Education
BoatUS offers a free online boating
safety course at the BoatUS website, www.boatus.com.
According to Ron Wood, director of the BoatUS Foundation for Boating
Safety, over 80,000 boaters have taken the course at the website. The
course is NASBLA-approved, US Coast Guard-recognized and accepted in
over half of the states with a boating education requirement.
U.S. Power Squadron classes focus on boating safety and skills. Call
1-800-336-BOAT for additional information.
Center for Wooden Boats on Seattle's
Lake Union sponsors free public sailing every Sunday at 1400 hours,
weather permitting. Each sailing excursion is approximately 30 minutes
in length. Interested parties should phone 206-382-2628 after 1200 hrs
to confirm weather conditions at the center.
US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla
32-Des Moines, will be offering a 10-lesson Boating Skills and Seamanship
course at Mount Rainier High School, 22450 19th Ave S., beginning Jan.
28, 2003. The classes will be held Tues. and Thurs. evenings from 1900-2100
and will cover the full range of boating safety subjects for the new
or experienced boater. These include federally required equipment, basic
navigation, lines/rope handling, boat handling, weather, radio, nomenclature
and trailering. The instruction is free with a $45 fee for the student
text and workbook. For additional information, please contact the Flotilla
Public Education Officer, Frank Coletta, at 253-804-4684.
US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla
12-Edmonds, presents two boating safety courses for students in
North King and South Snohomish Counties. Each course convenes from 1900-2100,
one evening a week.
-Boating Skills and Seamanship is a 13-lesson course for all
boaters, beginning Feb. 11. The course includes boat selection, boat
handling, safety and legal requirements, aids to navigation, navigation
rules, introduction to piloting, lines and knots, marine weather, trailering,
engines, marine radio, locks and dams. Included is one day of underway
training aboard an Auxiliary vessel, including passage through the Ballard
Locks. This class is held Tuesday evenings at Seaview Chevrolet in Lynnwood.
-Advanced Coastal Navigation is a 12-lesson course in piloting,
beginning Feb. 11. Students learn all facets of marine navigation, from
how a magnetic compass is constructed to dead reckoning, advanced charting,
correcting for tides and currents, current sailing, electronic navigation
and much more. An extended cruise exercise is included to sharpen the
student's skills. This class is held on Tuesday evenings at the Port
of Edmonds.
For additional information on Edmonds Flotilla 12 classes, please call
206-546-4171.
Olympia Sail and Power Squadron will offer a one-day, eight-hour version
of the Boat Smart Boating Safety Class, Jan. 25. Topics will include
boat handling, required equipment, rules of the road and marine VHF
radio. Pre-registration is required. Please call 360-491-5157 or 360-456-4708.
Tacoma Power Squadron announces two public boating courses. The
first meets on Mon. and Wed. nights, Feb. 24-Mar. 26, at Aylen Jr. High
School in Puyallup. The second meets Mon. and Wed. nights from Apr.
21- May 19, also at Aylen Jr. High. For additional information, please
call 253-531-0108.
Captain Roy's Marine Training is offering classes for the US
Coast Guard OUPV (six-pack) Captain's License. The 55-hour course will
be conducted on three weekends, over a four-week period, Apr. 4-27,
at Skagit Valley College in Mt. Vernon, WA. Tuition cost is $800, including
all texts, charts, plotting instruments and testing. No testing at the
Coast Guard is required. Please contact Captain Kirby Stevens at 360-678-0509
for details, or e-mail captainkirby@att.net.
Racing
Three Tree Point Yacht Club sponsors
the following races: Duwamish Head Race, Jan. 11; the Blake Island Race,
Jan. 18; the Manzanita Buoy Race, Feb. 1; the Vashon Island Race, Feb.
22. For additional information, please call 253-851-2773.
Fleet Formation Notice: John Field
is seeking local sailors interested in forming a fleet of Norlin Mark
IIIs, International 2.4mR Class sailboats. The boats are designed by
Peter Norlin of Sweden. John says the boat is a single-handed thoroughbred
keelboat that adheres to the International Meter Rule. It is said the
boat can be sailed competitively by all sailors: young and old, male
and female, able-bodied or physically challenged. For more information,
please call John Field at 206-624-1908 or e-mail johnfield.chy@att.net.
Club
and Squadron Cruises
Tacoma Power Squadron members will be enjoying a busy 2003 cruise schedule:
-Feb. 21-23, Arabella's Landing, Gig Harbor
-Mar. 21-23, Port of Brownsville
-Apr. 25-27, Longbranch Marina
-May 23-25, Quartermaster Harbor
-Jun. 20-21, Port Orchard Marina
-Jul. 4-6, Elliott Bay Marina
-Aug. 15-17, Port of Poulsbo
-Aug. 29-Sept.1, Swantown Marina, Port of Olympia
-Oct. 3-5, Fair Harbor Marina
Boat
Shows
The Portland Boat Show will run
from Jan. 4-12 at the Expo Center in Portland, Oregon. O'Laughlin Trade
Shows, the organizer, says the show will feature "everything for
the old salt or the occasional landlubber to enjoy." More than
20 sailboat dealers will exhibit at the Portland show, in addition to
a full range of powerboats in all sizes. Cruising houseboats, hovercrafts
and a fully restored 1939 J3 Piper Cub seaplane will also be exhibited.
