12/2017
My first book is Complete!
Just finished the writing part of my upcoming Book about restoring project books. More about the planning and organizing then the nuts and bolts but a must read for anyone thinking of taking on a project boat. The manuscript is off to the publisher who is talking about a summer release 2017. Stay tuned
BWI Writing Awards:
I am pleased to announce I have won third place in the Boating writers international annual writing contest for a Boat review I did on a Cape Dory Typhoon “Misty.” I also received a merit award for the steering maintenance video I did in cooperation with Ocean Navigator Magazine and Edson Marine. It is always nice to get recognition from your peers. I’ll be trying for a first place next year though!
New Writing Position:
I am honored to announce that I have been made a contributing editor for Ocean Navigator Magazine. I have done a lot of work for this publication and am now beginning to help them produce videos for their web channel. I think this will be a good relationship that will benefit myself, the magazine and more importantly the readers.
Moving to Ft Myers:
I am relocating to Ft myers FL as of the first of the year. I will be relocating my survey business down there. To all my friends in NC I thank you for your support over the years. For my new friends in Southern Florida I look forward to meeting and working with you in the future.
VIDEO: Build a Fishing Line Recycling Bin This Winter
ANNAPOLIS, Md., March 18, 2014 – It’s hard thinking about fishing when most of country is still frozen solid. However, anglers anticipating the spring bite can make a difference with improving fish habitat this upcoming season by building a fishing line recycling bin with some help from the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. All of the instructions to build a line recycling bin from affordable and easy-to-work-with plastic PVC pipe are explained in a short video at BoatUS.org/monofilament/build-a-bin.
The line recycling bins are suitable for any location where anglers gather, such as ramps, piers, marinas, docks and popular fishing areas. Bin builders can also get free stickers to affix to the outside that identify and give instructions on how to use the bin, as well as bilingual “no trash” stickers, simply by sending an email to Cleanwater@BoatUS.com.
“Once the weather warms up, you’ll be ready to install the bin and can arrange for clean-outs with help from fishing buddies, clubs, marinas or local agencies,” said BoatUS Foundation Vice President Susan Shingledecker.
As the bin fills up, discarded fishing line can often be dropped off at municipal recycling stations, or it can be mailed to the Berkley Conservation Institute where it will be used to make “Fish Habs” – artificial, underwater habitat structures that attract fish. Discarded line shipping instructions can be found at BoatUS.org/monofilament.
BoatUS Comments on Future of Federal Aids to Navigation to
House Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, DC, February 5, 2014 – In a hearing before the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation held yesterday to review the future of the federal government’s navigation programs and aids to navigation, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) submitted comments urging the federal agencies faced with lower budgets to keep the needs of recreational boaters in mind when looking at future savings and efficiencies. Aids to navigation include items such as floating and lit buoys, fixed markers, sound signals and range markers that allow boaters to safely navigate.
In an opening statement, Subcommittee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA), stated, “In an age of electronic communications and digital technology, I am interested in the savings and efficiencies that can be gained through an e-navigation system, as well as the progress we have made in implementing e-navigation. However, I am also concerned that as an e-navigation system is built out, adequate redundancies and back-up systems are put in place to ensure safety.”
While BoatUS acknowledged that the US Coast Guard’s aids to navigation mission is understandably focused on supporting commercial shipping and fishing, “We ask that the needs of more than 12 million registered recreational boats also be considered as the Committee reviews these programs. Unlike commercial vessels, recreational boats are much less likely to have sophisticated electronics needed to access some of the newer proposed systems such as virtual buoys. There is still a significant need for the tried and true physical aids to navigation in areas such as shallow draft harbors and channels where boaters operate.”
Also commenting about the collection of data used to create nautical charts, BoatUS said there was a “backlog of need to survey areas with active recreational boating populations.” The national boat owners group also acknowledged and thanked NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey for being responsive to boaters needs with a change in a plan that would not have included “the Magenta Line”, or Atlantic/Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, on new charts. Instead, the Office has undertaken an innovative program that will use verifiable “crowd source” information combined with survey data to maintain the Magenta Line.
To see the full BoatUS comments, go to: www.BoatUS.com/Aidstonavigationcomments.