FLEET 20 NEWSLETTER
November 2000

Catalina 22 - Fleet 20, Portland, OR

From the Captain
By Dale Mack

A rainy weekend in October kept Harmony under the tarp at home instead of allowing us to try our first sail in Olympia.  Oh well, maybe next year.  While many of us are done sailing for the season, Fleet 20 still has several shore side activities planed in the coming weeks.

The fleet's social activities are a great way to meet your fellow members, share stories of past adventures, and plan future ones.  Laura and I hope to see you in the future.

 

You Are Invited
By Dale Mack

December 2.  Please join Laura and I as we host the Fleet 20 Holiday Party at our home on December 2nd.  This very popular event will start off with a potluck dinner, followed by a presentation of the fleet's awards for Fleet Champion and Most Improved Sailor, and will finish with a White Elephant Gift Exchange (click here for instructions on how the exchange works).

Who: Fleet 20 members, crew, and prospective members
What: Potluck dinner and “White Elephant” Gift Exchange
When: Saturday, December 2, 2000
6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Where: Dale and Laura Mack’s home
RSVP: Please respond by November 27th

 

2000 Christmas Ship Parade
By Dale Mack

December 11 - 23. The Christmas Ship Fleet is an all volunteer group of approximately sixty boaters from the Portland/Vancouver area.  Starting December 11th, the fleet will begin its 45th year of parading nightly for two weeks along the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. 

A schedule for the Columbia River and Willamette River fleets is available at the Christmas Ship Parade website at www.christmasships.org.

 

 

November Tropical Party
By Dale Mack

November 18.  Come join Laura and me as we attend the Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association's (OCSA) Tropical Party.  This event is open to all sailors (not just OCSA members).  Click here for a registration form. 

 

 

Activities for 2001

Ideas for 2001
By Dale Mack

January Portland Boat Show (Sa, 1/6)

Seattle Boat Show (Sa, 1/20)
February  
March Spring Planning Meeting (Su, 3/18)
April Astoria-Warrenton Seafood Festival (Sa, 4/28)

Start of SYSCO Spring Series

Spring Regatta
May Opening Day Parade

Spring Rendezvous and Raft Up

Memorial Day Cruise
June Catalina Days Regatta in Seattle (2nd or 3rd weekend)

Start of SYSCO Summer Series
July 4th of July Raft-up and Fireworks

San Juan Islands Cruise
August One-Design Regatta
September Labor Day Cruise

Cruise to St. Helens
October Cruise to Olympia
November Tropical Party
December Annual Meeting and Holiday Party

It's that time of the year when we start thinking about next year's Fleet 20 activities.  

The accompanying table is just some random thoughts I've had about places we could go or activities we could attend.  What have you been thinking about?  Here are some of the other activities I've heard fellow members talk about wanting to do:

  • Beacon Rock Cruise
  • Downtown Portland Cruise
  • Cathlamet Cruise
  • Astoria Cruise
  • Detroit Lake Cruise
  • Roosevelt Lake Cruise
  • Gig Harbor Cruise
  • Martin Slough Rendezvous
  • Sauvie Island Circumnavigation
  • Crow Butte Cruise
  • Columbia River Delta Cruise

2000's breakfast out and visit to the Portland Boat Show was a lot of fun, and the Seattle Boat Show was definitely a hit with participants.

Past Spring Planning Meetings have been held at someone's home in the afternoon on a weekend, and it has given us a chance to discuss getting together in May, and allowed us to start some early planning for the 4th of July and the fleet's summer cruise.  

By April, many of us will be putting our boats back into the water, and for some of us, we'll be preparing for the start of the SYSCO Spring Series.  Another activity we might want to consider attending is the Astoria-Warrenton Seafood Festival.  Besides the opportunity to fest on some great seafood, Astoria is a charming town worth the visit.

May has traditionally been our first non-racing rendezvous of the year, and has typically started out with breakfast out at a local restaurant.

Something new for 2001 is the idea of attending the Catalina Days in Seattle.  I've exchanged some email with some of the 2000 participants, and it sounds like a fun event to trailer the boat to for the weekend.

An alternative to the San Juan Islands some members might be interested in attending is the SYSCO Delta Cruise.  This cruise covers the river from Portland to Astoria and back, with stops at several small towns and anchorages along the way.

Well, hopefully I've got you thinking about some ideas for 2001 and possibly peaked your interested in getting involved.

 

Technical Tips

Cabin Cover
By Dale Mack

Here's a winter project that will pay dividends for years to come.  Gary and Donna Westberg's boat Leadbelly (#13216) has a cover that takes advantage of the same snaps used to hold the poptop cover in place.

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Events

November 18.  Fleet 20 attends the Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association (OCSA) Annual Tropical Party at the Portland Yacht Club (PYC).

December 2. Fleet 20 Holiday Party

January 6.  Fleet 20 Breakfast and Portland Boat Show

January 13.  Seattle Boat Show

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.