From the Captain
By Mike Hibbs

Well, fall is rapidly approaching. Time to start thinking about getting the boats out of the water and cleaned up for the winter. Also time to figure out those winter projects that need attention. But before we get too carried away with all that, there are a few more good times to be had. One such time is the upcoming SYSCO sponsored St. Helens race/cruise (Sept. 14-15). This is typically one of my favorites. It goes over two days and on Saturday there is a sort of race/cruise from Portland to St. Helens. Everyone that crosses the finish line gets something to remember the trip with. There is usually a potluck of some kind and free dock space at the St. Helens city docks. After breakfast in the morning, everyone heads back home at their own pace. Very low keyed and a lot of fun.

Deb, Rachel and I just returned from the Canadian Gulf Islands. We had a great time and found some new places to take in and also re-visited some old haunts that we have always enjoyed year after year. This year was a little different for the Hibbs family than other years. We chartered a boat this year. A Catalina 28 to be exact. With Rachel growing and my bones getting a little older, we felt it was time for some creature comforts. I have to admit, for longer cruises such as the 10 days we were there; it was nice to have a lot of battery storage, refrigeration, and my wife’s favorite, a bathroom that she can actually close the door to. We started out in Sidney, BC and wandered up north to Nanaimo, BC. We hit some old favorites like Ganges and Otter Bay. We also went to Ladysmith and Wallace Island for a touch of something new. Meet a lot of nice people and generally had a relaxing and enjoyable time.

It seems that every year we go to the Puget Sound; there are always some stories to be told. Well this year is no exception. No, I didn’t go swimming for my coffee pot again. But someone almost lost there boat one night while it was at anchor. I will allow those involved to defend themselves in their own article. Suffice it to say that I have learned that it is always a good idea to leave the anchor light on at night, when at anchor.

Another item I would like to touch on here is cruising with kids. Everyone that has kids has a different idea of what is safe. Our daughter Rachel is 5 years old and has been sailing since she was 3 days old. She loves it and is always at the ready to go out. But when it comes time to watch over her and other kids her age, I have noticed a significant difference in parents attitudes in this subject. Some parents would not even consider a thought of their young child out on a boat. Conversely, Deb and I witnessed something that neither of us would consider safe. That was a couple our age with two small children approximately 4 and 7. These kids were in life jackets while on deck and boat moving. However, they were allowed to freely walk the deck as the boat was moving about and the parents appeared to be both preoccupied with other duties at the time. One rule that we have is that at least one of us is focused on Rachel when she is allowed to roam the boat freely. Of course she is in her lifejacket and told to stay in the cockpit while the boat is in motion. What is right and what is wrong can only be answered by the parents of each child.

However, my thoughts on this subject are simple. I love sailing. I want my Daughter to love it as well. In order for her to become accustomed to it and to like it, she has to be able to do it and in such a way that allows her a certain amount of freedom to explore it. I let her drive the boat. I let her pull on the line. I let her hang her hand out in the water. I let her have fun. And if it is fun, then she wants to come back for more. But fun also needs to be safe.

May the winds always fill your sails and your days be long.

SYSCO Awards Banquet,  October 12
By Dale Mack

The Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO) will be holding their annual awards banquet on Saturday, October 12th.  Traditionally a combination of dinner, door prizes, sailing awards for SYSCO sponsored events, and an evening of dance, the banquet is open to skippers, crews, and guests.

More information will be available via email later.  Hope you see you there.

St. Helens Cruise,  September 14-15
By Dale Mack

September 14-15.  Fleet 20 will be sailing to St. Helens, located about seventeen nautical miles downstream of the I-5 bridge.  The plan is to rendezvous near buoy "47" (a green navigational aid west of the Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge near the mouth of the Willamette River) and depart for St. Helens at 11 am.  Our destination is the city docks located in front of the courthouse.

Our cruise is timed to coincide with the SYSCO fun race and cruise to St. Helens.  Fleet 20 members who are also SYSCO members may elect to take advantage of the race start (this is not a serious race, no prizes are awarded nor is anyone recognized for passing Buoy "4", a red navigational aid south of Warrior Rock first).

Fleet 20 will share a potluck dinner on the docks Saturday evening.  Everyone should plan on taking care of their own main dish and then bringing a side-dish or dessert to share.

Sunday morning is a depart-at-your-leisure kind of day.  The motor back to Portland will take about 4.5 hrs.  We've usually been able to sail back part of the distance, but it's not real dependable, so plan on motoring.

Reflections on the Beacon Rock Cruise, August 16-19
By Dale Mack

Ever since the Beacon Rock and Beyond cruise showed up on the schedule, Laura and I knew we wanted to attend.  We had missed a couple of previous cruises we had hoped to join because of demands at work, so I was determined to make at least the Beacon Rock portion of the cruise if nothing else.

