Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina
1441 Quivira Road,
San Diego, Ca., 92109
Telephone:
619-221-4858
Fax:
619-224-0348
E-mail Address:
prescott.yee@hyatt.com
Web Site:
www.Hyatt.com
Office Hours:
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8:00 am - 6:00 pm
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From Your Marina Manager
Greetings Hyatt Regency Mission Bay boaters, and welcome to the July 2009 e-mail Newsletter.
Fireworks For Boaters!
July 4th means fireworks of course, and if you live in San Diego and have a boat (or an adventurous friend with a boat), you're in for a real treat! Fireworks are spectacular from the shore, but they're doubly spectacular out on the bay laying down and looking up from the bow of a boat
The Mission Bay Yacht Club will have their annual fireworks display. Adding to the fun is the club's 4th of July decorated boat parade. For more information, call the Mission Bay Yacht Club at 858-488-0501.
July 4th - Big Bay Boom
If you're heading downtown for the 4th, the San Diego Bay fireworks has been rated the number one fireworks show West of the Mississippi by the travel industry. San Diego's Big Bay Boom will light up the sky at 9:00 p.m.
For more information including a map showing barge locations, the best viewing places, parking information, traffic control and island closures on Harbor Island and Shelter Island, music simulcasts on the radio, etc., click here.
Chula Vista, and Coronado
The skies will light up on South Bay, and Glorietta Bay at 9:00 p.m. on the 4th as well.
For a complete list of other 4th of July day long events and other San Diego area fireworks, click here.
Other Holidays in July
The 4th of July gets most of the attention this month, but there are many other July holidays you may not know about that can enhance your boating festivities.
For example, July is designated as National Baked Bean Month and National Hot Dog Month.
July 6th is National Fried Chicken Day and July 7th is National Macaroni Day - July 27th is Bugs Bunny's birthday.
To see a fun list of other July holidays you may not know about, click here.
That's it for me this month - Happy boating, and I'll see you at the marina.
Warmest regards,
Prescott Yee
Director of Guest Services and Recreation
prescott.yee@hyatt.com
Nautical Trivia - Starting Over with a Clean Slate
On ships of old, a slate tablet was kept near the helm on which the watch keeper would record the speeds, distances, headings and tacks during his watch.
If there were no problems during the watch, the slate would be wiped clean so that the new watch could start over with a clean slate.
Things That Go Bang, Rumble and Slap in the Night
- By Frank Mowry
Its 6:30 P.M. - You've been sailing since 6:30 in the morning, most of it upwind, and you are dead tired.
The anchorage is in sight and all aboard are heartened by the thought of dropping the hook, having a cocktail or two with dinner, followed by an early bedtime. Ah, at last a good night's sleep!
But wait a minute - What's that noise? Although incessant, it has no rhythm or predictability. It's not the white noise of a generator nor wind in the rigging, but a sound that keeps you in anticipation of its recurrence. It's maddening and prevents sleep.
It's the dreaded halyard bang against a mast. Easy to fix if your rigging is the culprit by simply drawing the halyard away from the mast and fixing it to a shroud by use of a rope or a bungee cord. If a neighboring boat is the offender, the fix may require tact and skilful negotiation.
Funny though, once you've drawn your neighbor's attention to the irritating halyard banging on their boat, they also find it a source of sleep deprivation and take steps to correct the problem pronto.
Back to the bunk and to sleep - almost. Another very troublesome, repetitive, auditory insult intrudes. This is a deep rumbling sound that resembles your anchor chain being moved. Exactly! Especially if you have all chain rode, and if your berth is forward you will hear the chain move as the boat swings to wind. My first encounter with chain rumble occurred while anchored at the west end of Dana Point Harbor with a number of other boats. I was concerned that somehow I had laid my chain over another chain rode. I was greatly relieved the next morning when the boat of concern weighed and moved briskly out of the anchorage without dragging me along with him!
Rope rode, of course, doesn't cause chain rumble. If you have an all chain rode, anchor rumble can be significantly moderated by rigging a 3 strand nylon chain snubber.
There are other sources of potential irritation including the subtle sounds sliding cabinet doors can make when the boat rocks at anchorage; the same can be said for bottles and other gear stored loosely in cabinets or drawers.
Finally if you draw the short straw and are relegated to the rear birth when the boat is slipped you may be subject to a form of water torture known as "wave slap". This is not a problem when the boat swings to wind. If slipped or the boat is in a stern/bow anchor configuration and the wind is on the stern, small waves may slap against the stern, hence the name. The only fix for this is to move to an upwind slip or move your sleeping arrangements.
A little troubleshooting before turning in can result in a good night's sleep, otherwise prepare to encounter halyard bang, chain rumble, and wave slap.
Editor's Note: Frank and Martha Mowry have enjoyed cruising southern California waters for 10 years aboard their 42' Island Packet sloop. They are members of the Southwestern Yacht Club. Click Here to send Frank an e-mail.
