Welcome to the PCCC

A great place to find friends...

Panama City Coastal Cruisers was formed in 1996 by a group of boaters, both power and sail, who wanted to spend time with others who shared similar interests.  The club was created so that boaters could get together, share ideas and encourage the use of their boats.

Members meet the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. for dinner at Saint Andrews Bay Yacht Club, unless holidays interfere.

The Yacht Club is located at 218 Bunkers Cove Road, and the cost of the dinner is $15 per person.

In addition to our monthly meeting we also plan a monthly activity. Please check our calendar.

Our membership is made up of (but not limited to) powerboat and sailboat owners, from 13’-70’.  All we ask is for you to have a passion for boating and having a good time.  

Dues are $25 per year, per couple,  renewed each January.

If you're interested in becoming a member of the PCCC - just print, complete and mail an Membership Application Form.

ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS:

From: BoatU.S. News [CWyngaard@BoatUS.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 10:05 AM
To: PCCC
Subject: BoatU.S. News: Saavy Boaters Know The Difference Between "Towing" And "Salvage"
NEWS From BoatU.S.
Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304
BoatU.S. News Room at http://www.BoatUS.com/news/releases.asp

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com

ON-THE-WATER BOAT TROUBLES?
SAAVY BOATERS KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "TOWING" AND "SALVAGE"

Who Pays for Each?

ALEXANDRIA, VA, July 17, 2008 -- On-the-water breakdowns, running aground or other mishaps can ruin a day of boating or fishing fun. But when the towboat arrives on the scene, do you know if the service is a "tow" or a "salvage" job? If you're ever in doubt, the safest bet is to ask the towboat crew. That's because there could be a big difference in the cost of each service, and it also determines who pays the bill, says Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.).

While there is sometimes a fine line between the towing and salvage, there are a few clear indicators that point to each. "Salvage requires the existence of 'peril' to the distressed vessel or persons aboard, or peril to the rescue boat and its crew, or the marine environment," said Vice President of BoatU.S. Towing Services Jerry Cardarelli.

Historically and legally, salvage is any voluntary and successful rescue of a boat, its cargo, and/or passengers from peril at sea. Today that definition includes the successful avoidance of damage to a legally protected marine environment.

Vessels hard aground, on rocks, taking on water or sunk are salvage, as are collisions, fires, breakaways or other types of immediate danger. Salvage also comes into play when specialized equipment such as pumps, air bags, or divers are called for - even if the boat is at the dock.

All TowBoatU.S. and Vessel Assist companies are committed to informing the owner of a boat - before beginning any work - if the procedure will be declared salvage. If the owner is not on board or the conditions are so perilous and the rescue of the boat requires immediate action, they'll be notified as soon as possible after saving the boat.

"On the other hand, when there is very little or no peril or damage to the vessel - you have a towing situation," said Cardarelli. "A typical example is when you run out of gas or have a dead battery, and have subsequently dropped anchor to await for assistance. Waters are calm, you're no threat to navigation, your crew and boat are fine and there's no peril to those on the response boat." Of all of the thousands of requests for assistance made each year by boaters to BoatU.S. 24-hour Dispatch Centers, 98% are for routine towing services.

When it comes to soft ungroundings, BoatU.S. members enjoy a special agreement with the TowBoatU.S. and Vessel Assist on-the-water towing fleets which ensures that if there is little peril and no damage to the BoatU.S. member's disabled boat, and only one towboat is needed to remove the softly grounded vessel from a shoal, it's a simple towing job. Other commercial towing companies may or may not honor this agreement.

The Costs

Nationwide, towing and soft ungrounding costs average about $600 and $800 respectively. These are either paid by an annual towing service plan or out-of-pocket by the boater.

Salvage cases are usually covered by insurance - or out-of-pocket if self-insured - and are much more expensive than a tow. Salvage continues to be the way to award a rescuer who maintains a 24-hour state of readiness to risk life, limb and vessel for others, and often results in a charge based on the length of the vessel saved or a request for a percentage of the boat's post-casualty value. While it's a reward for extraordinary service, the dollar amount awarded factors in the degree of peril as well as the risk to the salvor and their crew.

