Columbia River All Catalina Association: 200704

From the Commodore

By Eric Rouzee, C36, Legacy

As I write this, the thermometer has topped 70, the sun is out, there’s wind on the river, and Legacy is just about ready for her run in the 2007 Oregon Offshore. Summer’s on the way, race season is just around the corner, and CRACA just had our first cruise of the year. It’s time to go sailing!

As I said, Legacy is getting prepped for the annual Oregon Offshore race, which runs from Astoria to Victoria, B.C., nearly 200 miles. After that, we’ll cruise the San Juans for a month or so before coming back south to Portland. Then we plan to cruise the river, and try a few new locations we haven’t done before.

March Meeting at North Sails Oregon

CRACA is doing well these days. We have a few new members, and our last two general meeting seminars have been informative and well-attended (thanks to the great work of Alden Andre). Alden has lined up another speaker for our April general meeting. Look for details shortly. We’re also working out details for the September Rendezvous, which we hope will be the best we’ve yet had.

With sailing season now upon us, I encourage you to get out and enjoy the river. I also encourage you to try something new. If you’ve never raced but are curious, doing a Friday evening beer can race is a great, relaxed way to try the sport out. If it’s something you’ve never done, give me a call or drop an email and I’ll give you information on how to get involved. And if you haven’t done a CRACA cruise before, I also encourage you to join us. Jim Elieff can tell you more about the upcoming cruising schedule.

Most of all, I encourage you to have fun out there and be safe. Come on out, fly your CRACA burgee, and I’ll look for you on the water!

Vice Commodore

By Alden Andre', C38, Fly Bye

Hello, this past month has been busy. We had a great meeting at North Sails Oregon and it looks like we are going to have a great meeting this month with Shane St. Clair talking to us about his trip in a Catalina Capri 18 from the west coast to Hawaii.

I finally got my boat together yesterday and decided to take it out to test out my new 135. See the picture attached and you will see that CRACA Cruise Chairman Jim Elieff wasn’t having any fun at all. So now the boat is back together in time to start the spinnaker classes. I did finally get my new enclosure finished also if you are interested in one give me a call and I will give you the person's name and number who did mine.

Jim Elieff at the helm of the C38 Fly Bye

I took a great trip with Michael on his C42 Wind Raven to the Portland Yacht clubs out station. It was a great experience and I am considering joining the PYC. They have a lot to offer with their club, slips, and activities. My main interest in joining has been the theft at Hayden Bay and the lack of security this year.

I haven’t been on the water as much as I have wanted this year because I've been busy with two new companies I have started and some new aircraft development programs I have been certifying. I have also become a Rolly Tasker sail dealer. Burning the candle at both ends.

Racing season is fast upon us. I will be racing in the cruising class this year (Thursday nights) and encourage everybody to join the cruising class and come out. Last year was my first year doing this and it was a great time. I didn’t win any races last year (was lucky just to finish a race). The cruising class is a laid back group who use the race as an excuse to get out on the water. So I say again join SYSCO and come out on Thursdays and have a great time. There are always a couple of open places on my boat if you want to come out and experience it.

I missed the cruise but was told we had a great turnout. I had to take care of a sick puppy and my family was out of town. I plan on going to the next cruise this month though hope to see you all there. Have a great month and as they say in aviation keep the dirty side down and the clean side up.

General Membership Meeting

When

April 28th, Wednesday, 6:30 pm

Where

Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay
100 Columbia Street
Vancouver, WA 98660
Tel: 360-694-8341

Program

28 day solo Pacific crossing of 2,500 miles to Hawaii aboard an Catalina Capri 18 in 1987 by Shane St. Clair.

Historian

By Alex Andre', C38, Fly Bye

Spring is here. I don't know how many of you have been out on the boat due to rain, but continue taking pictures! Send them in!

