INSIDE THE LOG

Published by:

Poverty Bay Sail & Power Squadron A unit of the United States Power Squadron®

Sail and Power Boating

District 16

Volume 46, Number 6

June, 2008

Des Moines Rendezvous 4 Commander’s Report 5 Exec Report 6 Admin Report 7 Squadron Education 8-9 Change in Officers 11 Bonus Port Orchard Rend. 12

Port Orchard Re-Cap 13 Squadron Pictures 14 Birthday Wishes 15 Canadian Jazz Festival 16 Uncle Sam Wants You 17-19 Power Usage 20-22 Calendar 23-24

June 2008 June 2008

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POVERTY BAY SAIL & POWER SQUADRON

2008-2009 OFFICERS

The Pirates Log Staff

Editor Mailing Labels Distribution

Lt Julie Hale, S Nancy Scott, P Steve Archer, S & Mary 915 S. 264th 21811 122nd Pl SE 1316 SW 147th St. Des Moines, WA 98198 Kent, WA 98031 Seattle, WA 98166 253-941-1674 253-630-1619 206-246-4960 pirateslog2006@msn.com ter-nan@comcast.com

Log articles should be submitted no later than the 4th Thursday

of the month to Julie, unless otherwise indicated in the calendar. Address changes should be submitted to Nancy.

Name Address Phone

Commander Cdr Terry Scott, S

21811 122nd Pl SE Kent, 98031

253-630-1619

Executive Officer Lt/C Dave Howells. AP

P.O. Box 418 Hobart, 98025

425-432-2619

Education Officer Lt/C Rick Edel, AP

15626 21st Ave SW Burien, 98166

206-277-0925

Administrative Officer Lt/C Roger Hunt, AP

1911 SW Campus Dr. Box 569, Federal Way, 98023

253-952-3244

Secretary Lt/C Eileen Edel, S

15626 21st Ave SW Burien, 98166

206-277-0925

Treasurer Lt/C Don Parker, AP

P.O. Box 515 Wauna, 98395

206-999-2776

Asst. Education Officer 1st Lt Pat Foley, SN

233 SW 154th #102 Seattle, WA 98166-2322

206-246-8019

Membership P/C Bob Miller, JN

411 SW 197th St Normandy Park, WA 98166

206-878-2655

Member Involvement P/C Gray Cunningham, S

13221 SE 187th Place Renton, WA 98058

425-228-5230

Pirate’s Log Editor Lt Julie Hale, S

915 So. 264th Des Moines, WA 98198

253-941-1674

PBSPS Web Page URL www.pbps.org

Squadron Contact povertybay@comcast.net

PBPS Elected officers meet the third Thursday of each month at 1900 to conduct Squad-ron business. All members are welcome to attend. Meetings are held at the home of P/C Joanna Webster, AP, 31820 37th Ave SW, Federal Way

General membership meetings & programs are on the first Thursday of

the month at 1800 at Zenith Place, 1826 So. 240th, Des Moines.

4TH OF JULY

RENDEZVOUS DES MOINES MARINA

3-6 JULY

COME TO MARGUERITAVILLE

Thursday: Hors d’oeuvres potluck for those who make it to the marina Friday: Boat Decorating Contest Hamburgers & Hot Dogs will be served during the day Margueritas will be served Saturday: Continental Breakfast will be served Potluck Dinner Sunday: Continental Breakfast will be served

There will be games, fun, drinks, fun, frivolity, fun, drinks… you get the picture.

DON’T MISS OUT ON A

GREAT RENDEZVOUS

AND THE CHANCE TO

CELEBRATE AMERICA!

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FROM THE DECK OF THE KNOTTY TIME By Lt/C Terry Scott, S

