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Around the World of Sailing
13 June 2001
This weeks features:
Finish Line
Finish Line Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0613/frw.htm
2001 College Sailing Awards
COLLEGE SAILOR OF THE YEAR - EVERETT MORRIS TROPHY
Tyler Pruett Junior Boston College
TEAM OF THE YEAR - LEONARD FOWLE TROPHY
Harvard University which finished 5th in Single Handed
championships, 1st in Sloop and 2nd at Team Racing and
Dinghy Nationals.
Water Level Update
Rowing Reporter
Rowing Reporter
Available on line at:
http://www.torresen.com/atwos/2001/ju/0613/frw.htm
The Rowing Reporter is a weekly column of commentary
and observations by Ike Stephenson, Marine Informationist.
It concentrates on the home waters of Around the World of
Sailing, Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake.
***************
Silversides on the Move
The World War II submarine Silversides, which home
ports in the Muskegon Channel, is once again going on a voyage.
The Silversides patrolled the Pacific in World War II sinking
30 ships.
The Silversides 2001 voyage will be on Lake Michigan.
She will serve as a prop for the upcoming film 'Below'
scheduled to be released in 2002. For 4 days the Silversides
will be in action. Below is a thriller set appropriately in
World War II. The Silversides will earn $ 40,000 for her
voyage.
Information on 'Below' is at:
http://www.upcomingmovies.com/below.html
For photos of the Silversides beginning her voyage see
the online version of this story.
When not in the movies the Silversides serves as a
marine museum. Tours are available along with the possibility
of staying overnight. For more see
http://www.silversides.org
********
Readers Write
A Southern Sailor wrote with these thoughts: "We have a 28 ft
Irwin we bought a few months back from an insurance co. A
great deal. We also are part owners in a Columbia 23 ft. We
sail Out of Lake Pontchatrain, Louisiana...We have been told
that if you can sail in Lake Pontchatrain you can sail
anywhere in the world...It just seems no one sails here but
there are millions of sail boats around."
This thoughtful note prompted the following studies
and observations: Once your learn the fundamentals of sailing
whether on Lake Pontchartain or the Open Ocean you can
literally sail anywhere. A fresh water sailor may need to
learn about tides on the ocean, an ocean sailor may need to
decipher shore breezes on an inland lake, but the since the
planet is majority water a sailor has a tremendously portable
set of skills.
Reports show that approximately 2.8 million Americans are
sailors. Tiny compared to the 46 million fisherman.
Still every so often you see a place like Muskegon Lake with
literally 100's of sailboats such as during last summers West
Michigan regatta and you can get a feel for what it would be
like if millions more did sail. West Michigan Regatta photos
at http://www.torresen.com/races/wmyaregatta/2000/
************
Safety Update
A recent sad event on White Lake brought to mind why safety
is such a top of list topic in boating. Two people ran
aground inside Buoy 9 off Long Point in White Lake.
One of the people went into the water to unground the boat.
He was not wearing a PFD. The area of the grounding has a
sharp drop off from 2 to 20 feet and more. The man hit the
drop-off and began struggling. The other person on the boat
threw several PFD's into the water. They did not reach the
man in the water. The other person then donned a PFD and
tried to reach the man. Sadly, the man did not make it.
Of course it's out of such situations that lessons may be
learned. Perhaps the most basic is that wearing a PFD is no
more appropriate than when in the water. If not a PFD then
perhaps a safety line around your waist.
The boat was equipped with throwable PFD's. However, when
thrown it did not reach the man in the water. Lesson: these
are a secondary device not to be overly depended on.
The incident likely would not have occurred had buoy 9, a green
buoy, been honored properly. The simple mnemonic 'red right
returning' helps. Since the boats was outbound to Lake
Michigan the green buoy should have been kept on the starboard
side.
Every time you hit the water you can learn lessons. Hopefully
yours will be good ones!
**********
Quiet on Isle Royal!
The National Park service has some new regulations for Isle
Royale National Park on Lake Superior. Amongst them "radios
tuned to commercial stations" would not be permitted in quiet
and no wake zones.
No definition of whether commercial radio includes public radio
or not.
