From the Commodore
By Bob Gales, C30, Imagine
Anyway, it is good to be back in Portland and this beautiful weather. We'll be hanging out on the boat cleaning the salt off and enjoying the river. I'll keep my cell phone close by in case any of you call with input for the September Rendezvous at St. Helens' Sand Island. It's going to be a low-key weekend with some fun activities. Check to make sure you have it marked your calendar.
See you on the river.
Rear Commodore's Log
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst
Part of my July was spent participating in the Six Pac to Astoria. Great adventure, hard work, but I'm glad I did it. You can read all about it in my lengthy article later in the newsletter.
Unless something comes up, I'm planning to attend the Beacon Rock cruise this month. Eric Rouzee (C36, Legacy) has also expressed interest in the cruise. I'm splitting my upriver trip into two parts. Thursday's destination is Parker's Landing in Washougal with dinner at the Puffin Cafe (great food). On Friday at first light, I will get underway for the last 3.5 hours to Beacon Rock. Hope to see you there.
The 2005 Columbia River Catalina Rendezvous is scheduled for September 17 & 18 at Sand Island, upper docks. I'll probably go down Friday like many others. More details about the rendezvous can be found later in the newsletter.
Just in case you haven't heard the Sail for the Cure has changed its date from Saturday 9/24, to Sunday, 9/25. Registration information and forms are available on the Oregon Women's Sailing Association (OWSA) website.
COLUMBIA RIVER
CATALINA RENDEZVOUS
Sand Island - East Docks (St. Helens)
September 17 & 18, 2005
Arrival: Commodore Bob Gales plans to arrive on Thursday, set up CRACA signs and fend off non-Catalina intruders;-)). More boats will plan to arrive Friday with all meals/activities on our own. Most boats will probably arrive on Saturday, late morning through early afternoon.
CRACA Organized Activities
Saturday:
- Various non-mandatory but fun activities throughout the day.
- POTLUCK HAPPY HOUR around 4/5 p.m. Bring appetizers to share and your own beverage.
- Saturday dinner will be on your own.
- POTLUCK DESSERT around 7/8 p.m. on shore. Bring a dessert to share and your own after-dinner drink. Music, story telling, group hug at the dessert bonfire.
- We want a water taxi service for those boatless members/guests for Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers?
- POTLUCK breakfast Sunday morning.
Cruising
Beacon Rock Cruise
August 18, 19, 20, 21
CRACA continues its August tradition. Join us for a Thursday through Sunday adventure.
Thursday
- Destination - Guest docks at Parker's Landing, Washougal.
- Dinner - 6:30 pm at the Puffin Cafe.
- Destination - Beacon Rock State Park Docks ($0.50/ft moorage fee per day)
- Potluck Appetizers - 4:30 pm on the dock.
- Hike to the top of Beacon Rock, Kayak the backwaters, etc.
- Potluck Appetizers - 4:30 pm on the dock.
- Return to Portland
Six Pac Adventure to Astoria
The Race that is a Cruise
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystI encountered the Six Pac two years ago when Celtic Myst was on its first downriver cruise. This year when Laura's Mary Kay business commitments looked like I'd be proceeding without her as I made summer cruise plans I began considering participating in the Six Pac. Sponsored by the Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association (OCSA) and held on odd-numbered years, the Six Pac represents six days of racing for the serious folks and three days for the cruisers. I wasn't looking for a race, but sailing in the company of others is always appealing.
I invited my friend Jim, a former colleague from our days in Boise, to sail with me and share the adventure. Jim's had a varied career from being a commercial guide on the Colorado River, to being a National Park Service Ranger, but he's never done much sailing.
I mailed in my registration form along with $65 for being in the Cruising Class, and received back an invitation to a skipper's meeting at the Portland Yacht Club scheduled for July 19. The skippers meeting handed out race packets in nice document carriers sewn by North Sails Oregon. The packets included hints about sailing to Astoria, organized but optional dinner activities for some of the nights, details about the Astoria Cup Regatta that was open to cruisers, race instructions, and a visitors guide to Astoria. The meeting also provided the opportunity to ask questions, pickup crew looking for boats, and purchase Six Pac shirts. A free dinner of Subway™ sandwiches and soft drinks was provided by OCSA.
In true Cruising Class style preparing for the event focused on making sure that important items like the BBQ were onboard instead more traditional racing pursuits like getting rid of excess weigh. After all I was on vacation, and bring reading material was more important than whether I reached the destination before someone else.
