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Desktop Photo of the Month - The Californian

Californian

Richard Benscoter caught this great snapshot of the Californian cruising San Diego waters a few days ago. Berthed at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, Californian was built from the ground up in 1984 at Spanish Landing in San Diego Bay. She was launched with great fanfare for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In July 2003, the governor signed a bill into law designating the Californian as the official tall ship of the State of California. She is the only ship to carry this prestigious title.

Click here for instructions to download this fantastic photo to your PC desktop or to see other free BlueSkyNews.com desktop photos available. For step-by-step instructions to download this photo of Unconditional Surrender to your PC desktop.

From The Poop Deck

Madeline

Editor, Poop Deck

Here comes that dam seagull again. Somebody get me some of those crummy dog biscuits you bought for me. If he snorks up a couple of those beauties, he’ll be so constipated that’ll be the last deposit he makes on our canvas!

How Healthy is Your Shore Power

People that have boats in marinas all have one thing in common; they use shore power. When doing a corrosion survey on a boat, I always start with a test of the dockside shore power receptacle since many causes of fast zinc depletion and/or electrolysis can be detected there. I also find a lot of shore power receptacles and shore power cords that are way past due for replacement.

Also, most of the recent fires in local marinas have all been tied to poor shore power maintenance. I surveyed a boat in a Shelter Island marina a few weeks ago that had burned the shore cord prongs clean off. This article is written in response to a promise I made to that marina manager to give a few pointers to help owners understand the basic issues of a modern shore power system. Check boat and dock connections. Replace anything that causes concern, this is where most marina fires start.

Everyone who plugs into shore power 24/7 should have a look at a few things on a monthly basis. To start, turn off the shore power breaker and unplug both ends of the cord. Look at the slots in the cord receptacle and the prongs of the cord. If the yellow insulator surrounding the metal has a burnt, charcoal appearance, this is indicative of a connection problem caused by corrosion and/or excessive heat.

I think people with 30 amp service should leave their water heaters off as much as possible. They draw between 10 and 15 amps, or nearly half the available supply. If you have the water heater on and then you fire up additional appliances like a microwave (10 amps), coffee pot (10 amps), or toaster oven (12 amps), you’re pushing the maximum available power through a connection that isn’t that great to begin with, which worse yet lives in a salt water environment.

Be sure to support your shore power cord at both ends with a Velcro strap or small boat cord. The best connection possible is the idea, secure, tight, and dry. Also, secure your cord along the dock; don’t let it hang in the water.

Treat shore power with the same respect you treat lightning, since shore power problems can certainly strike out of nowhere. Let the marina office know if you see anything that causes concern. After all, we’re all in the same boat when it comes to safety.

Brett Dingerson

Editor’s Note: Brett Dingerson has over 25 years experience as a marine electrician, with a specialty in marine galvanic corrosion protection. He has worked with a wide range of sailing and power vessel electrical systems for blue water or local bay boating. He is the owner of San Diego-based Marine Electric.

What’s That Smell!

For months on end your boat smells like the sweet rose of Summer, until one day a noxious green cloud of odor makes the seagulls pass out and strips the gelcoat off your neighbor’s boat!

What’s the problem? Here’s a list of possibilities:

4 The tank is over capacity and the contents have started to flow into the vent line

4 The vent line or filter is clogged

4 The vent filter has gotten wet and no longer functions

4 The vent filter just needs to be replaced

4 The vent line has been damaged or bent

4 The boat has been sitting for a long time with waste in the tank (especially in hot weather). Keep the tank pumped out and treated if it’s going to sit for a while.

4 The waste hose is old and it has become permeated with odor.

4 Tank Implosion (Bet you never thought of this one!) Too much pump-out suction can be a bad thing, especially if your vent line is clogged.

Going on a Cruise to Mission Bay?

The most important thing about cruising from San Diego Bay to Mission Bay is to not turn North too soon after clearing Point Loma or you’ll run afoul of the kelp beds off Point Loma, Sunset Cliffs and Ocean Beach. To be safe, go all the way out to S.D. buoy #1 before turning North, then stay about two miles offshore until the entrance to the Mission Bay channel is due East of you before heading in - don’t be tempted to shortcut diagonally to the entrance of Mission Bay.

The south Jetty has not had a light or marker for years now. There is a lighted red buoy about 100 yards out. (Red Right Returning). The north Jetty has a green daymarker and a green light. Once in a while, someone mistakes the south jetty for the north Jetty, in fog…and winds up on Dog Beach (and the evening news.) Another common mistake many first time cruisers make is to confuse the entrance to the San Diego River with the entrance to Mission Bay, so look for the red and green buoys marking the channel entrance.

The entrance to Mission Bay can sometimes have large breakers, usually worse toward the South side. Depending upon seas, don’t pass too close to the south jetty. On busy weekends, it will be choppy and a bit congested just inside the entrance

There is a 72 hour anchorage in Mariner’s Cove, to the left as soon as you round the corner. To the right, Quivira Basin has slips, at Islandia Marina, Marina Village, and Driscoll Mission Bay. Call in advance to reserve a guest slip. Use caution when entering Quivira Basin, as the sea wall makes a relatively narrow entrance, with a blind corner.

