7 tips for sailgating Baylor football games

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gobears20
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https://www2.baylor.edu/baylorproud/2017/08/7-tips-for-sailgating-baylor-football-games/


Baylor has plenty of special traditions: running the Line, Sing, Christmas on 5th, Homecoming The list goes on. But one of our best traditions is also one of our newest: sailgating.
For the uninitiated, sailgating is exactly what it sounds like: tailgating, on a boat. Part of McLane Stadium's beauty is that its right on the Brazos River that runs by/through campus, and the stadium's designers incorporated the water right into the design. A large lagoon complete with boat dock sits just feet from the stadium, allowing a tailgating experience that few other stadiums can match.
If you've never tried it before, here are 7 tips for sailgating at Baylor:
[ol]
  • Don't forget the essentials. Perhaps this goes without saying, but be prepared before you spend hours out on the water! A basic checklist would include a cooler, drinks (but not in glass bottles), snacks, sunscreen, sunglasses, dry clothes, waterproof bags for electronics, and a first aid kit. Texas Parks & Wildlife regulations also require you to carry personal floatation devices, sound producing devices (like a whistle or horn), lights, and a fire extinguisher. Click here to read up Texas Parks & Wildlife's rules and guidelines to boating.
  • Think about where you'll drop anchor. If you're a Baylor Bear Foundation member, you have the option of reserving a boat slip for the entire season. Otherwise, get there early, and you may be able to snag one of the first-come, first-served spots on the basin wall closest to the stadium. If those are full, a friendly Bear (see No. 6) might let you tie your boat to theirs. But wherever you anchor your boat, be sure you can safely escape in case of an emergency; Texas park rangers will be around to help you do so safely.
  • Don't have a boat? Rent one. Some local boat rental companies rent out boats on game days. This is a great solution for those who want to sailgate just a game or two with a group of friends. Or if you're looking for something simpler, companies like Waco Paddle Company (launching from the Franklin Avenue bridge behind the food trucks) and Pura Vida Paddle (launching from Buzzard Billy's) rent out canoes, standing paddleboards and kayaks. (Note that while Baylor's Pullin Family Marina normally allows Baylor students and employees to check out such items, it is closed on game days so that their student-employees can enjoy the day, too.)
  • Arrive several hours before the game.Experienced tailgaters already know this, but game day is called game day for a reason. If it's a morning home game, get to the stadium as soon as you can, and sail around afterward, too. If it's an afternoon game, come out before noon and have your lunch on the boat. And if it's an evening game, you have the perfect excuse to spend the whole day out on the water; just be sure your boat is equipped with lights if you'll be out past sundown.
  • Meet your neighbors. Baylor Bears have a reputation for being some of the friendliest fans in college football, and that includes during pre-game activities. If your boat will be docked most of the time, don't be afraid to get to know your fellow Bears around you. You might even get some free food out of it!
  • Pay attention to "no wake" zones. Most of the water surround McLane Stadium is a "Slow, No Wake" zone so don't try to zoom through on your speedboat and ruin other Bears' fun. Power water sports (i.e. wakeboarding, water skiing, jet skiing) are allowed upstream, north of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. bridge.
  • Don't mess with Texas. Cups, plates, cans, hot dog and hamburger bags They're all things that help us while sailgating, but hurt the river once we're done. Keep Texas, the Brazos, and McLane Stadium beautiful, and bring extra trash bags to clean up after yourself.
  • [/ol]Do all these, and you're officially part of what is unofficially known as the Baylor Bearmada! For even more sailgating tips, follow @BaylorBearmada on Twitter.
    Sic 'em, sailgaters!
    MrGolfguy
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    I'm not quite as dumb as I seem
    SMack
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    Another tip:

    Beware of the gar. I suggest you stay at least 50 feet away from the water.
    Sampi82
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    BearlyBeloved
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    Sampi82 said:


    I thought it was a no-wake zone!!
    Sampi82
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    BearlyBeloved said:

    Sampi82 said:


    I thought it was a no-wake zone!!