Saturday, 7/23 (Portland to Sand Island, St. Helens)
Jim and I were underway from Tomahawk Bay Moorage at 10 am and joined a flotilla of fellow Six Pac participants heading to the RR bridge. After a brief wait for an opening, and we were off for daymark "51" which represented one end of the starting line.
There were three starts. Six "go fast" serious racers were in the first, three Cal 20's were in the second, and seventeen Cruising Class boats were in the third.
The third start was off by 11:15 am, and our conservative strategy worked and we were nearly the last boat to cross;-)) It was a sunny day and the wind was blowing 12-14 knots apparent and building. One advantage of starting at the back of the pack is that you get lots of opportunities to compare how well you are sailing the boat as you work your way up through the pack.
The wind continued to build and before long we were sailing in winds steady at 22-23 knots apparent, with gusts 25-26 knots. With Jim nursing an injured back I kept him on the helm while I managed the winches. In the high winds, I found my arms nearly gone by the halfway mark. Since I had been doing more than twenty winch revolutions per tack, there was no way I was going to get us to Sand Island if something didn't change. Although Jim was new to sailing, he picked up the helm duties quickly and his tacks were becoming quite good. To help me reach the finish line, I showed Jim how he could help me by luffing up just momentarily after each tack to give me a chance to get the headsail trimmed in without so many revolutions on the winches. The new technique was quickly mastered, and I was suddenly working half as much on each tack. From the starting line to the finish, we performed fifty-two (52) tacks and crossed the line at 3:15 pm. While the course was officially 16.5 nautical miles (nm), our GPS showed that the distance actually sailed was 21.6 nm.
For boats with children along (there were many), the Oregon Women's Sailing Association (OWSA) organized a treasure hunt on the island. Judging from all the pirates running around, it was a hit.
Back on the docks, 6:00 pm signaled the start of the potluck appetizers. What a feast and what variety. It was hard to believe most folks had spent four hours sailing based on all the goodies coming out of their boats.
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| Gary Bruner (C25, Encore!) slices up his contribution to the appetizers. |
Onboard Celtic Myst, dinner consisted of grilled New York steaks, Caesar Salad, and Artisan Bread. Thanks to Gary Bruner we got to grill the steaks instead of pan-frying them. I discovered that I had left the disposal propane canisters in the dock box. Not only did Gary loan me a propane canister, but he showed me that it could be safely left aboard by storing it in the anchor locker which drains overboard. My practice had been to store the canisters in a bag on deck; no more, thanks Gary.
Sunday, 7/24 (Sand Island to Cathlamet)
The next leg of the race had us starting at buoy "75", downriver from Sand Island, and finishing at daymark "1" near Stella, Washington. With the racing scheduled to start at 10 am, most participants departed Sand Island between 9:00-9:15 am. Aboard Celtic Myst, we were still in make and consume coffee mode so we didn't get underway until 9:40 am. We reached the starting area at 10 am which guaranteed we'd not be ready for our 10:15 am start. We were the last boat to start, in fact the race committee had already pulled up their anchor and headed off to Stella before we reached buoy "75".
In winds of 12-14 knots apparent and building, we started the race with a reefed main. The morning was gorgeous with sunny skies, flat water, and the promise of a great day of sailing. Jim and I were much more coordinated in our tacks, and while our technique of luffing up to assist me in trimming in the headsail cost us a little on each tack, it was a lifesaver in terms of getting me to the finish line with something left in my arms. One aspect of the technique we had to be mindful of was that you could overshoot and backwind the headsail so much that you couldn't recover and then would be forced to tack back. Fortunately, it didn't happen too many times.
Near the decommissioned Trojan Nuclear power plant we shook out the reef as the wind had dropped to 8-10 apparent.
As we focused on our tacks, we began catching and passing boats as we worked our way through the fleet on the way to the finish. An interesting phenomenon we noticed was as we drew closer to other boats they started to become more attentive to sail trim for a while until we pass them. In fact this one 36 footer had been happily sailing downstream with two in the cockpit until we drew near. Suddenly there's two manning the winches, one on the mainsail and the helmsman;-))
We reached the Longview bridge at 1:22 pm. The wind was once again building and we soon found ourselves sailing in 17-19 knots apparent with gusts to 21 knots. Our increasingly coordinated tacks continued to play off as we passed a Newport 33, a Cal 34, and were closing on a Beneteau 42 when we crossed the finish line a daymark "1" near Stella, Washington.
