Excerpts from the previous Scuttlebutt issue.

I'm honored to be your Commodore and Net Manager for 2010. With all these experienced people working with me it's bound to be another great year for the WRCC. Peter Colket, K3PKC has agreed to continue another year as Vice Commodore and Earl Quick, WD0ETL is our new Rear Commodore but will retain his position as Weather Coordinator. Jeanie Schreiber, N4WFM our Secretary/Treasurer will continue yet another year in her present position. What would we do if she ever decided to retire! Ed Napoleon, KC4JKW with his vast experience with position reports will assume the duties of Fleet Captain.

Paul Van Meurs, KM4MA and Tom Rader, K4WJC are teaming up as Coast Guard Liaisons. They will receive all traffic regarding overdue vessels directly from the 7th District Coast Guard RCC (Rescue Center Coordinator) in Miami and make the announcements on the net as Paul has done in the past. Plans are in place to expand our area of coverage to include input from the 5th CG District in Norfolk and the 8th District in New Orleans. Inclusion of the additional districts will correspond to the areas where we presently report weather.

Tom, K4WJC will also man an additional position which was of his own creation a couple of years ago. He will be our Safety Officer and will stay abreast of maritime issues affecting cruisers. We will all get to know Karen Quick, our new Scuttlebutt Editor. Everyone else you know, Bill Boyle, N4UMS the Web Master, Ron Knaggs N1GYX our Exam Coordinator, Dr. Jim Hirschman, K4TCV our Fleet Surgeon and our Sunshine Lady, Debbie Lerner, KD4GRR. Wow, what a tremendous team!

Financially the club is fine. Cash on hand is down somewhat from the same period last year but we are in the black. To further improve our financial status we are not providing members a printed roster as in years past. Instead, just for 2010, we will have a downloadable roster which will save the club nearly $15.00 per member, the cost of the printed roster plus postage. An added advantage of the downloadable roster is that it will be a simple matter to update periodically during the year. There has also been some discussion about what shape the 2011 roster might be, taking into consideration its size and thickness, which affects the cost of mailing. There will be additional information added to the roster under each member's name. If you have and wish to post your personal cruising web site or blog address, there will be provisions to do that. Please, however, no commercial sites of any kind.

Club membership is slightly down. If everyone on the current list comes through with their dues we should have 570 members this year. We still get the occasional ham joining, but not like in past years. What's different? Can we blame this on the economy as well? Are cell phones replacing ham radios? Are there fewer hams on boats looking for "communications, weather and safety information?" Possibly all of the above.

We're not in this for their membership dues. We want hams to join the club and participate in club activities and the net. So it's up to us to pull in hams that are obviously interested. Each one of us needs to "befriend" newcomers or old friends and invite them to join. If we each brought in one person that really wanted to participate we'd have a really healthy and active club. Just getting someone to join, pay his/her $16.00, is of no benefit to the club unless they participate.

The net, which was organized before the club, is as active as ever. Just some minor adjustments are planned. The preamble will be shortened somewhat, eliminating the mention of our web site and the year we began operation. These advertising comments take up valuable time at the beginning of the net and can be mentioned as appropriate later or when asked by a curious station during traffic. The reference to our participation in the MAROB program of the National Weather Service will be altered somewhat as well. In the future we will ask all vessels offshore checking in during position reports to routinely provide us with their current weather conditions, even if they are reporting by another means. Most likely they will not be providing their weather elsewhere when they check in with us. That report, therefore, would be important to the NWS.

There are rumors of a picnic or two this summer, venues undetermined. Our own fall picnic, typically tied to the SSCA GAM, was in question. However, the SSCA has once again set their date for November 12-14, 2010 in Melbourne. We have been invited to make a presentation at the USCG RCC in Miami next month (Feb) and I foresee more of our weather reporter visits to local NWS offices along the east coast. We are always welcome to visit the National Hurricane Center and that may be a possibility this coming year as well. Other facilities of interest are the National Buoy Center at the Stennis Space Center in MS, the USAF 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (Hurricane Hunters) at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS and The Weather Channel studios in Atlanta, GA.

