FLEET 20 NEWSLETTER
May 2001

Catalina 22 - Fleet 20, Portland, OR

Under Sail
By Dale Mack

After the winter doldrums, it was nice to get back onto the water in Spring.  April was an active month for fleet members between launching boats, a swap meet,  an impromptu group breakfast, and two Spring Series races.

My favorite picture so far has to be of Solus (McGrath, #6800), WindChaser (Thomas, #14306), and Imagine (Hayden, #13501), rafted together while waiting for wind during the first race of the Spring Series, April 19th.

It's great getting to see everyone again, like fleet member Herb Kateley, of Seaside, Oregon who keeps his Catalina 22, Misty Morning, #8695, berthed in Astoria.  Herb recently purchased a 28 foot sailboat which is berth in "C" dock at Tomahawk Bay Moorage.  I recently encountered Herb as Sandy and Dennis Thomas were adjusting the lines for Windchaser.

I hope you'll consider coming out Sunday, May 6th for the Fleet's annual Lemon Island Rendezvous.  Look for more details later in the newsletter.  Another activity this Saturday is the Open Day Parade on the Columbia River.

Watch your email in May for announcements of impromptu day sails.  You'll also receive, in June, a copy of the Fleet's roster in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) format that you can print.

Dennis and Sandy Thomas check out the deals on cordage  at the West Marine parking lot swap meet.

Swap Meet Get Together
By Dale Mack

April 21.  Fleet 20 members found all kinds of excuses to get together in April.  A West Marine hosted parking lot swap meet on a sunny Saturday brought sailor and powerboater alike to the bazaar.  I counted nine Fleet 20 members just during the time that I was at the swap meet.

This was my first time to the swap meet, and I was surprised by the variety and quality of offerings.  The vendor selling line had particularly good prices, as did the person selling ziplock bags full of stainless pop rivets for only $5 a bag.

Mike Hibbs and Terry Annis at the West Marine swap meet.

I understand that the Tomahawk Bay Yacht Club will be hosting a parking lot swap meet on Saturday, May 19th, at Tomahawk Bay Moorage.  Dennis Thomas has been inquiring whether there is any interest within the fleet on going in together on a space so we could sell any excess marine gear we might have lying about.  Contact Dennis if this selling opportunity interests you.

After purchasing those items we just couldn't live without, several of us went out to breakfast as a group at Elmers.  The breakfast was great, and the conversation even better.  It's enjoyable hearing about everyone's boating experiences.  This year's low water in the river and the lakes was a topic of particular interest.

After breakfast, we all headed over to the 42nd St. ramp to help launch Nate and Margaret Hansen's boat.  Due to low water in Detroit Lake, their traditional sailing grounds, the Hansen's decided to relocate their boat to the river for the season.  Low water (the Columbia River is at August levels) combined with a shallow ramp, made the extra help welcomed when launch the boat.

Sightings
By Dale Mack

Fleet 20 members were still getting their boats back into the water in April.

As several of us helped Nate and Margaret launch their boat, we were pleasantly surprised to see Russ and Maureen Lippert arrive with Windrider, #12982.

Russ and Maureen Lippert.

Windrider is a 1985 swing-keel Catalina 22.  It's one of the last old-style's built before Catalina Yachts introduced the new-style in 1985 with hull #13143.

This is Russ and Maureen's second year in Fleet 20.  Russ has been learning about racing by crewing on Dennis Thomas' boat this Spring.

The Lipperts are planning to attend their first San Juan Islands cruise with the fleet this summer.

Meet Catalina Yachts Owner
and C22 Designer Frank Butler
By Dale Mack

September 21-23.  The Columbia River All Catalina Association invites all owners of Catalina Yachts (Catalina, Capri, and Morgan) to attend its annual three-day weekend of fun, festivities and socializing with fellow Catalina owners and factory representatives.  This year's honored guests are Frank Butler, Catalina Yachts owner and the designer of the Catalina 22, along with Sharon Day, Catalina Yachts Sales Manager.

The event will take place at Hayden Bay, and you can either bring your boat and raft up (40+ boats are anticipated) or drive to the rendezvous.  In addition to meeting Frank and Sharon, there will be tours of boats, poolside activities, live music, and a dinner on Saturday.

Complete details for the All Catalina Rendezvous are available on the  Columbia River All Catalina Association website.  Registration sent in after July 31st will cost you an extra $10.

Opening Day Parade - Columbia River
By Dale Mack

May 5.  Portland's 2001 boating season begins May 5 with a colorful opening day parade on the Columbia River.  More than 500 boats from 15 local yacht clubs will parade through the review area starting at 12:30 p.m.  Boats, in formation, will stretch out for more than two miles as they pass the review vessels anchored at the 42nd street boat ramp.

Lemon Island Rendezvous
By Dale Mack

May 6.  Fleet 20 will be holding its annual Lemon Island Rendezvous on Sunday, May 6th (Mother's Day is May 13).

We'll informally rendezvous near buoy "14" between 12 and 12:30, and then head upstream to the north side of Lemon Island where we'll raft-up and share snacks.  If you miss us at buoy "14", just head to Lemon Island at your leisure.  I'll be monitoring channel 16 on the VHF radio if you want to get hold of me once we are on the water.

The plan is to anchor between the two wing dams, just offshore of Lemon Island.  I was at Lemon Island two weeks ago, and found that the river's level (between River Stages 2 and 4) is such that the cove that normally forms between Government Island and Lemon Island is almost dry.  Aerial photos of Lemon Island are available on the Internet at Microsoft's TerraServer.

