Boating Agenda Riding a Wave
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BOAT LJ55 Volume XXXI January 1996 B,.O AT u W NER SA: $" UC I A 1 ION 0 f r HEU NIT E 0 S ·T'" ATE S \' • "'!. " ~ Boating Agenda Riding a Wave As the first session of the tel' quality if legislation passed by • 105th Congress grinds to Congress is signed into law by the -~ a close, almost every- President. IIIIIImIIlD thing on t.he Associat.ion's And every boater using a gaso legislat.ive agenda is nearing final line engine who contributes part of approval, but. a year's effort could be the more than $100 million in feder sunk at. the last. minute ift.he Whit.e al fuel taxes collected each year will House and Congress fail t.o agree on find that more money will be a multi-year budget plan. retwned to the states for boating As this issue of BOAT/ U.S. safety, education and law enforce Reports goes to press, the legislative ment programs if House Republi fix is in for diesel boat owners, VHF cans agree with their Senate coun radio operators, nautical chart users terparts that trust fund monies and everyone who pays the federal should be spent [i,r their intended t.ax OT) motorboat fuel purposes_ Tlw ~4.4 cents per gallon tax on "Wllile that's a lot of'ifs' to con diesel fuel used only by recreational template, the fact of the matter is boat. ownen' will be suspended from that Congress has been responsive BOAT/US. members can reap discounts at marinas such as LIncoln Harbor on the Hudson River. January 1, 1996 tu ,1 une 30, 1997 if to the problems facing boat owners," the Vv'hite House and Cungress ulti said BOATIU.S. Government Affairs "'I ['[!ler locking in your home exclusive Iist'ounts on fuel, tran mately agree on a budget that Director Michael Sciull[l. "Unlike pori '" ,,"Iill': into an unfamiliar sient dock:lge, repairs, dining and includes the tax provisions approved many groups still pushing their bills Ill'" 'll ',.vllll, on vacation, keep shoreside :!ldging. Anyone who has by the House and Senate. through Congress, our legislation an ,ul 1'01' the BOAT/U.S. embarked 'II' long distanee travel VHF radio operat.ors who saw has overcome all of the hurdles on 1\)01"'1 aLlng ""Jarina sign. It's the in a boat knows how fast these t.heir "user fees" go from $115 to $75 Capitol Hill," he noted. ,.rf,t'lllI -;\'Inl".\ of a new, money expenses, lin add up. The mell1ber this year-- under pressure from Most. of the issues pushed by ,avlIlg progr am exclusively for discounts viII vary by marina, but Congress - could see the entire fee BOATIU.S. enjoy broad bipartisan BOl\T U.S ",embers tbat is just IlIay inclll Ie sonw or all of the fol eliminated if a major telecommuni support in Congress. "Ifsome of our now g, Uing underwi\Y. lowing: cat.ions bill passed by Congress is measures fail to cross the finish line rvL;fm3s;eleded hy the Asso • 10 cents otT each gallon of fuel; "pproved by t.he President.. it will be because we are part of l.'iatlol to participate in the • 25% oIl rnnsient slips: Nautical chart users who have much larger and more controversial 1l0,\T l S. ! '()operating Marina • 1Gf!i, off epairs; suffered tbrough years of declining legislative packages which have !'rog,:,rn v, til welcome the • 10';', olT bip's sLore purchases. chart production can look forward to nothing to do with recreational boat ;IO,\'!' I. ."1 l1",mbership t'ard with (mntinu."d on page 4) an upswing in new editions and bet- ing," he noted. -v~ Future of Marine Communications Here Today hat if your VHF radio could in internw'onnl marine communica Digital Selective Call receiVl' and ston> messages, tions. On I"eh. I, 1999, a new SOS ing could he a real Hfe Wpnrvlde "caller-ID", auto system cailed Global Maritime Dis savel' for a vessel in an matically issue a "mayday" tress and Safety System (GMDSS) emergency. The Coast .vltli ''''"- (-"act location, store a goes into ,·Ir"d All ships of over 300 Guard is hoping that DSC reply "IllI cont.inue calling ifyou are gross t.om- and passenger ships will will take much of the <:Iisabl,-II'.' It Iliay sound I.ike a spaee be requin.d to IIperat.e under this "search" out of search and age :"~Ist('nl lln NASA's drawing new syst-'m by an international rescue. DSC, in its simplest !