Our Scuttlebutt Editor, Karen Quick, is gearing up for this, her first issue, and I'm certain it will be a great one. She has already put together a schedule of the deadlines for the four issues of the coming year. Welcome aboard, Karen. Let's have another great year, but let's be thinking membership and member participation!

When Dave Nicholson, N2AWE, was stranded at sea earlier this month off the Bermuda Triangle, he had no fuel and his 47 foot sailboat had sustained severe damage in a storm. When they learned of his predicament, hams with the Maritime Mobile Service Net (MMSN) helped to coordinate with the US Coast Guard to bring fuel and a tow boat to guide Nicholson safely to port..

On December 1, Nicholson contacted the MMSN seeking weather information, telling the Net Control Station he had sustained damage to his boat during some foul weather the previous night. "His sails were damaged beyond usability, a fuel tank had busted loose and numerous other problems were at hand, including the remaining fuel had been contaminated," Richard Webb, NF5B, told the ARRL. "The net provided him with weather guidance and forecasts for his part of the world -- between Bermuda and the Bahamas -- and he went on his way."

Nicholson again contacted the MMSN each day on the next two days. On December 3, he asked for some weather routing, not just a forecast. "I then ran a phone patch to a recognized weather router in Florida for him," Webb recounted. "We also queried him as to his status, food and water availability and such. He told us his wife, who was with him, was a bit battered and bruised during the storm [that damaged their boat]." The next day, the MMSN arranged for Herb Hilgenberg, VE3LML, a marine weather router, to be on frequency to offer assistance to Nicholson.

Bill Sturridge, KI4MMZ, telephoned Fred Moore, W3ZU, asking for Moore to come on 40 meters to assist with getting the Coast Guard in touch with Nicholson. "We made several phone patches between the US Coast Guard in Miami and Nicholson," Moore said. "We also established a radio watch to maintain regular communications with the vessel until the band went long, due to the fact that Nicholson was too near Florida." Coast Guard officials spoke with Nicholson, but he still was not ready to declare an emergency. "He just wanted to make the Coast Guard aware of his situation," Moore said.

According to Moore, the Coast Guard asked him to maintain a watch on 2182 kHz until shorter skip returned the next day. "Over Saturday evening, the Coast Guard attempted to have a vessel rendezvous with Nicholson to transfer some fuel, but Nicholson refused to take any fuel, as he wasn't sure if he could store it or utilize it at this point," Webb said. "On Sunday afternoon around 1700 UTC, I conducted a phone patch to the Coast Guard from Nicholson. During this patch, we discussed possible fuel deliveries. The Coast Guard said they would put out a request for nearby commercial vessels to provide some diesel fuel for Nicholson."

Webb said that Nicholson "could only rely on a solar panel to charge his batteries to operate his radio equipment and what other electronics had survived [the storm]. He had no autopilot, no navigational computer, no Winlink or other capability. He had the ham bands and the VHF marine channel 16 available, but with limited battery power."

Because of Nicholson's precarious situation, Webb said that MMSN decided to "guard on 40 and 80 meters for the nighttime hours and we arranged with operators to guard those frequencies. Nicholson did not make any of the nighttime schedules, which followed the regular two hour pattern set up over the previous days. Even if Dave did not make the other daytime schedules, he always made the 1700-1800 time slot on 14300 kHz to get the weather and update us on his position."

On December 7, Webb conducted another phone patch between the Coast Guard and Nicholson. The Coast Guard said they would send out another message for vessels to assist with a fuel delivery. "Later that afternoon," Webb told the ARRL, "we relayed a message to Nicholson from the Coast Guard that a tanker would endeavor to rendezvous with him to transfer some diesel fuel."

Moore said that the Coast Guard had located a Swedish commercial merchant ship that was willing to provide Nicholson some much needed diesel fuel. "In the wee hours of the morning," he said, "the captain of the commercial vessel advised me that he had delivered the fuel but the engine on Nicholson's boat was not functioning, was dead in the water without lights and was, in his words, a 'hazard to navigation.'" Webb relayed that the commercial vessel's captain had advised Nicholson to "abandon [the boat] and turn in a claim to the insurance carrier right away." Later that day, the Coast Guard located a seagoing tug to go on site and meet up with Nicholson. The tug then towed his family and boat to Nassau, arriving 36 hours later, around 2000 UTC.

