Clean and Green Boating Products 101: non-zinc anodes
Spring time is coming and with it a haul out and time to get your boat ready for the year. For many of us that means making hard choices: balancing a desire to use more environmentally friendly products against the need to protect our boat from the sea’s ability to quickly degrade it. The problem is that many of the tried and true materials work because of their toxicity – for instance Trinidad SR with its high copper content – and many of the new non-toxic products have not proven to work very well. Aluminum anodes MAY be an exception, [...]
Wave-Powered Robot Completes 9,000 Mile Ocean Trek, Sets Record
From Treehugger , a post by Jaymi Heimbuch on a new technology that is being used to explore the oceans. Last November, Liquid Robotics let loose four Wave Gliders in the Pacific ocean. The autonomous robots — outfitted with sensors that measure and collect information on a variety of substances, from oil spills to salinity levels to weather information — are wave-powered, using the rolling motion of the water to propel forward. It’s a slow, slow journey traveling at about 1.5 knots, but one Wave Glider, named “Papa Mau”, has completed the 9,000 nautical mile trip across the Pacific, leaving a world record for [...]
Superstorm Sandy damages more than 65,000 boats
Record-high surge levels caused hundreds, if not thousands, of boats stored at low elevations to drift away. Photo courtesy of BoatUS This doesn't bode well for anyone, including those of us who write a yearly check for boat insurance. From Three Sheets Northwest. Nov 15 2012 in Currents by Deborah Bach More than 65,000 recreational boats were damaged or lost as a result of Superstorm Sandy, according to BoatUS. The insurance and advocacy association also estimates that Sandy-related damages to recreational boats total $650 million, making the late October storm the single largest industry loss since BoatUS began [...]
Cherbourg, Normandy
Cherbourg, Normandy, photo by Sylvain This is a picture of the wonderful summertime we have had the privilege to experience here in Cherbourg, Normandy, since the end of May. Just imagine how it will be next winter....Sylvain.
Polynesian to Pomo
Story by Kimball Livingston from his always interesting blog, Blue Planet Times … In this space I have celebrated anything and everything driving the technological future of setting forth upon the water. Now is the moment to appreciate a few unique efforts to preserve the heart and spirit of what went before, and what we hope will be a future for the waterways calling us to set forth upon the water, forever and forever. Finishing the 2011 Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu, more people than ever arrived in Honolulu on their high-tech raceboats talking about [...]
PTMTU Proposes Changes to Copper Paint Ban Bill
This morning Bertram Levy of the Port Townsend Moorage Tenants Union sent along the following memo that makes three specific changes to the proposed legislation that phases out copper bottom to recreational boats under 65′. Over the past ten days since we sent out the February 11 position paper on Senate Bill 5436, House Bill 1785 that is similar in many ways to the Senate bill, has been posted on the web. Both bills have undergone hearings and some changes. During this time, three members of the Moorage Tenants Union have been speaking to a variety of people, [...]
Puget Soundkeeper Alliance Responds on Copper Bottom Paint
Chris Wilke, Puget Soundkeeper and Executive Director, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance sent in this response to the earlier PT Moorage Tenants Union (MTU) post. Stay tuned for a response from the MTU. Posting of Comments and entries in the Forum are encouraged. Let your voice be heard. Having a problem registering to post? Jak did some work to straighten out that function, try it again and the “Forgot my password” function is working. I read your recent story on copper bottom paint [on the PTSA website] which was a reprint of the recent Marina Tenants Union (MTU) position paper. I have [...]
Boatyard Stormwater Regulations Forum
From a flyer sent over by the Port Townsend Yacht Club .... New regulations seek to tighten the allowable heavy metal content in the stormwater outflows of ports and boatyard across Washington. The Port of Port Townsend may not be able to meet these new standards resulting in huge fines and possible closures. Get educated. let your opinions be heard. Tuesday, March 22, 5:15 PM, Port Townsend Yacht Club. More information on this issue can be found on Three Sheets Northwest here, here, here, and here. What are your thoughts on this issue? Use the comments below to make your [...]