Things are quiet in the model boating world. As the summer broils along here in the Valley of the Sun there have been a few tidbits of news that have floated to the top.

The first news tidbit is Bob Sterne is looking to sell his business! It looks like retirement is looming on the horizon and Bob is gearing up to sell Bob's Boatyard. If you are interested or curious, you can read the conditions of sail at: www.myrc.org/bobsboatyard/busforsale.htm or go to his Web site at: www.myrc.org/bobsterne.htm and click on Business For Sale. It is a little depressing knowing that one of the leading model yacht designer/manufactures is retiring, but that is how things are.

The next bit of news is not directly related to model boating but it does have an impact for some skippers who do use the National Weather Service. The U.S. Senator Rick Santorm issued a bill to prohibit federal meteorologists at the National Weather Service from competing with private companies such as AccuWeather and the Weather Channel. This means the weather service's free Internet site would be taken off and no free sharing of weather data to tax payers who paid for it! In other words, if the bill gets passed we, the tax payers that paid for the service would be blocked, and private companies would get it all at our expense. You can learn more about you government in action by reading, A Storm Maybe Brewing in this issue.

The last news tidbit is a new class of sailboats is being introduced at the Mesa Model Yacht Club. This brand new class (it will be featured in AMYA's Quarterly soon) is called US 12. This boat looks like an EC 12 but smaller- 46 inches in hull length and around 800 sq. inches of sail. It will be interesting to see how the boat performs. If the cost is reasonable and it sails well, it could mean the US 12 would be a good boat to obtain for both beginning and experience skippers. We'll keep you posted. _/)

The National Weather Service maybe on brink of having to remove its Web site to prevent its weather data that the U.S. tax payer has paid for from getting into the hands of us - the tax payers! There is a bill pending in the U.S. Senate introduced by Sen. Rick Santorm to prohibit federal meteorologists from competing with private companies such as AccuWeather and the Weather Channel.

According to Sen. Santorm, "It is not an easy prospect for a business to attract advertisers, subscribers or investors when the government is providing similar products and services for free." Santorum's bill that would require the National Weather Service to give much of its data only to private companies, which repackage the taxpayer-funded information for radio and TV and make tidy profits. This would stop the weather service from offering much of its raw data on the Internet to entrepreneurs and hobbyists to write simple programs to retrieve the information. Not only that Santorum's bill would also kill the weather service's free Internet forecasting!

According to Greg Jones, Senior Editor of Blue Water Sailing, two days before the bill, the management of AccuWeather sent Santorum $2,000, which is part of some $11,000 they have already paid him. Now only that, employees of AccuWeather has also donated over $5,000 to the honorable senator. The reason for Santorum to be interested in preventing the National Weather Service from offering its tax-paid data to everyone is many of those private companies are based in the senator's state, where he is up for re-election.

The reason why this is important to model boaters is we - the tax payers who paid for it, may be using the National Weather Service Internet forecasting and data to find out what the weather forecast is. If that is not a good reason, just the idea that private companies are trying to get complete access to the weather service's data that we have paid for and we can't is infuriating! If the U.S. taxpayer has paid for it, all U.S. taxpayers must have access to the free weather service.

Writing to Sen. Santorm will do no good, as he has already shown he doesn't care about ordinary citizens unless they send money to keep him in office. Instead, write to Senator Bill Nelson of Florida. He's not on the AccuWeather payroll and, being from Florida, has something of an interest in the continuation of National Weather Service free forecasts. Call Sen. Nelson at (202) 224-5274 or go to www.billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm#email for an e-mail contact form.

[Editor's note, to date there has been no more information on this matter, but that does not mean there isn't any. As more info comes to light you will see it here.] _/)

The mosquitoes are biting and they are not just a nuisance any more. One bite from an infected mosquito can transmit West Nile virus or other diseases. Fortunately, you can protect yourself by using mosquito repellent containing DEET, (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide). Eliminate mosquito breeding sites around your home and property, and install or repair screens. Last, support you community-based mosquito control programs. It is one of the best ways to get rid of the winged biting pests.

When you are at the pond, wear clothing to help reduce mosquito bites. When possible, wear long-sleeves, long pants and socks. Mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, so spraying clothes with repellent containing DEET. Do not spray repellent containing DEET on the skin under your clothing. When applying repellent, do not apply directly to your face. Spray your hands and then rub them carefully over the face, avoiding eyes and mouth.

The chance that any one person is going to become ill from a single mosquito bite remains low. The risk of severe illness and death is highest for people over 50 years old, although people of all ages can become ill. So take a little time and protect yourself, and have one less thing to worry about. [Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] _/)

If you are one who loves to be in the sun catching those wonderful rays, you may want to think again. For every minute you are exposed to the sun's rays, you are exposing your skin to the UVA, UVB, and UVC rays - that is the complete spectrum of ultraviolet radiation!

Now, if you just came out of your cave with model boat in hand thinking sunscreen will do the trick in stopping the harmful rays, think again. Wear sun block instead. When selecting a sun block, choose one that has the highest SPF rating possible. Higher the number, the better protection and the longer you can be in direct sun. One good sun bock is Hawaiian Tropic Sunblock 60+ SPF.

Along with sun block, other good ways to block UV rays is to wear a wide brim hat, long-sleeves, long pants, socks and shoes, and stay in the shade. You may think all of this is silly and you have been in the sun for 40 years without any problems except a sunburn or two - until you doctor tells you, you have a skin problem (the dreaded 'C' word called skin cancer). So protect yourself from the harmful rays of the sun and enjoy the hobby of model boating more! _/)

Summer in the Phoenix Metro Area means it is time to build model boats. At times when I am surfing the Web, I come across good building and tuning tips. The following ones come to you from the Triangle Model Yacht Club of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Hull - Finish
You can paint the hull with Krylon or other spray enamels or even automotive lacquer. You can also not put paint on the boat at all. A good smooth finish is desired and there are many articles available on how to do it. The articles include priming and block sanding to get a smooth surface. Generally you start with 120 grit sanding paper, 220-grit paper over a sponge, 320 wet and fill holes showing with putty, 400 grit before priming and work up to 1500 -2000 grit. If you are not happy with the final spray coat you can sand with 1500 -2000 grit and then polish the finish coat with a polishing compound. (ex. West marine polish with Teflon). Do not use any wax. Most good skippers just sand with 1500-2000 grit a few times a year. The theory is micro-balloons created to act like roller bearings.

Tail Telltales
You have read this far so you must be interested. Actually telltales on your sails are probably the most rewarding and easiest improvement to your sailing. It should be the first thing you do. Then learn to sail with them. Find some very visible light silk and make your telltales. (3/8" x 5 strips of SIG Sik #LS007- Rose Pink) or up to ¾" for visibility. Any light material large enough to be seen.
Main - outboard end of both upper main sail battens.
Jib - 2 sets of telltale (starboard different color than port) 2 inches back from headstay.

Main/jib sail gap to boom
Both sails are mainly flat panels with some shape built into them mainly by the cut of the luff round and the front edge of the sail by the sail maker. You have to shape the rest of the air- foil by incorporating a gap in the sails at the boom. With the backstay tension set, the Jib gap should be about 2 fingers in the center of the boom. The main initial gap should be 3 fingers. You set the gaps by adjusting the outhauls on each boom. These are initial settings and are changed depending on wind conditions.

If you have any building or tuning tips you would like to share, send them to model_yachting_rc@juno.com and we will get them in the next issue of MYR News. _/)