ShipStore.com Beacon: Of Tropical Westport and Inflatable Santas
Issue 101, December 22, 2006
http://www.ShipStore.com
Floating your boat since 1982 TM


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IN THIS ISSUE:
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~ WELCOME ABOARD: Of Tropical Westport and Inflatable Santas
~ CAPTAIN'S TIP: De-Icing Reminder
~ CAPTAIN'S SPECIALS: Great Deals on De-Icing Equipment
~ CAPTAIN'S CONTEST: "Win a Shopping Spree" Drawing

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~ WELCOME ABOARD: Of Tropical Westport and Inflatable Santas
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Christmas 2006 seems slightly surreal of late. Take for example the sun-soaked afternoons, the spring-like temperatures and the total absence of snow and ice. Sledding? No chance! Not in balmy Westport.

But flip on the television and you'll discover that Colorado is buried. So much snow dumped on Denver that the newswires are awash in tear jerking tales of Christmas travel delays. Even London is socked in with fog so thick that Heathrow flights have gotten totally tangled.

Who new Westport was going to be destination sunshine for the holidays?!?!

But Christmas Surrealism 2006 isn't limited to the weather. Far more remarkable is the phenomenon of extravagantly colored, shaped and themed inflatables blooming in lawns across America. Last night my wife and I jumped into the car with our dog, Tasha, and drove down to Manhattan for a little last minute Christmas shopping before heading off to a New Jersey Noel with the in-laws. And what to our wondering eyes should appear? Enormous airblown sleighs and thousands of reindeer. Bobble-headed Santas so voluptuous as to be Botero-esque. Scenes of oversized Christmas characters glowing on lawns seem to have become ubiquitous!

This morning, I'm greeted with similar observations in a New York Times article:

"On a recent quiet afternoon, with few witnesses around, Homer Simpson, Santa Claus and a penguin perched on an igloo suddenly appeared here on the Long Island landscape as if from nowhere, unfolding slowly like Frankenstein monsters lurching to life on the table. As Homer's extremities reached full size, his pink nylon fist puffed into Mr. Snow Man's face Ñ an involuntary attack, to be sure. Bop. Such is the phantasmagoric, Disney-esque experience of the new Christmas custom sweeping the suburbs." (Those Inflatable Santas: Eyepoppers to Eyesores, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/22/nyregion/22inflate.html )

Not your "traditional" Christmas anymore is it? It certainly did enliven the nearly five hour schlep from Westport though.

Yes, to be sure, Christmas is here at last! Or almost here... Nary a snow flake in the North Country skies, but we remain optimistic that we may still enjoy a white Christmas. Once again, our dedicated ShipStore.com crew is working on overdrive to get sleigh-load after sleigh-load of holiday gifts out the door and on their way. A special thanks goes out to Brian, Deb, Carol and Samantha who're hustling away like Santa's very own helpers to ensure that every one of our wonderful ShipStore.com shoppers receives the gifts they've ordered in a timely fashion.

I hope that you placed your orders in time, and I hope that you'll soon witness the smiles and pleasure ShipStore.com gifts will bring to your loved ones. Now, before the holiday eating frenzy begins, I better squeeze in a jog now to assuage my gluttony later!

Happy holidays!

George Davis, Beacon Editor
editor@shipstore.com

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~ CAPTAIN'S TIP: De-Icing Reminder
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I know I've just finished telling you about the unseasonable warmth we've been enjoying up in the Adirondacks, but now that I've hung it out in the open we're likely to get a surprise cold snap. It seems inevitable, after all it IS almost January.

I just installed a new de-icer at the end of my dock house on Wednesday, prompted after a couple of cold, clear nights reminded me that it would be really nice to avoid freezing the fragile old structure into the ice this winter. It's staggering how much damage ice formation can cause. We've had plenty of neighbors warn us what a battering our centenarian pier and dock house have endured in the past. We recently purchased and began renovating an historic home in Essex, a small town about fifteen minutes north of Westport, and we'd hoped to secure the dock house before entering winter. Unfortunately fall rains raised the lake level dramatically, preventing us from repairing the pier substructure, so a good quality, well functioning de-icing system is absolutely imperative for us.

