Superior Charters Selected to Become the Lake Superior Dealer for Jeanneau

Building on 30 years of providing a high quality charter experience in the Apostle Islands, Superior Charters realizes Lake Superior sailors need an alternative sailboat option that combines performance with comfort. As Jeanneau celebrates 50 years of boatbuilding expertise, they are seeing an increasing demand for their product in America and need to expand their representation. As a result, Superior Yachts, a division of Superior Charters, has been chosen to serve sailors from Lake Superior, Minnesota, North and South Dakota as the exclusive dealer for Jeanneau.

Some of the best names in naval architecture have contributed to the Jeanneau line, including Bruce Farr, Marc Lombard and Philippe Briand, to ensure that the Jeanneau boats benefit from the same innovations incorporated in race boats. With this rich history of innovation, honed through decades of sailboat racing, Jeanneau has created a line of sailboats that combines performance with cruising comforts, the Sun Odyssey line, in models from 29' to 54'. Superior Charters offers a unique opportunity to ‘try before you buy’ with four 2008 Jeanneau models in the charter fleet. Lake Superior can demand much of those who sail her waters -- Jeanneau delivers safety, performance and a comfortable experience in one package.

For more information, please contact Cindy or Dick Kalow, Superior Yachts, 800.772.5124 or sail@superiorcharters.com.

Washburn Marina Under New Management on Behalf of the City.

Early in 2007 the City of Washburn, Wisconsin began exploring options to operate the city owned marina. In depth research lead the Harbor Commission, and ultimately the City Council, to choose a management company to operate the marina on their behalf. Michelle Shrider, owner of Marina Management, Inc and a certified marina manager, was selected. She began conducting marina business at the current location in November 2007.

Shrider has over 20 years experience in the marine industry, ranging from managing a fleet of charter sailboats to mega-yacht interior design and project management, to most recently managing Port Superior Marina in Bayfield, WI for nearly nine years. This broad range of skills appealed to the direction the City of Washburn saw the Marina going.

Mayor Irene Blakely strongly supported the decision, stating “The Washburn Marina is a valuable city-owned asset. This new leadership comes at a critical time to help us stay competitive in the marketplace. We will be able to respond to changes in the boating industry, changes in the demographics of boat owners, and their expectations for services.”

Immediate plans are to update and improve the amenities to meet the demands of the recreational boating community. Strategies are also being formulated to improve the level of service to the boating sector in need of large haul out equipment and to develop an expansive service bay. With a 150-ton Travelift and 8,000 square feet of inside workspace, the marina will serve a large segment of the marine industry’s needs.

“The Washburn Marina and the City of Washburn are both energized by the planned changes”, says Shrider. “Both entities stand to gain in reputation and revenue.” A grand opening celebration is set for May 17, 2008. Watch for further information.

Bert Foster Named “Sailor of the Week” by U.S. Sailing

Albert “Bert” Foster, 70, is the oldest member of the US Disabled Sailing Team. In August, he became the oldest sailor to have won the U.S. Independence Cup/North American Challenge Cup aboard his Sonar “Captain Hook” at Chicago Yacht Club. Bert is a sweet-water sailor from Wayzata, MN who lost the use of one arm in 1967. For 28 years, Bert helmed a Sonar called “Sesame Street” with his good friend Ernie Brody. While Bert and Ernie were a competitive combination on Lake Minnetonka and beyond, Bert more recently become a true force in disabled sailing competitions. “I fell in love with Paralympic sailing and all the people involved.” He’s now taking it quite seriously: team Captain Hook finished second in the U.S. Trials, but is headed to China for the Paralympics as speed partner to his competitor in the number one boat skippered by Rick Doerr.

But for Bert and his team, it’s not just all about the Paralympics competition. “We also want to focus on bringing adaptive sailing to our local communities and clubs when we get back home. We will spend a lot of our efforts in getting adaptive sailors out racing on Lake Minnetonka.”

