BOAT/U.S. Magazine articles from March 2006

BOAT/U.S. Magazine archives from March 2006

Behind the buoy.
March 1, 2006... Time flies and memories blur. But thank goodness for good files and old pictures, both of which are especially useful in jogging one's memories from one era to another, especially when you've got an unusually good fish story to tell. ...

BoatU.S. Foundation EPIRB saves rowers.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... Two women competing in what's billed as the "toughest rowing race in the world" are safe after their 24-foot rowboat capsized Sunday in the stormy Atlantic Ocean and left them clinging to a barnacle-encrusted, upturned hull for 16 hours. Rowers...

Saved by Rescue 21--in 21 minutes.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... While the U.S. Coast Guard officially launched the first phase of its enhanced communications system Rescue 21 at a ceremony Dec. 22 in Atlantic City, presided over by Commandant Adm. Thomas Collins, the new system got its first real test a few...

Boaters blast tax plan.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... It should come as no surprise to anyone that most Americans are skeptical when the government says it would like to fix the tax code and oh, by the way, would you mind very much if we eliminated this little deduction? Such was the case...

Local boating groups are winners.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... Twenty-five nonprofit organizations will receive a total of $50,000 in funding for local safe boating projects this year, thanks to the BoatU.S. Foundation's Boating Safety Grant Program. This year, the Foundation received grant applications...

ABYC courses now open to boat owners.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... You no longer have to be a marine surveyor, engineer or master electrician to sign up for courses offered by the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC). The marine technical standards group, which previously offered only professional level...

BoatU.S. backs West Coast race.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... The 2006 Lexus Newport to Ensenada Race, sponsored in part by BoatU.S., will kickoff on April 28, with over 500 boats expected to start the 125-mile race. Vessel Assist San Diego will provide race support and chase boats for the world's largest...

Aweigh with words.
March 1, 2006... "Sea Language"--words landlubbers have borrowed from us. ACROSS 1. How a losing crew feels 4. Southpaw 9. With plenty left over 14. Get on 15. Heart chambers 16. Puzo or Cuomo 17. Standing loss? 18....

New Jersey law sets short deadline.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... In early January, New Jersey became the latest state to join the ranks of those that require boat operators to take an accredited safely class or pass a test. A bill passed in the final days of the New Jersey legislative session took effect...

Manatees make gains.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... Due a steady increase in the manatee population statewide in recent years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission may change the animal's protected status under state law from the endangered category to threatened. After an...

Safe Boating Week, May 20-26.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... This year, once again in time for the kickoff of the summer boating season around Memorial Day weekend, National Safe Boating Week will be held May 20-26. Boating groups from coast to coast are planning special events, demonstrations and other...

La Nina expected in Pacific waters.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... Weak La Nina conditions are confirmed in the tropical Pacific just in time for spring, but NOAA scientists stress it is too early to know how this could affect spring and summer weather patterns in the United States. La Nina is the periodic...

Hurricanes turn oil rigs to fish reefs.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... Hurricanes Rita and Katrina damaged or destroyed at least 166 Gulf of Mexico oil and gas platforms but at least some of those can be turned into artificial reefs for fish habitat, according to the Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries. The...

Sailing Hall of Fame set for Annapolis.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... Baseball has Cooperstown, NY, and football has Canton, OH. Heck, even rock and roll has Cleveland. Not to be out-done, the sport of sailing will soon have its own national Hall of Fame to be located in Annapolis, MD, an East Coast sailing...

Fisheries law moving through Congress.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... Reauthorization of landmark federal law governing fisheries is moving through Congress, picking up reforms advocated by two study commissions as it goes. Proposed changes to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act are...

Great Lakes cleanup.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... Forty-five years after Ohio's Cuyahoga River "caught fire," making the Lake Erie tributary a poster child for environmental cleanup, a raft of agencies is lining up to fix problems in the Great Lakes that persist to this day. In December,...

