Activities & Member Programs

The move of National Marina Day to Saturday, June 12th, not only takes advantage of cooler weather (previously the event was held in August), but also takes advantage of some parallel activities. June is Great Outdoors Month and June 12th is National Get Outdoors Day, both coordinated by the American Recreation Coalition (ARC). Derrick Crandall, President of ARC noted that with existing June highlights, which already include National Trails Day, National Boating and Fishing Week,?and the Great American Campout, National Marina Day seemed a natural fit. ?On National Marina Day, marinas across the U.S. are asked to celebrate and promote their industry by inviting politicians, civic leaders and the public to their facilities to show them the important role marinas play as family-friendly gateways to boating, and the responsibility marina personnel have as stewards of the environment. ?National Marina Day is managed by the Association of Marina Industries, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of the marina industry in the U.S.?For more information, e-mail Wendy Larimer at wlarimer@marinaassociation.org

Because a number of fuel retailers are reporting tank problems that they believe are associated with storage of ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD), the Petroleum Equipment Institute has asked marinas with ULSD tanks to participate in a brief online survey to gather more information on this situation. You are encouraged to respond to the survey whether or not you have encountered any ULSD problems, but only those with first-hand experience with ULSD should participate. ?Your input will be used to provide information to determine what steps or recommendations, if any, that the industry should take.?Complete the survey at your earliest convenience by going to ulsdsurvey.com. Please indicate that you are a marina respondent.??

American Boat Builders & Repairers Association (ABBRA) is offering its Marine Service Management (MSM) course September 10–13 at Roscioli Yachting Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. ABBRA’s instructors present MSM participants with pointers in non-technical topics, including human-resource development, financial controls, customer relations, codes and standards, marketing and sales, and more. ABBRA’s MSM class caters specifically to professionals in boatyards and marine service and repair centers and is a prerequisite to obtain ABBRA’s Certified Marine Service Manager designation, the only credential of its kind in the marine industry. The fee for ABBRA or IMI members is $1,749. The fee for non-members is $2,249. Course fee includes lunch daily, one group dinner, opening reception, all course texts, and consultation with faculty. To view the MSM course brochure and application, visit abbra.org/service-management, or call 401-247-0318.

ABBRA’s 2010 Summer Symposium is scheduled for August 2-3 at the Hilton Mystic at the Aquarium in Mystic, CT. This event is open to both members and non-members.
“Based on what we learned at our inaugural event last year, the ABBRA Summer Symposium promises to be a great chance for boatyards, repairers, boat builders and affiliated partners to benefit from the content and networking opportunities available at this gathering,” says Doug Domenie, ABBRA president. The two-day Symposium includes seminars from industry leaders, attendee-led roundtable discussions on current issues, and a keynote presentation.
Registrants for the full event may also participate in a field trip visiting two area boatyards to witness regional best practices firsthand. For registration information visit abbra.org/summer-symposium.

The Florida Yacht Brokers Association (FYBA) Board of Directors elected its 2010 Officers in March. Elected to serve as President was Crom Littlejohn of Merle Wood & Associates; elected to serve as Vice President was Lon McCloskey of The Marine Group; Gary Smith of Sarasota Yacht & Ship was elected Secretary; and re-elected to serve as Treasurer was Bob Zarchen of Sparkman & Stephens. FYBA includes 1,100 individual members representing more than 400 businesses.

The technical program for the Society of Naval Architects and Engineers (SNAME) Annual Meeting and Expo to be held October 21-23 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island, features papers on 35 ship design and production topics, three new continuing education courses and four timely panel discussions. “This year’s technical papers cover an expanded range of topics, presented in a format that encourages audience interaction,” said Nancy Ostin, SNAME director of membership and marketing. Abstracts of all technical papers can be viewed at the conference Web site To view the full conference schedule and register, visit snameexpo.com.

The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) and the Marine Electronics Industry Promotion Association (MEIPA) of South Korea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will insure the adoption of NMEA standards, training and product certification throughout South Korea, the number one shipbuilding nation in the world. “NMEA’s standards, training and certification have been recognized as world-leading for optimum, reliable networking, installation and service of marine electronics for some time,” said Steve Spitzer, NMEA’s Technical Director. “This is a beneficial agreement for both organizations. We at the NMEA could not be more pleased that we are partnering with the world’s number one shipbuilding nation and one of the up-and-coming builders of recreational boats.” The MOU sets a framework for NMEA and MEIPA to work together to develop courses and materials for the South Korean market, including a suite of marine electronics installer education qualifications based on the current NMEA Installation Standard.