Monday, December 1, 2003

200312




From the Commodore

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

One of the email discussions groups from sailnet.com that I participate in is about Northwest sailing.  A list member recently asked if anyone on the list would like to meet up at the Portland Boat Show.  The odd thing about the responses was no one directly answered yes or no, they just described how the show was really geared toward fisherman and PWC's and lacked much in the way of equipment exhibits and sailboats.

Logically I knew that descriptions of the show were right on, but emotionally I felt different and at first  I didn't know why.  As I thought about it I realized that since moving to Vancouver, the Portland Boat Show had come to represent the start of the new boating season for me and more importantly, I had always attended the show in the company of sailing friends.  The boat show had become an excuse in the middle of winter to spend a day hanging out with friends.

My friends and I would typically start the morning off together eating breakfast at Elmer's, and then move the gathering over to West Marine, before heading over to the Portland Expo Center to catch the opening at 11 am.  The sailboat exhibits were usually our first and last stops while at the show.  Whether we were running our hands over the polished aluminum hulls of this year's go fast, jet-powered fishing sleds, or admiring the gleaming gel coat of a ski boat, the conversation always drifted back to sailing.  Try the boat show in the company of others who like to discuss sailing, it's a totally different experience.

Lending a Hand at the Portland Boat Show

I want to thank everyone that signed up to staff the booth.  Bill Simon reports that all the time slots are covered.

Our display this year will be incorporated with the Sailboats of Oregon space.  Fellow CRACA member Dave Dudek and owner of Sailboats of Oregon, plans to display a C42,  C350, C30, C270, and a C250.  CRACA will have a table set back from two six foot tall wire frame towers decorated with photos of CRACA and Catalina 22 Fleet 20.  Each tower will also be flying the club's burgee.  On the table we'll have the club scrap book, an information request sign-up sheet, and membership brochures for CRACA and Catalina 22 Fleet 20.

Prior to the start of the show, we'll email out how volunteers get their free tickets and ways to promote the advantages of joining the club.

Nominating Committee in Search of Officers for 2004

Thanks to several members for volunteering to serve on the nominating committee to identify slate officers for our annual elections in April 2004.  The officer positions we need to fill include:

  • Commodore
  • Vice Commodore
  • Secretary/Treasurer
  • Communications
  • Cruising Chairman
  • Safety Focal
  • Historian
  • Hospitality



Holiday Party Held At RCYC

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

December 13.  The 2003 holiday party returned to the Rose City Yacht Club, on Marine Drive.  Nineteen boating families were represented at this year's event which started at 4 pm and ran until 7 pm.

After a day of non-stop rain, it was nice to share some holiday cheer with fellow CRACA members.  RCYC's floating clubhouse made a perfect location for the night's festivities.


I want to express my special thanks to Jim Himes (C28, R-Time) for making the arrangements.  CRACA has held several of our meetings at RCYC, and it's Jim who makes the arrangements, arrives early to open the gate, and leaves last to close everything up.

Everyone who attended the party dropped off a food bank donation, and several also dropped off unwrapped toys for the local toy drive.


We socialized and grazed on appetizers starting at 4 pm, and by 5 pm the main dishes for the night's potluck dinner were laid out along with a wonderful collection of desserts.

Starting at 6 pm we held a gift exchange.  Each boating family received a raffle ticket.  Gifts were randomly selected, and then a raffle ticket was drawn to find out who the gift was going home with.  Each gift recipient opened their gift for all to see.  Even without the gift stealing common with a white elephant gift, it still took about forty minutes to distribute and open nineteen gifts.


To our chief plate and glass washer, Jim Himes, I want to thank you from everyone who attended.  Jim was amazing in the galley.  He had the dishes from nearly forty guests cleaned and squared away before you could offer to help.

Laura and I want to thank everyone for a wonderful night out.  We had so much fun, that we didn't want it to end so we drove over to downtown Vancouver afterward and watched Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton in "Somethings Gotta Give".  We can highly recommend it.  We and the audience were laughing throughout the movie.





Changes in Altitudes

By Larry Brandt, C36, High Flight
Editors Note:  The CRACA newsletter encourages members to share their experiences.  If you got a sailing story to tell, or just some photos, your offerings are always welcomed.
S/V High Flight is a Catalina 36 mkII that we purchased new in early 2002. We accepted delivery in Tacoma and promptly moved the boat to Olympia where I could complete the equipping and commissioning. The trip from Tacoma to Olympia was done on engine only - in fact, the sails were below in their original sail bags. As all vessels need to be registered, and because High Flight was a documented vessel, she had to have a name properly visible. Thus the blue 3M masking tape…I leaned over the toe rail and taped her name on as best I could for the trip to Olympia.


Once in Olympia, I had a proper decal made up and, after removing the 3M tape, applied the decal to the hull., thus making her a much more ‘respectable’ lady.

In Olympia, I installed the radar, VHF with ram mic, chartplotter, WAAS GPS, starting battery and the Espar heater, plus finished up all the details getting her ready for service. Lots of drudgery, let me tell you. In a previous life I used to install avionics in airplanes, but a boat is in many ways much tougher. On the one hand, it’s less paperwork, but on the other, there are lots more fiberglass hairs jammed under your fingernails, more cuts and bruises, that sort of thing. But it turned out beautifully. Electronically, she’s wonderfully equipped; and the Espar forced air heater pumps out so much heat that it can drive you out of the boat!


About the Name

About the name. I am a “clipped wing aviator,” which means that I no longer fly, due to the loss of my flight medical several years ago when I had a bypass operation. It’s not that I couldn’t have gotten the aviation medical back if I had wanted to, but by that time of my life I had discovered sailboats. Sailing gives me much of the satisfaction I used to get from flying: being responsible for the safety of the flight or passage, handling a fine piece of machinery, having to be “360 degrees aware” of what’s happening, being aware of the weather and of its potential impact on you and the journey, and of course, relying on the ‘wing’ that is common to both activities. In early WW II, a RAF pilot named John Gillespie Magee wrote a poem entitled “High Flight”, which begins with the sentence “Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings.” In this new nautical phase of my life, dock lines are, to me, “surly bonds of earth.” Thus the name, alluding to the slipping of surly bonds, and hinting at the beauties common to both flying and sailing.

The photo below shows my wife Daniela at the helm on great day after departing Aleck Bay, on the south end of Lopez Island in the San Juan's. The westerly wind churned up the Strait of Juan de Fuca fairly well, and we had a spectacular ride until rounding the corner heading northbound towards Anacortes.


In this photo of Daniela, you can see our favorite stance for helming, but in the next month or so we’re going to get a helm seat so that we can sit and enjoy the ride and the view.

Shakedown Cruise

In the photo below, High Flight is anchored in Fossil Bay, at Sucia Island, last April. This was our shakedown cruise for the season, and it was a very pretty location. Sucia Island is easily accessible from Bellingham and makes a fine first night’s stop.



In Charter

High Flight is in charter service with San Juan Sailing at Bellingham, WA (sanjuansailing.com). If not the most popular boat in their fleet, it has to be near the top of their list. The charter customers love her, and many have returned in its second season to re-charter her. I hear great comments from the charters. Because of her obvious aviation-oriented name, one satisfied charter guest wrote in the comment book “A great ride for a Cub pilot.”

