I probably made the PR guy's day! He called out of the blue with two questions -- did I think that many boaters care about cellular boosters and had I heard of Wilson Electronics? -- and my reply was not only "heck, yes" on both counts but also a report on how pleased I already was with the Wilson amp I installed on Gizmo last September. The company may have just decided to pay attention to the boat world, but I was more than ready to test the box of Wilson gear that recently showed up at Panbo HQ...
When most of us were enjoying the holiday quite the sea drama was playing out off Kodiak, Alaska. Last Friday the mighty 360-foot icebreaking anchor-handling tug supply vessel Aiviq (above) "experienced multiple engine failures" while towing the unusual conical drill ship Kulluk in 20-foot seas. Assisted by several large tugs and especially U.S. Coast Guard cutters and helicopters, the Aiviq eventually got her fuel issues solved and by Monday the Kulluk was back under tow, though without a crew and in even worse weather. And then the story turned again: The Aiviq's tow line parted, the CG ordered the tug Alertto drop hers for the crew's safety, and by New Year champagne time the Kulluk was hard aground being pounded by 30-foot waves...
Panbo may not make the corporate masthead any time soon, but the agreement that begins today is definitely a collaboration between this little web site and the Active Interest Media Marine Group, and I'm excited about it. AIM not only includes Power & Motoryacht and Sail magazines, where I wrote columns for many years, but also Soundings and PassageMaker, both of which I've long admired. In fact, one of my first formal acts as AIM's Senior Electronics Editor will be delivering a seminar titled "Dedicated Navigation Systems and the Apps Revolution" at the Fort Lauderdale Trawler Fest on February 1st (a seminar I hope to write aboard the trawler-like Gizmo in South Carolina). But the main goal for 2013 is to feed and grow Panbo and the AIM relationship is going to help...