 

Mike Gisch

Island Planet Sails appoints Minnesota based Representative

Island Planet Sails, one of the fastest growing sailmakers in the country, recently appointed Mike Gisch as the company’s representative in Minnesota.

Island Planet Sails is a unique company that bridges the gap between internet sail retailers and traditional sail lofts. Founder Dave Benjamin, formerly of Banks Sails, started the company to provide affordable sails that meet the same standards sailors expect from brand name lofts. The Oregon based company boasts a lead sail designer with America’s Cup experience and offers a full line of products ranging from economical Dacron cruising sails to load path membrane sails.

Island Planet Sails donates a percentage of profits to various marine environmental charities as a way of giving something back to the oceans of the world.

Mike Gisch grew up in White Bear Lake, MN, sailing a Sunfish and Miniscow. Later Mike began racing A-Scows. His enthusiasm for sailing led to a successful career with White Bear Boat Works. In winter months Mike sharpens his iceboat blades and enjoys the frozen lakes.

To learn more about Island Planet Sails visit their website at www.islandplanetsails.com or call Mike Gisch directly – (612)708-9651

Yacht Brokers

Gary Swapinski

Yacht Brokers, Inc is pleased to announce that we have opened a new office to better service our northern clients. The office will be located in Duluth, MN and is well situated to serve clients from Northern Minnesota across Northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and into Canada.

The office will be staffed by Gary Swapinski. Gary is a brokerage industry veteran of more than 8 years. He has boating experience in nearly every corner of the world including: The South Pacific, The Mariana Islands, The Far East, The Caribbean, Along the US East Coast, Alaska and Hawaii as well as closer to home on Lake Superior. Gary’s experience includes both power and sail boats large and small.
He can be contacted at (218)341-1634 or whitewolf99@msn.com

Founded in 1986, Yacht Brokers, Inc. has positioned themselves to be a leader throughout the Midwest in the sale of quality, fresh water cruisers, motoryachts, trawlers, and houseboats. Every member of the staff has extensive boating experience, which may include offshore cruising, living aboard, sport fishing, and U.S. Navy experience.

651-430-9703 Main Office
800-554-9703 Toll Free
yachtbrokers@yahoo.com

Leukemia Cup Regatta Raises $60,000!
White Bear Lake Event Has Raised over $250,000 since 2004

Over 50 boats Set Sail for a Cure in the fourth annual Leukemia Cup Regatta on White Bear Lake Sept. 14 -16. The weather was made-to-order, and more than 150 sailors, their families and friends enjoyed the weekend’s festivities at White Bear Boat Works: a Friday night reception, three thrilling races, silent auction, dinner, street dance, raffle and fundraising and sailing awards. Co-hosted by Black Bear Yacht Racing Association and White Bear Yacht Club, this year’s event raised $60,000. Since 2004, the Minnesota sailing community has raised over $250,000 through The Leukemia Cup. This figure represents nearly three years of a research grant or aid for 500 patients. After many months of raising funds and awareness for the Society’s mission, the sailors celebrated in honor of 2007 Patient Honoree Riley Chase of St. Paul.

Now 10 years old, Riley was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) when he was two years old. He immediately began intensive treatment, and he is in remission today. In the mid-1960s, the remission rate for ALL, the most common form of childhood leukemia, was less than 5 percent; today - because of the research and treatment supported by the Society - that rate is more than 85 percent. Riley and his parents (Brian and Kari) and his younger brother (Colin) happily joined in the Regatta fun, beginning Saturday morning with an educational sailboat ride, then dinner and an evening program of which they were the focus. The 2007 Top Fundraising Award was given to White Bear Lake residents Brian and Lisa Mathewson, who raised over $13,500. Their boat, Echo Too, took home The Leukemia Cup. Because they raised at least $8,500, they qualify to Fantasy Sail in San Diego with sailing legend and Leukemia Cup Chair Gary Jobson; they will be joined by other qualifiers from across the country. Other top Minnesota fundraisers include: Roger Mortenson of Shoreview; Mark Tregilgas, Craig and Peggy Witthaus, and Lawrie Yearsley of White Bear Lake; and Norm Schultz of Fridley;

The Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, headquartered in White Plains, NY, is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood and lymphoma cancer research and providing education and patient services. Its mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, the Society has dedicated more than $550 million for research — specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

The Facts - Why We Need Your Help!

• Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20. It affects nine times as many adults.

• Every 10 minutes, a child or adult is expected to die from leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma - nearly 148 people each day.

• An estimated 118,310 Americans will be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma this year; 2,200 of these patients will be Minnesotans.

• An estimated 786,000 Americans are living with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma, and nearly 15,000 of them live in Minnesota.

• Chemotherapy was initially developed to treat advanced lymphomas in the 1940s. Today it is standard therapy for most cancers.

• There is a brighter side - there is now an 86 percent survival rate for children under 15 years with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).

• Hodgkin’s lymphoma is now considered to be one of the most curable forms of cancer. The five-year relative survival rate has doubled from 40 percent in 1960 to 86 percent in 2001 (for whites). In children (0-19 years), the survival rate for Hodgkin’s lymphoma is 93 percent.

Local & National Sponsors

The Society is very grateful for the Leukemia Cup Sponsors: Shavlik Technologies, Larry Klopp & Associates, Inc., Maplewood Outback Steakhouse and White Bear Boat Works. Also, many businesses and individuals contributed to this year’s success: Kowalski’s Markets, Rudy’s Redeye Grill, BeHumble Travel, Wolfgang’s Waterfront Bistro, Gem Lake Hills Golf Course, Pat Dunsworth Photography, White Bear Shopping Center, TASC Management Consulting, Dry Creek Vineyard, MSP Magazine, Press Publications, Hisdahl’s, Trade Press, Inc., Northern Breezes Magazine, Town Life Magazine, Johnson’s White Bear Rental, Roadside Pizza & Wings, Rhythm Engine Band, Andy, Lisa and Emily Daniels, Vincent J. Driessen, and Larry and Jackie Klopp. National sponsors included: Mount Gay Rum, Sunsail, North Sails, West Marine, John MeCray, Ken Gardiner, Sailing World and Jobson Sailing, Inc.

Leukemia Cup 2008

Planning for the 2008 Regatta will begin soon. Would you like to register to sail and fundraise? Sponsor the event? Join the committee? Volunteer for Kickoff and Regatta Weekend? Donate an auction item? We would love to talk with you!

For more information about the Regatta and the Society’s programs, visit www.leukemiacup.org/mn (Minnesota Details). Or, contact Nicki Hyser: 763-545-3309, ext. 102; nicki.hyser@lls.org.

Downgrading GPS Takes a Long Term Hit From DOD

The Department of Defense announced today that it intends to stop procuring Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites with the capability to intentionally degrade the accuracy of civil signals.
This capability, known as Selective Availability (SA), will no longer be present in the next generation of GPS satellites.

Although the United States stopped the intentional degradation of GPS satellite signals by setting SA levels to zero in May 2000, this action to permanently remove SA eliminates a source of uncertainty in GPS performance that has been of concern to civil GPS users worldwide for some time. While this action will not materially improve the performance of the system, it does reflect the United States’ strong commitment to users by reinforcing that this global utility can be counted on to support peaceful civil applications around the globe.

The decision to remove the capability from the next generation GPS satellites was approved by the President after a recommendation from DOD. The move coincides with the U.S. Air Force’s solicitation to purchase the next generation of GPS satellites known as GPS III.

GPS is a dual-use, satellite-based system that provides accurate positioning, navigation and timing information to users worldwide. Originally developed by the Department of Defense as a military system, GPS has become a global utility. It benefits users around the world in many different applications, including aviation, road, marine and rail navigation, telecommunications, emergency response, resource exploration, mining and construction, financial transactions and many more.

