BWI’s next webinar will address legal issues and focus on contracts, specific clauses in contracts that have given writers fits and how to address them, and other concerns such as establishing legal liability corporations, copyright protection, and other questions dished up during the Q&A session. It’s scheduled for December 15 at 2 p.m. Eastern time (1 p.m. Central and 11 a.m. Pacific).

Presenting will be Milton Toby, writer/attorney/head of the Contracts Committee for the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Toby will offer suggestions on how writers should negotiate and revise these troublesome clauses if they can’t get them deleted, and then respond to open questions about contracts or any other legal issues that freelancers want to discuss.

This will mark the fourth BWI Educational webinar made available through the support of Dometic Marine. BWI members have received instructions how to sign up for the presentation; others should contact info@bwi.org.

BWI’s Annual Writing Contest is going all-electronic this year. The 2011 BWI competition will recognize – for the 19th year – the best marine journalists in the world and present cash awards to first- ($500), second- ($300) and third-place ($200) scorers in 17 categories. Presentation of awards will be made at the Miami International Boat Show in February 2012.

The entry form provides the process for “doing the paperwork,” loading entries and paying for extra entries and/or dues by check or PayPal. Deadline for entries has been moved back to December 31, 2011 to add a little time for all to learn the new routine and to work out the inevitable bugs associated with the process. Judges will receive reading instructions and scoring sheets by email and be able to retrieve entries to read by simply clicking a link.

Plan to spend a little extra time to understand changes to this year’s contest and prepare entries for electronic submission. Everything needed is contained in a special Contest Brochure which you can access by this link: www.bwi.org/downloads/BWI2011WritingContest.pdf.

Thirteen marine manufacturers were honored in mid-October at the 2011 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference (IBEX) Innovation Awards presentation in Louisville. Organized by NMMA and judged by BWI, products are recognized that are distinctly innovative, benefit the marine industry and/or consumer, are practical and  cost-effective. A total of 65 new products were entered in this year’s Awards program.

“One of the motivators for writers involved in the Innovation Awards is the ability to see and touch the future. This is our Discover Boating, and this year’s product submissions didn’t disappoint,” stated Alan Wendt, BWI’s committee chair for the IBEX Awards. Other members serving as judges included BWI President, Zuzana Prochazka, Frank Lanier, Susan Canfield, Roger McAfee, Brady Kay, and Patricia Kearns.

IBEX Innovation Awards were presented to the following companies in these categories; also provided are brief comments from the judges:

Deck Equipment & Hardware

Nautilus Marine Group, Windlass V500: “The well-engineered windlass tension band keeps the rope and chain splice in constant contact with the chain wheel easily handling knots and hackles of life at anchor.” Honorable Mention: Ameritex Fabric Systems, Four-in-One Boat Cover

Electrical Systems

Charles Industries, Intelligent Marine Charger: “The IMC 40 eliminates the need for multiple onboard battery chargers. The built-in redundancy will get you home.”

Furnishing & Interior Parts

Thetford Curve, Porta Potti: “Serious thinking time was spent addressing multiple ways to improve and innovate one of life’s basic necessities.”

Inboard Engines

Indmar, 5.7L Assault 345 Inboard: “Wakesurfing is rapidly growing in popularity and Indmar has a workhorse for these rugged watersports.”

Mechanical Systems

Attwood, Universal Sprayless Connector: “This Connector stood out in both simplicity, ease of adaptation and global application.”

OEM Electronics

Raymarine, e7D Multifunction Display: “Where Apple iPad integration, pop culture and intuitive operation meets useful maritime technology.”

Outboard Engines

Two Awards: Mercury 150 FourStroke Outboard and Honda Marine BF 250 Outboard Engine: “Mercury found a way to trim 24 pounds of their new 150 FourStroke, while helping to satisfy the growing need for superb fuel efficiency and performance;” “Honda offers the first dual-circuit induction system that provides improved combustion.”

Propulsion Parts, Propellers

Powertech Propellers, Power Stop Propeller: “Brilliantly crafted reverse thrust propeller, providing new levels of control without harming overall performance.”Honorable Mention: Livorsi Marine for its improved Raw Water Flow System.

