|
NOTICES/INFORMATION FOR BOATERS |
|
NEWS
From
BoatUs...
BoatUS Reaches Milestone 50,000 Radio Registrations
One-button Mayday Feature Improves Marine Safety
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has registered its 50,000th boat owner with an enhanced VHF radio that will greatly improve their safety on the water. The registrations are part of a free service the Association launched in 2000 to enable boaters to take advantage of the U.S. Coast Guard’s new Rescue 21 coastal radio system. Rescue 21 enhances distress communications, speeds up search and rescue
response time, provides more accurate direction-finding, and eliminates VHF radio coverage gaps.
BoatUS was the first non-government entity to offer registration of VHF radios with the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) feature under an agreement with the Coast Guard and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Registration is necessary to obtain a Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number, which is then programmed into the radio by the boater. In an emergency, the MMSI is encoded in the SOS transmission,
which will also help reduce hoax distress calls.
By registering a DSC VHF radio with BoatUS, key information such as a boat description and owner contact phone numbers, is logged into the Coast Guard’s national MMSI database used by search and rescue personnel. The greatest benefit of a DSC radio is its ability to connect to a GPS or Loran receiver and automatically transmit the position of the vessel in distress, along with the MMSI number, all with the push of one
“mayday” button.
Click here to read the full press release...
|
From
BoatUs...
JOIN BOATU.S. AND YOU COULD
WIN $25,000"Wave of Fortune" Sweepstakes Kicks Off
ALEXANDRIA, Va., February 2, 2009 - Joining Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) could make you $25,000 richer. The nation's largest recreational boat owners group and advocate has launched "Wave of Fortune," a year-long sweepstakes with a $25,000 grand prize as well as monthly prize giveaways. Any boater who joins from now through November 30, 2009
will earn one entry into the sweepstakes. Go to http://www.BoatUS.com and click on "Wave of Fortune" to join.
When applying online to join, annual BoatU.S. membership is just $19 -- a discount off the regular annual dues of $25. It includes 24 hour a day dispatch service and $50 of on-the-water and on-the-road boat trailer and tow vehicle
assistance; exclusive fuel, transient slip and repair discounts at over 885 BoatU.S. Cooperating Marinas; a free personalized homepage full of helpful boating information; automatic enrollment in the West Marine rewards program, a subscription to BoatU.S. Magazine; and access to the BoatU.S. Marine Insurance program and Consumer Protection Bureau.
|
|
District Yacht Club The River starts here....
