FLEET 20 NEWSLETTER
April 2000

Catalina 22 - Fleet 20, Portland, OR

From the Captain
By Dale Mack

April is an exciting month for sailing on the Columbia River.  Many of us have our boats back in the water, and some of us are preparing for the start of the SYSCO Spring Series on April 20th.

Please note that our first Race Committee duty has changed from May 2 to April 25.  We swapped nights with the Ranger 24's so that Sue Burns (a Ranger 24 skipper) could enjoy her birthday somewhere other than on the water (more details later).

Next month is the Lemon Island Rendezvous (May 13).  Details of the raft-up can be found in the March newsletter.

I have not heard of any Fleet 20 members, myself included, signed up for the Opening  Day Regatta April 15/16.  I am thinking about going out for a couple of day sails to watch some of the racing which starts at 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

I'm trying to drum up interest in the SYSCO Spring Regatta, April 29/30 (more details later).  The regatta could be a great opportunity to introduce more members to racing by having them crew on one of the participating boats.  If you're interested in crewing, send me an email and we'll find you a boat to crew on.

Race Committee, Who Me?
By Dale Mack

Last year was my first time serving on a race committee.  I got involved for a couple of reasons.  First Fleet 20 typically serves as the Race Committee for two of the Tuesday evening races, and second, I thought my involvement might help remove some of the mystery out of the whole racing process for me.

Still being new to racing, I found it challenging enough just trying to interpret all the flags and signals associated with racing.  Reading the descriptions in a book helped, but it was no substitute for racing or better yet being the Race Committee (RC).  In preparation for my RC duty, I attended an optional two-evening Race Management Clinic hosted at North Sails last year.  The clinic was great, and after combining it with actual Race Committee duty, I found I was a lot more comfortable as a racer with the starting and finishing process.

As Fleet Captain this year, I need to recruit you to serve with me as the Race Committee for the April 25 (Tuesday) and June 27 (Tuesday) evening races.  Since the thought of being on a Race Committee has scared me off in the past for fear that I might need to know something about sailing or racing, I want to assure you that you don't need to know anything!

I recently attended the 2000 version of the Race Management Clinic, and while the information was still pretty much the same, I found hearing it a second time and having a chance to practice the starting sequence was great.  To encourage participation on the Fleet 20 Race Committee this year, I thought I'd provide an overview of what you can expect if you come out and help.

Setting Up the Course

The first warning signal is at 6:30 pm, so most of the pre-race setup like anchoring the committee boat and setting the marks needs to be completed at least twenty (20) minutes before the first warning signal.  Last year Bill Sanborn volunteered his thirty-footer to serve as the Race Committee boat, so we had a large stable platform from which to work.  At 5:00 pm, four Fleet 20 members met at Bill's boat and headed for Tomahawk Bay Moorage to pickup the Race Committee flags and records from "Pancho", SYSCO's Boston Whaler used as a mark setting boat.  Two other Fleet 20 members, Terry Annis and myself, met at "Pancho" and waited for Bill's boat.

Bill was serving as our Principal Race Officer (PRO), which meant Bill was really the only person who had to know what he was doing;-)  The other assigned tasks distributed amongst the Fleet 20 participants were registrar, timekeeper, flag handler, and line caller.  Based on the wind conditions and the OCSA Course Chart, Bill told Terry and me where he wanted the racing marks (buoys) set.

While Terry and I went about using "Pancho" to set the marks, Bill and crew took his boat out onto the racing course and anchored it at one end of the starting line.  In addition to the "RC" Race Committee flag Bill's boat was flying, he also had an orange flag near the mast to mark one end of the starting line.

Bill had already reviewed which fleets would be racing, and had formed them into three separate starts.  Using SYSCO's course display board, that we had strapped to the mast and boom of Bill's boat,  the course and starting sequence was put up, and then the "Come within hail" flag was flown.

To get a complete overview of the Race Committee duties, be sure to checkout the OCSA/SYSCO Race Committee Checklist.

