Newsletter

November 2003

From the Commodore
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

Thank you to everyone who attended the Halloween Cruise to Coon Island.  Laura and I had a wonderful time, and the mid-seventies degree weather was unheard of for late October.

The first weekend in November, I and one of my Catalina 22 (Crocus) partners pulled our boat from the water so I could trailer it home to store under a tarp during the winter.  I also pulled the sails and much of the canvas off my Catalina 30 last weekend with the help of my son Sean, so I guess I'm done sailing for the season.  Aside from cleaning the sails and canvas and re-waterproofing the canvas, I don't have a long list of winter projects planned for Celtic Myst.  Crocus on the other hand has a lengthy list of "opportunities" to help it race faster next year, and to make it ready for some overnight cruising.

Racing, the other side of some CRACA members

While I might be among the minority in the club to be crazy enough to own two boats, I'm in good company when it comes to racing.  While CRACA actively promotes cruising, we have a large number of members who race their boats or race on other boats like J/24's, Santana 20's, and Cal 20's just to name a few.  Just this past  year I raced my Catalina 30, raced as crew aboard my Catalina 22, and also raced as crew aboard Terry Annis' Catalina 25.  While my racing was confined between the I-5 and I-205 bridges, we have other members in club like Gary Bruner, C25, Encore!, Gary Whitney, C28, Kasl, and Jim Himes, C28, R-Time, that also participated in downriver races to destinations like St. Helens, and Astoria.  If you did some racing this past, either as skipper or crew, click here and send me a short note on which events, boats, and roles you had in the race(s).

Starting the Search for Officers in 2004

Come April 2004, we'll be voting for our new association officers.  Although six months away, I'd like to form a nominating committee now to start considering candidates.  Our current Secretary/Treasurer Kathleen Lewis, as expressed her desire that the club identify someone new to assume the office at the end of her term.  Kathleen will have graciously held the office for four years in April, so I'm looking for some assistance in finding candidates.

Another important office we need to fill is that of Vice Commodore.  As stated in our bylaws, the Vice Commodore typically becomes the next Commodore.  In CRACA's case this normal order of succession got disrupted over the last two years, and I'd like to get it back on track.  In fact, I might be talked into running again for Commodore if we can find someone to be Vice Commodore in 2004.  Click here if you'd like to volunteer to be on the nominating committee, would like to volunteer yourself for an office, or would  like to recommend someone for an office.

How about a party in February?

The boat shows will be a memory, but the weather will still be too nasty to going sailing, so how about a CRACA Boat Show Survivors Party in February in place of the general membership meeting?

I like to hear your thoughts on the idea.  I'm hoping to kickoff the discussion at this month's general membership meeting.  You can also click here to express your thoughts on the topic.

Portland Boat Show Booth

Thanks to Bill Simon for arranging booth space for us at the 2004 Portland Boat Show in January.  All we need to decide now is how big a booth we want to support.

As you'll see later in the newsletter, one of the topics for this month's general membership meeting is planning the details for the booth.    We'll also have at the meeting a sign-up sheet for staffing the booth.

Click here to volunteer to help with the booth

Boats For Sale

We have three boats listed in the For Sale section of the website just in case anyone is considering a move up or knows of someone looking for a Catalina.

  • Catalina 36 mkII, 2000
  • Catalina 30 mkII, 1988
  • Catalina 27, 1977

The For Sale section of the website is available to any CRACA member wishing to sell their boat or boating gear.

 

CRACA Holiday Party
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

The Columbia River All Catalina Association will hold its annual Holiday Party on Saturday, December 13, 2003 at the Rose City Yacht Club on Marine Dr.

As a part of our Holiday Party we will be collecting non-perishable items for the Oregon Food Bank.  Please consider bringing something to donate.  We will also be collecting unwrapped toys for donation.

Potluck Dinner

We need you to check your last name and bring the following:

  • A - G: Appetizer / salads
  • H - M: Main course item
  • N - Z: Dessert
  • EVERYONE:  Bring your our beverages

Gift Exchange

Please consider bringing a $10-$15 gift for the optional gift exchange. This is NOT a white elephant gift exchange, so please bring gifts others would value. Everyone bring a gift with go home with a gift.  One gift per boat.

How to Dress for the Evening

Expect to see Northwest casual. For some gentlemen that will mean a sports coat, for others it will mean a sweater and slacks, and some will show up in jeans. For the ladies the spectrum will run from skirts, and slacks, to jeans.

