Scott Marine Surveyor Blog

Ran across this article in the Boating Times. Some great advice on not getting ripped off this boating season.

April 1, 2015 by William Winslow ·

Ever had anything stolen from your boat? This article is for you. Never had anything stolen from your boat? This article is for you.

In my book, the secret to good marine security is to think like a crook and then do the opposite.

The light-fingered set is opportunistic, and any scenario is nearly perfect for grabbing the goods and disappearing within a minute or two. So, make it tough for burglars to operate. The easiest items to steal are electronics and gear in open view that is small enough to be quickly stashed in a tote bag.  If you own an open runabout, make it your habit to remove all valuables every night. If you have a cabin, don’t leave anything in view — draw your curtains over windows and portholes and stash the small but expensive stuff out of sight in drawers and lockers.

Whether you remove portable equipment or not, take the time to engrave your name, home port, driver’s license number, state registration number, and hull pin on your VHF radio, GPS handheld, chart plotter, binoculars, and other valuables.

Batten down the hatches before you leave the boat. Fasten companionways with strong locks attached to hasps. Cockpit lockers should also be secured, particularly if they contain items like batteries and expensive life jackets. A burglar will pass your boat by for an easier mark if he has to spend time breaking or picking a lock. Many captains hide an extra set of keys onboard. Don’t. Lawbreakers know all the hiding places.

Ideally, keep your boat in a well-lit, secured anchorage with locked doors to docks, cameras, and personnel on site 24/7.  If security and cameras aren’t present, or you’re out on a mooring, install an alarm — even the simplest of set-ups will scare most crooks away (provided there are people about who’ll hear the alarm).

Every boater should be observant of strangers seemingly lurking around their home marina or boatyard, particularly those in non-nautical dress (street shoes are often a giveaway). Let a dockhand or the yard manager know if you suspect someone’s potentially up to no good. If you’re selling your boat, don’t hang a For Sale sign on it.  It affords nefarious characters the cover to snoop and return when no one’s about.

What do you do if you have been hit anyway? Report the burglary to the police immediately. Savvy officers in marine units may know where to look for sales of stolen goods, especially if you provide them with a list of all equipment by make, model, and serial number. Let them know all about the engraving on the stolen items as that will help to prove any recovered goods are yours.

I’ve been talking about boat burglaries, but entire boats and other watercraft disappear. The most likely vessels to be nicked are boats under 26 feet in length and jet skis. Owners must be diligent in immobilizing their crafts. Again, assess your setup like a thief would and then do all you can to make removal difficult or impossible.

Want a novel way to decrease the likelihood of a dinghy or inflatable being stolen? A veteran Caribbean sailor I know advises boaters to paint these items a weird color — a pink dink will make a crook rethink!

Make a Checklist               .

Yes, i know, we all resist the inevitable, and hate to admit a written list may help.

But trust me, if you trailer your boat, you will do yourself and everyone else in line a service if you develop a check list.

Check and review your step-by-step list every time you launch your boat.  It’s easy to forget  things both big and small when you are prepping for a day on the water; a checklist prompts you to confirm that the drain plug is in, the outdrive is up, all lines and fenders are in the boat, and that you’ve brought along the right gear, toys, food, and beverages. Let’s face it, boat ramps can be busy places and a little stress-inducing at times, so take some percautions and advice from an old sailor — checklists will save your butt.

253 years ago, we celebrated the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade, in New York City.

But New York is not the state with the most residents with Irish ancestry. Actually, Massachusetts, has more than 21 percent of residents who have some Irish in them.

As we get ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, here’s a look at some facts about the Irish in America.:

• Foreign-born residents with Irish ancestry: 251,033. Nearly 60 percent are naturalized citizens, according to the US Immigration bureau.
• Education. Irish Americans are more educated than the nation as a whole, with more than 35 percent older than 25 holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. For the nation as a whole, that rate is nearly 30 percent.
• There’s no place like home. There are 16 places in the United States named Dublin, which is Ireland’s capital. Dublin, Calif., claims the largest population of any of them, with more than 52,000 people.

WHY DO WE CHANGE THE CLOCKS ?

Some things always seem to signal the change from winter to spring. The first crocus. The sound of birds chirping. Turning the clocks ahead an hour.

On Sunday, March 8, at 2 a.m., people in most areas of the U.S. will turn their clocks ahead one hour to Daylight Saving (not “Savings”) Time.

You may have already noticed that it’s staying lighter later, thanks to the normal course of the Earth’s movements in relation to the sun, but Daylight Saving Time turbocharges this process. Of course, no daylight is actually being saved. We’re just moving an hour of daylight to later in the day — so, for example, on March 8 when the clock reads 6 p.m., it will look pretty much as bright as it was at 5 p.m. the day before. By the time June is here we’ll be able to enjoy the twilight well into the evening.

Not everyone participates in this temporal engineering. A handful of U.S. states and territories, including most of Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, stick to Standard Time. 

Many people welcome the tradition of “springing” forward. It means an extra hour of daylight in the evenings, and signals the approach of spring and summer. So what’s the problem?

Well, some people complain about the lost hour of sleep (although they’ll probably be back on their game within a day or so), as well as the dark mornings for early-bird commuters. And be careful: Some studies show there’s an uptick in morning accidents after the switch because people aren’t used to traveling in the darkness.

Haters can start counting down the days until we (in the U.S.) turn our clocks back an hour and “fall” back to Standard Time on the second Sunday in November.

