In this issue:

Happenings and store/

office closures

Marine Safety Alert

2

3

Pets on the Poop Deck

Kerplunk! Submerged

Outboard Savior

FHM Classified Ads

3

4

4

Foss Photo of the

Month

4

Tides & Times

1

December 2015

Thank you for an amazing year!

A FOSS HARBOR A FOSS HARBOR

CHRISTMAS PARTY CHRISTMAS PARTY

Is your boat ready for our annual boat decorating contest?

Judging will be Thursday, December 10th. We will begin the

Judging on B-Dock at 5:30 pm and will work our way through the

marina. Sign up in the office and prepare your bribes!

Photos of all decorated boats will be put to a public vote on

Facebook and all will be displayed on a big screen at the party.

Three grand prize winners will receive gift baskets filled with

exotic treasure from far-away lands and bragging rights.

*RAFFLE* *PRIZES* *POTLUCK BUFFET* *OPEN BAR*

That’s right, it’s time to celebrate an amazing 2015 with our Foss Harbor

family! Foss Harbor Marina and Flagship Maritime Academy invite you

to join us in the Flagship classroom (next door to the marina office)

December 12th at 6pm. We are going potluck-style, so please bring some

food and drink to share with your marina neighbors.

Have you purchased your raffle tickets yet? $1.00 per ticket, you may

purchase in the office or at the event. Prizes are still rolling in, and here

are just a couple items you may like:

SEE YOU THERE!

$100.00 OFF ONE MONTH’S MOORAGE

$50.00 OFF ONE MONTH’S STORAGE

HAUL OUT FROM COMMENCEMENT BAY (Powerboats only,

sorry!)

ONE NIGHT STAY FOR TWO AT HOTEL MURANO

1 HOUR MASSAGE AND SO MUCH MORE!!

12/12 12/12

@ 6pm@ 6pm

Holiday CheerHoliday Cheer

2

Did you know about the Dock Street Holiday Food Drive that

Foss Harbor has organized? We need your help! We are donating

non-perishable food items to St. Leo’s Food Bank right here in

Downtown Tacoma. People who donate will receive a $5 credit to your account for each full

plastic bag, up to $30.00 total. We will have a big box ready for

all of your generous donations. For those of you who have already

donated, THANK YOU!

Downtown Outdoor Ice Skating General Admission $8.00

Skate Rental $2.00

Where

1710 Pacific Ave. Tacoma, WA 98402

http://www.polarplaza.com/

253-272-4258

November 25, 2015 – January 10, 2016

If you haven’t signed up for text alerts, especially if you are a live-aboard here’s how:

1. Text the keyword “FOSSHARBOR” to the number 41411

2. Wait for the return message, which should only take a few seconds,

then reply to that message with the letter “Y”. That’s it! You are now

signed up and will then receive a welcome message from the marina.

You can then unsubscribe at any time by simply replying to 41411 with

the keyword “STOP”.

Don’t miss updates on water shut-offs, high winds or event invites.

We will never spam you, so get connected and stay in the loop!

Holiday Store & Fuel Dock

Closures: The Foss Harbor store

and fuel dock will be closed

December 25th & 26th as well as

January 1st. We wish you all a very

Merry Christmas and a Happy New

Year!

Tacoma Has a Giant Multiplex Theater Again!

This isn’t just any new movie theater. It’s the new movie theater at

Point Ruston — the Century Point Ruston and XD Theatre, if we’re

being official.

Nine screens. “State of the art” technology. Reclining seats. Expensive popcorn. It was dubbed, “The centerpiece of Tacoma waterfront’s new-est entertainment destination.”

5057 Main Street, Tacoma, WA 98407 P 253-752-6177

MARINE SAFETY ALERT NAVIGATION LIGHTS The U.S. Coast Guard is concerned about the sale and availability of unapproved recreational and commercial vessel navigation lights. Purchasers of such lighting should be aware replacement lighting may be improper for its application due to the failure by manufacturers to meet technical certification requirements. Furthermore, technical advances in marine lighting, such as the use of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), rope lighting, underwater lighting, and other various types of decorative lighting, may violate navigation light provisions of the Nautical Rules of the Road.

The Marine Safety Alert basically deals with the use of non-certified lights on recreational boats. With the new technology of lights, specifically LEDs, there are a lot of options for lighting both above and below the waterline. New navigation lights with LED if tempting because of the power saving but REMEMBER they have to have a U.S. Coast Guard approval. There are certain angles the light must cover, as well as intensity and color requirements that must be met. Some of the cheaper units will not meet these standards. Different lengths and types of boats must meet different intensity criteria. The bulbs or fixtures must have this label stamped on the package:

“USCG Approval 33 CFR 183.810, MEETS ABYC A-16 or equivalent, TESTED BY (an approved laboratory), Name of the light manufacturer, Number of Model, Visibility of the light in nautical miles, Date on which the light was type-tested and

Identification and specification of the bulb used in the compliance test.”

