Overboard Boater

Boat Write

Each has its own merits for spreading the word, and both have devotees that get a little creepy, but after exhaustive trial and error we’re going with Facebook.

I saw the news in Soundings Trade Only yesterday that Bob Hewes had passed. Hewes is credited with building the first modern flats boat in the 1950s, born out of a bonefishing trip with legendary fly angler Lefty Kreh. In doing so he influenced an entire genre of angling, specifically how people approach skinny water light tackle sight fishing from a boat. In February, Hewes received an Industry award at the 2010 Miami Boat Show in recognition of all his contributions.

Maverick Boat Company owns Hewes Light Tackle Boats now, and they are still relevant.

The fly fishing website Midcurrent posted a good remembrance of Bob Hewes today, which also links to this article on Hewes from the Sun-Sentinel featuring recollections of Hewes from longtime outdoor writer Bob Stearns.

Here’s some public response from the Florida Sportsman forums as well as the Hull Truth.

The sunglass maker Costa Del Mar has started a new blog called The Watery Rave. As part of the company’s mission to protect fish habitats, the blog’s focus will be on fishing adventures and conservation stories. A quick read-through shows posts about Chris Fischer’s shark show on the  National Geographic Channel, among other things, including a good interview with Dr. Aaron Adams of the Bonefish Tarpon Trust about permit.

We're pleased the Big Game Club is coming back.

The Bimini Big Game Club is back. We reported on this over the winter, and we are pleased to see it come to fruition. It’s been five years since we set foot on Bimini, way too long. Here are some of the pertinents from the release:

…The legendary Bimini Big Game Club has officially re-opened as a Guy Harvey Outpost Resort & Marina with reservations now being booked for the busy summer boating season.

…General Manager Chris Pollock said the venerable 51-room resort and 75-slip marina, located in the heart of the island’s cultural hub, Alice Town on North Bimini’s southern tip, is now accepting reservations.

Guests can call: 1-800-867-4764.

The 75-slip marina will handle boats to 145 feet.

…Many improvements are underway at the 75-slip marina resort, which is located on the main navigation channel in Bimini Bay, which separates North and South Bimini.  The marina can accommodate boats up to 145 linear feet. By Spring 2011, a full service fuel dock will be operational.

Guy Harvey paintings adorn the dining room walls.

…“The Guy Harvey Outpost concept is to create an eco-destination attracting both fishing and diving enthusiasts while focusing on adventure travel, sustainable tourism and marine conservation,” said Pollock. “Our plan is to work in concert with educators, scientists and other professionals to make the Outpost a diverse experience that can be enjoyed on many levels, including a working laboratory offering individuals and families one-on-one interactive opportunities to learn about marine science and nature.”

Soundings Trade Only just reported that Glastron just completed the first boat off its new production line in Michigan. The boat, a 2011 DS 205 deckboat, represents a fresh start for Glastron under new management. Platinum Equity grabbed Glastron and several other boat brands out of the Genmar Bankruptcy.

It’s a noble idea on the one hand and, on the other, a waste of CO2 canisters.

BoatUS is trying to get people to wear inflatable PFDs by promoting Inflatable Life Jacket World Record Day.

The idea is to have everyone inflate their PFDs simultaneously at 11am on May 20th.

As the BP Oil Disaster continues to wreak havoc on the ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico, a lot of us are left with feelings of disgust giving way to frustrated helplessness. What can we do when an irresponsible company and a lax government agency bring forth a disaster of epic proportions?

Unless you have the wherewithal to construct a 100-ton containment box, the true answer is not much. But there are ways to help mitigate the disaster on an individual level. Yahoo News put out this article on 10 Things You Can Do To Help.

There’s not much we can do for what’s going on in the deep sea, according to this article.

Satellite Image of the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico.

To avert a natural disaster along the wetlands of the Louisiana coastline, the Coast Guard today started a controlled burn of the oil slick formed from the Gulf oil rig explosion. According to the Coast Guard News website:

Workboats will consolidate oil into a fire resistant boom approximately 500 feet long. This oil will then be towed to a more remote area, where it will be ignited and burned in a controlled manner. The plan calls for small, controlled burns of several thousand gallons of oil lasting approximately one hour each.

Since the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig, an uncapped well has been pumping 42,000 gallons of oil a day into the Gulf, according to this CNN report. Hopefully, the controlled burn contains the impending natural disaster.

The revolutionary bucket.

From the newswires comes word of a rotomolded plastic apparatus that could change the face of boating. This cylindrical device has an enclosed bottom designed to contain viscous liquids. With this gear, called a “bucket” in layman’s terms, a boater can keep water in a contained area for use in cleaning or dousing situations. For the desperate, it also doubles as a portable marine sanitation device. Check your local marine supply store for further inquiry.

The tallest structure in Alaska is coming down.

There’s no turning back now. Dismantling the LORAN system is not all that popular among the hardcore boating set, but what’s the difference? The Coast Guard reported it is taking down the 1,350-foot tower at its Port Clarence, Alaska, station. They switched the signal off in February. Guess it’s not going back on, for real.