February 2007 newsletter

Cat Tales

February 2007

	View from the Bridge
	Bob Klimek, Commodore We have started to put together the 2007 Schedule. There is a lot of creative talent in the Club and I have received some excellent suggestions. This year we will have something old; something new; something borrowed and something blue! I hope this tweaks your interest so that you will visit the CCYC website often in the next few weeks. As of January 2007, the Club had 72 diverse member boats. All members have e-mail addresses except two. I know that each of you has a favorite anchorage, some concerns, some suggestions, or other thoughts regarding the events or operations of the Club. Yet I rarely receive an e-mail from a member. The point is that I would like to hear from each of you. For instance, are you receiving the monthly newsletter? What can we change? Add? Would you like a regular article on Lessons learned? And so on. It is not too late to send me your input. The schedule is posted on the website and will appear in the March issue of this CCYC newsletter. Speaking of the CCYC website, Mike Davis works hard to keep it updated. You really need to check the website often to keep current on events and other information. Mike has agreed to develop a Members Only section where you can post information at least once a week There is one special event that I particularly want to mention. Jerry and Jeanne Helldorfer are planning the CCYC 2007 Summer Cruise. Jerry is planning a leisurely cruise down the Bay to Norfolk and back. Members can join the Cruise for a long week-end, a week or for the entire two-weeks. This two-week event will begin on Saturday June 16, 2007 and end on June 30, 2007 at our regularly scheduled July raft-up. Jerry is working on the itinerary and we expect to have the details in the March edition of this newsletter.
	Italian Dinner Yates Landing, Gambrills, MD February 24th, 6:00 PM
	Mike and Marie Yates, Prego Mike and Marie Yates have invited all CCYC members to their home on February 24th at 6:00 PM for an Italian dinner. With Head Chef Marie, MaryAnn McBride (Coelumar) and Mario Taisch (Sea Cara) will be co-chefs for an evening of dining decadence, Italian style. Marie will prepare dishes from both of her one-week each cooking courses in Italy. Please bring a bottle of Italian wine and a dessert (for 6) to share. Directions Yates Landing 2265 Mt. Tabor Road, Gambrills, MD Ph - 410.721.6767 From the North: Get to I-97 and head south Take the MD-3 /MD-32 exit 7 to Bowie/Odenton After 5 mi, turn left at Davidsonville Road After 2 mi, turn left at Underwood Road Go 1/2 mi and turn right at Mt Tabor Road At 2265 Mt. Tabor Road, turn onto Norfolk Rd (a private drive at our mailbox) and it's the first house on the left. Lots of parking in the driveway. From the East: Get to US-301/US-50 and head west Take the MD-450 exit 23B to Crownsville Turn left onto MD-450 going to Crownsville Bear left onto Defense Highway After 5 1/2 mi, turn right at Huntwood Drive Go 3/4 mi and turn left at Mt Tabor Road At 2265 Mt. Tabor Road, turn onto Norfolk Rd (a private drive at our mailbox) and it's the first house on the left. Lots of parking in the driveway. From the South and West: Get to US-50 and head east Take the MD-3 exit 13B-C to Crofton After 3 mi, bear right onto Defense Highway After 2 mi, turn left at Davidsonville Road After 1/4 mi, turn right onto Underwood Road Go 1/2 mi and turn right at Mt Tabor Road At 2265 Mt. Tabor Road, turn onto Norfolk Rd (a private drive at our mailbox) and it's the first house on the left. Lots of parking in the driveway.
	Spring Member Meeting Doyle Chesapeake Sailmakers, Annapolis, Rockfish Restaurant, Annapolis March 10th, 4:00 PM
	Jim Bergeron, Vice Commodore The specifics are still being worked out but the plan is to assemble at Doyle Chesapeake Sailmakers (222 Severn Avenue) at 4:00 PM. The Doyle loft is roomy so there will be sufficient seating for a good group. Doyle will provide snacks and beverages (both of the adult and non adult type). Jordan Smith, Sales Consultant, Doyle Chesapeake Sailmakers, is set to present various topics of sail trim, repair, maintenance, and handling systems. After the Doyle presentation, we will migrate to the Rockfish Restaurant (400 Sixth Street) at 5:30, have Happy Hour from 5:45-6:30 and sit for Dinner at 6:30.
	Pot Luck Supper and Game Night Lohman Landing, West River, MD February 3rd, 5:00 PM
	Al and Vicky Lohman, Rhiannon Another great Pot Luck and Game Night by Vicky and Al Lohman at their home February 3rd! With a big turnout and lots of delicious food, it was a fun night of Balderdash, Pictionary, Taboo and Brainiac, played by: Lynn and Sallie Moore Dievendorf, Breezing Up Dan and Martha Bliss, Brunelle Don McBride, Coelumar Steve and Judi Cohn, Elusive Mike Vaccaro & Debbie Smith, Frisky Business David and Pat Marchant, Illumination Bob Klimek and Lucia Casale, Lucia Peter and Kathy Bruzik, Pekabu III Jim and Suzanne Bergeron, Quebecois Jon and Marilyn Van Tassell, Resolve Al and Vicky Lohman, Rhiannon Rod and Pat Schroeder, Ruste Nayle Gary and Carla Morgan, Sassy Diane Benyus and Richard Schatz, Scimitar Ed and Connie Dooley, Surprise Margaret and Phil De Nardo, Tink Roy Gillim and Lura Wharton, Troubador Lois and Dave Zonderman, Walkabout Jon Jones, Wind Orchid Rod and Pat Waite, Wye Waite II Mike and Bev Davis, Ayewash
