COLUMBIA RIVER
CATALINA RENDEZVOUS

Sand Island - East Docks (St. Helens)

September 17 & 18, 2005

Cost:  Free

Arrival:  Commodore Bob Gales plans to arrive on Thursday, set up CRACA signs and fend off non-Catalina intruders;-)).  More boats will plan to arrive Friday with all meals/activities on our own.  Most boats will probably arrive on Saturday, late morning through early afternoon. 

CRACA Organized Activities

Saturday:

• Various non-mandatory but fun activities throughout the day.
• POTLUCK HAPPY HOUR around 4/5 p.m.  Bring appetizers to share and your own beverage.
• Saturday dinner will be on your own.
• POTLUCK DESSERT around 7/8 p.m. on shore.  Bring a dessert to share and your own after-dinner drink.  Music, story telling, group hug at the dessert bonfire.
• We want a water taxi service for those boatless members/guests for Saturday and Sunday.  Volunteers?

Sunday:

• POTLUCK breakfast Sunday morning.

Beacon Rock Cruise
August 18, 19, 20, 21

CRACA continues its August tradition.  Join us for a Thursday through Sunday adventure.

Six Pac Adventure to Astoria
The Race that is a Cruise
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

I encountered the Six Pac two years ago when Celtic Myst was on its first downriver cruise.  This year when Laura's Mary Kay business commitments looked like I'd be proceeding without her as I made summer cruise plans I began considering participating in the Six Pac.  Sponsored by the Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association (OCSA) and held on odd numbered years, the Six Pac represents six days of racing for the serious folks and three days for the cruisers.  I wasn't looking for a race, but sailing in the company of others is always appealing.

I invited my friend Jim, a former colleague from our days in Boise, to sail with me and share the adventure.  Jim's had a varied career from being a commercial guide on the Colorado River, to being a National Park Service Ranger, but he's never done much sailing.

Saturday, 7/23 (Portland to Sand Island, St. Helens)

Jim and I were underway from Tomahawk Bay Moorage at 10 am and joined a flotilla of fellow Six Pac participants heading to the RR bridge.  After a brief wait for an opening, and we were off for daymark "51" which represented one end of the starting line.

There were three starts.  Six "go fast" serious racers were in the first, three Cal 20's were in the second, and seventeen Cruising Class boats were in the third.

The third start was off by 11:15 am, and our conservative strategy worked and we were nearly the last boat to cross;-))  It was a sunny day and the wind was blowing 12-14 knots apparent and building.  One advantage of starting at the back of the pack is that you get lots of opportunity to compare how well you are sailing the boat as you work your way up through the pack.

The wind continued to build and before long we were sailing in winds steady at 22-23 knots apparent, with gusts 25-26 knots.  With Jim nursing an injured back I kept him on the helm while I managed the winches.  In the high winds I found my arms nearly gone by the halfway mark.  Since I had been doing more than twenty winch revolutions per tack, there was no way I was going to get us to Sand Island if something didn't change.  Although Jim was new to sailing, he picked up the helm duties quickly and his tacks were becoming quite good.  To help me reach the finish line, I showed Jim how he could help me by luff up just momentarily after each tack to give me a chance to get the headsail trimmed in without so many revolutions on the winches.  The new technique was quickly mastered, and I was suddenly working half as much on each tack.  From the starting line to the finish, we performed fifty-two (52) tacks and crossed the line at 3:15 pm.  While the course was officially 16.5 nautical miles (nm), our GPS showed that the distance actually sailed was 21.6 nm.

For boats with children along (there were many), the Oregon Women's Sailing Association (OWSA) organized a treasure hunt on the island.  Judging from all the pirates running around, it was a hit.

Back on the docks 6:00 pm signaled the start of the potluck appetizers.  What a feast and what variety.  It was hard to believe most folks had spent four hours sailing based on all the goodies coming out of their boats.

