ColumbiaRiverCatalina.org		February 2005

From the Commodore
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

January turned out to be a lot milder than expected.  I spent part of the last two Sundays trying to sail aboard the Catalina 25 that won that 2004 Catalina 25 National Regatta in Portland.  Try was the operative word as the weather turned out to be too nice.

The first attempt was on a beautiful Sunday with sunny skies, warm weather, and the flattest water you could ever hope for as a water skier.  The complete lack of wind nixed any hopes of sailing, so I hopped aboard Celtic Myst and worked on some line whipping tasks leftover from switching my traveler over from 4:1 to 5:1.

The second attempt the following Sunday got us on the water and actually under sail.  My invitation to sail came from Doug Dillon, 2004 C25 National Champion, and member of Island Sailing Club (ISC) at Tomahawk Bay Moorage.  After the 2004 season crewing for Terry Annis aboard his C25, Lematike, I was looking forward to the sail with Doug, and the opportunity to see how the boat was setup.

We rendezvoused at the marina by noon, and were greeted with the same beautiful conditions that had met us the weekend before.  It was feeling more like S.F. Bay area winter conditions than Portland.  While our expectations were low that we'd be sailing, we still heading off to the ISC clubhouse.  An inspection of the wind vanes at the top of the masts on the walk down the dock showed that something was happening out on the water albeit light.

We were the only sail on the water.  We'd motored just upstream of Ryan Point and hoisted the spinnaker.  At times we'd hold our own against the current, but mostly we gave up ground in the light conditions.  Sailing in the winter is a treat, and I'll take what I can get.  When the sails for Celtic Myst are squirreled away at home awaiting the new season, and the Catalina 22 sits on its trailer, it's nice to have the opportunity to go sailing instead of stilling at home reading about it.

Boat Show Survivors Party

In place of our February meeting, CRACA is holding a party for the members of CRACA, C22 Fleet 20, and C25/250 Fleet 94 on Sunday, February 27th.  More details can be found later in the newsletter.

CRACA Charter Change

Members of CRACA should have received, via email, a proposed change to the CRACA charter being sponsored by the Executive Committee.

Three changes are proposed along with some minor edits.  The first change would shift to the end of the year the handoff of outgoing officers and incoming officers.  The second change would provide the Executive Committee some room to plan the frequency of meetings.  The third adds sponsorship of Catalina Rendezvous to the charter.

----- #1 Electing Officers in the Fall

The term of our current officers comes to an end on April 30, 2005. What that means is that the CRACA schedule for 2005 is executed by those who may not have had a hand in creating it, particularly in the area of cruising dates, since the dates must be submitted to CRYA no later than December 1st.

The Executive Committee is proposing we elect officers in October and install them in November with their term of office starting December 1st. This approach is used by several local boating clubs, and it allows the incoming officers to plan the coming year's schedule as their first order of business.

----- #2 Annual Awards Banquet

CRACA has struggled trying to create a tradition of handing out annual awards to its membership.  From recognition of service to The Association, to accomplishments on the water, the Executive Board would like to weave this into the fabric of CRACA.  Although not required, the Annual Awards Banquet could serve as an opportunity to welcome our incoming officers and thank our outgoing officers.  As for awards, we might investigate the creation of a number of recognition awards.  Here are a few examples just to help you understand what is being envisioned:

•       Bent Propeller (funniest mishap with a boat)

•       Cruising (minimum point total to qualify)

•       Cruising Family of the Year

•       Cruising Couple of the Year

•       CRACA Member of the Year

The charter changes around meetings/gatherings is aimed at giving the Executive Committee the freedom to focus CRACA activities in areas of greatest interest to the membership.

----- #3 Catalina Rendezvous

The Annual Catalina Rendezvous has been added to the list of things the Entertainment Committee arranges.  This event has become a tradition with CRACA, so it seems appropriate to call it out in the charter.

Please review the charter changes and vote.  You may vote using email (approve or disapprove), or wait until the CRACA General Meeting/Party on Sunday, February 27th.

The new CatalinaMorgan 440 Salon Cruiser CRACA & C25 Fleet 94 members Nate Hanson (C25, Leucothea), Kathie Annis (C25, Lematike), Terry Annis, and Margaret Hanson viewing the boats at the Lake Union Boats Afloat Show.

The Seattle Boat Shows

The indoor Seattle Boat Show at the Qwest Field Event Center (near Safeco Field) and the outdoor Lake Union Boats Afloat Show at Chandler's Cove drew me north on the first Saturday of the shows.  Unlike others, I managed to stay ahead of the cold front that brought snow and ice to the Portland area, and I saw dry pavement all the way to my Seattle exit.

