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Crossed Connections
Try to report
an injured manatee in Florida, and you might end up being exposed to a
different kind of wildlife.
That’s what dozens
of boaters discovered in December when they dialed an 800 number in the
hope of saving a manatee, and instead were connected to a tawdry sex-chat
hotline. Rather than being asked the location of a wounded sea cow, they
were urged to supply a credit card number so they could join a party line
and chat with “fantasy girls.”
The snafu occurred when
the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission dropped the 800 number it had
long advertised for manatee protection and failed to adequately notify
the public. Weeks later the number was bought by Intimate Encounters,
a Philadelphia-based sex-chat company.
The mix-up “makes
us look really bad to the public,” wrote Elsa Haubold, who heads
the Florida Marine Institute’s manatee program, in an official statement.
She said the embarrassing situation “only adds to the levels of frustration
felt by our field staff and FWC dispatchers.”
Overnight the Save the
Manatee Club launched a PR damage-control campaign, announcing the new
toll-free number for reporting dead or injured manatees (888-404-FWCC).
The group says word about the new number is out, and more boaters are
using the hotline.
Apparently, Intimate
Encounters has made a marketing scheme out of purchasing old agency hotline
numbers. The company reportedly has taken over 800 numbers formerly used
by the World Wildlife Fund, Alltel customer service, the conservative
journal Policy Review, and even rape crisis centers in Maine and
Arizona. A spokesperson for Intimate Encounters did not return a call
for comment.
Despite the embarrassment
felt by the state’s Fish & Wildlife Commission, agency spokesman
Henry Cabbage jokingly commended Intimate Encounters for its marketing
strategy, telling reporters, “You’ve got to admire the American
spirit when it comes to figuring out a way to make a buck.”
150
Number of gallons
of diesel that the fastest fuel pump at the Bahia Mar Yachting Center
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, can pump in one minute, according to the
marina. That means a 20,000-gallon tank can be filled in about 2.5 hours,
as opposed to more than 20 hours with older pumps.
Things We Like
If you can’t
take your yacht to Bali, bring Bali to your yacht. Executive editor Diane
M. Byrne saw this thatched-roof, all-teak gazebo at last September’s
Monaco Yacht Show. Custom-made by a France-based company appropriately
named Honeymoon, each structure takes about three months to design and
build and is delivered with cushions covered with Sunbrella fabrics of
your choice. If the thatched roof isn’t your speed, you can also
request canvas, wood, or even copper. But it all comes at a cost, of course:
Prices start around $13,500. Visit www.honeymoon-world.com
for details.
March Calendar
11-14.
The Spring Boat Show in Fort Myers, Florida. (954) 570-7785.
11-14.
The National Capital Boat Show in Chantilly, Virginia. (804) 425-6556.
www.royalshows.com.
19-21. The
Floating Boat Show in Anacortes, Washington. (360) 299-9255. www.anacortesboatshow.com.
19-21.
The Boat Show in Pensacola, Florida. (251) 478-7469. www.gulfcoastshows.com.
19-21.
The Maine Boat Builders Show in Portland. (207) 774-1067. www.portlandcompany.com.
25-28. The
Boat Show in Palm Beach, Florida. (954) 764-7642.
26-28. St.
Augustine Boat Show in St. Augustine, Florida. (843) 762-3997. www.staugustineboatshow.com.
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