From the Captain
By Blaine Dickason

I hope everyone was able to spend some part of this past 70-degree weekend doing some tinkering or sailing on their boats. It's now April which means we have an upcoming Spring Fleet meeting and the racing season is right around the corner.

As a reminder, Cindy and I will be hosting the Spring meeting with a potluck brunch at our home (details below).  Besides firming up our roster for the upcoming Spring and Summer race series, hopefully we can share any winter sailing or maintenance tips and stories. I know I have half a rudder to show off! Stepping the mast and tuning the rigging for racing are also appropriate topics for Spring with boats getting back in the water and sailing activity increasing.

Thanks to those who have already RSVP'd for the meeting and I look forward to seeing you then and on the water!

Fleet 20 Spring Meeting April 6th

Cindy and I would like to host the Fleet 20 Spring meeting at our house with a potluck brunch and the potential of going sailing that afternoon. We'd like to hold it on Sunday, April 6th at approximately 10 am.

Parking Lot Swap Meet

There are several upcoming events we can plan for including a Fleet launch day for those boats still out of the water as well as the West Marine Swap Meet - April 19th (Saturday) in their parking lot. West Marine charges a small fee for booth space if the Fleet has sufficient gear to "swap"...otherwise we can meet to browse then get coffee and breakfast and go sailing.

Get Your 10% Discount
By Dale Mack

Thursday, April 24, 7pm.  The Columbia River All Catalina Association has arranged to have their meeting at West Marine (1176 N. Hayden Meadows Drive, Portland, OR) on April 24th.  West Marine will provide a 10% discount on all purchases made during the meeting (5% discount on electronics).  CRACA will hold a short business meeting to elect their new officers, and then the rest of the meeting is shopping and socializing.  Fleet 20 has been invited to attend.

Hope to see you there.

Opening Day Parade - Columbia River
By Dale Mack

May 3.  Portland's 2003 boating season kicks off with a colorful opening day parade on the Columbia River organized by the Columbia River Yachting Association (CRYA).  More than 300 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.

Recruiting New Members
By Dale Mack

I want to encourage everyone to keep an eye out for C22 owners we could recruit to Fleet 20.  The fleet's application form/brochure is available online, and can easily be printed on any home printer.  I also have brochures leftover from the Portland boat show we could handout to prospects.

Why recruit more people?  Larger fleets are more fun, not because everyone shows up to everything, but because there are more people available to plan and lead activities.  With more activities available, individual members are more likely to attend an activity that matches up well with their own personal schedule.

Ladies Cruise 2003
By Dale Mack

There is still time to sign up and take your boat on the 2003 Ladies Cruise.  I know of at least two boats from Fleet 20 that are planning to attend.  This cruise is sponsored by the Oregon Women's Sailing Association (you don't have to be a member to attend), and it always receives very high marks from the participants.  The OWSA website has more information about the organization.

Ladies Cruise 2003 Island Getaway Held at the PYC Outstation May 16,17,18   This year's event will be at PYC Outstation on the Columbia River.  All Women Sail and Power Boaters are invited to join us for this, the 18th annual event. SKIPPER AND CREW COORDINATION MEETING TUESDAY MARCH 25, AT 7PM Please come join us at the Rose City Yacht Club. 3737 NE Marine Dr. The gate will be opened at 6:30pm ¨For information call or e-mail: Your Cruise Captains: Sue Johnson, lspbj@comcast.net , 503-661-7199 Sheila Drews, Sheila.drews@saiemail.com Cheri Tuma, svabsolut@cs.com

Plan to Attend the Martin Island Cruise
By Dale Mack

May 24 - 26.   Fleet 20's first overnight cruise of the year is to the lagoon at Martin Island.  We'll be joining several other clubs who make this popular anchorage an annual event.

Racing Starts Thursday, April 17th
By Dale Mack

For Fleet 20 the racing season begins Thursday, April 17th.  Our fleet's Race Captain Don Bateson has been busy contacting those that expressed an interest in racing this year.  Don's also had good luck pairing up experienced former C22 owners with skippers looking for crew.  If you still have questions about racing your boat or crewing, please contact Don Bateson (donbateson@yahoo.com or 503-460-3452).

If you plan on racing your boat, you must register for the Spring Series with SYSCO (Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon).  The entry form for the event, along with additional information on the SYSCO Spring Evening Series is available on fleet's racing page.

The SYSCO Spring Evening Race Series runs from April 17th through May 22nd (five races). The Catalina 22's (known as fleet H2 in SYSCO) race on Thursday nights. The First Warning Signal for all races is 6:30 p.m. (1830 hrs). There is a $30 entry fee for the five race series (entry fees are not required of SYSCO members; however, SYSCO members must register and are subject to the late entry fee provisions).  Registration entries are NOT accepted on the water, and any entry received after Friday, April 11, 2003, must be accompanied by a $10 late fee.