High Flight is available for bareboat charter through San Juan Sailing, at 360.671.8089. It’s a great way to expand the horizons of a local Columbia River sailor, to enrich their sailing resume, but without the high costs and inconvenience of heading to Florida or wherever. Those thinking of purchasing a Catalina 36 might consider chartering her to find out if this is the boat for them.

Personally, Daniela and I love living in the Portland area (West Linn), but we love sailing on saltwater. So it makes good sense for us. I also get lots of Columbia River sailing as I often teach for Island Sailing Club. Questions or comments? Call me at 503.358.5102.



PLANS FOR JANUARY'S MEETING

What
CRACA General Membership Meeting
Where
TBD
When
Wednesday, January 28
Program
  • Reflections on a Cruise North
  • Bob Gales and Gail O'Neill, C30, Imagine, will present a 30 to 45 minute multimedia presentation of their cruise north in the summer of 2003.


Technical Tips


Keeping it Cool

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

Here's an idea I borrowed from Terry and Kathie Annis.  They'd added a piece of closed-cell foam to their C25's icebox, to help hold in the cold.

My boat has an icebox upgraded with an Adler/Barbour refrigeration unit.  To extend the life of my boat's batteries, I've been motivated to find ways to improve the efficiency of the system.


I ran across some 3/8" closed-cell foam packing material which I salvaged and then cut to match the inside shape of the icebox.


The pad is flexible enough to pull completely out easily or to just create a hole large enough to add or remove items from the icebox.  Since added the pad last summer, I've noticed a marked improvement in the operation of my refrigerator.




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.
at No comments:

Saturday, November 1, 2003

200311




From the Commodore

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

Thank you to everyone who attended the Halloween Cruise to Coon Island.  Laura and I had a wonderful time, and the mid-seventies degree weather was unheard of for late October.

The first weekend in November, I and one of my Catalina 22 (Crocus) partners pulled our boat from the water so I could trailer it home to store under a tarp during the winter.  I also pulled the sails and much of the canvas off my Catalina 30 last weekend with the help of my son Sean, so I guess I'm done sailing for the season.  Aside from cleaning the sails and canvas and re-waterproofing the canvas, I don't have a long list of winter projects planned for Celtic Myst.  Crocus, on the other hand, has a lengthy list of "opportunities" to help it race faster next year and to make it ready for some overnight cruising.

Racing, the other side of some CRACA members

While I might be among the minority in the club to be crazy enough to own two boats, I'm in good company when it comes to racing.  While CRACA actively promotes cruising, we have a large number of members who race their boats or race on other boats like J/24's, Santana 20's, and Cal 20's just to name a few.  Just this past year I raced my Catalina 30, raced as crew aboard my Catalina 22, and also raced as crew aboard Terry Annis' Catalina 25.  While my racing was confined between the I-5 and I-205 bridges, we have other members in club like Gary Bruner, C25, Encore!, Gary Whitney, C28, Kasl, and Jim Himes, C28, R-Time, that also participated in downriver races to destinations like St. Helens, and Astoria.



Starting the Search for Officers in 2004

Come April 2004, we'll be voting for our new association officers.  Although six months away, I'd like to form a nominating committee now to start considering candidates.  Our current Secretary/Treasurer Kathleen Lewis, has expressed her desire that the club identifies someone new to assume the office at the end of her term.  Kathleen will have graciously held the office for four years in April, so I'm looking for some assistance in finding candidates.

Another important office we need to fill is that of Vice Commodore.  As stated in our bylaws, the Vice Commodore typically becomes the next Commodore.  In CRACA's case, this normal order of succession got disrupted over the last two years, and I'd like to get it back on track.  In fact, I might be talked into running again for Commodore if we can find someone to be Vice Commodore in 2004.  Send me an email if you'd like to volunteer to be on the nominating committee, would like to volunteer yourself for an office, or would like to recommend someone for an office.

How about a party in February?

The boat shows will be a memory, but the weather will still be too nasty to going sailing, so how about a CRACA Boat Show Survivors Party in February in place of the general membership meeting?

I like to hear your thoughts on the idea.  I'm hoping to kick off the discussion at this month's general membership meeting.  You can email me to express your thoughts on the topic.

Portland Boat Show Booth

Thanks to Bill Simon for arranging booth space for us at the 2004 Portland Boat Show in January.  All we need to decide now is how big a booth we want to support.

As you'll see later in the newsletter, one of the topics for this month's general membership meeting is planning the details for the booth.    We'll also have at the meeting a sign-up sheet for staffing the booth.

Email me to volunteer to help with the booth

Boats For Sale

We have three boats listed in the For Sale section of the website just in case anyone is considering a move up or knows of someone looking for a Catalina.
  • Catalina 36 mkII, 2000
  • Catalina 30 mkII, 1988
  • Catalina 27, 1977
The For Sale section of the website is available to any CRACA member wishing to sell their boat or boating gear.



CRACA Holiday Party

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

The Columbia River All Catalina Association will hold its annual Holiday Party on Saturday, December 13, 2003, at the Rose City Yacht Club on Marine Dr.

As a part of our Holiday Party, we will be collecting non-perishable items for the Oregon Food Bank.  Please consider bringing something to donate.  We will also be collecting unwrapped toys for donation.

Potluck Dinner

We need you to check your last name and bring the following:
  • A - G: Appetizer / salads
  • H - M: Main course item
  • N - Z: Dessert
  • EVERYONE:  Bring your our beverages
Gift Exchange

Please consider bringing a $10-$15 gift for the optional gift exchange. This is NOT a white elephant gift exchange, so please bring gifts others would value. Everyone brings a gift will go home with a gift.  One gift per boat.

How to Dress for the Evening

Expect to see Northwest casual. For some gentlemen that will mean a sports coat, for others, it will mean a sweater and slacks, and some will show up in jeans. For the ladies, the spectrum will run from skirts, and slacks, to jeans.

What
Potluck Dinner and Gift Exchange
 Where
Rose City Yacht Club
www.RoseCityYachtClub.org
3737 NE Marine Drive
Portland, OR  97211
503-282-2049
 When
  • Saturday, December 13, 2003
  • 4:00 - 7:00 pm

 RSVP
  • Please respond by December 12th
  • Coming
  • Not Coming



Secretary/Treasurer


By Kathleen Lewis, C42, Wind Raven

The Halloween cruise was great.  I have no new member info.  The November issue of the Mainsheet magazine will be coming soon to all CRACA members that have subscribed.



Past Commodore
On the Lighter Side

By Michael Lewis, C42, Wind Raven

Here is a humorous email thread I recently had with Stu McNaughton, C36, Tranquility.
From: Stu McNaughton
To: Michael Lewis
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 10:25 AM
Subject: Re: Repowering for sailboats

Hi Mike,

The website [for repowering your boat] is at http://www.bath.ac.uk/~ccsshb/12cyl/. It would be quite a change from the usual little Universal. The fuel tank would need to be enlarged also.

