ColumbiaRiverCatalina.org		July 2007

Commodore
By Eric Rouzee, C36, Legacy

Summer sailing is in full swing these days, and on board Legacy, we’re getting provisions ready for nine days of sailing up in the San Juan Islands. Like last summer, Legacy is currently moored in Port Ludlow, so we’ll be heading up the evening of July 14th, loading everything, and then the early morning of the 15th we’ll head north and try to beat the flood tide at Point Wilson, near Port Townsend. After that, it’s roughly a 20 mile crossing over to Cattle Pass and the entrance to the islands. After this trip, we’ll bring Legacy back down the Washington Coast, probably the weekend of August 4th, and then it’s river sailing for the rest of the year.

We’re busy working on the September Rendezvous, which right now is a top priority for the CRACA board, and we think we’re putting together an event that everyone will really enjoy. This year’s Rendezvous will be in St. Helens, at the city docks. We’ve reserved the gazebo at Columbia View Park for various activities during over the weekend, we’re working on Saturday evening dinner with a catering vendor in St. Helens, and we’re in the process of securing several speakers to make presentations during the day on Saturday. We’re also planning some additional activities, including an informal Spinnaker Race around Sand Island on Sunday. All in all, it’s shaping up to be a great Rendezvous, and I encourage as many people as possible to attend.

There are some other great sailing events this summer out on the river that I encourage you to get involved with. If you want to get in a little relaxed, informal racing there are beer can races every Friday through August. That includes the SYSCO “Soup Night” on July 13th. This is the only beer can race of the season with an entry fee, the fee being a minimum of 3 cans of food, all of which is donated to the Oregon Food Bank. The J-24 “Free Bowl of Soup” is the event organizer, and you can make your food donations at the post-race social, the details of which are being ironed out right now.

Also, consider getting involved in the “Sail For The Cure”, sponsored by the Oregon Women’s Sailing Association. This event takes place September 23, with net proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. It’s always a fun event, and the cause it supports is obviously a great one. For more information, visit the OWSA website at www.owsa.net.

And last but not least, get out there on the river, or wherever your journeys take you, and have a great summer sailing season!

Vice Commodore
By Alden Andre', C38, Fly Bye

NASCAR Racing and Sinking Boats

Racing, well the month of June proved to be a very interesting racing month. We had our first big pile up with boats going everywhere and hitting everybody. It was bound to happen 20 big boats sailing close quarter’s one person makes a wrong move and it creates a chain reaction. Of course it had to happen when I was driving. Fat chance of getting any of my crew to drive ever again. We got tagged by an anchor from another boat in the stern pulpit that spun us out making us do a Captain Ron raft up to the Committee boat. Then the boats behind us went left and right and one went into the committee boats anchor rode (been there done that). And hit us in the bow. With all the crashing I got a little scratch on the bow of the boat (I put bigger ones in the side when I dock). While all this is happening Jim Turner (C30, Fat Cat) is on the bow still counting down for the start. All he sees is us heading for the start going west one moment then facing east and a boat crashing into the bow. He looks at me with confusion and fear as he watches the boat crash into the bow where he is. We started the motor and moved out of the way and gathered our heads and watched the committee boat and the Kalik 30 Upstart get untangled form one another. No one got hurt and there was little damage so it was a good day. Any day you can step onto the dock instead of swimming to it is a good day.

Race 2 the gloves are off we have to make up some lost points. It was a close race clear up to the last mark. We are tied with an Ericson for the mark and we have a little Cal 20 between us. There was inches between the three boats over lapping booms and sails OH MY. I had to give credit to the Cal 20 captain he was able to keep his spinnaker flying during this all this chaos. I couldn’t give him room because I had another Cal 20 on the other side of me and the Ericson was pinching us all. I know Dale Mack was ahead and outboard to starboard of the Ericson in his Yellow Submarine (that’s what I call his yellow Catalina 22 Crocus) just shaking his head. Well we rounded the mark and blew the tack and came in second. Jim says we would go faster if I would remove the 400 ft of chain in my anchor locker and get rid of some stuff on my boat like my generator and air conditioner etc etc etc. I guess I do have a lot of stuff on my boat when we removed it all off of the 30 to put on the 38 the 30’s water line went up 2.5 – 3.0 inches.

