July 2002 Newsletter
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B a c k
o n D e
H i l l
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******-Easy To Understand Help and Tips for
Boaters-******
From Wayne Weber*************** http://www.brokeboats.com
Volume # 442************************* July 23, 2002
Delivered 4th week each month************* Always
Free
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SHAZAAM, SUMMER HAS SERTAINLY SPRUNG !
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At
least here in the lowcountry it's Summer for sure; every day last
week the
heat index was over 105° with a couple at 115° or above.
That kind of heat
and humidity makes me want to follow one of
these newsletters to it's cooler
destination!
Of course the heat brings with it the increased chance of
severe
"pop-up" storms, squalls, and hurricane season, so towards the
end of this newsletter are some good tips to be aware of before
Mother
Nature spreads her Summer fury.
Most of the feedback regarding the plight
of the Manatees was
pro manatee so I'll keep on top of whatever developments
I hear
about. You can even adopt one of the cute chubby creatures if
you'd like.
Read on to learn about useless boats, dealers of boats,
concept
boats, unregistered boats, safe boats, all from from Broke
Boats.
Be sure to read through the hurricane section though, and I'll see
you all next month.
Happy Boating, Wayne
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Be
courteous when boating and render assistance if you can :-)
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Alaska clamps down on unregistered watercraft
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Alaska is
getting tough on boat owners who fail to register
powerboats by handing out
fines, reported the Anchorage Daily
News on Saturday, 29 June.
Following the introduction of the boating safety law in 2000, Alaska
Fish and Wildlife Protection officers had only issued verbal
warnings to
violators, this year they are handing out US$60 fines,
said the
newspaper.
Jeff Johnson, administrator of the Office of Boating Safety
for the
Alaska Division of Parks, told the newspaper that although the US
Coast Guard has required powerboats operating on most
Alaskan waterways
to be registered since 1965, the law was
generally ignored as few thought
Coast Guard ships would
venture into Interior Alaska.
New law viewed
as safety tool
"We look at it as a safety tool," said Captain Jeff
Babcock of the
Palmer office of the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Service to the
Anchorage Daily News. "If we come up with a boat downriver,
floating
free, or up on a sandbar, we don't have any idea if it just
became unmoored
or someone fell out. A registration number
can track that back to the
registered owner."
From 1991 to 2000, 216 people drowned in Alaskan
boating
accidents, reported the Anchorage Daily News, more than twice
the number of deaths for commercial fishing boats for the same
period.
"Everybody knows how dangerous commercial fishing is,"
Johnson told the newspaper, "but they don't realize how many
people have
died in boating accidents."
http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/1334223p-1453037c.html
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DEADLY NEWS FROM THE GHOST FLEET
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Following last
month's story on the Ghost Fleet one of our fellow
boaters related this
chilling news article:
Speak of the devil. You wrote about the "Ghost
Fleet" in your
news letter. Did you know that two fishermen died recently at
the
Ghost Fleet?
They were not supposed to be anywhere near those ships,
but
they got their boat stuck between two of them, and the boat got
crushed!
Here is the story at the Virginian Pilot web
site:
TWO MEN DIE AFTER BOAT IS TRAPPED IN "GHOST FLEET"
STEVE
STONE THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
NEWPORT NEWS - Two men drowned Thursday after
their
small boat was trapped between two ships in the military's ``Ghost
Fleet'' in the James River.
The men have been identified as Mack Boyd,
55, and Charles
Jones, 80.
Two others were rescued. All four boaters are
from the Hopewell
area, authorities said.
The incident began about 1 p.m.
when someone on the boat used
a cellular phone to call the Isle of Wight
County sheriff's
department for
help.
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ROPES, LINES, CORDS, BRAIDS
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Standards for
High Performance Ropes
The Cordage Institute, a standards
developing organization and
trade association based in Wayne (Pennsylvania,
USA), has
announced international standards for a number of high
performance ropes that are used in the general marine and
recreational
marine industries. The new international standards
are for categories of
High Performance ropes that provide higher
strengths, more abrasion
resistance and more durability in the
marine environment than conventional
ropes. They include HP
Nylon and Polyester double braid, 12-strand Nylon and
Polyester
HP braid, and HP PP/PE Olefin 3-, 8-strand and 12-strand
braid.
The international standards organization (ISO) is only now
starting
a process to use the Cordage Institute standards as drafts for
Europe (CEN) and ISO compatible standards. The Cordage
Institute
Technical Committee has also developed two new test
standards that are
applicable to the marine industry. They are CI
1500-01 Standard and Advanced
Test Methods for Fiber Rope
that provides both basic physical properties and
a number of
special properties such as wet and dry cycled and uncycled
strength and strain and determination of permanent, intermediate
and
overall strain that are frequently required when selecting
ropes for marine
applications. CI 1503-00 Test Method for
Yarn-on-Yarn Abrasion has been
developed for determining dry
and wet yarn-on-yarn abrasion resistance for
synthetic fiber yarns
when a marine overlay finish is required to improve
performance
for ropes to be used in the marine environment.
