This week Greg-Your 1st Mate returns from Key West to share his fishing and underwater treasure hunting adventure. Plus did Flipper committ suicide? (Hour 2)
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Greg Your-1st Mate hooks up!
Greg-Your 1st Mate out for some “catching” in Key West!
The 40th Anniversary of Earth Day !!
Today Earth Day seems like a no-brainer… anyone who really enjoys the water or the out of doors at all, should see the benefits to preserving what we have.
But not everyone has always embraced Earth Day. The first Earth Day combined with Vietnam War protesters. Early protesters against the April 22nd gatherings also included the Daughters of the American Revolution. The DAR was concerned about a vast Communist conspiracy… seeing as how April 22nd, 1970 marked the centennial of Lenin's birth (Most likely a coincidence). It was also Eddie Albert's birthday and the birthday of Arbor Day founder Julius Morton and just a day after JOhn Muirs birthday — founder of the Sierra Club. Or maybe they were just all Commies.
The DAR protest resulted in this fantastic quote printed in the May 4th, 1970 issue of Time magazine “Subversive elements plan to make American children live in an environment that is good for them.”
As for the 40th Earth Day, the biggest controversy is probably about the scientific validity of the Global Warming (or climate change) argument.
Bottom line as a boater…
Bring on Global Warming … more water for us.
Find out more about Earth Day on the Five Minute Professor Facebook Group.
High end TVs on Boats
Last weekend, I was in Miami Florida for an Event hosted by Panasonic. They were showing off all kinds of new electronics for home and travel, but the thing that caught my attention was the new 3D televisions. I feel like the big fish that bit the cut squid and now I am hooked. As I was standing there watching some beach volleyball in 3D, I was thinking to myself, How do I explain to my wife that we NEED a new TV.
I have to admit my boat is a little too small for a 50 inch flat screen, but I have had the opportunity to visit a few boats that had TVs that size. A 50 foot Viking Yacht may be out of my personal price range but a 50 inch 3D TV is attainable at $2400. It even comes with glasses. The Panasonic rep at the event asked me what I thought the cost was, and of course I was way off. I was thinking “as cool as this is, and as cutting edge as the technology is” it has to be 5K or more. Well, I was wrong and realized a new 50 inch flat screen is well within my reach and with some persuading with my wife, I hope to have one in the next few weeks.
The neat thing about the Panasonic home version of 3D, is that it is an active system, meaning the glasses are powered and they are opening and closing the lenses on each eye over 100 times a second. Therefore you are able to watch 1980X1080 full HD in 3D. So you are seeing 2 separate images multi times a second, the timing was perfect between the TV and Glasses. This is compared to a Movie theater where the system is passive. If you have been to see a 3D movie at a theater, then you received a pair of paper/plastic glasses with one side being green and the other being red. How the passive system works is, there are 2 constant images on the screen, one running horizontal and the other vertical. So the passive glasses just tricks your brain into seeing two images. The faster the image moves the easier to trick your brain. In the active system, the movie scene can be slow motion or stationary, because the glasses are refreshing hundreds of times a second.
This week I will work on convincing my wife we need a 50 inch flat screen 3D TV, then shortly thereafter I will work on her for a 50 foot sport fisherman! But for now, I will settle on watching my favorite fishing shows on ESPN in 3D. For more information on 3d TVs visit www.panasonic.com
Finding the Perfect Hot Spot
Once you Discover Boating, you’ll soon find yourself looking for great new places to boat. You probably already know where the best boat ramps, docking spaces and restaurants are in your own area, but how do you find that information about a potential vacation destination? You’d think it would be easy. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Finding that perfect hot spot can be a hit or miss proposition.
With today’s technology, however, the hunt for that perfect destination is not only easier; it’s also much more enjoyable. Step one – grab a computer.
The Internet is a great resource; the trick, of course, is finding the needle in its information haystack. Start with a search engine such as Google or Bing. Using simple key words like “boating Destin” or “boating Key Largo” (Don’t forget the quotation marks!) will return pages of possibilities. It may take some time, however, to sort through all of the results. Narrowing your search can help. “Destin restaurant boat dock,” will get you better results, for instance, than just “Destin restaurant.”
Another option is to find local boating forums. You can find a forum for just about anything from boat repair to the local fishing hot spots. You can post specific question on forums, and hopefully someone from the area will provide an answer, or at least point you in the right direction. Forums vary in their degree of usefulness and activity. Check out the forum itself before you post; look at the number of members, as well has how active the discussions are. This will save you time and energy and ensure your question gets answered in a timely manner.
Another option: online boating communities. A community is similar to a forum, but its members can post other information such as personal photos, advertisements, personal updates and even blogs. Think of these communities as Facebook sites for boaters. They can be full of great information. The downside to communities is that they are just that, a “community” and can become cliquish over time.
There’s also a new option popping up around the country: all-in-one resource sites that feature both information and education. One such example is a new website called Florida by Water (http://www.floridabywater.com). This site is a comprehensive resource for the boating community that lists establishments such as marinas, boat ramps, hotels, restaurants and even the popular boating hot spots for a given city. The site also includes nautical charts, GPS coordinates and weather information for most of the cities in the state, as well as tourism information such as special events, and area highlights.
Regardless of how you start charting your next trip, there are always a few things you should keep in mind before you start your motor.
1. Study the nautical charts for the area before you go.
2. Keep an eye on your Chart Plotter or GPS while in a new area. If possible, pre-plan your routes.
3. Play close attention to water depths.
4. File a float plan. Always let someone know where you’re going and when you’re coming back. This is even more important when you’re in unfamiliar waters.
5. Follow the channel markers.
6. If you’re headed for a restaurant or hotel, be sure to call before you arrive to confirm docking conditions. Waterfront doesn’t always mean there’s a place to tie up.
7. Look up and carry a list of emergency phone numbers for that area.
8. Always check the weather and tide conditions.
With a little online time and practice, you’ll be able to locate the information you’re looking for in a matter of minutes, instead of hours or days. Not only will you save time, you’ll alleviate the stress of the unknown, and make sure every boating trip will be perfect for you and your family.
By Robin Herriff and Rusty Gardner