ODDS

The NTSB reports communication transmissions by the duck boat to the tug were heard by other boat operators but without response . One crew of the tug refused to testify evoking 5th amendment rights. In additions to constant radio communications, commercial vessels having RADAR are required to have the system operational and monitored constantly. RADAR systems have close range guard rings to cause an alarm when collision course appear in a vectored zone.

There are no reports of the duck boat issuing a transmitting on channel 16 monitored by the USCC or sounding 5 blast on a horn to indicate eminent collision. There are reports that the duck boat air horn failed to operate. There is no report of the type horn used on these vessels but if it is the bottle compressed air type, it may well have leaked sufficiently to render it useless when needed. Vessels are required to have an approved whistle of sufficient volume to sound a distress call. Vessels should also have available visual devices such a smoke flares or distress flags to back up radio and audible communications.

MAYDAY is a request for immediate assistance. LISTEN! DO NOT TRANSMIT!! Determine if you're in a position to help. If not, maintain radio silence. "MAYDAY" identifies an imminent, life-threatening emergency.
PAN-PAN (pronounced pahn-pahn) is used when the safety of a boat or person is in jeopardy. Man-overboard messages are sent with the PAN-PAN signal.
SECURITE (pronounced say-cure-e-tay) is used to pass navigation information or weather warnings.

What Are the Different Channels Used For?
There are 104 VHF channels designated for marine service. Of this number, 54 are designated exclusively for use in the waters of the United States. The most common channels and their purpose are listed below:
Channel 16 (156.8 MHz) This is the most important channel on the VHF band. THIS IS THE DISTRESS, SAFETY, AND CALLING FREQUENCY WHICH THE COAST GUARD MONITORS CONTINUOUSLY. All vessels equipped with VHF Vessels must keep their radios tuned to channel 16 so they can assist if an emergency is near. Vessels may initiate contact with each other but must shift to a working frequency to carry on a conversation (e.g., Motor vessel Albatross, this is sailing vessel Mother Goose, AB-1234, on Channel 16, switch and answer Channel 68). Use Channel 16 for only bona fide emergencies.
Channel 22A (157.1 MHz) This channel is the primary working channel of the Coast Guard. It is used for communications between the Coast Guard and the maritime public, both recreational and commercial. Severe weather warnings, hazards to navigation, and other maritime safety warnings are broadcast on Channel 22A.
Channel 13 (156.65 MHz) This channel is the bridge to bridge or "piloting" channel, used for communicating navigation information between ships. Strictly used for navigational purposes by commercial, military, and recreational vessels at locks, bridges and harbors.
Channel 6 (156.3 MHz) This channel is the ship to ship frequency used for safety related communications. This channel is not used for ordinary operational navigation or personal communications.

What if I Hear Someone Saying MAYDAY on Channel 16?
If you have a radio and you are under way, you are required to monitor Channel 16. MAYDAY takes precedence over all other transmissions. If you hear a MAYDAY, remain silent and listen. Take down the information being passed. If the Coast Guard or other rescue authority responds, maintain silence and listen, but do not respond.

However, if there is no response, take action. Try raising the distressed vessel over the radio. Gather more information, especially the position. Attempt to raise the Coast Guard while traveling toward the vessel. Sometimes the Coast Guard may not hear the distressed vessels transmissions do to poor transmission features of the distressed vessel, but can hear another vessel near the scene; therefore, call the Coast Guard again, just in case. If you raise them, give them the information you have and follow their instructions. If you cannot contact the Coast Guard, attempt to assist the other vessel to the best of your ability without placing yourself in danger. Some conditions which may affect the poor transmission is low battery voltage or the uses of a back up hand held radio or broken antenna of the distressed vessel.

What If I Need Help?
If you have an imminent life threatening emergency, transmit on Channel 16:

     1. MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY!
     2. This is (name of boat three times, call letters once).
     3. Repeat once more, "MAYDAY", (your boat's name).
     4. Now report your position (give as accurate a position as
         possible).
     5. Report nature of emergency.
     6. Report the kind of assistance desired.
     7. Report number of people on board and condition of any injured.
     8. Description of the boat and seaworthiness.

Then wait for a response. If there is none, repeat the message.