Laura and I are still new to cruising the Columbia River, so opportunities to do it in the company of others, particularly for first time visits to a destination are always welcomed.  We also like meeting new people and getting reacquainted with sailing friends.

We arrived at the boat Friday morning, and by the time we had everything stowed, dinghy inflated and water tank filled, it was 11 am.  The VHF chatter told us that other cruise participates were passing the airport, about four miles upriver from us.

We caught up to the lead group near Ackerman Island and snap a few pictures of everyone under sail.  Unlike the main group whose destination for the first night was Reed Island, we were heading straight through to Beacon Rock, a journey of 30 nautical miles we had previously made in 6.5 hours while motoring.

Spectacular was an over used word on Celtic Myst.  From waterfalls, and rocky cliff walls, to Douglas fir trees that come down to the river’s edge, the Columbia River Gorge left us grasping for words to describe how magnificent it all is.

We motor sailed upriver against the current that varied from one to three knots judging from the difference between the knotmeter and the GPS.  The fastest current seemed to be between Camas and Washougal.  Apart from dodging various fishing boats along the way, we enjoyed some nice sailing and some great scenery.

We had loaned our tent trailer to Laura's dad Don and sister Kathleen, so when Laura pulled the boat up to the dock, there was Don to greet us.  Dinner that evening was up at camp where Kathleen had created a feast of salad, BBQ ribs, and prawns so large they could have passed for mini lobster.  Our thirteen year old son Sean and his three year old cousin Taylor dined on the traditional camping favorite of hot dogs and beans.

With Saturday came the anticipation that we'd be joined by other Catalina's later that afternoon.  For the crew of Celtic Myst we passed the day reading, sleeping, or hanging around the camp chatting.

It was exciting standing on the dock watching the arrival of our fellow sailors.  Adding to the interest was the fact that a recreational scuba diver was exploring the bottom on the approach to the docks, and the only clue you had to his whereabouts was a trail of air bubbles coming to the surface.

One of the deceptive things about the moorage at Beacon Rock is that you think your are entering a quiet cove off the river.  While protected from west winds, it's the current that most newcomers aren't expecting.  A portion of the river travels north and then west around Pierce Island before merging back in with the main body of the Columbia.  The current (from north to south) traveling past the docks can easily be 1+ knots.

With everyone securely tied to the dock, out came the appetizers and several crews gravitated to the cockpit of one of the larger Catalina's for an impromptu Pupu hour.  Ashore the crew of Celtic Myst and the campers prepared for dinner.

Dry conditions prohibited the making of a campfire, so after dinner our propane camp stove served double duty as the marshmallow roasting station for the creation of smores.  After a few failed attempts that looking like flaming troches until we extinguished them, we finally got the whole roasting marshmallows over a propane burner down.

For those who got up early enough on Sunday morning, they were treated to a combination of morning sunlight and wisps of mist sitting between some of the peaks of the gorge.  I caught mine glimpse on the way to enjoy a hot morning shower.  Near the top of gangway leading down to the docks are the restrooms (2) and showers (2).  Built in just that last couple of years, the facility is very nice and well maintained.

Sunday was spent much like Saturday.  For the new arrivals there was a planned hike to the top of Beacon Rock commencing at 9 am, and for those seeking a slower pace there were walks, kayaking, and exploring some of the shoreline with the dinghy.

Sean loves rowing, so he spent most of the day in the dinghy, that is when he and his much younger cousin weren't have squirt gun fights near camp.  I found walking the dog, or reading kept me entertained.  Of course reading naturally transitioned into sleeping, so Sunday was really just a lazy day spent under beautiful skies unwinding.

As the sun began to set behind the trees, the day's adventurers found their way back to the boats.  The whole cove seem to transform once the boats were in the shade and the water became so flat you could see features of the gorge reflected from its surface.  It wouldn't be long before the aromas of a dozen different dinners filled the air.  This time of the day was also when folks would tend to wander from boat to boat sharing the experiences of the day and learning a little bit more about each other.

I envied those crews that were planning to continue upriver through the Bonneville Locks.  It had been a wonderful cruise so far, and I just didn't want it to end, but I knew that the crew of Celtic Myst needed to depart for Portland in the morning.  

Monday's morning marine layer left the tops of the gorge walls shrouded in clouds and mist. There was no blue sky to be seen anywhere.  The first hour of the return trip was pretty lumpy as west winds pushed against west flowing river current to create 1-2 foot seas.  From Beacon Rock until we reached Cape Horn near Phoca Rock, conditions remained rocky.  It reminded me of our trip in 2001, but this time we stayed dry and it wasn't raining.  As the morning progressed, the weather improved and the water flattened to provide great sailing conditions.

