http://occoquanwaterfront.com

The image above, courtesy of the Fairfax County Stormwater Management Program, indicates that the watersheds around Mount Vernon are the lowest quality in the county. The areas around Belmont Bay, fortunately, are high quality.

With the exception of the Colchester stretch, the entire Fairfax shoreline of the Occoquan river is a high-quality watershed.

The annual Parade of Lights boat parade will take place this weekend along the Old Town waterfront in Alexandria. Santa Claus will arrive at the docks by fireboat at 4PM. Later in the evening, at 6PM, roughly 50 powerboats and sailboats will parade down the Potomac River from Washington to Alexandria.

If you haven’t already winterized, time to deck out your boat in lights and holiday decorations!

According to the Washington Post, the Potomac River is now the healthiest that it has been since the 1950′s.

“The comeback has been closely tied to the Blue Plains treatment plant, which handles waste from the District and parts of Montgomery, Prince George’s, Fairfax, Loudoun and Arlington counties. Its outflow is a river in itself: about 300 million gallons a day of treated sewage, enough to fill RFK Stadium.”

“In the past decade, responding to mandates from federal regulators, the plant has added $1 billion in new efforts that allow bacteria to consume the algae-feeding pollutant nitrogen in sewage.”

Read the full article at the Washington Post

I would be remiss if I did not mention the “Bull Shark in the Potomac River” frenzy that blew up on Facebook and the mainstream media while I was away. I tracked down the original reports and it wasn’t just one bull shark, it was two.

One was caught of Cornfield Harbor in extreme southern St. Mary’s county, MD. The NBC Washington website, which broke the “story” has a gruesome slideshow. The second was caught a bit farther north, near Tall Timbers, MD.

Both of these sharks were caught at the very, very edge of the Potomac River Watershed. So far south that one shark was actually caught by scientists collecting stingrays. This map shows where the bull sharks were caught:

The catches were very far away from Occoquan, almost 100 nautical miles south. Even down there, at the very edge of the Chesapeake Bay “you very, very rarely see them”, according to the Washington Post. Ok, no more bull shark jokes.

Very cool event coming to National Harbor this week: a professional wakeboarding competition sponsored by Red Bull. Professional Wakeboarders Brian Grubb, Parks Bonifay, JD Webb, and Adam Errington will fly, soar and wow the crowd with wild airs and double overhead sprays of the Potomac River.

These tremendous water athletes will be flying off of custom made features built especially for National Harbor. Towed by Red Bull Waverunners, Grub, Bonifay, Webb and Errington, along with some local wakeboarders, will put on quite a show for National Harbor visitors.

When: Saturday, July 31, 2010 @ 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Where: National Harbor, Maryland

Here we go again! Price William Marina is hosting Aquapalooza 2010 in Washington DC, along the Potomac River. The location of the event has changed! This year, the merry mayhem will take place at Tim’s Rivershore in Dumfries, VA (AKA Tim’s I).

By road, access will be limited (you will have to shuttle to Tim’s from a parking area). By water, just pull on up! All of the fun’s on the water, so bring your beach towels, sunscreen, water and snacks! If you need to launch your boat, see this information. Here is the official event registration page.

One thing that isn’t changing this year is a country music headlining act. Matt Stillwell will take the stage at the peak of the party. Stillwell’s recent single “Drunk Enough” just reached #25 on the iTunes Country Album Chart. The rest of the musical line-up has yet to be announced.

Have fun, be safe, see you at Aquapalooza 2010!

** Update: Due to the rainy forecast for this weekend, Spring Dust-Off is being moved to next weekend – Saturday, May 1st. Meet at Tim’s I before cruising over to the Mattawoman river to spend the night. **

Summertime, time to sit back and unwind (after you clean up your boat, of course). To get things crackin’ this year, the Potomac River Party Boaters Association is organizing the 2nd Annual Spring Dust-Off during the afternoon of Saturday, April 24th.

Last year it was a great time (Mother Nature cooperated). The plan is to tie up at Tim’s Rivershore and then cruise over to Mattawoman creek for the evening or until Sunday. All boats are welcome.

Join the best Facebook group for Potomac River boaters! Who knows, you might identify and connect with some fun local boaters. The mission of the Potomac River Party Boaters Association is to promote the tradition and sport of enjoying the Potomac River each and every summer.

** UPDATE ** Aquapalooza 2010 will be held on July 24th at Tim’s I in Dumfries.

There has been lots of speculation this year about whether or not Sea Ray and/or Prince William Marina would host Aquapalooza once again on the Potomac River (after lots of weather mayhem last year and the year before).

Turns out the answer is…YES! Aquapalooza 2010 is on, with a change in venue. This year the shenanigans will take place at Tim’s Rivershore (aka Tim’s I) in Dumfries, just a stone’s throw from Occoquan. I’ll post more details as they become available.

Once again, Tim’s Rivershore Restaurant & Crabhouse will host a Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Virginia. The event will take place on February 27, 2010 from 10AM-2PM. The plunge will take place along the bank of the freezing Potomac River, pictured above.

The event will feature live music, a costume contest and tons of great prizes (plus, its for a great cause)! The plunger who raises the most money will receive a pair of roundtrip tickets on JetBlue Airways. For more info, check out Tim’s new website.

Prince William Marine is hosting Aquapalooza this year at Tim’s II at Fairview Beach on the Potomac River. I’m looking forward to a good party this year, albeit with a country twang. Headlining the Occoquan-Washington DC Aquapalooza this year will be country singer Daryle Singletary and Thunder 104.5 will be onsite broadcasting live.

Daryle Singletary is a crooner that topped the country charts with a few hits way back in 1995. In February 2009, Singletary released a new single, “Love You With the Lights On”. The single was the lead-off single to a new album, Rockin’ in the Country, released in June 2009. Give his new album a listen:

Here’s the rest of the musical line-up for the weekend: Key West Band, the Wild Bunch, Borrowed Time Band, Drivin’ South Band and the Darby Brothers. I haven’t seen any of these guys before, leave a comment if you know who they are.

The FAQ put together by PW Marine is full of helpful tips, if you have not attended Aquapalooza previously. Check out the map of Fairview Beach below. If you will be arriving by boat (the preferred method of transport), check out our nautical map of the Potomac River to chart your route.

Take your cameras, remember to take some pictures and send us your best, we’ll post them after the main event! We’ll be there partying it up, see you there!