Commodore
By Michael Lewis
Winter is approaching but there is still a lot of action that is happening. Look, we have two boat shows coming, the beautiful Christmas Ships, and maybe even a cruise on Thanksgiving Weekend. The First Holiday Party is in planning for December 2 at Rose City Yacht Club and I didn’t even mention the OCSA Tropical Party. It is not even January yet!
We are thirty-three members strong now. Some exciting educational topics are planned for the Monthly Meetings including Man Overboard (MOB) Rescues, Diesel Engine Maintenance & Repair, National Weather Service, Search and Rescue by the Coast Guard just to name a few. I look forward to seeing you on the river or at the next get together. I wish you fair currents and favorable winds!
2000 Christmas Ship Parade - December 11, 14, 18 & 21
The Christmas Ship Fleet (www.christmasships.org) is an all volunteer group of approximately sixty boaters from the Portland/Vancouver area. Starting December 11th, the fleet will begin its 46th year of parading nightly for two weeks along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.
The fleet will be in Hayden Bay on December 11th, 14th, 18th and 21st around 1930 hours. Several of the braver souls from the Columbia River All Catalina Association are planning on cruising over there and rafting up at the Rendezvous location.
Hadley’s Landing might be a good viewing location on Sunday, December 17th when both the Columbia River and Willamette River fleets are together, going up from Scappoose to the Willamette.
Let the Commodore know if you’re interested in either one or both.
Portland Boat Show - January 6-14, 2001
The Columbia River All Catalina Association has requested a booth at the Portland Boat Show. We expect to have more information shortly. Members will be at the booth during the show to talk to prospective members and answer questions. Be thinking about helping out.
Seattle Boat Show - January 13-14, 2001
Several All-Catalina members will be attending the Seattle Boat Show which runs from January 12th through 21st. Craig Beck is organizing an overnight train trip to the show for those interested (he's arranging Amtrak and hotel). Please respond to Craig if you want to go with the group (cbeck@cnnw.net). Timing is important in order to get the best rates, so he's asking that you get back to him before Monday, November 6 so he can complete the arrangements.
Hospitality Report
By Julie Beck
Welcome
At our October 25th meeting we introduced Pamela and Terry Dishongh from Hillsboro, Oregon as two prospective new members. The Dishonghs own a 1981 Capri 25 which they berth at Hayden Bay (K-7).
Holiday Party - December 2
Please plan on joining your fellow All-Catalina members at the Association's December 2 Holiday Party at the Rose City Yacht Club (RCYC). The address for RCYC is:
3737 NE Marine Drive Portland, Oregon 97211
Entertainment Committee members Jim and Marlene Himes, Kelly Martin, Rick and Bob Teeters and Craig and Julie Beck will be sending out an email shortly with details for the night's festivities.
Historian
By LaDonna Bubak
I am still in urgent need for photos for the All-Catalina photo album. I have a few (sent anonymously) from the Astoria trip but would like to have as many as possible as soon as possible. This is rather urgent as I would like to have a good start on the album for the Boat Show in January. If you still have photos in your camera, you can put your hand over the lens, snap off the rest and you won't be charged for developing black pictures. My address is 1434 SE 27th #20, Portland OR 97214 (no stalkers please!) Your help is needed to make this photo album one we can be proud of!
Secretary/Treasurer
By Kathleen Lewis
Membership
We welcome two new members to our association.
- Dan and Tara Avery - Portland, OR
- Terry and Pamela Dishongh - Hillsboro, OR
Both have their boats moored at Hayden Bay.
We now have 33 member boats in our organization.
Burgee
The association's burgee is available to members for $15.
Inquiries about membership, Mainsheet orders and burgee orders should be addressed to:
Kathleen Lewis, Secretary/Treasurer
17535 Monnier Road, NE
Hubbard, OR 97032
(503) 981-7467
Safety Focal
By Michael Lewis
Recently, another person drowned when they fell overboard. Sounds too familiar! A Personal Flotation Device (PFD) is useless unless you are wearing it.
It is useless unless you are wearing it, got it!!
Eighty-five (85) percent (%) of people who die in boating accidents are not wearing any PFD. I have heard that treading water gets old in no time at all.
Wear your PFD!
November Tropical Party
By Dale Mack
November 18. Come join other Columbia River All Catalina Association members as we attend the Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association's (OCSA) Tropical Party. This event is open to all sailors (not just OCSA members). Click here for a registration form.
