Welcome  aboard award winning "Nautical Talk Radio," the number one nautical radio program that takes you around the nautical world in 60 minutes. Every week, listeners get a smell of the salt air and a taste of the sea, as we feature the latest nautical news, sea stories, fish tales, marine environmental issues, Coast Guard activities, maritime history, and local waterfront events.

Captain Lou's Nautical News Headlines

Capt Lou's Top Nautical News Stories of 2019 18) SHARK TANK STAR INVOLVED IN FATAL BOATING CRASH A 48-year-old mother of three from Ontario and a 64-year-old accountant from Florida, were killed when the boat they were on collided with Shark Tank�fs "Kevin O�fLeary" who is known as "Mr. Wonderful." The accident happened late at night in Ontario. O�fLeary said that his wife Linda was driving and that the other, much larger boat did not have its navigation lights on. O'Leary also claimed that the captain of the other boat fled the scene, but the captain said he rushed to shore to get emergency medical help. A witness reported that O�fLeary�fs boat may have been going too fast when it hit the other boat head on. Police investigated the accident and criminal charges were filed. 17) 24 MILLION DOLLAR RECORD BREAKING FIRE IN FT LAUDERDALE A raging fire destroyed two mega yachts at a marina on the New River in Fort Lauderdale. Both yachts were undergoing repairs and renovations and were enclosed with covers and scaffolding. One yacht was a 161 footer and the other was a 107 footer. Firefighters said the location of the yachts at the marina and the twisted scaffolding prevented them fighting the fire on board. Investigators called this a record-breaker when it comes to damage. The yachts were valued at 24 million dollars making the fire the largest dollar amount for a single fire in the city of Fort Lauderdale. Investigators said the fire was accidental and that the owners of the yachts had nothing to do with the start of the fire. 16) COMMERCIAL SEA PLANES APPROVED FOR BOSTON HARBOR The owner of the Hyannis based airline Cape Air announced that the FAA approved his sea planes to land and take off in Boston Harbor. Trips to Cape Cod and the Islands were regularly scheduled. According to the Coast Guard's rules of the roads, sea planes are the lowest in the pecking order when it comes to who has the right of way. Still, all mariners must do everything possible to avoid a collision. 15) HINGHAM, HULL, BOSTON COMMUTER BOAT COMPANY SOLD Bay State Cruises the owners of the Boston to Hingham and Hull commuter boats has sold its boats to Hornblower Holdings, a Chicago ferry and cruise company for an undisclosed amount. The transfer came at a crucial time as local leaders want to expand commuter boat options. The Chicago company said it expects nearly everyone in the nearly 600-person workforce to remain and the Boston Harbor Cruises name and logo will stay, too. Hornblower officials said they already had a presence in Boston, with two dinner ships Odyssey and Spirit and three charter vessels. Meanwhile, Boston Harbor Cruises will continue to run its water taxis and ferries to Salem and Provincetown and its whale watch boats. 14) GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR PLYMOUTH MARITIME BUILDING AND DREDGING COMPLETED IN HINGHAM, MARSHFIELD, AND PLYMOUTH Lt. Governor Karyn Polito led the ground breaking ceremony in Plymouh for the town�fs new Maritime Facility. This will replace the existing Harbor Master�fs office—a building that has been in operation for close to 40 years, that has no bathroom facilities, no running water most of the year, and is not handicapped accessible. Harbor Master Chad Hunter said the new maritime facility is a huge deal and it isn�ft just a Harbor Master office. There will be public restrooms and showers for transient boaters. Selectman Chair Ken Tavares called the harbor the crown jewel of the community and a welcoming place for commerce, tourists and citizens. 13) NEW STRIPED BASS REGULATIONS FOR 2020 The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted to cut the annual quota of striped bass by 18% in every state along the east coast by implementing a slot limit of 28 to 35 inches. Dr. Michael Armstrong, the Assistant Director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries will be joining us in a few minutes to explain the reasons behind the Commission�fs action. The new regulation will prevent anyone from keeping a big fish or to weigh in a fishing tournament. 12) BRUNSWICK CORPORATION BUYS FREEDOM BOAT CLUB Officials at Brunswick Corporation, the biggest boat builder in the United States, announced that they purchased Freedom Boat Club of Venice, Florida, which has 20,000 members in the U.S., Canada and Europe and access to 2,000 boats of all sizes and classes at 185 locations. Founded in 1989, the Freedom Boat Company bills itself as "an affordable option to boat ownership." Some of Brunswick�fs marine brands include Mercury Marine engines, MotorGuide trolling motors, Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Crestliner, Lowe, Lund and Sea Ray boats. 11) DUXBURY KILLS FOXES AND COYOTES TO SAVE PIPING PLOVERS For the second year in a row, officials in Duxbury decided to killed foxes, coyotes, and other predators in order to protect the piping plovers. More than 5,000 people signed a petition calling for the end of the killing, but beach management officials said it was the only way to protect the area�fs population of piping plovers while also keeping the beach open to the public. Cris Lutazzi, said a 3-year conservation and management permit in 2018 allowed the public to use vehicles on the beach, so they have to mitigate the damage caused by the vehicles to the piping plovers by killing other predators to the plovers. In other words the beach vehicles were allowed to kill the same number of plovers that the coyotes, foxes, and crows would have killed. At least 3 coyotes were killed this past summer on Duxbury Beach. 