June Casagrande Planning on putting some crepe...

June Casagrande

Planning on putting some crepe paper on your Chris-Craft? Want to

dazzle ‘em with lights on your Duffield? Before you leap into the

coming boat parade, you’d probably do well to attend a

boat-decorating seminar at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club.

“There are a lot of things you need to think about when you’re

decorating your boat,” said Jay Carson, who is helping to put on a

series of public-service seminars at the club.

For example, he said, crepe paper in a saltwater environment can

leave nasty stains on fiberglass and other boat surfaces. Also, he

said, it’s important to know how many lights your boat battery can

handle.

“Some people with little Duffields, they love to put lights on

their boats,” Carson said. “They end up putting more lights than they

should and they find themselves being towed back to the dock.”

The seminar, which will also cover the creative aspects of boat

decorating, will be the first in a new series of community-focused

seminars at the club. Yachting protocol, care of the marine

environment, travel and especially safety will be the focus of the

seminars, which are open to members and to the general public.

“It’s a way to get our name out there in the community and let

people know who and what we are,” said Ron Banaszak, general manager

of the club. “And for obvious reasons, we care about the marine

environment.”

The first seminar, titled “Decorating Your Boat for the Holidays,”

will be given from 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 13. The next seminar, “Sailing

the Fiji Sunsets,” will take place Nov. 21.

The series will continue through December and into the new year

with safety, travel and other topics important to the boating

community. For more information, call the club at (949) 644-9530.