soundings

                        Commodore        Vice-Commodore       Harbormaster               Port Captain         Secretary           Treasurer
                          Lucian Cayce      Andy Myrick           Harry Bloodsworth       John Garibotte     Theresa Higgins      Debbi Merrill
                                                                                          Larry Thomas

Independence Day: Tuesday (7-4)
Matt is working on some ideas for a fun filled day at the lake If you have a SunFish and would like to race or wouldn't mind loaning the boat to someone else, there is talk of having a SunFish race on this day. How about just coming out for a sail?

Learn to Sail Day (7-29)
We need help from the members with this event. This is one of our public service events and we would like for everyone to be involved.

Knots are used by many people everyday, and sailors should have a basic knowledge of some of the most popular ones.
Here are two that you can practice this month.

Batteries

Don Casey Tip #30

Deep-Cycle Batteries

A marine starting battery is essentially an automotive battery--sometimes “ruggedized”, sometimes not. Like an automotive battery, a marine starting battery is designed to start the engine(s). After that, the battery is being continuously charged. STARTING BATTERIES ARE NOT DESIGNED TO BE DISCHARGED—PERIOD. So can you run the electrical equipment on your boat from a starting battery? If you run it only when the engine is running, the answer is yes. Power drawn by appliances is concurrently replaced by the alternator, so the battery stays fully charged.

If, however, you expect to operate electrical equipment when the engine is NOT running, you need a deep-cycle battery. Deep-cycle batteries can be discharged to about 50% of their capacity without damage. In other words, you can expect a 100 amp-hour battery to supply around 50 amp-hours of power between charge cycles without suffering damaging. Provided it has sufficient cranking amps, a deep-cycle battery can also serve as the starting battery, but most boaters elect to have a dedicated starting battery so discharging the “house” battery cannot leave them unable to start the engine.

A dual-purpose battery has appeal for those who wish to avoid the complication of multiple batteries. Something of a hybrid, this type of battery typically is more starting battery than deep-cycle, but it will tolerate modest discharge without damage. If you only want to run the stereo and maybe a couple of lights when the engine is silent, this can be a good choice.

Full Moon during the May meeting w/ Venus in the background.

Ten lies owners of old boats tell their spouses—and themselves

        1. It's only cosmetic.
        2. I'll have her in the water next year.
        3. It'll cost hardly anything if I do the work myself.
        4. I can sail it without an engine.
        5. It'll be out of the driveway by May.
        6. Once that's done it shouldn't cost a penny.
        7. Of course it doesn't need new sails.
        8. I'll start work on the kitchen next weekend.
        9. I had to buy that radar; it was half-price.
        10. Don't worry, the keelbolts will be fine.