ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Small boats such as open runabouts, personal watercraft, Jon boats and paddle-powered craft are popular on U.S. waterways because they are affordable and easy to use. However, they can also be the most deadly. According to U.S. Coast Guard statistics, of the 474 drowning deaths in 2006, 42% (201) involved boats under 16 feet.

With National Safe Boating Week coming up May 17-23, the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water has three tips that may help encourage boaters and anglers to don a life jacket every time they hit the water.A 2007 BoatU.S. Foundation study of California boaters showed that about three out of every five say that they would wear a life jacket if it were more comfortable. However, while comfortable designs are here today, many boaters may just don’t know what is available. Newer vest-style life jackets allow complete freedom of movement with broad arm cutouts and buoyancy pockets placed low on the body, allowing for unimpeded movement. Many of the newest inflatable life jackets are no larger than a fanny belt pack, and fit comfortably around the waist. Neither of these modern styles get in the way of driving a boat, casting a lure, or paddling.

The same California study showed that boaters understand the need to put a life jacket on when the weather goes bad. But that’s not when most boaters or anglers get into trouble. U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that most boating accidents occurred when conditions were calm (waves less than six inches), winds light (less than six miles per hour) and visibility was good.
Remember the days when few motorists chose to wear a seat belt? In just a short time most American motorists have adjusted to using them – largely without complaint – and highway deaths have decreased dramatically. Boaters need to consider the fact that by making wearing a life jacket routine, waterway drownings would follow a similar trend.

To learn more about life jackets, go to

The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit education and research organization primarily funded by the voluntary contributions of the 650,000 members of BoatU.S.

www.lakeexpo.com

Oshkosh boaters need to practice a little patience when piloting the Fox River between Lake Winnebago and Lake Buttes des Mortes this year.

A new no-wake zone measure approved by the Oshkosh Common Council in February will force traffic to slow past the riverfront stretch of the Leach Amphitheater from the Canadian National bridge to the Main Street bridge.

Jackson Kinney, director of community development for the city of Oshkosh, said the ordinance was approved to meet a condition of the Department of Natural Resources in issuing the permit for the city to put in floating docks at Riverside Park.

“Improving the safety in the area will hopefully be an important by-product of that condition,” Kinney said.

Many boaters welcome the new no-wake zone, because they say the area often saw a large amount of traffic bounding through at high speeds, disrupting anchored fishermen and smaller boats.

“You’re supposed to go slow through there, but some take off right away and cut across, so it’s always a dangerous area,” said Mike Pagel, 43, of Oshkosh, who captains a Bayliner Cruiser.

“I’ve seen numerous accidents almost happen right in that area because it’s so crowded, because you can’t see beyond the bridge.”

www.thenorthwestern.com

BAYVILLE – United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 711 will be holding a oneday, eight-hour boating safety course at the Faith Community United Methodist Church at 526 Route 9 in Bayville.

The course will be held on May 24 by qualified Coast Guard auxiliary instructors and meets the NJ requirements for power vessels and watercraft operators. Individuals who successfully complete the course and exam are awarded certificatesand identificationcards.

The fee is $50 and covers the cost of books and materials. For registration or further information, call Bob 732-797-0925 or John at 732-244-4840.

www.manchestertimes.com

Wildlife officers across East Tennessee got a refresher Tuesday in spotting the signs of drinking on the water.

In preparation for the upcoming boating season, about 50 Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officers gathered in Morristown for a refresher course in identifying boaters who have been drinking.

Volunteers were closely monitored as they drank alcohol. The officers then performed sobriety tests on the volunteers.

The officers train just before Memorial Day every year, which is the unofficial kickoff to the boating season.

” We take it extremely seriously because people get hurt,” TWRA Boating Officer Roy Smith said. “They get killed every year as a result of this stuff. We dont want to see that happen. It’s extremely preventable, and we try to be as proactive as we can in preventing those things.”

Everyone drinking Tuesday got a ride home.

Seventeen people died on Tennessee waterways last year.

www.wbir.com

Vanda Carson 

THE automotive parts and accessories retailer Supercheap Auto has announced a third arm to its business, bicycle retailing.

The company announced yesterday it would buy the privately owned Victorian Goldcross Cycles and a slice of the wholesaler Australian Bicycles for $7.4 million, with the aim of expanding them into a chain of 50 stores in capital cities beyond Melbourne.

