BY SKIP ALLEN, SR.

As temperatures rise along our shores, many of our readers are gearing up for annual regattas and fishing tournaments. Unfortunately, several events are noticeably absent from the upcoming schedule having been cancelled due to lack of interest, including the 2008 Fort Lauderdale to Charleston Race along with a Bahamian billfish tournament. While this disturbing trend may just be a reflection of rising fuel prices, we must remain vigilant in protecting the boating lifestyle we now enjoy and ensure that the younger generation learns to appreciate time on the water.

The state of the economy, however, is not the only threat facing boating. As we have reported previously, a U.S. District Court ruling in the fall of 2006 declared ballast water shall not be exempt from government regulation as a pollutant under the Clean Water Act. While worthy in its intention to regulate ballast discharge from cargo ships to stop the introduction of invasive species, it has a negative impact in store for all boat owners. The ruling’s language includes regulation of discharge from recreational boats in the form of engine cooling water, bilge water, A/C discharge, and deck runoff, just to name a few.

To navigate around this ruling, the EPA has been charged with creating and issuing exemption permits, which all U.S. recreational boats would be required to obtain. This has all the makings of a logistical nightmare. If you think the lines at the DMV and Passport offices are long, just wait until an estimated 17 million boat owners flood the EPA with requests for exemptions. Consider that with just a few months until the September 30, 2008 deadline, the EPA has still not finished the language for the permits–after a year and half of debate.

There is hope, however. A few of our congressional friends have taken it upon themselves to provide a feasible answer. Florida Senator Bill Nelson and California Senator Barbara Boxer recently introduced a Senate bill, S. 2766 called “The Clean Boating Act of 2008,” which recognizes that normal operational discharge from recreational boats is not harmful and should not be included under EPA regulation. This bill is currently our best option for avoiding permits and the headache-inducing process of obtaining them. We can all do our part by spreading word of this issue around the docks and our yacht clubs, urging all who will listen to demand their Senators support S. 2766. If we don’t speak up for ourselves, we have only ourselves to blame.

On a lighter note, it seems our engine guru Chuck Husick is up to his old tricks. In April’s “Engine Room” column, Chuck wrote about a new propulsion system for repowering yachts based on helicopter technology from Scioccodiaprile, Ag of Modena, Italy, the same manufacturer of the SPM Drive revealed in April 2007. His article has caused quite a stir and he has received more than 260 inquiries about the system, many of those from manufacturers wondering how they could be involved in its production.

Alas, SistemaBEO exists purely in Chuck’s fantastical mind and on the pages of Southern Boating. His annual homage to April Fool’s Day has once again outwitted many unsuspecting readers.

However, the extent to which Chuck’s column was taken at face value speaks to the practicality of his ideas and depth of engineering detail. Chuck, perhaps you should file for a patent before somebody else brings Scioccodiaprile’s products to a wildly successful existence and the joke is on you.