VERY EASY BOATING

Encompix (www.encompix.com) a business unit of Made2Manage Systems, has filled the manufacturing software requirements of engineer-to-order companies since 1992. The company name reflects a commitment to developing business application solutions that encompass the complex areas of project-based and job-based manufacturing. Encompix provides ETO manufacturers with a competitive advantage by improving bottom line results.

Encompix customer Kvichak Marine Industries Inc. will share with a Wisconsin company a multi-year U.S. Coast Guard contract that could be worth up to a total of $600 million.

Seattle-based Kvichak, which builds high-speed aluminum boats, will share the contract with the Manitowoc Co. (NYSE: MTW) of Manitowoc, Wis., to build up to 250 Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) vessels. The boats are expected to be delivered beginning in the first half of 2008.

“This is far and away the largest contract award our company has ever seen,” said Brian Thomas, COO, Kvichak Marine. “We are thrilled to be the recipient and looking forward to it. I think we’re up to it.”

The RB-Ms will replace the Coast Guard’s original fleet of 208 41-foot utility boats, which entered service in 1973.

About Made2Manage Systems Inc.

With more than 2,150 customers worldwide, Made2Manage Systems Inc. has a 20-year track record of delivering enterprise resource planning software and a broad range of services that meet the unique market specifications of more than 30 manufacturing sectors, including industrial and commercial machinery, fabricated metals, rubber and plastics, electronics, analytical and measuring equipment, furniture and fixtures, durable goods, and metals, wire and cable. Made2Manage Systems’ sustained leadership position in the ERP marketplace is built on a commitment to fostering productive, long-lasting customer relationships, developing a quality product line based on unique industry specifications, and providing excellence in customer support and professional services.

Thomas Cutler
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/coast-guard-contract-awarded-to-encompix-erp-boating-customer-63655.html

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Bayliner Discovery invites you to fall in love with boating all over again – or for the first time. Bayliner’s new journey-based website, www.iamdiscovery.com, doesn’t shove boats and specs at you; it lures you into an affair with nature.

Nothing matches the feel of the sun in your face, or the feel of pulling into the open water, cutting a break at just the right angle or the sight of your buddy nodding back his confidence that there is some fun to be had out there.

Bayliner Discovery – a new line of runabouts, cuddys and cruisers – transforms boating trips into journeys and gives you the freedom to roam and explore. Log on to www.iamdiscovery.com and join Motor Boating Magazine’s Managing Editor John Wooldridge and his buddy Ken Nicholson as they challenge a new Bayliner Discovery 246 Cruiser in the Pacific chop from San Diego to Catalina Island and on through Channel Islands National Park to Santa Barbara.

Along the way, these two embark on a dusty buffalo safari, kayak near sea caves on island shores and meet some of the local characters. “We traveled on our own terms and experienced everything from the colorful culture of Catalina Island to the breathtaking beauty of Channel Islands National Park,” says Wooldridge. “The Bayliner Discovery 246 was our little magic carpet.”

The hardtop cockpit on the Bayliner Discovery 246, the largest towable boat in the Bayliner Discovery line, protected Wooldridge and Nicholson from the spray of the choppy Pacific, while its other features made their journey a dream. “We managed to smooth out the worst parts with the boat’s trip tab system, and the dual prop gave us an increased grip on the water,” says Wooldridge. “The MerCruiser 350 MAG let us plow through everything the ocean threw at us without using the full engine potential.”

On www.iamdiscovery.com, the surprisingly cool navigation of the site transports you to webisodes of Wooldridge’s voyage, trip journals, planning links and, yes, Bayliner Discovery boats (but in very thoughtful and complete way).

The folks at Bayliner Discovery promise three more video journeys with top-notch travelers and journalists in the months ahead. National Geographic writer and world-class kayaker Jon Bowermaster is said to be next in line later this fall, using a Bayliner Discovery 288 Cruiser – a best-in-class, two-level mini-yacht – to navigate the stunning inlets and craggy coastline of the Maine Island Trail.

Check it out and become part of the adventures at www.iamdiscovery.com.

Kris Nickerson
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/bayliner-discovery-cruisers-transform-boating-trips-into-journeys-57449.html

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We set out with a group of 38 singles and as usual they were initially timid but quickly bonded in friendship.

On arrival in Lima we check into a lovely hotel located in trendy Miraflores district. There was a guided city tour, leisure time to explore and a delicious dinner of sea bass ceviche at a restaurant built on an ocean pier.

Next day we flew Lan to Iquitos where we were greeted by 3 top guides who remain with us for our 6 days in the jungle. They are truly pro’s on flora, fauna and having fun! All transport is by boat. 90 miles down river we arrive to Explonapo Lodge in the heart of Amazonia. No plumbing or electricity, feels like an episode out of “Survivor.” Rustic to the extreme yet therein lies the unique charm.

I fell in love with the resident “pets”. There was Adrian the toucan who would poke his long beak into the dining room door for a treat, along with several tame parrots and scarlet macaws. Charlie was a Capybara that looked like a mutant 100lb. guinea pig. When I’d scratch under his chin he’d close his eyes and make cooing sounds.

The pitch black nights were spooky with a symphony of wild noises. Our rooms were connected with a privacy wall and an open thatched roof. Like a giant slumber party, we all shouted “goodnight Johnboy” from our mosquito netted beds.

Suddenly Sharon screamed and the guys run to her room. She found a giant lizard tucked in with her in her bed. At 3am I head to the latrine with flashlight in hand. Inside a bat flutters near my head as I repeatedly whisper “bat’s are good.”

Enough roughing it. We board our boats for “luxury in the Amazon” at Ceiba Tops. With air conditioning, tropical gardens and a pool, it feels like the Ritz to us. I take the world’s longest shower as others enjoy Pisco Sours by the pool. We all gain weight with fresh food throughout that is both delicious and plentiful.

On daily boat tours we saw giant water lilies, sloths, countless birds and the elusive pink dolphins. We fished by cane poles for piranha to fry up for dinner.

We visited a family with a pet anaconda snake. My brave clients drape it around themselves for a photo op. We delivered medical supplies to a remote clinic serving the poor river people. Here a tooth extraction costs $2 if they can afford it.

Susan Davis
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/amazing-amazon-river-journal-103004.html

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