I'm already looking forward to next year's upriver cruise and a chance to experience going through the locks.

Notes for next time:

• Moorage at the dock for a C22 was $10/night
• Bring quarters for the showers (3 minutes for 50 cents)
• Great place for dinghies, kayaks, or small sailboats
• Bring less boat cleaning supplies;-))  I never got bored enough to want to just sit on the boat and polish fiberglass.
• Stay more than one night.  Lots to do and see.
• Portland to Beacon Rock is doable in one day, but the anchorage at Reed Island sounded very nice and it would break up the trip when going upriver.

Why I Race
By Dale Mack

Fleet 20 members come from all walks of life, so it shouldn't be a surprise that some of your fellow cruisers race their boats or crew for others in races.  While some race for the sheer adrenalin rush of the competition, others like myself race because it's a great way to learn about sail trim in an environment where the effects of each of your adjustments can be judged against those you're racing against.

Our boats tend to come with more lines and blocks than we'll ever master in a lifetime.  I race because it accelerates my learning.  When I started sailing, all I knew about sail trim was what I could accomplish with the sheets.  By the end of my first year, I was already paying attention to halyard tension, genoa block angles, boom vang tension, outhaul tension, and my jiffy reefing system for the mainsail.  As I completed my second year of racing, the results of tuning the rig's shrouds and stays tension became something I could actually feel while sailing, and the boat's traveler and cummingham had become familiar tools in making the boat sail more comfortably.

Today, I'm still learning, and I use each race as a classroom for learning something new about sailing the boat.  One aspect of racing that differs from cruising or daysails is that you can find yourself sailing in winds that might cause you to drop the sails if you weren't racing.  Racing is also about getting to a specific destination in the most efficient manner possible,  and that requires something different than the bank to bank zigzag sailing Laura and I enjoy doing after work or on the weekend when the destination isn't the reason for being on the boat.

Despite what your body might be telling you, carrying lots of sail and heeling over at extreme angles is typically not faster.  What I've learned from racing about sail trim has extended the conditions in which Laura and I are willing to sail.  I've learned how to flatten the sails or make them fuller.  I've learned how to reduce sail or how to power up when the conditions require it.  Probably most important for racing and cruising, is that I've learned how to make the boat sail flatter and more comfortably in a wider range of wind conditions than when I started sailing.

Competing in the One-Design Regatta
By Dale Mack

For those that race in Fleet 20, you typically figure you'll compete in the Spring Series, the Summer Series, and then wrap things up with the One-Design Regatta in August.  Call it bad biorhythms, a poor alignment of the planets or whatever, but most of us never expected to be racing in anything other than Catalina 22's. Work schedules and vacation plans left us without even the minimum number of three boats required to enter the regatta, so I was beginning to think we were going to be writing the whole thing off.

Enter the "Friends of the Fleet"

Several former members of Fleet 20 who have moved up to larger Catalina's remain active with the fleet, particularly in the capacity of serving as crew for other Catalina 22 skippers.  Other serves provided by "Friends of the Fleet" have included volunteering their boats for race committee duty, and helping to recruit new members for Fleet 20.

When several of us C22 sailors found ourselves without rides for the One-Design, in stepped our C25 friends with an invitation to crew as the Catalina 25's prepared to compete in the regatta for the first time in several years.

The Rest of the Story

The first preparatory signal for the regatta was scheduled to go up at 2 pm, and I was carrying my gear down the dock to join Terry and Kathie Annis, and their friend Doug, as we prepared to race the Annis' C25 Lematike in the two day, five race SYSCO One-Design Regatta.  The forecast for the event was clear skies and fair winds.

The late morning sun felt warm as I neared Lematike moored at Tomahawk Bay.  Onboard my fellow sailors were busy running lines, stowing gear, and making preparations for getting underway.  Around us, three other Catalina 25's were beehives of activity.

Four C25 skippers had decided to bring their boats out for some good hearted fun.  The boats came from Portland, Kalama, Detroit Lake, and St. Helens, and moorage at Tomahawk Bay was arranged for those from out of town.  The boats were:

• Lematike, Terry and Kathie Annis
• Encore!, Gary Bruner
• Leucothea, Nate and Margaret Hanson
• Buzz, Ray Clift

The One-Design Regatta is sponsored by the Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO), and several Fleet 20 families are members of both.  As the regatta sponsor, SYSCO set the course, ran the race committee boat, and managed the starts and finishes for the races.

Crew of Encore!, Best Dressed

The downwind legs on the Columbia River can be very boring, particularly in light air.  To combat this, most fleets racing on the river fly symmetrical racing spinnakers on downwind legs.  All but one of the C25's had asymmetrical cruising spinnakers, so the group decided to fly them.  For several of us, this was our first time racing with spinnakers.  Although the cruising spinnaker is less complicated to fly than a racing spinnaker, we had all learned a few new things by the end of the day Saturday.

