From the Afterguard
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst
I hope you all had an opportunity to enjoy your boats during our beautiful Indian Summer in September. From sailboat racing, and day sails, to the Third Annual All Catalina Rendezvous, there were lots to do and experience before the onset of Fall weather.Thank you for the tireless efforts of those involved in pulling the rendezvous together. This was my first time attending, and I and the crew had a blast. We are definitely going to make it an annual pilgrimage.
Welcome and thank you to Dave Peoples as he steps into the role of CRACA Commodore. I also want to thank Ralph Ahseln for the energy and passion he invested in serving as our commodore for five months.
Although the leaves may be changing, there are still lots of activities both on and off the water you can attend in the coming weeks. In October, Laura and I are the cruise hosts for the CRACA Halloween Cruise to Coon Island (more details later). In November, the not to be missed annual Tropical Party at the Portland Yacht Club will offer you dinner and dancing to live music for the low price of $20 per person. Also in November is the CRACA cruise to Government Island. We'll close out the year with the Christmas Ships Parade in December along with the annual CRACA Holiday Party.
Here's just a glimpse of some of the planning activities in the works as we finish out 2002:
- Thanksgiving Cruise to Government Island (November 23-24)
- Draft our 2003 cruising schedule and submit it to the Columbia River Yachting Association by December 15th.
- Holiday Party
- CRACA booth at the Portland Boat Show (January 4-12)
- CRACA trip to the Seattle Boat Show (January 11-19)
- St. Valentine's Day Cruise to Government Island - East Dock (February 15-16)
- St. Patrick's Day Cruise to Riverplace (March 15-16)
Past Commodore
By Michael Lewis, C42, Wind Raven |
| Look what you missed! |
Not just the Rendezvous shirt that this was attached to, a Sailboats of Oregon Rendezvous hat, a super rigging bag and other great gifts. But a great time with the best darn people in the world, Catalina Owners. Plan on coming next year and it will all be even better. Thanks to all that made it a success.
Annual Tropical Party at the Portland Yacht Club
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst
November 16. Come join your fellow Columbia River All Catalina Association members as we attend the Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association's (OCSA) Tropical Party at the Portland Yacht Club. This event is open to all sailors (not just OCSA members).The Tropical Party is one of the great end of year events for Columbia River racers and cruisers. Cocktails start at 6 PM, dinner begins by 7 PM, followed by a short but very humorous OCSA Awards presentation of awards such as the "Sandbox" to the person with the most time on a sandbar, a Silent Auction, Door Prizes, Costume Contest, and Dancing 'til Midnight to the live music of Windy River.
The dress is Tropical & Casual, and it's all offered for just $20 per person. If you're interested you need to reserve your seats by November 9th.
Tortilla Hors d'oeuvre
By Don Evans, C320, Dream CatcherSeveral people asked me this recipe at the rendezvous. Marla Simon even asked me for it last year at the October cruise. Well, Marla, and anyone else that would like it, here goes.
Tortilla Hors d'oeuvre
- 6 Flour Tortillas
- 1 8 oz soft cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- 1/4 cup diced green pepper
- 2 1/2 oz smoked chipped beef
Pam and I hope you enjoy serving this hors d'oeuvre as much as we do.
Groundbreaking for Boating Projects
By Randy Henry, Public Information RepresentativeOregon Marine Board
www.boatoregon.com
Two projects benefiting operators of motorboats 26 feet and longer as well as the communities of Rainier and St. Helens, will get underway this Thursday [Sept. 19th]. Groundbreaking ceremonies are scheduled for 10 a.m. at Rainier and 1:15 p.m. at St. Helens for the projects, which are worth more than $1 million.
"These are large-scale public works projects which will fill a significant void for boaters on this section of the Columbia River," said Ron Rhodehamel, Facilities Program Manager for the Oregon State Marine Board. "We were very happy to hear that Oregon received the federal grants and we're happy that the projects are about to get underway."
The projects include new transient tie-up facilities, sewage pump outs, 12-foot wide floats and wheel-chair accessible aluminum gangways connecting the facilities to the communities. The projects are expected to be complete by next spring's boating season.
Rainier's facility will cost $416,000. The facility will replace a deteriorated facility that has been unusable for years. The St. Helens facility will cost $597,000 and replaces the Court House docks. The bulk of the dollars are from the federal Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program.