Stu


Historian
Looking for Photos

By Walt and Marilyn Wittke, C27, Senior Moments

We need pictures of any CRACA events or even just you or other CRACA members sailing.  We're looking for pictures as far back as 1-1-2002.  To encourage you to look through your old show boxes of photos, or dig through your computer folders of digital images, we are going to offer three great prizes for the best three pictures submitted.

Send all digital pictures to Dale Mack since I only have dial-up.  If you have printed photos and  a scanner, then scan the images and send them to Dale, otherwise you can mail the prints to me (Walt)  with a note if you want them returned.  We need these ASAP so we can have the scrap book completed at the CRACA Holiday Party on Saturday December 13th.

FAQ's about emailing digital images

Q:  If I'm scanning a 4x6 print, want resolution should I use?
A:  A resolution of 200-300 dpi should capture enough detail to allow reprinting.
Q:  What is the preferred file format for digital photos?
A:  JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg)
Q:  What quality level should I use when saving a digital photo as a jpeg?
A:  High to Maximum or 6 to 10 depending on the program you are using.  There is going to be a tradeoff between the image quality of the photo and its file size.  More quality means larger files.  You're going to have to decide how big a file you can afford to send.  File sizes of 300 Kbytes to 500 Kbytes is not uncommon for higher quality images.


October's Presentation a Hit

By  Walt and Marilyn Wittke, C27, Senior Moments

I want to take this opportunity to especially thank Dale Mack, our Commodore, for his excellent presentation on Digital Photography 101 at our last meeting. If you missed it, it was one of our best educational meetings we have had. I am sure many of you realized how much time Dale took to produce this first-rate PowerPoint presentation, complete with side-by-side pictures explaining pixels, optical and digital zoom, various camera batteries used, and many other high tech concepts. How can one compete with his wonderful mounted photo display of our club and the C22 club's activities? Dale, thanks so much. Maybe we can talk you into doing it again?

One of the benefits of belonging to a club such as ours is to exchange boating and other related knowledge. The October meeting alone provided knowledge that by it itself is worth far more than the $30/year we pay to keep the club active! In our club one of your fellow boaters probably has experienced the same repair or navigational experience, so we can all learn from each other. Plus you can not beat the camaraderie gained. If you are a Catalina owner and not a member yet, please join us soon. If you missed this excellent educational meeting, hopefully we will see you next time.



Plans for November's Meeting

What
  • CRACA General Membership Meeting & Dinner
  • I hope you'll plan to attend and lend your ideas to what the Holiday Party should be and what our presence at the Portland Boat Show will look like.
Where
Mar's Meadows Chinese Restaurant
9620 N Whitaker Rd
Portland, OR 97217
(503) 286-8888
We have reserved the room in the back NW corner of the restaurant from 6 pm - 8:30 pm.  For those who have attended a SYSCO meeting, it is the same restaurant.
When
  • Wednesday, November 19
  • 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm, have dinner and socialize
  • 7:00 pm - 7:15 pm, a short business meeting
  • 7:15 pm - 8:30 pm, CRACA Planning
Agenda
  • Holiday Party @ RCYC
  • Portland Boat Show
  • Nominating Committee for next year's officers
  • Boat Show Survivors Party in February



Plans for January's Meeting

What
CRACA General Membership Meeting
Where
TBD
When
Wednesday, January 28
Program
  • Reflections on a Cruise North
  • Bob Gales and Gail O'Neill, C30, Imagine, will present a 30 to 45 minute multimedia presentation of their cruise north in the summer of 2003.


Cruising


Some Good Fortune Experienced at Coon Island

By Jim Elieff, C30, Fortune

Well the Halloween Cruise was a success, as far as Marilyn and I are concerned. The weather was perfect. Friday afternoon we cruised to McCuddy's Landing where we had dinner at Mark's on the Channel.  We were also joined by the Simons and the Macks.  Saturday started with breakfast at Mark's and then onto Coon Island.  We arrived at Coon Island about noon to find Michael and Kathleen Lewis had arrived Friday night . The temperature was in mid 70's all three days. Shorts and t-shirt weather for sure.

Jim Elieff, Dave Thomas, Marilyn, Michael Lewis, and Dave Peoples
Michael Lewis laid out a GPS tour for us to travel around the island looking for clues, that was fun and we got to see all of the island this time.  We enjoyed the hike and needed the exercise.  A few people decorated their boats and themselves and were awarded prizes at the evening's campfire. Eleven boats in all participated in the cruise. On the trip home Marilyn and I sat on the deck by the mast with the remote and had a great sunny ride home. I hope more people come next year. Last year was just as nice but not as warm. Have a happy holiday and see you later.



Fall Colors on the Coon Island Cruise

By  Walt and Marilyn Wittke, C27, Senior Moments

The Wittkes had a wonderful trip on the club cruise this mouth down Multnomah Channel to Coon Island as well as I assume the other ten member boats. We loved looking at boat houses, the trees of various shade of yellow greens and the other fall foliage. Initially we were going to leave our home dock on Friday but we were delayed until Saturday morning because the bilge pump installation took longer than expected---still not done fully because float switch is not reliable. But worse was one of my stern scuppers is the real culprit. Someone replaced the hose with a thin walled hose which is hard to see and had collapsed so no water could go through. It has been this way ever since I owned the boat! When the other working scupper got plugged at Cascade Locks the bilge filled up. Fortunately we caught it before it overflowed into the cabin.

Walt and Marilyn in her Halloween mask enjoy the campfire.
The Coon Island cruise was one of our best trips. Michael and Kathleen Lewis, thanks so much for the creative Geo-cache contest! Great idea to use our hand held GPS's. Besides finding the treasure it gave us valuable practice working navigation solutions on safe ground. Look for the instructional form in our scrap book. Most of the people left early Sunday morning to return home; however Jerry Sampson and Karen Clouse (C27, Sydera) left late Sunday afternoon for Hadley's Landing to stay the night. (see their story below) We stayed on at Coon Island for a beautiful afternoon and evening. We enjoyed motoring our dinghy to Gilbert River and back. Later I got in our dinghy again and took lots of pictures of the beautiful fall trees. Met a nice couple with a 23 foot C-Dory motorboat on the opposite side of the island, which looks like a mini Grand Banks that is trailerable and made in Kent, WA. Tried out "Mr. Heater" for the first time which worked well.

Monday morning we awoke to cold, and foggy weather where the warmth of the heater was greatly appreciated. We waited around until the flood tide and sunny weather before leaving. Our only problem on the trip was when we topped off the tank. After leaving the fuel dock Marilyn wondered why the cost of fuel was so high. We motored back and found the attendant had put gasoline instead of diesel in our tank. [To avoid further confusion of the correct hose & nozzle, wouldn't it be a great idea, if they spray painted the nozzle florescent red for diesel?] Fortunately we only took on two gallons or so. They claimed it will not hurt anything so we motored home and arrived at the RR bridge just before dark. I'm glad we didn't have any fog or arrive after dark because there was a lot of big ships that also came in on the flood.

