Salty Southeast Nautical Newsletter Supplement
02/23/04
Critical News Concerning the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway

Hello Fellow Cruisers:

This is perhaps the single most important installment of the Salty Southeast
nautical newsletter to ever reach your In-box. At least, it's that important if
you EVER navigate the track of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway between
Norfolk, Virginia and Miami, Florida. Even those of you who reside and cruise
exclusively in the Florida Keys, along the western coastline of the Sunshine
State, or on the Northern Gulf Coast, will want to read the startling
information below. While this critical situation may not affect you as
immediately as it will those of us who cruise along the eastern seaboard, the
budget cuts outlined below will almost certainly impact your waterways
eventually.

Allow me to begin with the "short version," and then I will present some of the
more detailed information that has reached our office. All this began when I
returned from a trip to Eastern Florida this past Thursday (February 19). As
you might imagine, after being out of the office for almost a week, there were
several hundred e-mails that required my eventual attention. As I sifted
through these many messages, a couple stuck out. While all were cryptic, they
referred me to a series of announcements and press releases from the "Atlantic
Intracoastal Waterway Association." This is an organization with which I've had
some contact. Some three years ago, Boat/US asked me to come to an AIWA
conference in Charleston, South Carolina, to represent the cruising community's
point of view. I addressed this meeting, but except for myself and Judith
Light, former editor of "The Waterway Guide," all of the other attendees were
commercial tow captains or officials of commercial Waterway shipping
operations. While, to be su
re, the goals of these commercial captains and operators were in many ways
analogous with the cruising community, clearly the emphasis, at least at that
time, was bent towards non pleasure craft interests.

All of which is a long winded way of explaining why I did not follow up on
these messages immediately. All that changed this morning when I received an
urgent summons from Penny Leary Smith, director of the Dismal Swamp Canal
Welcome Center. Penny is a long time friend, and also one of the most
knowledgeable people going as to what's happening on the water in Northeastern
North Carolina. Anyway, Penny said I had to look at the AIWA's web site NOW,
and believe me I then lost no time in doing so.

What I discovered was, to say the very least, ALARMING!!!!! And, I suspect it
will alarm most you as well. I have now learned that we have both a long term
and a critical short term problem with the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
Within the next few paragraphs, I'm going to give you a brief overview of these
problems. Please understand that for the sake of brevity, I'm going to simplify
a bit!

Well, with all that build-up, let's finally get into the real situation (at
last). In the United States Federal Budget, recently sent to Congress by the
Bush Administration, there has been $0 allocated for maintenance of the
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. That's right, at least as I understand it, a
big, fat goose-egg for any dredging and/or maintenance of aids to navigation
along the entire track of the Atlantic ICW. I must admit to being floored by
this utter lack of funding!

How long does anyone think the Waterway will remain a viable entity to pleasure
craft (not to mention commercial) traffic without dredging those shoal prone
spots we can all think of? I can answer that question - "NOT LONG!"

And, that leads directly to the critical short term problem that I mentioned
above. Over the past six months or so, the Waterway has been shoaling, as it
often does, along its passage behind Lockwoods Folly Inlet, and across the
mouth of Lockwoods Folly River in southeastern North Carolina. Depths in the
Waterway channel at MLW have dropped to a mere 3 feet. This portion of the ICW
has now been CLOSED to commercial Waterway traffic except at high water, and,
even then, apparently the tow captains have to get special permission to
proceed.

With the new and seemingly total lack of funding for dredging the Atlantic ICW,
the Army Corps of Engineers is scrambling to try and find the necessary moneys
in some other part of their budget to dredge this channel. There is NO
guarantee that they will succeed.

Can you imagine the chaos this situation will cause this spring, if not
remedied by dredging, as the annual snowbird migration begins moving
north???!!!! Consider this; the nearest, completely reliable inlet south of
Lockwoods Folly is Charleston, while the nearest reliable seaward cut to the
north is the Cape Fear River. (Of course, you could use Little River Inlet near
Calabash or the Winyah Bay inlet, but, while both are good enough for local
captains, visiting cruisers may, quite rightly, not feel totally comfortable
using either of these channels). Imagine all northward bound boats, large or
small, sail or power, being REQUIRED to go outside from Charleston to Cape
Fear, no matter what the weather, to continue their northward migration!

Clearly, this is a situation that requires the cruising community's immediate
and full attention. It's time to call and write our US Congressional
representatives to make our feelings and alarm forcefully heard. Below, in
copies of several messages, from the AIWA and our faithful cruising reporter,
"grandma Rosalie," you will hear specific recommendations as to how this
critical goal can be accomplished. By all accounts, you need to visit the web
site of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association immediately!!!!
(http://www.atlintracoastal.org/)

You may rest assured that we will be pulling out all the stops here at Waterway
Publishing to get the attention of our Federal government. May we strongly
suggest that you do the same!

We also strongly urge any of you who receive this message, and are yourselves
editors or contributors to other nautically oriented newsletters, to include an
account of this serious problem in your publications. You may rest assured that
you have my permission to use any of my words presented here without the need
for further permission!

Thanks so much for your time and attention. Let's go to work!