Onboard Celtic Myst, dinner consisted of grilled New York steaks, Caesar Salad, and Artisan Bread.  Thanks to Gary Bruner we got to grill the steaks instead of pan frying them.  I discovered that I had left the disposal propane canisters in the dock box.  Not only did Gary loan me a propane canister, but he showed me that it could be safely left aboard by storing it in the anchor locker which drains overboard.  My practice had been to store the canisters in a bag on deck; no more, thanks Gary.

Sunday, 7/24 (Sand Island to Cathlamet)

The next leg of the race had us starting at buoy "75", downriver from Sand Island, and finishing at daymark "1" near Stella, Washington.  With the racing scheduled to start at 10 am, most participants departed Sand Island between 9:00-9:15 am.  Aboard Celtic Myst, we were still in make and consume coffee mode so we didn't get underway until 9:40 am.  We reached the starting area at 10 am which guaranteed we'd not be ready for our 10:15 am start.  We were the last boat to start, in fact the race committee had already pulled up their anchor and headed off to Stella before we reached buoy "75".

In winds of 12-14 knots apparent and building, we started the race with a reefed main.  The morning was gorgeous with sunny skies, flat water, and the promise of a great day of sailing.  Jim and I were much more coordinated in our tacks, and while our technique of luffing up to assist me in trimming in the headsail cost us a little on each tack, it was a lifesaver in terms getting me to the finish line with something left in my arms.  One aspect of the technique we had to be mindful of was that you could overshoot and backwind the headsail so much that you couldn't recover and then would be forced to tack back.  Fortunately it didn't happen too many times.

Near the decommissioned Trojan Nuclear power plant we shook out the reef as the wind had dropped to 8-10 apparent.

As we focused on our tacks, we began catching and passing boats as we worked our way through the fleet on the way to the finish.  An interesting phenomenon we noticed was as we drew closer to other boats they started to become more attentive to sail trim for a while until we pass them.  In fact this one 36 footer had been happily sailing downstream with two in the cockpit until we drew near.  Suddenly there's two manning the winches, one on the mainsail and the helmsman;-))

We reached the Longview bridge at 1:22 pm.  The wind was once again building and we soon found ourselves sailing in 17-19 knots apparent with gusts to 21 knots.  Our increasingly coordinated tacks continued to play off as we passed a Newport 33, a Cal 34, and were closing on a Beneteau 42 when we crossed the finish line a daymark "1" near Stella, Washington.

Race Committee near Stella

From the starting line to the finish, we performed sixty (60) tacks and crossed the line at 2:45 pm.  While the course was officially 22 nautical miles (nm), our GPS showed that the distance actually sailed was 30 nm.  Considering the longer distance sailed it was amazing we only had eight more tacks than the previous day.  This was my first time sailing this stretch of the river and I was very impressed.  Nice wind and long tacks, at least as river sailing goes.

From the finish line at Stella, we motored to Cathlamet, covering 14.7 nm in about two hours.  Another first for me was taking the Cathlamet Channel.  There was no one to follow so I relied on my chart and the depth sounder.  Not being in possession of knowledge related to the location of the famous white painted sheet of plywood, I proceed on with my GPS laying tracks should I need to reverse course.  Here's the results of my passage:

• Passed between daymark "8" and the Washington shore line.
• Tide about +6 at Cathlamet and rising.
• Chart showed the deeper water followed the Washington shore so that's what I did.
• Much to my surprise as I was nearing the point where I planned to turn toward green buoy "7A" I spotted a tree near the road with a 4x4 sheet of white painted plywood attached to it.  Turned left toward buoy "7A".  Heading toward the southern side of Cathlamet Channel.
• Near buoy "7A" I found my shallowest water (15 ft).  Turned right toward buoy "7".
• At buoy "7" turned right toward buoy "5" (buoy "5" wasn't on my chart or my GPS chartplotter).  Heading back to the northern side of Cathlamet Channel.
• At buoy "5" turned slightly left toward red buoy "6"
• At buoy "6" followed the Washington shoreline towards the bridge.
• Passed under the bridge between the northern shore and the most northern bridge support.
• Entered the Elochoman Slough about 5 pm with the tide at +7.  The channel was dredged this year.  I found 18 feet in the channel and 16 feet at the marina entrance.