Safety Equipment

Protomet Corporation, Panoramic Mirror System: “Provides a second set of eyes on your kids while towing them in any variety of watersports.”

Environmental

US Marine Products, EFOY Fuel Cell: “A green solution to providing on board power with a fuel cell that converts methanol into 12 to 24 volt power.”

More detail on the Awards and products can be found at www.nmma.org/news.aspx?id=18041.

BWI and the Marine Marketers of America (MMA) are co-producing a luncheon event featuring a thought-provoking panel discussion entitled, “Can Writers Serve Two Masters” and presentation of MMA’s fourth annual Neptune Awards for Marketing Excellence. The gathering of the industry’s top communications professionals takes place on Thursday, October 27 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Grandview room of the Bahia Mar Resort during the opening day of the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show.

New to the BWI Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show routine this year will be a member social hour also on Thursday October 27 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. hosted by Hargrave Custom Yachts aboard the 136-foot 2010 Hargrave trideck DREAmer. The yacht will be slipped at Las Olas Marina, A Dock, within slips 2-10‬. Las Olas docks are just north of Bahia Mar and beyond the Hall of Fame Docks. Finger food, beer, wine, soda, and bottled water will be served. Guest writers are free to roam yachts.

The luncheon event “Will be an outstanding opportunity to network with professional peers and for marketers to showcase their best work,” said MMA president Wanda Kenton Smith. The event is co-sponsored by Info-Link and the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show.

“Our panel discussion is especially timely as the ‘Great Recession’ and the rise of social media have led many freelance writers to bob up against the gray line between journalism and marketing,” said Zuzana Prochazka, president of BWI.

The panel will include Andrew Clurman, COO of Active Interest Media, Tim Cole, EVP of Belvoir Publications, Jim Rhodes, president of Rhodes Communications as well as Kenton Smith and Prochazka. The discussion will be moderated by Michael Sciulla, a member of the boards of both organizations.

Current BWI and MMA members are eligible for a reduced rate of $30 when paying in advance using PayPal. The cost is $35 for those paying at the door and for non-members. BWI and MMA members who wish to attend but do not want to have lunch may do so at a cost of $5. To pay online by October 25 use this link: www.marinemarketersofamerica.org/2011/10/17/bwi-and-mma-join-to-create-panel-at-flibs/.

Three members of BWI selected the winner of the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) Technology Award for 2011 presented at the International Marine Electronics Conference & Expo held in early October. From a field of 13 entries they chose Digital Yacht Ltd.’s BOATraNET, a wireless server for onboard navigation networks, based on innovation, benefit to boaters, practicality, and value. Ben Ellison, who writes the marine electronics blog Panbo, served as BWI Awards Chairman at the NMEA event. He was joined in judging by Tim Queeney, editor of Ocean Navigator and Ocean Voyager magazines, and Bill Bishop, who writes the blog The Marine Installer’s Rant.

Said Ellison, “We saw many amazing technologies that will be making boating better for years. But one product seemed to define a new category in marine electronics. It’s a small power-efficient server designed to deliver information and services to any platform on a boat with WiFi and a browser or app that understands HTML5. It can, for instance, store and serve a yacht’s entire set of owner’s manuals. It can also control multiple media being output from the server to a marine stereo or serve the same media to the individual device in the boater’s hand.”

Also presented at the annual conference and expo were the NMEA Product and Manufacturer of the Year Awards for 2011. For this series of awards, marine electronics dealers from around the country select winners in several categories through a mail-in voting process. For details, go to www.nmea.org/Assets/2011-nmea-awards.pdf.

BWI’s series of educational webinars is now posted on this site for viewing by members and others from the industry with interest. Click on the “webinar” tab on the homepage for access to all of them.

Included are “How to Start a Blog for About $10,” presented by Kim Kavin; “Drive Traffic with Social Media” by Diane Byrne; and “Conducting Successful News Events & Product Introductions” by Alan Jones. The first three were made possible by sponsor Dometic Marine, a supplier of dedicated systems and equipment for recreational and commercial boats.