Checking in the Boats

With the "Come within hail" flag flying, boats started passing down the starboard side of Bill's boat to find out what the course and starting sequence was, and to officially check in with the registrar.  The registrar recorded the sail number and boat name on a Race Check-In and Finish Form.  As the check-in process continued, our official timekeeper kept us alerted about our progress to 6:30 pm.

Starting

At 6:30 pm, we had to be prepared to fly the yellow "First Warning" flag, or postpone the start of the race by flying the "AP" Postponement flag.   Events that could have led to postponement included:  

• Having the prevailing wind die or make a major shift in direction
• Having the Race Committee lose track of the timing sequence (that's why we had two watches going)
• Having traffic interfere with the starting area (e.g. a tug and barge is nearby)
• Anything that would prevent safe, fair starting conditions

Fortunately everything when smoothly, so at 6:30 pm, with our flag handler standing at the bow of Bill's boat, we raised the yellow flag.  From 6:30 pm, the start sequence went like this:

MINUTES	FLAG	Horn	EVENT
0	Yellow	1 blast	First Warning, Start elapsed-time clock
4	-----	-----	Lower Yellow Flag
5	Blue	1 blast	Preparatory for Start 1
9	-----	-----	Lower Blue Flag
10	Red	1 blast	Start 1; Preparatory for Start 2
14	-----	-----	Lower Red Flag
15	Red	1 blast	Start 2; Preparatory for Start 3
19	-----	-----	Lower Red Flag
20	Red	1 blast	Start 3

With our line caller positioned under the orange flag, we verified no one started early, and our registrar recorded who actually started.

It was exciting being right on the starting line.  Since we serve as the Race Committee for the "Big Boats", it was great seeing the crews all lined up on the rails.  I particularly remember the J/30 start.  Two boats, out of five racing that night, hit the starting line only 1 second late on starboard tack.  As soon as they crossed the line, both boats immediately tacked.  Their acceleration out of a tack was incredible to watch so close up.

Racing

With the racing underway, we didn't have much to do other than verifying occasionally that the marks were still on station.  While the racers raced, we shared fried chicken, veggies, and other finger foods race committee members brought along to share.

Serving on a Race Committee is a real team building exercise.  It was great how with a little advice from Bill Sanborn, we managed to successfully start the fleets.

Finishing

There wasn't a whole lot to finishing a race.  As the boats crossed line, the line caller called the finish, the timekeeper called out the time, and the registrar recorded the boat's finishing time.  If a boat was the first in its fleet to finish, then we also sounded one blast on the horn.

I Need You

Being on the Fleet 20 Race Committee doesn't require you to be a racer or for that matter even be a sailor.  Each of the assigned tasks are not complicated, and are easily learned by someone coming out for the first time.  Race Committee duty is another opportunity to get together as a fleet and introduce family and friends to our sport.

Once again Bill Sanborn has been kind enough to allow us the use of his Kalik 30 Upstart as the Race Committee boat.  On April 25th, the plan is for Race Committee participants and "Pancho" to meet at the berth for Upstart at 5pm (directions to Upstart will be emailed out shortly).  At 5:15pm, Upstart will leave the dock and anchor at one end of the starting line while "Pancho" sets the marks.

I'll be calling around this month to get volunteers for April 25, or better yet you could express your interest in participating by sending me an email.

Racing News
By  Dale Mack

SYSCO Spring Regatta, April 29 - 30.  Is anyone interested in racing in the SYSCO Spring Regatta?  If we can get three boats to enter, we meet the minimum requirements for a one-design start.  Registration must be in by April 26.  The Race Notice and Sailing Instructions are online, along with the OCSA Race Entry Form.  The OCSA Sailing Instructions are also online.

The OCSA Course Chart and all the Race Notices and Sailing Instructions for the 2000 season can be found in the Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association's 2000 Race Booklet.  Contact OCSA Vice Commodore Nancy Kirk (503) 251-1764 njkirk@msn.com, if you need the booklet and course chart.