For more information than you ever wanted to know visit:
http://www.ropecord.com/
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WHO WANTS A BOAT YOU CAN'T USE ?
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Abandoned
boats a growing problem in South Carolina
South Carolina is facing the
growing problem on how to dispose
of abandoned boats in the state's harbors
and marinas, reported
the Associated Press on Sunday, 7 July.
Boats
and barges often become abandoned when their owners
decide that repairing
the vessels would be too expensive,
leaving the craft anchored at docks or
submerged due to
damage, the news service reported.
In addition, when
an abandoned boat breaks free of its moorings,
it can cause damage to other
property as well as create an
obstacle to navigation, stated the
report.
The number of abandoned boats and barges has grown to the
point that a check of the Charleston Harbor by the Charleston Post
and
Courier revealed 40 deserted vessels, said the Associated
Press.
Costly castaways
Peter Dodds of Charleston Yacht Sales
told the news service that
he sees on average one boat a month break free of
its moorings
and crash into the seawall.
The South Carolina Office of
Ocean and Coastal Resource
Management http://www.scdhec.net/ocrm/ reported to
the
Associated Press that the cost for the removal of an average
sized
boat could run as high as US$50,000.
Richard Chinnis, OCRM director of
regulatory programs, told the
news service that a large vessel, requiring a
full environmental
cleanup, "might require our whole annual
budget."
Finding the owners of abandoned boats and holding them
accountable for the cost of removal is a major problem for the
OCRM,
with the agency tied up in legal battles for years over
some vessels,
Chinnis reported to the Associated Press,
Short term solutions include
the Department of Natural
Resource's http://water.dnr.state.sc.us/
authority to seize
abandoned, junked, adrift and salvaged vessels if no one
claims
them after 60 days, the news service reported.
The OCRM has
applied for federal financial assistance for help
with the problem, and a
decision is slated to be announced by 1
October, said the news
service.
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Being from South Carolina I
am aware of the abandoned boat
problem here and a large part of the problem
lies with the SCDNR
http://water.dnr.state.sc.us/
While the OCRM has relaxed abandoned boat recovery:
a.
Regulations revised to address abandoned vessels.
Abandoned vessels
have become an increasing problem in the
coastal zone.
OCRM has
revised its regulations to address this issue. The
revisions allow
OCRM to require vessel removal by the owner
upon notification.
Also, these regulations allow any person or party to remove
abandoned boats from coastal waters or marshes.
--------BUT--------
SCDNR needs to revise and relax their rules for
obtaining a title
and registration for an abandoned boat that is recovered
by
someone other than the previous owner.
When a boater asks me if
he can use a boat he knows is
abandoned in the marsh etc. I tell him it's
way too much trouble to
make it worth his time!
The procedure in
place now is ridiculous and far too lenghty to
describe here.
What good
does it do to allow a person or party to remove
abandoned boats from coastal
waters or marshes if they can't
use them?
Maybe the two departments
need to get together and ease the
red tape.
------OR------
Try to
convince the public that abandoned boats can be filled with
soil used as
attractive flower beds when landscaping the front
yard!
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Got a little feedback? Send your thoughts to
recycle@brokeboats.com
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NEW IOWA RULES IN EFFECT
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Boaters in Iowa have
a new set of rules to adhere to when
navigating the waterways of the Hawkeye
state, stated the
http://www.pwia.org/ Personal Watercraft
Industry Association
(PWIA) on 27 June.
Having gone into effect
on Monday, 1 July, the new boating safety
law sets daylight usage
restrictions, minimum age and testing
requirements, said the
statement.
Specifically, the new law limits the use of PWC from sunrise
to
sunset, prohibits motorboaters from harassing animals and sets
12 as
the age limit for PWC users unless joined by an adult, the
press release
said.
In addition, reported the PWIA, as of 1 January 2003, all PWC
users ages 12 through 17 will not be able to operate a PWC, even
if
accompanied by an adult, unless they have completed a
watercraft safety
course and carry a watercraft safety certificate
when riding.
Support
for new law
"Third party organizations, including the Personal Watercraft
Industry Association, were very helpful in building support for this
important legislation," said Randy Edwards, assistant chief of the
Bureau of Law Enforcement for the Conservation and Recreation
Division
of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, in the
release. "This is a
clear step in the right direction toward ensuring
our waterways are safe for
all who wish to enjoy them."
Christian Gullott, PWIA state government
affairs manager, stated,
"This new law is fair for personal watercraft users
in Iowa. We
hope that similar laws will be adopted governing other types of
boats so that the public waterways in Iowa will be safer for all."
