200206-200207 Chartroom Chatter

Ahoy there! I hope your summer is going well! I hope you have had many cruising adventures and perhaps a party or two with your club. Judging from the chatter I hear on the VHF radio, the Chesapeake Bay is alive with yacht club activity. Although it is a busy channel sometimes, I notice the clubs in the upper bay at least have adopted "68". Don't forget to use "9" as an alternate hailing channel to "16", which must be kept clear for emergencies. Meanwhile, don't forget that our Summer Delegates Meeting this year is August 10^th, 1300 at Chesapeake Yacht Club. All are welcome, but please make sure your club Delegates know about the meeting.

Big congratulations to CBYCA District Representative Don Parsons, P/C of Charlestown YC, for winning the title of "King of the Chesapeake". Originated and sponsored by Marley Boat Club, the "King" started as a typical summer silly thing to do. The "King" has since evolved into a kind of Goodwill Ambassador (more blunt folks might say a buffoon for a year) who appears at parties during the year of his reign "blessing" his subjects with sheets of toilet paper. The "King's" costume is something to see as each "King" from the year before adds something to it. The competition was really fierce and included Popeye the Sailor, Uncle Sam, the amazing Tom Tenant, Screwy Louie, and a pogo stick light show entertaining the audience. One of the judges was Queen of the Chesapeake Bridget Smith who, along with her fellow judges, must have "seen" something special in leather clad stud muffin Don. Don is such a "cheeky" devil. As I heard at the contest, it took a lot of courage for a fellow to get up and make an absolute fool of himself for the entertainment of his friends. Well done to all the contestants and best wishes to Don for a great year spreading joy around the bay.

Two more fun summer traditions that I just got wind of are the "Clock" and the "Red Carpet". There is a clock or two roaming around the clubs of the upper bay. It seems to get the clock, at least ten bona fide members of another club must visit the club holding the clock. They then return the clock to their own club until such time as ten others come to take it. Some have suggested that from 1 May to 30 September, the ten members must arrive by water. The "Red Carpet" denotes the host boat for the day on a club cruise. There is great mystery as to where the carpet will appear. Sometimes it is actually waiting at the foot of a slip as the traveling fleet pulls into a marina.

Congratulations and best wishes to Queen of the DRYL (aka Queen of the Delaware) Barbara Gricco, whose reign will come to a close on August 17^th. With strong support from her parents, Butch and Barb, her home club, Harbour Light YC, the great princesses of the Delaware, and many friends, officers and members from around the DRYL and CBYCA, Barbara has been an exemplary Queen, whose leadership has brought our community of boaters closer together. I know that Barbara will be very successful wherever life takes her.

Meanwhile, who will be the next Queen? Kathy and I will anxiously await the outcome up in Philadelphia on August 17^th, along with hundreds of our closest friends. As I want to get back down to my boat as much as you do, I'll close with a reminder about the on-board treatment issue. As a boater I talked to recently said, "We just want to put something on our boat that works, like this Type IA MSD we have been hearing about. We don't want to be illegal. No Discharge Zones don't make sense." See you around the bay!

The August Delegates Meeting will be held August 10 at the Chesapeake YC at 1300 hours. Lunch will be available at 1200. The guest speaker will be Ms. Fran Flanigan, Facilitator for the Citizens Advisory Committee to the Dredge Material Management Program. She will evaluate the various spoil disposal site options for Chesapeake Bay dredging. Please see the flyer in this issue for additional information. It is essential that all clubs insure that their Delegate or Alternate Delegate attends. This will be the election meeting for the 2003 Board of Governors. In addition, the Special Communications Committee will make their final report. Many recommended changes will greatly change and improve the way the CBYCA conducts its business. The Delegates will vote on these recommendations.

I now have a new mailing address and phone number. The e-mail address remains the same.