From the starting line to the finish, we performed sixty (60) tacks and crossed the line at 2:45 pm. While the course was officially 22 nautical miles (nm), our GPS showed that the distance actually sailed was 30 nm. Considering the longer distance sailed it was amazing we only had eight more tacks than the previous day. This was my first time sailing this stretch of the river and I was very impressed. Nice wind and long tacks, at least as river sailing goes.
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| Race Committee near Stella |
- Passed between daymark "8" and the Washington shoreline.
- Tide about +6 at Cathlamet and rising.
- The chart showed the deeper water followed the Washington shore so that's what I did.
- Much to my surprise as I was nearing the point where I planned to turn toward green buoy "7A" I spotted a tree near the road with a 4x4 sheet of white-painted plywood attached to it. Turned left toward buoy "7A". Heading toward the southern side of Cathlamet Channel.
- Near buoy "7A" I found my shallowest water (15 ft). Turned right toward buoy "7".
- At buoy "7" turned right toward buoy "5" (buoy "5" wasn't on my chart or my GPS chart plotter). Heading back to the northern side of Cathlamet Channel.
- At buoy "5" turned slightly left toward red buoy "6"
- At buoy "6" followed the Washington shoreline towards the bridge.
- Passed under the bridge between the northern shore and the most northern bridge support.
- Entered the Elochoman Slough at about 5 pm with the tide at +7. The channel was dredged this year. I found 18 feet in the channel and 16 feet at the marina entrance.
Monday, 7/25 (Cathlamet to Astoria): Monday was a lay day in the Six Pac (no racing). Racing would commence again for the non-Cruising Class participants on Tuesday, so Monday was all about getting to Astoria before the afternoon wind kicked in. Two years Laura and I departed for Astoria at noon, and it was tough motoring into the swells. This time I was determined to seek a more comfortable ride.
We were underway at 7 am under beautiful skies and moving through flat water. As we neared the Astoria-Megler Bridge we crossed paths with the Jaechels heading upriver aboard their C30, Mistress II.
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| The Jaeckel's Catalina 30 Mistress II heading upriver. |
Berthing was $15/night + $3/night if you wanted shore power. The marina shower required quarters to operate, and the nearby Waterfront Trolley was $1 one way, or $2 for an all-day pass.
The West Basin has wireless Internet (WiFi) coverage compliments of the Red Lion Inn. All I had to do was go to the main office and they provided me a free user id and login. Nothing like being on cruise while still bidding on stuff listed with eBay;-)) Seriously, the WiFi was great because you could check the weather daily, use your email, and checkout some of the local areas of interest before ever stepping off the boat.
Tuesday, 7/26 (Astoria):
While the serious racers went out and challenged themselves in the waters off the Astoria waterfront in race #3 of the Six Pac, Jim and I along most everyone else in the Cruising Class explored Astoria. Getting to the main part of town wasn't bad. Even when you missed the trolley, the walk along the trolley tracks was very nice. In the two years since my last boat trip to Astoria, paved walking paths had been constructed.
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| Astoria Waterfront Trolley |
After the museum, Jim and I split up. I encountered Gary Bruner (C25, Encore!) on one of the trolley trestles on the way back to the boat. From the trestle, you had a view of the upriver/downwind mark of the racecourse and Gary was watching boats drop their spinnakers and start fighting upwind against the incoming flood. When I got back to the boat at 4 pm the wind inside the marina was blowing 20 knots.
While many Six Pac crews headed off to the Wet Dog Cafe for a Prime Rib dinner organized by the Six Pac, Jim and I opted to visit the Silver Salmon Grille. Our meal was absolutely wonderful, and the ambiance of the restaurant was first-rate with its fine woods, brick, decor, and attentive staff.
Wednesday, 7/27 (Astoria Cup Regatta):
I crewed on Gary Bruner's C25, Encore!, along with Gary's friend John, and Leanne, a crewmember from the Six Pac Race Committee boat who was interested in some racing experience. The Astoria Cup Regatta, sponsored by Schooner Creek Boat Works, was optional for the Six Pac Cruising Class, and we went into it with no illusions about how we'd do against the likes of a race-prepared Mumm 30, other very competitive Six Pac racers or the local boats from Astoria. The purpose was to go out and have some fun.
The wind had been building all week so I was considering showing up to Encore! in my foul weather gear in anticipation of wet conditions because of the lumpy seas. As I watched the crew of the local boat Wild Hare get prepared all dressed in their matching red t-shirts and khaki shorts I figured they knew something I didn't so I left the foul weather gear aboard Celtic Myst. BIG MISTAKE as I would learn later.
The race committee was anchored west of the bridge and using buoy "33" as one end of the start/finish line. The course was two laps, with the first leg windward to a downstream buoy, and then a long downwind leg upriver to a buoy on the east side of the bridge.
