Lake Powell resorts & Marinas to Host Brostock Wakeboarding Expo

PAGE, AZ, May 12, 2008 (The Boating Channel)

Although still awaiting NPS Special Permit Approval, Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas has announced it will host the third annual BROstock Wakeboarding Expo June 12 through June 15, 2008. The event will feature a Wakeboarding competition with a $25,000 cash prize for the winner.

BROstock 2008, sponsored by Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas and Liquid Force, will feature some of the industry’s best-known wakeboarding professionals, the newest products on the market and exhibitions for enthusiasts to obtain tips from the pros. The event will take place in Warm Creek Bay at Lake Powell, located in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, on the border of Utah and Arizona. [More... ]

Fishing Vessel Submerged at Oceanside, NY, Pier

NEW YORK, NY, May 10, 2008 (USCG)

The Coast Guard is overseeing the salvage of a 70-foot fishing vessel that sank at the pier in Oceanside, N.Y., at around 8 a.m. today.

Coast Guard Station Jones Beach received the initial call that the Miss Edith, a clamming dredge owned by Bayhead Inc., Manahawkin, N.J., was submerged in roughly 20-feet of water and leaked 100-gallons of diesel fuel in the Hog Island Channel. The owner reported he had deployed a boom around the vessel to stop the leakage. [More...]

Artemis Transat Fleet Prepares for Sunday Departure

PLYMOUTH, UK, May 9, 2008 (The Boating Channel)

The clock is ticking down in the Barbican, the medieval center of Plymouth where 23 skippers prepare for the start of the Artemis Transat 2008. The single-hand race across the Atlantic leaves from Pylmouth on Sunday, May 11. The Class 40 fleet will head for Marblehead, Massachusetts, 2,739 miles away, while the IMOCA fleet will travel 2,743 miles to finish in Boston harbor.

The course includes gates (obligatory points of passage), in a zone where ice floes represent a huge danger. Four years ago, the skippers set themselves a waypoint to avoid the icebergs and growlers, and for this thirteenth edition ice has already been spotted to the South of the banks of Newfoundland (41°30 North). [More... ]

5 U.S. Teams to Compete in Qingdao International Disabled Sailors Regatta

Ten members of the US Disabled Sailing Team AlphaGraphics have landed in Qingdao, China, and are preparing for five days of racing at the International Association For Disabled Sailing (IFDS) Qingdao International Regatta.

The U.S. has sent five of its top-ranked teams to this May 11-15 event. Although it is not an official test event, the IFDS Qingdao International Regatta will serve as the most realistic training the teams and the organizers will see before the Paralympic Games in the fall. Head Coach Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.) says in an email from China, “There is no substitute for practicing at the venue in preparation for the big show.” [More... ]

Coast Guard Reports Hazardous Spill in Richmond, California

RICHMOND, CA, May 6, 2008 (The Boating Channel)

A spill of toluenediamine, a flammable substance that can cause irritation by inhalation, at the Reaction Products facility in Richmond, California, has brought out the U.S. Coast Guard along with the California Office of Emergency Services, the Department of Fish and Game and Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials Team.

The chemical spill occurred at an unconfirmed time this past weekend. The spill has been fully contained by booms and absorbent pads. The spilled chemical is not believed to have reached the San Francisco Bay. A safety zone was established and enforced by the Coast Guard Monday afternoon and has since been lifted. [More...]

Creature Craft - A Ride On The Wild Side (Article + Video)

The Creature Craft is certainly the strangest looking river raft we have ever seen. But, if you're looking for a ride on the wild side and want to come out of it with your body intact, this may be the boat for you. The Creature Craft is a river raft designed to run the most turbulent rapids, surf over dams, ride over waterfalls, jump tall buildings (okay, that's an exaggeration) - But it really can go over pretty steep waterfalls and maintain its stability. [Article + Video]

Challenger Powerboats Seeks Chapter 7 Protection

WASHINGTON, MO, May 2, 2008 (The Boating Channel)

Challenger Powerboats filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court last week.

According to a report in Boating Industry, the SEC filing says: “The company believes that its assets will be insufficient to satisfy the claims of all creditors and it is unlikely that the company's shareholders will be eligible to participate in any distributions of the company's assets as a result of the bankruptcy.” [More]

Navy to Commission Submarine North Carolina in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC, May 2, 2008 (the Boating Channel)

The U.S. Navy has announced that its newest attack submarine North Carolina will be commissioned Saturday, May 3, during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony at Port of Wilmington.

The Coast Guard is enforcing a vessel protection zone while the submarine is in port. During the commissioning ceremony Saturday, part of the Cape Fear River will be closed... [More]