What: Potluck Dinner and Gift Exchange
 
Where: Rose City Yacht Club
 www.RoseCityYachtClub.org
3737 NE Marine Drive
Portland, OR  97211
503-282-2049
 
When: Saturday, December 13, 2003
4:00 - 7:00 pm
 
RSVP: Please respond by December 12th

 

 

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

The Halloween cruise was great.  I have no new member info.  The November issue of the Mainsheet magazine will be coming soon to all CRACA members that have subscribed. 

 

Historian Looking for Photos
By  Walt and Marilyn Wittke, C27, Senior Moments

We need pictures of any CRACA events or even just you or other CRACA members sailing.  We're looking for pictures as far back as 1-1-2002.  To encourage you to look through your old show boxes of photos, or dig through your computer folders of digital images, we are going to offer three great prizes for the best three pictures submitted.

Send all digital pictures to Dale Mack since I only have dial-up.  If you have printed photos and  a scanner, then scan the images and send them to Dale, otherwise you can mail the prints to me (Walt)  with a note if you want them returned.  We need these ASAP so we can have the scrap book completed at the CRACA Holiday Party on Saturday December 13th.

FAQ's about emailing digital images

  • Q:  If I'm scanning a 4x6 print, want resolution should I use?
    • A:  A resolution of 200-300 dpi should capture enough detail to allow reprinting.
  • Q:  What is the preferred file format for digital photos?
    • A:  JPEG (.jpg or .jpeg)
  • Q:  What quality level should I use when saving a digital photo as a jpeg?
    • A:  High to Maximum or 6 to 10 depending on the program you are using.  There is going to be a tradeoff between the image quality of the photo and its file size.  More quality means larger files.  You're going to have to decide how big a file you can afford to send.  File sizes of 300 Kbytes to 500 Kbytes is not uncommon for higher quality images.

 

On the Lighter Side
 By Michael Lewis, C42, Wind Raven

Here is a humorous email thread I recently had with Stu McNaughton, C36, Tranquility.

From: Stu McNaughton
To: Michael Lewis
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 10:25 AM
Subject: Re: Repowering for sailboats

 

Hi Mike,

The website [for repowering your boat] is at http://www.bath.ac.uk/~ccsshb/12cyl/. It would be quite a change from the usual little Universal. The fuel tank would need to be enlarged also.

Stu

 

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

Checkout these links to more Northwest Catalina newsletters:

 

Meeting Notes

 

October's Presentation a Hit
By  Walt and Marilyn Wittke, C27, Senior Moments

I want to take this opportunity to especially thank Dale Mack, our Commodore, for his excellent presentation on Digital Photography 101 at our last meeting. If you missed it, it was one of our best educational meetings we have had. I am sure many of you realized how much time Dale took to produce this first rate PowerPoint presentation, complete with side-by-side pictures explaining pixels, optical and digital zoom, various camera batteries used, and many other high tech concepts. How can one compete with his wonderful mounted photo display of our club and the C22 club's activities? Dale, thanks so much. Maybe we can talk you into doing it again?

One of the benefits of belonging to a club such as ours is to exchange boating and other related knowledge. The October meeting alone provided knowledge that by it itself is worth far more than the $30/year we pay to keep the club active! In our club one of your fellow boaters probably has experienced the same repair or navigational experience, so we can all learn from each other. Plus you can not beat the camaraderie gained. If you are a Catalina owner and not a member yet, please join us soon. If you missed this excellent educational meeting, hopefully we will see you next time.

 

Plans for November's Meeting

What CRACA General Membership Meeting & Dinner

I hope you'll plan to attend and lend your ideas to what the Holiday Party should be and what our presence at the Portland Boat Show will look like.
 
Where Mar's Meadows Chinese Restaurant
9620 N Whitaker Rd
Portland, OR 97217
(503) 286-8888

view map

We have reserved the room in the back NW corner of the restaurant from 6 pm - 8:30 pm.  For those who have attended a SYSCO meeting, it is the same restaurant.

Directions:

Mar's Meadows is near West Marine.

