Floatline - Chesapeake Bay News

March SpinSheet is on the Docks

If you did 50 crunches per day starting today, would you feel better at the Spring Equinox in three weeks? Ready or not, sailing season is coming. A few things you’ll find in SpinSheet’s March print edition on the docks today:

1. How to Hold Your Own Sock Burning

2. Three Parties You Can’t Miss
* SpinSheet's Crew Listing Party on April 20
* Maryland Maritime Heritage Festival Friday Block Party May 2
* Bands in the Sand June 21

3. How Much Should You Tip a Marina Dockhand?
Turn to SpinSheet’s Chesapeake Bay Marinas Section on page 60, or click here

Also learn about pre-season sailing exercises such as brushing your teeth flamingo-style and a boatload of other fun stuff: Kim Couranz's "It Takes a Watershed," Stephanie Stone's news from Baltimore's Downtown Sailing Center, the latest scoop from regional marinas, and the 2008 Scrub and Splash Special, including how Bay sailors are prepping their boats for spring.

The advertising deadline for the April issue of SpinSheet is March 10. Call 410.216.9309.

Team Blister Sisters Step Challenge

Annapolis Athletic Club and Team Blister Sisters--a group of 13 local women preparing for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer on May 2 and 3--are challenging AAC members and guests to a 12-hour step and treadmill marathon this upcoming Saturday, March 1. The goal is to raise $30,000 prior to the May Walk.

From 7 a.m. until 6 p.m., Team Blister Sisters will occupy a stair stepper and a treadmill, and members and guests are encouraged to challenge themselves to 15- or 30-minute workouts (or longer) in exchange for a $1 per minute donation. A brand new Trek Wasabi 3-gear Cruiser bicycle will be raffled off to all participants.

The “Stairway to a Cure” events were organized by Nicole Weaver, founding member of Team Blister Sisters and local sailor (Euro Trash Girl) battling breast cancer, and by Judy Acosta, sailor and massage therapist at AAC. “I started this effort with a few friends and now it’s turned into a community effort with fabulous support from local Annapolis businesses,” said Weaver.

Non-members are invited to join in the challenge. To reserve a time, e-mail kellym@annapolisathleticclub.com or call 410.990.1095. To learn more, visit www.blistersisters.org.

Shrinkage

Do not throw your shrink wrap away!

The white stuff that has protected your boat all winter long is fully recyclable if you take a few simple steps. Remove all straps, metal zippers, doors, ropes, vents, and other “non-shrink-wrap” material. Keeping the wrap clean and gravel-free, bundle the pile of wrap like a sleeping bag. Ask your marina manager where the collection bin is.

Marinas interested in participating in a new recycling program should contact Ronnie Wesel at Mondo Polymers to get on his collection route: (888) 607-4790 or ron@mondopolymer.com. The low density polyethylene will be recycled into highway barriers and other plastic surfaces. Many landfills also collect shrink wrap for recycling. To learn more, click to the Marine Trades Association of Maryland or call (410) 269-0741.

More recycling and environmental information is available via the Maryland Clean Marina Initiative or the Virginia Clean Marina Program.

See spring issues of SpinSheet for shrink wrap recycling as the program evolves.

Whither the Weather

You are planning to take your boat out on the Bay tomorrow. What will the weather be like?

a. Fair, sunny, no rain, light winds, and calm seas.
b. Overcast, mild, scattered showers, and a chance of thunderstorms.
c. Storms, stiff breezes, choppy seas, and possible squalls in late afternoon.
d. Fog, haze in the morning, followed by sunshine, strong winds, and heavy seas.

No matter which guess you make, chances are you’ll be wrong by the time you get underway.

Weather forecasting isn’t just an art on the Chesapeake—it’s something of a gamble, veterans of the Bay’s unpredictable weather patterns attest: “Forecasting on the Bay is more challenging than it is in many areas, because we’re surrounded by land, and breezes often develop near the mouth and strengthen as they push north,” says Brandon Peloquin, leader of the marine weather program at the National Weather Service office in Sterling, VA, which oversees Bay-area forecasting. “It’s more difficult to predict marine conditions here,” he says.

