Classic Yacht Symposium returns this spring

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Following a successful debut in 2005, the three-day conference will again be hosted by The Herreshoff Marine Museum

The second Classic Yacht Symposium will take place at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, R.I., March 31 – April 2nd 2006

Topics to be covered include the restoration of several large yachts, among them the 126-foot 1901 Cangarda, the last of the American-built Edwardian-era steam yachts; and the 106-foot 1903 houseboat, La Duchesse, which has plied the waters of the St. Lawrence River for more than 100 years. Also on the agenda is the presentation of a paper detailing the approaches to maintaining the Dark Harbor 20 one-design racing fleet of Ilesboro, Maine.
The symposium’s three-day schedule includes a dinner featuring noted yachtsman and commentator Gary Jobson. On the final day, the recently restored 1887 N.G. Herreshoff cat yawl, Clara, will be displayed and participants will have the opportunity to speak with her restorers.
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For more information about the Classic Yacht Symposium and to register online visit www.herreshoff.org. Mail-in registration forms with the complete schedule of events and papers are expected to be available mid-January.

For more information, contact Teri Souto of the Herreshoff Marine Museum by e-mail at t.souto@herreshoff.org.

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Land needs to be set aside for boat ramps

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A colleague at The Herald took me to task on my assertion Manatee County has not expanded the boat ramp system in almost a third of a century. He pointed out the ramp at Coquina is twice as large and technically two ramps since there is a north and south Coquina Ramp at least a quarter mile apart.
I'll concede that Coquina Ramp has been enlarged over the years but that was admitted in Sunday's column. And I agree the two ramps being physically separated might constitute a new ramp.

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But two more lanes isn't much improvement in a third of a century.
He also pointed out, a ramp has been added at Highland Shores on the north bank of the Manatee River between Ellington and I-75 Bridge. When you consider that ramp only has five parking slips, it is hard to believe it has been much of a boon to the general boating public.
Someone at the county had told him a public boat ramp once existed at Piney Point, but like a lot of other things taken from local outdoorsmen, the powers that be used 9-11 as an excuse to shut out the public.
The truth of that situation was, Piney Point was anything but a formal boat ramp. A better description was a hole in the rocks which allowed launchers to back down to the sand and drop or retrieve small boats.
Parking was parallel along the narrow little road leading from U.S. 41 to the bay. The county might have owned the property, but I don't remember any improvements there.
All that said, it needs to be recognized and said here boat ramps by nature must be placed on some of the most expensive real estate in any given area.
In addition to the actual ramp, a fairly large parcel of land must be purchased for parking trailer rigs.

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Add to this the fact channels and boat activity are not the best thing going for the marine environment. Not every coastal location is suitable for public boat ramps.
All of this means if the general boating public is to be served, then it is imperative waterfront tracts be set aside now.
And this may be a tough sell with land prices climbing by multiples each decade, but it is going to have to be done right now.
This community touts fishing and boating in a huge percentage of it's advertising trying to entice more folks to move to Manatee. If we are going to do that, then it is only fair boating be given a fair shake by the local governments. So far the last decade, the biggest impact the various bodies have had on small boating was in constrictions and restrictions.
How about doubling the public launching capacity in the next five or 10 years?

Jerry Hill, outdoors writer, can be reached at 745-7013 or jhill@HeraldToday.com