Conference vicki::boats

    
    this ahem,ack,.,,,,,,  should be crossposted in the Sai.... ahem,ack
    Notesfile.....
    
    
    JIm

	Does anyone have more information on the schedule of the Tall Ships ?
(What ports they will be visiting on which days etc.)  I'd like to see them
and get some pictures of them under way.  It's 90 miles by water for me to
get to Boston, but if they were to come up Buzzards Bay or through the canal
that would present a much better opportunity.
	P.S. I know nothing about sailing, but envy how they can get those
large ships to manuver when I have a hard time getting back in the slip in
a 20 knt wind.

	Rick

I don't know the schedule for the tall ships, but I doubt very much 
they'll use Buzzards Bay or the Cape Cod Canal. Square riggers need an 
awful lot of sea room (miles) to manuever on their own and they need 
tugs in confined waters. 

    AND SO IS THE NAVY. THE HARBOR IS GOING TO BE VERY BUSY. DO YOU KNOW
    THE DATE OF THE RENACTMENT OF MOVING THE CONSTITUTION OUT OF THE HARBOR.
    

    RE: .7
    Please release your caps lock key. All caps is considered "shouting"
    and is difficult for most people to read.
    
    And I believe the Constitution is turned around on July 4.
    
    Rick

RE: .6,

Those with reasonable inboard power coming up from NYC the week before can 
use the Canal (and have in the past).  

From personal experience, I can tell you the best way to see them is 
offshore a few miles as they sail in for the event.  Once in the parade, 
viewing will be controlled.  Offshore you can run along 50' off and talk 
with those on deck.  Some may also be anchoring off in various nearby 
areas immediately preceding or following the events in Boston.  Years ago, 
I spent a fabulous hour around and aboard Sagres which was anchored 3
miles off Wingaersheek Beach (Annisquam, Gloucester, MA) -- perhaps two
dozen boats came out from shore that afternoon.  The smart ones brought
T-shirts to trade for pins or Portugese t-shirts. 

J.

    I HAVE IT FROM A GOOD SOURCE THAT THE BIGGER ONES WILL SAIL AROUND THE
    CAPE AND THE SMALLER ONES WILL COME UP THROUGH THE CANAL ENROUTE TO THE
    BOSTON HARBOR.

    sorry about the caps,i am new at this. yes turned on the 4th, but this
    year it is being taken out of the harbor to renact history as to when
    it was hidden in a cove i think in marblehead. the sails are being made
    for it now.

    re: .-1
    
    Will she actually be under sail.  I had heard a long while back that
    they (?) would not stress the masts and boat using sails because of her
    age.
    
    I might brave the crazies to see it under full sail.
    
    Gordon

Re: the USS CONSTITUTION (Old Ironsides).

You shouldn't expect to see much of her for the next two years or so.
Her rigging will be removed and her masts unstepped this summer. She's
going into drydock in June for a major overhaul, including some study and
attempts to correct hogging of the keel. The work is expected to take 18
to 24 months.

I've found that the mention of "Tall Ships" is usually tainted with
overstatement and overt attempts to set high expectations. Why? Greed; to
enhance tourism. In most cases over the past 3-4 years, these "tall
ships" have shown up in numbers far fewer than anticipated. Some that
*do* show up aren't so tall, either.

Re: .13 {I blew it}

(source: Sea Power magazine)

       "...Following her annual "turnaround Cruise" and participation in
       the City of Boston Tall Ships Festival in July 1992, the
       CONSTITUTION's masts will be carefully unstepped and her rigging
       taken down. By October she should be ready to be placed in the
       Charlestown Navy Yard's CONSTITUTION Drydock, now being modernized
       to receive the ship. During the 18-24 months that she will be
       drydocked, the ship's timbers will be inspected, repaired, or
       replaced as necessary to make her once again sound and seaworthy. 
       
       Methods of correcting the CONSTITUTION's "hogging" problem are
       currently under study. (Hogging is the arching of the keel that
       plagues all wooden ships over time.) Both the Navy and a leading
       engineering university are investigating various structural
       support alternatives what would arrest the hog while maintaining
       the historic and visual integrity of the ship. If not corrected in
       the near future, the hog could become more pronounced and create
       serious structural problems..."
       

