May 2006 newsletter

Cat Tales

May 2006

	June 10-11 Raft-up Leadenham Creek
	Dan and Martha Bliss, Brunelle The raft-up at Leadenham Creek Will take place in June's second week Its theme's not a trick Just bring a limerick. We'll not laugh if some seem oblique. (or maybe we will) Irish food is notoriously unexciting, so hors d'oeuvres are themeless (just bring one), but we'll provide a case of Guinness Stout for all to sample. Direction Head for Broad Creek off the Choptank. As its name implies, Broad Creek has a wide mouth, two miles across. Give a wide berth to the green flashing "1" a mile and a quarter southeast of Nelson Point (due to shoaling). Coming from Knapps Narrows, it's a good idea to stay a quarter-mile or so south of the buoy until it is almost directly north. Once clear of "1", the cautious cruiser veers toward the red nun "2" off Balls Creek. Keep an eye on the depth finder to avoid the shoaling area in the direct route between" 1" and"4" off Deep Neck Point. Leadenham Creek is west of the "4" mark off Deep Neck Point, with Grace Creek branching off to the north. The first cove along Leadenham's northerly side is Baby Owl (formerly No Name) Cove. Just west of Baby Owl Cove is Caulk Cove. We hope to raft somewhere between Baby Owl Creek and Caulk Creek. We hope to arrive at Leadenham Creek around 3:30 pm on June 10th and will be monitoring Channel 72 and Martha's cell phone 717-676-7634. As you know, we have notoriously bad luck being the anchor boat, so we hope someone else will volunteer. See you there! Limericks A Form of Poetry? Limerick Poems? Limericks the genre? The form of poetry referred to as Limerick poems have received incredibly bad press and dismissed as not having a rightful place amongst what is seen as 'cultivated poetry'. The reason for this is three-fold: The content of many limericks is often of a bawdy and humorous nature. (OK with us.) A Limerick as a poetry form is by nature simple and short - limericks only have five lines. (We don't want you to stress out.) And finally the somewhat dubious history of limericks have contributed to the critics attitudes. (Far be it for any of us to be critical.) Limericks - The History Variants of the form of poetry referred to as Limerick poems can be traced back to the fourteenth century English history. Limericks were used in Nursery Rhymes and other poems for children. But as limericks were short, relatively easy to compose and bawdy or sexual in nature they were often repeated by beggars or the working classes in the British pubs and taverns of the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventh centuries. The poets who created these limericks were therefore often drunkards! Limericks were also referred to as dirty. Where does the term 'Limerick' come from? The word derives from the Irish town of Limerick. Apparently a pub song or tavern chorus based on the refrain "Will you come up to Limerick?" where, of course, such bawdy songs or 'Limericks' were sung. Limericks - The form Limericks consist of five anapestic lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 of Limericks have seven to ten syllables and rhyme with one another. Lines 3 and 4 of Limericks have five to seven syllables and also rhyme with each other.
	St. Michaels How-To
	Here is a short blurb about St.Michaels from our Club's experts on the Bay: Walt and Sue Dennison, Foxfire. Free spaces where you can tie up during the day: Public Pier Space - At the far end of the St.Michaels' Marina pier (located on the town side) Public Pier Spaces - Over by the sidewalk and city park, just past the Crab Claw, next to the tour boat Patriot The Crab Claw - a few free slips, if you eat there Free Overnight - In the back of the Museum, over on the side to the far left, there are three piers. We were advised that these are part of the City Park. Things change, so check these slips out before using. All of the above spaces are first come, first serve. On the week ends, during the season, St.Michaels also has a Water Taxi that will pick you up from your boat if you are at anchor. The Carpenter Street Salon restaurant, (Carpenter Street and Main) is a great place to eat. The Town Dock restaurant has a fine owner Chef - Their Early Supper, served Sunday - Thursday, 4:00 - 5:30 pm, $12.95, never disappoints. There are also many other wonderful places to eat in St.Michaels. ENJOY!
	Hardware Adventures With the Vice Commodore