The 56th Annual Seattle Boat Show
at the Seahawk Stadium and Exhibition Center runs Jan. 17-26. Monday-Thursday
hours are 1200-2000, Fridays 1200-2100, Saturdays 1000-2000, and Sundays
1000-1800. The recent opening of Seahawk Stadium has provided extra
space for the Seattle Boat Show to display larger sailboats, and eight
keelboats from 24 to 42 feet will be displayed in a new Sailing Center.
The Seattle Boat Show is the region's premier showcase for new boats
of all descriptions, including a complete selection of trailer boats
and kayaks. Vendors of electronics and accessories offer the latest
upgrades for existing vessels. Boat yards, marine insurance specialists,
marinas, marine lenders and other service providers always participate
in the "indoor show" in large numbers. The Northwest Marine
Trade Association sponsors the Seattle Boat Show. Admission is $8, with
kids 11-17 admitted for $4 and children 10 years old and under admitted
free. Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.seattleboatshow.com.
Online ticket purchasers will be offered free parking at Safeco Field.
The Seattle Boats Afloat Show at Chandler's Cove on Lake Union
runs Jan. 17-26. Weekday hours are 1100-1700, weekends 1000-1700. The
Lake Union Show provides a superb opportunity to inspect approximately
250 vessels in their natural element. Boat shoppers will find previously
owned vessels among an excellent selection of better brokerage boats
at the Boats Afloat Show, with new boats represented as well. All types
of medium-sized powerboats and luxury yachts will be on display. Shoppers
particularly interested in sailboats or trawlers, either new or used,
will be highly impressed with the selection at the Boats Afloat Show.
The number of accessory vendors and marine service representatives on
hand for the show has been steadily increasing for the past few years.
Admission price for the Boats Afloat Show is $10. Free parking is available
nearby and shuttle bus service between the show and a parking lot at
5th and Mercer is available every 15 minutes. The Northwest Yacht Brokers
Association sponsors the Boats Afloat Show.
The two fine shows combine to create one of the largest boat and gear
shopping extravaganzas in the United States. A free shuttle bus also
operates between the Seattle Boat Show and the Seattle Boats Afloat
Show.
Waterfront
Festivals and Events
Tacoma Yacht Club Daffodil Decorated Boat Parade runs Apr. 11-13.
Broker
News
Martha Comfort, Managing Director of International
Marine Management is pleased to announce that Steve Crane, President
of Crane International, has joined her firm as general manager.
Steve's background includes extensive
work with corporate and government leaders in Asia. He represents the
Economist Corporate Network in North America and is a member of the
Pacific Economic Cooperation Council.
International Marine Management's services
include new and brokerage yacht sales and services, offshore registration,
crewing, commissioning, delivery, education and training services. IMM
is Simpson Marine's authorized US sales agent. Simpson Marine is Asia's
leading brokerage and new-build specialists. IMM also does Asia market
development for US marine manufacturers. Web address: www.yachtworld.com/internationalmarine.
Marina
News
Port of Seattle's Bell Harbor Marina
now accepts reservations online at www.portofseattle.org.
Click on the word "Seaport" on the site's homepage and follow
the link to Bell Harbor Marina's reservation system.
Shilshole Bay Marina has some
30-foot slips available. No waiting list. Please call 206-728-3006.
Fishermen's Terminal now offers
moorage for recreational vessels. Please call 206-728-3395 for information.
Legislative
Alert
A bill mandating minimum standards for
boat-operator education in Washington State died in committee during
the last session of the legislature. Forty-four states require a demonstration
of minimum knowledge before a boater is considered qualified to operate
a watercraft. Washington will almost inevitably join Oregon and British
Columbia governments in the NW region and establish minimum, mandatory,
education and/or knowledge standards.
The Recreational Boating Association
of Washington (RBAW), an organization of yacht clubs and individual
boaters, has been pressing the legislature on this issue since 1999.
A group of other marine interests, including boat brokers, hunting and
fishing groups, public park agencies, the USPS, and the USCG Auxiliary
has been formed. The Washington Alliance for Mandatory Boater Education
is hoping to work with RBAW on future legislative proposals and coordinate
a wider lobbying effort.
RBAW is the voice of the boater in this
process. Boaters will be required to comply with any new rules, and
this is the boating community's opportunity to influence the scope and
content of the legislative proposal. Members of yacht clubs associated
with RBAW should express their opinions to their club's RBAW representative.
Clubs not currently affiliated with RBAW,
and individual boaters not affiliated with a club, are invited to contact
RBAW with opinions and questions about mandatory boat-operator education.
RBAW maintains a website with contact information at www.rbaw.org.
Call 1-888-367-8777 (1-888-FOR-USPS) or visit the national website at
www.USPS.org.
