October 2012 - Association of Marina Industries

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Welcome to the October issue 2 AMI and ABYC Form Partnership The Association of Marina Industries (AMI) and the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) have partnered to recognize and help advance the safety of both the boating and marine industries. The organizations will work together to support their programs which impact safety standards on boats and at marinas, and to promote the importance of safety among the marine industry overall. The value of this partnership became clear during July 2012’s electric shock drowning tragedies. Preventing future deaths and injuries takes a combination of safe boats and safe facilities, and AMI and ABYC have been working together to spread this message. The first step was the joint webinar Electric Shock Drowning - The Invisible Killer Part II - Marina Electrical Safety held in the same month. new and creative ways,” said BoatUS Foundation Outreach Manager Alanna Keating. “Over the past two decades many groups have come to us for funding traditional outreach tools such as signs and brochures. Today, there are so many exciting interactive and innovative ways to educate, including social media, the web and hands-on activities.” Groups interested in applying for one or more Grassroots Grants may go to www.BoatUS.com/Grants to view the grant guidelines and begin their application. Applications must be submitted by midnight on December 17, 2012. In the spring of 2013, the strongest grant applications will be posted online for the public to vote. The groups with the most votes will receive funding and will have one year to complete the grant project. To be the first to learn when voting for grant projects begins, “like” the BoatUS Foundation on Facebook at www. Facebook.com/BoatUSFoundation. “A safely constructed and managed marina is a crucial part in creating a safe boating environment, but a marina can only be as safe as the boats that dock there. With this in mind, it made perfect sense to develop a better working relationship with ABYC,” said Jim Frye, President of AMI. John Adey, President of ABYC commented, “ABYC Standards stop at the end of the shore power cord; a close relationship with AMI ensures that interests on both the boat and the dock are considered when discussing matters of safety on the water.” BoatUS Foundation Increases Grants Size; Unique Ideas Sought Funds Available for Safe and Clean Boating Projects After funding over $1 million in local boating safety and clean water projects for the past 21 years, the BoatUS Foundation’s Grassroots Grants Program is more than doubling its maximum grant size to $10,000 for 2013. The Foundation is looking to fund projects that utilize innovative approaches to educate boaters on safe and clean boating topics. “We hope that with the larger grant size of $10,000, organizations will have the means to reach more boaters through BoatUS Offers Updated Florida Anchoring Information Tip Sheet Great to Carry Aboard Since it was first made available at no cost two years ago, some boaters have called it one of the most helpful documents to have aboard when anchoring in waters across the Sunshine State. Others are saying it’s a great educational tool when they are confused about local and state anchoring regulations. Now, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) offers an updated “2013 Florida Anchoring Information” sheet to clarify for everyone, from the boating public to government agencies, the current status of the 2009 passage of Florida House Bill 1423 and the five pilot mooring field projects. Most importantly, the 2009 law gave relief to many boaters and meant they no longer had to fear their boat “overstayed its welcome” and needed to move on. “Every boat owner wants to follow the law, but in Florida, some boaters, anglers and sailors may still fear a visit from law enforcement that will force them to move on from an anchorage,” said BoatUS President Margaret Podlich. Industry News Continued on Page 3
Industry News Industry News Continued from Page 2 Four of the five pilot project areas include the City of St. Augustine, Monroe County (Key West, Marathon), City of Sarasota and City of Petersburg which have established mooring fields and passed local anchoring ordinances. These areas will be used to test policies that promote public access, enhance navigational safety, protect maritime infrastructure and the environment, and deter improperly stored, abandoned, or derelict vessels. As of press time, the fifth pilot area, Martin County/City of Stuart, was still drafting an ordinance likely to come on line in 2013. The 2009 law also clarified the meaning of “live-aboard”: Full time, active cruisers who sleep on their boats with no permanent residence on land are no longer considered live-aboards under this law and, as a result, their anchoring cannot be regulated by local governments, other than in pilot project areas. (For more: FLHB 1423, Chapter 2009- 86, Section 6) BoatUS has been monitoring the pilot program and investigating its impact on boaters. “We recognize that there are still boaters who have not heard of the legislation but continue to arrive and enjoy Florida’s gorgeous waterways,” said Podlich. “They should know it is illegal to restrict anchoring of non-liveaboard vessels in Florida outside of mooring fields, except in the jurisdiction of the five pilot projects. In 2014, the anchoring ordinances of these five localities will expire unless renewed by the Florida Legislature. In the meantime, boaters should know that anchoring close to the any of the five pilot program mooring fields today can be limited by these participating local governments.” BoatUS encourages boaters to become familiar with these local regulations and provide the association with feedback on how they are working. To download and print a copy of the Anchoring Sheet, go to: www.BoatUS.com/gov/flanchoringsheet, or for more on this issue and to provide comment, go to www.BoatUS.com/gov/floridaanchoring. asp Industry News Continued on Page 4 Welcome Aboard Jupiter Pointe Club & Marina Tequesta, FL Clinton Marina Lawrence, KS Bluepoints Marina at Port Canaveral Cape Canaveral, FL Sperry Van Ness/GRG LaPlata, MD Boat Slip Manager Software Niagara Falls, ON 3 Aquas Group Providence, RI Ace USA Marine Insurance Philadelphia, PA Franklin Fueling Systems Madison, WI America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Assoc. Summerville, SC
Page 1: 1 October 2012 ADVOCATE In this iss
Page 5 and 6: Industry News Continued from Page 4
Page 7 and 8: Industry News Continued from Page 6
Page 9: Important Safety Training Now Avail
Page 14 and 15: Clean Marina & Environmental News C
Page 16 and 17: 16 Conference Corner Seminars Sneak
Page 18 and 19: Around The World Blue Flags Awarded
Page 20 and 21: YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOU
Page 22 and 23: Training & Certification By Kayce C
Page 24 and 25: Training & Certification Continued

October 2012 - Association of Marina Industries

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