NAMBA Propwash Web October 2022.pub

PROPWASH October 2022 3 Hydros back in the nitro days. Ken was into many things. First and foremost, he loved his family and grandchidren and loved every minute he spent with the grandkids. Ken was also into building custom cars and he built an awesome Chevy Bel Air from the ground up and went on to put it in custom car shows. Ken loved his big boats and spending the days on the lake in Havasu with the family. Ken had some health issues that he was dealing with and unfortunately caught Covid twice since the pandemic broke out. We are saddened by the loss of Mr. Ken Freick and we ask everyone for a moment of silence in his honor. The RC SHARKS would like to extend our most heartfelt condolences to his wife Laura and his children and grandchildren for this tremendous loss. Our district has lost several members over the last couple of years, and their losses shouldn't go unnoticed. Rest in Peace Mr. Ken Freick. You will be missed by those of us who knew you well. Respectfully submitted, Rey Garcia and the RC Sharks. Pre-Nationals Safety Corner By Lohring Miller NAMBA Safety Chairman This is going to sound a lot like the article before last years Nationals. Most of the issues are still the same. Let’s start with the standard health issues. There are several general medical issues from days spent outside in the sun. Sunburn is common. Use a suitable sun- screen. Hats and body coverings are even better. Heat related problems are serious. Prevention takes covering up, standing in the shade, and drinking lots of water or similar liquids. The signs of heat exhaustion:  Feeling faint or dizzy  Heavy sweating  Fast, weak pulse  Nausea or vomiting  Cold, pale, clammy skin  Muscle cramps If any of these are observed, get in a cool shelter and drink lots of water. Call 911 if the condition progresses. The signs of heatstroke include:  A body temperature above 103 degrees  Red, hot, dry or damp skin  Fast, strong pulse  Headache  Nausea or vomiting.  Losing consciousness If any of these conditions are observed call 911 and try to cool the person with cold water or ice. The COVID-19 levels in Monterey County are high in the beginning of September. Masks are recommended in indoor settings. Full immunization with boosters are very effective at preventing hospitalization and death, but are only 52 to 69% effective against the latest variants at preventing illness. I had COVID-19 even after the recommended immunizations and boosters. It was not fun. These are some standard boating safety issues. While methanol based fuels are fairly safe, gasoline is not. Please don’t smoke around gasoline and have a class B (CO2) or C (dry chemical) fire extinguisher handy. With proper charging, lithium polymer battery fires should be very rare. Don’t disable the balance check on the charger. If the cells don’t balance or the pack gets hot and puffs, don’t use it. Put any questionable packs in the open away from anything that can be harmed. A battery fire needs a lot of cooling. Smothering the battery fire with sand or dumping the battery in a lot of water will contain the fire. Spinning propellers are always a hazard. You need to be careful even around electric boats. Turn off the power before changing propellers and use shields while running IC engine driven propellers on the starting tables. Safety rules now require substantial foot coverings; that means boots. Crocks and similar footwear even if they cover the toes aren’t good enough. Unlike Legg Lake, Roberts Lake seems to have good separation between the water and pedestrians. I assume the races will be run from the recreation station at the center of the pond. The only area of concern will be the parking lot on the southwest bank. The existing curb may be enough. Perhaps precautions need to be in place to keep spectators back or stop runaway boats in that area. Sports netting would work very well and can be strung between the small trees at both ends of the parking area. Roberts Lake drivers’ area Roberts Lake parking area