FLEET 20 NEWSLETTER
December 2000

Catalina 22 - Fleet 20, Portland, OR

Our new Fleet Captain
By Dale Mack

As part of our Fleet's Holiday Party and Winter Meeting, we elected a new Fleet Captain for 2001, Dennis Thomas.  Dennis and Sandy have been active members of Fleet 20 over the last two years, both racing and cruising their boat WindChaser.

As your outgoing Fleet Captain, I want to thank all of you who lent a hand or your ideas for how to make my 2000 term as Captain a success.  As is the nature of our fleet, we rarely all get together.  Yet through cruises, racing, rendezvous', race committee duty, and especially email, I felt like I got to know many of you.

I want to make special mention of Bob Gales and Gail O'Neill, who kindly hosted us aboard their Catalina 30 for race committee duty twice this last year.  Those of us that race do so as fleet J1 in SYSCO, and with that comes an obligation to serve as the race committee for one spring and one summer series race.  I want to thank those non-racers in the fleet who volunteered to come out this year and help on the committee.  No experience was required and we had a lot of fun.

I'm looking forward to working with Dennis in 2001 as I continue to publish theFleet's newsletter and website.  I want to thank those of you who provided me with articles and photos for the newsletter in 2000.  It has been fun bring this newsletter to you each month.

You can read about the duties of the Fleet Captain by following this link.

Holiday Party and Winter Meeting
By Dale Mack

The fleet's annual holiday party was held at the home of Dale and Laura Mack.  We shared one of the best potluck dinners I've ever attended.  From the appetizers to the desserts, it was an incredible feast.

We had a great time sharing photo albums, swapping pictures, and reliving the activities of the past year.  After dinner we held a short business meeting to elect a new Fleet Captain, and to present our annual awards.

Most Improved Sailor.  Each year, the fleet presents a perpetual plaque to the Fleet 20 member whose racing performance has improved the most over the past year.  A skipper's performance in the SYSCO Spring Series, SYSCO Summer Series, and the SYSCO One-Design Regatta serve as the basis for determining a winner.  The 2000 winner was Dennis Thomas.  Congratulations, Dennis!

Fleet Champion.  The fleet also presents a perpetual plaque to the Fleet 20 member who achieves the best racing record over the past year.   A skipper's points from the SYSCO Spring Series, SYSCO Summer Series, and the SYSCO One-Design Regatta are combined to select a winner based on the lowest score.  The 2000 winner was Dennis Thomas.  Go Dennis!

We capped off the evening with the ever popular White Elephant Exchange.  This year's gifts tended to the whimsical side and made it a challenge to decide whether to steal someone else's gift or take a chance on opening a new gift.

The award for the most tenacious salesman has to go to Bob Gales as he tried to encourage others to steal his fluorescent pink fishing supplies in a vain attempt to acquire a different gift.

I want to thank everyone for allowing Laura and me to be your hosts.  We had a great time and enjoyed everyone's company immensely.

Renew Your Membership in Fleet 20
By Dale Mack

Please consider filling out the Fleet 20 Membership Application and sending it along with $10 to the address listed on the application.  The application form is available online here.

If you're not a member of the  Catalina 22 National Sailing Association, I'd like to encourage you to checkout their website at  www.catalina22.org and see if this is something that would interest you.  The association publishes a magazine six times a year full of useful information on sailing, cruising, racing, and maintaining Catalina 22's.

If you plan on racing in 2001, you might also look into the Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO).  Although membership in the club isn't required to race, SYSCO members do have their SYSCO sponsored race entry fees covered by their membership fee.  More information about SYSCO and other Portland/Vancouver sailing organizations can be found at:

www.leftblank.com/sailpdx

2001 Calendar (proposed)
By Dale Mack

A proposed calendar of events for Fleet 20 is available online.  I'd appreciate any feedback you might have.  Feel free to suggest ideas.  I've only proposed a schedule to help get the creative juices flowing about things we might do in the coming year.

 Here are some new activities for your consideration:

• Fleet 20 Spring Meeting.  How about meeting in March or early April on a Sunday to discuss racing plans and very preliminary plans for the San Juan Islands cruise?
• Astoria-Warrenton Seafood Festival.  This might make a fun land-cruise.  I've never been, but it sounds enjoyable.
• Fleet 20 Summer Meeting.  How about meeting on a Sunday in June or early July to finalize preparations for the San Juan Islands?
• Catalina Days in Seattle.  Typically held the 2nd or 3rd weekend in June, this event features a casual sail round the buoys on Saturday, with banquet dinner in the evening at the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle overlooking Shilshole Bay Marina on Puget Sound.
• 2nd Annual All Catalina Rendezvous at Hayden Bay.   Hosted by the Columbia River All Catalina Association in September, this is a raft-up and burgers by the pool type of event.  It falls on the same weekend as the Sail for the Cure, so its a great opportunity to help a great cause and socialize with other Catalina owners.

