Category: Uncategorized

June 2024 BEYOND THE HORIZON BOAT STUFF             For several centuries sailors, a highly superstitious lot, considered bananas on a boat as bad luck, and there are a couple of reasons for such fear, as is usual in superstitions. Many ships went down in stormy weather or hull failure or God knows. When vessels plying the… Read more

BEYOND THE HORIZON By Stephen D. (Doc) Regan MAY 2024 BOAT NEWS             Finland brags that it has 100,000 lakes. One quick look at a map supports this contention and certainly implies that it really is spots of land amid water. As expected, the people of Suomi ( Finland in their tongue), are nature-oriented and water-focused… Read more

BEYOND THE HORIZON April 2024 ENVIRONMENT             A scary item from NPR that noted the world wastes about 21 trillion gallons of water per day. Almost 60% of U.S. water is wasted by leaky pipes. A showerhead leak accounts for about 500 gallons per year per household. Iowa is still way behind in soil moisture so… Read more

March 2024 HISTORY             WILLIAM FRANCIS GIBBS Young William Francis Gibbs watched the launching of the SS St. Louis and immediately fell in love with big ships and boats. After entering Harvard, he discovered that he preferred drawing seagoing vessels to attending classes; thus, he dropped out of school and ventured to Europe via the RMS LUSITANIA and RMS MAURITANIA before entering… Read more

MARCH 2024 HISTORY WILLIAM FRANCIS GIBBS             Young William Francis Gibbs watched the launching of the SS St. Louis and immediately fell in love with big ships and boats. After entering Harvard, he discovered that he preferred drawing seagoing vessels to attending classes; thus, he dropped out of school and ventured to Europe via the RMS LUSITANIA and RMS MAURITANIA before entering… Read more

Beyond the Horizon February 2024 GREY FLEET             Suicides by military and military veterans is a major concern within the armed services; however, the solution is far beyond the current standings. A Navy Petty Officer aboard the USS RALPH JOHNSON (DDG-114)  died of self-inflicted wounds in a Japanese hospital. Currently, the Navy is averaging about 20 suicides per… Read more

1 December 2023 INLAND WATERWAYS             Yet again, Congress, in the most recent budgetary Kick-the-can-down-the-road, set up a future battle on defining exactly what is the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) that neither party nor the Supreme Court has been able to explain in years. Nebulous words such as “by” or “near” hold a variety… Read more

BEYOND THE HORIZON 1 December 2023 INLAND WATERWAYS             Yet again, Congress, in the most recent budgetary Kick-the-can-down-the-road, set up a future battle on defining exactly what is the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) that neither party nor the Supreme Court has been able to explain in years. Nebulous words such as “by” or “near”… Read more

1 November 2023       #18 MERCHANT FLEET             The Maritime Administration (MARAD) is responsible for all American waterborne transportation including ports, infrastructure, shipping, security, safety, vessel operations, and environment. This significant element of the Department of Transportation is currently headed by a Chief Administrator, Ann Phillips, a retired Navy RADM who spent 31 years in the Navy as… Read more

1 September 2023                              #15 INLAND WATERWAYS             Blakely BoatWorks in Mobile, Alabama, is building a new Tier 4 Z-drive tugboat for Crescent Towing. Tier 4 engines are the preeminent environmentally safe motors for non-road machinery that meet all the current EPA standards, and hopefully, future regulations. The Z-drive, like a bow thruster, is a propulsion unit capable… Read more