BOAT/U.S. Magazine articles from July 2006

BOAT/U.S. Magazine archives from July 2006

Behind the buoy.
July 1, 2006... Not unlike the navigators of old, we launched BoatU.S. Magazine 10 years ago with little more than a heading in mind and fair winds at our back, but with a determination to make our mark. Our goal was to produce a magazine that would be highly...

Coast Guard initiatives launched.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2006... The U.S. Coast Guard has taken the first step toward requiring mandatory education for boat operators nationwide by asking Congress for the authority to allow the agency, for the first time, to set federal standards for operational proficiency...

TSA alters rules on inflatable cylinders.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2006... The perplexing problem of flying on commercial airlines with an inflatable life jacket got a little bit easier with a modification of rules by the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the agency charged with maintaining the...

The great carrier reef.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2006... The former USS Oriskany, an 888-foot aircraft carrier that saw service for more than 25 years and through two wars, has become the largest ship intentionally sunk as an artificial reef, according to the U.S. Navy. The ship went down in 212 feet...

Lawsuit limit of 10 years sought.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2006... The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is lobbying in favor of a bill that will impose a statute of "repose" or limitation on the ability of consumers to file lawsuits involving boats more than 10 years old. The Recreational...

Florida pushes hurricane prep.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2006... As this issue went to press, Florida bill HB 7175 was headed to the governor's desk for signature, providing more prevention options for marinas before storms hit land. This bill helps address the problem of the absentee boat owner who may not...

Batten down: another active season.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2006... With ocean and weather conditions very similar to last year's, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are forecasting another active hurricane season for '06. It officially began June 1. For the North...

Saltwater license sunk.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2006... A controversial proposal to establish a federal registration system for saltwater anglers was voted down by the House Resources Committee at the eleventh hour, May 17. The system, requested by the National Marine Fisheries Service as a way...

Silver bullets for nasty species?(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2006... Zebra mussels, those tiny filter feeders from abroad that now infest many U.S. freshwater systems, may be living on borrowed time. Scientists at England's Cambridge University claim to have invented a cure in the form of an ultra tiny "pill"...

Mighty Mac retires.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2006... One of the most powerful symbols--quite literally--of the Great Lakes, the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Mackinaw, retired from active duty in June but may take on a new life as a museum. The 62-year-old cutter, which kept the Straits of...

Infrastructure grants grow.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2006... The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded more than $8 million in grant funds for 14 projects designed to improve facilities for transient boaters, such as marina slips for short-term use by visiting boats. The 2006 grant awards represent...

California Sea Scouts earn Flagship Award.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2006... Fresh from an impressive finish in the Lexus Newport-to-Ensenada International Yacht Race, a crew of California Sea Scouts traveled across the country in May to accept the BoatU.S. National Sea Scout Flagship Award for 2006. BoatU.S. Chairman...

Florida's wrecked boats may be removed.(BoatU.S.reports)
July 1, 2006... Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has signed into law HB 201, clarifying notice requirements of a marina having a possessory lien on a vessel and giving boat owners time to take action. A boat in a "wrecked, junked, or substantially dismantled condition,...

A taxing situation.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... After reading your article "Boaters Blast Tax Plan" (March issue) and a similar letter to the editor in same edition, I feel compelled to write. Every time our Congress attempts to take a serious look at the U.S. Tax Code and simplify our...

Floating scenery.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... I applaud the suggestion offered by Bob Calves (Diamond Sea) regarding uniform anchoring rights for transient boaters. I have yet to hear a convincing argument that boaters should not be allowed this privilege. The suggestion that anchored...

Hatching new boaters.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... As a member of BoatU.S., and an avid boater and recreational fisherman, I would like to compliment Ryck Lydecker for his excellent article, "Boat Birding Takes Flight" in the May issue of BoatU.S. Magazine. Although birding is never the sole...

Filling up safely.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... I was a little startled when I read Richard F. Carty's statement "When I fuel up I have my motors and electronics off except the blower." Running the bilge blowers during fueling can and will suck gas fumes into the boat. This is not the...

Vitual reality more virtual than expected.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... After reading about the online Volvo Ocean Race Virtual Spectator in the May issue, I downloaded the program with anticipation and suddenly found myself aboard the Ericsson on a port tack with the Brasil 1 close off my starboard bow on a...