Ashore the Portland Yacht Club (PYC) hosted a bring your own meat BBQ with PYC providing everything else.  Onboard Celtic Myst, dinner consisted of grilled prawns, Caesar Salad, and Artisan Bread.

Monday, 7/25 (Cathlamet to Astoria):  Monday was a lay day in the Six  Pac (no racing).  Racing would commence again for the non-Cruising Class participants on Tuesday, so Monday was all about getting to Astoria before the afternoon wind kicked in.  Two years Laura and I departed for Astoria at noon, and it was tough motoring into the swells.  This time I was determined to seek a more comfortable ride.

The Jaeckel's Catalina 30 Mistress II heading upriver.

We were underway at 7 am under beautiful skies and moving through flat water.  As we neared the Astoria-Megler Bridge we crossed paths with the Jaechels heading upriver aboard their C30, Mistress II.

We reached the West Basin at 10:20 am and pulled into slip B87 (nearly at the end of B row).  At times while motoring down the Astoria waterfront the GPS showed us moving at ten knots over the ground.  We covered 23.1 nm motoring to Astoria.

Berthing was $15/night + $3/night if you wanted shore  power.  The marina shower required quarters to operate, and the nearby Waterfront Trolley was $1 one way, or $2 for an all day pass.

Astoria Waterfront Trolley

The West Basin has wireless Internet (WiFi) coverage compliments of the Red Lion Inn.  All I had to do was go to the main office and they provided me a free user id and login.  Nothing like being on cruise while still bidding on stuff listed with eBay;-))  Seriously, the WiFi was great because you could check the weather daily, use your email, and checkout some of the local areas of interest before ever stepping off the boat.

Tuesday, 7/26 (Astoria): 

While the serious racers went out and challenged themselves in the waters off the Astoria waterfront in race #3 of the Six Pac, Jim and I along most everyone else in the Cruising Class explored Astoria.  Getting to the main part of town wasn't bad.  Even when you missed the trolley, the walk along the trolley tracks was very nice.   In the two years since my last boat trip to Astoria, paved walking paths had been constructed.

Jim and I visited the Columbia River Maritime Museum which I can highly recommend.  Lunch was fish and chips across the street at the "Bowpicker".  Imagine a wooden former fishing boat about thirty feet in length, sitting on a boat trailer, with a set a stairs to the cabin where a nice lady takes your order and fries it up on the spot; now you've got a sense of the "Bowpicker".  At ground level, we ate our lunch at the boat's stern under at large shade tree while seated at a picnic table enjoying a view of the river.

After the museum Jim and I split up.  I encountered Gary Bruner (C25, Encore!) on one of the trolley trestles on the way back to the boat.  From the trestle you had a view of the upriver/downwind mark of the race course and Gary was watching boats drop their spinnakers and start fighting upwind against the incoming flood.  When I got back to the boat at 4 pm the wind inside the marina was blowing 20 knots.

While many Six Pac crews headed off to the Wet Dog Cafe for a Prime Rib dinner organized by the Six Pac, Jim and I opted to visit the Silver Salmon Grille.  Our meal was absolutely wonderful, and the ambience of the restaurant was first rate with its fine woods, brick, decor, and attentive staff.

Wednesday, 7/27 (Astoria Cup Regatta): 

I crewed on Gary Bruner's C25, Encore!, along with Gary's friend John, and Leanne, a crewmember from the Six Pac Race Committee boat who was interested in some racing experience.  The Astoria Cup Regatta, sponsored by Schooner Creek Boat Works, was optional for the Six Pac Cruising Class, and we went into it with no illusions about how we'd do against the likes of a race-prepared Mumm 30, other very competitive Six Pac racers or the local boats from Astoria.  The purpose was to go out and have some fun.

The wind had been building all week so I was considering showing up to Encore! in my foul weather gear in anticipation of wet conditions because of the lumpy seas.  As I watched the crew of the local boat Wild Hare get prepared all dressed in their matching red t-shirts and khaki shorts I figured they knew something I didn't so I left the foul weather gear aboard Celtic Myst.  BIG MISTAKE as I would learn later.