Here is Jerry & Karen's story. Love the picture Jerry took of the Lewis' dog.
To: Walt and Marilyn Wittke
Subject: The Cruise
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003

Well, we finally made it home. The fog was kind of there, wasn't it?
Karen

Jerry
We got an e-mail from the Thomas' and they said they went down to their boat Monday afternoon and you were not back yet. It took us six hours getting back. We left Hadley's Landing on Monday at about 9:30 am after the fog started to lift. When we got to the Willamette River, we had zero visibility. We ran a compass course for a bit, but the river twists and turns so a compass is not much good. When a tug gave us the starboard to starboard signal and we could not see him we searched for the island side of the river and anchored for a hour. The fog lifted some but just as we were getting to Kelley Point it closed down again and we spent another hour on the anchor. Kind of an interesting trip but rather long. We got home about 3:30 pm.

Jerry

Here is a picture of an interesting dude that we ran into on the docks at Coon Island.

Michael and Kathleen Lewis' dog Bear



Report from the Coon Island Cruise

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

You schedule a cruise in October knowing that you are taking your chances.  This was Laura and my second year leading the Halloween Cruise to Coon Island, and the weather was absolutely outstanding.

Our tradition aboard Celtic Myst with this cruise is to leave Friday evening and spend the night at McCuddy's Landing, where we can enjoy dinner at Mark's on the Channel, and the warmth of our electric heater plugged into the marina's shore power.

Bob Gales and Gail O'Neill's C30 Imagine decked out for Halloween.
This year we were joined at McCuddy's by Jim Elieff and Marilyn, and Bill and Marla Simon.  Jim and Marilyn were finishing up dinner when we pulled in just after dark.  Running Multnomah Channel in the dark has, unfortunately, become the other Halloween Cruise tradition on Celtic Myst, but at least this time the backlight on the radar's screen was working, the bow watch and helm were connected with FRS radios, and the bow watch had a 2,000,000 candle power spotlight.

We slept in on Saturday and woke to bright sunny skies.  After showers ashore, we browsed the gift shop and marine exchange while others took advantage of brunch at Mark's.


The trip from McCuddy's to Coon Island took about thirty minutes.  We arrived at noon and found a swift current running past the east docks.  Normally we would approach a dock by heading into the current, but since there was lots of empty dock space, we decided to have Laura practice approaching the dock going with the current.  The first thing you notice is that you are coming into the dock very fast.  Slowing down helps but once your boat's speed matches the current's velocity you lose steerage.  Once you lose steerage the current starts to pivot the boat if the rudder and keel aren't parallel to the current.  Attempt after attempt, we slowly learned how the various elements of current, boat speed, prop walk, rudder, and the angle of attack affected the results.  It was a great learning experience.

Coon Island, East Dock

GPS Trek

While Laura hung out on the docks socializing, I picked up the instructions for the GPS course Michael Lewis had set up on the island.  Armed with my handheld GPS I decoded the clues to find the checkpoints for each leg of the course.  My first mistake on the course was not discovering sooner that my GPS was configured for hundredths of a minute instead of standard seconds.  This mistake caused me to explore parts of the southern end of the island not even on the course;-))  My second mistake was thinking the Commodore's boat was 42 feet long (clues at the first checkpoint required that you add the length of the Commodore's boat to the given coordinated to find the next checkpoint).  As a result of thinking Michael instead of me was the commodore, I got to explore the northern end of the island which just so happened didn't contain any of the checkpoints.  Once Jim Elieff reminded me that the commodore's boat is 30 feet long, I was off to the next checkpoint.  I want to thank Michael for suggesting the idea for the GPS course, and actually putting it together.  It was a lot of fun, and I got to learn my GPS a little better.

Who Was There

Boats continued to arrive during the course of the afternoon.  In addition to several SYSCO boats that joined us for the cruise, we had eleven CRACA boats participating:
  • David Keller, C27, River Rose
  • Jerry Sampson & Karen Clouse, C27, Sydera
  • Walt & Marilyn Wittke, C27, Senior Moments
  • Bill & Marla Simon, C270, Windswept
  • Jim Elieff & Marilyn, C30, Fortune
  • Bob Gales & Gail O'Neill, C30, Imagine
  • Dale & Laura Mack, C30, Celtic Myst (cruise host)
  • Dave & Julie Thomas, C30, SunChaser
  • Don & Pamela Evens, C320, Dream Catcher
  • Michael & Kathleen Lewis, C42, Wind Raven
  • Dave & Helen Peoples, C42, Jammin

Gail O'Neill and Bob Gales
In the afternoon everyone set out appetizers, which for many of us became a substitute for dinner (there was an amazing array of food).

With a drink in one hand and a plate of appetizers in the other, we wandered between the boats restocking our plates and enjoying the camaraderie of our fellow CRACA and SYSCO boating enthusiasts.

The Costumes

I always get a kick out of seeing who shows up to the potluck appetizers in costume.  We have and imaginative group in CRACA, and they never fail to surprise.

The Boats

From the Bob and Gail's "Ahoy-lloween" banner to Jerry and Karen's fiber-optic pumpkin that changed colors, it was fun checking out the boat decorations.  As dusk turned into evening, on came the strings of Halloween lights strung on several of the boats.  Several of the boats also had lit pumpkins and various candle decorations.

Smores at the campfire.
Saturday evening was topped off with Smores at the campfire and the awarding of prizes for the top three carved pumpkins, and the top three decorated boats.

I want to thank everyone who attended the 2003 Halloween Cruise.  Laura and I enjoyed meeting you and sharing an appetizer or two.  My special thanks goes to Michael Lewis for setting up the GPS course.

While I can't guarantee the same weather next year, I can highly recommend this cruise.  The fall colors along the Multnomah Channel are beautiful.  See you next year.



Sunset

By Michael Lewis, C42, Wind Raven
Editor's Note:  Have you got a photo you'd like to share?  If so, send it to me.
Picture of Dave Peoples on his Catalina 42, Jammin at sunset off Cape Flattery this year returning to Portland.

Photo submitted by Michael Lewis.




Cruising Schedule Submitted for 2004

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

We've submitted our proposed cruising schedule for the 2004 season to the Columbia River Yachting Association (CRYA).  We should hear back in December or January if any adjustments are needed.  I want to thank Jim Elieff for continuing to be our representative to the CRYA monthly meetings.

Assuming our schedule works out with CRYA, the 2004 Rendezvous will be at Coon Island.  For those looking for a great sail to the rendezvous, consider sailing to St. Helens and then traveling up Multnomah Channel to Coon Island.

