Blog January 2020

Groundhog Day  is a traditional holiday originating in the United States that is celebrated on February 2. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, then the spring season will arrive early, some time before the vernal equinox; if it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its den, and winter weather will persist for six more weeks.

Modern customs of the holiday involve early morning celebrations to watch the groundhog emerging from its burrow.

In southeastern Pennsylvania, Groundhog Lodges (Grundsow Lodges) celebrate the holiday with social events in which food is served, speeches are made, and one or more plays or skits are performed for entertainment. The Pennsylvania German dialect is the only language spoken at the event, and those who speak English pay a penalty, usually in the form of a nickel, dime, or quarter per word spoken, with the money put into a bowl in the center of the table.

Groundhog Day was adopted in the U.S. in 1887. Clymer H. Freas was the editor of the local paper Punxsutawney Spirit at the time, and he began promoting the town’s groundhog as the official "Groundhog Day meteorologist".

The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, with Punxsutawney Phil. Groundhog Day, already a widely recognized and popular tradition, has received widespread attention as a result of the 1993 film Groundhog Day.

What are red tides?

Phytoplankton, the drifting communities found throughout the surface layers of the ocean, perform the crucial role of capturing the energy in sunlight to produce complex molecules in the process of photosynthesis. In doing so, they provide the basic food on which almost all the oceans' animal communities depend. But sometimes you can have too much of a good thing, and red tides — or algal blooms — are one of the results.

"Red tide" is a general term for the phenomenon in which the tiny phytoplankton cells become locally so numerous that they cause discoloration of the water. The discoloration is caused by the concentration of pigments in the algal cells, and although these are often red, sometimes extremely so, they can also appear as orange, yellow, brown, or green, depending on the species.

Algal blooms can often be harmful. The harmful effects are usually the result of the production of natural toxins by the algae, which can have serious consequences for both wildlife and man, particularly because the toxins can accumulate in commercially exploited Mollusca shellfish such as oysters and mussels. In addition to these toxic effects, some algal blooms can be so concentrated that they clog the gills of fish and shellfish, and their decaying remains can deplete the oxygen concentration in the water to lethal levels.

The cause of algal blooms is often uncertain, though a sudden and local increase in the availability of nutrients is usually involved. Like their terrestrial equivalents, marine plants, including phytoplanktonic algae, are dependent on sufficient sunlight, adequate warmth, and the availability of nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates. In a red tide situation, the injection of nutrients is either too rapid or at the wrong time to allow herbivorous animals to control the growth.

The source of the nutrients can be a result of human activity. For example, algal blooms in freshwater lakes are often caused by runoff from agricultural lands carrying fertilizer into the water body. In the same way, rivers flowing through agricultural landscapes can carry high levels of nutrients to the sea and stimulate algal blooms as a consequence. Some blooms, however, seem to be entirely natural and caused by local wind and water conditions churning up nutrients into the upper water column.

Choosing A Policy

All-risk policies, with consequential-damage coverage for losses due to specific peril such as fire or sinking, are among the broadest recreational marine policies available today. They cover certain types of losses resulting from a failed part, even if the cause of the part's failure is excluded. With consequential-damage coverage, for example, if a thru-hull should fail due to corrosion (a typical exclusion in marine policies) and your boat sinks, the repair or replacement of the thru-hull would not be covered, but the damages directly related to the sinking would.

All-risk policies provide for a broad array of losses from an accidental cause that could befall your boat, such as theft, vandalism, lightning, fire, grounding, and sinking. When comparing policies, look for options that protect your personal items, such as watersports equipment and fishing gear. Non-emergency towing coverage is also important to have in the event of a breakdown.

Typical recreational marine policies in the market give you the option to insure your boat in the event of a total loss for its "agreed value" (also known as "stated value") or for the current market value (often "called actual cash value"), which may be lower than the agreed value. Generally, an actual cash value policy is less expensive. The larger the boat's value relative to your total assets, the more important insurance becomes to protect yourself from financial loss.

The Bare Minimum

If you're comfortable with risking the value of your boat, many companies, give you the option for a liability-only policy that doesn't insure physical damage to your boat at all but provides a specified amount of coverage for your liability to others in the event of an accident, as well as protection from uninsured boaters.

Even if your boat isn't worth very much, you should still consider purchasing liability insurance. A collision with a small powerboat can cause serious injuries, and even if you're not found liable for those injuries, it could cost a significant amount of money in legal fees to defend yourself against such claims.