Meeting Notes
October's general membership meeting was held in the loft at North Sails Oregon. Kerry Poe, a graduate of Portland State University, in Marketing, has been with North Sails since 1993. He's a U.S. Sailing Instructor, lecturer, Olympic Racer, winner of many races in small and large boats and author of "Tactician Magician" a sailing tactics computer learning program.
Kerry is also a founding member of the Columbia Gorge Racing Association, and has been instrumental in bring International class sailboat racing to Cascade Locks in the Columbia Gorge. Kerry recently played a major role in the 2000 Gorge Games, where he helped organize the sailboat racing and provided consulting assistance to NBC Sports who covered the games.
Kerry provided some background on bring International caliber sailboat racing to Cascade Locks followed by a short video on the 2000 Gorge Games held in July.
Sail trim and sail care is subject of interest to all sailors, so Kerry finished the meeting with a presentation on sail shape combined with some general Q&A on sails and sailing.
Cruising
Astoria Cruise
By Jim Himes
The first annual trip of the Allcats group started on Saturday August 5, 2000, at 0900 hours, when we meet at the entrance to Hayden Bay. There were 5 boats on this leg of the trip. Bill and Marla Simmon on Windswept, Rick and Marlene Redfield on Misconduct, Walt and Marilyn Wittke on Miss Tress, Jim and Marlene Himes on R-Time, and Eugene on What Me Worry. Greg Brannan was supposed to leave with the group, but had a meeting to go to and would follow later.
The weather was super for the down river trip. Just slightly overcast and a little cool. The trip down river was very easy with no complication. Of course we had to wait at the Vancouver Railroad Bridge. But the bridge tender was in a good mood and only held us up for 5 minutes or so.
We meet up with up with Craig and Julie Beck on "Beck -N - Me at around 1045 hours. They had stayed at the Portland Yacht Club outstation Friday night. So we now had a flotilla of 6 boats heading for Cathlamet, WA.
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| Rick and Marlene |
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| Bill and Marla |
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| Walt and Marilyn |
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| Craig and Julie |
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| Eugene |
We heard from fellow club member Brian and Kathy Lawrence on Katrinka as they were stopping at Martin Island after two months up North cruising Puget Sound. They wanted us to stop at Martin Island and visit, but we were on a mission. We assured them we would stop and visit them on the way back in St. Helens.
We also meet our Commodore on his way up the river. He was delivering a trawler for a friend. He informed us he would meet up with us in Astoria on Monday.
The trip was uneventful until we got to the Cape Horn area on the Columbia. This area is noted for its afternoon high winds and short nasty chop. It didn’t disappoint us. The winds were right on the nose at 16 MPH, with a 2 –3 foot chop, about 1 second apart. Needless to say the smaller boats had quite a time. I noticed it had knocked our speed down about one and half knots. But once we turned into Cathlamet Channel it abated quite a bit and the rest of the trip to our destination was uneventful.
The channel now has cans located along the prescribed route. The channel is noted for boats going aground for those who didn’t have one of the maps from Jim Mast, the harbormaster at the marina.
We arrived at approximately 1730 hours and got settled in for the evening. Of the first thing on every ones thought were to get something to eat. So, the whole group headed for the Riverview Restaurant. We all had a just a great meal and after we were finished headed back to the boats for some more socializing.
On Sunday August 6, 2000 are destination was Astoria, OR. Our schedule time to leave was 1000 hours. This time was determined to give us a good push down the river, riding the outgoing tide. Craig and Julie Beck stayed in Cathlamet, as they had to be back in Portland by Thursday.
The trip down the river was under clouding skies, but no rain. The river traffic was very light, we only encountered a couple small vessels and no ships.
We arrived in Astoria at 1315 hours and were meet by the Harbor Master assistance and were assigned our slips. Greg Brannan on " Sail Le Vie" arrived at 1530 hours.
We all did our own things for the rest of the days. I think we all took a ride on
The Astoria Trolley. This is a new addition in the last couple years and makes the trip into town a pleasant ride along the waterfront.
Some of us ate on the boats and a few found a good place to eat in town. Some of the folks stopped in the Red Lion for an after dinner drinks and were entertained in the bar with the Karaoke singer.
On Monday August 7, we woke up to slight drizzle and overcast skies. The group went into town and explored the shops. Rick and Marlene and Jim and Marlene spent most of the morning looking in the gift shops and trying to find a bus schedule. Walt and Marilyn, Bill and Marla and Craig spent most of the morning also exploring and visiting the Maritime Museum.
