Let Thar Be Light ARGH!!!!

Ok pirate jokes aside a big safety factor is lighting at sea, especially on the deck.   A couple of years ago we lost our spreader lights, and we've failed to get them back.  With big thanks to Richard our SIYC commodore the CarolMarie now has two new LED spreader lights.  In fact the last time I was able to use them was back in Sept 2012 when we ran over fishing nets (http://svcarolmarie.blogspot.com/2012/09/another-night-out-and-another-adventure.html).

The new LED technology light were used.

I can't wait until tonight to try them out.

Shots Fired at CarolMarie

It's finally come to a head, gun violence in America has reach the quiet marina on Hayden Island.  Last weekend I ventured out to check on the boats at the marina as I usually do every couple of days. On entering into the cockpit of the CarolMarie I saw she'd been shot.  A smaller caliber round had broken through the cockpit window.

I removed the panel and went over to Hayden Island Canvas who made the original and will do the repair.  Up close one can see there was certainly a high speed projectile which penetrated the window.

The rumors around the marina are that a couple of older men living in condo's near the marina have taken upon themselves to harass the wild geese in the bay.   Rumors say they have been shooting at the geese.  The bay is heavily populated with many people and children walking around the bay.  It's disappointing that they're causing property damage and putting lives in danger for their odd thrill of terrorizing local wildlife in a densely populated metropolitan area.

Kanberra (R) All Natural Wipes Product Review.

At the Seattle Boat Show last month I finally caved and purchased a group of products from Kanberra.  The sales people at the show stated they were the best thing for getting rid of mold and mildew on surfaces and were perfect for cleaning boat products.  The company's website says, "Kanberra Wipes® are infused with the natural antiseptic and antifungal properties of TTO and other oils to attack bacteria and mold on contact with no chemicals. "

To test the Kanberra's effectiveness our Bottomsider Cushions have been left out all winter and grew mold and mildew under them.

The challenger in terms of the effectiveness was good old Mr. Clean Magic Easer Pads.

A both products were used on separate sections of the back of the cushions applying the same pressure, time and passes on each section.

The Kanberra product is on the left while the Mr. Clean product was on the right.  Clearly the Mr. Clean product not only cleaned better it cleaned deeper.  The stains on the upper side of the Mr. Clean area were teak oil that had soaked into the cushion.

Mr. Clean Magic Easer was then used to clean the remaining sections and performed very well at cleaning and removing the mold and mildew.

I was disappointed that I was suckered in on spending so much on the Kanberra products only to find their effectiveness was far less then what I got out of a common everyday household item.

Portland and Seattle Boat Shows

During the Portland Boat Show last month the crew of the Carolmarie supported the Sauvie Island Yacht Club.  First we created and donated a stand up banner for the club.

The crew covered two shifts for the show.

Once again we also attended the Seattle Boat Show.

The show was always great.  We ordered a new life raft for Carolmarie in anticipation of heading up north again this summer.   The raft is on reserve for delivery this summer.  We choose a Viking Offshore 6 person raft and will sell our older coastal raft.

We also pickup a set of rubberized cooking utensils, and a variety of the Kanberra products from Fisheries Supplies.

After the show a group of us from the SIYC attended a group dinner together at a family owned Italian restaurant.  Everyone had a great time.

Boat show season is now over as cabin fever is climaxing.  It's time to get out on the water as soon as there is enough sun and clear weather.