BOAT/U.S. Magazine articles from July 2005

BOAT/U.S. Magazine archives from July 2005

Behind the buoy.
July 1, 2005... Winners and losers, good news, bad news, yin and yang. While differences over public policy often involve various shades of grey, sometimes it's just a matter of black and white--no doubt about it. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION...

BoatU.S. rental epirbs summon rescuers.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... Two sailing vessels participating in the Regatta Del Sol race in the Gulf of Mexico in early May were battered by stormy weather, forcing crews to send "mayday" distress calls on beacons rented from the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety...

BoatUS.com named "Best of the Web".(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... In its quarterly survey of over 3,700 Web sites, Forbes.com has selected BoatUS.com, the Association's site, as the "Best of Web" in the "watercraft" category. The Forbes.com editors rate each site according to five criteria: content, design,...

Coast Guard honors.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... BoatU.S. Founder and Chairman Richard Schwartz was honored by U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Thomas A. Collins (right) and U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary National Commodore Gene M. Seibert (left) recently during an awards ceremony at Coast Guard...

Senator seeks to muzzle weather service.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... Free NOAA weather radio could go the way of the eight-track tape player if Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) has his way. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Legislation introduced by Santorum, S. 786, would restrict NOAA's broadcasting to emergency...

Saltwater tests of catalytic converters OK'd.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... An important series of saltwater tests of catalytic converters in marine engines will go ahead as planned this summer, after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) agreed to fund in-water tests....

West Virginia Scouts earn Flagship Award.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... The Monongahela River is pretty far from the sea but a crew of West Virginia Sea Scouts still had what it takes to win the BoatU.S. National Sea Scout Flagship Award for 2005. Sea Scout Ship 46, Arcturus, of Westover, WV, near Morgantown,...

Boating course required in Washington state.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... Joining the 36 states that now require boating education for adults, Washington state passed legislation this spring that will require operators born after 1955 in boats over 15 hp to take a boating safety course or have a state-issued Boater...

Miami Beach turns its back on boaters.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... Despite vocal and widespread opposition from a host of boating groups, including BoatU.S., the Miami Beach city commissioners ignored the concerns of hundreds of Florida boaters and voted May 18 to approve an ordinance that limits all boats in...

Clean fueling input needed.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... Did you know that it's illegal to squirt soap on a fuel spill in the water? Well, neither did half of the BoatU.S. members who took a recent online survey. For nearly 10 years, the BoatU.S. Foundation has been listening to boaters and...

Whither the whistles?(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... In response to a recent article on clean fueling practices and devices a number of conscientious boaters wrote in looking for a whistle device that can be inserted into the boat's fuel vent line. A device like this has been used in the home...

BoatU.S. testifies on Customs runaround.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... Florida boaters may no longer have to travel by car to report to Customs officials in the future when returning from the Bahamas if Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) has his way. His bill, H.R. 1509, the "Recreational Boaters Streamlined Inspection Act,"...

Deepwater in deep trouble.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... The Coast Guard's integrated "Deepwater" program, a 20-year plan designed to replace or modernize more than 90 ships and 200 aircraft, may be in deep trouble, said Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee ranking minority member...

Hospice Cup simplifies yacht donations.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... Hospice Cup Inc., in conjunction with Associated Marine Institutes in St. Petersburg, FL, has developed a yacht donation program to not only benefit all of the hospices around the country served by the Hospice Cup Inc. but also give boat owners...

Aweigh with words.
July 1, 2005... Exploring the Possibilities--Four who did so. ACROSS 1. Finish swabbing the deck 6. ____ the boat (be late) 10. Military understanding 14. Hello, to Hawaiian boaters 15. Not repeatedly 16. ____ vera (plant used...

Angler's fall overboard fatal.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... A Maryland angler died in March after he fell overboard and could not climb back into his boat, despite assistance from his fishing partner. Andrew H. Doyle, 69, succumbed to the cold waters of the Chesapeake Bay off of Kent Island while...