The race committee was anchored west of the bridge and using buoy "33" as one end of the start/finish line.  The course was two laps, with the first leg windward to a downstream buoy, and then a long downwind leg upriver to a buoy on the east side of the bridge.

Did I mention that the seas were lumpy.  Running an average of  six feet with occasional crest to trough distances of 10+ feet we had a wild ride.  The wind was blowing steady at 20-25 knots with gusts in the 25-30 knot range.  I left the wind instruments on aboard Celtic Myst, and inside the marina the instruments registered a gust of 26 knots.  Encore! spent most of its time heeled over 30-35 degrees going to windward, as Gary fought to maintain power in the sails so we could punch through the swells.

This was the most physically punishing race I had ever been in.  For three hours we chased the faster boats.  I served as the bowman which meant I helped get sails up and down, helped the 135 Genoa through the tacks and managed the bow tasks during the downwind legs.  Windward, Leanne and I would sit on the rail and shortly into the race we were completely soaked.  On more than one occasion we watched the boat climb to the top of a crest as the water disappeared from the front half of the boat and for a moment we found ourselves suspended in air until the bow dipped toward the trough.  Since Leanne and I endured most the impact of the water coming over the bow, we eventually got to a point where we'd see them coming and she'd turn and look at me with a smile on her face, I'd smile back, we'd dip our heads and wait for the wave.

Gary offered to drop out of the race on the last downwind leg, but the crew voted to keep going.  While we were wet, tired, and had already had a couple of exciting moments, the truth of the situation was that we were in control, the boat was doing well, the end was near, and Gary was doing a pretty fair job at the tiller in some tough conditions.  We rounded the downwind mark, and about 100 yards after passing the under the bridge the snap shackle attaching the sheets to the Genoa blow open during a tack, leaving us no control of the sail.  Climbing onto the pitching bow with the boat heeling from 30-40 degrees was an interesting challenge for me with footing left to the toe rail, standing on stanchions and lifelines, and bracing myself in the bow pulpit.  After a failed attempt to reattach the sheets with a quick luff of the Genoa that would bring the clew over the deck (in all the noise we never got the maneuver communicated and coordinated corrected) we opted to drop the sail, reattach the sheets, and hoist it up again.

We finished that race dead last, but not defeated.  It had been hard, it had been uncomfortable at times, it had also made you question why you were out there, but it never made you want to quit.  The truth is you've got to trust your equipment, your skills, and the people you sail with, and on that day I had all three.  While it was intense at times, it was also fun judging by the smiles we shared with each other.

Lessons learned:

• Although I already knew this one from crewing aboard Terry Annis' Catalina 25, Lematike, the Astoria Cup reminded me of how stout the C25 is.  After the race no one who wasn't on the boat could believe we were out there in a swing keel boat.
• Gary Bruner is one heck of a sailor.  While he may be cautious about professing any expertise, he knows enough about sail trim, and driving a C25 to make it feel in control even in challenging conditions.
• I continue my long dislike of snap shackles on headsails.  Aside from potentially getting hit by that flying hulk of metal during tacks, my biggest complaint has to do with them coming open at the wrong time.  After sharing this concern with a Catalina 22 National Champion who also uses snap shackles, he recommended his practice of wrapping it with duct tape.
• Always wrap lifeline pelican hooks so they don't come open.  Twice I slid my hand down the lifelines at the cockpit only to have the bale capture style of pelican hook come open in my hand.  Fortunately I also had a hand holding on elsewhere or I would have been over the side.  Another application for duct tape or Velcro.
• Bring duct tape to any boat I crew on.

After the racing, regatta sponsor Schooner Creek Boat Works hosted a free Seafood buffet along with beverages under a tent setup at the marina.  After the ceremony for awarding the Astoria Cup to the Mumm 30 Mummbo Jummbo, Jim and I headed off to a very nice Chinese dinner at the "House of Chan", just a short walk from the marina.

