BOAT/U.S. Magazine articles from January 2005

BOAT/U.S. Magazine archives from January 2005

Behind the buoy.
January 1, 2005... Twelve years ago in August, 1992, Hurricane Andrew slammed into the southeast coast of Florida. The Category 5 storm wreaked havoc, doing more than $20 billion in damage and making it by far the costliest hurricane ever in United States...

Coast Guard welcomes BoatU.S. National Advisory Council aboard.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... Coast Guard Station Sand Key, FL, threw out the welcome mat for the BoatU.S. National Advisory Council in early November during the Council's annual meeting in Clearwater Beach. Council members took the opportunity to tour the Coast Guard...

Cape Cod wind farm study draws opposition.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... After nearly three years of study, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in November issued its preliminary assessment of a private firm's proposal to plant a "wind farm" off Cape Cod to generate electricity. The Draft Environmental Impact...

Interior department, BoatU.S., sign landmark accord.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... An agreement between BoatU.S. and the U.S. Dept. of the Interior will help protect coral reefs and seagrass beds in National Parks from accidental damage by promoting responsible boating in the vicinity of these fragile habitats. Under a...

Manatee Forum to seek solutions.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... In an attempt to get some forward momentum on Florida's extremely controversial manatee issue, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission convened a major stakeholder forum in Orlando in...

ICW turns 65.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... This year marks the 65th anniversary of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway but "the boater's Route 66," is far from ready to retire (see "Inside Scoop on the ICW," page 34). What recreational boaters and commercial mariners call,...

Sportfishing data collection under review.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... The National Research Council will conduct a thorough review of methods the National Marine Fisheries Service uses to collect data on saltwater sportfishing that feed into policy, management and regulatory decisions, the service announced...

Auxiliary needs communicators.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... The Coast Guard Auxiliary wants amateur radio (ham) operators to join up and help to save lives on the water and coordinate special waterborne events. The Auxiliary would like to tap into ham operators expertise and have them become...

Cuba travel charges dismissed.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... Federal charges against two Key West, FL, sailors for violating the Trading With the Enemy Act were dropped Nov. 1 by a federal judge. U.S. District Court Judge James L. King ruled that the government's indictment was insufficient to charge...

Voters say yes to access, no to condos.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... Gaining access to the waterways has reached a critical point in Palm Beach County, FL. According to the Sun Sentinel, the county has 48,000 registered boats--26,500 on trailers--but only nine public marinas, 10 public boat yards, and 550 launch...

Aweigh with words.
January 1, 2005... Football or Boating?--Why not both? ACROSS 1. Kind of energy 6. Rope fiber 10. Reporter's question 14. Like the skipper on "Gilligan's Island" 15. About 64 million square miles, for the Pacific 16. You can spend...

Foundation debuts brochures in Spanish.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... With the U.S. Hispanic population projected to be the fastest growing segment for the next several decades, the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water recently released four boating brochures in Spanish and English. The new...

Grant applications due February 1.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... Community-based nonprofit groups with new ideas on how to educate boaters on good environmental habits are encouraged to apply for grants up to $4,000 from the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Clean Water grants are...

Wallop/Breaux funding bill scuttled.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... Two years of hard work went down the drain as the 108th Congress left Washington without completing action to reauthorize the Aquatic Resources (Wallop/Breaux) Trust Fund for another six years. Changes necessary to ensure that all those who...

Update on insurance changes.(BoatU.S.reports)
January 1, 2005... Five major hurricanes in less than a year are having a profound effect on insurance markets and BoatU.S. Marine Insurance and its policy underwriter, CNA Insurance Group, have been challenged to rethink the way policies are written as well as...

Swimming with sharks.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... The statistics quoted in the article "Keeping Jaws At Bay" appear questionable at best and may be seriously misleading at worst. If the same number of people walking under coconut trees in a year were to swim in shark-infested waters in a year,...

A case for a repellent.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Thanks for the great article updating us on the latest developments in shark repellent ("Keeping Jaws at Bay," November issue). But your article really made me angry. I strongly disagree with you "noted shark expert" Dr. Samuel Gruber. In...

The rarity of rogues.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Your November 2004 article "Rogue Waves Revealed" seemed, from my experience in many of the world's oceans in all seasons, to be unfortunate fear-mongering. Your author seemed to be fixated on the notion that any large waves are "rogues"...

Engine 'dumping' at the local level.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I read with great interest the November BoatU.S. Magazine article regarding Mercury Marine's assertion that they were the victims of unfair competition from foreign companies. In October 2003, I bought a 2004 15-hp Mercury short shaft with rope...

Taking a stand.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... The report in BoatU.S. Magazine indicates that you took a very unequivocal stance against requiring adult boaters to wear life jackets. Thanks! I know that not all members agree, but I, like the 86% of those who responded to the...