Steve Carpenter, K9UA, told the ARRL that he kept Nicholson's father informed of the rescue via landline, per Nicholson's request: "The father -- who is 88 years young -- was very thankful for all the effort taken by the ham radio operators involved and for the time it took to keep him informed until the final report that his son and family aboard were taken into port safe and sound."

January 2010 marks the twentieth anniversary of the waterway CW net.

Our net had its origin in the Caribbean in 1987 when myself KA3OCS and Richard Karr N4NQE started a slow speed CW net to help novice hams improve their code skills. Later, in the Bahamas, I met up with Chuck Grey, Paul Tibbits and Sam Ulbing, all who shared an interest in CW. We suggested that the waterway radio and cruising club sponsor a CW net with the purpose of helping novices. Initially the club did not sponsor the net but over time our net has become associated with the "Waterway Net" and continues to grow. Our roster has over 50 hams and a normal net will have about 20 check-ins.

With the elimination of code requirements in the amateur license exams, the net has moved away from it's initial purpose and has evolved into more of a social net or what some call a rag chew net. The speed has settled down to between 18 and 25 wpm on most days and most of the traffic exchanged is very informal in nature. If you are not up to 18 wpm all you need to do is send "QRS" (Q signal meaning: please slow down) a couple of times and the net control will match your speed.

A typical net day would start around 6:30 am when net members start gathering on the net frequency of 7.050 MHz. The net uses rotating net control stations so the NCS of the day will start building a list of QNS (Q signal for stations that have checked into a net). At 07:00 am the net control station will open the net with a short preamble and then ask for any QNI (check-ins) that are ST (short of time and need to check in and out). After the short time stations are recognized net control will ask for "QNI?" If you wish to join in the net all you need is to send your call sign in reply to the net control's request for QNI?. The net control will acknowledge you and ask you to standby, or just send the a and s characters together. "AS" meaning "please standby". Net control will build a list of check-ins and may go to a relay station to pick up others he cannot hear. If you do not hear the net control, all is not lost, eventually a relay station will be used to pick you up.

When it is your turn the net control, or a relay station, will call you and ask you "QRU?" (Q signal meaning: Do you have anything for the net?) Most stations keep their report fairly short and not too complicated. Weather reports seem to be the most popular report but others give their location if they are mobile. Aside from the Q signal QNI and QRU there are few Q signals used on the net. Chuck ND7K maintains a roster of the net and provides a short list of the most popular Q signals used.

The NCS will take reports for each station that has checked in and ask for relays to pick up more. Around 07:45 or so all stations will have reported and the net will end by net control giving a list of those who have checked in and sending "QNF" (Q signal meaning the net is finished).

I have enjoyed acting as the CW net manager for 2009 but I am happy to introduce Barry Miller VE3BZW as our new net manager. Barry is not a WWRCC member so other members such as: Sam N4UAU, Chuck ND7K, and Forrest AG4ND have volunteered to update the scuttlebutt on our net activities from time to time throughout the coming year.

Bob Gebeaux KA3OCS

You can find out more by looking on the WRCC website or joining our YAHOO group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WRCCWNET/

These past editions I have written on a number of specific subjects. Now it is time to drop back and chat with you about the generalities of first aid for those who venture out in small boats. Ten years ago I wrote a paper on "First Aid for Small Boaters". It is still germane and can be found several places on the web. Do a Google or try www.gate.net/~hirschj and wa4ewv.net/firstaid.doc, to name a couple. The info is useful but some of the drugs and creams have been replaced by newer ones these days. One of these days I'll rewrite it. ?