Did I mention that the seas were lumpy? Running an average of six feet with occasional crest to trough distances of 10+ feet we had a wild ride. The wind was blowing steady at 20-25 knots with gusts in the 25-30 knot range. I left the wind instruments on aboard Celtic Myst, and inside the marina, the instruments registered a gust of 26 knots. Encore! spent most of its time heeled over 30-35 degrees going to windward, as Gary fought to maintain power in the sails so we could punch through the swells.
This was the most physically punishing race I had ever been in. For three hours we chased the faster boats. I served as the bowman which meant I helped get sails up and down, helped the 135 Genoa through the tacks and managed the bow tasks during the downwind legs. Windward, Leanne and I would sit on the rail and shortly into the race we were completely soaked. On more than one occasion we watched the boat climb to the top of a crest as the water disappeared from the front half of the boat and for a moment we found ourselves suspended in air until the bow dipped toward the trough. Since Leanne and I endured most the impact of the water coming over the bow, we eventually got to a point where we'd see them coming and she'd turn and look at me with a smile on her face, I'd smile back, we'd dip our heads and wait for the wave.
Gary offered to drop out of the race on the last downwind leg, but the crew voted to keep going. While we were wet, tired, and had already had a couple of exciting moments, the truth of the situation was that we were in control, the boat was doing well, the end was near, and Gary was doing a pretty fair job at the tiller in some tough conditions. We rounded the downwind mark, and about 100 yards after passing the under the bridge the snap shackle attaching the sheets to the Genoa blow open during a tack, leaving us no control of the sail. Climbing onto the pitching bow with the boat heeling from 30-40 degrees was an interesting challenge for me with footing left to the toe rail, standing on stanchions and lifelines, and bracing myself in the bow pulpit. After a failed attempt to reattach the sheets with a quick luff of the Genoa that would bring the clew over the deck (in all the noise we never got the maneuver communicated and coordinated corrected) we opted to drop the sail, reattach the sheets, and hoist it up again.
We finished that race dead last, but not defeated. It had been hard, it had been uncomfortable at times, it had also made you question why you were out there, but it never made you want to quit. The truth is you've got to trust your equipment, your skills, and the people you sail with, and on that day I had all three. While it was intense at times, it was also fun judging by the smiles we shared with each other.
Lessons learned:
- Although I already knew this one from crewing aboard Terry Annis' Catalina 25, Lematike, the Astoria Cup reminded me of how stout the C25 is. After the race, no one who wasn't on the boat could believe we were out there in a swing keelboat.
- Gary Bruner is one heck of a sailor. While he may be cautious about professing any expertise, he knows enough about sail trim, and driving a C25 to make it feel in control even in challenging conditions.
- I continue my long dislike of snap shackles on headsails. Aside from potentially getting hit by that flying hulk of metal during tacks, my biggest complaint has to do with them coming open at the wrong time. After sharing this concern with a Catalina 22 National Champion who also uses snap shackles, he recommended his practice of wrapping it with duct tape.
- Always wrap lifeline pelican hooks so they don't come open. Twice I slid my hand down the lifelines at the cockpit only to have the bale capture style of pelican hook come open in my hand. Fortunately, I also had a hand holding on elsewhere or I would have been over the side. Another application for duct tape or Velcro.
- Bring duct tape to any boat I crew on.
Thursday, 7/28 (Astoria):
The Cruising Class had another non-racing day on Thursday, so Jim and I decided to explore some of the back streets just two or three blocks south of downtown in search of some of Astoria's famed Victorian homes. First on our list was the Flavel House, built by a sea captain. Open to the public for self-guided tours, the home is now owned and maintained by the Clatsop County Historical Society. An easy walk from the marina, the house is definitely worth the visit.
Since sampling Astoria's wonderful restaurants was one of our goals for the cruise, Jim and I skipped the Six Pac organized dinner at the Portway near the marina, and we headed along the trolley line until we came to the Cannery Cafe overlooking the Columbia River. We had an absolutely wonderful seafood dinner finished off with fresh apple pie a la mod. Waddling best describes our trip back to the boat after dinner.
Friday, 7/29 (Astoria to Cathlamet):
Our last day of racing would have us starting just outside the marina, heading windward to a downstream buoy and then sailing downwind all the way to Cathlamet. After Wednesday's washing machine race and my dislike of downwind racing, I had considered just motoring to Cathlamet, but come Friday morning I was feeling more rested, and the winds were more moderate so Jim and I said lets go.
