From the Commodore
By Bob Gales
Soleil’s mast is still lying from bow to stern but I am making some progress with the rewiring/nav lights. The inside of the mast is interesting, black plastic channels about three inches wide and eight feet long slide over grooves the length of the mast. The wiring for the masthead anchor light and the steaming/deck light run inside of the channels. This helps keep things straight inside as well as cuts down on the slapping noise. Just when I thought I had succeeded in getting both wires (duplex for the anchor light and triplex for the steaming/deck lights) and channel pieces all the way into the mast things quit moving! Of course, I broke both messenger lines. Now I need to pull all the channels/wiring out and start over. What a pain, but I am lucky that I have yet to fall off the boat into the water!
The new engine is a much better story. I had Cook Engines do a warranty check of the installation and operation of the engine. The only adjustment needed was the re-calibration of the tachometer. Numerous codes were entered and the tach checked against a hand-held-strobe-tach-measurer. All works great and the engine purrs. I also found that annoying, and quite big, water leak. While crawling around in the aft cabin and peering through a panel opened to the stern I noticed a pinpoint of light. It was where a screw should have been attaching a stern bumper to the transom. As you all know, when under power the stern sinks quite a bit. I kept an eye on the stern and sure enough as the rpms increased the stern sank below the screw hole. A little silicone and duct tape made a good temporary repair.
An interesting side note as a Beneteau owner. I am on a B email list and just like Catalina lists there is much to be learned. Recently the thread was around the pros and cons of buying a Beneteau 473 or a Catalina 470. I was pleased that many Beneteau owners had good things to say about Catalinas, their strength, design and performance. (Of course they ended up with Beneteaus) What really stood out was the feeling that Catalina had the best customer service around. Some of you have experienced this when you have called the factory with a question and Frank Butler himself gives you the answer! Catalina owners have a well designed, built and supported boat. That support comes not just from the factory but from the hundreds of Catalina owners right here in the Portland/Vancouver area. Keep connected!
I hope to see you on the water, as soon as spring really gets here!
CRACA General Membership Meeting
CRACA will hold a general membership (and prospective members too) meeting on Tuesday, April 25 at Rose City Yacht Cub. 6:30 p.m. for reconnecting with sailing friends with the meeting beginning at 7. The gate will be opened after 6 p.m. to let you in.
Your board will meet at 5:30 to discuss club business and all members are welcome. Please don’t hesitate to join in with ideas and planning for the sailing season. Help will be needed as we plan for the September Rendezvous. We will also talk about our May meeting: another clubhouse meeting or something in conjunction with the swap meet at Tomahawk?
At the April meeting we hope to have a presentation about the latest and greatest in electronics. Affordability is one of the key ingredients as we all know we could spend more on electronic toys than we did on the boat!
Your board of directors, and other members hope to see you on April 25th.
Welcome Vice-Commodore Eric Rouzee!
Vice Commodore
By Eric Rouzee, C36, LegacyHello fellow sailors!
For those of you I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I’ve been sailing ever since my father taught me back when I was 12 years old. He had learned to sail when he was a plebe at the Naval Academy in 1933. In 1969 when I was nine, he began building a 31 foot trimaran, which eventually became the boat that I learned to sail on. After that, my family and I spent our summer vacations cruising around Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands (rough detail, I know). I’ve lived in the Portland/Vancouver area since 1989, and purchased my Catalina (Legacy) in 2002.
A little about Legacy. She’s a 1987 Catalina 36, and she’s currently getting rigged to go offshore sailing later this spring. I have her entered in the Oregon Offshore race, which begins May 11 at Astoria and runs 193 miles north to Victoria, B.C. Our crew of six hopes to make that passage within 48 hours, and then enjoy the champagne and hot towels that the race committee hands out to finishing boats. 16 boats are currently entered, and we’d love to have at least 30 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the event, which is organized by the Corinthian Yacht Club of Portland. Any members who are interested in entering can contact me directly.
The Offshore is considered a Category I race, so safety requirements are fairly stringent, much to the chagrin of my bank account! Among the tasks that have been completed, Legacy has received a new EPIRB, and offshore liferaft, MOB gear, all new standing rigging, extra sails, and a whole bevy of fittings below deck to keep gear from bouncing around in a seaway. I’m also in the process of fitting her with an emergency rudder, which is required gear. If you want to amuse yourselves, you’ll find me moored in Tomahawk Bay, constantly adding something above or below decks to make her legal. I’ve no doubt that Jim Elieff is tickled every time he walks by and sees me struggling with something new. No one ever said sailing was cheap!
