From the Commodore
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst
The Mack's first trip to Martin Island was wonderful. What a beautiful spot, no wonder the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' plans to use it for Columbia River dredge material has so many people alarmed. Following Kathy Lawrence's (C320, Katrinka) directions published in the May 2001 newsletter, we had no problem getting in and getting out, thanks, Kathy. You can read more about our adventures on the CRACA Martin Island cruise later in the newsletter.
I want to thank Jim and Marlene Himes (C28, R-Time) and the Rose City Yacht Club for being our hosts for the CRACA general membership meeting in May. RCYC provided the barbeques and everyone brought their own dinners to grill. It was a very pleasant way to spend a beautiful Wednesday evening. At 7:30 pm, a representative from Schooner Creek Boat Works talked a little bit about Schooner Creek and a lot about boat maintenance and do it yourself projects many of us can handle, including those when the boat is hauled. One of the topics discussed was re-bedding hardware. Schooner Creek uses Life-Calk sealant from BoatLIFE, and they recommend you consider re-bedding your hardware every ten years.
Despite weather that threatened to keep sailors away, the 2003 Ladies Cruise to the Portland Yacht Club's Outstation at Willow Bar was a big hit (see story below). While the ladies were away, several of us attended the Tomahawk Bay Yacht Club's swap meeting.
One Cruise Canceled and Replaced with Another
The CRACA cruise to Ackerman Island, June 21-22, has been canceled since no one volunteered to host the cruise. It has been replaced with a cruise to Government Island - East, hosted by Laura and myself (read more about it later).
Sailing North
Bob Gales and Gail O'Neill have invited me to crew with them the week of June 23rd as they take their Catalina 30 Imagine north for a few weeks. I'm very excited about my first trip along the coast.
Secretary/Treasurer
By Kathleen Lewis, C42, Wind Raven
We have 49 members at present. There are no new members although some have expressed interest. The roster will soon be mailed to those whose dues are current. Extra copies will be available at cost for those that want them.
The next issue of Mainsheet will be arriving about the 15th of August. If you are interested and have not subscribed, please let me know. The cost is $2.50 per issue and I will forward the subscription list to the publisher July 10th.
Please notify me of any changes to your roster information. We will try to do periodic updates to all members so that the most current information is available.
If you want to fly the CRACA burgee, I have them available for $20.
Wishing all fair winds and smooth sailing.
Kathleen Lewis, Secretary/Treasurer
sewingmaven@msn.com
For Sale - CRACA Introductions New Service
By Dale Mack (Commodore), C30, Celtic MystCRACA members wishing to sell their boat or other boating-related gear can now place free ads on the CRACA website (including pictures). The ads will remain posted for six months.
June 25th General Membership Meeting
By Todd Bellamy (Vice Commodore), C27 Sail La VieWhat
- CRACA General Membership Meeting
- Eat ahead of time or enjoy dinner at Damon's Grill in the company of other CRACA members.
Damon's GrillWhen
15230 S.W. Sequoia Pkwy.
Tigard, OR 97224
503-670-7770
- Wednesday, June 25
- Dinner and Social from 6 pm to 7 pm
- Program starts at 7 pm
- Kerry Poe from North Sails. He will discuss sail selection and North Sail products and services.
Cruising
Ladies Cruise Well Attended Despite Weather
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystThe weather had been miserable for a week, so I was surprised when early in the week leading up to the Ladies Cruise, Laura said she and her crew were going rain or shine. Departure was set for Friday, and we checked www.accuweather.com several times a day hoping things would improve come the weekend.
On Friday, Gemma's son Anthony (Gemma was one of Laura's crew), and I helped everyone get their gear aboard the boat. Meanwhile, Laura's crew worked their way down the departure checklist and stowed the supplies for a three-day cruise.
