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San Diego’s 35th Annual Parade of
Lights
The Port of San Diego’s 35th annual
“Parade of Lights” will be held on Sunday, December 10, and
Sunday, December 17, 2006 from 5:30 PM until 9:00 PM. Fireworks
on both Sundays begin at 5: 30pm; the Light Parade begins
immediately following the fireworks The parade takes
approximately one hour to one and a half hours to pass any
given point along the parade route.
For boaters wishing to view the parade
from their boats on the bay, a good viewing area is where the
parade route turns for Coronado, near the 10th Street Terminal.
For those viewing on land, the north and south ends of the
Embarcadero as well as the pathway along Coronado are good
spots as they tend to be less crowded. If you plan on viewing
the parade from Harbor Island, get there early and be aware
that parking is at a premium. Another good spot is the park
behind Seaport Village.
To enter your boat in the parade,
download the entry form and
return it to the Parade organizers by November 30th with the
entry fee of $30.
NEW - BlueSkyNews.com Desktop Photo
of the Month
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November saw some spectacular western
sunsets. This one taken at La Playa Cove on a chilly November
evening. Click here for
instructions to download this fantastic photo to your PC
desktop.
“Red Sky in Morning, Sailor’s
Warning; Red Sky At Night, Sailor’s Delight!?”
Ever wonder wonder about that popular
saying? Since our weather travels from West to East,
shouldn’t it be just the opposite? It turns out the
saying originated from mid-latitude locations where winds are
easterly in the tropics, and from the high latitudes where the
sun rises and sets at a large deviation from the east-west
trajectory. A more appropriate saying for where we live might
be “Red sky in morning, sailor go steady; red sky at
night, sailor get ready!”
How about “Between
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea?” In olden wooden ships, the “devil”
is the longest seam of the ship. It ran from the bow to the
stern. When at sea and the “devil” had to be
caulked, the sailor sat in the bo’sun’s chair to do
the work, suspended between the “devil” and the
deep blue sea; a very precarious position while at sea.
From The Poop Deck
Madeline | |||||||||||
I said, “Hey - then why don’t
you get a different job?”
He said, “What! And get out of
yachting?”
Editors Note: Once again - We do apologize
for Madeline. We keep trying to smooth out her rough edges. If
you have a pet question or photo to send to her, please e-mail
it to Madeline@BlueSkyNews.com
Bob Hope Waterfront Tribute Takes Shape
Bob Hope Military Tribute | |||||||||||
Around the perimeter of the Tribute there
will be five additional bronze sculptures representing
servicemen from the five branches of the armed
forces—Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast
Guard. A large rotating globe with a small airplane in the
center of the Tribute, mounted over a water element, will
symbolize Bob Hope’s extensive travels around the world
while entertaining troops. The Port held a dedication ceremony
on October 25 to dedicate the sculptures of the various
servicemen and women. They anticipate the Bob Hope
element of the sculpture to be completely ready and installed
by his birthday, which is May 29.
San Diego Gets Its’ First Year-Round
Home Ported Cruise Ship
Carnival’s - “Elation” | |||||||||||
What’s On Your Boat Bottom?
As most of you know, The Regional
Water Quality Control Board is cracking down on use of
copper-based hull coats which, after being applied and exposed
to salt water, almost immediately have a negative impact on the
health of marine life and the environment.
The Shelter Island Yacht Basin is the
first of any of California's waterways to enforce such a ban
and as such, we encourage you to look into alternative
non-toxic and low-toxic coating products for your next
repainting. Non-toxic paints are known as antifouling or
biocide free hull coatings. Bill Roberts, of Shelter
Island Boat Yard, promotes the two following products.
Echo5 is an epoxy coat that is totally
“biocide free”. The downfall is more
cleanings (every two weeks). This should change with
product improvements, however. Paint bottoms must also be
fully stripped before coat is applied (most ideal for new
boats). Echo5 has been around for a couple years.
Those who have made the switch are quite happy with the
decision.
E-paint is the newest biocide free
product Shelter Island Boat Yard is using. It is a
water-born product with 3% zinc-oxide (ingredient found in Head
and Shoulders shampoo). Suggested cleanings is once a
month. The jury is still out on the possibility this
Massachusetts product can go over copper paint bottoms to
eliminate additional stripping costs. E Paint has
developed specialty antifouling coatings for the United States
Coast Guard, United States Navy, and a number of oceanographic
institutions. www.e-paint.net
Paints that are not biocide free, but
have a low percentage of copper and are presently accepted by
the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, are also
available. These coats can be applied over existing bottom
coats. Greg Thomas, of Driscoll’s Boat Works,
suggested the following legal low toxic bottom paints:
Interlux Line’s:
Ultra Coat (hand
modified epoxy, approximately 65% Copper content) and
Super KL (hand
modified epoxy, approximately 65% Copper content)
Proline (vinyl-based
- 65% Copper content)
Sea Hawk Brand’s:
Shark Skin (high
50’s % Copper)
CuKote (in
testing - 45%-50% Copper)
Juton Hydro Coat (in testing - 45%-50% Copper).
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Happy Holidays to all of our Marina
Cortez tenants. We hope you have a wonderful time with friends
and family this holiday season, and of course, some relaxing
boating time at the marina!
We need your neighborhood watch help
it's awkward; sometimes annoying;
frequently embarrassing; always a pain. You’re
approaching the gate to your dock, and there they are. Workmen
with tool boxes, or families with ice chests and water toys, or
other seemingly nice people all waiting
for someone with a key to let them in.