After the race, I’ll be leaving Legacy up in Puget Sound for the summer, and I’d be delighted to pair up with any members who might be sailing up in that region during the warm season. Late August will be the return trip, and I’m looking forward to sailing with all of you on some of our cruise events down here.
Long term, my dream (we all have those, right?) is to take a year or so and sail Legacy down to Mexico, run in the Baja Ha Ha, and sail into Zihuatanejo Bay. When this will happen I don’t know for sure yet, but it’s at least in the works!
As Vice Commodore, my hope is to bring some ideas and enthusiasm to help make CRACA an even better club than it already is, and make our on and off-the-water events even more fun, informative and useful for all of us. For me, CRACA is a special organization here in Portland/Vancouver. The cruises that the club organizes and runs every season are a great opportunity for all of us to get together, have some fun, share tips and tall tales and basically just enjoy this wonderful lifestyle called sailing. I hope my involvement enhances that for all of you. Most of all, I’m looking forward to seeing all of you out on the water. Let’s have a great season!
Eric Rouzee
s/v Legacy
erirou@colmac.com
360-690-0331
Rear Commodore's Log
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst
My Catalina 22, Crocus, went back into the water mid-March. Like every Spring, I didn't finish all the items on my winter projects wish list, but the fact the boat is in the water means I got the priorities correct.The first race of the SYSCO Spring Series for me is Thursday, April 13th. I'll be racing my C22 with a spinnaker this year. I and the crew are looking forward to the season and the opportunity to work together as a team. Our objective for the series is to finish in the middle of the fleet and develop our tacking and mark rounding skills. Spinnaker hoists and takedowns is going to add an interesting element to the racing experience.
March was the month for training. The Dave Perry seminar kicked off the month, followed by the OCSA Race Management Clinic, and then the SYSCO Race Clinic. Sprinkled on three Tuesday evenings during the month was the North Sails of Oregon "Sail Trim" class taught by Kerry Poe. Toss in the "Sailing Basics for Women" course offered by the Oregon Women's Sailing Association, and there was plenty to interest cruisers and racers alike.
Your CRACA Board (including our new Vice Commodore Eric Rouzee) has been discussing several changes to encourage participation, reach out to non-members, and evolve CRACA into a first-rate owners association. A couple of those changes include a new Cruising Participation Award all members are eligible for (details later in the newsletter), and a decision to move the club's end of year party from December into November in order to avoid competing with all the other December holiday party invitations.
After a hiatus, general membership meetings are returning to CRACA. The CRACA board has decided to bring back meetings with pre-announced guest speakers and an opportunity to do some socializing at the meeting. All Catalina owners are welcome to attend meetings. Meetings and cruises are a great way for non-members to try out CRACA.
The CRACA charter states that the Entertainment Committee is made up of the Vice Commodore, Rear Commodore and three members at large. One of the committee's duties is to arrange for the association’s Annual Catalina Rendezvous. Eric and I are looking for three volunteers to help us plan the 2006 Rendezvous at McCuddy's Landing in September. If your interested in getting involved, please contact Eric or me.
Secretary/Treasurer
Please welcome our newest members:
John and Emily Kerrigan of McMinnvilleIf you haven't renewed or are thinking about joining, you can find the membership application on the website.
- Their 1983 C30 Mage Wind is at Hayden Bay, F17
Kathy Lewis
Secretary/Treasurer
sewingmaven@msn.com
Plans for the April Meeting
What- General Membership Meeting
- This meeting will be held at the Rose City Yacht Club. It will combine an informative educational program on electronics with an opportunity to reconnect with sailing friends during the meeting's social from 6:30 - 7:00 pm.
- A one-hour CRACA Board meeting will proceed the General Membership Meeting. The board meeting is open to all members and CRACA welcomes your ideas. The April board meeting will be discussing plans for the rendezvous in September, what we'd like to do with our May meeting (i.e. guest speaker, on the water clinic, etc.), and plans for the summer.
Rose City Yacht ClubWhen
www.RoseCityYachtClub.org
3737 NE Marine Drive
Portland, OR 97211
503-282-2049
- Tuesday, April 25th
- The gate will be opened after 6 p.m. to let you in.
- 5:30 - 6:30 pm, CRACA Board Meeting, Anyone can attend
- 6:30 - 7:00 pm, Social, Don't be bashful about bringing your dinner if you can't eat before the meeting.
- 7:00 - 8:30 pm, Meeting & Guest Speaker
- Electronics
- From GPS and radar, to VHF and knot meters, come learn what's new and get your questions answered.
Cruising
Changes in Latitudes
By Jim Elieff (Cruising Chairman), C30, Fortune
The Coon Island , east dock composting head will be replaced. Sand Island, across from St. Helens, will get a breakwater, cost about $270,000. On May 21st early in the morning the cooling tower at the Trojan Plant will be leveled.