January3 -  11Portland Boat Show
16 - 25Seattle Boat Show & Lake Union Boats Afloat Show
28 (we)Meeting
February21 (sa)Party:  Boat Show Survivors
March24 (we)Meeting
April17 (sa)West Marine Swap Meet
17Daysail:  After swap meet
24 - 25Cruise:  Gilbert River
24 - 25Race:  SYSCO Spring Regatta
28 (we)Meeting at West Marine (Election of new officers)
May15 (sa)Tomahawk Bay YC Swap Meet
15Daysail:  After swap meet
21 - 23Ladies Cruise:  Coon Island - East Dock
26 (we)Meeting
28 - 31Cruise:  Martin Island
June19 - 20Government Island - East Dock
23 (we)Meeting
July17 - 18Cruise:  Sand Island, St. Helens, Upper Dock
31 - Aug 8Cruise:  Cathlamet
August14 - 15Race:  SYSCO One-Design
20 (fr) - 24 (we)Cruise:  Beacon Rock
25Meeting
September11 - 12Race:  SYSCO St. Helens
17 (fr) - 19 (su)Cruise:  Catalina Rendezvous, Coon Island
25Daysail:  Sail for the Cure
October23 - 24Cruise:  Coon Island - East Dock
27 (we)Meeting
November17 (we)Meeting
December11Party:  Rose City Yacht Club

*Note:  We are still guessing on the dates for many of the area's events since they haven't been published yet.


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.
at No comments:

Wednesday, October 1, 2003

200310




From the Commodore

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

September turned out to be a great Indian Summer.  Those of us lucky enough to get out on the water got to experience some wonderful sailing.  Between my own daysailing, I also got to enjoy the Fourth Annual Catalina Rendezvous, the Sail for the Cure, and spent the better part of one day showing a couple how to set up their Catalina 22 and sail it.

Meeting Ideas

No one step forward to fill the vacant Vice Commodore position, so I'll move ahead with pulling together a committee to help me organize the December Holiday Party and our booth at the Portland Boat Show.  As for monthly meetings I'm partial to holding them at RCYC, but feel free to email me your ideas about other possible venues if you'd like.  I'd really appreciate it if someone would volunteer to line up a guest speaker for any of the following four meetings:
  • November 19
  • January 28
  • February 25
  • March 24
The locations for these meetings still need to be determined.

The December Holiday Party

I need volunteers to sit down with me and plan this activity.  I figure we can either meet at a restaurant, a home,  or do a potluck at one of the boats like the committee that organized the rendezvous did.

The party is Saturday, December 13th at the Rose City Yacht Club (RCYC).  Here is a basic outline for the event, although the actual times and activities are left to the planning committee to decide:
  • Social Hour
  • Share photo albums and electronic slide shows
  • Potluck Dinner
  • Potluck Dessert
  • Gift Exchange or White Elephant Gift Exchange.  The planning committee may have to decide if a White Elephant Gift Exchange is doable since some of the feedback we got from last year's party was that the number of participants was starting to make a White Elephant Gift Exchange impractical (took too long).
Holiday Party participants will also be encouraged to bring non-perishable items for donation to the Oregon Food Bank.

Portland Boat Show Booth

I'm looking for volunteers to help plan CRACA's participation at the Portland Boat Show in January.


There was some talk last year about returning to setting up our own booth like we had done prior to 2003. One suggestion was to see whether one of the Catalina 22/25 owners would be interested in letting us display their boat as part of the booth like several of the one-design associations do at the show. Another suggestion was to videotape some of the electronic slide shows or transfer them to DVD and have it playing on a TV in the booth.

Here are some of the notes I've made from past shows after observing how other associations had prepared:
  • Brochures to give away
  • TV/VCR playing a tape of Catalina's in action or a factory tour tape (if such a thing exists)
  • Sign-up sheets so people can leave their names and address, especially email.
  • Name Tags for booth personnel
  • A large banner with "Columbia River All Catalina Association" and our burgee.
  • Printed copies of the Fleet's newsletter to hand out to prospective members.
  • Display copies of the Mainsheet magazine
  • Something like a yacht brokerage board with lots of Catalina boat pictures to attract people looking for a boat. We wouldn't be selling boats, but I've found a lot of people tend to stop and look at the pictures of boats.
  • As an incentive, perhaps everyone who serves booth duty would be eligible for a raffle-style prize drawing at the January general meeting.
As you can see there is lots to think about, so we need to get started early. Please consider volunteering to be on the planning committee.

Sailboats of Oregon

Let me pass along a couple of notes I received from Dave Dudek, the owner of Sailboats of Oregon and North Channel Marine.
New C42 Open for Viewing. Dale - the new 2004 Catalina 42 mkII has arrived here at Sailboats of Oregon. She has a fin keel, a furling main, and is a two cabin, centerline forward model. Please let all the CRACA members know that she is here, and that they can board her during our hours of operation (Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Saturday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Sunday, CLOSED).

Help Wanted. Dale - I am looking for a salesman that can handle the new Catalina's, the brokerage boats, and some service sales. The person I am looking for must be a professional person in both speech and demeanor. Previous "outbound" (proactive selling) selling experience is required. I want someone here from 50% to 100% of a working week. The compensation plan is attractive. Thank you. I can be reached at (503) 289-1436.
Cruising

I want to encourage your participation in the Coon Island cruise in October. Don't let the weather be a deterrent. We've had sunny days and cloud days, so you just never know. What I do know is that it has been a lot of fun in the past when you come prepared for Autumn cruising.

Next Year's Destination for the All Catalina Rendezvous

Where would you like to hold next year's All Catalina Rendezvous? Any idea about the type of event you'd like to see would be welcomed.



News from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is Good News...

By Michael Lewis, C42, Wind Raven

Quillayute River (aka La Push) including the Marina was dredged this spring and the entrance is to be dredged this winter to a depth of 12 feet MLLW. This will make it possible for most boats to make it into La Push. As always, one would want to time ingress and egress on a rising tide.

It makes it possible to do the journey up or down the coast without an overnighter (i.e. Astoria, Westport, La Push then where ever the winds blow you).

La Push is not a 5 star resort or even a destination but neither is the 30-fathom line in the dark. I know you can buy beer and I heard second hand that a restaurant exists. I hope it is better than the Makah Maiden in Neah Bay.

360 Degree Moving Movie Tours of La Push, Washington


The Zen of Coffee

By Dale Mack

I don't drink coffee, so many of the rituals and pleasures of this beverage escape me. And yet, with that said, coffee has been very much a part of my life since both my parents drank coffee, and Laura and many of my friends and acquaintances drink coffee today. I do admit to being a closet coffee grounds sniffer. My addiction began when I was young, and was encouraged by obliging parents who would call me over every time a can of Folgers or Maxwell House was opened for the first time. Although I've found this beverage too bitter for my palette, the aroma of ground coffee beans still arouses within me the desire to take a deep breath.

So what does this all have to do with the Zen of Coffee? In practice, Zen uses the conservative approach of following a procedure step by step. Preparing that morning cup of coffee is very Zen-like in this regard. In fact, the whole morning route is often dictated by the steps required to create this concoction. In addition, the morning paper and a cup of coffee is such a ritual for many, that the loss of either can influence one's mood the remainder of the day.

In Search of the Perfect Coffee Pot

At our home and on the water, a cup of coffee has been created in various ways. From Espresso, and French Presses, to Mr. Coffee, and jars of instant crystals, coffee has always been a balance of time versus tasty results. Onboard the boat, coffee preparation was usually coffee filters, or more recently a single cup-sized French Press, so the focus has been on finding a tea kettle for boiling water. Actually boiling the water was never the problem, it was pouring the water from the kettle that always seemed to be the challenge. Our experience with kettles is that most can't pour water worth beans. The most common problem is that the spout fills the cup and dribbles water down the front of the kettle. I'm sure Laura and I have kept Goodwill well stocked with cast-off kettles as we searched for one the didn't spill all over the place.