10) EPA ALLOWS SALE OF E15 YEAR ROUND The Environmental Protection Agency decided to allow gasoline blended with up to 15 percent ethanol to be sold nationwide. In response, National Marine Manufacturers Association president Thom Dammrich stated, "The EPA's legally questionable decision to allow year-round sales of E15 needlessly puts millions of American boaters – not to mention hundreds of millions of people with chainsaws, generators, and lawnmowers – at an increased risk of misfuelling just so a powerful, politically important constituency can reap a financial windfall. The National Marine Manufacturers Association remained adamantly against this decision. 9) 118 MOORINGS PERMITTED FOR BOSTON ISLANDS The Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation for 118 recreational boat moorings to be installed around the Boston Harbor Islands. Unfortunately, about 70 of the new moorings at Peddocks Island were improperly installed and had to be repaired or replaced as at least 6 of those moorings floated away. Unfortunately, no reservations were made for any of the moorings resulting in zero income. 8) CAPE OFFICIALS WORRY ABOUT SHARKS Cape Cod residents were concerned officials were responding too slowly to the Great White sharks. A long-awaited study on shark prevention strategies completed near the end of the summer concluded that beachgoers simply must get along with the sharks. Fishermen claim nobody wants to address the massive seal population that great white sharks feast on. 7) COAST GUARDSMAN JUMPS ON TOP OF DRUG SUBMARINE A Coast Guardsman jumped aboard a semi-submarine racing through the waves in international waters off Mexico and Central and South America repeatedly yelling and pounded on the hatch for the operator to "Stop the boat!" in Spanish. Sure enough the sub stops, the hatch opens, and people inside raise their hands to surrender. The semi-submersible vessel was built to avoid detection by radar and aircraft. It carried 17,000 pounds of cocaine worth about $232 million. Between May and June, the US Coast Guard seized over 39,000 pounds of cocaine in 14 drug busts. 6) FRESH WATER AQUIFER DISCOVERED UNDER OCEAN If this doesn't stop the development of offshore wind farms, I do not know what will. Scientists have found a massive freshwater aquifer off the coast of Massachusetts that could stretch as far south to New Jersey and as far east to the continental shelf that could help mitigate water crises in North America and abroad. Scientists said if the fresh water contained in the aquifer were on the surface, it would cover about 15,000 square miles. The discovery confirms theories that date back to the 1970's when oil companies reported finding freshwater while drilling off-shore. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has now delayed for one month the release of its final assessment of Vineyard Wind�fs offshore wind farm plan. 5) PUBLIC COMMENTS DELAY OFFSHORE WIND FARMS Hearings about the nation�fs first proposed commercial scale offshore wind facility to be built off Martha�fs Vineyard prevented them from being built by the end of this year. The wind farms were the most frequent stories on �gNautical Talk Radio�h during 2019. Fishermen voiced their concerns about how the turbines and their cables would affect fish migration patterns and possible area closures during construction and maintenance of the turbines. In a letter submitted to President Trump, Recreational Fishing Alliance Executive Director Jim Donofrio requested an immediate halt on all work on the proposed industrial wind farms along the Atlantic Coast, citing a failure of the agency to fully investigate and assess the impacts that offshore wind energy generation facilities would have on valuable commercial and recreational fisheries. Studies showed that fish stocks displayed measurable behavioral and migratory responses in presences of noise and vibrations created by the massive blades and the electromagnetic fields produced by the turbines and the miles of underwater cables required to transmit the electricity generated to shore. Also, the Coast Guard and the United States Marine Corp have both expressed concerns that wind turbines would interfere with their missions and general navigation along the East Coast. 4) TWO SEPARATE BOATING ACCIDENTS CLAIMED THE LIVES OF FIVE NEW ENGLAND FISHERMEN The Coast Guard suspended its search off Martha�fs Vineyard for three fishermen missing from the 56 foot boat named Leonardo, which capsized 24 nautical miles off Martha's Vineyard and sank with four men on board. One man, Ernie Garcia, made it into a life raft and was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter two hours after the Leonardo first sent out a distress signal from its epirb. He was shaking and suffering from hypothermia. The Coast Guard said he was not wearing a lifejacket or a survival suit. The fisherman was taken to the hospital and treated. The names of the three missing fishermen were Gerald Bretal, Michael Cormier Jr., and Xavier Vega. In another accident, the Coast Guard searched an area covering 2,152 nautical miles for two days for two Rhode Island fishermen who went missing after their vessel capsized about two-and-a-half miles southeast of Block Island, not too far from the Block Island wind farm. The captain of the fishing vessel Mistress home-ported out of Pt. Judith, in his mayday call said that his boat was taking on water fast. A nearby fishing vessel, the Captain Bligh, responded to the scene and rescued one of the three Mistress crewmembers who was found in a life raft. The other two crew mates, the rescued fisherman�fs father Oscar Diaz and his cousin John Ansay, were never found. 