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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

(L to R) TowBoatUS Mystic Capt. Jeff Dziedzic shakes hands with US Coast Guard Captain Ed Cubanski, Commander Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound.

First TowBoatUS Port in the Nation Certified to Assist in US Coast Guard Search and Rescue Efforts

MYSTIC, Conn., August 6, 2015 ‘“ Like all boaters, the crew of TowBoatUS Mystic, a 24-hour, on water recreational boat towing and assistance company, will render Good Samaritan aid when asked. And now when the US Coast Guard asks for help in locating lost boaters, the privately-owned towing company will be able to lend a better ‘˜Good Sam’ hand at finding them. That’s due to TowBoatUS Mystic’s completion in May of a pilot Search-and-Rescue (SAR) training program developed by USCG Sector Long Island Sound that certifies non-US Coast Guard assets such as on water towing companies, police and fire departments or harbormasters for SAR response.

In a ceremony today at USCG Station New London to acknowledge TowBoatUS Mystic’s completion of the Coast Guard Search and Rescue Procedures and Boat Operations Course for the New London Port Security Group, Capt. Jeff Dziedzic of TowBoatUS Mystic signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with US Coast Guard Captain Ed Cubanski, Commander Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound.

Said Capt. Dziedzic, `We’ll always render emergency aid. We’re not in the rescue business ‘” it’s just something you do as a fellow boater. This unique US Coast Guard course creates a cooperative environment and gets all of us on the same page with SAR protocols, communications and operations. The signing of the MOA represents a great achievement for my company as it sets a precedent of training and safety standards which greatly benefits the boating community and port partners. This voluntary, public-private working relationship it creates will ultimately help save lives and property during search and rescue missions.’

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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.

With the disappearance of their capsized boat and the discovery of life jackets on the coast of Georgia, hopes for their recovery are dimming.

Missing Florida teens’ boat now also missing, Coast Guard says

Click Here for the article.

Volunteers searching for missing Florida teens find life vests

Click Here for the article.

Missing Florida teens: Search along shore’s ‘˜natural collection areas’

Click Here for the article.

A new divers-down buoy was just introduced in March of this year, see /?p=147183.

FWC encourages recognition and use of the divers-down flags/buoys

Whether diving in Pensacola, scalloping in the Big Bend, lobstering in the Florida Keys or seeing the sights below the water’s surface in one of the many rivers in the Sunshine State, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants to remind divers to use a divers-down flag or buoy whenever they are snorkeling or scuba diving.

The divers-down symbol is rectangular or square and red in color with a white diagonal stripe. A divers-down flag displayed on a boat must be at least 20 inches by 24 inches and displayed at a high point where it can be observed from 360 degrees around the vessel. A buoy may not be used or displayed from a vessel. A divers-down flag or buoy, displayed from the water, must be at least 12 inches by 12 inches. A flag must have a wire or other stiffener to hold it open and a buoy can be three- or four-sided.

All divers must prominently display a divers-down flag or buoy in the area in which the diving occurs.

`Proper use and understanding of what a divers-down symbol means is critical,’ said Lt. Seth Wagner with the FWC’s Boating and Waterways Section. `It is meant to alert boaters to the presence of people under the water’s surface and to give them plenty of room.’

All vessels must make reasonable effort to stay at least 100 feet away from a divers-down flag or buoy within a river, inlet or channel. In open waters, vessels must make reasonable effort to stay 300 feet away. For safety, divers should stay within those same distances of their displayed flag or buoy. A vessel that approaches closer must be fully off plane and at idle speed.

`Divers share the responsibility of boating safety with the boat operators,’ Wagner said. `Diving without the divers-down symbol displayed or using it for reasons other than to inform of the presence of divers is unlawful.’

The flag or buoy should only be displayed when divers are ready to enter the water or are in the water. When divers or snorkelers exit the water, it must be taken down.

More information on divers-down flag requirements is available online at MyFWC.com/Boating by clicking on `Boating Regulations.’

Memorize what this flag means; it saves lives!

You will think you are seeing things when this unmanned inflatable passes you. Wonder how it will deal with jet skis?

Google Maps Goes Coastal with Unmanned Boat

A new high-tech unmanned vessel, launched with the help of Google, will use innovative technologies from the boatbuilding and mapping fields to map shorelines and raise awareness of the impacts of global sea level rise.

Originally designed to be worn by backpackers, Google’s proprietary Street View Trekker camera system was provided on loan to the San Francisco Baykeeper organization, allowing them to create bay-level maps. It plans to use the imagery collected’”nearly 500 miles of coastline ranging from San Jose to Antioch, California’”on its website and for educational purposes. It will also help illustrate the threats posed by global sea level change to critical wetlands.

Electric motor developer Torqeedo said it was chosen to power the craft as clean, powerful and efficient propulsion was a high priority.

“It’s a Google Boat,” said staff scientist for the San Francisco Baykeeper organization, Ian Wren. The small, remote-controlled catamaran, a Wave Adapted Modular Vehicle (WAM-V) designed by Marine Advanced Research, features a modified hull design that flexes to adjust to the water’s surface and provides ultimate stability. Baykeeper’s WAM-V sports twin Torqeedo Cruise 4kW electric outboard motors rigged with Power 26-104 lithium batteries. The boat is able to run for hours with a nearly zero environmental footprint, thanks to onboard traditional and solar charging capabilities.

“A lot of people know about sea level rise,” said Sejal Choksi, an environmental lawyer and Baykeeper’s interim director. “We are hoping these images will really bring the reality home to the public, that they will look at pictures of places they know and say, ‘Oh my gosh, this is going to be underwater.'”

The Google Trekker, WAM-V and Torqeedo technology has also recently completed a mapping project of American Samoa.
‘¢ Google ‘¢ Ian Wren ‘¢ Sejal Choksi