Category: Boating

How to Fold Nautical Charts in 7 Easy Steps

3/29/2021 - By OceanGrafix. When you get your nautical charts, you may be surprised by how large they are. To make them easy to use and store, you will need to fold your charts and know how to fold them back after use. For the best results, you’ll use an accordion fold,… SEE MORE

Clearwater Beach, FL - Image copyright Michelle Maria, Pixabay license

News from Our Coasts: March 2021

3/25/2021 - NEWS & UPDATES FOR MARCH Updates from US Harbors News & Virtual Events from Our Partners Updates from Our Coastal Business Community Photos of the Month Updates from US Harbors US Coast Guard announces new law requiring use of engine cut-off switches on recreational vessels less than 26 feet… SEE MORE

https://www.boatus.com/news-room/Images/Releases/Found%20VHF%20Radio%20Tips%20for%20springtime%20photo%203_23_21.jpg

Boating 101: Get Your VHF Radio Ready for the Season

3/24/2021 - Courtesy of BoatUS Foundation. In recreational boating, cellphones are just fine for routine communications. So why do you need a VHF radio – either a handheld or fixed mount – on your boat? Because in an emergency it’s the only thing that can directly connect you to the U.S. Coast… SEE MORE

Traps stacked and ready in Bunkers Harbor, on the west side of Prospect Harbor. Photo by Alex Plummer/USHarbors.com.

Maine Lobstermen Protest Monhegan-Area Wind Project

3/22/2021 - By Rob Wolfe / Portland Press Herald. More than 80 lobster boats lined up between Monhegan Island and Boothbay Harbor on Sunday to protest a seabed survey for a planned offshore wind turbine near Monhegan. Lobstermen fear that the ongoing survey project and the test turbine that would follow it will disrupt… SEE MORE

lobstering

https://www.ocregister.com/2021/03/20/rare-sighting-of-tropical-false-killer-whales-off-newport-and-laguna-beaches/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=fb-ocregister&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR1oP8FRnSobXZFC6sgYCqZLUsY2OFYSIUzl7GmqE89GYk9Y4vNnRLKTGm4

Rare Sighting of Tropical False Killer Whales off OC Coast

3/22/2021 - By Laylan Connelly. A pod of about 40 false killer whales showed up along the Orange County coastline on Saturday, March 20, a rare sighting for the tropical species typically found in warmer waters. The last time they were reported locally was spring 2019, when they showed up four times… SEE MORE

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/04/27/charlotte-north-carolina-radar-gap/

Flood Knocks U.S. Buoy Data Offline

3/16/2021 - By Mike Schuler. A flood at the U.S. National Weather Service’s headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland has knocked out power to servers processing NOAA’s marine buoy data, rendering the data inaccessible to the public. A timeline for when the data will be restored has not yet been determined. The NOAA… SEE MORE

Coast Guard Announces New Law Requiring Use of Engine Cut-off Switches

3/10/2021 - Operators of recreational vessels less than 26 feet in length will be required to use an engine cut-off switch (ECOS) and associated ECOS link (ECOSL) as of April 1, 2021, as the U.S. Coast Guard implements a law passed by Congress. The ECOS and ECOSL prevent runaway vessels and the… SEE MORE

First Right Whale Calf of 2021 Season Spotted off Cape Cod

3/8/2021 - By Alexandra Chaidez. The first right whale mother and calf pair of the season was spotted in Cape Cod Bay on Wednesday. A team from the Center for Coastal Studies documented Millipede and her 3-month-old calf. Scientists first saw the pair in early December off the northern coast of Florida,… SEE MORE

https://maineboats.com/print/issue-169/holly-martin

Holly Martin and Solo Sailing Women

3/8/2021 - By Richard King. Holly Martin, a 29-year-old sailor from Round Pond, Maine, dropped anchor beside the island of Nuka Hiva. She had completed a 41-day open water singlehanded passage from Panama to the Marquesas aboard her 27-foot sloop Gecko. Now she looked around at a bay edged by steep green mountain… SEE MORE

New Slow Zone off Virginia to Protect Right Whales

3/5/2021 - On March 3, 2021, an observer on board the HDR Naval research vessel observed the presence of right whales east of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The Virginia Beach Slow Zone is in effect through March 18, 2021. Mariners are requested to route around this area or transit through it at 10 knots or less. Slow Zone Coordinates: East of… SEE MORE