                   Schedule of Marine Events as follows
    
    Harborfest 1992  *Skyconcert Fireworks (July 2)  7:30-10:30 P.M.
                     * USS Constitution Turnaround ( July 4)  10:00-2:00 P.M.
                     * USS Constitution Cup Sailboat Race (July5)
    Sail Boston 1992
                     * Arrival of USN Carrier & Escorts (July 9)
                     * Arrival of "Tall Ships" (July 10)
    Parade of Sail (July 11)
                     * Sail Boston Fireworks Display (July 12)
                     *Sail Boston "Maxi" Boat Race & 12 meter Yacht
                      Challenge Cup   (July 13-14)
                     *International Pulling Boat Challenge (July 14-15)
                     *Departure of "Tall Ships" (July 16) Farewell Parade
                      of Sail 0600-1800 - Constitution u/w 0900-1400
                     * Restart of Grand Regatta (July 16)
                     *Departure of USN Carrier (July 17)  
    Port Boston will be closed to deep draft vessel traffic,with other
    traffic regulated and strictly controlled on the above dates to ensure 
    public safety during marine events associated with Harborfest and Sail
    Boston 1992    The Locks will be closed at certain times in conjunction
    with the events and the time that they are scheduled. 

    From memory of New England Off Shore, 5 time as many Class A ships are
    expected for this event as previous events (15 as opposed to 5, I
    think).  Estimates were for 10,000 in the spectator fleet.  Which would
    mean about 30,000 in the harbor master, coast guard aux, police, state
    police, metro police, coast guard regular, environmental police, etc.
    fleet.
     
    The article said the boats would sail around the cape.  It seems to me
    the best place to watch would be off shore on during the transit - any
    place except Boston Harbor.

    Time is going by fast,Before we know it they will be here. All Tall
    Ships Should be in port by July 9th. The Parade of Sails is scheduled
    to take place on the 10th The Eagle will be the lead ship for the
    Parade. The ships will sail out to Bouy #1 and turn to sail back into
    the Harbor. The main access roads into Boston will close at 5:30 A.M.on     
    Fri. July 10th. And the Harbor will also be closed during the Parade of
    Sail.  There will be numerous military ships from other countries anchored
    outside of the Harbor,as will be the convoy of the US Carrier Kennedy which
    will be docked in the Harbor,along with the Tall Ships. The ships will be 
    docked along the Piers from Little Mystic to Castle Island,with some of
    them docked in East Boston. It will be a Zoo out there.And there will be 
    a large amount of law enforcement agencies,as well as the Coast Guard
    and Aux. There will be boat control at all points in the Harbor,for the
    safety of all.   
                  

   !!correction!!  date of the Grand Parade of Sail is July 11th (Sat.)
    FYI  In anticipation of the movement of hundreds of classic sailing
    vessels and thousands of spectator craft through Boston Harbor,designated
    spectator areas will be established. Spectator areas will be available
    on a first come first served basis.Spectator vessels must remain in
    designated spectator areas during the parade of sale. In addition,the
    whole of Boston Harbor will be maintained as a minimum wake zone one
    half hour before, during and immediately after the parade of sail.
      With the exception of parade participants and enforcement vessels, no
    vessel movement will be allowed within Boston Harbor during the tall
    ship parade between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on July 11th and during the
    tall ship departure between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on July 16th.
       Emergency channel 16 must remain clear.
       Channel 9 is designated as the new hailing frequency in the northeast
       United States.
    
       Once the events begin,you will not be able to move your vessel in
    the Harbor!

    Check points are being set up at various locations in the Harbor.
    At these points they will be checking boats for Federal stickers and
    registrations,as well as equipment required by law and finally the
    amount of people verses actual capacity allowances of the vessels.
    These violations will be very costly in heavy fines,for those who are
    not up to meeting the standards.

    Some of these Tall Ships may be around a while longer than they expect,
    if they're even able to make it into the harbor. 
    
    The ghost gear balls are big enough to do some serious damage to those
    hulls. 300,000 lobster traps lost last fall and still 95% unrecovered.
    Makes for no navigational hazard at all for a boat drawing 10 feet or
    less. Those tall ships draw quite a bit more than that, or so I've been
    told.
    

    Can anybody list what is required by law for boats to operate in
    coastal waters.  I have never gotten a straight answer to this.
    The list of equipment that the Mass RV dept gives is different from
    what the coast guard aux.  has told me.   Is there a note on this
    allready?

    John,
    
       The tankers and oil barges surely draw more water that the
    tall ships and if not them then the JFK. Why is this such an issue?
    
