Bay Boat Club receives gold award

Bay Boat Club receives the Ohio Clean Marina Gold Award. Pictured, from left: Matt Dailey, Past Commodore; Sarah Orlando, manager, Ohio Clean Marinas; Fred Drenkhan, Commodore; Bob Dorin and Richard Gash, trustees; and Mayor Paul Koomar.

View Image Gallery

Nationally, 2020 was a record year for new boat and paddle craft sales. So this year, the significance of National Safe Boating Week, May 22 through May 28, increased with all these new boaters on the water. According to the National Safe Boating Council, the observance of this week is the annual kick-off of the Safe Boating Campaign, a global awareness effort that encourages boaters to make the most of their boating adventure by being responsible.

In Bay Village, the Bay Boat Club celebrated the start of the boating season on May 22. The proceedings started with Mayor Paul Koomar reading a proclamation declaring support for the goals of the Safe Boating Campaign. Koomar urged us all to practice safe boating habits and to wear a life jacket at all times while boating. He also encouraged all boaters to have their boats inspected to federal safety standards. To back up Mayor Koomar's suggestion, Bay Boat Club had vessel inspectors from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary – Bill Ferry, Jack Benton and Greg Little, Division Commander – examine members' boats.

Inspectors found important safety issues on two of the four boats examined. One boat had the battery cables reversed. It was corrected, and the battery and electronic equipment were saved from destruction. In the second boat, the inspectors found a brittle and broken air exhaust hose, which means even if the blower was on, the potentially explosive gasoline fumes were not being exhausted from the engine compartment.

On a lighter note, Sarah Orlando, manager of the Ohio Clean Marina program, presented a Gold Burgee to the club. She stated that "Bay Boat Club is one of only 13 marinas in the state of Ohio to achieve the gold award and that level of clean environmental operation."

The Bay Sea Scouts and the B.B.C. officers and trustees, Tom Reichert and Bob Dorin, assisted in making it all possible. The scouts made and installed a used fishing line collector. They also installed a cigarette butt bin and will be responsible for their maintenance.

Sea Scout leader and grill master Scott Engel capped the celebrations by cooking up hot dogs and icing down pop and water enjoyed by all.