Wednesday, April 23, 2003

Tax and boats - for real.
"We appreciate how anxious charter boat industry stakeholders are to know more about the outcome of negotiations between the industry and the Australian Tax Office," says Sherry Donaldson, Chairperson of the Charter Boat Industry Survival Campaign.
"We are all eager to know when a Final Ruling might be expected from the Tax Office."
"The continuing uncertainty about timing has been a major concern for the Charter Boat Industry Survival Campaign and all of its stakeholders. Balanced against this concern has been the need for our negotiating team to be painstaking about the content of a Final Ruling to ensure both compliance with the law and to protect the interests of legitimate stakeholders across Australia." Sherry Donaldson said.
"I am pleased to report that negotiations with the ATO appear to be finally drawing to a conclusion. The CBISC and ATO officials do now look to have reached a position of accommodation in relation to the content of a Final Ruling. We say this, having meticulously considered the position of legitimate owners and operators in a wide range of charter boat industry fleets and locations.
"However, given that this position requires approval by the Rulings Panel and ultimately by the Commissioner of Taxation, we are not yet able to report official agreement or give stakeholders a definite date for release of a Final Ruling. The CBISC will keep stakeholders updated as we move towards the release by the ATO of a Final Ruling.
The full report from the Charter Boat Industry Survival Campaign is available from On the Waterfront C/ The Guardian or ahoy@whitsunday.net.au

Missing the Sea?
Here are a few tips for those of you who are feeling nostalgic about those great times at sea...
*Sleep on the shelf in your closet. Replace the door with a curtain. Two hours after you go to sleep, have your spouse whip open the curtain, shine a flashlight in your eyes, hit you with a wet towel and mumble "Sorry, wrong berth".
*Renovate your bathroom. Build a wall across the middle of your bathtub and move the showerhead down to chest level. When you take showers, make sure you shut off the water while soaping up.
*Every time there's a thunderstorm, go sit in a wobbly rocking chair and rock as hard as you can until you're nauseated.
*Leave the lawnmower running in your living room six hours a day for proper smell and noise level.
*Wake up every night at midnight and have sandwich on stale bread, if anything. (Optional: soggy muesli bar.)
*Set your alarm clock to go off at random times during the night. When it goes off, jump out of bed and get dressed as fast as you can, then run out into your yard and break out the garden hose and spray yourself until soaked. Return to your bunk.
*Once a month take every major appliance completely apart and then put them back together. Without instructions.
*Make coffee and allow it to sit for 5 or 6 hours before drinking.
*Have a fluorescent lamp installed on the bottom of your coffee table and lie under it to read books.
*Every so often, throw your cat into the swimming pool, shout "Man overboard!" run into the kitchen and sweep all the pots/pans/dishes off of the counter onto the floor, then yell at your spouse for not having the place "shipshape".

Rebirthing of boats
'Rebirthing' occurs when a stolen boat has had its identity changed by the fraudulent use of its original HIN (Hull Identification Plate) plate. Thieves target boats on trailers, as they are easiest to steal. They then repaint the boats, strip off the HIN number, and re-register the boat interstate, usually in Qld or Victoria. Authorities claim that lax registration procedures in those States make it far too easy for thieves.

Boating survey
Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) is conducting a survey to assess boating knowledge, skill and behaviour on Queensland waterways. MSQ conducts the survey every two years and the results assist with planning in relation to safety, pollution and boating facilities. All responses are confidential and for research only.
All completed surveys will go into monthly and a final draw for marine equipment prizes. Monthly prize draws will be valued at over $100 with a final draw on 1 August 2003.
The Recreational Boating Registration Survey 2003 is available from MSQ or can be downloaded. A version of the survey that can be completed online will be available soon at www.transport.qld.gov.au/qt/maritime.

