BOAT/U.S. Magazine articles from September 2005

BOAT/U.S. Magazine archives from September 2005

Behind the buoy.
September 1, 2005... Not since the federal government proposed to levy a "luxury tax" on recreational boats 20 years ago has a legislative proposal drawn as much scorn as S. 786, the National Weather Services Duties Act of 2005, introduced by Sen. Rick Santorum...

Charter captain's error caused fatal capsizing.(BoatU.S.reports)
September 1, 2005... The decision by a charter fishing boat captain to attempt crossing a bar in rough conditions led to the tragic deaths of 11 people in 2003, concludes the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In its report on the sinking of the Taki-Tooo...

Discarded anchor ripped open hull.(BoatU.S.reports)
September 1, 2005... After six months of investigation into the worst oil spill ever on the Delaware River, the U.S. Coast Guard has determined that an old submerged anchor was the culprit in ripping a six-foot gash in the oil tanker Athos I last November. The...

More boaters, less time.(BoatU.S.reports)
September 1, 2005... A national survey of outdoors recreation forecasts that participants in boating, fishing, canoeing and sailing will increase with the U.S. population, but that rates of participation in these activities will decline. The National Oceanic...

Boating fatalities hit record low.(BoatU.S.reports)
September 1, 2005... Some good news on the national boating front--fatalities from boating accidents dropped again in 2004 to 676 fatalities, a 4% drop from 703 fatalities in 2003. While the U.S. Coast Guard's final report was not yet out by presstime, 676 will set...

Boating grant program gets good grades.(BoatU.S.reports)
September 1, 2005... A panel of non-government experts gave the Boating Infrastructure Grant Program (BIG) good marks after a year-long review of the innovative federal program to build facilities for transient boats. The committee, working under the Sport...

Foundation safety grant proposals due Nov. 1.(BoatU.S.reports)
September 1, 2005... Applications are now available for the BoatU.S. Foundation Boating Safety Grant Program. The program, which has $40,000 in grant funding available to local nonprofit groups and organizations, is a unique way to increase safe boating practices...

Pilot program tests border reporting.
September 1, 2005... U.S. and Canadian customs officials introduced a new NEXUS Marine pilot program for boaters in the Lake St. Claire region last May. "By July we've had 745 boaters sign up and that's only midway through our boating season," said Customs and...

BoatU.S. Magazine honored.
September 1, 2005... For the third year in a row, BoatU.S. Magazine has received an Apex Award, this time for its editorial column, "Behind the Buoy," as well as for a feature article on Cape May, New Jersey, written by Tony Gibbs and designed by Carla Shamblen....

Aweigh with words.
September 1, 2005... "Noah's Ark 2"--More creatures of the sea so to speak. ACROSS 1. Sheet or line 5. Cam or crank follower 10. Boom or mast 14. Ireland, poetically 15. Yellow, for one 16. Nautical leader? 17. Disappeared, as...

Duck boat dangers.
September 1, 2005... From Maryland to Minnesota, Missouri to Michigan, fall marks the time when hunters unsheath their shotguns, touch up their decoys and head out on the water with their favorite retriever to bag ducks and geese gathering for their annual...

Wallop/Breaux renewed & expanded.
September 1, 2005... "Wallop/Breaux" reauthorization was finally approved by Congress in late July, but neither long-retired Sen. Malcolm Wallop (R-WY) nor recently retired Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) were on hand the see what had become of their once simple idea. ...

California requires CO placard.
September 1, 2005... Owners of new boats in California must now carry a placard warning of the dangers of poisoning from carbon monoxide. The Anthony Farr and Stacey Beckett Boating Safety Act of 2004, named for two young victims of CO poisoning, requires the...

Still hooked after all these years.
September 1, 2005... The year was 1966. At the Oscars, "The Sound of Music" took Best Picture and at the Grammys. Record of the Year went to Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. Baltimore swept the Dodgers on a 4-0 rout in the World Series, the landmark TV series,...

Sane solutions.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... Great job! Finally someone did do something about the absolute inconvenience of reporting to Customs and Immigration when returning from the Bahamas. Thank you BoatU.S. and Rep. Foley for representing the law abiding citizens. Hector...

Mixed signals.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... I enjoyed Dick Thompson's discussion of the sonar signals of our sophisticated, techno-Navy. But what about the signals in the photo on page 24? I count six naval vessels, three have the national ensign flying from the starboard spreader, two...

Save it for science?(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... Love your magazine. It is read cover to cover each month. However, I did take issue with the advice in the recent "Who's That On the Line" article (July issue) for anglers to save any fish they cannot identify and contact their local fish and...

Weather wars.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... First, I would like to thank BoatU.S. for being on top of legislative issues such as the NOAA weather proposal (S. 786) by Sen. Santorum. As an avid Lake Michigan boater and fisherman, I was livid at such a proposal. As a former boating...

Memo to race committee.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... While I agree that the BoatU.S. EPIRB rental program is a very good thing, I must strongly disagree with the comment (July issue, referring to the S/V Luan Two's activation of their EPIRB), that "the captain and his crew did everything right."...