Claiborne Young
Watermark Publishing

http://www.CruisingGuide.com


Dear Members and Friends,

We have received a request from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
of the House to gather for them anecdotal information (basically, whatever you
can give us) on the current status of our waterways -- shutdowns and near
shutdowns, etc., and how it affects you. Congressmen would like to have this
prior to the Water Resources Subcommittee hearing on
the Corps' FY05 budget which is scheduled for February 26th. And, they are
seriously considering having another hearing just on this issue. We know about
several "hot spots" -- GIWW, AIWW, Black-Warrior, MRGO, etc.-but having your
input is vital (including if you are on the aforementioned rivers.) They want
the information in YOUR words.
Feel free to e-mail me with status reports , and we'll take
care of the rest.
Many thanks for your responses--and don't hesitate to forward this on toothers!

Worth Hager
President
National Waterways Conference
1130 17th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
(P) (202) 296-4415



I heard from many of you that you were communicating with your elected
representatives regarding the funding crisis affecting the AIWW. Thank you for
your messages. I am sharing your emails describing your difficulties navigating
the AIWW with members of Congress and the House Transportation & Infrastructure
Committee. We need more emails and phone calls. If you haven't contacted your
Congressman yet please stop what you are doing and do it now!
We have many members who don't live in the South but frequent the AIWW. I've
heard from several of them wanting to know who they can contact. There are two
very powerful committees that can help us. I urge all of you all to contact
members of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and members of the
House Energy & Water Development Committee. These committees are holding
hearings in Washington in the next few weeks and it is extremely important that
they hear from you. The contacts are as follows:
Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, Water Resources & Environment
subcommittee
Chairman- Rep. John Duncan (TN)
Go to www.house.gov/transportation to find the email links to committee
members. Chairman John Duncan must hear from you and you might find your
representative on the list. Remember Congress will work hard for an issue that
is important to their constituents. It is up to you to tell them about the
situation. It doesn't help if I am the only one lobbying for funds.
House Appropriations Committee, Energy and Water Development Subcommittee
Chairman, David L. Hobson (OH)
http://appropriations.house.gov This will bring you to the committee's main
page. Select Subcommittees from the menu and then Energy and Water Development.
This will bring up the list of members. I urge you to send your messages to
every committee member on this list. This is the committee that will approve
funding for the Corps of Engineers.
I've stated that we need 100 emails or phone calls a day. Our waterway needs
are not a priority since there are so many others in the same condition. It's
time for us to become the "squeaky wheel."
Below is an excerpt from Worth Hager, President of the National Waterway
Conference response to a question about the need for funding the AIWW.
"The Office of Management and Budget has made its own little "rule" that
so-called "low-use" waterways not be maintained. That is, waterways that carry
less than 1 billion ton-miles of freight. Is it fair? No, its not. But, the
guys at OMB making these arbitrary rules aren't willing to look at any other
way of valuing our systems. They can't seem to understand the impact their
decisions have on the lives of everyday people, regional development, our
military installations, and the ability of our waterways to provide economic,
environmental and recreational benefits. They only see it as a way not to spend
money.
We truly are working diligently to find some money for the AIWW. I personally
know that Corps headquarters is searching the operation and maintenance budget
as we speak for any spare funds. But, it won't be easy. First, their budget
this year is a drop in the bucket of what they need. Already, the channels that
go into New Orleans and Harlingen, TX, are silting up--they didn't get enough
money either--and that affects a lot of our petroleum and international trade.
Second, even if the Corps could find some spare money or just take it from
another project,they will still face the wrath of OMB, and OMB has decreed that
any "reprogramming" of funds over 15% of a project's budget has to be approved
by them. In addition, they have to get approval from the appropriations
committee staffs."
As you can see from Worth's message, we really need to make the case for
funding the AIWW. We need to hear from those who make a living from the
waterway. Marinas, shrimpers, dredging companies, fishing boats, etc.
Thanks
Rosemary


Here are some suggestions to help raise awareness about the conditions in the
AIWW.
Ø Use our logo (attached) to make banners, bumper stickers, buttons, etc. Take
them to Chamber of Commerce meetings, City Council meetings and local events
Ø Write letters to the editor!!! The press can help us make a "splash" (sorry I
couldn't resist that)
Ø Post the attached flyer in retail and boating businesses or community
bulletin boards.
Ø Pass this information on to your email list of boating friends.
Ø See if the community cable channel will display the flyer on air.
We need to make everyone aware of the serious crisis we are facing in the AIWW.
If the waterway closes, many businesses are going to be affected - not just
marinas. Local shops and tourist sites will be impacted as well.
Let me know what you are doing to spread the Save the Waterway message.
Thanks
Rosemary


ATLANTIC INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY
ACTION ALERT

December 8, 2003 USACE Bathymetric Survey
We have been notified Lockwood's Folly, a portion of the Atlantic Intracoastal
Waterway in North Carolina, is experiencing severe shoaling and commercial
traffic is being restricted to navigating only during high tides. The result is
that barges are waiting, sometimes for as long as 12 hours before navigating
through the area.
The U.S. Coast Guard has declared a safety zone at Little River Buoy 47 and 48.
Commercial vessels with greater than three feet draft can only transit with
COTP Wilmington's permission at high water. Tank barges are prohibited from
transiting the area.
The Corps of Engineers does not have money in their budget to do emergency
dredging to open up the waterway. The situation is dangerous and totally
unacceptable.

AIWA is asking that everyone contact your members of Congress today and ask
them to provide emergency funds for the US Corps of Engineers, Wilmington
District to dredge this area. Go to the Congressional Contacts page to locate
your Congressional representatives. Please use phone, email or fax to send your
message. Members of Congress need to hear from their constituents about this
situation before it becomes worse.

We are asking all who read this message to voice your concerns. We need to make
sure that our legislative leaders in Washington DC are aware of the far
reaching effects of this situation.