ColumbiaRiverCatalina.org		April 2008

Commodore
By Alden Andre', C38, Fly Bye

Well, spring is in the air and it’s my favorite time of year. I can go snowboarding and sailing in the same sunny day. Unfortunately, I haven’t been home much to enjoy the weather since I have been gone most of the month. I was on the big Island of Hawaii for a week and half with my wife and kids. It was a fun and very busy break. The big island offers so much from desert, to rain forests, to snow. Our most memorable activities ranged from wake boarding, to snorkeling with turtles and all kinds of fish, to seeing lava flowing, and seeing Saturn w/ her rings from a telescope at 13 thousand feet was pretty cool too. Every day was an exciting adventure. And yes I went sailing on another catamaran. I think I’m being pulled to the dark side of multi hulls. They are faster, smoother, and bigger. I just wish Catalina built one. The one down side to the big island is they only have one marina and you can only stay for 90 days. The upside is the charge is only 200.00 a month for a live a board.

My boat is still out of the water getting the bottom job done and some new through hulls or holes (which ever you prefer) put in for a ST60 package. They had to remove all the bottom paint down to the gel coat because before I bought the boat some one had applied hard bottom paint over an ablative sloughing paint. When they hauled the boat out and pressure washed it huge chunks of paint came off. It’s like trying to put finger nail polish over flour, it just doesn’t stick. Attached are some pictures of the job. Hopefully the boat will be back in the water soon. Race season is right around the corner I encourage some members to come out and join in the fun.

See you on the water and keep the dirty side down the the shiny side up.

Alden Andre

Vice Commodore
By Jim Turner, C30, Fat Cat

Hi All,

Thanks to Larry Brandt we should have a great meeting this month on Wednesday April 23rd at the Delta Park Elmers. Our speaker will be Craig Mortensen, a Portland Yacht Club member, who returned from circumnavigating his Catalina 36, "Patriot" on June 29th, 2007. Craig's presentation will be interesting and exciting detailing close calls with a whale, pirates, and crossing the North Indian Ocean in January 2005, literally in the wake of the tsunami! We have the meeting room in the back of Elmers beginning at 6:30 PM with the presentation starting around 7 PM.

Rhonda and I have been having a great winter. We recently returned from a ski vacation up in Whistler B.C. We were very amazed and impressed with the work being done to improve the highway to Whistler in preparation for the 2010 winter Olympics. We had lots of snow and enjoyed the vacation. Rhonda shares with me that she is ready for the weather to warm up and dry out so that we can go cruising with our friends. Hope to see all of you at this months meeting and at the Government Island cruise on April 19th.

Jim Turner
"Vice Commodore"

Secretary/Treasurer
By John Kerrigan, C30, Magewind

Greetings, CRACA folks! (to be referred to as “Crack-ups” from here on…)

I’m moderately chagrined to report that our numbers are significantly down this year, at least in terms of those who have paid their dues thus far. CRACA in 2007 had 44 paid members; this year only 24.

So, all you foot draggers, now’s the time to get those checks in the mail and return CRACA’s ranks to our former glory! (and you were wondering what to do with that $32.84 income tax refund, weren’t you?) You can click on the PDF link on our Membership page for the App. Ignore the address on the application, and for now send both your check and App to:
2461 SW Howard Drive
McMinnville, OR 97128

On a more uplifting note, my mood seems to be moving in a positive direction as a result of seeing tentative signs of spring and the probable return of decent sailing weather. I’d also like to recommend Robert Sells of RS Marine Repair if you need mechanical work done on your baby. He’s ABYC certified, knowledgeable, honest and his rates are quite reasonable. His cell number is 503-880-2532; his email is rsmarinerepair@netzero.com. I’m also pleased to report that I successfully completed Hugh Brock’s diesel repair class at PCC recently and am reasonably confident that I can point out where the spark plugs are on most diesels… (but hold on while I double check on this in Nigel Calder’s book… [yes, this is my tardy April Fool's message])

-John

Communications Officer
By Justin Albano, New Catalinas Every Year!

