Marina Village Marina June 2008 Newsletter

S.O.S. From The Galley
- By Monica Giobbi

Fire up the grill and get ready to serve the best Sliders you've ever had. Bring these to a dock party or raft-up and you'll be a hit.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, onion, Worcestershire Sauce, egg, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly to combine. Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, divide the mixture into 6 scant balls of meat. Using your hands, shape small patties about 3 inches wide. Place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to sit, refrigerated, at least 1 hour and up to overnight for flavors to mingle.

When you are ready to cook the burgers, preheat a grill to high and lightly butter the cut sides of the buns with the melted butter. Wrap the buns in aluminum foil and place on the coolest part of the grill to warm while you grill the burgers. Slider buns can be found at any bread store, such as ...Bread & Cie, Con Pane Rustic Breads

Grill the burgers about 2 minutes per side for medium. Transfer to the warmed buns.

Don't forget the condiments! Set out a selection of the following: BBQ Sauce, Guacamole, Mayonnaise, Ketchup, Mustard, Jalapenos, Pickles, Lettuce, Salsa, etc. Serves 6.

Bon Appetito!

Monica is co-owner of BlueSkyNews.com, a professional meeting planner, and an avid cook with years of experience entertaining on board using the limited space of the galley. If you have a favorite boating recipe to share or ideas for future articles, send an e-mail to monica@blueskynews.com.

About Boating in Mission Bay
- By Andy Kurtz
There's nothing finer than renting a boat or personal watercraft on Mission Bay or cruising your own boat from San Diego Bay or Oceanside to Mission Bay for a fun day outing. In this article, I'll share some local "insider" tips you'll want to have before you go.

Like all waterways, Mission Bay has some special rules a boater should know about to enjoy a fun and incident free outing.

Speed Limits
The first thing to know is that once the sun sets, the speed limit on all parts of the bay from sunset to sunrise is 5 mph. The speed limit is also 5 mph if you are within 100 ft. of another vessel; the shoreline; or within 200 ft. of a dock. Other than that, speed limits are posted on buoys and signs throughout the bay.

The West side of the bay (Sail Bay) is an open speed area up until 11 a.m. from May 1st to October 31st; and all day outside this time frame.

The East side of the bay (Ski Bay) is an open speed area all year long, but there is a counter clockwise traffic pattern that must be observed.

You can obtain a great map from the Mission Bay Lifeguard Headquarters on Quivira Way. This map will give you a detailed description of all the facilities (restrooms, launch ramps etc.)

Waterskiing and Wakeboarding
Tow-behind activities are allowed in any area that is not speed restricted. While it permitted anytime, experience shows that midday on weekends tend to be very busy in the summer and it is much more enjoyable to restrict these activities to early mornings or late afternoons.

Personal Watercraft (PWC)
"Jet Ski" type watercraft are allowed anywhere on the bay, but they have to follow the same rules as any other boat. There are also two "personal watercraft only" areas. These are on both sides of the entrance to Fiesta Island. These tend to be very busy and should be used with caution.

Insider's Helpful Hints
Read signs carefully and bring the map from the lifeguards we talked about. Mission bay is heavily patrolled by both the San Diego Police and the Lifeguards. Both of these agencies can and will write you a ticket if you violate the rules. Because it is such a congested bay, they are strict and quick to write you up. Mission Bay is a very popular destination for PWC's and by nature, these guys tend to be a little crazy.

Drive defensively - Do not assume other boaters know or will follow rules of the road. If you are fishing or just taking a slow cruise, stay out of Ski Bay - the speed limits other areas make for a more relaxing experience.

As with boating in all areas, the best way to avoid a problem is to be prepared. Check forecasts, make sure you have all the required equipment and make sure you boat is in good, safe working order. Also, it goes without saying that operating a boat and alcohol are a combination for trouble. - Go boating and have fun!

Andy Kurtz is the owner/operator of the landmark Seaforth Boat Rental company. He has been with the company for 30 years. A business graduate of San Diego State University, Andy is a licensed captain, a certified marine mechanical tech, a powerboat instructor, and an avid boater.

