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entertaining u newspaper: your monthly guide to entertainment
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Getting Down with Diving
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by kellie abrahamson
kabrahamson1@aol.com
If you’re a Floridian, chances are you love the water and you fall into one of two categories, either you own a boat or you want a boat. Either way, I’m talking to you. There are plenty of things boat owners can do to make our waters a better place to play. Here are just a few:
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No one likes a nasty boat, but the chemicals you use to make your baby all shiny and new could make the water smelly and gross. Avoid cleaning your boat’s deck and hull with toxic degreasers like chlorine, phosphates and ammonia. Instead, use old-school cleaning agents like baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice or borax and be sure to rinse your boat with fresh water after each use. This way, you’ll need to clean a whole lot less.
Everybody poops, but no one wants to see it floating downstream during a leisurely ride on the St. Johns. Human waste can do serious damage to plant and animal life and can spread nasty diseases like hepatitis, typhoid, cholera, and gastroenteritis to name a few.
If you’ve been boating for a while you should already know this, but if not, discharging raw sewage within a three nautical mile limit of US territorial waters is illegal. Be sure to lock or secure the toilet closed so it cannot empty overboard or just follow dad’s advice and “go” before you leave the house (or dock).
It’s simple: bring back what you take out. If you take a six pack of Coke on the boat for the trip, make sure six cans come back to shore with you (and go ahead and recycle them while you’re at it). Despite what Uncle Jed may have said, cigarette butts do not make good bait, so if you smoke, use an ash tray and empty it in a trash can when you dock. If you see trash floating in the water or accidentally dropped something yourself, take the time to go back and get it. Your fellow boaters and swimmers will definitely appreciate it.
Sanding and scraping can well mean all the difference when restoring a boat. It can also mean a lot of problems if that debris ends up in the water. All hull scraping, sanding and chemical stripping should be done ashore over a drop cloth to catch the particles. Better yet, use a vacuum sander, which will collect the dust before it goes flying.
Once again, knowing the rules can save everyone and everything a whole lot of trouble. If you’re painting your sea-bound vessel only use legal bottom paint, that is, nothing with toxic metals such as copper, mercury, arsenic or tributyltin. These toxins can have a sever impact on people and sea critters alike, so just avoid them altogether.
Try not to fill ‘er up completely. Overfilling your fuel tank can cause a mini spill that can cause major problems. If you do go overboard while fueling, wipe up your deck with a rag instead of rinsing it off with a hose.
Those signs that say “Manatee Zone 25 mph” aren’t there for decoration. Those funny-looking creatures are known to hang out in these areas and your propeller could slice ‘em up if you’re motoring too fast. Even boats with propeller guards can kill a manatee through blunt trauma if struck. It’s far safer to simply slow down when traveling through these gentle giants’ turf. You may also consider getting a free banner from savethemanatee.org to flash at fellow boaters who may have missed the posted signs.
Witness any bad boaters lately? If so, do the right thing and report them. Polluters do nothing but make the waters unbearable for everyone, including marine life. If you’re using the water, you have a responsibility to keep it clean so that everyone can enjoy it. If you witness someone polluting, call the Riverkeeper at (904) 256-7591. They can point you in the right direction.
These simple tips can do wonders for the environment and ensure that our bodies of water will be safe for future generations. If you don’t own a boat yet, hang on to this list and put these rules into effect once you get your hands on your vessel.
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