Alliance
for a Living Ocean
2007 Long Beach Boulevard
North Beach Haven, New Jersey 08008
Mail: PO Box 95, Ship Bottom, NJ 08008
(609) 492-0222
E-Mail ALO
Interview with Captain Don Launer
by New Jersey Sail Website
Best Source of What's New in New Jersey Sailing
The book, "A Cruising Guide to New Jersey Waters", is available at the ALO Gift Shop.
Author of "A Cruising Guide to New Jersey Waters",Captain Don Launer has been exploring the Jersey waters in every kind of craft since he first sailed in Barnegat Bay at the age of eight. His articles on recreational boating have appeared in Cruising World, The Beachcomber, Offshore, and Sail Magazine. I had the privilege to interview Captain Don about his book and what he's been up to since its publication.
Q: Your book,"A Cruising Guide to New Jersey Waters", obviously was a labor of love. How long was the process from concept to print?
A: Since I started sailing New Jersey waters when I was eight years old, you could say that it took a lifetime. Actually, the major thrust in putting together the material began about three years before publication.**********
Q: Did you cruise most of the waters described in the process of writing the book?
A: Yes, I actually cruised all of the waters talked about in the book. I have been writing magazine articles about New Jersey waters for over 25 years -Cruising World, SAIL, Offshore, Waterway Guide, etc. - and I used much of that material as a reference. The year before publication I took a final trip through all of these waters to update the material and to take pictures.**********
Q: There is a wealth of New Jersey history and sea lore. How did you gather your information?
A: As a life-long New Jersey resident, I already knew much of the historical information. Every once in a while, when talking to local residents, a chance remark would send me on a fact search. One example was when a Perth Amboy man mentioned that the Outerbridge Crossing was named after a person. It took a whole day in the library to find the obscure fact that it was named for the Chairman of the Board of the Port Authority, Eugenius Outerbridge.
**********
Q: I found your personal accounts and anecdotes quite entertaining. Unique tips such as how to sail a thirty seven foot high sailboat under a thirty five foot bridge are not found in basic sailing fundamental books! If there is a shortcoming to ACGNJW it is that I wanted to read on. Is there anything on the publishing horizon?
A: I have magazine articles coming out nearly every month (I had 14 published last year). I regularly do a "Marina Profile" of a New< Jersey marina for Offshore magazine. This month's issue (June) has a profile of the State marina in Atlantic City. I have a half-dozen articles also pending in other magazines.**********
Q: ACGNJW has been in print for five years. Do you feel the quality of
NJ waterways from an ecological standpoint has improved or
deteriorated since your book was published?
A: There's no doubt that over the past 50 years, the quality of New Jersey waterways has improved dramatically. In the 5 years since my book was published, I think the increased awareness of our fragile ecosystem has resulted in a continued improvement of our water quality. I am a member of Alliance for a Living Ocean, and as part of our Baywatch program I, along with other volunteers, take water samples twice a month on Barnegat Bay. This data goes into a computer model of the Bay, so we can detect any episodic events that might require follow-up investigation. It is one of the many programs that keeps watch on our water quality.**********
Q: What can the NJ recreational boater do to help improve and preserve
the quality of our coastal waters?
A: Most boaters want to protect the water that they use for recreation. Certainly they should be using the on-board sewage treatment systems that are required by law, as well as observing the mandated no discharge zones. Simple things like not throwing a cigarette overboard is important. Cigarette filters clog the digestive tract of fish and kill them, and who wants to swim with cigarette butts in the water. The biggest control problem is in the watersheds that eventually drain into our waters. Oil on the streets, lawn fertilizer, dog-duty, etc. from well inland all end up in our waterways. With the population increase along the coast, this is the biggest threat to our waterways.**********
Q: What kind of cruising do you embark on these days and where?
A: Most of my cruising now-days are local trips through New Jersey, Long Island Sound or the Chesapeake - often in pursuing an idea for an article.**********
> Q: Do you have any boating projects in the works? And where else can we find cruising articles that you've penned?
A: At the moment I have articles scheduled in Offshore magazine as well as in the relatively new publication Good Old Boat. Some of the subject matter includes:
upgrading your sailboat's dodger with handholds, explaining the intricacies of de-icing systems, marina profiles, an article about schooners, an explanation of club-footed jibs and one about Shipworms, titled : Termites of the Sea. This last one was prompted by our having to replace the bulkhead next to our home this spring due to Shipworm infestation (Shipworms have proliferated since our waters have become cleaner).
Alliance for a Living Ocean Index
ALO Homepage * Headquarters * History * Membership&Volunteers; * Events * Featured Articles * Ask Aloysius *
Legislation * ALO Photos * Gift Shop * Related Sites * Bay/Ocean Programs * E-mail ALO
Visit the rest of Long Beach Island on LBInet
Who is glad to host the Alliance for a Living Ocean Website
The Website maintained by the Alliance for a Living Ocean.