Alex Andre'
503-819-9998
alex@teamimpact.org

Safety Focal

By Michael Lewis, C42, Wind Raven

We are off to great start, I have inspected fifteen (15) CRACA member boats so far this year and am able to report that all passed. I look forward to getting a call from anyone that has not had there Vessel Safety Check and would be glad to meet you at your boat. I also explained the benefits of Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Radios and Rescue 21. Details on DSC and Rescue 21 are explained in greater detail below:

Digital Selective Calling (DSC) is a VHF radio technology that provides recreational boaters with two unique features which will be discussed below. To be fully functional three items must be available;

A DSC radio
A Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number
A compatible GPS or Loran unit

The MMSI is a unique nine (9) digit number that is assigned to a DSC radio station. If the boater has a valid Federal Communications Commission (FCC) station license or plans to operate in international waters they need to contact the FCC to get an MMSI. Otherwise, they can register with BoatU.S. or Sea Tow by obtaining an MMSI Assignment form. Forms are available on the BoatU.S. Web site www.BoatUS.com or by calling 1-800-563-1536 or on the Sea Tow Web site www.seatow.com.

Some important points to consider are;

Each vessel you own needs to have a discrete MMSI to be properly identified.
The boater needs to keep their MMSI Assignment data current.
Depending on the make and model of the DSC radio, it may limit the number of times you can try to program your MMSI number into the radio. Typically the radios offer you two (2) chances before locking out future attempts forcing you to send the radio back to the manufacturer.

DSC technology makes a VHF radio function more like a telephone. It allows boaters to send a digital call directly to another DSC equipped vessel or shore station.

In an emergency, one push of a button and the DSC radio will send an automated digital distress alert consisting of your identification (MMSI), and position (if the radio is connected to a GPS or Loran unit) to other DSC equipped vessels and rescue facilities.
You can privately hail another DSC equipped vessel, or shore station, if you know their MMSI. It is similar to having a VHF phone number which “rings” the radio called and then automatically switches you to a pre-determined working channel.

Rescue 21 is the Coast Guard system that will provide the May Day response capability described above. For more details on the Rescue 21 System and its availability in your area visit www.uscg.mil/rescue21

21st Century Technology

To address the limitations of the current communications system, the National Distress and Response System (NDRS), the Coast Guard has implemented a recapitalization program entitled Rescue 21. When finished, Rescue 21 will replace a wide range of aging, obsolete radio communications equipment to include:

Consoles at all Coast Guard Activities, Sectors, Stations, and Marine Safety Offices (about 270 facilities)
All remote transceiver sites (antenna towers), as well as the network connecting them to the facilities above
Approximately 3,000 portable radios
Outfit Coast Guard smallboats with robust and upgraded communications suite

A quantum leap forward

Rescue 21 revolutionizes how the Coast Guard uses command, control, and communications for all missions within the coastal zone. The system:

incorporates direction-finding equipment to improve locating mariners in distress
improves interoperability amongst federal, state, and local agencies
enhances clarity of distress calls
allows simultaneous channel monitoring
upgrades playback and recording feature of distress calls
reduces coverage gaps for coastal communications and along navigable rivers and waterways
supports Digital Selective Calling for registered users
provides portable towers for restoration of communications during emergencies or natural disasters

Search and Rescue (SAR)

The U.S. Coast Guard is best known worldwide for its Search and Rescue (SAR) expertise, which dates back more than 200 years to the earliest days of the Revenue Cutter Service and the Life-Saving Service. Today, despite the nation's best efforts to prevent maritime accidents, the Coast Guard responds to about 60,000 emergency calls and saves nearly 5,000 lives annually. During Hurricane Katrina, the Coast Guard saved over 33,000 lives in a two week period!

The Coast Guard's SAR response involves multi-mission stations, cutters (ships), aircraft, and boats linked by communications networks. The National SAR Plan divides the U.S. into regions, with the Coast Guard acting as the maritime SAR coordinator. To meet this responsibility, the Coast Guard maintains facilities on the East, West and Gulf coasts; in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico; and on the Great Lakes and inland U.S. waterways.

Current Limitations of NDRS

The NDRS was established more than 30 years ago as a VHF-FM-based radio communication system that has a range of up to 20 nautical miles along most of the U.S. shoreline. While this system has served the Coast Guard well over the years, it consists of out-of-date and non-standard equipment with many limitations. These include:

No direction finding capability.
Numerous geographic communication's coverage gaps.
Limited interoperability with other emergency response services.
Single-channel radio operation, which prohibits the ability to receive multiple radio calls.

