"Champers" in Light Air

They took off in that crazy, gusty wind that heralded the end of the hot spell in southern Ontario.  While the air was fairly light at 7 knots when they left, by the time they got across the lake to Port Dalhousie, they were sailing in 35+ knots.

“Well reefed, she handled the wind beautifully,” says Keith.  “I got drenched a few times with the wave action.”

The picture was taken at Port Dalhousie the next day, when they were waiting for the winds to die down before heading back across to Toronto.

Keith Taking a Breezy Walk in Port Dalhousie

Fossils tell us the sturgeon appeared some 200 million years ago, making it one of the oldest bony fish in existence.  They can grow up to eight feet (2.5 meters) long but because they are very slow growing fish that can take a century.  Their slow maturity also means it takes many years before they are able to reproduce… that’s when they come most valuable.  Their roe is made into caviar… but early commercial fishermen just killed them because of the damage the huge fish could do to their nets.

“We don’t know what our numbers mean yet,” said Pratt, “because we don’t have anything to compare (them) to… as we do more of this in the future and can expand our work we will be able to put everything in context.”

For more information cast a line here .  Or here

Official acknowledgement of the awards takes place during the annual Industry Breakfast during the 2010 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) on September 28^th.  Award winners achieved and maintained a standard of excellence of 90 percent or higher in customer satisfaction during the last year.  The analysis is by a third party and is based on information from customers who purchased a new boat or engine from April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010.

“It’s important to be able to recognize boat and engine manufacturers that have maintained a focus on customer satisfaction, as it’s the cornerstone of our industry’s future,” said Terry Leitz, NMMA director of CSI programs, in a statement. “CSI Award recipients make a commitment to improve the customer experience, thereby reinforcing not only their own reputation for quality, but for the industry as a whole.”

This year’s recipients include Honda Marine outboard motors, who have taken the same honours for the last six years running and Skeeter products (fiberglass outboard and bass boats), whose products have been honoured for the last nine years in a row.  For more information about the Consumer Satisfaction Index Awards, set your anchor here.

Where Would You Like to Go... in Grand Style?

Gulf Craft has launched a triple deck mega yacht… the Majesty 125.  The new model makes its debut at the Cannes International Boat and Yacht Show next month before heading to Monaco and Genoa for two more boat shows.

The Majesty 125 has a pair of 2400 HP MTU engines.  She has five staterooms with fully marbled en-suites that accommodate ten guests.  There’s also room for seven crew.

The yacht has zero speed fin stabilizers, two generators, a hydraulically operated garage housing a dinghy and two jet skis.  If you can’t get to Cannes, from September 8 to 13, you can see her at the Monaco Yacht Show from the 22^nd to the 25^th or in Genoa October 2^nd to 10^th.

Studies by New York state Department of Environmental Conservation have determined that the majority of the double-crested cormorants’ diet in Lake Ontario is helping native game fish.  “Cormorants seem to be opportunistic feeders that take whatever is most available,” said Russell D. McCullough, senior aquatic biologist.  His group studied the contents of cormorant pellets and found that in 2009, 91.6 per cent of the cormorants’ diet consisted of round gobies. Of the almost 14 million fish the cormorants consumed, 12.7 million were round gobies.  Round gobies are an invasive species in the lake.

Along the St Lawrence River, the gobies are in second place at the cormorant dinner table.  Yellow perch are preferable and this is likely because the round gobies are not as numerous in that environment.  Turns out the walleye, perch and bass are all eating the newcomers, so, as reported earlier, the invader is becoming a part of the local food chain.

Perch are big and plentiful in the St Lawrence now.  The bass have been excellent as well, but according to Mitchell L. Franz, a member of the Lake Ontario Fisheries Coalition and owner of Mit-She Fishing Charters in Henderson Harbor, anglers are still fighting with the gobies to keep bait on their hooks.

Lake Erie Water Snake

A newly established eight-acre preserve on the tip of Middle Bass Island in Lake Erie (it’s just across the US border from Pelee Island) is one place where the Lake Erie water snake is making its last stand.  “The rocky beachfront and shallow waters not only provide habitat for the Lake Erie water snake… but also protect an important… habitat for rare plants and native mussels,” said Lisa Brohl.  Ms Brohl is chair of the Lake Erie Islands Chapter of Black Swamp Conservatory.  The preserve is a partnership of this group plus Put In Bay Township Park District and the Trust for Public Land.  This is the Lake Erie water snake’s only natural habitat on the islands, giving it one of the smallest geographic reaches of any vertebrate in the world.

