Friday, September 30, 2011

Sail On Our Sea Song of the Week

Our latest Sea Song of the Week is a classic ballad about something more than sailing...

* Sail Away with our Sea Song of the Week... Photo © Nautical Sites Media *

Each week at the Daily Boater we pick a nautical tune to get you pumped up for what will hopefully be a great weekend on the water. We call it the Sea Song of the Week.

This week's pick is a song that may sound like it's about sailing from the title, but when you listen to the words, like so many other songs, it turns out to be something completely different...

Sailing Video Report: World on Water TV 9/30/2011

The latest edition of World on Water, the action-packed boating TV show that covers sailing races and events from around the world, is now available on First Boat...


The current show, released Friday, September 30, 2011, features the following highlights...
1. Extreme Sailing Series Trapani, Sicily

2. 2011 Trophee Clairefontaine

3. Global Ocean Race Start

4. Audi MedCup Barcelona Soto 40 Results

5. Melges 32 World Championships

6. Farr 30 World Championships

7. This week's Fresh to Frightening features action from the recent Chicago Match Race Centre's Grade 2 Invitational Stadium Racing event off Navy Pier. When the weather turned for the worst the boats rounded up and multiple port and starboard incidents and crashes ensued. "Stadium" one design match racing at its wildest!


Remember, you can view a large-screen version of World on Water on FirstBoat at FirstBoat.com/TV, or watch World on Water on the Daily Boater. Either way, the latest edition of the show is released each Friday. Stay tuned!

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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Boat Shows and Fine Wine This Weekend

There are several boating events going on around the world this weekend, each unique in what it has to offer...

Super boats are racing this weekend in Clearwater, FL.


Every week around this time we write about all the weekend's upcoming boat shows and events so that if you can't get out on the water, at least you can still be around boats. The fall boat show season seems to have exhausted itself last weekend and is in a bit of a lull until Annapolis which begins next week and then the big Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show at the end of October. As for this weekend, you still have a few great choices. Depending on where you are in the world, you may be near some superb boating events. Some feature classic boats, one is displaying both RVs and boats, one features high speed super boats, and one boat show is showcasing wine as well as wooden boats.

Feel free to jump right to our calendar of boat shows at FirstBoat, or read on to see where the boat shows and races are happening this weekend at the Daily Boater...

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Practice PTA Before You Enter a Marina

In his debut guest blog exclusive to the Daily Boater, Captain John reveals three secrets to safe docking at a new marina...

Guest blog by Captain John
Author of Seamanship Secrets and publisher of the popular boating education website SkipperTips.com

Captain John delivering a Passport 50 to Florida. Photo © Captain John

If you are anything like me, nothing keeps you on your toes quite as much as entering an unfamiliar marina for the first time. You may need to take on fuel, pick up supplies, tie up for a night on the town, or put an end to a long day’s transit.

What steps do you need to take to get your boat Prepared To Approach (PTA) in a safe, seamanlike manner? Start with these three sure-fire steps each and every time for practical peace-of-mind...

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

I have GPS – So Who Needs a Compass!?

In last week's column, Vin Pica explained the technology behind GPS. But what if one day your GPS doesn't work? Do you have a compass? Do you have one in your ditch bag? Do you understand True North vs. Magnetic North? Deviation? 

Guest blog by Vincent Pica
Chief of Staff, First District, Southern Region (D1SR)
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary


Navigating without one of these? Photo © Nautical Sites Media

Last week, we wrote about GPS, the wonder of the 21st (really 20th!) century. It is truly one of the simplest yet most powerful aids to navigation ever invented. And it just keeps getting better and better. So, who needs a compass? You do. This column is all about that....

Monday, September 26, 2011

Iowa Boating Accidents Lower

Boaters in Iowa have something to be proud of... they have wrapped up the boating season with the lowest number of boating accidents and injuries in five years...  

