Cmdr John Rich Butler, USCG Retired, 81, of Rogers, Ark., died Sept 7, 2010 at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Fayetteville, Ark. He was born Jan 27, 1929, in Manitowoc, Wis.

A Navy veteran of World War II, he retired from the Coast Guard as a commander after more than 23 years of service in the Navy and Coast Guard.  As a search-and-rescue pilot, he flew 431 S & R missions. He was awarded the Air Medal for the attempted night helicopter rescue of passengers of a commercial airliner. In his last tour of duty, he served as the director of the Coast Guard Auxiliary for all or portions of eight southern states.

After military retirement, he started a business preparing resumes and continued freelance writing. More than 100 of his articles, stories and essays were published, many in HeartLand Boating. The last one appeared only in July, the Handy Hints story, "Building a Shipboard Stove." He also wrote two books.

John Butler aboard The Old Cat. Photo courtesy Mary Lu Butler

Butler promoted blood donations throughout his military career, headed the local blood donation organization in Boone County when living there, and donated in total more than 11 gallons of blood. He also supported organ donation.

He enjoyed sailing, canoeing, camping and travel. As longtime readers know, his happiest times were aboard The Old Cat, his sailboat.

Survivors include his wife, Mary Lu Crosier Butler, whom he married in 1947; two daughters, one brother, four granddaughters, one grandson, two grandsons in-law, eight great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild!

Memorials may be made to Washington Regional Hospice, 34 W Colt Square, STE 1, Fayetteville, Ark., 72703.

Yes, it's time to winterize the boat for another season. But to relieve the melancholy, here are some suggestions about where to go to find stuff for free.

Our Own Boating Class Listings

What better time to sharpen your boating skills than during the winter? No valuable time on the water needs to be sacrificed. Start here to find information about a class near you, at an appropriate skill level.

What would you do in this situation?
If you don't know, sign up for a class! Photo courtesy USCG

No More Outdated Paper Charts

Nautical charts can become quickly outdated as storms and currents alter waterway topography or aids to navigation change with little warning. That's why five organizations-BoatUS, US Power Squadrons, OceanGrafix, Jeppesen Marine and Sea Tow Foundation-have joined with NOAA to form the Alliance for Safe Navigation.Its goal is to help ensure boaters have the most current chart data available every time they head out.

The Alliance asks boaters and anglers to take a short, three-minute online survey that inquires about the navigation products used aboard their boats. The survey, located here, is completely anonymous. The group will use the results to improve awareness and availability of chart updates for recreational boaters.

In addition, boaters can go to the Alliance for Safe Navigation, enter the numbers of their most commonly used charts and instantly see a list of all the changes for that chart since the last print date. To see the full selection of NOAA navigation products, go here.

ValvTect Petroleum, Apex Marine, Inc Team Up

ValvTect Petroleum Products, manufacturer of marine fuel additives, recently announced that Apex Marine Inc, world's largest manufacturer of compact pontoon boats, will include a sample of ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment with each new boat to help its new owners avoid problems that can be caused by ethanol-blended gasoline.

"By providing samples of ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment with each boat, we are helping our customers prevent ethanol-related problems," said Mark DuPuie, president of Apex Marine.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Mich., Apex Marine, Inc manufactures Qwest LS, Qwest Adventure and GillGetter compact pontoon boats.

For more information about ValvTect Ethanol Gasoline Treatment, click here or call 1-800-728-8258.

Star brite, Mote Marine Labs, and "Addictive Fishing" to Restore Snook Fisheries

Star brite has joined forces with Mote Marine Labs and "Addictive Fishing"  to help restore Florida's snook fisheries.

More than 1,000,000 snook died in Florida waters in the deep freeze of early 2010 and that's why the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission cancelled the 2010 snook season, hoping to give the species time to recover. Without significant and immediate action, the outlook for this Florida native's future was looking grim.

Fortunately, Mote Marine Laboratory's Center for Aquaculture Research had captured a number of breeder snook from the wild. These fish are now being used to continue the hatchery process and supplement the depleted population. Star brite is proud to have joined forces with "Addictive Fishing TV," hosted by Blair Wiggins, to support the efforts of Mote Marine Labs. Sales proceeds from Blair's Boat Wash, a limited edition of Star brite Sea Safe Boat Wash, will go to the lab to help fund their work. Star brite will also provide a full line of marine products to be used by the lab's fleet of boats. 

For more information, click here or call 1-800-327-8583.

Congratulations, newsletter readers-you know the UP Close winners before those who read only the print issues! Here's the picture of the mystery part:

Photo by Elliot Free
 

It is a trim tab zinc anode on a 150-hp Yamaha outboard. Congratulations to Bill Langston of Harrison, Ark., Ken Woycke of Edwardsville, Ill., and Janice Bauer of St Louis, Mo.