‘Float Your Boat’ at Coast Day on Sunday

10:59 a.m., Sept. 29, 2005--From ship tours to a special exhibit on shipwrecks, the University of Delaware's 29th annual Coast Day will feature fun and exciting activities that, in keeping with this year's theme, are sure to "Float Your Boat!" Sponsored by UD’s College of Marine Studies and the Delaware Sea Grant College Program, Coast Day will be held from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 2, at the Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes.

"Coast Day is a wonderful opportunity for our college and the community," Nancy Targett, interim dean of the college and interim director of Delaware Sea Grant, said. "It gives our scientists a chance to share their research with hundreds of visitors, and it gives the public the opportunity to learn more about ocean and coastal resources and their importance on local to global scales."

In a special ceremony, the National Weather Service will formally acknowledge the city of Wilmington and New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties for meeting the criteria for the StormReady Program--a national initiative designed to help communities guard against the ravages of Mother Nature by strengthening local safety procedures.

Following that ceremony, Todd Fritchman, a biology and environmental science teacher at Indian River High School, will be presented with an award honoring him as the 2005 Governor's Marine Science Teacher of the Year. In addition, the winners of the annual fifth-grade student essay contest and their teachers will be announced. The essay contest is designed to create ocean awareness in students throughout the state.

Julian H. "Pete" Booker, station manager of WDEL/WSTW and president of Delmarva Broadcasting, also will be honored for his 20 years of service as the "voice" of Delaware Sea Grant's "SeaTalk" radio series. After the ceremonies, stop by the Marine Public Education table in Cannon Lab to listen to a recorded version of "SeaTalk."

Stephen Dexter, professor of marine biology and applied science, demonstrates how to use a small brass sampler, or grabber, which is used to take small samples of sediment and bottom-dwelling organisms from a boat at Coast Day 2004.

Two additional events are planned. U-Haul International will unveil their latest SuperGraphic, specially designed for the state of Delaware; and the town of Lewes will use Coast Day to formally kick-off the celebrations for their 375th anniversary year.

In keeping with this year's "Float Your Boat" theme, the harbor will be teeming with boats that visitors can tour--including Delaware's tall ship, Kalmar Nyckel; First State, a research vessel used by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control for fisheries monitoring and pollution studies; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' 65-foot Shuman, a research vessel used to survey the seafloor; and DELRIVER, the Delaware River and Bay Cooperative's 166-foot oil skimmer that can recover oil at a rate of 800 gallons a minute.

A special exhibit in Room 104, Cannon Lab, will focus on shipwrecks. UD marine scientist George Luther will show how modern technology is used to survey shipwrecks and other objects on the ocean floor. Charles Fithian and Dan Griffith, archaeologists who are working on the Delaware Department of State's Lewes Maritime Archaeology Project, will display artifacts that have been retrieved from a recently discovered 1760s shipwreck near Lewes. In addition, there will a live display of fish that use shipwrecks as habitat.

Many activities are specially designed to capture the interest of children. They can participate in the Coast Day Treasure Hunt, which "guides" them through the events of the day as they search for the answers to questions about marine science in the many displays and exhibits. And everybody will have fun testing their crab bait against that of the marine scientists in the ever-popular "Great Crab Race," an activity that educates visitors about the blue crab.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will have an entire tent devoted to activities that the entire family can enjoy. Learn about the weather in a fun game of Weather Jeopardy, see how shipwrecks are excavated, make a paper model of a horseshoe crab and more.

The Great Crab Race gets underway at Coast Day 2004. This popular event showcases Delaware's most valuable crustacean--the blue crab--by encouraging visitors to test their bait against that of UD scientists.

Many scientists and guest lecturers will be giving presentations on topics ranging from shipwrecks to hurricanes to careers in marine science. Guest speakers range from a former NASA astronaut to an alumnus of the college who now flies into the eye of hurricanes on NOAA research missions to a participant in the "Return to Titanic" expedition in June 2004 that studied the ship's deterioration.

The schedule also includes favorite activities from years past. Seafood lovers can watch the contestants compete in the 16th annual crab cake cook-off in hopes of making "Delaware's Best Crab Cakes," vote for their favorite seafood chowder in the annual Seafood Chowder Challenge--a friendly competition between two local chefs' associations, and attend a variety of seminars that will present innovative ways to prepare seafood. In addition, seafood and nonseafood items will be available for purchase.

Many businesses and industries are sponsoring special exhibits and events at Coast Day, including AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, Conectiv, the Cape Gazette, Maritrans Operating Company, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Sunoco Inc.

Admission to this educational and fun-filled event is free; parking is $2. For more information, contact the UD Marine Public Education Office at (302) 831-8083, or visit [www.ocean.udel.edu/CoastDay].

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