RBAW Monthly Newsletter

- November 2023 -

2023 Annual Membership Meeting Follow Up

RBAW Members have proved they are AWESOME at taking surveys! Please give us your feedback from the annual meeting, so we can improve next year.

Click here to take the survey!

Click here for a copy of Troy Wood's presentation on the Derelict Vessel Removal Program.

Click here to download an audio file recording of the meeting from Dropbox.

Click here for annual meeting minutes.

Click here for the 2024 accepted Legislative & Regulatory priorities.

Thank you again for all of those that were able to join us!

Congratulations to our new Board Officers and Directors!

Officers:
President, Bob Wise
VP Government Affairs, Andrea Pierantozzi
VP Administration, Paul Thorpe
Treasurer, Audrey Hicks
Secretary, Steve Greaves

Directors (2023-2026):

Jordan Glidden

Dave Willis
Dave Bibby
Brian Fadely
Jason Lippenberger

Large Lock Full Chamber Navigation Back in Service 11/14 - 11/29

The large locks are back in service, one day ahead of schedule. It will be open to large vessel traffic until Nov. 29.

While it’s back in service, please note that the center miter gates have been removed, and a temporary marine fender has been installed in the recessed where the gates where.

Please remember to:

Exercise extreme caution while entering and exiting the large lock chamber, because the center gate recess and the surrounding (demolition) area around the center gate will be fully exposed; and
Operate your vessels at a slow speed – 2 ½ knots or lower, and follow the guidance and instructions of the Tower and lock operators.

State Parks closes 35 mooring buoys

Article by Washington State Parks

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (Parks) has identified 35 public recreational mooring buoys across western Washington that are at risk of breaking in the future.

Starting this week, Parks will close these buoys, which the agency plans to replace. Even though individual buoys will close, the impacted parks will still have other mooring buoys available for use.

Parks maintains 259 mooring buoys at 40 parks across Puget Sound, Hood Canal, the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas and San Juan Islands. Of these parks, 16 will be affected by partial buoy closures. They are:

Blake Island
Clark Island
Cutts Island
Fort Flagler
Fort Townsend
Fort Worden
Illahee
Jones Island
Kopachuck
Mystery Bay
Potlach
Sequim Bay
Stuart Island, Provost Harbor
Stuart Island, Reid Harbor
Sucia Island, Fox Cove
Twanoh

The agency plans to replace the existing anchors with modern helical screw-type anchors. Planners anticipate installing the new anchor systems in winter 2024 - 2025, pending permitting and funding. The 35 buoys will be closed until further notice.

When finished, the upgraded systems will allow boats to safely tie up, and they will limit impacts on eelgrass, fish, marine mammals and other fragile shallow marine environments.

Multi-Year Certificate of Documentation for Recreational Vessel Owners Available

Article by Federal Register

The Coast Guard is issuing a final rule for recreational vessel owners to select a recreational vessel endorsement on a Certificate of Documentation (COD) with a validity of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 years. Currently, regulations require that a COD will be effective for a 5-year period. Congress passed, and the President signed, the self-executing National Defense Authorization Act of 2022 (2022 Act), which directs the Coast Guard to issue recreational vessel CODs for 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 years. By updating the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to reflect this change, this final rule harmonizes the requirements of the 2022 Act, aligns CFR text with current Coast Guard policy, and provides vessel owners' statutorily directed option to select the validity period of their COD that best suits their individual needs. This final rule is effective December 14, 2023

Click here for a link to the Federal register further explains the change and the history.

Save the Date: Legislative Day in Olympia, January 25!

RBAW is again partnering with the Northwest Marine Trade Association (NMTA) for Legislative Day in Olympia.

Please mark your calendar and join us on January 25, 2024 to highlight our legislative interests and raise awareness of our multi-billion dollar contribution to Washington State's economy.

Hearing directly from businesses and constituents can have a huge impact on our efforts. You’ll participate in meetings with legislators throughout the day and enjoy a reception at the Olympia Yacht Club at the end of the day.

We hope you’ll plan on attending. For now, save the date — January 25!

Washington Sea Grant Keystone Fellowship Program

The goal of the Washington Sea Grant Keystone Fellowship program is to broaden participation in marine and coastal professions making them more inclusive of the full diversity of our communities and responsive to their needs and perspectives. The Fellowship recruits and engages early career professionals who are underrepresented in the marine science, policy, and industry workforce providing them with experience, training and mentorship in these fields.

Click here for additional information.