The Spring Boating Symposium is fast approaching

The Northwest Maritime Center presents the Spring Boating Symposium: Continuing Education
for the Conscientious BoaterMarch 16-18, 2012
$275 for NWMC & WBF
members; $295 non-members

Registration is LIVE! Click here to go to our secure registration
page.

Great news! Cap'n Fatty Goodlander has been added to our lineup of
Symposium presenters. This well-known author, Cruising World editor, and NPR
commentator is always out cruising and rarely available for speaking
engagements-- enjoy a highly entertaining weekend with a cruising
legend!

Over twenty-five top boating experts will gather with two hundred sail and
power boaters in Port Townsend for the second annual Spring Boating Symposium on
March 16-18.

Held at the Northwest Maritime Center campus and Point Hudson
Marina, the symposium will once again be an innovative blend of interactive
lectures, panel discussions, hands-on workshops, and opportunities to network
with other boaters and experts. Presentations will be relevant to owners of both
power and sailing vessels of all hull materials, arranged loosely around the
themes of Seamanship, Safety Onboard, How Does It Work?, and Longer
Journeys.


For more information call 360.385.3628 x106 or email symposium@nwmaritime.org

Pilotage Bill continues to roll along

Senate Bill 6171, one of the three priority bills for NMTA this legislative session, continues to make progress.

You may recall it passed the state Senate 48-1 and is now going through the House of Reps committee structure.

On Friday of last week, Peter Schrappen and Capt David Sloate was joined by Lee Reaves of the Puget Sound Pilots to testify in support of this bill which makes it easier for boats to visit our area.

You can catch the testimony here: http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012021147#start=5527&stop=5732

Even more good news on this bill: It was voted out of this committee later in the day with a 25-0 vote.

As for next steps, the bill moves to the Rules Committee where we hope it will be plucked out of their by a Rules Committee member. If/when this occurs, it will (or will not ) be scheduled for a Floor vote in the House for a vote in front of the entire House of Represenatives.

NW Marina & Boatyard Conference dates and place set for the 2012 event

Mark your calendars for November 14-15 for the 2012 NW Marina & Boatyard Conference. The location is the same (La Conner's Maple Hall), but the agenda will be revamped and ready for prime time in the near future. If you have ideas for topics, send them my way.

--Peter (peter at nmta.net)

Recreational fishing provides data for legislators

If you happened upon yesterday's work session in the Senate's Natural Resources Committee, then you would have seen Congressman Norm Dicks speaking to the importance of recreational fishing in Washington state.

He wasn't alone. NMTA and our allies provided expertise on this important segment to the state's economy during this work session.

Here’s the link to Congressman Dicks testimony (he was preceded
by Director Anderson): http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012021108#start=799&stop=1326

Recreational panel: http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012021108#start=3125&stop=5258

Entire work session: http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012021108#start=4&stop=6972

Pilotage Bill passes the state Senate

If you blinked yesterday, you would have missed NMTA's Pilotage Bill (Senate Bill 6171) passing the Senate 48-1. Currently, any boats more than 500 tons with a foreign flag are required to hire a pilot when they enter Washington state's waters or move their boat within the waters during their stay. Our bill would up that tonnage limit to 750 gross tons that would be eligible to get an exemption through the Pilotage Commission.

Here's how it went down yesterday: http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012020103B#start=6665&stop=6922

The bill is now headed to the House to move through that chamber before it becomes law.

Boatyard Permitting Bill passes the House

Good news here: The NMTA Bill to exempt boatyards from the Shoreline Management Act (when they install advanced water treatment systems) passed the state House yesterday. It's now onto the Senate for a committee hearing and then hopefully a Senate vote.

It passed 97-0. You can watch the "debate" here: http://tinyurl.com/7bl654m

Marina Rents Bill (SB 5550)

This issue puts us in a unique situation. It's rare that an issue that could affect a signficant segment of our members (marinas) is one where we do not take a position on. This is one of those examples. With winners and losers on both sides, NMTA has not weighed in on Senate Bill 5550, which has to do with how marina rents are calculated.

As for the latest, this bill is back from last year with a bit of new language. It's important to note that it does not impact yacht clubs. While we are not taking a position on this bill, you can count on me to provide you with the latest news on it (either here on the blog or you can email me at peter at nmta.net)

As for the latest iteration, SB 5550 establishes a marina lease pilot project in two markets (San Juans and Tacoma).  According to the lobbyist who is advocating for the change, the pilot allows DNR to reduce the lease rates of those marinas above the 45% average lease rate within their five-mile competitive market radius if the marina or uplands are subject to public access requirements as detailed in the language.