    Don't you know - no wake zone doesn't apply to a real Bear driving a boat.
    Brian Ethridge
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    Sampi82 said:

    BearlyBeloved said:

    Sampi82 said:


    I thought it was a no-wake zone!!



    Don't you know - no wake zone doesn't apply to a real Bear driving a boat.


    You going to tell a Bear no?
    OsoCoreyell
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    The Bear Necessities Sailgate will be up and running again this year! Such a great time!
    McCavebear
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    Sampi82 said:


    Yeehaw! SIC 'em!
    McCavebear Lives!
    william
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    Brian Ethridge said:

    Sampi82 said:

    BearlyBeloved said:

    Sampi82 said:


    I thought it was a no-wake zone!!



    Don't you know - no wake zone doesn't apply to a real Bear driving a boat.


    You going to tell a Bear no?
    arbyscoin - the only crypto you can eat.
    Bandbear77
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    Where can you get a Bearmada Flag?
    The one with SAILOR BEAR and the two crossed cutlasses below.


    3rd String Kicker
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    Just saw an LGBTQ celebration called OUT on the Brazos is scheduled on Baylor homecoming from 11am-5pm in Brazos Park East. BU/TT game sailgating could be more interesting than usual.
    3rd String Kicker
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    Brian Ethridge
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    Bandbear77 said:

    Where can you get a Bearmada Flag?
    The one with SAILOR BEAR and the two crossed cutlasses below.





    Bearfoot
    historian
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    Quote:

    The Bear Necessities Sailgate will be up and running again this year! Such a great time!
    IIRC, your boat had some TV recognition in 2014.
    “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!”
    Psalm 119:36
    Chendrickson
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    Trying something new this year for the boat. Trying to get some TV action.

    I got a cigarette lighter adapter with two regular plugs. Will plug that into the boat to power the TV and the antenna (we park in the free area. I don't think there are any power outlets near). Going to use a digital antenna to get some channels.

    Think it will work? Going to test it out this weekend and see how it goes.

    Advice or ideas are welcome.
    Mr Tulip
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    Chendrickson said:

    Trying something new this year for the boat. Trying to get some TV action.

    I got a cigarette lighter adapter with two regular plugs. Will plug that into the boat to power the TV and the antenna (we park in the free area. I don't think there are any power outlets near). Going to use a digital antenna to get some channels.

    Think it will work? Going to test it out this weekend and see how it goes.

    Advice or ideas are welcome.
    Just for "quick and dirty" ideas, marine batteries are usually rated for deep cycle discharge and recharge. That's a different and important distinction from a regular car battery. A regular car battery is supposed to stay fully charged (more or less) at all times. Dropping the charge on the battery by even 20% might permanently damage it. A deep cycle battery expects to be almost fully discharged and recharged a bunch of times.

    What type of inverter are you using? A cigarette lighter style (assuming your battery is 12V like most) socket usually is rated for 10-12 amps. That's likely enough to power the TV (obviously depending on size and type) and antenna, but startup current might exceed that leading to a blown fuse at best.

    They make inverters that bolt directly to the battery. They have a higher rating. That might be an option.

    Finally, don't get stuck! Don't drain your batter past what you need to get home. Remember, your car has a charging circuit (alternator) that supplies current after the battery starts it. Your boat doesn't. If you drain the battery watching TV, the boat won't work!
    Chendrickson
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    Thanks so much for the info. Here are the specs on the adapter: Foval 200W Car Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V AC Converter with 4 USB Ports Charger (White)

    Pretty positive the battery is 12V like you said.

    I don't plan on using the tv all day- just 1-2 hours probably. 3 max.

    I think that should be ok right?
    Mr Tulip
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    Well, we'd need to know how big of a TV you're planning on using.

    The tough thing here is that you can't get something for nothing. Your cigarette lighter probably won't put out more than 15 amps (15A). We know that the battery is giving us 12volts (12V).
    Watts = Volts x Amps. In our case, 12V x 15A = 180 watts (180W). That's the most we can suck up from the cigarette lighter without blowing its fuse.