Hello CRACA members,

Race season is starting and I couldn’t be happier. For me there is no finer moment in sailing then executing a perfect start and beating your competition off the line. The skill level and knowledge required to race sailboats transcends perfectly into the life of a cruiser, the opposite however, is usually not so true. If anyone wants to come out racing and see what its all about, there are a number of CRACA members that actively race their Catalinas all summer long and who are always offering that opportunity to new crew members. Your Commodore, Alden Andre, is just such an example and I would highly recommend taking him up on his offers.

I will be competing in two offshore events this year aboard Eric Rouzee’s Catalina 36 Legacy. The Oregon Offshore starts May 8th and is a 2-3 day beat up the coast from Astoria to Victoria BC. Then a week later we travel back up to Victoria to compete in the Swiftsure Regatta, which I am told is the biggest party of the year in Victoria. Needless to say I am very excited for both events and have recently spent $500 on $1000 worth of new foulies, boots and gloves (it pays to be friends with the local Gill rep). Even $500 is pretty steep for my budget, but I figure I’d rather be broke then cold!

My last note is that I am currently in the market for a mid 1980s Catalina 30 that needs some attention and can be had for a good price. If anyone knows of someone who hasn’t used their boat in a couple years and would like to get out from under the slip and maintenance fees, please email me at jhalbano@yahoo.com

See all of you on the water!
-Justin

Safety Focal
By Larry Brandt, C36, High Flight

CRACA Newsletter Submission
3/25/08

They say the best way to learn something is to teach it.

That was my motivation almost a decade ago to get my sailing instructor certification, and in my experience the adage has turned out to be true. Recalling my first students with some pity, I have to thank them for the much better value my students today are getting.

But I am still learning because I am still teaching.
Washington State recently enacted a boater education law along the lines of the Oregon law that has been so successful in getting most of Oregon's skippers to have at least a minimum of safety and operational knowledge. In Oregon's case, 2008 is the last year of the phase-in, by age, of the mandate. As of January 1, 2009, all Oregon boaters regardless of age will have to have their Oregon Boater Card in their possession when operating any powered vessel of more than 10 hp. In Washington, this year all skippers of vessels more than 15 hp must have their Washington Boater Card if they are aged 20 or younger. At Jan 1, 2009, the law includes ages 25 and younger.

As a long-time instructor for the Oregon Boater Card, I recently used that experience to qualify as an instructor for Washington State's mandatory education program. The courses are the same, as both states have selected the same vendor for their programs.

But the difference is in the details. I learned (be teaching) that Washington has a couple laws that go far beyond those on Oregon's books, and because this difference is so critical, I want to introduce them to you. Washington state residents and visiting Oregonians on those waters are both subject to them. Here's the difference: In the Washington legal lexicon, they have the terms "Assault by Watercraft" and "Homicide by Watercraft". Assault by Watercraft is operating a vessel in a reckless manner or while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and injuring another person with serious disfigurement or the loss of a body part or organ. "Homicide by Watercraft" is operating a vessel in a reckless manner or under the influence of alcohol or drugs and causing the death of another person. It is also considered "homicide by watercraft" if a person dies within three years as a result of injury caused by a boating accident.

These are felonies, and are punishable by time spent in a state pen and large fines.
Interesting, isn't it, that Washington has a different way of looking at the accidents that can happen out there, even on a warm and pleasant summer afternoon. WA is serious... don't drink and boat.

Let's be safe out there.

Historian
By Alex Andre', C38, Fly Bye

<No Submission>

Rear Commodore
By Eric Rouzee, C36, Legacy

<No Submission>

Hello Members, Hope everyone had a very Happy Easter, Saturday was great, Sunday… ehh. 