Season finale: Tropical Storm Zeta.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... The 2005 hurricane season was so unusual that scientists began naming storms after fraternities, joked one comedian. Actually, as most mariners know, the National Hurricane Center ran out of alphabetical names at 21 and protocol called for...

So much for clean energy.(BoatU.S.reports)
March 1, 2006... In a blow to the renewable energy industry, a British ship originally designed to install offshore wind turbines is expected to be sold soon--and go to work in the offshore oil and gas market, according to a report in the on-line edition of The...

Better late than never.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... I am writing in response to Elaine Dickinson's article on the Coast Guards' Rescue 21 Communications system. As a watch officer at Sector Field Office Atlantic City with over 14 years of experience as a SAR watch officer, I can tell you that...

Back issues online.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... I have always enjoyed receiving my BoatU.S. Magazine. I find the articles always of interest and different than one would find in other boating magazines. I particularly enjoy the legislative information and the boats for sale sections. While I...

Combing the copy.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... In your September 2005 BoatU.S. Magazine, you have an article about the Colgate 26. It is, as are most articles in your fine magazine, well written and informative. I am constrained to nit-pick however, when I see in the first paragraph in the...

Boats as jungle gyms.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... I've worked in the marine industry since 1999 and done the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/Atlanta shows, Gulf Coast shows from Panama City to Biloxi and a few others. I feel competent to comment on Scott Croft's "Kids in Tow" article. I'm not sure...

Boating's cloudy future.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... The January issue highlights the challenges for the future of boating as we know it. The Bush family as always sends mixed signals. While George Sr. seems to enjoy boating in Maine, let's not forget how he destroyed the boating industry with...

Shooting the messenger.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... Whatever compelled Ryck Lydecker to write an article about "Bowkilling" in the January issue? You will notice I called it "Bowkilling" not "Bowfishing." How satisfying it must be to hold a state record for killing 645 fish in one night. If you...

Revenue neutral an oxymoron?(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... I trust most of your members will resist any changes in the tax code. "Revenue Neutral" carries about the same weight as "WMD in Iraq." Unless George W. expected a windfall, hidden of course, why would he bother changing anything? Eliminating...

Ask Cap'n Drew.
March 1, 2006... Dear Cap'n Drew: I am faced with a condition beyond my comprehension and need advice. The problem is that my brother, a boat owner for 20+ years (many of which we have enjoyed boating together) sold his boat at the end of this past season....

Life jacket contest floats new ideas.
March 1, 2006... It should come as no surprise that a recent BoatU.S. survey found that only 22% of boaters report wearing a life jacket while underway. The major complaints are that they are uncomfortable, restrict movement, or make you hot. [ILLUSTRATION...

Court case clouds use tax.
March 1, 2006... "... possession within the State of a vessel purchased outside the State to be used principally in the State." --language in the Maryland State Boat Act successfully challenged in court. A plot on television's "Boston Legal" could not...

The beauty of boating: if the eyes are the windows to the soul, then a camera may be thought of as the eyes of the soul.
March 1, 2006... One of the enduring attractions of boating is the beauty of many of the vessels that take to the water. Another is the fact that these vessels can transport you to places the average person never gets to witness or experience. ...

Does education equal safety?
March 1, 2006... The normally conservative state of Alabama is one of the last places one would expect to find radical change. But back in 1994, after a summer in which three youngsters were killed in two different boating accidents, a rapid-fire campaign was...

The lowdown on drawbridges.
March 1, 2006... The owner of a 55-foot Hatteras got a not-so-welcome piece of mail from the U.S. Coast Guard last spring questioning his request for a drawbridge opening. The letter advised him that asking a drawbridge to open if "the vertical clearance is...

Condomania: boaters get bumped by hot real estate market; What are the three biggest issues facing boating today?
March 1, 2006... While that may just sound like a new take on the old real estate industry bromide, "location, location, location," boating's problem actually does have a lot more to do with real estate than it does with boats. Just ask Florida's Diane...

