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50 Years: The Department of Boating and Waterways, 1957 to 2007
By 2007, there were
450 brokers and 750
salespeople licensed by
Cal Boating’s four-person
yacht broker unit.
First comprehensive
boating safety laws
for vessel operation
and equipment
requirements are
enacted in California,
based on federal
Boating Act of 1958.
Through 2007, Cal Boating has provided $185 million
in grants to public agencies for new and improved
launching facilities for trailerable boaters.
1960
From special funding, division provides first “local
assistance” boat launching facility grants for Eagle
Lake (Lassen County) and Mono Lake (Mono County).
“My involvement with the ADA process gave me another avenue in
which to serve boaters with disabilities who have significant access
needs,” notes Bill, “and to see other areas where Cal Boating needed to
go beyond the minimum requirements.” Along with other Cal Boating
staff, Bill has spearheaded several projects to increase the ease with
which the elderly and those with special challenges can access their
boats, including installation of dock steps to accommodate different
boat heights. He has also had a hand in designing marina handrails
and wider floats at boat launching ramps to prevent older people and
those with disabilities from falling. Looking for ways to help people
who may have difficulty going to and from their boats reflects an
attitude shift at Cal Boating that Bill finds very gratifying. “These
types of changes are becoming the fabric of our viewpoint,” says Bill.
Throughout his career, Bill has met and talked with boaters from all
over the state. “I’ve been in every nook and cranny where there is water
in California,” he explains, “and being able to travel is one of the main
things I have loved about my work.” Bill also established a reputation
for being a virtual information “clearing house” – everything from
boating maintenance problems to facility design questions. Planners
and engineers from around the country often call Bill to get advice and
provide feedback, which he has used in writing various Cal Boating
technical materials.
Bill’s most important and recognized work is his
Layout and Design
Guidelines for Marina Berthing Facilities
, completely revised in July
2005. This document, posted on Cal Boating’s Web site, is used by
planners, architects, engineers, contractors, and marina operators
throughout the United States. Bill was also very involved with the
States Organization for Boating Access (SOBA), developing handbooks
for the design, construction and maintenance of boat launching
facilities in all 50 states and five territories. He is currently revising
Cal Boating Builds First State
Windmill in 50 Years!
In 1974, Cal Boating employee Bill
Curry spearheaded an effort to provide
a windmill at Goose Flat, Folsom
Lake State Recreation Area. The
windmill would supply potable water
for a future recreational boat-in site
on the shoreline. Bill needed to find
a contractor who could do the work
for the $5,000 budget Cal Boating had
available. He hired a geotech engineer
(for $160) from a local soils engineering
company to do a seismic “shot” to
determine the most likely spot to drill
the well. The job was contracted with a
company from Auburn, California for
$4,990 – just $10 under the maximum
for negotiated contracts. He then
located a windmill rotor head, fan, tail
assembly, and related hardware through
a firm in Argentina.
The project specs called for a minimum
water flow of not less than two gallons
per minute when the wind was blowing
at 15 mph or above. The well came in
at 12.5 gallons per minute, and the
windmill worked perfectly, pumping
water uphill to a 1,000-gallon storage
tank from which the water would flow
by gravity feed to the boat-in site. The
storage tank, which was originally
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