Bangladesh ferries sink
At least 80 bodies have been pulled out of one of two ferries that sank during a storm near the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, police said on Tuesday.
"So far 80 bodies have been found and the toll will definitely rise," said police officer Mohammad Mizanur Rahman.
No exact figures were available as to how many people were on board the ferry and how many of them survived, officials supervising the rescue operations said.
The double-deck ferry, from which the bodies had been recovered and that capsized at Alipur near Dhaka, was dangerously overloaded with 400 or more passengers aboard, double its listed capacity.
At least 50 passengers from another ferry that sank during the same storm near Kishoreganj, 150 km north-east of Dhaka, were missing, and may be dead.
The ferry was carrying about 100 members of a bridal party, police said. Darkness and strong winds with occasional rain hampered rescue efforts at both sites, police said.

"Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or doing it better."
John Updike (1932-), American novelist.

Fair winds to Ye!
Cap'n Dan

Thursday, April 17, 2003


Sailing: All good clean healthy fun!
A European news agency has published a copy of a leaked document allegedly from the Australian Department of Health and Ageing suggesting that sailing in Australia will receive a boost from the government. The document describes sailing as 'a non polluting healthy outdoor activity for all the family, which encourages participants to work as a team and use their minds while keeping fit, thus reducing the need for medical and family support services'.
"The aim is to replace popular contact sports, which impose a cost on the community due to injuries and long-term bodily damage, with a safer, healthier alternative," said the leaked document published by Scuttlebutt Europe on April 1.
"To encourage more people to participate in sailing, the Australian Taxation Office has reversed its decision on its draft ruling on charter boats, and has declared all sailing vessels to be tax deductible. The expected increase in boat sales will create jobs as boat builders and the marine industry attempt to keep up with demand, and the attendant increase in tourism will provide a boost to local industries," the report says.
"The Australian Tourism Commission announced a Sailing Downunder campaign in Europe due to go ahead when the war in Iraq is over. An ATC spokesperson says that 'Europeans are embracing sailing as a sport after the publicity generated by the Swiss winning the America's Cup and by the exploits of famous Australian sailors such as Ellen MacArthur. Europeans can cruise, race or learn to sail all year round in Australia as the Australian winter compares favourably with a European summer. Sailing in Australia is also affordable and considered to be an authentic travel experience."
The report also claimed "The ABC, the government broadcaster, has schedule a weekly sailing television and radio show with the focus being on events, sail training and travel."
"Some people thought that the name of the Department of Health and Ageing is a joke but it's not! But it should have been a clue along with the date of the document, April 1, 2003 says our leaky correspondent Kathy McKenzie of BoatingOZ.
"Obviously this didn't sound absurd enough to the European editor!" Kathy said of the April Fools.

Best of a Bad Situation
Gordon died. So Susan went to the local newspaper to put a notice in the obituaries. The gentleman at the counter, after offering his condolences, asked Susan what she would like to say about Gordon.
Susan replied, "Just put, 'Gordon died.'"
The gentleman, somewhat perplexed, said, "That's it? Just 'Gordon died?'
"Surely, there must be something more you'd like to say about Gordon. If it's money you're concerned about, the first five words are free. We really should say something more."
So Susan pondered for a few minutes and finally said, "O.K. then, put 'Gordon died. Sailboat for sale.'"

Tax and boats - for real.
"We appreciate how anxious charter boat industry stakeholders are to know more about the outcome of negotiations between the industry and the ATO," says Sherry Donaldson, Chairperson of the Charter Boat Industry Survival Campaign.
"We are all eager to know when a Final Ruling might be expected from the Tax Office."
"The continuing uncertainty about timing has been a major concern for the Charter Boat Industry Survival Campaign and all of its stakeholders. Balanced against this concern has been the need for our negotiating team to be painstaking about the content of a Final Ruling to ensure both compliance with the law and to protect the interests of legitimate stakeholders across Australia." Sherry Donaldson said.
The full report from the Charter Boat Industry Survival Campaign is available from On the Waterfront C/ The Guardian.

