Boating Safety is a Top Priority

Saving Lives, Money & Claims Headaches  

The docks are filling up on the East Coast as the hot summer weather rolls in with the waves. With over 40,000 vessels registered in Rhode Island alone, boatowners share not only the busy waterways, but also a great amount of responsibility.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, a whopping 70% of boating accidents are due to user error. A leisurely boat ride can end in disaster if safety precautions are ignored before and during your time on the water. This could mean costly damages, hazardous conditions, injuries, and even legal repercussions. Keep these laws in mind to ensure your safety on the water this summer:

DO carefully inspect your vessel before going out on the water.

It is important to have a boat survey completed by a licensed inspector upon the purchase or sale of a watercraft, in addition to the inspection frequency required by your insurance carrier. In the meantime, you can...

Gretel

By June of 1962 preparations for the America's Cup were in full swing. All of the American contenders arrived this month along with the advance team from Gretel, just in time to view the defender observation races. And so the predictions and "trash talking" began... Easterner's skipper George O'Day predicted "Whichever of the four U.S. contenders wins the right to defend will turn back the Australians in a racing runaway." Nefertiti's co-skipper Don MacNamara claimed their boat's great advantage: "she's a great wagon to weather."

Billie Jean Moffitt (King)

On 6/16/62, 131 yachts started the 23rd Annual Newport to Bermuda Race in a 10-15 knot southwesterly. Although she had a poor start, the scratch boat Stormvogel, was favored to take line honors and possibly break Bolero's 1954 elapsed-time record. Late in the race she was overtaken by Northern Light, however it was the 59' schooner Nina who won out on corrected time. Her owner, 74-year-young de Coursey Fales, became the oldest winning skipper (a record that still stands) said: "We never saw a sail, we never wet our rail and never wore our oilskins for the entire race." Upon Nina's return to Newport she was greeted by an elaborate harbor welcome with fireboats, Navy tugs, the

Governor, Mayor and City Council. Other unlikely winners in the world of sports that month included Jack Nicklaus who, with his superior putting, beat 5-1 favorite Arnold Palmer at the U.S. Open. An 18-year-old Billie Jean Moffitt (King) "pulled the biggest shocker in the history of women's tennis" when she eliminated top-seeded Margaret Smith of Australia in the first round at Wimbledon.

Sen. Claiborne Pell

Locally, the newly formed Robert Potter League for Animals advertised in the Newport Daily News "We are ready and willing to accept any unwanted dog or cat, and try to find a home for it." Three thousand folks attended the 2nd Annual Cluny Country Fair to raise funds for a new school. A record 385 Rogers High School graduates enjoyed a commencement speech by Senator Claiborne Pell; he urged them to: "combine the determination of the tortoise with the flash of the hare." At St. Michael's graduation, he quoted Thomas Jefferson on the value of education. "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization it expects what never was and will never be."  Nationally, President Kennedy was also making the commencement rounds, he spoke at both West Point and Yale, where the "Harvard man" was the recipient of an honorary degree. An Alcatraz escape was headline news after prisoners Clarence Anglin, John Anglin and Frank Morris burrowed through their cells, climbed a ventilation shaft onto the roof and down leaving the island on a makeshift raft. Despite an extensive search, the three men were never found, although there was evidence that they survived.

Beatles, Abbey Road

On the entertainment scene, John Coltrane recorded the jazz standard Impressions and the Beatles had their first Abbey Road recording session with George Martin. Elvis Presley's Blue Hawaii was playing at the Newport Drive In and Cape Fear with Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, played the Opera House promoted with an ad that read:"A climax so startling, no one admitted during the final 10 minutes." For other local amusement, you could attend The Aquidneck Shopping Center Fair, which featured 5 big rides, clowns, free goldfish for the kids and Count Nolan and his Man-Eating Lions. For something "tamer", you could take the tykes to Lincoln Park where Bullwinkle the Moose and Friends were headlining or to the Rocky Point Shore Dinner Hall where you could eat your fill of chowder and clam cakes for $1.10.  

Watch this space for more 1962, Newport & Beyond and visit our website for the year-to-date!  

More commuters are leaving their keys behind and opting for a greener, more healthy choice of transportation - bicycling. Especially when the weather is nice, it's a great way to get a little exercise and enjoy the scenery along a less-beaten path to and from work, or just to get around town.

But while more accommodations are being made for a growing number of cyclists, thousands of bicycles are stolen each year. And, with the cost of a bicycle being anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands, this could leave you feeling pretty flat.

Fortunately, personal property and liability coverage for your bicycle is usually offered through most standard homeowners policies, but it's a good idea to talk to your agent about how much coverage you have, what your deductibles are, and what types of losses are covered. If you wouldn't leave your car unlocked or a purse full of cash sitting outside unattended, it makes sense to take the extra steps to secure your bike and proper insurance coverage.

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We value all of our clients, but we're always happy to promote the businesses of our commercial clients.We've added a new 'Featured Client' section to our website and e-newsletter, where each month, we'll showcase one of our commercial clients. If you're one of our valued commercial clients, email us a photo, a brief description of your business (250 words max.) and the link to your website and we'll contact you shortly about your submission. Hey, who couldn't use a little free advertising?