ColumbiaRiverCatalina.org		March 2004

From the Commodore
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

I hope your boat came through the winter well.  The improving weather and rising temperatures has created that natural tension between yard and boat projects around the Mack household.

I want to thank everyone who attended the Boat Show Survivors Party held in lieu of our February meeting.  The Willamette Yacht Club was a nice venue for the event, which was attended by over fifty members.

One of the unadvertised perks of being commodore of a club that belongs to the Columbia River Yachting Association is that you get invited to all these Commodore Balls from all the other member clubs of CRYA.  I couldn't figure out why I was receiving the invitations (I hadn't received them in the past) until about the eighth one arrived and it occurred to me that it must be because I'm the current CRACA Commodore.  Since several of the invitations mentioned that I and my first lady were invited to attend at no charge, I'm wondering whether we can  use them as carrots when trying to find a candidate to run as Commodore (just kidding).

At the end of February I ran Celtic Myst up to Bartlett Landing (a.k.a. Government Island, East Dock) to checkout the progress on the new docks.  Despite being overcast, it was a beautiful day.

Awesome is the only word that came to mind to describe want I encountered.  I've include a short story on what I found later in the newsletter.

Cruising

We are primarily a cruising club and to that end we sponsor a number of cruises to local destinations.  This year's cruising schedule skipped March due to low turn out in 2003, so our first overnight cruise is to Bartlett Landing (Government Island, East Dock), April 24-25.  This cruise destination is a change from our originally published Gilbert Island destination, which no one volunteered to host.  I've checked the CRYA 2004 Cruise Schedule and no other club has an "official" cruise to Bartlett Landing April 24-25.

CRACA likes to have a Cruise Host identified for each cruise as a way of providing those interested in attending with a single point of contact for asking questions, and hearing about additional details related to the cruise.  The service is especially important to families who haven't been to the destination before because they typically have lots of questions from what to bring to local knowledge about tides, berthing, anchoring, and bottom conditions.

As you'll see later in the newsletter, we still have several cruises in need of a Cruise Host.  I'll be asking our Cruise Officer, Jim Elieff, to start calling folks in an effort to fill the remaining slots by our April meeting.

Nominees for CRACA Officers

I want to thank the efforts of our nominating committee for finding volunteers to run for office.  The Nominating Committee (Jim Himes, Kelly Martin, and Jim Elieff) have submitted a slate of officers for the membership to vote on at our April meeting.

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

Please welcome our newest members:

Jon and Joanne Mangum of Portland

Catalina 42, Hulakai, berthed at Tomahawk Bay
The Mangums live aboard their boat.

Larry Wintermeyer from Keizer, OR

Catalina 42, Down Wind Drifter, berthed at RCYC

Reminders

Dues renewal notices have been mailed and many have already been returned. Thanks to all who have rejoined.

Kathleen Lewis, email sewingmaven@msn.com

Hospitality/Boat Time
By Dave Peoples (Hospitality Officer), C42, Jammin'

Hospitality/Boat Time--not unlike "Island Time":
A Massage for the Mind

You can live in a neighborhood for years and never know your neighbors, but dock your boat, visit it often during the year, and you have a circle of support and new friends. I don't know if it is just in a boater's nature to be friendly or natural curiosity but boat neighbors speak more freely than fence neighbors on land. Stories, equipment, hor'dourves, advice, beverages and books are exchanged, and before you know it what you intended to do on your boat gets pushed to that illusive time known as "tomorrow" or "next time".

We may not use the boat as often as we like, but every trip out to see it and "work" on it has yielded another friendly conversation with other boat people. So as March approaches and spring cleaning the slime crosses our minds, remember to put some snacks together for that trip to the boat and keep in mind a conversation massages the mind and there is always "tomorrow" in the mind of boat people.

We’ve Signed On for Another Big Year with BoatU.S.!

The BoatU.S. Cooperating Group Program (BoatUS.com) has proven so popular with members that CRACA has renewed our “partnership” for another year.

Because of this special arrangement, you get 50% off when you join the nation’s largest Association of recreational boat owners. You pay one-half of the regular BoatU.S. dues of $19.00—only $9.50 a year!

If you’re already a BoatU.S. Member, you can now renew your Membership at the low $9.50 rate.

BoatU.S. Membership benefits include:

• An effective lobby that fights unfair taxes, fees and government regulations that single out boat owners.
• Discounts and Member Rewards with purchases.
• Discounts on fuel, overnight slips or repairs at more than 700 marinas.
• Low-cost, high-protection boat insurance, included.
• On-the-Water Towing, with your choice of service levels—from $50 per incident (included with Membership) up to Unlimited Service—provided by the nation’s largest towing network.
• BoatU.S. Magazine—a full year’s subscription is included with Membership!

If you are renewing your BoatU.S. Membership, be sure to mention our Co-op Group # GA84677B to get the special $9.50 rate.

Composting toilet

Bartlett Landing Facelift
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

We reported in the February newsletter that Bartlett Landing (a.k.a. Government Island, East Dock) was scheduled to be renovated.  Late in February I decided to check it out.

