ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Oct. 12, 2022) – Cruising World magazine today announced its roster of nominees for the 2023 Boat of the Year awards. Testing for the awards is taking place during and after the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis, Maryland, which begins today along the shores of Chesapeake Bay.

Sixteen boats – 11 monohulls, and 5 multihulls – have been nominated for the 2023 Boat of the Year prizes. The annual awards, selected by an independent judging team, recognize the best new production cruising boats and multihulls laid out and equipped for coastal and offshore sailing and voyaging. This year’s judging panel is comprised of systems expert Ed Sherman of the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC), and longtime sailors, editors and award-winning marine journalists Mark Pillsbury and Herb McCormick.

“Once again, sailboat builders have raised the bar, putting up a worthy fleet of contenders ranging from comfortable cruisers to wave-piercing performance models,” said Herb McCormick, Cruising World Boat of the Year director. “We have one of the most well-rounded fleets in years, and we can’t wait to get out and put these new boats through their paces.”

The 2023 Boat of the Year awards will be announced in the January issue of Cruising World. The full list of nominees is below. For more information, contact Herb McCormick (boty@bonniercorp.com) or visit cruisingworld.com.

Cruising World’s 2023 Boat of the Year nominees include: Balance Catamarans 442, Beneteau First 36, Beneteau Oceanis 34.1, Dufour 37, Elan 50.1, Hallberg-Rassy 400, Hanse 460, J/Boats J/45, Lagoon 55, Lyman Morse LM46, Moody DS41, Nautitech 44 Open, Neel Trimaran 43, Fountaine-Pajot Tanna 47, Tartan 365, and X-Yachts X4.3.

Running parallel to Cruising World’s tests in Annapolis this week, the Sailing World magazine Boat of the Year program has narrowed its list of nominees to 11 boats, including four dinghies, five offshore-oriented raceboats, two performance cruising multihulls, and four recreational dinghies. Sailing World’s independent judges—Chuck Allen, Greg Stewart and David Powlison—will be tasked with selecting one overall Boat of the Year from the field following thorough inspections and sailing tests on the Chesapeake next week.

“Our Boat of the Year Awards are so well respected in the industry because the builders see firsthand how in-depth the judges go when reviewing each and every boat, on land and on the water,” said Dave Reed, Sailing World’s editor and Boat of the Year director. “One exciting element this year is the number of recreational dinghies, which is essential for the continued growth of the sport—boats that are relatively inexpensive and provide easy access to the water.”

The nominees or Sailing World’s 2023 Boat of the Year Award are: Beneteau First 36, Lyman Morse 46, X-Yachts X4.3, J/45, L30, MiniCat 310, Tiwal 3R, Nacra 500 MKII, SOL, Balance 442 and Neel 43.

About Cruising World: Cruising World is sailing enthusiasts’ passport to exploring the world’s coastlines and oceans while voyaging under sail. Its contributors inspire and entertain through stories, pictures and videos that underscore the beauty and adventure of sailing, while providing instruction on the disciplines of seamanship, navigation and boat handling. The Cruising World community is made up of experienced, committed sailors and boatowners. Cruising World’s mission is to nurture their dreams with practical how-to information and stirring real-life adventure features. For more information, visit cruisingworld.com.

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If you’ve been on the hunt for a marine insurance policy over the past year or so, you likely already know that it’s a challenging market. Sailing and cruising groups on social media and web forums are filled with frequent posts about people struggling to find coverage, keep coverage, or just afford it. It’s a problem that seems to be affecting beginning cruisers and circumnavigators, with old boats or new. So what gives? How did the situation get to this point, and what can sailors do to protect their dream?

“I’ve been doing this for 30 years, and I’ve never seen a market this hard,” said Morgan Wells, a yacht-insurance specialist with Jack Martin and Associates. “There’s been a great reduction in the number of insurance companies writing boat and yacht insurance, and the international-cruiser segment of the market has been more adversely affected, particularly for boats anywhere on the US East Coast, and even more so for people looking for new policies for Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.”

Indeed, cruisers across the spectrum of locations and sea time are feeling the pinch. When looking to renew their current insurance policy last year, circumnavigators Behan and Jamie Gifford, who live aboard their 1982 Stevens 47, were met with a surprise. “When it came time to renew, we were quoted more than double our cost for insurance the year we planned to cross the Indian Ocean, 2015—an arguably very risky navigational area—and we now had the added requirement of a third adult for passages,” Behan said. “In the end, we didn’t renew at all, and currently have liability-only insurance. I’m not pleased about that and hope to get back to full hull insurance when the market comes around.”

