DBW-50thAnnBook-PROOF

“My involvement with the ADA process gave me another avenue in which to serve boaters with disabilities who have significant access needs,” notes Bill, “and to see other areas where Cal Boating needed to go beyond the minimum requirements.” Along with other Cal Boating staff, Bill has spearheaded several projects to increase the ease with which the elderly and those with special challenges can access their boats, including installation of dock steps to accommodate different boat heights. He has also had a hand in designing marina handrails and wider floats at boat launching ramps to prevent older people and those with disabilities from falling. Looking for ways to help people who may have difficulty going to and from their boats reflects an attitude shift at Cal Boating that Bill finds very gratifying. “These types of changes are becoming the fabric of our viewpoint,” says Bill. Throughout his career, Bill has met and talked with boaters from all over the state. “I’ve been in every nook and cranny where there is water in California,” he explains, “and being able to travel is one of the main things I have loved about my work.” Bill also established a reputation for being a virtual information “clearing house” – everything from boating maintenance problems to facility design questions. Planners and engineers from around the country often call Bill to get advice and provide feedback, which he has used in writing various Cal Boating technical materials. Bill’s most important and recognized work is his Layout and Design Guidelines for Marina Berthing Facilities , completely revised in July 2005. This document, posted on Cal Boating’s Web site, is used by planners, architects, engineers, contractors, and marina operators throughout the United States. Bill was also very involved with the States Organization for Boating Access (SOBA), developing handbooks for the design, construction and maintenance of boat launching facilities in all 50 states and five territories. He is currently revising

Cal Boating Builds First State Windmill in 50 Years!

In 1974, Cal Boating employee Bill Curry spearheaded an effort to provide a windmill at Goose Flat, Folsom Lake State Recreation Area. The windmill would supply potable water for a future recreational boat-in site on the shoreline. Bill needed to find a contractor who could do the work for the $5,000 budget Cal Boating had available. He hired a geotech engineer (for $160) from a local soils engineering company to do a seismic “shot” to determine the most likely spot to drill the well. The job was contracted with a company from Auburn, California for $4,990 – just $10 under the maximum for negotiated contracts. He then located a windmill rotor head, fan, tail assembly, and related hardware through a firm in Argentina. The project specs called for a minimum water flow of not less than two gallons per minute when the wind was blowing at 15 mph or above. The well came in at 12.5 gallons per minute, and the windmill worked perfectly, pumping water uphill to a 1,000-gallon storage tank from which the water would flow by gravity feed to the boat-in site. The storage tank, which was originally (continued page 14)

1960

By 2007, there were 450 brokers and 750

First comprehensive boating safety laws for vessel operation and equipment requirements are enacted in California, based on federal Boating Act of 1958.

Through 2007, Cal Boating has provided $185 million in grants to public agencies for new and improved launching facilities for trailerable boaters. From special funding, division provides first “local assistance” boat launching facility grants for Eagle Lake (Lassen County) and Mono Lake (Mono County).

salespeople licensed by Cal Boating’s four-person yacht broker unit.

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50 Years: The Department of Boating and Waterways, 1957 to 2007