There are three bridges in Mission Bay. The first reportedly has a clearance of 38 feet. The two bridges along Ingraham Street have clearances of 38 feet at the South span, and 31 feet at the North Span. This will vary on the tide! At any time, you can read the bridge clearance, indicated at water level at the center span. Not really an issue for powerboats.

Once you go under the first bridge, you enter a busy playground for small boaters, kayakers, windsurfers, and rental boats. Bear in mind that many of these people probably don’t know about “rules of the road”.

The West Bay is “Sail Bay”. There is a powerboat speed limit during the day of 5mph, until 5:00 pm…when the ski boats take to the water. Outside of keeping an eye out for other boats, the only real hazard is the shoal water off the northwest beach on Vacation Isle. The Mission Bay Yacht Club conducts sailboat races; try to stay clear of the fleets.

The East Bay is “Ski Bay”, so be on the alert. There is a shoal area marked by buoys, north of the Mission Bay VORTAC station. Both inner Bays have fairly shallow water, and are not recommended for deep draft boats. The inner, southeast end of Fiesta Island has an area designated for Personal Water Craft.

Bob Sherman

Editor’s Note: Bob Sherman has over 19 years of Yacht-sales experience and is the owner of YachtSource. He is also qualified to instruct on all vessel types, and has held 100-ton Captain’s license since 1982.




ON THE MARKET

	Boats/Yachts For Sale (7)

	Bottom Protection (1)

	Brokers (3)

	Canvas & Interior (1)

		Charter (2)

	Insurance (2)

	Maintenance/Repair (4)

	NEW! Virtual Swap Meet Used Marine Gear (4)

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“Pfshing” Season On The Internet

You received an e-mail from your bank. It looks official and they say they are concerned that somebody has fraudulently accessed your account. To protect you, they need you to verify your account information right away. They tell you to click on a link like this: www.bankofamerica.com

/verify-account.

If you clicked on the link, you took the bait! Why? The link goes to a real bank’s web site; isn’t that supposed to be safe? Well yes, but the problem is, the link is not going to the bank’s web site, even though it looks like it is. They call it “pfshing” because the scam artists are fishing for your personal information so they can steal your identity or defraud you. The moral of the story? - A reputable company will never send you an e-mail asking you to verify personal information. The only true safe way to give personal information to a company over the Internet is for you to go to the company’s site by typing in their web site address in your browser’s web address bar. Recommended action: Delete the e-mail; call the company and tell them about the e-mail. They will appreciate it, and your call may save some other people from a lot of pain

Scuttlebutt - Where Did the Term Originate?

The term “scuttlebutt” is synonymous with the word rumor in the nautical world. It originated from a combination of the word scuttle, which means to put a hole in a ship’s bottom to make her sink, and the word butt, which was a cask used in olden days to hold drinking water. Scuttlebutt then literally means a cask with a hole in it. Over the years, the word scuttle was extended to mean sinking or ruining anything, including ship’s morale. The water cask being a natural gathering spot then became the place where most rumors aboard ship got started.

From The Inside

Gus Giobbi

‘Tis the month of showers that bring May flowers and all that; plus April Fool’s Day of course, so we hope you don’t have any tricks played on you on April 1st!

And also, it’s the month to do some “Spring cleaning” on your boat. In this issue, we have some tips about making sure your boat systems are up to snuff after the Winter months.

Gus Giobbi - Publisher

gus@BlueSkyNews.com

What You Can Do to Prevent Oil and Fuel Pollution From Your Boat

Here’s one of the most complete checklists we’ve found to help you prevent oil and fuel pollution from your boat:

1) Preventative engine maintenance:

- Keep the engine well tuned and operating efficiently

- Practice preventative engine maintenance. Inspect fuel lines, hoses, hydraulic lines, valves, oil seals, gaskets and connections for deterioration and leaks.

- Properly secure lines and hoses to prevent chafing,

abrasion and damage.

- Choose Coast Guard-approved alcohol-resistant fuel lines.

- Install drip pans under all equipment that might leak

- Avoid using solvents or toxic chemicals to clean engine parts. Use mechanical means (such as hand scraping caked oil) or less toxic solvents (water-based).

- Do not let solvent run into the bilge

- Transfer and remove fluids with care using funnels, pumps, and absorbents to eliminate drips and spills and to keep the bilge area clean.

2) Bilge care and preventing oil spills:

- Never use soaps or detergents to clean oil or fuel – it is illegal and increases the pollution problem

- Install an on-board bilge filtration system that filters gas, oil or diesel from bilge water before the automatic bilge pump discharges the water.