Owners of newer boats don’t seem to be having an easier time either. “We bought a 2015 Jeanneau 64 in October 2020,” Dan Stotesbery said. “I have a lot of experience sailing, but none of it was logged, so I don’t have any credentials like a Yachtmaster or anything like that. My wife has even less experience. When we heard it was tough getting insurance, we were definitely worried about getting covered. Complicating the situation was that the boat was in Turkey, and I needed to sail it across the Atlantic to get to my wife and family. We reached out to the company that insured our house to see if they could find us a company that would insure the boat and especially the crossing. We received two quotes back and ended up getting insured with Concept Special Risk. They did put in a lot of stipulations, like we needed to have a captain for the crossing and at least two other people with bluewater experience, a list of countries we aren’t allowed to go in, and a 250-miles-from-land limit once the crossing was complete. It was extremely expensive, and there was an additional cost for the crossing.”

Changing Marketplace

So how did it get to this point? “We need to put it into context of a market that was very soft for many years—underwriters were looking for business,” Wells said. “There was a bit of a hiccup in the mid-2000s with some fairly significant storms, but generally it didn’t cause much change, and underwriters were still looking for ways to say yes. But then in 2017 came hurricanes Irma and Maria, then Dorian in 2019—these were extremely large losses to very large fleets of boats. Since 2017 we have seen the market flip from a soft to a hard market, and in fact, a very hard market by early 2021. We really have a big change now with fewer insurance companies and greater demand for insurance. And the pricing is much higher than it was a year ago. Irma and Maria showed the vulnerability in the market.”

Laura Lindstrom-Croop from Legacy Underwriters, noted that “many insurance companies left the Caribbean market in 2019-20. Pantaenius America was the first to leave,” she said. “The agency that I work with had YachtInsure, which lost its underwriter, Aspen Insurance, last summer. They have recently secured a new carrier, Clear Blue Specialty, that is writing new business but has new guidelines. Our second underwriter, Concept Special Risk, lost its company, Great Lakes Insurance, on January 1, 2021, but now it has a new company, Clear Springs Property and Casualty, that is writing new business with new guidelines.”

Suzanne Redden, mid-Atlantic branch manager for Gowrie Group, has had a similar experience. “Traditionally, when we would have someone coming in with a sailboat who wanted to do extended cruising, we had five, six, seven…at least that many companies who were willing to write that policy,” Redden said. “So there really wasn’t too much of an issue finding coverage for the customer, depending on where they wanted to go and their level of experience, that sort of thing. What we’re really struggling with now—and it’s a struggle—is that so many carriers have basically pulled out that our options are very limited as far as who is willing to write Caribbean navigation and worldwide navigation. Our choices are few. And what happens then is, of course, the prices go up because the company’s philosophy is ‘no one else wants to write here; we’ll write here, but this is what our actuaries tell us it’s going to cost to allow us to do that.’ So that’s why the rates have gone up.”

The cost to insure his Jeanneau 64 was definitely a bit of a surprise to Stotesbery: “The policy had to be paid upfront. That was the biggest surprise to us because we are used to paying car insurance monthly. This is also a hurdle that I think can be hard to overcome for some people. Not a lot of people have that kind of cash on hand to just fork out.”

Read More: How-To

Underwriting Difficulties

Along with higher costs, Redden also pointed out that the underwriting has changed a lot too. “Where before you would have had somebody who maybe had just a year or two experience, or they had just bought a boat, more companies would have been willing to let them take a trip. They look at it much more closely now when a new submission comes in. That’s made it more difficult, I think, for that sort of person to find insurance.”

According to Emma Whittemore, a service manager for BoatU.S./Geico Marine Insurance, underwriting has become much more sophisticated. “With the growth of data, insurance companies can really tell what group is a high-risk group,” she said. “We’re monitoring a lot more to make sure that the right people are behind the helm on these big, 35- to 60-foot boats. We want to make sure it’s not these customers’ first boat, and that they really know what they’re doing. Underwriting is fluid, but in general we always like to look at the ownership experience.”

This has been a particularly vexing problem for potential cruisers. Dana Fairchild and her husband live in Minnesota and have been planning for their cruising dream for the past few years. The couple has taken ASA sailing courses and chartered on Lake Superior but never owned their own sailboat. “Our cruising plans are to buy a boat large enough to live aboard; a 35- to 38-foot Island Packet is what we have in mind,” she said. “Due to the price point of Island Packets, we are looking at models from the 1990s. We plan to keep it on the East Coast of the US—somewhere above the hurricane zone during hurricane season, and probably down to Florida in the winter—for the first six months to a year while getting comfortable with the boat and used to the liveaboard lifestyle. After that we want to head to the Bahamas for a while, and eventually work our way down to the rest of the Caribbean and stay there.”

While the couple hasn’t purchased a boat yet, they’d heard the news that insurance might be difficult to find, so they reached out to a few companies to explain their plans and intended boat. “The short answer to what we’ve been hearing from insurance agencies is no. The reason for this is predominantly that we have not owned our own boat that is of comparable size, or at least within 10 feet. They don’t take into consideration that we have sailed and chartered boats of the same size, but really only want to see that a boat of comparable size was titled to us for at least two years”

Looking Ahead

So when faced with a denial, a notice of nonrenewal or a steep increase in premiums, what can a cruiser do? Is there coverage available? “What I am seeing, you have more choices if you limit your cruising to the US East Coast down to the Turks and Caicos,” Lindstrom-Croop said. “If you go to the Eastern Caribbean, you have fewer carriers, and some are writing coverage that doesn’t include hurricanes.