Minimum age requirements and mandatory safety courses for
users
under the age of 18 is reasonable, he added.
Buena Vista County Sheriff
Chuck Eddy told the Storm Lake
Pilot-Tribune, http://www.zwire.com/
""We would just
as soon enforce laws on the lake on the basis of
preventative safety," he
said. "But if someone is doing something
drastically wrong, putting someone
else at risk, or persisting in
bad behavior even after an officer has told
them not to do it, our
officers will write those citations."
Over
223,000 recreational boats, including PWC, are registered in
Iowa, noted the
PWIA in its
release.
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CONCEPT BOAT COMPETITION
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The British
Marine Federation (BMF) has received 95 entries for
inaugural the Concept
Boat competition that it launched with the
Royal Institution of Naval
Architects last year.
Speaking on 3 July, a spokesperson for the BMF
said it had
been very gratified by the response to the competition, entries
for
which had to be submitted by 30 June.
The aim of the Concept
Boat competition is to encourage anyone
with an interest in small craft to
enter a design as part of an effort to
reinvigorate the global small craft
industry and revive interest in
boatbuilding, said BMF.
A selection
of the designs will appear at boat shows in the United
Kingdom later this
year, and the winning design will exhibited at
the 2003 London Boat
Show.
http://www.bmif.co.uk/
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ADOPT-A-MANATEE
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Blue Spring State
Park:
Twenty manatees who regularly winter at Blue Spring State Park
near Orange City, Florida, have been chosen as adoptees for
one of Save
the Manatee Club's three Adopt-A-Manatee
programs. Blue Spring's natural
spring maintains a year-round
temperature of 72 degrees and is an attractive
winter refuge for
manatees who seek the spring waters when the surrounding
river
water temperatures become cold.
http://www.savethemanatee.org/adoptpag.htm
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Deadline
extended for government manatee protection plan!
US District Court Judge
Emmet Sullivan has given the Bush
administration an extra week to offer up a
schedule for protecting
endangered manatees in Florida from boaters,
reported
Tallahassee.com on Monday, 15 July.
The original deadline
for the US Fish and Wildlife Service to
submit its plan was on Monday, 15
July, which Sullivan extended
to 23 July, said the report.
Last week,
Sullivan ruled the administration had failed to abide by
a court-approved
plan by the Fish and Wildlife Service's delay in
establishing manatee safe
havens following a court-approved
settlement in 2001 with environmentalists
seeking to protect the
animals, the report said.
Sullivan, according
to the report, announced his decision to
extend the deadline over the
weekend.
While the Fish and Wildlife service did create two refuges for
the
manatees, it never implemented plans for another 14 areas in
order
to allow the state to establish their own laws to protect the
sea mammals,
Tallahassee.com reported.
According to the report, 186 manatees have been
killed to date in
2002, 30 percent due to accidents with watercraft.
http://www.tallahassee.com/
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NEW OUTBOARD DEALERS
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Honda Marine
has named several new dealers, it announced on
Wednesday, 3 July. The new
dealers include:
Performance Marine Sales & Service LLC, Miami,
Florida
Midwest Fiberglass Boat Repair, Cedar Falls,
Iowa
Action Marine & Watersports, Holyoke,
Massachusetts
Jensen Marine Service, Copiague, New
York
Erwine's Marine Sales & Service, Frostproof,
Florida
Outboard Marine Service, Bayshore, New
York
Dixie Marine, Miami, Florida
Western Boat &
Tackle, San Rafael, California
The Boat Shop, Ventura,
California
Mark's Marine at Lanier, Gainesville,
Georgia
Houston Boating Center, Conroe, Texas
and
Tallapoosa Marine, Tallapoosa, Georgia
They will carry part or all
of the Honda 4-stroke outboard line,
which ranges from 2 to 225 horsepower,
according to the
company.
Drop by, say hi, and buy a new motor; tell
em Wayne sent
you!
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HURRICANE AND STORM SEASON IS HERE !
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How do I prepare my
boat, trailer or myself before a hurricane?
If you live or boat in an
area prone to hurricanes or heavy
weather, know your local and national
weather sources and
monitor them continuously. Get into the habit of reading
weather
signs and monitoring the weather.
Contact local marinas and ask
for advice. You will find marina
operators knowledgeable and helpful. They
can advise you on
the best methods for securing your boat.
Remove small
boats from the water and move them to a secure
location. Ensure the trailer
and boat are secured above likely
flood areas. Remove all loose items.
Ensure the boat is tied
securely to the trailer.
If your boat is too
large to be removed from the water, move it to a
safe haven well
before the storm approaches. You should know
where safe havens are in the
area where you boat long before a
storm is forecast.
Travel the route on
a calm sunny day and get familar with it; when
the time arrives you may have
to make the trip at night so get to
know the area
beforehand!