Stopping spills at the source.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... Thank you for a very informative magazine. The service you provide by educating the boating world is extremely important. As a 14-year marina employee and for the last three, dockmaster of the City of Fort Myers Yacht Basin, I have sold in the...

Find the fine print (then read it).(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... Coming, as it does, from an organization so closely concerned with boating and related safety, it is no surprise to see the fine insurance article by Scott Croft in your July issue. Many clubs do not have moorings but certainly have docks,...

Changes in yacht donations.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... I'd like to clarify the unique part of our yacht donation program mentioned in the July issue. Hospice Cup is one of a very limited number of charities which enables the donor to deduct the appraised value of the boat, or the sale price...

The head inspectors.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... The response from the Rhode Island senators Bates and Sosnowski in the July issue sounds like the joke, "We're from the government and we're here to help you." Rhode Island plans to use as certification agents, sewage pump-out personnel...

Support Deepwater.(memberforum)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... I want to commend you for your article in the July issue bringing to the attention of your readers the issues concerning the U.S. Coast Guard's recapitalization project Deepwater. It is vital to the Coast Guard, all of our Sea Services and the...

Ask Cap'n Drew.
September 1, 2005... Dear Cap'n Drew: I recently became commodore of a large boat club on the Chesapeake. I never realized how much work would be involved with the job! Before becoming commodore, I served on the board of directors of the club, but I still never got...

The moon and fishing: celestial castings; So you think the fishing hasn't been that good lately? Been skunked a few times this year, even though you used your favorite rod, went to your super-secret spot and wore your lucky underwear? Maybe it's the moon.
September 1, 2005... Strange as it sounds, anglers for centuries have looked to the moon for favorable fishing. The Earth's closest celestial body is well known for its gravitational effect on nature, creating tides on the ocean and even large lakes. So it should...

The greener side of boating.
September 1, 2005... When Jerry Manka of Madison. WI, buys fertilizer, it's for his boat. No, he's not growing geraniums in an old skiff in the front yard. He's doing his part--using phosphorus-free fertilizer on his lawn--to help protect water quality in the...

The lore of the redfish.
September 1, 2005... Now, that in itself is a tall order for a guy who lives in the Texas Hill Country, 200 miles from the coast. But that's what they make big diesel pickup trucks and interstate highways for, right? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "We only chase...

Red tides give boaters the blues.
September 1, 2005... Algae: It's that green stuff that marks the waterline of your boat. It gives the boat ramp its slimy texture at low tide. It's the scum around the edges of your favorite fishing pond. Usually only a nuisance, algae can thrive when sunlight and...

Return of the rogues.
September 1, 2005... Statistics show that a golfer stands a greater chance of getting hit by lightning on the golf course than a recreational boater has of running into a rogue wave at sea. Rogues however, like shark attacks, seem to spark our imagination more than...

SUVs carry the load.
September 1, 2005... For most of us, the days of towing the family boat with the family sedan are gone, lost to changing tastes, regulatory pressures and the march of technology. Finding a new car today that can tow a substantial load, say more than 2,000 pounds,...

Insuring a smooth repair.
September 1, 2005... For the Stones of Fort Meyers, it wasn't Hurricane Charley that laid a hand on their sailboat. She came through that fierce storm with barely a scratch. But not a week later, lightning struck, literally. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An...

Racing with the stars: in most sports, the stars and heroes are well known by their fans and easily recognized by name. In yacht racing, however, the average boater would be hard pressed to name the stars and most of our heroes are unknown except to those whose lives are saved by their heroic efforts.
September 1, 2005... My wife, Lori and I jumped at the chance to see some of the classic stars in boating this past spring when Star Clipper Ltd. invited us to join them during the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. This annual event draws some of the best classic...

Kids in tow at the boat show.
September 1, 2005... Bringing your kids to the show? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While couples still make up the majority of boat show visitors, the boating industry's push for more family appeal is beginning to pay dividends for kids and their parents. ...

End of the road in Michigan.
September 1, 2005... On the inland lakes of Northern Michigan, the public historically has enjoyed access to the water at road ends, a platted or recorded, but unfinished, road that leads directly to the edge of the water. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On Higgins...

Portable electric heaters and boat fires.(DAMAGE AVOIDANCE)
September 1, 2005... Common sense tells you that a fire hazard in a house can be a fire hazard on a boat. Smoking in bed, for example, is hazardous no matter where you are. The same is true of disposing of oil-soaked rags, storing gasoline, replacing frayed wires,...

Defect notices lost and found.(CONSUMER PROTECTION BUREAU)
September 1, 2005... The latest list of defect recall notices includes campaigns initiated between June 2004 and May 2005 that went unpublished by the Coast Guard during the past year because of a data entry problem. Coast Guard personnel discovered this...

Techno talk.
September 1, 2005... Years ago numerous recreational boaters on the East Coast navigated using Texaco Oil Company Marine Maps. Although by no stretch of the imagination a nautical chart, these maps were free and even in the absence of Loran C or GPS many voyages...

