What's Your 'Buoy IQ?'

The lake season is in full swing, so for your safety I thought I’d share this chart to refresh everyone on recognizing buoys and markers. It is sponsored by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Buoy / Marker Identification


How did you do? Were any of them new to you? If you’re a boat owner, you’re probably quite familiar with them, but it’s helpful for passengers to know how to identify buoy markers as well.

Have fun (safely) enjoying Lake Travis! See ya out on the lake!

For a larger (pdf) version of the chart for easier viewing, click here!

Fireworks!!

The Fourth of July is almost here!! Get ready to see some great fireworks displays over Lake Travis!


Happy Independence Day!!


Not one, but three shows to tell you about!
Start out at Carlos’N Charlie’s on Thursday, July 3rd!
~Fireworks start at 30-60 min. after dark~
Music by several bands, including Rat Ranch, Meridian West, and Feeding 5000!
(See Carlos’N Charlie’s website for ticket pricing/info)


Then, catch the action at Johnny Fins on Friday, July 4th!
~Fireworks start just after dusk~
Afterward enjoy music by Porcelain!
(See Johnny Fins website for details)

OR

Check out the show in Lago Vista on Friday, July 4th!
~Fireworks start at dark~
Bring your blanket & see the show at Bar-K Park
A variety of food will be available for purchase.
Events planned all day ~ from 6:30am until midnight!
(See Lago Vista website for event schedule & details)

Claim your Boat Gasoline Tax Refund

I know, it sounds too good to be true - but it's for real, and I got my refund!

It's a refund of part of the "highway use tax" that the state imposes on fuels. Many states apply the tax on marine fuel toward boating programs through the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund. But in other states, the money does not get funneled into the marine community, and is instead put into the highway improvement fund. Since boats don't cause wear and tear on the highways that benefit from this fund, applying marine fuel tax toward highway improvement is unfair. To deal with this problem, several states have instituted procedures to refund at least part of that tax to recreational boaters who take the time to fill out required paperwork and keep receipts.

For boaters in Texas, here's what you do---
Keep your original boat gasoline receipts - receipts must show the name of the seller and purchaser, date of purchase, type of fuel, number of gallons and amount of fuel tax paid. I never really checked my receipts that closely, but hopefully they have all the required info. I usually gas up at Emerald Point Marina. (You do not need to mail receipts with the form, but are supposed to keep them for 4 years in case you're asked to produce them at a later date.)

You can pretty much ignore all of the other instructions you'll find on the Texas state government website as it all applies to business use and distribution of fuels, not personal boating use.

Print off a Texas Claim for Refund of Gasoline or Diesel Fuel Taxes (form 06-106).
Besides filling in your contact info, the only part of the form that applies to you is item #6- enter the total number of gallons purchased, and then enter that number again in the total (item #13). I know it'll feel like this isn't the right form for you to use for recreational gasoline use in a boat, but it is.

The form must be postmarked on or before one year from the first day of the calendar month following the purchase of the gasoline. Send the completed form to:
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Revenue Accounting Division, 111 E. 17th Street, Austin, Texas 78774-0100.

The refund is 20 cents per gallon (before factoring in a 2% distributor's tax and $1.50 filing fee). Maybe doesn't sound like a lot at first glance, but for me, it's about a $50 refund each time I fill the tanks!

You can thank me later- toss me a beer when you see me on the lake!

New Floodplain - Get Insurance NOW for Grandfathered Low Rates

Well, it's finally here. After years of debate, the official 100-year floodplain for the Lake Travis area is changing. The new base flood elevation is 722 feet (above mean sea level), a change of 6 feet from the old 100-year floodplain of 716 feet.

The 100-year floodplain does not mean that a property in that area is likely to flood once every 100 years; it means that there's a 1% chance of a flood of that magnitude each year. There's about a 26% chance of being flooded at least once during the 30-year period of a typical mortgage. Any lender whose funds are backed by the federal government (which is virtually all mortgage companies) will require borrowers to have NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) flood insurance.

What does this mean to you? If you live in an area that is not currently in the 100-year floodplain, but will become so, you want to get flood insurance NOW- before August 11th. This locks in your insurance 45 days before the new floodplain maps become effective, and thus, grandfathers you in at a better/lower insurance rate. This will lower your flood insurance costs not only immediately, but in future years - and keeps that rate lower for future purchasers of your home, which could affect the market value of your home.

Kids - How About Sailing Camp?

Want a smart, safe and F-U-N summer activity for the kids? How about Sailing Camp? Help them enjoy Lake Travis to the fullest!

