I have attended two nights out of six of the power boating safety class at the Naval Memorial and Museum, a two story facility standing on the channel in Muskegon. The class doesn't have difficult concepts or a great deal of material to master. I think it will be hard to remember how often to honk the horn when anchored in the mist. Last night's instructor passed around a brass valve and I was the only person who couldn't see the crack that allowed gas to leak after a fuel up in Detour Village. Much about the class talks about how to prepare for inspection by the Coast Guard while out in the water. The Coast Guard or law enforcement can board any boat, a consent granted by the mere act of placing a boat on the water. If the Coast Guard finds old flares or fire extinguishers with low pressure, one can be cited. If a dangerous condition is found, ones boat can be towed back into port. The passengers and the captain ride on the Coast Guard launch when this happens. The Muskegon Power Squadron will check any boat for safety, and make certain flares, fire extinguishers and life preservers are in order. Usually the sticker issued by the power squadrons is seen by the Coast Guard as a sign of good preparation.
The class takes place on a Thursday night, which is a prime night for things to do around town. A man who performs as FDR presented last night at the Muskegon Museum of Art. I would have liked to see that, an actor with the approval of Colonial Williamsburg and the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies. I have the book for the power boat safety class. I can pass almost any simple test without real knowledge of a subject. So why am I trying to make all six classes? Well, I am loving the lore of the big lake and every class is spiced with ample doses. I don't remember the name of the man who led last night's class, but he cruises around the Great Lakes every summer, missing only Lake Ontario. He knows to gas up in Detour Village before entering Canadian waters since that's the last gasoline for sale at low American prices. He also attends the monthly meetings of the squadron and the squadron always has outstanding speakers. The man who taught last night I can't remember his name and he didn't give the name of the last squadron speaker, an expert in invasive species. I wonder if this is a boater thing. No names. Just boats and drinks.
Zebra Mussels are clinging to territory in the Great Lakes. The Quagga Mussels have pushed them out and now line the bottom of Lake Michigan from shore to shore. Only Lake Superior is not rife with them. The Zebra mussels can't handle cold and thus stay close to shore. The Quaggas are more hardy, handling cold and lack of light. A single quagga can filter a quart of water daily; thus the water clarity of Lake Michigan is better than ever. It's better than before the white man showed up in the basin. However, the Quagga filter out all the plankton that forage fish eat, and knock out the bottom of the food chain. I hear the Steelhead are okay because that species surface feeds. I have heard Whitefish try to eat the quagga mussels and wind up with stomachs full of shells. Our instructor was very passionate about these points, and then he issued another warming about the Asian Carp.
How nice I come into my office and see Business Week has published a major article on the Asian Carp threat, and the Asian Carp culture around Havana, Illinois.
The Carp Must Die
Lady Quagga
It's more than a museum. It's an outpost where the simple talk is Great Lakes Lore
The Muskegon Power Boat Squadron is a good outfit.
Colonial Williamsburg
Taking the Presidency to the libraries, the museum and the streets.
Hope I didn't sound disrespectful of the Coast Guard
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