Greetings From Your Marina Manager
Well, another month has come and gone, and it looks like the sun might be finally here to stay.

Celebrate the 4th of July!
One of the best things about being a Shelter Cove boater is that you automatically have access to the best seats in the house to enjoy the 7th annual Big Bay July 4th fireworks show. Fireworks start at 9:00 p.m. The approximately 20-minute display of some of the most technically advanced pyrotechnics will be fired from four barges and choreographed to music simulcast live on Star 94.1 FM radio. The barges will be located near Shelter Island, Harbor Island, the North Embarcadero where B Street Pier is located and off Seaport Village. Bring your blanket; folding chair; portable radio; and whatever else you need to enjoy the fireworks; and claim your patch of grass along the bayfront early!

New At The Marina Office
If you haven't already done it, please stop in the marina office and welcome Dottie Page, our new week end office staffer and very welcome addition.

We also hope you got to know Brenda Steger while she was filling in at the office. We miss you Brenda and we hope you'll come down from Alaska and visit us occasionally.

A Big Thank You to the Operation Clean Sweep Team
A very successful Operation Clean Sweep 2007 is now behind us. The shore side clean up sites for June 2nd 2007 included; Chula Vista Marina, Cesar Chavez Park, Shelter Island, Chollas Creek, while the Civilian and Navy Divers were sweeping under the waters in the America's Cup Harbor area.

This year the volunteers cleaned up over 305 cubic yards of trash out of our Big Bay and surrounding areas where the trash would eventually end up in our bay! We were also successful in pulling out 1 sunken boat from Americas Cup Harbor area, along with other items that don't belong in our bay such as, tires, toilets, tools, engines, and batteries. Even an old ping pong table was found this year!

After the clean up, volunteers enjoyed the "Treasure Hunt Junk Party". The first place trash that was found was an old seat from an airplane! We enjoyed a fantastic BBQ and beer donated by Budweiser. The very talented U.S. Navy jazz combo "The Destroyers" played into the afternoon for us. Everyone had a great time!

We want to specifically acknowledge the participation of our terrific Shelter Cove volunteers.Thank you for your continued support of Operation Clean Sweep. Truly, we could not have done it without you and we hope that you will be able to be a part of Operation Clean Sweep 2008 when we celebrate our 18th year of cleaning up the bay on June 7th, 2008.

To see other pictures of Operation Clean Sweep 2007, please take a look at the San Diego Port Tenants Association website.

First Annual B Dock Catalina Rendezvous
The first annual Shelter Cove "B" dock Catalina Rendezvous took place last month in Avalon. There were a total of 5 "B" dock boats that took place in the adventure.

Tappio & Satu lead the way, leaving on Thursday May 24th. After compensating for a compass reading that was 35 degrees off, and ending up almost in Long Beach, they reached the island on Friday, and enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend swinging on a can off of Descanso Beach.

Morning Star (with its usual crew of Rick, Keith, and Bob), Yankee Girl (Jan & guest skipper Kevin), Eluthera (Chris & Joyce), departed at 5:30 am on Memorial Day bound for the island. Of course the wind was on our nose, so we were motor-sailing on a 296 degree course for Avalon.

After about 4 hours, Yankee Girl developed fuel filter problems, but Kevin changed the primary filter quickly and we were on our way again. Another hour and the secondary filter clogged, so we made a mid-channel transfer of Chris from Eluthera and he & Kevin changed that filter.

Fortunately, the seas were calm and that filter change did the trick. We all pulled into the harbor around 5 pm, and secured 3 moorings adjacent to each other near the Casino. Of course we celebrated the successful crossing by toasting the sea gods, as Tappio & Satu joined us on our arrival, before they left for their return to Shelter Cove on Tuesday afternoon.

The week was spent relaxing on the boats, touring the island, repairing boats, and experiencing the night life on shore. A good time was had by all.

Eluthera lost her starter motor, and tried desperately to get it repaired by a local mechanic, but to no avail. As the weekend rolled around, Morning Star had to leave on Friday (back to work on Saturday), but Yankee Girl stayed with Eluthera to go back together when the starter got repaired on Saturday.

