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VRROOM, VROOM!
NEWS FOR BOATERS
ART & WINE FEST
YOU'RE THE EXPERT
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houseboat expo new

Aug. 17, 2010
Vol 8, No 1-10

Vrroom, Vroom!

It's time to celebrate powerboats


We really love our powerboats, and that is what the September issue is all about.

Wear It     sandy steele
Photos courtesy Cliff and Sandy Steele

Recognize these hot young boaters? They are Cliff and Sandy Steele 45 years ago, when they started boating together. In September, talented photographer and painter Sandy Steele remembers good times the family enjoyed with the various boats it's owned.


Elliot Free remembers, too--but his powerboat was the destroyer USS Beale, on which he served during the Viet Nam War. Here she is:

USS Beale

Photo courtesy Elliot Free


Free also profiles Gulf Shores Yacht Club & Marina,

and newcomer Kristin Meyer profiles Smugglers Cove Marina. Both facilities welcome powerboats.

gulf shores marina       smugglers cove

      Gulf Shores Marina                                Smugglers Cove Marina

Photos courtesy of the marinas


Two special lakes are highlighted, too. Terry Rau writes about Smithville Lake, which is close to major heartland metro areas, yet with a secluded feeling.

        smithville lake     CYC sail

             Smithville Lake                                           CYC Regatta

  Photo courtesy Army Corps of Engineers  Photo by Alexandria Elise Brahler


And on Kentucky Lake, it is once again time for the Commonwealth Yacht Club's annual regatta. An exception to other boats featured, this event is for sailboats.

Capt Fred Davis reviews small, tough, newly popular aluminum boats. Here's one, the Tracker Topper:

tracker topper
Photo courtesy Bass Pro Shop


But Gary Kramer reminds us that caring for powerboats is not necessarily a joy forever when he talks about painting his own boat. Here's Sittin Duck II prepped for the job, and the gorgeous finished product.

before  Wear It

Photo by Gary Kramer                    Photo by Carol Kramer


In-water or dry storage, professionally attended to or DIY, we love our powerboats.



NEWS FOR BOATERS

Groups Organize to Oppose Ethanol-15

Trade Only Today, an online newsletter recently reported that environmental and industry groups have launched a campaign calling on Congress to require thorough scientific testing before allowing an increase in the amount of ethanol in gasoline. The groups have joined forces to sponsor an ad with the tagline, "Say no to untested E15."
   The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) is one of the ad's sponsors, according to the groups' statement. The parent company of HeartLandBoating is a member of the NMMA. The leaders of the campaign hope to persuade Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency to reject calls by some in the ethanol industry to allow the amount of ethanol in gasoline to increase by 50 percent. Most gasoline sold in the United States contains 10 percent ethanol.
   Because it can act as a fiberglass solvent and attracts water, ethanol in any concentration can hurt mileage and even destroy equipment on many powerboats in use today. For more information, go to this Web site.
 
Smithsonian Highlights American Waters
 
Alert reader Jerry Stenstadvold sent this link to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's exhibit, On the Water. It is largely oriented to bluewater boating, but one section is titled "Inland Waterways, 1820-1940." Here's one of the featured objects, the towboat Jack D. Wofford.
  towboat
Towboat Jack D. Wofford
 
Quad Cities' Floatzilla
 
Senior Contributing Editor Gary Kramer sends us information about FLOATZILLA, a chance for paddlers to get into the "Guiness Book of World Records." The one-day event is scheduled for Aug. 21 in Lake Potter, off the main channel in Rock Island.
  kayak
Photo courtesy of Mac Thornton
    That weekend is also River Roots Live, the area's largest community music festival and rib fest. Activities are scheduled for paddlers of all skill levels. The current record is 1,104 boats. For more information, click here.
Fun Event in the Heartland

4th Annual Art & Wine Festival at Carlyle Lake

This two-day festival, scheduled for Sept. 11 and 12, features local artisans, Illinois wineries, live music, and good food. Carlyle Lake is Illinois' largest man-made lake; it is 45 miles east of St. Louis.

Wear It
   Artist's booth, 2009  Photos courtesy Art & Wine Festival at Carlyle Lake

The festival takes place "right across the street from the main beach at the Visitors Center at Carlyle Lake," said Lynn Gebke, of Flavors Cafe & Wine Bar.
    "We had a couple of groups come directly off the water last year from boating. They parked their boat at the main beach and walked up to the festival."

The Clinton County Art Guild sponsors the festival. Local businesses and organizations, plus the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, also support it.

Gebke noted that award-winning sand sculptor, Dan Belcher, from St. Louis, is scheduled for this year. Bands scheduled include the Soulard Blues Band, Lucky Old Sons, and Folk 'n Blues Grass Band.

 Wear It  Wear It
Jennifer Flath, A Chocolate Affair       Art Dwyer, Soulard Blues Band

Gourmet food vendors include A Chocolate Affair, from Highland, Ill.

You're the Expert

 
Reader Tom Maxwell recently wrote, "My wife and myself are fixing to buy a 60-foot houseboat and are trying to find a marina we can live in, in the Houston/Galveston, Texas, area.
   "Would appreciate any info you might have."
   What about it, folks? Who knows marinas along this part of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West?

port of houston
Port of Houston. Photo courtesy Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau

If you have personal experience with the area, or advice for Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell, please e-mail me, and I will be glad to pass it along.
           
Watch this space for answers.



Want To Live Longer? Go Boating 


Marine-industry veteran and longtime president of the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association, Norman A. Schultz, writes a blog for the online newsletter, Trade Only.
 
In a July post of "Dealer Outlook," he cites the journal, Applied Research in Quality of Life. "Scientists doing research on longevity have found that people are happier when they take two or three short vacations each year, rather than one long one. Apparently, people are happier when they anticipate a reward than after they've received it," Schultz noted.
 
Because a boat in effect offers a vacation every weekend, the result is "better health and longer life." Schultz goes on to say, "Lots of new discoveries are being made about the relationship between health and lifestyle."
Glastron boat
Photo courtesy Glastron

For example, feeling happy promotes better health, regardless of age or degree of exercise-even smoking or drinking. Apparently, researchers have determined that the beginning of aging is postponed by years "for those who live a happy lifestyle. Moreover, when these people finally reach old age, they're in better health," he said.
 
Amazing! And yet, it makes intuitive sense. So, keep on boating. It's good for your health.
 

Sincerely ,

 

Lee Braff 


Lee Braff
HeartLand Boating Editorial Office


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