As reported yesterday, we continue to see barge and other commercial traffic maintaining a forward visual lookout while under way. Although we have seen forward look outs in the past years, it has been spotting especially in poor weather such as excessive cold, heat or during storm conditions. Large vessel traffic is easily seen during the daylight but at night many large vessels are difficult to see or differentiate against the background.

The Delaware was reopened for normal traffic after the duck boat and bodies of two individuals were recovered. The NTSB will soon release their findings but in the mean time many reports from passengers on the duck boat indicate that the passengers did not put on their PFD's until the last seconds before the barge pushed the sight seeing boat under the water. Many of the passengers were pushed out of openings by incoming water, on the side of the boat as the vessel overturned.

Other reports also indicate that the "audible device", horn on the duck boat was inoperable while the boat was dead in the water. There were no indications that any visual device was deployed. Some reports emerging that state the Captain attempted to raise the approaching tug boat/barge on the VHF but was unable to get any response. It is unclear if the transmissions were by hand held or fixed transceiver. There are also no reports from the CC as to any recorded transcriptions of distress calls.

On Sunday evening, we traveled the waterway where the incident occurred and found it heavy with PWC and small boat traffic as well as the ferryboat service but not any sign of duck boats. A north bound tug with a sister barge on the hip was transverse the exact same area of the channel where the accident occurred and had a forward lookout on the bow of the barge. As they approached the Penn's Landing area they released five blast to warn the operators of the PWC's to move out of the way as collision was eminent. Interestingly, one PWC operator appeared to ignore the notice and was doing donuts in front of the area of travel of the tug operation. PWC operation on the Delaware River needs to be address with stronger enforcement of navigation rules as many operators blow through no wake zones and travel at high speeds very close to docked vessels and shorelines.

Friday July 9th, 2010 A safety zone will be set up for passage on the New Jersey side of the river by the weekend.

For official information on Delaware River Closing contact the Coast Guard Delaware Sector at Search & Rescue, Law Enforcement or Marine Casualty (215) 271-4940

Coast Guard Release - PHILADELPHIA – Crews of the Coast Guard, Philadelphia fire and police, New Jersey police and others are searching for two people after a collision between a duck boat and a barge near Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia Ten of the passengers were taken to Hahnemann University Hospital. At 2:39 p.m. a collision occurred between a duck boat, with 35 passengers and two crewmen, and the 250-foot tug and barge Caribbean Sea on the Delaware River in about 10 feet of water.

The Coast Guard launched boat crews from Station Philadelphia and Aids to Navigation Team Philadelphia and an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., to rescue those in distress. The Captain of the Port of Philadelphia has closed the river to all traffic between the Walt Whitman and Ben Franklin bridges until further notice.

CORRECTION: The barge was initially reported as being 800-feet. The correct length of the barge is 250-feet.

Note: Local knowledge would have the water in the area of the collision to be in the 35-50 fool range for barge traffic. Boater Voter Coalition, Inc.

Boaters on the Delaware have often wondered when this would happen. A fully loaded duck boat travels very slow against the over 2 knot current of the Delaware. With out any motive power, a wallowing duck boat it is easily carried off course and into very heavy river traffic. It is clear there were errors made which culminated in a tragic loss of life. Those errors will be revealed in the NTSB investigation report. In the mean time, Duck Boats have been grounded across the country.

WASHINGTON - The Coast Guard reminds all boaters that beginning January 1, 2007, both 121.5 and 243 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) are prohibited from use in both commercial and recreational watercraft. Boaters wishing to have an emergency rescue beacon aboard their vessel must have a digital 406 MHz model.

The January 1, 2007, date to stop using 121.5 MHz EPIRBs is in preparation for February 1, 2009, when satellite processing of distress signals from all 121.5/243 MHz beacons will terminate. Following this termination date, only the 406 MHz beacons will be detected by the International Cospas-Sarsat Satellite System which provides distress alert and location data for search and rescue operations around the world.

The regulation applies to all Class A, B, and S 121.5/243 MHz EPIRBs. It does not affect 121.5/243 MHz man overboard devices which are designed to work directly with a base alerting unit only and not with the satellite system.

