Pattaconk Yacht Club - Tips and Tricks

PATTACONK
YACHT CLUB

Founded 1952

TIPS and TRICKS (click on photos for larger views) Send in a tip!!

Boating - Boating Computers,Internet, TV Travel Food Smartphones B

Electronics
	Sea Tow's Automated Radio Check Service In areas across the country, Sea Tow is offering boaters a new way to conduct radio checks that doesn't require help from other boaters or watch standers. To use Sea Tow's free Automated Radio Check service, simply tune your VHF radio to the appropriate channel for your location and conduct a radio check as you typically would. Upon releasing your radio's microphone, the system will play an automated message and relay your transmission back to you, thereby letting you know that boaters can hear you loud and clear. The Automated Radio Check Service is currently available in the areas listed below. However, we are continually launching the Service in new areas nationwide. Visit this page often for updates. link
Mechanical / Electrical
	110 voltage checker - Avoid wiring problems. When you hook up at a strange marina, have you ever wondered if the wiring was up to snuff? This little device will take the worry away. Just plug it into a 110 outlet on your boat and check it before you turn on any expensive appliances (refrigerator, air conditioner, or water heater). If you get two yellow lights you are good to go. You can find these at many hardware stores.
	Digital Voltmeter - A small digital voltmeter is a handy thing to have onboard. Even if you are not good at trouble shooting electrical problems, the guy who lends you a hand might be, and if you have a meter it will be a big help.
	Winterizing - Use your raw water pump to winterize your air conditioner. The picture does not show this well, but when I winterize my raw water wash down pump and my air conditioner, I do them at the same time. 1) disconnect both systems from their seacocks. 2) jam a clear plastic tube in the raw water intake and put the other end in a jug of antifreeze. 3) attach the appropriate fitting (yellow, brass, nylon in photo) to plumb the outlet of the raw water washdown into the air conditioner intake. (The yellow shutoff valve is critical so you can back pressure the raw water pump so it will stop). 4) station a helper so they can watch the overflow from your air conditioner. 5) turn on the raw water pump and let 'er rip. I do not run the air conditioner pump. 6) when you get "pink" out the air conditioner drain, you are done. CAUTION: do not forget to open the two seacocks after you pull your boat to drain any water out of them.
Other
	Fender Hanger - Never enough fender hangers. If you have rod holders on your boat, you can make a handy fender hanger by cutting a length of curtain rod and applying a few coats of varnish.
	Tide Clock - Maybe not so good. We installed these instruments, a tide clock and a barometer. Seemed like a good combination and we often do not have wrist watches on. The barometer works fine, but the clock loses time every day, and not consistently. I suspect that the drag of the tide clock feature is too much for the battery driven movement. Based on this one experience, I would not purchase an (inexpensive) tide clock. Update: Weems & Plath has a great guarantee. I sent my clock back for repairs and suggested that I did not really need the tide function. They replaced the clock with a "normal" one which has functioned perfectly, AND, they sent me a 25% off coupon for my next purchase. Nice folks!
	External Speaker - Do you have any trouble hearing your radio over the engine noise? (WHAT??) I am not particularly hard of hearing (yet) but I do have trouble hearing my VHF radio. After I installed this external speaker it is MUCH easier to hear the radio, a very nice improvement. One caution, be sure your radio is capable of hooking up to an external speaker.
	Boat Lettering - The lettering that came on my boat confused visitors. After meeting a "real" lobsterman in Boston who was confused by the make of our boat as lettered on the hull, I knew I had to change it. Peeling off the old letters was not hard. After cleaning up the surface we applied new vinyl lettering. It was easy.
	Cockpit chair ruined - Water incursion wrecks chair. I usually store my cockpit chairs upside down in the cockpit when we are not onboard, but they were always under the canvas cockpit cover. When the cover was rolled up for a while and I still left the chairs upside down, the water could not run off the underside of the chairs and in one case the wood inside the seat swelled up and tore the vinyl. It is a real mess. Also, If you can avoid it, do not buy a chair with a logo sewn on the backrest. The logo will hold water and be uncomfortable when you lean back.

Computers, Internet, TV - top Boating Computers, Internet, TV Travel Food Smartphones C

Computers
	Netbook Computers - Small computers bridge the gap between notebooks and handheld devices. Notebooks are "too large" and hand held devices are "too small", so the computer industry has given us the Netbook. Netbooks are smaller, but offer a 'nearly full size' keyboard. If you are a speed typer, you are going to notice the smaller size of the keyboard, and it takes some getting used to. Netbooks do not have a CD or DVD drive, so loading software and making copies is a little different than with a full sized notebook. The use of "thumb drives" (USB devices) is the answer. It is also possible to attach an external drive through a USB port. The reduced size and lack of fast processors (Netbooks are not speed demons) results in longer battery times. Surprisingly, the cost of a Netbook is about the same as a moderately features full size Notebook! The smaller size is a real plus onboard. You can easily pack a Netbook in your luggage.
Internet
PYC WiFi	WiFi at your slip - PYC goes WiFi 2010. We are lucky to have WiFi available right on our boats at PYC. The ID to look for is pyc52, and the password is the same as the PYC web site.
	Internet access via cell phone network - No contract, no WiFi, access to the Internet. link Requires pre-purchase of USB device (approx $90). Sold at Wal-Mart (but cheaper online).
	Virgin Mobile "Top Up" cards - avoid internet credit card payment. If you want to avoid using your credit card on line, you can purchase a Virgin Mobile Top-Up card from Wal-Mart and many other locations. When you buy the card it is activated. You hold the card until you need it. If you arrive at a marina or anchor out location that does not have WiFi, you can do this: 1) Turn on your computer and test for Virgin Mobile reception. (Notice in the photo that you can check reception BEFORE you pay.) 2) If you have acceptable reception, THEN use your prepaid card to obtain service.
	Internet service with extra features for boaters. Expensive except for the most serious travelers. link
	Watch TV on your computer - See shows only available on cable TV. link hulu offers two services, one which is free and includes a lot of shows, and one paid ($9.99 per month). The free service has a lot of current TV shows, but only the most recent episodes. The free service has many movies, most of them not the most popular. All things considered, the free service is very impressive.
TV and Cable
	Cable TV Listings for Clinton - Killingworth Area (use 06412 Zip Code). link

