4 OCTOBER 2017 • FOGHORN Fall Events Offer New Information for PVA Members Well, October is here. This month is probably one of the busiest of the year for many PVA member companies. In our area of New York, droves of people show up to catch a glance of the Catskills and Hudson Valley in their fall colors. For us, we have to get used to operating with our high school, teenage employees who are only able to work on weekends, while we deal with losing our college-aged people until May. Fall PVA Events There are two major gatherings of PVAmembers during this month. The PVA Western Regional Meeting is being held October 18-20 at the Kimpton Solamar Hotel in San Diego, CA. The PVAWestern Region is one of our stronger regions and the event is always well attended. It kicks off the 18th with the Katica Klassic Memorial Golf Tournament. The proceeds of the tournament benefit the Passenger Vessel Foundation, which gives thousands of dollars in educa- tional scholarships to our members and employees yearly. The PVA Western Region Meeting will include presen- tations on everything from illegal charters and sharing the waterways to dealing with state legalized marijuana. Obviously, it is a diverse agenda and reflects the needs of our membership trying hard to keep abreast of trends and laws and attempting to do the “right thing” in what is often a confusing legal environment. The meeting will also include a reception cruise on the Hornblower Cruises and Events vessel, High Spirits. Everybody likes a boat ride. October 24, 25 and 26 are the dates of PVA’s Committee, Board of Directors and PVA/U.S. Coast Guard Quality Partnership (QP) meetings, respectively. They are all being held at the Westin Annapolis in Annapolis, MD. This will be the first time since the spring meetings that the Committees and Board of Directors will meet in person. It will be a packed agenda. It will also be the first time the Coast Guard/PVAQuality Partnership (QP) has met since spring. The QP will also have a busy agenda. We expect to get a look at the Top Ten H, K and T deficiencies for the year. It’s always interesting to see where the defi- ciencies are. Have they changed or are they remaining the same? We should also get the annual fleet statistics and casualty review. Is the fleet bigger or smaller, and what types of incidents are taking place? Hopefully, we will also receive a charter for the Boat Sharing/ Illegal Charter Working Group. Trending Topics Boat sharing and illegal charters are a hot ticket item, particu- larly in congested ports. Chicago, San Diego, and Miami are just a few of the affected areas. Workboat’s electronic newsletter of August 24 stated that 22 vessel operators in the Chicago area were cited for con- d u c t i n g i l l e g a l charters. This is a BIG DEAL. A few years ago, illegal charters were not on the radar. Through the efforts of former PVA President Mike Borgstrom of Wendella Boats in Chicago, this topic has been brought to the forefront. He saw illegal charters as not only a threat to public safety but as an affront to legitimate operators who have always complied, and continue to do so, with Coast Guard regu- lations. PVA’s leadership agrees. Obviously, the Coast Guard is acting on our concerns. Even in 2016, a deputy sheriff with the marine unit of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department in my area stated that, the department along with the Coast Guard, had been stopping and checking vessels for illegal charters. As I am writing this, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. We have many members in those areas. The PVA family is a tight-knit community and we are always prepared to help out as best we can. Stay safe and enjoy the autumn. Have a safe summer. Jeffery M. Whitaker President n LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Jeff Whitaker The PVA Board of Directors, Committees, and PVA/Coast Guard Quality Partnership meetings will be held at the Westin Annapolis, October 24-26.