I will be heading to the Strictly Sail Pacific boat show in Oakland, California (April 15-18). Will be screening the final cut of my first sailing documentary project, "Gales, Whales and the Baja Ha-Ha" (Waterfront Hotel, Portside auditorium, April 15 2:00PM, April 18 10:30AM).

The show shifts to an improved four-day format and the majority of the booth exhibitors will be housed in a 30,000 square foot ‘Exhibit Hall’ – site of the former Barnes & Noble bookstore.  lso new for 2010 is the addition of premium pre-owned boats in the in-water section of the show which is designed to enhance the show by providing attendees with a wider selection of boats to view.

The show's venue, Jack London Square, has undergone massive re-development since 1980s but the original "First and Last Chance" saloon, where author Jack London hung out while writing his books, still stands . The saloon is quite funky, more like a big tool shed, and the floor is so slanted that it is not recommended for persons with vertigo.

Both of these videos put a smile on my face.

In the first video, a vessel in distress is calling the German Coast Guard. The rookie the in training does not quite understand the skipper's pronunciation of "sinking."

In the second, the captain of the navy ship ends up with egg on his face after demanding that the "Lighthouse" change course.

The unexpected happens sometimes during a cruise. The sailor is far from shore and his sailboat begins to take on water. In most cases, it is not because of a catastrophic incident, such as, collision with a hard object. The odds are that the water ingress is due to a split hose, a broken thru-hull fitting, or a leaking shaft log. Immediate action is necessary to locate the source of water and to stop the ingress.

Any water coming into the vessel needs immediate attention. Just a 2-inch hole below the water line allows 79 gallons of water inflow per minute. In a typical 30-foot sailboat, the hull fill up with 2,000 gallons of water in about 30 minutes.

When shaft logs will start leaking, the leak rate will slowly increase – usually due to a loosening packing nut. The shaft log is designed to allow the motor shaft to be lubricated by water as it turns. This means a bit of water will drip into the bilge and that is normal. When the packing nut is too loose, the drip becomes a leak. Tighten the packing nut with engine turned off so that one drip occurs about every 30 seconds.

In case of a broken or cracked hose, just close the seacock, remove the hose and replace with a spare (you do carry spare hoses and clamps, right?). Sometimes, the hose is long enough so that the damaged part can be cut-off and remounted.

A broken through-hull fitting can let in enormous amounts of water and quick action is needed. For safety, keep a properly sized wooden plug attached to each through hull with a hammer nearby to drive the wooden plug into the hole. Some skippers keep all the plugs in a drawer making it more difficult to find the right sized plugs for the particular fitting.

In addition to the wooden plugs, a new product appeared on the market, called TruPlug. It is a tapered circular cone shaped plug made of foam that is a solid, spongy cellular material which is coated with a flexible sealer adding strength and color. I think it is worthwhile to keep one or two of these in the damage control kit since these do not require a hammer, can fit varying size holes and are easier to drive home in hard-to-reach spaces. Here is video on how they work.

This pictorial shows how the components of the rescue system interact with each other.

COSPAS: Cosmicheskaya Systyema Polska Aariynyich Sudov (Russian)

SARSAT: Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking

Founded in 1982 by USA, Canada, Russia, and France. Currently 38 nations are participating. The system only receives 406 MHz signals.

Due to lack of space, bring items on board with forethought. If the item you bring on board has at least two uses, it is even better. For example, this rubber strap wrench has multiple uses:

1. opening jar lids
2. remove oil/fuel filters
3. open raw water filters, lids
4. drinking water filter removal
5. twist pipes, other

This handy-dandy rubber strap fits around objects of any shape to loosen, tighten or hold without surface damage.  Two sizes cover most situations.

George Krakie of Marina El Cid (Mazatlan, Mexico) put together a very handy 2009 Mazatlan Cruiser’s Guide for the cruising community visiting the region. It covers everything from places to visit, to services provided in the city, a complete city bus guide, local knowledge, and several pages of an English-to-Spanish translation guidance. A donation of 30 pesos (plus mailing cost) is requested to get a copy of this fact-filled publication. The monies collected for the guide are donated to the two orphanages in Mazatlan. Krakie, who has been living at the marina for three years, is enjoying the amenities of the El Cid Resort living on his s/v Aimee Sean, a Tayana 37 sailboat. He is a delivery captain specializing in sail and power yachts.



Contact:
Captain George Krakie
La Marina El Cid Mazatlan
Sinaloa Mexico 82110
Cell: 011 521 669 123-8087
US Phone: 801 738-2752
E-mail: gkrakie@yahoo.com

Genre: Sailing Hobby
Format: HD Video
Length: 3:37 minutes
Rating: G

Remote Control (RC) sailboat racing at the Ala Moana Park lagoon across from the Waikiki Yacht Club at the Ala Wai Harbor.