Membership
By Dale Mack

I'd like to welcome the following new members to Fleet 20:

• Gary & Donna Westberg, Leadbelly, #13216

Membership Renewal.  For those who haven't yet renewed their membership to Fleet 20 or for those contemplating joining, please consider filling out the Fleet 20 Membership Application and sending it along with $10 to the Fleet Captain's address listed on the application.  The application form is available online here.

Cruising News
By  Dale Mack

San Juan Islands July 28 - August 6.  I'd like to see us start pulling together the first draft of an itinerary for this year's trip within the next month or so.  An itinerary that would allow part of our group to go off and explore on their own for a day or two and then rendezvous with the rest of the fleet might be of interest to some participants.  For example, last year Laura and I decided we wanted to spend the night in Sidney to visit longer, while the rest of the fleet spent the night at Sidney Spit a few miles away.  Knowing that the fleet was departing from Sidney Spit and heading for Brentwood Bay the next morning, provided Laura and I the predictability we needed so we could do our own thing for part of the trip, and still catch up to the rest of the group.

Last year's itinerary looked like this:  Anacortes (Cap Sante), Roche Harbor, Sidney (just long enough to clear customs), Sidney Spit, Brentwood Inn Resort (Brentwood Bay), Otter Bay (North Pender Island), Montague Harbor (Galiano Island), Roche Harbor (just long enough to clear customs), Deer Harbor (Ocras Island), Anacortes.

Despite planning to anchor about half of the time like previous trips, every night was spent at a dock.  Marinas with pools were definitely high on the list for my ten year old last year.  We usually try to be at a location with showers every other day when possible.

We visited Butchart Gardens last year and had a great time. Fleet 20 spent the night at Brentwood Inn Resort on Brentwood Bay, and took a city bus (#75) the 5 minutes to Butchart Gardens. The next morning, the female crewmembers hopped a bus to Victoria, while the other half of the crews did laundry and watched the kids. The Gardens have a dinghy dock and overnight mooring buoys for 2 or three boats nearby. I think if we want to do Butchart Gardens and Victoria again, I'd recommend we stay in Sidney (great harbor) and use the buses instead of going to Brentwood Bay.

We really enjoyed Otter Bay on North Pender Island in the Gulf Islands. The harbor is very sheltered and the facilities are nice, including the pool (the store is not well stocked, so come with everything you need). We also visited Montague Harbor on Galiano Island (no showers), and Bob Gales and Gail O'Neill visited Ganges. The Canadian Gulf Islands are definitely worth the visit.

Having access to Fleet 20 members who have made the trip before was a benefit. Laura and I had a zillion questions before we went last year. Oddly, the advice on what to bring boiled down to these three recommendations:

• Bring a roll of quarters. Showers and laundry facilities work off of quarters.
• Bring about half as many clothes as you originally planned because you can wash your cloths while on the cruise. (Dress in layers)
• Bring less food. Depending on the itinerary, you'll probably eat out frequently.

As for the boat, we didn't really do anything special. Laura and I have cruised Harmony for several years, so we had already invested in comfort items like a sun shade and pop-top cover. The biggest change was in fuel capacity. My motor is a 7.5 hp four-stroke Honda outboard. In the 4.5 hrs, 28 miles motor from Cap Sante, Anacortes to Roche Harbor with the current, my motor only burned 3 gallons of fuel. Two-stroke motors will burn more fuel per hour. I carried 6 gallons in the main tank, and an additional 2.5 gallons in a gas can. By refueling at each stop of the trip, fuel was never a problem.

I had lots of questions about launching the boat and storing the truck and trailer.  We launched at Cap Sante in Anacortes (very nice marina).  The marina is located across the street from a Safeway's grocery store, and West Marine is about 2-3 blocks away. Launching involved parking in the lift queue, loading the gear aboard the boat, mounting the motor, connecting the fuel, readying the fenders and lines, removing all straps between the boat and trailer, and then waiting to be flagged over to the lift (you pre-pay for the lift in the marine store near the lift, $24 round trip). After backing the boat under the lift, the attendants then placed two wide straps under the boat and lifted it off the trailer and into the water. I then moved the truck and trailer temporarily to the boat loading area parking lot, and then went back to boat and motored it into its slip (the overnight slip was arranged in the marina office, also located near the lift). With the boat safely in the slip, I went back to the truck and moved it and the trailer to the RV park and long-term trailer storage at the north end of the marine ($2/day to store both). It was an easy walk back to the boat. Once back at the boat, Laura and I raised the mast.  If you have never raised and lowered your mast in the water, don't sweat it.  After fretting about not having done it before, it turned out to be no more difficult than doing it on the trailer (just avoid rocking the boat from side to side).