Who is OCSA
By Dale Mack

The Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association is a group of volunteers from the various Portland/Vancouver sailing organizations that helps coordinate local racing.  A  membership in OCSA for $15/yr gets you a quarterly OCSA newsletter, a laminated race course chart and the OCSA Race Book, which contains valuable information for racing in the Portland area.  The book includes:

• Race notices
• Invitations for events around the Portland area, as well as a few around the Pacific NW
• Local club and fleet information
• New sailing instructions for the year
• Entry forms

What to Expect in the First Race
By Dale Mack

To help Fleet 20 members just getting started in racing this year, I've put together a short example that takes you through the pre-race time right up to the start of SYSCO Fleet H2 (the one the Catalina 22's race under).

First thing you want to do is find the Race Committee (RC) boat.  They should be flying the RC flag.

Once the RC has figured out the course, they  will raise the "Come Within Hail" flag.  This is your queue to sail or motor past the committee boat, collect any paper they might be handing out, and look at the course board to determine which start you are in and which course you are to race.  At the first race of the Spring Series, the RC will be handing out Race Permits issued by the U.S. Coast Guard.  The permit must be carried onboard, and it's good for all the races the remainder of the year.

As you pass the RC, they will check you in either by your sail number or by the name on the boat.  You should also see the course board, typically hanging over the boom.

For my example, the RC is running two separate courses.  Starts 1, 2, and 3 will sail the first course, the Cal 20's (H1) and the Catalina 22's (H2) will sail a shorter course and be the fourth start.  It's very important you look for how many courses, because some RC's will set only one course, and others will set two.  Also, don't assume the Catalina 22's are start four (always check the course board).  My habit is to write the course on blue painter's tape with a permanent marker, and then stick it to the aft portion of the cabin in the cockpit.

Now lets move onto the actually starting sequence.  As a courtesy, SYSCO has asked RC's to drop the "Come Within Hail" flag one minute before raising the first class flag.  OCSA and SYSCO use the numbered international code flags to identify the different class starts.  SYSCO has also decided to do rolling starts, so as one class flag comes down, the next class flag goes up.  If the RC was on time, and assuming the Catalina 22's are in the fourth start, then here is the sequence at 6:30 pm:

Minutes to Start	Signal	Meaning	Sound Signal	Time
5	Up	Warning	1 sound	6:30
4	Up	Preparatory	1 sound	6:31
1	Down		1 long sound (2 sec)	6:34
0 5	Down Up	Start Warning	1 sound	6:35
4	Up	Preparatory	1 sound	6:36
1	Down		1 long sound (2 sec)	6:39
0 5	Down Up	Start Warning	1 sound	6:40
4	Up	Preparatory	1 sound	6:41
1	Down		1 long sound (2 sec)	6:44
0 5	Down Up	Start Warning	1 sound	6:45
4	Up	Preparatory	1 sound	6:46
1	Down		1 long sound (2 sec)	6:49
0	Down	Start	1 sound	6:50

Here's a few things to remember.

1. The starting system means there isn't a lot of time from warning to the start of the first race, so don't sail too far away from the starting line during the pre-start.
2. The Race Committee isn't allowed to answer questions, so ask another boat if you need help.
3. A fleet that gets a "General Recall" must wait until the starts behind them are off before they can be restarted.
4. Read through the OCSA Sailing Instructions, Race Committee Checklist, and the Sailing Instructions for the race to have a better idea of what is going on.

2003 Racing Schedule
By Dale Mack

Here is a look at the 2003 racing schedule.

SYSCO Spring Series

1. April 17
2. April 24
3. May 1
4. May 15
5. May 22

SYSCO Summer Series

1. June 12
2. June 19
3. June 26
4. July 10
5. July 17

SYSCO One-Design Regatta and 25th Anniversary

1. August 9-10

Fleet 20 Race Committee Duty

As in past years, Fleet 20 will serve as the race committee for two of the Tuesday evening races.  Our dates are:

• May 20, Tuesday
• July 8, Tuesday

I'll volunteer Celtic Myst to serve as the race committee boat for May 20th.

Save Money by Joining SYSCO
By Dale Mack

Fleet 20's racing program makes use of the SYSCO Spring Series, Summer Series, and One-Design Regatta.  For non-SYSCO members this represents $90 in entry fees ($30 per event).  SYSCO members pay no entry fee to race in SYSCO events, so your $70 SYSCO membership fee actually saves you $20 when compared to non-members.

To join SYSCO visit their website at: http://www.sailpdx.com/sysco.html

See the calendar

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.