Month: February 2021

Maintaining Your Dock Lines

With spring just around the corner, our friends at Seattle Yachts remind us it’s the perfect time to inspect and maintain dock lines

By Bill Parlatore of Seattle Yachts

During the off season, it is a good time to really inspect your dock lines. We use them regularly throughout the season, but most of us don’t pay much attention to them. Spend a couple of days at an old crusty marina, for example, and do not be surprised to find wood splinters buried in the strands of the lines, often weeks later. We get under way, lines are coiled and placed out of sight in a locker, and we don’t think about them until the next time they are needed.
So, it is a good idea at this time of year to put on a pair of mechanic’s gloves, uncoil each dock line in turn, and carefully run them through your fingers to find and remove any foreign matter than inevitably works into the braided or three-strand nylon. Your crew’s hands will thank you for it.
&nbsp

Once three-strand nylon line begins to unravel, it is essential to take action to stop it as you lose inches then feet off the dock line, and it is all but impossible to fix that. Whip or seal the line and cut off the loose strands.
As dock lines weather, they become stiff from exposure and salt crystals. Once a season, soak them overnight in a bucket of water mixed with fabric softener, such as Downy. This does wonders to clean them of dirt and restore the flexibility and feel of the nylon.
I do suggest that you rinse and dry the lines before recoiling them and putting them away. Unless you don’t mind that your lazarette smells like a laundry room.
&nbsp
***
&nbsp

Additional helpful links on lines:
&nbsp

Samsonrope.com In business since the 1880’s, these folks know their ropes!
Check out their Resources pages … the following is just one of their helpful pdfs.
Samson Technical Bulletin: Inspection & Retirement Pocket Guide https://www.samsonrope.com/docs/default-source/technical-bulletins/tb_inspection-retirement-pocket-guide_aug2013_web.pdf?sfvrsn=c3d63bbd_2
&nbsp

West Marine on the subject of dock lines:
https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Dock-Lines
&nbsp

… and while you’re looking at info about lines, you might want to read an article or two on spring lines!

Save the Date!

  Saturday, March 20, 6pm

The First Ever PANNTOA Online Island Tour!

Join us for some fun on the virtual waters of your computer screen as we explore nooks and crannies of the Canadian Gulf Islands! Our own Roger Hind (NT42 “Nordic Mist”) will take us on a lively tour of some of his favorite boating hangouts right there in his home waters.

This will be a Zoom meeting for PANNTOA members. Roger’s presentation will take about two hours to round the circuit of his “don’t miss” marinas and bays as well as some “be sure to miss” rocks and hazards. For those who wish to stay, we will continue with some Q&A afterwards. So, put on that old PANNTOA t-shirt and get comfortable with your computer. There is no need to register, just follow the link below to the meeting.

https://zoom.us/j/92356088044?pwd=K2lDQmVPUHhYajM2b09aNVNxZDR3dz09

Meeting ID: 923 5608 8044

Passcode: 234777

See ya dockside!

-Your PANNTOA Board

PS Doug Ford will host the meeting. Should there be any technical difficulty, please give him a call at 360 789 7861.

Commodore’s Corner – February 2021

Well, here we are in 2021 already. I hope your holidays were filled with joy and good health. It’s been a tough past 12 months, but I know that we’re working toward a brighter future this year!
A Board Meeting was held on February 3rd to discuss the Rendezvous, budgeting for the coming year, and to develop new ideas for interactive activities on the website.

Rendezvous News

After much discussion and research into what is occurring with the Covid pandemic and vaccinations, the Board made the tough decision to push the Rendezvous from June 2021 until possibly September of this year (if that becomes feasible). This allows us to take another look at the developments in the pandemic situation and re-assess timing as needed. If September becomes viable, the 2021 Vous will likely be held in US waters due to the continued closure of the US/Canadian border. That said, holding a Vous will still be dependent on our ability to gather, finding a location that can be scheduled with short notice, and everyone’s willingness to get together. It’s not looking promising that the border will be open to get to Sydney this year, so we have pushed the Sydney location forward to June of 2022. We know that you are looking forward to the Rendezvous as are we. It’s always a highlight of our year and we hope to be able to give you a successful and safe Rendezvous when the time is right.

Other News

As you know, we held a photo contest this last November which was very successful! There were a lot of great photos entered and we thank all those that did enter, and those who took the time to view the photos submitted. I would like to again thank Seattle Yachts for their support and prize contributions. We are working to develop additional ideas for online activities to keep you clicking on the website and getting the value from your association that you expect. We are always looking for content to add to the website so if you have an idea and/or a story that you think would be useful or entertaining for our members, please feel free to forward it to one of the Board members.

I had a brief conversation with Dave Allen at the factory recently and he told me they have an additional 44 and two more 40’s about to be built, so the factory is busy cranking away at boat building! There are lots of smiles and happy workers. Seattle Yachts Manager Cory Gracey also informed me that they’ve sold several used NT’s and have a couple of stock boats coming up in case you’re interested in moving up to a 40 or 44. He also told me they are providing one year’s PaNNTOA membership dues to anyone who buys a new or used Nordic Tug through the Seattle Yachts dealership. So, if you’re looking for a move up (or down!) it might be a good time to give them a call.

The Board reviewed the budget for 2021 and has agreed that we will increase the support for the website as we feel it is an especially important communication tool and an asset to our membership. We are doing a review of the website and related services to determine how it can better serve you. If you have comments, ideas, or suggestions, please forward those to one of the Board members. We would certainly appreciate the input!

The PaNNTOA family has now grown to 169 active memberships. That’s up from 125 a year and a half ago! Kudos and many thanks to Chris Sodeman for a job well done! Chris is resigning from the position of Membership Director due to selling his boat and other pressing family commitments. If you are interested in taking on the role, please contact me directly. It’s a fun position if you are a people-oriented person as it entails reaching out to new members with a Welcome and resolving any problems with membership renewals. The Job Description can be found on the website under About Us/Job Descriptions. We encourage your participation in your organization.

In closing, I know that even as we look out the window and see the monsoon-like rains day after day, better boating weather is approaching! I hope you can get out and enjoy your tug, share some camaraderie, and take advantage of the beautiful Northwest waters that most of us are fortunate to call our home!

Happy Tugging!

Gary White
PaNNTOA Commodore