  • If heading south on I-5 take exit 306
  • If heading north on I-5 take exit 306b
When Wednesday, November 19
  • 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm, have dinner and socialize
  • 7:00 pm - 7:15 pm, a short business meeting
  • 7:15 pm - 8:30 pm, CRACA Planning
Agenda CRACA Planning
  • Holiday Party @ RCYC
    • Itinerary
      • Dinner
      • Awards
      • Desert
      • Gift Exchange
    • Food
    • Decorations
    • Gift exchange
    • Food drive
    • Awards
    • Setup and cleanup
  • Portland Boat Show
    • Boat Show Liaison
    • Booth Design
    • Booth Location
    • CRACA Banner
    • CRACA Burgees on staffs
    • Table(s)
    • Table Cloth
    • Table Skirt
    • Chairs
    • Display Stands
    • Membership Brochures
    • Information Signup Sheets
    • Clipboards
    • Pens
    • Storage Bin
    • Scrapbook
    • Name Tags
    • Free Tickets for booth staff
    • Booth Setup and Cleanup
    • Other Ideas
      • Prize raffle for booth staff
      • TV & DVD playing slide show
      • << your idea here >>
  • Nominating Committee for next year's officers
    • Form Committee
    • Identify next steps
  • Boat Show Survivors Party in February
    • Any interest?
    • Possible location?

 

No General Membership Meeting in December

 

 

Plans for January's Meeting

What CRACA General Membership Meeting
 
Where TBD
 
When Wednesday, January 28
 
Program Reflections on a Cruise North

Bob Gales and Gail O'Neill, C30, Imagine, will present a 30 to 45 minute multimedia presentation of their cruise north in the summer of 2003.

 

Cruising

Some Good Fortune Experienced at Coon Island
By Jim Elieff, C30, Fortune

Jim Elieff, Dave Thomas, Marilyn, Michael Lewis, and Dave Peoples

Well the Halloween Cruise was a success, as far as Marilyn and I are concerned. The weather was perfect. Friday afternoon we cruised to McCuddy's Landing where we had dinner at Mark's on the Channel.  We were also joined by the Simons and the Macks.  Saturday started with breakfast at Mark's and then onto Coon Island.  We arrived at Coon Island about noon to find Michael and Kathleen Lewis had arrived Friday night . The temperature was in mid 70's all three days. Shorts and t-shirt weather for sure.

Michael Lewis laid out a GPS tour for us to travel around the island looking for clues, that was fun and we got to see all of the island this time.  We enjoyed the hike and needed the exercise.  A few people decorated their boats and themselves and were awarded prizes at the evening's campfire. Eleven boats in all participated in the cruise. On the trip home Marilyn and I sat on the deck by the mast with the remote and had a great sunny ride home. I hope more people come next year. Last year was just as nice but not as warm. Have a happy holiday and see you later.

 

Fall Colors on the Coon Island Cruise
By  Walt and Marilyn Wittke, C27, Senior Moments

Walt and Marilyn in her Halloween mask
enjoy the campfire.

The Wittkes had a wonderful trip on the club cruise this mouth down Multnomah Channel to Coon Island as well as I assume the other ten member boats. We loved looking at boat houses, the trees of various shade of yellow greens and the other fall foliage. Initially we were going to leave our home dock on Friday but we were delayed until Saturday morning because the bilge pump installation took longer than expected---still not done fully because float switch is not reliable. But worse was one of my stern scuppers is the real culprit. Someone replaced the hose with a thin walled hose which is hard to see and had collapsed so no water could go through. It has been this way ever since I owned the boat! When the other working scupper got plugged at Cascade Locks the bilge filled up. Fortunately we caught it before it overflowed into the cabin.

The Coon Island cruise was one of our best trips. Michael and Kathleen Lewis, thanks so much for the creative Geo-cache contest! Great idea to use our hand held GPS's. Besides finding the treasure it gave us valuable practice working navigation solutions on safe ground. Look for the instructional form in our scrap book. Most of the people left early Sunday morning to return home; however Jerry Sampson and Karen Clouse (C27, Sydera) left late Sunday afternoon for Hadley's Landing to stay the night. (see their story below) We stayed on at Coon Island for a beautiful afternoon and evening. We enjoyed motoring our dinghy to Gilbert River and back. Later I got in our dinghy again and took lots of pictures of the beautiful fall trees. Met a nice couple with a 23 foot C-Dory motorboat on the opposite side of the island, which looks like a mini Grand Banks that is trailerable and made in Kent, WA. Tried out "Mr. Heater" for the first time which worked well.

  ... the attendant had put gasoline instead of diesel in our tank.

Monday morning we awoke to cold, and foggy weather where the warmth of the heater was greatly appreciated. We waited around until the flood tide and sunny weather before leaving. Our only problem on the trip was when we topped off the tank. After leaving the fuel dock Marilyn wondered why the cost of fuel was so high. We motored back and found the attendant had put gasoline instead of diesel in our tank. [To avoid further confusion of the correct hose & nozzle, wouldn't it be a great idea, if they spray painted the nozzle florescent red for diesel?] Fortunately we only took on two gallons or so. They claimed it will not hurt anything so we motored home and arrived at the RR bridge just before dark. I'm glad we didn't have any fog or arrive after dark because there was a lot of big ships that also came in on the flood.

