ColumbiaRiverCatalina.org		February 2006

From the Commodore
By Bob Gales

Ahoy CRACA Members!

February is upon us which means spring is just around the corner! Hopefully that will mean warmer and sunnier days than what we have been experiencing this winter. Skiing has been great this year and without a boat here in Portland Gail and I have had time to pursue other activities. I am still hoping our boat will be ready for transport to Portland in the next two weeks.

The new engine (Volvo D130) is now in the boat and getting bedded and properly aligned. The shaft is at the shop being checked and measured for the new propeller. The old Volvo had a left turning prop and the new one is right turning so we have to make sure the shaft will work with the new propeller. I’m glad someone else is figuring all this out but I would like to be there to learn more about the process. It is not just a matter of swapping engines. We chose the Volvo because its footprint and size closely matched the old one. A new wiring harness and upgraded instrument panel need to be connected and installed where the old one was. Hope it fits! The Volvo shaft seal is something new to me also. No packing to replace or nuts to tighten. The seal is a rubber one full of waterproof grease that is supposed to be leak free. The shaft log is water injected so new a new hose needs to be installed. The oil filter is on the starboard side instead of up front so access may be more difficult. I’ll have to get out my Sawzall for some creative remodeling.

I think you will be able to look for us in a boat named Soleil this spring on the river.

Boat Show Survivors Party February 18th

Did you and your bank account survive the boat show season? The change in the Seattle shows might have thrown some of you off your shopping plans but I bet you made it up there or to Portland’s. It was nice this year to have our booth closer to the other clubs and associations (thanks Bill Simon). Gail sat in the Oregon Women’s Sailing Association booth right next to me in the CRACA booth. I had plenty of time to wander and visit with others. Lots of people stopped by our booth to say hi and a number of new Catalina owners showed interest in getting involved with us.

SO, lets get together and talk about sailing! The club will provide pizza, pop, plates and you provide appetizers or desserts. Bring your favorite beverage if pop/water/coffee is not on your menu.

Gail and I will host the event at our home in Welches, not too far east of the city and out of the snow zone!

When:   Saturday, February 18, 1 p.m. to 4 or 5 or so.
Where:  69533 E Rolling Green Ct, Welches, OR 97067
RSVP:  503.622.2664 (h) or 503.784.2667 (c) or rlgales@verizon.net

DIRECTIONS: East on Hwy 26. 15 miles past Sandy you will pass Hoodland shopping center in Welches. Continue another mile east, past the fire station and turn right on Salmon River Road. (Subway Sandwich is on corner; Welches school will be on your right) Go one-half mile south on Salmon River Road to Rolling Green Ct.. Turn right on RGC. Part way up the cul-de-sac you will see four yellow Oregonian boxes at the entrance to Mackenzie Ridge Private Drive. We live at the end of the drive. Due to lack of parking and turn-around at our house you should park in the cul-de-sac and walk down to our home. Please feel free to drive down our drive to unload passengers if you wish. Bring your umbrella!

This party will be a wonderful time for members to get reconnected, make new friends and participate in the fun part of our group.

Please RSVP so we can get a good count for food.

FLEET 94 AND FLEET 20 MEMBERS: Joining Columbia River All Catalina Association is a great way to get involved with like minded sailors, learn more about Catalinas and participate in many organized cruises on the river. Whether you are a former member or not, come to the party and join up. You won’t regret it.

2006 Catalina Rendezvous

While the “when” and “where” are all set for our 2006 Catalina Rendezvous (September at McCuddy’s on the Channel) the “what” needs to be determined. I learned last year that as soon as summer comes it is really hard to get much done let alone find anyone around to help. This year the Rendezvous planning will begin early and activities finalized BEFORE summer sailing season gets into full swing! Members will be able to sail in or drive in due to the location so we should have a darn good turn out. Ideas, activities, and program suggestions are all welcome but the most important item will be members willing to take some responsibility for a small part of the rendezvous. We will talk more about it at our upcoming gatherings so in the meantime jot down your ideas.

Emergency on the Water!

How well equipped is your boat’s first aide kit? Can it supply you with what you might need for most emergencies? More importantly, do you have the skills and knowledge to act correctly in an emergency? Are your sailing companions ready for action?

Many of us have taken first aide classes in the past and some have current certification. At a CRACA meeting either in March or April we will focus on taking care of ourselves while on the water. From broken bones to bloody noses, booms to the head and hypothermia, both knowledge and supplies are needed to get us safely back to port. A short informational program will raise our awareness and if enough members are interested we could also sponsor a first aide class. More information as the planning progresses.

