Happy New Year to everyone.

As we close the log on our 4th year, it is exciting to look forward to 2010. On February 20th we will celebrate our 5th Anniversary with our annual dinner at the Isles Yacht Club.

The wedding planner folks say that the 5th anniversary is celebrated with wood. As boaters, we traded wood for fiberglass years ago. We need to tell the folks at Hallmark. Maybe we could start a new trend. I also found out that the official “Modern 5th Anniversary” gift is silverware. Well naturally, that translates into stainless steel for us. Looks like this thing is working. Finally, the “Travel” gift for the 5th (these guys have all the bases covered) is a cruise. WOW, how perfect. We also have that nailed.

It would be neat to list all the cool things that we have done in the first 4 years but all you have to do is to take a tour of our Club photo site Flickr: tarpon_coast's Photostream. There are hundreds of photos to see and to be able to relive all the memories of great boating and great friends.

This past year has been a very memorable one for our Club. The highlight, of course, was Grady Fest 2009. What an historical and exciting event. I know we were all proud to host this day in Punta Gorda with Grady owners from all over Florida and as far away as New England as well as Kris Carroll and others from the home office. As you know, our legacy will be continued with Grady Fest 2010 being hosted by the Fish Tales Club in Ft. Myers Beach.  Other highlights include the fabulous week that several of us spent in the estate that we rented on Grassy Key, our first annual poker run and of course that “never to forget” night on Three Sisters bringing in the New Year. This has really been quite a  year.

We have many items planned for 2010 as well. We have a huge (almost a small navy) flotilla going to Grady Fest on March 19th, an unbelievable Southern Loop trip planned for April as well as several weekend and lunch cruises in the works. Stay tuned! Our next meeting is April 14th and we have lined up something very special for you fishermen. We will have a demonstration by a person that makes custom fishing rods. Should really be interesting. Finally, we are going to try something new this year. We will be compiling photo highlights of our activities all year and then we will produce a keepsake DVD highlighting 2010. We will show it at next year’s anniversary dinner and have copies for everyone.

I want to thank the Board for all the work they did this year in bringing all our events to you and to all of you that participated in the fun. It is a privilege to be a member of our Club. We have a lot to be proud of.

Ahoy !

We want to extend a big welcome all our new members.  We are glad you are joining our fun group of Grady White Boating enthusiasts.

To recap some of our events since the last newsletter:
We had an outing to Burnt Store Marina for Sunday Brunch at Portobello’s in October. The weather was great and the food was too. Thanks Dan for putting this trip together.
Also in October we had our 1st annual Poker Run.  It was great fun for all and generated many wonderful memories.  The club will definitely be doing this activity again!  Thanks to Diann and Eileen for all the planning!
 We had the annual Christmas party/ boat parade extravaganza hosted by the Buchas’s in December. This is always one our most attended and exciting events and this year was no exception!  Delicious food, beautifully decorated boats, and gift exchange… Not to mention all the wonderful times with each other!  Thank you for hosting us Fred & Judy!
New Years Eve was a special treat this year. Member Chris Johnson generously offered us the use of his 3 Sisters Island for out “camp out” party.  We had a very memorable time sitting around the campfire with good friends, eating, drinking, socializing, and even playing some fun games. Sleeping on or boats was the calmest night ever spent.  What a terrific way to bring in a new year! The New Year’s Day trip home was a bit damp, but our moods weren’t.  Thank you Chris!
Our January General meeting was held at River City Grill, Punta Gorda.  We had a big turn out. Our guest speaker was George Pacharis from the Fish Tale’s Club in Fort Myers Beach. He has us all very excited about the up coming Grady Fest 2010.
Speaking of Grady Fest 2010, we will have a flotilla going down on Friday, March 19th, meeting members along the route. If you haven’t reserved a spot yet or purchased your tickets… times a wastin’.  This will be an awesome weekend filled with many activities. Be sure to visit their website: www.gradyfest.com  for event info, tickets and marina reservations.  They have taken what our club started and made it into an even bigger event that you won’t want to miss.
February 20, 2010 is our annual Anniversary Gala and Election of Officers.  This promises to be yet another event you won’t want to miss!

We will be rafting up again this year to watch the Punta Gorda Air Show on April 10th. We had front row seats last year right on the comfort of our boats…feasting as usual. We’ll meet west of the 75 bridge on the Peace River. Contact Dan or Steve for more info.

