Author Articles
A Titanic Mistake
By Brad Dunn | Posted January 2011 | Add a CommentRight, Not RightThe Titanic didn’t sink because of design or engineering problems but simply because her helmsman turned right when he should have turned left. Or so the granddaughter of the most senior officer to survive the disaster claims in a new book. Louise Patten, whose grandfather Charles Lightoller was second officer aboard RMS Titanic, believes it
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Marquis Yachts Expands in the Mediterranean
By Brad Dunn | Posted January 2011 | Add a CommentMarquis Yachts has appointed Ventures Limited as its authorized dealer in Malta, Libya, and Tunisia. “We are thrilled that Ventures will be representing Marquis Yachts throughout the central ports of theMediterranean,” said Erik Nelson, VP of Marquis Yachts. “This is a geographic area that is populated with beautiful yacht centers frequented by yachting
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Catch of the Day
By Brad Dunn | Posted August 2009 | Add a CommentFlorida fisherman hooked quite a haul in June: Instead of reeling in a red grouper, he snagged himself an air-to-air missile that had been fired by an F-15 fighter jet.Longtime commercial fisherman Rodney Saloman says he was longlining in the Gulf of Mexico when he snagged the corroded missile about 50 miles off Panama City, Florida. He said he wasn’t
Read ArticleBig bucks
By Brad Dunn | Posted July 2009 | Add a CommentSecretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced in April that about $13 million in grants would go to 14 major boating infrastructure projects from Florida to Washington. As part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG), the funds will be allocated for new docks, boat slips, and other facilities to accommodate the nation’s recreational cruisers.“Boating is
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Maui Surf Shoes
By Brad Dunn | Posted April 2009 | Add a CommentI wore many forms of footgear while working on tugboats in my younger days, the most popular being cheap, lightweight department-store loafers with rubber bottoms and canvas topsides. I sported standard leather deck shoes back then as well but they were problematic, particularly when it came to soggy work. They seldom dried out between usages and, because of
Read ArticleLife After Life
By Brad Dunn | Posted April 2009 | Add a CommentOne of the most unusual final resting places in the world is coming more alive every day. The Neptune Memorial Reef, about three miles off Key Biscayne, Florida, is not only attracting a greater variety of marine life, it is also bringing in a bevy of scuba divers and underwater photographers.The one-of-a-kind cemetery lies in 45 feet of water and includes benches, gates, and sculptures,
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Immersion Suit and Other Things We Like
By Brad Dunn | Posted March 2009 | Add a CommentThere are a number of situations you never want to be in at sea. The most severe involve survival suits, those reddish-orange neoprene numbers colloquially referred to as gumby suits. The premise of the suit is simple: a one-piece, insulated, full-body floatation device that keeps you alive until rescuers find you, no matter the temperature (well, almost).
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Supplier of the Decade
By Brad Dunn | Posted March 2009 | Add a CommentHargrave Custom Yachts has given its Supplier of the Decade award to Caterpillar. Michael Joyce (far right), chairman of the Fort Lauderdale-based yachtbuilder, said Cat has received a 100-percent customer satisfaction rating since it was selected as the sole engine supplier to Hargrave in
Read ArticleNew Advisor
By Brad Dunn | Posted March 2009 | Add a CommentSynchrony, a megayacht joint-ownership program based in Fort Lauderdale, has appointed Bob Saxon to its advisory board. Saxon, a 30-year veteran in megayacht management and founder of the International Superyacht Society, will help the new company grow its operations in North America, Europe, and the Caribbean. Synchrony sells partial ownerships to a variety of megayachts and manages their
Read ArticleScuttlebutt: Off the Charts
By Brad Dunn | Posted March 2009 | Add a CommentNOAA says it was “very surprised” by a recent study suggesting that many boaters are using severely out-of-date paper charts and are unaware of the availability of updates. “The coastal waters of the U.S. are in a constant state of change. Channels are re-routed; new aids to navigation are established or deleted; new wrecks and obstructions are discovered,” said Richard Sillcox of NOAA. “It is
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