If you can recall all the way back to change of watch and my acceptance speech, you will remember me stating that I am not the type of person that makes changes just for the sake of change. But, that if a squadron is going to be strong and grow, change is the inevitable driving force that usually facili-tates that growth and improvement. Guess what, change is upon us once again. At the April dinner meeting, Jane Matson announced to me that after years of service June will be the last din-ner meeting she and Joel will be catering for us. To be honest this was not that much of a surprise, after their hiatus last year it was obvious that their lives were changing and that leaving the catering business was not out of the question, it was really a matter of when not if. I want to assure all of you that your Executive Board is ready and willing to find a suitable solution that will be equal or superior to our current agree-ment with the Mattsons and in fact have already began the steps needed to ensure that by next October, when our dinner meetings resume after the Sep-tember steak fry, we will have a solution in place. Will it be perfect? I don’t know. Will it take a few tries to fine tune a solution that meets the needs and wishes of the majority of the membership? Probably. Will we survive in usual Poverty Bay Pirate fashion and come out on top of the situation? Abso-lutely! So, over the next few months you may receive a phone call, an email or a letter asking for input to help steer us in the right direction. The goal is to implement a solution that you will find acceptable and hopefully one that gets you excited. If you believe we don’t have your current contact info in-cluding email address, please get that to me by phone or email. My contact info is inside the front cover of this and all Pirates Logs. If you have knowl-edge of a venue that you believe will work for our meetings, let me know and I will make some calls. This is a squadron opportunity for improvement and as usual your input is very much valued and wanted. Let’s make our 5 June dinner meeting and nautical auction one for the mem-ory books. Let’s set an attendance record and embrace this change as just one more on the list of the many that has built Poverty Bay into the one of a kind Squadron that it is.

COCKPIT NOTES By Lt/C David J. Howells AP

As I look out my office window, its hard to believe that its mid May, I wore an overcoat to work today. Hopefully this will improve as we move into June and get us out there. June will be a busy month for the squadron, starting with our Nautical Auction at the Dinner Meeting on June 5th, this is

always fun and will be our last Dinner Meeting before the Steak Fry at the McKay’s house in September. It will also be the Swan Song for our cater-ers, who after many years of serving us will be retiring. Take a moment at the Dinner to thank them for all they have done. On 7 June, the Saturday after the Dinner Meeting, we will be participating in the Des Moines Marina’s “ Safety on the Sound” to be held in the Ma-rina parking lot close to the entry, next to the Farmers Market which will be in full swing. We will be there from 1000 to 1400+, sharing with the public who we are and what our mission is. We will have our VSC team available for inspections. Come by and support the Squadron. On 13-14 June we will be having a joint rendezvous with the Bremerton squadron, and will be the Safety Escort Boats for the Sound Rowers Race around Blake Island on the 14th. We are still looking for a Pirate to step up into the Public Relations Offi-cer role, to spread the word of the USPS and of our Squadron specifically. A full description of this very important position is in your Roster. This is a great way to step up and advance us as a squadron. Talk to any of the Eboard if you are interested in helping. So, although the Pirates Log will continue to find you over the next few months, we may not see quite as much of each other as we enjoy the sum-mer. So take care, remember safety first and wear those life preservers, they are called that for a reason.

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FROM THE HELM OF FLAMINGO By Lt/C Roger Hunt, AP

As I scramble to comprehend and also perform the myriad duties as your Ad-ministrative officer, I am amazed by a number of things. The first, of course, is how many things need to occur on a frequent and reliable basis for this squad-ron to continue to be what we have all come to appreciate. But even more gratifying is experiencing the number of folks who are willing to step up to take on the necessary tasks. Not one person I have asked has turned down the opportunity to serve the squadron in one function or another for yet one more year. There are always those who will step up in an emergency, but these more rare individuals are members who perform countless duties and tasks behind the scenes and are truly the glue that makes us successful. Most of these spe-cial contributors have been doing these tasks for a number of years and do so in relative anonymity. Although their names are usually in the Roster, I wanted to specifically recognize them and thank them for their past and future contri-butions: • Meetings Chair: Lt. Carol Thompson, P • Membership Chair: P/C Bob Miller, JN • Member Involvement: P/C Gray Cunningham, S; Lt. Mary Quande, P • Operations Training: P/C Joanna Webster, AP • Property Officer: P/C Dave Burke, S; Lt. Duane Quande, P • Publication Chair: Lt. Julie Hale, S • Mailing Committee: Lt. Steve and Mary Archer, S, and Lt. Nancy Scott, P • Telephone Committee: Lt. Linda McDonnell, P • Refreshment Chair: Lt. Dane and Terry Fantz • Christmas Chair: Gaye Howells, S There is a current vacancy as the program chair. The responsibility is to line up five meeting programs over the course of the year beginning in October. This is an opportunity that can accommodate more than one volunteer if you wanted to divide the task. Please let me know of your interest. The Nautical Auction will be occurring as usual in June. I know I look for-ward to bidding on a number of the “bargains” (some of which I contributed last year). I also have a couple of items to return. This is always an enjoyable event and I look forward to seeing you all there. June will be the last formal meeting until the fall but we hope to see you all at either a Rendezvous or somewhere in the Sound. Travel safe.

