Yacht Club sunk by historic commission

The Pequonnock Yacht Club, a century-old Bridgeport, Conn., institution, is hoping to make its new home in City Point, New Haven’s historic waterfront district. The club planned to renovate two buildings on South Water Street, turning them into clubhouses for its members. Last month, the proposal was approved by the City Plan Commission.

A meeting last week of the Historic District Commission was a different story — a story, as one interested party put it, about “trade-offs in historic preservation.”

Local residents and several preservation groups filed a petition to intervene and many spoke out against altering the historic structure..

In response to such opposition, the Historic District Commission voted to deny the yacht club’s proposal without prejudice, thereby preventing it from moving forward with the renovation plans, but leaving the door open for future proposals. The yacht club has not yet decided its next move.

Click here to read the full report in the New Haven Independent.

Insurance group: boat owners need proper protection

With the summer season in full swing, recreational boat owners need to assess whether they have adequate insurance coverage before hitting the high seas, according to the Insurance Information Institute, a non-profit communications organization supported by the insurance industry.

Standard boat policies typically cover damages resulting from a collision, fire or lightning. Theft and vandalism are covered also, as insured losses for boats can occur on land or in the water.

Moreover, many boat insurance policies provide coverage not only for the boat itself, but also for its machinery, fittings, auxiliary equipment such as outboard motors and boat trailers, permanently attached equipment such as anchors — up to an agreed value — and personal property. In addition, these policies often have provisions for: damage caused to someone else’s property; medical payments, for injuries to the boat owner and other passengers; bodily injury, for injuries caused to another person; and guest passenger liability, for any legal expenses incurred by someone using the boat with the owner’s permission.

"When determining how much you will pay for a boat insurance policy, insurers will also assess the size, type and value of the boat as well as the waterways in which it will be navigating," said Michael Barry, Insurance Information Institute vice president of media relations.
A boat insurance policy can provide physical damage coverage on an actual cash value or an agreed amount value basis. There are distinct differences between the two:

* Actual cash value policies pay for replacement costs less depreciation at the time of the loss. In the event of a total loss, used boat pricing guides and other resources are used to determine the vessel’s approximate market value. Partial losses are settled by taking the total cost of the repair less a percentage for depreciation.

* Agreed amount value policies mean that you and your insurer have agreed on the value of your vessel and in the event of a total loss you will be paid that amount. Agreed amount value policies also replace old items for new ones in the event of a partial loss, without any deduction for depreciation.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, typical boat insurance policies include deductibles of $250 for property damage, $500 for theft and $1,000 for medical payments. Higher deductibles may be available. Most companies offering boat insurance have liability limits that start at $15,000 and can be increased to $300,000. Boat owners may also consider purchasing an umbrella liability policy which will provide additional protection for their boat, home and car. The level of coverage extending to special equipment kept on the boat, such as fishing gear and towing coverage, are other issues which should be weighed when acquiring a policy.

Boat owners should also inquire about premium discounts for the following:

* Diesel-powered craft, which are less hazardous than gasoline-powered boats as they are less likely to explode.

* Coast Guard-approved fire extinguishers.

* Ship-to-shore radios.

* Two years of claims-free experience.

* Multiple policies with the same insurer, such as an auto, home or umbrella policy.

* Completion of safety education courses, such as those offered by the Coast Guard Auxiliary or the U.S. Power Squadrons.

Yacht builder jailed over deaths

A boatbuilder found guilty of manslaughter after a yacht broke up at sea was sentenced to three years in jail. A district judge ordered the Australian builder to serve a non-parole period of 18 months. The sail racing yacht Excalibur sank in September 2002 when its keel split in two in high winds off Australia.

Crewmembers Tracy Luke, 32, Ann Maree Pope, 30, Christopher Hayes, 51, and Peter McLeod, also 51, died.

Click here to read a report in The Australian.

Interview with a pirate

Lloyd’s List, a London-based source for global maritime and shipping news, published an exclusive interview with one of Somalia’s most prolific maritime hijackers, who predicts an escalation of violence in the piracy crisis, warning that the outlaws are now prepared to murder hostages to gain higher ransoms. An excerpt follows:

Richard Meade, News Editor at Lloyd’s List, has conducted an exclusive interview with a Somali pirate who called himself Garaad Mohammed, and who claims to have been directly involved in the high profile recent hijackings of the very large crude carrier Sirius Star and the Malta-flagged bulker Ariana.

Mohammed says he has been involved in dozens of hijackings, including May’s fatal hijacking of the Marathon, in which one crewmember was injured and a Ukranian crew member was killed.

Using words that signal a shocking change of tactics for the pirates, Mohammed boasted that his pirate gangs could not be stopped by naval forces and warned that crew would be punished if ship owners did not pay full ransoms on demand.

Of the killing onboard the Marathon, Mohammed was unequivocal: “It was because of the ransom. They gave it late. If we get our demands we treat them well. But if the ship owners deny our ransom, we punish them. That is just the way it is.”

Security sources who have seen a full transcript of the interview agree that the threat is ‘credible’ and have suggested that the timing of the approach to Lloyd’s List should be seen as an escalation of the negotiating tactics now being employed by the pirates.

In an editorial comment accompanying the Lloyd’s List article on the interview, Meade says that the implicit threat of violence towards crew held hostage by Somali pirates is a worrying development and a loaded message to the industry.

“Although the words of Garaad Mohammed may well be crude rhetoric designed to add leverage to ransom negotiations, they should not be dismissed as an idle threat,” says Meade. “Until recently, crews held hostage in Somalia have been treated as well as could be expected under the circumstances. However, the facts that pirates are willing to claim responsibility for the death of one seafarer and that some crew have been returned from captivity with injuries does increase the pressure on our industry and on the forces that are trying to protect the Gulf of Aden.”

The escalation is clear, the stakes are high and the pirate’s message is chilling: “For 20 years we don’t have a central government, for 20 years the world betrayed us. America, Africa, Arab League,” says Mohammed. “We are going to punish them as they punished us. And we are going to make business.”