Lake Powell.(DESTINATION)
March 1, 2006... As we headed down the wide, straight channel at about eight knots, we found ourselves surrounded by grandeur on every side: pastel-colored buttes that thrust into the clear desert sky, chocolate cliffs dropping hundreds of feet straight down...

Techno talk.
March 1, 2006... The "lube" oil in any internal combustion engine is all that stands between normal operation and certain, sudden, and gruesome mechanical death. However, the oil you use in your gasoline fueled car engine may not be the right oil for the gas...

This is not your father's Jet Ski.
March 1, 2006... Gathering every weekend in the summer, the members of this riding club travel as a group to their favorite watering holes and restaurants, much like a Harley Davidson owner's club might. Typically in their 40s and 50s, they ride as couples,...

The pitfalls of buying a salvaged boat.(CONSUMER PROTECTION BUREAU)
March 1, 2006... A BoatU.S. member in Bremerton, WA, thought he found the boat of his dreams when he spotted a 1997 24-foot Sea Sport fishing boat listed online by PTL ("Praise The Lord") Yacht Sales, Inc., a dealer in Port Clinton, OH. [ILLUSTRATION...

Guide to using NOAA chart downloads.
March 1, 2006... Free Charts! Download any or all of NOAA's 1,000 U.S. nautical charts from the Internet without charge! [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Sound too good to be true? Fortunately, it is true. Anyone with a Macintosh or a PC (Windows) computer and a...

TowBoatU.S. South Dade assists with downed aircraft.(tangledline)
March 1, 2006... Providing boaters with a few extra gallons of fuel or giving a tow back to the marina is pretty standard stuff for most TowBoatU.S. and Vessel Assist towers. But salvaging downed aircraft is also a routine part of the job for Captains Bill Hix,...

Sertl wins Leadership Award.(tangledline)
March 1, 2006... BoatU.S. and the National Women's Sailing Association honored Cory Sertl of Rochester, NY, a world-class sailor and youth coach, with the Leadership in Women's Sailing Award for 2005. The award honors a male or female who has gone beyond...

U.S. Power Squadron's Civil Service Awards.(tangledline)
March 1, 2006... In January, Richard Schwartz, had the honor of awarding the U.S. Power Squadron's Civil Service Awards. Schwartz presented the Best District award to John Brown, District Commander for District 13, and the Best Squadron award to Miguel...

Raiders of the lost bark.(tangledline)
March 1, 2006... This lonely vessel was spotted by BoatU.S. members Tom and Rosita Rickards deep in the desert about 30 miles northeast of Las Vegas, NV. Tom reports that they found the boat at an elevation of about 2,000 feet, over five miles from Lake Meade....

How's the weather?(tangledline)
March 1, 2006... A special two-day seminar on marine weather is being offered to women by the National Women's Sailing Association April 28-30. Noted senior NOAA marine meteorologist Lee Chesneau will teach the workshop at the Marine Institute of Technology &...

Five tips for a greener spring.(goodfoundations)
March 1, 2006... With the weather warming up, boaters in colder climates are tapping their toes in anticipation of getting back on the water. But before the big splash come the rites of spring: peeling away the shrink wrap, de-winterizing the systems, and...

EPIRB rentals--book now!(ondeck)
March 1, 2006... For boaters heading offshore, an EPIRB, or Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, can offer real peace of mind. In an emergency, an EPIRB can be activated to send out a unique, repeating SOS signal that will broadcast a boat's position and...

Island Gypsy 36: www.yardway.com.hk/marine/.(2nd timearound)
March 1, 2006... It's been more than 35 years since trawler-styled yachts were introduced to recreational boating. Their popularity over the years has had its ups and downs but currently there is a resurgence of interest in these small ship-like designs. Clear...

J/24: www.jboats.com and www.j24class.org.(2nd timearound)
March 1, 2006... It was a cool, crisp May day. The wind was out of the southwest at 12 to 14, the water was nearly flat calm, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Even though my first sail on a J/24 was nearly 25 years ago, I still remember the afternoon...

