show.
The Captain of the Port Sector St Petersburg has issued a Safety Zone and Special Local Regulation for two events:

A 100 foot Safety Zone has been established around the seawall in Demons Landing for the Grand Prix Auto Race. Portions of the race course run adjacent to the St Petersburg Yacht Basin, the nature of high speed automobiles in the close proximity to the waterway present a hazard to mariners and rescue personnel in the area. The safety zone is in place April 4th through April 6th, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. each day.

The Air show Safety Zone encompasses all waters of Tampa Bay, Florida in the vicinity of the Albert Whitted Airport within an imaginary line connecting the following points:

(1.) 27 deg 46-14-N 082 deg 37-33-W (2.) 27 deg 46-14-N 082 deg 37-17-W

(3.) 27 deg 45-35-N 082 deg 37-17-W (4.) 27 deg 45-35-N 082 deg 37-33-W

The Safety Zone is approximately 500 yards wide by 1,500 yards long with a north south orientation. This zone will be in effect on April 4, 2008 from 12:30 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. on April 5, 2008 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on April 6, 2008 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.  

Bridge Schedule Changes on Florida Gulf Coast ICW:
The following information was received from the USCG 7 th District: Cortez (SR 684) Bridge, mile 87.4:

The draw shall open on signal; except that from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., the draw shall open on the hour and half-hour.

From September 29, 2008 to November 13, 2008, the Cortez Bridge will remain closed to navigation from 5:35 a.m. to 9:25 a.m., 1:35 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 4:25 a.m. At all other times, this bridge will open once an hour on the bottom of the hour.

The Anna Maria (SR 64) ( Manatee Avenue West) Bridge, mile 89.2:

The draw shall open a single-leaf on signal; except that from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., the draw shall open on the hour and half-hour. A double-leaf opening will be available with a one-hour notice to the bridge tender.

From September 29, 2008 to November 13, 2008, the Anna Maria Bridge will remain closed to navigation from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., at all other times, this bridge will open once an hour on the top of the hour.

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.