Today the tea kettle has been replaced by a percolator-style stainless steel coffee pot that Laura picked up used for $10 during the All Catalina Rendezvous. Encouraged by her fellow coffee enthusiasts who swore by the pot and provided guidance in its use, Laura's first cup is reported to have turned out pretty good.

Have we found the perfect coffee pot? I don't know, but like Zen and sailing, it's about the journey and not just the destination that makes the endeavor worthwhile.



CRACA General Membership Meeting & BBQ

This is a bring your own food and beverages barbeque. RCYC is providing the grills out on the docks just steps away from the floating clubhouse.

Where
Rose City Yacht Club
www.RoseCityYachtClub.org
3737 NE Marine Drive
Portland, OR 97211
503-282-2049
When
  • Tuesday, October 21 (not Wednesday)
  • Gate opens at 6 pm
  • BBQ and Social from 6 pm to 7 pm
  • Program starts at 7 pm
Program
Digital Photography 101

With the holiday season just around the corner, some of you might be contemplating the purchase of a new digital camera for capturing future cruising memories. This presentation will cover some of the basics from digital cameras to home photo printing.

Digital Camera Features - The Basics
  • Mega pixels
  • Optical Zoom vs. Digital Zoom
  • Battery Life
  • Memory Types
  • Getting your pictures into your computer
Digital Imaging Computer Software
  • Exposure Correction
  • Sharpening
  • Cropping
  • Presentation Software
Home Photo Printing
  • The Printer
  • Media & Ink
Other Printing Options

The presentation will be about 20-30 minutes with a Q&A session afterward. Even those with digital a camera should find something interesting in the computer software and home photo printing sections.

If you have a digital camera bring it to the meeting and share your experiences. If you have digital photos that have been printed at home or commercially, bring them so folks can see what is possible.




Cruising


Halloween Cruise to Coon Island

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

October 25-26. 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 Mist) plan to leave a day early and spend Friday night at McCuddy's Landing (Sean has no school that day) and arrive at Coon Island (East dock) on Saturday morning.

Saturday Itinerary
  • 4:30 pm, Decorated Boat and Jack-O-Lantern Judging.
  • Totally optional for those who can't resist. Awards will be presented at the campfire for: Top Three Decorated Boats, and Top Three carved Jack-O-Lanterns. Everyone who comes to the event will get to vote on the winners.
  • 4:30 pm, Shared appetizers on the docks, costumes optional. While you are walking about judging the boats, please indulge your palette with the various offers set out on the docks by your fellow CRACA participants. If it is raining, we will move the appetizers onshore to the picnic structure.
  • 7:30 pm, 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.
What to Bring
  • A Jack-O-Lantern (any size)
  • An appetizer to share Saturday afternoon
  • A costume (optional)
  • Decorations for your boat (optional)
  • Your fix'ins for Smores
  • Marshmallow roasting hardware and marshmallows
  • Firewood to kick in for the Saturday evening and Sunday morning campfires
  • Your dinghy or kayak if you've got them
  • Your folding chairs and table
  • Heater (we bring a portable propane heater and lots of spare disposable bottles)
This is intended to be a relaxing weekend on the water, so treat everything as optional. If napping or curling up with a good book is how you want to spend your time, then, by all means, do that.

We plan to go rain or shine, so unless a really nasty storm blows in, we'll be there.



All Catalina Rendezvous Draws a Crowd

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

McCuddy's Landing on Multnomah Channel served as the venue for the Fourth Annual All Catalina Rendezvous (Sept. 12-14). Two-thirds of the participants arrived on Friday with the remaining third showing up over the course of Saturday.

Floating harbormaster office and businesses
Every boat had its own slip with power and water, and early concerns that the boats were spread amongst four different areas of the marina subsided as the veranda (the overhanging porch surrounding the harbormaster's office complex) worked out so well as a congregation area.

As boats checked in they were provided:
  • An agenda
  • A BurgeeWear order form
  • A hanging sign to be attached to the boat announcing them as a rendezvous participant and welcoming others aboard.
  • A raffle ticket used later for the gift exchange and the raffling off of donated items.
McCuddy's was an outstanding host. Not only was the moorage free, the ice machine and shower and restroom facilities opened to us, but harbormaster Renan Sherman was so supportive during the whole weekend, even allowing us to leave our chairs and tables on the veranda during the event.

Saturday Morning & Afternoon

Saturday started off slow and easy. For early risers, there was an awesome sunrise to behold. Breakfast was a fend for yourself affair followed by walks for many. From 1:30 to 4:30 we toured boats and mostly hung out at the veranda sharing appetizers and stories. What an incredible feast was served up. You could have easily skipped dinner based on the abundance and variety available on the tables.

Saturday afternoon appetizer potluck
While many of us sat around describing our 2003 sailing adventures, another group gathered together as Laura Mack led them through a Mary Kay facial.

Mary Kay facials
Rendezvous Participants
  • Terry & Kathie Annis, C25, Lematike
  • Craig & Julie Beck, C36, Beck-N-Me
  • Werner & Renate Bittner, C28, Loki
  • Jim Elieff & Marilyn, C30, Fortune
  • Bennie & Debbie Harrison, C27*, Spirit
  • Jim & Marlene Himes, C28, R-Time
  • Gary & Jeanine Jaeckel, C30, Mistress II
  • David & Sylvia Keller, C27, River Rose
  • John & Kathie Kneeland, C36, Silver Fox
  • Doug Knight, C320, Voyager
  • Dale & Laura Mack, C30, Celtic Myst
  • Kelly & Debbie Martin, C30, Second Wind
  • John & Annie Meyer, C34, Shekinah
  • Dave & Helen Peoples, C42*, Jammin
  • Jerry Sampson & Karen Clouse, C27, Sydera
  • Bill & Marla Simon, C270, Windswept
  • Bob & Rick Teeter, C42, Camelot
  • Dave & Julie Thomas, C30, Sunchaser
  • Gail Wigen, C42*, Ursa Minor
  • Eugene Wilkinson, C36*, What, Me Worry?
  • Walt & Marilyn Wittke, C27*, Senior Moments
Saturday Evening

Everyone was on their own for dinner. Some ate at Mark's on the Channel, others barbequed something on the boat, and still, others skipped it all together considering all they had eaten during the potluck appetizers.

Mark's on the Channel restaurant
At 7 pm folks start trickling back to the veranda for potluck desserts, the gift exchange, and the raffle. By 7:30 everyone was gathered and the desserts were laid out. Wow! For those of us impressed by the spread put out for appetizers, the dessert spread eclipsed it. What an amazing variety of truly delicious items. Dessert turned out to be a meal in itself. I saw several full-size dinner plates leaving the tables just heaped high with an assortment of wonderful treats.

