Commodore
By Alden Andre', C38, Fly Bye
The summer weather is coming fast. Time to wash the boat and get it out there. My boat is out of the yard and happily back on the river. I was very pleased with the work that was done on my boat. Jerry Miller of Danish Marine got the job done on time, under budget and with great quality of work. What else can you ask for?
The SYSCO Spring series has started. The cruising fleet looks to be the biggest fleet this year. The season opened with a beautiful windy night and a fun race twice around the buoys that we won! We had an action packed start, a beautiful sunset and a win to top it all off, it doesn’t get much better than that. I saw that the Catalina 22 fleet was out as well as some other larger Catalinas in the cruising fleet.
If you are wondering if you want to race and haven’t before, you are welcome to give me a call and come out some Thursday on my C38 FLYBYE to see what it is all about. I’m still doing a lot of projects on the boat I didn’t get done this winter. I am in the process of wiring the C80 and the ST60 package at this time. I am always in a constant conflict, work on the boat or go sailing. Going sailing always wins over so my boat is always in a torn apart mess. I did take 250 ft of chain out of the nose though and replaced it with 30ft of chain and 300 feet of rope for the anchor. Jim Turner will be happy this race season for that. I got tired of listing to him complain about it every week. (It did raise the water line about an inch and a half). I try to keep my crew happy. The last suggestion was they wanted winch handle holders so I purchased them and installed them all over the boat then to find out all they use them for is beer bottle holders, go figure. The cruising season is upon us and we have a lot of wonderful trips planned, hope to see you all there.
Justin is posting some information on a company that made me some top spreaders this year (http://www.lefiell.com/lefiell_flash.html). If you need anything for your mast or rigging give them a call they make all the parts for several manufactures. I wish I would have known about them before my mast was painted by a local yard. I could have had a 3 massted schooner for the price I paid for a paint job. Have a great month and I hope to see you all on the water.
-Alden Andre
Vice Commodore
By Jim Turner, C30, Fat Cat
We have a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at Elmer’s in Delta Park. The meeting room is available at 6:30 PM with the speaker starting around 7 PM. The speaker, Butch, is a semi-retired rigger who will talk about rigging and tuning your mast. Butch is a friend of Jim Elieff’s, who will soon be taking off cruising and formerly ran B & B Marine on Hayden Island. We moved the meeting from the 3rd Wednesday of the month to the 4th Wednesday due to room availability at Elmer’s.
The boating season is upon us, Yeah!!! Many of you are probably doing just as I am, madly working to get your list of boats projects whittled down in preparation for the season. “FatCat”, our Catalina 30, is currently in the boat yard at Danish Marine should be being splashed shortly. “FatCat” is sporting a new Campbell Sailer three blade propeller, new transducers, her new canvas and even shiny topsides, oh my! Since Jim Elieff stopped by and visually verified that they my keel isn’t installed crosswise (from when it had been pulled for work in 2002), I guess I can’t use that excuse anymore! But then again, I may not have to! The bottom sure looks smooth!
It felt good to complete my canvas projects which included a bimini, dodger and connector between the two. Bending frames, patterning and sewing canvas turned out to be quite an effort. I must say that I have a new found appreciation for what canvas makers charge for their work! We’ll have to see how quickly I begin work on fabricating panels for a full enclosure. It will sure be nice to have some shelter from the sun and rain.
Several of us couldn’t make the cruise on Mother’s day weekend and are planning a “make-up” or “detention hall” cruise for this weekend (May 16th – 18th) at East Dock.
Rhonda and I look forward to visiting with everyone soon!
Secretary/Treasurer
By John Kerrigan, C30, Magewind
<no Submission>
Communications Officer
By Justin Albano, New Catalinas Every Year!
Hello CRACA members,
Big congratulations go out to Eric Rouze and the rest of my Oregon Offshore team for taking third in class and beating the snot out of a couple of boats that should have been much faster than us.  Just goes to prove that it really does come down to the skill of the sailor.
Thursday afternoon the race started at the #2 buoy outside the bar in Astoria, OR. A sea-lion crawled up onto the buoy and had the best seat in the house to watch the start. Schooner Creek's 70ft Rage accelerated off the line and did a horizon job on the rest of the fleet, leaving us to battle it out with an Ericson 35 and a Hylas 49 (of which we beat both!). That first day was some of the best sailing I've done yet with 15 knots out of the NW and clear skies.
Early Friday morning we wrapped our rudder around a crabpot, and 10 minutes later when we finally cut ourselves free the wind compleatly died. Out of all the horrible scenarios I had imagined before setting out on this trip, the 16 hours total of doldrums was by far the worst experience I have ever had out at sea. it was miserable sitting there with no way to move through the water and wondering if one of our competitors had wind somewhere else on the course. The battens and boom continuously smacked against the aluminum mast resonating down into the cabin and sounding like the whole boat was breaking apart.
12 hours and 2 shots of rum to the wind gods later, the wind finally picked up, and boy did it ever pick up. Friday night I learned how to surf a sailboat down 6-7ft waves in 25+knot winds. We quickly made up our lost time and by Sat afternoon we were making our turn into the Stright of Juan De Fuca. However, it wasnt too much longer until our second duldrum hit and lasted 4 hours untill the slack tide turned to a flood.
