Meriden Masthead Published by the Meriden Power Squadron A unit of the United States Power Squadrons September 2012 ® www.usps.org/meriden Commander’s Report Year 2012 at a glance SEPTEMBER 01-03 Sep Three Mile raft up (MPS) 08 Bell Benefit Dinner 22 District 1 Poker Run, Hamburg Cove 26 MPS General Meeting - Petzold's OCTOBER ?? Oct D1 Council Meeting - NEU at 1900 24 MPS General Meeting - Mariner's Compass Seminar NOVEMBER 14 MPS General Meeting “Bell’s Pie Night” 17 District 1 Fall Conference @ PYC DECEMBER ?? District 1 Holiday Party ?? MPS Holiday Party Vol. 59 No. 07 So, Labor Day is gone, summer is ending, all too quickly again, but there’s more boating awaiting us. This is the Northeast; we welcome the crisp mornings and a reason for a camp fire at night and the foliage cruises. Although this summer seemed very short for me, we still suffered too many boating casualties. Starting right in our back yard in Chester, a weekend day outside our marina, a ‘good swimmer’ dives in to cool off – immediately finding himself in trouble, bystanders watched as he desperately came up for the third time trashing his arms for help – his brother jumping in to help, but was no match against the mighty current. Several more followed- a Jet Ski accident, a man falling overboard while crabbing, a capsized boat in Long Island just watching fireworks, a seasoned captain hitting Pulpit Rock near Fishers Island, just to name a few. Meanwhile I watch youngsters without their PFD’s riding on the bow in heavy traffic on the river. Editor: Jim Long Publisher: Joe Fernandes What did the sardine call the submarine ? A can of people ! What's the difference between a fish and a piano ? You can't tuna fish ! Why are sardines the stupidest fish in the sea ? Because they climb into tins, close the lid and leave the key outside ! What do you call a dangerous fish who drinks too much ? A beer-a-cuda ! Where do you find a down-and-out octopus ? On squid row ! What kind of fish will help you hear better ? A herring aid ! We preach safety, but do we practice it? Maybe sometimes we take it for granted. I truly believe that the more exposure we have in courses and seminars, we are forced to be aware of the dangers around us. Our classes will be resuming for Fall/Winter. Talk to your boating neighbors and friends, especially new boaters, make them aware of our extended educational classes; they don’t even need to be members to participate. Take advantage of the many ‘cruising guides’ before your trip, learn local knowledge, the do’s and don’ts- like the warning of Pulpit rock, which is not usually visible. Our constant reminder of what we stand for, SAFETY through education! Our District Commander will be in Detroit for the USPS Governing Board meeting on 5-8 Sep, Good Luck! - CDR Christine Casarella, AP 26 Sep General Meeting 1900 Petzold's Marine 37 Indian Hill Avenue, Portland, CT Directions to Petzold's Petzold's Meriden Meetings: Except for special occasions, Meriden Power Squadron Meetings are normally held at 1900 in the Yankee Gas building at 56 Cooper Street in Meriden, CT. Executive Officer/Admin Report Education Officer's Report I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer. We’re back from our summer hiatus; hope you all enjoyed the summer. Our 26 September General Meeting will be held at Petzold Marine, 37 Indian Hill Ave., Portland, CT. We will start gathering there around 1800 for hot dogs and soda, followed by a presentation by Bob Petzold on boat winterizing starting at 1900. After the presentation Bob will answer any question you may have. We will then be able to purchase supplies at a discounted rate. And there are door prizes. Please join us, bring your boating neighbors and friends, and get all your winterizing supplies from one place, and discounted too! 22 Sep District 1 Poker Run at Hamburg Cove 24 Oct meeting Mariner’s Compass seminar * start time 1830 so we can fit in a business meeting before. It’s Hurricane Season – Just one of your Member Benefits - remember if you have USPS insurance, any haul out for a named storm is covered. See if you too can be saving money- call for a quote: 1800 763-8777, www.uspsboatinsurance.com Lt/C Dave DiStasio, AP Startron vs. Sea Foam vs. Ringfree vs. Sta-bil Ringfree and Startron serve different purposes. Ringfree is a de-carboning additive like Seafoam, with a little lubricant, and Startron is a gasoline conditioning/ ethanol treatment. You can compare Startron to Sta-bil (ethanol type) and Ringfree to Seafoam. I plan to run Seafoam in my yammi, and MAYBE a Ringfree treatment every few tanks. Considering with this motor, I will probably run through 300 gallons of gas, Ringfree would not be cheap. I also use Startron, vs. Sta-bil. The improvement in product performance between Sta-bil and Startron does not equate to price difference. The Hull Truth - Chiefsurfer We would like to offer the Seamanship Course starting in October, please let me know if you would like to take the course so we can get materials ordered. I am thinking of offering the Advanced Piloting Course if there is interest. If anyone is interested in teaching any portion of the Basic Boating course please let me know so that we can get you certified. We are also looking into running a series of seminars and would like to know which seminars people would like to attend. These are one night approximately two hours and there is a listing on National’s website of all that are offered. We look forward to helping everyone achieve their Educational goals but we need to know what they are. SEO Lt/C Bill Podlisny, JN (203)235-6881 [email protected] ASEO P/C Ken Bell Jr. AP (860)666-7183 [email protected] Friends of the Masthead This has been created to help defer the ever-rising postal expenses. There’s always plenty of room at