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RBAW Monthly Newsletter
- June 2023 -
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Meet
Katie, New RBAW Executive Director
After
a very comprehensive search, Katie Bohocky, CAE has been selected
as the RBAW's first Executive Director.
Katie
has been working as an Executive Director for numerous professional
non-profit organizations for 17 years, and 4 years as Vice
President of Association Management, Inc. (AMI). Katie is keenly
attuned to the needs of professional organizations to foster
continued growth, member engagement, community support, developing
sponsorship revenue, and sustain financial health.
Katie
earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential in
2017, which is the marker of a committed association professional
who has demonstrated the wide range of knowledge essential to
manage an association in today’s challenging environment.
Katie
lives in Gig Harbor with her husband, Ken, 13-year-old daughter,
Amelia, and 10-year-old son, Branton. Katie is fortunate to have a
twin sister who has a boat and brings her family along on boating
adventures. Our kids are PNW through and through. They love
swimming in the cold salt water, paddleboarding, adventuring the
beaches, digging up clams, and cooking them right on the beach.
There is something about being on the water that makes every view
and every adventure better. It is stated that humans have a
"blue mind" - meaning that our brains are hardwired to
react positively to water. Accordingly, being near, on, in, or
under water makes us happier, healthier, and more relaxed, both
mentally and physically.
Katie
is excited to be a part of RBAW's voice of NW boating - advocacy,
awareness and preservation and growth of boating
opportunities.
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It's Time to Play!
You've
made it through the cold winter and wet spring. Now is the best
time to get out there and enjoy boating in the Northwest. Here are a few helpful tips about where to boat,
how to stay safe, and more:
Visit
a new boating spot
Cruising
into Canada
Boating Safety
Stay a Safe Distance from Whales
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Canadian Whale Sanctuary Zones
We
are all happy that traveling to Canada by boat has largely returned
to pre-COVID activity and as a reminder, Canada has closed specific
marine areas along Pender and Saturna Islands to boat traffic to
protect the Southern Resident Killer Whales that feed in these
waters. Whale sanctuary zones are actively monitored and enforced,
and the fines for operating a vessel within a zone can be
significant.
The
first restricted area to be aware of is along South Pender. This
area extends about a half-mile from Wallace Point at Bedwell
Harbour and then runs north about four and a half miles to Thieves
Bay. Bedwell Harbour is a popular location to clear into Canada so
be careful as you leave Bedwell and continue to your next Gulf
Islands destination!
Around
the eastern tip of Saturna Island is the second restricted area.
The closure area begins on the east side of Narvaez Bay, extends
for a half mile, then turns up and in to form a closure zone around
East Point on the tip of the island.
The
restricted areas are marked on the latest navigation charts, so
this would be an excellent time to check your charts and make sure
they are up to date. For more information and maps for all of our
Washington and Canadian whale sanctuary zones please visit: https://www.bewhalewise.org/know-the-zones/
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#MindTheZone
If you're on Lake Union this summer, please
be aware of the seaplane advisory buoys and move 200ft east or west
if they’re flashing yellow. For more information, please check out rbaw.org/mindthezone and have a safe and fun summer!!
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Legislative Updates
The state legislative session ended
on Sunday, April 23rd, and although the Governor
announced a special session to follow, no recreational boating
issues were raised.
Watercraft
Excise Tax Discussions Ongoing
RBAW
continues to work closely with Department of Revenue and BST
Associates to explore a plan to fix fundamental inequities in
the Depreciation Schedule being used to assess boaters the 1⁄2
of 1 percent Watercraft Excise Tax they pay each year. The
Department of Revenue heard a series of “key concerns” with the
Depreciation Schedule, chiefly that it over-inflates the value of
older vessels purchased 14-15 or more years ago. Data is currently
being prepared by BST Associates to develop a
proposed fair market value depreciation schedule for
vessels that have been owned for 15 years going out to 25 or 30
years. Work will continue during the summer months.
Legislation
Relating to Southern Resident Orcas from Vessels (SB 5371)
With
recent passage of the Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) 1000 yd
buffer zone bill, RBAW now begins the work to support the task
force in determining awareness and education details to ensure
boaters are prepared.
Unfortunately,
when Governor Inslee signed this bill into law on May 16th,
he vetoed the 2 sections
that would have notified all registered boat owners via mail in
2024 with their tab’s renewal – as well as directives to have the
WDFW work with their Canadian counterparts to develop a
transboundary plan for these new regulations (lawmakers did not
include funding in the bill). RBAW will continue to work
through legislative channels and explore other options to allocate
funding for these important areas, to include ways of notifying
boaters of the location of SRKW’s.
RBAW’s
efforts helped to improve the bill at multiple steps of the 2023
legislative process, including adding officer discretion to offer
educational material in lieu of issuing an infraction, the
establishment a stakeholder workgroup to develop outreach and
education strategies for best practices for boaters, and delayed
implementation so that boaters can be educated on the new distance
requirements. The Department of Fish & Wildlife is soliciting
for the newly created Orca Regulations Communications Advisory
Group (workgroup), which has to include representatives from the
recreational boating and commercial whale watching industries (and
various others). RBAW member, and Tacoma Yacht Club RBAW Delegate,
Dave Willis will be the RBAW representative on this advisory group,
if other members are interested in supporting this work please
email info@rbaw.org.
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Reminder – Updated Schedule for Maintenance
on WA State Parks Buoys
Be aware of
upcoming maintenance closures. For additional
mooring buoy repair work schedule updates and future work to
improve mooring opportunities,
visit the WA State Parks website.
May
1 - 3 San Juan Islands
Parks affected: Matia Island , Patos Island ,
Spencer Spit, Turn Island and Stuart Island
June
12 - 16 Central Puget Sound
Parks affected: Blake Island, Illahee, Fort Flagler, Mystery Bay,
Fort Worden, Fort Townsend.
June
25 - 30 South and North Puget Sound
Parks affected: Saltwater, Cutts Island, Eagle Island, Hope Island
(Mason), Jarrell Cove, Joemma Beach, Kopachuck, McMicken Island,
Penrose Point, Stretch Island, Tolmie, Skagit Island, Hope Island
(Skagit).
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Our newsletter takes a summer hiatus in July and
August, we'll see you again in September. Have a wonderful
summer on the water!
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Follow us on social media and join our boating
community!
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