I hope my short description of last year's trip has you thinking about places you want to visit this year.

Masthead Sheaves
By Dale Mack

It started out as a simple project.  All I was going to do was replace my seven year old all-line halyards...

My halyards run on the inside of the mast, so as part of the process of removing them, I attached a small line to each halyard.  As the halyard was pulled through the mast, it brought along the smaller line which I would use later to pull the new halyard back through the mast.

While I was removing the halyards, I noticed some faint cracks running over the surface of both of my masthead sheaves.  I removed the cotter pins, clevis pins, and was surprised to see that some of the cracks seemed to extend almost two-thirds of the way towards the center of the sheave (the cracks in the photo have been darken with soy sauce to make them show up better).

I decided to pay it safe, and ordered two replacement sheaves from Catalina Direct.

Item	Description	Price
D1215	Sheave masthead for factory internal rope halyards	$4.00

Installation of the sheaves was easy.  I aligned the sheaves with the holes in the masthead, inserted the clevis pins, and installed new cotter pins (3/32 x 5/8).

As for the original halyard project, that went OK.  I put an eye-splice in one end of each halyard, and I whipped the other end.  The line I used is 5/16" Sta-Set X polyester yacht braid from New England Ropes.

Finishing Terry's Keel
By Dale Mack

Terry Annis finished his swing-keel fairing job near the end of March.  I snapped this picture of the keel hanging in Terry's garage about mid-month.

Along with refining the shape of the keel, Terry also worked on restoring the proper shape of the hole in the keel that the keel pivot pin passes through.  In Terry's case, he decided to have the hole drilled out to a larger diameter to accept a brass bushing.  (The keel hangers for the boat are also visible in the picture)

The bushing is designed to fit snuggly in the  keel pivot pin hole, and the keel's one inch diameter brass pivot pin can then rotate in the bushing.

To get the keel back under the boat, Terry built a rolling cart with supports that kept the keel in an orientation similar to when the keel is winched up.  After the keel hangers and keel cable were reattached, the bottom and the keel got a fresh coat of VC17M.

Raising the Boat Off the Trailer
By Dale Mack

I was curious about how Terry managed to raise his boat off the trailer enough to be able to paint where the trailer bunks come in contact with the hull.  Terry's approach uses a small carpet covered cradle made out of a 2x6,  and two wedges.  The cradle is placed so it extends an inch past the transom so that the lifting force is exerted on the transom and not on the thin hull.  A 4x4 is placed under the cradle and extends down to a floor jack.

As the boat is lifted off the trailer using the floor jack, Terry places sections of carpet covered 4x4's between the bunks and the hull, and then lowers the boat onto the 4x4's.

The front of Terry's boat was securely attached to the trailer's winch, and the forward part of the hull was resting on a keel roller.  Terry cautioned me that if I didn't position the cradle correctly at the stern, I might stress the hull.  

Upcoming Events
By Dale Mack

April 15/16.  Opening Day Regatta

April 20.  Spring Series, Race #1

April 25.  Fleet 20 Race Committee (Tuesday)

April 27.  Spring Series, Race #2 

April 29/30.  Spring Regatta

May 4.  Spring Series, Race #3

May 13.  Lemon Island Rendezvous (Saturday)

May 18.  Spring Series, Race #4

May 20.   Lemon Island Rendezvous makeup day if rained out on May 13 (Saturday)

May 25.   Spring Series, Race #5 (last race of series)

The Fleet 20 newsletter is published online once a month.    Articles are the opinions of the authors and don't necessarily represent the consensus of Fleet 20.