Sailing

ON THE HORIZONS

Four Upgrades for Your Sailboat

By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS

While we idle in the slow season, now is an excellent opportunity for you to make some upgrades to your boat that might have become worn down after being exercised all summer. Whether you’re cruising with family, friends, or solo, making sure everyone on board is safe and comfortable are the top priorities for any cruiser, and these four upgrades to your boat can provide both.

Anchoring System:

Most sailboats over 30 feet are fitted with an anchor windlass system, but many are outdated or underpowered. Having a properly sized electric anchor windlass installed on your boat can vastly improve your cruising experience and give you the confidence to explore more remote anchorages. In addition, having faith in a reliable anchoring system means you can spend time anchored in deeper waters or uninhabited anchorages without worrying about the strenuous process of deploying and retrieving the anchor from the seabed floor. An electric anchor windlass also allows you to use a heavier anchor and larger diameter or more chain than you are willing to lift with a manual or under-sized windlass. This makes resting at anchor safer and more secure and provides peace of mind when you leave the boat anchored to go ashore and explore.

Interior Lighting:

Having the proper lighting in the living quarters of your boat is essential to making it feel like home when you’re cruising for long periods or if you’re anchored and just hanging out.

Whether it’s the right light in your favorite reading nook, under-cabinet lights in the galley so you can see what you’re doing, or a bright utility light in the engine compartment so you can do maintenance without holding a flashlight, proper lighting specific to each area of the boat is an integral part of having a safe and enjoyable time while living aboard or cruising.

There are various fixtures to consider, including downlights, courtesy lights, reading lights, wall lights, chart table lights, flexible rope or tape lighting and more.

While you start to use your boat less throughout the off-season, consider making some upgrades to your boat before the next sailing season kicks off.

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Battery Monitoring and Charging:

When cruising for weeks at a time and voyaging to new anchorages, moorings, and slips, managing the various power sources on board is paramount to making your trip run smoothly and safely. There are several options on the market with a complete range of battery chargers, solar chargers, inverters, converters, and monitoring systems. Always check your batteries before heading out, especially if you have not used your sailboat during the off-season months.

Bow and Stern Thrusters:

Suppose you’ve ever maneuvered a sailboat in a tight anchorage or marina. In that case, you know that the bow and stern thrusters to spin the boat any way you need can be a precious asset to have onboard, particularly in windy conditions or strong currents.

Whether your thruster model is for electrical or hydraulic power, make sure it includes traditional tunnel thrusters, external thrusters, and retractable thrusters.

You can also upgrade to a full range of proportional-speed DC-powered thrusters. The advantage of using a proportional speed thruster is that it allows you to oversize the thruster for your boat to have the necessary thrust to maneuver in high-wind or high-current conditions. Still, you don’t have to use all that power the entire time when using proportional control.

By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS

CRA Year End Regatta sponsored by Ullman Sails— The First Regatta of the 2023 CRA High Point Champion-

ship (Dec. 10)

On Dec. 10, the Cortez Racing Association will host the Year End Regatta in San Diego. The regatta will be governed by the rules as defined in The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2021-2024, but the US Sailing Prescription to Rule 63.2 will not apply. The sailing instructions will be available by 5 p.m. on Dec. 9 on the online official notice board. The regatta is open to all members of organizations affiliated with US Sailing. The regatta is open to all boats of the J-24 class. Other one-design classes may be considered at the discretion of the RC Chair. The Fleet Captain should contact Colleen Cooke, CRA RC Chair, at sailorcookie2@ gmail.com or (619)852-5010. PHRF classes are open to all boats with a current, valid PHRF certificate issued by PHRF San Diego. In addition, all Sport Boats must have a current ORCi or ORC Club certificate. All eligible boats must enter online at www.cortezracing.com no later than 6 p.m. on Dec. 9. To be considered an entry in the event, a boat must complete all registration requirements and pay all fees. There is a $40 registration fee for non-CRA members, no charge for CRA members, and a $10 fee for “shadow scoring” for PHRF

Please see HORIZONS, PAGE 20

Fleet of 9 sailboats specifically designed for adaptive sailing.

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Challenged Sailors San Diego provides FREE therapeutic and recreational adaptive sailing opportunities for people with disabilities to enhance their dignity, well being, and independence.

https://www.challengedsailors.org

(760) 690-6594  info@challengedsailors.org

‘Tis the Season to Decorate Your Boat

By: KATHERINE M. CLEMENTS

Ahoy sailors, last issue, we discussed affordable DIY projects to upgrade your boat’s interior. Now that you have that ability, it is time to address the season of decorations and lights. With all the bright Holiday boat parades coming up, you don’t want to be out-shown. So let’s get some decorations on your boat! Stay tuned for our next lesson, where we will discuss installing a boiler for cold-weather sailing.

The Holidays mean it’s time to sailabrate, so let’s talk about decorating your boat so you can sleigh all day. So, your neighbor to the left got the extra-large snowman with the light-up carrot for a nose. Then the neighbor to the right bought the giant inflatable Santa with a full-size sled and a bunch of reindeer. So now, you have to figure out how to decorate your boat so that you can win that Holiday parade!