What to bring?  Mostly just fend for yourself, but if you'd like to bring some snacks to share that would be great.  Once rafted up, we'll break out the goodies and  enjoy the afternoon together.

Catalina Days - Seattle
By Dale Mack

June 30.  Mark your calendars for June 30th as the Catalina Association of Puget Sound (CAPS), assisted by the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle host a fun-filled round the buoys regatta on Shilshole Bay for all Catalina sailors.

The Macks are planning on towing Harmony up on Friday (6/29), and staying through the weekend (possibly driving home either July 2nd or 3rd).  I've been exchanging emails with the commodore for CAPS, and with fellow Catalina 22 skipper Skip Meisch, who attended the event last year.  Here's what Skip had to say when I asked about whether the racing was casual enough for Laura to enjoy:

"I would say it is very casual. If you have been racing, I don't think you will have any trouble here. It is really just a bunch of friends having a nice race."

Skip Meisch
C22 Slow Flight #6850
Everett WA
http://slowflight.net
 

Following the racing, there will be a sit down dinner at the CYC clubhouse, awards and a raffle.  I'm suppose to receive a registration form in the not too distance future which should have more details about cost and starting times for the racing.  I'll let you know as soon as I get something.

The event will take place at Shilshole Bay Marina in Seattle.  Laura and I checked out the facility during our trip to the Seattle boat show this year.  The launch ramps are very nice, and there is parking nearby.  The Shilshole Bay Marina website has details on guest berthing.

I'd like to encourage you to think about coming along.  While I've never been to Catalina Days in Seattle, it sounds like a lot of fun.

2001 San Juan Islands Cruise
By Dale Mack

July 27-August 4 (and beyond).  As I write this on May 1st, its hard to believe we leave for the San Juan's in just thirteen (13) weeks.  I'd like to have another social in either June or July where we could finalize plans for the cruise.

The fleet now has a web page dedicated to the cruise.  I'll be updating it as we refine our plans.

The Racing Has Begun 
By Dale Mack

Imagine, WindChaser, and Solus wait for wind in race #1.

The five evening SYSCO Spring Series got underway on April 19th.  Expecting rain for the first race of the season, we ended up with sunny skies, but no wind.  We could see clouds and rain coming from the southwest, but the wind that accompanies such fronts in the Portland area didn't arrive until ten minutes after the race committee abandoned the race.  For those who choose to stay out and sail, the conditions were great, and the rain split around our piece of the Columbia River.

The second race of the Spring Series on April 25^th turned out ideal with winds in the 7-10 knot range.  The Catalina 22's were the fourth start after the J/24's, Santana 20's, and Cal 20's.  The race committee, fearing that the wind might die, set a short course.  As it turned out the wind held steady, and the winning Catalina 22, Harmony #14286 skippered by Dale Mack and crew Nate Hansen, finished in just under twenty-five minutes instead of the one to one and a half hours race committees typically target for an evening race.  Most of us stayed out after the race to enjoy the pleasant sailing conditions.  It was truly a wonderful evening to be on the water.  Another Fleet 20 member I saw out in their boat was Stanley Fort sailing Spice Island just prior to the start of the race.

Race Committee Volunteers Needed?
By Dale Mack

On Tuesday, June 12th, and Friday, June 29th, Fleet 20 needs to supply a Race Committee and boat that will setup the courses and run the races on those nights.  I plan to be available for the June 12th race, but I'll be at Catalina Days - Seattle on June 29th (an easy Beer Can race).

Our first assignment is about six (6) weeks away, so now is a good time to start lining up volunteers, and a committee boat.  While I can volunteer to serve as the Principal Race Officer (PRO) for the June 12th race, we'll need to identify someone else for June 29th.

Both of our assignments last year were a lot of fun to do together.  Please let me or Dennis Thomas know if you can help out.

Yes, We're Still Looking for Crew?
By Dale Mack

So, you're sitting at home thinking it's too late to volunteer to crew for someone, even if it's only for one race.  Wroooooooooooong!  There are always boats looking for crew.  I'm looking to add another person to Harmony right now, so don't be shy, send me an email.

Check Your Shear Pin
By Dale Mack

Your outboard motor's power is transferred to the propeller via a shear pin that passes through the shaft and fits into a slot in the prop.  Designed to protect the engine if the prop strikes an object, the shear pin will break at the two locations where it exits the shaft.

Part of my annual outboard maintenance is to remove the propeller .  Imagine my surprise this year when I discovered that my shear pin had broken in one place instead of the typically two.  Since the engine was still able to spin the prop, I had no idea of the problem.  I don't recall striking anything last year, and the propeller had no signs of damage.  Perhaps there was a flaw in the pin, or perhaps I shifted from forward to reverse too quickly, or at too high a speed.  Who knows?  Fortunately the problem was easily cured by inserting a new shear pin.  On my Honda, this is about a 10-15 minute inspection, so I highly recommend you add it to you outboard motor checklist.

May 3.  Spring Series, Race #3

May 5.  Opening Day Parade, Columbia River

May 6. Lemon Island Rendezvous.  Chris Mountford, cruise leader.

May 13.  Mother's Day

May 17.  Spring Series, Race #4

May 24.  Spring Series, Race #5

June 12 (tu).  Race Committee Duty

June 14.  Summer Series, Race #1

June 21.  Summer Series, Race #2

June 23 (sa).  Fleet 20 Summer Meeting  (do we want to get together???)

June 28.  Summer Series, Race #3

June 29 (fr).  Race Committee Duty - Beer Can Race

more...

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.