Setting the Pole Height
- By Brad Poulos
Have you every been racing on a boat where someone says "The clews aren't even - raise the pole."

Well, yes, this is true - the clews should be even - if you are using the right sail in the right conditions at the optimum wind angle, which is not always the case. When I ask a lot of people how the break looks, more often than not, they are not so sure what I'm talking about; the usual response is "fine". The correct response is "even". What that person is not aware of is that I am asking him if the pole height is right.

Here are my tips for getting the pole position right when trimming the spinnaker. Let's start out with a few truths and untruths:

1. The pole position largely affects sail shape - True.

2. The height of the pole is strictly determined by the height of the leeward clew - False.

3. The pole height controls the break of the leech, which helps induce the correct, designed sail shape when set right - True.

Now, let's establish a few important design aspects. Many of you have heard the term "a profile like a beetle's back" when describing spinnaker shape - starting round at the top and getting straight and vertical as you go down (see photo above). In order to achieve this modern shape, your spinnaker, when folded in half and laid on the loft floor, is cut with a distinct "S" curve along the luffs (see below).

Providing the correct pole height enables this curve to 'set' properly when being flown, thus giving us that desired shape.

Let's analyze some different pole height settings. With the pole too low, you'll be trying to pull that curve too straight. Instead of billowing away from the boat, the shoulders will curl over, causing the top of the spinnaker to break early, which causes the trimmer to tighten the sheet prematurely. The end result is an over-trimmed (and over-flattened) spinnaker, which is choking off flow of air around the main as well - all bad things.

As you raise the outboard end of the pole, you see the break change - instead of the breaking at the top, it moves down and evens out along the luff, as the top of the sail opens up. The break becomes even, indicating a properly shaped sail - at least in the front. The easy way to remember this is "move the pole to the break." If the sail breaks high, raise the pole.

If you have the pole too high, the opposite will happen. The shoulders will billow out too far- causing the bottom of the leech to break first - and the top to break late. This causes the trimmer to want to over-ease in order to get the top to break. The end result is an under-trimmed sail, with too much leech twist - allowing the air to escape over the leech instead of being directed to the foot, where you want it while sailing downwind.

What about the inboard end? Well, that's easy. One of the pole's jobs is to extend the sail as far away from the rig as possible. The inboard end is adjusted to match the outboard end, strictly to keep the pole perpendicular to the rig, therefore keeping it as extended as much as possible.

On the sheet end of things - the sail, remember, with the pole too high was inherently over-trimmed - so as the pole is raised, the sheet can generally be eased. And as the pole is lowered, the sheet generally will need to be trimmed, as the luff closes up top. An easy way to remember all this - " down and in" or "up and out".

Another consideration here is that the guy must be adjusted when raising or lowering the pole - if we are to raise the pole the guy must be eased, or the pole will oversquare. Again, "UP (on the pole) and OUT (on the guy and sheet). If we lower the pole, it will undersquare. Therefore, DOWN (on the pole and IN (on the sheet and guy).

I often use the Phrase of "reigning in" the kite -The sail has gotten too far away from the boat -the guy was eased, so the pole end raised up a little- then the trimmer had to ease more because the luff wouldn't break- but when it does the whole thing is about to luff - so the guy gets eased again, and so on and so forth.

Now the sail is truly ballooning, and needs to be "reigned in". AKA over-eased, under-squared and under-trimmed. This is a bad combination- a high center of effort, a low amount of pulling force due to decreased exposure to the breeze - bad and really bad.

This is an occurrence I see way too often. If we pay attention to the subtle but important detail of the break, we will see that our clew heights often end up even - when the sail is being used in the proper range of conditions.

But what then, when we are not using it in the ideal conditions, such as a one design class where you are only allowed one sail, or when the breeze changes and you are not in a position to do a peel?

Lets look at the high wind side first. As the breeze increases, we sail deeper - squaring up more, and easing the sheet and consequently raising the pole to get the right break. Anytime a spinnaker sheet is eased - the clew goes out, but it also goes up. Now we have a sail that has a clew that is too high - as the sail we have up is designed to be trimmed with the clew lower.

