From the Commodore
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst
I want to thank everyone that volunteered to staff the Catalina Owners booth at the Portland Boat Show. The response from CRACA, C22 Fleet 20, and C25/250 Fleet 94 was great, and most welcomed. Speaking of volunteers, I’d like to point out some new roles some Catalina owners are stepping into in 2005.
Terry Annis (C25, Lematike) is now the Vice Commodore & Race Captain for the Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO). Many of us who race are members of SYSCO, so we are very pleased to see Terry step forward and take on this important role of organizing SYSCO’s racing program.
Bob Waldron (C25, Courtship) is now the Commodore of the Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association (OCSA). OCSA is composed of representatives from local yacht clubs. OCSA coordinates the Race Calendar, publishes the Course Chart and the OCSA Race Booklet.
Gail O’Neill (C30, Imagine) is now the Vice Commodore of the Oregon Women’s Sailing Association (OWSA). OWSA is well known for its excellent sail education series, and its tradition of encouraging women through classes and actual on the water experience to get involved in sailing.
For myself, I will be serving as the Catalina 22 Fleet Captain in 2005 as I campaign my C22, Crocus. The Catalina 22 fleet (https://c22pdx.blogspot.com/) has a number of activities planned for the year, and with its track record of members moving up to larger Catalina’s, a growing and active Catalina 22 fleet is a good thing for CRACA.
CRACA only works when people step forward to volunteer. From cruise hosts and the organizing committee of the Catalina Rendezvous, to the Boat Show Survivors party committee and the December Holiday party committee, I want to thank everyone who helped out in 2004. You made the cruises and the shore side events fun. Thank you for your hard work.
As I satisfy my thirst for warmer, dryer weather and a fair breeze, by reading sailing magazines and visiting boat shows, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and I’m wishing you a happy new year.
3rd Annual NW
Catalina 30 Regatta
April 23-24
Join your fellow Catalina 30 owners as they participate in a spinnaker-free weekend of racing. The C30’s will be racing as a One-Design fleet in the SYSCO Spring Regatta. If you are interested, please contact:
Dale Mack
C30, Celtic Myst
PLANS FOR THE January MEETING
WhatGeneral Membership MeetingWhere
Pizza Mia at 915 N AnchorWhen
Way, just off of Marine Drive
- Wednesday, January 26th
- Dinner 6 pm
- Meeting 7 pm
VICE COMMODORE'S REPORT
By Jim Himes, C28, R-Time
The gift exchange was great, not one gift you wouldn’t want to take home.
Sailboats of Oregon provided the door prizes. Jim Elieff won the pull over, Kelly Martin won the tote bag, and Mike Moen won the grand prize of a haul out and pressure wash.
Boat Show Survivors Party. February’s party is still looking for a date and a venue. RCYC is going to be doing some remodeling to their galley starting in January, so it may not be available. Look for a notice in February’s newsletter and an email notice.
Rear Commodore, Dave Peoples and I are looking for volunteers to be on the entertainment committee for the event. If you are interested, please contact me at:
503-240-1921
or
jimandmarline@r-time.com
Boater Education Card
A friendly reminder from the Oregon State Marine Board that those 45 years old and under need to have a Boater Education Card before operating a boat with greater than 10hp.
You can take the course and test online at: www.boatoregon.com
Sailing Basics for Women by OWSA
Date: Tuesdays, Feb 1 - March 15
Time: 6:30 - 9:30
Fee: Early registration before January 18th: $75
After January 18th: $85
Learn about sailing in a fun, safe and supportive atmosphere. Establish new friendships while gaining a basic understanding of sailing. Convenient evening classroom and interactive practice sessions. Includes Basic Keelboat text by US Sailing.
Topics include terminology, points of sail, Right of Way rules, weather/safety, charts/navigation, knots, and more!
Women's On-The-Water Basics by OWSA
Prerequisite: Any basic sailing class or by instructor approval.
Date: Thurs-Sat, April 28, 29, 30
Time: Classroom, Thursday & Friday 6:30 - 9:30
On the Water, Saturday 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
Fee: Early registration before April 15th: $55
After April 15th: $65
Learn the skills you need to get the boat out of the marina and the sails raised!
This class teaches you how to dock your boat and raise/lower the sails--real hands-on stuff. And to add spice to your day, you'll raise and lower the anchor a few times!
The On the Water Basics class begins with two evening classroom sessions followed by a Saturday on the water. Whether you're new to sailing or just need a refresher, this class is designed for all skill levels. Includes Basic Cruising text by US Sailing.
Catalina 30 Nationals
in Seattle
June 25-26, 2005
The International Catalina 30 Association and the Catalina Association of Puget Sound (CAPS), in conjunction with the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle, are hosting the 2005 C30 Nationals.