You wish they weren’t there,
because you don’t want to be the one who has to say
“Sorry, I apologize, but if you don’t have a key, I
can’t let you in”. But that’s exactly what we
need you to do to protect you and your marina. In addition to
basic security reasons, there are liability issues and all
sorts of other issues relating to unauthorized persons being
admitted to the docks.
Here’s our suggestion - The next
time this happens to you, just say something like
“I’m sorry, but I can lose my dock privileges
if I let someone in without a key. If you visit the marina
office, I’m sure they can help you out”. In other
words, blame it on us. If enough of you do this, the problem
will eventually go away and you will have helped us protect
your boat and your marina.
Customer Service
Keeping the marina in top operating
condition is a high priority. While the staff walks the
property on a regular basis, we
need your help in identifying problems – from light bulbs burnt out, to plumbing
issues, to hazardous spills … Thank you to each of you
that make an effort to notify the office (by phone, email or in
person) when you see a problem. We welcome your input,
which helps us keep up the marina.
A Last Reminder About Dock Safety
Please be aware that the Coast Guard
inspectors are becoming increasingly serious about what’s
on the docks and what’s in your dock boxes. Avoid heavy
fines by removing and hazardous or toxic items from your dock
boxes, and remove any hazardous items from the docks including
replacing heavy dock steps.
Hail and Farewell
Bon Voyage to Tom and Carol Emery who
are leaving for a seven year cruising adventure. We hope you
keep in touch with us and let us know of your progress!
On the flip side, welcome aboard to Brant Yancey and
his Coronado sail boat, and Pastor
Daniel Lantis of the Christian
Fellowship Church and his Bayliner.
Carol Pagliuso – Marina Manager
Tel: 619-291-5985
San Diego Marina Fires Raise A Flag Of
Concern To Marina Managers
On November 29th, a total of nine boats went up in flames or were damaged in
fires at the second major
fire in recent months at the San Diego Marriott marina, and the
Hyatt Islandia marina in Mission Bay. Many marina managers
worry that more such fires will be attributed in part to the
increasing number of “boats that go nowhere”, i.e.,
people that are buying boats to serve essentially as vacation
condos that sit in slips for months or even years without ever
putting out to sea. Most seasoned boat owners are disciplined
to turn off water heaters, space heaters, and other unnecessary
electrical power devices when their boats are unoccupied, and
to frequently check for corrosion in other power points such as
battery chargers and power cables, but the fear is that many
novice boat owners have not had the training or education to
properly maintain these critical components and turn them off
when their boats are vacant.
The bottom line - Salt water and salt air
are corrosive, and nearly all boat fires are attributed to
electrical failures linked to corrosion in the last analysis.
If you don’t know how to do it yourself, hire a
professional to periodically inspect the electrical systems in
your boat. And most important, remember to unplug or switch off
any unnecessary electrical devices whenever you leave your boat
unattended.
Between the Sheets - It’s
December; the air is fresh; the water is cold; and the winds
are calling!
What happened to summer? Who cares? For
Southern California sailors, winter brings some of the best
boating weather in the country. Warm sunny day’s; crisp
star-lit nights. Many sailors believe that this is the best
time of the year to enjoy the full palette of the local sailing
experience. San Diego is known for its almost benign summer
wind patterns, which can be can become a howling breeze as the
winter fronts pass. So for all of us that look forward to this
time of the year, here are a couple of tips to remember as you
venture out:
When in doubt let if out: If you find yourself in the position
where the helm just doesn’t seem to have any feel or the
boat feels like it’s stuck in the mud, the best thing to
do is let the sails out. When they start to luff bring them
back in a little.
Shorten sail as soon as the conditions
call for it: A very salty
sailor once told me that any idiot can get a sail up, but it
takes a real sailor to get it down when all hell breaks loose!
Have a great holiday season, and
I’ll see you out there!
Richard Benscoter | |||||||||||
Where Are My Zincs Going?
While we’re on the subject of
electricity, did you know that in seawater, the hardware on
your boat (prop, shaft, through hulls, etc.) serves as a
conductive medium. The AC grounding wire provides a direct
electrical connection between the underwater hardware on boats
plugged into shore power. If your
neighbor’s boat has no zincs, then your boat’s
zincs will be eaten away first. Once
the zincs are gone, both boats are subject to corrosive damage
on the underwater hardware. The boat with the least noble metal
among the different boats will always protect the other boats
(zinc<aluminum< brass< stainless steel).
How far can galvanic corrosion travel
between boats? Depending on water temperature, current,
salinity, condition of zincs, proximity of boats, relative
surface areas of the respective anodic (i.e. zinc) and cathodic
(i.e. boat prop) metals, the voltage produced by galvanic
activity (normally less than 1.0 volt) can affect boats two or
three slips away before the current begins to dissipate through
the water.
Be a good neighbor - replace your zincs
regularly; verify your ground fault circuit breaker is set at
the proper level, and if there has been arcing across the pins
on the cord or the receptacles on the pedestal, notify the
marina office. Another tip - you can protect yourself by
installing a Galvanic isolator, but as always, there is a
catch. You must regularly monitor whether the isolator is
working properly or the likelihood of an electrical shock
hazard increases significantly. Galvanic isolators connect to
the green wire, close to shore-power inlet, to block the
circuit of galvanic current flow between neighboring boats.
Reminder - Your Water Hose Can Sink Your
Boat
Remember - you should never leave the
city water hose connected to an unattended boat, even if
it’s turned off (somebody who uses your water connection
could accidentally turn it back on). If there’s a
failure, you boat could accidentally sink. Please fill your
fresh water tank and disconnect the hose from your boat for
everybody’s safety.
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