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Do
not go out to sea in a recreational boat to "ride out" a
hurricane.
--------------------------------------------------------
If
you are unable to move your boat contact local marinas for
advice.
Some
steps that may be taken are:
-- Use extra fenders. Some people even lash
used tires to boats
to protect them.
-- Double up and secure mooring
lines.
-- Secure all hatches and portals and cover windscreens.
--
Take down mast whenever possible.
-- Remove all loose items from decks
and superstructure and
from area around mooring. Leave nothing
unsecured.
Never forget that storms move quickly and they are
unpredictable. You can always replace a boat; you can not
replace a
life.
What if I get caught out in a storm?
At the first sign of
heavy weather seek shelter. While enroute,
secure boat and prepare
passengers for possible rough water,
heavy rains and high winds: have all
aboard put on life jackets.
Do not let passengers below deck remove life
jackets. If you think
the boat may sink, it may be best not to have
passengers below
deck at all; keep them above deck and attached to safety
lines.
If you get into trouble, call for help immediately. Keep in touch
with
the Coast Guard or anyone else you can reach so someone
knows your
location and assistance can be sent if needed.
--------------------------------------------------------
Coast
Guard frequencies are Channel 16 VHF/FM or 2182 MHZ.
Do not use or rely on
cellular phones in place of a radio. Use
them only as a backup
system.
--------------------------------------------------------
If
your boat swamps, stay with it. Once in water, tether passengers
together
and keep moving slowly to keep circulation and body
temperature up. Moving
quickly can over-exert you.
If the boat is large and may sink, you should be
carrying life rafts.
Board life rafts and stay with them. Huddling together
will help
keep body temperature up to help prevent hypothermia.
What should I do following a hurricane and
where can I get
information
Check with local authorities before
entering any storm-damaged
area. Do not rush down to your boat. Boaters
should not place
themselves in danger to get to a boat.
Do not try to
enter damaged boathouses until authorities say it is
safe to do so.
Do
not try to reach your boat if it has been forced into the water
and is
surrounded by debris. Wait until authorities have made
safe access
available.
Do not try to board a partially sunken boat; seek salvage
assistance from a professional.
If a boat has been washed inland and is
stranded, do not
approach it until authorities say it is safe to approach.
There may
electrical (or power) lines, harmful debris, dangerous wildlife in
area.
Do only what safety and authorities permit.
Watch out for and
report oil, gasoline or chemical spills to the
Coast Guard and local
emergency agencies.
Information can be found from the Federal emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), your insurance company, and
local
authorities
Courtesy of US Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety:
http://www.uscgboating.org/default.asp
Pay em a visit; they have a lot more tips and publications free to
boaters!
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BOATING OBITUARY
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Doreen's
husband Matt died suddenly one day. Doreen was
taking care of the funeral
arrangements with the undertaker when
she was asked how she wanted Matt's
obituary to read.
Doreen asked the undertaker, "How much does an
obituary
cost?"
The undertaker replied, "One dollar per
word."
Doreen then said, "I want the obituary to read - MATT IS
DEAD."
The undertaker was an old fishing buddy of Matt's and he was a
little disturbed by such a curt obituary, so he offered, "I'll make you
a special deal since I knew Matt so well. I'll pay for half of the
obituary out of my own pocket."
Doreen's face lit up and she
replied, "Great. I want it to read -
MATT IS DEAD, BOAT FOR
SALE."
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A HIDDEN HUNDRED BUCKS
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Why not show your
support for Broke Boats.com by ordering your
floating buoy keychain?
They have a waterproof compartment and two of the buoys have
a $50
dollar bill inside!
Get one now at:
<a href=" http://www.brokeboats.com/keychain.html
">Click!</a>
I appreciate your support; it makes it easier to
keep new and
updated information available to my fellow boating
friends.
Thanks,
Wayne
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Fair Winds for now, but remember: * STAY SAFE AFLOAT
*
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Feel free to foward this
newsletter to anyone you think would
enjoy the read.
If you
received this newsletter from a friend all you have to do to
get your very
own copy each month is to simply sign up by
clicking right here: http://www.brokeboats.com/subscribe.html
Hey, for that matter, feel free to print it out and tack it up on the
bulletin board at your local marina, launch ramp, hardware store,
pool
hall, golf course, grocery store, laundromat, Sears, K-mart,
gas station,
town hall, movie theater, 7-11, or company bulletin
board........
Just
don't tack it up at the post office,
they might think it's a wanted
poster !
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++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As always, I respect
your privacy here and on my website.
Your personal and contact information
will never be shared with a
third party without your
permission.
Remember, any time you tire of my rambling here just send me an
E-mail and tell me to quit sending this information-packed
newsletter to
your inbox each month........Or..........
Just hit the delete button 12 times
a year!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Copyright © 2001 Broke Boats
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