"There are significant expenses in operating and maintaining a towing operation," says Cardarelli, "such as Captain's and staff salaries, insurance, equipment maintenance and increasing fuel costs, not to mention capital expenses such as towboats and other specialized recovery equipment - and it all has to be ready to go at a moment's notice," he added.

Time and circumstances permitting, Cardarelli suggests that if it's a salvage job boaters should try to call their insurance company so they may attempt to negotiate with the salvor before the operation gets underway. If circumstances don't allow this, ask the salvor for a fixed price and try to get it in writing.

He also says that boaters should review their boat's insurance policy to ensure it fully covers salvage. "Some policies have limits, high deductibles, or may not include environmental damage - all of which would have to be paid out of pocket," said Cardarelli.

BoatU.S. also suggests having a copy of the BoatU.S. Open Form Yacht Salvage Contract aboard at all times, which assures that any salvage claim will go to local binding arbitration if negotiations between your insurance company and salvor fails. Designed to be more understandable, relevant to U.S. laws and potentially money saving for all parties, the Open Form Contract is available free of charge at http://www.BoatUS.com/salvage or by calling 800-937-1937.

Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 650,000 members with a wide array of consumer services, including on-the-water towing assistance provided by TowBoatU.S. and Vessel Assist Pacific. Combined, these two towing fleets offer North American boaters the largest network of U.S., Canadian and Bahamian towing ports with over 280 locations and over 500 towing assistance vessels - twice that of any other service provider.

FOUR SALVAGE TIPS:

· Protect yourself by having both a towing service plan for basic towing assistance needs and an insurance policy that fully covers the costs of salvage.
· If you do have an incident, ask questions first, not later, to confirm whether the job is towing or salvage.
· Have your insurance claims department phone number aboard. If it's salvage, you'll want to try to contact them to help negotiate a fixed price.
· When all else fails, have a copy of BoatU.S. Open Form Yacht Salvage Contract aboard. You can get one for free at http://www.BoatUS.com/salvage

---

Posted 09May08 - A note from Patti:

Hi,

We will be buddy boating to Lulu's at Homeport Marina, Gulf Shores, AL.  We currently have four boats going.  Reservations are made on your own at Homeport with Capt. Craig.  Kayda. He can be reached at, 251-967-4529.  Rates are $2.00 per running foot with a $10.00 charge per night for electric.  Are you a power boat or sail?  All are welcome of course.

We have schedule leaving Panama City on May 28, 2008 mid morning. The sailboats are planning an outside run (in the Gulf of Mexico)  to Pensacola,  which we guestimate at an average of 5 knots will take about a 16-20 hours depending on current and winds. We'll hang on the hook once we get through the pass at  Pensacola and into ICW at or near Fort McKenzie, at the designated Anchorage.  We will proceed to Lulu's Homeport Marina May 30, & 31st. We'll leave Lulu's to return to Panama City on June 1st and hopefully be back in Panama City June 2nd by late afternoon or evening.

Please let us know soon if you'd like to be included in the buddy group.  If so, please go ahead and call the marina tell them that you're coming with our boats and get a slip for those two nights, so we can party like "Dock Stars."  Still my favorite Lulu's shirt that is just about worn out... LOL..

Tickled pink that you're interested in the trip.  Hope to hear from you soon. Please let us know yea or nay. 

Later,
Patti
896-0444 (C)

---

April 3, 2008

Dear Cooperating Group Liaison,

The link below includes a very important announcement regarding a legislative issue that impacts everyone who owns or operates a boat. Please forward this to your club's membership email list, or place it on your club's web site to encourage your members to take action to insure that their future boating remains hassle free. If possible, it would be helpful if you would also print the attached and post it on your club's bulletin board.

Lastly, please remind your club's members that because your organization is a BoatUS Cooperating Group, membership in BoatUS is available to them at a special $12.50 half-price rate.

Please click on the following link to view the announcement:
http://www.boatus.com/gov/epa_0408.pdf

Thanks for your attention to this very important matter.

Sincerely,

Jim Schofield
Program Director
BoatUS Cooperating Group Program
Alexandria, VA
888-333-2628