Captain Jim handily assisted me in selected the perfect model for my needs, and it arrived quickly and in perfect condition. Installation, from opening the box to submersing and plugging in took less than fifteen minutes. Not bad!

Need a refresher on how de-icers work? They protect the docks from flow ice damage by letting the marina break free from the rest of the ice pack when the wind blows.

During an Ice Engineering course at the University of Wisconsin, Madison Captain Jim learned a fair amount about how ice functions. "Ice Jacking" occurs, he explains, when the water level varies and ice is present. On bigger lakes there is a seiche (check out Google http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&oi=defmore&q=define:seiche for a definition), which works like a tide but is really more like the flow back and forth when you make waves in the bathtub. That cycle from one end of the lake to the other causes the ice to rise while frozen against pilings and docks. When the water recedes, the ice drops back down due to gravity. When it rises again, the pressure pulls up on the pilings. Captain Jim has seen movies of 40 foot pilings being ripped out of the bottom and toppled by this action.

De-icers help to prevent this from happening. They also prevent damage to boats left in the water for the winter.

So what's the science behind de-icers? According to Captain Jim, they are engineered to prevent ice from forming and to melt existing ice by circulating a continuous current of warmer subsurface water. Moving water doesn't freeze as readily as stationary water (which is why rivers often continue to flow long after ponds and small lakes have frozen), and the subsurface water is consistently warmer than the surface water, virtually ensuring that the surface will not freeze as long as the current is maintained.

It's a great system. Simple, practical and efficient. So I suggest you select, order and install an de-icer before the ice starts to skim. If you don't want to let the ice win, you need to invest in a good de-icer so that you can sit back and enjoy a worry-free winter. The demand is high and supply is limited, so get your order in before it's too late. Take a moment to browse the products below.

George Davis, Beacon Editor
editor@shipstore.com

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~ CAPTAIN'S SPECIALS: Great Deals on De-Icing Equipment
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Power House View all Power House ICE EATER De-Icing Equipment
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHICEEATER.html

Power House 50 FOOT CORD 12050 REPLACEMENT POWER CORD
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POH12050.html

Power House 100 FOOT CORD 12100 REPLACEMENT POWER CORD
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POH12100.html

Power House THERMOSTAT ADJ 120V ONLY
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POH600001.html

Power House SMALL BRACKETS F/P500 4/SET
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POH70100.html

Power House LARGE BRACKETS for P750 4/SET
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POH70200.html

Power House SPARE PROPELLER for Ice Eater
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POH80000.html

Power House ZINC FOR 1/2,3/4, 1 HP Ice Eater (X 0)
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POH90000.html

Power House Thermostat, Fixed Set Point
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHFT2535.html

Power House Salt or Freshwater adjustable Temperature Thermostat
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHKP16110.html

Power House ICE EATER 1 HP 115V 25 foot CORD
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHP1000.html

Power House ICE EATER 1HP 220V P1000-25 W/ 25' CORD
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHP100025.html

Power House ICE EATER DE ICER, 1/2 HP 115V
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHP500.html

Power House ICE EATER DE ICER 3/4 HP 115V
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHP750.html

Power House Ice Eater De Icer, 3/4 HP, 220 VAC
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHP750-220V.html

Power House Ice Eater De Icer, 3/4 HP, 115 V with 100 foot cord
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHP750100.html

Power House ICE EATER 3/4 220V P750-25 220V D/S ITEM
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHP750220V.html

Power House SCREEN KIT SCA100A FITS P750 &P1000
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHSCA100A.html

Power House SCREEN KIT SCA100B FOR P500
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHSCA100B.html

Power House Salt or Freshwater adjustable Temperature Thermostat
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHFT3040.html

Power House THERMOSTAT FIXED
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/POH/POHTHERM1.html

Pyramid Tech D-ICER Water Circulator, 3/4 HP 120V (de-icer)
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/PTI/PTI6208.html

Pyramid Tech D-ICER Water Circulator, 1/2 HP 120V (deicer)
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/PTI/PTI6205.html