the tables. Anyone interested in joining the Captain’s/Barnacle’s Tableplease use the form below. Memberships are for the calendar year 2012: Captain’s Table: Chris Casarella, Paul Casarella, Charlie Flynn, Bob Thompson, Al Lucitti, John Conroy, Betsy Tyrrell, Bud Greenbacker, Joe Szawerda, George Griffin. Barnacle’s Table: Ellie Lucitti Membership Form for the Friends of the Masthead Name: _________________________________ Please Circle: Captain's Table ($15.00) or Barnacle's Table ($5.00) Amount Enclosed: ________________ Mail to: CherieLee Bell 21 Atwood Street Newington CT 06111 Squadron logo polo shirts ($25) can be ordered through Lt Ann Steele [email protected] or 860 628-8588 Name tags($12.00) can be ordered – Joe Fernandes, [email protected] or 860 276-9407 District Raft-up and 9th Annual Poker Run Saturday, September 22, 2012 09:00-22:00 District Raft-up and 9th Annual Poker Run Saturday 22 September, 2012. Come join us by boat or car. Rain date: Sunday, 23 September Location: Hamburg Cove Yacht Club, Hamburg, CT Want to raft-up and relax? Join us Friday evening or Saturday morning for the raftup. Look for the USPS Ensigns flying! Stay for a day or the weekend. Don’t have a boat but want to spend time on one? We’ll dinghy you out to the raft-up. Want to join the Poker Run? Entry Fee: $5.00 Registration: 0945-1045 Start time: 1100 What is a Poker Run? A Poker Run is an organized event where the objective is to obtain the best Poker “hand.” A Poker Run is not a race. It's a game of chance. The winner with the best “hand” will win the Grand Prize. There will also be prizes for the 2nd and 3rd best hands. Winners will be determined, and prizes will be awarded at the cookout. Participants are encouraged to register before September 20th. Each participating boat navigates to five checkpoints with the help of clues. At each checkpoint a sealed envelope containing a playing card is given after correctly answering a boating question. Time doesn’t matter. The best hand does! Remember, only 1 entrant will be allowed per dingy. Your boat will be your dinghy, sunfish, canoe, kayak, or other tender. Don’t have a dinghy, no problem. Our dinghy captains will be happy to dinghy you around! Blindfold Dingy Race is on again this year! This is your chance to demonstrate your navigation skills. Cookout: Hamburg Cove Yacht Club 1400. Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. Cost: $8.00 per person. Contact Joe Fernandes, at [email protected] or 860-276-9407 for more details and to register. Is it Rope or is it Line? - XO What is the difference between a rope and a line? Many boaters think that a rope and a line are the same that a rope is a line and a line is a rope. This is not true. Rope is cordage, when it is in a coil, rope has not been assigned a job, consider it unemployed, it is just a rope. When the rope is used for a specific task it is considered having a job and it is then employed as a line. The line is labeled by the job it performs; for example, anchor line, dock line, fender line, bow line, spring line etc. When you decide to purchase dock lines, sailors and powerboaters need a rope that has stretch to it. In pursuit of dock lines that do not stiffen with age, some rope manufacturers have in recent years begun offering pre-spliced dock lines made from polyester. These may be good for some applications but for tying your boat to a dock, slip, or pier, you should avoid all rope labeled polyester or Dacron or Kevlar. The right rope for dock lines is plain old nylon. Nylon has three characteristics that make it ideal for dock lines. It is incredibly strong, it is very stretchy, and it resists the harmful effects of sunlight better than synthetics. The value of strength is evident, but the benefits of elasticity come into play when your boat surges against an unyielding dock line, the load on the line goes from zero to the maximum which could result into a broken line. If the line is strong enough not to break, it is pounding against cleats and bitts with every surge. Nylon doesn't come taut suddenly, but dissipates the load by stretching. As for nylon's resistance to ultraviolet damage, dock lines live in the sun. Nylon lines last longer life than other lines in this environment. Braid or Three-strand? Nylon lines are available in braided and three-strand twist construction. Each has its advantages. Braided line looks "dressy." It has better abrasion resistance than three-strand, and typically it is slightly stronger. Braided line is a good choice for tying up in your home dock, but braided lines have a tendency to snag on rough pilings. As an anchor line, braided nylon handles easier and stows more compactly and with less of a tendency to tangle, (but at the cost of some elasticity.) The main advantages of three-strand nylon for dock lines are that it doesn't snag, it is easy to splice, and it is considerably less costly than braided rope. Three-strand also has the significant advantage of having more stretch than braided. What size line is right for my boat? The length of the line should be at a minimum the length of the boat. The diameter of the line will vary by the size and weight of your boat. The following is a guide in determining line diameter: Diameter Boats under 20 feet 3/8” Boats 20 to 30 feet 1/2" Boats 30 to 40 feet 5/8” Boats 40 to 60 feet 3/4" Boats over 60 feet (I can only wish) 1” Meriden Masthead Joe Fernandes 188 Malcein Drive Southington, CT 06489 FORWARD & ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED Directions: Petzold's Marina From Route 9 N/S: - In Middletown take Rt. 66 across the Arrigoni Bridge. - Continue straight on Main St (Rt. 17A) - Left on Indian Hill Ave - Right at 37 Indian Hill Ave 37 Indian Hill Ave Portland, CT 06480 Please visit www.usps.org/meriden for updates