Useless technology?(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I think it's important to shed some light on DSC (digital selective calling) functions of VHF radios to your readers. When I purchased my new Standard Horizon Matrix VHF I was told that when coupled with the onboard GPS it would transmit my...

Strange bedfellows.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I enjoyed your article on raccoons in the current BoatU.S. Magazine. My regular visitor on The Old Cat is a water snake, and all he/she leaves is old skins. I took one to my friendly Corps Ranger and he said it is a harmless water snake. Snakes...

Fishy tradition.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I wanted to compliment you on a very well written article in the November issue regarding the snakehead problem. I believe I have additional information which could contribute to a follow-on article. It involves Asian cultures, their religious...

More info on GMRS radio.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... November's Hot Tips and News You Can Use column featured the Motorola T7400 Talkabout FRS/GMRS radios, and member Neil Savage wrote to say that his FRS/GMRS radios needed an FCC license to operate--something we omitted. Upon further...

Deviant readings.
January 1, 2005... Winter is a good time to reflect on the essential art of seapersonship. Hitherto known as seamanship, before seawomen made their worthy voices known and challenged the authority of seamen forever, seapersonship is as important today as it was...

Storms spawn: damage dilemma.
January 1, 2005... Only a handful of off-kilter pilings sticking up in a few places above the surface of the Indian River now mark the spot where a bustling modern marina once stood. Just weeks after a hurricane onslaught of historic proportions struck the...

Boating is BIG in Texas.
January 1, 2005... Gulf Intracoastal Waterway voyagers will have new port stopover facilities in Texas by the end of this year, thanks to the city of Corpus Christi, which lassoed its second Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) last September to continue expanding...

Boaters benefit from canal rebirth.
January 1, 2005... In many cities and towns across America, the "waterfront" is undergoing a rebirth. But in no other place in America have redevelopment efforts been so great than those taking place on the 524-mile New York State Canal System which spans the...

Stuck on you: awash with warning labels.
January 1, 2005... Remember the classic "Saturday Night Live" skit in which a home owner going to bed rips the tag off his mattress and the police burst in to arrest him? Warning labels are now so commonplace they're not even funny anymore. Today, they're on...

Sailing levels the playing field.
January 1, 2005... Boating is more accessible than most people think. There are thousands of volunteers across America who will provide opportunities for folks who thought that they would never get on the water, and federal regulations in recent years have made...

Dredging up pay dirt.
January 1, 2005... Joe Seebold got an early start in dredging and finding ways to put the stuff that he dug up to good use. His family summered on Block Island and as a teenager, he occupied his days with an outboard skiff, fishing, clamming, and catching...

Anguilla: the secret is out. Sailboat racing is in on the little-known Caribbean island of Anguilla, so much so that it is considered by many locals as the national sport.(DESTINATION)
January 1, 2005... Anguillans, from government leaders to the average Joe, are convinced that their home-grown brand of boatbuilding and competitive sailing sets them apart from their Caribbean neighbors. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What also sets this island...

Mastering the craft.
January 1, 2005... This past fall's boat shows had plenty of new design innovations to capture the imagination of recreational boaters. Have you ever wondered where the designers of these boats learned their trade? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Satisfying the...

The inside scoop on the ICW.
January 1, 2005... Rivers, creeks, sounds, and cuts uniquely wind from Norfolk to Miami. One leads to another and yet another, and they all lead you through more than a thousand miles of some of the prettiest and most historical regions of the U.S. east coast....

Ask Cap'n Drew.
January 1, 2005... Dear Cap'n Drew: I'm a salty old boater who used to run a gas dock during the "good old days" up on the Hudson River. Back then, the occasional boater might give you a bad check, but, by God, he'd be back a week later with a good check AND...

Composite drive goes mainstream.(hottips and news you can use)
January 1, 2005... When Volvo came out with the industry's first composite outdrive about three years ago, it was only offered to small production boatbuilders. But now high tech has gone mainstream with news that the Volvo Ocean Series corrosion resistant...

Making electronics more accessible.(hottips and news you can use)
January 1, 2005... Anyone can cut a hole in the helm and mount a piece of electronics. The hard part comes when you start connecting the maze of wires underneath. And marine electronics technicians aren't always available in every part of the country to lend a...

Stradivarius of Boats.(hottips and news you can use)
January 1, 2005... Most BoatU.S. members have a "big" boat and something smaller, perhaps a personal watercraft, dinghy, tender or canoe. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A better option than the latter may be the Adirondack Guide Boat, called the "Stradivarius of...

Raymarine "Best of Show".(hottips and news you can use)
January 1, 2005... Hats off to Raymarine for its new C120 multi-function display that took "Best of Show" honors at the recent National Marine Electronics Association convention. The space-saving C-series displays come in either seven-, eight- or 12-inch screen...