Update: The Pennsylvania House of Representatives concurred in Senate amendments to House Bill 1482 by a unanimous vote on June 27, 2002. The bill now goes to Governor Schweiker for signature. The Pennsylvania Senate passed House Bill 1482, with amendments, by a unanimous vote on June 26, 2002. The Senate Game and Fisheries Committee reported out House Bill 1482, with amendments, on June 24, 2002. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 1482 by a unanimous vote on June 3, 2002. Purpose of Legislation: House Bill 1482 addresses the disposition of the remainder of the funds in the restricted receipt account raised from the sale of Lake Erie stamps. This totals about $268,000. Why do we need legislation on this subject? Act 1994-79 specified only two purposes for which the monies deposited in the restricted account could be spent: Payments to licensees, calculated under the statutory formula, and administrative costs. There is no authority to spend monies in the restricted receipt account for anything else. How does the PFBC plan to approach expenditure of the $268,000? Under the amended bill, the money will be used to acquire property and to provide public fishing access on or at Lake Erie, its tributaries and Presque Isle Bay. Among the projects identified for funding is the state share ($100,000) of an important acquisition upstream of the mouth of 20-Mile Creek. The remaining funds in the restricted account could be used for similar projects. There is no shortage of worthy projects that would benefit Lake Erie, its tributaries and their fisheries. The Commission is committed to working with the General Assembly, local governments and the sportsmen and women who fish Lake Erie and the tributaries in determining the best way to distribute the remaining funds after funding the 20-Mile Creek project.

The Fish and Boat Commission is very interested in pursuing partnerships. We are interested in working with local and statewide groups and organizations, local governments and other agencies to leverage these monies to have maximum impact. Background: In 1994, the General Assembly passed, and then Governor Casey signed into law, Act 1994-79, which amended to Fish and Boat Code to ban the use of gill nets on the Pennsylvania waters of Lake Erie. This law established a temporary $3 Lake Erie permit to raise funds to pay recompense to gill net licensees and administrative costs. Persons fishing in Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay and its tributaries were required to purchase a stamp to engage in recreational angling in these waters. Lake Erie permits, which were issued in the form of a self-sticking stamp, were sold for four years, from 1995 until 1998. A total of 313,577 stamps were sold and $940,731 was deposited in a restricted receipt account within the Fish Fund. The law specified that proceeds in restricted receipt account could be paid only for administrative costs and recompense to gill net licensees, paid according to a formula set forth in the statute. The statutory formula provided that the payments to the eight gill net licensees would be calculated based on their two highest years of catch in the five years before the law took effect. Seven gill net licensees were paid about $606,000 as recompense calculated in accordance with Act 1994-79.

Administrative costs of about $67,000 have been paid from restricted receipt account. Most of the administrative costs were related to printing and shipping of the stamps. As of today, the balance in restricted receipt account is about $268,000. PFBC Position: The Fish and Boat Commission supported House Bill 1482. We want to thank Representative Evans for sponsoring this bill and to thank the House and Senate Game and Fisheries Committees for considering it. The Commission also wants to thank Representative Gary Haluska for his interest in this subject and for introducing legislation related to it. The Commission also wants to express sincere appreciation to Senators Jane Earll and Bob Robbins for their work on this issue.

New Jersey's Governor McGreevey, facing a major budget deficit found $5 million dollars in the pockets of the state boaters. Boating registrations are now doubled as income to the General Fund from boat registrations. Previously at $2.5 million the new budget predicts $5 million plus additional cost to boaters for trailer registrations, boat launching and operator licenses. Boaters letter writing failed to impede this back door taxation and now New Jersey boaters face the largest registration increase ever. Some are considering moving their boat elsewhere.