On our arrival back at the marina, we noticed our Commodore had arrived after his trip up the river delivering a boat for a friend. Kathie, the first mate on Wind Raven and secretary and treasurer for the club had also had arrived and had a surprise for us.
The surprise was our new burgee we had selected at our last meeting. It was better than anyone expected. So we sat around had some cheese and crackers and our favorite beverage to celebrate the occasion.
Around 1630 hours Rick suggested we go for a sail. So Rick and Marlene, Bill and Marla and Craig went on Misconduct. Jim and Marlene, Mike and Walt went on R-Time. We had wonderful sail out past buoy 29. It sure was nice to go on some long tacks without looking for wing dams or the shore line as we have to do in Portland.
After all that fresh air we decided we needed to get some food. So the group descended on the Portway Tavern. The staff wasn’t expecting that large of a group and had to call in the reserves. We all enjoyed a wonderful meal and the service was just wonderful.
On Tuesday Rick and Marlene, Jim and Marlene and Greg decided a trip to Ilwaco was in order. A couple of the other boats wanted to go, but they were new to sailing and since this was a trip that took us close to the Columbia River Bar, we thought it would be better if they sat this trip out until they had a little more miles under their keels. The trip started with no wind but as we got closer the winds started to pick up. We had a nice sail down the river. Jim and Marlene who had never been to Ilwaco missed the entrance and before they knew it was out past buoy 10 and on their way to the ocean. Rick hailed them on the radio and got them turned around and back to the entrance. We had heard the entrance to Ilwaco was tricky, but we didn’t have any trouble. You just had to pay close attention to the channel markers.
To those of you who are not familiar with Ilwaco, it is an old fishing port that had its hay days in the 60’s. There were a few more boats there this year because the fishing has been good this year. Below is a picture of the docks at Ilwaco, this was state of the art in the good old days as some people refer to it.
After we got settle in, we all decided to take a trip to Long Beach. The local transit system is very good and we had nice ride to Long Beach. We visit many of the shops and took a walk down to the beach. We make our way back to the boat and Jim and Marlene fixed a spaghetti diner for everyone.
The next morning [Wednesday] we visited some of the shops along the harbor and Marlene Redfield pick up some fresh caught fish to take back to Astoria. We had a pleasant sail back and meet up the other boats. They had done some sailing and some more visiting of the local area.
On Thursday we headed back down the river. We were going to see how far the wind gods would take us. The plan was to get to Walker Island. This is usually one of the best sails of the trip. With an incoming tide and a West wind it is a great downwind sail.
Our trip up river started off as expected. A nice West wind and great sailing. It looked like our plans to get to Walker Island was going to happen. But, the trip was cut short when Jim and Marlene had trouble with their spinnaker. Just past Pillar Rock the wind started to pipe up, so it was time to take down the chute and just go with a head sail and the main. But when Jim went up on the fore deck to sock the chute, he noticed the sock had wrapped around the forestay. No problem, just released the halyard. But somehow the halyard also was wrapped around the forestay. Now we really had a problem, 20 knots of wind and no way to get the chute down. The only solution was to let the tack go and let the chute fly free. Jim will tell you this was no
fun. We had thought about going into Steamboat Slough and trying to take the sail down there, but Rick suggested since it was only about 4 miles to Cathlamet, we should head there. So after a nerve-racking trip to the marina, we arrived and were able to get the sail down in about a minute. We had enough fun for the day, so Jim and Marlene, Rick and Marlene and Walt and Marilyn stated at the marina for the night. Bill and Marla and Greg decided to proceed up the river a little further and would meet us in the morning when we started up the river.
We left the next morning [Friday] for St. Helen’s. We caught the tide right and had a very easy and relaxing trip. Along the way we caught up Greg on Sail le Vie.
We all arrived in St. Helen’s safely and without any problems. Everyone did their own thing, knowing this was the last night and tomorrow would bring an end to our journey.
One of the nice things about this trip it gives you a chance to relax. And like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, see the following picture of Rick at rest in Astoria.
Local Sailing Associations
The Columbia River All Catalina Association newsletter is published online once a month. Articles are the opinions of the authors and don’t necessarily represent the consensus of the Association.
By Michael Lewis
Historian's Report
By Dale Mack
We were among 250 sailors who had come together to recognize and honor the sailing accomplishments and contributions of various individuals from the Portland/Vancouver area.
