Powerboat Racing Comes to Clearwater

When offshore racing fans cruise the dry pits at this weekend's Super Boat National Championship in Clearwater, many will stop and linger at the Miss GEICO tent. Most powerboat enthusiasts are familiar with standard piston engines, but few have ever seen a boat powered by helicopter turbines.

 Powerboat enthusiasts have been experimenting with Army surplus engines since the mid-1970s. But it wasn’t until the mid-1990s that turbines gained widespread acceptance. These engines are more powerful, and some believe, more relaible than piston engines.

Miss Geico, a 50-foot Mystic that was built in Florida, can hit speeds in excess of 200 mph. “That is unheard of in offshore racing,” said driver Marc Granet of St. Pete Beach. “In many of the other classes, guys go through engines every other race. That is costly in both time and money. If your boat is in the shop all the time, you can’t be out on the water testing.”

Organizers are billing this as a family-friendly speed fest, with food, entertainment and free fans access to the dry pits all weekends. For more information, click here.  

 

Snorkel Safe

With scallop season under way, boaters should pay close attention to the state’s “diver down” rule. Less than one month after the state held its first “Dive Flag Awareness Week,” a Cross City man was killed after being struck by a boat near Steinhatchee.

Charles D. Sheppard, 50, was snorkeling southwest of Rocky Creek when the accident occurred, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The incident is still under investigation. Sheppard is the 23rd diver or snorkeler to be killed in Florida waters in the past five years.

Some of these deaths may have been prevented if the boat operator had a lookout on board. That is why the FWC is asking boaters and divers to remember the following:

The law requires that a vessel display a divers-down flag, which is red with a white diagonal stripe, whenever divers or snorkelers are in the water The flag must be at least 20 by 24 inches if displayed on a boat; at least 12 by 12 inches if towed on a float by the diver or snorkeler.

In open waters, vessels must make an effort to stay 300 feet from a divers-down flag.  In a river, channel or inlet the distance is 100 feet.  Vessels may operate within those distances, but at idle speed.

Terry Tomalin

Life jackets will keep you safe

A Florida man died this week after his 15-foot fishing boat struck a bridge piling in Choctawhatchee Bay.

Investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that William Moraga, a 71-year-old from Freeport, was thrown from the vessel. He was not wearing a personal flotation device.
Two passengers in the boat, Moraga’s 15-year-old granddaughter and a 73-year-old friend, were both injured in the accident. Neither was wearing a PFD.

According to the FWC, in an average year, roughly 80 percent of all boating-related deaths could be avoided if victims wore life jackets.

So before you head out on the water, make sure your PFDs are readily accessible. The only way to truly guarantee safety is to wear a PFD any time you are underway. Once you are in the water, a PFD is more difficult to put on. In most fatal accidents, boaters had PFDs on board, but they were not in use or were not within easy reach.

Make sure the PFD is the proper size for the person wearing it. Check the label before buying. It will give you a weight and chest size. This is especially important when it comes to children. To ensure a snug fit, pick the child up by the shoulders of the PFD. If you can still see the chin and ears, it fits.

Make sure your PFDs are maintained and in good condition. You can test the PFD's buoyancy in a swimming pool. Over time, the sun may break down the synthetic material in a PFD. Look for rips, tears, weak straps or zippers.

A whale shark of a tale

Forrest Gump would agree that boating and fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is a lot like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.

St. Petersburg’s Chris Gardinal was spearfishing about 25 miles offshore recently when he decided to call it a day.

 “The visibility was just great,” he said. “We had a good day.”

On the way in, Gardinal and three friends noticed a large dark shape, about 30 feet long, beneath the boat. “It looked like a submarine,” he said.

One by one, Gardinal and his friends jumped in and swam with the whale shark, a harmless plankton eater that is found in the gulf during the summer months.

“I have been diving more than 38 years and this is the first time that I have ever come across something like this,” he said.

The Gulf of Mexico is a vibrant, fertile ecosystem. You can find everything from orcas to great white sharks at some time of the year swimming in its waters.

The whale sharks typically hang around through June, so hop in your boat and head offshore. And if you need an excuse, June 6 through 14 is National Fishing & Boating Week.

Red and white means diver down

On January 9, Rob Murphy was struck by a boat while scuba diving near Stuart. He lost both his legs below the knees. he knee. The state's scuba diving community has turned their frustration into a call to arms.

"We believe boaters come too close to divers because they don’t understand the law" said John Dickinson, owner of Scuba Works dive shop in Jupiter.