“I think cruisers are going to have to be patient and flexible. Also, update your sailing resume so when you shop around, you are giving the company a reason to give you the maximum credit available. Lower rates are probably not going to happen for a couple of years, climate change is weighing heavily on insurers, and the large number of storms recently is worrisome.”

Communication is crucial. Each of the insurance professionals I spoke with made it clear that underwriters are looking much more closely than in years past, and detailed sailing resumes and hurricane plans can help your chances. For newer cruisers, scaled-back sailing plans could help as well because finding coverage for a smaller cruising area will likely be much easier than, say, the entire East Coast and Bahamas. And for older vessels, a survey might be required for renewal.

“Some of the companies have gone to where they won’t write a boat over 40 years old,” Redden said. “Gowrie Group offers the Jackline program, which is a cruising program through Markel Insurance, which is really one of the last US companies still doing extended cruising, but they’re very restrictive on what they will write and how they’ll write it. But they will take older boats. Experience is the key.”

“It is harder to insure an older boat, but it can be done,” Lindstrom-Croop said. “There are just fewer markets. An older boat needs to be maintained well and have a current survey, within three years. I like to submit the survey along with the application when marketing so the underwriters can see the boat.”

For the time being, it seems that cruisers, such as Stotesbery, who currently have—albeit expensive—coverage are doing what they can to keep it. “We have had several major repairs to do on the boat, which we probably could have put in a claim for, but we are too worried about getting dropped or not covered next year, so we just paid for the repairs,” he said. “So it’s sort of a Catch-22. Unless we have a catastrophic type of claim, we don’t want to make one, but we still pay the high premium without really being able to take advantage of the protection. We will definitely start shopping again once we get closer to our renewal date. Unfortunately, there just aren’t a lot of insurance choices out there, so it is quite limiting, and they hold all of the cards.”

Others, such as the Giffords, are going without full coverage for now, while potential cruisers, such as the Fairchilds, might need to put their dream on hold. “As for how this is impacting our plans, it has really made us start to second-guess that this is even a possible plan. We have become discouraged, and this has really put a halt to most of the steps we were taking,” Fairchild said.

Wells, Redden and Lindstrom-Croop are optimistic for things improving in the insurance market over the next year or so, but all emphasize having patience. “We’re hoping that things will change for the better,” Redden said. “We’ve got some companies now that pulled out that are coming back, but it’s a very slow process.”

Jennifer Brett is CW’s senior editor.

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NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is predicting another above-normal Atlantic hurricane season. Forecasters predict a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season, and a 10% chance of a below-normal season. However, experts do not anticipate the historic level of storm activity seen in 2020.

For 2021, a likely range of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 5 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher) is expected. NOAA provides these ranges with a 70% confidence. The Atlantic hurricane season extends from June 1 through November 30.

“Now is the time for communities along the coastline as well as inland to get prepared for the dangers that hurricanes can bring,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The experts at NOAA are poised to deliver life-saving early warnings and forecasts to communities, which will also help minimize the economic impacts of storms.”

Last month, NOAA updated the statistics used to determine when hurricane seasons are above-, near-, or below-average relative to the latest climate record. Based on this update an average hurricane season produces 14 named storms, of which 7 become hurricanes, including 3 major hurricanes. Watch this video summary of the Outlook:

El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are currently in the neutral phase, with the possibility of the return of La Nina later in the hurricane season. “ENSO-neutral and La Nina support the conditions associated with the ongoing high-activity era,” said Matthew Rosencrans, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “Predicted warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, and an enhanced west African monsoon will likely be factors in this year’s overall activity.” Scientists at NOAA also continue to study how climate change is impacting the strength and frequency of tropical cyclones.

“Although NOAA scientists don’t expect this season to be as busy as last year, it only takes one storm to devastate a community,” said Ben Friedman, acting NOAA administrator. “The forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are well-prepared with significant upgrades to our computer models, emerging observation techniques, and the expertise to deliver the life-saving forecasts that we all depend on during this, and every, hurricane season.”

In an effort to continuously enhance hurricane forecasting, NOAA made several updates to products and services that will improve hurricane forecasting during the 2021 season.