Dollars not spent.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... Your article on page nine about the economic impact of boating ($6500/boat/yr) to the Florida state economy was excellent. May I suggest your figures represent the minimum economic impact? I have been a sailor for over 30 years and recently...

Toxic waters.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2006... The article, "Fifty Years On the Flats," by Michael Vatalaro in the May issue blamed hurricanes for the turbid water and algae blooms in Florida Bay. The increased fresh water flow into the coastal waters contributed to the algae bloom, but the...

Ask Cap'n Drew.
July 1, 2006... Dear Cap'n Drew: My husband was reading your column in BoatU.S. Magazine last night and showed it to me. He said maybe you could answer a burning question for me that no one seems to know the answer to: Why is the steering column on boats...

Heart of the Inner Banks.(Waterfront Living)
July 1, 2006... When Roger Tuttle swallowed the anchor after 44 years with the NBC television network in New York City, he could have retired anywhere there was water and boats, but he kept coming back to his first love, North Carolina. [ILLUSTRATION...

A corny solution.(A Serious Problem)
July 1, 2006... Buying gasoline used to be a simple transaction. Then came the choice of different octane ratings, followed by leaded versus unleaded. Now gas is changing again. The gas you buy this season at the fuel dock or gas station may not be the same as...

Captain stays cool in hot zone.
July 1, 2006... A bad day on the water for most boaters might entail a lost ballcap, a stalled engine, or running out of ham and cheese sandwiches while the kids are still hungry. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] But the stakes were considerably higher for...

Consumer alert.
July 1, 2006... Federal laws require marine manufacturers to issue defect 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. ...

Toying around.
July 1, 2006... Let's face it: your kids probably don't need a 25-foot-wide floating trampoline to have a good time while out on the water. Or a battery powered, bumper-boat look-alike complete with water cannon. Or a tube that doubles as a glider, lifting off...

Getting underway in a land yacht: after nearly 60 years of boating, I've turned from the water to the land, replacing my I/O cruiser with an RV. The basic direction of my recreational life has changed.
July 1, 2006... Or has it? Six months after first climbing aboard my fifth-wheel trailer, I find myself increasingly struck by the similarities between cruising and RVing. Although the vehicles are very different, their appeal really isn't. [ILLUSTRATION...

Techno talk.
July 1, 2006... Successful politicians always know which way the wind is blowing. Skilled America's Cup tacticians are renowned for their ability to sense even the slightest shifts in the wind and to anticipate changes that have not yet reached the boat. The...

A league of their own.
July 1, 2006... When most kids hop out of bed on Saturday morning to watch TV, it's to see their favorite superhero cartoons. Then there are a few others like Tammy Richardson who was glued to the screen as a youngster watching the nation's top bass fishermen...

Armada to Ensenada.
July 1, 2006... On the day before the start of the legendary Lexus Newport to Ensenada boat race, an ocean sailor's elixir of seaweed, salt and fish was in the air at Southern California's Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. Up in the sky, clouds partially obscured a...

Perfecting propulsion: a better way to propel a boat, from Archimedes to Azipods.
July 1, 2006... The owners of today's powerboats can thank the theoretical mathematician Archimedes (287-212 B.C.) of the Sicilian village of Syracuse for their boat's ability to get up and go. Over 2,200 years ago he developed a screw device to pump water...

Carbon monoxide campaign launched.(CONSUMER PROTECTION BUREAU)
July 1, 2006... Ever since the late 1990s when a rash of fatalities aboard houseboats underscored the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, the marine industry and the U.S. Coast Guard have been trying to figure out how to minimize or eliminate infiltration of...

Member mailbag.(MEMBERSHIP)
July 1, 2006... Dear BoatU.S.; I was on Lake Michigan, several miles offshore, with three- to five-foot seas when my steering went out. The welding to the ramrod broke and my rudders were useless. The Coast Guard and TowBoatU.S. Charlevoix were called....

Tip of the month.(MEMBERSHIP)
July 1, 2006... From Capt. Rob Butler, Vessel Assist San Diego: "In my 17 years of helping boaters, by far the number one reason I get the call for help is the result of an inaccurate fuel gauge. It doesn't make a difference whether the boat is old or...

