NYCkayaker Coast guard commandant

[Rob Buchanan]

>From today's scuttlebutt, an online newsletter for sailors (see
www.sailingscuttlebutt.com):

SMALL VESSEL THREAT
(We found the following press release rather frightening, and have included
it here in case any of the Œbuttheads would like to pursue this.)

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen, who has the responsibility to
prepare for the possibility of a terrorist attack from a small boat, and who
has publicly floated the idea that recreational boaters should obtain an
automobile-type license as a security measure, will address the Boating
Writers International (BWI) annual meeting at the Miami Boat Show. Allen,
who became a national figure in the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina
disaster, was quoted by Reuters last summer as saying, ³We haven¹t put
nearly as much thinking in science and technology and general thought into
the small vessel threat as we need to and I think that¹s where we need to go
next.² Allen is scheduled to speak on Friday, February 16 at the annual BWI
membership meeting, which runs from 8 to 10 a.m. in the Miami Beach
Convention Center, rooms A101/102. The event is open to the marine community
and requires no ticket for admission. For information, contact Greg Proteau,
BWI Executive Director, 847/736-4142 or mailto:info at bwi.org