Our April General Meeting will be Wednesday, April 14th at River City Grill.  The board meeting will be at 5:30 and general meeting will start at 6pm.  Our guest speaker will be Ken of “JoKen Around Rods” talking about custom rods and repairs. Please RSVP to Cher if you are going : cheranddan@comcast.net
Our BIG Trip this year will be the “Southern Loop”.  This will be a great adventure not to be missed! It will be April 17th- 23rd. The trip is open for all size boats and is also a great opportunity to “boat pool” so don’t let any excuse stand in your way!  Dan is firming up plans, you can contact him for more info: cheranddan@comcast.net
Remember we are asking for our members to be a big part of the trip and social planning.  We all have a chance to share our favorite places with the club and visit new exciting ports of call. Your club needs your input!

  to all those who have taken an active role in the club.
Looking forward to “Great Grady Times”

Cher

 

Hello Boat Club Members,

As this term of our being your co-fleet captains ends, both Diann and I would like to thank all those that offered trips, participated in those trips, and all club members for your support and contributions.  We have served with as much pride and enthusiasm as possible.  I have agreed to serve one more year as fleet captain but in a coordination role as the previous two years took a great deal of effort. 

To make those two years successful I have to thank my co-captain and wife, Diann, for her tireless effort on our behalf, her many late nights organizing any of the numerous trips and events, and for her creativity for activities during our planned trips.  I doubt that I alone will be able to be as resourceful, but I promise to assist each and every member that comes up with an event or offers trips and activities. 

This is each member’s club and those of us that volunteer to serve are both members and club leaders on a voluntary basis.  That is the reason we continue to reach out to every member to “volunteer” ideas, trips, events, and offer to plan.  I will muster what skills to assist and offer safe cruising suggestions as well as any planning necessary to continue to insure all members a varied choice of fun, safe, and interesting events, both on the sea and land. 

Safe sailing!

Your Fleet Captain,
Steve Saunders

Ahoy!

 

 

 

After just returning from the Miami Boat Show last week I was somewhat amazed at all of the new technology and innovations coming to the market place. By far the most notable is in the outboard engines and electronics field.
Yamaha just revealed their new V-6 “Offshore Four Stroke” offering improved performance over their previous offshore designs:

• Faster – up to 19% faster at cruise RPM than 300hp competitors.
• Stronger – 4.2-liters of big bore four stroke displacement.
• Smarter – up to 17% more fuel efficient at cruise RPM.
• Lighter – up to 77 pounds lighter than other manufactures. (Note if one opts for the “SHO V-^ 4.2 Liter Big Bore – 250hp” there is a 250 pound difference vs. the current 250 hp that many of us are currently running.)
• Smooth Shifting – no more “Clunking” noise when shifting in and out of gear thanks to a “New Shift Dampener”.
• Command Link Plus – Now you can monitor all of your boats systems on one color LCD screen providing more information than previous models.

Electronics have also seen major advancements as evident by Ray Marine and Garmin.  Hopefully these vendors will be in attendance @ 2010 “Grady Feast”. Should you be looking to possibly up-grade be sure to check out these new units. By far the neatest item was the fish finding abilities of the new units showing greater depth contours and structures.

Hopefully the temperatures will begin to rise and the winds will die down allowing us to get back on the water.

Safe Boating

FWC Institutes New Boating Rules

The Boating Safety Education Law goes into effect January 1, 2010.  Boaters born on or after  January 1, 1988 and who operate a motorboat with 10 horsepower or  more, will be required to have a boating safety education card issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.   Boaters must successfully complete an approved boating safety course in order to receive the FWC boating safety education ID card.  Boat purchasers must complete an approved course and obtain a card within 90 days of purchase.   Check myfwc.com/recreation/boat_index.htm for a list of approved courses, including online classes.  For new boaters-classes are available to teach you how to enjoy your boating experience. The Coast Guard Auxiliary offers boating skills and seamanship classes for young and old. You may also visit www.myfwc.com   then click Boating and then click Boating Safety.

In effect since July 1, 2009, boaters will now be cited for a blood-level or breath-alcohol level of 0.15 percent and above.   Penalties for boating under the influence are the same as for driving an automobile while impaired.

To reduce the number of derelict boats littering Florida’s waterways, and aid in tracking down their owners, any vessel operated ,used or stored on state waters, unless lawfully stored at a dock or marina, must now be titled, registered, and numbered.  To avoid future legal difficulties, boat sellers should contact the local tax collector’s office at the time of sale to make certain their name has been removed from the title and registration, just in case that boat later shows up abandoned in state waters.