• In March, NOAA upgraded the flagship Global Forecast System (GFS) to improve hurricane genesis forecasting and coupled GFS with a wave model extending ocean wave forecasts from 10 days out to 16 days. Additionally, Global Positioning Satellite Radio Occultation (GPS-RO) data are now included in the GFS model, providing an additional source of observations to strengthen overall model performance.
• Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are now using an upgraded probabilistic storm surge model — known as P-Surge — which includes improved tropical cyclone wind structure and storm size information that offers better predictability and accuracy. This upgrade extends the lead time of P-Surge forecast guidance from 48 to 60 hours in situations where there is high confidence.
• NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory will deploy its largest array of air and water uncrewed systems to gather data designed to help improve hurricane intensity forecasts and forecast models. New drones will be launched from NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft that will fly into the lower part of hurricanes, and in the ocean, saildrones, hurricane gliders, global drifters, and air-deployable technology — called ALAMO floats — will track various parts of the life cycle of tropical storms.

Last year’s record-breaking season serves as a reminder to all residents in coastal regions or areas prone to inland flooding from rainfall to be prepared for the 2021 hurricane season.

“With hurricane season starting on June 1, now is the time to get ready and advance disaster resilience in our communities,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “Visit Ready.gov and Listo.gov to learn and take the steps to prepare yourself and others in your household. Download the FEMA app to sign-up for a variety of alerts and to access preparedness information. Purchase flood insurance to protect your greatest asset, your home. And, please encourage your neighbors, friends and coworkers to also get ready for the upcoming season.”   

NOAA also issued seasonal hurricane outlooks for the Eastern and Central Pacific basins, and will provide an update to the Atlantic outlook in early August, just prior to the peak of the season.

Visit FEMA’s Ready.gov to be prepared for the start of hurricane season and the National Hurricane Center’s website at hurricanes.gov throughout the season to stay current on watches and warnings.

The post For 2021 NOAA Predicts Another Active Atlantic Hurricane Season appeared first on Cruising World.

Do you work in the sailing industry or do you follow its twists and turns? On March 9, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST, the trade association Sail America is hosting Legislative and Economic Trends: What does the future hold for the sailing industry, with special guest Paul Kanitra, president of Lobbyit, who will speak about the state and impacts of the new administration on recreational boating and marine businesses in the U.S. His presentation will be followed by a roundtable discussion with Sail America board members who will talk about what they’re seeing businesswise as the country slowly emerges from the pandemic. For information and to register, visit the Sail America website.

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“Throughout the years, Olaf and I have been approached by lots of good people interested in acquiring our business. The way we decided was simple. We turned down every offer that didn’t present a brighter future for our people than we could create on our own. We started this company to build the best sailing products we could at a fair price. We’ve had good success doing it, and that makes us proud.

What we might not have anticipated was how much the culture of this place means to its success. My brother Olaf, Art Mitchel, and I tried to build a place where people could take chances and not be afraid to fail. More and more it’s our people who have made this place the leader it is. Today, we’re acknowledging an ownership change. It’s time for those who have worked with us to own Harken.

I’ve got all the faith in the world in Bill Goggins, who is now CEO; Matt Malec, COO; and John Jensen, our CFO—along with the members of our Executive Committee made up of Andrea Merello, Managing Director at Harken Italy; Adriano Rubinaccio, Director of Operations at Harken Italy; and Stefano Castagna, Director of Global HR. These people we hired and developed have had their hands on the wheel for a while now, and I look forward to seeing them make their marks. I’ve always said the company is its people, and it’s all 400 worldwide that make this place great.

Three years ago when Harken turned 50, someone asked what we wanted Harken to be like when it turned 100. In 2067, we want it to be stronger than it is today. We hope it will still feel like Harken, but it needs to be doing more than we can even dream of today. This transaction is to help make that happen.

To our customers and collaborators: Take nothing about this news based on faith. These corporate announcements always sound like snow jobs. So, don’t believe anything about this based on anything I or anyone else says. Just keep checking out Harken products and buy from us until the second you find someone who can do it better—we won’t forget how to compete.

As for me…I’m not going anywhere! While the terms of this acquisition allow me to pretty much do whatever I’d like (who are we kidding, I’ve been doing that for years!), I’ll keep coming in because I want to. I like being with the people here…to see what’s going on every day, contributing where I can, and serving as a communication and sales ambassador in the field.

To the new owners: Olaf would be very happy today. I wish he was here to see this. But as I told you the day he passed away: no screwing around, he’ll be watching. So will I. It’s your watch now. Let’s roll!”

Bill Goggins, Harken CEO, said, “We have been preparing for a day like this for our whole careers. We have so much gratitude for Peter, Olaf, and Art for the trust they have shown in all of us. Today we raise our glasses to Peter Harken, Olaf Harken’s family, Rose Sorensen, and Art Mitchel. This company will always owe so much to them as our founders. It will always be Peter & Olaf Harken’s company, but starting today, it is in our care and custody.”

Matt Malec, Harken COO, said, “Historically, Harken has been a place where big things happen in uncertain economic times. We invested in a majority of our production capacity and built our headquarters and major centers of production during the Great Recession of the early 2000s. We’ve had strategic acquisitions as part of our goals for the last several years. Today, in the middle of this challenging year, we completed our most significant acquisition thus far. We hope there will be more. But today, Harken bought Harken.”