Rear Commodore's Log
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

Sunday, January 22nd turned out a little dryer than most we had been seeing for weeks.  After completing a couple of boating projects, including the replacement of my raw water pump's impeller, I fired the engine up to check for leaks.  It was too nice to stay at the dock, so I headed out.  My brief stop at the pumpout station to flush the holding tank was pleasantly interrupted by the sight of Gary Whitney (C28, KA-SL) standing on the docks outside of Island Sailing Club.  Gary's an instructor and he was waiting for his next class.  We exchanged greetings as I finished up with the flushing task.

The skies were gray, the temperature cool but not cold, and yet it felt like my sailing season had begun.  Seeing Gary had reminded me of my fellow Catalina enthusiasts and all my other sailing acquaintances that cruise and race.  It was a pleasure to be behind the wheel again maneuvering boat out of its slip.  Once out on the river I decided to motor down to Canoe Bay (Grandma's Cove).  As expected, because of all the rain, the water level was high and there was a lot of debris in water, but not so bad that you were left feeling like you were running a slalom course.  I did need to keep a watchful eye on the water ahead of the boat though.

The Lost Art of RSVP

Most people know when they see the letters RSVP, it means they are being asked to respond to an invitation, even though we may not be able to recite the original French phrase of "répondez s'il vous plaît" meaning, "please reply."  Our modern reality is that most people have  just stopped responding to RSVPs.

For 2006, lets reverse the trend of not responding to an RSVP by either sending a confirmation of intent to attend or the sending of regrets to Commodore Bob Gales' invitation to join Gail O'Neill and himself at their home in Welches, Oregon for the CRACA Boat Show Survivors Party.  I look forward to seeing you their.

Cruising in 2006

For 2006 CRACA has some great cruises planned, and as you will read later some members are starting to share their own plans and welcoming others to tag along.  From April through October we have at least one cruise planned a month.  A couple of new destinations show up on the schedule this year.  Hadley's Landing on Multnomah Channel is our destination April 1-2, and Parker's Landing (Port of Camas/Washougal) is out destination June 10-11.  Our Cruising Chairman, Jim Elieff, is still seeking volunteers to host cruises.  Jim isn't really the "arm twister" type so it is really up to you to step forward and volunteer. The Macks (Laura, Sean, and I) have hosted the August Beacon Rock cruise the past few years and I can tell you from experience that there isn't much to do as host.  As host we email promotional announcements (the CRACA Communications Officer does the real mass emailing), collect RSVPs, and show up.  Unless you're planning games like I did when hosting the 2005 Halloween Cruise to Bartlett Landing, you don't really have any additional responsibility than anyone else on the cruise.  Come on, give it a try.

Off the Water Activities

Our Commodore, Bob Gales, has been hinting at reviving a speaker series with topics of interest to Catalina owners and sailors in general.  I think this is a great idea.  General meeting frequency has always been an issue CRACA has struggled with.  After watching monthly meeting participation dwindle to just a handful, we've been seeking ideas on how to create social/training events that attract enough interest to make the preparation effort worthwhile for the meeting's organizers.  Currently we are drawing inspiration from the Oregon Women's Sailing Association (OWSA) which holds General Membership meetings on even numbered months and Board Meetings on odd numbered months, as we think about how to put together a schedule for non-cruising activities.

Our 2006 Catalina Rendezvous is planned for September 16-17 at McCuddy's Landing, on Multnomah Channel.  While September may seem far off, we hope to have most of the planning and organizing finished before we enter the summer months when it becomes harder for folks to find the time as family vacations take center stage.  I'm seeking volunteers for the Rendezvous Organizing Committee.  Please consider helping out.  In the past no one has had to commit more than 4-6 hours spread over several months to get the job done.

Later in the newsletter you'll find a number of racing and sail trim clinics scheduled for the February and March timeframe.  Aside from the educational value of the clinics, it is always fun to hang out with fellow sailors and dream about the coming season.  I hope to see you there.

CRACA Renewals and Enticing Former and Prospective Members to Join

I read in Kathleen Lewis' article that renewals are slowing trickling in.  As I started to write this with the intent of encouraging folks to fill out the application I realized I hadn't filled out and sent in my own renewal, oops.  So now with the envelope safely in the mailbox, I'm here to say, fill it out and send it in, you won't regret it.  For your $2.50/month CRACA will return to you far more than the $30 you paid for membership.  Examples from last year include:

• Free Portland Boat Show tickets for doing booth duty ($16 value/boat)
• CRACA Boat Show Survivors Party (~$20 value/boat)
• Catalina Discount Night at West Marine (10% savings).  My West Marine savings more than paid for my membership.
• Catalina Rendezvous (~$20 value/boat)
• Door Prizes and cruising game awards.  The Offshore Inflatable life vest door prize awarded at our November was a great gift for one of our lucky members.
• CRACA End of Season Party (~$10 value/boat)

Clearly you can get back much more than your $30 investment depending on the number of events you attend. 