World Renowned Sailor Yoh Aoki Speaks at American Sailing Association Conference

 

World-renowned sailor Yoh Aoki, the first Japanese sailor to circumnavigate the globe, was the keynote speaker at the American Sailing Association’s West Coast National Conference at the Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club.

Aoki was just 22 when he sailed a 21-foot boat around the world alone, in a voyage that took three years and two months. While today’s sailors can rely upon the modern technology of GPS systems and satellite phones, Aoki used only a sextant to calculate his position on the water. Today, Aoki is an ASA-affliated instructor and owner of the Aoki Sailing School in Japan.

Owners of ASA-affiliated sailing schools, ASA-certified sailing instructors, sailors and representatives attended the three-day ASA West Coast Conference, which focused on teaching best practices that promote safety and high quality in sailing education. More than 270 professionally accredited schools worldwide are affiliated with ASA, which has established levels of expertise for the operation of sailboats and defined the skills and knowledge required for certification at each level. ASA produces educational courses, training manuals and exams and manages certification programs for sailing students and instructors.

Two new American Sailing Association endorsement courses were debuted at the West Coast national meeting. Starpath Navigation founder David Burch spoke about a new ASA weather course, while Captain Tom Tursi, reviewed the new ASA Docking Endorsement course and handbook.

Well-known experts in several facets of sailing, including weather, navigation, technology, advertising, public relations and web-based marketing, spoke, including:

John Connolly and Paul Miller, two nationally recognized experts on crew overboard recovery methods, held on-the-water demonstrations and testing to share their knowledge and experience of the best crew overboard recovery methods.

Richard Wesson, a leading software developer in the sailing industry, discussed how to use technology to improve office efficiency for sailing schools and charter companies.

Wanda Kenton Smith, president of Kenton Smith Advertising & Public Relations, an award-winning and leading marine agency, discussed effective and innovative marketing, public relations and web promotional techniques for sailing school owners.

American Sailing Association Executive Director Charles Nobles said ASA meetings bring together ASA-affiliated sailing school owners and instructors from throughout the West Coast region for a mix of lecture-style seminars and on-the-water practice teaching exercises demonstrating the best methods for teaching children and adults.

“These meetings are a great opportunity for us to continue to work with our ASA-affiliated sailing school instructors to introduce them to new weather and radar courses and to give them strong, easily implemented ideas for building their sailing schools,” said Nobles. “Plus, our members enjoy the chance to meet and learn from one another.”

Nobles said the ASA East Coast National Meeting will be held in Jacksonville, FL, from Jan 18-20, 2008 at the Rudder Club of Jacksonville.

The American Sailing Association has been the leading authority on sailing instruction and sailing schools in the United States for two decades. With more than 270 professionally accredited schools affiliated with ASA worldwide, the organization has certified more than 232,500 sailing students and nearly 7,000 professional sailing instructors. ASA membership represents 85% of the viable professional sailing schools in the U.S.

For further information, contact the American Sailing Association at www.american-sailing.com.
NMMA Backs Recreational Boating Act

The Recreational Boating Act, designed to protect recreational boaters from new commercial ballast water regulations, was introduced in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., last week introduced the Senate version of H.R.2550. “Requiring family boaters to secure a Clean Water Act permit so they can wash their boat, fish or go water skiing is ridiculous,” Martinez said in a statement. “This permit requirement is unnecessary and onerous.”

For 34 years the federal Environmental Protection Agency has exempted discharges from recreational boats from the Clean Water Act permit system. However, a recent court ruling (Sept. 26 U.S. District Court) intended to address the ballast water issue permitting issue cancelled this exemption.

“Without congressional approval of the Recreational Boating Act, the court’s existing decision means that everyday boaters will have to apply for the same expensive permits as ocean-going commercial vessels” said Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, in a statement.

Large ocean-going vessels are blamed for some 10,000 invasive species introduced into U.S. waters.

NMMA is strongly backing passage of the Recreational Boating Act and encourages the public to take action before the ruling goes into effect next year. A court-mandated deadline is set for September 2008, which would require the EPA to have the permitting requirements in place.