Thursday, 7/28 (Astoria): 

The Cruising Class had another non-racing day on Thursday, so Jim and I decided to explore some of the back streets just two or three blocks south of downtown in search of some of Astoria's famed Victorian homes.  First on our list was the Flavel House, built by a sea captain.  Open to the public for self-guided tours, the home is now owned and maintained by the Clatsop County Historical Society.  An easy walk from the marina, the house is definitely worth the visit.

Since sampling Astoria's wonderful restaurants was one of our goals for the cruise, Jim and I skipped the Six Pac organized dinner at the Portway near the marina, and we headed along the trolley line until we came to the Cannery Cafe overlooking the Columbia River.  We had an absolutely wonderful seafood dinner finished off with fresh apple pie a la mod.  Waddling best describes our trip back to the boat after dinner.

Passing under the Astoria-Megler Bridge. The big go-fast boats in the lead. Gary Bruner's C25, Encore! looking great. C30, Celtic Myst tied up at Cathlamet, WA.

Friday, 7/29 (Astoria to Cathlamet): 

Our last day of racing would have us starting just outside the marina, heading windward to a downstream buoy and then sailing downwind all the way to Cathlamet.  After Wednesday's washing machine race and my dislike of downwind racing, I had considered just motoring to Cathlamet, but come Friday morning I was feeling more rested, and the winds were more moderate so Jim and I said lets go.

At 11:15 am the signal came down for the start of the Cruising Class.  The windward buoy was fetched with ease and we settled into the long downwind journey to Cathlamet.  With Jim handling the helm once again, I moved to the bow to get the whisker pole in place as we went into a wing-n-wing configuration.  The boats flying spinnakers really jumped ahead.

The fleet divided into a northern group and a southern group as we approached the bridge.  While everyone wanted to stay out of the ship channel where the current would be swifter, the northern group choose 10-12 feet of water while the southern group choose a little deeper.

Once under the bridge, the boats began to spread out   and the faster boats just kept increasing their separation.  Back on Celtic Myst we had been a member of the northern group keeping an eye on the depth sounder and following the course of boats I knew drew more water than us.

The wind was building from the 14 knots we had enjoyed at the start.  By the time Tongue Point was far behind, the wind was blowing steady at 20 knots true, with the occasional gust to 26 knots.  The following sea turned out to be more of a challenge than the wind.  The swells required all the helmsman's attention as they overtook the boat.  We were sailing fast despite the ebb tide and the current, but it was a lot of work for the person driving the boat.  For the first time in the Six Pac I began steering the boat during the race just to give Jim a rest.

Up ahead, under spinnaker only, Encore! was wrestling with the gusts.  You could watch the gust move across the water and then strike Encore! causing a sudden increase in heel and a surge of speed followed by a recovery move on Gary's part as he worked to keep the boat under the spinnaker.  It was during one of these gusts that something seemed to go wrong on Encore!.  We were about 300 yards away so it wasn't really clear what was happening, but soon we saw the spinnaker come down.  On the radio we heard Encore! informing the race committee that they were withdrawing from the race due to a broken rudder.  Via the radio Celtic Myst offered assisted, but Encore! reported that everyone was OK and that they were proceeding to Cathlamet under power.

Broken Rudder I broke my rudder during the last leg of the Six Pac. It literally snapped right off at the lower pintle so I had no control of the boat. We were doing 7, close to 8 knots, when it happened. Dale Mack on his C30 was close by. I thought I had second place in the slow cruising fleet wrapped up, but we needed to finish that leg and it just wasn't in the cards. Quite disappointing... Thanks to the Eldreds', I finished the delivery back to Tomahawk Bay Moorage with Plan B's rudder doing the job temporarily. Gary Bruner, C25, Encore!

We had sailed 27.3 nautical miles by the time we crossed the finish line at Cathlamet.  The last thirty minutes of the sailing had been in diminishing wind so we were happy to be done.

Much to my surprise Wind Raven (C42) with Michael and Kathleen Lewis aboard along with the critters was sitting at the guest dock.  Being one of the last boats to arrive, we found the convenient berths taken so we headed to the far corner of the marina where there is power on the docks.   Once Celtic Myst was tied up, the Lewis' motored over in their dinghy.  They'd just finished having their grandchildren aboard.  We had a nice chat before Jim and I headed into town for dinner.  Janet's Riverview Cafe served up some great burgers that tasted pretty good after a long day of sailing.

