Seasons Greetings From Your Marina Manager
Welcome to the December 2007 Shelter Cove Marina e-mail newsletter. I hope you're all having a great holiday boating season.

A Big Thank You For Your Help to Keep Shelter Cove Secure!
Many of you let us know how much you appreciate the reminders we posted last month to help ensure Shelter Cove is safe and secure. We appreciate all of the cooperation. For anyone who missed those items, here is a recap:

- Guests should always be accompanied by a tenant. Tenants should direct anyone waiting outside gates to the office. After hours, any suspicious activity or persons should be reported to the harbor police at 619-686-6272. We especially want to thank again everyone who reports anything amiss on the docks and with your neighbors' boats. You guys are the best!

- To ensure that all workers with access to the docks are legitimate, each is required to maintain on file with the marina office: 1. insurance, 2. business license and 3. a signed premises access agreement. Workers are restricted to marina business hours. Inquire whether or not your contractor is in compliance with these marina regulations. Granting access to unauthorized workers jeopardizes your tenancy. The marina maintains a list of authorized contractors and is happy to make referrals.

Xmas Lights at the Marina
As always, we like to encourage all of you to "get in the spirit" and deck out the marina with lights for the season. All tenants that display holiday lights on their boats for at least half of the month of December will be discounted the cost of their electrical fees for that entire month. Due to the invoicing, you will see the discount or absence of electrical fees on your February invoice. Come on, dig out those lights and nudge your neighbors! We know its So. Cal, but there's no reason we can't get down!

Christmas Potluck
On that note, sail ho! It's time for all ye buccaneers, laddies and lassies, and brethren of the coast to parley and gather for a ho ho ho pirate's holiday at Shelter Cove. So, come about smartly and bring all yer hearties and mates with you! Potluck, for sooth. The marina will provide all the spirits, as always. Be on the quarterdeck, in the rec room, starting at 5 pm on Sunday, December 16, 2007. Come for a "clap of thunder", check out the parade of lights while you're here. Meet new marina privateers and share a nipperkin with all yer old hands too! Awrrrr!!

You're the Best!
Shelter Cove thanks you for mooring with us. We are grateful to have such a great group of tenants. We wish each of you and yours a joyful holiday season and all the best in the year to come.

Shaun McMahon - Marina Manager
info@sheltercovemarina

Around the Circuit - Cruising to Mexico?
By Brett Dingerson
A lot of people do this time of year, so I thought an electrical checklist might come in handy.

Your first and foremost concern should be the condition of your batteries. If they are less than 2 years old, they will probably perform admirably for a winter's worth of cruising down South, but I recommend testing them before trusting them.

Load testing is the most common method to test battery health. Batteries are placed under a load, similar to starting an engine, and if they provide enough power they are considered to be OK. There is a more accurate method, however, called capacitance testing. This method will give an accurate reading of the battery's capacity to hold a charge and is a much better measurement of a battery's condition.

You should also test and visually inspect your bilge pumps. Look closely at the wiring and connections. Bilge pump wires are a frequent source of stray current corrosion (electrolysis) since even a small cut in the insulation will allow electrical current to flow into the water. Green spots in the wires and connections are a sure sign of bad things and should be attended to before departing. Also, secure wires as high as possible above the bilge water.

Your engine's wire harness lives a tough life of vibration and heat. You may not want to take a wrench to every nut and bolt, but try to touch every connection to check for loose wires and battery cables. Give a little tug on each wire to make sure it's crimped tightly, they will work loose over the years if they are not soldered and secured.

Try to look everywhere you have electrical wires - behind circuit breaker panels, windlass wiring, lazerette, engine rooms, etc. A lot of problems can be seen by casual observers. Corrosion isn't hard to spot if you're looking for it. In electrical systems it's almost always the color green. Anytime you see green stuff coming out of a wire, motor, connection, etc, you have an electrical problem.

A prior inspection of the boat's electrical system will save you a few headaches down Mexico way, I'll bet a margarita on it.

