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Sun Harbor Marina Minute
Happy Holidays to all of our Sun Harbor
tenants. We hope you have a
wonderful time with friends and family and of course, some
relaxing boating time at the marina!
Welcome New Sun Harbor Boaters
A hearty welcome to the new arrivals at Sun
Harbor - Lisa Hart (“Aurora” on A-Dock); David Stewart
(“Lola” on A-Dock); Harry
Mansfield (“Aquaholic”
on B-Dock); and Shelley Krantz (“DeLuca Vida on A-Dock). Welcome
Aboard!
The Great Sun Harbor Pumpkin Carving
Contest
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Pump-Out Protocol
Please be courteous to others and flush
the pump-out hose after each use by running sea water through
it for at least 30 seconds. You will see clear water run
through the connecting hose from the dock fitting to the reel
fitting once it’s clear. Then continue to run the hose
briefly after you've pulled it out of the sea water to minimize
the water in the hose prior to recoiling it on the reel.
Marina Electrical Safety
Electric Shock is a major concern around
water.Now is a good time to inspect
your cords. Look for frayed
connections, loose or burnt prongs. If in doubt replace. If
your boat does not have a marine grade twist connector, you
must add a GFI protected adapter to the circuit. If you or your
contractor are using power tools on the dock with an adapter
and extension cord, you must also have a twist-lock adapter
with GFI protection. Don’t risk a potential fatal
accident – upgrade your adapters now. SHM office
will be making a bulk purchase of GFI protected Twist-Lock
adapters on December 5th, so please notify the office if you
are interested.
Where Are My Zincs Going?
While we’re on the subject of
electricity, did you know that in seawater, the hardware on
your boat (prop, shaft, through hulls, etc.) serves as a
conductive medium. The AC grounding wire provides a direct
electrical connection between the underwater hardware on boats
plugged into shore power. If your
neighbor’s boat has no zincs, then your boat’s
zincs will be eaten away first. Once
the zincs are gone, both boats are subject to corrosive damage
on the underwater hardware. The boat with the least noble metal
among the different boats will always protect the other boats
(zinc<aluminum< brass< stainless steel).
How far can galvanic corrosion travel
between boats? Depending on water temperature, current,
salinity, condition of zincs, proximity of boats, relative
surface areas of the respective anodic (i.e. zinc) and cathodic
(i.e. boat prop) metals, the voltage produced by galvanic
activity (normally less than 1.0 volt) can affect boats two or
three slips away before the current begins to dissipate through
the water.
Be a good neighbor - replace your zincs
regularly; verify your ground fault circuit breaker is set at
the proper level, and if there has been arcing across the pins
on the cord or the receptacles on the pedestal, notify the
marina office. Another tip - you can protect yourself by
installing a Galvanic isolator, but as always, there is a
catch. You must regularly monitor whether the isolator is
working properly or the likelihood of an electrical shock
hazard increases significantly. Galvanic isolators connect to
the green wire, close to shore-power inlet, to block the
circuit of galvanic current flow between neighboring boats.
Customer Service
Keeping the marina in top operating
condition is a high priority. While the staff walks the
property on a regular basis, we
need your help in identifying problems – from light bulbs burnt out, to plumbing
issues, to hazardous spills … Thank you to each of you
that make an effort to notify the office (by phone, email or in
person) when you see a problem. We welcome your input,
which helps us keep the marina like new.
What’s On Your Boat Bottom?
As most of you know, The Regional
Water Quality Control Board is cracking down on use of
copper-based hull coats which, after being applied and exposed
to salt water, almost immediately have a negative impact on the
health of marine life and the environment.
In anticipation that the America’s
Cup Harbor is next on the list to comply with these new
standards, Sun Harbor Marina is conducting a survey on what kind of paint is currently on your boat
bottom and what your expected
re-painting date is. Please send us an email or contact us at 619.222.1167 with this
information.
The Shelter Island Yacht Basin is the
first of any of California's waterways to enforce such a ban
and as such, we encourage you to look into alternative
non-toxic and low-toxic coating products for your next
repainting. Non-toxic paints are known as antifouling or
biocide free hull coatings. Bill Roberts, of Shelter
Island Boat Yard, promotes the two following products.
Echo5 is an epoxy coat that is totally
“biocide free”. The downfall is more
cleanings (every two weeks). This should change with
product improvements, however. Paint bottoms must also be
fully stripped before coat is applied (most ideal for new
boats). Echo5 has been around for a couple years.
Those who have made the switch are quite happy with the
decision.
E paint is the newest biocide free
product Shelter Island Boat Yard is using. It is a
water-born product with 3% zinc-oxide (ingredient found in Head
and Shoulders shampoo). Suggested cleanings is once a
month. The jury is still out on the possibility this
Massachusetts product can go over copper paint bottoms to
eliminate additional stripping costs. E Paint has
developed specialty antifouling coatings for the United States
Coast Guard, United States Navy, and a number of oceanographic
institutions. www.e-paint.net
Roberts is eager to see the change to
biocide free paints and is happy to educate anyone on
specifics.
