Author Archives: Admin

Deck the Hulls!

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Your Shilshole Liveaboard Association is encouraging everyone to decorate their boats with lights this holiday season!  With the dark evenings upon us, why not get your lights up early and spread a little cheer!

The Argosy Christmas Ships will be at Shilshole on Thurs, Dec 11th. There will be 2 sailings: 5pm and 8pm with a bonfire at Golden Gardens at 8:20pm.

Other light displays by boat are at Kingston Cove and Poulsbo.

Charting options…

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We all have our favorite charting sources but it’s good to have other options, in case your batteries die, you drop your phone overboard, or GPS goes out!

Paper charts are the tried-and-true way and everyone should have a basic understanding of how to use them. Even the chart booklets still give you a usable view of your area. NOAA stopped producing paper (RASTER) charts in 2020 and will only update their ENC charts. It’s still a good idea to hang onto those old paper charts/booklets.

Chartplotters have been out for many years and boaters have their favorites (or are stuck with what came with their boat). Those have the ability to update charts from their respective proprietary sites. There are Apps, (such as Navionics) that boaters use on their phone or tablets. Cruising Guides, such was Waggoner, also offer local details.

For planning (and realtime charting with GPS), OpenCPN is a well-known and widely used free program that has an App or can be downloaded onto your pc/laptop. It is opensource, easily customized to your needs and the charts can be downloaded from NOAA for free. Example pasted below…

The dark wet days of winter are a perfect time to plan next season’s cruise!

Winter Storm Season Prep…

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Don’t forget to…

  • Secure your halyards away from your mast to prevent slapping in the wind.
  • Remove flags
  • Put out extra dock lines and fenders.
  • Secure tarps, sail covers and roller furling.
  • Securely stow: gear on your boat, steps, items behind your dock box, and bail your dinghy!
  • Make sure your power cord has slack in it and that it is not hanging in the water!
  • Water lines may freeze or be shut off…take appropriate action (top off tanks, disconnect hoses, etc.)
  • Contact the Marina staff right away if you see anything of concern (ie: loose sails, frayed dock lines, continuous bilge pump running and any diesel/oil spills).

Thanks for being a good neighbor…

Halloween is near!!!!

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PUMPKIN CARVING “CONTEST!”

Halloween is near so it’s time to put up the decorations,

and carve the pumpkins!    

Be it political, funny, scary or boring…

…show your creative juices   (and one-up your neighbor)

Instead of candles, there are LED candle lights available.

Shilshole Kids will be trick or treating on Halloween on a couple docks-

watch for the postings at your gate

Survey regarding Neighborhood crime

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Annually, Seattle University conducts an independent public safety survey of each neighborhood. This captures the concerns of each neighborhood and gives SPD (Seattle Police Dept) clear areas of focus.

Here is an opportunity to address our concerns about the campers, rvs and car prowls that we are experiencing here at Shilshole. Read more on the SPD website below with the link to the survey…

https://www.seattle.gov/police/information-and-data/data/mcpp-about

Get your HAM radio license

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Are you headed offshore to Mexico and points beyond with your SSB radio? Or, do you want to be able to communicate in times of emergency?  Now’s the time to get your HAM radio license!  Classes are held online, are inexpensive and testing is designed for you to learn and pass!

For details on HAM radio, check out the National Assoc. of Amateur Radio:  http://www.arrl.org/licensing-education-training

Sheri, who runs our Monday night VMan check in, took this prep class and had good things to say about it:  https://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/prices.htm

Getting your Captain’s License

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In the boating world, when someone says they are a “captain”, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have some Napoleon complex on their boat and like to wear white visors caps that say “Captain” (although those people do exist).

It generally means that they have undergone complex studies and a rigorous exam to earn the title.  With an OUPV or “6-Pack”, you can legally take paying passengers out on a boat.  You can deliver boats for the owners or brokers. It may reduce your insurance rate, and carries weight when chartering.

You see the ads everywhere for local classes.  They are held in classrooms, online or by personal study…all to fit your schedule.  Winter is a good time to consider this as the boat is usually tucked away.  Here are couple local organizations but also check out the marine stores, yacht brokers, and boating magazines and the January Boat Show for references and schedules…

http://www.flagshipmaritimellc.com/

https://www.usmaritime.us/captains

https://www.marinerslearningsystem.com/oupv-sixpack-captains-license.html