Dots stem crims
"Marine theft is at epidemic levels, stealing boats is a rampant crime around Australia. Water Police have exposed well-organised rackets, which are stealing and 'rebirthing' expensive boats. Millions of dollars worth of boats are involved."
The Australian Marine Industry Federation (AMIF) is taking a leadership role in combating this problem by officially endorsing the revolutionary DataDot anti-theft system and encouraging Boating Industry Association (BIA) members across the nation to apply the dots.
Thousands of DataDots, each one containing the boat's unique Hull Identification Number (HIN), are sprayed all over the boat. Practically invisible to the naked eye, DataDots show up under an ultraviolet light. It is virtually impossible for thieves to find all the DataDots, and far too much trouble to remove them all.
The AMIF endorses the DataDot HIN Dot system for a number of reasons. It is a very cost effective means of deterring marine theft, and it does not require a secondary database. The HIN which is currently applied to the vessel, and on each DataDot, is the identifier held in state government databases.
"We are proud to have this partnership with the AMIF," said Chris Stott, CEO of DataDot Technology, "and we look forward to all boat owners having a significantly higher level of protection against boat thieves."
DataDot HIN Dots "DNA for Boats" are around 1 millimetre in diameter with multiple lines of text applied using a sophisticated laser process. This text is the boat's unique HIN (Hull Identification Number), consisting of 14 digits.
Thousands of tiny DataDot HIN Dots, each about the size of a grain of sand, are then sprayed all over the boat and its accessories commonly targeted by thieves.
An ultra violet trace in the adhesive allows police to detect quickly and efficiently which boats have been DataDot-protected as they glow purple under a UV light. Using a simple magnifier police can then easily read the HIN dot to verify the vessels authenticity necessary to trace ownership.
DataDot warning stickers being placed on the boat achieves further deterrence. Why would a thief bother?
The VIN Dot version of DataDots has been adopted as standard equipment for all BMW cars coming into Australia since last September, along with 8 other car manufacturers. Thousands of DataDots are sprayed on the car with its unique VIN number. A growing number of marine trailer manufacturers are also adopting this very successful practice to deter thieves from targeting their brand of boat trailers.
Microdots (the precursor to DataDot) have been used in espionage since 1948 when Russian spies disguised microfilm containing secret documents as a full stop in a book.
DataDot has now revolutionized the use of this technology with its world-first theft deterrent Asset Identification System.
'Rebirthing' occurs when a stolen boat has had its identity changed by the fraudulent use of its original HIN plate. Thieves target boats on trailers, as they are easiest to steal. They then repaint the boats, strip off the HIN number, and re-register the boat interstate, usually in Qld or Victoria. Authorities claim that lax registration procedures in those States make it far too easy for thieves. DataDots help police stamp this out by making it almost impossible to change a boat's identity and provide a vital link between recovered assets, to reported incidents of theft, a critically important crime-fighting task.
Boats already equipped with DataDot HIN Dots include Southwind Marine, Seafarer, Bayliner, Stebercraft, Deep Vee, Black Watch, Quicksilver, Riviera & Mariner Boats, Australian Master Marine, and Novurania Inflatables & Hooker Dory's.

Easter Regatta
The 2003 Easter Regatta incorporating the North Queensland Championships will be held in Airlie Beach this weekend.
Hosted by The Whitsunday Sailing Club classes sailing in the annual regatta will include Sabot 1-up and 2-up, Flying Ant, Laser and Laser radial, Tasar, 49er, 29er, 505, 14' skiff, catamarans, and other class monohulls. Presentations will be held on Sunday night.

