Fisheries Supply got them in Monday, December 24th, just in time for…um…Christmas?
Kind of, but since nobody knew about them, I doubt anybody in the Puget Sound region not related to a Fisheries Supply employee saw one under their tree.
Suffice to say I picked up mine today. Well, not “mine” mine…I mean, it’s for my wife and all. Pink’s not really my color.
In fact, now that she’s got her pretty-in-pink PFD, I stand to inherit her almost-new black one. Which is a good thing, because I doubt I should continue to rely on my ancient CrewSaver inflatable. It seems to work OK, but it’s over ten years old, from well before the US Coast Guard approved inflatable PFDs at all.
December 28th, 2007 · by Tim Flanagan, Managing Editor
Last spring, we wrote about great margarita recipes. Today, in the middle of another cold, damp Puget Sound winter, let’s take a moment to dream about warm weather…
…And margaritas.
Navagear informant Stacey has been dreaming of margaritas, apparently. I guess the eggnog and brandy just ain’t doin’ the trick for her.
Hi Tim –
Was just cruising around on your site and saw your margarita recipes. I’ve got an easy one for you that we call our “boat margaritas”….
One of my secondary points in the article was that the vast majority of us don’t make any non-emergency use of the DSC communication infrastructure. My initial assumption had been that if more of us knew about these features, more of us would use them.
I no longer believe this. DSC appears to suffer from some significant user interface shortcomings that dissuade boaters from using it, and when you do use it, it doesn’t really do everything you might expect.
Only recently did I realize that they aren’t limited to the Pacific Northwest. Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series covers a LOT of ground:
Not only that, but the series covers a lot of ground, topic-wise, as well. It ain’t all shipping and industry, by any means. That’s just the stuff I tend to like.
It seems to me there’s a reason these books are so attractive to us. In an increasingly homogeneous world, where a strip-mall in Idaho looks pretty much the same as one in Louisiana, these books help us preserve our sense of place and history. That might sound a little poetic for a gear and gadgets blog, but that’s the way I feel about it.
December 14th, 2007 · by Tim Flanagan, Managing Editor
I need to have internet connectivity aboard my boat. Otherwise, how can I write Navagear?
But I’m a cheapskate, and I don’t want to pay for some dedicated data plan I would only use on the boat. We’re happy with our ISP at home, so we don’t want to rock that particular boat.
I’ve finally got something up and running that DOESN’T require new equipment and an additional monthly payment. Essentially, it’s free; by which I mean I’m not paying any more to use the internet aboard my boat than I would have otherwise. See, I just changed over to T-Mobile, and got a new Shadow Smart Phone.
In addition to my phone service plan, I added the $19.99-per-month “Total Internet” data package. I would have added that anyway, since the Shadow is a Windows Mobile device, so there’s no added expense there.
Now I can connect my phone to the laptop with a (more…)
December 12th, 2007 · by Tim Flanagan, Managing Editor
Hey…this is exactly what’s supposed to happen with this whole online internet village whatchamacallit. One thing leads to another, and then another after that, and they tell two friends, and they tell two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on. It’s great!
In an effort to get a better idea what commercial traffic might actually do with Class B AIS data, John Konrad has posted a quick survey over at gCaptain. Again, be sure to read the comments.
Our friend Captain Richard Rodriguez over at BitterEnd has gotten into the act, as well.
Regardless of the debate, though, I’ve got to echo Ben Ellison’s comments on the FCC’s apparent inability to finalize the “pending” approval status for the many Class B units already on the market elsewhere in the world:
Honestly, what the hell is wrong with the FCC? [...] I’m not sure there’s another nation on earth which either has not approved Class B AIS or doesn’t care.
December 11th, 2007 · by Tim Flanagan, Managing Editor
[An update about our big regional boat show. And I quote...]
The 2008 Seattle Boat Show runs from January 24 through February 2 at two locations: Qwest Field Event Center and Chandler’s Cove on Lake Union.
Tickets are now on sale at www.seattleboatshow.com. They make great stocking stuffers at just $10 and include the following benefits:
Free parking at the indoor location
Free cup of clam Chowder at FX McRory’s Restaurant
Free one-year magazine subscription to your choice of Yachting, Motor Boating, Sailing World or Power Cruising
When the show opens next month it will be bigger than ever before! It seems hard to believe since we say it each year, but it truly has grown every year since the indoor portion of the show moved to Qwest Field in 2000. Because so many exhibitors want to bring more boats and more accessories, we will be expanding out onto the football field this year. You will be able to go out on the Seahawks playing field and check out some fantastic boats, win some great prizes, and have your own ‘football fantasy’ moment.
After the holidays, I’ll send you a couple of emails with more show details. In the meantime, visit our website and see what’s new and get your tickets early. It won’t be long before the doors open on South Lake Union and at Qwest Field Event Center.
Thank you for your continued support of the Seattle Boat Show – the Largest Boat Show on the West Coast.
With warm regards,
Michael Campbell
President
Northwest Marine Trade Association
They’re careful the keep the content accessible to those of us who are not professional mariners, which I appreciate! It’s kind of like a news and current events talk show for the nautical crowd.
Anyway, give it a listen. It will be interesting to see how they develop the program.
December 7th, 2007 · by Tim Flanagan, Managing Editor
I like republishing Coast Guard press releases from time to time, especially when they involve recreational vessels. Like Aesop’s fabled…um…fables, they’re good stories from which we can learn. To wit…
(Dec. 2, 2007) MCKINLEYVILLE, Calif. – An HH-65 helicopter, from Air Station Humboldt Bay, rescued Craig Peterson, a native of Chetco River, Ore., 50 miles north of Eureka, Calif., on Sunday, in the midst of the first large winter storm to hit the Northwest Coast this year.
Peterson left Chetco River, Ore., in late November, alone aboard his 25-foot Catalina Sailing Vessel, Jack, and was reportedly bound northwest to fish. His family became concerned for his safety and notified the Coast Guard on Nov. 28. After receiving the report from his family, the Coast Guard began broadcasting an urgent marine information broadcast (UMIB), in an attempt to contact the Sailing Vessel Jack.
At approximately 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Peterson contacted the Coast Guard reporting a broken rudder and taking on water over the side of his vessel. (more…)
December 4th, 2007 · by Tim Flanagan, Managing Editor
Check out the tag line the folks at Neptune Slat Systems have adopted: “Nautical sleep comfort and mildew prevention.” Hey, sign me up!
They had samples of this product at Fisheries Supply last week, but it doesn’t seem to be featured on their website yet. I called Fisheries, and they assure me they’ll have a sample at the upcoming Seattle Boat Show.
Marine VHF on AquaSpec PFD strobe lights: Graham: I just did some searching and couldn’t find any of these for sale online. Aquaspec is a UK company, perhaps they just...
Remember how excited some of us were about Mustang’s new pink PFDs? Well guess what. 
Last spring, we wrote about 
Mainly, I wanted to reiterate the 
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In addition to my phone service plan, I added the $19.99-per-month “Total Internet” data package. I would have added that anyway, since the Shadow is a Windows Mobile device, so there’s no added expense there. 
