Bids are now being accepted on eBay for a chance to win a ride for four aboard Crowley’s winningest tugboat, Hunter, as it races against the field in Seattle Maritime Festival’s annual tugboat race on Saturday, May 14.

All proceeds from the auction, which will be open from Wednesday, April 27, through Friday, May 6, will benefit the Seattle-based not-for-profit Ryther Child Center, a recognized leader in behavioral health services for Washington state children and their families facing complex challenges. The bidding will begin at $100 (currently at $150 as of 11am PST Thursday).

This once-in-a-lifetime experience will give the winner and three guests (children over the age of 12) the opportunity to ride the tug Hunter – which is considered the fastest tugboat on the West Coast ­- as it competes in the Class A Unlimited Race against several of the fastest tugboats in Elliott Bay across the Downtown Seattle Harbor. This year’s festival and race will be especially memorable, as it will also serve as part of the Port of Seattle’s 100^th anniversary celebration.

“The Hunter has won every single year that it has competed since 1995,” said Crowley’s Chris Peterson, vice president, marine services. “And this year should be no exception. This is a great opportunity for a group to take part in the excitement while also giving back to a worthwhile cause.”

As part of Crowley’s company-wide efforts to give back to the communities in which it works, the Seattle office has chosen to support Ryther through fundraisers and volunteerism.

“Our employees selected Ryther as the focus of this year’s philanthropic efforts because it is a meaningful organization that impacts so many local children and families,” said Peterson. “We are pleased to provide this ride along opportunity to four lucky bidders while supporting Ryther.”

To participate in the auction, visit eBay and register as a user. Unsuccessful bidders are still encouraged to contribute to Ryther by making a donation online at http://www.ryther.org/index.htm.

Seattle – SEONG UG SIN, a citizen of Korea, and captain of the STX Daisy was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 14 days in prison, and 6 months of supervised release, during which time he is not allowed to sail in United States waters. SIN was arrested April 14, 2010, after a Coast Guard inspection crew found him drunk while in command of the 590 foot vessel in the Straits of Juan de Fuca. At trial earlier this month, the evidence revealed that SIN’s blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Richard Creatura imposed the sentence.

According to testimony at trial, the Coast Guard inspection team had difficulty boarding the STX Daisy in the early morning hours of April 14, 2010, as Captain Sin failed repeatedly to follow their instructions. The ten member inspection crew needed to board the 20 ton freighter from a small inflatable boat during three foot swells. Once on board, Captain Sin continued to have difficulty providing the records required, and a review determined he had no usable charts of Puget Sound. The ship was ordered to Port Angeles. SIN was given a breath test, which revealed his blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit for being in command of a vessel. A search of the ship determined that significant quantities of Korean whiskey had been consumed by SIN and one other officer.

In asking for a significant sentence, the government noted the potential for disaster with a drunk captain aboard a 20 ton freighter. “The consequences of an accident that may have occurred due to the defendants intoxication could have been catastrophic. The defendant’s intended journey through the Straits of Juan de Fuca and down the Puget Sound to Olympia covered over 205 miles through areas characterized by narrow channels and strong currents. More importantly, the defendant’s intended track crossed no less than six Washington State Ferry routes, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and many areas of high commercial shipping and recreational boating activity. The defendant’s ship, carrying large quantities of fuel oil posed further risk to the marine environment. In the interest of public safety, a strong sentence is warranted to deter future mariners from following in this defendant’s wake,” the Assistant U.S. Attorneys wrote in their sentencing memo.

via Coast Guard News

Earlier this week I received a request from our friend Ben Ellison at Panbo to poll our readers on the use of AIS. He was especially concerned with the upcoming release of AIS-B, vessel tracking system for boaters, and how the watch officers of large ships expected to process the increasingly large amounts of data on their radar screens. You can read that post HERE.

While writing the post I was curious about the other side of the equation namely, what do experienced boaters think about us? To answer my questions I contacted our friend Richard Rodriguez of BitterEnd blog, an experienced vessel assist Captain on one of nation’s busiest inland waterways; the Puget Sound. Here is his reply;

1) What should ships worry about when interacting with boats?

That most boats have no clue as to how to interact with ships. In the Licensing Courses I teach, I used to be surprised when folks indicated that they didn’t know ships do not guard channel 16. Ships should be afraid, very afraid, as most boats don’t have a clue, as to what to do or how to do it when they encounter a ship. Easily 1/3 of the boats I tow in the season, can’t give their Lat/Long, even though the have a GPS, let alone know about what to do related to ships. Boats usually run the other way; expect the unexpected.

2) Top 10 things I wish ships did to make boating safer?

1. Call a Securité, on channel 16, to announce a departure from norm.
2. Slowed down, when transiting congested waterways.
3. Occasionally use channel 16 when unsure of a boat’s action.
4. – 10. I’ll let readers fill in the blanks in the comment section.

3) Top 5 close calls I’ve had with ships.

1. Hiding out in the Sep Zone as I was waked by ships on either side of me.
2. Being in restricted visibility with out a radar, before I knew the rules and almost hitting a CG Cutter off the Columbia Bar.
3. Attempting to beat a 900′ USNS RoRo across the lanes. – I lost.
4. – 5. I’ll let readers fill in the blanks in the comment section.

4) Constant Bearing, Decreasing Range… how to tell if a boater is unable to get out of the way.

CBDR – now there’s a concept. Joe Blow thinks that if he bumps the throttle a few hundred RPM’s that he can beat you across the VTS lanes. He has no idea that you’re pumping 20+ kts, five to seven miles away when he starts across the (1.25 nm) lanes at 5.5 kts.

5) Lessons learned from my years boating the Puget Sound.

Conditions change – be prepared for the worst case scenario. Always have a plan B and a plan C.

Practice, practice, practice. Can you navigate with traditional tools? If you’re a sailor – can you make it to your slip under sail? When was the last time you did a man overboard drill?

By all means remember that S**T HAPPENS. If you think that something is about to happen, it is “Deemed to Exist.” Don’t put your head in the sand and boldly keep going.

Also be sure to read his related articles:

• AIS – A Mixed Blessing

• VTS – Working with large vessels