Pyramid Tech D-ICER Water Circulator, 2 HP 230V HEAVY DUTY
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/PTI/PTI6212.html

Pyramid Tech D-ICER Water Circulator, 1 HP 115V (deicer)
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/PTI/PTI6210.html

Pyramid Tech HEAVY DUTY Balck Poly Pro Float for D-Icer
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/PTI/PTI6226.html

Pyramid Tech A-24416 ZINC ANODE
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/PTI/PTIA24416.html

Pyramid Tech THERMOSTAT FOR Salt Water
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/PTI/PTI6215.html

Pyramid Tech THERMOSTAT FOR Fresh Water
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/PTI/PTI6216.html

Pyramid Tech A-24417 Replacement Propeller
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/PTI/PTIA24417.html

Pyramid Tech Stainless Steel DOCK MOUNTING KIT
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/PTI/PTI6225.html

Kasco Marine De-Icer, 1HP, 220 Volt, 60 Hz, 25 foot cord
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KAS2400D025.html

Kasco Marine De-Icer, 1/2 HP, 50 Hz, 10 meter cord
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KAS2400DE010.html

Kasco Marine De-Icer, 1/2 HP, 50 Hz, 30 meter cord
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KAS2400DE030.html

Kasco Marine Replacement Prop (K) for F2400 De-Icer
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KAS240175.html

Kasco Marine Universal Dock Mount for De-Icer
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KAS243485.html

Kasco Marine De-Icer, 3/4 HP, 50 Hz, 10 meter cord
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KAS3400DE010.html

Kasco Marine De-Icer, 3/4 HP, 50 Hz, 30 meter cord
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KAS3400DE030.html

Kasco Marine De-Icer, 3/4 HP, 220 Volt, 60 Hz, 50 foot cord
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KAS3400HD050.html

Kasco Marine Replacement "J" PROP for F3400 De-Icer
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KAS340130.html

Kasco Marine Water De-Icer, 1 horsepower, 60CYC,120V Cord
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KAS4400D.html

Kasco Marine De-Icer, 1HP, 220 Volt, 60 Hz, 50 foot cord
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KAS4400HD050.html

Kasco Marine C-20 Control Unit for Time and Temperature
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KASC20.html

Kasco Marine Water De-Icer, 1/2 horsepower, 60CYC, 120V Cord
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KASF2400D.html

Kasco Marine Water De-Icer, 3/4 horsepower, 60CYC,120V Cord
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/KAS/KASF3400D.html

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~ CAPTAIN'S CONTEST: "Win a Shopping Spree!" Drawing
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Win a $100.00 credit at ShipStore.com. To be eligible for future "Win a Shopping Spree!" drawings all you have to do is subscribe to the Beacon. All current subscribers are eligible for the random drawing. If you're not already subscribed, then visit http://www.shipstore.com and scroll down the light blue column along the left hand side of the page until you see the link "Win a Shopping Spree!". Click on the link. A new window will open with an email addressed to beacon-on@list.shipstore.com and "Subscribe" written in the Subject Field. All you have to do is hit send.

You'll be sent a confirmation email which you must respond to in order to activate your subscription and be added to our mailing list. This double opt-in procedure enables us to prevent accidental subscriptions and spam. As soon as your confirmation is confirmed, you will be entered into the "Win a Shopping Spree!" drawing for a $100.00 free merchandise from ShipStore.com. Good luck.

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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
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COPYRIGHT 2005 ShipStore.com (tm) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Permission is granted to electronically copy, print or forward this newsletter for use as a shopping, boating or travel resource as long as it is not altered in any way and sent in its entirety. Any other use of materials on this Web site--including reproduction for purposes other than those noted above, modification, distribution, or republication--without the prior written permission of Westport Marina, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

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CONTACT INFORMATION
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ShipStore.com
6039 Route 9N
Westport, NY 12993
Telephone: 518-962-2700
Toll Free: 877-SHIPSTORE (US and Canada)
Fax: 518-962-4582

E-Mail sales@shipstore.com with any questions.