Replica 19th century boat to be auctioned

Early bids are being accepted on a 15-foot Whitehall, a replica of a 19th century two-station tender and rowing vessel. With its plank-on-frame with classic trim, the boat’s lines were taken from an original at Mystic Seaport and it was solidly built by students at the International Yacht Restoration School.

Bidding starts at $10,500. She is easily trailered and would fetch more than $20,000 in a good commercial boat shop, according to organizers. E-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and click here to view other Live Auction items, including sails aboard two of the America’s Cup most famous 12-meters, Freedom and Courageous; and a two-day sail aboard Rambler, the 90-foot super sled designed by Reichel-Pugh.

All proceeds go to funding operations at the school. A portion of the purchase price may be tax deductable. Arrangements may be made to bid by telephone. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for information.

Holding on to a heritage: watermen hope new retail shop is a success

Watermen Patrick Mahoney Sr. and Patrick Mahoney Jr. recently opened Wild Country Seafood, a retail store in Eastport, Md. The father and son are among the last watermen in the Annapolis area, and they start work at 4 a.m. checking the crab pots and work into dusk.

Click here to read a profile in The Capital.

Woman loses boat propeller injury lawsuit

It all came down to a warning on a propeller-guard box. More than 10 years after an East Naples, Fla., woman was seriously injured in a boating accident, a Collier Circuit jury Tuesday decided Outboard Marine Corp. was not liable for providing a defective product. A lone juror, who deadlocked the jury 5-1 for nearly 4 1/2 hours, said jurors focused on a caution on Outboard Marine Corp.’s Gale Guard. The caution said that a propeller guard wasn’t for safety, but to protect a propeller from rocks during shallow-water fishing.

Click here to read the full report in the Naples Daily News.

Summer Sailstice event kicks off summer

The ninth annual Summer Sailstice weekend June 20-21 increased worldwide awareness of this international sailing holiday among both mainstream sailors and the sailing media, expanding virally through social networking, and deepening Summer Sailstice traditions with continued strong participation by the general public, according to organizers.

"In this difficult economic environment, Summer Sailstice 2009 exceeded our expectations. This year’s event was clearly a blast for thousands of sailors around the world who once again celebrated with some new traditions associated with their holiday," said Summer Sailstice founder John Arndt. "Participation globally remains as high as last year, while this year mainstream media covered the Sailstice even more comprehensively and more actively, and participating sailors began using community networking sites including Facebook, YouTube, Yelp and Flickr to share the fun."

Based on individual boats, multi-boat races, and flotillas registered at www.summersailstice.com, the number of boats sailing on the Sailstice surpassed 3,900. With a conservative average of four sailors per boat, an estimated 15,600 sailors participated in this year’s Summer Sailstice across all 50 U.S. states, Europe, and Asia Pacific based on site registrations.

Photos and videos were posted at www.flickr.com/groups/summersailstice and on YouTube.