    If we're limited to 180 watts to play with through the cigarette lighter, even if we assume perfect power transfer through the inversion process (your battery kicks out current at a constant "ground to 12 volts" signal whereas your TV is expecting a signal that jumps between +110V and -110V sixty times a second - thus "Alternating current or AC") then we have to do the math backwards.
    180 watts / 110V = 1.6 amps available total for both plugs at once.

    A 46" LCD TV can draw anywhere from 1A to 3A depending on type and efficiency. That's at "steady state". I'm not sure what the start up (when the picture turns on) amperage is. The "start up" is usually where we bust these inverters out.

    I can't say I'm optimistic about both TV and antenna (or really, even the TV) working on a 200W cigarette lighter inverter. However, these things surprise me sometimes. If you already have them, go out to your car and give it a "real world" test. I'm ready to be wrong.
    Chendrickson
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    For sure. I live in Arlington and all of the stuff is in Waco, so I won't get to test it until this weekend. The good news is that I'm planning on using a tiny tv (I think it's like 25 inches). Maybe it'll help that I'm not trying to use anything large.
    historian
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    LOL

    We are so spoiled in the 21st century that we think 25 inches is a tiny TV. The truly funny part is that nowadays, that's true. I remember buying a 27" CRT years ago and it was big. My, how things have changed.
    “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!”
    Psalm 119:36
    Mr Tulip
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    Of course, if we want, we can always just get a second deep cycle battery for entertainment purposes. Direct wire a 2000W inverter right to it!

    We could run a 62" TV, antenna, and small sound system without endangering our ride home! If that doesn't last all game, we'll get a 2nd battery in parallel.

    (note: I know there are generator options, but I'd want to limit the amount of combustion engines I'm running on a watercraft without better knowledge of the rules)
    Brian Ethridge
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    historian said:

    LOL

    We are so spoiled in the 21st century that we think 25 inches is a tiny TV. The truly funny part is that nowadays, that's true. I remember buying a 27" CRT years ago and it was big. My, how things have changed.
    It weighed three hundred pounds
    fadskier
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    Where is the MLK Ave bridge? I thought MLK ran parallel to the river?
    Salute the Marines - Joe Biden
    fadskier
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    Never mind. It's wayyyyyy up there.
    Salute the Marines - Joe Biden
    historian
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    Yea, about halfway to the airport.
    “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!”
    Psalm 119:36
    RegentCoverup
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    For anyone so inclined, dual battery systems for trucks are a good idea IMO. I have the IBS dual battery system but Blue Sea makes a good one as well.

    http://ibs-tech.ch/en/products/dual-battery-system.html

    Basically, you buy a yellow top marine battery and then run all of your accessories from it and use the regular battery for starting the vehicle. Extends the life of both.

    Dual system connects, recharges, monitors. I swear by mine as I've been in snowstorms and deserts and not had a problem. Brings peace of mind at a decent cost.


    www.bluesea.com

    BUAL
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    Given all of your plans, I am just going to just chill and wait for one of the boat TVs to fall into the water near a stand up paddleboarder. If TV is still plugged in, we can test that no wake zone rule on the paddleboarder! Cannot tell if Jeff Specoli of the Brazos is paddling too fast or being electrocuted!
    Mr Tulip
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    TellMeYouLoveMe said:

    For anyone so inclined, dual battery systems for trucks are a good idea IMO. I have the IBS dual battery system but Blue Sea makes a good one as well.

    http://ibs-tech.ch/en/products/dual-battery-system.html

    Basically, you buy a yellow top marine battery and then run all of your accessories from it and use the regular battery for starting the vehicle. Extends the life of both.

    Dual system connects, recharges, monitors. I swear by mine as I've been in snowstorms and deserts and not had a problem. Brings peace of mind at a decent cost.


    www.bluesea.com


    Or if your "accessories" are a little on the larger side, cram your hood with alternators:


    For when your car audio has a noticeable effect on your gas mileage.

    Chendrickson
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    Update: it worked like a charm! Also found one power outlet near enough so we could use that as well.
    Mr Tulip
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    Chendrickson said:

    Update: it worked like a charm! Also found one power outlet near enough so we could use that as well.
    That's great news! Glad it worked!
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