If profit targets are met, Supercheap will pay Goldcross an extra $3 million in August next year.

The deal also includes a half stake in Australian Bicycles, with an option to purchase the remainder of the company later. Both purchases were made from the bicycle retailer David Hall, who will retain a 50 per cent stake in the wholesale company.

Supercheap Auto’s managing director, Peter Birtles, said yesterday he did not expect Goldcross to make a positive earnings contribution until the 2010 fiscal year.

The retailer’s main car accessory business is positioned as a retail version of Repco, selling most of its goods to car enthusiasts.

Supercheap Auto already has 249 outlets selling car accessories and 48 selling boating and outdoor sporting goods to watersports enthusiasts and caravan hobbyists.

It plans to replicate its big box “category killer” formula in the bicycle market, with stores in shopping centres zoned for bulky goods or those with large floor areas.

The existing 11 Goldcross stores will expand to as many as 19 in the 2009 fiscal year, with new stores expected to produce a turnover of up to $3.5 million after three years.

Across car accessories and boating and fishing, the Supercheap stores sell both branded goods and an increasing number of “house brand” goods, many of which are sourced directly from Asia.

The purchase of the bicycle operations fits with its strategy to buy stores which specialise in leisure-related goods, but only those that do not yet have a leading specialist retailer.

Shares in the company closed 10c higher at $3.14 yesterday.

www.businessday.smh.com

Eric Sharp 

A New York Supreme Court judge Monday gave the Swiss defender of the America’s Cup 10 months to build a giant multihull and meet an American challenger in a regatta next March.

The decision by Justice Herman Cahn is a compromise between the American Oracle team’s demand that the race be held in October and the Swiss Alinghi’s insistence that it take place no sooner than May 2009.

Cahn ruled that Alinghi, as the defender, can pick the venue, including Valencia, Spain, where the Swiss defended the cup last summer, and that the first race would be 10 months from the date of his order on Monday.

That could be problematic: The 1887 Deed of Gift that governs the America’s Cup says races must be held in the northern hemisphere between May 1 and Nov. 1. However, the judge’s ruling also said that Golden Gate Yacht Club of San Francisco, which Oracle represents, and the Societe Nautique de Geneve, Alinghi’s sponsoring club, could mutually agree to changes in venue and dates.

More court action is expected, no matter what the Americans decide, as the Swiss continued to insist that they should not have to race before May 2009.

www.freep.com

A LUXURIOUS yacht owned by two Dunmow businessmen will soon be boarded by film megastars including Dustin Hoffman and Harrison Ford.

Channel 4 chose Harmony II, a 600-tonne leviathan of a yacht, as the venue for interviews with Hollywood A-listers at the Canne Film Festival, to be screened on the channel on May 24 and 25.

The “mega-yacht” belongs to Dunmow’s Alan and Martin Pedley, who purchased her as a wreck and then invested 250,000 man-hours rebuilding her over six years.

Martin Pedley said: “I am delighted that Channel 4 has chosen Harmony II to host its interviews. We have been approached by a Hollywood film company to film her on location in Ireland

“We hope to replicate our success with some more celebrity bookings for the Monaco Grand Prix.”

When Messrs Ford and Hoffman board the yacht they are unlikely to be disappointed: no expense was spared in preparing Harmony II, which is packed to the gunnels (and above) with bespoke furniture, carpets and fabrics, all made in the UK.

The 57-metre behemoth of a boat can waft 150 guests along the ocean at speeds of up to 12 knots and has already been on display while moored at Canary Wharf and the O2 Arena.

www.dunmow-brodcast.co.uk

  The California Nurses Association and Courage Campaign have released a new ad branding the California Republican Party as the “Yacht Party” for its continued support of a tax loophole that allows buyers of yachts and private jets to avoid paying sales tax in California. The ad, titled “Yacht Party 2,” will air tonight in Sacramento the day before Governor Schwarzenegger presents his revised budget cuts to reduce what he estimates is a $20 billion state budget deficit. The ad is being aired two days ahead of schedule, due to substantial support from an online fundraising campaign launched to Courage Campaign members on Monday.The “yacht tax” — so-called because it allows purchasers of large boats and private jets to avoid paying sales tax as long as the yacht or plane is kept out of California for 90 days — was kept in place by Republicans in the state Assembly on February 19, who either voted against closing the loophole or did not appear to vote. By a 47-18 vote, the California Assembly narrowly rejected SB 8xxx, as it failed to muster the two thirds majority necessary on tax legislation.