- Use oil-only absorbents in the bilge; securely fastened to prevent clogging the bilge pump or its sensor, to capture unexpected leaks

- If you have a large quantity of oil in the bilge, use a bilge pumpout system

- Never use the sewage pumpout for the bilge

- If the bilge and/or engine compartment still needs significant cleaning after bilge pumpout, use a steam cleaning service.

3) Report oil and chemical spills

- If you see or cause a spill, do not apply soaps to dispense the sheen (it is illegal).

- Report spills of oil or chemicals to the Marina Office and to 800-424-8802

4) Spill-proof your oil changes and recycle used oil

- If you change the engine oil yourself, use a closed system – a portable vacuum oil change pump drained into a container that can be closed to prevent spills during transfer of oil (available at most marine stores).

- Do not mix used oil with other waste. Keep it segregated for recycling.

- Always keep oil-only absorbents on hand to wipe up spills.

- Saturated oil-absorbents are hazardous wastes and must be disposed of at the marina, the fuel dock, or at a hazardous waste facility

San Diego Finally Decides on New Airport

Location!

April 1, 2007 - Dateline San Diego - After nearly seven decades of controversy, San Diego city and Port District officials announced today in a startling joint decision that San Diego’s South Bay has been selected as the site of the city’s new international Airport. Mayor Sanders lauded the decision stating that “other than having to watch out for the bridge on takeoff, South Bay represents an ideal compromise for the new airport location”. Port District Chairman Rocky Spane agreed, saying that “in addition to meeting the future travel needs of San Diego, I like the idea of relocating the airport to South Bay because it sweeps our many difficult and long standing A-8 anchorage issues under the proverbial table.” Environmental Research Professor Von Billygates of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography typified the concurrence of most environmental organizations by stating that “other than a little bit of noise for those folks down there and a few displaced barnacles and fish, we see little environmental impact on the area.”

As of this writing, the Mayors of National City and Chula Vista could not be reached for comment.

- April Fools!!!

Essex Reintroduces Financing for Antique and Classic Boats

Essex Credit Corporation has decided to reintroduce its unique financing program for collectors of antique and classic runabouts and cruisers. According to Chief Executive Officer Jesse Bragg, “Essex Credit recognizes the passion, value, and importance that collectors place on their boats, and options to purchase or restore these one-of-a kind vintage boats have historically been limited to mainly cash transactions. Our financing program provides collectors an alternative option to acquire or expand their collection.” The company believes this market niche will rapidly expand as the number of antique and classic boat collectors continues to grow. “There are more than 12,000 members of Antique and Classic Boat Society alone,” said Bragg. “This is definitely an untapped market and we intend to be the provider of choice for these collectors for many, many more years to come.”

For more information about the program, please call 866-377-3948 or visit www.essexcredit.com.

Between the Sheets

Anchoring - A Spectator Sport

Next to watching boaters arrive and depart at the docks, anchoring is the next most watched and graded boating activity. Knowing how to anchor isn’t difficult and it can greatly enhance the boating experience, but the antics of boaters at times resembles a comedy routine, and in some cases, a divorce in progress.

Here are some tips that will make your next anchoring a non event for all those of us who like to watch:

4 Check your anchor, ground tackle and windless before you go. Make sure there are no knots in the ground tackle and that it’s stowed properly in its locker. Test the windlass to make sure it will work when you want to drop or weigh anchor.

4 If you haven’t already done it, extend the chain and anchor line on the dock and affix colorful depth markers so you can easily see how much rode your are letting out when you anchor. These are very inexpensive and can be purchased at any marine store.

4 Find out the tide range for the time and location where you are going to be anchored; remember the ratio of anchor rode is five to seven times the water depth. Don’t forget if you anchor at low tide and plan to remain over a high tide, use the water depth at high tide when figuring the rode to deploy.

4 If you consider it would be a nice thing to ever speak with your anchor mate again after anchoring, I recommend purchasing two FM multi channel radios with a voice activated microphone and ear piece. Communicating with the bow or helm person by yelling never works, but it does contribute to the enjoyment of all those watching.

Etiquette prescribes that you do not disturb boats already anchored. Do not anchor across their anchor rode. Anchor so that your swing with the wind and tide will not cause your boat to meet with other in the anchorage and have an unexpected raft up! Anchoring for the weekend is great fun and with a little planning you will not be the talk of the anchorage.

Richard Benscoter

Editor’s Note: Richard Benscoter is a long time avid sailor. He’s a member of the Silver Gate Yacht Club. If you have a sailing question for Richard, send e-mail to richard@BlueSkyNews.com.

A Quick Note About Cruising to Catalina

With Summer approaching, you’re probably already talking about it. “Let’s cruise to Catalina!”. Before you go, be sure to visit Catalina Island’s Official Web Site, www.catalina.com. There you’ll find important information about mooring at Avalon, Two Harbors, and the other 16 coves on the island. The site also has contact phone numbers you’ll want to have, information about services, mooring prices, and much more. For Two Harbors, we also recommend the Two Harbors Boating Guide, which among other great information has some really good diagrams and instructions for how to pick up that infamous mooring ball. Bon Voyage!