Sun Harbor Marina - May 2010 Newsletter

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May 2010 - Marina E-Newsletter

Sun Harbor Marina
5000 N. Harbor Drive
San Diego, CA 92106

Telephone:
619-222-1167

Fax:
619-222-9387

E-mail Address:
kathy@sun-harbor.com

Web Site:
www.sun-harbor.com

Office Hours:
Monday - Saturday
8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Important Numbers:

Harbor Police:
619-686-6272

US Coast Guard:
800-424-8802

Marina After Hours:
619-808-9518

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Sun Harbor Marina Minute

Hooray! Hooray! It's finally May! The month of May Day, Cinco De Mayo, Mother's Day, Armed Forces Day, and Memorial Day. And for we boaters, did you know that May 8th is officially
"No Socks Day". No kidding! Check it out on Google!

Tenant of the Month
Madeline King of MDK Insurance Services, Inc., for keeping an eye out for property damage as it was happening. Thanks, Madeline!

Marina Swap Meet
The Sun Harbor Marina Mariners' Swap Meet will be held on Saturday, May 8th, from 6a.m-11a.m. To reserve a spot at the swap meet, purchase a $10 gift certificate from Pizza Nova prior to the Swap Meet. Buyers and browsers gain free entrance. See you there!

June 5th is Super Saturday at
Sun Harbor Marina!
A U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Vessel Safety Check, a marina BBQ, and a Green Energy’s Seminar will all be held on Saturday, June 5th - sign up in the office!

It's a Ruff Life on Our Docks

We love to the to see the 4 legged boaters as much as our 2 legged. Take a look at this great picture of
Miss Daisy Del Mar and Miss Bella Lily Bean in their Easter Bonnets. Don't forget it's important to pick-up after your dog on the docks and around the Marina. We all know accidents happen but be a responsible pet owner and make sure to clear up after your pet

Registering Your Vessel
You are required to register any boat that is longer than 8 feet and not already documented by the U.S. Coast Guard. If your boat is registered in another state and primarily used outside of California, you are not required to register you boat in California. If you bring your boat to California with the intention of using it in the state primarily you will have 120 days from the day you bring your vessel into California to register it.

You may register with the Department of Motor vehicles by mail, online, or you can take all the necessary paperwork to any California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) local office. To register, you will need your vessel registration number (CF number) on both sides of the front half of your boat in, at least, 3" block letters that contrast with the color of your boat for easy visibility. If you can't produce some sort of proof of ownership and the vessel's value is at least $2,000, a bond will suffice. For more information online, click here .

Joke of the Month

Mother to daughter advice:
Cook a man a fish and you feed him for a day,
But teach a man to fish and you get rid of him for the whole weekend.

Maintenance of Your Slip and the Surrounding Area
It is a great feeling to step onto a dock where the boats and dinghies are well maintained and the docks and fingers are neat and orderly. We all have a part to play in making this a reality for boaters at Sun Harbor. A brief refresher excerpted from the slip agreement:

"Owner agrees to maintain the slip, the walks, floats, ramps, gangways and docks in, about and surrounding the slip in neat, clean and unobstructed condition at all times. Should it become necessary for the Marina to maintain the area" it will be done at owner expense.

Some things to consider in this regard:

Is the topside clean, sanitary, and without clutter?
Are the lines in good condition; is there any fraying?
Is the paint in good condition?
Is the varnish in good clean condition?
Is the hull cleaned regularly?
Is the canvas, clean, mildew-free and in good condition?
Is the dinghy in good condition, clean, and free of standing water?
Are the docks, fingers, and channels around the vessel clear, uncluttered and safe?

Many thanks for attending to these concerns and for being aware of the condition of the dock in your area. We all appreciate the pleasure of a marina that's clean, safe and well maintained. We appreciate you pitching in with the effort it takes to make Sun Harbor just that kind of marina.

Nautical Phrase of the Month: "Showing One's True Colors"
Early warships often carried flags from many nations on board in order to elude or deceive the enemy. The rules of civilized warfare called for all ships to hoist their true national ensigns before firing a shot. Someone who finally "shows his true colors" is acting like a man-of-war which hailed another ship flying one flag, but then hoisted their own when they got in firing range.

Gator By The Bay
San Diego's 9th Gator By The Bay, 2010 will be held at Spanish Landing Park,. The Zydeco & Blues Festival brings the heart and soul of the Louisiana bayou to San Diego over Mother's Day weekend, May 7, 8 & 9, 2010. Friday's "Gator At Night" is a new addition to the festivities and will feature a "Blues Supper Club" atmosphere around the Bourbon Street stage. Top Zydeco and Blues bands fill the schedule. The festival is suitable for all ages. General Admission tickets are $20 on Friday; $25 on Saturday and Sunday; Children 17 and under free. For more information, click here

Liveaboard Concerns
Most of Sun Harbor Marina's boaters enjoy legal live-aboard status and pay, responsibly, for the privilege. Sun Harbor Marina, like other all other marinas in San Diego, is limited by the Port of San Diego in the number of total slips we are permitted to reserve for live-aboard status. It is disheartening to these legitimate and honest live-aboard tenants when they become aware of other tenants dishonestly enjoying this privilege illegally as a sneak- aboards. Tenants who engage in this behavior are living-aboard fraudulently, and in violation of their slip agreement. Anyone who stays on their vessel more than 3 nights a week or 10 nights in a month, is considered to be living aboard.