Missouri River flooding in Sioux City, Iowa, June, 2011 (USAF photo - Tech. Sgt. Oscar Sanchez)

How did they do it? 
According to an article by Perry Beeman in the Des Moines Register, Iowa has had 36 boating accidents this year, while the number has ranged from 38 to 54 the previous four years. The state has also had 18 boating injuries this year - a number that peaked at 35 in 2009. Several factors may have helped keep the accident and injury rate down in the state of Iowa...
1. The legal blood-alcohol limit was lowered this summer.
2. There was an increase in boating safety messages surrounding the new alcohol law.
3. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has increased patrols over the past few years.
4. The economy, stupid. Higher fuel prices may be keeping people from operating their boats at high speeds.
Certainly all of these factors could have helped Iowa boaters get into less accidents this summer. One commenter in the article even suggested Iowa's older-than-average population may have something to do with it... perhaps Iowa boaters are older and wiser? We also wonder if weather played a part. Did floods and other conditions in the state keep boaters at home this past summer? If you boat in Iowa, we'd love to hear from you...

By the way, there are a few Iowa boating resources on FirstBoat.com.

Rocket Warning for Alaska Boaters

Boating in Alaska just got a lot more interesting as Coast Guard begins to enforce rocket launch safety zone...

U.S.C.G. Image
We always thought recreational boaters had a lot to worry about. They have to consider the safety of their vessel and crew, other nearby boaters with less experience, bad weather, storm debris, and countless other details. This Tuesday morning, boaters in Alaska can add one more thing to that list...

Friday, September 23, 2011

Sailing News: World on Water TV

Today's edition of World on Water, the action-packed boating TV show that covers sailing races and events from around the world, is now available on First Boat...


The current show, released Friday, September 23, 2011, features the following highlights...
1. New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup

2. Americas Cup World Series

3. PWA Cold Hawaii Cup Denmark

4. ISAF Nations Cup

5. Audi MedCup Barcelona Trophy

6. RS:X European Championships

7. This week's Fresh to Frightening features on-board footage of the Team Russia Volvo Open 70 high speed broach in the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race and the ensuing carnage as the crew work furiously to right it. Truly "frightening".

Remember, you can now view a large-screen version of World on Water on FirstBoat at FirstBoat.com/TV, or watch World on Water on the Daily Boater. Either way, the latest edition of the show is released each Friday. Stay tuned!

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Thursday, September 22, 2011

Boat Shows in Norwalk, Lido, Daytona and More

At least a dozen boat shows are going on this weekend all over the world. Which one will you be going to?...

The Norwalk Boat Show offers something for everyone. Photo © Nautical Sites

Every week around this time we write about all the weekend's upcoming boat shows so that if you can't get out on the water, at least you can still be around boats. The fall boat show season is raging, the crowds are coming out, and the boats and equipment vendors seem to be filling up the shows once again. We just came back from the Newport show and saw big crowds and got good feedback from both the attendees and vendors. Pictures? You bet: check them out on facebook.

This weekend's shows range from New England down to Florida and across to California. They are outside the US, too, in places like Monaco. Let's take a look at all the boat shows this weekend...

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Prevention of Collision at Sea - Thanks to GPS

In this week's column, Vin Pica explains the technology behind that GPS we all rely on so heavily these days. This is an interesting read given the recent news of the 6 1/2-ton satellite expected to fall from the skies within the next few days. How many of those things are up there anyway??? 

Guest blog by Vincent Pica
Chief of Staff, First District, Southern Region (D1SR)
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary


Photo: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
In 1951, a Raytheon PhD, Dr Ivan Getting, born in New York City in 1912, suggested to the US Government that satellites could be used for navigation and positioning. The concept was developed only from a laboratory stand-point for many years – until October 4th 1957. “Sputnik” sent shock waves through the defense establishment when it became immediately apparent that Sputnik’s radio signal was a lighthouse in outer space. By 1960, the US Navy had a working model and it went live with “Transit” in 1965 for the Polaris fleet. By 1973, the Navy wanted a reliable, global system for all vessels and what we now know as “GPS” was born in a brain-storming session at the Pentagon over the Labor Day weekend. By 1978, the skeleton of GPS was aloft and reached operational status with 24 satellites in 1993. (There are now 31 such satellites aloft.) Around that time, the US Government turned over GPS technology, that we paid the estimated $12 billion it took to build, to the private sector and said, “Have at it!” We did and companies and divisions of even bigger companies were created...

Monday, September 19, 2011

Sailing: World on Water TV - Week 37

The latest edition of World on Water, the action-packed boating TV show that covers sailing races and events from around the world, is now available on First Boat...