A further caution is noted about using exterior lights that interfere with NAV lights being seen at a distance. Placing rope lights or flood lights that over power the NAV lights can be hazardous to boating safety at night. It would seem that illuminating the boat would increase safety but when you cover the NAV lights with other lighting, it could interfere with a distant boat to be able to determine what direction and speed you are doing.

Boaters should be concerned about installing “decorative” lighting on their boats in various places,

including underwater, on the rub rail, or just above the waterline. Care must be taken that these lights:

cannot be mistaken for navigation lights,

do not impair the visibility or distinctive character of approved and properly placed navigation

lights, and

do not interfere with the operator’s ability to maintain a proper lookout. Such circumstances

may represent a violation of Rule 20

Remember, cheaper isn’t usually better. —Jim McGinley

United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

Flotilla 130-03-03 Tacoma

3

Say ahoy to Ursa, first mate on M/V Bear. Always

ready to paw a line, navigate a hazard or bamboozle a

treat, this “nauti” pup is sharp and ship shape.

Arf arf! I mean Aye, aye!

Pets on the Poop Deck

Do you have a pet on your

poop deck? Send pics to

melynda@fossharbor.com

The crew of the

“BEAR” gets cozy

in the V berth

Captain

Ursa!

Kerplunk- Submerged Outboards by Tom Neale

4

If you’ve dropped an outboard, it’ll make a difference as to whether it was running at the time. If it was, it

will probably have sucked water into the cylinders and carburetor. It may have even bent a rod, but this isn’t likely. You may need to remove the head—a job usually best left for someone at a shop. If you know you can’t get it to the shop anytime soon, proceed on anyway. If it wasn’t running, the cylinders may not

have gotten any (or much) water inside, especially if you retrieved it right away. In this event, frequently all you need to do with regard to the cylinders after washing the outside with fresh water is to remove the plugs, make sure there is no water inside, spray a lot of CRC 6-56 or similar lubrication inside and slowly

pull the starting cord (gas disconnected) to move and lube the pistons. If there is water inside, spray in the lubricant and pull the starting cord (with the plugs removed and gas disconnected) to get the water out. Before pulling the starting cord check to be sure there is no water in the carburetor. If there is, drain it, wash it, and spray the inside surfaces lightly with CRC 6-56 or similar lubricant.

Dry the spark plug cords and check to make sure no water got inside the jackets that go over the end of the plugs. Spray them with a water displacing lubricant such as CRC 6-56. The ignition “black boxes” may need replacement, but often not.

Be sure all electrical connections are dry and sprayed with water displacing lubricant. Try starting it as soon as possible, with an oil/gas mixture slightly on the rich side. As a general rule, the sooner you get it running the better, assuming there’s been no major damage such as bent rods. If it starts running, let it run for a long time to dry it out and lube it up. It’s still a

good idea to take it in to a shop when you can, and to replace electrical components, but the bill will probably be a lot less if you’ve taken these general steps.

As you can see, I’ve spoken only in very general terms, because what you need to do varies with what you’ve dropped, where you’ve dropped it, and how long it’s taken you to get up the nerve to go down and get it. I’m just trying to give you a start in the right direction should you find yourself in this classic boater’s predicament without professional help around.

There’s more information about saving dropped items on Tom’s Tips at www.boatus.com. Just click on the Tom Neale link on

the home page, go to “Tom Neale’s Cruising for You” section, and click on the current “Tom’s Tips.” Above all, be careful

and have fun.

FOR SALE: Mele Kai II 253-569-0981

The Mele Kai is a 40 foot pleasure trawler. It is 14 ft. wide with twin Lehman 120HP diesel engines. It holds 700 gallons of fuel and 300 gallons of water. It has a new Kohler 6KW gen-set and a new full size marine refrigerator. There are too many features to list here. Any interested person can

contact us at any time at 253-569-0981. Ask for Dave or Pat.

Good Morning Marina Land!

Submit your classified to

melynda@fossharbor.com It’s FREE!

Foss Photo of the Month Do you have a beautiful or unusual photo of the marina, waterway or

Tacoma? Submit your photo to melynda@fossharbor.com.

Photo by Kevin Hamblin