SAFE BOATING

THROUGH EDUCATION By Lt/C Rick Edel, JN

Hi from 38,000 feet. I’m enroute to the east coast as I write this today. The education department is humming along at present. Seamanship 2008 went well and the final exam took place May 20th. We’re planning a summer Chart Smart class for those completing Seamanship and the first half-year’s ABC classes who want to be actively boating this sum-mer and want chart navigating skills to help them enjoy the season. Pat Foley, SN, is now the ASEO in an adjustment that let Roger Hunt assume the Squadron Admin Officer position. Between Pat, the chairs of the local Boards and myself, we’ll stay on top of courses, ordering from National and keeping the Ed dept running. We’re talking with a Boy Scout Troop scoutmaster who’s asked us to teach an ABC level course to the Troop this summer in July-August. It won’t be an 8-hr course, so we’ve got to figure out how to break it up. All instructors wanting to work with youth are invited, just let me know. Perhaps some outdoor instruction can be tied with this. Let’s make it summer fun as well as educational. Piloting will occur in the fall and AP in the winter. The new PBSPS Education Schedule will be published in the Pirate’s Log and on the PBPS.org website. I’ll be back in Seattle on June 8th. Until then, enjoy the month and Me-morial Day and don’t forget what Memorial Day means. Everyone’s got some family members, relatives, loved ones and fallen service men to remember. Let’s keep them in mind that day.

June 2008 June 2008

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Poverty Bay Sail and Power Squadron

Education Courses 2008/2009 Course Type Course Name Meeting Days Dates Begin - End Advanced Courses Seamanship 2008 7 Apr. 15-May 27, 2008 ChartSmart 2 June 7 & June 21, 2008 Piloting 10 Oct. 7-Dec. 9, 2008 Advance Piloting 12 Jan. 13-Feb. 4, 2009 Instructor Development 5 Jan. 7-Feb 4, 2009 Seamanship 2009 7 Apr. 7-May 19, 2009 Elective Courses Cruise Planning 7 Feb. 25-Apr. 8, 2009 Marine Electronics 7 Apr. 15-May 27, 2009 Instructor Recertification 1 Sept. 27, 2008 ABC Sessions 1 May 3, 2008 1 May 17, 2008 Special Boy Scout ABC Multi July/Aug. 2008 1 Sept. 13, 2008 1 Oct. 11, 2008 1 Oct. 25, 2008 1 Nov. 8, 2008 1 Dec. 6, 2008 1 Feb. 7, 2009 1 Feb. 28, 2009 1 Mar. 21, 2009 1 Apr. 11, 2009 1 May 2, 2009 1 May 16, 2009 Seminar Saturdays 2 Nov. 22, 2008 2 Feb. 21, 2009

NEW ROSTER & BYLAWS By P/C Joanna Webster, AP

Hopefully each of you has received your 2008-2009 Roster? If not please send me an email or give me a call. I would also like to hear from you if you find any information incorrect.

As you might suspect, a Roster hardly gets off the press before mistakes are found and changes made. Following are some that you might note in your new Roster and I’m sure there will be more in the future. Page 2 - Rendezvous Committee P/Lt/C John Tollo, AP (1) 253-335-9593c Lt/C Don Parker, AP (2) 206-999-2776 Lt Teresa Fantz (3) 425-413-5945 Page 2 - Co-Op Charting P/C Jack Green, JN Page 51 – Rendezvous Schedule for 2008 Aug. 8-10, 2008 Port of Poulsbo Dan Leenhouts’ home phone is 206-824-2614

ATTENTION NEW BOATERS! By P/C Martha Hawley, JN

CHART SMART is for you! If you haven't had any navigation courses and want to know how to read a chart, how to plan a route, how to plot a course, how to estimate your arrival at your destination, then this is for you. This is a short version of piloting that will be presented in two short sessions: Saturday, June 7 and Saturday, June 14, for about 3 to 4 hours each, beginning at 0900. There is a textbook you may read before class and there is NO EXAM! Contact me for sign up.