    Bruce

    Bruce ---
    The tankers and oil barges crush the balls of ghost gear in the
    channels they travel. A tall ship is frail by comparison. The problem
    of ghost gear as a navigation hazard has been ignored by the CG up to
    now because they didn't do anything to hurt the commercial vessels
    coming through. They are starting to take a different tack now that the
    tall ships are approaching.
    

    
    
    OK, I'll bite! (What happened to the curious cat?)
    
    What are "balls of ghost gear"?
    
    Rick

    Ghost Gear is fishing gear that is lost by the fisherman and continues
    fishing. This is known as "ghost fishing." There are ghost traps and
    ghost nets. For example, there are two ghost nets off the northern side
    of Kettle Island outside of Magnolia, MA. In the Storm with No Name
    that hit on Halloween of last year, 300,000 lobster traps were lost.
    These are perfect lobster habitat, and lobsters will enter an unbaited
    trap to hide. Those lobsters then become bait for other lobsters, cod,
    crabs, ocean pout, wolf fish, and anything else that eats lobster. 
    
    What happens is that the lobster trawls (usually 6-12 traps on a trawl,
    with about 100 feet of rope between each trap in the trawl) behave like
    bolos once they are picked up. The various trawls' ropes catch the
    other trawls' ropes and traps, and pretty soon there is a collection of
    traps and rope that can contain hundreds of traps and that can be as
    large as a two-story house. One of these balls weighs several tons.
    It's well known where a lot of the balls are, but nobody has been able
    to come up with the funds to hire the equipment to get them out of the
    water. 
    
    Losing the traps in a trawl is normal in the lobstering business, so
    there were probably several thousand ghost traps already in MA waters
    when the Storm with No Name hit. Ghost traps are a very common sight in
    New England waters.
    
    The Ghost Trap Problem is only about 20 years old. Before 1970, wooden
    lobster pots were used by the majority of lobstermen, and they would
    break apart if left in the water for any extended period.
    
    Off the soap box. If you'd really like more info on this, I'll be happy
    to say more by e-mail.
    
    John H-C

    RE .22 -< what is required >-
    
    USCG requirements are based on vessel length.
    
    I	Under 16 ft
    II	16 ft to under 26 ft
    III	26 ft to under 40 ft
    IV	40 ft to under 65 ft
    
    Each class has the same requirements of the next lower class PLUS the
    requirements for that class.  For example, a class III vessel requires
    all that a class II does, plus the additional requirements for class
    III vessels.  These are explained in USCG pamphlet called:
    "Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats," which can be picked up
    at any USCG, AUX, or Power Sqdn.  Some sports shops have them for free
    too.  It's a pictorial overview of the Coast Guard's requirements for
    pleasure craft that contains much more information than just the
    requirements.
    
    BTW, the Aux. requirements are more stringent than the Coast Guard's.
    
    The basic USCG requirements include:
    (The number and type of item may vary according to the class of vessel)
    
    	Properly displayed numbering w/current decal and Federal fee sticker
    	ships documents	(if vessel is documented)
    	proper lighting (from sunset to sunrise)
    	engine venting 
    	flame arrester
    	proper number & size of fire extinguishers
    	head (holding tank) requirements are met inside 3 mile limit
    	sufficient number of PFDs and throwables
    	proper sound signals (horn - bell - whistle, etc.) on board
    	day/night visual distress signals (flares, flags, etc)
    	copy of FCC VHF radio station license on board
    
    
    Also, a boarding officer will inspect your vessel for the safety of you
    and your passengers.  The condition of the required items could affect
    the outcome of the boarding. 
    
    For example, your vessel can be terminated for any of the following
    infractions:
    
    	Insufficient number of CG-approved PFDs
    	Insufficient fire extinguishers
    	Overloaded vessel exceeds mfr's recommended capacity
    	  (too many people, too much cargo, or both)
    	Fuel leak
    	Fuel in bilge
    	Improper ventilation
    	Improper flame arrester
    	Manifestly unsafe voyage
     
    		Safe sailing
    
    
    			-mike-

    Any body out there going to be out watching the ships on Sat?  
    
    Fairsky and guests are leaving on Fri night to get a good spot.  
    Anybody else spending the night out in area P or weather
    alternative area M?   Give a holler we can swap lies etc.
    
    Ken Chester
    FAIRSKY
    
    

    Is anyone thinking of taking their Fresh water (lake) powerboat
    to see the tall ships?
    