Marinas celebrate August 12.(MEMBERSHIP)
July 1, 2006... Some may simply think of marinas as parking lots for boats, but most boaters know marinas go far beyond that. Marinas play an important role as family-friendly gateways to boating. They're environmental stewards, a place to go to learn about...

How far towing goes.(MEMBERSHIP)
July 1, 2006... East Coast, West Coast, Great Lakes or Gulf--we're all different. So why should on-the-water towing plans be the same? The good news is they are not. Many of our individual TowBoatU.S. and Vessel Assist towing companies around the country...

Spray your troubles away.(tangledline)
July 1, 2006... Can a motion-sensing sprinkler system keep your boat free of pesky pinnipeds? Harbor authorities in Newport Beach, CA, are hoping that the high tech water shooter will prevent sea lions from damaging any more boats in the harbor. Last fall more...

We have not yet begun to search.(tangledline)
July 1, 2006... If the latest expedition to locate a famous shipwreck gets underway as scheduled, scientists may be searching this summer for the wreck of the Bonhomme Richard off the coast of England. It was aboard this ship in a fierce, point-blank sea...

Offshore is the toast of New York.(tangledline)
July 1, 2006... Offshore Sailing School, one of the nation's premier sail training schools was named to the "Best of New York" list for sailing schools by New York Magazine. Offshore has taught students in the New York metropolitan area to sail for 42 years in...

A commanding presence.(tangledline)
July 1, 2006... Looking for new and compelling ways to get their safety message heard, the U.S. Coast Guard has ventured into the high-octane world of grand prix offshore powerboat racing. The "You're In Command" racing team took to the racing circuit last...

Post 42: www.postyachts.com.(2nd timearound)
July 1, 2006... Post is not a name that you're likely to hear being bandied about boat shows, yacht club bars and cruising rendezvous but, where fisherman gather and talk about boats, it's another story. Post has been building sportfishing boats for nearly a...

Stone horse 23: www.edeyandduff.com.(2nd timearound)
July 1, 2006... When I picture my own retirement fantasy, I see myself in the den of a quaint waterfront cottage, with large windows overlooking a quiet little cove with a pretty daysailer at anchor peering through the morning mist. The Stone Horse 23 is...

Joystick docking.(hottips and news you can use)
July 1, 2006... For many boaters docking is a feared, nail biting experience. Sure, it can be mastered with practice. But wind, current and congested marinas will always make docking the true spectator sport that it is. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Up to...

Smart refueling.(hottips and news you can use)
July 1, 2006... Through research and education, the BoatU.S. Foundation's Help Stop the Drops program encourages the elimination of small unintentional fuel spills and oily discharges during the refueling and maintenance of recreational boats. Small fuel...

Cobra goes VHF.(hottips and news you can use)
July 1, 2006... Cobra, the company that introduced the first Citizens' Band (CB) radio in 1963, is now offering an affordable line of VHF radios. It's MR F75 and MR F55 Marine VHF radios are priced at $149 and $119 respectively. Both are DSC capable and...

13,900.(BOAT BITS)
July 1, 2006... 13,900 The number of people that could be supported by "The world's largest floating marina platform," Antelope Point Marina, currently under construction on Lake Powell, AZ. When finished, 14 Styrofoam sections encapsulated in...

Refueling no casual job: gasoline has been pumped into water tanks, diesel tanks, fish rod holders, holding tanks ... and bilges.(DAMAGE AVOIDANCE)
July 1, 2006... Cliff Steele, a BoatU.S. member in Illinois, recounted for BoatU.S. an incident that happens all too often. Before leaving for a weekend on the water, Cliff pulled his 24-foot boat around to the gas dock to be refueled. While he and his wife,...

The down low on bilge care.(goodfoundations)
July 1, 2006... Engine lubricants are meant to coat engine parts--not the inside of the bilge. But invariably, even a careful boater can experience drips from an oil change or leaks from a fitting, which could potentially become major problems for the boat...

Behind the boat.
July 1, 2006... When I bought my first boat over 30 years ago, I became a marine bargain hunter, not by choice but out of necessity. In my younger days, time was cheaper than money and in order to fund my newfound lifestyle I needed to shop the sales and...

Where our flags fly.
July 1, 2006... Send us a photo of your boat, preferably flying the BoatU.S. flag, and we'll publish it here, or online at BoatUS.com. Please include the name, make, size and home port, as well as your member number. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...