The current show, released Friday, September 16, 2011, features the following highlights...
1. Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup YCCS Porto Cervo

2. Americas Cup World Series

3. Clipper Round the World Race

4. Rolex Big Boat Series

5. Volvo Ocean Race Yachts Visit London and Dublin

6. 32nd Annual Museum of Yachting Panerai Classic Regatta from Newport, RI

7. This week's Fresh to Frightening features truly HEART-STOPPING footage as two New Zealand Trawlers cross a bar, in huge waves with big troughs and gigantic following seas, to return to port. One wrong move and it's game over!

Remember, you can now view a large-screen version of World on Water on FirstBoat at FirstBoat.com/TV, or watch World on Water on the Daily Boater. Either way, the latest edition of the show is released each Friday. Stay tuned!

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Thursday, September 15, 2011

Newport Boat Show and More This Weekend

Pictures from Newport and a round-up of the entire roster of boat shows all over the world this weekend...

Clouds didn't scare away the crowds on the first day of Newport Thursday. Photo © Nautical Sites

Every week we write about all the weekend's boat shows so that if you can't get out on the water, at least you can still be around boats. The fall boat show season is in full swing, and one of the biggest boat shows of the year is going on right now, in Newport, Rhode Island... and we are there. As always, we've got pictures to prove it - a couple in this article and more posted on facebook.

If you are in New England, you must go to the Newport International Boat Show. But if you're not, don't worry, there are a few other shows around the world this weekend. Let's check them all out...

Monday, September 12, 2011

Lanyard Law Gains Support

Talk of lanyard law validated by weekend accident?...

See that red wire dangling to the right of the steering wheel? Do you use yours?
A few months ago we told you that boaters may soon be required to wear engine emergency kill switch lanyards, and we described what they are... You know, that red cord that dangles from somewhere on your boat’s dash? Its purpose is to kill the engine if the operator of a boat is incapacitated. Recent surveys of boating manufacturers as well as a very relevant boating accident over the weekend are signs that this law may be closer to affecting boaters than we originally thought...  

Friday, September 09, 2011

Sailing: World on Water TV - Week 36

The latest edition of World on Water, the action-packed boating TV show that covers sailing races and events from around the world, is now available on First Boat...


This week's show, released Friday, September 9, 2011, features the following highlights...
1. WMRT St Moritz Match Race

2. 2011 Clipper Race Leg 2 Finish

3. Perini Navi Cup Yacht Club Costa Smerelda

4. 2011 Rolex International Women's Keelboat

5. Vitruvious Yachts - Galileo G Ice Class Motor Yacht

6. Audi MedCup Cartagena Spain Soto 40 Results

7. 2011 29er XX Downhill Skiff Cross Event in Cesme, Turkey

8. New Spanish team Green Com Racing capsizes while training for the next week's America's Cup World Series Regatta in Plymouth, England

9. This week's Fresh to Frightening features the spills and thrills in the St Francis Yacht Club Heavy Weather Laser Slalom regatta in San Francisco

Remember, you can now view a large-screen version of World on Water on FirstBoat at FirstBoat.com/TV, or watch World on Water on the Daily Boater. Either way, the latest edition of the show is released each Friday. Stay tuned!

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Thursday, September 08, 2011

Hello Fall Boat Show Season

Fall boat show season kicks off, and just like that, there are a ton of boat shows to check out this weekend...
 
Amsterdam is one of your best bets this weekend. Photo © copyright Rens Groenendijk

Every weekend we write about all the current and upcoming boat shows so that if you can't get out on the water, at least you can still be around boats. And after a holiday weekend with barely any boat shows at all, this weekend the event schedule is jam packed. Clearly the fall boat show season is off to a fast start - and it's not even officially autumn yet! This weekend's shows include events in Cannes, Atlantic City, Syracuse, Orlando, Seattle and more...

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

You Caught It, You Cook It: White Chili

Our latest recipe, Ternabout’s White Chili, couldn't be easier to prepare aboard a small boat...