Fair winds to Ye!
Cap'n Dan

Friday, April 11, 2003


Oil war forecast for Irish green fuel
Competition for the oil fields of Texas and the Middle East is to come soon from the fields of Wexford in Ireland. Wexford Renewable Fuels is due to begin extracting oil from rapeseed shortly in Adamstown, Co. Wexford to produce a fuel suitable for diesel engines.
It is forecast that the Irish Green Gold clean fuel can be produced for about 55 cents a litre and the company is hoping that their environmentally friendly fuel will attract a low rate of duty, reports Marine Times.
It is thought that it will take eight acres of rape to fuel a family car for one year with a by product of feed suitable as coarse rations for pigs and dairy cattle.
Maybe they will be able to capture the methane by-product of the pigs and cows and market it as natural gas. It could fuel plenty of heated talk.

Corporate sailing
Sailing is the new corporate sport and team building exercise - for good reasons!
* A yacht will only sail well when the crew works as a team
* Each crewmember is responsible for his or her own role, and for the boat's overall performance
* Sailing requires considerable thought; a race is a good measure of performance and lots of fun
* While sailing is challenging, it does not put your team at risk
* Fresh air and a natural environment contribute to the day's success

As the world turns
Rivers in the northern hemisphere scour their right-hand banks more severely than their left-hand banks. This effect is due to the rotation of the Earth.

Fitzalan Passage buoys
Mariners are advised that a lighted Special Mark buoy FL.Y.2.5s has been established in approximate position Latitude 20°17.9313'S, Longitude 148°55.047'E and another in approximate position Latitude 20°18.7922'S, Longitude 148°56.0571'E in Fitzalan Passage which is off Whitsunday Passage. The buoys are expected to be in place until further notice. Charts affected: AUS 252, 253, 254, 824

"Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him."
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), English novelist and essayist.

Fair winds to Ye!
Cap'n Dan
Ship sourced sewage strategy sought

Maritime Safety Queensland is currently conducting public consultation on proposed laws to govern vessel-sourced sewage management. Discussions and consultation have been continuing since marine pollution regulations were introduced in 1995.
It is necessary to introduce workable and practical measures to assist in the protection of Queensland waterways and waterway users from vessel-sourced sewage say Maritime Safety Qld.
Draft laws for vessel sewage management have been developed and a vessel-sourced sewage Regulatory Impact Statement is available for comment.
Most ships and yachts operating in Queensland will be affected by this legislation.
The Regulatory Impact Statement details proposed vessel sewage management requirements to be included in the Transport Operations (Marine Pollution) Regulation 1995.
You are invited to comment on the Regulatory Impact Statement. A copy of the Proposed Regulation will be provided.
Comments are to be received by Maritime Safety Queensland no later than close of business Monday, 12 May 2003. A Response Form is provided to assist you in making a response with full details available from MSQ offices.

Crew wanted

A crew of "gun" sailors are required for Hamilton Island Race Week on an ex-America's Cup yacht.
* Can you 'smoke' the main halyard of a 12m yacht without gloves? You are probably our mast man.
* Can you pick a fight with a pub full of shearers and win (because you are the fastest runner)? You are probably our forward hand.
* Can you spot a "real" blonde at 500 paces? You are probably our tactician.
For more crew requirements see www.boatingoz.com.au/news