John Jensen, Harken CFO, said, “Over the last several years, we’ve prepared the company financially for a transaction that would shift its ownership. As a finance person, I’m very pleased with what we’ve done. First as an employee, and now employee-owner, I’m even happier we found a way to assure that as we grow this company it will continue to live its values.”

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Peter Whiting, Managing Partner, announced that Seattle Yachts International, is continuing its expansion and vertical integration with the recent acquisition of famed 60-year-old boat manufacturing operation, Tartan-Legacy.

Seattle Yachts has formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, Marine Manufacturing Group LLC (MMG) to purchase the assets of Tartan Legacy Yachts, a manufacturing operation that produces Tartan Sailing Yachts, Legacy Downeast Yachts, and AMP brand carbon fiber masts and spars.

Whiting explained that Seattle Yachts has been a dealer for both Tartan and Legacy yachts for several years and had a number of boats in the Tartan Legacy production pipeline when it became evident the Ohio-based manufacturer was experiencing financial difficulties.

“Look, it’s no secret that Tartan-Legacy had fallen onto some hard times of late and was struggling despite having a healthy order book and some nineteen boats in process on the production floor,” said Whiting.

“We could see that, with some needed recapitalization and the infusion of some heavy-duty boat building management talent, we could restore the brands to their historically strong positions in the market,” he continued “We also felt that would ultimately be to the benefit of everyone, including current and future customers, other Tartan-Legacy dealers, and, of course, ourselves, who had significant investments at stake, not to mention the 45 some people who work in the operation.”

Whiting explained further that when the urgency of the situation became clear, he retained well-known marine industry consultant and former president and CEO of Palmer Johnson Yachts, Phil Friedman, to help evaluate what might be done and, later, to consult in the acquisition.

Friedman, a long-time friend and marine business associate of Whiting’s, described the whirlwind of evaluation and due diligence activities that followed.

“To an outsider with little experience in the recreational marine industry, the speed at which this process moved might seem astounding,” Friedman said. “But in situations like this, accelerated decisions are the norm, not the exception.”

“The fact is, buying and owning a boat manufacturing operation is not for the faint of heart,” Friedman said. “Nor is it something for gentlemen hobbyists or bean-counters in pinstriped suits. It takes talent, hands-on experience in the industry, guts, and a fair measure of tolerance for risk.”

In turn, Whiting said that he was pleased to have Friedman available to help with the reorganization and relaunch of the Tartan Legacy operation because in addition to marine business management experience Friedman also has in-depth background in the construction of both sailing and luxury motor yachts 10- to 50-meter range.

Whiting also pointed out that he and Friedman are being joined on the MMG management team by long-time yacht production pro, Bill Macnab, who spent a couple of decades building boats and yachts in Asia at firms like McConaghy, Prout, Tri-Con, and Allegro — and who, before that, worked for many years at Westbay Sonship in British Columbia, Canada.

“Our main goal at Tartan-Legacy is, in the short term, to improve processes and through-put of the operation, while maintaining the high quality of construction, fit, and finish for which these brands have been known,” Macnab said.

Tim Jackett, Tartan-Legacy’s perennial in-house designer and product development manager will round out the team going forward. “Tim represents the best of what makes the Tartan and Legacy yachts what they are today,” Whiting said. “He brings to the mix a genuine wealth of historical knowledge, solid design sense, and the appetite for constant improvement and innovation.”

The Tartan-Legacy manufacturing operation is being moved to a new 52,000-square-foot facility in Painesville, Ohio, about five miles from its current location. Although only slightly larger than the current facility, the new plant is, according to Macnab, much better laid out for boat building than what Tartan-Legacy has had for the last ten or so years. And the long-term lease at the new facility assures Tartan and Legacy brands will continue to be built in the heartland of America for a long time to come.

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This letter originally appeared in the Waterway Guide. Reprinted with permission.

Remember when you were in school and a few kids did something wrong and the whole class got punished? If so, then welcome to legislation—Georgia style. Georgia is now home to the most restrictive boater legislation in the nation. This past week the Coastal Resources Division (CRD) of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) posted the announcement of the implementation of HB201 on their website. You may recall this is the bill I warned Liberty and Bryan County residents about last summer. A hodgepodge of disjointed topics, the bill included anchoring permits, logs of pump-outs, fees and the establishment of anchorage areas. Did you catch that folks? Not just authorization to tell you where you CAN’T anchor but where you CAN anchor. The announcement this week (via Administrative Order from DNR Commissioner Mark Williams) graciously informs the public that “The Commissioner hereby ORDERS that anchorage areas for the purpose of overnight anchoring are established throughout all the estuarine areas the state…”. In other words, a right we have enjoyed for centuries in waters most boaters and boating organizations believe to be federally controlled (see the commerce clause of the US Constitution) has been granted to us by the DNR. This should be challenged in a court of law.