Paints that are not biocide free, but
have a low percentage of copper and are presently accepted by
the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, are also
available. These coats can be applied over existing bottom
coats. Greg Thomas, of Driscoll’s Boat Works,
suggested the following legal low toxic bottom paints:
Interlux Line’s:
Ultra Coat (hand
modified epoxy, approximately 65% Copper content) and
Super KL (hand
modified epoxy, approximately 65% Copper content)
Proline (vinyl-based
- 65% Copper content)
Sea Hawk Brand’s:
Shark Skin (high
50’s % Copper)
CuKote (in
testing - 45%-50% Copper)
Juton Hydro Coat (in testing - 45%-50% Copper).
Did You Know?
The marina office has discounts available from several local businesses. Come in an check it out. For example, we now
have a discount coupon for 10% off wine purchases at The Grape
Connection restaurant on Scott street, and for appetizers at
Miguel’s Restaurant.
Reminder - Your Water Hose Can Sink Your
Boat
Remember - you should never leave the
city water hose connected to an unattended boat, even if
it’s turned off (somebody who uses your water connection
could accidentally turn it back on). If there’s a
failure, you boat could accidentally sink. Please fill your
fresh water tank and disconnect the hose from your boat for
everybody’s safety.
We Would Enjoy Hearing From You
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Kathy OBrien - Sun Harbor Marina
NEW - BlueSkyNews.com Desktop Photo
of the Month
High Rise Sunset | |||||||||||
November gave us many great San Diego Bay
sunsets. Here’s one taken from one of San Diego’s
high rise condos. To use this desktop photo, click on this link
www.BlueSkyNews.com and follow the complete step-by-step
instructions on how to download.
San Diego’s 35th Annual Parade of
Lights
The Port of San Diego’s 35th annual “Parade
of Lights” will be
held on Sunday, December 10, and Sunday, December 17, 2006 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.
Or better yet why not be a part of the
Parade? To enter your boat in the
parade download the entry form and
return it to the Parade organizers by November 30th with the
entry fee of $30. In any event, we encourage all Sun Harbor
tenants to decorate their boats. There will be prizes for the
marina’s best dressed power boat, best dressed sail boat,
best dressed dinghy, best theme, and best first time entry.
Bob Hope Waterfront Tribute Takes Shape
Bob Hope Military Tribute | |||||||||||
Around the perimeter of the Tribute there
will be five additional bronze sculptures representing
servicemen from the five branches of the armed
forces—Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast
Guard. A large rotating globe with a small airplane in the
center of the Tribute, mounted over a water element, will
symbolize Bob Hope’s extensive travels around the world
while entertaining troops. The Port held a dedication ceremony
on October 25 to dedicate the sculptures of the various
servicemen and women. They anticipate the Bob Hope
element of the sculpture to be completely ready and installed
by his birthday, which is May 29.
San Diego Gets Its’ First Year-Round
Home Ported Cruise Ship
Carnival’s - “Elation” | |||||||||||
“Red Sky in Morning, Sailor’s
Warning; Red Sky At Night, Sailor’s Delight!?”
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How about “Between
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea?” In olden wooden ships, the “devil”
is the longest seam of the ship. It ran from the bow to the
stern. When at sea and the “devil” had to be
caulked, the sailor sat in the bo’sun’s chair to do
the work, suspended between the “devil” and the
deep blue sea; a very precarious position while at sea.
Are You a Good Crew Member?
Most people agree that the duties of a
good crew member is assisting with departing and returning to
the dock and tending to the needs of guests, but a really good
crew does much more without having to be asked by the skipper.
This includes properly securing dock lines and fenders, making
sure that ports and hatches are closed, assuring that
breakables are safely secured below, and showing guests how to
use the head. You should know the basic operation of the
engines and how to use the VHF radio in the unlikely event that
the skipper becomes incapacitated or lost overboard.
A good crew member knows that when things
are not going well, what you do can either help the
situation or make things worse. All skippers, no matter how
capable, are not perfect. Use carefully and calmly worded
reminders like: “Watch your stern, there, Bill.” or
“Uh, you do see that dinghy, don’t you,
Honey?’” can prevent a far worse embarrassment. Say
it as quietly and tactfully as you can, depending upon the
urgency of the situation, except in a real emergency.
Don’t unduly alarm the skipper or embarrass him/her in
front of guests.
Should contact with boats or docks become
a concern, take action early, and don’t panic, as you
might make the skipper panic. Quickly move to the spot where
contact is likely, and be ready to fend off. Don’t
wait for the skipper to ask. Have a loose fender in hand,
dangling on it’s line; or have a “boat hook”
handy. A boat hook can be used to fend off with steady
pressure long before you get too close. The fender can be
dropped in between the boats at the closest point, where they
are about to touch. Do not
endanger yourself when fending off, however. Boats can be repaired!
Last, but not least, at the appropriate
time, ask the skipper in which order the lines are to be
released when you leave the dock, and in which order they are
to be secured when you return. And then there’s the
skipper’s pet peeve; the crew member that accomplishes a
task without shouting it out. Here’s a few samples
- “You’re Clear!”; “I’m
Off!”; “Aft Line Secured!”; “Looking
Good!”; “Two Feet From the Dock!”; etc.
Bob Sherman | |||||||||||
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