Fort Myers News

Catamaran builder Brian Hall is too young to remember when ferries plied the route between Florida and Cuba in the 1950s, but he has plans to be among the first to revive the once-popular route. Boosted by President Barack Obama's policy of seeking to normalize relations with the Communist-ruled island after decades of U.S. isolation, Hall hopes to offer a high-speed catamaran service between the Florida Keys and Havana, perhaps as soon as this year. "My partners and I are ready to start operating as soon as we get the go-ahead," said Hall, 49, president of CubaKat, an offshoot of Fort Lauderdale-based catamaran builder, KonaCat. He is not alone. At least half a dozen Florida companies are seriously considering ferry ventures, with plans to seek licenses from the U.S. Treasury Department.

Marine electronics experts named 11 products in nine categories as winners of the 2014 NMEA Product Awards. Once again, Furuno USA was named Manufacturer of the Year--Support. The winners were announced at the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) International Marine Electronics Conference & Expo, held October 8-11 at the Sanibel Harbour Marriott in Fort Myers, Florida. Category winners are chosen by regional panels of NMEA members from around the country, hand picked by the NMEA Awards Committee for their extensive knowledge of marine electronics to create a level playing field for all product and manufacturer support nominations. "We want to congratulate all of the award recipients," said NMEA Managing Director Mark Reedenauer.

A man suspected of faking his own death and costing the Coast Guard more than $173,000 was arrested Tuesday near Brunswick, Ga. Georgia law enforcement authorities say Aubrey Lee Price, 47, was pulled over by police in Brunswick for having illegally tinted windows on his vehicle. Price, who is a former Valdosta, Ga. banker, is also accused of wire and security fraud. Price was reported missing by his family on June 18, 2012. A family member in Georgia reported the missing man to the U.S. Coast Guard after they had received a certified letter believed to be a suicide note from Price.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three people Monday after their 68-foot fishing vessel started to sink 36 miles southwest of Sanibel Island. A member of Sea Tow Marco Island contacted Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders reporting they overheard a crewmember aboard the Cheyenne call out “mayday,” declare that they were taking on water and unable to keep up with the flooding. Watchstanders diverted the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Marlin, an 87-foot Coastal Patrol Boat homeported in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., to the scene. "Once on scene, the rescue crew determined there was a crack in the hull somewhere on the forward bow," said Kevin Coyne, a search and rescue coordinator at the sector.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, recognized its Commander Daniel J. Christovich Scholarship awardees and 2013 college graduates at its recent 9th Annual Tribute to the United States Coast Guard in Washington DC. The Daniel J. Christovich Scholarship is generously funded by Lisa Kazor Christovich in honor of her husband's distinguished career in the Coast Guard. The scholars honored at the dinner were Joseph "Joey" Heimburger of Gloucester…

Unified Marine Announces Restructuring of Operations, Including Major Staff Appointments; Moves Designed to Strengthen Leadership of the Company’s SeaSense Brand. Leading marine accessories manufacturer Unified Marine, maker of the renowned SeaSense® brand, has announced a major restructuring of its operations. The moves are designed to reduce operating costs, and improve product quality and customer service to its distributor, retailer and end-user customers. As part of the restructuring, Unified Marine will relocate its distribution center from Newport, Tenn., to a new location in Florida’s Naples-Fort Myers area. “We want to bring our warehousing and distribution operations back to Florida in closer proximity to our research and development facility in Bonita Springs…

Sea Tow Clarks Hill Lake, S.C. & Ga., Capt. Jon Gridley Recognized for July 4th Rescue. Capt. Jon G. Gridley, co-owner of Sea Tow Clarks Hill Lake, South Carolina and Georgia, was honored with an international life-saving award by AFRAS (the Association for Rescue at Sea, Inc.) at the 25th Anniversary C-PORT (Conference of Professional Operators for Response Towing) Annual Meeting on January 9 at the Grand Hyatt in Tampa, Fla. The AFRAS C-PORT Award, which recognizes extraordinary bravery exhibited by a member of C-PORT during an on-water rescue, was presented to Capt. Gridley and his friend, Jim Masiongale, who also participated in the incident, by Steve Sawyer, president of AFRAS and retired captain, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Search and Rescue, at an awards ceremony on Monday night.

Marine electronics industry still has major concerns. An official of LightSquared, the company that has been under fire for its plan to offer mobile satellite services that could seriously interfere with Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, told a gathering at the 2011 NMEA International Marine Electronics Conference & Expo that solutions were in the works to prevent disruptions from occurring. “Our integrated network will bring great benefits to wireless users nationwide, but at the same time we’re committed to ensuring this service doesn’t interfere with any GPS devices.