Boat bits.(hottips and news you can use)
January 1, 2005... 36% The estimated percentage of responses by Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco attributed to false distress messages. Source: USCG Air Station San Francisco

Boat bits.(hottips and news you can use)
January 1, 2005... 25.6% Percentage of marina owners/operators who charge customers an environmental surcharge. Source: 2004 Boating Industry Marina Survey

Are boat auctions a bargain?(CONSUMER PROTECTION BUREAU)
January 1, 2005... Every year, boats that are literally and figuratively washed up because of accidents, fires, sinkings and storm damage live to float again when they are sold at auction, often for rock bottom prices. Last year was no exception. Weeks of...

New Trip Assist is here for you.(MEMBERSHIP)
January 1, 2005... What happens when you lose your prescription or eyeglasses while on a tour of Europe? How will your boat get home when a serious injury ends your summer cruise early? Who will pay for your Medevac flight when you slip down a rain forested slope...

Member mailbag.(MEMBERSHIP)
January 1, 2005... Dear BoatU.S.: Our 33-foot Sea Ray, Sarah Jane, was a victim of Hurricane Ivan. This disaster provided us with the opportunity to work with many employees of your great company and it's hard to describe how they helped us through these...

Buying or selling a boat?(MEMBERSHIP)
January 1, 2005... Whether you're buying or selling a boat, things just got better with some recent improvements to the BoatUS.com online classified ads. Whether you decide to run a free, "basic" ad or paid "full" Web ad, we've now increased the run time for both...

Sails like a ton of bricks.(tangledline)
January 1, 2005... Leave it to those industrious Sea Scouts to take on a project that would get them recognized by the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum in Niagara Falls, NY. To reap this honor, the Buffalo, NY, chapter of the Sea Scouts created a 25-foot "brick"...

California convention.(tangledline)
January 1, 2005... One of the most educational and fun events of the year for women boaters is set for Feb. 5 when the 16th annual Women's Sailing Convention gets underway at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club in Corona del Mar, CA. BoatU.S. is the primary sponsor...

Fresh take on cruising.(tangledline)
January 1, 2005... For novices or experienced sailors who want to step up to a mid-sized cruising boat, Steve and Doris Colgate have published a new "fast-track" guide to everything you need to know about cruising but were afraid to ask. Fast Track to Cruising:...

Halloween trick played by masked bandit.(tangledline)
January 1, 2005... "I was almost out of the Ft. Lauderdale harbor at the helm of my Carver Riviera when I heard a 'bang.' I looked around and saw nothing, hadn't left any hatches open. I was confronted with the stare of my stowaway. He was on the bow, looking...

Fish tagging scales new heights.(tangledline)
January 1, 2005... Rhode Island charter boat captain Al Anderson, who has probably tagged more saltwater fish for research than any other recreational angler, has his own brand of fish story to tell. Says Al, "I've recaptured striped bass that I had caught,...

Albemarle.(our boatU.S.)
January 1, 2005... Boaters love their boats for lots of reasons. When it comes to fishing boats, performance in all sea conditions and bringing home the fish are what count. Albemarle owners trust their boats to take them 60 miles offshore to catch the big fish...

Techno talk.
January 1, 2005... Sailing at night can be awe-inspiring, especially on a clear, moonless night when the sky is filled with countless stars. Unfortunately the electronic navigation aids that we value so highly also prevent us from seeing the night sky as well as...

Dyer 29.(2ndtimearound)
January 1, 2005... Even after more than four decades in production, the Dyer 29 is in greater demand than it has ever been and is considered by many to be one of the most handsome small boats ever built. We should all be so lucky to grow old as gracefully as has...

Swan 36.
January 1, 2005... Among sailors, the name Swan is well known for a level of quality and workmanship considered to be among the best of any production boat built. This is a reputation that is well deserved and one recently reinforced when I had an assignment to...

West Marine's New Year's resolution: go boating more in 2005!(Advertorial)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2005... We all know what it's like to make a resolution and not keep it. That exercise bike still languishes in the garage--right next to the unicycle you promised to learn to ride. This year, why not make a resolution you can actually keep? ...

BoatU.S. exchange.
January 1, 2005... SALE OR TRADE-POWER 10'6" AVON 320 hard bottom jet boat 2003. 83 hp, seats 4, 56 hours. Cover & spare parts. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. $13,500. (516)353-1305, planman201@aol.com 16'5" CHRIS CRAFT replica of 1949 sport utility runabout.,...

Behind the boat.
January 1, 2005... The holiday season is a time for giving and for those of us up North it's also a time to reflect on the past boating season. This year I decided to try to walk the walk after talking the talk on life jackets. So many of my boating friends...

Where our flags fly.
January 1, 2005... Send us a photo of your boat, preferably flying the BoatU.S. flag, and we'll publish it here. Please include the name, make, size and home port, as well as your member number. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...