But the season is almost here, and a cruise to Hadley" s Landing was scheduled for March 29th & 30th. I don't know how many people went.  The weather was iffy.  I didn't go, because my boat wasn't ready yet and I had to work.  I am however, planning to go to East dock on April 19th & 20th, for my first cruise.

Last month’s meeting was attended by 15 of our members. Sea Tow put on an informative slide show on what not to do if you get in trouble and what they can do to help.   Very interesting.

At the CRYA meeting we got a lot of valuable info that I would like to pass on. The OSMB wants to start a program for a Clean Boater, similar to the Clean Marina program. The overall goal is to protect the environment and provide safe and enjoyable recreational opportunities. They will educate us with information and materials to help us with this.

• The Sandy Beach project, located on Government Island, is accepting bids and should cost about $2.5 million. The permitting process was extremely complex, however construction should start in the fall and be ready for use next year.
• Coon Island- East docks are finished. They want to repair the composting toilet, but it is still usable.
• The Willamette River in the downtown area will have a RiverFest celebration, that lasts 10 days, during the Labor Day week. There will be an elaborate boat parade, which will include all different types of boats from power, sail, to canoes & kayaks, as well as working boats ranging from tugboats, gravel barges to various commercial boats. The event is intended to encourage the public to appreciate the waterways which provide many uses.  The Oregon Symphony concert will perform the first night at Waterfront Park.  This should be a great event!

Also, If some of you are planning to cruse to Canada this summer, you can use your Oregon Boaters Education Card to can stay longer than 45 days.

Well we have lots of cruises this summer so I hope to see most of you at some of them. See you all soon. 

-James M. Elieff  C.D. & Harbor Master at Salpare Bay Marina

News from the Racing World!

The Cups Coming Home!

All personal feelings about Larry Ellison and the whole BMW/Oracle Team aside, the idea of the America's Cup Coming home to San Fransisco is just too irresistable to snub. Larry's lawyers have proven much better than the Prince of Alingi's boys, and with the possibility of a multi-hull race this year, with Russell Coutts skippering, all sailing senses are tingling! Here is a great shot of the Golden Gate Yacht Club's Team training in one of their 40ft cats off the coast of Valencia, Spain. Too cool!

-Justin

Attention Boaters!- Letters w/ Michael Lewis

Michael,

I heard at one time that the legislature was trying to exclude Marine users.  What is the current state of that exclusion?  I know that the City of Portland has allowed that exclusion for BioDiese
In response to your above question, yes there is an exemption for marine use.  The original HB 2210 did not include exemptions from the 10% ethanol blended gasoline requirement, however, the legislature recently passed SB 1079.  This bill allows the use of non-ethanol blended gasoline for use in certain exemptions.  These exemptions include aircraft, antique vehicles, class I all-terrain vehicles, class III all -terrain vehicles, racing activities, snowmobiles, tools (including but not limited to lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and chain saws) and watercraft.  As for exemptions for marine in the use of bio-diesel.  HB 2210 always included an exemption for railroad locomotives, marine engines or home heating oil.

For more information on the watercraft exemption I would encourage you to contact the Oregon Marine Board.

Russ Wyckoff, Administrator
Oregon Department of Agriculture
Measurement Standards Division
Phone 503-986-4767
Fax 503-986-4784

Hi Michael,

Thank you for contacting us.  Yes, the bill passed and boats are now
exempt...however; this only applies to marina fueling stations.  So
therefore, if you trailer your boat, as many of us do, you'll probably get
your fuel from a regular gas station.  The trick will be finding stations
that don't carry the blended fuel.  As soon as we get more information,
we'll post the non-blended stations on our website. 

Here's what we have so far on the web:
http://www.boatoregon.com/OSMB/news/E10.shtml

Regards,

Ashley A. Massey
Public Affairs Specialist
Oregon State Marine Board
503-378-2623
503-378-8587 ext. 82623
ashley.massey@state.or.us

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

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