This change, in large part, was brought about by the unreliability of the 121.5/243 MHz beacons in an emergency situation. Data reveals that with a 121.5 MHz beacon, only one alert out of every 50 is a genuine distress situation. This has a significant effect on expending the limited resources of search and rescue personnel and platforms. With 406 MHz beacons, false alerts have been reduced significantly, and, when properly registered, can usually be resolved with a telephone call to the beacon owner. Consequently, real alerts can receive the attention they deserve.

When a 406 MHz beacon signal is received, search and rescue personnel can retrieve information from a registration database. This includes the beacon owner's contact information, emergency contact information, and vessel/aircraft identifying characteristics. Having this information allows the Coast Guard, or other rescue personnel, to respond appropriately.

In the U.S., users are required by law to directly register their beacon in the U.S. 406 MHz Beacon Registration Database at: http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov/ or by calling 1-888-212-SAVE. Other users can register their beacon in their country's national beacon registration database or, if no national database is available, in the International Beacon Registration Database at https://www.406registration.com/.

The United States Coast Guard is the lead agency for coordinating national maritime search and rescue policy and is responsible for providing search and rescue services on, under and over assigned international waters and waters subject to United States jurisdiction.

There is a federal mandate for producers to use a certain amount of ethanol and no apparent economical way to keep it out of marinas.. Due to the corrosive nature and affinity for water, ethanol is added at the tank truck just before delivery and the same truck that goes to the corner gas station also goes to the marina.

First is a safety issue for those boats equipped with fiberglass gas tanks, generally those made before the mid-80’s. Ethanol tends to dissolve certain resins, which then find their way through the engine intake and coat intake valves, which makes them stick causing bent pushrods or worse. More important is the possibility of a gas tank degrading to the point of leaking. As anyone knows, gas is the bilge is an explosion waiting to happen. In addition to boats such as Hatterases, Betrams, and Chris Crafts made before the mid-80’s, some smaller boats, notably Boston Whaler Montauks, have small above-deck fiberglass gas tanks. Some of these tanks have been reported leaking as well. Any boat with a fiberglass gas tank that was not specifically designed for ethanol should be suspect. There are some resins that are immune to ethanol (some vinyl esters, for example) and are used in underground gasoline storage tanks, but most resins, including common epoxies are not able to withstand contact with ethanol. Though it’s no comfort to those with fiberglass gas tanks, fortunately, only a very small percentage of boats have them.

Second is the addition of alcohol to gasoline adversely affects the volatility of the fuel, which could cause vapor lock.

Third is ethanol can also affect many plastics and rubber. Alcohol present in automobile gasoline is not compatible with the rubber seals and materials used in boats, however, most fuel hoses made after 1984 and marked with SAE J1527 are designed to withstand ethanol. Some older fuel filter bowls made of plastic may be affected and some seals, o-rings, or plastic parts could be damaged.

Fourth is phase separation, which happens when the fuel is cooled as a result of the vessel operating in winter weather. When the alcohol separates from the gasoline, it may carry water that has been held in solution and that cannot be handled by the sediment bowl." This may affect performance and drivability. Ethanol absorbs water readily and as little as .5% water will cause a phase separation. A water/ethanol mixture, being heavier than gas, will sink to the bottom of the gas tank, leaving a lower octane gas on top. This low octane gas can cause performance issues with 4-stroke engines, but can cause damage with 2-strokes due to a lean condition. In addition, 2-stroke engines can be damaged if a quantity of water/ethanol is ingested since the proper lubricating oil won’t be present. Keeping water out of the tank is obviously important.

Fifth and another problem with the introduction of ethanol comes from mixing gas with MTBE and gas with ethanol, especially in the presence of water. This chemical soup is believed by some manufacturers to create a gel-like substance that clogs passages in carburetors, most notably in outboards. Stalled engines and shop bills are the result. Fuel injected engines seem to suffer much less than carbureted ones.

When ethanol is first introduced, you may experience more frequent fuel filter replacement as ethanol’s superior solvent properties cleans old varnish and other stuff from the tank. Gas with ethanol also typically delivers slightly less fuel economy.

WHAT CAN YOU DO
For those with affected fiberglass fuel tanks, the only sure cure is replacement, usually with aluminum. Ethanol itself does not appear to affect aluminum, except when mixed with water, where it may contribute to internal corrosion. Polypropylene gas tanks are unaffected by ethanol, according to manufacturers. Those with fiberglass gas tanks are urged to install a vapor detector in the engine space (a good idea anyway) until replacement can be carried out. And checking for the black substance under the carburetor or in the intake manifold will alert you to the fact that intake valves are also being coated.