As it turned out, on Friday night Compass Rose (Arvin, Jordan & Tappio) decided to join the remaining group and left for Avalon at 11 pm. After an all night crossing, they joined up with the remaining boats on Saturday. They joined in on the fun on the island.

Sunday came around and all 3 remaining boat left for Shelter Cove, with Eluthera being towed out of Avalon Harbor until they could put up her sails for the trip home. As luck would have it, there was no wind, so Eluthera ended up being towed by both Yankee Girl & Compass Rose until Vessel Assist took over and towed Eluthera back home to her slip.

This first "B" dock was none the less a success and we all look forward to the next one. We are in the process of planning the next "adventure" and we welcome everyone in the Marina to join us soon.

Rick Weyerhaeuser - Morning Star

Dockside Project Do's and Don'ts
Remember there are projects that are rightly performed in a boatyard, and projects that are o.k. to do dockside. If you have any question about whether what you want to do is allowed dockside, please check with the marina office. Don't expose yourself to a fine for unauthorized painting, etc.

Speaking of Dockside Projects
We want to ask marina tenants to please not schedule workers to work on your boat on weekends. This will be much appreciated not only by the marina but by your neighbors. Thank you.

Article Submissions Wanted for the Newsletter
Have an interesting sea story or item of interest you think our newsletter readers would enjoy? Why not let us know - you could be our star reporter for the next newsletter.

That's it for Now
Remember, if you have any questions or items you would like to discuss, please send me an e-mail We would like to hear from you.

Shaun McMahon - Marina Manager
info@sheltercovemarina

From the Poop Deck

Hey! Which one of you morons threw the beer can in the water? How would you like it if I made a deposit on your teak deck? Get in there and put that in the recycle bin!

Editor's Note: Once again - We apologize for Madeline. We're trying to get her to be more polished, but we're not making much progress. If you have a pet question or photo to send to her, please e-mail it to Madeline@BigBayNews.com.

Desktop Photo of the Month -
The Sydney Opera House
Our BlueSkyNews.com camera captured this view of the Sydney Opera House on an early morning harbor cruise. For step-by-step instructions to download this photo or one of our many other fantastic free photos to your PC desktop, Click Here.

Happening In July
27th Annual Sand Castle Days and Sandcastle Ball will be held on Friday, Saturday & Sunday, July 27th-30th at Imperial Beach. This unique event is free (except for the Sandcastle Ball). The Sandcastle weekend begins Friday night with the annual Sandcastle Ball and continues Saturday with a street festival, pancake breakfast, parade and fireworks. The official competition is held Sunday. For the exact schedule, visit US Open Sand Castle.

Coming In August - The Big Boat Show

Between the Sheets - About Sail Trim
Everyone talks about it; everyone wants it; so how do you get it and make it work for you?

A sail is kind of like an aircraft wing placed vertically on a boat, with the distinction that we sailors can change the shape of that wing on the fly to achieve better (or worse) performance. Aircraft wings are studied in many science classes, but unfortunately sails are not, so we have to search a little harder for easy to understand useful tips on how to properly trim a sail.



The shape of a sail is changed with adjustments of the downhaul, outhaul, boom vang, and traveller. The difficult part of sail trim is that all these things must be adjusted in harmony, or the desired boat acceleration and speed will just not be there.

I'm sure like many of you, when I first started to sail long ago I used the trial and error method on the water. This method works up to a point, but I found myself frustrated that I had difficulty verbalizing to my crew the exact shape I desired in the sail, and more importantly how to tell them what to do (and why) to achieve that shape. With a lot of practice, my crew all eventually got pretty much on the same page, but we were still not going to be leading the summer race series.

It was evident I needed a solution to teach some of my crew more about sail trim if we were going to become competitive. There had to be a simple way to impart the volumes of sail trim knowledge in a very condensed and easy to understand format.

I found there is a lot of material out there even in the "Dummies" series of books, but what finally worked for us were sail trim charts by Don Juliette. These are available in numerous places - I got mine on the internet at sailboatowners.com.

Now my whole crew is on the same page, and occasionally even in the lead in a race. See you on the water or in Catalina next month!

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.

Wooden Boat Festival Was Good Fun
Koehler Kraft's 17th annual Shelter Island San Diego Wooden Boat Festival on Father's Day weekend was very well attended and a lot of fun for all who were there. I gave a demonstration of the pros and cons of bonding that was well attended and sparked a lively discussion. (Isn't that always the case when bonding pops up in a conversation about boats?)

