Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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How many times do we use the phrase, "Take care" when signing off on texts and emails? We mean this, but it is often just a cursory comment. However, around water, whether boating, fishing, swimming, or just enjoying, the message needs to be powerful and at the fore of our thoughts. "Safety First" and "Take Care" are not just well wishes. They are life savers. And having pfds for all on board, including our precious pets, is paramount to doing just that: saving lives. That being said, having... Full story
Gas prices are up. What can boaters do to prepare for a summer of boating? The 800,000-plus member Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has 21 fuel-saving tips boaters can do to help save on fuel and still enjoy a fulfilling season on the water. While some of these techniques may sound obvious, there may be some you never considered. Before Heading Out: 1. Tune your engine now. A once a year for a tune-up and service will help it run more efficiently. 2. Match the boat’s prop to... Full story
AZGFD Catutions OHV Riders, Boaters, Anglers, During Monsoon Monsoon weather is right around the corner, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) cautions boaters, anglers and off-highway vehicle (OHV) users that weather conditions can quickly change and become dangerous for those who aren't prepared. The severity of monsoon storms varies greatly from a minor dust storm to a violent thunderstorm capable of producing hail, deadly lightning and flash flooding. "Arizona is known for its...
Just now, in this transition season before it gets too hot, is the perfect outdoor time. Hiking, enjoying water activities, or experiencing the grand glory of Arizona's world-famous canyon: All these invitations to visit Mother Nature await you. Please join us with an RSVP that you will be there; you will surely be refreshed and thrilled with the beauty and grandeur of our state. PORTS DOWNSTREAM - It's time to tune into June. Page 2 BOATING - Before summer sizzles, get out on the water in... Full story
Dive In! The "merry, merry month of May" brings us both the lighter side of taking selfies with mermaids and the more serious side of remembering our moms on Mothers' Day and loved ones lost on Memorial Day. Scuba Show 2022 in L.A. promises to be a family friendly event with many programs focused on the kids. However, there is lots for the adults too who are interested in scuba diving: products, programs, educational seminars and more. Also in this delightful, not-too-hot-yet month are the... Full story
Lake Pleasant Is Not 'Just Another Pretty Place' In addition to concerts, special events, fun activities and water sports, and great fishing, recreational boating is often the highlight of two local sailing clubs at Lake Pleasant. Check out Pleasant Harbor Marina and RV Resort. Welcome To The Arizona Yacht Club! Sailing is alive and well in the greater Phoenix area. Since our humble beginnings in 1958, AYC has continued to create the region's best sailing opportunities for its members and... Full story
Like Tai, take it easy. Tai puts safety in first place at night. "You absolutely must have a spotlight at night," says Au, "but Arizona law says you can't drive with it constantly on. What I do is barely get the boat on plane, take it slow, and use that spotlight intermittently to make sure where I am." Knowing what marker buoys mean is crucial – the buoys with vertical stripes mean "don't go between here and shore". A diamond on a buoy is marking a hazard like a submerged rock, a square contain... Full story
Here are some suggestions for kayak and canoe safety and equipment. AZGFD Paddlesports Training Course Is First The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) was recognized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for offering the nation's first paddle-sports class that meets the national standard for "On-Water Recreational Boating Skills – Human Propelled." AZGFD's "Paddlesports Arizona" course teaches fundamental paddlecraft skills that entry-level recreational boaters should be able... Full story
Twelve-year expiration for disposables and different carriage requirements for older, newer model year vessels announced. A rite of passage for every boater is the annual spring commissioning. Newly added to the boat owners to-do list this spring will be to check all disposable (non-rechargeable) fire extinguisher dates of manufacture, as well as the label for their U.S. Coast Guard classification. That's because a new U.S. Coast Guard regulation beginning April 20 for disposable fire... Full story
Affordable Three-Hour Courses Begin January 22, 2022 Arizona boaters might make this a goal in the new year as San Diego is such a popular destination for them. Boating in San Diego is rated among the best in the nation, but if you have no boating experience how do you begin? A new partnership between San Diego based Boater U and the national nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water makes it easy with a series of affordable three-hour courses for beginners as well as... Full story
Here is the Top 10 list of how-to, things-you-need-to-know boating videos. Repairing gelcoat is a common boat owner task, but it requires more than just filling in small spider cracks. "How to Spray Gelcoat on a Boat Using a Preval Sprayer," which shows how to make professional gelcoat repairs over a larger area, was the most-watched new BoatUS video of 2021, from BoatUS Magazine. The second most-watched video on the list, "Bilge Pump Not Working? Here's How To Troubleshoot the Problem" proves... Full story
BoatUS has you covered with 24/7 assistance for breakdowns on the water and on the road. Looking for a holiday gift for the boater in the family? Look no further than an annual BoatUS Unlimited Towing Membership. Like an auto club for recreational boat owners, a BoatUS Unlimited Towing Membership provides professional 24/7 on-water towing service by the TowBoatUS fleet ─ the nation's largest. A Towing Membership takes care of the problems that your boater did not plan for, such as an a... Full story
