St Patrick's Day is a global celebration of Irish culture on or around March 17. It particularly remembers St Patrick, one of Ireland's patron saints, who ministered Christianity in Ireland during the fifth century.

Every year on March 17, the Irish and the Irish-at-heart across the globe observe St. Patrick’s Day. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green.

St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in America in 1737, organized by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston, including a feast and religious service. This first celebration of the holiday in the colonies was largely to honor and celebrate the Irish culture that so many colonists had been separated from.

This holiday is celebrated every year on March 17th, honoring the Irish patron saint, St. Patrick. The celebrations are largely Irish culture themed and typically consist of wearing green, parades, and drinking. Some churches may hold religious services and many schools and offices close in Suffolk County, the area containing Boston and its suburbs.

People all over the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, especially places with large Irish-American communities. Feasting on the day features traditional Irish food, including corned beef, corned cabbage, coffee, soda bread, potatoes, and shepherd’s pie. Many celebrations also hold an Irish breakfast of sausage, black and white pudding, fried eggs, and fried tomatoes. Common traditions include:

• Parades – This event is most often associated with the holiday. Cities that hold large parades include Boston, New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Savannah, and other cities worldwide.
• Drinking – Since many Catholics are Irish-American, some may be required to fast from drinking during Lent. However, they are allowed to break this fast during the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. This is one cause for the day’s association with drinking heavily.
• Dying water or beer green – Chicago dies its river green for the festivities, and many bars serve green-dyed beer. The White House fountain is also dyed green.
• Other incorporations of green – In Seattle, the parade routes are painted in green. Observers are supposed to wear green or else risk being pinched. Parade floats and decorations will feature the color green.

The spring boating season will kick off soon. Before it does, make sure you and your boat are ready. Advance preparation will help to ensure you’ll squeeze every ounce of fun out of the upcoming boating season. This handy checklist  explains what to take care of now so you can sail right into spring!

1. Vessel Preparation and Maintenance. What exactly this step should entail will depend on the type and size of your boat. At minimum, though, have your engine and all other critical parts and mechanical systems evaluated by a professional and have all fluids changed or topped off.
2. Navigation and Safety Equipment. Your navigation lights are critical to your safety on the water. Make sure they’re operational and that you have replacement bulbs on board. Check that your emergency equipment like radios and fire extinguishers are in place and in good condition.
3. Trailer Maintenance. Check the condition of your trailer tires and ensure they’re properly inflated. Also check all lights, signals, and safety chains.
4. Trip Preparation. Nothing puts a damper on boating fun like procrastinating to plan your trip and discovering that your intended destination has no available boat slips. The time to plan and book reservations is now!
5. Additional Tips. The more experienced you are as a boater, the more you learn about the little things you can do to set yourself up for a successful season. As you discover these gems of wisdom (ie: playing cards help pass the time during a long journey, packing detergent and a roll of quarters is a time saver for the laundromats in port), write them down and keep a running list. Refer to that list and add to it from year to year.

Thanks to Discover Boating

March Madness 2017

It's the last day of the week for some, but for those in the know, its’ a harbinger of warmer weather to come, and it means one thing: March Madness is almost here.

That's right; Selection Sunday, is on March 12, and soon we'll know the entire field of play for the 2017 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

That means we can still have some time to pour over the dates of the schedule, and plan our viewings and happy hours.

If you're already working on your bracket, the NCAA.com has you covered with some key stats and trends. Check them out. For instance, did you know you're going to want to pick about six upsets within the 10-15 seeds?

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), to determine the national championship. The tournament was created in 1939 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and was the idea of Ohio State University coach Harold Olsen..Played mostly during March, it is known informally as March Madness or the Big Dance, and has become one of the most famous annual sporting events in the United States.

So get those brackets ready, stock up on your beverages of choice, and make sure you know your allowable sick days.

Enjoy March Madness!

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Marina Contracts Part One

It's almost Spring, and the migration to the marina will again take place. I came across a good article which points out the importance of knowing what you are signing.

 BASED ON AN ARTICLE IN BOATUS

Reading a marina contract, especially the fine print, is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But this contract is every bit as important as any other major contract you're likely to sign, and you need to know what your responsibilities are, as well as the marina's. To complicate things, marina contracts may trigger the application of "maritime law" rather than state law, as in most consumer contracts. Maritime law is a specialty field with different types of remedies, recoverable damages, and even lawyers, so it's especially important to know what you're agreeing to.

A marina contract is much like any other contract, in which each party is responsible for something — you agree to give the marina money, and it agrees to give you something in return, namely a place to keep your boat. But it's worth noting that such contracts are usually written by lawyers whose focus may be more aligned to benefit the marina than the customer. Discussions about legal liability and how it may be limited or shifted can be woven throughout the contract. What provisions are enforceable will vary, depending on your jurisdiction, and with that in mind, it's important to be alert to how those provisions might affect you.

Marina Contract Basics

Marina contracts often have many basic similarities. As an example, they're usually very specific about what you can do with the slip you use. It may say you can't sublease it or carry on any business there. It will also say how much your fees are and what the consequences are for not paying.

If you're not sure about some of the liability language in your contract, talk to your insurance company.

Marina contracts almost always require that your boat be covered by a marine-insurance liability policy with a certain minimum limit, and many marinas require that your boat also be covered by hull insurance. You'll usually be required to have the boat state-registered and/or have a state-use decal. Often, there is language that requires a boat to be operable, and some marinas require that the boat actually leave its slip once or twice a year. Be aware that the contract may require you to pay for such things as fenders or docklines if yours are deemed inadequate or even having your boat pumped out and raised if it sinks. If you hire someone to work on your boat, the contract may require that you have that person present his or her worker's compensation or liability-insurance certificates before entering the premises.

