The Great Boatlift of 911 Was Largest In World History

Tom Hanks narrates the epic story of the 9/11 boatlift that evacuated half a million people from the stricken piers and seawalls of Lower Manhattan. Produced and directed by Eddie Rosenstein. Eyepop Productions, Inc.

The self-organized water evacuation by commercial, merchant marine and private boat captains of nearly 500,000 souls in nine hours was the greatest such event in history. The military evacuation of Dunkirk in World War II removed 339,000 British and French soldiers over nine days.

BOATLIFT was executive produced by Stephen Flynn and Sean Burke and premiered on September 8th at the 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit: Remembrance/Renewal/Resilience in Washington. The Summit kicked off a national movement to foster community and national resilience in the face of future crises. See www.road2resilience.org to become a part of the campaign to build a more resilient world. The film was made with the generous support by philanthropist Adrienne Arsht, Chairman Emerita, TotalBank (www.arsht.com)

"The Coast Guard Station Annapolis, in Bay Ridge, earlier this year took delivery of a new Response Boat to allow it to better patrol Greater Annapolis waters and the Chesapeake Bay.

"Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, improving the safety of major waterways and large ports has been a priority of the Department of Homeland Security. And the bay leads directly into the Port of Baltimore.

"The new $2 million, 41-foot boat will improve the Coast Guard’s performance and ability to respond to incidents. The new boat has significantly faster speeds—maximum of 42.5 knots—and a longer range at about 250 nautical miles, according to a release."

This story from the Greater Annapolis PATCH in September 2011.

Every Sailor Needs a Pair of Balls!

As a power boater, that's what I've always thought about sailors. Then, Ken Hesterberg, commodore of the Chesapeake Cruisers Association sent me the link to the video shown below. The video answers the question at the top of all of our minds:

How does a sailboat with an 80-ft. mast pass under a 65-ft. bridge? It takes big balls, of course.

You won't find this technique in your edition of Chapman Piloting or in the Power Squadron's Sail course.

What is more amazing is that this captain single-handed the maneuver.

"I can do that, but I don't wanna." ~Bart Simpson

I took the summer off to do summer stuff, but will update the site over the next few days with posts I've been saving up. Have fun and be safe on the water. On land, too.

A Blatant Appeal to Get Involved to Save The Bay

Brought to you by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation

All About The Chesapeake Bay in Six Minutes

For a boater in the Washington-Baltimore metro area, nothing beats the pull of "The Bay." The Chesapeake offers fishing, cruising, sailing and those succulent blue crabs. One of our senior members in the Potomac River Power Squadron told me he found to Bay to be superior by far to the Florida coast for cruising.

This video describes the Bay and its conditions. My only beef is that they made the water look a lot clearer than it really is.

Boating and Tennis Love 4U--Water Taxi Service to DC's Pro Tennis Stadium

"As you well know, Washington Kastles season is fast approaching, and D.C.’s pro tennis team (and most recent champions) (who are very aggressive at reaching out to local bloggers) have a new venue this time around.

"Kastles Stadium at The Wharf is in Southwest, and the team is set to announce that there will be limited boat parking at Gangplank Marina.

"This makes The Kastle the first tennis facility in the U.S. with boat-up parking, and the first pro sports venue in D.C. with boat-up parking. And it’s free for season-ticket holders, which might cause a gagging reflex in other local ownership suites."

Read the rest of this story on Dan Steinberg's DC Sports Bog (Washington POST site. May require registration)

Speaking of the POST, a story up today reports the start of a water taxi service from the South West waterfront to Georgetown. The service by American River Taxi is intended for commuters looking for alternatives to driving, biking (in this heat) or the Metro.

American River Taxi offers a service transporting baseball fans from Georgetown to Nationals Park. Commuter service is an expansion that may, or may not, catch on. The fare is $8.00 one-way for the 30 minute trip.

The Potomac Riverboat Company offers a water taxi service from the National Harbor in Prince Georges County to Old Town Alexandria that makes for a cool outing. The one-way trip is 20 minutes and costs $8.00 for adults.

I hope these services catch on. The District of Columbia ceased to be a boating mecca long ago. Yes, there are boaters here, but a boating supplies retailer or boat dealer is not to be found within city limits.

Photo: New members of Potomac River Power Squadron, a unit of United States Power Squadrons(r), after passing the basic boating class in 1963. From the files of Potomac River Power Squadron.

Warning From Topper Shutt: Ocean Temp Is Cooler Than On Thanksgiving

Some of the best boating news over the Memorial Day weekend (Thank you, veterans) has been penned by DC area weathermen dutifully repeating warnings issued by the National Weather Service. WUSA-TV 9 meteorologist Topper Shutt is the latest contributor with his piece in the Sunday, May 29, 2011 edition of The Washington Examiner.

Shutt's "Chilly water" message warning of hypothermia appears in the Weather News You Can Use column. Sadly, WashingtonExaminer.com did not post an active link to the story, so as a public service, I'm posting the entire piece here. This will assure two or three more people, mostly relatives, get this information.

Remember, full credit goes to Channel-9 weatherman Topper Shutt.

"Many people flock to the shore for Memorial Day weekend. If I suggested you go to the beach on Thanksgiving, you would think I was crazy. However, the ocean is actually warmer on Thanksgiving Day than on Memorial Day.

"The water temperature on Thanksgiving Day is typically 64 degrees. On Memorial Day, it's only about 61 degrees.

"The ocean is still recovering from winter and hasn't received the added boost from the Gulf Stream. The atmosphere is vertically mixed, but the ocean is horizontally mixed.

"If you get into the water this weekend, don't stay in long. It is possible to get hypothermia in water that is about 50 to 60 degrees. Hypothermia can set in between one and two hours.

"Although the sun might not feel that hot, late May sun is equivalent to July sun, so remember to apply sunscreen."

Photo credit: Ocean City surf, Anthony Brown, 2011