If you go onto the DNR website they will tell you “HB201 is a new law that mainly affects waste discharge from vessels with marine sanitation devices (MSDs) and overnight anchoring in coastal waters”. Folks, this is disingenuous at best. HB201 was NEVER about concern over the cleanliness of Georgia’s waters. It was about getting rid of a couple of nuisance boats in the coastal Georgia area to make a couple of powerful people happy. It was their scenery that was getting polluted—not the water. To fix their problem, Representative Don Hogan (Brunswick, GA) with the help of others crafted HB201 at the urging of DNR. Why? Because DNR needed a way to make these 2 complaints go away and establishing setbacks under the guise of clean water was deemed the answer. The hen has now come to roost in the form of this new DNR Administrative Order which outlines the following:

ONE. It restricts overnight anchoring within 1,000 feet (that’s over 3 football fields) of any structure, such as public and private docks, wharves, bridges, piers and pilings, except in areas near marinas. This 1,000’ offset needlessly eliminates anchorages all over the state. It will affect numerous boaters many of which transit Georgia waters as part of the annual migration along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) that brings in millions of dollars to Georgia businesses. Additionally, an unintended consequence of this ill-conceived legislation is that it gives private landowners jurisdiction over public waters free of charge with no need for a bottom lease from the state. Essentially waterfront owners now control thousands of acres of public water at no cost. I seriously question the legality of this action and challenge any attorney reading this to take action.

TWO. Commissioner Mark Williams and the DNR have created an animal known as Marina Zones, which wasn’t even in HB201. These will allow boaters to anchor as close as 300 feet to marinas or facilities that provide fuel, dinghy access, provisions, vessel maintenance or other services, regardless of whether other structures exist nearby. This, of course, begs the question, if we can anchor 300’ from a marina, where there are numerous comings and goings, why are we prohibited from anchoring 300’ from any other structure where there may be no or very limited activity? It makes zero sense but then it doesn’t have to as long as it makes the two waterfront owners happy. It would seem the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many.

Many boating groups to include the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), Boat US, Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA), Marine Trawler Owners Association (MTOA), American Great Loopers Cruising Association (AGLCA), and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA) were never consulted before the legislation was passed. Most importantly, the general boating public was unaware of the bill until it had already passed. A public hearing occurred on June 17, 2019, in Brunswick where we voiced our concerns and were assured no rules would be implemented until they were vetted with the boating public. Afterward, at a July 31, 2019 “Stakeholders’ Meeting,” which I and several boating representatives attended, we collectively recommended 150’ setbacks from marinas and private structures. Personnel at DNR were informed that a 1,000’ setback was far too large yet that has now been implemented. So much for transparency and open dialogue with the public.

The General Assembly didn’t just take away the freedoms of Georgians, they also took away the freedoms of every American transiting our waters from other states. DNR never had any intention of engaging any of the end-users–Georgia boaters and visiting boaters to the coastline of Georgia. Actions speak much louder than words.

So, what can we do? I invite the citizens of coastal Georgia to join me in writing and calling both the Governor’s office as well as the Commissioner of DNR.

Governor Brian Kemp 206 Washington Street Suite 203, State Capitol Atlanta, GA 30334

Phone Number: 404-656-2846 Toll Free: 1-800-436-7442

Contact via web form: https://gov.georgia.gov/contact-us/constituent-services

Commissioner Mark Williams 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, SE Suite 1252 – East Tower Atlanta, GA 30334

Phone number: 404-656-3505 Contact via web form: https://gadnr.org/sendemail

Maps of restricted anchorage areas by county can be found here: https://coastalgadnr.org/Liveaboards

If you want to keep abreast of what’s happening, join the Facebook group Save Georgia’s Anchorages at https://www.facebook.com/groups/SaveGeorgiasAnchorages/.

Sincerely,

Jack White, boater, Liberty County resident and former GA State Representative, House District 3

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Olaf Theodore Harken passed away peacefully at his home in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, on October 21, 2019. He was born on May 6, 1939, in Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia, and is survived by his wife of 47 years, Ruth, their 3 daughters, 4 granddaughters and 1 grandson.

Olaf Harken and his older brother, Peter, created the hugely successful rope handling business that bears their name, by working hard, delivering excellence, and having fun every day.

Harken, Inc. makes marine hardware, hydraulics and winch systems for racing and cruising sailboats of all types and sizes. Industrial hardware applications include the commercial marine, architectural, and rope access and rescue industries.

The brothers took a lot of chances over the years – and employees are encouraged to do the same.

When Olaf Harken was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2014 along with Peter, he explained the brothers’ business philosophy: “When trying new stuff our rule is to ask, ‘if it all goes bad, can we survive?’ Then we go to the bar and forget what we just said and do it anyway!”

Olaf and Peter quickly learned that the real fuel behind a company’s success is its people.

“Peter and I were not very smart,” Olaf said in his 2015 memoir Fun Times in Boats, Blocks & Business, “but we did know that success is linked directly to trust and treating people with dignity, and maybe a little sprinkling of humor.”

