LettersToEditor@BoatUS.com
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When They Wished Upon A Star
Ben and Danielle Zartman (“When
They Wished Upon A Star” Aug/Sept) are
my heroes. In this age of greed and the fast
buck, they exemplify what America has
always been about: hard work, respect for
others, and the simple joys in life.
— Capt. John Polivick
Oldsmar, FL
My wife and I spent almost eight
years cruising full time from Nova Scotia
to Trinidad, and most places in between,
and we met several families with children,
ranging in age from infants to teenagers.
These kids were some of the best-adjusted,
most self-assured, and delightful people
it has ever been our pleasure to meet. I
suspect the reason cruising kids get on
so well is the nature and amount of time
budget, wow! And that most unexpected of
benefits, a family that really knows how to
pull together, experience life together, and
accomplish a common dream.
With Fresh Bait, Rate Matters
Lenny Rudow, in his article on live-bait
fishing, suggests that increasing the size of
a bait pump will increase the holding
capacity of a built-in bait tank. Specifically,
upgrading from a 1,000-GPH pump to a
2,000-GPH Shurflo will allow you to “pack
more baits into the same amount of space.”
Standing alone, this is bad advice. Too
much water flow into a bait tank can be as
bad as too little. The flow needs to match
the size of the tank. This is accomplished
by timing the fill rate. Shurflo, which
makes excellent bait pumps, recommends
using a pump that will fill the tank in six
to 10 minutes. This flow-time information
is included in the installation instructions
that come with Shurflo’s bait pumps. We
use a lot of live bait here in Southern
California. It’s expensive, and can be fragile. Its survival can make or break your
fishing trip. When it comes to bait pumps,
bigger isn’t necessarily better. Using flow
rate to match your pump to your bait tank
is the only way to go. — Tony Shanley
San Diego, CA
enjoy the world in which they
move. Congratulations to the Zartmans
for undertaking a such a challenging way to raise a family. The kids will
benefit greatly. — James Forsyth
San Diego, CA
I’ve never been so touched, or perhaps inspired, as I was when I read about
the Zartmans in the August/September
issue. What courage, what daring – and
what a lot of work. Talk about boating on a
As Long As It Wasn’t Sirius,
The Dog Star
In our August/September issue, we published a letter from a reader who called us to
task for showing a dog licking the face of its
veterinarian onboard the dog’s owner’s boat.
Our valued member thought this was disgusting, and also expressed disdain for dogs being
walked and doing their business at marinas.
The letter elicited a robust response from many
of you.
That must be the most absurd missive ever published in a magazine. Danny’s
environmental concerns are admirable;
has he perhaps considered not boating
to reduce the pollution from anti-fouling
paints, exhausts, and shore erosion from
wakes? — Drew Herron
Los Angeles, CA
Express cruiser roundup for 2010 — joysticks, skylights, and new layouts
Boat Owners Association
of The United States
AUG/SEPT 2010
Blue Skies
Ahead?
Simple ways to
read the clouds,
predict weather,
and use new
forecasting
tools
Magazine
The Right Line
How to select lines
to keep your boat
secure during
hurricane
season
Focus On Fishing
Lenny Rudow on how to use
live bait. Plus, a special report on
sheries management
Congratulations to Danny Bailey for
his insight into the inappropriateness of
dogs around boats and marinas. Dogs are,
fundamentally, filth. You should do nothing to encourage their presence.
— J. Breen
Philadelphia, PA
Poor old Danny and his dog issue. A
very large part of our population likes to
have dogs and cats share their lives; this
includes boating. The manager of Shooters
on the ICW had food sent to the boat for
our Shih Tzu. The gal who served us dinner at Hooters in Norfolk, Virginia, one
evening saw to it that our pet had food
and water under our outdoor table. About
the poop thing! It never went in the water
off our boat, and I know that some marinas have pet walking areas complete with
poop scoops, so there’s no excuse. Danny
will adjust or buy a Harley. Oh darn, I just
remembered that I have a friend in Virginia
who has a pair of dogs that ride in a
Harley sidecar. Maybe golf? — Reg Holden
Tarboro, NC
Once Proud, Now Rescued
Your article on the SS United States
reminded me of an incident at sea in late
1959. I was the conning officer on the
U.S.S. Sailfish, SSR-572, and we were at
periscope depth in the Atlantic east of
New York. We felt this enormous rumbling
through the hull; initially, I thought it was
a helicopter, but scanning the sea and air
showed nothing. Soon, a ship came charging across the ocean, spume flying from the
bow. We clocked her on radar at 48 knots;