The regatta will be sailed in the waters of Puget Sound, outside of Shilshole Bay Marina, Seattle. Three races are planned for Saturday and two on Sunday. More details can be found at:
NW Catalina Regatta
June 25th, 2005
The NW Catalina Regatta is a one-day event hosted by the Catalina Association of Puget Sound (CAPS) in Seattle. CAPS starts the crews off with coffee and donuts in the morning, followed by a day of non-spinnaker racing outside of Shilshole Bay Marina. Following the racing, an awards dinner is held at the Corinthian Yacht Club. Last year's banquet saw nearly 100 attend.For those CRACA members who plan to have their boats north in June, you might want to consider a day of Catalina fellowship and casual racing. The event is open to all. I’m planning to trailer my Catalina 22, Crocus, north for the regatta, so I want to extend an invitation to all my fellow trailer sailors to pull the boats and meet me in Seattle.
Cruising
One Fine Day
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystI normally don’t expect to get out on the boat in December, but that’s exactly what happen on the 18th. Under a sunny sky, and on a river that looked like glass, I decided to convert my “check on the boat” trip into a short cruise to top off the fuel tank, and thoroughly flush the holding system. The motor from Tomahawk Bay over to the Jantzen Bay Fuel dock was wonderful and the sun’s warmth quickly had me shedding my jacket. Every time out is a new opportunity to learn, and my jaunt to the fuel dock proved to be my latest one.
After topping off the fuel tank, I motored over to the pump-out station nearby. As a trailer sailor, I’m particularly mindful of things hanging down like tree limbs, power lines, etc. when I’m launching or retrieving the boat, and when I’m on the water bridges always get due consideration. So what does this have to do with pumping the head? Nothing, but after flushing the system completely three times, it was the process of trying to leave the dock that surprised me twice. My first surprise came when I happened to look up and notice how close the spreader tips were to hitting the boat shed walls. I’m accustomed to pump-out stations located on uncovered docks, but this one sits under the roof of a boat shed. While I had made sure the shed didn’t overhang the dock, I hadn’t considered that there might not be enough clearance should the boat rock from side to side due to a passing wake. Fortunately, I didn’t have any wakes to contend with, but my own weight on the catwalks made things interesting.
The second surprise had to do with the departure. Since teaching myself to single-hand the boat when docking last February, I’ve come to appreciate the extra level of care one must take when planning a maneuver with one person where two would make it easier. While I had docked with the boat’s bow into the current, I hadn’t noticed that the current didn’t run parallel to the dock, but actually struck it at about a thirty-degree angle. My normal single-handed departure would be to cast off the bow line, untie the stern line, and then hop aboard, where I’d use the current and a little forward throttle to move the boat in what would appear as an almost sideways motion away from the dock. With the current about thirty degrees off the starboard bow, the boat’s bow would start to move toward the dock as soon as the stern line was eased.
Two methods for overcoming the current that was pinning the boat against the dock came to mind. The first was to walk the boat to the downstream end of the dock and allow the current to carry it past the shed. The second method was to use a looped back forward spring line with the engine in reverse to swing the bow out into the current. I succeeded with the former method, but in hindsight, the latter method might have been the better choice. There is a large open expanse of water separating the dock and those just downstream so maneuvering room wasn’t a concern. What became the concern was how close the boat’s rigging came to the corner of the shed as the current swung the boat’s bow in. I departed without mishap, but the experience once again reminded me of the importance of being mindful of both conditions and surroundings when docking the boat.
Sean Mack to the Rescue
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystI enjoy sailing and most folks assume that my sixteen-year-old son Sean must naturally enjoy sailing too. For Sean, it’s more like he tolerates sailing because of his dad, and to a much lesser degree, his mom likes sailing. He doesn’t dislike it, it simply doesn’t make his top ten list of things he’d like to do. Although a smile occasionally breaks out on his face when we are sailing, most of the time he does a pretty good job convincing me he’s bored and squirreling himself away below reading.
 |
| Sean Mack and Sherman |
As a parent, I’m always wondering how much of what I’m teaching him he’s retaining. On one of our family cruises to Bartlett Landing this past summer I got to find out just how much.
Sean and I were tying the boat up while Laura chit-chatted with some new acquaintances on the dock. In an amazing turn of events, Sean found himself soloing when the river’s current helped the boat win a tug-of-war contest with me on the dock at the bow as Laura looked on in horror two docks away. Finding himself alone on the boat, Sean rushed to untie the stern line to prevent Celtic Myst from being swung into other boats tied up astern. He did a great job getting underway and then bring the boat back into the dock for a perfect landing. Needless to say, Sean’s parents were both relieved and extremely proud.
Sean beamed the rest of the day while taking in the compliments from onlookers. The funny thing is that most folks thought it was a planned practice for Sean.
When you least expect it, all your training and practice can be called upon to deliver, and on that summer day, Sean delivered.
Local Sailing Associations
- SailPDX (hosted by Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association, OCSA)
- Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO)
- Oregon Women’s Sailing Association (OWSA)
- Portland Yacht Club (PYC)
- Rose City Yacht Club (RCYC)
The Columbia River All Catalina Association newsletter is published online once a month. Articles are the opinions of the authors and don’t necessarily represent the consensus of the Association.
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