2004 annual report: member support adds up to a record year.
September 1, 2005... As a 503(c) (3) nonprofit organization, the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water relies on the generous support of BoatU.S. members as well as on grants and donations from others to keep boating safe and clean for future...

Catfish cocktail.(hottips and news you can use)
September 1, 2005... When it comes to catching fish, there are two basic schools of thought: In one comer you have manufactured lures and in the other, natural baits. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] But some food scientists and fisheries biologists at Auburn...

Life jacket in disguise.(hottips and news you can use)
September 1, 2005... It's no surprise that a survey by the BoatU.S. Foundation found that the number one reason why boaters don't wear life jackets is because they are uncomfortable. But what happens when you combine an inflatable life jacket with a comfy...

Knocking hulls.(hottips and news you can use)
September 1, 2005... You're rafted up with other boats at your favorite swimming hole, and all of a sudden some knucklehead comes by throwing a supersized wake. Within seconds, it makes its way through the raft of boats knocking hulls and causing a few to utter...

Go ahead, take the wheel.(hottips and news you can use)
September 1, 2005... Many cars today have steering wheels that not only operate a horn but act as controllers for sound systems or cruise controls. Now Sea Ray has taken the integrated steering wheel concept to boats with its introduction of the Delphi steering...

40%.(BOAT BITS)
September 1, 2005... 40%: The percentage of a boat's value it will cost to repair after it has been sunk. Source: Seaworthy Magazine

Swedish team wins 2005 BoatU.S. Santa Maria Cup.(tangledline)
September 1, 2005... Swedish skipper Marie Bjorling was declared champion of the 15th annual BoatU.S. Santa Maria Cup women's match racing regatta, hosted by Eastport Yacht Club, after dying winds on the final day of racing forced the cancellation of both the...

Things are just ducky.(tangledline)
September 1, 2005... The Missouri State Water Patrol is testing new, more affordable methods to aid in searching for wayward boaters on the Lake of the Ozarks. Officer Dustin Crafton is shown testing the new experimental "MALLARDS" (Missouri Area Lakes Low Altitude...

Take a shark to Bermuda.(tangledline)
September 1, 2005... A Sea Scout crew from Pennsylvania sailing in the Marion-Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race in June got a shock when a shark latched on to their boat's auxiliary battery charger. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "When underway we tow a propeller on a...

U.S. Sailing Rescue Medal Awarded.(tangledline)
September 1, 2005... "Man overboard" are the two most dreaded words in boating and when two BoatU.S. members heard the call during a race in January in the cold Pacific waters, they swung into quick action. For their efforts, the U.S. Sailing Association presented...

Saint Izaak, pray for me.(tangledline)
September 1, 2005... Are anglers ready for their own patron saint? A preacher in Alabama thinks so. Rev. Jeremy Lucas is petitioning the Episcopal Church to have Izaak Walton named a saint. Walton, of course, wrote the most famous fishing how-to book of all time,...

Nimble Nomad 24.(2ndtimearound)
September 1, 2005... At first sight, the Nomad, built by Nimble Boats, Inc. of Odessa, FL, is likely to elicit such adjectives as cute, quaint and perhaps even impractical. But, owners are quick to extol its virtues as an alternative choice for boaters in search of...

Colgate 26.(2ndtimearound)
September 1, 2005... After more than 30 years of teaching sailing, Steve and Doris Colgate of the Offshore Sailing School no doubt had an idea or two about what they were looking for to replace the school's aging fleet of Solings. To put their ideas on paper they...

Member mailbag.(MEMBERSHIP)
September 1, 2005... Dear BoatU.S.: I recently cancelled my policy after selling our 25-foot Chris Craft. Over the years I have had no claims, partly, at least, because of the advice you furnished in Seaworthy and BoatU.S. Magazine. From time to time, I...

Boat shows are back.(MEMBERSHIP)
September 1, 2005... The fall boat show season is here and BoatU.S. staff would love to meet members, so stop by our booth to say hello. While there, don't forget to grab a free BoatU.S. lanyard. Here's where BoatU.S. will be exhibiting this fall: *...

BoatU.S. Trip Assist services aid in an emergency.(MEMBERSHIP)
September 1, 2005... Having a medical emergency at home is bad enough but are you prepared for serious illness while traveling across the country or abroad? James Ford of Perth, Australia, knows first-hand what it's like to fall ill a long way from home, and how...

Sign up for free e-line.(MEMBERSHIP)
September 1, 2005... If you like BoatU.S. Magazine, check out eLine, a monthly E-newsletter from BoatU.S. with boatloads of great information on how to get the best out of boating. All you have to do is send us your e-mail address. But don't worry--we won't share...

Winterizing your boat.(Advertorial)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2005... With summer now a memory, and the leaves beginning to turn, its time to prepare to put your boat away for the winter. This is, by no means, a comprehensive guide to winterizing your boat. Instead, this article offers some suggestions to help...

Behind the boat.
September 1, 2005... As the July issue of BoatU.S. Magazine was being put to bed, a benchmark was reached--the Association hit the 600,000 member mark. This is considered quite an achievement by association staff. For an association of our size, membership growth...

Where our flags fly.
September 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] ...