Good news, sailors. Your neighborhood boat-decorating helper elf has arrived. Follow these simple tips when decorating your boat for your local holiday boat parade.

How to Decorate Your Boat for the Holidays

1. First, do your research and find out this year’s parade theme and related rules. 2.Determine whether you need to decorate one or both sides of your boat. 3.Determine what you are going to use as your power source. 4.Deck the hulls—decorate your boat with lights, inflatable figures, and other festive decor. 5.Test your lights—and then test your lights again. 6.Add music to your display. 7. Think small when you start, and always work with the boat’s shape. 8.It might be helpful to draw out your ideas beforehand. Make a list, and check it twice. Work with the shape of the boat. For example, powerboats are more horizontal, and sailboats are more vertical. So, when you’re thinking about organizing your onboard display, work to the boat’s strengths in terms of shape. Think of the boat as the stage and create shapes to fit it.

Check with the Parade Committee

Firstly, check with the parade committee or browse the parade website for the theme. Some boat parades change their theme yearly, while others have the same theme each year. Knowing the theme will help you focus on your ideas so you don’t spend all your shopping money buying all the lights and decorations on the shelf.

Then, figure out whether you need to decorate one side of the boat or both sides. The parade route may only show off one side of your boat, so you can concentrate all your budget and attention on decorating that side. On the other hand, some parades instruct that both sides of the boat be decorated, and sometimes even decorated the same way; check with your local parade committee for rules and instructions.

Design & Power Source

Determine what your power source is going to be. Lights need power, which means you have to think about power options. Find lights that can be powered directly from your boat’s starting battery, or extra batteries can be used. Boat lights can be powered with this method as well.

Test Your Lights

Test your lights. One of the biggest problems boaters have are lights that don’t shine brightly enough when the sun goes down and the parade begins. Light up a test area on the boat, walk up the dock, and look from a reasonable distance to see how bright the lights are. You may need larger bulbs or stronger lights if they are dim and fuzzy instead of brightly twinkling.

Horizons

From page 19

classes. Two races are scheduled— the scheduled time of the warning signal for the first race is 11:55 a.m. The warning signal for the second race will be as soon as possible after completing the previous race. No warning signal for a race will be made after 4 p.m. To view the Notice of Race, please visit https:// www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/ regatta_uploads/25515/2022YearEndRegattaNOR.pdf.

1st Annual Winter Cup

Regatta (Dec. 16-18)

On Dec. 16-18, the Balboa Yacht Club will host the 1st Annual Winter Cup Regatta. The event has applied for world sailing grade 5. This grading is subject to review by world sailing. The Organizing Authority (OA) will be the Balboa Beach Yacht Club (BYC). BYC is located at 1801 Bayside Dr, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625. The OA may invite up to four teams. Only teams invited by the OA are eligible to enter this event. Skippers wishing to compete in this event shall file a request for an invitation by contacting the organizing authority at sailing@balboayachtclub. com. Sailors must be under 21 years of age as of Dec. 18th. Competitors must be members of their Member National Authority or one of its affiliated organizations. Competitors shall obtain a World Sailing (WS) ID by registering online at www.sailing.org. To remain eligible, a team representative shall confirm acceptance of their invitation in writing no later than the date specified on the invitation letter. A schedule of events is as follows:

Dec 16- 1-5 p.m. Registration 2-5 p.m. Practice in GC 21 (optional)

Dec. 17- 9-10 a.m. Registration 10 a.m. Competitors Meeting 11 a.m. Dock Out for Tow 12 p.m. First Attention Signal Post-race: Umpire Debrief

Dec 18- 10 a.m. Competitors meeting 11 a.m. Dock out for Tow 12 p.m. First attention signal 4 p.m. No start signals permitted after this time Post-Race: Prize Giving

Unless excused by the OA, attendance at the following is mandatory: (a) Competitors meeting (b) Umpire Debrief. (c) Meeting with the umpires. (d) Prize giving.

Lighting & Decor Options

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There are many options for rope lights. Spotlights are also great attention-grabbers to spotlight people in costume, singers, dancers, or giant foam cutouts. In addition, be sure to mount all lights at least a foot above the waterline so they won’t get hit with wakes and waves.

Think small when you start. You and some friends in a couple of Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, elf costumes, and a spotlight can go a long way if you’re cheerful and waving to the crowd. Give each person a battery-powered LED string to hold, and then the public ashore can see everyone waving.

If you plan to use inflatable displays like the ones made for home lawns, tie wraps and bungee cords are necessary. Make sure you tie everything down so that it doesn’t impede the skipper’s sightlines and doesn’t go flying, becoming a hazard on the water for other boaters in the parade.

Add a Soundtrack

Water is excellent for many things, including carrying sound over long distances. So bust out your waterproof speaker and crank up your Christmas tunes. There is even technology out there that will synchronize your lights to each song, and they will perform their own show.