“We now have the enormous task ahead of passing a legislative fix before time runs out,” said Dammrich.
The NMMA, in partnership with the Boat Owners Association of the United States and other outdoor recreation partners, created a grassroots Web site at www.boatblue.org to mobilize the boating community on the ballast water permitting issue.

World’s Largest Sailing Ship

Star Clippers have been in discussions with shipyards to build a new five-mast vessel for the line for delivery in 2010. Expected to be the largest, most expensive sailing vessel ever constructed, the 7,400-gross-ton barque is modeled on France II, which at 5,000 gross tons was the world’s largest sailing ship when it was launched in 1912. The ship will be 518 feet long (157 meters) and 61 feet at the beam (18.5 meters) with a draft of 20 feet (6 meters). The vessel will carry 37 sails for a total of 68,350 square feet (6,350 square meters) of sail surface area. The rig will extend 217 feet (65 meters) above the waterline, and the open deck area will be an 8,200 square feet (2,500 square meters).

Although 48 percent larger than Star Clippers’ Royal Clipper — currently the largest full-rigged sailing ship in the world — the new build will carry only 30 percent more passengers, with a double-occupancy capacity of 296 and a crew of 140. The ship has been designed to make it capable of operating independently of any port infrastructure. With its Ice Class C hull, extra heavy anchor gear, davit dampening system and specially modified tenders, the ship will be able to sail virtually anywhere in the world.

The new build is being constructed to the highest environmental, safety, comfort and security specifications to qualify for Det Norske Veritas certification. The propulsion system is diesel-electric, employing two Caterpillar generators that burn clean low-sulphur marine gas, instead of heavy fuel oil, supplying two Siemens electric propulsion motors to drive the twin screws.

Boat U.S. Honors Access Award Winners

As waterfront land values skyrocket, high taxes shutter marinas and residential development overtakes the waterfront, recreational boaters have been losing more and more access to the water. But some forward thinking communities and organizations are working to turn back the tide and today — at the Working Waterways and Waterfronts – A National Symposium on Water Access held in Norfolk, VA — seven recipients, one from the Midwest, were recognized with the first ever BoatU.S. Recreational Boating Access Awards.

The Award was created to honor a group, government body, business, individual or non-profit organization that has succeeded in preserving or improving public waterway access for boaters. Judging criteria included: how well challenges were overcome; the direct impact of the solution; and how adaptable the approach would be in other areas facing similar water access challenges.

“These Access Award winners show us that with creative thinking and concerted action we can gain better access to the water,” said BoatU.S. Founder and Chairman Richard Schwartz in presenting the awards.
City of Trenton, MI, for successfully restoring to environmental health the “Black Lagoon,” and thereby transforming a contaminated industrial site into a much-needed marina that will serve transient boaters on the Detroit River. This provides an excellent and successful model that capitalized on a “brown fields” industrial site for recreational boating access facilities by engaging a wide variety of partners, enlisting broad community support and leveraging multiple funding sources.

ETHANOL, LOW SULFUR DIESEL & BIODIESEL:
THE GOOD, THE BAD & SOLUTIONS FOR MARINE ENGINES

“The changes to today’s gasoline and diesel, which help reduce harmful emissions, can have serious unwanted effects on marine engines. Boaters must understand potential problems with ethanol blended gasoline, low and ultra-low sulfur diesel and biodiesel to avoid fuel-related problems,” said Jerry Nessenson, president of ValvTect Marine Fuels. “Doing so allows boaters to purchase the right fuel or fuel additives that can help the health and performance of their marine engines.”

Ethanol Blended Gasoline: Problems specific to marine use versus automotive use are caused by ethanol absorbing excess moisture around the water and the length of time between fill-ups. This can cause fuel to degrade in less than a month. In rare cases the ethanol can even separate from the gasoline if a large amount of water enters the fuel tank. Ethanol blended gasoline can develop excessive deposits in the hotter-burning marine engines. This can decrease fuel economy, reduce power output and potentially cause powerhead failure.

