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Greetings From the Marina Office!
 Hello Shelter Cove mariners and welcome to the June 2010 marina newsletter. May gray is behind us, and it looks like we'll have a nice summer.
And, it's that time of year again - if you are planning to come to the marina This Sunday, June 6th, be aware that the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and 30,000 runners and joggers will impact the streets and freeways of San Diego for most of the morning, starting as early as 2:00 a.m., so be careful to plan your comings and goings to avoid the delays.
 This event is well attended and does result in some road closures and detours. The majority of road closures along the marathon route, with the exception of the Start and Finish areas, will be between 5:00 am and 2:00 pm.
A number of freeway on-and-off ramps will also be closed. A detailed list of ramp closures is available on the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon website. All other freeways and highways will remain open, however, delays should be expected.
To see the schedule of freeway and street closures, suggested access routes and recommendations for travel alternatives, Click Here.
A Word About Your VHF Radio
If you are a new recreational boater, here are a few tips about the channels on your VHF marine radio that you will find useful.
First and foremost, when you're cruising, you should always have your VHF radio turned on and set so that one of the channels it is monitoring is channel 16.
Channel 16 is the boater's "window to the world". Its priority use is for calling in emergency and distress communications to the Coast Guard, but when it's quiet, Channel 16 is also the channel you can use to hail another vessel or station (such as a yacht club, marina, etc.).
There are some strict rules as to how often you can continue to hail another vessel or station on Channel 16 - a time or two will usually let you know whether your party is on-line and likely to respond. If you don't want a reprimand, use common sense.
If you do get a response from the party you are hailing on Channel 16, the object of the game is to agree on another channel that you can both immediately switch to, and then continue your communication.
As time goes by, you'll get the hang of which channels the local fishermen, commercial traffic, and casual boaters use in your area to communicate, and which are most appropriate for you to use.
In the meantime, here is a link to a the Coast Guard VHF channel assignment chart that we recommend you print out and keep handy by your marine radio.
That's it for us - Enjoy the newsletter and we'll see you at the marina.
Yours Truly,
Shaun McMahon - Marina Manager
info@sheltercovemarina
How to Extend the Life of Your Sails
- By Jay Bernstein
Next to salt, sun is often considered most corrosive to your boat, and sails are particularly vulnerable.
 Most cruising sails are made of Dacron fabric which is much more durable than racing sails, but it is far from indestructible. Left in the sun unprotected, even your cruising sails will quickly decay into useless rags.
It can lead to excruciating amounts of unwanted attention when hoisted in view of other sailors and in certain extreme cases may even draw comments from power boats. Keeping your sails protected from the sun not only makes them last longer, but also will preserve their ability to maintain a good wing shape providing the best performance.
Some Things in Boating Are Free
- By Richard Benscoter
Did you know the NOAA Office of Coast Survey provides a multitude of vital navigation materials and charts in digital format - for free!
 That's right - no charge - and what really makes this public service exceptional is that the charts are updated weekly. That means the items that are in the weekly notice to mariners are on the NOAA charts weekly also.
What's new and very useful and printable at home is an Experimental BookletCharttm. These charts are divided into standard pages with a cover page index. The booklet chart for San Diego Bay, chart 18773, is 23 pages in length and fits nicely in a three ring binder. Click Here to check it out and let NOAA know what you think through their comment link.
All the navigation publications which would take up volumes of space in their printed format are also all available in a digital format including chart 1 coastal pilot and all the charts for the East Coast and West Coast - and they are all available in digital format so you can download just what you need.
A Boat Insurance Primer
- By Kells Christian
Insuring your boat to protect your investment is always a sound idea, and in certain circumstances you may be required to insure your boat. Lenders and marinas often require insurance, for example.
 Protecting hard-earned assets from liability exposure due to property damage or personal injury, which can occur as a consequence of boat ownership, is prudent.
But when you want or have to buy boat insurance, how do you shop and compare boat insurance policies?
The most common comparison is price. If you never have a claim, price is the best comparison. However, there are many other factors, which should be considered.