Policies that cover liability only, with no hull coverage, can be significantly less expensive than full-coverage policies.

Note that if you already have a homeowner's umbrella (or excess-liability) policy, it will usually require your boat policy to have certain minimum liability limits (typically $300,000, but sometimes as high as $500,000), and you should make sure there's no coverage gap.

Boat insurance is flexible, so you can buy the right kind of policy at the right price for you, from one that protects your assets in case of a liability claim against you to one that covers most situations that could damage or destroy your boat. Getting quotes on several different types of policies will allow you to make an informed decision based on the coverage versus the cost. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States

What Do People Do?

Martin Luther King Day is a relatively new federal holiday and there are few long standing traditions. It is seen as a day to promote equal rights for all Americans, regardless of their background. Some educational establishments mark the day by teaching their pupils or students about the work of Martin Luther King and the struggle against racial segregation and racism. In recent years, federal legislation has encouraged Americans to give some of their time on this day as volunteers in citizen action groups.

Martin Luther King Day, also known as Martin Luther King’s birthday and Martin Luther King Jr Day, is combined with other days in different states. For example, it is combined with Civil Rights Day in Arizona and New Hampshire, while it is observed together with Human Rights Day in Idaho. It is also a day that is combined with Robert E. Lee’s birthday in some states. The day is known as Wyoming Equality Day in the state of Wyoming

Martin Luther King was an important civil rights activist. He was a leader in the movement to end racial segregation in the United States. His most famous address was the "I Have A Dream" speech. He was an advocate of non-violent protest and became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated in 1968.

In 1968, shortly after Martin Luther King died, a campaign was started for his birthday to become a holiday to honor him. After the first bill was introduced, trade unions lead the campaign for the federal holiday. It was endorsed in 1976. Following support from the musician Stevie Wonder with his single "Happy Birthday" and a petition with six million signatures, the bill became law in 1983. Martin Luther King Day was first observed in 1986, although it was not observed in all states until the year 2000. In 1990, the Wyoming legislature designated Martin Luther King Jr/Wyoming Equality Day as a legal holiday.

We see too many claims that could have been avoided by improving the skills of the operator.

To see what we mean, try answering these quick safety quiz questions:

Answers at bottom

1. What is the safest thing to do for someone suspected of having hypothermia?
a. Give them a warm alcoholic beverage
b. Massage the body to circulate blood
c. Get immediate medical attention
d. Apply hot towels to the head to thin the blood

2. How does alcohol use affect boat operators or passengers?
a. Physical reactions become slower
b. Depth perception becomes sharper
c. Reasoning ability becomes quicker
d. Balance and sense of direction improve

3. Which of the following is considered a safe refueling practice?
a. Closing all hatches and doors while ­refueling
b. Turning your key on to operate the fuel gauge
c. Sending all passengers below while ­refueling
d. Using the hands-free automatic shutoff to avoid spills

4. U.S. Coast Guard regulations require that a 14-foot powerboat carry which of the following items between sunset and sunrise?
a. Power horn and bell
b. Garbage placards
c. Navigation lights
d. Navigation handbook

5. Which of the following is a requirement for life jackets?
a. They must be properly sized for the intended wearer
b. They must be stored safely in a watertight bag
c. They must provide miles-per-hour impact
d. They must be orange or other highly ­visible color

6. Which of the following is recommended when docking with wind and the current?
a. Whenever possible, approach the dock with the wind and the current
b. Have your fenders and docklines ready before you approach the dock
c. Have crew positioned to physically fend off the dock
d. Prepare two docklines; any more than that will get tangled

How'd you do?

Answers: 1: C, 2: A, 3: A, 4: C, 5: A, 6: B

Considering peer to peer boat renting?

Here"s an interesting excerpt from an article in BOATUS,

Give us a call to see if you are covered.

You hear what sounds like a squealing noise coming from your engine.

Take A First-Aid Course

If one of your guests falls and hits his or her head on your boat, would you know what to do?

How about if one of your crew develops heat exhaustion? Or has chest pains?

Unfortunately, panic during these frightening situations, and an understandable focus on the injured individual, often lead to a cascade of other problems.

According to insurance files, claims for damage (and sometimes liability claims for injuries that weren't properly addressed) result. The more you and your crew know about how to treat someone who's hurt, the better.