Deadhead at Cherry Beach

Dusty was walking his dog along Cherry Beach in Toronto recently and found a cord or two of old logs washed up on shore.  Here on the shore they’re not a hazard but they can be carried back out into the water again… and there are plenty more where these come from.  Trouble is, they don’t show up on radar or depth sounder; you only find them by sight - or, unfortunately, by the sounds of grinding fiberglass and rushing water.

So before you get that sinking feeling, keep your eyes focused on your heading.  This is particularly true after a heavy rain, when logs can get washed down the rivers or back out from the shore.  This hazard is another good reason for keeping the throttle down at night.  You won’t be able to see them at night even if you are looking.  At a low speed even if you do hit one, you may just push it aside without causing any damage.

Logs Like This Lurk on the Bottom

Another place to watch for deadheads is in WaterWays that have been flooded - such as places along the Trent or Rideau canals where the water level was raised to flood forested areas.  And particularly when you’re following behind another boat or group of boats.  Many old logs have neutral buoyancy and are resting on the bottom.  However, when boats pass over them, the turbulence can cause them to float up.  If you’re following close behind, you might smack right into them.   Take a look at these pictures.  You don’t want to smack into something like that!

It’s not that the broker is trying to mislead you in any way, it’s just that there might be some assumptions on the broker’s side that differ from yours.  Brad Joyce was in the business for many years and has had claims involving these first two areas.

Considering the time of year - when many boaters are toying with the idea of heading south and most of the rest are starting to think about lift-out - here are two endorsements to consider.  First… most policies specify where the boat is to be operated… such as “in the Great Lakes and inland waters”.  If that’s the case, you’re not covered beyond the St Lawrence, Hudson, or Mississippi Rivers.  In fact, you may not even be covered once you leave Canadian waters, so before you head south for the winter or turn north for real adventure, check your policy to be sure you have the coverage you think you have.

Another important endorsement involves timing.  Policies in northern waters generally specify when the boat is to be lifted out of the water for the winter.  That means if something should happen to your boat after that specified date, you’re not covered.  So either make sure you’re out by the date, or extend the deadline.

Generally speaking, marine insurance is divided into liability and physical damage coverage, like your car.  Liability Coverage deals with injury or loss of life or property damage. It covers people other than yourself or your immediate family who are injured in an accident that involves your boat. It also covers legal expenses that might arise.
Physical Damage Coverage takes care of damage to your boat. Polices may limit payments for damage caused by weather or vandalism.  Equipment in your boat may be excluded as well.  Also, your boat may not be covered when it is being transported or stored at home.  Make sure you have all the endorsements you need.  An “all risk” policy with no specific exclusions is obviously the most complete coverage, but it is more expensive.  It’s a trade-off.  How much risk do you take balanced against how much exposure the insurer assumes.

Your coverage for physical damage can based on an agreed value or actual cash value.
If it’s an agreed value, the policy will give you that specified amount after a total loss regardless of the condition of the boat before the loss occurred.

Actual cash value coverage, as the name describes, pays out what your boat is worth based on age and condition. The latter coverage will be less expensive, but the trade off is that you don’t get as much to replace or repair a damaged boat.

Other insurance options include: medical payments, towing and assistance, personal property, uninsured boater (if you’re in collision with an uninsured boater.  There are many of those around, unfortunately), oil pollution (clean up caused by your boat), and more.  There are variables in each of these so read carefully.

To reduce the cost of insurance premiums, you can take boating courses… boaters who take Dusty Miller’s courses, for instance, can reduce their premiums by up to 15 per cent.
Vessel safety checks may make a difference… the Coast Guard and others can make sure you have all the safety equipment you need. Additional safety equipment may help, too.  After all, the list of safety equipment you need is the minimum.  There’s no reason why you can’t carry more, such as GPS navigation equipment, added fire extinguishers, vapor detectors, EPIRBs, high water alarms and so on. Your insurance broker may have more ideas for you but the main point is, the boat insurance policy is one you should read from end to end to be absolutely sure you have coverage for everything you want to do.

Before the Fall

The arch had been formed by centuries of Lake Superior waves, nibbling away at the rock, and according to Jim Bischoff, park specialist, the natural bridge had had its time.  “There was no big wind or waves or storm.  I think it was just time for it to go after how many hundreds or thousands of years,” he said.  “That’s just geologic progression.  We had an arch, now we have a sentinel…” which is a pillar of rock on the shore.  This is the second waterfront arch to collapse in the area this year.  In April, officials at Apostle Island National Lakeshore discovered that a famous stone arch on Oak Island had given way during the winter.