Massachusetts

Insights from the 50th International Congress of Maritime Museums

For many, the ocean is life. It provides transportation, work, commerce, food, recreation—tales as old as time and shared by people across the globe. These stories are lived day to day, passed down between generations, and shared with the public through various media. Maritime museums assume responsibility to share these histories while honoring the communities shaped ocean exploration and commerce. In a decade where ocean health and climatic events have become a primary focus…

Suntex Appoints Carter As Chief Operating Officer

Marina properties owner and operator Suntex Marina Investors, LLC (Suntex) announced the appointment of Rich Carter to the position of Chief Operating Officer.In his new role, Carter is primarily responsible for the overall service experience at all Suntex Marinas. Defining and enhancing company culture, Carter is charged with efficient and effective deployment of Home Office resources and processes across the Suntex portfolio of properties.Prior to joining Suntex, Carter was a division president for Troon, the world’s largest third-party management company for golf and club related assets.

Suntex Acquires Hurricane Marina

Suntex Marina Investors, LLC (Suntex) announced the acquisition of Hurricane Marina, located on Center Hill Lake in Silver Point, Tennessee. With the change in ownership, Hurricane Marina received a new 25-year lease with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and also extended the lease of the existing restaurant tenant, Blue Water Grille. Hurricane Marina lies on a natural, protected harbor approximately 70 miles east of Nashville, and consists of 600 wet slips (48 of which were built in 2015), 40 personal watercraft slips and 25 enclosed boathouse slips.

Suntex Marinas Acquires Kentucky Location

Suntex Marina Investors LLC (Suntex), an owner and operator of marina properties, announced today the acquisition of Wolf Creek Marina on Lake Cumberland, Kentucky. The purchase comes on the heels of the recent addition of State Dock Marina, also on Lake Cumberland, to the Suntex portfolio. With the change in ownership, Wolf Creek will see exciting reinvestments in the coming months, including new dock construction and additional merchandise offerings within their marine store. “It is an exciting time for the Suntex brand,” said Chris Petty, head of operations of Suntex Marinas.

New Owner at the Helm of TowBoatUS Cape Cod

Capt. Shawn Brule, who retired from the U.S. Coast Guard last August after 22 years of service, is the new owner of TowBoatUS Cape Cod, an on water towing and assistance service for recreational boaters. “I’ve always known I would own a boat towing company at some point in my life,” said Brule, who began working as a deckhand in a similar business when he was a teenager in Florida. Brule, who was a senior chief boatswain’s mate, spent his entire Coast Guard career in New England waters, serving for the last five years as head of the Aids to Navigation Team out of the Boston station.

Eastern's Columbia on Display in Fort Lauderdale

Eastern Shipbuilding Group’s reengineered Columbia, built from the original design plans of the classic 1923 Essex-built schooner, will be on display at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, October 30-November 3, 2014. The original Columbia, a 141’ classic Gloucester Fishing Schooner designed by William Starling Burgess, built at the historic A.D. Story shipyard of Essex, Massachusetts and launched April 17, 1923, was bred for speed, challenging – and nearly defeating – Canada’s legendary Bluenose schooner in the International Fishermen’s Cup Races in Halifax.

1923 Schooner Replica Completes Sailing Trials

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) announced that the Columbia (ESG Hull 981) a steel hull exact replica of the historic Gloucester Fishing Schooner, has completed her sailing trials. The sailing trials were held on September 18, 2014 directly offshore of the beaches of Panama City, Florida. Ninety-one years earlier, the original Columbia was officially measured on October 27, 1923 just before her race with the Bluenose by Raymond J. Milgate, a marine surveyor of Halifax, N.S. The original Columbia was a 141’ classic wooden hull Gloucester Fishing Schooner built at the historic A.D.

ESG Replicates Historic Schooner 'Columbia'

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) informs that a steel hull replica of the historic Gloucester Fishing Schooner COLUMBA has been launched at its Panama City, Florida, shipyard with employees, dignitaries and guests in attendance. The original COLUMBIA was a 141’ classic Gloucester Fishing Schooner built at the historic A.D. Story shipyard of Essex, Massachusetts, which was the center for North American Fishing Schooner construction. At the christening ceremony, Brian D’Isernia, owner of Eastern Shipbuilding Group spoke about the journey of bringing the COLUMBIA back to life…

SAR Effort for UK Sailors Will End PM Friday

A search for four British sailors missing in the Atlantic Ocean after their yacht capsized a week ago will be called off by midnight on Friday if no sign of the men is found, British and U.S. authorities said. The four yachtsmen went missing a week ago as they were returning to Britain from a sailing event in Antigua in the Caribbean and reported that their vessel, the Cheeki Rafiki, was taking on water, forcing them to change course for the Azores. U.S. authorities abandoned a search after two days due to treacherous conditions but resumed the hunt on Tuesday after a request from the British government and a public petition signed by over 200…

Debris found in Atlantic search for missing UK sailors

The crew of a charter boat taking part in a search for four British sailors missing in the Atlantic Ocean has found some floating debris in the area where their yacht went missing six days ago, the captain said on Thursday. Patrick Michel, skipper of the Masili, said his crew had spotted a wooden plank that could be part of the cabin and some white foam or plastic in the northern part of the search area. He said the debris appeared new as it was free of barnacles but the owner of the missing yacht, the Cheeki Rafiki, would need to confirm that the debris was from the boat.

