Boating Safety And Accident News

Featured News Item:

 IPhone app offers live readings, predictions for tides in SF Bay
The San Francisco Examiner Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:31 PM PST
Bay boaters can toss their tide charts to the wind they won't need them anymore. A new iPhone application that can provide live readings of currents and tides, as well as predictions for future conditions, is intended to give boating enthusiasts an alternative to the paper maps and charts that previously helped them navigate. Bay Currents, a free app developed by San Francisco State University ... 

Bay boaters can toss their tide charts to the wind they won't need them anymore.

 Wrong!  Very bad advice. It is perfectly ok to use electronic aids for navigating, but they are not a substitute for paper charts.  Never, ever rely solely on electronic means. It will fail you when you need it the most.

Boating News:

NT lands grant to aid marina
Tonawanda News
The Boater Infrastructure Grant Program, called BIG, combined with an additional $300000 from the Niagara River Greenway Commission procured last year, will bring the total allotted for the project to just under $1 million.

  Mayor Ortt Announces Over $686000 in Department of Interior Grant for City Marina
WKBW-TV
By WKBW News North Tonawanda, NY (WKBW release) -- North Tonawanda Mayor Robert G. Ortt announced Wednesday that the US Department of Interior has awarded a total of $686919 in Boater Infrastructure Grant funding for the City Marina located at 1000 ..

 Minister MacKay Congratulates the Canadian Coast Guard on its 50th Anniversary
Marketwire Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:53 AM PST
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 26, 2012) - The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, issued the following statement on the 50 th Anniversary of the Canadian Coast Guard: 

 Slidell given $1.5 million by U.S. Dept. of Interior to renovate marina
WWL-TV, Channel 4 New Orleans Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:19 AM PST
SLIDELL, La. - There was good news Thursday for the city of Slidell. The U.S. Department of the Interior awarded grants "support recreational boating," and Slidell will be getting $1.5 million to use in Heritage Park. Slidell's grant is the largest one in America. The city requested the maximum amount, and that amount was granted. The money will be spent at the Municipal Marina at Heritage Park ..

 New classic-boating website launches
Soundings Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:17 PM PST
A new classic-boating website was recently launched, featuring a collection of videos and blogs. OffCenterHarbor.com focuses its cameras on well-designed boats with classic appeal. 

 Lake Tahoe boating fees rise after 'good year' for stopping invasive species
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza
The average boater will pay an additional $10 or $11 for a year of boating on Lake Tahoe under the new rate structure, said Dennis Zabaglo, TRPA's watercraft program manager. “Any increase can be perceived as a negative, but we feel it's minimal,”

 USA. Rushton Gregory adds VesselVanguard to client roster
BYM News (press release)
A cloud-based personalized portal, VesselVanguard enhances boat ownership by making it easier for boaters to understand and organize the many maintenance, inspection and warranty requirements for all of their onboard systems.

Boating Safety News:

Rivers bars closed along coast of Pacific NW
FOX 12 Oregon Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:50 AM PST
The Coast Guard has closed several river bars along the coast of Oregon and Washington. 

 Phony Mayday calls could land San Diego boater in prison
Los Angeles Times Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:06 PM PST
A 47-year-old San Diego man has been indicted on four felonies for allegedly sending out phony distress calls while on his boat off the coast, federal prosecutors said Thursday. 

 Coast Guard seeks information on fake distress caller
The Sandusky Register Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:36 AM PST
The U.S. Coast Guard's Investigative Service, in partnership with Crime Stoppers of Michigan, is trying to track down the person responsible for a series of false distress calls to the Coast Guard. read more 

 Norwell Harbormaster requests more authority
Norwell Mariner Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:41 AM PST
Though Norwell may not be a coastal community, there is plenty of travel along the waterways that crisscross through town and Norwell Harbormaster Ron Mott said he would like more authority to ensure that laws are upheld and safe boating practices are adhered to. 

 Police warn boaters of deadly face of the bay
The Age
Water police Senior Sergeant Steve Towers said the death in a boating accident this week of an elderly man who was not wearing a lifejacket and the near drowning of his passenger who could not swim highlighted concerns about behaviour in Melbourne's 

 Boating Safety
KMAS
Washington boaters are invited to learn how to boat safely this year and qualify for prizes. Washington State Parks Boating Programs, together with the Seattle Seahawks are launching a contest to highlight boater education. The opening day of boating ...

 Boater Education:


CVCC Focus
Chatham Star Tribune
Boaters beware! Effective July 1, 2012, the next phase of the Virginia Boater Education requirement takes effect. All operators of a Personal Water Craft (PWC), regardless of age, and motor boat operators 30 years of age and younger, will be required ...

Auxiliary provides boating safety classes
Marco Island Sun Times
The BS&S class fulfills requirements for receiving a safe boater card from Florida's Department of Fish and Wildlife. Providing the class is also one of a variety of elements in the auxiliary's mission of supporting the Coast Guard and reducing the ...


Fatalities:


Lampasas: Man Pleads Guilty 9 Years After Student Killed In Boating Accident
KWTX
LAMPASAS (January 26, 2011)-A Bertram man has pleaded guilty to charges in the death of Lampasas High School senior Justin Roberts, nearly ten years after Roberts died in a hit-and-run boating accident. Travis Aaron Marburger, 37, pleaded guilty Friday ...

Boating Accidents:

Bad day for boaters on Oahu
KHON2
Meanwhile, after spending 4 hours on the water, the crew of 7 divers finally found help from a passing boater. "Tired, I'm more hungry than tired, yeah," said Tia. The Honolulu Fire Department and a response team from Marine Corps Base Hawaii brought ...

 Sailboat Runs Aground Off Magic Island
KITV Honolulu
HONOLULU -- Salvage removal company Vessel Assist has been hired to remove a 35-foot fiberglass sailboat, "FSOW," that ran aground about 2 pm Wednesday on the rocks off Magic Island. The vessel's owner, who had a temporary mooring permit at Ala Wai ...

 Portland firefighters risk their lives, rescue man from frigid Willamette River
The Oregonian Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:12 AM PST
One Portland firefighter dove into the water while a man onshore held their jet ski and another firefighter pulled his colleague onboard. Together they rescued a 30-year-old man who fell into the frigid water. 

 Pair burned in Vic houseboat fire
The Age Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:21 PM PST
Two people have been burned in a fire on a houseboat northeast of Melbourne. 

LOOKING BACK
Fernandina Beach News-Leader Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:30 AM PST
A Navy helicopter picked up three sailors from Connecticut after their 47-foot yacht, bound from New Haven to Fort Lauderdale, ran aground on shoals in the Nassau Sound. 


WK Outdoors – Illinois Man Charged with 3 Felonies in Boating Incident
SurfKY News
WESTERN KY (1/27/12) – A Wayne County grand jury has indicted an Illinois man on three felony counts stemming from a boating incident that severely injured a swimmer in Lake Cumberland Aug. 12, 2011. James Gibson, 26, of Chicago, is charged with .

 3 hospitalized after boat capsizes off Ocean Beach
San Francisco Chronicle
Emergency responders carry one of the victims of an overturned boat off of Ocean Beach to an ambulance after their boat overturned near San Francisco's Ocean Beach on Thursday, January 26, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. Three people were pulled from the ...