Now, with a flood tide dragging us inland, a following wind once again picked up to 30+ knot winds with gusts up to 40. With only our main up and fully spilled, we cruised consistently at 9 knots with a high at 11.4 and on a boat that is only supposed to go 6.5 knots! The drama only increased as we made our turn around Race Rocks and into the Victoria harbor where 4 Cruise ships were trying to make their way out directly at us! Jeff got on the horn to franctically warn the quickly approaching giants that we were in front of them with limited steerage because of the high winds. Eric did a fabulous job of driving our boat through that final and very dangerouse leg of our journey, and it only took a couple shots of rum at the dock to get some color back into his knuckles.
All in all we had a fabulous time and we laughed a lot the whole way through. Big thanks to Eddie, Scott, Gretchen, Jeff and of course Eric for making this trip as wonderful as it was. Next week we head up to Victoria to compete in the Swiftsure Regatta. Go Team!
See you all at the next meeting,
-Justin
Safety Focal
By Larry Brandt, C36, High Flight
Risk Management…?
April’s CRACA meeting was enjoyed by a packed house.
We met at Elmer’s at Hayden Meadows, our standard meeting venue this year (every third Wednesday unless otherwise advised), where we were honored by the presence of Catalina Hall of Fame member, Craig Mortensen. Craig owns a Catalina 36, S/V Patriot, based at the Portland Yacht Club.
Last year, Craig completed a circumnavigation – the first ever in a Catalina 36. At our CRACA meeting he gave us a thrilling presentation on his voyage, supported by superb photography, and with first hand tales of (a) being struck by a whale in the middle of the night, and (b) his brush with pirates off the coast of Aden. After the whale story, the pirate part seemed anti-climactic.
Craig says with a wink that the whale, approaching from the right, had right of way; however, he does mention that, as a mitigating circumstance, the whale was not lighted according to COLREGS. We’ll let Craig off the hook this time. The important point for us in this tale, I believe, is the planning for emergencies long before the voyage ever begins.
Wonderful passages can, and often are, made by fools. If emergencies aren’t planned for, and equipped for, and then through sheer luck don’t happen, the vessel and crew arrive at destination none the worse for wear, blissfully ignorant that things could have gone terribly wrong. The art of passage planning involves imagination, long before the dock lines are slipped.
In Craig’s situation - no fool he - he imagined his voyage and its risks, years before he ever departed Portland on this journey; and he planned for and equipped for improvised steering that allowed him to continue for days to an alternate destination.
The lesson is that, as Pacific Northwest boaters, we should cultivate a habit of imagining the “What If’s” that can make our voyages challenging: Snagging a rogue net off the Washington coast; Losing our GPS reference in restricted visibility on the Columbia. Things happen on the water, some happy and some challenging. But the best mariners are those who can respond appropriately no matter what happens, keeping themselves, their crew and family, and their vessel safe, without calling the Coast Guard and begging to be airlifted from your boat at taxpayer expense.
Good passage planning begins with dreaming. It’s a tough job to sit in a recliner in front of a winter fire and imagine where the voyages of a coming July or August. But when the spouse chastises you for your apparent inaction, just say that you’re passage planning, and oh, by the way, could you bring me another cup of coffee next time you come?
-Larry Brandt
 Historian
By
Alex Andre', C38, Fly Bye
<No Submission>
 Rear Commodore
By Eric Rouzee, C36, Legacy
<No Submission>
 Cruising
Chairman
By Jim Elieff, C30, Fortune
Well Fellow Members,
Another month has gone by with yet another cruise cancelled because of weather. The weekend before was in the 70's, and the weekend after was in the 60's, but the weekend we had planned to go to East Dock was in the mid 30's at night and wind, sun, rain and hail on the weekend.
Well the cruise this month to Coon Island on the 10th & 11th is one that about 6 boats are going to, Rain, Shine or Hail. So whomever wants to go we will be there, My boat is ready to go and looking forward to it, So we will see you there.
At the CRYA meeting last month The River Patrol Sheriff told us about them ticketing boats that don't have a currant sticker on their boats, even if they have been sitting in the marina for several years. The fine for a non-registered boat is $97.00, but one that is registered and doesn't have a current sticker is $247.00. So I would suggest everybody be current. They are also ticketing boats for wake violations,which we don't have to worry about. They want us to call 911 and say that this is NOT and emergency and we are just reporting if we see any boat with invalid registration, or contraband.
There is currently seven deputies that cover up to the Sandy River. Summer staffing will include 14 deputies working with the Columbia Country patrols starting May 3rd. At that time they will start walking the docks and checking for current registration, and give out tickets.
The senate bill regarding pleasure boat discharge exemption is still in process. We encouraged all members to contact their senators and legislators in support of the bill. The bill must be passed by September otherwise all pleasure boaters will be required to have discharge permits.
I hope that not many of you missed the last meeting at Elmers'. The gentleman gave us his account of going around the world in a 36' Catalina. WOW, what an adverture he had. I'd like to hear that one again. Maybe more of you can come next time. It was very exiting and informative.
Hope to see all of you some, weather permitting?? James M. Elieff, C. D. & harbor Master @ Salpare Bay
-Jim Elieff
Upcoming Boat Shows
Catalina Newsletters of
the Northwest
Checkout these links to Northwest Catalina newsletters and local racing:
Upcoming Events
April
May
June
- 18th Meeting: TBD
- 20th - 22nd, Columbia Crossing's Summer on the water Boat Show
- 21st - 22nd, Cruise to Coon Island East Side
See the calendar
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.
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