Saturday, 7/30 (Cathlamet to Portland): 

The trip home was going to be a long day.  The tides weren't favorable for a 5 am departure so we waited until 8:40 am for a +2.5 tide and rising to get underway.  Midway between my berth and the entrance I found high spot when the water dropped to seven feet deep.   Celtic Myst draws 5'3", the depth sounder is offset at 6' so it  reports water under the keel.  At no time did I have less than a foot of clearance (assuming my instruments are correct, which I've checked at the dock with a lead line).

Michael and Kathleen Lewis aboard Wind Raven (C42) near Longview heading toward the Rainier docks.

We were leaving with 4.5 feet less water than when we first came to Cathlamet on a +7 tide on Sunday.  Elochoman Slough showed a very comfortable 12-13 feet of water.  Based on my notes from Sunday I decided to return home by way of the Cathlamet Channel.  I consistently showed 18-21 feet of water or deeper.  Still a little nervous about navigating the channel because I was worried there might be high spots I had missed previously, I dutifully followed the reverse track on my handheld GPS that I had saved from Sunday's transit.  As I approached buoy "7A" and prepared to change course toward the white paint panel on the Washington shore, I decided to turn closer to the buoy this time and then point directly at the panel until the depth sounder started showing deeper water.  The water became the thinnest at buoy "7A", dropping to thirteen feet, but I seemed to be in deeper water even though I was down 4.5 feet in tidal change.  From my experience, I feel pretty confident I could navigate the channel and the slough even at a zero tide.  Moving through the marina without touching might be another matter.

Jim and I went on two hour watches as we motored backed to Portland and Tomahawk Bay Moorage.  Here is a short log for those interested in how long it takes to get from Cathlamet to Portland.

• 0840 hrs, underway
• 1200 hrs, passing Walker Island, SOG = 5.2 kts
• 1255 hrs, Longview Bridge, SOG = 5.2 kts
• 1358 hrs, Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, SOG = 5.5 kts
• 1425 hrs, Kalama Marina, SOG = 5.1 kts
• 1505 hrs, Buoy "60" near entrance to Martin Slough, SOG = 5.0 kts, 33 nm since Cathlamet, River's water temperature 65 degrees, have been running 6 hrs 25 min.
• 1605 hrs, RG Buoy at downstream end of Sand Island (St. Helens), SOG = 4.4 kts.
• 1746 hrs, PYC Outstation at Willow Bar, SOG = 4.7 kts.
• 1902 hrs, Kelley Point, SOG = 5.0 kts., 51.8 nautical miles traveled
• 1942 hrs, Reached Railroad Bridge, 55.0 nm
• 2000 hrs, Through the RR Bridge (18 minute wait)
• 2020 hrs, At Tomahawk Bay Moorage, 57.1 nm covered in 11 hrs 40 mins

Reflections on the 2005 Six Pac

I guess the first question is whether I'm going to do the 2007 Six Pac.  Right now the answer would be no.  The Six Pac reinforced for me that I'm a cruiser at heart.  While I enjoy racing, I like it in small doses.  I'm sure that being the only crew on the boat while my friend with the bad back steered probably has tainted my view of the experience.  Heck it was hard work and long days (the very reason why I only compete in a couple of weekend regattas a year).

On the more positive side it was nice sailing stretches of the river I had only motored over before.  I liked sharing the adventure in a group and the people I met over the course of the week were a joy to chat with.  Astoria remains a wonderful place to visit and walkabout, not to mention the excellent restaurants.

Since the Cruising Cruise sits in Astoria for three days, perhaps next time a trip to Illwaco, WA or even across the bar and up to Gray's Harbor might be something to consider.  Gasp! did I really say "...next time".  Who knows?

2005 Cruising Schedule

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

August

• 18-21, CRACA Cruise:  Beacon Rock

September

• 17-18, Catalina Rendezvous:  Sand Island, Upper Dock, St. Helens
• 25, Sail for the Cure

See the calendar