The Austin Yacht Club has classes throughout the summer. Check their website for full details on dates, times, cost, etc. KXAN recently ran an article about the Sailing Camp – you can read all about it below. To view the KXAN video on the Sailing Camp, Click Here!

Sailing Camp for Kids!

Summer is around the corner, and if your kid loves the water, there is a camp for them. The Austin Yacht Club offers a sailing camp on Lake Travis. Kids can learn how to rig a boat and set sail.

"They learn how to be comfortable and safe on a boat, and eventually, we'd like to see them out participating in some of the races that we hold out here," said Kelly Hawk, sailing camp director with the Austin Yacht Club.

The camp offers all types of boats from small Opties to FJs to learn on.

"We do a capsize drill first so they know what it feels like to tip over, and then they learn how to right the boat," said Hawk.

During the weeklong camp, you can even take up windsurfing.

"They're usually able to sail in one day on the windsurfers," said Hawk.

Since the yacht club is located in a cove, you don't have a lot of boat traffic getting in your way.

"We have our own fleet of coach boats, and the coaches are around the children, and we have an area where we sail that we don't really see a lot of motor traffic," said Hawk.
You just have a lot of fun learning how to sail.

If you would like to check out the Austin Yacht Club's summer camp, it's open to kids 8 to 16 years old, and the cost is $400 a week.

KXAN – May 9, 2008

Austin Water Ranks #2 in U.S.!

Austin has long been known as having some of the most beautiful, celebrated and sought-after water with Lake Travis, Lake Austin and the Highland Lakes chain.

Now the Austin Business Journal reports that Austin also has some of the cleanest tap water in the nation! Read on for details from the Forbes.com report.

Austin Water Some of the Cleanest in the U.S.!

Who says bottled water is best?

Austin has some of the cleanest tap water in the nation, according to a new report from Forbes.com. The city's H2O actually comes in as the second best among metropolitan areas, right behind Des Moines, Iowa and just ahead of Sioux Falls, S.D.

Amid the national drive for increased sustainability and greener living, the bottled water industry is facing pushback. Recent media reports show consumers are increasingly looking to their faucet in lieu of the plastic bottle for hydration. But just how clean is the tap?

To come with this latest ranking, the list lovers at Forbes.com examined individual consumer confidence reports in the University of Cincinnati's 2006 "United States Drinking Water Quality Study Report." The rankings were based on cloudiness of water or turbidity, bacteria, haloacetic acids and lead.

According to Forbes.com, the Austin-San Marcos region showed some the lowest levels of lead, turbidity and haloacetic acid.

Making bottles to meet Americans' demand for bottled water each year requires the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil -- enough fuel for more than 1 million cars for a year, according to Think Outside the Bottle, a campaign of the Corporate Accountability International. And each year, more than 4 million pounds of PET plastic bottles end up in landfills or as roadside litter.

Austin Business Journal – May 20, 2008

Thanks for Partying With Us!!

On Saturday, April 12, Crosswind Realty held our First Annual Crawfish Boil at Volente Beach…

THANKS to all of YOU it was a HUGE SUCCESS!!



What a blast! Over 600 guests showed up and rocked to live Zydeco music while feasting on pounds (and pounds) of shrimp and crawfish! Plenty of folks worked up a thirst dancing and feasting; the free beer was flowing - we floated 5 kegs!

Everyone had a great time. We had games and an Inflatable Wonderland for the kids, too! The kids loved making sandcastles on the beach and along with the fabulous food spread, the adults enjoyed great live music and conversation around the cozy beach bonfire at sunset.

The On-Water Boat Show courtesy of South Austin Marine was also a treat for everyone!

Many thanks again to all of our wonderful sponsors for helping to make it all happen.

This will definitely be an ANNUAL event, so if you missed it this year, CLICK HERE for pictures! and catch us again next April, when we ‘rock the beach’ all over again!

In the meantime, look forward to our annual Dock-toberfest Celebration in October!!

2008 Poker Run Schedule

Here it is, folks!! The long awaited Poker Run Schedule!
…See ya on the lake!

Lake Travis Powerboat Association
2008 Poker Run Schedule

April 25th   Pre-Season Party at Johnny Fins
April 26th   Pre-Season Run
May 17th  South Austin Marine Run
June 21st  Johnny Fins Run
July 19th  Annual Carlos’ N Charlie’s Big Poker Run
August 23rd  Tito’s Vodka Run
Sept. 20th  The Pier Run and Year End Party

CLICK HERE for all the details, links to Poker Run Sponsors and more!
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