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A “Boat LOoad Of
Food” To Be Collected At The Charleston Boat Show
The Charleston Boat Show, January 22-24, has partnered
with the Lowcountry Food Bank to collect canned goods for families
in need of support. “The Charleston Boat Show typically attracts
between 8,000 to 10,000 people annually. If each person brings five
canned goods, we’ll be able to make a difference to thousands of
Lowcountry families,” said Show producer Jacqui Bomar.
Show attendees will receive $2 off the $8 admission by
bringing five canned goods to benefit the Lowcountry Food Bank. “We
are fortunate to partner with such an exciting exhibit that brings
family and friends together. We hope that the 3-day Show is a
fun-filled event that will also help feed hundreds of children and
older adults in our community,” said D. Jermaine Husser, Executive
Director of the Lowcountry Food Bank.
“We are also giving away a $500 gift certificate to
BI-LO on
www.TheCharlestonBoatShow.com as well as an additional $500 gift
certificate to BI-LO at the Show,” said Bomar.
The Charleston Boat Show is a longstanding tradition
and the Lowcountry’s largest boat show and sale. The Show enables
boating enthusiasts to get some incredible deals on all the newest
models, thanks not only to the incentives from the dealers, but from
the manufacturers as well.
The region’s leading dealers will be on-site to feature
the marine industry’s newest powerboats including: sport cruisers,
motor and express yachts, sport fishing boats, center console
fishing boats, bass boats, bow riders, deck and aluminum boats, ski
and pontoon boats, runabouts, bay boats, shallow water flat skiffs,
and family cruisers. And many of them will be offered at
dramatically discounted Show prices!
Some of the special features at this year’s Show
include fishing seminars for adults as well as for kids. More than
$1500 in kids fishing supplies will be given away at the Kids’
Fishing Clinics with Captain Don Dingman of “Hook the Future.” There
will also be a first time sailing seminar, “An Introduction to
Sailing” by Dave Stanton, President of American Sail, Inc. based in
North Charleston.
For a full schedule of events, please log on to
www.TheCharlestonBoatShow.com
Show Hours: Friday, January 22: Noon-6pm, Saturday,
January 23: 10am-6pm; Sunday, January 24: 11am-5pm.
Tickets: $8 Adults; Kids ages 4-12 $3; $2 off with five
canned goods to benefit the Lowcountry Food Bank.
Are Airplane Transponders
Needed for Recreational Boats?
BoatUS Questions Need for Marine Automatic Identification System
ALEXANDRIA, Va., December 10, 2009 - Airplane transponders allow air
traffic controllers to "see" who is in the sky. Yesterday, in
speaking before the US House of Representatives Coast Guard
Subcommittee, BoatUS testified that any potential requirement for
this type of technology on boats is not practical, nor would it
reduce the threat of a waterborne attack. "Contrary to what
Hollywood has portrayed, the average boat in this country is
16-feet. Requiring some type of transponder on recreational boats -
many of whom don't even have a battery to power it - would only be
window dressing for a potential homeland security problem that will
not be reduced, despite the outlay of billions of dollars," said
BoatUS Vice President of Government Affairs Margaret Podlich.
Marine Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) have long been used as
a collision avoidance tool for commercial ships and provides
important vessel identification, position, speed and course
information to fellow mariners as well as land-based vessel traffic
control systems. Since 9/11, the Coast Guard has been tasked by the
Dept. of Homeland Security to develop a small-boat threat assessment
and strategy to reduce the possibility of small watercraft being
used by terrorists.
"The challenge with AIS is that it does not provide the ability to
reduce the small boat threat," said Podlich. "For starters, the AIS
unit on a small boat can simply be turned off. And more importantly,
how could the US Coast Guard monitor the millions of new vessel
traffic movements? The monitoring would be overwhelming,
on-the-water force response inadequate, and it would be costly to
taxpayers to build and operate the system," said Podlich. She also
mentioned boaters would be forced to pick up the tab for the AIS
units, which currently starts at about $600.
"Even if a would-be terrorist would go to the trouble of complying
with an AIS requirement, they would merely have to pull the AIS
unit's electrical plug moments before the attack," Podlich
testified. She also mentioned a terrorist could simply steal a boat.
"AIS does not recognize if people aboard a vessel are on a watch
list." In addition, AIS can be easily "spoofed," or manipulated to
make every AIS transponder in a certain area report inaccurate data.
The Better Solution: America's Waterway Watch
BoatUS believes the U.S. Coast Guard would have better results
addressing the small boat threat if the agency's own America's
Waterway Watch program (AWW) had better funding and infrastructure
support. Similar to a neighborhood watch program, America's Waterway
Watch treats boaters as part of the solution rather than part of the
problem.
"Several government reports have concluded that working with
recreational and commercial vessel operators is a key to increasing
our domestic maritime security. Boaters need to know they have the
ability to report to the US Coast Guard when they see something
looks suspicious on the water by calling 1-877-24WATCH. We hope
Congress will bolster this program since it's so critical in
reducing the small boat threat," added Podlich. Additional funding
for AWW was written into the Coast Guard Authorization Act (HR 3619)
which passed out of the House last month and is now awaiting action
by the Senate.
To review Podlich's testimony, go to BoatUS.com/gov. To learn more
about America's Waterway Watch program, go to
www.AmericasWaterwayWatch.com |
