ShipStore.com Beacon: 10th Anniversary, "Clear the Deck" SALE!
Issue 94, September 21, 2006
http://www.ShipStore.com
Floating your boat since 1982 TM


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IN THIS ISSUE:
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~ WELCOME ABOARD: 10th Anniversary
~ CAPTAIN'S TIP: Captain Jim on "Random Urine Sampling"!?!?
~ CAPTAIN'S TIP: Bennett Marine Videos NOW AVAILABLE!
~ CAPTAIN'S SPECIALS: "Clear the Deck" SALE, Part I
~ CAPTAIN'S CONTEST: "Win a Shopping Spree" Drawing

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~ WELCOME ABOARD: 10th Anniversary!
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ShipStore.com is 10 years old! We're celebrating a decade of serving boaters all around the globe, a decade since the ShipStore.com domain name was purchased by Captain Jim in September 1996 when he began adapting the Westport Marina mail order catalog to web format.

That's right, we had our start in the pre-dawn of e-commerce, launching an online marine supplies store at the leading edge of what would soon be dubbed the "dot com boom". Remember those heady days? Everything was possible. Or so it seemed. Captain Jim was busy all summer running his family's marina on Lake Champlain, but the winter months were pretty slow once the boats and docks had been pulled and the North Country was blanketed in snow. Jim learned to program in HTML and began crafting web pages, one at a time, painstakingly adapting the print catalog into colorful pixels so that boat owners all over the world would have access to his virtual storefront.

And his vision paid off. The web was still young, and marine supplies were largely unavailable online, so ShipStore grew quickly, soon adding a professional programmer to relieve Captain Jim's tired fingers. Before long, winters were becoming as busy as summers for Westport Marina's ShipStore.com, and even the "dot com bust" in the spring of 2000 didn't put a damper on things. Unlike so many young e-businesses that grew quickly but took on enormous debt in the process, Captain Jim bootstrapped ShipStore along, investing plenty of sweat equity rather than borrowed capital, growing only when sales warranted. The result? A decade after launching, ShipStore is thriving, currently retailing approximately 75,000 marine supply items to thousands of loyal boaters all around the world. We're thrilled that you've given us the opportunity for a small town, family-owned marina to serve you over the years. Thanks!

As part of our 10 year anniversary the recently ShipStore.com crew completed our most comprehensive "warehouse cleaning" to date. I mean that literally and figuratively. On the one hand, we re-inventoried our entire warehouse; purged all remainders and closeouts; and updated our databases and website for accuracy. On the other hand, we tackled several fulfillment and customer support challenges, the inevitable "growing pains" of scaling up to meet increasing customer demand, in order to better meet and exceed your expectations. Now we're ready and able to serve you better than ever before! In addition, we've upgraded our computer software to make ordering and fulfillment even more efficient.

Now we're back in full swing, processing orders more efficiently than ever before, adding thousands of new marine supplies and boat parts to our website, and passing along tons of closeouts to our loyal customers. Let us know how we're doing!

George Davis, Beacon Editor
editor@shipstore.com

PS: Celebrating our 10 year anniversary means that our current "Clear the Deck" Sale will be our largest yet! We're going to extend it an extra week, and we're adding more merchandise than ever before. Browse thousands of marine items, boat parts and more for "once in a lifetime" deals you won't find anywhere else. Click the link below, and keep checking back over the next three months as we add additional inventory. Here's the link:

http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/CTD/CTDFALL06.html

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~ CAPTAIN'S NOTE: Captain Jim on "Random Urine Sampling"!?!?
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[WARNING: You may wish to skip this section if you're offended by the title above.]

Has your boss ever uttered "pee test" under his breath to explain arriving late? Mine neither. Well, not until last week, that is.

Recently Captain Jim headed up to Plattsburgh to donate blood because a bus accident had totally depleted local blood reserves. In fact, he'd encouraged the entire ShipStore.com crew to donate blood, offering them part of the work day to facilitate scheduling. But his visit to Plattsburgh lasted longer than anticipated. Turns out Captain Jim, his brother Larry and another Westport Marina captain, Heather Olson, had been selected for a United States Coast Guard random urine sampling. As licensed captains, this is part of the routine to ensure standards and compliance. Needless to say, I asked for a little explanation. This is what he said:

"I'm happy to say no one that works for us [Westport Marina] has ever failed a random urine sampling. Companies that operate commercial vessels have to have a plan for random testing in place. We belong to a captain's consortium that manages the paperwork for about 8000 captains nationwide; they have to test 10% of the "pool" each year at random. Have to be tested post accident regardless. We've been hit 3 years in a row but went 7 without ever being called. In theory we could be hit once a month if our name comes up. When called, you have to report within one business day of being notified of being selected. The penalties are huge if you don't. No excuses! If you're at sea, your contact person holds the notification from you until you land. You have to serve it within a day of touching shore. The same "withhold" rule works for being on vacation, but you can't be told of the test in advance. Testing is for anyone with a safety related job which means all the crew. In theory, a bartender that does nothing but bartend that could be exempt, but if the person has any job on the boat in the event of an emergency, then s/he is subject to testing."

