Fun Facts

1. In maritime law, a yacht is often classified as a pleasure vessel, and owners must comply with international regulations such as the MARPOL Convention to prevent pollution from ships, ensuring the protection of the marine environment. 2. If you walk the docks at any big marina in the late afternoon, it’s pretty clear yachts are pumping effluent overboard instead of into their holding tanks. (Why don’t I ever hear about enforcement on this issue?) 3. In recent history, the Coast Guard reported 84% of drowning victims were not wearing life jackets. 4. Since 2008, Sea Tow has provided over 100,000 life jackets to boaters as part of their Life Jacket Loaner Program. 5. Approximately one in six New England residents own a boat. 6. Approximately one in ten Americans own a boat. 7. Length Overall (LOA) and Length on the Waterline (LWL) are two measurements for a boat, but other ways to measure a boat include Length Over Deck (LOD), Length Over Spars (LOS), Length Extreme (LE) and Length Between Perpendiculars (LBP). 8. Many marinas and shipyards apply a Length Extreme measurement to calculate your dockage charge. 9. There is a federal regulation (40 C.F.R. Section 229.3) detailing how to go about getting permission to dispose of your vessel in the ocean. 10. In recent history, the Coast Guard reported approximately 4,000 to 8,000 recreational boats sink each year. 11. 55 C.F.R. Section 224.103 creates a 500 yard ‘security zone’ around right whales. 12. Seagulls get a respectful distance to avoid stress under the Migratory Bird Act. 13. Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure will likely go into effect in December 2024 requiring more thorough documents descriptions in a party’s Privilege Log. (I’m including because this rule change will be helpful to us maritime plaintiff lawyers!) 14. Some yachts get the label “bad penny,” meaning something that’s unwanted but keeps appearing. 15. Foreign flagged yachts chartering in New England without government approvals (you know who you are!) can face fines of $15,000/passenger as well as seizure and forfeiture. (Why don’t I ever hear about enforcement on this issue?) 16. In my opinion, it wouldn’t take much effort for the CPB to identify foreign flagged yachts marketing charterers in New England waters that are “doing it dirty” with charter arrangements that don’t satisfy the law. 17. In recent history, the Coast Guard reported that kayaking incidents account for 15% of all reported boating incidents annually. 18. Iowa and Minnesota require non-motorized kayaks to be registered, which doesn’t appear to the case in New England waters. 19. Typically, a capacity plate on a boat will show the Maximum Weight Capacity (the total weight the boat can safely carry) and will show the Maximum Person Capacity. 20. A Hull Identification Number (HIN) is a 12-character code that every boat manufactured from 1972 onward is assigned. The first three characters refer to the manufacturer; the next five characters are the serial number for the hull; the ninth and tenth characters indicate the month and year of manufacture (with A being January, B being February, etc.) and the last two characters are the model year of the boat. 21. Sailors love to explain the difference between starboard and port; a halyard and a topping lift and the Genoa from the Code Zero, but could they tell you why their boat moves forward when the wind blows? When wind flows over a sail, it creates a pressure difference which creates lift that “pulls” the boat forward; throw a keel or centerboard into the mix and you’ve got yourself a sailboat that’ll take you places. 22. A sailboat can sail faster than the true wind speed especially if on a reach. How? As a sailboat moves forward it creates its own wind, which when combined with the true wind creates a stronger apparent wind. The sailboat’s shape and sails allow it to harness this apparent wind to sail faster than the true wind speed. 23. If your boat is less than about 66 feet, you typically don’t need to show an anchor light if anchored in a designated anchorage – but why wouldn’t you? via Tom Whitwell

Sail GP Final Race in SF

This is the 13th location of the 2024 edition of Sail GP. And the site of the grand finale. The final race of the series starts at the 1 hour, 6 minute mark. Winner recieves $2,000,000.

Drone Big Waves

Happy July 4! Heading up to Sausalito for the weekend and a sail on the Matthew Turner. This 132 foot brigintine is a classic. A replica of a boat from the 1800's that now plys the bay with students and learning the ways of the sea. Then some music and fireworks. June was a great month of sailing and friends. Hana has been loving her swims to the beach. I have a road trip to Oregon as well as a family reunion on a lake in New Hampshire this month. I have plans for a charter in Athens in September and the 30th annual Baja Haha in November. Its shaping up to be another amazing year! Be safe!

Winners! R2AK

On the night of Day 6, the Fish House hosted the 8th edition of the only official finish line awards party possible for a race whose finishers stagger in over a three-week period. But tonight, for a fleeting moment, the top four finishers were in the same room before scattering to the winds in the coming days. Team Malolo was given their first-place winnings in the traditional form—100 crisp Benjamin Franklins nailed to a piece of firewood with an outlandishly large spike. Race Boss said onto the masses, “We shall nail $10,000 to a tree in Alaska and see who gettest it.” And lo, they did race. Racers could not come to the tree, for there was much difficulty, and it was brought to them. And so it is written, and so it shall be. Or something. Less holy and closer to true, someone thought it was funny and it stuck. Eight years in and there’s $80K in US currency floating around with an R2AK-sized hole in Franklin’s nose. In front of Ketchikan, god, and everyone, Team Malolo got the log and the money, Team Brio got the steak knives. Team Hullabaloo and Stranger Danger (the latter landed within minutes of the party starting) both held the impressive, empty honor of being the first teams to not win anything. To commemorate this, they were awarded with a bucket of nothing. An actual empty bucket. R2AK AF. Insult to injury, they had to give the bucket back at the end of the night. It was on loan from the Fish House. Malolo got to keep the firewood. To the victors go the spoils. It was a night of revelry between teams, families of teams finishing soon, local news, local fans, and at least a few members of the R2AK’s Tracker Nation who had flown in specifically to bask in Ketchikan’s finish line glory. And. It. Was. Glorious. Read the full report here:(copy this link and insert into browser) https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2024/06/19/r2ak-official-finish-line-awards-party/?

R2AK!

The Race to Alska movie was release a few years ago and is a great look at the race the beauty and the competitors. It is currently straming on Prime for free. Check it out.

Pipeline Comes to Mexico!

This place is south of Alcapulco.