Skull Creek Marina

March 2009

Free Vessel Safety Check

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary has offered to perform free safety checks at our marina on April 11^th from  9am-12.  Pick up your safety checklist at the Dockhouse.  For more information contact Paul Padula at 705-9152.

Maintenance & Repairs

The security code for the new gate at the entrance to the docks will be mailed to everyone within the next few weeks.  Prices for new rub rail are still coming in and the work should be accomplished this spring.  Please make sure your dockbox tops are securely fastened.  We have had several incidents recently of tops flying off during high winds.

Hilton Head Plantation Yacht Club

This active Yacht Club is open for new boating members!  You must be a Hilton Head Plantation resident to join.  Both sail and power boaters are welcome.  The club sponsors 20 in-water events per year, from day trips to 5 day cruises.  Members meet monthly, and there are also 10-12 social events per year, including formal dances.  For more information, call  Mike Finnerty at (843) 681-5985.

South Carolina “Clean Marina” Designation

This is the sixth in our series devoted to Skull Creek Marina’s goal to obtain the S.C. “Clean Marina” designation.  We hope you will enjoy these topics and be proactive about helping us protect our fragile environment.

This month’s topic is:           Waste

Dispose of Fish Waste Properly

• If available, use fish cleaning stations
• Recycle fish parts by composting with peat moss or burying in the garden as fertilizer.  Or freeze fish waste and reuse as chum or bait.

Underway 

Boat traffic (including personal watercraft) through shallow-water areas and in the nearshore areas at wake-producing speeds can stir up bottom sediment, uproot submerged aquatic vegetation, erode shorelines, and harm some animals.  Disturbed sediment can cause darker waters which harm aquatic plant life and bottom-dwelling organisms, reduce dissolved oxygen levels, and disrupt fish feeding.  The loss of underwater plants reduces available habitat for fish, shellfish, and waterfowl, diminishes the recycling of nutrients, and decreases natural shoreline erosion protection. 

Protect Sensitive Habitat

• Always be aware of your wake.  Distribute your passengers equally.  A heavy stern creates a larger wake.
• Observe posted No-Wake Zones.
• Operate away from shore as much as possible to avoid disturbing wildlife, chopping vegetation, and disturbing bottom sediments.
• Proceed slowly in shallow areas
• Do not disturb wildlife.

• Consider alternatives to toxic sloughing bottom paints.

*Some good alternatives are silicon, polyurethane, Teflon, and other hard antifouling coatings.

Cruising News

John & Karen Kuebel have an exciting trip planned aboard “Plane Crazy” starting in May.  They are taking a full year to do the Great American Loop, also called the Great Circle Route.  Their plans include spending some time in the Chesapeake before cruising to New York, the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, and the Erie Canal.  They then head to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, visiting friends along the way, to Mackinaw Island, the Illinois River, down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile.  They will enjoy a month off for Christmas on Florida’s west coast, then spend some time in the Keys before heading back to Hilton Head.  We look forward to hearing about their adventures and will keep you posted…

Other Marina News…

Happy Spring!  Plan to attend our 2009 Monthly Cookouts at the Marina.   The next celebration   will be Friday, April 10^th starting at 6:30.  Please bring something to eat, something to drink, and something to share. Charcoal and grills will be provided.  Guests and pets are welcome.  See you on the docks!