Increasing Future SAR Demands

The Coast Guard's SAR mission is likely to become even more challenging in the years ahead. Trends indicate:

Dramatic increases in recreational boating, with many more personal watercraft congesting the nation's waterways.
Increased maritime trade, resulting in unparalleled growth in the size and numbers of ships using inland, coastal, and international waterways.
The natural consequence of this expanded use of our coastal waterways will result in increased mission demands for enforcing laws and protecting the marine environment.

Homeland Security Demands

Securing the maritime border of the United States is in the Coast Guard's charter as the lead federal agency for maritime homeland security. The Coast Guard has three tenets: Preparedness, Awareness, and Capability to address maritime homeland security challenges. Rescue 21 provides the command, control, and communications that will give the Coast Guard the "Capability" to defend the Nation's coastal waterways. It will improve "Awareness" through its contribution to Maritime Domain Awareness. Rescue 21 is the tool that will keep the Coast Guard "Prepared" and assist the Coast Guard fleet in meeting its coastal mission demands.

Rescue 21 will provide the United States with a 21st century maritime command, control, and communications (C3) system that encompasses the entire United States. By replacing outdated technology with a fully integrated C3 system that improves interoperability, Rescue 21 will protect mariners and help defend the nation's coasts.

The Global Maritime distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is the international system governing safety radio equipment on commercial ships. For more information on GMDSS visit http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/faq/gmdssfaq.htm.

Cruising

Cruising Chairman

By Jim Elieff, C30, Fortune

Well members, the cruising season has started. Seven boats cruised to Hadley's Landing. It was a little overcast Friday when I left at 11am, but warm. Those that arrived on Friday were:

C30 Fortune, Jim Elieff
C42 Kira Lynn, Jess & Mary Schefstrom
C50 Catherine, Joel & Ann Just and their two daughters

Arriving Saturday afternoon:

C36 Cheryl Lynn, Ric & Cheryl Ward
C320 Mystique, John, Sharon, and Kevin Fulton
C36 Tranquility, Stuart McNaughton
C34, Roger Londberg and Linda Meadows on a new Catalina 34, that looked great!!

Saturday was spent going from boat to boat checking out every thing that we all did to our boats over the winter. Jerry and Lisa Sullivan with Craig Sorenson drove down and were with us all afternoon and into the evening. We had our afternoon munchies on Just's C50. There was a total of seventeen of us on their yacht. Ann made a great bean dip with a three cheese topping and chips. Later we had desert. Nobody went back to there boat for dinner, we were all to full.

It was clear and warm all Saturday afternoon and night. I woke up about 7:30 am and the sun was just coming up under clear skies. The dock looked a strange. Well it was all frozen. Temp 31 degrees. It warmed up pretty fast and we had a great ride back with Kevin Fulton helping me.

Our next cruise is on April 21st & 22nd to Government Island - East Dock. I'm looking forward to seeing some of you there. Hope everyone had a Happy Easter.

Catalina Yachts Dealer Roger Londberg aboard a new Catalina 34 in stock now at River City Sailing

Joel Just of the C50 Catherine

Craig Sorenson *C27 Mojito) & John Fulton (C320 Mystique) aboard the C50 Catherine

Saturday Afternoon

Saturday at Hadley's Landing

Sunday Morning Coffee

CRACA Cruising Schedule

April 21 - 22, Government Island - East
May 26 - 28, Martin Island
June 9 - 10, McCuddy's Landing
June 23 - 24, Coon Island - East
July 14 - 15, Government Island - East
July 21 - 29, Downriver Cruise
August 4 - 5, McCuddy's Landing
August 16 - 19, Beacon Rock
Sept. 15 - 16, Catalina Rendezvous
Sept. 22 - 23, Hadley's Landing
Sept. 23, Sail for the Cure
October 20 - 21, Government Island - East

Local Sailing Associations

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.

Columbia River All Catalina Association

Sunday, April 1, 2007

200704