Sixth 'Coast Guard City' named.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... What does it take to be named a "Coast Guard City"? That question can best be put to Robert Smith of the Semper Paratus Society, the driving force behind the most recent award of the "Coast Guard City" title to Newport, OR. The distinction of...

Congress mandates coastal cleanup.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2005... Senators Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Ted Stevens (R-AK) are spearheading legislation to clean up ocean debris. Citing the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy's finding that marine debris is one of the major threats to our nation's marine resources and...

Consumer alert.
July 1, 2005... Federal laws require marine manufacturers to issue recall notices when boats or related equipment contain "defects which create a substantial risk of personal injury" or when they do not comply with boat manufacturing regulations. The U.S....

Sparking memories.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... The article in the May 2005 issue of BoatU.S. Magazine ("Outboard Museum Gears Up") interested me. When I was a young boy in the 1930s, I had three loving uncles that took me fishing, crabbing and hunting. I have a 1932 Evinrude outboard...

Remembering the rescuers.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... Your story of the Quillayute River tragedy in February 1997, (mentioned in your article, "Wave Warrior," May issue) reminded me of the story of the wreck of the brig Aquatic on Sow and Pigs reef off Cuttyhunk Island in February 1893. The six...

Marshall memories.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... Little did I realize that two years ago when I subscribed to your services that one of the major benefits was your excellent magazine. The feature articles are both well written and well chosen. To pick one, your current [May] issue is an...

Venomous locals.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... After reading the article by Tony Gibbs on Cedar Key and especially the mention of Seahorse Key, I noticed that the author forgot to note the extremely high concentration of poisonous Water Moccasin snakes on this and many of the adjacent...

The real source of pollution.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... The article, "Head Inspections Floated for Rhode Island" in the May issue of BoatU.S. Magazine jogged my long-term memory of a letter in the BoatU.S. Magazine of September 1998. Headed "90 Years of Flushes," the letter states, "It was...

Changes to an onerous law.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... As subscribers to BoatU.S. Magazine, we were disturbed to see legislation that we introduced misrepresented in "Head Inspections Floated for Rhode Island" in your May 2005 edition. The article implied that our Rhode Island legislation was...

On guard against scams.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... Just recently it seems I read an article in your magazine about a scam involving buying a boat with too large a check and having extra money wired to the sender. I am presently e-mailing back and forth with a person that is sounding like that...

Good impressions.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... I don't usually spend much time reading the literature published by organizations I do business with. However, I was so impressed with the general appearance of your Volume X, May 2005 issue that I have read it from cover to cover. Interesting,...

Experienced mechanics still wanted.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... Your article by Caroline Ajootian was right on insofar as the shortage of trained mechanics is concerned, but there are other factors at play here. As a diesel shop owner, for the past 26 years, I have tried to employ "tech school graduates,"...

Deviant readings.
July 1, 2005... As a lifetime boater I've always been proud of the fact that I never once cheated on my boat. Oh sure, I've been tempted. There have been times when my boat was so difficult to get along with that nearly all the boats in neighboring slips...

Who's that on the line?
July 1, 2005... Every angler knows that part of the excitement of pulling in a fighting fish comes from not really knowing what's on the other end of the line. And occasionally you don't know what you've caught even after you have it in the boat. ...

Hurricane hindsight: ... better planning for '05; If anyone still thinks that preparing a boat for a hurricane simply means tossing out a couple of fenders and putting on extra docklines, they need only take a lesson from the 2004 season in which residents of the eastern seaboard, Gulf coast and Caribbean suffered massive losses from back-to-back hurricanes.
July 1, 2005... Now, nearly a year after Alex, Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne set records, some waterways are still marred by wreckage, a constant reminder of the power that nature holds over us. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If any good has emerged from...

SOS over sonar signals.
July 1, 2005... The debate between ocean environmentalists and the Navy over the effects of a ship's sonar on marine mammals made headlines this past spring as 60 rough-tooth dolphins beached themselves in the Florida Keys. A day before the dolphins swam...

Bass fishing tees off.
July 1, 2005... Move over golf, there's a new game in the business world, a sport used to catch clients, reward employees, promote teamwork and even weight executive promotions. America's most ubiquitous fish, freshwater bass, and the NASCAR-afloat ballyhoo...