OCSA Tropical Party
By Dale Mack

On November 18th, members of Fleet 20 and the Columbia River All Catalina Association attended the 2000 Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association's Tropical Party held at the Portland Yacht Club (PYC).

We were among 250 sailors who had come together to recognize and honor the sailing accomplishments and contributions of various individuals from the Portland/Vancouver area.

The dinner was great, the awards presentation funny and short, and the live entertainment just awesome.  While the weather might have suggested winter, the atmosphere inside was summery and lighthearted.

The Lloyd Jones Struggle band got us out of our chairs and onto the dance floor.  Whether you were dancing or just sitting and listening, the music was for great.

This was Laura and my first time to the OCSA Tropical Party and it won't be our last.  The party is a great opportunity to enjoy a "date" with your significant other and mingle with others who share your love of sailing.

Portland Boat Show
By Dale Mack

January 6 (sa).  The Portland Boat Show runs from January 6 - 14.  I'm planning to attend the show on Saturday the 6th, and would like to invite others to join the Macks.  We'll start the day off with a 9 a.m. breakfast at  Elmers, followed by a visit to West Marine (looking for after Christmas sales), and then onto the boat show which opens at 11 a.m. (closes at 9 p.m.).  If you'd like to rendezvous, contact me via email or the phone.

Admission is $7.00     (free to children 12 and under)

Seattle Boat Show
Lake Union Boats Afloat Show
By Dale Mack

January 13 (sa).  The Seattle Boat Show and the Lake Union Boats Afloat Show run from January 12-21.   If you're planning to be there on January 13th, perhaps our paths will cross as the Macks will be visiting both shows and turning the weekend into a mini family vacation in Seattle.  If you'd like to rendezvous, contact me via email or the phone.  Be sure to visit the boat show websites for details on admission and discounts on tickets and parking.

The Seattle Boat Show is held in the new Washington State Stadium Exhibition Center across the street from Safeco Field.  What the Seattle Boat Show lacks in sailboats it makes up for in marine equipment booths.  To see sailboats, you will want to go to the Lake Union Boats Afloat Show.  A free shuttle bus  operates between the Seattle Boat Show and the Boats Afloat Show.

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.

2001 San Juan Islands Cruise
By Dale Mack

With the boat sitting under a tarp and still three and a half months to go before I put it back into the water, you might find it a little premature to start thinking about the 2001 San Juan Islands Cruise. 

Several of us at the Holiday Party talked about needing to identify a date for the cruise, so I'm going to stick my neck out and suggest the the fourth week in July (7/21 - 7/29) which also happens to be Whidbey Island Race Week.  Laura and I actually think anytime between 7/14 and 8/5 works for us, but the fourth week has the advantage of being more than a week after SYSCO Summer Series race #5, and the cruise would be completed two weeks before the SYSCO One-Design Regatta.

Let me know what you think, I'm flexible.

Are You Racing in 2001?
By Dale Mack

Are you planning to race your boat in 2001?  The first SYSCO Spring Series race is Thursday,  April 19th.

Rumor has it that Terry Annis will be skippering Gold Rush if Don Bateson and Terry can get the boat back into the water this year.  I'm available to help if another pair of hands would be useful.

At this time I believe the following boats are intending to race this coming season (click on the thumbnail to see a larger view):

• Gold Rush, Terry Annis & Don Bateson
• Dream A Little Dream, Mike Hibbs
• WindChaser, Dennis Thomas
• Lematike, Mike McGrath
• Harmony, Dale Mack

Pop Top Dogs
By Dale Mack

After years of searching for lost poptop dog assemblies that had vibrated loose during trailering or sailing Harmony (#14286), I finally solved my problem.  While completing a wire shelving project one day, I noticed that the white vinyl caps designed to cover the cut ends of the shelf looked about the right size to cap the threaded end of the dog.  The caps can be purchased separately from the shelves.  Since retro-fitting my dogs three years ago, I haven't lost a single one.

Boom Storage While Trailering
By Dale Mack

This idea might fit in the category of duhhhhhhh!, but it sure made things easier for me once I started using it.  By hanging a clip from the aft starboard side poptop support, I'm able to store the gooseneck end of the boom in the v-berth, and suspend of other end of the boom over the table and out of the way when trailering.  The same setup works well for storing the whisker pole.

January 6.  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.