BoatUS remains the premiere advocate for boaters on all waters and SSECN is proud to have BoatUS as a SPONSOR!

NEWS From BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com

The bladder of the MD315 and MD318 series life jackets affected by the voluntary recall by Mustang are fluorescent green and made in Canada.

Mustang Survival Voluntarily Recalls Two Models of Inflatable Life Jackets

ALEXANDRIA, VA, October 15, 2015 — Mustang Survival has announced it is voluntarily recalling two selected models of inflatable personal flotation devices (PFDs) manufactured in Canada between September 2014 and September 2015. The recall is being issued for the reinforcement of a portion of the bladder assembly that may tear when the bladder lobes are flexed apart while fully inflated.

While a solution has been developed that corrects any affected products and prevents occurrence of this issue, the repair can only be performed at a Mustang Survival factory. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is urging boaters to check their life jacket inventory and see the easy identification guide at www.mustangsurvival.com/advisories to quickly determine if the life jacket is subject to the recall.

This recall notification is only for certain models as identified with model numbers that begin with either MD315 (sold in Canada) or MD318 (sold in the US). `No other Mustang Survival products are affected as they utilize different bladder assemblies or have been originally produced with the required reinforcement,’ said Mustang in a statement.

Consumers are urged to return affected PFDs by directly contacting Mustang Survival’s Customer Service department at 1-800-526-0532 between 7:30am and 4:30pm PST, Monday through Friday for specific shipping instructions. Boaters should not return product to their retailer as all product inspections and repairs are being handled by Mustang Survival.

Complete details on this recall are available at www.mustangsurvival.com/advisories.

###

About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):

BoatUS is the nation’s largest organization of recreational boaters with over a half million members. We are the boat owners’ voice on Capitol Hill and fight for their rights. We help ensure a roadside breakdown doesn’t end a boating or fishing trip before it begins, and on the water, we bring boaters safely back to the launch ramp or dock when their boat won’t, day or night. The BoatUS Insurance Program gives boat owners the specialized coverage and superior service they need, and we help keep boaters safe and our waters clean with assistance from the non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Visit BoatUS.com.

In marinas from Mile Zero to the Keys, onSpot WiFi is installing what every internet seeking transient and resident wishes all marinas would install: fast, reliable Hotspot internet connections. If your marina doesn’t have an onSpot WiFi system, pass this information along. You will be glad you did!
onSpot Wifi is A SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR!

onSpot WiFi has just added Bahia Mar Marina in Ft Lauderdale, Fl to it’s growing lists of marinas that offer onSpot WiFi‘s high speed internet marina Hotspots.

`We’re very proud of the wireless network that Bahia Mar Marina has allowed us to install. Making use of an all fiber optic backbone, the Bahia Mar Hotspot is delivering blistering throughput speed and all vessels from Mega Yachts to smaller trawlers and Sailboats are reporting amazing download speeds with always on connections.’

onSpot WiFi offers both 2.4 and 5G access for all their marinas and their users.

Contact onSpot Wifi at info@onspotwifi.com or 954-990-0192

onSpot WiFi’s list of marinas are:
– Atlantic Yacht Basin – Chesapeake, VA
– Hinckley Yacht Services – Savannah, GA
– Palm Coast Marina – Palm Coast, FL
– Fort Pierce City Marina – Fort Pierce, FL
– Longboat Key Moorings – Longboat Key. FL
– Marina Jack – Sarasota, FL
– Legacy Harbour – Ft Myers. FL
– The Bluffs Marina – Jupiter, FL
– Soverel Harbour Marina – Palm Beach Gardens, FL
– Old Port Cove Marina – North Palm Beach, FL
– North Palm Beach Marina – North Palm Beach, FL
– New Port Cove Marine Center – Riviera Beach, FL
– Loggerhead Marina Aventura – Aventura, FL
– Miami Beach Marina – Miami Beach, FL
– Mangrove Marina – Tavernier, FL
– Marathon Marina – Marathon, FL
– Conch Harbor Marina – Key West, FL
– Staniel Cay – Exumas, Bahamas
– Compass Cay – Exumas, Bahamas
– Bahia Mar Marina – Ft Lauderdale, FL
– Admiral’s Cove – Jupiter, Fl
– Boat Tree Marina – Sanford, FL
– Sailfish Marina – Stuart, FL

BoatUS remains the premiere advocate for boaters on all waters and SSECN is proud to have BoatUS as a SPONSOR!

NEWS From BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304

BoatUS members have a new member benefit with Dockwa, a simple, online transient slip booking service.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contacts:
BoatUS ‘“ D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com
Dockwa ‘“ Bryan Barbieri, 508-340-1576, Bryan@Dockwa.com

BoatUS and Dockwa Partner for Transient Slip Booking Benefit

Tapping Into the `OpenTable’ for the Boating Industry

ALEXANDRIA, Va., October 7, 2015 — Booking a slip, dock or mooring just got a lot easier for the 500,000+ members of Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS). A new partnership with Dockwa, an award-winning unified booking and marketing platform that greatly simplifies the transient slip booking process, now allows BoatUS members to find and book a slip with just a few taps on the Dockwa app ‘“ a seamless and secure process that streamlines communication and payment via an innovative digital platform that no longer requires reservations via email or phone.