Many marina contracts have what may appear to be one-sided clauses. Some may say that the marina can cancel the contract for any reason beyond its control (for example, after the marina is damaged by a storm), though that same right is usually not extended to the slip holder. The marina can usually terminate the contract for cause, which means that if you don't abide by the marina's rules (say, if you don't pay your fees, or even if your guests fail to abide by the marina's rules) you can be kicked out. The contract may say that it doesn't have to give you a pro-rated refund. If you get behind on your slip fees, the contract may say that the marina can file a lien on your vessel and may even be able to "arrest" it, preventing you from moving it until your fees are paid. Such liens also may make you responsible for the marina's legal and other expenses. While most of these clauses are pretty easy to understand, in recent years, marinas have begun including new language that is often full of hard-to-comprehend legalese, which may leave you on the hook for damages.

History of President’s Day

President’s Day began in 1800 after George Washington’s death in 1799. After his death, his birthday became a day of remembrance for the man who has been called the Father of the Country. The holiday was unofficially observed for most of the 1800s and became a federal holiday in 1870. It was signed into law by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1879, but was initially only for the District of Columbia, but expanded to the entire country by 1885. It was the first holiday to celebrate the life of an individual.

In the late 1960s, Congress proposed a measure known as the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The act shifted several federal holidays from specific dates to predetermined Mondays. It was thought that moving the holidays to Monday would give employees additional three-day weekends and reduce employee absenteeism. The act included a provision to combine Washington’s birthday, which falls on February 22, with Lincoln’s birthday, which falls on February 12.

Lincoln’s birthday had been a state holiday in some areas and many supported recognising Lincoln’s contributions to the country by combining the holidays. In addition to President’s Day, Columbus Day, Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day were moved to Monday holidays, although Veteran’s Day was moved back to November 11 due to widespread criticism.

During the early days of the holiday, people spent time reflecting on the contributions of the country’s leaders. Although the day is designed to celebrate all presidents in the country, it is mainly used to pay homage to Washington and Lincoln. The most common celebration is based in the economy as many retail outlets offer significant sales for President’s Day, leading many citizens to spend the day shopping.

Schools and offices are closed on President’s Day. However, students spend a significant amount of time learning about the history of the United States and the social responsibilities that come with being a citizen of the country during the month of February.

George Washington’s farewell address is read in Congress every February 22nd since 1862. Only during the Civil War was it read more than once in a year in order to boost morale.

BASED ON AN ARTICLE BY LUCAS REILLY

Some believe February once boasted 29 days and that Augustus Caesar stole a day so he could add it to August, which was named for him. (If there’s a month named after you, why not milk it?) But that’s a myth. Rather, February has 28 days because, to the Romans, the month was an afterthought. In the 8th century BCE, they used the Calendar of Romulus, a 10-month calendar that kicked the year off in March (with the spring equinox) and ended in December. January and February didn’t even exist:

Martius: 31 days
Aprilius: 30 days
Maius: 31 days
Junius: 30 days
Quintilis: 31 days
Sextilis: 30 days
September: 30 days
October: 31 days
November: 30 days
December: 30 days

Tally up those numbers, and you’ll see a problem—the year is only 304 days long. Back then, winter was a nameless, monthless period that no one cared for much. (Planters and harvesters used the calendar as a timetable. To them, winter was useless and wasn’t worth counting.) So for 61 days out of the year, Romans could ask “What month is it?” and you could correctly answer, “None!”

King Numa Pompilius thought that was stupid. Why have a calendar if you’re going to neglect one-sixth of the year? So in 713 BCE, he lined the calendar up with the year’s 12 lunar cycles—a span of about 355 days—and introduced January and February. The months were added to the end of the calendar, making February the last month of the year.

But no Roman calendar would be complete without some good old-fashioned superstition mixed in! The Romans believed even numbers were unlucky, so Numa tried to make each month odd. But to reach the quota of 355, one month had to be even. February ended up pulling the short stick, probably because it was simply the last month on the list. (Or as Cecil Adams puts it, “If there had to be an unlucky month, better make it a short one.”) Numa’s calendar ended up looking like this:

Martius: 31 days
Aprilius: 29 days
Maius: 31 days
Iunius: 29 days
Quintilis: 31 days
Sextilis: 29 days
September: 29 days
October: 31 days
November: 29 days
December: 29 days

Of course, a 355-day calendar had its bugs. After a few years went by, the seasons and months would fall out of sync. So to keep things straight, the Romans would occasionally insert a 27-day leap month called Mercedonius. The Romans would erase the last couple days of February and start the leap month on February 24—further evidence no one ever cared much for the month.  

This caused headaches everywhere. The leap month was inconsistent, mainly because Rome’s high priests determined when it would arrive. Not only did they insert Mercedonius haphazardly, but the priests (being politicians) abused the power, using it to extend the terms of friends and trim the terms of enemies. By Julius Caesar’s time, the Roman people had no clue what day it was.

So Caesar nixed the leap month and reformed the calendar again. (To get Rome back on track, the year 46 BCE had to be 445 days long!) Caesar aligned the calendar with the sun and added a few days so that everything added up to 365. February, which by now was at the top of the calendar, kept its 28 days. We can only imagine it’s because Caesar, like everyone before and after him, just wanted it to be March already.