Yellowtail Derby Returns to San Diego After 36 Year Hiatus
After being discontinued for the past 36 years, the International Yellowtail Derby will finally return to San Diego in September. It's an 8-day event that starts on September 26th.
The original Yellowtail Derby ran for 28 years - From 1946 to 1973. It was sponsored by and produced then by the San Diego Jaycees.
Back then, the derby was a multi-month event with qualifying periods and finals. Prizes ranged form cash to cars, trailers, trips and fishing gear. It built up to where every year more than 2,000 anglers competed in the Derby - many entrants were from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
Anglers will compete for cash and prizes and will include individuals on open party sportboats and private boats with teams of 2 to 6 members. Between 1,500 and 2,000 anglers overall are expected in both private boater and open party categories. IGFA rules will apply for all anglers.
For more information including entry fees visit the International Yellowtail Derby web-site or call 619-991-5480 or send an e-mail to Derby coordinator John Campbell at johncinsd@cox.net.
Sunroad Marina to Host New Boat Show in January
Sunroad Resort Marina has announced that it will fill the gap to continue the tradition of hosting a premiere annual boat show for San Diego.
The show will be held at Sunroad's scenic Harbor Island facilities on January 28-31, 2010.
Sunroad plans call for a more festive, exciting and accessible set of indoor, outdoor and on-water marine and boating displays, and will feature a broad array of watercraft from dinghys to megayachts, and a full range of marine services and products exhibits.
The show will focus on unusual boating opportunities for consumers arising out of the current economy.
Exhibitor space reservations are now being invited - Click Here to see an aerial view of the show layout, in-water and on-land floorplans, exhibitor pricing, or call 619.574.7603 to have a sales representative contact you for more information.
Also in July - The San Diego Yacht and Boat S
how
The 6th Annual San Diego Yacht and Boat Show will be held Thursday - Sunday; July 23-26, 2009 at the Sheraton Hotel & Marina on Harbor Island.
The show is produced by the Southern California Marine Association (SCMA) and features hundreds of in-water and on-land boats to see as well as an exhibition of boating and marine accessories.
Attendees will also be able to enjoy good food and beverages, entertainment, and music. Show hours are: Thursday -- 12 noon - 8pm Friday -- 12 noon - 8pm Saturday -- 10am - 8pm Sunday -- 10am - 6pm. Regular Admission: Adults $10.00 -- children 12 & under free. For advanced purchase ticket discount, more information, visit www.scma.com before July 22nd.
Anchoring - A Spectator Sport
- By Richard Benscoter
The 4th of July is hours away, and by the time you will receive and read this, many of you will be planning to anchor for the weekend or take your boat out to watch the fireworks, so a couple of items on this great spectator sport called anchoring are in order.
Next to watching people arrive and depart from their docks, anchoring is the next most watched and graded boating activity. The antics of boaters anchoring at times resemble a comedy routine, and in some cases lead to the divorce court.
Check your anchor, ground tackle and windless. It's not cool to try and anchor and find that the ground tackle is in a knot, and can't be fed out of the locker. If you haven't used your anchor for a while, it's a good idea to feed it out and lay the rode on the dock, and while you're at it, put on some of those inexpensive colorful foot market tags you can get from your local marine store.
The other benefit of doing this is that you can gain some confidence that your windlass is working once you have anchored, and that you can weigh anchor once it's time to leave.
It's also a good idea to check the tide range for the time you are going to be anchored, and remember the ratio of anchor rode should be 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 amount of rode to deploy.
I also recommend that you purchase two FM multi channel radios with a voice activated microphones and ear pieces. Don't try to communicate with the bow or helm person by yelling - it never works! (But it does contribute to the enjoyment of all those watching your plight).
Discuss the anchoring plan with your anchor assistant and how you will execute it; then approach the anchorage into the wind. Slow to a stop at the desired spot; deploy the anchor and drift back the required amount rode.
Secure the rode. Check that the anchor is set by carefully placing your fingers under the rode between the bow roller and water. If the anchor is set, you can feel the tension increase and decrease. If the anchor is not set you can feel the anchor moving dragging across the bottom. A little reverse from the engine can usually help set the anchor. If you drift too far, don't try to save it - retrieve the anchor and try again.
Etiquette dictates that you do not disturb boats already anchored. Be careful not to anchor across another boat's anchor rode. Anchor so that your swing with the wind and tide will not cause your boat to meet with others in the anchorage and create an unwanted raft up!
Anchoring for the weekend is great fun and with a little planning you will not be the talk of the anchorage.
See you on the water!
Editor's Note: Richard Benscoter is a long time avid sailor. He's a member of the Silver Gate Yacht Club and owner of the Mariners Woodshop. If you have a sailing question for Richard, send e-mail to richard@BlueSkyNews.com.
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