The rain held off until Celtic Myst left Tomahawk Bay Moorage as 3 pm. I pulled the car up behind the DoubleTree so Anthony could watch the boat head for the I-5 bridge. By now the rain was coming down very heavy, and I knew Laura must be thankful for the new bimini and connector panel we had added to the boat four weeks earlier. As we crossed the I-5 bridge, we watched Celtic Myst pass through the railroad bridge (which opened right up from them) and head downriver. Just to give you a sense of how hard the rain was coming down when we got off the bridge and onto Highway 14, both eastbound lines were only doing about 35 mph because the windshield wipers on high just couldn't keep up with the rain.
Laura reported making good time (less than two hours) to Willow Bar, the location of the Portland Yacht Club's Outstation, and the site of the 2003 Ladies Cruise. The rain stopped when it came time to dock the boat.
Here's what the weekend looked like:
Friday, May 16th
- Friday Afternoon - Registration at the committee boat, crews checked upon arrival.
- Socializing / Bring your own dinner and visit together on the patio float. A Grill was available for use.
- Continued Registration on the committee boat. Breakfast on your own
- 10:00 am, Social - Game: Who, What, or Where am I?
- 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm, Boat sponsored hors d'oeuvres, open boats and refreshments. Dinner on your own. Grill available for use on the patio float.
- 7 pm, Door prizes on the docks
- 8 pm - 9 pm, Potluck desserts. Awards for Best Boat Theme, Best Dressed crew on the patio float.
- 10:00 am, Potluck Brunch and door prizes on the patio float
- 11:00 am, General Meeting and Wrap Up and volunteers for next year's event
- 12:00 pm, Cleanup
- C25, Lematike, skippered by Kathie Annis
- C30, Imagine, skippered by Gail O'Neill
- C30, Celtic Myst, skipped by Laura Mack
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| The crew of the C25 Lematike, (L-R) Margaret Hanson, Sandy Thomas, and Lematike's owner Kathie Annis. |
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| The crew of the C30 Imagine, (L-R) Debbie Beck, Stephanie St. Cyr, Imagine's owner Gail O'Neill, and Susan Arnold. |
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| The crew of the C30 Celtic Myst, (L-R, front to back) Gemma Amboy, Debbie Crowell, Cheryl Richardson, Debbie Hopson, and Celtic Myst's owner Laura Mack. |
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| Some of the participates of the 2003 Ladies Cruise to Portland Yacht Club Outstation, Willow Bar. |
Looking Back on Martin Island Cruise
By James Elieff (Cruise Officer), C30, Fortune
The Memorial Day Cruise was a success for all that attended. Elieff of Fortune, the Mack's, Celtic Myst, the Simons, of Windswept, the Teeters in Camelot, a couple in Spirit, the Thomas' in Sunchaser, With the schedules we all have at home every day it was nice not to have to be any where at a certain time . We always got together as a group sometime during the day or in the evening to do vege's and dip or desert or just to talk about our boating experiences. The weather was good for the most part. Saturday evening it rained a little, but the sun was out in the morning. The trip back was a little slower because of the current. Going down Friday night didn't go to well either. The RR bridge had an electrical problem for two hours which put some of us behind schedule.
Reflections on the Memorial Day Martin Island Cruise
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystCRACA boats we saw in the lagoon at Martin Island:
- Bill and Marla Simon, C270, Windswept
- Dave & Julie Thomas, C30, Sunchaser
- Dale & Laura Mack, C30, Celtic Myst
- Jim Elieff & Marilyn, C30, Fortune
- Bob & Rick Teeter, C42, Camelot
- David & Sylvia Keller, C27, River Rose
- Brian & Kathryn Lawrence, C320, Katrinka
- Doug & Karen Knight, C320, Voyager
- Joel & Ann Just, C50, Catherine
- ????, C27, Spirit (soon to be CRACA members)
This was our first trip to Martin Island. We decided to go down Friday afternoon and spend the night at St. Helens so we could follow Fortune and Windswept to Martin Island on Saturday because they were also planning to spend the night at St. Helens. We had hoped to arrive at the railroad bridge at 4 pm, but arrived at 5 pm instead and joined the nearly dozen boats milling about waiting for an opening. Due to electrical problems, the bridge tender wasn't able to open the bridge until 6 pm. I later heard some had been waiting since 4 pm, so I guess our one hour wait wasn't too bad. Also heading downriver with us were Fortune and Camelot.
