The Arrow

Commodore

Mike Vining

Aloha,

Many Mahalos for your continued support of the hot dog. I look forward to proudly serving as your Commodore and club representative.

I wish to all a Happy New Year! Come on down and let’s celebrate on Sunday, oh, and there's a great pupu party to keep you going until midnight.

Starting a new year is always a time for reflection and foresight, our club looks great thanks to our generous landlord. Expect to park on the street a few days toward the end of January for striping of the parking spaces. We also have a couple of new signs being made for us, so in appreciation, please be courteous to the management /staff, observe the speed limit in Iroquois and watch for children; they have the right of way.

Don't forget to get your new pink non-resident decal, there are just a few days left.

2007 will be another terrific year for the biggest club in Hawaii.

First off, look for some short notice Opening day information - we will gather together at HYC for this south side event along with WYC, PYC and PHYC for brunch, followed by a blessing of the fleet. Plan to attend, your boat will surely be welcome in the fleet blessing parade, so more to follow on this neat event.

Whales are back! Tony and I were greeted by two as we sailed along last Tuesday with Puff in beautiful conditions - pure power boating weather, but just enough sea breeze to sail at 4-5 knots; I hope you get a chance to get out there and welcome them. Please observe the 100 yard stand off, or a greater "safe distance". Be especially careful not to approach a pod with big and small.

Plan to attend the meeting, we'll adopt the governing policies and the operating budget. Speaking of the budget, we are really feeling the costs of being on the meter for power and especially water usage.

Please ensure you are not needlessly filling up the lagoon and your hose has a working nozzle if you cause or find a leak, secure the water until it's repaired.

In closing I had a great visit to 17 degree California - lucky I live Hawaii!

Seyaonthewater,

Mike

mvsails@hawaii.rr.com

HAWAII BOATERS URGED TO USE CAUTION, BE EXTRA VIGILANT

FOR HUMPBACK WHALES TO AVOID COLLISIONS

New signage will warn boaters of the collision hazard

With the peak of Hawaii’s humpback whale season fast approaching, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), are urging boaters to keep an extra lookout for humpback whales in near shore waters.

“It’s important for boaters to be particularly cautious during whale season, for their own safety, as well for the whales’ protection,” said DLNR Chairperson Peter Young.

“These whales can weigh as much as 45 tons,” said Naomi McIntosh, manager of NOAA’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, which is managed in partnership with DLNR. “A collision with such a massive animal can have devastating consequences for all involved. By watching their speed, staying at the helm, and remaining extra vigilant, Hawaii’s boaters can enjoy their time on the water and help us protect these animals.”

The latest research by University of Hawaii professor Dr. Joe Mobley, funded in part by NOAA, indicates that at as many as 6,000 humpback whales will be in Hawaii this year during their “winter season,” which usually runs from November through May. The whales return home to Hawaii from their North Pacific feeding grounds each year to breed and nurse their young.

The conservation efforts of the sanctuary and DLNR complement those of the NOAA Fisheries Service Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO), which is tasked with implementing the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) as they pertain to marine mammals and sea turtles in Hawaii.

“We’re happy to have such great partners joining us in our marine protected species conservation mission,” said Chris Yates, PIRO’s Marine Mammal Branch Chief. “We share the concern about vessel-whale collisions in Hawaii and urge boaters be extra mindful of the whales while they’re out on the water this time of year.”

NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) is supporting the protected species conservation mission and public safety by increasing patrols of the sanctuary during the whales’ winter season.

“The regulation that prohibits approaching humpback whales within 100 yards serves a dual purpose of increasing the margin of safety for both people and whales,” said Judith Fogarty, special agent in charge of the Pacific Islands Division of OLE. “While many people are unaware of the 100-yard approach regulation for humpback whales, there are others that willfully disregard the regulations. We want to both prevent violations

and investigate those that occur. We educate people about the regulations and human-whale interactions, in addition to investigating violations and enforcing the law.”

OLE Special Agents and Officers will investigate reports of alleged humpback whale harassment, and other protected species interactions. NOAA OLE is the law enforcement arm for NOAA, and responsible for enforcing 37 acts related to the protection and conservation of marine resources.

Reports of suspected marine mammal or other protected species (marine mammals and sea turtles) violations may be reported to OLE’s hotline at 1-800-853-1964 from any location, or to 808-879-3699 within the state. Either number may be used, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

USCG also works in collaboration with DLNR and NOAA in protecting Hawaii’s boaters and marine wildlife, such as humpback whales.

