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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.
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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
Saturday June 2nd - Operation
Clean Sweep
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!
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.
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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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Greetings From Your Marina Manager
Welcome to the Shelter Cove Marina June 2007 e-mail newsletter. I hope everybody had a super Memorial Day weekend
and a great beginning to the summer boating season.
Comings and Goings:
We want to extend a warm welcome to Dottie Page, our new
weekend person here at the marina, and say farewell (sort of)
to Maritza Becerra Vargas, who no longer needs a second job thanks to her
promotion in the Sherriff’s Department. Congratulations
Maritza on being “in the money” - we’ll miss
you, but we’ll still look forward to you “filling
in” at the marina from time to time. Also, a hearty
thank-you to Brenda Steger for being a fill-in weekend person at the
marina - we wish you well and hope you come back from Alaska
soon!
Operation Clean Sweep:
Many thanks to the volunteer divers and
marina tenants who made Operation Clean Sweep a great success.
The BBQ was terrific as was the band, and the place looks
terrific! Way to go!
First Albacore Strike of the Season:
Congratulations to Captain Brian Sims and
angler Dan Lara of Vista who landed a 575-pound thresher shark
off the deck of the Royal Star. The catch if it stands will
shatter a nearly 27 year old record.
Is Your Stomach Tied In Knots!
Well, then bring it on over to Darryl
McNurlan’s basic
knot-tying class on
Tuesday, June 19th from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm.
Darryl is a knot-tying guild member and in
this fun free class, he will emphasize the four or five basic
knots that are really important for boaters to know, as opposed
to those that will impress your friends at cocktail parties.
Call or come by the marina office to sign up!
Article Submissions Wanted for the
Newsletter
Have an interesting sea story or item of
interest you think our newsletter readers would enjoy? Click Here to send
an e-mail with your submission to Stacy
Thomas - 50 words or less
please.
That’s it for now - see you at the
marina soon.
Shaun McMahon - Marina Manager
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.
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.
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.
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!
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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