Editor's Note: Brett Dingerson has over 25 years experience as a marine electrician, with a specialty in marine galvanic corrosion protection. He has worked with a wide range of sailing and power vessels and is the owner of San Diego-based Marine Electric. If you have a sailing question for Brett, send e-mail to brett@BlueSkyNews.com

Coast Guard Auxiliary Tip of the Month
Hypothermia and PFD's
By Bob Simons
This is the time of year when our water temperature drops below sixty degrees. As you probably are aware, your conscientious survival time if you are immersed in water below sixty drops to approximately one hour.

I mention "conscientious survival time" because you may live up to four hours in these temperatures, but only if you are wearing a PFD Personal Flotation Device).

The new technologies in PFDs have advanced greatly since the old yellow jackets that many of us still carry on our boats to make them legal. I think probably the best of today's PFDs are the suspender kind because they are so comfortable to wear and provide great flotation. They come in automatic and manual so depending on your boating style they are very versatile. I sail alone in my 24' sailboat and wear the automatic, but when I'm on Coast Guard patrol I wear the manual inflatable because of the likelihood I'll be rapidly recovered from the water.

PFD coats have also come a long way. Wearing one a few years ago was very uncomfortable unless you were standing. The new coats are far less bulky and comfortable and even come in inflatable styles. Most of our body heat is lost through the top of the head so in the winter wearing a hat for warmth is as important as wearing it for sun protection. For more information about the PFDs I mention in this article, Click Here.

The issue is that you must wear some sort of a PFD to make it worthwhile. Accidents happen on boats and if they happen when it's cold they can be deadly. Hypothermia, which happens when the core temperature of your body drops below 95, is the most frequent cause of winter causalities and it is so easy to prevent.

The bottom line? Wear your PFD and cover your head - that's all there is to it. (Of course it'd be a good idea not to fall in the water too!).

See you next time; and happy holiday cruising!

Bob Simons has been in the Coast Guard Auxiliary for thirty years and owns a small sailboat as well as a small powerboat. He teaches classes in Boating Safety & Seamanship as well as Basic and Advanced Coastal Navigation. Bob is also the co-owner of Seabreeze Books and Charts in Point Loma.

Still Keeping Track of Your Appointments On That Old Desk Calendar?
Join the 21st Century! Google has a free calender capability that you can even share with other people and do things like import other useful calendars such as U.S. holidays.

It takes a little bit of time to set it up, but it's well worth it when you're done. Here's a link to a Tour of the Google calendar - Take a look at it before you start. Then when you're ready to set up your calendar, sign on to Google and click on the more pull-down menu. Under more, select the Calendar option. If you don't have a free Google account, you'll be prompted to set one up at this point.

The trickiest part is in the sharing of your calendar with other people so you can all enter appointments and so all of you can also see each other's entries. This requires a series of e-mails between the people who you want to share asking for and giving permission to each other to use the calendar.

One of the neatest features is the ability to import other "public" calendars into yours. We mentioned U.S. Holidays, but there are tons of other calendars that you may be interested in ranging from theatre schedules to what's happening at your local convention center. Google makes it easy for you to search these public calendars and import them into yours.

One caution, make sure you don't make your calendar "public" unless you want the public to be able to see it. Happy scheduling!

From the Inside - BlueSkyNews.com at the San Diego Boat Show
You've read their articles in the newsletters - Now we'd like to invite you to come say hello to the BlueSkyNews.com team in person at the San Diego Boat Show!

Richard Benscoter, Brett Dingerson, and Bob Simons will all be appearing on the official boat show stage. The final schedule is not available as of this press time, but we'll send it to you just as soon as we get it.

We also have some great prizes we'll be giving away at the BlueSkyNews.com booth, and we'll tell you all about that as well.

Richard's topic is "Cruising to Catalina - Sailing Secrets and Tips ". When is the best time to go? Which Catalina harbor is best for you? What are the do's and dont's? How should you plan your trip? What are some fun stop-over spots along the way?

Brett's topic is "Bonding Your Boat - Separating Fact from Fiction". In his presentation, Brett uses real props to demonstrate the effects of galvanic and stray current corrosion, and the crucial role bonding has in protecting a boat in a marina. A rare opportunity to get answers to your marine electric questions.

Bob Simons and Frank Bird are not your ordinary Coast Guard Auxiliary officers. Come hear this entertaining duo explain how the Auxiliary can be your best boating friend when it comes to safety, and how to have the right stuff on your boat to be prepared for any situations that might arise while cruising. Don't miss this informal opportunity to hear some great real life stories and ask any questions you may have in an informal, relaxed environment.