Club policies to ponder.
July 1, 2005... One of the attractions of recreational boating is the opportunity to join a "club" of like-minded enthusiasts. But club officers should know there is more to running a club than making sure there are enough burgers on the barbie. ...

Techno talk.
July 1, 2005... You may have noticed that your Loran C has been working better than it ever did in the past. Why? Its performance is being boosted by the improved quality and strength of the Loran signals from the new transmitters and timing systems installed...

Marina del Rey to Newport Beach.(DESTINATION)
July 1, 2005... Among Southern Californians generally, the city of Long Beach has long had a less than first-class reputation. Mostly, I suspect, this derives from its past as a rundown area of greater Los Angeles, and from the odorous refineries most people...

Dealing with derelicts.
July 1, 2005... A mast sticking out of the water. A deckhouse exposed at low tide. An old runabout lying on its side on the bank. Boats abandoned by their owners come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing remains the same: These derelicts take time, money and...

Missed manners.
July 1, 2005... Modern society has been described in a number of ways over the past few years: fast-moving, ever-changing, noisy, complicated, polarized, me-first. It's also been called "rude." In fact, a number of surveys conclude a majority of Americans...

Ask Cap'n Drew.
July 1, 2005... Cap'n Drew's Rules of Boating Etiquette 1. You may hang bathing suits to dry on radio antennas, but you may not dry underwear in the same fashion. Keep in mind that people are trying to relax on their boats and your cotton bloomers may...

New Jersey's tax return.
July 1, 2005... Jump-starting the 2005 boating season with a bang, the state of New Jersey pumped $2.5 million into a model program that will improve access to the water, beef up safety on the water and rehab channels under the water. This triple-play approach...

The truce is out there.(CONSUMER PROTECTION BUREAU)
July 1, 2005... Every year or so, the marine industry announces that it's found the equivalent of the Holy Grail that will lead to revitalization, improved customer relations or better cooperation between boatbuilders and dealers. Boating publications,...

Online consumer database debuts.(CONSUMER PROTECTION BUREAU)
July 1, 2005... * I'm going to look at a used boat this weekend, what can you tell me about it? * Is there a way that I can find out if a particular boat has any defects? * My boat is leaking. Am I alone or are other owners having the same problem?...

Inflation innovation.
July 1, 2005... For an inventor, motivation can come from many places. For Andrew Toti, an inventor who help pioneer the inflatable life jacket, his mother was the necessity of invention. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At age 16, Toti, son of Italian...

King of the cleanups.
July 1, 2005... When it comes to spring cleaning it pays to be thorough, but that's not so easy to do when you have 300 miles of shoreline to clean up and more than 50 tons of trash to remove. But if you were one of the volunteers participating in the 28th...

Volunteers grow green ideas with grants.
July 1, 2005... Lee Warnaca is not a TV, star. He's a U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliarist with a talent for video editing, some connections in the business, and most of all, a desire to make a difference in the coastal bays and lakes near Seattle, WA. In 2004,...

2005 clean water grant recipients.
July 1, 2005... Cockroach Bay User's Group of Sun City Center, FL, to produce educational panels for four informational kiosks on topics like clean boating practices, reducing the spread of invasive species, and the location of seagrass and manatee protection...

Jumping ship safely ...(DAMAGE AVOIDANCE)
July 1, 2005... One of the advantages of owning a boat is that when the days grow longer and temperatures begin climbing, you can drop the anchor, don your swimsuit, and jump overboard. It sure beats mowing the lawn. But swimming from an anchored boat is far,...

Getting shivers in the shower.(tangledline)
July 1, 2005... At first glance it looks like something out of a horror movie--a 15-foot-long shark with someone's bare legs, still wiggling, sticking out of the shark's gaping maw. But a closer look reveals that the legs aren't wiggling, they're dancing in...

Pirates invade Volvo Ocean Race fleet.(tangledline)
July 1, 2005... Sporting a toothy grin and empty eye sockets, Jolly Roger is back to intimidate all opponents on the seven seas, glaring from the black sails of the only American entry in the 2005-06 around-the-world Volvo Ocean Race. [ILLUSTRATION...