I used a tub full of sea water and some old thru-hulls along with other pieces of discarded metal to simulate the underwater hardware environment on a boat. I demonstrated techniques used in corrosion surveys to illustrate what's really going on when you put a boat in the water. When you see it in front of your eyes, it's easier to understand how voltage is created and how the current flows.

The most surprising thing to most people is how little zinc it takes to protect a boat from galvanic corrosion. I'm sure this common mistake is the reason bonding has such a bad reputation in some boatyards.

Most people haul their boats out on a regular basis and put then fresh zincs directly on top of their fresh, expensive paint job. In many cases that's probably not necessary because their underwater hardware is already pretty well protected by the paint itself. (If there's no water-to-metal contact; there's no corrosion. The zincs are usually large enough to last a year or more so they commence to raise the bonding system voltage high enough to start forming "paint halos". Circular patterns around the thru-hulls.
Sound familiar?

The festival had everything from mahogany inboard ski-boats from the early 1900's era, to modern day wooden craft, and many boats in various stages of restoration. In addition to my class on marine electricity 101 there was a session on how to make hand made rope fenders, but the main attraction were the 18 in-water and 6 out of water boats on display. It's a small intimate event, but I highly recommend it as a must do next Father's Day weekend for anyone who would like to see how the boating world was before fiberglass.

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 the owner of San Diego-based Marine Electric

Dale Donnelly Memorial Golf Tournament
The 4th annual Dale Donnelly Memorial Golf Tournament benefiting Rady Children's Hospital Cancer Care Center is returning to Riverwalk Golf Club in Mission Valley on Thursday, August 23, 2007.

The fundraising tournament benefits the Rady Children's Hospital Cancer Care Center and honors Dale Donnelly, a long time Point Loma resident and business owner. Donnelly was a mainstay in the San Diego marine community and owner of the San Diego Marine Exchange and Sailing Supply stores

Registration and sponsorship forms can be obtained online at www.ddmg.org, at San Diego Marine Exchange, or The Yacht Docktor on Shelter Island - or by calling (619) 223-9190.

My Favorite Boating Activities in
San Diego
I think the May Gray and June Gloom took it's toll on me, so I have a little belated Spring Fever. Anyway, it caused me to share my list of fun boating things to do in San Diego.

- Take a sunset cruise in your dinghy or kayak.

- Have a pot-luck with fellow boaters on the dock.

- Go for an evening cruise or sunset sail. Dock Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. Dock at your favorite waterfront restaurant.

- Go for a cruise or a day sail. Anchor at Glorietta Bay for lunch, or anchor at La Playa for dinner. Jump in for a refreshing swim!

- Reserve a guest slip at another favorite marina for the weekend.

- Plan a weekend raft-up with your marina friends. (Don't forget to reserve permits in advance at the Harbor Police office.) Bring kayaks, small sailboats, or other water toys.

- Take an overnight trip to Mission Bay. Anchor at Bonita Cove or get a slip. Go bodysurfing at Mission Beach. Dinghy over to Sea World, for a close-up view of the fireworks at 9:50pm.

- Go to Catalina! If you've never picked up a mooring, have a qualified person explain it to you, perhaps drawing you a picture. It's a little tricky, but really not that difficult. Pick up a cruising guide.

- If sailing, and time permits, try harbor hopping up the coast on the way to Catalina. You can actually enjoy sailing instead of motoring.

- Take a trip to the Coronado Islands. Anchor in the lee of South Island. You'll feel like you are way down in remote Mexico. (Be aware of the current when swimming.) FYI, the law requires that you clear US customs when returning, however, even if you don't set foot on land.

- Take a trip to Ensenada. Stay at the beautiful Hotel Coral and Marina. The marina staff will handle your customs clearance for a $40 to $50 fee. (Reservations recommended.)

- Or...just hang out at the slip with your favorite beverage!

Bob Sherman has over 19 years of Yacht-sales experience and is the owner of YachtSource. He is also qualified to instruct on all vessel types, and has held 100-ton Captain's license since 1982. He is an avid sailor, scuba diver, and enjoys many outdoor activities.