Saturday evening dessert potluck, raffle, and gift exchange
As dessert was consumed, we had one of the younger crew members of Mistress II, select the gifts for the gift exchange, and then we would select a raffle ticket identifying the winner. The gifts were targeted at about $15 and it was great to see all the desirable items that were brought to the event. After the gift exchange, we held a raffle for the donated items. Everyone's raffle tickets were placed back into the hat (a Ziploc bag in our case), and tickets were selected to determine the raffle winners. Items raffled off included:
  • Round trip haul out at North Channel Marine (a.k.a. Sailboats of Oregon)
  • 25% off bottom job at Schooner Creek Boat works
  • 50 ft, 30 amp shore power cord from Boater's World
  • Brass Bell from West Marine
  • Two $20 gift certificates to the Hidden Island Cafe
  • Brunch for two at Salty's, donated by Columbia Crossings
  • Tote bag from Hayden Island Canvas
  • Canvas care products from Hayden Island Canvas
  • Compass from Sexton's Chandlery
I want to thank Jim Elieff (C30, Fortune) and Bill Simon (C270, Windswept) for their efforts in obtaining this year's donated items.

Sunday Morning

Another beautiful day. You just couldn't have ordered better weather for the event. By 10 am we had all gathered on the veranda for our potluck brunch. Once again the offerings were extraordinary, and the conversation even better.

Sunday morning potluck brunch
Sitting in the morning sun will a full belly made thoughts of a nap more appealing than heading home, but by 12:30 most boats were underway.

Thank You Organizing Committee

Before I close the book on the 2003 rendezvous, I want to recognize those that helped in its planning.
  • Jim Elieff & Marilyn, C30, Fortune
  • Michael & Kathleen Lewis, C42, Wind Raven
  • Dale & Laura Mack, C30, Celtic Myst
  • John & Annie Meyer, C34, Shekinah
  • Bill & Marla Simon, C270, Windswept
  • Walt & Marilyn Wittke, C27, Senior Moments



The Sail for the Cure was Awesome!

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

Mix sunny skies, great wind, and forty sailboats and what do you have? One of the most exciting single-day events held on the river this year. Wow! What an excellently organized and run event. This was our first time participating in the SAIL for the CURE, and it won't be our last.

C25 Lematike
Held on Saturday, September 20th, the event attracted several hundred sailors. Check-in took place between 10 am and 1 pm at Tomahawk Bay Moorage, where you picked up your t-shirt, gift bag, meal ticket, and event instructions. Check-in also gave you an opportunity to take your first pass at the silent auction tables.

C28 KASL with C25 Encore! in the background
Even with the event instructions in hand, the day's activity was still a mystery, not to be solved until we located the anchored committee boat just upstream from Hayden Island and picked up additional instructions.

CRACA Participants

Mixed in amongst all the boats were five CRACA members.
  • Terry & Kathie Annis, C25, Lematike
  • Gary & Kathleen Bruner, C25, Encore!
  • Richard & Jenny Freeman, C36, Raven's Dream
  • Dale & Laura Mack, C30, Celtic Myst
  • Gary Whitney, C28, KASL
Like most enjoying the day's activities, Laura and I had several others aboard the boat including two women that had signed up and were looking for a boat to go on, so the Sail for the Cure organizers pointed them our way since we still had space aboard.

Boggle

After leaving the marina we found the committee boat just a short distance upstream of Hayden Island. As Laura maneuvered Celtic Myst to pass down the portside of the committee boat, I stood at the starboard shrouds with my right arm outstretched and picked up the sailing packet protruding from a ten-foot length of PVC pipe being held out from the committee boat.

C36 Raven's Dream
Inside the packet was a one-foot high letter of the alphabet that we were to attach to the backstay of the boat using the nylon tie wraps provided in the packet. The instruction sheet went on to describe a waterborne version of Boggle that would commence at 2pm and end at 4pm.


The lower corners are where the buoys where located (chart plotter view)
The committee had positioned two buoys; one upstream of Hayden Island and the other near the upstream entrance to Tomahawk Bay Moorage. Our task was to sail as many laps as possible before 4 pm, and to write down letters seen on other participating boats. The goal was to submit as many nautical words from the letters seen, and the winner would be the boat submitting the most unique words.

Picking up dinner under the tent
We managed to get around the course eight times, while some of the faster boats completed ten laps. With Laura steering the boat and me handling lines, the remaining five members of the crew we busy searching for letters and coming up with words. We kept coming up with great words we couldn't use because we hadn't found that letter yet on a boat. It turns out the committee had deliberately left out some letters.

How was the Sailing?

The wind steadily grew as the afternoon wore on. By the time 4 pm rolled around, we had white caps and the boat was showing an apparent wind of 15-18 with an occasional gust to 21. I was enjoying some of the best sailing of the year and that's saying quite a lot considering I had raced in the Spring Regatta, the Spring and Summer Series, the SYSCO 25th Anniversary Regatta, and had daysailed a bunch already.

None of our crew were sailors, but they were having a blast. The boat would get hit by a gust, heel over another five degrees, and they'd all let out a shriek.

Ashore at Tomahawk Bay Moorage

A beautiful day on the water was backed up by an equally enjoyable time ashore which started at 4 pm and went until 7 pm. We setup our folding chairs in the shade of the trees overlooking the marina, and while we consumed our event provided boxed dinners, we listened to the great sounds of Second Wind.

Live music by the band Second Wind
The donations at the silent auction were nice, and we bid on several and walked away with one. I suspect Laura and I will donate something to the auction next year, in addition to participating in the event.

The Silent Auction
This was an absolutely great event, and I understand the organizers change the on the water activity annually just to keep things interesting. Laura and I will definitely be back next year with a boatload of folks. We had a wonderful time both on and off the water, and we want to thank the Oregon Women's Sailing Association (OWSA) and their horde of volunteers for putting on such a great event.



Planning the Cruising Schedule for 2004

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

Come December 1st, CRACA must submit our cruising plans for 2004 to the Columbia River Yachting Association (CRYA), so they can examine everyone's schedules and look for too much overlap at some facilities. To submit a schedule in December, we need to start thinking about it in October and November.

I'd like to collect feedback from the membership over the next few weeks before our Cruising Chairman, Jim Elieff, has to submit our plan. Here's a proposed plan just to get your mental juices flowing. Please take a look at it and let me know what you think. Please bare in mind that coming up with a CRACA schedule that doesn't conflict with other clubs (several CRACA members, like myself, belong to multiple boating clubs) or personal plans is nearly impossible so we looking for the best compromise. Again, this is only a proposal to get you thinking about it, I have no emotional attachment, so free feel to shoot away.

