Newsletter	July 2003

From the Commodore
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

Wow!  What happen to June?  I missed my cruise up the coast with Bob Gales and Gail O'Neill after coming down sick just prior to departure so June was just a kind of blur for me.  It was good to hear from Terry Annis (C25, Lematike), that he'd received word from Bob that they had made it and were sitting in Victoria Harbour looking up at the beautiful Empress Hotel.  Their need to find replacement crew, coupled with some poor weather delayed them about a week, but they finally made it.

Cruising

I missed the June 21-22 cruise upriver to Government Island's East Dock (officially called Bartletts Landing).  I understand from Jim Elieff (C30, Fortune) that five Catalina's made the trip.  Despite rain early Saturday morning, those that attended were treated to a break from June's unusual run of hot weather.

Individual plans to trailer up to Anacortes and spend one or two weeks sailing amongst the San Juan and Gulf Islands get underway for some members of CRACA this month.  Many of our C22 and C25 members make this trip an annual event.  I've enjoyed this cruise twice in a Catalina 22 and that experience is a big motivator behind wanting to take my C30 north someday.

Laura, Sean, and I will be tagging along with some boats from SYSCO as we explore the lower Columbia River for the first time (July 26 - August 3).  We had originally planned to go the week of July 19-27 with CRACA, but when no one emailed back expressing an interest in the cruise, we decided it was more important to us to enjoy the adventure in the company of others.

Our Cruising Chairman Jim Elieff, tells me no one has volunteered to host the CRACA cruise upriver to Beacon Rock planned for August 16-23.  I know from listening to folks on the docks that several boats are planning to attend, I just don't know who and what their itineraries are.  Laura and I are planning to attend the first few days of the cruise, and we are looking forward to seeing some of you there.

Just a couple of reminders of cruises in September so you can get them on your calendar.

• Fourth Annual All Catalina Rendezvous (Sept. 12-14).  This year the event is being held at McCuddy's Landing (formerly Brown's Landing) on Multnomah Channel.  Open to Catalina's of all sizes, this event continues to grow and is becoming the premiere regional event for owners of Catalina Yachts.  Featuring delicious potluck meals, boat tours, door prizes, and boat sponsored hors d'oeuvres, the rendezvous is open to all and can be easily reached by boat or car depending on whether you just want to come down for the day, or spend the weekend.

• Sail for the Cure (Sept. 20) sponsored by the Oregon Women's Sailing Association.  Many Portland sailing clubs rearranged their schedules starting this year to leave this Saturday free in order to encourage participation.  What is Sail for the Cure?:

• An event organized by OWSA to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
• The event starts out with coffee & snacks at check-in, then we sail a "fun race" stressing cooperation more than winning, followed by a post event party with food and prizes.
• Each boat must be skippered by a woman (she doesn't have to own it to be the skipper), and men are welcome to crew.
• The entry fee is $20.00 per person, with all profits go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

I hope you're finding the time to enjoy your boat this summer and I invite you to participate in some of the upcoming CRACA events.

Notes from the Secretary/Treasurer
By Kathleen Lewis, C42, Wind Raven

Please welcome our newest members:

Bennie and Deborah Harrison from Battleground, Washington

The list for Mainsheet subscriptions has been forwarded to the publishers. The issue should be delivered about August 15th. If you have any questions about your subscription please contact me.

Please notify me of any changes to your roster information. We will try to do periodic updates to all members so that the most current information is available.

If you want to fly the CRACA burgee, I have them available for $20.

Until we meet again, I wish for everyone fair winds and smooth sailing.

Kathleen Lewis, Secretary/Treasurer
sewingmaven@msn.com

Catalina Newsletters of the Northwest
By Dale Mack (Commodore), C30, Celtic Myst

Checkout these links to more Northwest All Catalina newsletters:

• Catalina Association of Tacoma and South Sound (CATSS)
• Catalina Association of Puget Sound (CAPS)

Martin Island Update

For those of you who have worried that the Corps of Engineers would fill a part or all of the Martin Island lagoon, here is some good news.

The states of Oregon and Washington issued the approvals to the Corps to proceed in its in efforts to deepen the Columbia River shipping channel from 40 feet to 43 feet.  Both states issued conditional water quality certifications and conditional Coastal Zone Management Consistency concurrences required by federal law.  The approvals were the final regulatory hurdles the Corps faced before issuing a Record of Decision and proceeding with the project.

However, the states did so with conditions. One of those by Washington's Department of Ecology is that the Corps will not fill Martin Island's lagoon.  Recreational boaters voiced strong opposition to losing this popular mooring location.  Instead, the state will require that a dense barrier of shrub vegetation be planted to help keep people off the island. The Corps will turn to alternate sites to make up for disposal options lost because of the state permit conditions.

For more information, try these web sites:

• DLCD: www.lcd.state.or.us.
• WDOE: http://www.ecy.wa.gov
• WDOE: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/cr-channel.html
• ODEQ: http://www.deq.state.or.us/

No Meeting In July

Create a Deviation Table for Your Tachometer
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

I participate in an email discussion group for Catalina 30 owners, and a topic that frequently comes up is boat speed and tachometer readings.  I've read messages about boats with the same engine and prop as mine claiming to go a full knot faster at a particular RPM.  Since many tachometers don't read true, or haven't been calibrated, I became curious about how accurately my tachometer reflected what the engine was actually doing.

After casually discussing my project with a colleague at work, I was surprised to find sitting on my desk the next morning a small box containing a gauge used to measure shaft speeds.  My workmate borrowed it from his brother who was a former diesel mechanic.

The following weekend, my son Sean and I took the boat out and ran the engine at various tachometer settings while Sean captured RPM readings off the engine with the gauge.  The process was very simple and resulted in the table at the right.

What I learned is that my tachometer is pretty accurate around 1200 rpm and then gradually reads higher than the actual engine rpm's.  When I plotted the data in Microsoft Excel I found that the deviation is predictable to within ±20 rpm.

The end result for me is that I'll be able to run the engine at the manufacture's recommended rpm setting for cruising now that I know what the tachometer needs to show.

Everyday Safety Aboard
By Dave Thomas (Safety Officer), C30, Sunchaser

You are boating at night in a powerboat and you see a red and a white light. You know you are approaching another boat where you ______.

a. Are the stand-on boat
b. Must veer to the left
c. Are the give-way boat
d. Must maintain course and speed

Most sailboats and large cruisers:

a. Have a flat bottom hull
b. Have planing hulls
c. Have displacement hulls
d. None of the above

While boating at night, if you anchor away from dock you must display a white light visible from all directions.

a. True
b. False

Which of the following is NOT specifically considered reckless operation by Oregon law?

a. Operating a speeds greater than 30 mph
b. Chasing, harassing or disturbing wildlife, birds or marine mammals with your boat or PWC
c. Jumping the wake of another boat unnecessarily close to that boat
d. Boating in restricted areas

Learn more about how to obtain your Oregon Boater Education Card at the Oregon State Marine Board website.

July

• 19-27, Astoria Cruise (Rainier, Cathlamet, Astoria)
• No General Membership Meeting

August

• 9-10, 25th Anniversary Regatta for Small Boat Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO).
  • Several C25's of CRACA are planning to compete for fun.
• 16-24, Upriver Cruise (Reed Island, Beacon Rock, Government Cove)
• 27 Monthly Meeting (location TBD)

September

• 12-14, 4th Annual All Catalina Rendezvous at McCuddy's Landing
• 20, Sail for the Cure
• No General Membership Meeting

See the calendar