From the Commodore
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst
I pulled the sails and canvas off the boat during the first weekend in November. The break in the weather had many like myself starting to prepare the boat for winter. It was 48 degrees inside the cabin, and if you were in the sun outside, it felt pretty nice. It’s always a tough call when to start putting things away for the season. My heart wanted to keep sailing, by my head knew to take advantage of good weather.
Portland Boat Show
We need volunteer hosts for the CRACA booth. I’d like to identify two volunteers for each time slot. One-time entry passes will be provided to each person hosting the booth for each time slot they select. The signup sheet has been emailed out, and it will be periodically resent with updates as we fill all the time slots. Email me if you are interested in volunteering.
CRACA Executive Board
In 2005, CRACA will see the most extensive turnover in its Executive Board since the club began operating in May of 2000. Unlike past years were several board members agreed to serve again, every position on the board in 2005 is looking for a candidate. So what does this mean? Well, consider the newsletter and the website, if no one steps forward to serve as the club’s Communications Officers, April 2005 will be the last issue of the newsletter, the last update to the website, and the club’s domain name:
will disappear if not renewed regularly. Without a Vice Commodore, there will be no programs at general meets and no Entertainment Committee to organize activities like the Boat Show Survivors Party, the Catalina Rendezvous, and the Christmas Party.
While the worst-case scenario paints a bleak picture, the reality is that people like yourself step forward all the time to serve. If you are approached by the nominating committee, please consider saying yes. Most board positions only need a couple of hours of your time a month to keep the club moving forward. If you’d like to nominate yourself for a position, please don’t hesitate. Your initiative and willingness to help out will be greatly appreciated.
The positions we need to fill include:
- Commodore
- Vice Commodore
- Secretary-Treasurer
- Communications
- Cruising Chair
CRACA Charter Changes
The term of our current officers comes to an end on April 30, 2005. What that means is that the CRACA schedule for 2005 is executed by those who may not have had a hand in creating it, particularly in the area of cruising dates, since the dates must be submitted to CRYA no later than December 1st. An alternative to the current arrangement is to elect officers in October and install them in November with their term of office starting January 1st. This approach is used by several local boating clubs, and it allows the incoming officers to plan the coming year’s schedule as their first order of business. I’m hoping to have a proposal in front of the executive board within the next few weeks, and, should it be approved, in front of the general membership in the near future for a vote.
VICE COMMODORE'S REPORT
By Jim Himes, C28, R-TimeIf you plan to attend the CRACA Holiday Party, please RSVP to rtime3@comcast.net or 503-240-1921. When you respond, please state your preference for meat or veggie lasagna.
Since CRACA is providing the main dish and dessert, the Party’s Committee needs to know how much food to purchase.
Animals are not permitted in the club house at RCYC. The party’s size will be limited to sixty (60), so don’t delay in reserving your table. A flyer with additional details can be found later in the newsletter.
Eugene Wilkinson Memorial
By Michael & Kathleen Lewis, C42, Wind RavenEugene Wilkinson’s family has planned a time to get together with Eugene’s family and friends to remember him.
It will be held at Mark’s on the Channel at McCuddy’s Landing on Multnomah Channel at 1:00 P.M. on Sunday, December 12, 2004.
Everyone should bring their own memories of Eugene to share.
The family plans on providing food.
The family would especially like to invite all of his friends in the Columbia River All Catalina Association.
The Year in Review
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystAs 2004 comes to a close it’s fun to look back on some of the activities both on and off the water that brought CRACA members together.
The year started off with the Portland Boat Show where we had a display set up right next to the stairs leading up to the many new Catalina Yachts Sailboats of Oregon had brought to the show. During the nine-day run of the show, our booth was staffed by CRACA volunteers who introduced the association to hundreds and signed up several new members. January also saw many members rendezvousing in Seattle for the Seattle and Lake Union boat shows. For those that missed January’s CRACA meeting, you missed out on a fabulous multimedia presentation by Bob Gales and Gail O’Neill of their trip north in their Catalina 30, Imagine.
By February most of us were boat showed out so we replaced our regular meeting with a CRACA hosted Boat Show Survivors Party at the Willamette Yacht Club. The pizza party was well attended and the socializing spirited.
March was a transitional month for many CRACA sailors. The warmer days saw sails and canvas going back onto the boats, as each crew went about de-winterizing their boat.
Continuing education about sails and sail shape is always a popular topic, and in April, Kerry Poe had the BBQ out at North Sails hot where CRACA held its April meeting. The racers amongst us also got busy with the start of the racing season. Several members both aboard Catalina’s and aboard other boats participated in the SYSCO Spring Series, and for the second year in a row, a handful of Catalina 30 crews went out and raced One-Design in the SYSCO Spring Regatta. April also saw a number of us rendezvousing at the West Marine Swap Meet followed by breakfast at Elmer’s restaurant. A few hearty souls even got up to Bartlett Landing despite so-so weather that kept most cruise participants away.
The new docks at Bartlett Landing provided the perfect venue for June’s cruise. Many CRACA members took advantage of the Friday Night Beer Can Races, which also began in June, to share their sport with friends.
The Tomahawk Bay Moorage Antique boat Show which featured a WWII PT boat, wooden runabouts, and several wooden yachts all open for boarding attracted several club members who used the event to get together.
July’s cruise to Sandy Island left the hosts wondering where everyone was, while the impromptu cruise to Bartlett Landing drew several boats.
The Catalina 25/250 National Regatta organized by our very own Gary Bruner and Terry Annis was hugely successful and involved many CRACA members either as competitors or as organizers.
Our annual August trek upriver to Beacon Rock continued to be popular with crews. Catalina participation in the OWSA Women's Race was encouraging to see, as was CRACA participation in the SYSCO One-Design Regatta.
September was a busy sailing month for many. The Catalina Rendezvous had a strong showing, helped by a visit from Gerry Douglas, the Chief Designer at Catalina Yachts.
CRACA’s participation at the Sail for the Cure continued to grow in 2004 as the event proved once again to be a great excuse to get out on the water with family and friends.
The weather once again conspired against our cruising plans, but those who braved the elements reported having a great time on October’s cruise to Coon Island.
May the 2005 sailing season provide you lots of opportunities to enjoy your boat and this sport we call sailing.
Cruising
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| Werner and Renate Bittner at Bartlett Landing in 2004 aboard their C28, Loki. |
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.