	Bob Klimek, Vice Commodore Should You Have a Drive Saver? This article is not about saving data on a computer hard drive! Nor is it an advertisement for a particular marine product. After conducting a survey of the membership at game night, the overwhelming majority of those responding to the survey did not know about the drive-saver device. (To comply with the current debate over journalistic integrity, be advised the survey sample size was three.) Thus, it was agreed that an article on "drive-saver" devices might be of interest. A drive-saver is a device that is installed between the transmission and the propeller shaft. The marketing literature asserts that a drive-saver "dampens vibration, reduces noise, absorbs shock, prevents electrolysis, acts like a 'circuit breaker' and saves your power-train." All this for a little more than $100! A drive-saver is a semi rigid disc of polyurethane with threaded inserts embedded in the molding. It is designed to go between the flanges of the coupling between the transmission and the propeller shaft. One of the main raison de etre – reason for being -- of the drive-saver is to be a weak link between the transmission and the propeller driveshaft. In case the prop hits an unyielding object like a rock or log, the drive-saver should shear before the shaft bends, the shaft keys break or the teeth in the transmission reduction gear crumble. I suspect this could also happen if a crab trap line became fowled in the propeller which is a real threat in the Bay. For that reason, it is also called a "sacrificial coupling." Since the drive-saver is made of polyurethane, it also acts as an insulator between the engine/transmission and the propeller shaft. As such, the drive-saver blocks electrical currents from the water. This is the reason for the claim that the engine and transmission are protected from damaging corrosion due to electrolyses. As to acting like a mechanical "circuit breaker", the analogy is that the drive-saver is designed to break apart, leaving your transmission and engine intact. The drive-saver gets destroyed, not the transmission or shaft. There are a couple of cautions. One boater installed a drive-saver, hit a submerged log, bent the prop shaft, twisted the engine on the engine mounts nearly an inch out of alignment, sheared the shaft keys and bent the shaft. The drive-save survived unscathed. Upon investigation the boater found that his engine/transmission rated output was 162 ft. lbs. of torque whereas the Drive-saver the boater installed was rated for 675 ft. lbs. of torque. When the prop hit the log, as far as the boater was concerned, his drive-saver might just as well have been made of cast Iron. If you do install a drive-saver, make sure you keep the old flange nuts and bolts on the boat. If you do shear the drive-saver the old factory bolts will be needed to marry the flanges to get you home. Also, since a drive-saver will move the shaft back an inch or so, make sure this will not present a problem. Finally, there appears to be no empirical evidence that a drive-saver will reduce electrolysis so installing a drive-saver will not eliminate the need for sacrificial zincs. Flexible couplings (drive-savers) are available from Globe Composite Solutions, Ltd., http://www.globerubberworks.com/ (go to their Marine Products web page); R & D Marine (distributed by PYI) http://www.randdmarine.co.uk/; and Soundown http://www.soundown.com/ (Currently Soundown only makes flexible couplers for engines rated at over 200hp).
	Food Glorious Food!
	Lucia Casale, Lucia Chef Marie Yates (Prego), fondly remembering her cooking class in Tuscany, Italy, submits these really galley friendly gems. Italian Ciabatta Sandwich One loaf Ciabatta bread One large fresh mozzarella ball, sliced One large ripe tomato,sliced Mix of several Italian cold cuts (salami, coppacola, smoked pork breast, etc) Handful of Arugula (or lettuce of your choice) Olive tapenade (store bought) Olive oil, Salt & Pepper Slice bread in half lengthwise to make one sandwich Spread both halves with tapenade To the bottom loaf of bread, add sliced mozzarella, sliced tomato and cold cuts Top with arugula, drizzle a little olive oil, add salt and pepper Add top of bread to bottom, press down slightly, cut in 4 pieces Wrap tightly in saran wrap and go sailing Serves 4 Sandwich Nicoise One large loaf French bread 3 T. red wine vinegar 1 small clove garlic, minced ½ C. olive oil Salt & Pepper 1- 6-1/2 ounce can tuna, drained 1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips 1 large tomato, thinly sliced 2 hard-cooked eggs, thinly sliced 8-10 Greek black olives, quartered 2 oz. anchovy fillets, drained and chopped Fresh basil 2 C torn romaine lettuce Split rolls in half lengthwise and pull out some of the bread center In a small bowl, beat together the vinegar, garlic, oil, salt and pepper Brush the hollowed rolls with some of the dressing In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients Toss with the remaining dressing Toss in lettuce just prior to serving Fill the loaf with the mixture Press bread halves together slightly and cut in 4 pieces Wrap tightly in saran wrap and go sailing Serves 4 Remember to submit recipes by the 10th of the month to recipes@sailccyc.org.