3) IRWIN JACOBS FOUND DEAD IN MURDER SUICIDE Irwin Jacobs and his wife were found dead in their 22 million dollar Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota mansion in an apparent murder-suicide. Irwin Jacobs was the CEO of Genmar Corporation which at one time was the biggest boat builder in the world, owning a 18 or more boat brands. Officers who responded to the home found the bodies in a bed along with a gun. Both irwin and his wife Alexandra were 77 years old. Friends said they were married for 57 years and were inseparable. They also said Jacobs' wife had been in a wheelchair for the last year and had signs of dementia leaving Irwin distraught over her condition. Jacobs, whose prominence faded in recent years, made a fortune as a corporate raider. In the 1980s he made Forbes list as one of the richest people in America. Besides owning the boat companies, he also owned part of the Minnesota Vikings football team, Disney, and Bekins Van Lines. 2) ONE OF THE STRONGEST ATLANTIC HURRICANES ON RECORD HIT THE BAHAMAS KILLING THOUSANDS Although the Coast Guard rescued 295 people in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian hit, thousands were still missing. The hurricane destroyed Abaco and the Grand Bahama. Seven Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopters and five dolphin helicopters searched for missing people along with eight cutters. Other boats, including yachts and other private craft, were also helping to evacuate people. FEMA said at least 70,000 people were left homeless. 1) 34 PASSENGERS ABOARD CALIFORNIA DIVE BOAT DIED IN FIRE Thirty-four passengers aboard the 75 foot dive boat named Conception lost their lives on Labor Day in what is the worst modern maritime accident in California history. Investigators have suggested the boat had serious safety flaws with its means of egress, but the Coast Guard inspected the boat annually and determined it met all federal regulations. Both the escape hatch and the stairs were blocked by fire and both exits led to the same place, to the galley on the boat. When the captain made the mayday call, he stated that he could not breathe. Authorities believe the victims died of smoke inhalation. Nobody knows how the fire started. The Conception was among more than 100 California boats exempted from strict Coast Guard rules adopted more than two decades ago to improve passenger safety during emergencies. Coast Guard records showed that 11 boats classified solely for diving — including eight in California — were given special exemptions from the 1996 safety standards. The exemptions meant those boats didn�ft have to make changes such as adding larger escape hatches and enhanced fire prevention systems. 28 YEARS ON RADIO STATION WATD 95.9FM AND NOW ON WMEX 1510AM Tune in to "Nautical Talk Radio" with Capt Lou and crew Sunday mornings 11-noon (Boston time) on radio stations 95.9FM on 1510AM WMEX for the latest nautical news. Also streamed around the world on www.959watd.com. Listen anytime to replay of recent shows at at www.NauticalTalk.com. Recipient of 2018 Mass Boating & Yacht Clubs "Gannett Award" Winner of MASS/Rhode Island Associated Press "BEST TALK SHOW" Winner of Boston's Achievement in Radio "BEST INTERVIEW" award Recipient of American Lighthouse Foundation's "LEN HADLEY" award Recipient of Coast Guard's Joshua James Lifesaving Medal for public service Nominated Boston's A,I.R. "BEST PRODUCED PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM" Judge of IBEX Innovation Products Judge of NMMA's Progressive New England Boat Show's Exhibitors 25 Year Retired Status U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Member of Boston Harbor Islands National Park Advisory Council Member of South Shore Harbormasters Association Member of Mass Marine Trades Association Member of Quincy Bay Race Week Member of Mass Boating and Yacht Club Association Member of Stellwagen Bank Charterboat Association Member of Boat Writers International Member of Boat/US Life Member of Mass Striped Bass Association Life Member and Past Commodore of Metropolitan Yacht Club

 

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS ON RADIO STATION 95.9FM WATD"

Listen to the live broadcast of "Nautical Talk Radio" with Capt Lou and crew, Sunday mornings from 11 - 12 noon (Boston time) on radio station  95.9FM WATD, streaming around the world on www.959watd.com. You can also listen to a replay of recent shows anytime during the week a www.NauticalTalk.com.

* Winner of Mass/Rhode Island Associated Press "BEST TALK SHOW"
* Winner of Boston's Achievement In Radio "BEST INTERVIEW" AWARD
* Recipient of American Lighthouse Foundation's "LEN HADLEY AWARD"
* Recipient of Coast Guard's Joshua James Lifesaving Medal for public service
* Nominated Boston's A.I.R. "BEST PRODUCED PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM"
* Judge of IBEX Innovation Products
* Judge of New England Boat Show's Best Exhibitors
* Member of Boston Harbor Islands National Park Advisory Council
* Member of South Shore Harbormaster Association
* Member of Quincy Bay Race Week Association
* Member of Stellwagen Bank Charterboat Association
* Member of Boat Writers International
* Life Member of Mass Striped Bass Association
* Life Member and Past Commodore of Metropolitan Yacht Club