So even though we still have a few weeks to go until it’s officially spring, and in much of the country a lot longer until it actually feels like spring, celebrating Daylight Saving Time is a first step.

DON’T STRESS THE GRAY HAIR      

Read this today on Yahoo….

According to the article from ABC Newsbusters

There are No 50 shades about it - grey can be a difficult color to pull off. Especially when it’s on your head.

So is the only way to avoid grey locks to live a life free of stress and strain?

Turns out, Each of us have two chemicals in our bodies: melanin, which is the pigment in our hair, and hydrogen peroxide. Early in life, it seems that melanin overpowers the hydrogen peroxide - allowing us to have a colorful head of hair.

Later in life, though, the hydrogen peroxide seems to overtake the melanin, causing a loss of pigmentation and a greying of the hair. “But,” Dr. Michael Stern, an Emergency Medicine Physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital says “in terms of stress causing grey hair, there is no scientific proof whatsoever.”

So what does this mean, well for starters, you can apologize to your significant other, and you may now resume your stress-filled lives without the added weight of worrying about hair color.

O, and be glad the hair is still there in the first place. LOL!!

 Your pet needs protection from the cold

 This week the cold and stormy weather seems to have really set in. While we bundle up, our pets are sometimes not given the appropriate attention.

 Here are some tips for keeping our pets safe and healthy.

           Keep them inside when the temperature drops below freezing.

• Bang on the hood of your car before starting it to scare away stray cats that may have sought warmth from the engine.
• Never let your dog off the leash on snow or ice, especially during a snowstorm, when dogs can lose their scent and become lost. More dogs are lost during the winter than any other season, so keep ID tags on a well-fitting collar.
• Wipe off your dog's paws, legs and belly after a walk to remove ice, salt and antifreeze. Make sure a freshly bathed dog is completely dry before taking it outside.
• Put a coat or sweater with a high collar on short-haired dogs.
• Check your dog's paws frequently for signs of cold-weather injury or damage, such as cracked paw pads or bleeding. During a walk, sudden lameness may be due to ice accumulation between the toes.
• Postpone housebreaking puppies during the coldest months.
• Don't leave a pet alone in a room with a space heater. It could get knocked over and start a fire.
• Dogs that can tolerate long, cold walks -- the larger breeds with thick fur -- will need to eat more high-protein food.
• Pets need a place to sleep off the floor and away from drafts.
• Dogs that spend any time in the yard must have a dry, draft-free shelter large enough to lie down in, but small enough to retain body heat. The floor should be a few inches off the ground and covered with cedar shavings or straw. The doorway should be covered with waterproof burlap or heavy plastic. Do not use metal bowls for food and water.

How to keep warm outside: 5 science-based tips

Wondering how to keep warm in frigid, soul-shattering temperatures? You're not alone.

Thanks to Chris Gayomali the science and technology editor for TheWeek.com

Here are a few practical, science-based tips for keeping warm:

1. Stay dry

THE GOLDEN RULE to stay warm is "Don't get cold in the first place."

That's obvious, you say. But is it? The cold can sneak up on you, especially if you're tromping through icy puddles or sweating in that big parka. So stay dry, especially by dressing in layers. Try layering with a "synthetic, wicking base layer to pull the moisture off your skin." Then on top of that, you'll need a layer that insulates. "Heat tech" base layers — tights, leggings, form-fitting undershirts, etc. — are lightweight, easy to throw on underneath your normal work clothes, and most importantly, keep you toasty with minimal discomfort. Try not to let cotton (which can absorb sweat) touch your skin, if you can help it. Sorry Mom.

2. Protect your core
The average human core temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit; hypothermia occurs when body temp dips below 95 degrees. Obviously, keeping your torso insulated is the best thing you can do to keep the rest of you warm and humming along, especially if you pack on a few extra winter pounds.

For example, when people lose fingers, toes, and other extremities to frostbite, at work is one of the body's natural self-preservation systems: It simply stops sending blood out in order to protect the vital organs. So, as counterintuitive as it sounds, keeping your torso warm is the number one way to keep your hands and feet feeling warm, too. (More on that in a bit.)

3. The "winter hat" might be a myth
Good news for people with great hair: The assumption that 70 percent of a person's body heat escapes through their head is patently false. University of Michigan professor Andrew Maynard debunks the popular "dancing naked with a winter hat" myth, and explains that body-heat loss relates to "how much skin is exposed, not which part of the body you're exposing." That said, wearing a warm hat can and definitely will help you keep warm. (The more skin you cover up the better.) But a hat shouldn't be depended on in lieu of down coat or jacket with good insulation.

4. Mittens keep your hands warmer than gloves
Protecting your core should be your number one priority. But you need to cover your skin to keep it from getting frostbitten. Remember: The less skin you have exposed the better. If you don't mind having less mobility in the cold, mittens may be preferable to gloves, since clustering the fingers together helps to produce more insulating body heat.

5. Drink water
Summit-trekking adventurers agree: Water is actually amazing for retaining body heat. Simply put, the more you have in your system, the easier it is to keep warm. Stay hydrated — especially before you dash out into the frozen slush every morning.

A Visit from St. Nicholas

By Clement Clarke Moore

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds;

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,

Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,

When what to my wondering eyes did appear,

But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,

With a little old driver so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;

So up to the housetop the coursers they flew

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too—

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly

That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”