All the old wood pilings, dolphins, docks, and ramp have been removed.  Sitting in their place is an exquisite new facility with metal pilings, concrete docks, and an aluminum ramp that will float in case of very high river flows.  Upriver of the docks is a series of pilings and a log boom designed to deflect or trap debris that might damage the facility.

A pair of parallel docks replaces the old arrangement.  The outer dock is twelve feet wide, and the inner dock nearest the shore is ten feet wide.  The docks have been located further from the shore which should help keep the landing popular even during low water times.

Shore side there are fire pits, BBQ stands, and picnic tables.  The sandy beaches are great for walks, and the abundance of trees provides lots of shade in the summer.

The two new composting toilets located at the landing set the standard by which similar facilities should be judged.  They are well lit by way of translucent roof  panels, and very clean (at least when I visited).

Bartlett Landing is less than a two hour motor upriver from the I-5 bridge.  I suspect with all the improvements, the landing's popularity will only increase.

As mentioned earlier, we've changed the destination of our April 24-25 cruise from Gilbert River to Bartlett Landing. 

Looking ahead on the schedule, CRACA has a planned cruise to Bartlett Landing on June 19-20, and the Cruise Hosts are Michael and Kathleen Lewis (C42, Wind Raven).

Looking for Cruise Hosts

Catalina 30 Racing
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

Three boats have so far signed up for the SYSCO Spring Regatta, April 24-25.  The boats include:

• Bob Gales, Imagine, #5217
• Duane Christensen, Stormy Weather, #1418
• Dale Mack, Celtic Myst, #6382

Here are some links to more information on the regatta and on local racing:

• Race Notice
  • http://www.c22pdx.org/racing/SYSCOSpringRegatta.htm
• Race Entry Form
  • http://www.c22pdx.org/racing/OCSAraceform.pdf
• Race Instructions
  • http://www.c22pdx.org/racing/OCSASailingInstr.htm
• Race Committee Instructions
  • http://www.c22pdx.org/racing/OCSARaceCmteChecklist.htm

Our February 21st Boat Show Survivors Party was well attended.  CRACA provided pizza,  dessert, non-alcoholic beverages along with plates, cups, napkins, utensils, etc.  I want to personally thank Kelly and Debbie Martin (C30, Zonkers) for making the Costco run that brought to the party everything but the pizza.  Several members brought beer and wine to share with their fellow CRACA members.

The Willamette Yacht Club facility on the water at Tomahawk Bay Moorage was very nice and well outfitted with everything we needed.  We're hoping to use the WYC clubhouse for some of the activities associated with our rendezvous in September.

I'd also like to thank those that came early to help setup and those that stayed late to tear down and clean up.  It was a fun evening, and definitely worth considering for becoming a permanent fixture on the CRACA schedule.

What	General Membership Meeting This is a bring your own beverage and dinner event.  The grills at RCYC will be hot and ready for your use.  The evening is primarily social in nature.  There will be a brief business meeting followed by more socializing and some special interest group discussions regarding some exciting upcoming CRACA events.
Where	Rose City Yacht Club www.RoseCityYachtClub.org 3737 NE Marine Drive Portland, OR  97211 503-282-2049
When	Wednesday, March 24th 6:00 pm Dinner 7:00 Program
Program	Agenda All Catalina Rendezvous.  Seeking volunteers to help organize the event. Gilbert River Cruise.  Discuss plans for the April cruise, and identify a Cruise Host. Catalina 30 Racing.  Plans for the Spring Regatta

What	General Membership Meeting This meeting will be held at the North Sails loft. After a brief business meeting to elect our new CRACA officers, sail loft owner Kerry Poe will discuss sail trim and sail care.  For those who don't have time to eat before the meeting, Kerry has offered to setup a BBQ if you'd like to bring something to cook, or you're welcome to bring something ready to eat.
Where	North Sails Oregon www.northsailsoregon.com 7911 NE 33rd Dr. Portland, OR 97211 503-282-4282
When	Wednesday, April 28th 6:00 - 7:00 pm, Dinner & Social 7:00 - 8:30 pm, Election & Program
Program	Sails Sail trim, care, and selection.  Kerry said he'll pull together something targeted at cruisers like CRACA.

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

Checkout these links to Northwest Catalina newsletters and local racing:

Catalina 22 Fleet 20 of Portland

• www.C22pdx.org

Catalina 25 Fleet 94 of Portland

• home.comcast.net/~fleet94/

Catalina Association of Tacoma and South Sound (CATSS)

• home.earthlink.net/~catss/CATSS Web Page.htm

Catalina Association of Puget Sound (CAPS)

• capsfleet1.com/News Letters.htm

Small Yacht Sailing club of Oregon (SYSCO)

• www.sailpdx.com/sysco.htm

Sail Portland

• www.sailpdx.com

March

• 24, General membership meeting @ Rose City Yacht Club

April

• 17, West Marine Swap Meet
• 17, Daysail after swap meet
• 24-25, SYSCO Spring Regatta
• 24-25, Bartlett Landing Cruise
• 28, General membership meeting @ North Sails Oregon

See the calendar