Nessenson warned, “Aftermarket additives claiming to prevent or repair phase separation can introduce too much glycol-based chemicals that may exceed the engine manufacturer’s limits and can cause severe engine damage. Some aftermarket additives have been determined to be ineffective. If phase separation occurs, the fuel tank should be pumped out, cleaned and fresh fuel pumped in. Boaters should not try to re-use phase separated gasoline.”

To help prevent these potential problems, ValvTect Marine Gasoline with its patented Octane Performance Improver contains marine-grade fuel additives not found in any automotive brands. They stabilize the fuel to help keep it fresh for up to a year to help prevent octane loss. A moisture dispersant helps prevent phase separation. Special detergents not only prevent power-robbing deposits, but actually clean up pre-existing deposits to allow the engine to operate at peak performance, reduce harmful exhaust emissions and use less fuel.

Low and Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel: EPA regulations will require many marinas to sell low sulfur diesel by October 2007, though many will make the transition early this summer. Nessenson said, “Low sulfur (500 ppm) or ultra-low sulfur (15 ppm) diesel contain more moisture, destabilize very quickly and are more susceptible to bacterial growth than high sulfur diesel. The results are sludge and plugged fuel filters that can completely shut your engine down while at sea.”

Because sulfur helped to lubricate the fuel system, premature injector and fuel pump wear may develop. Older diesels may experience leakage from injector and fuel pump seals that aren’t compatible with lower sulfur diesel fuels. Nessenson suggests, “Boaters should keep in mind that fuel additives don’t prevent or correct leaky seal problems caused by lower sulfur diesel fuel. They should contact their engine manufacturer to determine if replacement of fuel system seals are necessary.

“We have formulated ValvTect Marine Premium Diesel with BioGuard biocide, lubricity improver, water dispersant, corrosion inhibitor and fuel stabilizer to prevent problems caused by the reduced sulfur content. ValvTect Marine Premium Diesel requires no additional fuel additives, thus eliminating the risk of using the wrong fuel additives, saving time and a lot of money,” he said.

Biodiesel: This eco-friendly fuel is becoming popular, especially in the Midwest where tax incentives make the price very attractive. Although biodiesel has good lubrication qualities and a more pleasant smell, it has some of the same problems for boaters as ultra-low sulfur diesel. These include very poor stability and susceptibility to bacteria growth. Biodiesel also contains about 3% less Btu (energy content) than diesel fuel, which causes somewhat reduced power and increased fuel consumption.

Biodiesel can be made from soy, rapeseed, used vegetable oil and even animal tallow. A byproduct of the refining process is glycerin, which, if not filtered out properly by the producer, causes fuel filter plugging. Because biodiesel is an emerging industry, product quality and consistency varies greatly between biodiesel producers.

Today’s diesel engines can’t burn 100% biodiesel without some adjustment, however, they can burn 5-20% biodiesel blended into diesel fuel. At this time, most engine manufacturers only approve a 5% maximum biodiesel blend. Nessenson stated, “Because of this situation, our Certified ValvTect Marinas are limited to selling a biodiesel blend with not more than 5% biodiesel. The addition of ValvTect Marine Diesel additive and BioGuard micro-biocide to a 5% biodiesel blend prevent problems that may be encountered with untreated biodiesel.”

ValvTect Marine Fuels are the only fuels specially formulated for marine gasoline and diesel engines. They are only available at Certified ValvTect Marinas that conform with ValvTect’s certification process and quality control requirements, such as fuel storage tank testing to ensure they are free of bacteria and other contamination. ValvTect Marine Fuel aftermarket additives should be used when ValvTect Marine Fuels are not available and can be found at most marine supply stores.

For more information contact ValvTect Petroleum Products, Northbrook, IL 60062.800-728-8258; ValvTect@ValvTect.com; www.ValvTect.com.

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