As I said, numerous attempts have been made in past years to offer first aid instructions to the passengers and crew of small boats. These range from the simple to the very complex. The decision about how to prepare for the medical and health emergencies depends on several things. One is the distance from land you intend to go and another is the skill and training of the captain. Some captains are actually physicians. Some are Nurses with ER or ICU skills. Still others are paramedics. The majority of boaters are merely conscientious non-medical people who earnestly want to do the right thing in an emergency, to minimize pain and suffering, avoid causing more harm, and to provide a reasonable chance for a good outcome.

One consideration is the duration of the boat trip. Day sailors generally need not make extensive first aid plans other than for cuts, abrasions and bruises. Day sailing, by sail or motor, doesn't take one far from land and the services of emergency medical teams available from shore. However, thought should be given in advance about how to contact those shore based EMS systems; who responds to where; and how far out in your local waters they will travel to help you. It varies from place to place, and jurisdiction.

One way to start finding out is to visit the local fire department's EMS captain or chief and ask questions about coverage and access to care. Have in mind what situations you would use radio or telephone for City, County, National Park or Coast Guard for help. A little planning and even a test call may save precious minutes in getting medical advice, or emergency care and evacuation.

Week end boaters who venture farther out or short term "gunkholers" should consider more extensive preparations. What should you prepare for? It has been said, "Common things occur commonly!" The first aid mission for trips longer than just a few hours, therefore, should begin with a focus on common problems. Some of these are stomach upsets, cuts and abrasions, skin disorders, broken fingers and toes, and falls.

Now, because of limited journal space let me not dwell on sunburns and band-aids, but rather focus on a few suggestions about the big stuff, heavy bleeding, fractures, head injuries, and cardiac emergencies. This article is not a comprehensive text book but rather a chance to point you in the right direction.

Pearl 1: The human body is remarkably strong and resistant, so there is usually no need to panic. In normal people blood tends to coagulate and bleeding tends to stop, especially in response to local pressure on the wound. There are three types of bleeding, venous, arterial, and oozing from capillaries.. The blood pressure from arteries is robust in all of us, about 5 psi! That is about 140 mm Hg. If an artery is punctured it takes heavy pressure to counteract that, and that pressure must be placed right over the puncture. Most important to stop are those large arteries in the neck, arms and groin.

Bleeding from veins, like from cuts in the hands, arms, and lower legs is a low pressure bleed and can be stopped by local firm pressure, or even just elevating the bleeding vein to above the level of the heart, while capillary oozing requires only local pressure with your hand, or clean gauze, or even a clean rag for 5 minutes.

Pearl 2: Lacerations, once bleeding stops, and if put at rest, tend to heal on their own. If the laceration is deep or wide and needs suturing, such suturing can be delayed for 12 to possibly 24 hours without excessive risk of infection, but after that they should probably just be packed with clean gauze and left open to heal slowly from the bottom up. In those early minutes, once the bleeding has been stopped by pressure or suturing, lacerations should be kept from strain or activity at least 5 to 9 days to allow the tissues to heal and not be pulled freshly apart. Early cleansing with clean water or clean salt water helps to reduce the chance of infection, and if the wound must remain open over 12 to 24 hours antibiotics should be given. (Amoxicillin or your doctor's alternative)

Pearl 3: Head injuries that produce unconsciousness are a true emergency and early evacuation to a competent shore facility must be arranged. While waiting, insure that the breathing passages are open so breathing can continue. Take a look at the eyes, the pupil size. If the pupils are equal that is a good sign, and if they are not that's bad. If the victim awakes that is good, the sooner they awaken, the more you can be a bit more optimistic.

Pearl 4: Fractures are of greater or lesser urgency depending on the bone involved and the degree of deformity. All fractures have some degree of local hemorrhage. That's part of the injury, but if a large bone if broken and the deformity is great, an artery my be punctured and you may need to apply proximal pressure to protect the limb in those hours until emergency teams can get to you. "Proximal" means press on the artery that serves the limb; more advanced texts are suggested to cover this. Do not attempt to straighten out a greatly distorted fracture. Splint the hand, leg or limb with some of your "shoreing boards" in the position you find it. Once the patient gets to a doctor, he or she can knowledgeably straighten it out, set it and fix it in a better position, even a week later.