    How feasable is this?
    Can an 18ft runabout with 20 gal of gas make it there and back?
    What registration is needed?
    Where would the easiest place to launch?
    Where could the trailer be left?

	re: .28

	Maybe I'll give ya a call early Sat am.
	Gonna try and get through locks before 6:00am or earlier.
	Will give ya a haller.
	Not sure what section I'll anchor in yet.

	re.29

	Your 18ft boat should be fine in fair skies.
	But remember your gonna be stuck out there all day long as
	traffic will be stopped during parade of Tall Ships.
	Long time in a small boat.

	Naturally I'm goin anyway
	I'll be carrying extra fuel as I'll be running the Charles
	which is a lot of driving.

	-< Tuna Tail >- aboard "FishTeaser"  19ft SeaNymph

    RE: .28
    
    I'll be leaving on Saturday and staying for 5 days to watch the Tall
    Ships and cruise the Boston waters.  I monitor CH-9 VHF.
    
    Good sailing . . .
    
    	-mike-
    
    		"Helen Highwater," Merrimack River

    Dick,
    
      The charles is basically no wake from watertown down to the locks so
    leave plenty of time. I would recommend using the ramp in winthrop.
    It take about 5 minutes to get from the ramp to the harbor next to
    logan. Just get there about 6AM so you can park......
    
    Bruce

re: .32

	Bruce can you give me directions to the Winthrop Ramp and
	will there be ample space very late Friday night or extremely
	early Saturday am?

	I'd hate to drive all that way (from Oxford south of Worcester)
	and not find parking space.

	It would be much easier for me to go out of Winthrop if I could
	find the ramp.

re: .31

	Mike I'll be goin out (see above) will give ya a call.

	-< Tuna Tail >- aboard the FishTeaser

	- Launched on the Charles R. from Watertown Ramp 9:30pm Friday evening
	  Nice Ride down the Charles and through the Charles Gate Locks
	- Went by Pier 4 etc and alongside the USS INCHON Helicopter Carrier
	- Anchored within Anchor line distance to Green "3A" off Spectacle Isle.
	- Thunder/Lighting and Torrential downpour for 15min at 2:30am.
	  Fun aboard a 19ft Center Cosole "Aluminum" boat......NOT
	  Fortunately we had a Bimini top and the Boat Cover along.
	  Unfortunately too much openings in side to keep us dry.s
	  By the time we dropped the Binimi top and secured the boat cover 
	  the storm was over.  Great wet tail to tell.........NOT
	- Many Many Many Many Many other pleasure boats anchored around us
	  all night and up to Sail Time.
	- Watched the Constitution come out to excort the Tall Ships in.
	  A thing of beauty.
	- The Tall Ships came in with much of there sails down but under power.
	  Spectacular to see and be so close to them
	- Most exciting part was to witness the America's cup type boats zip
	  by as they tacked back and forth in between the tall ships.  They
	  were "sailing" and the speed they had with such little wind was
	  Awe inspiring.  Seeing those ships on TV cannot depect how they 
	  can fly.  They headed right toward our anchored position and tacked
	  within 50ft of our position at about 45deg angle after the tack.
	  Magnificent.  At that time they definetly stole the event.  You could
	  hear the sail slap slack and then tug with the new found wind.  You
	  could hear the commands about the ship as they tacked to the opposite
	  side of the harbour right across and infront of a Tall Ship.  As 
	  they passed the Tall Ship she would fire off a volley.  The crowd
	  amongst us were going nuts yelling our support and sounding all
	  kinds of horns whisles and even cannon fire from a 2 mosted schooner
	  that was anchored along side us.  We could feel the concussion on
	  every volley.
	- Many varieties of boats were at our anchorage.  From dingy's launched
	  from the yaucht's, 1 and 2 person cayak's, A harbour police in shorts
	  on a jet ski, row boats, all kinds of power boats and sailing vessals.
	  All in all the crowded area was pretty safe less the occasional
	  anchor letting go and drifting boats into each other.
	- The attempt to get back to the Charles after the event was truly
	  a thing of beauty.......NOT   Packed Harbour with boats wanting
	  to get a view of the Tall Ships at anchorage maid for an interesting
	  challange.  Espicially as the CG was squeezing all the boats to
	  maintain a counterclockwise flow of traffic for spectator craft.
	  Found myself between an America's type vessal and a Tugboat.
	  This with less than 2ft clearance between them.  Great fun...."sure"

	Anyone else go?
	-< Tuna Tail >- Aboard the FishTeaser