By Don Leutz, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is sometimes called the “Silent Killer,” since Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. You simply do not know it’s there, but it can be quite deadly, especially while boating. Both prolonged exposure to low concentrations of Carbon Monoxide or short periods…
By Don Leutz, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is sometimes called the “Silent Killer,” since Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. You simply do not know it’s there, but it can be quite deadly, especially while boating. Both prolonged exposure to low concentrations of Carbon Monoxide or short periods…
By Don Leutz, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter One of the most important safety items that antique and classic boaters should carry on board with them is a communication device in case of emergency. Most people today have a cell phone. In fact, in any given boat, there may be several cell phones available. Cell phones…
By Dan Arena, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter Dan Arena was born in 1916 in Oakland, California near Lake Merritt. Dan and his younger brother, Gene, made the Lake as well as their father’s nearby Golden Gate Winery their personal playground during their adolescence. They had constant access to water and the woodshop within the winery.…
By Don Leutz, Northern California/Lake Tahoe ACBS Chapter When a boating disaster strikes, you need to be ready. Sometimes, that means you must abandon ship due to a collision, fire, sinking or some other cause. A “Ditch Bag” or Abandon Ship Bag has long been an important piece of equipment for boaters to have on…
By Lee Chase, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter Over the years, I have heard old boat and car enthusiasts lament the banning of lead compounds in automotive fuel. The lead compounds increased the fuel octane rating and was credited with lubricating properties which helped to preserve valves. While automobile fuel is lead free, aviation fuel (avgas)…
By Captain Don Leutz, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter Technically, the term “Flotsam” has a specific meaning under maritime law. “Flotsam” is defined as debris in the water that was not deliberately thrown overboard, often as a result of a shipwreck or accident. For the purposes of this article, and for the lack of a better term, I am going…
By Joe Roberts, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter Millie or as she was known as for the first 55 plus years of her life, as just the unnamed family Chris-Craft boat. My father-in-law Ray bought her new in 1958, so the family could have a boat when they were at their lake cabin in Clearlake, California.…
By Ted Lyman, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter Green Hornet is our second Philbrick; the first, Born Again, was restored by my father and me in 1980 — the year we joined ACBS. It was during the follow-up restoration of Born Again in Don Philbrick’s Oakland shop in 1990 that Green Hornet fell into our ownership.…
Capt. Mark Manes, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter I wrote the bulk of this article before I made a fool out of myself at the Concours in 2025. That’s right, your education and safe boating rep almost had a collision in front of the entire world, right at the bridge at Obexers. I was using another…
By Gene Dangel, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Brothers Bob and Billy Campbell became commercial fisherman after WWII and settled on Catalina Island in 1948 living aboard their boat. Applying knowledge and experience gained in all types of boats navigating the blue waters off of the California coast, taught them valuable lessons about performance, seaworthiness, and functional…
By Mark Manes, Northern California/Lake Tahoe Chapter As a child, I knew that I wanted a job that I would truly enjoy, and I think I found it. Many of you may have no idea what a San Francisco Bar Pilot even is…basically we drive ships for a living! A Marine Pilot is essentially a…