Martha Hawley, 253-876-6481 or vinomakr@wesleyresident.org.

June 2008 June 2008

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A CHANGE IN OUR OFFICERS By P/C Jack Green, JN

I would like to notify the membership of two changes in our current slate of officers. In this year’s elections, Wendy McGee, P, was elected to the Administrative Officer position and Roger Hunt, JN, was elected to the Assistant Education Officer position. While Wendy sincerely wanted to continue as our AO, given her re-cently increased current work schedule, she did not feel it was possible to dedicate the time & energy necessary to perform the role adequately. Therefore, she requested we try to fill the position with someone else. In this circumstance, our by-laws give the Executive Board the author-ity to appoint someone to fill the position until the next annual meeting. After a review of possible candidates, we asked Roger Hunt, JN, to be-come our AO and he accepted. Roger has already jumped in to the role and everyone on the Eboard is very confident he will do a spectacular job for the squadron.

This action created a vacancy in the ASEO position. The Eboard asked one of our past SEOs, Pat Foley, SN to take the ASEO role and she has agreed to do so. As you may or may not know, the SEO & ASEO posi-tions must be approved by the District SEO. This has been done, so ef-fective immediately she is our new ASEO. I know I speak for the entire Eboard by expressing my sincere appre-ciation for Roger and Pat stepping up to take on these very important, time consuming responsibilities.

“Bonus” Port Orchard Rendezvous

June 13, 14 & 15

Our second annual joint rendezvous with Bremerton Sail and Power Squadron is just around the corner. This is a very special rendezvous as we will once again act as safety escort boats for the Sound Rowers race around Blake Island. Last year we had seven boats participate and hope-fully we will have a few more this year. Our plans are not yet finalized, but Friday evening we will have a happy hour with heavy hors d’oeuvres, followed by a brief organization meet-ing to outline Saturday’s process. The Sound Rower’s race will begin at 1000 on Saturday so the escort boats will depart the Port Orchard Marina around 0830. After the race we may join the racers for an afternoon meal, but we will certainly have a pot-luck Saturday evening. This is your chance to provide some real community service which we found to be very rewarding last year. We will need a mix of fast and slower boats as the speeds of the competing boats vary widely and all must be escorted. We have plenty of slips and the party dock reserved so plan on attending this very special rendezvous. Besides the race, you will get to meet and get to know some members of another very good squadron. We will have a sign-up sheet at the June 5 dinner meeting, but feel free to contact us if you would like to attend.

Hosts Jack and Sheila Green - 253.835.8076

June 2008 June 2008

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PORT ORCHARD RENDEZVOUS WRAP-UP By the Parkers & the Quandes

We had 20 boats show up at the Port Orchard Rendezvous, with most of them arriving on Friday. Four boats from Minkota Cruising Club joined us for Hors d’oeuvres Friday evening and made for a nice evening. Sat-urday morning, Duane & Donna cooked up Egg McMuffins, with Joanna serving them, to all who came to breakfast on-the-dock. The kids who were available went through a Treasure Hunt and did very well with the clues. Around 1500 we put out our Chili Specialties for tasting, with the award going to Mary Archer for her secret recipe, “Mmmmm”. The Chili Pots were bought back for the evening meal and there was plenty to go around as we were able to taste from different pots again. With the corn bread and salad it was a good meal. For some who were able to remain seated after dinner, a couple of dice games were started and continued for about an hour or so. That bought us to Sunday morning where rolls, coffee and fruit were provided to start off another nice day. This ended up being a good start to our rendezvous season with no boating problems, good weather and fun socializing. See you at Brownsville!!!

JULY/AUGUST COMBINED ISSUE

OF PIRATE’S LOG

Just a reminder to all e-board members and anyone who wants to submit an article for the next Pirate’s Log, that this will be a combined issue that will cover July, August (Poulsbo Rendezvous) and any early events in September (Steak Fry). The deadline for articles for the July/August is-sue is 19 June. The deadline for the September issue is 21 August.