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Something Fishy and Fun For Little Kids and Big Kids
 We didn't evaluate this game, but DeepSea-Opoly looks like it should be great fun and an educational game for the boating and fishing family. Not to mention, a good way to keep pint-sized boaters happy and engaged.
In the game, players buy bodies of water, catch big fish, and duke it out over the fighting chair.
As you play, you can flip over your deeds to get fishing tips and learn interesting facts about marine life.
For 2 to 6 players - Ages 8 to adult - For more information, Click Here.
More On Falling Off the Dock or Your Boat
-By Captain Debra Marks
Last month I wrote an article entitled "Some Facts of Life About Falling Into the Water From Your Boat or Dock."
 We had numerous responses from people who told us about their brush with falling into the water that lead us to believe that falls are far more prevalent than even we thought, so I thought I'd share here some of what we heard from our readers.
One gentleman who had been sailing for many decades, accidentally caught his Bermuda short's leg on a stanchion one afternoon while disembarking his Catalina 30 to the boarding steps on the dock.
He couldn't get up on the stern's swim ladder, and no one was around. His leg was quite injured in the fall. The dock must have been unusually low (most are around 20" high), as he was able to get his elbow up on it. With the other hand on the hull, and as an ex-gymnast, he used a "parallel bars move" from long ago to hoist himself up. Must be a strong guy!
Steve Spiro of Maritime Properties in Laguna Niguel filed this story:
"Debra - I just read your article in the May 2010 Blue Sky Newsletter titled "Some Facts Of Life About Falling Into the Water From Your Boat or Dock".
I wanted to share an experience I had a few weeks ago related to this article.
New Mission Bay Fog Horn Can Be Activated By Boaters
The Coast Guard installed and activated a new fog horn in Mission Bay last week to replace outdated technology, and put the activation of the navigation aid into the hands of the boating public.
 The San Diego Aids to Navigation Team has been working with the Army Corps of Engineers for the past eight months as the Corps repaired Mission Jetty, which was destroyed almost 10 years ago in a storm. Two new solar navigational lights that mark the entrance to the jetty and the new fog horn have been installed as a part of the repair.
Mariners who enter the channel by way of the Mission Jetty when it is foggy can now use their VHF radio to activate the fog horn for navigational guidance. Mariners can tune their radio to channel 79A and depress their mic five times to activate the fog horn.
"This is the same technology that small airports use to active lights on the runways," said Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Tapp, the officer in charge of the Aids to Navigation Team. "The fog horn does not need to be on all of the time when it is foggy, just when a boater is transiting the area. This means it will only be on when someone really needs it, and this system will help cut down on noise pollution in the area."
This is the second fog horn of its kind installed on the West Coast, the first was installed in Northern California at the beginning of May. This technology is being used throughout the Great Lakes and has been very successful.
The previous fog horn was activated by a cell phone costing tax payers more than $1,200 every year to maintain the phone line.
The Coast Guard would like to remind all mariners that it is very important to bring some sort of communication with them while they are on the water in case of an emergency. Carrying a VHF radio is one of the best means of communication because cell phones lose reception and batteries can quickly drain.
Coast Guard Auxiliary Tip of the Month: A Word About Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)
- By Bob Simons
 The Law concerning Personal Flotation Devices states that "Acceptable PFDs on your boat must be U.S. Coast Guard approved, in good serviceable condition, and
of suitable size for each person on the boat.
Throwable devices shall be "immediately available."
Wearable PFDs (otherwise known as "life jackets") shall be "readily accessible."
Children must have properly fitted PFDs designed specifically for children.
PFDs shall not be stored in unopened plastic packaging.
For Personal Watercraft riders, the PFD must be worn and indicate an impact rating. Boats 16 Feet or longer must also have one Type IV, etc."
The Reality is that those nice orange Life Jackets everyone has on their boat may make you legal, but too few people ever actually wear one.
This is too bad, because drownings are seldom from sinking boats where you have the luxury of standing on the deck, carefully dawning your life jacket and daintily stepping into a lifeboat. People drown by accidents happening, and they are not predictable by the very definition of "accident".
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