Here is Jerry & Karen's story. Love the picture Jerry took of the Lewis' dog.

To: Walt and Marilyn Wittke
Subject: The Cruise
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003


Jerry and Karen dressed up
for Halloween

Well we finally made it home. The fog was kind of there, wasn't it?

We got an e-mail from the Thomas' and they said they went down to their boat Monday afternoon and you were not back yet. It took us six hours getting back. We left Hadley's Landing on Monday at about 9:30 am after the fog started to lift. When we got to the Willamette River, we had zero visibility. We ran a compass course for a bit, but the river twists and turns so a compass is not much good. When a tug gave us the starboard to starboard signal and we could not see him we searched for the island side of the river and anchored for a hour. The fog lifted some but just as we were getting to Kelley Point it closed down again and we spent another hour on the anchor. Kind of an interesting trip but rather long. We got home about 3:30 pm.

Jerry

Here is a picture of an interesting dude that we ran into on the docks at Coon Island.

Michael and Kathleen Lewis' dog Bear

Report from the Coon Island Cruise
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

Bob Gales and Gail O'Neill's C30 Imagine decked out for Halloween.

You schedule a cruise in October knowing that you are taking your chances.  This was Laura and my second year leading the Halloween Cruise to Coon Island, and the weather was absolutely outstanding.

Our tradition aboard Celtic Myst with this cruise is to leave Friday evening and spend the night at McCuddy's Landing, where we can enjoy dinner at Mark's on the Channel, and the warmth of our electric heater plugged into the marina's shore power.

This year we were joined at McCuddy's by Jim Elieff and Marilyn, and Bill and Marla Simon.  Jim and Marilyn were finishing up dinner when we pulled in just after dark.  Running Multnomah Channel in the dark has unfortunately become the other Halloween Cruise tradition on Celtic Myst, but at least this time the backlight on the radar's screen was working, the bow watch and helm were connected with FRS radios, and the bow watch had a 2,000,000 candle power spot light.

We slept in on Saturday, and woke to bright sunny skies.  After showers ashore, we browsed the gift shop and marine exchange while others took advantage of brunch at Mark's.


Coon Island, East Dock

The trip from McCuddy's to Coon Island took about thirty minutes.  We arrived at noon and found a swift current running past the east docks.  Normally we would approach a dock by heading into the current, but since there was lots of empty dock space, we decided to have Laura practice approaching the dock going with the current.  The first thing you notice is that you are coming into the dock very fast.  Slowing down helps but once your boat's speed matches the current's velocity you lose steerage.  Once you lose steerage the current starts to pivot the boat if the rudder and keel aren't parallel to the current.  Attempt after attempt, we slowly learned how the various elements of current, boat speed, prop walk, rudder, and the angle of attack affected the results.  It was a great learning experience.

GPS Trek

While Laura hung out on the docks socializing, I picked up the instructions for the GPS course Michael Lewis had setup on the island.  Armed with my handheld GPS I decoded the clues to find the checkpoints for each leg of the course.  My first mistake on the course was not discovering sooner that my GPS was configured for hundredths of a minute instead of standard seconds.  This mistake caused me to explore parts of the southern end of the island not even on the course;-))  My second mistake was thinking the Commodore's boat was 42 feet long (clues at the first checkpoint required that you add the length of the Commodore's boat to the given coordinated to find the next checkpoint).  As a result of thinking Michael instead of me was the commodore, I got to explore the northern end of the island which it just so happened didn't contained any of the checkpoints.  Once Jim Elieff reminded me that the commodore's boat is 30 feet long, I was off to the next checkpoint.  I want to thank Michael for suggesting the idea for the GPS course, and actually putting it together.  It was a lot of fun, and I got to learn my GPS a little better.

