ColumbiaRiverCatalina.org		July 2008

Commodore
By Alden Andre', C38, Fly Bye

So the summer began by switching from winter to summer in one day. What happened to our spring?

Well, summer or not, I have been racing, crashing and fixing boats a lot lately. We had the first wreck of the season a couple weeks ago when FLYBYE tangled with a Hunter 35. I have to say that Catalinas are built pretty well, because there was little damage to FLYBYE. Our two boats did opposite direction 360 turns at the start line and came together with our bow anchors colliding like swords in a fencing exercise. Oh well, it just so happened to put us in a good position for the start, and off we went in front of the entire fleet, and screaming towards our first mark. At least we thought we were heading for the first mark. We passed it going 9 kts down river, thinking our mark was still another 500 yards in front of us. I need to send my navigators/tacticians to one of Larry Brandt’s nav courses! We quickly figured out our mistake and turned around to see the whole fleet going around the mark behind us. We caught up though, and finished in the middle of the fleet. Oh and what did we learn from that race? That inflatable life vests do work and when they do inflate it is very fast (when we crashed at the start one of the crew popped his vest).

Also Dave Meggs was out racing with his Catalina 38 for the first time. I kind of made him since he blew out his head sail and I gave him my old head sail on the condition he had to start racing. It was kind of cool running down wind, side by side, we were neck and neck until the J24 fleet came running past and then found that two 38s take away a lot of wind . Then the Jboats fell back into our whisker polls and couldn’t get out of our way. Three of the Jboats were mad because I was pushing there competitor with the whisker pole on his back stay giving him an unfair advantage. They were yelling and screaming like a bunch of drunken pirates! I wish I had a cannon on board, I would have given them a broad side and put them on the bottom. After all that mayhem I wondered what was going through Daves mind. But the next week Dave was back out mixing it up again

We have had some great wind the last few weeks! In fact, last Friday it was a fast broad reach up the river to Government Island docks with one tack and a reach home. I did see some thing interesting last wed night while doing the Oregon Women Sailing Association's wed night sails. A barge passed us going up river by Govt' Island and when we got to the bridge I saw him by docks at Gov Island then stall turn sideways and started coming down river out of control. Then I saw it stuff the nose of the barge into Gov Island. Then two sea tow boats and two coast guard ribs went flying by. I decided to tack back and get the bridge in between me and the barge since I knew that those little boats were going to do nothing to help the disabled barge and I didn’t want to be in its way. I don’t know what happed after that because it was a fast run down river due to the current still running at 2.5 kts.

I did however rescue a fellow Catalina owner Tues night. The wind was howling and Alex and I were out for a sail. We were coming down river when someone on a Catalina 25 was waving franticly at us. We turned around and found out that their engine was not working and he asked for a tow. I asked him were his moorage was and he said across form Island Cafe. We had a strong NW wind and I thought to my self why don’t you unfurl your jib and sail in. I even asked why don’t you sail in but he didn’t want to.Then I asked do you have sea tow? He said “no.” So I pulled my sails down, started the engine, rigged a tow line and instructed him on which way to turn if we got into trouble. I also gave Alex a knife in case he couldn’t get the line untied in time in case of a emergency. After we starting towing we had to rig a couple of buckets behind the 25 because it kept accelerating past our boat even going up river. (Note: buy a sea anchor drogue for towing). Well we finally got him to his slip with some interesting maneuvering in the channel by island cafe with the strong current. I told the owner that he had to join CRACA for my services. $30 a year is much cheaper than a $700 fee from Sea Tow (if you’re not a member and need to be towed). So there were some lessons learned on my part about towing.

1. Have a drogue to tow behind the boat being towed.
2. Have a longer rope aboard for towing purposes.
3. Always have a good knife handy.

I hope the other boat learned some lessons also like:

1. If you own a sail boat and there is wind, you can sail it.
2. Have a radio on board.
3. GET SEATOW INSURRANCE

I have been doing some required maintenance, removing and replacing my lifelines and stanchions. I broke a couple last week. The parts I bought from sextant because they were on the average 8-10 dollars a piece cheaper and they loaned me the cutter and crimper. You would think this would be a simple job removing and stanchion but on my boat I had to remove half of the cabinet’s just to get to the nuts. Who said working on a boat is enjoyable. Well I hope you enjoyed the read I will see you all on the water.

Alden

Vice Commodore
By Jim Turner, C30, Fat Cat

Get ready to celebrate being a Catalina owner! 
Join us August 8,9,10 for a great weekend of fun at the Catalina Rendezvous.
The planning committee has worked hard to create a really great time for everyone!

Our location is beautiful Salpare Bay Marina, on the Columbia River.  Jim Elieff is our Salpare host, and will take your RSVP for a boat slip.....great value at $10 a night!   Please give him a call to reserve your spot - 503-706-3081 or elieffmaan@yahoo.com.

Schedule of Events

Save the date!   Give Jim a call to reserve your spot, and expect a really great time!

Secretary/Treasurer
By John Kerrigan, C30, Magewind

<no Submission>

Communications Officer
By Justin Albano, C22, Velitas

Summer is here!
Alden and I took my new Catalina 22 "Velitas" out for her inaugrial sail last friday. She handled beautifully in a good breeze and we were soon doing 6 knots up river. It was a classical sunset sail on the Columbia with Mt. Hood lit up in pinks and oranges. There was a strange cracking sound as we went to windward however, and I couldn't figure out what was happening until the next night when I took her out again to find my tiller was not only delaminating, but completely rotten where it bolts into the rudder. Ahhh the joys of boat ownership!