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| (L-R) Dave Thomas, David & Sylvia Keller (C27, River Rose), and Julie Thomas (C30, Sunchaser) |
The night spent at Sand Island was pretty uneventful, although we wish the partying would have died down a little earlier. On the other hand, they were really friendly folks and very willing to find us space at the docks when we arrived at dusk.
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| Bob Teeter hosting appetizers aboard his C42, Camelot. |
Catherine and Camelot were already in the lagoon when we arrived, but Catherine had plans to leave for possibly Walker Island in a couple of hours, and Camelot was going to go out and do some sailing before coming back in and joining the raft-up, so we found ourselves the first boat of the eventual CRACA raft. Ideally, I would have liked to stern tie to one of the dolphins in the lagoon and dropped a bow anchor, but all the dolphins appeared to be taken so we moved the boat into the center of the northern half of the lagoon and set our anchor.
During the course of the day, we were joined by Camelot, Windswept, Spirit, and Fortune. Elsewhere in lagoon rafted together were River Rose and Sunchaser. And buried in the St. Helens Yacht Club raft was Voyager and Katrinka.
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| Bill & Marla Simon enjoying appetizers aboard Celtic Myst. |
When Camelot left on Sunday, we were only swinging on Celtic Myst's 22lb Bruce, so we rowed out a bow and stern anchor from Spirit to secure the raft. Not having Camelot's big CQR kept me sleeping light Sunday as I got up every few hours to verify our position. It was while we were trying to pull up our anchor Monday morning that I learned my restless night was for naught. Somewhere around the fifty-foot mark on the anchor rode (line), things become impossible. The anchor rode was stuck because we had too much line still out for it to be the anchor. I cleated off the line and had Laura reverse the boat; nothing. Seeing our predicament, our friend Bill Sanborn loaned us a snatch block so we could run the anchor rode back to our starboard genoa winch. With Laura and Sean manning the winch, the nylon line started inching its way aft, the bow started to get pulled down, and the nylon line started getting thinner as it stretches under the strain. All of a sudden there was a great release of pressure quickly followed by this very sizeable log breaking the surface of the lagoon. I quickly finished retrieving the anchor, as the now partially floating log became the center of attention. Feeling much relieved to have my $60 West Marine swap meet bargain back onboard, we headed home.
I want to thank everyone we shared snacks and conversation with. It was great getting to know you all better. It was a pretty location, absent the noise, current, and boat wakes common with many destinations on the river. Until next time, sail the lifts.
Plans for the Government Island - East Cruise
By Dale Mack (Commodore), C30, Celtic MystJune 21-22. The CRACA cruise to Ackerman Island, has been canceled since no one volunteered to serve as host. In its place is a cruise to Government Island - East Dock hosted by Laura, Sean, and myself. The Columbia River Yachting Association (CRYA) doesn't show any other CRYA clubs officially using the docks that weekend, so hopefully we'll find space. Here's an overview of what is planned:
Saturday, June 21st
- 3:30 pm - 5 pm, Boat sponsored hors d'oeuvres and open boats
- Dinner on your own
- 8 pm - 9 pm, Potluck desserts
Plans for the Astoria Cruise
By Dale Mack (Commodore), C30, Celtic Myst |
| New docks at Rainier, Oregon. The outer dock is 300 feet long and twelve feet wide. A waste pump out and porti-potti dump stations are also available. Several restaurants are only 2-3 blocks away. |
July 19-27. The crew of Celtic Myst have volunteered to host the 2003 Astoria Cruise. I need to arrange berthing at Cathlamet and Astoria in advance for the flotilla, so please email me if you are planning to attend. Based on a suggestion from Ralph Ahseln (C27, Oblio), I've modified the original schedule to drop the stopover in St. Helens on the way down, and simply take advantage of the current to cover more ground the first day so that an extra day can be spent in Astoria. The Columbia River Yachting Association (CRYA) schedule shows LYC and WYC in Cathlamet the weekend of July 19/20, but I'm guessing they'll be gone by the time we arrive on Sunday, plus the CRYA schedule already shows us in both Rainier and Cathlamet on the 20th;-))
| Date | Day | Destination | Distance (nm) |
| 19 | Sa | Rainier | 34.5 |
| 20 | Su | Cathlamet | 21.5 |
| 21 | Mo | Astoria | 26 |
| 22 | Tu | Astoria | |
| 23 | We | Astoria | |
| 24 | Th | Cathlamet | 26 |
| 25 | Fr | Rainier | 21.5 |
| 26 | Sa | Coon Island - West | 24.3 |
| 27 | Su | Portland | 18.6 |
Note: Distances based on I-5 bridge as start and finish.