Keeping water out of your gas tank is important! Keep your tank filled if you are in an area with large daily temperature swings to prevent condensation, but remember that gas with ethanol has a shorter shelf life - use it up. Boats that are going to sit for long periods should store the tanks empty if possible. Note that gas drying additives are typically simply ethanol and won’t help. The installation of a water separator in the fuel line can help with small amounts of water. Outboard manufacturers also recommend adding an injector cleaner to the fuel.

Keep some extra fuel filters on hand, especially during the first season.

Most marinas are not required to post ethanol content on fuel pumps. Hopefully, marinas will be extra careful to avoid water contamination of storage tanks. If the lessons of Long Island Sound, where ethanol was introduced a couple of years ago hold true, problems will begin during the changeover and should lessen as the season progresses.

NEW JERSEY’S DEP COMMISSIONER – Lisa Jackson

In her first public speaking engagement since being nominated to the post of Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Lisa Jackson outlined the major initiatives her administration intends to tackle in the year ahead. Ms. Jackson stressed that she expected a period of increased environmentalism under the new Governor Jon Corzine. Ms. Jackson indicated the following are the issues that will be some of the priorities of the new administration and the NJDEP staff considered the issued listed below as very important to the administration. Ms. Jackson cautioned that a full agenda had not yet been formulated:

· Environmental Justice

· Tough mandatory safety standards for chemical plants

· Air quality -- including implementation of the new diesel statute and regulations, as well as the California car regulations

· Drinking water resources -- look for more Category 1 designations, controlled growth around riparian corridors and minimizing impacts from non-point pollution

· Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Act implementation

· CO2 Model Rule (draft due out in March) and continued progress on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)

· Energy efficiency and renewable - 'greening' older residential structures and investing in the Clean Energy Fund

· NRD - a fresh look is warranted for the Passaic River Initiative and industry is owed a rule that is long overdue

· Site remediation -- the Brownfield and Land Use Programs must work together

· TMDLs -- implementation is as important as setting the standards

· Wildlife criteria should be part of the surface water quality standards

Ms. Jackson is the first Commissioner, who has worked in various levels of Federal and State employment. At this new level she will have to make certain political decisions and balance environmental consciousness on hot topic issues.

Senate Republican leader, Leonard Lance, from Flemington, announced that the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services, (OLS), is drafting a Senate Resolution, at his request urging the incoming Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, (DEP), to reconsider accepting the donation of Petty’s island from the Citgo corporation. Why would a Senator from Flemington be interested in the Delaware River? It must be a test for the new Commissioner.

The incoming Commissioner is deep in politics after only her first breath. Lance states that the island should have a $ 2 million trust to fund for greater public access to a 400-acre island. An island located in the middle of one of the most densely populated areas in the world that is prime for development within the community. Now a hotel marina on an island might be a novel idea. He went on to say that the island currently is home to a wide variety of wildlife including blue herons and a pair of Bald Eagles. Well hello Senator, so is the shoreline of Camden and Pennsauken. Should we make these areas wild too? The birds have been living here for generations. The like it the way it is now.

The area behind the Island and Camden/Pennsauken is the Back Channel. Currently, it is the only navigatable area on the river protected from the main stem channel traffic. With the grand redevelopment of Camden and the Pennsauken Harbor, this entire area is ready for tourism dollars with the design of a Recreational Maritime zone. It would provide the access to the water for the public as well entices boaters to travel the extra 40 miles from the inner-coastal waterway C&D canal to the Camden area. The Boater Voter Coalition believes that the area of Petty’s Island, Camden’s Cramer Hill and the harbor area of Pennsauken be developed as the only recreational maritime resource on the Delaware River.

As you might have seen on the recent NBF E-Lert, the President's Tax Advisory panel has recommended changes to the Federal tax code that would eliminate the mortgage interest deduction for second residences, including boats.

This deduction is now allowed for mortgages on boats that qualify as second homes, i.e. they contain sleeping, toilet and cooking facilities. The loss of this deduction would affect boat purchases by middle-class Americans and contribute to unemployment in the boat industry. NBF has partnered with the NMMA and others in opposition to this change.