The Seasick Sailor

"The deck was deserted, and he crawled to the extreme end of it...There he doubled up it limp agony...the surge and the screw combined to sieve out his soul. His head swelled...his body seemed to lose weight...he was fainting from seasickness. The roll of the ship tilted him over the rail...a low, gray mother wave swung out of the fog...pulled him down and...away. The great green sea closed over him, and he went quietly to sleep." From CAPTAIN'S COURAGEOUS By Rudyard Kipling
For anyone who has been seasick, Kipling captures the essence of the experience. But the story below is not fiction. It is the brief story of a hapless passenger overcome by seasickness; however, unlike the young man in Kipling's novel, no other vessel was nearby to save him.
The weather had turned foul, but the seas did not seem too bad. The captain thought the water would be calm enough at the dive site by the next morning, so he decided to sail with the small party of sport divers. In the wallowing seas no one felt very good, and it wasn't long before most found their way to the bunks below. Perhaps each were struggling too much with their own misery to notice Mr. Smith, but Mr. Smith was ill as it turned out, deathly ill.
While the captain fought the sloppy seas, Mr. Smith gripped the gunwale in his own "limp agony." On several occasions the deckhands and the passengers offered warnings to be careful, but he didn't respond- he was alone in his misery. No one thought to get a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) for him or to rig a harness. Perhaps they hovered in the purgatory of loneliness between seasickness and normalcy and shared his need for solitude. Whatever the reason, it seemed little transpired between those aboard. One of the passengers recalls seeing Mr. Smith around midnight. At about 0230 a passenger notice the he was not in his bunk; nor was he at the rail or in the head. It was quickly evident that he was missing. The captain swung the vessel around and began to search along the track line. The Coast Guard was notified, but the day's search was fruitless.
The investigator pieced together the final day of Mr. Smith's life from statements of the passengers and crew. No one saw him fall overboard. He simply disappeared...unseen, like Kipling's young hero...fainting from seasickness...slipped over the side...and went silently to his final sleep.
Know the dangers of seasickness. Take care of your passengers even when they are sick. Don 't leave the seasick unattended without taking basic safety precautions.

War statistic

You are sailing your yacht around the world, as one does, and you are approaching a U.S. Naval vessel. You have heard of the Naval Vessel Protection Zone and don't want to become a war statistic. Now, how did it go again?
Answer: The protection zone is 500 yards (within 100 yards is a no-approach zone and within another 400 yards you must operate at minimum speed). In situations where you must pass within 100 yards to stay within a navigable channel, you must contact the coast guard or escort vessel before approaching within 100 yards.

Easter Regatta

The 2003 Easter Regatta incorporating the North Queensland Championships will be held in Airlie Beach on 18 - 20 April. Hosted by The Whitsunday Sailing Club.
Classes sailing in the annual regatta will include Sabot 1-up and 2-up, Flying Ant, Laser and Laser radial, Tasar, 49er, 29er, 505, 14' skiff, catamarans, and other class monohulls.
A Notice of Race is available from the sailing club. Presentations will be held on Sunday night.

Red Sea

The Red Sea got its name from the occasionally extensive blooms of algae that, upon dying, turn the sea's normally intense blue-green waters to red.

Fitzalan Passage buoys

Mariners are advised that a lighted Special Mark buoy FL.Y.2.5s has been established in approximate position Latitude 20°17.9313'S, Longitude 148°55.047'E and another in approximate position Latitude 20°18.7922'S, Longitude 148°56.0571'E in Fitzalan Passage which is off Whitsunday Passage. The buoys are expected to be in place until further notice. Charts affected: AUS 252, 253, 254, 824

"Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him."

Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), English novelist and essayist.

Fair winds to Ye!
Cap'n Dan

Ship sourced sewage strategy sought

Maritime Safety Queensland is currently conducting public consultation on proposed laws to govern vessel-sourced sewage management. Discussions and consultation have been continuing since marine pollution regulations were introduced in 1995.
It is necessary to introduce workable and practical measures to assist in the protection of Queensland waterways and waterway users from vessel-sourced sewage say Maritime Safety Qld.
Draft laws for vessel sewage management have been developed and a vessel-sourced sewage Regulatory Impact Statement is available for comment.
Most ships and yachts operating in Queensland will be affected by this legislation.
The Regulatory Impact Statement details proposed vessel sewage management requirements to be included in the Transport Operations (Marine Pollution) Regulation 1995.
You are invited to comment on the Regulatory Impact Statement. A copy of the Proposed Regulation will be provided.
Comments are to be received by Maritime Safety Queensland no later than close of business Monday, 12 May 2003. A Response Form is provided to assist you in making a response with full details available from MSQ offices.

