What do you do with a 1/2 ton Pumpkin?

What do you do with a 1/2 ton pumpkin? Apparently, take it to sea...

I was mentioning that it was feeling like Fall around here, and if not from the weather, then from the giant pumpkins being queued up for the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta planned for next Saturday. I've been aware of this the past few years, but have always had a scheduling conflict, but this year it is looking like I may get lucky.

If you're not familiar with the regatta, a dozen or so giant pumpkins, most in the range of 600-800 lbs are carted in, hollowed out into makeshift kayaks and raced around the Tualatin Lake.

I plan to take the camera, so stay tuned for some action photos of the competition. If you can't picture what hitting the water in a giant pumpkin might be like - Here a File Photo from the City of Tualatin.

Important safety tip - be sure to wear a life jacket whenever you're out on the water in a giant vegetable.

EzineArticles.com has recently published two of our articles.

• Marine Coolers - Making Your High Performance Marine Cooler Really Perform covers tips for getting the best performance from your Marine Cooler.
• Dock De-Icers 101 - The Basics of Choosing a Dock De-Icer to Protect Your Dock From Ice Damage touches on the basics of selecting a Dock De-icer.

Check them out and let me know what you think.

Loren

Season's Turning

I took the Kayak out fishing on the Tualatin River a couple days ago. Nothing new about that, but it made me realize that whether I like it or not, Summer is over in our region. Recent rains have created a small but noticeable current in the normally lake-like stretch I frequent. I slowly swirled down the river like the handful of golden leaves that dotted the surface. As I cast a woolly bugger or panfish popper back under the willows and around the sunken snags, I noticed that the whole tree line had taken on an autumn glow in the long evening light. Instead of feeling comforting, my damp pant cuffs were a little chilly... Summer is over.

There are a lot of things I love about Fall, but it is always a little wistful when it comes time to put away the boat for another season. While I'm not totally ready to wrap it up yet, it is time to start getting ready.

How about you?

• Is the boat cover in shape for winter?


• If you're in a temperate area like Oregon's Willamette Valley or the coastal regions of the Northwest an air dryer like the DryWave can help keep your boat mold free until next Spring.


• If you plan to keep the boat running past the first frost, you might want to consider an engine compartment heater.


• Friends in colder climes may also want to make sure that their Ice Eater is in good working order so they can be certain the dock will still be there next Spring.

I figure I'll still be able to pick up a few nice days in the coming weeks, but winter is in the back of my mind.

Loren

Salmon on The Run

Salmon fishing in the Northwest has been markedly missing this year. To a large part this was due to closures to protect threatened species up and down the coast. While the Salmon closure is frustrating for sports fishermen, it is devastating to the commercial fishermen and communities that rely on the salmon for a livelihood. Having grown up in the fishing community in Newport, Oregon, I have some first hand knowledge of the challenges to the industry, but I can only imagine the impact this closure has on families up and down the Pacific coast.

The Smithsonian Magazine this month has an interesting article On California’s Coast, Farewell to the King Salmon that explores the complex issues that threaten our fish and fishermen. It is depressing and hopeful at the same time. I have to believe that if enough attention is paid to the issue, we'll find a away to save and co-exist with these amazing natives. Quite frankly, I have to have hope as I can't imagine the Northwest without salmon.

Polyform F-Series Commercial Grade Mooring Fenders Join the SavvyBoater Boat and Mooring Fender Line-Up.

If you've visited the Boat and Mooring Fender category at SavvyBoater.com, you know we offer great prices on an extensive line of Polyform, Taylor Made, Hull Hugr and Boater Sports brand mooring fenders. We thought we pretty much had all the bases covered, but increasing requests from our commercial customers for the Polyform F-Series Mooring Fenders has led to a new addition.

The Polyform F-series Fenders are a commercial grade mooring fender ranging from the 6" X 25" Polyform F-1 to the massive 32" X 77" F13. We are offering the entire line in case lots ranging from 10 pieces per case for smaller fenders to 2 fenders per case for larger fenders.

The F-series fenders are made from heavy duty flexible vinyl and feature a twin eye design. The eyes on the Polyform F-series fenders are the same rugged rope holds that are used on the popular Polyform A-Series Buoys.

The F-series fenders are used by the United States Navy and the US Coast Guard as well as yachts, shipping and transportation companies, commercial fishermen and anyone else that needs a serious pneumatic vinyl mooring fender.

The Polyform F-Series mooring fender line, from the F-1 to the massive F-13

A Tour Around the Harbor on a Gentle Breeze...NOT

I'm not a sailor, but this caught my eye. Scenes form the iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week in the UK. these folks are hardcore; over 40% of the teams were out by race 4 due to capsizes and collisions.

I first spotted this in a digest from Yachtpals then stopped by the site. they have video and more images as well as detailed race coverage. http://www.yachtpals.com/cowes-ishares-3007 It is worth a look.

New Product Review - AnchorLift Pro by Ironwood Pacific

We've carried the popular AnchorLift by Ironwood Pacific for some time and it has proven to be very popular with our cutomers who fish or boat on larger rivers and lakes. It is one of those products that is so simple, and works so well you wonder what you did before you found it. Just when we thought they couldn't improve on it, Ironwood Pacific came out with the new Anchorlift Pro.

The AnchorLift works like a check valve for your anchor rode, allowing the lift to slide towards the anchor, but not slip back out. To set the anchor ,you hold the anchor lift and pull back the bolt and allow the line to run out. Once the desired scope has been played out, you drop the anchor lift into the water where the float will mark the line.

To pull your anchor simply pull out around the bouy at an angle to keep the line clear of your prop. The resistance of the buoy will pull it down the line while floating your anchor to the surface. Once the anchor is up, you simply pull in the line and your anchor will be floating just below the AnchorLift and buoy. Some fishermen will use it as a line marker if they have to run to follow a big fish. If you try this, just be sure you have a stop at the bitter end of your rode to keep the line from running all the way through.

Because a picture is worth 1000 words, here is a video that shows how this works.

The new AnchorLift Pro is Ironwood Pacific's newest addition to their anchor retrieval line-up. While it works on the same principal as the original AnchorLift, the construction is entirely of heavy marine grade anodized aluminum and stainless steel. The Anchor Lift and Anchor Lift pro are designed for anchor rodes with little or no chain. They also work well as crab pot and shrimp pot pullers .

If your anchor rode is rigged with chain as is common in marine environments, try Ironwood Pacific's Anchor Ring and Heavy Duty Anchor Ring Anchor Retrievers.