6 • Feb. 27 - Mar. 12, 2015 • The Log
thelog.com
Have an opinion about something you read in The Log?
Write to: Log Editorial, 17782 Cowan, Ste. C, Irvine, CA 92614; or email
editor@thelog.com.
Letters/Online Comments
Why pick recreational boaters pockets AGAIN Re: Regulating copper levels in local marinas (Feb. 13 issue). When they regulate the giant containerships that come into our waters with lead and copper paints with enough square footage to equal an entire mari- na ... I will give in. When they reg- ulate the U.S. Navy ships’ bot- toms in San Diego, I will give in. When they force golfers to start paying a tax because runoff from golf courses contains nitrogen fertilizers that contribute to ocean algae blooms … I will give in. When they regulate the pri- vate pilots that fly over our homes spewing exhaust fumes with no catalytic converters or special smog-reducing devices … I will give in. When they regu- late the black soot pouring out of trucks and buses I see every day on the road ... I will give in. But until then, stay out of recreation- al boaters’ pockets simply because they are an easy, unde- fended target. If we the boaters banded together and defended ourselves like the big container- ship companies would, or the AOPA pilots association would, or the trucking unions would, they would leave our pocketbooks alone! My vessel is exclusively saltwater, but I now have to pay a freshwater mussel fee. I guess it’s easier to slap a fee on every boater registration than to figure which are fresh and which are salt. Don’t you boaters know, WE ARE BOATERS. That means we are RICH. WE have money to burn. However, the demographics of pilots and golfers show double the annual household income of boaters nationwide. But there is no tax, no fee, no extra sticker for them, right? Play fair with every- one ... and I will give in. John
Buena Park Submitted on
thelog.com
Scrub less to lower cop- per levels Re: Regulating copper levels in local marinas (Feb. 13 issue). There are a number of state agencies working on the issue and have created new guidelines
that are in transition to even stricter leach rates. One of the main issues focused on with state agencies was not touched upon. It is the scheduled busi- ness of scrubbing hulls multiple times a year. Early studies have pointed out that the business is very unique to the West Coast, while many other areas in the U.S. tend to not scrub their hulls as frequently. Early studies have found significant reductions in copper levels by decreasing the yearly interval by one or two scrubbings. Of course, this is an ongoing debate since it is a big business for divers. But besides that debate, already new formu- lations of copper paints are being introduced to meet new guidelines. Remember copper is used in many products such as our household goods and also as fungicides in our vineyards and crops. So we must look at the big picture. So far, a simple cultural practice of reducing from eight scrubbings to six can accomplish most of what is needed without any major sacrifice is a better alternative than having a fouled hull, and it would save a few dol- lars — better than selling the boat or moving. Don’t worry, we will someday be copper free if need be, but look at everything first. Anonymous
Submitted on
thelog.com
Copper caper Re: Regulating copper levels in local marinas (Feb. 13 issue).This is strictly a political invention of port operations as a form of “greenwashing” to give the casual observer the false impression that there is a prob- lem and they are doing some- thing about it. Correct me if I am wrong, but there is no study to determine the impact of copper on life in the marinas. Nobody has done a project to accurately measure the amount of emis- sions from boats in a marina. By “emissions” I mean anything that comes off a boat hull, copper paint or new epoxy paints. There is no logical reason to think that bottom cleaning techniques
See LETTERS page 7
Distinguishing Authority Q
By David Weil, Esq.
Last summer, I partici- pated in a vessel safety check conducted by
members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. The men who con- ducted the inspection were very professional — in fact I was surprised by their very businesslike and “no-non- sense” approach to the whole process. I was also surprised by their uniforms, which appeared to be the same as those that are worn by active duty Coast Guard personnel. I had always assumed that the Auxiliary was a civilian organ- ization comprised of local boating volunteers. Is this right? What exactly is the Coast Guard Auxiliary? Is it a reserve arm of the Coast Guard? What is their legal authority?
authority of the Coast Guard Commandant, but its mem- bers are civilian volunteers, and as such, the organization is not a reserve branch of the
A Fast Facts Huntington Harbour
Huntington Harbour was built in the 1960s for an estimated cost of $200 million. According to usin-
flationcalculator.com, the harbor in northwest Huntington Beach would cost more than $1.5 billion today. Several islands, bays and mari-
nas make up the 680-acre harbor: Huntington Harbour Mainland, Admiralty Island, Davenport Island, Gilbert Island, Humboldt Island, Trinidad Island and Coral Cay. There are more than 1,000 resi-
dences at Huntington Harbour. There are also many private boat docks at the harbor. Other waterfront venues near
Huntington Harbour include Anaheim Bay, Bolsa Bay and Bolsa Chica Channel.
The Coast Guard
Auxiliary operates under the direct
service. They occupy a unique position in the public service community, subject to both civilian and military authority at the same time. The Auxiliary is adminis-
tered under Title 14, Part II of the United States Code, which grants the organization “such rights, privileges, powers and duties as may be granted to them by the Commandant.” The practical application of this is to allow the Coast Guard to delegate an extreme- ly wide range of Coast Guard duties to the Auxiliary, so long as that duty does not involve the carrying or use of a weapon. Members of the Auxiliary, when assigned to specific duties, are vested with the same power and authority as members of the regular Coast Guard assigned to similar duties. (US Code of Federal Regulations, Title 33, section 5.31).
As such, the characteriza- tion of the Auxiliary as a bunch of “local boating volun- teers” really does understate their role in the maritime safe-
ty function of the Coast Guard. A Coast Guard “Auxiliarist” who is acting within the scope of his or her assigned duties enjoys many of the same ben- efits that are extended to active duty Coast Guard per- sonnel, including immunity from personal liability for neg- ligence. This may have a direct impact on a recreational boater whose boat is damaged in the course of a negligent safety inspection. The Auxiliary takes great care to avoid that type of incident, but if it were to occur, the Auxiliary member would be shielded from liability and the boat owner would need to consider a lawsuit against the federal government. Regarding the uniforms, members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary do wear the same uniform as regular Coast Guard officers, but they wear a modified insignia and they do not use the corresponding military titles associated with ranks in the regular Coast Guard.
The Auxiliary was formed
On Board With Johnson by J.R. Johnson See ATTORNEY page 21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56