“Our patrols are working in Hawaiian waters to help ensure boater safety and compliance with the 100 yard approach regulation,” said Lt. Cmdr. Mark Young of the Coast Guard’s Fourteenth District Enforcement Branch. “When a collision or approach rule violation is reported, we’re here to respond on the water, and to assist NOAA OLE with investigations of matters under their jurisdiction.”

USCG also assists federal and state conservation agencies in responding to injured and entangled whales and other marine wildlife in Hawaii and across the nation.

The serious consequences of vessel-whale collisions have been made apparent over the past few years.

During the 2003-2004 season, a Maui fisherman was knocked unconscious after his boat collided with a whale near Wailuku, and a vessel-whale collision appears to have been a factor in the death of a boy aboard a whale-watch boat off Oahu.

At least two collisions occurred during the (2004-2005) whale season. A humpback calf appeared in Maui waters in March 2005 with deep, regularly spaced cuts in its back, a telltale sign of an encounter with a ship’s propeller. The fate of the calf was not determined, but experts believed the severity of the injury was almost certainly fatal.

The other confirmed collision last year occurred when a ferry struck a whale on its way to Lanai from Lahaina, Maui in February 2005. This incident resulted in no significant damage or injuries to the vessel and passengers, and the whale was observed to swim away, apparently unharmed. This fortunate outcome was a least partially a result of the extra care the ferry operators take in traversing the whale dense waters between Maui and Lanai during whale season. The ferry operators spotted the whale moments before the collision and were able to slow the boat significantly before the collision occurred. Nevertheless, the incident also demonstrates that even with extra caution, collisions are still a danger.

To help remind boaters of the vessel-whale collision risk, sanctuary personnel are installing new signs at key harbors and boat ramps around the state. Signs installed last year are being replaced with a new design intended to better convey the collision hazard and the precautions boaters can take to reduce the chances of a collision.

Over the past year, members of the sanctuary’s advisory council have continued to recommend enhanced outreach efforts to reduce vessel-whale collisions.

“We completely reworked our signs to be more effective,” said DLNR’s Jeff Walters, sanctuary co-manager. “Our new signs are intended to address the concerns we share with our Council. We’ve redesigned the signs to meet DLNR and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) design criteria for safety signage. The design is now consistent with other signage used around the state to warn of other ocean safety concerns, such as high surf and dangerous currents.”

The new sign cautions boaters of the vessel-whale collision hazard during the November through May whale season, shows a pictograph of a vessel striking a whale, and lists three precautions boaters should take to help avoid collisions, i.e., (1) post a lookout to scan ahead for whales, (2) always stay at the helm so that action can be taken immediately upon seeing a whale in the vessel’s path, and (3) slow down the vessel’s speed so that boat operators have more time to react and the whale(s) may have a chance to detect the boat and get out of the way.

In addition to taking extra precautions to avoid vessel-whale collisions, Hawaii boaters and all ocean users are reminded that it is prohibited by federal law to approach any humpback whale closer than 100 yards in Hawaii, without special permission from NOAA Fisheries Service. If whales approach a vessel less than 100 yards before the vessel can safely veer away, vessel operators are recommended to use prudent seamanship to either stop the vessel until the whales move away, or slowly move the vessel away from the whale, as determined by sea condition, type of vessel, and other safety considerations.

An understanding of typical humpback whale surfacing behavior can also help boaters avoid collisions and close approaches. The sanctuary’s science and rescue coordinator, David Mattila, points out that adult whales can stay down for as long as 30 minutes and then suddenly rise to the surface to breathe.

“What appears to be a clear path ahead might suddenly become occupied by a whale – if you’re traveling fast, even the most maneuverable vessels can have a hard time veering off in time,” said Matilla.

Humpback calves need to surface as often as every three minutes, and usually do not produce a large spout or “blow” to mark their presence. In addition, humpback calves and their mothers tend to show up more often in shallow areas, near shore (less than 200 feet deep and/or less than 1 mile from shore). Considering these factors, Mattila recommends that boaters traveling in Hawaii’s shallow, near shore waters, use the highest levels of caution and vigilance.

Contact: Jeff Walters, DLNR-HIHWNMS 808-282-0155 (cell)

Vice Commodore

Louis Rogers

RC for Sail

Tim DuBois

Aloha All

I am still waiting for the final HYRA calendar to be posted before finalizing this year’s race schedule, but to kick off the season the first offshore race will be held 20 January with a 1200 Start and 1100 Skippers meeting. If you race you should attend the next meeting as two issues will be decided:

1. There is a once a year opportunity to reset the handicaps to the base rating or continue with the adjustments that have been generated to date. I prefer to carry over the handicaps from last year and just continue to adjust them as the season progresses.