Leucothea under spinnaker

Most of the boats and skippers had never raced against each other prior to the One-Design, so none of us really knew what to expect.  To make things a little more interesting, Leucothea was equipped with a wing keel while the other three boats had swing keels.  The wing keel Catalina 22 hadn't proven to be very competitive against swing keel C22's, so my expectations for the C25 Leucothea were about the same.  After the three races on Saturday, Leucothea showed she could keep up with the pack, and on Sunday sailing wing-n-wing instead of spinnakers, she seemed just plain faster downwind.

We raced three races on Saturday, and they were close affairs.  Doug worked the foredeck, Kathie and I handled sheets, and Terry was at the helm.

The windward legs were work, and frequently turned into tacking duels as we tried to hang onto any advantage gained.  The spinnaker legs were great.  The additional sail area helped get the boats moving, and added another dimension to mark roundings as we had to coordinate dropping the chute, unfurling the headsail, while coming onto a new heading.

At the end of the three races, we were tired, sore, but thoroughly satisfied and looking forward to Sunday.  I personally had been hit in the head four times by the boom, had run my shins into the cabin top numerous times, and my knees felt like one big bruise after crawling from one side of the boat to the other during tacks.

You know how the beer commercials always show celebrating accomplishments with a cold beer in your hand, well on Lematike we passed around something else;-))  I couldn't resist shooting a picture of Doug holding our much beloved bottle of Ibuprofen.

After the races, all four crews headed to BJ's for pizza and burgers.  It was great laughing about the day's adventures and getting to know each other better.  We swapped notes about sail trim, tactics, and general observations about how each other's boat performed.  We also decided that Sunday would be raced without spinnakers since Buzz had been struggling to stay close on the downwind legs.

Sunday brought more of the same great weather and wind.  After three races on Saturday, anyone could still will the regatta.  Onboard Lematike, we got out on the water early so we could practice wing-n-wing jibes.  Doug and I decided to switch jobs to keep things interesting, so today I'd be working the foredeck.  My singular goal for the day was to avoid getting whacked by the boom.

Encore! chases Leucothea wing-n-wing.

What stands out for me about Sunday was how the winged keel Leucothea just came alive in the conditions.  Where on Saturday we made up in tactics what we lacked in boat speed and pointing ability against Encore! and Leucothea, on Sunday nothing seemed to work consistently.

We raced two more races, and had a great time despite struggling to figure out why we seemed so much less competitive on Sunday then we did on Saturday.  The fleet's decision to drop the spinnakers helped close things up a bit, and the wing-n-wing configuration presented the crews with some new challenges, although downwind mark roundings got easier.

Three to four folks onboard seemed to be about the right number for racing the boat.  Of course when the wind start blowing stronger we would have liked more crew along the rail.

Doug, Terry Annis and Kathie Annis aboard Lematike at the completion of the regatta.

I what to thank Terry Annis for inviting me along to race.  It was a great weekend spent with many new friends.  I also want to thank the other skippers and crews for making it such a wonderful event.  From Encore!'s team shirts, to Nate Hanson (Leucothea) piloting from atop the cabin on downwind legs, to the crew of Buzz whose dogged determination just would let them quit, you came away from the regatta with a sense of accomplishment.  In the end sailboat racing isn't just about competition or improving your sailing skills, it's about people.

I also want to congratulate Gary Bruner and the crew of Encore! for winning the Catalina 25 class at the regatta.

Pop Top Snaps Do Double Duty
By Dale Mack

This project is so obvious, I wish I had thought of it myself.  If your boat is setup to use a pop top cover, then you already have snaps installed in various locations around the cabin top and around the companionway opening.

This Sunbrella canvas project makes use of the snaps you may already have for securing a boat cover to the cabin top.  Once in place your teak is out of the weather, which should reduce your annual maintenance chores.  Another advantage, is that the sliding hatch to crib board seam is less likely to leak when the boat is closed up because the canvas covers the seam.

Another project that makes use of the snaps, utilizes many of the same materials and sewing skills.  By sewing a double or triple thickness of the canvas, you can create a removal place to organize lines.  Each strap has a snap at one end for securing to a pop top snap, and then uses the two mating surfaces of Velcro to form the strap into a loop for holding line.

Both sewing projects can be handled on most home sewing machines capable of sewing the seams on a pair of denim jeans.

September 14 -15.  Fleet 20 Cruise to St. Helens City Docks

September 20 - 22.  All Catalina Rendezvous Sand Island - St. Helens

September 21.  Sail for the Cure

October 12.  SYSCO Fall Awards Banquet

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.