In more exciting news, RCS' new Catalina 387 has finally arrived and is down at Schooner Creek being commissioned. I personally am in love! She has tons of head room, 360 degree engine access and a huge aft cabin. I can't wait to get her on the river and see what she is really capable of. We will definitly have her at the CRACA Rendevous for all your perusing pleasure.

Speaking of... I hope everyone can make it to the Rendevouz! Rhonda Turner has a great party planned for us, and this would also be a great opportunity to introduce non-CRACA Catalina Owners to our wonderful club. If you know of any Catalina owners that havent't joined yet, invite them to come. Wouldn't it be great have a big gathering?

Safety Focal
By Larry Brandt, C36, High Flight

Catalina 34.  Four crew.  If we were to be accompanied by seven more boats crewed exactly the same, our combined ages would have stretched back to before Christ.  Four guys, a quarter millennia; and even then, one of us was a youngster less than 50.  Not I, alas.

Our objective last week was to deliver a Catalina 34 from Portland to Victoria.  I was asked to go along in order to provide some base level of experience, as none of the others had ever done the trip.  But where I go, also goes my safety and navigation gear.  And as this is the season for summer travel north to Puget Sound or to Canada, a review of the trip preparation and some of this equipment might be instructive for this month’s CRACA Newsletter.

First of all, anyone owning and operating a 27ft-plus Catalina should know that Puget Sound and environs are well within reach of the Portland metro area.  It largely takes common sense to make a serious sea voyage such as this, of course, and the patience (or the luxury of exercising same) to wait for a decent weather window - the later in the year, say June rather than May, the more likely the trip will enjoy benign seas.  Common sense entails proper preparation and equipage, and best having experienced help onboard for the first time. 

Here are some of the common sense preparations we made…
Jacklines, Tethers, Harnesses

Among other points covered in our pre-departure briefing, such as the watch schedule, the necessity of always being tethered to the boat was agreed to by all.  This is a non-negotiable point.  Falling overboard in the ocean is unthinkable, as the probability of dying is extremely high; almost certain, in fact, if one of the crew falls overboard at night. In even the slightest swells, it can be near impossible to keep the overboard person in view in order to turn the boat around and return for a rescue.

In this shot of part of our extra fuel (we took four five-gallon cans of diesel), you can see the portside yellow jackline we ran the length of the boat.  A twin to it was run down the starboard side.  The crew was always tethered to a jackline whenever out of the cabin, and always wore their PFD as well.  

Navigation System
I took along my portable nav package, which includes a Standard Horizon chart plotter with its own GPS (with WAAS) receiver, using the nav chips out of our Catalina 36, and integrated with this a dual-channel AIS receiver.  We found a ready source of 12 volts DC at the helm, so a couple quick splices, then zip-tie the whole shebang to the binnacle, duct tape the GPS antenna, hang the AIS antenna over a bimini frame, and we were good to go.  The portable rig performed flawlessly, with great AIS targets over the bar and as we were running down the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  Being extra cautious, I had a handheld Garmin and a full box of AA batteries in my boat bag.  And backups to backups, I took along paper charts covering the entire route.

Watch System
Because we had four crew onboard, we elected a four-hour watch during the day, with the 6-hour seasonal night broken into two 3-hour watches, always two-persons per watch.  My watch took the first 2200-1300 watch.  That was easy. But when we came on duty again at 0400, for a four-hour daylight watch, I found it agonizing to stay awake until 0800.  The payoff, though, was a full four hours of deeeeeep sleep between 0800 and 1200.  Glorious.

Crab Trap Defense
Is there a defense for these traps?  I doubt it.  And there are hundreds of the damn things out there, invisible in the dark.  But there are mitigations.  Petty as it may seem, I took along a wetsuit, snorkel and mask that I reserve for just such occasions.  Thank heaven I have never had to use this; but it’s there in case.  Self reliance in the wilderness is what it’s about.  And if being 20 miles offshore isn’t wilderness, I don’t know what is.
So to summarize, I would say that this voyage is within reach of any CRACA member who wishes to go exploring northwards.  Good seamanship, though, demands thinking the trip through in detail well in advance, doing the research, preparing the vessel and crew properly, and being self-reliant while out of reach of land-based assistance.
Happy and safe voyaging.
  

Historian
By Alex Andre', C38, Fly Bye

<No Submission>

Rear Commodore
By Eric Rouzee, C36, Legacy

Hello Again Club Members,
Well summer is here, Yahoo!!  Some of us recently went on the cruise to Coon Island and had a great time.  Those that went were: Jess & Mary Schefstrom on "Kira Lynn", Rick & Cheryl Ward on " Cheryl Lynn", Pete Rose on "Red Herring", Jim & Linda on "Fortune", Jim abd Rhonda Turner on "Fat Cat" and Doug & Jonell McClary on a New Catalina 309! We all had a lot of fun and are looking forward to the July trip to East Dock on Government Island on July 12th & 13th.  hope to see more of you there!

At the CRYA meeting they still talked about enforcing the No Wake laws, with stiff fines.

The aircraft carrier USS Ranger will by tied up  in Portland for the Summer. It draws up to 600,000 visitors a year.  looking forward to touring that ship. No more meetings of the CRYA until September.

Looking forward to the July cruise and the cruise to Beacon Rock on August 23rd & 24th. See you at one or the other.

Have a great summer. 

-James M. Elieff C.D. 

New Catalina Owner!

Please welcome Richard Hooker and his '08 C22 to the CRACA family!

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

July

• No Meeting
• 12th - 13th, Cruise: Government Island - East Dock

August

• 2nd - 3rd, Cruise to McCuddy's Landing
• 9th - 10th, Rendezvous at Salpare Bay Marina
• 22nd - 25th, Cruise to Beacon Rock

September

See the calendar