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The Newport Hornblower is getting a fresh coat of paint
make that
several
coats of paint.
What's the story
behind this stripes? Today were doing some experimental painting actually bottom
paint. The reason for doing it is
traditionally bottom paint has had toxins either heavy metals or other biocides
that get into the water system
and what we're doing is experimenting with paints that have very little to none of each.
These donated paints are copper free
and the basis of an EPA-funded study by the Port of San Diego. In 1996,
the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board
identified high levels of dissolved copper in the water of Shelter Island Yacht Basin.
The high copper levels in the water were a result of several boats that are there
that have copper-based hull paints on. Voters used 0:00:54.369,0:00:57.850 to prevent the growth of marine organisms like these
on a boat hulls.
The downside from using these copper paints
is that the copper leaches off of these boat hulls and gets into the water column.
In the summer of 2008,
the Port’s Environmental Services team tested copper-free paints submersing giant painted
panels into the bay.
The top performers are now being tested by Hornblower.
Our partnership with the Hornblower is a great adventure in the study
because we're able to take several different test coatings and
put all of these test coatings onto one boat hull.
Port of San Diego tenant Knight & Carver Yacht Center
is already using some of the eco-friendly paints.
They helped to apply the test paints to the vessel.
Knight & Carver Yacht Center here is trying to be pro-active and go the green generation.
They are here to serve for the customer but also serve the environment. Comparisons of the
paints will be made over a two-year basis -
the normal life expectancy
of a copper-based paint.
In the meantime,
Hornblower is helping spread the word about the study.
What’s great is this will actually be done pictorially
and somewhat in video on our every day
cruises harbor cruises in whale watching of San Diego Bay aboard our Adventure Hornblower.
In fact, this boat will be re-branded overall to talk about the wonderful things that are
being done here on the
Port tidelands
to improve the environmental condition of the water and its surroundings. So we're very excited
about it.