Bruce Angus to serve as interim executive director. David Hayden, president and executive director of the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) since 2007, submitted his resignation to the organization’s board of directors at the conclusion of the NMEA’s International Marine Electronics Conference & Expo last week in Fort Myers, Florida. In a statement to NMEA Board Chairman David Gratton and Vice Chairman Johnny Lindstrom, who accepted his resignation, Hayden said, “I wish to thank the board for the opportunity to serve, and I believe that the timing is right for me to move on.

The U.S. Coast Guard's GMDSS Task Force will meet Wednesday, 28 September 2011, 9:00 am at the Sanibel Harbor Resort; Fort Myers, Florida, in connection with National Marine Electronics Association Annual Conference. Meeting document archive: http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=gmdssTFMeetingSummary / See panel on the left side of the Web page for more links.

The U.S. Coast Guard's GMDSS Task Force met 3 August 2011, at RTCM Headquarters in Arlington, VA. The summary record for that meeting can be downloaded at: http://rtcm.info/TFSR-68.doc The next meeting is Wednesday 28 September 2011 at 9:00 am, Sanibel Harbor Resort; Fort Myers, Florida (see www.nmea.org). The agenda for that meeting can be downloaded at: http://rtcm.info/Tfag-69.doc Captain Jack Fuechsel 703-527-0484 [email protected] Meeting document archive: http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=gmdssTFMeetingSummary (See panel on the left side of the Web page for more links).

1881-At about 8 o’clock in the morning, during a dense fog on Lake Huron, the crew of Station No 2, Tenth District (Point aux Barques, Michigan), heard the signal-whistle of a steamer to the northeast. The sharpness of the sound indicated a call for assistance. The life-saving crew found the steamer City of Concord with the schooner L.L. Lamb in tow, bound to Port Hope. The captain of the steamer stated that he was uncertain of his position on account of the fog and desired to know the bearing and distance to his destination. The keeper provided the information and the two vessels reached Port Hope safely soon afterwards. 1995-The 234-foot gambling ship Club Royale sank 90 miles east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, during Hurricane Erin.

Navico announced today that its Simrad BR24 Broadband Radar, and Simrad AP24 and AP28 autopilots received awards at the 2009 National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) convention held in Fort Myers, Fla. In a slightly different format than previous years, the BR24 was selected for the first ever “NMEA Technology Award” by an independent panel of experts organized by Boating Writers International (BWI). The traditional NMEA product award for the AP24 and AP28 was selected based on the votes of dealer members of the Association. NMEA awards recognize excellence in the design, performance and reliability of marine electronics products.

The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) will hold its 2009 NMEA Convention & Expo Sept. 30 - Oct .2, 2009, at the Sanibel Harbour Resort in Fort Myers, Fla. “The NMEA Convention & Expo is very valuable for everyone involved in the industry, but it is really organized to serve NMEA dealers and their personnel,” said David Hayden, NMEA’s President and Executive Director. “This year’s Convention has never been more important, as we need to work together to address the current economic challenge to our industry,” he said. Featured speakers this year include Joe Hersey, Administrative Program Manager for the U.S. Coast Guard who will talk about the VHF band, and Lee Luft of the U.S.

Guiding your marine electronics business in challenging economic times is one of the themes for the upcoming National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) Convention & Expo, to be held Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, 2009, at the Sanibel Harbour Resort in Fort Myers, Florida. In addition to technical training, participants will have the opportunity to see the new product rollouts from manufacturers for 2010 during the Expo that will be open all day Thursday, October 1. A new NMEA Technology Award will be introduced at the 2009 NMEA Convention & Expo. The NMEA Technology Award winner will be selected by an independent panel of experts organized by the Boating Writers of America.

Wesmar is introducing the new WM3500 Stainless Steel Vertical Anchor Windlass. The Wesmar Anchor Windlass addresses the critical act of anchoring, quicker and more safely. With a touch of a button, the Vertical Anchor Windlass provides stress-free anchoring, requiring minimal crew and effort. The risk of accidents is next to none with a safety lock to help protect against unintentional windlass deployment. Ross Lund of Classic Yacht Service in Fort Myers said, “The windlass works great, everyone loves it. I have a customer who dives a lot, anchoring multiple times a day.