On January 31 the scuba diving community is organizing a statewide Dive Flag Awareness Day. Volunteers from all over state will man the public boat ramps and distribute brochures that explain the state law which requires all boaters to stay 300 feet away from a diver’s flag.

In addition the brochure reminds divers to carry and display the required flags. Information about Dive Flag law can be obtained from the FWC at myfwc.com.

The volunteers will also be giving out a bumper sticker that states 300 ft  It’s the Law Save a Life. More than 200 volunteers are covering more than 20 public ramps from Key West to Destin.

The organizers hope to make this an annual event. A petition requesting Governor Crist to officially declare an annual Dive Flag Awareness Day has been in circulation and will be available for signature with each volunteer.

For more information contact Chad Carney at (727) 423-7775.

Get ready now for Miami Boat Show

  The nation's boat industry has been rocked by the downturn in the economy, so with sales down, manufactures are ready to wheel and deal. Consumers looking for a bargain boat should find plenty of boats to choose from when the 68th Miami International Boat Show & Strictly Sail opens its doors Feb. 12.

The Miami Boat Show, the largest event of its kind, is less than a month away. Rooms for this world-class event typically book up a month in advance, so make your reservations now. Early reports indicate that dealers and manufacturers will be looking to unload last year's inventory to make room for 2009 models. This could be the best time in more than a decade to buy a new boat.

Here are a few tips for first-time boat buyers or veteran boaters looking to upgrade to a larger vessel:

Plan your day. Make a list of the manufacturers that you want to visit, then hit them one by one. Take notes so you can compare standard equipment and options.

Don't buy the first boat you see. Look around. The Miami Boat Show will have hundreds of models on display, you might find three or four models that suit your needs.

Once you decide on a boat, don't be afraid to haggle. The sticker price is just that. The bottom line might be something entirely different.

Sailing enthusiasts will also enjoy Strictly Sail Miami, which runs concurrent with the Miami Boat Show. The shows run Feb. 12-16 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, the Sea Isle Marina & Yachting Center and the Miami Marina at Bayside.

Boating deaths increase

Florida led the nation with 77 boating-related fatalities last year, a 10 percent increase over 2006. State law enforcement officials say the number of deaths could be reduced by as much as 25 percent, if mandatory boater education laws were enacted.

But a proposal to "phase in" boater education for the state's one million boaters over the next 11 years went nowhere during this year's legislative session.

Legislators said they believed it was the younger boaters who needed the education.  But most boating accidents and fatalities involve people 36 years or older who have more than 100 hours boating experience and no formal boating education.

In 1996, Florida began requiring boaters 21 years or younger to take a mandatory boater education course. Since its passage, the boater education law has reduced the number of accidents from greater than 21 percent to 14 percent.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission maintains that 15 to 25 lives a year could be saved if everybody took a safe boating class. That is why the FWC proposed phasing in mandatory boater education, in five year increments, over the next 11 years.

But at a Feb. 6 meeting of the House committee on Conservation & State Lands, the FWC proposal fell on deaf ears. Legislators balked at a proposal to expand the current regulations. read the full story in tomorow's St. Petersburg Times.

Free boats

Well, not exactly. But with the way the marine industry is going these days, it seems like dealers are practically giving boats away. Rising gas prices, a stagnant real estate market and uncertainty about the economy have rattled consumer confidence. As a result, would be boat buyers are thinking twice before adding another payment to their monthly bills.

This is bad for boat dealers, but good for consumers. Boat dealers have inventory on their lots that they have to move and they most are willing to make a deal.

I strolled around Tropicana Field yesterday as vendors were setting up for the Tampa Bay Boat Sale and couldn't believe the packed house. Every foot of floor space was taken up with cruisers, center consoles, ski boats and runabouts. I stopped and talked to a few salesman, each of whom was hoping to go home Sunday evening, minus the inventory.

The show opens today at 10 a.m. If you are in the market for a boat, get there early and walk the floor with with a pen and pad of paper. Take notes on what you see, paying close attention to those features that you can't live without and those you could take take or leave.

When making a major purchase such as a boat, some times it is best to sit back and watch the price. But it this case, it is possible to wait too long. Most dealers have brought boats they want to move. Wait too long and you just might lose the deal of a lifetime.

I talked to one dealer on Thursday who recently cut the sticker price by $30,000 (yes, five zeroes) and threw in a complete set of electronics just to make a sale. The move cut his profit margin in half, but he made a profit nonetheless.

You anglers may just want to head to the show to listen to some of the St. Petersburg Times Captain Corner correspondents at the Gulf & Bay Fishing School. Some of the area's best anglers will be offering around the clock advice on how to catch the big ones.

For more information go to the Tampa Bay Boat Sale.