ColumbiaRiverCatalina.org		November/December 2008

Congratulations New CRACA Board!

Your 2009 CRACA Board Members are...
Commodore- Jim Turner
Vice Commodore- Jess Schelfstrom
Secretary/Tresurer- John Kerrigan
Communications Officer- ???
Safety Focal- ???
Historian-???
Cruising Chair- Doug McClary
Rear Commodore- Alden Andre

Commodore
By Alden Andre', C38, Fly Bye

Well only one more news letter and Jim Turner will be taking over the helm as Commodore. I’m sure he and his wife will do a great job. I tried to come up to the last cruise at Govt. Island but when I got there the dock was full. It seems other yacht clubs were there also. But it was a good day to sail!

I was testing out sailing with the full enclosure up and I think I like it I stay dry and it is a lot warmer. There has been some informal racing going on on Sundays starting at 1 pm . No spinnakers or whisker poles allowed. It has been fun we meet decide on a course and go. Its non stressful and you can do by your self. Come out and have some fun. I hope to see you all on the river and at the monthly meetings.

I will be taking a new position next year with SYSCO as the Vice Commodore and Race Captain but I will still be involved with CRACA as your rear commodore. We have some great candidates for CRACA’s officer positions for next year I feel it will be a great year with good growth for the club. I thank you all and have a wonderful winter.
-Alden

Vice Commodore
By Jim Turner, C30, Fat Cat

It would seem that the members present at last week’s membership meeting failed to exercise good judgment or ask that someone more qualified than I serve as your next commodore. I found it slightly disturbing that members not only seconded my nomination but also went on to approve it. Clearly there was to be no reprieve. I seriously doubt that my mother ever thought her son would be a commodore! But there I was a newly minted commodore, who also happened to be guilty of holding up the newsletter, because I had yet to write anything! With a sense of wonder and rekindled optimism I sit down to write my newsletter submission and share my vision of the clubs future…

Let’s party! You’re all invited to our house for a pot luck Holiday celebration brunch on, Saturday, December 13th at 11:00 AM. Rhonda and I will be providing a ham, please bring side dishes and what you would like to drink. We would appreciate if everyone would RSVP to my email, jimturner@comcast.net , or call if email isn’t your thing, to let us know if you’re coming so that we can get an idea about how many will be attending. I will email directions to our home in Steamboat Landing, Vancouver, and a gate code to all those who RSVP.

Since my term as commodore begins in December, my first act will be to give everyone a month off from writing a newsletter article! Especially since the November newsletter didn’t get published till darn near the deadline for the December submission anyway. That makes this newsletter our November/December issue, and Justin’s last!

I want to again plead that members consider stepping up to vacant officer positions. Come on, make your mothers proud! We have openings for Club Historian (pictures and scrap booking), Safety Officer, and Communications Officer (Newsletters and Web Master). With the Communications Officer position vacant we sure need the extra time that not publishing a December newsletter provides to figure out how to publish a newsletter to our website. I’m in the process of submitting an application for a booth for our club at the 2009 Portland Boat Show at the Expo Center. The show dates are January 3-11 and should we get in (and they not charge us $700), we will be needing volunteers. Anyone willing to volunteers please email me or call me at 360-260-8716 with the time slots you’re interested in and I’ll try to coordinate getting slots filled.

I want to thank our officer’s for their many contributions and especially our outgoing officer’s.
Alden Andre – Commodore
Larry Brandt – Safety Officer
Justin Albano – Communications Officer
Thanks guys, you did a heck of job! We really appreciate it!

360-260-8716

Secretary/Treasurer
By John Kerrigan, C30, Magewind

<No Submission>

Communications Officer
By Justin Albano, C22, Velitas

Happy Holidays CRACA members!

Before my time as communications officer is up, I would like to mention a few important up coming events.

1) The Winter PDX boat show is Jan 3rd-11th. We need volunteers to man the booth and someone to organize everything. It is lots of fun and you get free entry to the show. Please talk to Jim Turner to reserve your spot now! Booth time slots are as follows:

Saturday Jan 3rd-- 11am-2pm, 2pm-5pm, 5pm-8pm
Sunday Jan 4th-- 11am-3pm, 3pm-6pm
Mon Jan 5th thru Friday Jan 9th-- 2pm-5pm, 5pm-8pm
Saturday Jan 10th-- 11am-2pm, 2pm-5pm, 5pm-8pm
Sunday Jan 11th-- 11am-2pm, 2pm-5pm

2) Jim and Rhonda's Holiday Party is just a couple weeks away. Make sure you RSVP!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

-Justin

Safety Focal
By Larry Brandt, C36, High Flight

Photo: High Flight anchored in Inati Bay, with stern tie to shore.

