New Board Lays Out Plans For 2016

Transcription

1 October 2015 Editor: Ken Hoover Volume 43, No. 10 Commodore s Log New Board Lays Out Plans For 2016 By Richard Windebank Commodore The Installation Luncheon for the new Board of Directors was possibly the largest gathering of Fairwind Members that I have seen for a while. Maybe that was because the Club provided the food! It was a fun event and I think we should have more like this. By that, I mean more opportunities to socialize with our fellow members. CIH has done a great job with their Barbacues and MDR needs to try to follow their lead. Special thanks to Valarie Baggett and Uta Bushcor for organizing the luncheon and sorry, to the late comers, that I underestimated the attendance. Marc Levine did an excellent job with the Installation Ceremony, as he always does. He used the wording that Roy Niebuhr came up with many years ago and it was as fitting today as it was then. Thank you Marc and thank you Roy for being with us on this occasion. General Membership Meeting Oct. 25 in Marina del Rey The next membership meeting will be Sunday, Oct. 25 at 10:30 a.m. at the Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club, Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey. The meeting is open to all members. A Mapquest link is here. Mike Delaney provided his year-end report, and I am sure he will include excerpts in this newsletter. We welcomed Alan McGovern, Alan Howell and Lenox Grasso to the Board and we thanked a few members who made a special contribution to the Club throughout the last year. Those included Vic Smith for all the good work he does on our outboards, etc., Ken Hoover for his excellence in producing Fake Stainless Steel Ron Sasiela wonders if it s on Fairwind boats. Page 4. Pt. Mugu Air Show 12 boats and 55 folks watch the Blue Angels from the water. Page 5. Water Tank Blues Ken Murray tells us how to clean it up. Page 8.

2 the Newsletter, Carol and Paul Legge for setting things up at all the Open Houses and Work Days, and Uta Buschor for her tireless work in helping us with the billing and collection of our dues. We recapped on some of our plans for the coming year. We gave examples of issues that can be addressed at the local level by local Harbor Committees. These included: Permitting use of boats by other organizations. Deciding when boats must be at the Home Port (Open Houses / Work days). Incident Reporting and Resolution Handling disciplinary issues and grievances. Boat specific training requirements Appointments of Trainers and Instructors. Maintenance expenditures up to $5,000. Appointment of a Boat Selection Committee. Managing Slip agreements. Selecting local vendors Examples of issues that need to be kept at the Club level (and not be addressed at the Local Harbor level) include: Insurance Filing our Tax Returns Establishing Training Policy / Guidelines Boat Categories e.g. Small. Medium and Large Bond Requirements e.g. $150, $500 and $1,000. Legal matters Maintenance Items over $5000. Buying Boats. Changes to the ByLaws and Standing Rules Monthly newsletter Banking relationship. Club affiliations e.g. ASA Preserving reciprocity I suggested the definition of a Port Captain, which might be: The Port Captain shall be a member of that Harbor, shall preside at all meetings of that Harbor, shall oversee the operations of that Harbor and shall oversee the Fleet Captain, the Membership Secretary and the Rear Commodore of that Harbor. I also outlined my thoughts on the election process for next year. I am suggesting that we might have elections at the Local Harbor level for who the members of their Harbor they want to present for the 2016/2017 Directors Slate. We also talked about our appreciation for all the members who volunteer their time to help make the Club what it is. Occasionally, a member might get a little worked up over one issue or another, and forget how thankful we are that the Volunteers give so freely of their time and energy. I would like to encourage greater camaraderie amongst our members and a little less divisiveness. A slightly kinder, gentler Club. 2

3 Talking of Volunteers, I do not believe any member in the history of the Club, has done more for Fairwind than Mike Delaney. I think he has been on the Board longer than I have been in the Club and his leadership over the last two years will be a tough act to follow. Our next Membership Meeting will be in Marina Del Rey on Sunday, Oct. 25 starting at a.m. I strongly encourage you to attend. We have changes we need to make and we need your input to shape this Club for the future. This is your Club and I am happy to be a part of it. New board members, left to right, Shar Campbell, Richard Windebank, Mike Delaney, Alan McGovern, Adrienne O Donnell, Paul Aist, Alan Howell, Marc Levine, who administered the oath. 3