The indoor show was bigger than ever and made a good first stop.  Although dominated by powerboats, it continues to be a great place to talk to sailing and electronics manufacturing reps and dealers, and chartering companies.

I spent the afternoon at the Boats Afloat Show where I ran into the Annis' and the Hansons on the very slushy docks.  After talking about what we had seen, we made dinner plans to get together later that evening.

The Boats Afloat Show was definitely the place to see Catalina Yachts, although it was strange to see nothing smaller than a C320.  One of the treats of the show was the opportunity to walk around hull #2 of the new CatalinaMorgan 440 Salon Cruiser.  It's a beautiful boat inside and out, although the raised cabin challenged my sense of what a Catalina Yacht should look like.  Check out the Catalina Yachts website for pictures of the CatalinaMorgan 440.

Nominations for CRACA Officers in 2005

Here's where we stand in terms of putting together a slate of officers to vote on at April's meeting:

I'm still looking for a Vice Commodore and a Cruising Chairman to work with Bob.  If you're interested please contact me:

Dale Mack
360-260-4196

Portland Boat Show a Success
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

From the planning, design, and setup, to the incredible number of Catalina owners who step forward to staff the booth, pulling together our participation at the Portland Boat Show always amazes me how it all comes together in the end.

Each year brings something new to our display, and this year we had three.  For visual splash, we had a laminated banner made that should last for years.  Catalina 25/250 Fleet 94 provided a poster board festooned with beautiful action shots from the 2004 C25/250 National Regatta.  And our own Walt Wittke (C27, Senior Moments)  completed a scrap book of our activities over the past few years.

Joining the new items were repeat performances by the CRACA and Catalina 22 Fleet 20 photo poster boards hanging on a PVC pipe display stand, a DVD displaying Catalina photos on a television, a C22 Fleet 20 photo album, and CRACA's previous scrap book.  Printed materials included brochures from all three Catalina clubs, and information sign-up sheets for those wishing to be added to our email distribution list.

There was a lot of Catalina camaraderie to be enjoyed in staffing the booth.  Both Catalina owners and non-owners stopped by to ask questions.  Sharing stories of cruising, racing, and shore side events never fails to capture everyone's interest.

What About the Show

While aluminum fishing sleds, PWC, and ski boats abound, the organizers of the show continue to demonstrate a strong interest in the local sailing community.  Augmenting the displays by local sailboat brokers and builders, is an amazing amount of display space provided free of charge to non-profit sailing organizations like CRACA.  In fact, most of the sails visible in the area belonged to various local racing fleets.  As I've become more involved in the local sailing scene, I find that half the fun of going to the boat show is just hanging out with other sailors and talking about boats.

Thoughts about Next Year

Next year we are hoping to be closer to the other sailing associations.  Since we have several members who also belong to the Oregon Women's Sailing Association, a booth next to OWSA would be our first choice, followed by being next to the Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO).

Thank You Volunteers

Thank you, the members of CRACA, C22 Fleet 20 and C25 Fleet 94, for volunteering to staff the Catalina Owners booth at the Portland Boat Show.  I also want to give special thanks to Bill Simon (C270, Windswept) for handling all the arrangements with the show's organizers and securing us the tickets.

Boat Show Volunteers

Notes from the Secretary/Treasurer
By Debbie Martin, C30, Zonkers

Our membership currently stands at 54 boats.

Membership renewal notices will be mailed out no later than March 1st. 

Report from January's Meeting
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

America's Waterway Watch

We hadn't had a general membership meeting since October, so the question of whether anyone would show up had to be lingering in some minds.  Our Vice Commodore, Jim Himes, selected Pizza Mia just off of Marine Drive for January's meeting.

At 6:00 pm folks started trickling in for dinner and socializing before the evening's program, which was scheduled to start at 7:00 pm.  In addition to the fine conversation, several Catalina enthusiasts were seen browsing through the back issues of the Mainsheet magazine which were being given away free at the meeting.

Terry Annis and I shared a pizza as we talked about his new role as the Vice Commodore and Race Captain for SYSCO.  Before we were done, Terry managed to get me to volunteer to help organized SYSCO's annual Race Clinic which is aimed at new racers.  By the way, the race clinic is open to anyone, and it is scheduled for Thursday, March 31st (classroom session) and Friday, April 1 (on the water session).  Our March newsletter will have more details like place, time, and training agenda.

