CONSUMERS : Time Counts 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.
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.