Crew wanted

A crew of "gun" sailors are required for Hamilton Island Race Week on an ex-America's Cup yacht.
* Can you 'smoke' the main halyard of a 12m yacht without gloves? You are probably our mast man.
* Can you pick a fight with a pub full of shearers and win (because you are the fastest runner)? You are probably our forward hand.
* Can you spot a "real" blonde at 500 paces? You are probably our tactician.
For more crew requirements see www.boatingoz.com.au/news

The Seasick Sailor

"The deck was deserted, and he crawled to the extreme end of it...There he doubled up it limp agony...the surge and the screw combined to sieve out his soul. His head swelled...his body seemed to lose weight...he was fainting from seasickness. The roll of the ship tilted him over the rail...a low, gray mother wave swung out of the fog...pulled him down and...away. The great green sea closed over him, and he went quietly to sleep." From CAPTAIN'S COURAGEOUS By Rudyard Kipling
For anyone who has been seasick, Kipling captures the essence of the experience. But the story below is not fiction. It is the brief story of a hapless passenger overcome by seasickness; however, unlike the young man in Kipling's novel, no other vessel was nearby to save him.
The weather had turned foul, but the seas did not seem too bad. The captain thought the water would be calm enough at the dive site by the next morning, so he decided to sail with the small party of sport divers. In the wallowing seas no one felt very good, and it wasn't long before most found their way to the bunks below. Perhaps each were struggling too much with their own misery to notice Mr. Smith, but Mr. Smith was ill as it turned out, deathly ill.
While the captain fought the sloppy seas, Mr. Smith gripped the gunwale in his own "limp agony." On several occasions the deckhands and the passengers offered warnings to be careful, but he didn't respond- he was alone in his misery. No one thought to get a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) for him or to rig a harness. Perhaps they hovered in the purgatory of loneliness between seasickness and normalcy and shared his need for solitude. Whatever the reason, it seemed little transpired between those aboard. One of the passengers recalls seeing Mr. Smith around midnight. At about 0230 a passenger notice the he was not in his bunk; nor was he at the rail or in the head. It was quickly evident that he was missing. The captain swung the vessel around and began to search along the track line. The Coast Guard was notified, but the day's search was fruitless.
The investigator pieced together the final day of Mr. Smith's life from statements of the passengers and crew. No one saw him fall overboard. He simply disappeared...unseen, like Kipling's young hero...fainting from seasickness...slipped over the side...and went silently to his final sleep.
Know the dangers of seasickness. Take care of your passengers even when they are sick. Don 't leave the seasick unattended without taking basic safety precautions.

War statistic

You are sailing your yacht around the world, as one does, and you are approaching a U.S. Naval vessel. You have heard of the Naval Vessel Protection Zone and don't want to become a war statistic. Now, how did it go again?
Answer: The protection zone is 500 yards (within 100 yards is a no-approach zone and within another 400 yards you must operate at minimum speed). In situations where you must pass within 100 yards to stay within a navigable channel, you must contact the coast guard or escort vessel before approaching within 100 yards.

Easter Regatta

The 2003 Easter Regatta incorporating the North Queensland Championships will be held in Airlie Beach on 18 - 20 April. Hosted by The Whitsunday Sailing Club.
Classes sailing in the annual regatta will include Sabot 1-up and 2-up, Flying Ant, Laser and Laser radial, Tasar, 49er, 29er, 505, 14' skiff, catamarans, and other class monohulls.
A Notice of Race is available from the sailing club. Presentations will be held on Sunday night.

Red Sea

The Red Sea got its name from the occasionally extensive blooms of algae that, upon dying, turn the sea's normally intense blue-green waters to red.

Fitzalan Passage buoys

Mariners are advised that a lighted Special Mark buoy FL.Y.2.5s has been established in approximate position Latitude 20°17.9313'S, Longitude 148°55.047'E and another in approximate position Latitude 20°18.7922'S, Longitude 148°56.0571'E in Fitzalan Passage which is off Whitsunday Passage. The buoys are expected to be in place until further notice. Charts affected: AUS 252, 253, 254, 824

"Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him."

Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), English novelist and essayist.

Fair winds to Ye!
Cap'n Dan