Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary protects Georgia’s special live-bottom wildlife habitat in the Atlantic Ocean and along the southeastern U.S. coast, an area teeming with diversity and an abundance of marine life.

Get Into Your Sanctuary – May 19 – 20
Few places on the planet can compete with the diversity of ocean life found in your National Marine Sanctuaries. So, we invite you to explore Gray’s Reef this summer or join us at these upcoming community events.

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Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary protects Georgia’s special live-bottom wildlife habitat in the Atlantic Ocean and along the southeastern U.S. coast, an area teeming with diversity and an abundance of marine life.

 

Volunteer to be a steward of your sanctuary!

Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary protects a vibrant hard-bottom reef habitat in the Atlantic Ocean just off the Georgia Coast. This 22-square-mile protected area is teeming with numerous species of fish, such as black sea bass, groupers, and mackerels. Loggerhead sea turtles forage and rest year-round at Gray’s Reef, and the sanctuary is within the critical habitat of the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale. Learn more by visiting: Are You Ready to Make A Deeper Dive into Gray’s Reef? Volunteers are integral to the success of Gray’s Reef operations. If you’d like to dive deeper into your local marine sanctuary, please consider the following opportunities to join our outstanding team of volunteers. Top banner photos: Greg McFall/NOAA Speakers Bureau If you would like to share your enthusiasm about Gray’s Reef with organizations throughout the region, consider joining our speakers bureau. We will schedule the presentations and supply you with a comprehensive slide kit and the training you’ll need to get started. Our speakers are in high demand for K-12 education, recreation and general audiences. This is a great opportunity for retired professionals and recent grads looking for public speaking experience. Register your interest here. Or, if you are interested in booking a presentation for your organization, please complete our online request form. Social Science Internship Gray’s Reef has a number of internships available throughout the year. We are currently looking for an intern to assist us in conducting a socioeconomic survey in our local area (Jan-Mar). For more information about this project, please click here. Candidates interested in this part-time, unpaid internship can submit their cover letter and resumes here through 12/1/17 for consideration.  Public Events Team Would you like a front-row seat to the Gray’s Reef Film Festival? Want to march in Savannah’s famed St. Patrick’s Day Parade? How about a fish-eyed view of our underwater robotics competition? We need you and a few friends to help us bring the remote reef to the street through rolling art installations, creature features and education simulations. Volunteers are needed at these and other events coming up this fall, like Coastfest and Skidaway Marine Science Day. Register your interest here. Sanctuary Advisory Council Welcome to Monique Gordon who now serves as the K-12 Education representative on the Gray’s Reef Advisory Council, and welcome back Dr. Peter Auster who serves as the Living Resources Research representative. This all-volunteer advisory group consists of individuals from various user groups, government agencies and the public-at-large and provides advice on the operation and management of the sanctuary.  Learn more about the Gray’s Reef Advisory Council by joining us for the next meeting on September 22, 2017 at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography library auditorium.  2017 Volunteer of the Year Each year we recognize one outstanding volunteer as our Volunteer of the Year. Our honoree, recognized for her extraordinary efforts in 2016, is Mandy Harvey.  “I really enjoy volunteering at Gray’s Reef because it gives me the opportunity to use my existing skills in news ways to support an organization devoted to something I care deeply about—the health of our oceans. And, I get to have a great time doing it!”  Mandy’s dedication, along with that of the honorees from the other 14 marine sanctuaries and monuments, was recognized by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation during Capitol Hill Ocean Week in Washington, DC this past June.  Congratulations and Thank you, Mandy! For more information please visit: graysreef.noaa.gov Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary                                 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411                     912-598-2345 Volunteer Inquires: jody.patterson@noaa.gov  Stay Connected with NOAA’s National Ocean Service

Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary protects Georgia’s special live-bottom wildlife habitat in the Atlantic Ocean and along the southeastern U.S. coast, an area teeming with diversity and an abundance of marine life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary protects a vibrant hard-bottom reef habitat in the Atlantic Ocean just off the Georgia Coast. This 22-square-mile protected area is teeming with numerous species of fish, such as black sea bass, groupers, and mackerels. Loggerhead sea turtles forage and rest year-round at Gray’s Reef, and the sanctuary is within the critical habitat of the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale. Learn more by visiting GRNMS here: Savor Summer in Savannah Summer may be winding down, but we’re just warming up! We hope you will join the staff and friends of Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary at these exciting upcoming events. Top banner photos: Greg McFall/NOAA August 1 – Gray’s Reef Tuesdays on Tybee The summer film series continues this Tuesdayat Tybee Post Theaterwith the inspiring, real-life story of Winter, the Dolphin That Can. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:00 p.m. With our apologies for postponing Shifting Baselines, we have rescheduled the screening for August 8, 7:00 p.m. at the Tybee Post Theater. The movie tells a story of Georgia’s coast as told by her commercial fishing families, scientists, and chefs. Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s Founding Chair, Cathy Sakas, is the executive producer bringing this film to life. August 12 – Get Into Your Sanctuary Day Experience a 360-degree virtual diveof Gray’s Reef when you visit the Islands Library branch of Live Oak Public Libraries on August 12, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Library guests can explore the sanctuary using Virtual Reality goggles and an interactive exhibit, Q&A with our staff, and take home some fun giveaways!   In addition, the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is sponsoring a photo contest until August 12. We encourage you to Get Into Your Sanctuary and share the fun nationwide!  September 22 – A Fishy Affair  Join us and the Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation for an evening of fun at this malicious, but delicious lionfish-focused Chef’s challenge featuring four talented local chefs preparing their own unique lionfish dishes.  A Fishy Affair attendees will enjoy over 350 pounds of Atlantic-harvested lionfish to bring awareness to the invasive species and in support of sustainable seafood in area restaurants.  A raffle, live auction, short film, and signature cocktail will be offered at the entertaining and educational evening benefitting Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Tickets are on sale now! Welcome Dr. Catherine Dunn Kostilnik! We are delighted to introduce you to Catherine Dunn Kostilnik, PhD., the new Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Executive Director!  Please join us in welcoming Catherine who can be reached by emailing catherine@marinesanctuary.org. For more information please visit: graysreef.noaa.gov Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary  10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411 912-598-2345

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Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary protects Georgia’s special live-bottom wildlife habitat in the Atlantic Ocean and along the southeastern U.S. coast, an area teeming with diversity and an abundance of marine life.

Exclusive Preview from GPB at Tybee Tuesday

At our next “Gray’s Reef Tuesday” on July 11, we have a treat from Georgia Public Broadcasting: a sneak peek of their upcoming 3-part television special called RARE—Creatures of the Photo Ark.  RARE is a project of renowned National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore. Throughout the show, scientists and naturalists reveal surprising information about the world’s rare and at-risk animals. The preview will also include footage from right here in Georgia, with video from Georgia Outdoors naturalist Sharon Collins.  We will be joined by special guest Emmalee Hackshaw from GBP who will introduce us to this wonderful experience, followed by our feature film Ocean Frontiers. Meet us at the Tybee Post Theater every Tuesday evening through August 1 for this salty, sea-loving film series!

A Fond Farewell to GRNMS Superintendent Sarah Fangman The NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries recently announced that our wonderful superintendent, Sarah Fangman, is leaving Gray’s Reef to become the superintendent of our sister sanctuary, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Sarah leaves Gray’s Reef in good condition; it is a healthy and productive jewel off the coast of Georgia. We hate to see her go, but we know she’ll be a valuable asset to the Keys. Please join us in saluting Sarah and all the wonderful work she has done on behalf of Gray’s Reef!  Photo of Sarah diving at Gray’s Reef courtesy of Greg McFall, NOAA For more information please visit graysreef.noaa.gov Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411

We post this complaint only to compare the experience of this skipper with Imron versus Awlgrip. We also trust that the results of this particular work are not typical of Hinkley’s expertise. See Tom Law’s comments below.

