This is interesting/curious/WTF. Tonight there’s going to be a big cruise in New York harbor to raise money for the US boat to Gaza. You should go, I’m going to try and make it. My friend Rob Buchanan is involved with the New York boating movement, and, well, let him tell the story:
I’m part of a public boathouse and we are on the mailing list for something called the ‘local notice to mariners’ that the Coast Guard puts out every week. And it is fairly exceptional, for the Coast Guard to send out something like this email below directly as opposed to just posting it on their website, which is what they do with every other advisory (all the stuff about Fleet Week, for instance, which starts today). In fact, this is the first time I can recall being notified of anything directly. I’m sure the timing isn’t a coincidence, given tonight’s fundraiser.
From: First Coast Guard District LNM Notification
Date: Wed, May 25, 2011 at 8:42 AM
Subject: SPECIAL NOTICE
Gaza Maritime Area
All U.S. vessels and mariners are advised that Israel is currently enforcing a blockade in the “Gaza Maritime Area.” The area is closed to all maritime traffic and the blockade is being enforced by the Israeli Navy. The Gaza Maritime Area is enclosed by the following coordinates:
31°35.71’N, 34°29.46’E
31°46.80’N, 34°10.01’E
31°19.39’N, 34°13.11’E
31°33.73’N, 33°56.68’E
U.S. vessels and mariners intending to enter the area are likely to face enforcement action by the Israeli Navy. The Department of State has also advised against travel by U.S. citizens to Gaza by any means, including by sea. Previous attempts to enter Gaza by sea have resulted in violent incidents and the detention and deportation of those involved.
U.S. mariners are also reminded that procedures exist for the delivery of humanitarian cargo to Gaza via the Israeli port of Ashdod or the Egyptian port of El-Arish, where cargo can be screened.
Buchanan elaborates:
There are lots of advisories/security zone announcements at the Coast Guard site, and sometimes they can be hard to dig out. We’ve many times asked them to send us specific advisories for New York harbor to us directly, but they have always claimed that would be too complicated–they don’t have the manpower. But now, today, they suddenly have the manpower to get this out.