The end result is an asymmetric shape that allows the air to flow from luff to leech. The solution here is not to raise the pole further- that will only make it worse, since it will cause the trimmer to want to ease even more. This is where a twing on a spinnaker sheet becomes very valuable. In addition to keeping the clew lower, it will help increase the boats stability by controlling the oscillations of the sail. On larger boats, many times the solution is to trim it off what was the lazy guy instead of the sheet - until it is time to gybe, when you switch back to the sheet on a twing.

We said that if the clew is high, the air flows luff to leech- sound familiar? It should - especially if you use an asymmetric spinnaker or trim a headsail. As the breeze gets lighter, we sail higher angles. The guy gets eased out and the pole goes forward and consequently, wants to go up. The sheet gets trimmed in and the clew goes down.

What often then happens is the clew ends up lower than the pole, which is just plain 'ole bad. If we lower the pole enough to get it lower than the clew, now we have that asymmetric shape that we see screaming past us on the sprit boats - a low tack, with a high clew to induce that luff to leech flow, without choking off the newly established flow around the back of the main. Not the best way to use your kite - but remember, you were supposed to do a peel to a reaching sail five knots ago.

Editor's Note: Brad Poulos is the General Manager at UK Halsey Sailmakers and holds a US Coast Guard 50-ton masters license. Brad is also an ASA certified sailing instructor. If you have a question regarding the use or care of sails, send an e-mail to brad@BlueSkyNews.com.

Are You a Pollywog or a Shellback?
That depends whether you have crossed the equator on a boat or ship. (No, it doesn't count if you're at 30,000 feet or sipping a martini in the casino on a cruise ship).

"Crossing the line" is an initiation rite which commemorates a sailor's first crossing of the equator. Originally the tradition was created as a test for seasoned sailors to find out if their new shipmates were capable of handling long rough times at sea.

Sailors who have already crossed the equator are nicknamed (Trusty) Shellbacks, often referred to as Sons of Neptune; those who have not are nicknamed (Slimy) Pollywogs.

A rare status is the Golden (or Royal) shellback; a person who has crossed the equator at the 180th meridian (international date line).

In the past, these initiation rites often lasted for a couple of days with brutal treatment of pollywogs including such things as shaving their heads, covering them with sea slime, tossing them into the hold, etc. The usual final insult was a blindfolded visit to King Neptune on the aft deck and the requirement to "kiss the royal baby's ass". (Which after the blindfold was removed turned out to be the stomach of the fattest sailor aboard smeared with sea slime).

For more fascinating reading about crossing the line, Click Here.

Knight & Carver Partners With MarineMax
Talk to any yacht broker, and they'll all tell you the same thing - in the current economy, the small boat market is feeling the crunch; but at the high end, you wouldn't know that the price of fuel has gone up.

The San Diego branch of MarineMax which deals in high-end brands such as Ferretti, Bertram, Pershing, Mochi Craft and Riva yachts, among many other top of the line luxury yachts, has joined forces with Knight and Carver YachtCenter to provide the finest level of service to luxury yacht clients after the sale.

"We view this as a perfect blend of our two specialties," said Kate Pearson, Knight & Carver's Vice President of Business Development. "Marine Max has long been a recognized leader in yacht sales, just as we're an industry leader in large-yacht repair and service. This new relationship gives their clients a direct link to achieving the utmost in service for their elite yachts."

"We are pleased to join with Knight & Carver to provide our clients with the finest in yacht repair and marine services," said MarineMax San Diego Yacht Sales Manager Mark Gibbons. "With their proven record of success with large yachts, we'll continue to deliver that tradition of excellence."

MarineMax, Inc. ranks as the largest U.S. yacht brokerage with nearly 100 retail locations; three in Southern California. Its stock (HZ0) is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

Knight & Carver YachtCenter is located on San Diego Bay. The company specializes in the repair of large vessels, including luxury yachts, commercial vessels and military.