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Tuesday, January 01, 2008 Read an article about Captain Lou (click
here)
A) The Coast Guard's top leader visited Boston this past week to speak to local Coast Guard members and college students. Admiral Thad Allen's first stopped at the Boston Coast Guard base where he spoke about organizational changes and development plans that he has in mind for the Coast Guard. He then took a short ride to Cambridge to speak with students and faculty at both Harvard University and M.I.T. and then answered questions about leadership in government.
B) The commanding officer of the Willow, a Newport, Rhode Island based Coast Guard cutter, was relieved of his duties after allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. The Cutter Willow is part of Sector Southeastern New England, which includes Coast Guard stations on the Cape and Islands. That case remains under investigation.
C) Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law the "abandoned vessel legislation." The new law makes it easier for Massachusetts boat storage yards to seize, auction, or otherwise dispose of boats left behind by deadbeat boat owners. The new law requires a 90 day notice to the public and to the owners of the abandoned boats before change in ownership of the boat can occur.
D) This was a record year for right whale sightings in Cape Cod Bay. More right whales were sighted and counted this year than in any previous year that the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies have been keeping records. Amazingly, the number of sightings this year was nearly twice the annual average! In addition, 34 of these right whales had never before been seen by the survey people.
E) Two new studies published in the journal "Science" claim that clearing large tracts of land to grow crops to make ethanol increases global warming. Both studies warn that stripping native ecosystems into cornfields increases more emissions of carbon dioxide, negating the environmental benefits of using ethanol.
F) A high speed boat chase in Miami had all the makings of a "Miami Vice" script, but this was the real deal. A 26-foot powerboat named "Pursuit" lived up to its name when Miami police on a routine marine patrol tried to stop the boat. Instead of stopping, the boat rammed the police boat and then sped away. Gunshots were fired by the police, but didn't hit the intended target. However, the chase ended abruptly soon thereafter when the fleeing boat crashed into a dock and its occupants ran ashore. Police went aboard the boat and found a half a ton of marijuana worth an estimated $800,000. A 27-year-old Bahamian was later arrested that night after he was spotted trying to walk out of the gated community where police spent hours searching. Police said the suspect matched the description of one of the men seen fleeing the boat. The second person was still being sought.
G) This just in. President Bush has put in for keeping and maintaining an enhanced LORAN C system in his fiscal year 2009 Budget. The President said the existing LORAN C system will be improved and used as a back up to the GPS navigation system. The Coast Guard will continue to maintain the LORAN C system on a reimbursable basis in 2009.
H) The Coast Guard continued to search for a cruise ship crew member who was believed to have fallen overboard about 45 miles north of Nassau, Bahamas. Fellow crew members on the Carnival Glory notified the Coast Guard after reviewing security tapes and determining the man was missing. A spokesperson for the Coast Guard said when someone is lost at sea a model is done taking into consideration weather conditions, the person's physical condition, the water temperature, and whether or not the person was wearing a life-jacket. Those factors determine how long the search would last.
I) Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego believe that the wind and climate are responsible for the fluctuations in the fish population. They reason that the wind causes upwelling, bringing nutrient-rich waters to the surface, causing some species to flourish while at the same time hurting the ocean's bottom feeders. The scientists said their findings explain the booms and busts of fish population cycles around the world and furthers the idea that fluctuations can be explained by natural phenomena rather than by fishing effort. The new study could lead the way for fishery regulators to predict fish populations based on climate change and wind factors.
J) And last on today's nautical news, starting with number 10, here is the 2007 Boat/U.S. list of top ten most popular boat names:
#10) Seas the Day - Seas is spelled S-E-A-S
# 9) The Dog House
# 8) Wanderlust
# 7) Second Chance
# 6) Knot on Call - Knot is spelled K-N-O-T
# 5) Aquaholic
# 4) Amazing Grace
# 3) Second Wind
# 2) Liberty
# 1) Black Pearl - The name of a fast, fictional ship
from the Disney movie Pirates of the Caribbean.
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