RCYC Regatta. – Friday night race was good with my wife and Jim Turner as crew. We started way late and still beat two boats. Saturday was a bad day. While motoring out I heard a bad grinding sound. I put the Trans in neutral and the sound went away. While I was leaning over the side to see if water was still coming out of the exhaust my cell phone slipped out of my pocket and went to the bottom of the Columbia. Well I decided not to start the race and sail back to the slip without the motor running. I got the boat tied up and put away and almost walked off in disgust. But I didn’t and tore apart the boat to see what the problem was and on the C38 it is a chore to get to the drive shaft you have to disassemble the side locker and squeeze down the hole. And what a surprise I found water leaking in from the dripless coupling and a wire mess wrapped around the transmission coupling to the dripless bearing coupling that came from a loose blower hose, you know the kind your dryer at home has. Oh no a sinking ship time to make sure my bilge pump is working. I pull up the floor boards and find a full bilge, I say to my self now why isn’t the bilge working I find a wire bundle left over from the yard who installed my mast laying on the switch. I pulled it off and yahoo water was pumped out. Now no cell phone to call anybody and water is still coming in. I decided to go to the boat show and borrow a cell to call my wife to tell her my dilemma. While there I met up with Rick and Cheryl Ward (C36, Cheryl Lynn). I used their phone to call my wife then Rick volunteered to help with the problem. Well long story short Rick advised (he wasn’t going to crawl in the small hole for access) while I got the wire mess out of the dripless coupling which stopped the torrent of water from coming in. Now that my boat was done sucking up the Columbia and me being tired I went back to the boat show to relax and do booth duty. After getting on some of the new boats I was tempted to make an offer on a new Catalina but I just couldn’t do it. There were a lot of boats at the boat show I personally liked all the wood boats, they sure are pleasing to the eye. Well I left Sunday for a business trip knowing I had to come back and crawl in the hole to still get all that wire off the transmission coupling and I was not looking forward to it. Well I get back from my trip and con my wife into coming down to the boat with me hoping she will take pity on my and go down the hole for me. Well she did go down and got it all cleared in about 15 minutes. I owe her big time for that. Well I spent the next few days tie wrapping every wire bundle and clamping down every hose from the stern to the bow on the boat. I also installed another bilge pump so I have two in the bilge now.

Race season is about over and it is time to go cruising. I hope every one is enjoying their boat with this wonderful weather. See you on the river.

Historian
By Alex Andre', C38, Fly Bye

It’s July, and very hot. The sky was lit up on the night of the fourth. Many people went out on their boats to enjoy the nice weather and the spectacular fireworks. As the summer progresses, don't forget to take photos of your adventures. Even if it’s just a single photo, send it in with an explanation, and I’ll use it. If you have photographs that aren’t digital, just bring them to a CRACA meeting or event, and I can scan them to a PDF file and give them back. I’ve yet to leave the ground with this project, and in order to do so, I need input from you; the members of CRACA.

Alex Andre'
503-819-9998
alex@teamimpact.org

At the last CRYA meeting for the summer we had Mike Schultz from the Sheriff's office come and talk to us about the new program that contains eight deputies, two sergeants, and two temporary deputies for the river patrols. Many boaters have been cited for no life jackets, and no fire extinguishers, also reckless jet skiers , making wakes. They are looking forward to their goals of checking for minors drinking and holding boats to the no wake policies. Cards have been sent out to all power and wake boaters about how their wake can damage boats and property. Sounds like they are on the right track to keep the docks and the waters safe for all of us.

We don't have a host for the July trip to East Dock so just bring something to munch on at 4pm and desert at 7pm. 

Jess & Rick are still working on the final schedule on the down river cruise. Hope you all had a great 4th of July and see you all soon.

On July 16th work begins on the JJ Collins docks (Coon Island East). Work will progress for a few weeks.  We don't have anymore club cruises planned there this year, but I wanted you to know about the docks just in case you have plans.

