Recently added articles from BOAT/U.S. Magazine:
Behind the buoy.
Nov 01, 2007; Schwartz, Richard ... The U.S. Coast Guard, which has been toying this past year with the idea of requiring recreational boaters to be licensed in the name of "national security," has apparently changed course. Those attending the annual meeting of the National Association of State Boating Law ...
Solar flare knocks out GPS signals.(BoatU.S.reports)
Nov 01, 2007 ... How are your dead reckoning skills? It might be wise to brush up as scientists at a national forum on space weather predict potentially severe disruptions of the GPS signal due to solar flares. A solar burst last Dec. 6 disrupted or interfered with virtually every GPS receiver ...
Bill exempting boaters from EPA permits makes headway.(BoatU.S.reports)
Nov 01, 2007 ... Efforts to restore a common-sense exemption for recreational boats from onerous federal permitting requirements aimed at stopping the invasion of aquatic nuisance species moved a significant step closer to being resolved by Congress on Sept. 27. Thanks to the summer-long work of ...
Texas A & M University wins BoatU.S. College bass title.(BoatU.S.reports)
Nov 01, 2007 ... The fishing prowess of two Texas A & M University students put their school in the winners' circle at the 2007 annual BoatU.S. National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship. And if turnout for the event and the enthusiasm of the young anglers are any indication, the future is bright for ...
Florida governor enters manatee debate.(BoatU.S.reports)
Nov 01, 2007 ... In an unusual twist of politics and science, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissioners were asked in September by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to postpone their vote on the downlisting of manatees and to put off the approval of a new statewide manatee management plan. ...
Aweigh with words.
Nov 01, 2007 ... "Been Around the World"--Keeping Up with a Circumnavigational Contest. ACROSS 1. ______ sail 4. "Captain Courageous" Turner 7. Tell about the one that got away, e.g. 14. Who: Ger. 15. Hurry, old style 16 ....
Beware the lionfish.(BoatU.S.reports)
Nov 01, 2007 ... Atlantic Ocean boaters, watch out! Boaters, anglers and divers who venture offshore on the East Coast need to avoid tangling with a beautiful but potentially deadly tropical invader. According to scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the highly poisonous ...
Warning flags fly again.(BoatU.S.reports)
Nov 01, 2007 ... While we barely noticed they were gone, government stations are bringing back the colorful warning flags that flew for a century to warn mariners and coastal residents of impending heavy weather and tropical storms. Earlier this year, the U.S. Coast Guard reestablished the ...
FishWatch on the menu.(BoatU.S.reports)
Nov 01, 2007 ... With consumers more aware than ever before of the problem of dwindling ocean resources when they shop for fish or dine out, a new web site now tracks how various species are doing and recommends wise choices for sustainable seafood. The site, FishWatch.noaa.gov, is a tool for ...
Florida to raise bridge.(BoatU.S.reports)
Nov 01, 2007 ... A Florida state highway department recommendation to replace a 44-year-old bridge over the St. Johns River with a much higher span could make a lot of cruising sailors happy. The agency wants to replace the 45-foot-high, two-lane Shands Bridge at Green Cove Springs, about 25 ...
California adds more marine protected areas.(BoatU.S.reports)
Nov 01, 2007 ... Sportfishing is now limited or prohibited in a network of 29 areas off the central California coast, effective Sept. 21. Collectively called marine protected areas, the restrictions apply to specific state waters within three miles of the coast, in a patchwork of locations between Pt ....
Radio towers save the day.(BoatU.S.reports)
Nov 01, 2007 ... Lost miles from shore off the California coast, the skipper of the 26-foot sailboat Blew By You began hailing the U.S. Coast Guard on the morning of July 25, requesting assistance. With all electrical systems down, and no navigation equipment working, the crew became lost the night before ...
New marina from old docks.(BoatU.S.reports)
Nov 01, 2007 ... When the city of Hammond, IN, on Lake Michigan, announced at the start of the 2006 boating season that it would close a 900-slip marina, displaced boaters had to scramble for slip space all around southern Lake Michigan (see "900 Slips Closed for Casino, BoatU.S. Magazine, May 2006). ...
Auxiliary team wins SAR Competition.(BoatU.S.reports)
Nov 01, 2007 ... Four U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliarists from Pinellas County, Florida, beat five other U.S. teams and six Canadian teams at the 2007 International Search and Rescue Competition held in late September in Toronto Harbor. Teams are judged on their skills and ability to plan, communicate ...
Consumer alert.
Nov 01, 2007 ... 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. The U.S. Coast Guard recently published the ...
Anchors away.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2007; Houghton, Dan ... I have been a BoatU.S. member for 10 years and enjoy BoatU.S. Magazine along with Seaworthy. I was reading the September issue and noticed a picture of an anchor that was on page 21. In early 1967, I was a young sailor aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Saratoga, when the ship was departing ...
The best laid plans for hurricanes.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2007; McWhorter, Les ... The July issue article, "Storms Spur Canal Cooperation," was just what the doctor ordered! As president of our Rio Vista Community Association in Jupiter, FL, I distributed copies of the article to our home/boat owners, and it prompted the action I'd hoped for. Within two ...
Pummeling the paddlefish?(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2007; Rojas, Renato H. ... The September issue tale of unsportsmanlike snagging of the prehistoric, inoffensive paddlefish that feed on plankton ("The Monster of Dragon Lake") made me blush in shame. They call it a game fish? One gains the impression that to catch these fish requires the ...
Charting by the masses.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2007; Hamilton, Bob ... While shifting shoals and shorelines, undocumented underwater obstructions and outdated surveys and charts may be putting recreational and other boaters at risk, the answer may be in our own hands. Admittedly, the National Ocean Service has neither the monetary nor other resources needed ...
Avoid the imaginary rock.(memberforum)(Letter to the editor)
Nov 01, 2007; Zeitlin, Lawrence ... On the East Coast, every strong storm rearranges the coastline. Inlets open and close. Waterways shoal up. Land contours change. Inshore charting, the major reason most recreational boaters use charts, is a low priority for NOAA. Some errors in land contours and hazards to navigation have ...