I haven't been on a boat below Martin Island, so I asked Ralph Ahseln if he'd share some of his local knowledge since he has made the trip to Astoria several times. What follows are highlights from Ralph's answers to several of my neophyte questions.
Below Cathlamet there aren't many places that I would advise staying over. There is no protection from wave and winds. I tried to anchor a C22 behind Jim Crow Sands once. The wind was so fierce I gave up and went upriver to the only place I would recommend, Steamboat Slough. Steamboat slough is a beautiful little meander just upriver and next to Skamokawa. Enter only from the upriver end, since there is too much debris at the downriver end next to the town. It is a quiet beautiful place with lots of wild life. I once stayed there for three days . Getting into it is a bit scary at very low water so you should only try it at high tide. Also, the bottom is mud and you must make sure your anchor is well set. Also there's a slight chance of loosing the anchor by hooking on a old deadhead (I have one there, a stump rolled over it and I couldn't get it loose). Steamboat is a neat spot. All other spots are pretty slim pickins.
Downriver there is seldom a chance to sail unless you don't mind lots of tacking. The prevailing NW winds are smack on the nose. Lots of it, always in the wrong direction. I sailed in the old Six Pac races for four years (3 legs to Astoria 3 back up) and it was a slog all the way down. I now seldom sail going down. Coming back up, if the winds hold up, it's a wonderful run back and a large portion is on a broad reach.
I would say that Cape Horn can be nasty, and the leg from Stella to Cape Horn and Cathlamet can sometimes experience gale force winds that are not fun to sail in. This also happens just upriver from Tongue Point to Astoria (more on this later).
I have also sailed out of the West Basin moorage and hardly used the motor all the way back to Portland. Only once did I dump the sail because of too high winds. It is often a glorious trip back home.
The river current becomes less a factor below Longview, but only during a flood tide, so watch your current tables (current tables not tide tables). There can be as much as an hour and a half difference between high tide and peak current, so if you time it right, you can ride the current both tidal and river. Going downriver it can mean a SOG (speed over the ground) of over 10 knots. Coming back the 3 to 5 knot current can mean a long trip back home if you plan it wrong. In the flood year of 1996, while motoring from Cathlamet passed Cape Horn, I was making only 0.5 knots SOG. We left Cathlamet at 9 am and made it to Rainier at 11 pm. Cathlamet has a tidal range of about 6 feet and Astoria's tidal range is about 10 feet on bad days. Also, from upriver of Tongue Point to Astoria the tides and winds will combine to make for an ugly trip (more on this later). All this was to say, watch your times and if possible go when the tidal currents will help.
Cathlamet (Elochoman marina) will at first frighten you. Shallow going into the short channel, stay right of center of the channel and watch your depth sounder. You should see 8 to 10 feet. CAUTION !!! Give the turn into the marina a WIDE berth.. DO NOT cut the corner where the Red Day Mark is. It's Rock and collects boats there every day.
When leaving the marina, stay within a couple hundred yards to the right side of that whole bunch of water going out. The right way of doing it is to turn around the green buoy at the entrance, then find the green buoy about a 1/2 mile in front of you, and steer for just off the left side of that river green buoy. If you stray out into the middle of the channel you will get stuck.
