Steve Johnson

Advance Marine Services, Inc.

Member of American Marine Technicians

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4760 Cap Martin Dr. • Gainesville, GA30506

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By Pamela A. Keene

Work is continuing on the new hotel and conference center being built at Lanier Islands on the footprint of the resort’s original hotel – PineIsle. Phase 1 Infrastructure work on the Islands’ sewer force main line, is expected to be complete mid-May.

At some point, it will affect traffic west of the entry gates on the main road into the resort on either side of the bridge to install new pipes for about two weeks. The bridge will not be closed during that time.

“We feel good about the timeline,” said Bill Donohue, executive director.

He also reported that Lake Lanier Islands Management Company, which sub leases and manages the islands, has requested an extension of the lease to the full 50 years.

The board also approved contracting with Helix Group to handle site work for the new complex, pending permitting approval by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Bucky Perry, vice president of operations for Margaritaville at Lanier Islands, reported that both the dry storage and a 28-slip dock at Port of Indecision Marina should be complete in early April.

Plans are to open Margaritaville at Lanier Islands on May 1.

The next meeting of the authority is scheduled for April 16.

LLA adds new employee to double its fulltime staff

By Pamela A. Keene holds an MBA. She worked for

The Lake Lanier Association the past five-and-a-half years as has doubled its fulltime staff. an admissions counselor for Lee. With the hiring of Victoria Cle- “I’m already getting to know venger as communications and so much about Lake Lanier and membership coor- our members,” she said. “And dinator, the group with my experience in college renow has two full- cruiting, I am excited to be able time employees further expand our work around to help with member services and for the first time the lake and help us accomplish to grow the organization.” ever. even more for Lake Lanier and Clevenger joined the staff in

“We are so our members.” late February. “Victoria is already thrilled to bring Clevenger, a native of Ohio, making a difference in our work Victoria on Clevenger graduated from Lee University in and getting familiar with our iniboard,” said John Barker, presi- Cleveland, Tenn. She earned her tiatives and the lake community,” dent of the association. “We know undergraduate degree in advertis- Barker said. “We are indeed forshe will have a great impact to ing and public relations. She also tunate to have her on our team.”

A boat’s version of the final approach

Final approach. It’s a term commonly used in aviation denoting an aircraft’s descent on a glide path for landing. And yes, boats have their own version. For those of you with vessel handling experience, you know quite well the anxious feeling as your vessel edges toward the dock. Sometimes the piloting maneuver is complicated, with many factors to consider: wind, water depth, current, speed, obstructions, and other nearby craft, all of which are primary concerns before coming to all stop.

The task may appear easy to accomplish, but I can assure you it is sometimes not without complications and risk. Successful boat handling requires a mandatory proficiency for completing these types of maneuvers without incident. I have personally witnessed my fair share of mishaps over many years.

Competency in this realm is only achieved by specific methods, either by simulation or actual experience. There are also local organizations in your area that can help you gain the confidence and experience needed to become proficient in this type of maneuvering.

For example, take a virtual simulation environment. You can make the mistakes, learn from the process, and become superior in the skill of boat handling, without an actual incident or associated risk occurring at all. This type of training also develops a process called Error Trapping to improve overall piloting performance.

However ... there is another way you can acquire this knowledge: part simulation, part actual hands-on experience. This simple innovative combination produces outstanding results and serves your learning needs extremely well. This time of year, when the lake is not crowded, is a perfect time for you to hone your capa-

Steve Johnson

Boating Safety

n MORE INFO:

Steve@CPOJohnson.com, www.cpojohnson.com bility in boat handling. I recommend practice a method called Rubber Docking by throwing something highly visible in the water that floats near your vessel, and practice maneuvering up to it, using small amounts of rudder or just engine power.

This exercise will get you accustomed to how your boat handles in slow speed situations, with the elements such as wind, current, and rough water sometimes added for educational benefit. There’s no need to be in close proximity to other vessels when you can accomplish the basics out in open waters, away from crowds and objects that can cause damage. Practicing these procedures will improve: • Retrieving a person from the water quickly and safely • Collision avoidance • Maneuvering next to a dock • Anchoring

Welcome to another boating season on the lake. I look forward to your success on the water and stand ready to help you reach your goals in maritime education improving boating safety. Contact me to discover more.

Steve Johnson, US Coast Guard (ret). is with CPO Johnson, Inc.