4 How Do You Tell If Those Hose Clamps Are Fake Stainless Steel? By Ron Sasiela MDR Safety Officer The marine environment is harsh on many parts of a boat. For example, barnacles grow even on its anti-fouling paint. Lines fray and lose their original strength due to use, wear and sunlight exposure. Galvanic action due to two touching dissimilar metals weakens fittings. Stray electrical currents can play havoc on the underwater fittings - just to name a few. Perhaps one of the most insidious conditions is the salt water/air corrosion of non-stainless steel parts. Of those parts, hose clamps are perhaps the most vulnerable because their band is made of thin perforated metal with little tolerance for weakness. Inferior/counterfeit stainless steel has worked its way onto the scene from mostly Chinese suppliers. A newspaper s exposé about a year ago found Happy Ours rusty hose clamps fasteners imported for use on our space craft and other such industries had falsified markings for critical strength ratings. The 60-Minutes TV show recently singled out LumberLiquidators for the sale of Chinese manufactures flooring with falsified testing data; resulting in their recall of that flooring for formaldehyde fumes and home illnesses. As the recently-appointed Boat Chief of (mothballed) Happy Ours I was asked to better ready her for sale. Besides undertaking the boat s cosmetic challenges, I used the opportunity to train interested members in some useful skills. With only a few boat buyers in the marketplace, it was not wise to give those prospects ready cause to look elsewhere for their own dream vessel. Whipping all the lines that had Irish pennant ends, stitching on new chafe guard at necessary dock lines, arranging for an oil change, replacing a defective engine switch, unfreezing throttle controls, etc. all served to make the boat more attractive to any perspective buyer. However, in the stern lazarette, when I saw six of the 12 hose clamps nearly rusted through on the critical emergency bilge pump and fuel line hoses did I begin to wonder if that condition could be more widespread in FYC s fleet and wanted to alert others to be on the lookout for similar safety conditions. The accompanying photos illustrate some of those rusty clamps and the rust drips below them which adds further to a buyer prospect s perception of a boat s maintenance details. The question becomes how to identify a 100% stainless steel clamp? When steel is alloyed with chromium (or nickel) to make it stainless, it very often becomes non-magnetic. However this is not an iron-clad rule. 4

5 Stainless is usually shiny. The cheap 400-grade of stainless steel (there are five series of stainless steel) contains no nickel and is magnetic. An aluminum alloy may look very similar to stainless steel, but be a fraction of the weight of the real thing, besides being non-magnetic. Presence of surface rust is a dead giveaway that you are not dealing with S. S. Sparks thrown off at a grinding wheel and being nonmagnetic point to a 300 series of stainless steel. So, take out a magnet and check out some of those fasteners you might be surprised! In the meantime, if you see rust keep an eye on that part and consider changing it at a first opportunity. From the Commodore: About the author: Ron is a new member to the Club and has a varied and deep understanding of boating safety factors. He taught sailing for the American Red Cross for 15 years; for the US Power Squadrons for nearly a quarter century holding their highest grade of N ; has extensively bareboat chartered, and is one of ASA s very first certified instructors in 84. He is a chemistry and engineering graduate, lecturer, owned and mostly self-maintained his prior Hunter 34 sloop for 28 years on the East Coast before moving to Los Angeles in He looks forward to sharing his knowledge and some unique boating experiences with fellow Fairwind members. Catch up with Ron and say Welcome aboard! Kelly s Cruising Corner Fairwinders Beat The Traffic; Watch Air Show From the Water By Scott Kelly CIH Cruise Chair This day cruise was one for the Fairwind Yacht Club record book, 12 boats with 55 members and guests! As anticipated, we had a tremendous response to this first-ever club event to the Point Mugu Naval Air Show featuring the Blue Angels precision flying team. Originally, there were only six boats reserved for this club event, with a total of 33 5

6 spots available plus six skippers. Many who requested reservations wished to include their friends and families and asked for guest spots. We filled up all of those 33 spots quickly. We wanted to do whatever we could do to include as many as possible. The decision was made to reserve our entire CIH fleet. We ended up sailing with 12 boats for a total of 55 members and guests! We all met at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, at the docks, received boat assignments, and headed for the boats. A short sail later we anchored off Point Mugu Naval Base along with an assortment of power and sail boats waiting to view the jet show. An estimated 75,000 were in attendance at the base over the two-day event, causing huge traffic jams entering and leaving the base. Those in attendance were part of the huge crowds, sitting on bleachers and queing up in food lines and porta potties. However, our cruisers were on our boats with refreshments at hand and all the comforts that our boats afford. Instead of traffic jams, we had an easy motor to the event, and a great sail back after the event. The main event was the U.S. Navy's famed Blue Angel's precision flying team. Flying wingtip to wingtip, a signature maneuver for the pilots of the U.S. Navy s famed Blue Angels, the team of five F/A-18 Hornets performed series of daring maneuvers, including flying upside down and in tight formations. Along with the Blue Angels, the show also featured the Breitling Jet Team from Dijon, France, on their inaugural American Tour. Made up of seven L-39 C Albatros jets that can reach speeds of up to 565 mph, the Breitling Jet Team is the world's largest professional civilian flight team performing in jets, sometimes flying within just a few feet of each other. It was a great afternoon for watching an awesome performance and socializing with members. See you next year at the Airshow! 6