Dane & Terry Fantz receive the New Member Out-standing Service Award – 2007-2008

Cdr Terry presents the coveted PBSPS mug to our May guest speaker from Coast Guard Seattle.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE

MAY DINNER MEETING

June 2008 June 2008

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July

Lynn Frary 2 Roger Hunt 2 Mary Quande 6 Darlene Bishop 10 Julie Powell 11 Nancy Scott 13 William Bishop 17 Karen Sharp 17 Gordon McWatters 19 Mary Myers 21 Dane Fantz 21 Alan Linder 22 Kathryn Miller 23 Rod McGillivray 26 Joseph Smith 29 Jean Spohn 30 Paul Ellis 30

June

Jim Sola 4 Evalyn Long 12 Roy Bilodeau 13 Don Parker 13 Judith Estes 14 Deborah Wiley 22 Brad Davis 23 Ben Jackson 24 Judith Nist 26 Carol Elwell 28 Jack Green 30

CANADA'S BEST ARE COMING TO

PENDER HARBOUR JAZZ FESTIVAL The Pender Harbour Jazz Festival is alive and well, and will be featur-ing Canada's best performers. Headlining Friday night, September 19, 2008, is the Jodi Proznick Quartet, 2008 winners of the National Jazz Awards Best Record and Best Acoustic Band of the year. Jodi was also named Best Bassist of the year. Phil Dwyer's 'Food For Thought' trio will headline Saturday night, September 20, 2008. Phil was named Best Arranger and Best Saxophonist of the year at the Nationals. Both con-certs will be at the tiny, 100-seat, School of Music in Madeira Park, so buy your tickets early. And you won't want to miss "Vancouver's busiest band" (dubbed by Storman Norman, Rock 101 Sunday Blues). Brickhouse has won the re-spect among musicians as a band that makes a difference, where the 'song' is the focus, accompanied by individual inspiration. This is the only other ticketed event of the Festival. Known for offering a smorgasbord of jazz styles, the Festival this year will also feature Swing, Big Band, Torch Songs, Hot Guitar, Cool Vibes, Traditional, Progressive, Classical - just about any type of jazz you can think of. And all will be performed in the Festival's unique tradition of all-around-the-Harbour venues: al fresco, in local pubs, at the Commu-nity Hall, the Golf Course, and even in a private art gallery. The wonder-ful Festival tradition of bringing jazz to the most folks possible is also alive and well, so many of the concerts are free. The ticketed events will go like lightning, so check-out www.phjazz.ca for info on program, venues, and tickets, and be sure to book both tickets and accommodation now. This is going to be a hot, sold-out weekend of fabulous jazz, nestled between the stunning mountains and ocean of the gorgeous Sunshine Coast. This information from Karen Dyck Phone: 604-883-9415 Cell: 604-741-8675 Email - secondmates@gmail.com

June 2008 June 2008

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2008 DAFFODIL PARADE By Lt Nancy Scott, P

Everybody loves a parade! So why is it we only have a handful of Pov-erty Bay Sail and Power Squadron members attending the Tacoma Yacht Club’s Annual Daffodil Boat Parade? This parade is typically held in the middle of April and kicks off the South Sound season of boating. TYC has been hosting this event for 71 years and it is attended by Yacht Clubs, Power Squadrons and other boating organizations. The weather was the topic of Friday, the waves were so big that in order to attend the event we had to sling our boat out of Des Moines and trans-port it to the Tacoma ramp (leaving us a very short run). We were met at the entrance of TYC by festive volunteers in 3 motorized dingys. They escorted us to our weekend home, assisted in securing our lines and of-fered hospitality beyond our expectations. We were lucky enough to share a boathouse with 2 other 2452-Cierras - yes we had 3 boats in 1 boathouse (which was graciously vacated and donated to us for the weekend), Terry and I were actually T-boned off the end. After batting down our hatches, we began the walk towards the club-house and lo and behold, up drove another volunteer in a fairly new Ar-mada eager to transport us. Due to the fact that it was about 33 degrees, I jumped into the warm chariot while some of the others opted to hike the 1/2mile. The clubhouse was a buzz of activity, with registration, event clothing sales, and the distribution of participant gift bags. If you want to know what was in it, you will have to find out from one of the 17 PBSPS attendees. We enjoyed a delectable buffet that was finished with the best lemon cake I have ever had. After dinner, we had to try the specialty drink of the weekend “The Daffotini”, a delicious concoction of spirits and lemon juices. The music lured us all onto the dance floor and I think some of our pirates would still be there dancing except the music stopped and we had to call it a night. We were pretty happy to see a shuttle wait-ing for us as we left the clubhouse.