Travel - top Boating Computers, Internet, TV Travel Food Smartphones D

	North by Watch - No compass? You can find North with your watch. Submitted by Joe Bevivino Lost without a compass? Here is a way to find approximate North using your watch. 1) Point your hour hand at the sun. 2) Put a match stick halfway to 12:00. 3) The match points to north. 4) For daylight savings, use 01:00 instead of 12:00. Questions: Does this work before 6 am and after 6 pm? In step #4, should the time of day be advanced also? For more see this link. Got a digital watch? Make a quick sketch and draw in the hour hand.
	Dinking - How to relax. Ever wonder if you really need a dinghy? You do. Nothing beats a quiet ride on smooth water in your own dinghy.
	Is the backup GPS ready? - Check it out. I carried a backup handheld GPS for a long time before I really thought about using it. It should be ready to use immediately. Now I have some very simple routes entered, but they are enough to guide me safely home from the places we visit often. Next time out, take out your backup and compare it to the next waypoint of your chartplotter. Could you get there (or home) ok?

Food - top Boating Computers, Internet, TV Travel Food Smartphones E

On Board
	Antipasto to go - Rushed for a quick meal when you are taking off quickly? Stop at your favorite family restaurant on the way to the boat and pick up an Antipasto to go. Split the antipasto in half when you get to the boat, most of them are enough for two. Add some Italian bread.
	Lobster for Two with Corn - Even with an alcohol stove you can cook lobster on board easily. Using a small broiler pan or other pot: add a small amount of water (1/2 inch?) to the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Put the lobsters in and cover the pot. Steam them for 10 minutes. Remove the cover and add the corn on top. Cover and steam the lobsters and corn for another 10 minutes. Sneak a small pot with butter on the side.
	Surf and Turf - Easy grilled meal that is sure to delight. When you buy a small steak to share on the grill, pick up a handful of shrimp to grill along with it. The combination is a classic.
	Shrimp Salad - Make it yourself to get the best shrimp. When the summer provides tasty vegetables, take some along and have a few frozen shrimp ready to warm up. Makes a great summer lunch when at anchor.
	Why make ice? - Use your freezer to hold a bag. Nancy's idea. Why use those tiny little ice cube trays that came with the refrigerator? We take a 5 pound bag of ice, give it a good hit on the dock to break it up, pull the fastener off and put on a bag clip, and put it in the freezer. When you have a drink, you can easily remove just the ice you need for your glass, and return the rest to the freezer. CAUTION: Be sure you maneuver the bag fully into the freezer so the door closes. If it is too big you might have to throw some out. This is important because a slightly open door will leak very cold air down onto the next shelf and freeze whatever is there.
	Specialty drinks - Not just for guests. Sometimes coming home from a trip is a relief. If it has been a long day, or the last day of a long trip, nothing pleases like a cold glass of Sparkling wine. Champagne or Asti, you pick it.
	Not all food is onboard - Look around, you might find something great. As we sat at anchor in the Charles River Basin waiting for the fireworks, we were surrounded by food! Just a short dinghy ride away were all the delights that a boater could ask for. For dinner we dinghied to a floating dock and Nancy walked to a vendor (with her life jacket on) to get sausage and pepper grinders. The vendor was blown away when she produced her own foil to wrap them up! At anchor there is no need to starve! Sometimes the sellers will come to you, if not, you have to get out and find them.
	Not all food is onboard - Look around, you might find something great. At the Harbor of Refuge marina in Sandwich MA on the Cape Cod Canal it is a short walk to a great fish market. A container of lobster bisque and a handful of shrimp and we had dinner.
	Be aware of your surroundings - Food is everywhere! OK, so we were not exactly on our boat, but boating should teach you to look for great seafood everywhere on the coast, like these oysters in Portland ME.
	Niantic lunch - So close. The Dock Restaurant link. There is a great lunch spot in Niantic where you can order a fishy lunch and enjoy beer and wine, sitting out on a deck overlooking the draw bridges at Niantic. Two pounds of steamers, two cups of chowder, corn, slaw, drinks.
	Get off your boat - There might be a party around the corner. This happy bunch is enjoying a family style meal just a few steps from their boats. Can you name the location?
	Cheese Racing - OK so it's not food. You place a wrapped slice of cheese on a barbeque grill. The first piece of cheese that fully inflates is the winner. Think I am kidding? Look here link
Community
	Mexican Dip for a party - Bring this with a bag of chips for dipping. Great for travel as only the sour cream, tomato, cheese, and onion needs refrigerating. And there is nothing to cook! Mix the Sour cream, refried beans and taco seasoning in a bowl. Scoop the mixture out and spread it on a platter. Shake the cheese on top. Dice the tomato and onion, add them on top. Sprinkle on the black pearl olives and some jalapenos.
Drinks

Smart Phones - top Boating Computers,Internet, TV Travel Food Smartphones F

Droid2
	The DROID 2 is a Motorola smart phone offered through Verizon. It used the Google owned Android software. Here is a link to some Droid 2 notes.


top

Send email to webmaster@pattaconk.org with questions on site content.