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Welcome Aboard
Marine news tidbits
By
Katherine E. Hill
 I’ve
had a lot of interesting, marine-related news items come
across my desk recently. As the pile gets higher, I
thought it would be good time to share some of these
items with the marine community.
I’ve
said it several times, and it bears repeating: The Tahoe
Maritime Museum is a welcomed and valuable addition to
the Tahoe-Truckee community since it opened with a new
facility in spring 2008.
The
museum boasts an incredible collection of wooden boats,
outboard engines and memorabilia displayed on a rotating
basis at its Homewood location. Its vast collection is
too large to display at the museum, so the Truckee Annex
houses most of the collection. This treasure-trove of
marine artifacts is only open a few times each year,
with an Open House coming up on Aug. 15.
The
Open House will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 10424
River Park Place in Truckee. Visitors may view 20
classic boats, historic photos and a variety of outboard
engines and more. This is the last open house of the
summer and admission is $5.
The
museum’s popular lecture series continues on Aug. 13
with “Thunderbird - The Making of a Model” with Earl
Burton at 5 p.m. Gain insights on the famous
“Thunderbird” and the exquisite original model
constructed by Burton that is currently on display at
the Museum. Refreshments will be served from 5 to 5:30
p.m., followed by the program. Admission is $10 or $8
for Museum members.
And,
don’t forget that the museum offers guided tours with
admission every Saturday and Sunday in August at 2 p.m.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday to
Tuesday. For more information, call (530) 525-9253 or
visit www.tahoemaritime.org.
The
Emerald Bay Boat Camp reopened a few weeks ago after
being closed while work was being done of the pier. The
camp is located on the north side of Emerald Bay and
offers 21 campsites with buoys available. Camping is on
a first-come, first-served basis. You cannot tie-up on
the pier, and buoys are limited to vessels 30’ in
length. As well, you can bring dogs to your campsite,
but they are not allowed on any of the surrounding
lands, which are part of the Emerald Bay State Park. For
more information, call (530) 541-3030.
Lake
Tahoe’s water level forced the recent closure of the
boat ramp at Sand Harbor State Park, marking the third
such closure this season. The Tahoe Vista and Kings
Beach boat ramps have been closed since early spring.
Kayakers and non-motorized vessels may still launch at
Sand Harbor and TRPA inspections for quagga and zebra
mussels will continue there.
The
closure of Sand Harbor will mean longer lines at the
remaining ramps. Cave Rock is now the only East Shore
ramp still open, with Lake Forest outside Tahoe City the
only ramp open on the North Shore. West Shore and South
Shore boat launches remain open, and marinas around the
lake continue to offer launching services. For more
information, see the Marinas chart on the facing page.
The
TRPA is currently reviewing a proposal to open 24-hour
boat inspection stations along the highways leading into
the Lake Tahoe Basin to stop the potential spread of
quagga and zebra mussels. The proposal is being
considered after reports of boaters skirting the
inspections now conducted at boat ramps and marinas. The
proposed stations would be along U.S. 50 in California
and Nevada and Highways 431, 207, 89 and 267.
Another proposal being considered would be to have two
or three centralized locations for boat inspections in
place for summer 2010 instead of the inspections now
done at dozens of locations around Lake Tahoe. The board
is expected to consider staff reports on these proposals
this month.
The
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary continues to offer free
vessel safety checks and will even come to you for a
check. The Auxiliary has reported a more than 500
percent increase in checks on Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake
this season. There is no reporting of their findings to
any agency, and those passing the inspection will
receive a decal noting that all required safety
equipment is on board.
Mandatory equipment on motorized vessels less than 26
feet in length require the following safety items
onboard: visual distress signal device (like a ski
flag); a sound-producing device (whistle, horn, bell,
etc); fire extinguisher; properly fitting Personal
Flotation Device (PFD/life jacket) for all passengers
and operators; a readily accessible throwable Type IV
cushion (not stowed); working ventilation system
(inboard or I/O engines); and working navigation lights.
Mandatory equipment for kayaks and canoes are a properly
fitting PFD with a whistle attached to the PFD.
If the Coast Guard or one of the law enforcement
agencies finds a vessel does not have the required
safety equipment, fines may range from hundreds to a few
thousands dollars. To make an appointment for your free
Vessel Safety Check, call Joe Harris at (650) 279-9159.
Checks can be performed at your residence, boat ramp or
other North Lake Tahoe location.
Katherine E. Hill may be reached at
editor@tahoethisweek.com or visit
www.tahoeboating.blogspot.com.
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