Many in CRACA belong to more than one local boating organization.  Laura and I belong to:

• Columbia River All Catalina Association (CRACA)
• Catalina 22 Fleet 20
• Oregon Women's Sail Association (OWSA)
• Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO)
• Corinthian Sailing Club Association (OCSA)

Others in the club also belong to Rose City Yacht Club, Portland Yacht Club, Catalina 25/250 Fleet 94, St. Helens Yacht Club, Sauvie Island Yacht Club, just to name a few, so there obviously isn't a lack of shared boating activities to be enjoyed.  So why join CRACA?  For some of us it's the only boating club we below to, so it provides social and learning opportunities.  For others, like myself who are active in other clubs, it's a combination of social interaction and a shared interest in the same brand of boat.  I think of it as belonging to a Mustang Car Club.

The CRACA newsletter reaches over 180 Catalina owners in the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area.  To those who aren't members of CRACA I'd like to extend a warm invitation to become a member.

Portland Boat Show

With our Vice Commodore role still vacant, I volunteered to serve as the organizing chairman for our booth at Portland Boat Show and Bill Simon (C270, Windswept) volunteered to make all the arrangements with the boat show organizers and secure us free tickets. Bill got us a booth right next to the Oregon Woman's Sailing Association (OWSA), one booth away from the Corinthian Yacht Club (CYC), and two booths away from the Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO).  This was a great spot because several of our members had also volunteered to staff the OWSA, CYC, and SYSCO booths.
	I want you thank everyone who staffed our booth during the boat show.  When one agrees to organize something like this, there is always that little voice in the back of your head whispering "What happens  if no one signs up?".  Well, getting volunteers has never been a problem.  Thanks again. For those that didn't make the boat show you can download the video (1.47 mbytes .wmv file format) by doing a right-mouse click and selecting "Save Target As..." from the menu.  The video runs for 1:20 minutes.  The video should be viewable with Microsoft's Windows Media Player.
Since the Seattle Seahawks' good fortune landed on my plans for attending the Seattle Boat Show and the Lake Union Boats Afloat Show, the Portland Boat Show served as my only season kickoff event this year.  As always the Schooner Creek Boat Works display was outstanding with lots to see and hands-on activities for kids. Think you've got a lot of lines on your boat?  Checkout this race ready Cal 20 from Portland Fleet 7.  I've added another six blocks and two cam-cleats to my Catalina 22 since seeing this boat.
	O'Loughlin Trade Shows, the organizers of the Portland Boat Show, continue to be very generous to the local sailing club by providing free booth and display space.  Several of the One-Design racing fleets had at least one boat at the show.  Besides the Cal 20, I found the J/24, and the Martin 242 very interesting.
The Sailing Life display drew lots of sailing fans with their collection of large sailboats open for viewing.  Ah the smell of new fiberglass in the morning. I hope you availed yourself of the opportunity to walk  through John and Annie Meyer's new Hunter 38 at The Sailing Life display.  What a beautiful boat, but what's there not to like about new. All-in-all the show was nice, and the lack of snow this year made getting to and from it a lot easier.

 

In Search of Hosts for the Cruises
By Jim Elieff, C30, Fortune

I would really like someone to step up and host our first cruise to Hadley's Landing on Multnomah Channel April 1st.  The St. Helens Sail and Power club will be sharing the docks with us.

Our second cruise is to Government Island - East Dock on April 22nd & 23rd.  We'll be there with the Hunter club that weekend. Maybe John & Annie Meyer will have their new Hunter 38 ready by then.

The Willamette Falls locks are closed!!!!  Local boating groups are trying to get ODOT to fund some money toward lock operation. The sand and gravel company that is up stream, said that they will have to run 19,000 truck loads a month to take the place of the barges they now use.

Other News

• In Oregon all those age 50 years and younger must have a boaters license to operate a vessel.
• The 2006 CRYA Opening Day theme is "In Grand Style"
• The Burnside Bridge will be closed for two years.  They can only open one side.
• The Portland Harbor from half mile up from the end of Hayden Island to Kelly Point park is closed for dredging until the end of March.

That's all for now.  Please volunteer to host one of our cruises.  You can contact me at:

elieffmaan@yahoo.com

Thanks James M. Elieff C.D.