Customizable greeting cards from the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation give back to boating. Hey, boaters! Got your holiday cards yet? The BoatUS Foundation's nautically themed cards from Salt Harbor Studios offer customizable card designs crafted on high-quality FSC Certified paper from responsibly managed forests. The best part about this season of giving may be that a portion of each card purchase supports the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation's mission of promoting safe and clean boating, including... Full story
Oh, the views: spectacular! Thank you, Margie Anderson, for some fantastic photos of vistas here in Arizona, and on our "Western Wildlife" page, we salute another incredible photographer, George Andrejko, Arizona Game & Fish Department, who has some tips for taking pictures of wildlife. With so many negatives confronting us, usually from the media, there is such good news to celebrate here in the Southwest — We have family outings to enjoy as outdoor fans cut their own Christmas trees. We h... Full story
Contest garnered 129 entries and paid out $30,000 in prizes. Recycling old fishing line and soft baits into new products is labor-intensive, inefficient and simply, for many anglers, not easy to do. This hampers the ability to grow the volume of line and soft bait recycling in the U.S. However, three BoatUS Foundation and Berkley Recast and Recycle Contest winners aim to change that. The prizewinners – a recent college grad, an outsdoorsman and 3D printing hobbyist, and a team of four college f... Full story
News From Our Next-Door BoatingNeighbors Huge California Boat Registration Fee Hike Averted Next Up: Ensuring fuel taxes paid by boaters equitably fund California's boating education and safety, facilities, AIS, and enforcement programs. The implications go beyond that state's borders. California's recreational boaters could have been in for a shock with a proposed 250 percent recreational vessel registration fee increase being discussed among Golden State legislators earlier this year.... Full story
To Take The ‘Search’ Out Of Search And Rescue Are you making it difficult to be found in an emergency? “Do I know how to be found in an emergency?” That’s a question every boater should ask during boating season. The answer, however, is likely to go far beyond simply having a cell phone aboard. The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water offers five tips that can potentially speed a rescuer’s response to a boater in need of emergency help. 1. File a float plan: Telling a responsible... Full story
Water Is The Driving Force Of All Nature Leonardo da Vinci Although we fish in it, boat on it, swim in it, we sometimes take water for granted - not, of course, for our recreational needs but for its crucial role in life preservation for all flora and fauna. This need for our wildlife was recognized as early as 1945 when Arizona Game and Fish began its "Arizona Guzzler" program. This year, it is estimated that three million gallons will be used to fill water catchments throughout the state from... Full story
They reveal how the pandemic affected boating in ways just beginning to be understood. The U.S. Coast Guard recently released the 2020 Recreational Boating Statistics, and reports of accidents, fatalities and injuries were significantly up over the prior year. While still under review, the Coast Guard believes that the primary driving factor for the significant increase in deaths was the significant increase in boating activity. The nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water... Full story
In addition to the thrill of having our Outdoors Editor inducted into the arizona outdoor hall of fame, we feel honored to have both Margie and John Anderson as loyal and valuable contributors to our publications. Of course we honor the other four inductees as well; our Wildlife benefits incredibly from their hard work, dedication, and commitment. Another reason to celebrate is the annual incredible fireworks display at Pleasant Harbor. We send a warm thank-you to them for honoring our... Full story
The Outdoor Hall of Fame annually recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant and lasting contributions toward Arizona's wildlife, the welfare of its natural resources, and the state's outdoor heritage. The 2021 Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame Inductees are Becoming an Outdoors Woman, Bill Hardy, Margie Anderson, Charlie Kelly and Randy Babb. The Wildlife for Tomorrow Foundation invites you to join us and the Arizona Game and Fish Department in honoring these deserving and...
Why Waiting Until Year End Could Cost You Single engine center-console boats wanted for on-water training programs. Boat owners wishing to do good or take advantage of potential tax benefits may consider donating their boats to charity. Often this decision is made at the end of year just before the start of the new tax season. Waiting until the end of the year, however, could shortchange a boater's potential tax benefits, according to the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation and Boating Safety and Clean... Full story
The boating association provides some interesting information re: recreational boating. The job of the nation's largest recreational boating advocacy, services and safety group, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), is to make boating better for America's recreational boaters. To help understand how they do it, here's an annual look at some noteworthy numbers behind the boating organization. BoatUS Membership 700,294: Total number of BoatUS members nationwide (annual dues: $24)... Full story
BOGO -- This spring, purchase a Cobra Marine VHF radio and get a complimentary one-year BoatUS basic membership. BoatUS/ Cobra Electronics Team Up To Enhance Boater Safety, Experience For a limited time, buyers of select Cobra marine radio products will receive a complimentary one-year BoatUS membership,exclusive savings on additional Cobra products, and more. Equipping a marine VHF radio aboard your boat can greatly enhance safety and communication, and a new partnership aims to offer additiona... Full story
BoatUS Foundation and Berkley Recast & Recycle Contest seeks new ideas, concepts. You've likely seen the fishing line recycling bins in many marinas and boatyards, but what really happens after that line is collected? Recycling it into new products is labor-intensive, requiring a series of workers to comb through, sort, clean, remove hooks and weights, and separate out encrusted debris from miles of entangled fishing line. There also aren't any recycling programs for fishing-related materials... Full story