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Marine Air Conditioning | Sanitation | Electronics Installation | Essex CT

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New Vessel Notification solution provides peace of mind away from marina

March 21, 2017 By EJ Vongher

It’s a startling feeling that creeps into the mind of every captain:  “Is everything OK with the boat?”  When you left the marina or mooring field, you’re certain you did everything right. You checked the lines, warps or mooring bridle for chafe. You turned off anything that might cause unnecessary battery drain. All the hatches were battened. But something just doesn’t feel right and now that you’re 150 miles away – the feeling is getting worse.

Bilge Level Readout

What if there was a product that linked to your cell phone or tablet computer that monitored your bilge, battery status and boat position. Would that help with this nagging feeling? Well, there is and we think it’s just what the doctor ordered for providing greater levels of confidence when you are away from your boat. It’s called the Nautic Alert Decision Platform™.

Introduced earlier this year by Market Spectrum, Inc. (a company with which we have just entered into a distribution and installation partnership), the Nautic Alert Decision Platform is an intelligent marine telematics solution engineered to reduce risk of vessel sinking and provide early detection and notification of anchor slippage or unexpected movement from a mooring or dock.

Research shows that upwards of 69% of boats that sink go down either on a mooring or in a slip. This solution addresses this situation head-on by reporting potentially catastrophic events to boat owners remotely, via cell phone or tablet. With this gear, you are going to know about a potential problem before it becomes a real problem.

The Nautic Alert Decision Platform is a collection of detection and reporting technologies which work together to monitor three key early warning indicators:  bilge pump activations, DC current flow and vessel movement. The solution provides owners with real-time views into bilge and battery levels as well as vessel location with a geo-fenced area and transmit alert notifications when activities fall outside pre-programmed parameters.

Market Spectrum CEO Fernando Velado characterizes the benefits of his new solution this way: “Early event detection and notification is key to reducing risk leading to losses and sizeable insurance claims including detection of anchor slippage and unexpected movement from a mooring or dock. The Nautic Alert Decision Platform delivers – when it matters.”

Velado, along with his son Nick, are well-credentialed IT professionals who happen to be passionate boaters. They developed the technology behind Nautic Alert when the elder Velado lost his boat due to a fire aboard another vessel in his marina. So for them, this offering is a mix of professional ability and personal passion.

Vessel Position Locator

Boat owners employing the Nautic Alert Decision Platform will receive highly-calibrated and customized notifications of changes to their vessels bilge state while underway, when many other distractions preclude monitoring water incursion on a regular basis. In addition, when boat owners are ashore or away from their marina, they can have bilge water, battery status and vessel location information delivered to their smartphones.

Working with a team like the Velados to provide boaters with solutions that use technology to create a safer boating environment is a core mission here at Marine Special Products Group. While we are thrilled to provide boaters with solutions that deliver convenience and comfort, what really excites us are boating safety solutions that give boat owners the information they need to be confident that their crew and vessel are safe, whether they are on board or not. The Nautic Alert system delivers on this objective in a very significant fashion.

To learn more about the Nautic Alert Decision Platform, please visit their website. 

Filed Under: Boating Safety, Marine Electronics Tagged With: Boating Safety, Marine Technology

Blessing of the Fleet Ceremonies: Serenity for some, Celebration for all

June 8, 2016 By EJ Vongher

Blessing the Fleet in Stonington, CTTracing their origins back centuries to Mediterranean fishing villages, annual Blessing of the Fleet ceremonies are based on a tradition meant to ensure a safe and bountiful season for the area’s commercial fishing community.  Over time, however, they have morphed into community gatherings as much about food and festivities as they are about acts to provide sea captains and their crew with feelings of safety and serenity.

Brought to our Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island shores by immigrants who held strongly to their religious beliefs, most Blessing of the Fleet ceremonies today go well beyond the Catholic mass and blessing to include parades, pageantry, dancing, feasting and, in a few instances, road races.

Whether one takes stock in the value of divine providence or view the ceremony as another opportunity to court good fortune, most Blessing of the FleetGreasyStraddle activities involve fun for the entire family and, in come cases, the ability to see grown men running along a greased pole (Gloucester, MA).

Here in Connecticut, the oldest Blessing of the Fleet ceremony is in Stonington, where this year’s events will mark the 63rd annual blessing. Of the Stonington observances, event co-chair Michael Crowley has said, “It’s so important to bless these boats and these fishermen, the ones that are still fishing, because the peril is still there.” Since records have been kept, it’s believed some 38 Stonington fishermen have perished at sea. In addition to the fleet blessing, most of the ceremonies also include an observation for those who have perished while working the waters so vital to these communities historic economic interests.

Owing to their religious heritage, it is common to hear biblical verses read at these ceremonies. Two of the most common are Psalm 104, versus 24-31 and Psalm 107, versus 23-32. An often-read prayer at many Blessing of the Fleet ceremonies is the following:  “Most gracious Lord, who numbered among your apostles the fishermen Peter, Andrew, James and John, we pray you to consecrate this boat to righteous work in your name. Guide the captain at her helm. So prosper her voyages that an honest living may be made. Watch over her passengers and crew and bring them to a safe return. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be upon this vessel and all who come aboard, this day and forever. Amen”

Should you be a boat owner seeking every avenue of protection against misfortune or someone interested in an enjoyable summer afternoon outing, A Blessing of the Fleet ceremony should prove interesting and enjoyable. Here is some information about local Blessing of the Fleet ceremonies:

City/State/Port
DateWebsite/Email AddressPhone
Montauk, NYJune 12[email protected]1 (631) 668-5503
Southport, CTJune 18www.southportconservancy.org/blessing-of-the-fleet.html1 (203) 255-2877
Milford, CTJune 19[email protected]1 (203) 783-0060
City Island, NYJune 26www.tinyurl.com/CityIslandBotF1 (718) 652-3056
Stonington, CTJuly 31[email protected]1 (860) 535-1700
Narragansett, RIJuly 30www.narragansettlionsclub.com1 (401) 783-7121

Filed Under: Boating Life, Boating Safety Tagged With: Blessing of the Fleet, Boating Safety

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Our Flotilla

Two decades of working with the southern New England boating community has led us to pick up many friends, mentors, and business partners along the way. Many of the people we know, trust, and enjoy working with can be found among these fine groups, guilds, or businesses.

Chester Boat Basin
Chester Point Marina
Crocker’s Boatyard
Petzold’s Marine Center
Oak Leaf Marina

Saybrook Point Marina
ABYC
CMTA
NMEA
RIMTA

Connect With Us

Marine Special Products Group, LLC
147 Dennison Road
Essex, CT 06426
Phone 860-718-0100
Fax 203-413-6244
[email protected]

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