Waterway Net Web Site

This is at Vero Beach, FL, in the Intracoastal Waterway. Boat also has a 7'10" draft. Water bags weigh 2000 lbs each!

The Waterway Radio and Cruising Club is an association of amateur radio operators who also share an interest in recreational boating.

The Waterway Net, which is sponsored by the Waterway Radio and Cruising Club, meets on the air every morning of the year for about an hour starting at 0745 ET on a frequency of 7.268 MHz LSB. The main purpose of the Waterway Net is to encourage amateur radio communications to and from boats with an emphasis on safety and weather information. Position Reports help keep live-aboards and cruising boats in touch with families and friends and Float Plans provide a strong measure of safety for off-shore passage makers.

Begun in the early sixties, the Waterway Net is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, continuously operating nets in amateur radio. Today the WRCC has around eight hundred dues paying members and anyone holding an Amateur Radio License of any class is eligible to join. Membership in the WRCC is not a prerequisite for participation in the Waterway Net, but a general class or higher license is required.

The Waterway Net is a controlled net. It is recommended that one listen for a while to learn the Net Procedures, but anyone with a general class license or above is invited to check in at the appropriate time or to join in on the special interest nets that often follow.

In an emergency, FCC rules permit anyone, licensed or not, to use any frequency to summon help. All boaters with high frequency SSB radios aboard should know that the 20 meter amateur frequency of 14.300 MHz is active for about eighteen hours a day and is always available for emergency assistance.

Announcements

SEE NEWS & EVENTS PAGE FOR ADDITIONAL NEWS AND INFORMATION

Chesapeake Rendezvous: Peter, K3PKC has scheduled a rendezvous, Thurs, June 19th, in Solomons, on Maryland's western shore. For details, check out full article in latest Scuttlebutt, or HERE.

Club Articles in Print: Dave, N4NVI, our Weather Coordinator, has had articles accepted for publication in Southwinds and Carolina Currents magazines. Be on the lookout for them. They are both weather related and should promote more interest in our club.

Definition of "Gam": The question was recently asked, "what does Gam mean or stand for"? I did some searching and found this: "a social visit or conversation between the crews of ships, esp. whaling ships, at sea". Obviously, a very old term! (I also know that it stands for 'legs' as in, "she's got great gams"!) - Bill, N4UMS

Members Urged to Support Clean Boating Act of 2008: Jon, N7IGG is urging all WRCC members to support Senate Bill S-2766, which would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, exempting recreational boats from the Act. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act would require all boaters to purchase expensive permits for water discharge, including deck run-off and engine cooling water. For more infomation, visit BoatBlue. Deadline is September, 2008.

Plan Now For Hurricane Season!: While Hurricane season is several months away, BoatUS says you should be planning NOW! The experts at the BoatUS Marine Insurance Damage Avoidance Program have a information packed Web site at http://www.BoatUS.com/Hurricanes that can help boaters customize their own hurricane plan now.

New National Harbor Complex, Wash., DC: Bill, WA6CCA sent photos he recently took at the National Harbor complex located just south of the new Wilson Bridge, Washington, DC. Bill included a chart with the track noted along the bottom, as well as the old route used to enter what's called, Smoots Cove. Bill says he used to anchor overnight there...for many years. This includes a Conference Center, a Westin Hotel, condos, marina, etc. "I didn't see anything less than 9' on the way in or out. They're planning to dredge it even deeper to accommodate megayachts." The bridge in the pictures is the Wilson Bridge, which now has more than an 80' clearance. "Sorry to see the old anchorage all but gone, but it might be fun to anchor there after it opens and buy a hamburger!" Grand opening is scheduled for this Spring. (Click on photo to see others.)

Amended Bahamas Fishing Regulations: Tom, KE3JO emailed a copy of the amended regulations to this website. A pdf copy of the new regulations can be downloaded from the News & Events page and HERE.

WRCC Recruitment Flyer: Download this flyer (right), print it out, and post it at your nearest marina, marine supply store (West Marine, Boat U.S., etc.,) even Radio Shack. You could also use it as a handout at your local ham radio club. The Waterway Radio & Cruising Club is conducting a recruitment campaign for new members and this flyer is just another way to get the word out. With the recent dropping of the morse code requirement, more and more boaters will be getting their licenses; we need to let them know what services the Club provides. You will need Acrobat Reader to view and print this flyer. Download pdf flyer (236kb).

Join the fun! The Waterway Radio & Cruising Club is holding a membership recruitment campaign. If you, or someone you know, would like to become a member, please go to the Club Info page and download a membership form. Only requirement is that you hold a valid amateur radio operator's license. Of course, to participate on the Net, you must have a General class or above, license. Owning a boat is not required; only the love of boating. Waterway Net members are known for their love of the water, boating and ham radio. For the cruising boater, the Net is also a great way of keeping in touch with other boaters while offering a safer transit, through our daily weather reporting and position reports. Also, every fall, we hold a combination picnic/flea market in Melbourne, FL.

Franklin Lock: RESTRICTED LOCKING SCHEDULE (until further notice) Lock will only open at 10am and 3pm each day!

Okeechobee Water Levels. (Army Corps of Engineers)
For more info on the lake, locks and bridges on the Okeechobee Waterway, check HERE.
Dismal Swamp Canal has reopened!: After ample rainfall and a sufficient rising of water levels in Lake Drummond and the Dismal Swamp Canal, the locks at Deep Creek, Va. and South Mills, N.C., and the drawbridges on U.S. Route 17 reopened to vessel traffic effective 8:30 a.m., Feb. 22.

Maine in the fall: Jay, AE4MZ, has some beautiful photos from his recent Maine trip. This one is sunset over Eggemoggin Reach from Wooden Boat School anchorage. Check them all out on his web site.

Fly your WRCC Burgees! WRCC members should fly the club's burgees whenever possible. This lets other members know if you're in their anchorage, marina, etc. Flying the burgee also is a means of showing others that you are a member of a very special group of boaters/ham radio operators.
If you don't have one of our heavy-duty burgees, now is the time to purchase one!

New to the Waterway Net?: If you are a new member, or just new to the Net, be sure to visit our "Net Procedures" page. There you'll find proper procedures for checking into the Net; how and when to check in, definitions, etc. There is also a link to the "Net Format" page, which explains each part of the Waterway Net and how the Net is organized.

Check out club merchandise on our WRCC Store page.

Notes from the Webmaster - N4UMS
Members: Your input is necessary to keep our web site current and interesting - please feel free to send news items, articles for the Technical Corner, corrections, updates, suggestions, problems and complaints to the
73, Bill - N4UMS

How to fit an 80' mast under a 65' bridge.

- Photos courtesy of Tom, KE3JO