2006 Cruising Schedule

Date	Destination	Cruise Hosts
Apr 1 - 2	Hadley's Landing
Apr 22 - 23	Government Island - East Dock
May 27 - 29	Memorial Day Cruise - Martin Island
June 10 - 11	Port of Camas/Washougal
June 24 - 25	Coon Island, East Dock
July 15 - 16	Government Island, East Dock
Aug 17 - 20	Beacon Rock	Dale & Laura Mack
Sept 16 - 17	Catalina Rendezvous McCuddy's Landing
Oct 21 - 22	Halloween Cruise Government Island, East Dock

 

You are Welcome to Join Us
By Gary Jaeckel, C30, Mistress II

Besides the club cruises we hope to attend, attached is a schedule of a few trips the crew of Mistress II plan to make including a trip to Astoria with a big stop in Cathlamet for our annual Pirate Bash.  Years ago Jeanine and I started this party to encourage our friends to join us near if not on the water and have a good time with a treasure hunt, potluck etc.  It is totally family and kid friendly and anyone is welcome to join in. This will be our 19th year.

Anyone in the club is more than welcome to join us for all or any part of our trips.

Gary, Jeanine and Tanner Jaeckel
gjaeckel@bctonline.com
Crew of Mistress II

July 14 - 16	River Place, downtown Portland
July 28 - 30	Sand Island, St. Helens
August 9 - 19	Astoria Trip: 9 Depart from the mouth of the Willamette River at 6:45 AM and head to Walker Island Landing 10 Depart 7:30 AM for Cathlamet   The Jaeckel's 19th Annual Pirate-Bash at Cathlamet 13 Depart 8:00 AM for Astoria West Mooring Basin 15 Depart 1:00 PM to Cathlamet 16 Depart Cathlamet 6:00 AM for Walker Island 17 Depart Walker Island 6:00 AM for Sand Island 19 Depart Sand Island 12:00 PM for home

 

Racing

 

Cruising Class Racing
By Gary Whitney, C28, KA-SL

The 2006 Sailboat Racing Season is rapidly approaching!  The Cruising Class is slotted to race on Thursday evenings for the both SYSCO and CYC evening series.  By Cruising Class, I mean you don't need to have a PHRF rating to participate, and you aren't allowed to use a spinnaker.  A dodger and BBQ are encouraged but not required.

There are five races each for the SYSCO Spring and Summer Series on Thursday nights.  The starting gun is at 6:30pm.  The SYSCO Spring Series schedule is April 13, 20, 27, May 4, and 18.  The SYSCO Summer Series schedule is June 8, 15, 22, 29, and July 13.

The SYSCO series is but a fraction of the races held each summer on the Columbia River.  Go to www.sailpdx.com and click on "Race Schedule" to get an idea of how many races are held each summer in the Portland area. Generally, if there are three or more cruisers available for any race or regatta, the race committee for that event will consider creating a cruising class.

The Hunter fleet has invited (challenged) the Catalina fleet to come out and race. There were a LOT more Hunters than Catalina's last season.

 

Upcoming Training Events

February 4, 7:00 pm at Rose City Yacht Club

SYSCO First Annual Chateau Party for members, prospective members, and crew.  Join this social evening to find out what has changed 2006.  Meet the crew of those other boats.  Bring your favorite beverage for tasting (and you Chateau SYSCO glass if you've got them), along with your favorite appetizer or dessert.

February 22, 6:30-9:00 pm at North Sails Oregon sail loft

North Sails Oregon Team Management.  Sailboat racing is a complex sport that involves more than tactics and strategy. Fun and successful programs also understand the importance of building a good team. This social event is about how to "manage your sailing program”. We will have guest speakers share their formulas for success. Please come prepared to share your own tips and experiences.  This FREE course is intended for boat owners and race program managers.  Please register in advance at the North Sails Oregon website.  For information contact:  Kerry or Amy Poe, North Sails Oregon, kerry@sales.northsails.com or 503-282-4282.

February 25, time and location TBD

OCSA Season Kick-off Party. 