This increase is due in part, to contribution by a representative of the State Department of Treasury, Mr. Ralph Siegel, Director of Inter-Governmental Affairs. He said when defending the new budget, "Boaters should be paying their fair share of the money spent by the state for boaters." The NJ State Police have a budget of $5.8 million to patrol the waters of New Jersey. They expect to conduct over 9,000 boardings next year, which represents about 5% of the registered boats in the state. In a most astounding statement, he said, "Boaters should share the cost of the lift bridge operations. If it wasn't for boats, we wouldn't need bridges. The state spends $5.3 on bridge operations annually. Siegel is not a boater, but does canoe on the upper Delaware River. Boating is a $2.3 billion dollar economy in the state and sales tax generated by boating contributes over $225 million to the general fund! Is it time to purchase our boats elsewhere?

The Boater Voter Coalition received a grant from the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary in Wilmington, DE. The BVC is producing a Tidal Access Brochure identifying ramp access locations plus pumpout locations on an area map of the Delaware Tidal Basin. Also, listed is the agency name and telephone number administering the facility. Eight thousand color pamphlets will be distributed to various boat or sporting retail outlets throughout the three state area. The handout should be available by mid-summer 2002. The BVC is a charter contributor to the DELEP program.

We are behind schedule on this project and need your help! Please email or phone the BVC with information relating to ramps or pumpout locations of which you are aware from the tidal reach at Trenton Falls south to Lewes and Cape May. We are interested in both public and private facilities. We need the address, telephone number and cost of each facility. E-mail to SECURITY@FCC.NET or call 609-877-2561 ext. 3

A significant aftermath of the 11 September terrorist attacks will now affect recreational boaters as well as the operators of some of the smaller commercial vessels. A security zone has been established nationwide around all Naval and Coast Guard vessels. This zone applies to these vessels whether they are at anchor, moored to a dock, or underway. Recreational vessels must stay at least three hundred feet (100 yards) away from them. Furthermore, recreational vessels must proceed at minimum speed when within fifteen hundred feet (500 yards) of a Naval or Coast Guard vessel. Those who violate a security zone can be arrested and charged with a federal felony. Prosecution could result in a fine of as much as $250,000 and six months in jail. More important, however, is the possibility that a violating vessel may be subjected to lethal force. Armed security guards are likely to take whatever action they deem necessary to prevent another USS Cole type attack.

The narrowness of a navigational channel or other geographic restrictions may make it impossible for a recreational vessel to pass a Naval or Coast Guard ship without coming inside the 100-yard restriction zone. In this type of situation the recreational vessel should contact the Naval or Coast Guard ship on channel 16 and get permission to pass closer than 100 yards. Obviously a recreational vessel should not anchor so close to a navigational channel that any passing military vessel would be forced to clear it by less than 100 yards. Unfortunately there is the possibility that some uninformed or inept boater may violate a restriction zone. One can only hope that such an incident would not become a disaster for the boater.

Commodore	Ken Bean
Vice Commodore	Betty Stahler
Legislative Director	Timothy Abel
Rear Commodore	John Garlotta
Qualifications Officer	Faye Broseker
Director, MD State Legislature	Charles Tulip, Jr
Director, VA State Legislature	Dave Goodman
Director, Del/PA State Legislature	Rex Beers
Director, NJ State Legislature	Jerry Donofrio
Secretary	Karen Anderson
Treasurer	Don Burton
Publicity Director	Robert A Gattone
District A Representative	William Morgan
District B Representative	Shelly Beers
District C Representative	Joe Skinner
District D Representative	Don Parsons
District E Representative	Tom Powers
District F Representative	Norman Overfield
District G Representative	Michael Coffey
Nominating Committee	P/C Dion Guthrie Harry Seeback
Historian	P/C Donald Antos

10 August	1000 1300	Board Meeting Delegates Meeting Speaker: Fran Flanigan, Citizen's Advisory Committee to the Dredge Material Management Program	Chesapeake YC
14 September	1000	Board Meeting	Kent Island YC
19 October	1000	Board Meeting	Prince William YC
16 November	1000 1300	Board Meeting Delegates Meeting	Bush River YC
14 December	1800	CBYCA Commodore Ball	Martin's North Point
21 December	1000	Board Meeting	Belvedere YC