OK, not ONE word about politics.  That’s the sentiment around our house. 

Alright, what would be the most *opposite* concept I can write about in my newsletter submission?  What direction can my keyboard go that will lead to calm, peaceful serenity?  I know, talking about boats. 

Imagine, for a moment, being anchored in a lovely bay, such as Inati Bay, on Lummi Island.  This exquisite haven is a mere two hours sail from Bellingham.  The bay has a narrow opening, and provided everyone anchors with stern ties to a tree or rock on shore, it can hold perhaps a dozen boats.  Perfect protection.  Lush forest aroma with a hint of salt tang in the air.  Silence.  Not a sound that is not natural.  A small waterfall graces, gurgling in season, the north end of the shore. 

So why, when such perfect loveliness is within reach of any one of our vessels, don’t we plan to experience it.  Yes, the Columbia River is interesting, and close to home.  But any Catalina inboard is certainly capable of making the trip by sea from here to there.  And any Catalina outboard can be trailered.

Maybe it’s strange to see a “Safety” guy urge us to spread our wings, possibly even to embark on an ocean voyage.  Well, the fact is the trip from here to yon isn’t rocket science.  Provided that some thinking is put into the idea, and some preparations are undertaken, good reliable crew arranged or the wheel bearings greased, it is within the reach of us all.  Here’s an idea: how about CRACA’s 2009 Rendezvous being in…you choose.  Gig Harbor.  Port Ludlow.  Victoria, BC.  Inati Bay?

Historian
By Alex Andre', C38, Fly Bye

<No Submission>

Rear Commodore
By Eric Rouzee, C36, Legacy

<no Submission>

Hello Fellow Club Members,

First I would like to say that I am sorry that I haven't been sending you News Letters. Salpare Bay was without internet services for two and a half months. Finally we are up and running again.

I have been your Cruise Director for 5 Years and have enjoyed every cruise that you all have attended. Doug McClary Has offered to be The Cruise Director for the coming season. I will help him when he wants me to because I enjoy helping everybody dock their boats, I always had PLENTY of help from the other members, thanks I needed that.

Everyone that came on the cruises always made them memorable and something I look back on with a big smile and warm heart.  Doug worked out a great schedule and down river cruise for 2009. I am looking forward to the new year and cruising with all of you. Thanks again for a great run!!  I will still take pictures and put them in the News Letters. See you all next season...

James M. Elieff C.D. EX

SPOT
Safety (and less worry for your loved ones) at a bargain price!
By Larry Brandt
Safety Focal
A couple days ago I was walking through Costco in Wilsonville when I spotted a large display promotion for SPOT satellite communications.  Costco’s price was $199 (including a $50 mail-in rebate), and it made me immediately reach for the blister-pack and put it in my cart.  I had been doing a lot of thinking about SPOT lately, and this was an opportunity to get what I thought was a good deal on it.

What is SPOT?
SPOT is a fairly recent communications product; it’s been on the market only a couple years.  It is a low-cost, simple One-Way satellite communicator: it transmits only; it does not receive.  And its vocabulary is very limited, as it has only four sentences that can be selected by the user: “Track progress”, “Check in”, “Ask for help”, and “9-1-1”. 
SPOT does not fulfill the function of an EPIRB, as it cannot be triggered automatically by water immersion.  And it does not communicate directly to a worldwide SAR network.  On the other hand, you cannot use an EPIRB to send – as SPOT can - an “I’m OK” message to loved ones, or to keep a running track of your vessels location on a website so that anyone you designate will be able to locate you on an online Google map.
www.findmespot.com is their website.  Have a look, and then note the $50 rebate link to a pfd that can be easily downloaded.

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

October

• 2nd - 3rd, Cruise to McCuddy's Landing
• 25th - 26th, Cruise: Government Island -East Dock
• No Meeting

November

• 19th, General Meeting & 2009 Board Election at Elmer's Restaurant in Delta Park
  

December

See the calendar