The Marine Board, in cooperation with the communities, applied for the grants and will assist in the project design and implementation.
The BIG program is administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is funded by an excise tax on fishing equipment and by boaters' federal gasoline tax dollars. The program was created by Congress to provides funds to states to build, renovate and maintain tie-up facilities designed for recreational vessels 26 feet or longer. The program also seeks to enhance access to recreational, historic, cultural and scenic resources; strengthen community ties to the water's edge and economic benefits; promote public/private partnerships and entrepreneurial opportunities; provide continuity of public access to the shore; and promote awareness of transient boating opportunities.
"While the bulk of these dollars are federal, the Marine Board and local communities provided the required matching grants, including $1000 for each project from the Columbia River Yachting Association," said Rhodehamel.
A third facility at the Columbia River city of Arlington is also benefiting from recent BIG program grants. The Port of Arlington received a grant of $171,000 to build a transient tie-up to augment existing facilities.
October General Membership Meeting
October 16 starting at 6:00 pm
Damon's Grill
15230 S.W. Sequoia Pkwy.
Tigard, OR 97224
503-670-7770
Speaker: Butch Bogan
Subject: Rigging and Electrical
Secretary/Treasurer
By Kathleen Lewis, C42, Wind Raven
It was really nice to see so many people at our rendezvous/cruise to Sand Island. Our membership roster now stands at 64 dues paid members. Please welcome our newest members, all of which joined at our gathering at Sand Island.
Bob Gales & Gail O’Neill of Portland, ORWelcome again to Doug and Karen Knight of St. Helens who rejoined at the Sand Island event.
Nate & Margaret Hanson of Hopewell (near Salem)
- Catalina 30 (1988) - Imagine - at McCuddy’s on Marine Drive-
Don & Diana McGee of Washougal
- Catalina 25 - Leucothea
- Catalina 250 (2002)
I still have Rendezvous shirts available. Burgees are sold out, but I will be ordering more. Contact me if you want either of these.
(Editor's Note: The Hanson's, McGee's, and Bob Gales & Gail O'Neill have all moved up from Catalina 22's, and are former members of Catalina 22 Fleet 20.)
Skipper Safety
By Dave Thomas, C30, SunchaserSkipper Saver is a one day course being offered by the Beaverton Power Squadron. The course is designed to teach family members and friends what to do and how to operate the boat if the skipper becomes disabled. You know, man overboard, seasickness, an accidental jibe --- the possibilities are endless.
There are two parts to the course, the first in the classroom where participants learn what is essential to the operation of a vessel. And, the second is a self check process where participants practice what they learned in the class instruction.
A person need not be a member of the Power Squadron to attend. The date has not been set yet, but it will be held on a Saturday within the next 6 to 8 weeks. The location will be in the Beaverton area.
If you are interested in attending, or want more information you can contact me at:
Dave Thomas djthomas@teleport.com or, 503-682-2935
Cruising
Halloween Cruise to Coon Island
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystOctober 26-27. Laura and I are leading the October cruise to Coon Island. If you're looking for a relaxed weekend then please consider joining us.
The crew of Celtic Myst (pronounced Keltic Myst) plan to be underway from Tomahawk Bay Moorage on Saturday at 9 am.
Saturday Itinerary
4:30 pm, Decorated Boat Tour and JudgingWhat to Bring
5:00 pm, Appetizers
- Totally optional for those who can't resist. Awards will be presented at the campfire. Decorate the inside, decorate the outside, decorate the whole thing, or decorate nothing and just be a judge (everyone is a judge).
7:30 pm, After Dinner
- Shared appetizers, costumes optional.
- The Mack's will be there in costume, not sure what I'm going to dress the dog up as though;-))
- Jack-O-Lantern lighting, marshmallow roast, and Smores at the gazebo fire pit ashore. After dinner we'll gather up some of the firewood folks brought and get a campfire going ashore. Bring your Jack-O-Lantern and Smores fix'ins and we'll light up the pumpkins and take some pictures.