Saturday after a hot breakfast, it was all hands on deck, decorating the Brizo with hundreds of daffodils, flags, and our new banner. With 4 boxes of fresh daffodils and 4 boxes of graciously donated silk daffodils from the Minnkota cruising club, she was a sight to behold. Afterwards we took a break and witnessed the rain turning to hail, which then turned to snow melting into the saltwater. Then back to the clubhouse for a nice lunch - they even offered box lunches for those who could not take a break from the decorating festivities. Have I mentioned the food? We decided to purchase the weekend value meal which included all meals for a very reasonable price. I have to say every meal was simply fabulous and fulfilling. Saturday evening was a casino night, we were all given ample booty to gamble with. They even had some nice prizes but we didn’t get that lucky. There was a band playing and more dancing - hopefully we danced off some of the steak and potatoes that we ate for dinner, because once we all caught on to the warm shuttle to and from the clubhouse, the long walk was deemed op-tional. Sunday brought us clear skies and a warm sun in which to enjoy the pomp and circumstance of the Flag Ceremony. Every year the sound of the bagpipes shrill across the water to commence the festivities. All Commodores/and 1 Commander were introduced, proudly representing their respective organizations. Then the boats shoved off, loaded with daffodils, clowns, trapeze artists, even a Ferris wheel for the annual pa-rade. If you can’t partake in the festivities, this would be the best week-end to visit the Tacoma waterfront, get a window table at one of the res-taurants and enjoy the parade, or pack a lunch and bring the kids or grandkids. The weather cannot be bad two years in a row. If you did not hear about this opportunity to attend the Annual Daffodil Boat Parade, then perhaps you missed the April dinner meeting, in which longtime Poverty Bay member Steve Archer, S, and member of the TYC, explained the event and invited all members to attend with com-plementary moorage, including power. The lesson here is DO NOT miss the dinner meetings, and come and join the fun.

June 2008 June 2008

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Brizo in all her finery for the Daffodil Boat Parade 2008

Poverty Bay members enjoy the festivities at the 2008 Daffodil Festival

DETERMINING VESSEL ELECTRICAL

POWER USAGE by Ron Davidson, JN, Squadron Radio Technical Officer

As a follow up to last month’s article on vessel power requirements, following is an example of a worksheet used to determine power usage for a vessel. After determining each device’s current draw (see last month’s article) and the total time used per day, you can calculate Daily Amp-Hour usage of your vessel. If your total daily draw exceeds 50% of your onboard capacity, you may want to consider a redesign of your battery bank for increased capacity. If you connect more identical (preferably same make, model, rating, month of manufacture) batteries in parallel you’ll increase AH capacity while keeping voltage at 12 volts. Also remember that frequent discharging of deep-cycle batteries below 50% of their capacity greatly reduces battery life, cycle life (number of cycle available), AND, over time, capacity. When fully charged a typical flooded cell or AGM, deep cycle “no load” battery voltage will be 12.6 volts. And at fully discharged the voltage is 11.8 volts! Yes, each 0.2 volt decrease equates to a 25% decrease in charge! So, in the worksheet on page 22, you’ll need to replace that 242 AH of use by providing approximately 278 AH of charge, considering a typical 15% effi-ciency loss from the alternator or generator. You’ll have to calculate the time to spend charging based on your alternator/generator output power based on your numbers for your vessel. For example, if your alternator provides 100 amps out, then it will take approximately 2 hours and 47 minutes (278 AH ÷ 100 amps = 2.78 hours) to recharge the batteries in the example below. Reaching an 85% charge usually occurs relatively quickly for deep-cycle batter-ies, but the remaining 15% takes a considerable amount of time, hours usually, and may not be practical at today’s fuel prices (excessive engine/generator run-ning) while at anchor so, you should also consider that after charging, you’ll have only 85% of your bank’s capacity available or a no load voltage of 12.4 – 12.5 volts when read with a digital voltmeter (the analog meter at your power panel isn’t sensitive enough for accurate reading). Interestingly, there’s a caveat to a battery’s no load voltage indicating amount of charge and its ability to provide the burst of current needed to say, start the engine. Each time a battery discharges it loses some lead from its negative

