All of us have certainly been paying attention to the natural disasters and following crisis in the nation of Japan over the last week. Yamaha announced this week that their facilities in Japan have not recieved any direct damage , and their major shipping port is also undamaged. All companies in Japan are working to conserve energy and help their nation, and many in the country certainly are mourning the loss of friends and family. Yamaha will do their best to keep business running on schedule, and we wish all them and their country a speedy recovery.  

Yamaha has suggested that anyone wishing to donate to the relief effort in Japan should donate to the American Red Cross- Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund at http://american.redcross.org.  

This is a simple tip, but one that can help you greatly in tight quarters handling of your boat. When you need to dock or come about in as little distance as possible, put the boat into neutral, and turn the wheel fully in the direction you need to go before you put the throttle back into forward. This will dramatically increase your turn without a significant increase in speed. Bonus tip: only approach a dock or obstacle as fast as you want to hit it.