Who Was There

Boats continued to arrive during the course of the afternoon.  In addition to several SYSCO boats that joined us for the cruise, we had eleven CRACA boats participating:

  1. David Keller, C27, River Rose
  2. Jerry Sampson & Karen Clouse, C27, Sydera
  3. Walt & Marilyn Wittke, C27, Senior Moments
  4. Bill & Marla Simon, C270, Windswept
  5. Jim Elieff & Marilyn, C30, Fortune
  6. Bob Gales & Gail O'Neill, C30, Imagine
  7. Dale & Laura Mack, C30, Celtic Myst (cruise host)
  8. Dave & Julie Thomas, C30, SunChaser
  9. Don & Pamela Evens, C320, Dream Catcher
  10. Michael & Kathleen Lewis, C42, Wind Raven
  11. Dave & Helen Peoples, C42, Jammin

Gail O'Neill and Bob Gales

In the afternoon everyone set out appetizers, which for many of us became a substitute for dinner (there was an amazing array of food). 

With a drink in one hand, and a plate of appetizers in the other, we wandered between the boats restocking our plates and enjoying the camaraderie of our fellow CRACA and SYSCO boating enthusiasts.

The Costumes

I always get a kick out of seeing who shows up to the potluck appetizers in costume.  We have and imaginative group in CRACA, and they never fail to surprise.

The Boats

From the Bob and Gail's "Ahoy-lloween" banner to Jerry and Karen's fiber optic pumpkin that changed colors, it was fun checking out the boat decorations.  As dusk turned into evening, on came the strings of Halloween lights strung on several of the boats.  Several of the boats also had lit pumpkins and various candle decorations.

Smores at the campfire.

Saturday evening was topped off with Smores at the campfire and the awarding of prizes for the top three carved pumpkins, and the top three decorated boats.

I want to thank everyone who attended the 2003 Halloween Cruise.  Laura and I enjoyed meeting you, and sharing an appetizer or two.  My special thanks goes to Michael Lewis for setting up the GPS course.

While I can't guarantee the same weather next year, I can highly recommend this cruise.  The fall color along Multnomah Channel is beautiful.  See you next year.

 

Sunset
 By Michael Lewis, C42, Wind Raven

Editor's Note:  Have you got a photo you'd like to share?  If so, send it to me.

Picture of Dave Peoples on his Catalina 42, Jammin at sunset off Cape Flattery this year returning to Portland.

Photo submitted by Michael Lewis.

 

Cruising Schedule Submitted for 2004
 By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

We've submitted our proposed cruising schedule for the 2004 season to Columbia River Yachting Association (CRYA).  We should hear back in December or January if any adjustments are needed.  I want to thank Jim Elieff for continuing to be our representative to the CRYA monthly meetings.

Assuming our schedule works out with CRYA, the 2004 Rendezvous will be at Coon Island.  For those looking for a great sail to the rendezvous, consider sailing to St. Helens and then traveling up Multnomah Channel to Coon Island.

January 3 -  11 Portland Boat Show
  16 - 25 Seattle Boat Show & Lake Union Boats Afloat Show
  28 (we) Meeting
February 21 (sa) Party:  Boat Show Survivors
March 24 (we) Meeting
April 17 (sa) West Marine Swap Meet
  17 Daysail:  After swap meet
  24 - 25 Cruise:  Gilbert River
  24 - 25 Race:  SYSCO Spring Regatta
  28 (we) Meeting at West Marine (Election of new officers)
May 15 (sa) Tomahawk Bay YC Swap Meet
  15 Daysail:  After swap meet
  21 - 23 Ladies Cruise:  Coon Island - East Dock
  26 (we) Meeting
  28 - 31 Cruise:  Martin Island
June 19 - 20 Government Island - East Dock
  23 (we) Meeting
July 17 - 18 Cruise:  Sand Island, St. Helens, Upper Dock
  31 - Aug 8 Cruise:  Cathlamet
August 14 - 15 Race:  SYSCO One-Design
  20 (fr) - 24 (we) Cruise:  Beacon Rock
  25 Meeting
September 11 - 12 Race:  SYSCO St. Helens
  17 (fr) - 19 (su) Cruise:  Catalina Rendezvous, Coon Island
  25 Daysail:  Sail for the Cure
October 23 - 24 Cruise:  Coon Island - East Dock
  27 (we) Meeting
November 17 (we) Meeting
December 11 Party:  Rose City Yacht Club

*Note:  We are still guessing on the dates for many of the area's events since they haven't been published yet.

 

Upcoming Events

November

  • 19 Monthly Meeting at Mar's Meadows Chinese Restaurant
  • 22-23, Cruise:  Government Island - East Dock

December

  • 13, Holiday Party at RCYC
  • No General Membership Meeting

January

See the calendar

The Columbia River All Catalina Association newsletter is published once a month online at ColumbiaRiverCatalina.org. Articles are the opinions of the authors and don't necessarily represent the consensus of the Association.