(Continued on page 21)

2008 DAFFODIL PARADE

HIGHLIGHTS

June 2008 June 2008

Page 22 Page 21

(Continued from page 20)

plates and lead peroxide from its positive plates creating lead sulfate. The re-charging process reverses the loss but is not 100% effective especially when we don’t fully recharge to 100%. Over time the sulfate accumulates, hardens and eventually the battery reaches the end of its service life. A battery at or near this stage can provide a 12.6 volt no load, fully charged, reading but be unable to sup-ply power for more than a cabin light. Because our ship batteries are normally connected in parallel to build amp hour capacity, the fact that a battery is failing can be “hidden” from us if we start the engine with our battery switch (Off - 1 – Both – 2) in the Both position; the good battery will supply the burst of power needed (usually >100+ amps; 900 amps for a 400hp diesel!) to start while the failing battery is just along for the ride. To prevent a failing battery from hiding you should alternate which battery you use to start the engine, use the 1 position one time then the 2 position the next. Don’t worry about such a large draw from only one battery. A 100 amp draw for 3 seconds uses only 0.083 AH. However, what you’ll discover is that the failing battery is unable to supply the power needed to start the engine. Once the engine is running, you can set the battery switch to Both if you’d like. Yes, you can change the switch position with the engine running as long as you don’t switch to the Off position. Battery switches have “make before break” contacts so the new circuit is “made” before the old circuit is “broken” so no damage to the alternator will result as long as you don’t switch to the Off position. Switching to the off position while the engine is running will usually cause the alternator’s diodes to fail (OUCH! $$$) so AVOID the off position while running. So, do some planning, studying, and homework before your cruise and you may preclude a call to Tow Boat U.S. Boat safely! Remember, you ARE allowed to break the Navigation Rules IF not doing so would result in a collision!

MONTHLY DINNER MEETINGS AT ZENITH PLACE

1826 SOUTH 240TH, DES MOINES Your telephone committee calls each member the week prior to the monthly dinner meeting. IF you have not been called by Sunday and you wish to attend our dinner, please contact Chairperson Lt Linda McDonnell, P (206-244-6714). All additions or cancellations to our count must be in no later than the Monday before the meet-ing! Also Please, Please see that we have a correct phone number for you. If you are not being called, we probably don’t. “A reservation made is a reservation paid”. Please remember when the telephone calling committee member calls you for dinner reservations, that you are obligated to pay for your dinners if you do not attend or cancel by the Monday preceding the dinner meeting. Dinner price is $18.00/person. The squadron has to pay for

ALL reservations made.

For a missed reservation, please remit check to PBSPS, c/o Lt/C Don Parker, AP P.O. Box 515, Wauna, WA 98395

Electrical Load Worksheet

Consumer Am

ps Time Per

Use Times per

day Total

Time Amp

Hours

Cabin Lights

(8 @ 12w) 8 3 hrs 1 3 hours 24

Refrigerator 5.1 Continu-

ous 1 24

hours 122.4

VHF Radio

(listening) 0.4 8 hrs 1 8 hours 3.2

Chart Plotter 1.7 8 hours 1 8 hours 13.6

Fresh Water

pump 5 2 min 15 30 min 2.5

TV 8.5 3 hrs 1 3 hours 25.5

Radar 4.3 4 hrs 1 4 hours 17.2

Electric head 10 0.5 min 8 4 min 0.6

Microwave 98 10 min 2 20 min 32.7

Total Daily

Use 241.7 AH

Battery Bank Power Required - 484 AH or greater capacity

(considering discharge to 50%)

June 2008 June 2008

Page 23 Page 24

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

Des

Moines

Rendzvs

4

Des

Moines

Rendzvs

5

Des

Moines

Rendzvs

6

Des

Moines

Rendzvs

7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24

25 26

27 28 29 30 31

July 2008

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5

Nautical

Auction

6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19

E-Board

Log

Articles

Due

20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27

D/16

Rndzvs

Poulsbo

28

D/16

Rndzvs

Poulsbo

29

D/16

Rndzvs

Poulsbo

30

June 2008