For Astoria's West Basin, don't bother trying to call them on the VHF, they seldom have it on. But a good idea to call on a cell phone. They are very nice. If you only have a few boats, they will tell you to find any spot in the transient area of rows B or C (they are at the far outside end of each row. A long walk to the ramp). If you have more than 3 or 4 boats, call them on the phone a day or two ahead of time and they might set you all up together and maybe closer to the ramp. Going in watch the current and waves. The entrance is narrow and a quick left turn once inside. The entrance is very close to the bridge, so once you pass under the bridge look sharp for the very small opening. Kind of hard to see the first time. Don't be ashamed of passing it once to check it out, we've all done that.
A Couple of Recommendations
Never try a short cut, follow the main channel buoys, especially below Cathlamet. The charts are drawn from prior to St. Helens erupting and lots of those "Deep Water" areas filled with volcanic ash. You are taking your chances by going off channel. Below Skamokawa follow the charts, the river takes an odd bend and if you aren't paying attention, you can be in shallow water in a heart beat, especially upriver from Tongue Point the river goes from 30 feet to two feet in about a 100 yards.
And now my all time number one piece of advice:
Plan your trip from Cathlamet to Astoria so you will get to Astoria before 1:00 pm! Around noon , most of the time, the onshore winds pick up and Astoria Bay has a fetch that is basically the Pacific Ocean. The wind and waves can combine to make the last 5 or 6 miles of travel awful. Winds can exceed 20 knots (3 years ago we missed the time and got hit with winds of over 50 knots). It can lift the waves to about 6 feet and they come at you at a 3 or 5 second period, and if you are unlucky to have a fast current as well then SLAM BANG. I have ridden in small boats and big boats and it's always the same, AWFUL. You can survive, but you'll never to do it again. So leave Cathlamet early, we don't even bother with breakfast at Cathlamet anymore.
Safety
Oregon Boater Education Sample Questions
Oregon law states that children 12 years of age or younger must wear U. S. Coast Guard-approved PFD at all times on an open deck or cockpit of a boat while underway; however _____ PFDs are not acceptable for children.a. InflatableYou can choose any type of fire extinguisher to carry on your boat because they will all put out a gasoline fire.
b. Type III
c. Type II
d. Type I
a. TrueYou are required to carry visual distress signals (VDSs) if boating on:
b. False
a. Coastal waters
b. The Great Lakes
c. Territorial seas
d. All of the above
Technical Tips
Theoretical Hull Speed
By Paul Jacobs, C30, Clair de LuneJamestown, RI, pjacobs@laserfare.com
The formula for hull speed (in knots) = 1.34 sqrt (LWL), where LWL = waterline length, measured in feet. Thus, for a C30, which has LWL = 25.0 ft, then SQRT(25) = 5.00, and hence Hull Speed = 1.34 x 5.00 = 6.70 knots.
Hull speed is not a sudden, discontinuous "brick wall". What basically happens is that the fluid dynamic drag (both "form" drag and skin friction drag) increase as the square of the boat speed. However, the motion of the boat through the water sets up what is known as a "Kelvin wave train" (named after Lord Kelvin who first explained the phenomena about 130 years ago). The wavelength of the waves generated (i.e. the distance from crest to subsequent crest), is also proportional to the square of the boat speed or conversely, the wave speed is proportional to the square-root of the wavelength.
As a boat initially starts moving from rest, and has very low speed (e.g. 1 knot) the wavelength is very small compared to L (e.g. 0.55 ft at 1 knot, vs. 25 ft.) . As the boat speeds up, the waves get longer (e.g. 2.2 ft at 2 knots, 5 ft at 3 knots, 8.9 ft at 4 knots, 13.9 ft at 5 knots, and 20 ft at 6 knots). However, as long as the wavelength of the induced bow wave is LESS than L, there is negligible effect on hull drag. When one finally gets to hull speed (i.e. 6.7 knots for a C30) the wavelength of the bow wave exactly equals the waterline length of the boat.
