A Calm Caribbean Anchorage
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Pics of the month: Mike and Rebecca on their Caribbean cruising adventure, "Zero to Cruising".
THE JULY BLOW-BY-BLOW

Greetings!
Mike and Rebecca
Thanks for reading the July newsletter!

Happy Canada Day and 4th of July - we hope you spent it on the water! If so, did you capture any great photos? We're always looking for more "pics of the month", so send your two favourite photos to web@pridemarine.com! 
  
We're buzzing around the shop at top speed these days, and we appreciate your business and patience at this frantic time of the year!
July's Hot New Products 

Check out our New Products page to learn about..  
  • A whole slew of LED navigation lights!
  • Boeshield corrosion block
  • Lumar fender hanger
  • Epifanes Polyurethane wood coating
  • Scanmarin blacktop fenders
  • Boatlife Teak Oil
  • Garelick Outboard Motor Tilt-Handle
  • Oceanair toilet paper roll cover (yes! dry TP!)
  • much, more more!
Product of the Month: Sealand TankSaver 
 
During a pump-out, your waste system is often subjected to a significant amount of suction - but what happens if the vent line is clogged? Quite literally, your waste tank could begin to implode, causing cracks and permanent deformities. If your tank is hidden from view, you might not know about it until it's too late! Yikes!

That's why Sealand's TankSaver comes in handy. It's an emergency relief valve that's easy to install, doesn't require sealant, and is odour free. Check it out in the New Products list above. 
Lights at Sea
An Anecdote from Clive..   

 

"A couple of years ago while sailing downwind at night, a crew member woke me up, telling me there was a small, odd red light on the horizon, quickly getting larger. Thinking it was a port light of an approaching vessel, I came up to check it out.

It was indeed odd! I immediately grabbed the steering wheel and took us into the wind. It was another sailboat, sailing in the same direction as us with no one at the wheel (on autopilot) and no navigation lights - we were seconds from putting our bowstem into their cockpit! The light? It was the tiny red light on their pedestal compass!"

Thinking about boating at night this season? If it's your first time - or you might be rusty - take a moment to review our Navigation Lights page. You can verify which lights you should have on at night, and study up on the various lighting configurations of boats you might encounter! But obviously... some will defy classification! 
Avast! That's a nice flag!Does your flag measure up?
 
We are often asked, "what size of flag should I carry?"

The standard is 1" of flag length for 1' of boat length. To complicate matters, Canadian and US flags have different height-to-length ratios, but you can get more detailed info on our Flags page.

Also, if you're going for the Johnny Depp look, we have a whole slew of new pirate flags on the Novelty Flags page.
Poll Results!
 
Last month we asked "What's a Type D flare?" and here are the results:

A: A flare which emits a bright star that descends on a parachute. 24%
B: A daytime flare which emits coloured smoke. 43%
C: A handheld flare which simply emits a bright light. 12%
D: A multi-star flare which could be fired by hand or from a flare gun. 12%
E: The widest variety of Nautically-inspired bell bottom pants. 9%

The answer, of course, is E. No wait.. it's B!  Thanks for participating - those who did were taken to our Flares page where they could read about "Best Practices" when using Flares. You can review them here.
Inflatable Man Overboard PoleIf it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix it. 
 
A fairly recent product to hit the market is the "inflatable man overboard pole" which uses the same quick-inflate technology found in modern lifejackets. However these poles have a major drawback due to increased wind resistance and may not be so useful in a storm.

By voting in the poll below, you'll be whisked to our Liferings & Heaving Lines page where you can read all about it!
July's Poll Question:
 
Here's another safety-related poll question: "Have you practiced a 'Man Overboard' drill within the past 5 years?"

- No, never.
- Not within the last 5 years, but I did prior to that.
- Yes, but not with a live person - we used a fender, lifejacket, etc.
- Yes, with a live person in the water.

Thanks for voting! Need the opinion of a crowd? If you have a poll question you'd like us to ask, feel free to send it to web@pridemarine.com - we might just use it!
Breaking News: We've reduced the price further on Raymarine's A50D chartplotter/depth sounder/fishfinder. Regular price is $1099.99, and is now $799.99!
  
And finally, we'd like to bring a magazine article to your attention, written by Pride Marine's very own Clive Webber about "how to hitchhike the oceans". The article can be found in the July edition of Cruising World magazine and documents his 'round the world sailing adventure and tips of how to sail the seven seas without a boat! Check your local newstand or read the shortened verion on Cruising World's web site.
  
Remember, our web site is www.pridemarine.com but you can always give us a ring toll-free at 1-888-732-8883 or drop by the store.

Fair Winds!

David & Janice Wilby, Clive Webber, Chris Hall, Camila Davila and Mack van Rossem 
(The Lean, Mean, Pride Marine Team)

"It is not the ship so much as the skillful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage."
- George William Curtis