Live chats debut at BoatUS.com.(tangledline)
July 1, 2005... A long awaited new feature at the BoatU.S. Web site now gives boaters the chance to ply a panel of boating experts with their questions during a series of "live chats" that premiered last month. The site, called "Ask the Experts," features some...

Blowing up a Guinness Record.(tangledline)
July 1, 2005... Pretty confident that such a record has never before been attempted, the organizers of the International Boating and Water Safety Summit held an inflatable life jacket group "blow up" during the conference at Newport Beach, CA, in March. Over...

Member mailbag.(MEMBERSHIP)
July 1, 2005... Dear BoatU.S: I'd like to express how thankful my family and I are for being there for us when we needed help so desperately, as we had to endure the sight of my family's 30-foot Bristol Channel cutter being smashed in front of our eyes....

Celebrate Marina Day August 13.(MEMBERSHIP)
July 1, 2005... Boaters need marinas and marinas need boaters. But not everyone is aware of the important role marinas play as a family-friendly gateway to boating, environmental steward, and their impact on local economies. In an effort to increase...

Renew online.(MEMBERSHIP)
July 1, 2005... Renewing online not only saves your association money but it streamlines the renewal process by giving you quick confirmation of your renewal. Online renewal is fast and easy so give it a try. When you get your renewal bill, go online to...

West Marine CEO visits BoatU.S.(MEMBERSHIP)
July 1, 2005... Recently, newly named West Marine CEO Peter Harris (center), toured BoatU.S. national headquarters in Alexandria, VA, where he met with BoatU.S. leaders to celebrate the two-year old partnership between the two organizations. Above with Harris...

Start me up.(hottips and news you can use)
July 1, 2005... One of the many benefits of electronic fuel-injected (EFI) engines is their easy starting ability. But according to Mercury Marine, only about half the sterndrive and inboard engines its sells come equipped with EFI, largely due to cost. ...

Cell phone boost.(hottips and news you can use)
July 1, 2005... While VHF radios are an absolute necessity to have aboard, boaters have come to rely on cell phones for routine communications with family, friends or for business. But today's cell phones with slimmed-down power capabilities can sometimes...

Slip sliding.(hottips and news you can use)
July 1, 2005... For those of us in tidal areas, putting your boat away for the night always means adjusting slack in mooring lines to accommodate fluctuating water levels. But you can take away that hassle with TideSlides, a product that allows free vertical...

103.36.(BOAT BITS)
July 1, 2005... 103.36: Most miles per gallon achieved under power in a boat (by David Seidman, 8/24/04) Source: Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology

265.(BOAT BITS)
July 1, 2005... 265: Number of marinas who participated in National Marina Day 2004 (this year's event August 13) Source: Association of Marina Industries

Duffy 35.(2ndtimearound)
July 1, 2005... If you are looking for a boat that is as unique and sturdy as it is handsome you need look no further than the Duffy 35. Although hundreds of Duffy 35s have been built to date, no two are exactly alike. Each is a product of a collaborative...

Catalina 42.
July 1, 2005... Catalina Yachts has long been one of the most successful sailboat manufacturers in the world, but what is perhaps most impressive about the company is the number of hugely successful models they have had since introducing the Catalina 22 in...

Don't let high fuel costs keep you off the water this summer.(Advertorial)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... With the price of fuel at record highs, you may be tempted to scale back your summer boating plans. But before you decide to limit your cruising, keep the boat in the slip or on the trailer, or use that outboard for an anchor, consider some of...

Behind the boat.
July 1, 2005... Over the years, many people have asked me about partnerships in boats. After all, it only makes sense that an asset as expensive and under utilized as a recreational boat could easily be used by more than one owner. Unfortunately, my...

Where our flags fly.
July 1, 2005... Again This Month! The first 50 members who submit a photo of their boat to "Where Our Flags Fly" in July will receive a free BoatU.S. flag. As always, please include your boat's name, make, size and home port, as well as your member number and...