You don’t always get what you pay for! With such great reviews we decided to use Hinckley to paint our boat. We got a bid to have our 49 Hylas yacht painted in Awlgrip in January 2016. We have used Awlgrip paint before and found it to be durable, easy to clean and long lasting. A few weeks after we got the bid to paint the topsides in Awlgrip by the manager, we were handed off to [another worker] to coordinate the work we needed done. Then came emails and phone calls to use Imron paint. Imron paint is cheaper than Awlgrip. Although we loved Awlgrip we decided the “professionals” knew better and so we went with their product Imron. We felt that on every step Hinkley encouraged us to do more and more work than we felt unnecessary. It always started with “at Hinckley we do it this way because it’s the best”. They faired the transom and built it up with a compound to fix a few dings. We were not in Florida when the work was done which was Big mistake. When we arrived in late January the first issues started. First issue was we had covered our boat to protect the deck from the harsh Florida weather .We always do this when leaving our boat in storage. Hinckley removed it when they stepped the mast right after we left and never replaced as they deemed it unnecessary. We reminded them to put it back on after the mast was stepped and were assured they would do so. We had new [name] signs put on the boat. When I showed [the worker] that they were peeling, he suggested a little clear nail polish on the edges to keep them from peeling off! I was starting to regret using Hinckley.
Most worrisome was the paint job. The Imron just wasn’t the right type of paint for a sailboat that actually gets used. This became apparent a few months later. We sailed from Hinckley directly to the Bahamas and Cuba for 4 months. The boat was only in a marina once where it was rinsed down and washed. It was there we noticed that salt had etched the paint. When we returned to Hinckley five months after the initial painting we had to haul the boat and they had to use an acid to remove the salt. Even the yard and paint distributor said they had never seen anything like it. Never in 25,000 miles of sailing with Awlgrip had we ever used anything but Awlgrip wash to clean our boat of salt residue. It always looked great. Next issue was discovered by the guys who polished the boa. He t noticed small cracks all over the transom. Brian tried to explain it as fiberglass from under the bonding they used was suddenly erupting through the paint. Riduculous? Of course. But our choice was to stay in Florida and haggle with Hinckley or just consider this a VERY EXPENSIVE lesson. We realized we would never be satisfied and left. We are currently in Europe and have now noticed that everything scratches this paint. Mooring lines that rub remove the paint down to the primer. Bumpers rubbing wear off the paint, a small bump on a plastic dock scratches. Even my finger nail can scratch through the paint! Two professional painters here in Europe laughed at their explanation on why the transom had cracks. Both explained it was too much compound used and the compound was cracking underneath. This of course makes more sense. I will say that Hinckley did reimburse me the costs of the signs. Lessons learned. Never would I recommend Imron paint and never would I recommend Hinckley Boat yard.
Maureen Gapp

A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, the Savannah Hyatt Hotel is in the very center of activity on the Savannah waterfront, as affirmed by Cap’n Parky. River Street Market Place Dock is a few steps farther downstream on the Waterfront.

Here’s the up to date situation (Nov 2015) of visiting Savannah, some 6 miles or so up river from the ICW. Firstly the downtown public dock is now closed to boats of any size – I have no idea why. [See Mike Ahart’s comment below] The Market Landing marina [River Street Market Place Dock] is $3 per ft per night but the best deal is at the Hyatt Marina. $2.75 per ft transient [see Dockmaster’s comment below] but you get all the hotel’s excellent facilities – solid floating dock, 30/50amp power, impeccably clean restrooms, showers, exercise room, indoor swimming pool (with free towels), coffee shop and excellent (though pricey) restaurant. Next door on Rivers Street, try the roof top bar and grill of the Bohemian Hotel for a great sunset view of the Savannah River. Well worth a visit – Five Star Rating
Cap’n Parky

Click Here To View the Eastern Florida Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For Savannah Hyatt

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Savannah Hyatt

Click Here To View the Georgia Cruisers’ Net Marina Directory Listing For the River Street Market Place Dock

Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of the Savannah Waterfront