Consumer alert.
March 1, 2006... 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....

Three ways not to save money in your boat's engine room.(DAMAGE AVOIDANCE)
March 1, 2006... Every marina has at least one "expert" who claims the reason manufacturers put the word "marine" in front of a product is so they can charge twice as much. While this may be true for deck chairs and pillows, there can be significant differences...

Member mailbag.(MEMBERSHIP)
March 1, 2006... Dear BoatU.S: I am writing this letter as my boat is entering the last two weeks in a repair facility after almost 11 months of yard time since Hurricane Ivan hit Florida. I wanted to let you know that Captain Timothy Peregoy, the BoatU.S....

Boat brand chat boards debut.(MEMBERSHIP)
March 1, 2006... Want to find other boaters who have the same boat model or manufacturer as you do? There's a new home for like-minded boat groups at BoatUS.com and you can be the very first to post a message and get the discussion rolling. We have created...

Chicago Maritime Festival.(MEMBERSHIP)
March 1, 2006... BoatU.S. members in the Windy City are invited to enjoy discount tickets to the Chicago Maritime Festival to be held on Saturday, March 11 at the Latin School, 59 W. North Blvd. (corner of North Blvd. and Clark Street), in Chicago. This...

See to shining see.(hottips and news you can use)
March 1, 2006... Every now and then your industrious editors stumble upon some new gadget that promises to change the boating world. While sunglasses generally don't fall into that hype, many of us with "older" eyes will be interested in Onos' "Performance...

Evinrude goes "digital".(hottips and news you can use)
March 1, 2006... Engine makers have gone high-tech by offering digital engine instrument systems that can "talk" to other electronics aboard your boat and provide you with more information and reliability in less helm space. Evinrude's new digital...

Mob me.(hottips and news you can use)
March 1, 2006... Philosophers have pontificated for years whether a tree falling in the woods makes a sound if no one is there to hear it. In boating, however, the life-or-death consequences of someone going overboard unnoticed isn't an abstract theory of...

1,600.(BOAT BITS)
March 1, 2006... 1,600: The number of boats that participated in the 2nd Annual Lake St. Clair Raft Up, August 15, 2005 (verification of Guinness World Record pending; previous record is 1,453 boats on Lake Norman, NC, July 2004). Source: Associated Press

Behind the boat.
March 1, 2006... They say that 60 is the new 40. They can say what they want. Growing older means being 49 one day with perfect eyesight, then just six years later needing many pairs of semifunctional reading glasses strategically placed around every room of...

Where our flags fly.
March 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] ...

BoatU.S. Member Services Directory 2006.(Supplement to BoatU.S. Magazine: Part 1)(Directory)
March 1, 2006... MEMBER SERVICES Member Rewards Earn reward certificates with West Advantage Plus Rewards. Just use your Membership card when making purchases at BoatU.S. or West Marine stores, online at BoatUS.com or WestMarine.com or through either...

BoatU.S. Member Services Directory 2006.(Supplement to BoatU.S. Magazine: Part 2)(Directory)
March 1, 2006... Florida BoatU.S./West Marine Retail Locations Southeast, Bahamas [GRAPHIC OMITTED] TOWER PORTS A -- TowBoatU.S. Vero Beach Extended Service Area-50 miles offshore Sanders Marine Towing Vero Beach, FL ...

Frequently asked questions (and answers) about BoatU.S. Towing services.
March 1, 2006... Q: What is the BoatU.S. Towing Program? A: The Association provides assistance and towing services (which includes 24-Hour Dispatch, On-the-Water Towing, battery jumps, fuel deliveries, and soft ungroundings) up to a Member's specified...

Towing vs. salvage: it really pays to know the difference.
March 1, 2006... Knowing the difference between towing and salvage could save you boatloads of money if you need help on the water. Historically and legally, salvage is any voluntary and successful rescue of a boat, its cargo and/or its passengers from a...