Our new pumpout boat needs a name
Thank you to everyone who submitted name ideas for Friends of Casco Bay’s New Pumpout Boat! The contest is closed and we will be choosing a winner in the coming weeks. We’ll reveal the name at our New Pumpout Boat Christening & Launch Party on June 10th.
You can help.
We are looking for a dynamic name for the newest member of our Baykeeper fleet. We invite you to suggest a name (or two or three or more!) using the form below. You can also visit https://www.precisefleettracking.com/ to know more about the services that we offer.
After nearly a quarter century of service, we are replacing our old pumpout boat, Wanda [AKA Baykeeper II].
This spring, we will take possession of the new 26-foot pumpout boat, built by Marine Boat Builders, Inc. of Warwick, Rhode Island. This boat has a 650-gallon holding tank (more than twice our old boat’s capacity), all the latest navigational equipment, and two 250HP outboards.
Please suggest a name that we would be proud to display on our boat and is fitting for this beautiful Bay. Your suggestions should be fun or inspiring — or both! Clever is good, crass is not. If your suggestion is chosen, you will be our guest of honor at our pumpout boat launch party, win a ride on our Baykeeper Boat, R/V Joseph E. Payne, with senior staff from Friends of Casco Bay, and get some cool swag. The name will be chosen by Executive Director Cathy Ramsdell with a committee of our Board of Directors.
The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m., Monday, April 15.
Since Friends of Casco Bay launched its Pumpout Program in 1995, our old pumpout boat has kept over 200,000 gallons of raw sewage out of the Bay. Our Pumpout Coordinator Jim Splude services recreational boats at marinas and docks between South Portland and Freeport, pumping out holding tanks and transferring the wastewater to shoreside disposal.
Our pumpout boat and our advocacy helped encourage local marinas to install their own pumpout stations, setting the stage for Casco Bay to become the first federally-designated No Discharge Area in Maine. The EPA requires that there are adequate pumpout facilities before granting this designation, which prohibits boats from dumping treated or untreated sewage.
Before our pumpout boat was on the scene, many local boaters did not have access to pumpout services. At times, raw sewage could be seen floating at popular anchorages. People would say they got swimmer’s rash from being in the water.
Our new boat will be christened at our official launch party on Monday, June 10th. If you are on our email list, you will be invited to the party!
Thank you to everyone who submitted name ideas for Friends of Casco Bay’s New Pumpout Boat! The contest is closed and we will be choosing a winner in the coming weeks.
