The House of Representatives approved a measure to provide opportunities for retired Navy ships to be considered for artificial reefs. The measure was included as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. The amendment is based on the Reusing Equipment for Environmental Fortification Act introduced by Florida Representative Maria Salazar. The REEF Act will increase the opportunity for retired naval vessels to be considered for artificial reefs and will help create new marine ecosystems and recreational fishing opportunities. “As a representative from a coastal district, I know first-hand that we must do more to support our marine ecosystems,” said Salazar in a Sept. 22 press release. “I’m proud to introduce a bill that gives us the opportunity to accomplish that by giving our retired navy ships a new purpose, all while creating new recreational opportunities for fishermen and divers that boost local economies.”

Skipper Steve Travis from the Corinthian Yacht Club in Seattle, Washington came out on top at the 2021 U.S. Offshore Championship held in Annapolis, Maryland Sept. 24-26. There were eight teams from all over the county competing for the Lloyd Phoenix Trophy over the three-day event. The regatta kicked off with a buoy race and a distance race that had second-place Bob Fleck in the lead following by third-place Ensign Don Poirier from the Navy Offshore Sailing Team and Travis. Racing was interrupted on the second day due to a lack of wind but the breeze kicked back up for the last day allowing for two distance races. Travis and his crew took the lead in the final race of the day overtaking Poirier and the US Navy Sailing Team midway through to secure an overall win. “We had a decent start, and thought we had a good shift, and it turned out to be not such a great shift,” said Travis in an article from Scuttlebutt. “We rounded the mark in third, and the boat in front of us [Navy] took their kite down and put a jib up, which ended up being not the right thing to do. And then the lead boat jibed away, and when they came back were behind us. From there, it was just a reach to the weather mark. Then it was shifty, inside the harbor with 30-degree shifts…it was stressful to hang on… but we did it.”