2. How many races will be held each month, couple of options to think about:
A. Keep the current two race schedule with separate inshore and offshore series and a combined inshore/offshore club champion.

B. Go back to one race a month alternating between inshore and offshore races. Both series are combined for an overall winner.

C. Go back to one race a month but plan for 4-6 special races (reverse starts?, to a GPS waypoint plotted for a beam reach each way?, Diamond Head and return?, Pokai Bay?, Ko Olina?, or?) that will be scheduled on short notice when the weather is good and racing spirits are high. The only rule would be that at least three boats must be willing to start to qualify as a special race.

D. Fire the RC for Sail and come up with your own ideas.

RC Sail
Tim

RC for Power

Paul Gaydos

Aloha and Happy New Year to all!

What a great club we have. The projects and improvements that have been made over the last year at our club have truly been amazing. I feel we are all so very lucky to have found this piece of paradise.

I look forward to our upcoming fishing and seminar events. I will be firming up the dates for our fishing tournaments over the next few weeks and lining up some seminars. Seminar topics could include Radio Call Procedures, Boating Safety, Navigation Skills (in and around Pearl Harbor), and GPS Training (beyond "direct to"). I welcome your input on other topics that you would like to see addressed or information provided.

I look forward to boating with you all or sharing a fish or boating story around the club.

Wishing you calm seas, tight lines, and screaming drags,

Paul Gaydos

RC for Power

COAST GUARD AUXILIARY REMINDS BOATERS ABOUT NEW RULES FOR EMERGENCY BEACONS

Boaters Must Not Operate 121.5/243 MHZ Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) after December 31, 2006

WASHINGTON - The Coast Guard Auxiliary is joining with the United States Coast Guard to remind all boaters that beginning January 1, 2007, both 121.5 and 243 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) are prohibited from use in both commercial and recreational watercraft. Boaters wishing to have an emergency rescue beacon aboard their vessel must have a digital 406 MHz model.

The January 1, 2007, date to stop using 121.5 MHz EPIRBs is in preparation for February 1, 2009, when satellite processing of distress signals from all 121.5/243 MHz beacons will terminate. Following this termination date, only the 406 MHz beacons will be detected by the International Cospas-Sarsat Satellite System which provides distress alert and location data for search and rescue operations around the world.

The regulation applies to all Class A, B, and S 121.5/243 MHz EPIRBs. It does not affect 121.5/243 MHz man overboard devices which are designed to work directly with a base alerting unit only and not with the satellite system.

This change, in large part, was brought about by the unreliability of the 121.5/243 MHz beacons in an emergency situation. Data reveals that with a 121.5 MHz beacon, only one alert out of every 50 is a genuine distress situation. This has a significant effect on expending the limited resources of search and rescue personnel and platforms. With 406 MHz beacons, false alerts have been reduced significantly, and, when properly registered, can usually be resolved with a telephone call to the beacon owner. Consequently, real alerts can receive the attention they deserve.

When a 406 MHz beacon signal is received, search and rescue personnel can retrieve information from a registration database. This includes the beacon owner's contact information, emergency contact information, and vessel/aircraft identifying characteristics. Having this information allows the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary, or other rescue personnel, to respond appropriately.

In the U.S., users are required by law to directly register their beacon in the U.S. 406 MHz Beacon Registration Database at: http://www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov/ or by calling 1-888-212-SAVE. Other users can register their beacon in their country's national beacon registration database or, if no national database is available, in the International Beacon Registration Database at https://www.406registration.com/.

The United States Coast Guard is the lead agency for coordinating national maritime search and rescue policy and is responsible for providing search and rescue services on, under and over assigned international waters and waters subject to United States jurisdiction.

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The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is composed of uniformed, non-military volunteer's who assist the Coast Guard in all of its varied missions, except for military and direct law enforcement. These men and women can be found on the nation's waterways, in the air, in classrooms and on the dock, performing Maritime Domain Awareness patrols, safety patrols, vessel safety checks and public education.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary was founded in 1939 by an Act of Congress as the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and re-designated as the Auxiliary in 1941. Its 30,000 members donate millions of hours annually in support of Coast Guard missions.

For more information on the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, visit us at www.cgaux.org <http://www.cgaux.org/> or www.axupa.org <http://www.axupa.org/> .

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Boating Skills &Seamanship class in Mililani begins Tuesday, Jan. 30th, and also there will be a PWC Course being held on March 20th & 22nd, 2007.