January3 -  11Portland Boat Show
16 - 25Seattle Boat Show & Lake Union Boats Afloat Show
28 (we)Meeting
February21 (sa)Party:  Boat Show Survivors
March24 (we)Meeting
April17 (sa)West Marine Swap Meet
17Daysail:  After swap meet
24 - 25Cruise:  Gilbert River
24 - 25Race:  SYSCO Spring Regatta
28 (we)Meeting at West Marine (Election of new officers)
May15 (sa)Tomahawk Bay YC Swap Meet
15Daysail:  After swap meet
21 - 23Ladies Cruise:  Coon Island - East Dock
26 (we)Meeting
28 - 31Cruise:  Martin Island
June19 - 20Government Island - East Dock
23 (we)Meeting
July17 - 18Cruise:  Sand Island, St. Helens, Upper Dock
31 - Aug 8Cruise:  Cathlamet
August14 - 15Race:  SYSCO One-Design
20 (fr) - 24 (we)Cruise:  Beacon Rock
25Meeting
September11 - 12Race:  SYSCO St. Helens
17 - 19Cruise:  Catalina Rendezvous - Coon Island
25Daysail:  Sail for the Cure
October23 - 24Cruise:  Coon Island - East Dock
27 (we)Meeting
November17 (we)Meeting
December11Party:  Rose City Yacht Club
*Note:  We are still guessing on the dates for many of the area's events since they haven't been published yet.

Technical Tips


FRS Radios and their Usefulness Aboard

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

Note: I'm not an expert on this subject, but Laura, Sean, and I use FRS radios aboard the boat and have found them very useful. What follows is a quick overview put together with information gleaned from various websites.
The Family Radio Service (FRS) is one of the Citizens Band Radio Services. It is for your family, friends, and associates to communicate among yourselves within your neighborhood and while on group outings. FRS operates at a 1/2 watt with 14 channels of unlicensed communication. What this means is that they will carry your signal further than the average walkie-talkie, usually around 1 mile, sometimes up to two miles.


Some of the radios offer voice-activated microphone/headset combinations, while others use a push-to-talk earbud and microphone. The voice-activated systems are sometimes very usable, as just about any surrounding noise sets them off. If you adjust them to be less sensitive, they cut out when you are speaking.

One caveat when using radios from different manufacturers is that some features only work with radios from the same manufacturer or even the same model. For example, one website described an experience where they were unable to communicate using some of the CTCSS sub-channels on radios that were not the same brand. Radio accessories are not standard, so any accessories you buy may need to come from the manufacturer of your radio.

Rules and Regulations for FRS

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) regulates FRS. Here are the rules for FRS:
  • You cannot modify your radio in any way.
  • You cannot swear on FRS.
  • You cannot play music or do any other type of one-way communications, except for SOS messages, brief test messages, and traveler assistance.
  • You cannot use FRS for any illegal purpose, or to assist you in any illegal purpose.
  • You cannot monitor others using FRS. You may only use it for two-way (or three, or four, or five....) communications.

What's the Story with CTCSS (are there more that 14 channels)?

The first thing to say is that these are NOT additional channels, and do NOT keep your conversations private. There are only 14 FRS channels.

CTCSS [Continuous Tone Controlled Squelch System] is essentially a way to keep your own radio from hearing transmissions you don't want it to hear. It does not keep anyone from listening to your transmissions.

It does not add additional channels. There are only 14 of them, each one can carry one transmission at a time (within the given transmission area) no matter what CTCSS tone is used. If two people try to talk on any given channel at the same time in the same area, even if they have different CTCSS tones selected, they will interfere with each other.

CTCSS is a way to tell your radio not to open the squelch on incoming transmissions unless the transmission has a SUBAUDIBLE TONE (a tone that you can't hear but your radio can) that matches the one your radio is set to use. If a transmission comes in without a matching tone, your radio won't open the squelch, so you won't hear it even though it is still there.

When you set up CTCSS in your radio, you tell it what tone to listen for. FRS Radios use a subset of 38 of the total of 50 tones allocated for CTCSS.

If you are planning on using this feature, make sure that all of the radios in your group are set to the same tone.

Several online sources recommended not using this feature for the following reasons:
  • There can still be only one transmission on a given channel in a given area at the same time. If you have a CTCSS set in your radio and someone else has a different one - if you both try to talk at the same time you will interfere with each other.
  • CTCSS is not secure. If I set NO CTCSS in my radio, I will hear every transmission on a given channel in a given area, even if they have CTCSS set in their radios.
  • If someone is calling for help and they have NO tone set in their radio - you won't hear them if one is set in your radio.

FRS Aboard the Boat

Onboard Celtic Myst we like the radios for staying in contact when out and about in the kayak. Another use is when we are ashore and separate for a while.

We also find them useful when one of us is on the bow and the other is at the helm (i.e. anchoring). Our recent trip to McCuddy's Landings on Multnomah Channel is a classic example of how we use these radios at night. With Laura steering and following the radar image, I could communicate with her as I stood watch at the bow with the spotlight.



Sanding the Bottom of Your Boat

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

I took this from the Catalina 30 email discussion group and thought it might be of interest to those do-it-yourselfers in the club.
From: Paul Jacobs [mailto:pjacobs@laserfare.com]
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2003 1:11 PM
To: c30-list@sailnet.net
Subject: Re: [C30] Newbe bottom painting

[When sanding the bottom,] I use a drywall swivel head, 100 grit 3M "Wet-or-Dry" sandpaper (which doesn't gradually turn to "mush" when wet), and a 5 gallon plastic bucket about 2/3 full of water. The water eliminates toxic dust which saves your skin, your eyes, and your lungs, and means you do NOT need to wear a respirator, which I personally find uncomfortable for an extended period. Repeatedly dipping the swivel head in the water also "unloads" the sanding residue from the sandpaper...significantly increasing its "life" so that I usually only need 3 or 4 sheets of 100 grit Wet-or-Dry paper to do the entire underbody, including the keel and rudder.

The swivel head insures that the surface of the sandpaper complies with the surface being sanded. Since C-30's , like most sailboats have lots of compound curves this is important. Also, the pole allows you to "stand back" from the working area, so you are not getting toxic paint loaded water all over yourself, rather the dirty water drips on the ground 3 or 4 feet away from you! Finally, you are generally working with the pole more or less horizontal, and your arms near chest height, moving them back and forth. This is MUCH less exhausting than sanding "over your head" which turns the strongest arms in the world to jelly in less than ten minutes.

Using the "pole-drywall swivel, Wet-or-Dry sandpaper, bucket of water" method, it generally takes me less than an hour to get CdL's bottom smooth and clean. After a final wash down with a hose, and air drying, she is ready for bottom painting which is the very last thing I do to CdL before she goes into the water in the spring, and surely is one of the best moments of the year for any sailor!

Paul Jacobs
Clair de Lune
C30, 1982 SR #2622
Jamestown, RI


Can You Believe This?

By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

I participate in several sailing email discussion groups, so imagine my surprise when the following email and photo appeared showing a winged keel Catalina 30 aground and balanced on its keel.
From: Ekko1@aol.com [mailto:Ekko1@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, September 22, 2003 9:59 AM
To: c30-list@sailnet.net
Subject: [C30] Fwd: pic of grounding

Anyone who wants to see a nice picture of me grounded a few weekends ago in Manhasset Bay, NY here's the link.

ftp://ftp.sailnet.com/c30/Ekko%20ll/grounded.jpg

Lloyd Sarakin
Catalina 30 TRBS
Hull #4840
EKKO ll
City Island,NY



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.
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