The Harken story has been full of twists, turns, successes, and reinventions, but through it all the goal of challenging the status quo and commitment to being at the front remains.

Today at Harken, Peter Harken told an assembly of Harken members:

“My brother did all the hard work so I could have all the fun.”

“During the days when the company was just getting going, Olaf was in charge of the money. He kept us in business. If I had been in charge of that we would have been in big trouble.”

“His legacy is in this culture. So, let’s just keep doing what we do. Just keep getting better. You are a great family. Thanks a lot. He’ll be watching you, so no sloughing off!”

Today at Harken, Bill Goggins, CEO Harken read this passage from Olaf’s autobiography in remembrance:

“Peter and I have long believed there is a word that should apply to almost every action and decision. That word is honesty. I got my first lesson in honesty shortly after we started the business—back when we were building those first six boats for Ohio State University. Like almost every boatbuilder, we were behind by quite a few weeks. When our customers called and wanted to know when we were going to deliver, I lied. I said they would be ready in about a week. Peter overheard me and was furious. He made me call them back and tell them I was wrong, that we were further behind and would not be able to deliver for a few more weeks. This was very embarrassing, but it taught me a good lesson. For one thing, I didn’t have to keep on lying each week. Taking the beating once is a lot easier than building one lie on top of another. It’s not easy to do and the customer is going to be angry or disappointed, but that’s the end of it.”

Goggins also said:

“You couldn’t have scripted a nicer weekend for Olaf than the one just past. Pewaukee Yacht Club honored Olaf on Saturday night with a Lifetime Achievement Award to a full house standing ovation. He rose, walked to the front and accepted the award with his usual grace and dignity. The evening was highlighted by Olaf and Ruth on the dance floor. Sunday was a simple Packer game with his family and then, a remarkable chance 30-minute walk with his brother in the sunshine. He died peacefully in his sleep with his loved ones nearby. The company mourns his loss; however the company celebrates his life by doing what we do…every day…into a bright future.”

Olaf Harken was born of Dutch and Swedish parents in Indonesia at the beginning of World War II. In 1941 the Japanese attacked Indonesia. During the fighting and nightly bombings, Peter, Olaf, and their Swedish mother managed to escape to Borneo. Their Dutch father, Joe joined the very small Dutch army and helped fight the Japanese until his capture. Joe was imprisoned for five years and was not liberated until the end of the war. Meanwhile, Peter, Olaf, and mother Ulla lived first in Borneo, were then troop-shipped to New Zealand for a year, to Australia for another year, and finally shipped to San Francisco in 1944. Here they were miraculously reunited with their father in 1946 after the war was over.

After studying at Georgia Tech, Olaf Harken took an engineering job in New York City, but in 1967 he returned to Wisconsin to help Peter build boats for the college market. “Why I made that decision then I’ll never know,” said Olaf.

Inside the office were a couple of doors on saw horses used as desktops, an old typewriter, a telephone, and a file cabinet. A plastic sheet separated the offices from the fiberglass and assembly area. Marketing consisted of all-night drives with Peter at the wheel and Olaf typing brochures in the back seat of an old Chevy wagon. That first year they made $3,800-together.

The Harkens aren’t sure exactly when the turnabout happened, but Olaf the engineer ended up running the business side of Harken Inc., with Peter the economist handling design and production. “Peter designed the blocks, and knew more about manufacturing than me,” Olaf said. “Olaf was more patient, better at the business than me,” Peter said. “Each of us was better at the other guys’ education. We kept it quiet, figuring people wouldn’t want blocks designed by an economist.”

Preliminary plans include a visitation and service Saturday morning, October 26 at Galilee Lutheran Church in Pewaukee, followed immediately by a celebration at Harken corporate headquarters. For overseas friends, another celebration of Olaf’s life will be held during the annual METS show in Amsterdam in November.

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If you are looking for more information on Hurricane Dorian, the storm’s impacts and ways to help, here is a compilation of news updates and resources that we’ve compiled and will be updating:

From Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue 9/8/19: HTVFR US Command reports that the community continues to pull together and are working to continue to evacuate individuals as needed and receive vital medical and logistical support.

HTVFR Command Hope Town does not want any more supplies or boats to come over. They ask us to request that everyone halt trips to Hope Town. They have what they need and are assessing and stabilizing. They need people to stay away to be able to do this. They appreciate everyone’s support but staying away is the greatest support we can provide right now.

Please continue to support Hope Town through http://htvfr.org and https://www.percabaco.org and https://www.gofundme.com/f/hurricane-relief-for-elbow-cay-amp

Abaco News:

On-the-ground updates from Hope Town Sailing Club

Hurricane Updates:

Mike’s Weather Page

National Hurricane Center

Ways to Help:

Looking for someone in the Northern Bahamas?
Dorian People Search

Bahamas Red Cross

Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue

HeadKnowles

Bahamas Tourism

The City of Miami, Florida, is accepting donations at several sites around the city.