7 The Safest, Most Drama-Free Way To Cast Off In A Capri 22 By Ken Murray Instructor In response to a series of casting-off accidents in MDR involving Capri 22s, a policy requiring retraining for infrequent users was established. Shar Campbell and Richard Windebank coordinated the first effort for the September Workday. This was preceded by an extensive meeting between Richard, Daniel Romey, and myself, in which we hammered out a specific procedure to be used, after which we trained a bunch of people, to confirm the process. A number of other instructors contributed. After the fact, I must say that it was a learning experience for me. Although I feel totally comfortable with these maneuvers, we searched for a technique that produced the greatest probability of success, the greatest probability of recovery if something went wrong, the least confusion over process and the simplest and smallest number of actions needing to be taken. I was very impressed by what emerged. It was not how I think most teach this. Although not required to pass this process, I would recommend that every Club member trained on the Capris learn this method, once Richard makes it generally available. For leaving the dock, several things emerged: -all sailors should be on the boat; no routine walking the boat out; -engine at idle at all times; no need to tend the throttle at all; -no need to use the engine for steering at all/locked in place; -no spring lines or lines in the water; -predefined targets for engine shifts and boat positions! The superior result from this process should be considered for other problem issues that come up within the Club. It is great to get a bunch of skilled people thinking things out! 7

8 How To Fix That Not-Very-Safe Water In The Tank By Ken Murray Fleet Surgeon As I alluded to in the last newsletter, there seems to be consensus that the water in the tanks on cruising boats is of dubious quality. This month, I want to address how this might be mitigated, which is a three-part strategy as outlined in Practical Sailor. SOURCE: -generally a hose at a dock. The actual water source is ok in the U.S., unless labeled otherwise. However, the conveyance is the problem, from the tap to the boat. Most hoses have a rubber component that breaks down with time, and deposits debris in the tank, which is a perfect place for infective elements to hide. The hose may also be contaminated from other uses. The answer is a filter at the point of the entry to the tank. There are a number of commercial filters designed to screw onto the end of a hose, although the most effective one tested was a cheap home-made design for about $10! This eliminates debris and most bacteria. TANK: Infectious organisms love a wet environment, such as a tank of water. Municipal water that is supplied via tap is required to have a residual chemical to continue to kill germs for awhile. However, the time that water sits in a tank will always exceed that residual. As such, we need to add chemicals to provide that ongoing protection. There are a number of such chemicals available commercially, but one of the best, and certainly the cheapest, is bleach. At the recommended rate (1/2 tsp per 10 gal), there is no residual taste. It would be added at each fill up. A second tank issue would be that unless new, a tank in service contains a lot of debris accumulated from hoses, etc, over time. This needs to be cleaned out, and there are thankfully cleaning products that will do this effectively for about $10/tank. PUMP: the final step is to microfiltrate the water coming out of the tank, and being pumped into your glass or shower. This is a much finer filter than the hose one, and removes viruses and any other germs, and any other debris that was not previously removed. These filters are in-line, and inexpensive. They require periodic cleaning. I am not advocating that we should undertake these significant upgrades on our boats. However, if we do not, we need to educate our skippers and inform our guests that the water is not safe to drink, shower above the neck, rinse dishes, nor rinse hands. 8

9 MEMBERSHIP GUIDE WHERE TO GO FOR WHAT Update Contact Information for Membership Roster Vice Commodore, Paul Aist Pay Dues Fairwind Yacht Club, P O Box 12684, Marina del Rey, CA Training and checkout - Fleet Captain (Shar Campbell for MDR; Alan McGovern for CIH) Cruising: Cruise Chair (Arlene de Anda for MDR; Scott Kelly for CIH) Racing: Race Chair (Mark Arbing for MDR, TBD for CIH) Report an Accident - Safety Officer/Rear Commodore (Ron Sasiela/Lenox Grasso for MDR; Michael Adams/ Alan Howell for CIH) Gear broken on boat - Specific Boat Chief (from Fairwind Website) + Rear Commodore (Lenox Grasso for MDR; Alan Howell for CIH) Submit Articles for Newsletter Editor, Ken Hoover kenhoover@me.com FYC Officers - Coast Guard - Channel 16 or VHF Calling Channels 9 and 12. Membership interaction fairwindmembers@yahoogroups.com Join Member s interaction group - and press the button to join Updates to Website: webcontent@fairwind.org Fairwind on Facebook: 9

10 November Club Calendar Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Daylight Saving MDR Workday CIH Cruise CIH Cruise MDR Workday CIH Cruise MDR Workday Veterans Day MDR Cruise MDR Cruise CIH Workday MDR Workday MDR Cruise MDR Workday Thanksgiving