Frank, All of the issues that you have brought up plus more are being considered. Any member that could bring a self-erecting awning, it would be appreciated. Pontoon boats are not generally suitable for open ocean use, other vessels are being researched. Trying to talk a buddy into attending and bringing his 25 ft. Bertram. If a member has a Zodiac-style runabout, this would be invaluable for tending subs launched from the barge. To maximize dive time from the barge, Alec has offered to camp out on the barge if we can procure it…takes care of the security issue also but I am afraid that he might back out on this offer. J Life vests and hardhats to meet USCG and OSHA requirements will be necessary out on the barge or if launching occurs with a crane from shore. Jim’s new sub is going to weigh in around 7 tons so special consideration may have to be given to get this in the water (maybe launch in the harbor and tow to the barge if we have a small crane capability aboard the barge). All subs entering the water will have to pass at a minimum a US Coast Guard Vessel Safety Check (VSC) which requires registration and displaying a registration number issued from your state of record. Additional safety items need to be identified and discussed by the group to arrive at a common standardized checklist. This needs to be accomplished in sufficient time so that all attending subs can meet the safety criteria and entering the water. The deadline for formalizing the list is January which would give 6 months for compliance. Subs intended only for static display will not have to meet the safety requirements. We have discussed t-shirts with artwork specifically tied to the 2010 Conference that would be included as part of the Conference package. Consideration is being given to holding a sub race but some kind of handicap system has to be developed otherwise Cliff’s R-300 is going to smoke all the other boats. J We are encouraging everyone working on a sub or that has one that can’t attend, to produce a poster board with images and specs of your sub…the best poster would be recognized. Also PSUBs would like to recognize all subs in some manner that attend whether as an operational boat or a static display sub. Open to any other ideas. R/Jay From: owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org [mailto:owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org] On Behalf Of ShellyDalg@aol.com Water depth for our convention is probably better if it's fairly shallow. Because the water's warm and the sun will be blazing......we'll be able to swim with the subs so everyone can get some good pictures. If we are able to secure a barge, we'll need a canopy or some shade on board to protect us. Can you check and see if it's possible to rent a pontoon boat for the day ? A small motor boat would be a good idea if it's available. We'll need transport on/off the barge just in case we need a quick transport to shore. As the time gets near, we'll need to set up some minimum equipment requirements for the subs. Things like.....radio, marker floats, bumpers, signals that we all can memorize, some type of submerged comms, divers, extra tanks, .......JEEZ, the list can get quite long. We may want to think about collecting some additional dues to pay for this thing. Maybe we could rent a couple of motorized dinghys for use as runabouts for the day. How about a Psubs banner mounted on the barge railing ? Could make a good backdrop for pictures. Maybe a small "patch" to commemorate the event. ( I survived the psubs convention, 2010 ) or lapel pin. We could sew a patch on our favorite baseball cap. Just thinking out loud. Frank D. |