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Those Annoying PC Sounds
Well, you don’t have to
put up with it - Here’s how to change the
settings to control when sounds are and are not to
be made:
1) Under the Start Menu, open up the Control
Panel
2) On the Control Panel,
click on Sounds And
Audio Devices
3) On the Sounds And Audio Devices Properties window, click on the Sounds tab
4) You will now see a Program Events window. If an item in the Program Events window has a little speaker symbol
next to it, that means that every time that event
happens, your computer will make the indicated
sound.
5) Now - Click on any program
event. You can then select a different sound from
the Sounds window, or you can scroll up to the
top of the Sounds window and select None for no
sound.
The changes you make will
take effect after you restart your computer.
Enjoy the peace and quiet!
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Desktop Photo of the Month - San Clemente
Sunset on a Warm Summer Evening
Our BlueSkyNews.com camera captured this striking sunset off the coast of San Clemente. For step-by-step instructions to download this photo or one of our many other fantastic free photos to your PC desktop, Click Here.
 | ||
Our BlueSkyNews.com camera captured this striking sunset off the coast of San Clemente. For step-by-step instructions to download this photo or one of our many other fantastic free photos to your PC desktop, Click Here.
From Your Marina Manager and Staff
Fred Clark | |||||||||||
Through this newsletter, we will be able
to keep you posted on marina happenings and important notices
you’ll want to have. While we’re at it, we’ll
be including lots of items each month that will make your
marina and resort experiences more interesting, fun and
enjoyable.
The e-mail newsletter is of course free,
but to make sure we know you want to receive it monthly, if you
haven’t already done it, please visit BlueSkynews.com and follow the easy instructions to
subscribe.
There are many other benefits to having an
e-mail newsletter that we know you’ll appreciate as time
goes by; not the least of which is that it affords you the easy
and convenient opportunity to communicate with your marina
team. I hope you’ll send us frequent e-mails to let us
know everything from what you’d like to see in future
newsletters, to vignettes about your latest boating adventures
and experiences.
Fun at the Resort and Marina
The Summer
2007 Activity Guide for
Loew’s Coronado Bay Resort is now available. You can pick
one up at the marina office or front desk. The guide lists all
of Loews great choices for water activities, health &
fitness, shopping, kid’s activities, quality dining and
more.
New at the Resort
If you haven’t visited the
resort’s Sea Spa recently, you’re in for a pleasant
surprise. Under the direction of Spa Director Krystal Mason and
newly appointed Assistant Spa Director Kari Jones, the spa has
many brand new sublime and exotic treatments available. For
complete details or to make reservations, call the hotel at
619-424-4000 and ask to be connected to the spa.
Fun and Patriotism at the Marina
If you’re new to Loew’s
marina, be sure to mark the 1st of
July as a “must be
here” date for the marina’s annual 4th of July hosted party. We’ll be giving you all the details in the
July newsletter, but if you have questions about the party
before that, just let us know.
On the Drawing Boards - Wireless Internet
at the Marina
We’ll give you more information when
we have it, but the good news is that we are planning to have
wireless internet capability for the marina in the not too
distant future. Stay tuned!
Thanks – That’s it for now -
We hope you enjoy the newsletter, and we look forward to seeing
you at the marina soon.
Fred Clark - Marina Manager
Diesel Fuel Spill Points Out Importance of
Knowing About Your Insurance Coverage
One of our San Diego marinas experienced a
diesel fuel spill over the Memorial Day weekend. This happened
on a power boat that had returned late at night from a cruise,
and during the night, a fuel filter seal failed causing the
bilge pumps to pump the fuel into the water. While this
incident was just one of those unforeseen failures, it may
result in a sizable fine, and it points out the importance of
understanding your insurance coverage inclusion and limits.
Uninsured Vendors Can Cost You Plenty
Do you check vendors that work on your
boat to see if they have current insurance? Common sense and
potential big dollar liability suggest you should. The failure
of a vendor to have insurance can leave you in the position of
insuring yourself. In some cases, lack of insurance can mean
that the vendor either lacks the assets to fix the problem or
there are other problems in their business practices.
Additionally, if the vendor does not carry Workman’s
Compensation, you could possibly be liable for a
workman’s compensation claim. The bottom line? Make sure
your vendors are insured! It only takes a minute to gain that
peace of mind.
Boat Safety - Why Not Take Advantage of
San Diego’s Many Excellent Resources?
Safety always comes first, and we want to
make sure all of our boating subscribers are safe by providing
you with updates and reminders in safety procedures. The U.S.
Coast Guard Auxiliary
generously offers free vessel inspections by appointment. An
outside professional eye can often spot things you don't, and
give you tips on how to keep your boat safe. Call them at
619-231-1300 to arrange an
appointment. You’ll be glad
you did.