Funded by the California Nurses Association and online donations from members of the Courage Campaign, the ad is intended to demonstrate the absurdity of the California Republican Party’s commitment to protecting the lifestyles of the wealthiest Californians while school teachers and healthcare providers are losing their jobs.

The ad was distributed online Monday morning to Courage Campaign members in an email from Arianna Huffington, author of a new book entitled Right is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution and Made Us All Less Safe.

The Courage Campaign’s “Yacht Party 2″ ad can be viewed on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4QARWWmMLg

“Because Democrats do not hold a two-thirds majority in our state Legislature, a small minority of Republicans is able to hold Californians hostage to a $20 billion state budget deficit, refusing to raise taxes on the super-rich,” said Arianna Huffington. “It’s appalling that this tax cut cult is refusing to close a tax loophole for yacht and private jet owners.”

Deborah Burger, member of the California Nurses Association Council of Presidents, said, “Our members work around the clock providing healthcare to a public when the state medical system is nearing collapse due to budget cuts. How dare the Republicans vote for yachts over sick people?”

Rick Jacobs, chair and founder of the Courage Campaign, connected “Yacht Party 2″ to the presidential campaign:

“Marie Antoinette would be proud of the Republican Party in 2008, as they protect the lavish lifestyles of the obscenely rich while cutting education and healthcare for everyone else,” Jacobs said. “John McCain has not spoken out about Republicans providing yacht subsidies for the richest Californians, but I’m sure he would welcome his colleagues from California sailing their yachts right up the Potomac. After all, Mr. McCain has nine houses, but he has no plan for Americans to keep or buy even one.”

Courage Campaign is an independent political committee and online organizing network empowering grassroots and netroots activists to build a progressive California. In 2008, the Courage Campaign will catalyze action to increase California’s importance in the race for the White House, hold our elected officials accountable, and block Blackwater from building a base on our border.

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee is the nation’s largest RN union, representing 80,000 RNs across all 50 states.

http://www.calnurses.org

Spring has arrived, the weather is warming up and boats are starting to park in the marinas. Soon school will be out, people will plan family vacations and the lazy days of summer will take over.

“Once the key is turned on the front door of school and kids are let out, our sales spike,” Gary VanBeek, general manager ofRiver City Sports Inc. said.

An advantage to the boat dealers in Bismarck is the Missouri River. The boating season is extended because the current of the river makes it thaw more quickly than the lakes do in other parts of the state, opening up the season much earlier and closing as late as November.

“We have guys that have been fishing on the river for over 30 days, already,” VanBeek said.

However, with the rising prices of gasoline, boaters may be deterred from using their boats as often this summer.

“We’re finding (gas prices) are adjusting what people are buying,” VanBeek said. “The pontoons are our number one seller and they are fuel efficient.”

VanBeek said he had customers that will only burn one to two tanks of fuel an entire summer because they’re using their boat as a vehicle to park at a sandbar, and those who use a tank of fuel in two weekends because they like to take excursions down the river.

“People probably aren’t going to Devils Lake, Oahe or Sakakawea as much and are buying smaller boats with smaller engines,” VanBeek said.

Boat sales have remained consistent to the local dealers, despite the rise in fuel cost.

“We haven’t seen a rise or decrease in our sales,” Eric Moritz, owner of Moritz Sport and Marine said. “We have been very flat for the last three years, which Ithink is a good thing.”

Another advantage to having the river: The water levels do not fluctuate very much during the boating season. The water level can get low in the fall and high in the winter and spring, but tends to stay even through the summer because of the water let out of the Garrison Dam to run turbines, said VanBeek.

“If the water levels do get low, then you get the beautiful sandbars on the main channel,” VanBeek said.

It’s becoming a trend for families to go out to lake cabins and boat for recreation instead of taking a huge family vacation, said Josh Vallely of Vallely Sport and Marine.

“The boating season is about seven months long, picking up when kids get out of school and dropping off when kids return to school,” VanBeek said. “I don’t think people really view it as short.”

www.bismarcktribune.com