As an exclusive BoatUS benefit, members using the Dockwa app or choosing to book online at Dockwa.com will have booking fees waived when arranging dockage at any of the BoatUS Participating Marinas. Discounts will be subject to specific marinas within Dockwa’s growing network. This member perk is in addition to the exclusive transient slip discount currently offered to BoatUS members, which typically reflects a 25% savings. BoatUS members can sign up for Dockwa with great ease and convenience by simply entering their membership number during the registration process where all applicable discounts will be automatically applied.

`This is the most convenient way for our members to book their transient reservations for docks and moorings,’ said BoatUS Vice President of Membership Heather Lougheed. `No waiting for a call back, no voicemail or web forms to fill out. Just tap the Dockwa app, book and dock. You don’t even have to bring your wallet as payment is automated. If weather causes you to change your plans, it can be done with Dockwa’s easy messaging feature.’

The ease and convenience of the Dockwa platform has been positively received by early adopters within the marina and boating community. “Dockwa is the only mobile reservation service that really listened to our concerns,’ said Tom Cox, General Manager and owner of the Constitution Marina in Boston, Massachusetts. `They have the technical know-how and the business acumen to make this next generation of marina software a success.”

Launched in May of 2015 in the New England region, the entrepreneurial team of eight rapidly expanded down the Eastern Seaboard with a growing network of over 175 marinas from Maine to the Bahamas. The platform has already begun west coast expansion with plans to expand to further develop to other parts of the country later this year.

Additional benefits for marina managers through the Dockwa platform include a user-friendly web-based dashboard that lets operators review and confirm reservation requests, customer relationship tools, management capabilities and an easy and secure method for collecting payment. The ability to aggregate and store customer information into an online database also creates opportunity to optimize operations and boost traffic and revenue.

For more information, go to www.Dockwa.com.

###

About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):

BoatUS is the nation’s largest organization of recreational boaters with over a half million members. We are the boat owners’ voice on Capitol Hill and fight for their rights. We help ensure a roadside breakdown doesn’t end a boating or fishing trip before it begins, and on the water, we bring boaters safely back to the launch ramp or dock when their boat won’t, day or night. The BoatUS Insurance Program gives boat owners the specialized coverage and superior service they need, and we help keep boaters safe and our waters clean with assistance from the non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. For more information, visit www.BoatUS.com.

About Dockwa:

Dockwa is an award-winning unified booking and marketing platform that connects boaters to marinas in real time. This customer-oriented approach provides the marina and the boater an optimal and convenient experience for booking transient reservations. Boaters simply download the app, explore, reserve, and pay at their favorite marina in a matter of minutes. Marinas confirm the reservation, collect payment, and deposit the customer’s information into their intelligent database with a single click. Backed by a world-class group of angel and institutional investors, the company has raised $1.4 million in what has been called the `OpenTable for boaters and marinas.’ Launched in May of 2015 in the New England region, Dockwa has rapidly expanded down the Eastern Seaboard with a growing network of over 175 marinas from Maine to the Bahamas. The platform has already begun west coast expansion with plans to expand to further develop to other parts of the country later this year. The team is based out of Newport, RI with offices in Boston, MA. For more information, please visit www.Dockwa.com.

NOAA online map update offers improved coastal observations and forecasts
Additional data, animation features added to popular coastal product

Contact
Dawn Forsythe, dawn.forsythe@noaa.gov, 240-429-6125

October 7, 2015
NOAA has upgraded nowCOAST, a GIS-based online map service providing more frequently updated ocean observations along with coastal and marine weather forecasts. The new version, which went live on September 21, also offers a visual point-and-click access to 60 NOAA data products and services. Users can reach the site at nowcoast.noaa.gov.

`NOAA’s nowCOAST gives the public a one-stop-shop look at coastal conditions ‘” real-time and forecast ‘” before they do or plan anything on the water,’ said Rear Admiral Gerd Glang, director of NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey. `Are you sailing? Look at the winds and currents. Are you a commercial shipper? Get your high seas marine weather forecast, on the same animated map where you can check the tides before you approach your port.’

NOAA’s nowCOAST web portal, shown here with wind gusts and directions, has 60 layers of data the user can click on or turn off.

The original version of nowCOAST, available since 2003, has provided the public with information on the latest observed and predicted coastal weather, marine weather, and oceanographic and river conditions. The updated map viewer allows users to animate observations for the past four hours and forecasts for the next seven days.

The new version also adds significant data from NOAA’s National Ocean Service and National Weather Service, including watches, warnings and advisories for hazardous marine weather conditions, even far offshore. It also provides near-real-time lightning strike density data for land and over water, and hydrologic conditions and predictions from ocean forecast models.

`The new time-enabled map services go beyond traditional navigation uses,’ said Luis Cano, director of the NWS dissemination office. `For instance, during coastal storms, emergency managers are now able to overlay National Weather Service watches, warnings, and forecast products on top of critical infrastructure and evacuation maps, for better response.’

NowCOAST is an ArcGIS-based web mapping application developed by the Office of Coast Survey’s Coast Survey Development Laboratory, with technical assistance and IT support from National Weather Service’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and our other social media channels.