- A Jack-O-Lantern (any size)
- An appetizer to share Saturday afternoon
- A costume (optional)
- A decorated boat (optional)
- Your fix'ins for Smores
- Marshmallow roasting hardware
- Firewood to kick in for the Saturday evening and Sunday morning campfires
- Your dinghy or kayak if you've got them
Looking back at the Columbia River All Catalina Rendezvous
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystSeptember 21-22. I and my pickup crew sailed down to Sand Island on Saturday. Laura was in California visiting her sister, so Sean and I were joined by Catalina 22 Fleet Captain Mike Hibbs, Mike's friend Wally, and Wally's ten-year-old son Nick.
 |
| Celtic Myst chasing Imagine |
We completed the last hour of the trip in the company of Imagine, Bob Gales and Gail O'Neill's Catalina 30. Bob and Gail spent six weeks in the San Juan's aboard Imagine this year and brought it back to the Columbia River in August.
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| Bob Gales & Gail O'Neill aboard Imagine. |
We approached the docks from the upriver end, which means leaving the shipping channel upstream of Sand Island and heading toward the courthouse on the waterfront at St. Helens. Seeing the clearance under the keel drop below six feet got my attention, but we transitioned over the sand bar, and soon found ourselves in 20-40 feet of water.
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| Some of the over twenty boats that attended the rendezvous. |
It wasn't long before Sean and Nick were off scaling the tall sand mound located and couple hundred yards down the beach. As for Mike, Wally, and myself, we busied ourselves chit-chatting with others and touring the various Catalina models.
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| Saturday evening potluck dinner. |
One of the highlights of the afternoon was watching a sailboat race that started and ended between the docks and St. Helens Marina. It was a kick seeing how close to the docks some of the crews came before tacking.
Saturday's dinner was a potluck affair. From the main dishes to the desserts, the food was delicious and the variety wonderful. We ate picnic-style on the docks. Those who had folding chairs and tables used them, and those that did not make use of the dock's raised mooring timbers as chairs.
After dessert, Bill Simon led the awarding of door prizes with a little help from his assistant. From sailing gloves and jackets to pillows and baseball caps, the prizes were great.
 |
| Bill Simon gets some help selecting door prize winners. |
Sunday breakfast was a potluck affair on the dock. Like Saturday's dinner, there was lots of variety, and plenty of food to satisfy the hungriest of appetites. By 10 am, many crews were starting to make preparations for heading home.
The crew of Celtic Myst sailed upriver for the first hour, but eventually gave up as the wind slowly died. The motor back was conducted under sunny skies and pleasant temperatures. We had a great time just chatting away in the cockpit as the boys took turns at the helm.
I what to thank everyone who contributed their time to making the rendezvous a success. I'm already looking forward to next year's.
IO's Trip South
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystThank you to Michael Lewis for passing along this link to fellow CRACA member Mike McIntyre's adventure.
Mike and his crew aboard the Catalina 380 IO have been sailing down the coast.
Through pictures and prose, you can follow the departure August 16th, from the San Juan's, to the log's latest entry of the boat's arrival in Santa Barbara on September 27th.
Log of the sailboat IO
Racing
Catalina 25's Compete in the PYC Fall Regatta
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystOn September 7th, thirty-four Columbia River skippers and crews came out to compete in the Portland Yacht Club's (PYC) annual Fall Regatta. I had once again been invited to crew aboard Terry & Kathie Annis' C25 Lematike. Also, onboard was Catalina 22 skipper Don Bateson, for whom Terry and I had crewed for during the Spring and Summer Racing Series.
Sailed in lighter conditions than the One-Design Regatta in August, crews found themselves challenged by chasing wind puffs across the water in the first race. Fortunately for us, the wind built during the course of the day.
While we were racing under the PHRF handicapping system which enables dissimilar boats to compete against one another, we also had the pleasure of competing against fellow CRACA member Gary Bruner and his crew aboard the C25 Encore!. Although there were a couple of other boats in our fleet, it was Encore! we focused on because it gave us an opportunity to learn more about sailing a C25 by comparing the results of our adjustments against a similar boat.
Unlike the One-Design regatta which had us in five races spread over two days, the Fall Regatta was a one-day event made up of two races.
We had a great time aboard Lematike. The racing was close, the day just perfect, and the camaraderie not to be missed.
Would I go out again if asked? You bet. Whether it's manning a winch, packing a spinnaker, or tending the tiller, there's nothing like a day out on the water spent with friends.
Local Sailing Associations
- SailPDX (hosted by Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association, OCSA)
- Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO)
- Oregon Women’s Sailing Association (OWSA)
- Portland Yacht Club (PYC)
- Rose City Yacht Club (RCYC)
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.
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