Time Can Count for Boat Racers

Just hitting the Southern California marine market is a new watch designed especially for sailboat racers.

The Victory yachting watch--the latest in Timex’s line of sports timepieces that includes ones for skiers, surfers, triathletes and aerobics exercisers--has a preset five-minute countdown timer with both digital and analog displays to warn the sailor that the start of the race is nearing.

In addition to the visual display, several alarms sound at preset times during the five-minute period. The Victory watch also incorporates a tack ratio computer to assist the racer in calculating when to turn the boat and position it for the starting line. A ring on the outside of the watch face can be manually set to keep track of high and low tide.

The watch, with a suggested retail price of $75, also features a large, top-mounted start button for the timer, two chronographs with split time-measuring capacity, and a backlight on the face for night viewing. According to Timex, it is water resistant to 25 meters and has a lithium battery that should last about four years. A strap extender enables the watch to be worn over foul-weather gear. It’s available at Performance Sailing International in Newport Beach or Sailing Supply Inc. in San Diego. You also can order the Victory directly from Timex by calling (800) FOR-TIMEX.

No More Polishing

There’s a new product on the market that cleans tarnished silver, silver-plate, gold, copper, bronze, most brass and most jewelry in about five seconds, without messy creams, rags and rubber gloves. Called Qwicksilver and just introduced by Silver Cleaners USA in Culver City, it works by an electrolytic process--in your sink.

Qwicksilver comes in a kit with a reusable 6x8-inch metal alloy plate and 16 packets of an “activator powder.” To clean precious metals and jewelry--except for pearls and enameled items--you place the plate in the bottom of the kitchen sink, fill with hot water and mix in a packet of the powder. Then place your jewelry and metal items in the water for a few seconds.

A company spokeswoman explained that a low-density magnetic field is created by the plate and powder, which safely draws the soft sulfur ions of tarnish off the metal pieces. She said that the powder is nontoxic. It won’t do any damage to your sink, or hurt your hands, so you don’t need rubber gloves. It’s also odorless.

“The tarnish comes off in about five seconds, unless something is really heavily tarnished, then you’ll probably have to immerse it several times,” she said. “Then you just rinse it and wipe it off with a clean towel.”

The starter kit of Qwicksilver, with plate and 16 packets, costs $30, with powder refills available at $12 for 20 packets. Reorder forms come with each kit. In Southern California, you can buy Qwicksilver at the Broadway, Bullocks, J. C. Penney and Robinsons.

Lotto Fever Relief

California Lotto players may appreciate a new invention called Lotto-Chek 6/49--a system for quickly checking your Lotto card to see how many winning numbers you have.

Each Lotto-Chek card is usable for four drawings. To use it, write down the winning Lotto numbers for that drawing and punch out the appropriate-number dots on the card. Lay the Lotto-Chek card over your marked game and you can see quickly and accurately which of your numbers is a correct one. This works only for Lotto cards that you mark personally, not for Quick Pick numbers.

“Players of $5 or more have been complaining about how difficult and tedious it is checking the numbers,” said Allan Turner, the Northridge contractor who invented the card. “I was at my parents’ house during one of the big lotteries and my father had played $20 worth of numbers. He was checking to see if any had won and he said: ‘I am never going to do this again. It’s too time-consuming.’ ”

Turner said he developed his Lotto-Chek card using a system similar to the one officials at the DMV use to check correct answers on the driver examinations. He plans to have them available at $1 a card in convenience and liquor stores in the near future, but currently is offering an introductory mail-order plan. A six months’ supply (13 boards for 52 drawing dates) costs $12; one year (26 boards for 104 drawings), $22.

To order, send a check or money order to Lotto-Chek 6/49, 12077 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, Calif. 90025 or call (213) 473-7000. Add 6.5% state sales tax. Handling and postage are included.

Sonic Accuracy

AccuTape, a new ultrasonic measuring device, should be helpful to carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and serious do-it-yourselfers.

Developed by Measurement Specialties Inc. in Wayne, N.J., AccuTape can measure distances from two to 30 feet with its ultrasonic Polaroid sensor, computing distances to 1/10th of a foot. All you do is place the device flush with any surface and press the button. It displays the distance in feet.

“It has better than 99% accuracy,” said Mark Cappiello, vice president of sales and marketing for the New Jersey company.

AccuTape has a permanent, sealed-in lithium battery that Cappiello says will last more than 10 years, is lightweight (5 ounces) and about the size of a package of cigarettes. The measuring device retails for $49.99 and can be purchased from Measurement Specialties Inc., 1133 Route 23, Wayne, N.J. 07470, (201) 633-0440.