Category Archives: Liveaboard Topics

Topics related to liveaboard issues

Shilshole Prepares: Schedule of HubCaps Meetings for 2017

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Shilshole Prepares (the marina emergency preparedness branch of our Shilshole Liveaboard Assoc) participates in the City of Seattle HubCaps Network of Emergency Prep centers. Everyone is invited to participate so please contact Kristen at the Shilshole Liveaboard Assoc to get involved!

Most meetings are held at the Discovery Park Environmental Learning Center (pls confirm before each meeting).   Meeting dates in 2017 will be on the 4th Thursday of each month.  All meetings will have doors open at 6:30 for visiting and light snacks, meeting will start at 7:00.

Jan 26                          May 25                     Sept 28

Feb 23                         June 22                     Oct 26

Mar 23                         July 27                      Nov 16

April 27                        Aug 24                      Dec 28

Continue reading →

“No-Discharge Zone” for Puget Sound

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final affirmative determination that adequate sewage pump-out facilities are available for recreational and commercial vessels to support the Washington Department of Ecology’s proposed “No-Discharge Zone” for Puget Sound.

Ecology has proposed to establish a “No-Discharge Zone” for Puget Sound which would prohibit the discharge of vessel sewage – both treated and untreated – into Puget Sound waters. Ecology’s petition concluded that there is sufficient need for establishing a No-Discharge Zone to protect water quality and the related ecological, economic, and recreational benefits provided by Puget Sound. Continue reading →

2017 Parking Passes

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2017 parking passes are now available-and MUST BE ON YOUR VEHICLE BY MAR 1ST.  All tenants get one free pass.  You can pick yours up at the marina office (they aren’t mailed out), where you can also update your contact information.  Be sure to park your 2nd car, and have your guests park, in the non-permit section closer to the street.

Also, make sure your car tabs are up to date and on your vehicle-especially if you are going to be away on your boat! The Port is  towing cars with expired tabs. Review the parking policy here.

 

Technician level ham license class

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This is from our Shilshole Prepares. There is a basic HAM radio class coming up. If you are thinking about long distance cruising, or using your SSB for long range communication (using HAM channels), consider this starter class..

The Mike & Key Amateur Radio Club sponsors regular classes to help people obtain a Technician level ham license. This is the entry level license, and gives you access to the ham frequencies we primarily use in Hub (emergency preparedness) communications.

They have announced two classes coming up. One in Federal Way on January 14th and 21st, the other in Ballard on February 11th and 18th. Both classes are free, but it costs $15 to take the test at the end of the class.  You do not have to participate in the class in order to take the test, you can just show up and test if you want (but do some online studying first, and it will still cost $15).  The classes have a very high pass rate, it is rare to see someone fail the test after taking the class. The training occurs over two consecutive Saturdays, with the test in the afternoon of the second Saturday.

If you are interested, you can register for the classes, or get more information, by contacting Daniel Stevens, KL7WN, by email at kl7wm at aol dotcom

Ham vs ssb website conversations…

http://www.practical-sailor.com/blog/Marine-SSB-Ham-Radio-or-both-11487-1.html

http://www.latitude38.com/features/SSB.html#.WG8Lc1LTmvF

Ballard District Council-your voice!

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The Ballard District Council (BDC ) is one of 13 neighborhood districts formed in 1988 to promote, support, and involve citizen participation at the neighborhood level.  The Council represents about 13 neighbors in the Ballard area, like Shilshole, Sunset Hill, Loyal Heights, etc. The Shilshole Liveaboard Assoc has a permanent position on the Council.

Unfortunately, Mayor Murray last year dropped City support for these Neighborhood Districts because he thought that the “volunteers were too old, too white, and too many home owners”.  Fortunately, because of the importance of issues that affect our neighborhoods, these “voices” will continue to be heard and represent our local communities.

Please consider getting involved, and lending your voice to our Ballard issues like bus service, police protection, available parking, etc. Please read the Future of the BDC.

 

 

Switching to a Composting Toilet

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With the tightening of restrictions on marine sanitation devices, both here in Puget Sound and in Canada, many boaters are considering composting toilets.  Some of the key benefits for conversion are 1) no pumpout needed, 2) potentially less smell, 3) less weight on board (no holding tank, valves, hoses), 4) less maintenance/repair/expense and more…

Check out this website for their decision to make the conversion…the boat galley-choosing a composting toilet

With the Seattle Boat Show coming up at the end of the month, you can check out the different models.