Here's some highlights from the Oregon Marine Board:

The Oregon State Marine Board approved 22 boating facility grant requests worth a total of $ 9 million at the June 26 Board meeting, in Newport. Funds for the grants come from boat title and registration fees, motorboat fuel tax revenues, federal funds administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service including a partnership with the Department of Fish and Wildlife (who administer federal Sport Fish Restoration grant dollars). Other funds for these facility projects come from cash and in-kind contributions from applicants. Boaters across the state, from Clatsop County to Baker County and Multnomah County to Klamath County will see new or improved boating facilities in the next year or two. As a result of the Board's action, the approved facilities grant requests include:

• Clackamas County, Willamette River *Mile 25.4 *The City of Oregon City is receiving $88,500 to construct a debris boom upstream of the transient tie-up dock at Jon Storm Park. (Grant # 1321).
• Clatsop County, Columbia River -Mile 29 *The City of Warrenton is receiving $5,547.50 in state boater funds plus $15,892.50 in federal clean vessel act funds to replace the existing vessel waste pumpout and dump station on the city's marina. (Grant # 1314).
• Columbia County, Scappoose Bay/Columbia River *Mile 85 *The Port of St. Helens is receiving $3,750 in state boater funds and $11,250 in federal clean vessel fact funds to replace existing vessel waste pumpout and dump station in the Port's marina park. (Grant # 1326).
• Multnomah County, Columbia River *Mile 109.4 *METRO is receiving $350,000 in state funds and $820,800 in federal boating infrastructure grant funds to construct a new transient tie-up moorage facility with docks and gangway and replace the existing debris boom and wave attenuator at the launch ramp at the M. James Gleason boat launch. (Grant # 1311).
• Multnomah County, Willamette River *Mile 13.2 *The City of Portland is receiving $250,000 in state funds and $80,500 in federal boating infrastructure grant funds to repair and enhance the public transient tie-up docks at River Place Marina in downtown Portland. (Grant # 1320).
• Multnomah County, Columbia River *Mile 114.6 *State Parks is receiving $300,000 in state funds and $1.5 million in federal funds to construct transient moorage, gangway, debris boom, and composting restroom at a Sandy Beach, on the north shore of Government Island. (Grant # 1331).

Communications
By Dale Mack, C30, Celtic Myst

While June seemed dominated by Sean's graduation from high school and all the activities and parties that occur before and after that event, I look back on the month and am surprised by just how much sailing I got in.  Between our Cruising Chairman's (Jim Elieff) Friday Night Catalina Rendezvous, Laura hosting Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultants for an evening of sailing, Celtic Myst welcoming members of the Oregon Women's Sailing Association for Wednesday Night Sails, and Laura and I just doing our own thing on the boat, I'd have to say it was a pretty wonderful month sailing-wise.

Catalina Friday Rendezvous and the Gals from Mary Kay

June began with eleven aboard Celtic Myst attending the Catalina Friday Rendezvous at the Red Lion Hotel on the River - Jantzen Beach overlooking the Columbia River on Hayden Island.  Jim Elieff had to be feeling proud of his event brainchild judging from the fine turnout for the event.  Crewed by Mary Kay Consultants, those of us aboard Celtic Myst went sailing after happy hour and didn't get back to the dock until 10:30 pm.  Laura and I did a lot of after dark sailing in June and really enjoyed it.

By the 23rd of the month Laura and I were once again sharing the joys of sailing with a number of MK gals from Laura's unit.  In wonderful conditions we made our way slowly up river while enjoying dinner in the cockpit as we sailed.  Just downstream of the I-205 bridge we turned around and had a fabulous sail back in the dark.  As we approached McCuddy's on Marine Drive we dropped the sails and motored slowing down and back up the North Portland Harbor Channel to view the floating homes.

Oregon Women's Sailing Association's Wednesday Night Sails

Are you looking for crew to go sailing with you once a week?  If so consider volunteering to host the OWSA WNS on your boat (www.owsa.net).  This is my second year and I just enjoy it immensely.  Each week brings new faces and folks with a variety of sailing experience from none to blue water.  For $25 a year, OWSA has to be the best bargain on the river when you consider you have the opportunity to sail a different sailboat each week.

Racing on Thursday Evenings

The Sysco Summer Series (June 7 - July 12) has been a lot of fun.  Several Catalina's are out there from Catalina 22's to Catalina 38's.

I race one-design against other Catalina 22's from Fleet 20.  Unlike the Cruising Fleet that most of the other Catalina's race in, we fly spinnakers when the conditions permit.  The Catalina 25's also race with spinnakers.

The challenge of getting the boat around the course continues to be the big motivator for me to come out each week and race.  The other motivator is the shared experience I have with the other three aboard Crocus.  While four aboard a C22 for racing isn't the norm, I like that extra help and the opportunity to laugh together as we make mistakes, recover, and move on.

