Boat U.S. - January 2008 - (Page 50) tangledline Don’t Try This at Home Tow, tow, tow your boat — just not like this. A Seaford, NY, boater was “rescued” by the U.S. Coast Guard after he attempted to tow his 35-foot fishing boat with his nine-foot inflatable — using oars. “This is one of the most unsafe things I may have ever seen a boater do,” said Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Steven Koch. The boater had traveled approximately 100 yards from his anchorage — in three hours — when the Coast Guard and marine police stopped him. His destination was reportedly a marina 20 miles away. The Coast Guard crew towed his boat back to a marina and the local authorities issued a summons for unsafe operation and hazard to navigation. Photo by Bob Wazeta A tight squeeze, this 65-footer inches towards its winter home at Treadwell Bay Marina. A Really Big Haul On Lake Champlain What is believed to be the largest haul-out of a private yacht ever on New York’s Lake Champlain took place Oct. 13 at Treadwell Bay Marina, a BoatU.S. Cooperating marina located near Plattsburgh, NY. The Marquis 65 had a LOA of 72’ 6” and weighed in excess of 100,000 pounds. The record-breaking Haul began when owner Peter Palfalvi decided that a winter haulout was preferable to traveling 160 miles to Albany, NY. Besides entailing a lengthy boat trip, the boat’s top section would have to be removed to clear the fixed railroad bridge in the Champlain Canal. The only other marina on the lake with the capability to do the job passed on it. That left Treadwell Bay as Palfalvi’s best option. “It’s said in the carpentry business you measure twice and cut once. We measured three times and then once more,” said Bob Wazeter, the marina manager. When you plan on hanging a $2.5-million yacht in the air, mistakes can be quite expensive.” Service Manager Joe Ramistella set the wheels in motion by contacting Marine Travel Lift about the marina’s 50-ton hoist — the company assured him it was capable. The boat’s manufacturer was also contacted to get drawings of the hull and for any advice. When the day arrived, 6,000 pounds of fuel was off-loaded and water tanks emptied. As the massive boat was gently squeezed into the concrete lift well under the hoist, the fit was so tight that the fenders had to be deflated. A double-strap system — with just a couple of inches for clearance — was rigged. The operation took the better part of the day with no damage to the vessel, which is now resting soundly on the hard. Of course, the whole process will start up in reverse next spring. Boys Find Safe Harbor with TowBoatU.S. Jacksonville You don’t have to be Bill Gates to have an impact on the world around you. Just ask Capt. Randi Olsen and his wife, Clarice, of TowBoatU.S. Jacksonville, FL. For the last three years the couple has funneled all of their company’s profits and their own salaries to the Safe Harbor Boys Home, a home for troubled boys that has a boating focus. “It’s a small contribution, but it’s something we can do,” said Capt. Olsen. The Safe Harbor program teaches a work ethic and develops positive character traits by exposing the boys, ages 14 to 18, to marine vocational education and training, such as boat maintenance and repair, gas or diesel engine repair, carpentry, as well as seamanship skills. “This is a place where boys can begin to trust adults and learn life lessons not acquired elsewhere,” said Olsen. California Convention Time Women of all ages who want to sharpen their navigation, sail trimming or cruising skills, will want to sign up now for the 19th annual Women’s Sailing Convention organized by the Southern California Yachting Association, with BoatU.S. as primary sponsor. It goes on all day, Saturday, Feb. 2, at Del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, CA. The venue is different this year due to renovation work at the Bahia Corinthian YC, the convention’s usual home. Space is limited this year to 250, so sign up now as the event usually sells out. A team of all-women instructors, many of them licensed operators, will present day-long land and on-the-water seminars on topics from sail trim, diesel engines, docking and suddenly singlehanded to AC/DC systems and going up the mast. Women from novices to experts always learn valuable new skills; the registration fee includes continental breakfast, box lunch, banquet dinner with a featured speaker and a goodie bag. For more information, go to BoatUS.com/women or contact Gail Hine at hine@scya.org Photo by Capt. Randi Olsen Capt. Randi Olsen, at right, with some of the boys who have found “Safe Harbor” at his home. All of the boys have lost one or more parent, or may have experienced behavioral problems at home or school and need a place to stay. They live aboard boats at the home’s marina. Mentoring, counseling and life skills training are also included, and the boys can also earn a high school diploma. “I keep in touch with some graduates and it’s very satisfying to watch them grow professionally in the maritime industry,” Olsen added. 50 BoatU.S. Magazine January 2008 http://www.BoatUS.com/women
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