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Scuttle
MUST-HAVE Fly-a-Flags Are Simple to Hang Attach one of Fly-a-Flag’s American, Jolly Roger, Gone Fishing or Happy Hour flags to your boat with only a rod holder, rocket launcher or another part of the casting deck.
The 18- by 12-inch flags include an adjustable piece of fabric that attaches to something tall and can be taken down or put up quickly and easily. The flags come in six designs and are $34.99 each.
To learn more and to order your own, visit
FLY-A-FLAG.COM. SCUTTLE
GREAT LAKES NEWS BOATS MUST-HAVE BUZZ EVENTS BUSINESS PEOPLE & PLACES
The Les Cheneaux Islands Antique Wooden Boat Show, originally scheduled for August 8, 2020, has been rescheduled for August 14, 2021.
LCIBOATSHOW.COM
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GREAT LAKES NEWS Three Great Lakes Hit Record Water Levels in May
Although summers usually mean water levels are at their highest, Lake Michigan-Huron (recorded as one lake), Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair all posted record high water levels in May.
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ “May 2020 Great Lakes Water Level Summary,” Lakes Michigan-Huron, St. Clair and Erie surpassed their previous records by 4, 4 and 1 inches, respectively, which were set in 1986 on Lake Michigan-Huron, and last year on Lakes St. Clair and Erie.
While Lake Michigan-Huron is expected to continue rising this summer, the six-month forecast for the other lakes, announced by the USACE on June 19, is more promising. Lake Superior is expected to drop 3-7 inches below record highs through November; Lake St. Clair is predicted to be an inch below highs in June, around 2 inches below highs in July through September and around 9 inches below highs in October and November; Lake Erie is forecasted to be 2-4 inches below highs in June through September, then around 9 inches below highs in October and November; and Lake Ontario is expected to be around 23 inches below record highs.
To see the full reports, visit LRE.
USACE.ARMY.MIL.
MUST-HAVE World’s First Stern Thruster for Outboard/Sterndrive Boats Sideshift has launched a new universal drag, as the unit rides above water when the boat stern thruster solution for outboards and is on plane. And since there’s no need to drill sterndrive boats. holes below the waterline, there’s no risk of leaks.
The patent-pending, first-of-its-kind OB When combined with a Sideshift or Series is easy to install on the cavitation plate of factory bow thruster, you can add the dual an outboard or I/O on any boat up to 60 feet. wireless joystick option for true 360-degree You can even install it while the boat is in the control of your boat. water. The unique mounting position creates zero To learn more, visit SIDESHIFT.COM.
MUST-HAVE
Yamaha’s Helm Master EX Now Available For Single Engines
Yamaha’s new Helm Master EX integrated boat control system takes everything you thought you knew about joystick control and kicks it up a notch. The joystick system is now available for single through quad applications and has been redesigned with new smooth-shifting software.
The enhanced autopilot feature called DriftPoint Track allows you to set track points to your fi nal destination. Once they’re in place and the boat is in neutral, all you have to do is sit back and relax. Other new features include an electronic key switch, as well as a keyless ignition fob.
“The new joystick option, which is the same as that used on multi-outboard systems, allows boaters who desire single-outboard power to enjoy the majority of the benefi ts associated with multi-outboard Helm Master EX applications,” says Ben Speciale, president of Yamaha Marine U.S. Business Unit.
To learn more about the system, visit YAMAHAOUTBOARDS.COM.
The municipal marina in Leamington, Ontario, formerly known as Leamington Marina, has been renamed Lakeside Marina after Lakeside Produce.
LEAMINGTON.CA
The 1924 Hutchinson Idyll Oaks led the parade at the fi rst Antique Boat Show in 1965.