The Big M Casino, Inc of Fort Myers, Fla., has awarded a contract to Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Florida to construct a casino vessel. The as yet unnamed vessel will join the existing vessel, Royal Gambler, in providing offshore casino services to the Fort Myers market. The vessel was designed by John W. Gilbert and Associates, a prominent naval architect firm located in Hingham, Massachusetts. The interior design will be performed by Bauer Interiors of New Orleans, Louisiana.Bauer Interiors is one of the best-known companies in design, traffic and ergonomics of casino vessels. The vessel is 186 ft. long with a beam of 38 ft. and a molded depth of 11.5 ft., and depending on conditions, will have a loaded draft of 8 ft. She will accommodate 600 passengers plus a crew of 72.

A ferry collided with a recreational boat on Monday in heavy fog off southwest Florida, killing one person and injuring two others aboard the smaller vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The ferry boat Atlantis was making a morning run in the Gulf of Mexico from Fort Myers, Florida, to the Florida Keys when it collided with a 21-ft. (6.4-m) pleasure craft about 9 miles from shore, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Dana Warr. One person aboard the smaller boat was killed and another suffered spinal injuries and was taken by Coast Guard helicopter to a hospital, Warr said. The third person aboard the smaller boat suffered minor injuries, he said. No one among the 120 people aboard the chartered 116-ft. (35-m) ferry was hurt.

An industry team led by Raytheon's Naval & Maritime Integrated Systems (N&MIS) business unit has been awarded a competitively procured contract to produce Small Unit Riverine Craft (SURC) for the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC). The Raytheon team will produce up to 100 SURCs, with a nominal contract value of $30 million and a potential contract value of up to $60 million. SURC will provide the USMC with a combat craft capable of transporting a 13-man infantry squad primarily in support of operations on inland waterways as well as in a variety of conditions on the open sea. Procured as a commercial item, the Marine Corps team used performance-based acquisition practices and an innovative strategy that reduced the procurement cycle time to less than six months.

Washburn & Doughty Associates launched a 186 ft. offshore casino vessel for Cajun Express, Inc., of Boston, Mass. Hull 65, yet to be named, is the largest vessel built by Washburn & Doughty, edging out 185-ft., Great Point, an 800-passenger vessel running from Hyannis, Mass. The new vessel is a lengthened and widened version of 162-ft. Big M Casino, which was delivered to Cajun Express in July, 1996, and now operates out of Fort Myers, Fla. Specifically designed to handle offshore conditions with heavy gaming equipment on board, Hull 65 measures 186 x 38 ft., with a 7.5 ft. draft. It will carry a minimum of 500 passengers and 72 crew. The vessel's anticipated running speed is 15 knots, making for a quick trip to gaming waters.

The U.S. Navy today commissioned the USS Lassen (DDG 82), the newest in a series of advanced Aegis guided missile destroyers built by Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corporation. Measuring 509.5 ft. (155.2 m) and 9,300 tons, USS Lassen, which is the 32nd ship of 58 Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) Class destroyers currently authorized by Congress - is the 14th to be built by Ingalls. Following DDG 82, Ingalls has contracts and options to produce 11 additional Aegis destroyers, with six of those ships in various stages of production. The new ship was placed in commission for Pacific Fleet duty, witnessed by about 4,000 guests at Channelside Pier in Tampa.

Florida based operator Key West Express LLC, has taken delivery of its third Incat Crowther catamaran ferry for operation along the west coast of Florida between Fort Myers and Key West. The vessel is a 52m high speed catamaran ferry capable of carrying 513 passengers at a speed of 41.5 knots. The main cabin contains seating for 268 passengers in a mix of lounge, bar and row seating. Catering facilities are a feature of the vessel, which has a journey time of approximately 3.5 hours. A centrally located bar provides full cocktail drinks service with counterside seating for 9. A kiosk, providing pre-packaged food, snacks and gifts is located aft amongst casual lounge and kiosk seating. The mid deck cabin has seating for 147 passengers primarily seated in rows.

The US Coast Guard's Fort Myers Beach station received a 33 foot, special purpose law enforcement craft. The boat purchase is part of a joint program with the Department of Homeland Security. The craft is a 33-foot aluminum mono-hull with a 10-ft. beam and foam collar. It is powered by three 275-hp engines capable of speeds in excess of 50 knots and is capable of operating more than 30 miles from shore. It is equipped with a state-of-the-art navigation system and secure communications capability. Coast Guard crews will receive three days of boat familiarization training conducted by SAFE Boats International, as well as shore-based non-compliant vessel pursuit tactics training conducted by CBP. This is the first 33-ft. SPC-LE Sector St. Petersburg has received.