b'Continued from page 4: Letter from the PresidentAT THE HELM I was a member of the Safety and Se- andsaid,Whereareyougoing?IItsthosekindsofsituationsthatI curity Committee until 2018 when Ireplied, Into the Safety and Securi- needed to get me out of my comfort was walking into the committee meet- tyCommitteemeeting,havelunch,zone and become more involved. ing with future PVA president, Bobandfinishourdiscussiononsafety Bijur. I had a turkey sandwich undermanagement. Pete said, Oh, didntOne example of how getting involved my arm, ready to start the afternoonanyone tell you? Youre the new Reg- hasdirectlyimpactedouroperation sessionofthecommitteemeetingulatory Committee chair. I said, butin Pittsburgh is dealing with crowd-when Pete Lauridsen came up to meIm on theOK. ed waterways. The Gateway Clipper Fleet along with the local U.S. Coast GuardMarineSafetyUnit(MSU) andindustrystakeholderswereable to get a permanent RNA (regulated navigation area) in place around the point, the spot where the Mononga-helaandAlleghenyRiversformthe OhioRiverandtheareathatrecre-ational boats gather. Simply put, the RNAkeepsthenavigationchannel free from boats anchoring more than 100 feet from shore.Sincethen,theCoastGuardmoved Pittsburghs Coast Guard small boat assettoplacestheydeemedmore necessary,whichwasdisappointing becausetheyweretheenforcement armoftheRNA.Iamencouraged that through the quality partnership meetings between PVA and the Coast Guard we can keep the issue on the radarscreenofseniorCoastGuard leaders and get the small boats back as soon as possible.My message is this, to the first-time attendee or someone new to the Pas-senger Vessel Association, get involved asmuchaspossible,joinacommit-tee, and be active in that committee. Throughcommitteeparticipation and involvement, you can make a sig-nificant impact on our industry and your operation.CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTSAs you already know, this truly is a FOGHORN 54'