EVENTS ABM Antique Boat Show & Auction Set for August 1 — But With a Twist Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Antique Boat Museum’s 56th Annual Antique Boat Show & Auction that was originally planned for June 27, 2020, will be held August 1. Those in the Clayton, New York, area with a classic or antique boat are invited to join in a parade around the 1000 Islands (U.S. boaters and waters only, as U.S./Canada border is currently closed) on Saturday, August 1, at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. A limited number of ABM’s slips will be available for participating boats to dock.
Boat and engine owners from near and far are invited to put their boat in ABM’s virtual boat show, which will include a virtual marketplace with vendors to visit and shop, and a virtual auction. Admission to the museum will be free August 1-2.
Other ABM events, including the The 1000 Islands Concours d’Elegance, Need for Speed, 1000 Islands Family Day and more are all postponed.
The Antique Boat Museum is currently collecting stories to include in the virtual show. If you have one you’d like to share, visit ABM.ORG.
GREAT LAKES NEWS EPA Awards First Trash Free Waters Grant The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded the first-ever Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Trash Free Waters grant to Harbor District, Inc. The Milwaukee-based company will use the $492,300 to build a trash collector on the Kinnickinnic River, two miles upstream of Lake Michigan.
This project, which addresses riverborne trash, is the first to be selected under the recently developed GLRI grant program.
The device will be placed in the river and will use floating booms to collect trash; the trash collected will then be transferred to a dumpster. Estimations say 75 tons of waste will be collected every year.
To learn more, visit EPA.GOV/TRASH-FREE-WATERS.
BUSINESS
JBYS Welcomes Josh Northrop
Jefferson Beach Yacht Sales (JBYS) has welcomed Josh Northrop to its team of seasoned marine industry professionals.
Northrop has been an avid boater his entire life, growing up on Lake Erie and boating throughout the Great Lakes. After graduating college, Northrop decided to make boating a career and has spent the last 17 years guiding his clients to the right boat. He will be stationed out of the JBYS Catawba Island, Ohio, location.
BUSINESS SkipperBud’s Newest Location is a Former Antique Mall A former antique mall in Waterford Township, Michigan, will soon be transformed into a SkipperBud’s boat service and storage center. The boat dealer bought the nearly 7,000-square-foot former Great Midwestern Antique Emporium in May. After renovations, the facility will be operational for this upcoming fall winterization and storage season.
The company’s Antioch, Illinois, expansion project is also coming along and will include a new 16,000-square-foot showroom. That space will be completed by fall 2020.
To learn more, visit SKIPPERBUDS.COM.
BUSINESS
The 95-year-old brand Century Boats has acquired Vanquish Boats, manufacturer of classic center console, dual console, cuddy and runabout dayboats. Morgan Huntley, the owner of Vanquish Boats, will stay on as chief operating offi cer of Century Boats, and production will be moved to Century’s Zephyrhilla, Florida, facility. It was also announced that existing Vanquish models will now be rebranded as Century Coronado.
“Vanquish is known for producing stunning designs in the New England tradition, rooted in timeless quality and craftsmanship,” says Lloyd R. “Skip” Sorenson, CEO of Century Boats. “This merger represents a natural expansion of our model portfolio which will be mutually benefi cial across our line of fi shing and family boats.”
To learn more, visit CENTURYBOATS.COM.
EVENTS Winners of the 2019 Great Lakes Seaway Photo Contest Announced For the second year, the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership conducted a photo contest for the best images of Great Lakes freighters, tugboats and barges that travel across the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway. The winners of the second annual contest — which was open from April to December, 2019, and had more than 270 entries — have been announced!
One of three first place photos (pictured) was captured by Paul LaMarre III and features the M/V Hon James L. Oberstar as it approaches the famed Johnson’s Point in the St. Marys River. First place winners received $500, second place received $250 and third place won $100.
The 2020 photo contest is now open and will end when the St. Lawrence Seaway closes for the season. Winners will be announced April 1, 2021. To learn more and to submit your original photos, visit
GREATLAKESSEAWAY.ORG/PHOTO -CONTEST.
