FLEET 20 NEWSLETTER
November 2001

Catalina 22 - Fleet 20, Portland, OR

From the Captain
By Dennis Thomas

Come One, Come All

December 8.  Our annual Fleet 20 Holiday Party is set for Saturday, December 8th.  This event has grown to be one of the most well attended gatherings of Fleet 20.  It is a great time to catch up with folks as well as share a great potluck dinner.

The fleet party is also the time of year that the fleet’s awards for Fleet Champion and Most Improved Sailor are presented and we select the Fleet Captain for the new year.  One of the high lights of the evening is always the White Elephant Gift Exchange which never fails to be fun and entertaining.

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, December 8th from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. to attend the event of the year, the annual Fleet 20 Holiday Party.  All Fleet 20 members, crew, prospective members and friends of the Fleet are cordially invited to attend.

Mike and Deb Hibbs have most graciously invited us into their home for this event, so please be on your best behavior.  I know that it will be difficult for me as well as a few of you other guys.

Please RSVP a response by November 30 to me, Dennis Thomas, at 503-359-0458.

We look forward to seeing you all.

2001 Christmas Ship Parade
By Dale Mack

December 10 - 22. The Christmas Ship Fleet is an all volunteer group of approximately sixty boaters from the Portland/Vancouver area.  Starting December 10th, the fleet will begin its 46th 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.

Pulling the Boat
By Dale Mack

For those fleet members who don't leave their boats in the water over the winter, Fall always presents a dilemma; when to pull the boat.  Some of the most beautiful sailing on the Columbia River can be found in the Autumn.  Gone is the heat of summer, the wake producing runabouts, and the high pitched whine of the jet skis.

By now, most boats not spending the next four to five months in the water are sitting on their trailers at home under a tarp.  While thoughts about getting ready to launch next Spring may seem a little premature, there are a number of small tasks you could perform now that would make getting ready later a lot easier.  Here's a few ideas:

Trailer

• Clean off the old grease from your trailer's tongue extension and apply new grease.
• Check the air pressure in all the tires
• Cover the tires to protect against UV
• Touch up any rust spots
• Release the tension in any boat straps to relieve stress on the boat's hull

Boat Outside

• Wash the marine growth off the hull
• If you're really ambiguous and your bottom paint permits this, why not reapply your bottom paint now.
• Wash and wax the hull
• Wash the topsides
• Recharge the battery
• Put tennis balls on the tops of the stanchions to reduce chafe against the tarp
• Cover the boat in a tarp

Boat Inside

• Empty the water system
• Empty the porti-potti
• Dry the bilge
• Remove food
• Dust, wipe, and vacuum

While this isn't intended to be an exhaustive list, I hope it helps with identifying some of the tasks that don't have to wait until next Spring.

November 17 (sa).  (OCSA) Annual Tropical Party

December 8.  Fleet 20 Holiday Party

January 5-13.  Portland Boat Show, Portland Expo Center, Portland

January 11-20.  Seattle Boat Show, Stadium Exhibition Center, Seattle

January 11-20.  Lake Union Boats Afloat Show, Chandler's Cove, Seattle

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.