Boats in the news.

[Donn]

State's tourist attraction boat sinks in Charleston

The Associated Press
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- "A boat used for three decades to give tourists a glimpse of the trading vessels that once plied the state's coastal waters sank in about 12 feet of water at Charles Towne Landing.

Marion Edmonds, spokesman for the state Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department, said the Adventure went down at the state park's dock sometime Sunday night or Monday morning.

The Adventure, a replica of a 17th century sailing boat, was built in 1970 as part of state's tricentennial celebration, Edmonds said.

"It's one of our most popular attractions," Edmonds said.

The boat had been due for an overhaul. Edmonds said plans had been in the works to use a crane to lift the boat from its moorings and spend up to $300,000 on a two-year repair effort."

[Donn]

Dunkirk tugboat Challenge to star in Mersey River Festival

Jun 15 2004

Daily Post


"A TUGBOAT which helped rescue British soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk is to have a starring role in this year's Mersey River Festival.

Challenge, one of the armada of 'little ships' which picked up stranded servicemen in 1940, has been put back into operation after years of painstaking restoration.

Its decaying hull was moored in St Katherine's Dock, near Tower Bridge in London, for 19 years.

The Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration bought the boat for £1 in 1993 and started a project to restore it.

Sir Robin Knox Johnson, one of Britain's best known seaman, was aboard when Challenge sailed into Canning Dock yesterday.

Knox Johnson has received an endless list of awards during his eventful career, including the CBE in 1969, UK Yachtsman of the Year in 1970 and again in 1994, the Institute of Navigation Superior Achievement Award, and he was knighted in 1995.

He is a trustee of the National Maritime Museum in Cornwall.

Now in complete working order, Challenge will sail as part of this weekend's River Festival."

[Donn]

Newfoundland Public Making Waves Over Boat Thefts

ST JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND -- In Atlantic Canada, the crime rate is usually lower than the sea level. Law-abiding Maritimers go about their daily business without fear, never needing to worry about locking their homes, alarming their vehicles, or leaving the oars in their dinghies. But the times are changing. In Newfoundland, there is a wave of crime that is crashing against the shores like some sort of giant wall of water. It's boat thievery. From skiffs to trawlers, Newfie sea craft are being stolen more frequently than untended lobster traps.

http://www.thetoque.com/040615/pics/boat_theft.jpg
This wretched fisherman is tired of boat thieves, and is fiercely protective of his sweet Elnora, which has been stolen twice.

90% of the boat thefts in Newfoundland are being committed by joyriding youths. They hot-wire boats for fun, to impress friends, or spend lazy afternoons trawling for salmon. Sometimes the sea-faring vessels are used in more serious crimes, such as smuggling, illegal human transport, or the occasional act of piracy, although those instances are as rare as seeing a senator on Parliament Hill.
Surprisingly, St. John's has the country's largest rate of marine theft, 20 times the rate of Edmonton, Prince George, or Moose Jaw. Boats are being stolen at a rate of thirty-odd per day, a number which is causing great inconvenience to Atlantic commuters from Gander to Glace Bay.

Public marine parking areas where Newfoundland workers leave their boats while they take mass transit to work (ferries, hovercraft, water taxis), are the most vulnerable spots, and the most attractive locations for boat thieves.

Boat immobilization devices (sometimes known as anchors) are marginally effective as a theft deterrent, but the cunning boat thief will just hop into the next unprotected boat at the wharf, dock, or the Moor-And-Ride.

While most of the boats are recovered, left on beaches or abandoned at other ports, many are being stripped down, and sent to Korea where they are being used as parts for new crafts. There are organized boat-stealing gangs that run dry-dock chop shops in seedy marinas and run-down wharves. They target marine vessels for which they may already have a buyer in mind, or one that can easily be modified or have its identification numbers altered for resale.

Because of these gale-force winds of crime, insurance premiums are increasing significantly, taking a larger bite out of the fishers' seafood catches. The resulting costs are being passed on to consumers, who will have to pay more for sushi, fish sticks, and herring stew.

The government is looking for solutions that will protect boat owners, and see an end to boat thefts. Newfoundland law enforcement officials are already trying new methods, including a bait boat, a craft which will be filled with chum."

[Donn]

Only 85 boaties answer request
By DANNY MORTISON
15jun04

"ONLY 85 Townsville boaties have replied to Maritime Safety Queensland to show cause why their boat licences should not be revoked.

A spokesman for Transport Minister Paul Lucas said 700 recreational boaties had been notified following police charges of official corruption against an authorised examiner who was arrested in February this year.
Maritime Safety Queensland cancelled the authority of Graeme Dorrien Harris. Harris appeared in Townsville Magistrate's Court last month and was remanded to appear again in July.

The department alleged Harris issued more than 800 boaties with licences without making them complete the required written and practical tests to prove their competence.

A spokesman for Mr Lucas said yesterday the department was concerned about 832 tests done by Mr Harris.

But he said about 132 people did not apply for their licences after testing and therefore just 700 notices were sent to people who had been identified as holding licences issued on the basis of suspect test reports.

The spokesman said just 85 had so far replied while many were no longer at the address on their licence.

"The recipients have until June 18 to reply although some who were harder for us to find will get a little bit longer," the spokesman said.

Transport Minister Paul Lucas said recently Maritime Safety Queensland would give these people the opportunity to show they obtained their test report legitimately.

"If they can't, their licences will be cancelled," he said."