BIAC: Care of Equipment and Facility

General Use: Here's what to do every time you enjoy the water. To begin, you must be qualified in the boat you propose to use and have signed the BIAC Liability Waiver as part of your Membership Form. Once housekeeping is in order, repeat the steps below each time you row.

1. Check your equipment.
2. Sign Out in the log book
3. Lock up behind you
4. Have fun: Row or Paddle
5. Sign In when you return.
6. Clean and stow your gear
7. Lock up when you leave.

Also see our Log, Light, & Stay Right policy on using BIAC.

Shells: There are four important things to do when caring for shells:

• Rinse and wipe the top and hull with fresh water after use
• Open the plugs and ports on the hull to let it (stay) dry inside
• Cover the shell, if applicable, to protect it.
• Secure the shell against wind with rope or web tie downs to the storage rack.
  For some great examples of knots for the ropes, see the animations here. Working favorites are a Round Turn and Two Half Hitches or a Clove Hitch.

Oars: There are three simple ways to care for the oars:

• Rinse oars with fresh water after use.
• Return the oars to their locker with the blade end up in the locker baskets. This prevents the blades from getting pinched or damaged when the doors close.
• Lock and spin the combinations on the lockers, please!
  Remember: "Lock and Spin, Out or In".

Washing: Most of the time, careful use of fresh water and wiping with a sponge is all that our shells need to stay clean after being in our marine environment. Boats on the Aero Dock can only be rinsed with water, as the runoff drains directly into the bay waters.

The only detergent approved by the Coast Guard and Redwood City for washing our shells is Simple Green. It must be diluted first in a bucket and then mixed with rinse water once sponged onto a shell. BIAC keeps a supply of Simple Green just inside or outside of our front clubhouse door. Please clean shells in the boatyard area closest to the street to
minimize runoff.

BIAC also recommends washing your hands after stowing all of your gear. We are visitors in an active marine environment. The Bay and its littoral waters are a nursury for marine life, from harbor seals to hundreds of simple organisms in each drop of salt water.

Recycling: Please recycle bottles and batteries as follows:

• Batteries:
  Please recycle all spent batteries into the  metal bucket located in the BIAC clubhouse lobby.  The red bucket is clearly marked with a sign to be  easy to find.  The bucket's batteries are properly disposed of about once per month.
  

  Bottles:
  Please recycle plastic water bottles into the dark green container outside of the BIAC office window. Even better - bring a reusable water bottle. Our tap water is very drinkable, as it comes from Hetch Hetchy via the SF Water District.

Docks: Our Candock floating docks are amazing, and our ramp is built for years of reliable service. Some simple procedures will keep them safe and clean.

• Cleaning: All year round our docks host a variety of birds overnight, with the attendant mess that comes with their digestive tracts. BIAC provides a wide broom on the docks near the Aeros to sweep off our Candocks. Dip the bristles into the water, pull the broom back, and push nature's nutrients into the water while re-dipping the broom for another pass. This is a good way to warm up too.
• Ice: We are fortunate to have an eastern facing ramp and docks, but in the winter ice still forms on them overnight. Rowers and paddlers alike will find slippery surfaces up to an hour after sunrise. Our tried and true way of de-icing and avoiding injuries is to use salt water and sweep with brooms on the ramp and docks. Any salt water left on the ramp or docks is OK - it acts as an anti-freeze agent. For environmental and safety reasons, use only salt water to de-ice.   No other agents, please. For more information, see our safety page section on Cold Weather .
• Shoes: It's a good idea to not leave your shoes on the Candocks while rowing. It's a safety hazard on a busy dock, and they'll get soiled, dunked, or lost eventually. A better place to park shoes is at the base of the oar stand or with you in the boat in front of your foot stretchers. Scullers often find that shoes make handy bailers.

Facility: BIAC maintains a dozen or so outdoor racks for our shells and a boat house for ergometers, weights, announcements, video instruction, tools, and basic comforts (a bathroom and shower). We depend on volunteer member efforts to keep our facility clean, safe, and modern.

Members are required to give 12 hours of volunteer service to help keep BIAC spiffy. We have a log for these hours inside the building, and Saturday work parties are often called by program leaders to repair racks, docks, ramps, shells, launches, other equipment, or do yard work. Members often pitch in a little each time they visit BIAC, and some of us volunteer hours at a desk to help with finance, marketing, and chores like maintaining this web site. Contact the board if you have a special talent or desire to help!

Launches: Only authorized BIAC members and coaches may operate the motorized launches. More detailed information is available in our MembersOnly section. A step by step one page guide is also available. 

Please observe the following:

• Megaphones are prohibited in the harbor between 11 pm and 7 am.
• Wakes: Please treat Docktown and Pete's Harbor as no wake zones.
• Fetch and return gas cans to and from the Gas Shed. Lock the gas shed.
• Embark with a paddle and lifejackets aboard.
• Lighting: Use running lights when in the dark or in twilight conditions.
• Don't run the motor in mud. This will gum up the cooling system
• Raise the motor up out of the water after docking
• Properly secure the launch to at least one dock cleat as follows:
  
  so that this
  (or worse) does not happen-->

For a good example on how to tie a Cleat Hitch, see the animation here.