Moving on Up

2007 has been an active year for selling used Catalina's.  Both the Catalina 22 Fleet 20 and CRACA websites have helped several Catalina's find new homes this season.  On June 26th I join Terry Annis aboard his C25 Lematike as we prepared to race in the Tuesday evening division of the SYSCO Summer Series with Lematike's prospective new owner aboard.  Five minutes before the start of our race the wind went from 6-8 knots to suddenly blowing in the high teens with gusts into the twenties.  Despite the challenging conditions we finished a respectable second.  On the way back to Tomahawk Bay Moorage after the race I spotted a rudder drifting in the water.  After bring it aboard I discovered that its carbon fiber rudder post had sheared off.  A later email exchange with a member of the Race Committee pointed me in the direction of the rudder's owner.  The short story is that Dave Hickman, skipper of the custom built Hare Brained, experienced what he described as a spectacular wipeout when the rudder sheared off while the boat was surging upstream in the gusts with the spinnaker.  Suddenly without the rudder, Hare Brained turned 90 degrees and launched everyone out of the boat as all #@$#@% broke loose.

Earlier in the month I helped a fellow Catalina 22 Fleet 20 member find a new home for Sunrise.  We launched the boat on the Oregon side after walking the boat's prospective new owner through all the steps of raising the mast and getting everything ready for the launch.

It was a beautiful evening for a test sail.  As I stood on the shore watching the participants in the Tuesday evening SYSCO Summer Series work their way upriver to the downwind mark, the urge to run down to Tomahawk and take my boat out for a spin was powerful.  I later heard that the test sail was a success and thoroughly enjoyed.

Antique and Classic Boat Show combined with Yacht Showcase

On June 23rd Tomahawk Bay Moorage played host to the Antique and Classic Boat Show (CWC-ACBS) and to the Yacht Showcase.  Well represented at the showcase was our local Catalina Yachts dealer River City Sailing (www.rivercitysailing.com) who had several boats on display.  Thank you to everyone that volunteered to staff the CRACA booth that RCS provided at the show.

From runabouts to cruisers, the Antique and Classic Boat Show was a treat for the eyes.  Gleaming varnish, paint, chrome, and brass was everywhere.  If you were really lucky you ran into the owner of the boat and got to hear some great stories of the boat's history, restoration, and maintenance.

Also present at the show was the 78 ft PT 658 from WWII.  Open for tours, the boat continues to be interesting even though I've been on it before.  Seeing the continuing restoration progress year to year combined with the stories from a different guide each time makes the boat worth revisiting.

In addition to the boats, I also enjoyed running across so many sailing acquaintances from various sailing clubs and associations Laura and I belong to.  There's nothing like chatting about boating while looking at a floating piece of furniture that you wish you owned but are glad that someone else is doing all the maintenance instead of you.

2007 Down River Cruise
By Jess Schefstrom, C42, Kira Lynn

The 2007 Down River Cruise will be hosted by “Cheryl Lynn” C36, Rick and Cheryl Ward, and “Kira Lynn” C42, Jess and Mary Schefstrom.

We hope all will consider attending this cruise down the beautiful Columbia River to its mouth. It is a great trip and there is nothing better than coming out of Ilwaco with a fresh NW wind and heading back up river at 7 to 8 knots under full sail for 103 miles.

The ports of St Helens, Cathlamet, Ilwaco, and Astoria are great full service facilities with power, showers, shopping, restaurants, and lots of history.

If you can’t make the time commitment to attend the whole cruise, consider maybe going half way down to Cathlamet or meeting up with us in Cathlamet or Martin Slough on our way back up river.

The cruise float plan is shown below. We hope all will consider attending and if we can answer any questions please feel free to contact us.

If you will be attending this cruise please call or send a note to Jim Elieff, Cruising Chairman.

Jim Elieff
503-706-3081
elieffmaan@yahoo.com

2007 Down River Cruise Float Plan

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 Assoc. www.owsa.net

Catalina Assoc.  of Tacoma and South Sound home.earthlink.net/~catss/CATSS Web Page.htm Catalina Association of Puget Sound capsfleet1.com/News Letters.htm Small Yacht Sailing club of Oregon (SYSCO) www.sailpdx.com/sysco.htm

See the calendar