  
It is now illegal to possess or operate a vessel with nonconforming or unapproved gasoline containers, or to transport gasoline in an unventilated or improperly ventilated compartment.  Proper containers bear a federal approval stamp.

It is now illegal to place waterway markers which do not conform to U.S. Aides to Navigation System , and Individuals must possess a permit to do so.  It is also unlawful for boaters to moor to government –placed markers except in emergency situations or with written consent of  the  owner.

Boaters who run aground on coral reefs are now required to notify the Department of Environmental Protection.  Boaters who damage coral reefs are further required to cooperated with the DEP to remove their vessels and assess and restore the reef.  To report  vessel grounding or other coral reef injury in southeast Florida, call (786) 385-3054.

Boaters who in the past plowed across shallow sea grass beds within Florida’s Aquatic Preserves might likewise want to invest in a navigational chart and a pair of polarized sunglasses to prevent running aground.  Following a brief focus period to educate boaters about the importance of protecting sea grass, law enforcement personnel can cite boaters who intentionally or carelessly scar sea grass beds within preserves.  Information regarding sea grass protection will be posted on information markers at high-capacity boat ramps that access aquatic preserves, along with targeted mail outs to educate boaters. 

Florida’s 41 Aquatic Preserves encompass almost two million acres of vital habitat along the state’s 8,400 miles of coastline.

For information on Florida’s Aquatic Preserves or the Coral Reef Injury Prevention and Response Program, visit  www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal.

 

 

As of Februrary 1st 2010, we have 38 member boats in our club. As we near the end of our annual collection of dues for the year, our bank account remains positive at a little over $1500 dollars. Our income is based solely on member annual dues and 50/50 proceeds at Club meetings. Our Club expenses typically  are  categorized into the following: Web site maintenance, Corporation fees to the state and Federal government, dinner costs for guest speakers, small  prizes given out at the Anniversary dinner,  T shirts and burgees for new members, and, of course, the occasional ‘miscellaneous expenses’ that come up during the year.

 

Member Contributions

From Dan Clark

Latitude and Longitude Measurements

 

The globe is divided into imaginary horizontal and vertical lines called parallels (latitude) and meridians (longitude). These are used to measure distance and determine location.

 

Latitude lines are measured as a distance north or south of the Equator. The numbers start with zero degrees and go to 90 degrees north or south ending at the poles. (An easy way to remember that latitude measures “up or down” is to think of it as “ladder-tude”)

Longitude lines are measured as a distance east or west of the Prime Meridian (Greenwich, England). The numbers start with zero degrees and go to 180 degrees east or west from Greenwich.

 

It takes the Earth twenty-four hours to make a full rotation of 360 degrees (longitude).
This rotation calculates to 15 degrees of longitude every hour (one time zone).
(The math: 360 degrees divided by 24 hours equals 15 degrees per hour.)

The imaginary lines are broken down into degrees, minutes and seconds. (The seconds are sometimes even broken down into thousands of a second for precise location pinpointing.)

Latitude parallels are equidistant going from the Equator to the Poles. This will allow using latitude to measure distance (in nautical miles). Longitude meridians are not equidistant as you move from the Equator and converge at the poles. Therefore, using longitude to measure distance with a constant factor is not possible other than at the Equator.

Each minute of latitude equals 1 nautical mile and there are 60 minutes in each degree. Therefore each degree of latitude equals 60 Nm. To put this to practical use, there are for example, 90° of latitude from the equator to the North Pole. It is easy to calculate the distance from the Equator to the North Pole: 90 x 60 = 5,400 Nm or 6,210 statute miles (1 Nm = 1.15 Statue miles). Quadruple that for the circumference (24,840 miles). The circumference of the Earth is actually 24,860 miles. So, you can see that this is very accurate.

Measuring distances on a chart become easy with this understanding of latitude and longitude.

 

 

 

From The Editor

 

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As always thanks to our regular newsletter contributors.

I'll continue to look for member contributions.  It could be almost anything that would be of interest to the membership.  It could include your personal fishing or cruising stories or just information about hot fishing spots, dining or cruising destinations etc. Another suggestion has been to post club members marine items for sale.

 

Fred Buchas  fbuchas1@comcast.net