National Association of the Bahamas

Salvation Army

World Central Kitchen

Charter Company News:

Dream Yacht
We are relieved to confirm that all of our team in Marsh Harbour are safe and accounted for following the category 5 storm in the Bahamas. Our fleet of 30 boats based at Abaco were removed from the path of Dorian and taken to Nassau, as part of our advance hurricane planning. In terms of operations, the base, docks and islands have sustained heavy damage. For the next two months, all departures will take place from our base in Nassau.

Loic Bonnet, founder and CEO of Dream Yacht Charter says: “Our thoughts are with the people of Abaco during this challenging time and as they start to think about the recovery ahead of them. Our Abaco fleet sustained no damage and this is thanks to the incredible work of the base team, who worked fast under difficult circumstances to protect our fleet. We are thankful everyone is safe.”

Current status of the Islands

The Islands of the Bahamas Tourist Board has said: “Islands that were not impacted by Hurricane Dorian remain open and are receiving visitors. In the Northwest Bahamas, these include the Bahamas capital of Nassau and neighboring Paradise Island, as well as Eleuthera, Harbour Island and Andros. Islands in the Southeastern and Central Bahamas remain unaffected, including The Exumas, Cat Island, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Long Island, Acklins/Crooked Island, Ragged Island, Mayaguana and Inagua. Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) in Nassau remains open.”

The Moorings
As many of you are aware, Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Abacos, Bahamas as a category 5 storm over the weekend, one of the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Damage to the Abacos and Grand Bahama is extensive. At this time our main priority is to establish the safety of our colleagues in Marsh Harbour. Communication with the island is difficult, and we hope to provide further updates as information becomes available. All Moorings guests who were on charter prior to landfall were properly recalled to the marina and evacuated from the Bahamas.

Our fleet and charter operations in Nassau and the Exumas were unaffected by the storm and remain open.

In the meantime, The Moorings & Sunsail have established a collection at our Clearwater, FL office for essential items, which we will ship to the Bahamas at the earliest opportunity. Please see the form attached for more information if you would like to help.

Cruise Abaco
Like all of you, we are simply devastated by the catastrophic damage and destruction left behind by Hurricane Dorian. As we watched it approach, we had all hoped and prayed that the storm would somehow weaken and/or turn just enough that Abaco wouldn’t be in the direct path of such a slow-moving Cat 5 beast of a storm. We knew it would be bad, but nothing could have prepared us for this, not even the many storms we have all withstood in the past.

Clearly, we have only just begun to assess the damage, but that very difficult task begins today, from sunrise to sunset, island by island. We know that there will still be many days of worry and many tears to shed, but with each story of a loved one located, a cherished memory pulled from the rubble, a helping hand on our shoulders, from near and far, we will regain our strength.

We assure you that we are deeply committed to and invested in the greater community of Abaco, where we have spent most of our lives building our home and business in one of the world’s most beautiful island nations. We know that the people of the Bahamas are amazingly hardworking and resilient. With the grace of God and the help of others, we will work together to rebuild our homes, our businesses and most importantly, our lives.

The sails must be raised in our hearts, before they can ever be raised on the masts of our boats. Please know that we will do all we can to help our friends, neighbors and greater Abaco Family.

With our love and prayers always,
Mark and Patti Gonsalves – Proud Owners of Cruise Abaco

Navtours Bahamas Nassau Update
Thankfully, Navtours at its Palm Cay Marina charter base in Nassau was not in the path of Hurricane Dorian.

Our guest and team members, our boats and marina are all safe and secure. Our charter operations in the Bahamas continue uninterrupted.

Please join us in sending positive thoughts to our neighbors in the Abacos, Grand Bahama and other areas where they have experienced catastrophic devastation from Hurricane Dorian.

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Just when when young crew members are heading back to school and sailors are starting to think about putting their boats away for the season, they can still launch a new adventure by purchasing paper sailboats to display at West Marine stores across the country and help raise funds for the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Since 2016, customers have helped West Marine raise and donate nearly $200,000 for research in the fight against blood cancers. It’s easy: Buy a boat, put your name on it, and stick it on the display. Then, watch as the fleet in your local area grows.

Sailors have been longtime supporters of LLS, primarily through racing in the Leukemia Cup Regattas, where teams tap friends and family and take pledges for the cause. Since the first regatta in 1988, more than $70 million has been donated.

“For the past three years, West Marine has been proud to partner with LLS and our customers to contribute to the organization’s mission – a world without blood cancers,” said Laura Barry, director of marketing communications for West Marine in a press release last week. “One hundred percent of each donation supports LLS to help in the fight against leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Each year, our associates and more so, our customers, go above and beyond to donate to this cause and we cannot thank them enough.”

If you’re headed in to buy antifreeze or some other late-season gear, don’t miss this chance to lend a hand.

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