At 11:15 am the signal came down for the start of the Cruising Class. The windward buoy was fetched with ease and we settled into the long downwind journey to Cathlamet. With Jim handling the helm once again, I moved to the bow to get the whisker pole in place as we went into a wing-n-wing configuration. The boats flying spinnakers really jumped ahead.
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| Passing under the Astoria-Megler Bridge. |
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| The big go-fast boats in the lead. |
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| Gary Bruner's C25, Encore! looking great. |
Up ahead, under spinnaker only, Encore! was wrestling with the gusts. You could watch the gust move across the water and then strike Encore! causing a sudden increase in heel and a surge of speed followed by a recovery move on Gary's part as he worked to keep the boat under the spinnaker. It was during one of these gusts that something seemed to go wrong on Encore!. We were about 300 yards away so it wasn't really clear what was happening, but soon we saw the spinnaker come down. On the radio we heard Encore! informing the race committee that they were withdrawing from the race due to a broken rudder. Via the radio Celtic Myst offered assisted, but Encore! reported that everyone was OK and that they were proceeding to Cathlamet under power.
We had sailed 27.3 nautical miles by the time we crossed the finish line at Cathlamet. The last thirty minutes of the sailing had been in diminishing wind so we were happy to be done.
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| C30, Celtic Myst tied up at Cathlamet, WA. |
Saturday, 7/30 (Cathlamet to Portland):
The trip home was going to be a long day. The tides weren't favorable for a 5 am departure so we waited until 8:40 am for a +2.5 tide and rising to get underway. Midway between my berth and the entrance I found a high spot when the water dropped to seven feet deep. Celtic Myst draws 5'3", the depth sounder is offset at 6' so it reports water under the keel. At no time did I have less than a foot of clearance (assuming my instruments are correct, which I've checked at the dock with a lead line).
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| Michael and Kathleen Lewis aboard Wind Raven (C42) near Longview heading toward the Rainier docks. |
Jim and I went on two hour watches as we motored backed to Portland and Tomahawk Bay Moorage. Here is a short log for those interested in how long it takes to get from Cathlamet to Portland.
- 0840 hrs, underway
- 1200 hrs, passing Walker Island, SOG = 5.2 kts
- 1255 hrs, Longview Bridge, SOG = 5.2 kts
- 1358 hrs, Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, SOG = 5.5 kts
- 1425 hrs, Kalama Marina, SOG = 5.1 kts
- 1505 hrs, Buoy "60" near entrance to Martin Slough, SOG = 5.0 kts, 33 nm since Cathlamet, River's water temperature 65 degrees, have been running 6 hrs 25 min.
- 1605 hrs, RG Buoy at downstream end of Sand Island (St. Helens), SOG = 4.4 kts.
- 1746 hrs, PYC Outstation at Willow Bar, SOG = 4.7 kts.
- 1902 hrs, Kelley Point, SOG = 5.0 kts., 51.8 nautical miles traveled
- 1942 hrs, Reached Railroad Bridge, 55.0 nm
- 2000 hrs, Through the RR Bridge (18 minute wait)
- 2020 hrs, At Tomahawk Bay Moorage, 57.1 nm covered in 11 hrs 40 mins
I guess the first question is whether I'm going to do the 2007 Six Pac. Right now the answer would be no. The Six Pac reinforced for me that I'm a cruiser at heart. While I enjoy racing, I like it in small doses. I'm sure that being the only crew on the boat while my friend with the bad back steered probably has tainted my view of the experience. Heck, it was hard work and long days (the very reason why I only compete in a couple of weekend regattas a year).
On the more positive side, it was nice sailing stretches of the river I had only motored over before. I liked sharing the adventure in a group and the people I met over the course of the week were a joy to chat with. Astoria remains a wonderful place to visit and walkabout, not to mention the excellent restaurants.
Since the Cruising crews sit in Astoria for three days, perhaps next time a trip to Illwaco, WA or even across the bar and up to Gray's Harbor might be something to consider. Gasp! did I really say "...next time". Who knows?
Broken Rudder
By Gary Bruner, C25, Encore!
Thanks to the Eldreds', I finished the delivery back to Tomahawk Bay Moorage with Plan B's rudder doing the job temporarily.
2005 Cruising Schedule
| Date | Destination |
| Aug. 18 - 21 | Beacon Rock (Thursday – Sunday) |
| Sept. 17 - 18 | Sand Island, Upper Dock (Catalina Rendezvous) |
| Oct. 22 - 23 | Government Island, East Dock |
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.
