http://occoquanwaterfront.com

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.

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It was freezing outside but that didn’t stop people from taking the plunge! All donations benefit the Special Olympics of Virginia.

If you’ve been to Tim’s Rivershore in Dumfires, you’ll love this story!

Last week, David Yount walked into Tim’s at 2:15 p.m on Wednesday afternoon. He was drunk and carrying a .40-caliber handgun in plain view so the bartender refused to serve him.

Moments later, the rejected patron walked outside and fired four to seven rounds at a nearby flock of ducks. The mother duck was killed and it was all caught on video by a woman at the restaurant.

Police were unable to apprehend him at the time but two hours later he was arrested when he crashed his car into Powell’s Creek in Woodbridge. In the end, he was charged with a DUI and reckless handling of a firearm.

Insidenova.com first reported this story.

The 2009 National Harbor Yacht Show is this weekend, May 29-31. Several local dealerships will be there displaying boats from 38 to 65 feet. These are the big dogs!  There will be lots of other vendors and wares on display as well.

Show Hours
Friday 12PM-9PM
Saturday 12PM-9PM
Sunday 12PM-6PM

Also this weekend, Tige Boats Pro Rider Daniel Watkins will be in Woodbridge, Virginia to lead a seminar on trick tips, boat setup, etc. For more info on giveaways and specials, click here.

Some would call the Potomac River northern Virginia’s most underused highway. But commuters may be putting that highway to work in the future. According to WJLA, for the third time in eight years, Prince William County will once again be testing the viability of a ferry service from the county to the district.

There’s no single funding source that ferry proponents have identified to pay for the service, if it gets approved. County officials say that about $600 million from the federal economic stimulus package could help cover construction costs for docks at ferry stations.

The largest boat show in the region takes place this weekend at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia. If you’ve got spring on your mind, you should cruise by to check out the 85 exhibitors. Almost all of the major boat manufacturers will be represented.

Here are the boat show hours:
Friday, March 13, 2009:     12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, March 14, 2009: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 15, 2009:   11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Prince William Marina and Hoffmaster’s Marina will both be onhand with large displays of new models. Boat manufacturers usually team up with dealers to offer special incentives during boat shows, so it can be a favorable time to buy a boat. If you are thinking about buying, maybe now is the time!

Last summer, I loved using my iPhone to navigate and check weather while out at sea. I was using the Google Maps app and I thought it was amazing at the time. Now it looks like there is a whole new slew of apps geared towards boaters. Check out this video review of some of the most promising (including iNav):

Polar Plunge 2009 will be held this Saturday at Tim’s Rivershore along the Potomac River. For the 16th year, this charity event will benefit Special Olympics Virginia. This is a crazy event where teams of people pay $100 to dive into an icy river and wade about 25′ towards a floating dock. There is a raucous party afterwards, of course.

In February, the Potomac is usually about 38 degrees fahrenheit. Ouch! Check out this flyer for more information about the plunge and how you can become freezin’ for a reason.

Quick public safety announcement: boating licenses are here. In 2007, the Virginia General Assembly enacted a law to establish a boating safety education compliance requirement. If you’re under 20 years old, you need a PWC license this summer. If you’re under 35, you’ll need a PWC license next summer. You can find the complete rules and phase-in schedule here.

No worries though, getting your license is pretty easy. You just need to buy a DVD from the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries. The DVD is only 60 minutes long, broken out into 10 minute chapters. It looked like the video was filmed by BoatU.S. in 1987. Then you have to take a 50 question multiple choice test (open book) and mail your scantron back with $5.

It took about 2 weeks for us to get our licenses in the mail. We sent a copy to our insurance company and chopped 10% off our boat insurance.