Cheeki Rafiki Update: No sign of Missing British Sailors

Planes and ships from the United States, Canada, and Britain have turned up no fresh signs of four British sailors missing in the Atlantic, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday, adding search efforts would continue. The crew members on board the yacht Cheeki Rafiki went missing on Friday as they were returning to Britain from a sailing event in Antigua in the Caribbean and reported that the vessel was taking on water, forcing them to change course for the Azores. "Unfortunately we have had no sightings of a life raft, persons in the water, a sailboat, or debris," U.S.

Cheeki Rafiki: Under Pressure, USCG Resumes Search

U.S. authorities resumed a hunt on Tuesday for four British yachtsmen missing in the Atlantic Ocean after a public appeal backed by UK politicians and British billionaire Richard Branson not to give up on finding them just yet. The sailors on board the yacht Cheeki Rafiki went missing on Friday as they were returning to Britain from a sailing event in Antigua in the Caribbean and reported that the vessel was taking on water, forcing them to change course to head to the Azores. The U.S. Coast Guard, supported by U.S. and Canadian air forces…

UK Families ask U.S. to Resume Search for Sailors

The families of four British sailors missing since their yacht capsized in the Atlantic Ocean three days ago appealed to the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday to resume its search. Last contact with the missing yacht, Cheeki Rafiki, was on Friday after it ran into difficulties about 1,000 miles (1,600 kms) off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, while returning to Britain from a sailing event in Antigua in the Caribbean. A search was called off on Sunday after two days as the U.S. Coast Guard said it did not have the capability to support a large-scale search.

Three Sailors Rescued 1,200 miles off Cape Cod

The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated a rescue of three sailors approximately 1,200 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, at approximately 2 p.m., Thursday. Watchstanders from the 1st Coast Guard District command center in Boston were notified at approximately 6 a.m., Thursday, of a 406MHz emergency position indicating radio beacon signal registered to the 42-foot French-flagged sailing vessel Tao with three men aboard. A Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew currently deployed to St. John's, Nova Scotia, immediately launched to locate the Tao.

Boaters Enlisted to Help Track Whales

Yachters and sailors are invited to help scientists track the movements of endangered humpback whales between NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and its sister sanctuaries across the Caribbean as part of Carib Tails, a new international citizen science effort. Carib Tails is a collaboration between the sanctuary and partners at Marine Mammal Sanctuary of the Dominican Republic, Agoa Marine Mammal Sanctuary/French Antilles, Bermuda Marine Mammal Sanctuary, the marine mammal sanctuaries of the Windward and Leeward Dutch Antilles…

Marine Canvas Supplier, Miami Corp, at NECPA 2014

Miami Corporation, a leading supplier of marine interior and exterior trim products and awning fabrics, will be attending and exhibiting at the upcoming North East Canvas Products Association (NECPA) 2014 Awning and Marine Canvas Products Show, January 23-25, 2014 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The company is looking forward to showcasing some of its large spectrum of awning and marine fabrics plus providing information on the entire line of products offered. Miami Corp explains that NECPA is a trade association dedicated to helping canvas-related companies interact with one another…

GPS Spoofing and the Potential Perils to Ships at Sea

Simple annoyance or potential security threat? Spoof is defined as “a hoax or swindle.”  In the world of electronic networks, a spoofing attack is a situation in which one program successfully masquerades as another by falsifying data and thereby gaining an improper advantage. We have all heard of, and possibly fallen victim to, fraudulent card readers (often inserted on self-service fuel pumps). The fraudulent card readers copy security information from the credit card, which is then used to clone an illegitimate credit card and incur improper charges on the victim’s credit card account.

Raymarine Hurricane Sandy Refit Program

In October 2012 boaters all along the eastern seaboard and particularly in the Mid-Atlantic States sustained extensive damage to boats, homes and property due to Hurricane Sandy. Raymarine is offering relief to boaters affected by the hurricane to help get them back out on the water. Through June 30, 2013, Raymarine is offering boaters in the federally designated Hurricane Sandy disaster and emergency areas an extra incentive when replacing their storm damaged systems with brand-new Raymarine electronics.

Marion Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race

With the Safety at Sea seminar in its wake, the Marion Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race team is taking last-minute registrations for the 645-mile ocean challenge. The Marion Bermuda Race offers an early registration discount to encourage early entries. That discount expires on Monday April 15th. Early entry saves $150.The race starts June 14th. There is still plenty of time for entry and preparation, but you’ll have to hurry. The online version of the 2013 Marion Bermuda Race Book is now available here (http://www.marionbermuda.com/archive/2013/racebook.pdf).