If you’re at all interested in Class B AIS, today’s Panbo is a must-read.

I’m a bit perplexed by the US Coast Guard’s newly announced AIS Class B guideline: vessel names will not be transmitted. Wow! Why not?

Here’s a slide presented Friday afternoon at a special meeting with the Coast Guard’s Jorge Arroyo and the FCC’s Ghassan Khalek, as reported on Panbo:

Um, OK. But even if vessel names are not official, nor “data-based”, they remain incredibly convenient! How does virtually everybody on the water keep track of vessels cognitively, and refer to boats in communication? By name. Why do you suppose that is?

It ain’t just quaint nautical tradition, folks.

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I often use a big plastic Rubbermaid bin to transport stuff to and from the boat. It holds a lot, fits in a seat of the car, fits in the dock cart, and can be moved around the boat without damaging anything.

The only trouble is that smaller stuff gets lost in the bottom of the bin. Until now!
When I saw these PacEasy Bin-Buddies at the Fremont Solstice Fair, I knew I could find a use for them.

They’re available in sizes that fit all the popular styles from the major manufacturers. With most models, you can still use the lid, too. Handy!

It’s a little bit ironic that a typical Bin Buddy actually costs more than the bin itself, but that’s just the way it’s got to be. As PacEasy points out, “It’s a simple matter of materials and labor costs. Sewn products require more materials and more labor to create the finished product than injection molded plastic storage bins.” Fair enough!

There’s a big Nordic Tug meet-up in PT this weekend. They’re packed into the Point Hudson marina like sardines (that is, if sardines were 11+ feet wide). I was a little surprised at how big the newer models have gotten. I was kind of fond of the old 32 footer design, and the 54 was so big that at first I didn’t think it was a Nordic… In any case, it looks like a fun gathering, and Port Townsend certainly appreciates all the visitors traipsing around and eating out. Welcome!

My seven year old son, Logan, shot this nice pic.

I don’t know for sure if “famy” is a word. It’s the opposite of “infamy”, I figure.

Anyway, Two Lucky Fish and her crew made it into Captain Rodriguez’s Vessel Assist blog, but not in a bad way!

We got to visit Diligence, Captain Richard’s “home away from home”, yesterday before we headed out for a day of San Juan Islands cruising. What a sturdy and comfortable little ship. I can see what he likes about her.

However, speaking of infamy, I feel it’s necessary to note that after giving our mutual friend Mac a hard time for using his bow-thruster to dock, Richard’s Diligence features…what’s this?…a bow thruster!

Around these parts, we all pretty much accept that it’s only a matter of time until The Big One hits.

An earthquake, I mean. A devastating earthquake.

We all know it’s supposed to be bad, and I haven’t really given it much thought, other than to store food and water to get my family through the first week or so.

But then I spotted this page over at Natural Resources Canada, and…yikes! Potentially five meters of lateral movement for the southeast coast of Vancouver Island?

Here’s a map showing how the strain is building up.

Using the Global Positioning System (GPS) of satellites, and a network of permanent GPS receivers, the relative motion of points on the earth’s surface can be monitored at the level of a few millimetres per year. The arrows in this diagram show the

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I got my fuel tax refund back from the state of Washington yesterday. Not a huge amount, but still, it works out to a little more than 15.6 cents a gallon…not a bad discount!

I would be interested in hearing if my 15.6 c.p.g. refund is the same for other Washington state residents. There is no indication at all how this figure was calculated.

In honor of this once-every-1,461-days calendar event, let’s take a moment to sit back and enjoy this tiny video.

It ain’t gear or gadgets…there’s not even a boat in sight. But I thought I’d share anyway. Does anybody know where or when this occured? I’d love to hear more of the backstory.

I found it over at the discussion forums on TheBoaters.com. By the way, has anybody noticed that they’ve changed Lovely Hostesses a couple of times on TheBoaters.TV?

I figured that since 2007 is over, I should probably apply to get my Washington state fuel tax refund.

It turns out there’s a form to fill out to apply for a "Fuel Tax Refund Permit". This isn’t the same as a CLAIM for the refund. It’s just the permit you need so that you can file a claim. Got that?

OK, the form is here. Once it’s complete, you mail or fax it to Olympia, and…um…THEN you file a claim. I guess. I’ve never done it before, see.

But there’s a nice summary over at the Pacific Yachting PNW site. Take a look, and apply for your refund. Er…I mean…apply for your permit so you can apply for a refund.

When I started my Suzuki-built Johnson 90 outboard engine yesterday, after several weeks without running, no water came out of the tell-tale. This is known as the "water pump indicator" in the manual. It’s right on the back of the engine, in the middle of the mid-section.

When the tell-tale doesn’t emit a steady stream of water, it usually means one of two things. Either…

1. the little hole has become jammed with some crud having to do with bugs or spiders, or
2. the water pump isn’t pumping water.

If it’s the first, it’s no big deal. If it’s the second, you need to shut down the engine or risk serious damage.

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SEATTLE - The Coast Guard rescued five people from a sinking 50-foot pleasure boat in Elliott Bay, Washington, Sunday.

The master of the unnamed vessel contacted Coast Guard Sector Seattle on VHF channel 16 at 1:40 p.m. to request assistance after the boat started to take on water. A nearby 25-foot Coast Guard Marine Safety and Security Team (MSST) response boat crew was diverted and removed the five people from the vessel minutes later.

All five aboard the vessel were transferred from the MSST vessel to a 41-foot utility boat from Coast Guard Station Seattle. The 41-foot boat crew then transported the five to shore.

A Seattle Fire Department vessel also assisted by pumping water from the pleasure boat with a dewatering pump and is in the process of towing the boat to Elliott Bay Marina. No injuries were reported.

Diesel fuel from the boat’s bilges was released during the incident creating an unrecoverable sheen. The sheen has not caused any shoreline contamination.