TOTTENVILLE MARINA

What is in John Garner's Pocket

By Don Sutherland You don't really know a boat until she's hauled. Plying her trade on the water, her best half's submerged out of sight. We think we recognize her - "oh, there's Odin," or "Shelby Rose," or "Twintube" - but what are we seeing? The lines of the deckhouse, the shape and placement of the wheelhouse, the arrangement of the stacks? These are the parts known as the superstructure - "super," in this case, meaning simply "upon." It's a little like saying we recognize someone by his hat. The boat's defining structure starts at the main deck and goes downward from there. What little we see of it is low on the horizon. There's the deck's line, along with a smattering of bulwarks. The rake of the bow, the shape of the stern, how and where flared in between, they all help a little in identifying the boat, but they still don't divulge what she's about. What she's about is her relationship to the water, her reason for being. How she sits, how she rides, how she handles, are determined mostly down there. The size of the rudder, of the wheels or other propulsion devices - how she goes, whether for speed or for power or both, is ordained down there. Boats, just like people, keep their motivating forces concealed. Unlike people, boats can be hauled. And that's when we see what they're about.

Almetek Launches Sinage Line for Marine Industry

Almetek Industries launched a marina-specific line of onsite safety and information signage. Specially designed to help marina and boatyard owners lower their maintenance costs, the signs will not rust, fade, crack or peel. The 3-D engraved signs, made of co-extruded and tri-extruded UV stabilized high-density polyethylene, are impervious to salt water and virtually all acids and caustic chemicals. In addition, they are resistant to tropical or frigid temperatures and the damaging affect

Alcoa Acquires Marina Accessibility Products

Alcoa Inc. has acquired the assets of Marina Accessibility Products, Inc., a manufacturer of marine access systems based in Surrey, BC, Canada. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Marina Accessibility Products is known as the developer of the Ramp Rider, a gangway inclined lift system that enables people to move safely between unstable elevations in marine environments. The product consists of a self-leveling all-wheel-drive car that travels on a specialized gangway to provide access

Marine Engine Exchange Offers Grants for Motor Upgrades

In an ongoing effort to improve the air and water quality of San Pedro Bay, the Port of Los Angeles has made additional funding available for its Marina Engine Exchange Program, incentivizing boat owners to replace their older, high-polluting outboard motors with California Air Resources Board (CARB)-certified, “three star”/ultra-low emission-rated engines (up to 10 horsepower). The Port of Los Angeles is offering boat owners 75 percent of the total cost (up to $2

Top Ten Hurricane Safety Tips for Boaters

ACE Recreational Marine Insurance releases ten tips to help recreational boaters protect their vessels during the hurricane season. “The best defenses to protecting your boat from hurricanes or any severe weather are planning, preparation and timely action,” said Damon R. Hostetter, Senior Vice President, ACE Recreational Marine Insurance. The first recommendation is: Develop a detailed plan of action to secure your vessel in advance

Canal Pleasure Cruise Venture Runs Aground

A UK businessman refitted a canal boat to carry up to 45 passengers along the Staffs & Worcester Canal without paying heed to safety requirements. The UK registered Canal Boat Hatherton Belle is a 20 metre vessel that had been adapted to carry up 45 passengers along the Staffs & Worcester Canal from Calf Heath Marina. The owner, local businessman Andy Small who also operates a bar next to the Marina, used the canal boat to take paying parties on cruises along the canal

Kroli Wins New Contracts

Kroli, SF Marina's distributor in Iceland, has entered into an agreement with Loftorku Borgarnesi to manufacture SF Marina's signature floating concrete docks.  The strategic move to manufacture locally has created significantly more business for Kroli. Shortly after the Kroli/Loftorka agreement was signed, a committee representing the capital of Iceland announced that Kroli had won the contract for three installations in the Reykjavik and Akranes harbors

Coast Guard Investigates Multiple Boat Fires

Representatives from both the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Office Puget Sound and the Seattle Fire Department responded to a early morning blaze involving three boats at a Lake Union marina. The Marine Safety Office is coordinating with pollution response contractors to contain fuel and oil spilled and is removing remaining fuel from the three damaged boats. The Coast Guard will begin its investigation into the cause of the fire once cleanup efforts are complete.

AAPA to Host Port Management Seminar

The top issues relevant to Caribbean and Latin American port professionals, including navigation dredging, seaport security, port privatization, Panama Canal expansion and port operating strategies, will be featured at the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) Executive Management Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, Feb. 12-14. The conference will be held in Miami’s Marriott Biscayne Bay Hotel and Marina.

Washington State Proposes Changes

Changes to state environmental regulations proposed by the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) should reduce the risk of oil spills into Washington's waters during oil transfers. Aiming for a goal of zero oil spills, Ecology developed the draft "rules" with a special advisory committee made up of the oil industry and other citizen advocates. Changes in state oil-transfer regulations were requested by the 2004 Legislature following the Dec