In a departure from our usual "You Caught It, You Cook It" feature, our latest recipe is not a seafood dish. However, while not created from your latest 'catch', this delicious and easy-to-make recipe is ideally suited for owners of small- and mid-sized boats. In fact, we got this recipe straight out of the new book, Cooking Aboard a Small Boat, the latest of several books for boaters by Paul Esterle (A.K.A. Capt'n Pauley). The book is a treasure chest of meals that are easy to make for those of us with smaller boats. We're talking no galley, a dorm-room size fridge (or none at all), and, if you're lucky, some sort of heat source that could pass for a stove.

The first recipe that Capt'n Pauley has shared with us is for something he calls Ternabout’s White Chili. "Ternabout" is the name of Esterle's 20-footer. She’s been in the family for years and was the inspiration for one of  his earlier books, Optimizing the Trailerable Sailboat, as well as serving as a test bed for his latest book Cooking Aboard a Small Boat. This is one of his favorites, made from non-refrigerated stores he usually has aboard. We hope you enjoy it...

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Boating Season Out Like a Lion

Labor Day Weekend was busy for boaters and for the Coast Guard...

A Coast Guard crewmember keeps watch during a patrol in Clearwater, FL, on Labor Day
weekend 2011. U.S.C.G. photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Mike De Nyse.

For many folks around the US, Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer and the end of boating season. Therefore, Labor Day Weekend is often a chance for one last hurrah on the water before packing up the boat until spring. Everybody has the same idea, and the most popular boating spots are usually even more crowded than usual. And with funky weather across much of the US, wind and waves have been popping up out of nowhere. That's why it is not surprising there were so many boating incidents and accidents this past weekend. We're going to share a few of them in hopes that they help other boaters remember some of the basics of boating safety next time they head out...

Saturday, September 03, 2011

If You See Something, Say Something...

In a special column for the holiday weekend, Vin Pica remembers a hero who passed away at 90 and reminds us of the lesson of our age...

Guest blog by Vincent Pica
Chief of Staff, First District, Southern Region (D1SR)
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary


On August 29, 2011, an American, WW-II USCG hero, largely forgotten by all but US Coast Guard Forces, passed away at 90 years old.

This column celebrates him and what we still work for, even to this day...

Friday, September 02, 2011

Sailing: World on Water TV - Week 35

Today's edition of World on Water, the action-packed boating TV show that covers sailing races and events from around the world, is now available on First Boat...

Click the video or one of the links below to begin viewing the latest World on Water now.

This week's show, released Friday, September 2, 2011, features the following highlights...
1. The Trophy Multi Prince de Bretagne

2. Clipper Race Report & Gold Coast Boat Feature

3. Audi Hamilton Island Race Week

4. Rolling Rambler 100

5. 18-Footer International Regatta San Francisco

6. Audi MedCup Cartegna Spain

7. La Solitaire du Figaro Leg 4 Finish

6. This week's Fresh to Frightening features the BIG fresh pressure action during the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week in the Whitsundays, Australia last week

Remember, you can now view a large-screen version of World on Water on FirstBoat at FirstBoat.com/TV, or watch World on Water on the Daily Boater. Either way, the latest edition of the show is released each Friday. Stay tuned!

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Thursday, September 01, 2011

Boat Cover Contest Arrives Just In Time

Win a boat cover to protect your boat from the changing seasons...

Protect your boat. Enter here to win a new semi-custom fit boat cover!

We always share contests for boat stuff when we hear about them, and this one couldn't be more timely. Of course, you probably wish you had one of these covers this time last week as Irene made her way towards your home, but don't worry; there will be more hurricanes and tropical storms and there will be more falling leaves and acid rain, more uninvited bugs and animals, and even, eventually, snow... and more of everything else that leaves a mess on your boat when you leave it uncovered.

Back to School Boat Shows

If you're out of the country this Labor Day Weekend, we've got some boat shows for you...

Boat Shows and More This Labor Day Weekend. Photo © Nautical Sites Media

Each week we let you know about all the nautical events happening so that if you can't get out on the water, you can still be around boats. Unfortunately, with so many American boat owners taking advantage of the long holiday weekend for what may be the last boat outing of the season, and all the families getting their kids ready for the new school year, boat show organizers have kept this weekend free of boat shows in the US. But if you're traveling overseas, especially in Scandinavia, you're in luck. This weekend's events include boat shows in Sweden and Norway among others...