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absorbed back into the environment. Plastic bags, sixpackrings and bottles—anything made from plastic orglass, as far as is known—never completely biodegrade.”So where does all this non-biodegradable trashgo? Many plastic items are ingested by seabirds orturtles. Corals and other marine-life are strangledby six-pack rings, plastic bags and monofilamentline. But the problem does not end there.Over time, the items break up into smaller andsmaller particles. Much of it enters the planktonchain, the basic food source that fuels the ocean.This is a grave concern. A study from theSouthern California Coastal Water ResearchProject recently found that in the north PacificOcean over 60 percent of all the plankton is, infact, microscopic particles of plastic. Certainspecies of jellyfish and animals in the planktonchain ingest these plastics and can’t rid themfrom their systems. So it really doesn’t pay to“teach your trash to swim!”The posters will be provided to schoolstudents and other special groups as part of Reef Relief’sDiscover Coral Reefs School program. This Reef Relief projectwas made possible by Dorothy Lee Witwer and GeorgeWitwer, designed by Joel Biddle, with a reef image byCraig Quirolo. To obtain a poster or for further informationon marine debris, go online to www.reefrelief.org,or e-mail reef@bellsouth.net or phone Reef Relief at(305) 294-3100.Club Beneteau of Florida FormedAll Beneteau owners who live in Florida or surroundingstates and sail their Beneteau sailboatsin and around Florida are invited to participateand join this owners club.Club Beneteau of Florida is currently seekingBeneteau owners from various areasaround Florida to head up local chaptersof the state-wide Club. Meetings areheld at the Coconut Grove SailingClub and are currently scheduled forthe first Thursday of each month. Thefirst annual Club Beneteau of FloridaRendezvous is now being planned for early March2005.For information and membership applications callJeffrey J. Schwartz, the club’s commodore, at: (305) 495-2300 or e-mail js2@adelphia.net.Recreational Boat Losses FromHurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan,and Jeanne Total $680-MillionFrom BoatUSIn one of most active hurricane seasons on record,Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne have left anindelible mark on recreational boaters from Louisiana toFlorida’s Atlantic coast — and even as far north as someGreat Lakes states. According to the Boat OwnersAssociation of the United States (BoatU.S.), the damage toall recreational vessels for these four storms totals $680-million.The individual storm dollar damage breakdown is:Hurricane Charley: $130-million; Hurricane Frances: $300-million; Hurricane Ivan: $150-million; and HurricaneJeanne: $100-million. (These figures do not include damageto commercial vessels, marinas or other infrastructure.)Forecasters said a stagnant weather pattern—a big highpressure system over the East Coast—prevented stormsfrom heading safely out into the Atlantic and instead forcedthem into the Gulf and inland.In a historical perspective, the total recreational boatdamages of these four storms surpasses the $500-millionmark attributed to 1992’s Hurricane Andrew. TheAssociation also reports that on average, those vessels thathad hurricane plans in place prior to a storm’s arrival faredmuch better than those whose owners waited until the lastminute or neglected to take precautionsFor more information on the effect of the individualstorms go to www.BoatUS.com.16 December 2004 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindssailing.com