Pearl 5: I'll call this "cardiac emergencies", but really it is a catch-all. Carry a thermometer, a blood pressure cuff, and a stethoscope on board for cruises of any duration. The victim's vital signs can help you evaluate the emergency and be of help to those you will contact when you call for medical advice from shore.

Before you leave port have a doctor, nurse or paramedic show you how to use these instruments and practice taking blood pressures. No matter what the emergency or cardiac rhythm disturbance, a normal heart rate, and a normal blood pressure are tremendously reassuring, both to you and the shore side advisor.

That's enough for now. Any questions??

All the Best,
Doc Jim, K4TCV

Received 10 January 2010 fro m the Navigation Center, U.S. Coast Guard.

IAW The 2010 DHS Appropriations Act 08 Feb 2010. At that time, the U.S. Loran-C signal will be unusable and permanently discontinued. This termination does not affect U.S. participation in the Russian-American or Canadian Loran-C Chains. U.S. Participation in these chains will continue temporarily in accordance with international agreements.

For more information go to: http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/loran/default.htm

The following members or their families have recently received cards or flowers from the Sunshine Fund.

December:

Charlie Kristofs     KG4OYY     Hospitalized

Jim Tyner     KF4UXT     Silent Key

Ed Sved     KB2CUZ     Surgery

Some have ignored it saying it's not really ham radio. They would be correct. However, CQ100 has proven to be an added dimension to amateur radio and a real bonus to our net.

It uses VOIP (voice over the internet protocol), the same dedicated phone lines that are used by computers to transfer data, programs like IM (instant messenger) and voice systems like Skype.

Here's how the system works in conjunction with our net. Terry, K1LCH in the Tampa Bay area and Harry, AB4T near Raleigh tune their HF transceivers to the net frequency, 7.268 MHZ at about 0715 each morning. They both boot up their CQ100 programs with the QSO-TV feature (new) and take the audio from their receivers and plug it into the "virtual radio" of CQ100. Depending on which of them receives the transmitting station best determines which CQ100 is activated to transmit. By working together over the past year they have devised a system (via Echolink texting) to transfer control back and forth so the best signal is always sent out to the internet.

Terry, K1LCH

Harry, AB4T

On the receiving end, each CQ100 listener (this could be you) simply boots up their program and sets the "virtual radio" dial to 7.268 MHZ. You will now be able to listen to the best signal from each of the two real HF radios. Although there is a short delay in the VOIP that makes it difficult to listen to your HF and the CQ100, it can be done. In fact some of the Net Controls and others use it to back up what they hear.

I'm a WRCC Net junkie. I enjoy listening to everyone's melodious voice and keeping up with what is going on. I start my day with the net and a cup of coffee. If you are away from your ham radio gear, just tune in the net on CQ100 and enjoy. If you are hooked on the net as I am and frequently miss out on the net through no fault of your own, this may be for you.

There is a fee of $32/year for the program but there is a free 90 day trial. You must be a ham to use the program but you can "transmit" on any band with any level ham license . . .remember, it's not really ham radio. Here's what it looks like:

News from Marathon: The City Marina in Boot Key Harbor has added a new dinghy dock. Their new and improved laundry is now open around the clock, so is less crowded. West Marine has opened a new retail store, twice as big. Faro Blanco is still closed, and Boaters World is gone. (Thanks Chuck ND7K for the news.)

A new mooring field at Coconut Gove (Miami) is open and can accommodate boats up to 42 feet. One cruiser reported that most of the field has been designed for boats under 40 feet, that the larger boats are farthest out and exposed to wakes, and that the dinghy dock is tiny. Nearby Coconut Grove Sailing Club has transient moorings for sailboats up to 40 feet. They have a sheltered harbor, 24 hr. launch, bath & showers, dinghy dock, bar and restaurant. Website: www.cgsc.org

