Weekly Powerboat and Fishing Summary

SKIING

The 35 metre catamaran Eagle pulled 110 skiers from 120 from a deep start on 30 January at Strahan in Tasmania. This was the most skiers ever behind one boat, but only 99 made the required nautical mile distance to set a world record. The existing record of 100 skiers for one nautical mile still stands but another attempt will be made on 27 March. Check out Ski Record.com for more information.

POWERBOAT RACING

Mercury Racing releases its fastest, most powerful engines ever - the 1300 and 1350. The nine litre, twin turbo, quad cam V8s redline at 6500 rpm to provide extreme propulsion, but with the control expected in a luxury car. Both engines are so powerful Mercury Marine has had to create a new sterndrive unit, hydraulic transmission and propellers to ensure that power gets to the water. The power difference between the two engines comes down to how they breathe. The 1300 breathes ambient air from the engine room like most sterndrives but the 1350 breathes cooler outside air through a direct air induction system giving it that extra 50 hp boost.

The Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club will enter a team in the first race of the 2010 UIM-WPPA Class 1 World Powerboat Championship in Rio De Janeiro on 26-28 March. Team Abu Dhabi will race GiorgiOffshore’s Victory-built, Michael Peters-designed, Lamborghini/Alloni (Scam) V12-powered raceboat. Class-1.com.

FISHING

A Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence (RFBL), and a new fee structure for existing recreational fishing licences, will come into effect on 2 March in Western Australian. An RFBL is required to undertake any general fishing activity conducted with the use of a powered boat anywhere in the State. If you don't hold an RFBL, you can still go fishing provided you are in the company of someone who holds an RFBL and you stay within that person's bag limit. Fish.WA.gov.au.

POWERBOATS

Launched recently at Mustang Marine Queensland on the Gold Coast, the 2850 Sports Cruiser has been designed for performance and family entertainment. It features an increased beam, a cockpit galley for outdoor entertaining, increased cabin space with full standing head room, separate shower, toilet, and sleeping for up to five adults in comfort. Powering the 2850 through the water will be MerCruiser’s 5.7 litre 350 MAG engine, which delivers 300 hp through a Bravo 3 twin propeller drive.

SAFETY & RESCUE

Five men were fishing in a six metre aluminium boat near Broughton Island on 22 January when it capsized, throwing all occupants into the water. The men stayed with the boat for an hour before two passengers swam to a nearby small uninhabited island. They made it to the island and flagged down a recreational vessel that was nearby. The occupants of that vessel assisted in the rescuing of the three men with the upturned boat. The two men on the island were winched to safety by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. No one was injured as a result of the accident and investigations into how the boat capsized are underway. Police.NSW.gov.au.

NEWS BRIEFS

The coroner’s report has been released into the collision between the HarbourCat ferry Pam Burridge and the motor cruiser Merinda on Sydney Harbour in which four people died on the evening of 28 March 2007. The accident was, in essence, a failure of seamanship. The most direct and obvious reasons for the collision was that the Merinda’s navigation lights were not illuminated. LawLink.NSW.gov.au.

The Ex-HMAS Adelaide Artificial Reef Project is an initiative to create a new dive site on the NSW Central Coast. The decommissioned Australian Navy escort frigate will be towed from Sydney to a position off Avoca Beach, where it is scheduled to be scuttled on Saturday, 27 March. Patrol vessels will ensure that recreational vessels remain outside the 1000 metre exclusion zone prior to and at the time of scuttling, scheduled to take place during the morning. Maritime.NSW.gov.au.

NEW PRODUCTS

A self-activating miniature floatation device, Waterbuoy, lifts a weight of up to 1kg back to the surface… perfect for items such as car keys, mobile phones and cameras. A patented trigger mechanism is designed to activate seconds after submersion and a flashing light is visible from some distance.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Mar 2 – 21 -- True to the Sea is a nautical inspired photographic exhibition featuring Australia’s leading marine photographer, Andrea Francolini, at Henri Lloyd Chatswood Chase, Sydney.

Mar 6 - 7 -- The fourth Whyte, Just and Moore Lawyers Wooden Boat Festival of Geelong will be held at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club. RGYC.com.au.

Mar 6 – 7 -- Rosehill Trailerboat Show, Rosehill Racecourse, Sydney BIA.org.au.

Mar 11 - 8th Phil Renouf Memorial Lecture at the National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney at 6.15pm -8.30pm. Young men mucking about in old boats will be presented by Warwick Turner, one of the founders of the Sydney Heritage Fleet (SHF) who was instrumental in saving and restoring the Lady Hopetoun back in the 1960s. Turner has had a life-long passion and interest in steam vessels and their restoration, in particular the inland paddle-steamers of previous centuries. More details.

Mar 19 – 21 -- 2010 Brisbane Tinnie and Tackle Show, RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane. TinnieAndTackle.com.au.

Mar 26 - 28 -- Club Marine Trailer Boat Fishing Tournament, Port Stephens NSW. 1500 competitors and 500 boats compete for around $100,000 in prizes. TBFT.com.au.

Mar 28 – April 4 -- Gladstone Harbour Festival - free entertainment, live music, street parades, fireworks and the spectacle of the yachts arriving after completing the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht race. GladstoneFestival.com.

April 2 – Good Friday

April 10 - 11 -- Australian Offshore Superboat Championship - Round 1, Newcastle. AOPC.com.au.

April 16 – 18 -- The Croatia city of Split will host the opening round of the 2010 Powerboat P1 World Championship season. PowerBoatP1.com.

Photograph: Waterskiers at Strahan courtesy of Mark Seaton Photography and