March 4, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm at the Old Hayden Island Yacht Club

Dave Perry on Positioning Yourself to Win.  OCSA is once again bringing Dave Perry to the Portland area for a full-day seminar in conjunction with the US Sailing / Mount Gay Rum Speaker Series.  The old Hayden Island Yacht Club (next to Zupans) on Hayden Island will serve as the venue.  A catered lunch will be provided.  This year's topic is: "Positioning Yourself to Win (Tactical application of the RRS on the Race Course)".  Post-event will include drinks containing Mount Gay Rum.  See the US Sailing link at: http://www.ussailing.org/sponsorship/speakerseries/index.asp

March 14, 21, & 28, 6:00 pm BBQ Social and 6:30-8:30 pm Class

North Sails Oregon Trim Course.  North Sails Oregon invites all skippers and crew to participate in three evenings of instruction on sail trim.  Topics include understanding rig tune, upwind sail trim and downwind sail trim.  The fee is only $15 per course or $40 for all three.  North U Course books ($25) and CD’s ($40) will be available for purchase.  Register online at  North Sails Oregon.  For information contact:  Kerry or Amy Poe, North Sails Oregon, kerry@sales.northsails.com or 503-282-4282.

March 15, 6:30 pm at Portland Yacht Club

OCSA Race Management Clinic.  The Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association invites all sailors to participate in an evening of instruction and discussions.  This extremely informative seminar is not just for race captains. The seminar will focus on the planning and coordination involved in putting on a sailboat race. There will be something for everyone. The topics will include courses, timing, calculations, planning, promoting, handling protests, and more.  Registration is not required and there is no cost.  Portland Yacht Club, 1241 NE Marine Drive, Portland, OR

March 23 - 24, 6:30-8:30 pm 3/23 & 6:00 3/24 at TBD

SYSCO Race Clinic.  The Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO) invites all sailors to attend its FREE  Race Clinic. The Thursday evening classroom and Friday evening on the water clinic is targeted at new racers and those who have never raced before.  This extremely informative seminar is perfect for new racers. The clinic will teach you how to enter a race, read and understand the course board, how to start and finish, pass along some local knowledge of racing on the Columbia River, along with other topics.  Registration is not required and the clinic is free.

 

Technical Tips

 

Fixing those Leaking Lewmar Portlights
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

Three of my four Lewmar portlights on my 1996 Catalina 30 were leaking anytime it rained or I washed the boat.  The online discussion groups talked about the problem.  Folks were smearing silicone everywhere, replacing the gaskets, rebedding the frames, and in some disparate cases buying new portlights.

I pulled one portlight and found no signs water was getting passed the bedding compound so I decided against rebedding all the portlights.  I reinstalled the pulled portlight using white butyl rubber sealing compound tape which is available at places that stock RV parts.  I got my roll of one inch tape at G.I. Joe's.

To test whether the frame to Lexan gasket was the problem, I coated it with a heavy layer of silicone grease, closed the portlight, and then poured water over the portlight with a garden hose.  My leak was still present but there were no signs that the water was getting passed the gasket.

My leaks always caused the fixed portion of the portlight's latch to fill with water and then overflow.  I had always suspected that water might be entering the boat through the hole that was present in the aluminum frame at each latch.  It wasn't until I had pulled one of the portlights did I learn from observation that the frame was made up of two hollow aluminum extrusions joined with a metal connector and sealed with what appeared to be a gray putty that had dried out and shrunk overtime. 

I first thought about finding a replacement for the putty when I remembered an online discussion about a product for sealing hairline cracks.  After a little Internet searching I found references to a product known as Capt. Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure.

The product looks like watered-down Elmer's Glue. Put a tiny drop near a hairline crack and capillary action immediately sucks the product into the crack, sealing the crack from the inside, not by simply covering it over.  It really works!

Following the product's directions I coated the surface of each portlight seam and allowed it to be drawn in.  With about twenty minutes between applications, I continued the process until the seam refused to absorb anymore crack cure.  Between applications I just worked on other boat projects.

After waiting the instructed twenty-four hours I anxiously soaked the portlights with water from the hose.  Everything was dry.  Not believing it had actually worked I when back and soaked the portlights some more.  Still no leaks.  It has been ten months since I treated the portlights and I haven't had a leak yet.  Considering the wet winter we are having this year I think that is saying a lot.

You can purchase the product locally in some chandleries.  If your chasing leaks as I was, you might want to give Capt. Tolley's a try.

 

Scuttlebutt

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 Oregon Women's Sailing Association www.owsa.net

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

 

Upcoming Events

February

• 4, SYSCO 1st Annual Chateau Party, 7 pm at Rose City Yacht Club
• 18, CRACA Boat Show Survivors Party
• 22, North Sails Oregon Team Management
• 25, OCSA 2006 Season Kickoff Party

March

• 4, Dave Perry on Positioning Yourself to Win
• 14, 21 & 28, North Sails Oregon Trim Course
• 15 OCSA Race Management Clinic
• 23 - 24, SYSCO Race Clinic

See the calendar

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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.