>oarcb, but il s not t.reaty apl'l'Oved in 1988 Implemen terms, will he the equiva nl" techllology i~ "ere and it's t.ation of( :MDSS began in 1992 and lent of a "mayday button" call"d Digital Selective Calling VHF eh,,,,"el 70 IS reserved exclu on a VHF or single side :DS('I Whili only a lew high-end sively for nsc 'Ilfdy and distress hand radio. When pressed, radII" UIIW IIIc1ud" it as a feature. transnlis~,Ollf-\ it wi II automatically broad- Radio purchasers need to know about future government plans. nelH'l) all models of VHF marine For thlse who fish or cruise off cast. an encoded distress radIOS an' likdy 1.0 have it before t.he shore, th, ',,,, new development.s will call that will be picked up by all Similar to the owner registra end "I this c,-nt.ury. allect bol:, "mayday" distress proce nearby vessels. If the radio is inter tion system now set up for 406 MHz Wlwt will bring Digitnl SeJec dun's ard government sponsored laced with a Loran or GPS, it. will EPIRBs, the radio user's name, tiv, ': alhng Illto the hands of the search cud rpscup for ocean going a Iso automatically broadcast the address, phone number and emer- bOlltll!g publ,.· is a major sea-cbange vessels. l distressed vessel's posi Lion. (continu.ed on page 4) ;i·;,I:!iii:ini;i:,~I~I:~:;~j~:ililf;!fIWlll~joo.l~~lm;~~~h" d._._..••••••_.••••••••••• TANGLED LINE lhmng a year in f11ClllIH'1 \V;I vlng IllS has " seat on the nBOC Willi'l, ;1 seemed we ~lrrn~ In nit' rrJ~ld, lIe Boa rd or Directors and the hau a "hurricane-ol~ roan up to 1htl t.ruck presidenl of HBOC is n the·we"k.·· Opal '_)XClalnlIIlg, "YIIlI memb(,r of the BOAT/U.t>, finally llil a I.arget, guys are gn';ll' I Just N:ltiolwl Advisory C"unciL rh'v:lstaJ.illg boats <,alled!'" SineI' a barge 'HId liornes alt)ng a and cl";:tne crew wcJ'(~~ Now that those of us in ~trete!1 'If the Gulf al ready in I he area, nort.hern latitudes are in the (:"nsl BOAT/U.S. Ih,' team .;a!vaged thick of winter, we turn our ,I""ml"" Wilbur I.he rn"mber'~ bunt. daydreams to next spring Hugli oi Vort Walton I hen ,md th[·n'. and a fresh, new bonting sea Beach, I'L, Ulll' ufthe son. Launching the season !wrdt's1 hil :reas, The biennial ({olex will be National Safe Boat f ;~1: ;("at ed his :J 1.lilOl Figment lands three miles from hom[ Int.cl·national ing Week, set for May 18 ,c on 6W i tS" ''')P;\ l{il\ Fl;.:J]1Cnt Women's Kcelboat 24, :he 'veek leading up to driP'toth~ ! 111'(1(' lIlilt's frOll1 it.s berUi ,llllilnon~ Champion, hip held in t\P\vport, Memonal Day wl.:ekend. '.' . .... \·fi \;,.~Iorlda Keys when:she.,:,otitied that she had I han .C,Oi't'! inLmd. lie '''as happy I{I, t.hi~ f:lll ·a~ (lllCe again a grenl This annual event, ~pon 1\1,·.,."on a top-of·the-I,me. Penn·.,toqnndreel in a 10 lind .lUI. Ih:d beOlll:';" uf his national s,i I\VC;lSe lor won1en \.;; son,d by t.he National Safe ~FBOATrU,S,drawing held at 'he'U.S, Powerboat, ;~\'Show HI tAT.:il S. nH'lubershlJ·,ticker in cOlllpditivl' ,nling. In t.he thick of llouting Council in coopera in Annapolis in October. BOATtU.S!.Execu' tive Vice President Bill Oakersoll presented Joan b(j~iI :\>. Ill" \\ lI"IIIW 01 his another Lhl' COlnp<"j iOIl was Margaret tion With the U,S. Coast . with her prize during her recent visit to the "H'miwi "'cured the vessl-I Ii)/' him Podlieh, lrninistr:ltor "I' the Guard, will li,CUS once again BOATfU.S. Marine Center al Association Head· and kepi an ey[' Ull it Ii), 1 "n'" dnys BOAT/U.S. 'Ie:ln WaLel Trust, on t.ryi Ilg to prevent. t.he 600 quarters in Alexandria, VA. tlll'il \lH'·/wnl't' located Ill,'!' who raced It .)·24 l1orol,! waf Ihe deaths tbat occur each year [Jurp!c ('1"0 )11 Margan:l.\ Cf('W whell boaters and fishermen In 01 her Opal an,ermath, an rlJli~J",d U", ['gaUl' ill 1JIh p!ac(' drown because thcy're Ilot wearing :lIllOllg lH);Jting" arC;IS. To lo,ake a nlSlll·"d I'lembel called in .1 damage out of :~H C('U I~, life jackets, The theme, "Lit'e Jwk trip t" i.IH' Bay e\'('n ,,,ISler ,md c!ann on his IIunter G,! and was cis: Thev Floar, l"ou nOli '(" will be 1Il0ll' "J\!oyab!e, an in[·ormat.lve, lold I\Oi\'l'/U.S "would get some· Rcereallonal Boaters of promoted through media coveragr" detailed public access guidc and budy oul t.o sal vage t1H' Iloat from California RBOC) has elected billboards, posters and local events map is available fret; wit.h over GOO his lH'ighhor's yard as SUIJlI ns they Jim Clark I' Ventura as its new org~Ulized by boating' groups.