	Food Glorious Food!
	Lucia Casale, Lucia OK, sea scouts, I found a recipe I think even the Commodore can handle! Roasted Greek Feta 6 oz. authentic barrel aged greek feta* 1 tsp. dried greek oregano 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper Preheat oven to 375^o (If you have technical problems with your boat's oven, send a mayday call to Dan Bliss.) Place the brick of cheese is a small baking disk or other ovenproof container, something like corning wear or glass is best. Metal imparts unwanted taste. Crush the dried herbs and sprinkle on top Grind black pepper on top Drizzle the olive oil on as a last step Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with crusty bread * Barrel aged Greek feta usually comes in blocks or bricks. Can usually find at Wegman’s or Whole Foods. Remember to submit recipes by the 10th of the month to recipes@sailccyc.org.
	Hardware Adventures With the Vice Commodore Battery Monitors
	Jim Bergeron, Vice Commodore Once unplugged from the on-shore power grid, our attention turns to the state of our batteries. How much DC power is being used; how long until the batteries need recharging; how much charging current is being produced by the alternator or gen-set; and how much usable capacity remains in the batteries? To answer these questions, we all have a well developed sixth-sense, often amplified by the experience of a light left on or some other insidious drain on the batteries such as the Admiral’s hairdryer. In addition to our sixth-sense, we all have a battery monitor in one form or another, ranging from a voltmeter that came with the boat to a relatively sophisticated system such as a Victron BMV-501 or one of the Xantrex products. Let’s get Technical The capacity of a battery is rated in Amp-hours (Ah). For example a battery that can deliver a current of 5 Amps for a period of 20 hours is rated at 100 Ah (5 * 20 = 100). Battery age, discharge current and temperature all influence the battery’s capacity. When the same 100 Ah battery is discharged completely in two hours, it will produce only 50 Ah because of the higher rate of discharge. Some years ago, Mr. Peukert devised an equation that accurately relates the size of the battery, the discharge rate and the amount of energy remaining. This “phenomenon” is called Peukert’s law (The talking heads think he discovered this phenomenon when his batteries went dead while sailing). Also, not all energy transferred into the battery during battery charging, is available from the battery. The charge efficiency of a brand new battery is approximately 90%, meaning that 10 Ah must be transferred to the battery to get 9 Ah actually stored in the battery. This is called Charge-Efficiency-Factor (CEF) and will decrease with battery age. These are two reasons why simple Amp-hour counters or Voltmeters do not provide an accurate “state-of-charge” indication. Battery Monitor Systems Two examples of Battery Monitor Systems that, among other things, take into consideration Peukert’s law and CEF are the Victron BMV-501 and the Xantrex Link 2000. Victron Energy (www.victronenergy.com) “Blue Power” (products are painted blue – da!) is a Netherlands company. The BMV-501 can display actual state-of-charge (compensated by Peukert efficiency, charge efficiency and temperature with an optional sensor). The BMV-501 also estimates the time the battery can support the present load (time-to-go readout). Besides the main function of the BMV-501, displaying the actual battery status, the BMV-501 also stores historic data such as: average depth of discharge, deepest discharge level, number of charge/discharge cycles number of complete charges, and number of complete discharges. Data can be transmitted to a PC for analysis with an optional Data Link. The BMV-501 sells for about $325. Xantrex Technology Inc. (www.xantrex.com) is a Canadian company. Xantrex has a broad line of Battery Monitor Systems ranging from the XBM (Xantrex Battery Monitor) which is comparable to the Victron BMV-501 for about $240 to the Link 2000 for about $450. The Xantrex product line is too extensive to detail in this article. In summary, Xantrex has the popular Link 10 single-bank battery monitor for about $225. The Xantrex Link 20 which monitors two independent battery banks - usually the house bank and the starter battery - is about $325. The Xantrex Link 2000 is both a battery monitor, for two independent battery banks, and a remote controller for the Freedom line of inverter/chargers. Its numeric LED display is switchable between the two banks and for each will show DC volts, net current flowing into or out of the battery in amps, amp-hours consumed and time remaining at the current level of discharge. This author believes a well-developed sixth-sense with inputs from a battery monitor system will not only help avert another “war-story”, but, on a more practical note, a battery monitor system should also extend battery life, and over time pay for itself.