For the latest on Bay weather forecasting, read Art Pine's full story on page 36 of the March print edition of PropTalk. To find locations where you can pick up a free copy of the magazine, visit www.proptalk.com.

Photo by Dave Dunigan/Photo art by Cory Deere/SpinSheet

Baltimore Boat Show 2008 Breaks Records!

In addition to record-breaking crowds and sales, the Baltimore Boat Show this past January had fun for everyone. We at PropTalk had a boatload of fun at the shows in Baltimore, Washington DC, and Ocean City, MD. Thanks for making them great!

Drum roll please… The results of PropTalk’s highly unscientific and somewhat sophomoric survey of Baltimore Boat Show goers are in! Here’s the hard data:

Best Kids' Boating on the Chesapeake: Harness Creek and Quiet Waters Park, the Rhode River, Rock Creek North (Maryland YC), tubing on the Severn, and Worton Creek (sans sea nettle)

Favorite Anchorage on the Bay: Dobbins Isle, Horseshoe Bend (St. Mary’s River), Lower Bay (Barbuda!), and Wye River’s Dividing Creek (beginning and end of season)

Reason to Hit the Baltimore Boat Show: “A dose of medicine for this cold weather,” “This is the first harbinger of spring,” and “Just dreamin’”

Top Tiki Bar: Birds of a Feather (Aliceanna Street—fireplace, dog, good scotch, no smoking), Mears Great Oak Marina (Fairlee Creek), Red Eye’s Dock Bar, Solomons (Cocomos), and Landfall Sailing Club, a singles club in New England

Favorite Transom Title: Broad Arrow, Chantey, Halimeda, Reel Fun, R&R, and Water Candy

Day or Night Person?: Three “sunrise people” and 12 “sunset aficionados”

Best Boat Beverage: Capt. Morgan, Corona, Dark & Stormy, Dramamine with a water chaser, Gin & Tonic, Frozen Mango Mojito, Guinness Extra Stout, Pina Colada, and “any cold beer”

Drop us a line about a few of your favorite things on the Bay at joe@proptalk.com. And, look for the May issue of PropTalk Magazine at the Bay Bridge Boat Show April 24-27. See you there!

Photo by Mark Talbott / PropTalk

Get Ready to Howl

If the weather cooperates, a total lunar eclipse will be visible the evening of Wednesday, February 20, 2008, beginning here early in the evening and ending just after midnight. 

As you look southeast at the eclipsed full moon, the bright, blue-white star Regulus will be less than 3 degrees above and to the right. Saturn will be above the moon and to the left three degrees.  As the eclipse begins, you will see the Moon closer to Regulus, and near the end of the event, it will be closer to Saturn. You can actually watch the moon traveling around the earth from west to east. For a totally eclipsed moon to be seen so close to two objects as bright as Regulus and Saturn is rare, and no double event like this one will happen for more than 1000 years.

It’s safe to look directly at a lunar eclipse without filters and is even better with binoculars. At mid-eclipse, the Moon can take on a range of colors, from that of a bright new penny, through brick red, chocolate, and all the way to black, depending on the amount of aerosols in the air. Moonrise in Annapolis will be at 5:33 p.m.; mid-eclipse will be at 10:01 p.m.

Check out the NASA Eclipse Home Page.

Nice Log Canoe Slideshow via YouTube

Source: YouTube

Stars on the Bay

Bay sailor Barbara Beigel-Vosbury has been appointed Executive Director of the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association. Vosbury is an active sailor in the Star and other classes and has vast experience in race and regatta management. Coinciding with the appointment is the move of the class’s central office from Chicago to Annapolis. John Chiarella, International Secretary of the class, says, “We believe this will generate much more exposure and promotion of the Star since Annapolis is the home of the U.S. Naval Academy but also one of the most active sailing venues on the east coast.” The- office is now located at 914 Bay Ridge Road, Suite 220 and can be contacted via (443) 458-5733.