The 7:00 pm program for the evening was about the new America's Waterway Watch program.  Michael Lewis brought brochures, stickers, and a 20 minute DVD about the program that we watch on the two wall mounted televisions.  Despite some strange audio problems that plagued the viewing of the DVD, we learned some astonishing details about real-life cases of individuals with connections to terrorist organizations who were arrested after they were caught photographing, videotaping, or recording the activities of bridges, ports, and ships.

The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the United States Coast Guard, and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.

LOOK FOR AND REPORT:

• Suspicious waterfront loitering

• Forcible access

• Persons photographing, taping or sketching

• Boaters seeming to be forcibly controlled

• Liquids being poured into reservoirs or lakes

• Apparently dangerous loads and/or cargoes

• Items that appear to be weapons or explosives

• Boats loitering under bridges or by locks or dams

• Diving operations near any critical infrastructure

• Boats or divers in naval protection zones

• Note appearance, size, coloring of individuals

• Note type of boat, car, registration, etc.

• If diving is involved, note color of equipment

Report what you see to 1-877-24-WATCH (1-877-249-2824)

 

Boat Show Survivors Party

February 27.  In place of February's general membership meeting, CRACA is hosting the Boat Show Survivors Party.  You're encouraged to bring your digital photos to share.

What	Boat Show Survivors Party Open to the families of CRACA, Catalina 22 Fleet 20, and Catalina 25/250 Fleet 94. RSVP Dave Peoples dpeoples@canby.com 503-286-7775 Give the number attending so Dave can buy the correct amount of food.
Where	The home of Dave & Helen Peoples 6921 S. Zimmerman Rd Aurora, OR  97002 503-286-7775
When	Sunday, February 27th 3:00 pm, Party Starts 4:30 pm, Dinner
Activities	Activities will be determined later but could include: Speed knot trying Blind fold knot tying A GPS course (bring a GPS with you) For the younger sailors in the family a pool table and foosball is available if they don't want to hang with the adults.  Also available is a collection of more than 250 DVDs that can be viewed on the big screen TV. Make a day of it by visiting the Aurora Colony antique shops and Museum before the party. http://www.auroracolony.com/
Menu	CRACA is providing: Smoked Prime Rib BBQ Alder Planked Salmon Roasted Vegetables Green Salad Spinach Salad Desert Soft Drinks Napkins, cups, plates, utensils, trash bags, etc. NOTE:  Guests are welcome to bring beer and wine, but for liability reasons CRACA can't provide these.

Racing Season Kickoff Party
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

February 26.  The Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association (OCSA) is hosting a Racing Season Kickoff Party at the Portland Yacht Club.  The is a great opportunity to rub elbows with other racers.

OCSA is providing pizza and soda from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm, and the event is open to everyone; racer and non-racer alike.

For those that haven't done so already, you can pick up your 2005 Race Book and race course chart for $15 (an OCSA membership is included in the $15).

Transmission Fluid Change
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

From my teenage years of always maintaining everything about my cars, to my adult years of letting Jiffy Lube handle the fluid changes, I'm finding as I start my fourth year of Catalina 30 ownership that boat stewardship has a lot in common with those older cars.  In an era where microprocessors are in everything from cell phones to microwave ovens, my Universal M25XP three-cycle diesel is still microprocessor free, and thus more inviting to DIY'ers like me.

I follow the hours of use and calendar time approach to preventive maintenance on my boat.  One of those areas is regularly changing the engine's transmission fluid.  While the transmission has a drain, like most things on a boat, it means trying to capture everything in a container or an absorbent material like a disposal diaper (more on disposal diapers in a future article).  If you make a mistake it's in the bilge.

Instead of using the drain plug, I remove the old fluid from the top through the fill hole using an inexpensive kitchen baster I modified with a piece of clear vinyl tubing.  The process is so easy now, I've begun changing the fluid more frequently than required by the manufacture.

Catalina Newsletters of the Northwest

Checkout these links to Northwest Catalina newsletters and local racing:

Catalina 22 Fleet 20 of Portland www.C22pdx.org Sail Portland www.sailpdx.com

Catalina Assoc. 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

February

• 26, OCSA Season Kick-off @ PYC (open to all)
  • 3-6 pm, pizza & soda provide.  You can pickup the 2005 Race Book.
• 27, Boat Show Survivors Party

March

• 19, Cruise:  Vancouver Landing (day sail rendezvous)
• 23, Meeting @ TBD
• 31, SYSCO Race Clinic @ TBD

See the calendar