Hmmm... Serious stuff. And a good thing too if you consider that people's lives are being put in their hands. I asked Captain Jim to explain a little about the test.

"Once you arrive at the center you have to wash your hands, then you randomly select a test kit from a stack so that you can't later claim that the center slipped you a bad one on purpose. You open the test kit. The sample cup is marked. The bathroom has a remote control that shuts off the water to the sink and toilet so you can't flush or clean up. The toilet bowl fills with blue die so you can't dilute the sample with toilet water. So, you go in, fill the cup and come out with the sample before you can flush or wash your hands. Then the lab tech transfers the sample into two sealed vials while you witness the transfer. S/he seals the vials and signs the seal. You do the same. Vials go into a self-sealing plastic bag. Now you can go back in the bathroom and wash up. Oh, and I had to empty my pockets before this all started. The sample cup has a thermometer on the side to verify that the sample came from your body. Rules for "No Excuses" include that they don't care if you are scheduled for a shift; you have to go before the end of the business day. Safety is the number one concern, therefore missing work is acceptable."

A little more detail than I needed, but you get the picture. The USCG takes this captain business seriously. And according to Jim, that's a good thing. "It demonstrates just how important we consider their [our boat passengers'] safety. It's a lot to go through to verify that we are clean, but I agree with all of it. And I find the subtle changes over the years in the process fascinating." And, well, frankly so did I. Maybe you will as well?

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~ CAPTAIN'S NOTE: Bennett Marine Videos NOW AVAILABLE!
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Ever wished you could watch an instructional video and learn how to sail? Or how to operate your new GPS unit? How to catch tuna? How to tie knots or maintain your boat or repair fiberglass or cruise the South Pacific? You can!

Bennett Marine Video offers the most complete collection of instructional videos on boating, sailing, fishing, SCUBA diving, watersports and more. Just look at a few current titles:

Cruising the British Virgin Islands
How To Rig Your Boat For Fishing
How To Catch King Mackerel
Powerboat Trailering Single Screw
Living Aboard Sailboats
Teach Yourself Knots & Splices
Cosmetic Gelcoat Fiberglass Repair
Learning To Sail
Navigation Basics
Guide To Using Nautical Charts

Ten essential instructional videos that you can watch, re-watch and share with your spouse, children or fellow boaters. Imagine having your own private, "on demand" tutor for the topics you're most curious about! And this is just a tiny sampling of the hundreds of Bennett Marine videos that you can purchase from ShipStore.com.

Browse the full list of titles here:

http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/BNNT/00-INDEX-BNNT.html

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~ CAPTAIN'S SPECIALS: "Clear the Deck" SALE, Part I
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It's time for our twice annual "Clear the Deck" Sale. We're slashing prices on our most popular seasonal items. Bigger and better, new and improved... take it from me, this three-stage CTD is our best yet!

Are you a new subscriber? Or maybe you'd just like a little refresher on how the "Clear the Deck" Sale works? Twice each year we empty our warehouse to make room for new merchandise. That means that twice each year ShipStore.com offers unbeatable prices on some of our most popular items. We usually spread the deals over two newsletters, but this time we've stretched it to THREE! This will help us keep up with the flood of orders, so watch your email inbox for part two next week, and part three the week after.

A few of important reminders before you start ogling the good deals:

1. All orders subject to stock on hand. These amazing deals are only valid until our stock is depleted!
2. All "Clear the Deck" items are final sales unless defective from the factory.
3. There will be no backorders. "Ship or cancel" policy in effect.
4. First come, first served. (Note: This could mean you order an item which shows in stock, but someone places an order just ahead of you and you are unfortunately out of luck. We'll email any shortage notices to customer promptly and void those items from your order.)
5. As items sell out, we'll remove them from the list. We'll try to keep the list as current as possible and will be changing it daily through the end of the sale.
6. The "Clear the Deck" Sale only lasts for three (3) weeks, so order now.

That's all you need to know. Good luck, and we'll update you next week. Here's the link for you to browse the CTD Closeouts now:

http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/CTD/CTDFALL06.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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NEWSLETTER SENT BY PERMISSION ONLY
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This email has been sent to you because you (or someone using your email address) subscribed to the ShipStore.com Beacon newsletter. We respect your privacy and do not sell your personal information or release your email address ever, for any reason. For details, please review our Privacy Policy.

If you prefer not to receive to the ShipStore.com Beacon newsletter, please send a BLANK e-mail to beacon-on@list.shipstore.com with "Subscribe" (remove the quotation marks) in the Subject Field. If you wish to UNSUBSCRIBE, please send a BLANK e-mail to beacon-off@list.shipstore.com. If you have any questions or suggestions contact the editor by e-mail editor@shipstore.com. Please include a helpful subject like "Question for the Captain", "Suggestion for Article" or "Remove Duplicate Mailing" to help us sort through the e-mails more easily.

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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
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COPYRIGHT 2006 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.