With the boating season revving up, this
is also a great time to refresh your knowledge and hone your
skills in boating safety. Classes of all different skill, age
and experience level are offered around San Diego through the
California Department of Waterways (Cal Boating), United States
Power Squadrons, and the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. Thanks to
technology, some classes are even offered online, so you can
learn at your convenience.
Cal Boating is
a run through the state, but is integrated with many private
boating organizations and is quite respectable. Their course
can either be taken on-line at your convenience, or in a
classroom setting once a week over a period of 13 weeks. It
covers state and federal boating law, general rules, and safe
boat handling. For more information, click here to visit Cal Boating or
call (888)-362-2822.
The United States Power Squadrons offer a six/seven session program, called the
Squadron Boating Course, as well as an eight-hour refresher
course called Boatsmart. Both cover topics including boat
handling and operation, marine radios procedure, knots and
hitches, anchoring, federal and state requirements and
regulations, and tips for safe navigation. The Squadron Boating
Course has a special focus on charting, piloting, and position
determination. Both courses will be more hands on than Cal
Boating's program. For more information, click here to visit United States Power Squadrons. They have a lot of great boating information on
their site, so even if you are not planning on attending
courses, go check it out!
The classes offered by the U.S. Coast
Guard Auxiliary (an
entirely volunteer branch of the US Coast Guard) are definitely
the most hands-on, and only those willing to get wet should
take them! They offer two courses, one focusing on powerboats
(Boating Skills and Seamanship), and the other focusing on
sailors (Sailing and Seamanship). Both courses are 13 weeks
long, and cover general legal requirements, Coast Guard law,
navigation tips, marlinspike seamanship, charts/compasses, and
safe boat handling. They also offer more specified classes
including, Basic Coastal Navigation, Boating Safety Course,
Advanced Coastal Piloting, along with many others. To find out
more, call (619)-260-1515.
Breaking News About Boat Liners -
S.D. County Clarifies Which Treatment
Products Boat Owners Can and Can’t Use in Conjunction
with Boat Liners
In a recent official notice, the San
Diego Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures Pesticide Division ended confusion about which
products can and can’t be used in enclosures that many
people use to protect boat bottoms. The notice also
included a list of approved products as well as guidelines on
how to properly use them to be in compliance with
environmental regulations. Owners should be advised that the
use of “swimming pool products” in boat liners is
now illegal and will result in a fine. As a service to
our Armored Hull Boat Shield customers and other boat liner
users, we have put up detailed information on this subject on our web site including a list of approved EPA
Registered products, procedures for their use, and many other
handy tips.
Dennis Allen | |||||||||||
Dennis Allen is President of San
Diego-based Affordable
Marine and Armored
Hull Boat Shield. He is a long
time prominent member of the San Diego marine industry and
pioneer in the field of alternatives to copper-base boat bottom
paint and alternative marine fuels.
Physics 101 and Docking Your Boat
Is your boat slip situated in a prevailing
crosswind? If so, it’s a good idea to keep Newton's
second law of motion in mind when docking, namely, Force equals
Mass times Acceleration (F = ma). The force were talking about
about here is the force with which your boat might smack into
the dock finger (or your neighbor’s boat if you’re
in a double slip), depending upon how you bring it in.
If you remember from High School physics,
the first derivative of distance over time is speed (velocity);
the second derivative is acceleration, and the third is onset,
which in simple terms is the rate of change of acceleration.
It’s onset that can kill you in a car crash; not speed or
acceleration. Likewise, it’s onset that can make that
awful crunch on the dock finger (or your neighbor’s boat)
if you allow the sideways motion of your boat to get out of
hand while docking.
If Newton were alive, he would
advise you to avoid making a downwind approach to your slip in
a crosswind. If you approach your slip at a slight upwind
attitude, you’ll be better able to keep the crosswind
from increasing the sideways acceleration of your boat, thus
achieving a gentler kiss on the dock. It’s also important
to always maintain some amount of forward motion when docking
in a crosswind.
We didn’t mention current here, but
if your slip has a prevailing crosswind and a strong current,
Newton would probably advise you to ask your marina manager for
a new slip!
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I decided to extend an invitation to you instead
of writing my usual monthly column.
I will be exhibiting at the 17th annual Koehler Kraft Wooden Boat Festival on June 16th &
17th on Shelter Island (See
details below) to answer your marine electrical questions in
person. If you have questions about your boat I’ll be
there to answer them. If you can bring digital photos, please
do, as they are a great help in visualizing your specific
situation.