Submitted by: MERSHON J, 14-1-10 FSO-PE, AUX#1161028 On: 12/22/2006 Flotilla #: 14-1-10

Course 1: BSS12

Start Date: 01/30/07 End Date: 3/13/07

Start Time: 18:30 Cost: $50.00

Address: Mililani Adult Ed Center, Mililani H.S. Campus City: Mililani, State: HI Zip: 96789

Contact Person: Jerry Mershon

Phone: 8084738000x2304 Email: jerry.mershon@navy.mil Course Remarks: 2 hr. class sessions on Tue & Th each week to completion of course.

Course 2: PWC

Start Date: 03/20/07 End Date: 03/22/07

Start Time: 18:30 Cost: $25.00

Address: Mililani Adult Ed Center, Mililani H.S. Campus City: Mililani, State: HI Zip: 96789

Contact Person: Jerry Mershon

Phone: 8084738000x2304 Email: jerry.mershon@navy.mil Course Remarks: Course meets Hawaii State PWC Operator Qualification Requirements.

Have a very safe and joyous holiday season!!!

Secretary

Allan (sea story) Cameron

Lots of new people working on or for your ILYC BOD, new RC for Power, Director of Activities, and a new Director of Facilities; also our Port Captain and RC for Sail swapped jobs and the Chandlery is under new management. Come on down for the meetings, work day or just come by the club and see how your new BOD is doing.

I want to remind everyone of you that you too have a voice here in The Arrow. This newsletter is not just for your BOD…though I do hound each of them to write something every month, but each and every one of you are more than welcome, in fact encouraged to write articles or notes for this newsletter. Anthony Tepidino and Roger Stone have provided us with Public Service press releases that I’ve included in this month’s edition. Please join in, this is your club, please participate, talking story is an island tradition, come talk story here in The Arrow. And don’t forget to send me your “Ditty Bag” classified ads, yet another boat has been sold here at ILYC…

On a final note, I send this newsletter out via e-mail, so if you’re not receiving this at the e-mail address you want, just let me know what e-mail address you’d like me to send this too, lots of people have asked for me to send it to more than one e-mail address, I am happy to oblige.

Oh, and don’t forget to pay your annual dues quickly so I can prepare your membership cards…first paid, first printed.

Port Captain

Tony Snodgrass

Aloha from your new Port Captain. This month we not only have the New Year’s Eve Progressive Pupu Party but will have a meeting in January to approve the budget and policies followed by our first workday of the year. Tim and I haven’t done a full handover yet so I’m not sure what we’ll be doing for workday yet, but we’ll figure out a way for you to earn those work chits. Hope to see you around our little corner of paradise during the month.

Tony

Port Captain

Treasurer

Charlie Crews

Aloha and wishes for a happy and beneficial new year. You should have received your annual dues and mooring fee bill – mooring fees are due no later than 15 January and annual dues on 31 January. Avoid the rush and pay now.

Charlie

Director of Activities

Larry Rock

A Happy New Year to everyone. I’m Larry Rock your new Activities Director. It’s my distinct pleasure to take over for Willy Bethea. As you know Willy did an excellent job throughout the year and I will have to work extra hard to live up to his standards of excellence. It won’t be easy since you all know Willy’s culinary credentials. I’m not bad on a grill though and I have some great ideas for future events to bring us all much enjoyment. I will broach a few of these ideas at the next BOD/Club meeting. The next work day is the 6^th of January so come on out and support the best club on the Island.

Director of Facilities

Gary Harvell

Aloha, and I think THANK YOU for your support as the new Director of Facilities. Luella and I wish you all had a Merry Christmas and look forward to an exciting and Happy New Year during 2007.

ILYC is a great place to be, with outstanding facilities, some of the best I've seen on the island. As such, our facilities continue to need your help in keeping them well repaired, clean and neat. I look forward to working with all of you during the coming year. Remember, you as members, make this club a great place, SO come on out on work days and lend a hand. Our first work day for 2007 will be Saturday, January 6th.

I want to say Mahalo and a job well done to Gary Sutton, the outgoing Facilities Director, he's done a great service to the club during the last year.

See you at the club

Gary

Staff Commodore

Tom Youngblood

“Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill”

T-Shirts (All Styles) $15	Burgees $25
Sweat Pants $16	Breast Emblems $25
Polo Shirts (silk screened) $20	Hat Pins $2
Hats $15	Stickers $1.75 ea (or 3 for $5)
Coozies $3	Photos price varies with size

The Arrow

Iroquois Lagoon Yacht Club’s Newsletter

Vice Commodore

RC for Sail

RC for Power

Secretary

Director of Facilities

Stay Alive, No Fireworks When You Fly

Chandlery

Harla Herman and Shelly Bethea