After their presentations, they'll all be hanging out in the BlueSkyNews.com booth to meet you and answer any questions you might have about sailing, electrical issues, safety or whatever else you might be interested in discussing.

The boat show is being held at the San Diego Convention Center on January 3-6, 2008. In addition to the opportunity to "meet our team", we'll be giving away lots of prizes in our booth, including one gift certificate each day for a free cruise for two aboard America's Cup class racing boat USA-11. For complete boat show schedules and information, visit www.nmma.org. See you there!

Great Stuff Happening in San Diego in December
San Diego's 36th Annual Boat Parade of Lights
The Port of San Diego's 36th annual "Parade of Lights" will be held on Sunday, December 9th, and Sunday, December 16, 2007 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.

If you've never witnessed San Diego's Parade of Lights before, plan to be entertained by the imagination of San Diego's recreational boaters, who deck out their boats with lights in creative and entertaining themes. Bring the chairs and blankets early to stake out a good viewing place along the waterfront, and prepare to have a fun evening.

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.

Mission Bay Christmas Boat Parade of Lights
Bundle up the kids, grab the lawn chairs and the cooler, and head for Mission Bay on Saturday, December 8th for the popular Mission Bay Christmas Boat Parade of Lights.

Sponsored by the Mission Bay Yacht Club, the parade of over 100 brightly decorated boats starts at 7:00 p.m. at Quivira Basin and ends up by the Sea World tower for the 9:00 p.m. lighting up of the sky by the Sea World fireworks.

There are lots of great viewing points including Riviera Shores, Crown Point, Santa Clara Point, the east side of Vacation Island, and the west side of Fiesta Island.

For a map of the parade route or to sign up to participate Click Here to visit the parade's official web site or call 858-488-0501.

Coronado Chamber of Commerce Holiday Parade, Open House and Snow Mountain
Mark Friday December 7th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for the Coronado Chamber of Commerce's 32nd Annual Holiday Parade, Open House and Snow Mountain.

This free fun family event starts with Santa arriving at the Ferry Landing Marketplace and includes Snow Mountain sponsored by the Coronado Community Center, Merchants Open House on Orange Avenue, the Holiday Parade at 6:00 p.m. from 7th & Orange to Dana Place and back, and ends with the Lighting of the Rotary Park Christmas Tree and a Community Concert at Rotary Park. Click Here for more information.

Between the Sheets - Copper, How Will it Affect Boating In the Future
By Richard Benscoter
The holiday season is here; crisp winds and clear skies are an excellent time to venture forth and enjoy the day on the bay or off the coast.

Most boaters I know are among the most environmentally conscious about our bays and waterways, but as you are probably aware, recent studies have indicated that copper in our water has been exceeded in many of the marinas and basins in San Diego bay.

The blame for this is primarily assigned to the copper in the bottom paint we have on our boats. There are many others sources in our environment which storm drains carry into the ocean and bays through storm drains which carry copper residue from sources such as car brakes, etc., but the main culprit is copper-based bottom paint. The Port of San Diego has $100,869 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to assist with finding different types of bottom coatings that boaters could use that wouldn't harm the environment

As certain deadlines for fixing this problem approach, all levels of government are studying and dealing with ways to come into compliance with copper loading limits in our bays and marinas also known as TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load).

On the boating side of things, the main emphasis is on finding cost-effective alternatives to our current bottom paints.

As boaters, we will all be affected eventually by the decisions made to solve the copper problem. For more information about TMDL, Click Here. We need to keep in tune with what is transpiring and support positive efforts in doing the right thing so our bays and ocean are pollution free and available to the future boaters.

Have a great Holiday season and I look forward to meeting you at the San Diego Boat show in January.

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.

Eight Bells and All is Well
Using bells to keep time aboard ship began when all they had was a half-hour glass to rely on for the changing of the four-hour watch. Each time the sand ran out, it was the job of the ship's boy to turn over the glass. In order to show that he was doing the job, he was instructed to strike a bell each time he did it. From there, the practice of striking one through eight bells naturally evolved so sailors could tell how far into their watch they were.