Plans for the next webinar focusing on journalists legal issues is tentatively scheduled for September.

A webinar designed to bring writers and vendors together to improve press coverage of new marine products and boats, is planned by BWI for June 29 at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

The idea for the presentation emerged from a meeting of the BWI Directors where concern was expressed over the high volume of news conferences and product introductions at boat shows making it difficult for writers to participate and glean all they needed from marine manufacturers. Better planning as well as plain-speak lead to effective presentations.

BWI’s LinkedIn member forum produced suggestions from more than 20 writers on the best ways to get mindshare for new products. In addition to show-based conferences, the writers offered suggestions and critiques of destination press trips, hands-on boat tests, and product reviews.

That input led to the outline of the webinar:

- The need to keep presentations brief, focused, factual, useful, and if appropriate, quantitative.
- Learning to test the concept from a reader/subscriber perspective and ask, “Is this helpful or interesting?”
- Writer preference for take-away formats – paper releases, flashdrives, or other packaging to best disseminate news.
- The practice of handing out “chotzskies” and if so, what’s appropriate?
- A reminder to focus on video and how to prepare to “be recorded.”
- Honoring appointments and allowing enough time for reviews or tests.
- When enough information is enough and how to minimize the “marketing speak” for better results.

BWI Director, commentator, and columnist, Alan Jones, will lead the webinar based on long-term experience of reviewing and writing about boats, new products, and the boating and fishing lifestyles. Jones is the executive editor for Boating World Magazine and a contributing editor for Sea Magazine, a photographer and videographer. He has served as a judge for NMMA’s Innovation Awards and has been recognized by BWI seven times in the annual writing contest.

BWI Active and Supporting members are invited to the webinar. Other vendors with interest in attending this free program can sign up through this link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/159740849.info@bwi.org.

The American Boat & Yacht Council is reaching out to the BWI membership with the offer of free tuition for its educational webinar series. Says BWI member Ed Sherman, who also serves as ABYC’s Director of Curriculum Development and Delivery, the first two offerings will be: “Shipping Boats Overseas…..What You Need to Know” is set for Thursday, April 7 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (register at https://cc.readytalk.com/r/j3ywgso5fn7g); “Marine Fire Investigation… How NFPA Guides the Investigator” scheduled for April 27 also at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (register at: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/ryv7ywymbu91). BWI members need to identify themselves as such when registering.

Upcoming Technical Webinars will include “Basic Electrical” with Kevin Ritz on May 12 and “Lead Acid to AGM Battery Conversion” with Dwight Escalera on May 25. The regular rate for an ABYC webinar is $49 per site with unlimited live access to that site for ABYC members; $69 for non-members, which includes an opportunity to view the recorded webinar for an additional 30 days at no additional cost. Check the ABYC Education Calendar at www.abycinc.org/calendar/index.cfm for additional description and registration for webinars planned in later months.

In response to a request by the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) is working toward a solution aimed at saving lives at sea. The goal is to ensure that radio distress signals sent by mariners contain GPS information that will enable search and rescue (SAR) teams to locate vessels quickly and efficiently.

Modern fixed-mount VHF radios are required to be equipped with Digital Selective Calling (DSC). At the push of a button, the DSC function transmits data to all other DSC-equipped radios within range and to SAR authorities, such as the Coast Guard. Those data include a unique number assigned to the radio called a Maritime Mobile Service Identity, or MMSI. A vessel’s MMSI provides the boat’s name, home port, and owner. DSC-equipped radios also have a terminal that allows the owner to connect the unit to an onboard GPS. The problem is that boat owners often neglect to connect their DSC VHF with the GPS and many times do not register their MMSI.

Read more »

BWI’s Miami Newsmaker panelists discussing the “Future of Marine Journalism” offered a frank assessment of continuing challenges for writers and what publications and websites will be seeking in the near future. Common themes are that all in media are having to produce more with less, expect flawless stories and images, view deadlines as ever more important, and that video is becoming the new “sidebar” to articles. Advice to writers: be useful, agreeable and indispensable, find ways to add value, increase delivery speed, and keep up with the technology. Read more »