Boating Safety And Accident News

 Boating News:

 Some liveaboards fear pilot program will push them out
KeysNet
"If Marathon and Boot Key Harbor get a reputation as not being boater-friendly, the word will spread like wildfire," liveaboard Matthew Manninen said Thursday. "If seasonal cruisers can't anchor in Boot Key Harbor, they won't come back.

 The Weather Channel Greenlights New Original Series "Coast Guard Florida," Produced by Al Roker Entertainment
The Futon Critic Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:39 AM PDT
The series will premiere on The Weather Channel in October 2012 and will feature 13 hour-long episodes. 

Boating Safety News:

 Warm weather raises boater safety concerns
CBC via Yahoo! Canada News Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:49 AM PDT
With the arrival of unseasonably warm temperatures, boaters in Windsor-Essex began taking their watercrafts out of storage on the weekend. With that, come risks inherent with boating. 

 Lumian named to Boating and Waterways Commission
The Argonaut Mon, 12 Mar 2012 07:17 AM PDT
Venice resident David Lumian has been appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the California Boating and Waterways Commission. Lumian, 57, serves as the director of the Southern California Yachting Association and the chair of the Los Angeles County Small Craft Harbor Commission.

Boater Education:

Outdoors calendar: Week of March 11
The Oregonian Sat, 10 Mar 2012 06:06 AM PST
All programs free, unless noted.BoatingBoater safety course: Boater card class and exam, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday. Fisherman's Marine & Outdoor, 1120 N. Hayden Meadows Drive. $10. Register: 503-629-2026 or bentley16@frontier.comBoating Skills and Seamanship: For experienced and novice boaters. 7-9 p.m.... 

 Learn to tell a jib from a mast in class
Bellingham Herald
Participants in the course will be taught to rig a sloop-rigged sailboat, assist in departing from and arriving at a dock under power, have a basic understanding of sail trim and sailboat maneuvering, understand basic personal gear requirements and

 Globe South community bulletin board
Boston.com
Boating course: The US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla will offer a course on boating skills and seamanship at the Metropolitan Yacht Club, 39 Vinedale Road. The eight lessons will begin on March 18. For more information, call 781-848-2906.

Free Boater Safety
First Coast News
Whether you are a new or seasoned boater, the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary offers an opportunity to obtain the State of Florida Boater Safety ID Card. A free Boaters Safety class will be held Saturday, March 24th in Green Cove Springs.

City of Canandaigua to offer boating classes
MPNnow.com
By Scott Pukos, staff writer The city of Canandaigua will offer boating safety certification classes on Saturdays in March, April May and June. The “about boating safely” certification classes will be taught by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary ... 

Fatalities:

 Pinellas County jet ski accident kills 1
ABC Action News Tampa Bay Sun, 11 Mar 2012 03:44 AM PDT
According to emergency officials, it happened shortly before 9 p.m . Saturday near 2507 Bay Boulevard. 

 Police: Body found at Solomon's Island marina
ABC2 News
Police said around 10:00 am Saturday, Conrad H. Neuf Jr. 85 Jr. from Leesburg, Virginia was found dead in a small boat next to his sailboat in Zahniser's Marina. Neuf was found by marina employees during a morning inspection. Foul play is not suspected ...

 Four Boaters Dead Off Santa Cruz Island
NBC Los Angeles
By Jonathan Lloyd and Annette Arreola Searchers planned to continue looking for the body of a fourth boater who died during a daylong fishing trip off Santa Cruz Island. Details regarding the cause of death were not immediately available.

Missing:

 Hopes fading: Father searches for sailor son missing in Mexico
Naples Daily News
By VICTORIA MACCHI A sailboat called the Finesse, which was owned by Donn Pinkney Jr., 43, was found stripped and empty, washed ashore in La Ticla, Mexico on Feb. 25, 2012. Pinkney hasn't been heard from since he left on a sailing trip on Mexico's west ...

 Coast Guard has searched 'longer than a survivable time' for missing Oregon boaters
The Oregonian Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:05 AM PDT
Coast Guard Petty Officer Shawn Eggert said Sunday morning that there were no new developments in the search, which began with a distress beacon at 3:37 a.m. Saturday and continued overnight into Sunday. Citing rough weather conditions at the time the incident was reported, Eggert said "We have searched longer than a survivable time" for the missing people. 

Boating Accidents:

 Jet boat hits tree
Stuff.co.nz
A man was flown to Christchurch Hospital with serious head injuries after a jet-boat crash on the Waimakariri River. He was one of five people, including a skydiver and motorcyclist, flown to hospital in a busy weekend for the Westpac rescue helicopter ...

 2 fishermen rescued after boat began taking on water in Gulf 2½ months ago
WJXT Jacksonville Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:34 AM PDT
A fishing boat that the Coast Guard believed sank in the Gulf of Mexico in December washed onto Ponte Vedra Beach on Sunday.