IT’S WOODEN-BOAT weekend, but the metal variety is making tracks, too.
Armstrong Marine, the aluminum-boat fabricator whose plant is adjacent to the racetrack midway between Port Angeles and Sequim, is running at full sail.
Earlier this year, Armstrong was awarded a contract to build two 50-foot and one 60-foot dive boats for the Navy.
Fabricators at Armstrong are well into the construction of the hulls for the two 50-footers, which, when completed, will be deployed to the naval bases at Bremerton and San Diego.
Also on the Armstrong list: Four 26-foot harbor security patrol boats, scheduled to be built for delivery in March 2011 to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla.
Each of the four mono-hull boats will be outfitted with twin Mercury 250 Verado outboards and be used to patrol the waters of Tampa’s Interbay Peninsula.
And then there’s the boat to be deployed to the Bahamas — but not to a government installation.
The Four Seasons Resort in Nevis, Bahamas, is having a full-displacement catamaran built that was designed by naval architect Scott Jutson.
The vessel is built to Coast Guard specifications and is designed to hold 40 passengers.
She is powered by two Cummins 355-horsepower diesel engines and will have a cruising speed of 20 knots.
AMAK Towing is having a 50-foot catamaran built for use as a shuttle tour boat in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Below her main deck will be two Caterpillar C-12 engines, each generating 705-horsepower driving a pair of Sea Fury surface drives.
Skeptics who question the ability of the internet to generate business from fields afar, take note:
The Ecuadorian Navy recently contacted Armstrong Marine by searching the Internet and entered into a contract with the Port Angeles to build a 32-foot survey boat which will include the installation of a multi-beam hydrographic survey system.
Armstrong will be building another paint barge for use at Pearl Harbor Naval Station in Honolulu.
The barge is outfitted with a Genie scissors lift, a generator that provides power for hand tools and a hazardous-materials containment system.
This is the sixth paint barge Armstrong has built for use at Pearl Harbor.
In August 2009, when the Metal Boat Society met in Port Angeles, Josh Armstrong, president and CEO of Armstrong Marine, addressed the gathering and expressed his belief that the aluminum boat industry would survive the economic recession and shared what his company was doing to assure its long-term success.
The current work log for Armstrong Marine exceeds 42,000 hours of fabricating capacity, and the phone continues to ring for estimates and proposals.
It would appear that Josh had a fair idea of what he spoke.
Safe on the water
The Coast Guard recently published recreational boating statistics for 2009.
Nationwide, the Coast Guard counted 4,730 accidents that resulted in 3,358 injuries with 736 deaths.
Almost three-fourths of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those 84 percent were not wearing life jackets.
Additionally the leading contributing factor in boating accidents was alcohol consumption, followed by operator inattention, operator inexperience and excessive speed.
Clearly, abstaining from drinking while on the water and donning a life jacket when onboard would dramatically reduce the statistics.
It all seems so simple, if you drink don’t drive — if you drive don’t drink. When aboard a boat wear a life jacket.
Yet far too many recreational boaters have a cavalier attitude about matters of safety that are within their control.
The perils of excessive alcohol consumption are legion and need not be recounted in this column. However, a primer on cold-water immersion may give boaters pause the next time they choose to avoid a life jacket while boating — especially in North Olympic Peninsula waters.
Cold-water immersion has four stages: cold shock, swimming failure, hypothermia and post-rescue collapse.
It is crucial to understand how your body will react in each stage so you can take appropriate action to increase your chance of survival.
Cold shock cold water causes an immediate gasp reflex — you will take in up to 2-3 quarts of air or water. If its water, it’s very unlikely you will surface without a life jacket.
Have your life jacket on when you enter the water!
The 3-minute to 5-minute cold shock stage is predictable: hyperventilation, rapid heart rate and often panic. It also can cause a heart attack — making self rescue very difficult.
Concentrate: Float with your head above water while adjusting to the shock so that you can act effectively.
Swimming failure sets in after 3 to 30 minutes. If you decide to swim to shore without a flotation aid, you are not likely to make it.
Your body will become more and more vertical due to loss of muscle coordination. Forward progress and keeping your head above water becomes difficult. Wearing a life jacket will make all the difference.
Hypothermia sets in after about 30 minutes depending on water temperature, body type and size, insulation of clothing and other factors.
This means that if you have a life jacket on, you have a crucial window of opportunity for survival.
Post-rescue collapse means you’re still in danger after you get out of the water due to a drop in your blood pressure, inhaled water and heart problems as cold blood from extremities releases into the body core.
It is vital at this stage to treat the victim gently and seek immediate medical care.
A life jacket keeps your head above water, giving you precious minutes needed to get back onboard.
Even if you have a life jacket in your hands when you enter the cold water, you may not be able to put it on.
If you cannot self-rescue, a life jacket may give you some hypothermia protection — extending the time you can survive until someone rescues you.
Visitors to Port Angeles
Victorious, a 110-foot yacht built in 2004 by Nordlund Custom Boat Builders in Tacoma, tied up to the fuel dock in the Port Angeles Boat Haven on Thursday afternoon.
The owners of the yacht, Vic and Nancy Edelbrock, were spending time at their vacation home in British Columbia and touring the many islands dotting the Inside Passage as well as fishing some of the out-of-the-way hot spots for their daily meal.
Victorious anchored in the harbor for the night and got under way Friday morning for San Diego.
Vic Edelbrock Jr. is the chairman and CEO of Edelbrock Corp., a manufacturer and distributor of aftermarket high performance speed products for cars and motorcycles.
The company, which was founded by his father, Vic Sr., dates back to the days preceding World War II, when many a hearty soul would drive to Muroc Dry Lake — now the site of Edwards Air Force Base — unbolt the fenders, pull out the windshield and spend the weekend racing one another in their souped-up family sedans.
Harbor filler-up
Last Sunday, Tesoro Petroleum provided bunkers to Pioneer, a 728-foot cargo ship laden with a cargo of gypsum she picked up in Tacoma.
The cargo was destined for the Sea of Cortez port town of Santa Rosalia on the Baja California peninsula.
On Tuesday, Tesoro refueled Overseas Los Angeles, a 600-foot petroleum products tank ship that is making her way down the coast to Long Beach, Calif.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the waterfront.
Items involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome.
E-mail dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-417-3736.
His column, On the Waterfront, appears every Sunday.