I will also have a seawater tub full of
thru-hulls and other dissimilar metals and demonstrate how your
zincs and galvanic isolators tie into the whole bonding/shore
power thing.
If you have ever wanted to talk with a
Marine Electrician about anything, for free, this is your
chance. (Actually, not completely for free. There is an
entrance fee of $5, all profits going to help disabled people
experience the water.) I will personally guarantee at least $5
worth of electrical information. Thanks - Hope to see you there
- Brett
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Saturday June 2nd - Operation Clean Sweep
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Sunday - June 3rd - Be Aware - It’s
Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon Time Again
The Rock’
n Roll Marathon can be fun if
you’re in it, but it’s a nightmare if you’re
trying to get from point A to point B in your car. Be aware
that the 10th Annual Rock’ n Roll Marathon will be held
on Sunday, June 3rd. This event draws as many as 20,000
participants, with thousands more people listening to 40 live
bands along the route.
The bottom line for boaters is that many
roads are closed during the marathon, including some freeway on
and off ramps, so there are many traffic delays and some cases
where “you can’t get there from here”.
The majority of the road closures, with the exception of
the start and finish areas will be between 5:00 a.m. and 2:00
p.m. South-bound highway 163 will be closed to traffic from
I-805 to downtown from 2:00 a.m. until noon. All other major
freeways throughout San Diego will be open on race day,
including I-5, I-8, I-805, and Northbound 163, however,
delays can be expected on I-5, I-8, and in the Mission Bay,
downtown and Mission Valley areas during peak marathon
finishing times, especially between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
You can get a detailed map of the course at www.rnrmarathon.com. Might be a good day to just have a picnic on
the boat.
Friday - June 15th - Heroes on the Harbor
A night of music
on the USS Midway to honor our
wounded American warriors. Live music will feature New York's
"Big Shot" Billy Joel tribute band, "The
Corvelles," and "Married by Elvis." Starts at 6:
30 p.m. - Cost: $60-$85. Event to raise funds for the Injured
Marine Semper Fi Fund. For more information call (858)794-0164
Saturday & Sunday - June 16th &
17th - Wooden Boat Festival
Wooden boat owners will be displaying
their craft at the San Diego Wooden Boat Festival, held every Father's Day Weekend at Koehler Kraft Boat Builders at 2302 Shelter Island Drive.
More than 80 wooden craft, ranging from
row boats to regal schooners will be on hand for viewing by the
public. Call 619-222-9051 or visit www.koehlerkraft.com for more information.
Saturday - June 23rd - Marine Gear Swap
Meet - One at Marina Cortez - One at Chula Vista Marina
Marina Cortez -
The lot will be open to swappers on Saturday, June 23rd from 8:
00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Chula Vista -
Saturday, June 23rd – The lot will be open to
swappers from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. – The Galley at the
Marina will be open and Bay View Nautical will have store items
for sale at the swap meet.
Between the Sheets - Taking Care of
Your Sails
Sails are something we sailors often take
for granted. We uncover them, motor into the bay and hoist
them, and we set off for a pleasant day on the water. But wait,
what was that tearing sound as we trimmed the head sail? There
it is - the leach line with no pocket; flapping in the
breeze.
If it’s been months or longer since
you really examined your sails, here are some pointers that I
learned many years ago from a Sail Wright after an unscheduled
visit to his sail loft.
Check your sails by hoisting them a foot
at a time. Check the stitching, grommet and attaching
points for any missing stitches, loose threads, or damaged
attaching points. If you find any damage mark the area with
blue painters tape. ( It’s difficult to locate the damage
later without doing that).
Then if everything is o.k., make sure your
sail is clean. There are many ways to do this. I prefer
hoisting the sail and scrubbing both sides with a mild
biodegradable soap solution and soft brush, rinsing each
section until all soap is removed. Let sail remain hoisted
until completely dry. Flogging of your sails when wet can
stretch the sails.
Always un-tension the out-haul after
sailing - constant tension will stretch the sail and cause
undue stress on the stitching.
If your sails are not the pristine white
you desire but the fabric is in good shape, there are many sail
cleaning and reconditioning process available that will clean,
repair, resining and renew the logos and numbers for a
fraction of the cost of a new sail check the internet under
sail cleaning. Happy sailing - See you on the water!
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.
From the Poop Deck
Hooray! Hooray! It’s the end of May
gray! Soon all of my pet friends will be here for the warm
summer boating season. Don’t forget - it gets hot in the
summer, so please keep us pets hydrated and don’t burn
our tender pads on the hot docks. It wouldn’t hurt to
give us a ride in a dock cart every once in a while!
Hey! Bring me my life jacket
before we go on
this dinghy
ride!
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