If you plan, occasionally, to spend longer than 3 nights on board in any given week, just let the marina office know; we will be happy to issue you a Temporary Liveaboard Permit for a short stay at no cost to you. Tenants who are living aboard without a permit, and without requesting a Temporary Live-aboard Permit beforehand will be automatically charged the full $400 per month.

Mother's Day Trivia
• Mother's Day is celebrated the 2nd Sunday in May. This year it falls on May 9th

• George Washington once said, "My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her."

From Roy Adcock's Adventure Journal
This, the latest from Roy's adventure aboard "Selah": Arrived at La Paz 0830 March 27. Glorious adventure... Whales, dolphins and mantas jumping everywhere. Dry air, warm temps, warmish water, clear skies, awesome sunrises and sunsets. David is excellent crew and Selah performed wonderfully. Attached are a few pics of our cruise to date. I take David to the airport and get Debi and Jesse same day......Yeah!

Love to all, Roy

Reminder About Parking
As we head into summer, more tenants will be coming to Sun Harbor to enjoy your boats-that means, parking will be at a premium. To help keep parking as fair and hassle-free as possible, we're posting a reminder of a few important rules.

Kathy OBrien - Sun Harbor Marina
kathy@sun-harbor.com

Two Power Settings All Skippers Should Know
- By Jay Bernstein

There are two important power settings on any boat that will make it perform at its best. Every skipper should have at least a basic understanding of these settings and the appropriate time to use them.

The first is maximum continuous power, which is the fastest speed that you can run at for any length of time without overheating your engines.

The second power setting you should know will give you your boat's most efficient cruising speed.

It doesn't matter whether you have a sail boat or a power boat. Your boat has them. Once you are familiar with your boat, you can consistently get very close to the speed you want by simply advancing your throttles to the desired RPM and trimming the boat out.

Now is a Great Time to Get Your Free Vessel Safety Check by the Coast Guard Auxiliary!
- By Bob Simons
Greetings fellow boaters! In the next few issues, I'll be talking about the benefits of the FREE Vessel Safety Checks offered by your U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for your boat.

In the series, I'll explain what we are looking for when we inspect a boat, and why what we find can be critical to the safety of you, your family, and your guests.

But before we get started, here's a few things we get asked about all the time, that you might be curious about too.

First - When we examine your boat, we're not there to issue you citations for problems we might find; we're there to help you be safe on the water.
Second - When we're done with the examination of your boat, you'll receive an exam sheet that we fill out that shows you any problems we found, and this exam sheet is NOT given to anyone EXCEPT YOU.
Third - If you are deficient in any items, you just give us a call after you've corrected them, and we'll come back out and take a look. If everything is OK, the reward is that you'll receive a Vessel Safety Check sticker for your Port side window.

So with the boating season just around the corner, why not give your local Coast Guard Auxiliarist a call and schedule your free safety check. You'll be glad you did!

If you'd like to see a list of what we'll be looking for before you call, click here. This will improve your chances of getting your Vessel Safety Check sticker on the first go.

Now - Here's a couple of things to think about. This sticker will not prevent a Coast Guard boarding, but if you were a Boarding Officer which boat would you inspect first? One with a current Safety Seal, or a boat with no current inspection? (I'm trying to be subtle).

Also, I have noticed recently that more fishing boats and sport fishing boats are requesting vessel safety checks. Seems that they are pulled over less often when returning from their trips if they have already been inspected. (Hint, hint).

That's it for this time - Next month we'll talk about "What's in a Name; or a Number?", and what it might mean if you ever have to put out a distress call.

Bob Simons Image 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 and Basic to Advanced Coastal Navigation.
If your boat is in San Diego, Bob loves to get a call at 619-294-4137 for a Vessel Safety Inspection.

Why We Tap Your Bottom (and Other Things)
- By Kells Christian

Spend time at a boat yard and you will be sure to hear the tap, tap, tap of a marine surveyor. "What are you looking for?" is a question I hear with regularity. At a boat show recently I heard a broker complain about a surveyor who "showed up with a small hammer and tapped everywhere." Here is why we do it.

Tapping, or percussion testing, is an extremely useful non-destructive inspection technique. Tapping is not limited to boat yards; it is used throughout the world and in many different fields.

It is included in the inspection process of stealth technology planes and space shuttles. It provides information that is not available visually and usually causes no damage, except for perhaps a small localized loss of bottom paint.

It's primary use in a boat yard is determining the condition of fiberglass laminates. It is also useful with wood and other construction materials. In fiberglass or composite boats, tapping allows detection of delamination

Navigational Tip of the Month
You're cruising into a western river system from seaward, and you encounter a buoy with markings like this. Do you know what it means?

The answer is: There is a "fork in the road" ahead, and the fact that the top color is green means that you can take either channel, but the preferred channel is to starboard.

If the top color is red, the preferred channel would be to port.

To see this and all of the U.S. Coast Guard's Pacific Coast and Pacific Islands list of lights, sound signals, buoys, day beacons, and other aids to navigation, Click Here.

700 West Harbor Drive, Suite #1805, San Diego, Ca. 92101
Tel: 619-233-2007 - Fax: 619-233-2008
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