I'm still looking for volunteers to serve as cruise leaders. The next cruise on the schedule without a leader is the Martin Island Cruise in May. If you'd like to volunteer, please contact me at elieffmaan@yahoo.com.
CRACA's Board has instituted a new cruising points system to recognize the participation of our cruising enthusiasts. To qualify to earn points on a CRACA cruise you have to register with the cruise leader prior to the cruise. You can read more about the Cruising Participation Awards later in the newsletter. To register for an upcoming cruise, just click on the name of the cruise leader and let them know you are coming. Where cruise leaders are not yet identified, send the RSVP to me.
2006 CRACA Cruising Schedule
| Date | Destination | Cruise Leaders |
| Apr 1 - 2 | Hadley's Landing | Dale & Laura Mack |
| Apr 22 - 23 | Government Island - East Dock | Jim Elieff |
| May 27 - 29 | Memorial Day Cruise - Martin Island | |
| June 10 - 11 | Port of Camas/Washougal | |
| June 24 - 25 | Coon Island, East Dock | |
| July 15 - 16 | Government Island, East Dock | |
| Aug 17 - 20 | Beacon Rock | Dale & Laura Mack |
| Sept 16 - 17 | Catalina Rendezvous McCuddy's Landing | |
| Oct 21 - 22 | Halloween Cruise Government Island, East Dock |
Cruising Bulletin Board(The cruising plans of members where they are inviting you to tag along.)
| Date | Destination | Cruise Leaders |
| July 14 - 16 | River Place, downtown Portland | Gary & Jeanine Jaeckel |
| July 28 - 30 | Sand Island, St. Helens | Gary & Jeanine Jaeckel |
| Aug 9 - 19 | Astoria Cruise (click here for itinerary) | Gary & Jeanine Jaecke |
Plans for the Bartlett Landing Cruise
Enjoying the views from Government Island's East Dock
By Jim Elieff, C30, FortuneI will be leading the CRACA cruise to Bartlett Landing. We will be sharing the facility with the Hunter Sailing Association of Oregon (HSAO). The Hunter club and the Catalina club have several joint potlucks and activities planned over the two days.
Bring your out of date flares to the cruise. HSAO has arranged with the USCG for a flare shoot off. This is also an opportunity to get your annual Vessel Safety Check decal.
The Hunter club says they'll have 10-15 boats. Now we can't let them have more than us. Here's the Catalina's that have registered for the cruise so far:
- C27, Sydera, Jerry Sampson and Karen Clouse
- C30, Celtic Myst, Dale & Laura Mack
- C30, Fat Cat, Jim & Ronda Turner
- C30, Fortune, Jim Elieff and Shirley Neiger (Cruise Leader)
- C30, Sunchaser, Dave & Julie Thomas
- C36, Legacy, Eric Rouzee and Diane Scott
- C42, Jammin, Dave & Helen Peoples
- C42, Kira Lynn, Jess & Mary Schefstrom
Jim Elieff
elieffmaan@yahoo.com
Saturday, April 22
- Before 3:00 pm, Vessel Safety Check (VCS), Vessel Flare Shoot (arranged by HSAO with the USCG), Socializing with friends and making new ones
- 3:00 - 5:00 pm Potluck Appetizers
- 7:00 - 8:00 pm Potluck Deserts
- 9:00 - 11:00 am Potluck Breakfast on the dock
CRACA Cruising Participation Awards
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic MystAs mentioned earlier, the CRACA Board is hoping to establish some new annual traditions for CRACA in 2006. At the new Fall Awards Banquet, we will be presenting Cruising Participation Awards to boats that achieved a minimum number of cruising points.
Cruising Award: Presentation of this award is based on the number of points earned for CRACA cruises attended. All CRACA members are eligible. Points are only awarded to boats that register in advance for a cruise. All members earning 62 or more cruising points are eligible for participation awards.
Points are awarded as follows:
- Single day cruise 6
- Overnight (2 days) 15
- Two nights (3 days) 20
- More than 3 days 25
Cruise Leaders receive additional points equal to 50% of the point value of the cruise they lead. On cruises requiring complex arrangements, more than one leader may be chosen.
The Board reserves the right to determine the required number of points for CRACA participation awards in order to keep award costs in line with CRACA revenues.
Any circumstances not covered by these rules will be decided by a majority vote of the Board.
Cruiser of the Year: In addition to being eligible for a cruising participation award, the member receiving the highest number of cruising points will receive an award recognizing them as the CRACA Cruiser of the Year.
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.
