Live fire, explosives training leads to safety zone on river

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone encompassing the M/V Del Monte in the James River Reserve Fleet on the James River in Virginia. The purpose of the safety zone is to restrict vessel traffic movement to protect mariners from hazards associated with Navy live fire and explosive training events. The safety zone will be in effect from July 30 to Aug. 8.

Click here to read the full regulation.

America’s Cup courtroom drama continues

The legal duel between the U.S. and Swiss America’s Cup camps, thought by some to have finally been settled, flared up again Tuesday with a pair of press releases.

The Golden Gate Yacht Club, home to software mogul Larry Ellison’s BMW Oracle syndicate, issued the following release.

The Societe Nautique de Geneve (SNG) club, home to the two-time winner and present holder of the Cup, team Alinghi, promptly issued a reply.

Bees, boating don't mix on Florida river

Beekeeper Lyndon Jones said the bees that swarmed a boat Monday in the Indian River Lagoon simply might have needed a place to rest as they flew across the water. The bees were probably wild and simply doing what bees do — searching for a new, bigger place to live for a growing colony.

A mother, her friend, her 11-year-old son and the friend’s 14-year-old daughter set sail on the 36-foot Walk About, expecting a leisurely day on the Indian River. By 1:30 p.m., all four were in the murky water to escape a swarm of what they described as thousands of bees that decided to take up temporary residence under an awning on the boat.

Click here to read a report in Florida Today.

Coast Guard issues safety alert on EPIRB, PLB registration

A Marine Safety Alert issued Monday by the Coast Guard addresses the importance of ensuring your EPIRB and PLB are properly registered with NOAA.

One of the circumstances surrounding a recent major marine casualty involving an uninspected commercial fishing vessel was the improper registration of the vessel's EPIRB.  The Unique Identification Number (UIN) entered into NOAA's registration database was different from the actual UIN programmed into the EPIRB by the manufacturer and transmitted to the Search and Rescue Satellite System after the vessel sank. The improper registration of this vessel's EPIRB delayed the notification to search-and-rescue personnel, and subsequently delayed the launching of rescue assets.

You can also cross-check that the above UINs match the NOAA registration database by visiting the National Beacon Registration Web site and choosing one of the links for your existing beacon registration.

If any of the numbers or letters in the UINs are different, your beacon may not be registered properly and you should contact NOAA immediately at (301) 817-4515 or 1-888-212-SAVE (7283).

Click here to read the full safety alert.