Bridge News (for boaters, not card players): Effective January 11, 2010 the Lady's Island bridge (Beaufort, SC) opening schedule will be changed to open only at the top of the hour from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. except between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. when the bridge need not open. This will be in effect Monday through Friday except for federal holidays. This change is temporary, but is likely to remain for one year. The AICW closure at Ben Sawyer Bridge has been postponed until February, 2010 due to weather and mechanical problems. Construction delays may also occur at Oak Island Bridge (mile 316.6) and at Sunset Beach Bridge (mile 337.9). The NASA Railroad Bridge (Mile 876.6) MAY (or may not) be closed for repairs between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., Mon-Fri, except federal holidays. Start date to be determined. The Max Brewer Bridge (AKA Titusville Bridge, mile 878.9), is being replaced with a high level bridge. Construction began May 11, 2009 and will continue through April, 2011. The east channel of the swing bridge will be closed. The west channel is open with no restrictions.   If you plan on transiting these areas, check for updates at http://www.boatus.com/cruising/TomNeale/default.asp

NOAA Red Snapper Ban: Beginning January 4, 2010, fishing for red snapper in the federal waters off the Atlantic coast of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas will be banned. The ban will be in effect for six months during spawning season while long term effects are studied, and may be extended. Federal waters off Florida's Atlantic Coast begin 3.45 miles from shore and extend out around 20 miles. It is permissible to fish for red snapper in state waters, but most of these fish are caught farther offshore.

Dock & Dine: Many cruisers have used the $10-with-dinner dock at Sanitary Restaurant in Morehead City. Just past Sanitary to the southwest is the lesser-known Ruddy Duck Inn. Their smallish dock—room for one cruising boat and a few runabouts—is free with dinner, and the food is excellent. (Don't tell anyone and if you beat me to it, be prepared to raft up). Another dock & dine reported to be good is Cabbage Key Inn. It's directly off the Western Florida ICW, via a marked channel, south of Boca Grande Pass and Cayo Costa. The dining room is wallpapered with dollar bills. There's adequate water depth, but the finger piers are a little short. Moore's Stone Crab Restaurant, adjacent to the Jewfish Key anchorage at the north end of Longboat Key, has good free dockage for two or three big boats, and an anchorage as well. Hug the island side going in for good water.

Las Olas Municipal Marina, Mile 1064: Anchoring between the mooring field and channel is no longer permitted under the new Florida Anchoring Law. The fee for landing a dinghy at the marina is now $15/day.

It has been my privilege the last two years to host the WRCC table at the SSCA Gam in Melbourne, FL. Ron, N1GYX, ran the table for several years and passed the torch to me.

For those who may not have had the opportunity to attend the Melbourne Gam, I should explain the purpose of our table is to promote amateur radio in general as well as the Waterway Net specifically to cruising boaters. We sell the ARRL license study guides, promote the ham license exams given on Saturday at the Eau Galle library next door, take applications for new members in WRCC, accept renewal dues from current members, show folks our website on a laptop and generally answer about a million questions. To say it is a lot of fun to talk radio & boats while meeting a bunch of new cruisers as well as seeing old friends who have cruised for years would be an understatement.

I would personally like to thank all who helped staff the table on Friday and Saturday from 0900 to 1700. My thanks go to:

Art Howard, KC0TPG

Al Miles, KG4VIB, & XYL Sandi, KG4YRA;

John Watkins, W4AGQ, & XYL Diana, KF4PGI

Dave Harris, N4NVI

Ron Knaggs, N1GYX & XYL Shelley, N1UPO

and others I may have neglected to mention.

Scuttlebutt is published quarterly to inform members about Waterway Net news, activities and items of interest. Email your material to the Editor for possible submission.

What to Send

Your Editor is always looking for articles and photos

News from gatherings and luncheons

Human interest stories, humorous, hair-raising and "Don't worry, honey. . ."

Bahamas and Island news

CW and Land Cruiser's news

Technical topics

Safety & navigation notices

Letters to the editor

Poetry

Boating/Ham events

Sea Chest: items wanted or for sale

Use your imagination and send it in

Send Silent Key and obituary notices to our Sunshine Lady.
Address changes should be sent to our Club's secretary.

Deadline for Spring issue submissions: February 28, 2010
Deadline for Summer issue submissions: May 31, 2010
Deadline for Fall issue submissions: August 31, 2010

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