The Star class has been part of the Chesapeake Bay racing scene since 1924 when one of the first hulls was delivered to Gibson Island. The class has twice contested its World Championship on the Bay, in 1950 out of Gibson Island and in 2000 out of the Annapolis YC. The class remains quite active on the Bay with more active boats in 2007 season.

Annapolis sailor Jack Lynch will serve as chairman of the Star class’s Judiciary Board for 2008.

Learn more at www.starclass.org.

Photo: Stars racing off Oxford. Photo by Dave Gendell / SpinSheet

Nine Products Honored at 2008 Miami Boat Show

MIAMI, February 14, 2008 - - Nine marine manufacturers were honored this morning for innovative achievement by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and Boating Writers International (BWI) at the 67th Annual Miami International Boat Show.

“This year, a total of 50 products were entered in eight different categories,” says Zuzana Prochazka, Miami Innovation Awards chair and member of the BWI Board of Directors

In the Consumer Electronics and Software category, the judges picked the NavNET 3D, a multifunction navigation suite available in both stand alone and black box units, by Furuno USA Inc.

AirBattens from UK-Halsey Miami was the winner in the Consumer Installed Non-Electronic Hardware category.according to the judges. AirBattens increase in-mast furling mainsail performance by improving sail shape. Battens are inflated or deflated by a 12-volt control panel or manual pump.

An Honorable Mention in this category was given to the design of the Adaptive Seating & Steering System developed by Shake-A-Leg Miami.

Coastal Compact Life Raft from Revere Survival Pro ducts won in the consumer personal gear category. Roughly the size of a laptop case, this product presents new level of safety for near-shore boating.

The H2 LED Dock, Marina and Pier Light took home the award in the Consumer Installed Docking and Fendering Equipment category. The H2 LED cleat light is simple, sleek, and available in 12-volt or solar versions that mount under a standard 10-inch cleat.

The True North 34 from Pearson Yachts/True North Yachts (above) was the winner in the Cruisers category due to its innovative hideaway tailgate/transom and movable cockpit seating. “This is a versatile cockpit that offers great livability and fishability,” says Annapolis-based judge Lenny Rudow.

Walker Bay Boats’ Airis High-Pressure Inflatable Kayak (left) was the winner in the Inflatables and Tenders category. Constructed using patent-pending AirWeb technology, the boat can be inflated to more than six psi, resulting in a rigid and stable platform that is lightweight and compact enough to be carried as a backpack.

Yamaha Motor Corp. took home the Innovation Award in the PWC, Jet Boats & Pontoon Boats category for its Wave Runner SHO. Yamaha’s SHO features several PWC-industry firsts, including: A Nano-engineered hull that decreases the craft’s weight by 25 percent; a No-Wake mode that automatically sets engine RPM at optimal no-wake speed; and cruise control.

In the Runabouts and Fishing Craft category, judges gave the Innovation Award to Boston Whaler for its 230 Dauntless for its seating arrangements.

Finally, this year’s Environmental Award went to the Eco-Star 200 electric boat by Starcraft Marine. The Eco-Star 200 combines good access to electrical motors with the exceptional maneuverability of twin propellers on a popular deck boat platform. The judges considered this design to be a positive step for both the boating industry and use of alternative energy propulsion systems.

March PropTalk Is Here!

This is your “must-have” DC Boat Show/marina “mania” issue. It is jam packed with news and information about Bay-area boat shows, what’s new at marinas you’ll want to visit, the best weather resources for the Chesapeake, and fun winter reading options, hand picked by the pros at PropTalk.

Learn what’s going on in Galesville, drool over the Bertram 28 “dreamboat,” meet boatbuilder Eric Jennings, keep tabs on what local boatshops are up to, and see how a sailing couple has “seen the light,” by happily embracing the powerboating lifestyle. And, check out our calendar of Bay events and our listings of pre-owned boats for sale by individuals and the region’s leading brokerages in print and at proptalk.com. All of this comes just in time for spring prep, and best of all, it’s free.

You can find PropTalk at more than 820 locations throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Visit us at the Washington (DC) Boat Show on February 14-18. (The deadline for placing an ad in the April issue is February 25.)

Cover shot by Dave Dunigan/www.davedunigan.com