NOW the fun begins. If for any reason, such as an extra puff of wind, more engine RPM, or an ocean wave pushing the boat from astern, the boat should happen to accelerate to a higher speed, (e.g. 7 knots), where the wavelength of the bow wave now EXCEEDS the waterline length of the boat (e.g. 27.2 ft at 7 knots) the bow wave would now extend aft of the normal waterline position. At this point the boat begins to literally start sailing "uphill".
Suddenly, there is a new "wave drag" term which is equal to the displacement of the boat times the sine of the angle that the hull now finds itself at in order to achieve that displacement (i.e. simply stated, the stern must "drop down" in order to keep the boat floating!). While the angle is initially very tiny, the entire displacement is a very big number (e.g. about 10,500 pounds for a bare C30, and more for real boats with real goodies, and real crewmembers) so the drag suddenly starts to increase in a big way.
For example, if you tried to power a C30 at 8 knots, the bow wave would have a wavelength of 35.5 feet, which would be about 10.5 feet aft of the normal waterline position, and about 8 feet aft of the transom! The boat would, in effect, be "digging its own hole in the ocean" and the engine (or wind in the sails) would be trying to push it out of that hole.
I do not have actual drag data for a C30, but from prior experience when designing the 40 ft. custom racing sloop "Flexible Flyer" in 1976, the curves get so steep so rapidly for boat speeds beyond hull speed that I suspect it would take over 100 horsepower to drive a C30 at 8 knots in otherwise "flat water". Since most of us do not have engines that put out over 100 horsepower, this becomes essentially "impossible" which is why hull speed often "seems" like a brick wall.
Note that all of this assumes a displacement hull. The C30 is most definitely a displacement hull. For ultralight sailboats and most catamarans, the boat can go into a planing mode, where wave making drag is avoided by literally planing on top of the water, and hull speed as such is not a real limit.
Finally, if one is sailing on a broad reach in strong winds and big seas, the ocean waves can lift the stern, which compensates for the otherwise uphill behavior, allowing the speed to increase well beyond hull speed as long as the wave stays in this position. This is known, quite appropriately as surfing. I have already seen 12.7 knots on my C30 Clair de Lune (knotmeter corroborated with GPS readout within 0.1 knot) when surfing back to Newport from Martha's Vineyard in 25 - 30 knot winds and 6 ft seas.
Anyway for whatever it is worth I have a simple rule that follows from all of this. When the bow wave is glued to the transom on a C30 you are going 6.7 knots through the water. If your knotmeter says something significantly different, it is time to re-calibrate your knotmeter.
| LOA | LWL | Theoretical Hull Speed | |||
| feet | inches | feet | inches | ||
| C22 | 21 | 6 | 19 | 4 | 5.89 |
| C25 | 25 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 6.31 |
| C250 | 25 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 6.18 |
| C27 | 26 | 10 | 21 | 9 | 6.25 |
| C270 | 27 | 0 | 23 | 9 | 6.53 |
| C28 | 28 | 4 | 23 | 10 | 6.54 |
| C30 | 29 | 11 | 25 | 0 | 6.70 |
| C310 | 31 | 0 | 26 | 6 | 6.90 |
| C320 | 32 | 6 | 28 | 0 | 7.09 |
| C34 | 34 | 6 | 29 | 10 | 7.32 |
| C350 | 35 | 3 | 31 | 3 | 7.49 |
| C36 | 36 | 4 | 30 | 3 | 7.37 |
| C38 | 38 | 2 | 30 | 3 | 7.37 |
| C380 | 38 | 5 | 32 | 5 | 7.63 |
| C400 | 40 | 6 | 36 | 6 | 8.10 |
| C42 | 41 | 10 | 36 | 0 | 8.04 |
| C470 | 46 | 4 | 46 | 4 | 9.12 |
| C50 | 50 | 0 | 44 | 3 | 8.91 |
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.
