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| Newsletter |
August 2003 |
From
the Afterguard
By Dale Mack
Wonderful is the word that comes to mind when I reflect back on this year's sailing season so far. Between racing aboard my C22, Crocus, cruising with the family aboard Celtic Myst, and crewing aboard Terry & Kathie Annis C25, Lematike, I've got a lot to be grateful for.
Racing
Our official racing season ended in July since no boats registered for this year's SYSCO One-Design regatta. I raced in the One-Design aboard the C25, Lematike, and had a great time. Fleet 20's annual cruise to the San Juan Islands combined with several racers who serve as crew aboard C22's having moved to bigger boats has probably been the single biggest factor in Catalina 22's not racing in this regatta. We'll have to talk about this more in the coming months and see what develops as far as interest. One alternative would be to make an effort to find C22 sailors crewing positions aboard the C25's and C30's for the regatta, since many of those boats are skippered by Fleet 20 members who moved into larger boats, but who still crew onboard Catalina 22's.
Congratulations
to all the skippers and crews who came out an raced this year. While the
hope is to win, the real prize is learning more about the boat, sailing in
general, and enjoying it all in the company of friends.
Cruising
Laura, Sean, and I had a wonderful time sailing the hundred miles down to the mouth of the Columbia River to visit the town of Astoria. I'm hoping to have an article ready for the September newsletter. On the way we stopped at Sand Island (St. Helens), Rainier, Cathlamet, and finally at St. Helens on the way back. We put more that 200 nm under the keel of Celtic Myst, during the ten day cruise and had a spectacular time.
The scenery of the lower Columbia River is magnificent. At places where the Douglas firs somehow find a foot hold on rocky vertical faces and the trees come right down to the water's edge, you can easily image yourself sailing amongst the San Juan Islands.
Our one encounter with a C22 occurred in Cathlamet, WA. At first I thought the boat was Chris and Ebie Mountford's former Little Hector, #5720, until the mainsail was hoisted.
The cruise upriver to Beacon Rock (29.9 nm from I-5) held August 15-18 was very nice. Laura and I served as the host for this cruise which was attended by six Catalina's. It took us 6 hrs 20 min to motorsail from Tomahawk Bay Moorage to Beacon Rock. This was our fourth trip to this beautiful Washington State Park, and it was worth the effort to get there. A story about the cruise will be in the September newsletter.
As you can see below, September is a very busy cruising month for Fleet 20 on the Columbia River. Laura is tied up the weekend of September 6 & 7 so I'm looking for crew for Celtic Myst (C30) or for Crocus (C22) to participate in the SYSCO St. Helens Cruise/Race. Let me know if you'd like to hook up and go on the cruise (I'm also game for crewing on someone else's boat).
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St. Helens Cruise/Race sponsored by SYSCO (Sept 6-7). This is an awesome sail to a wonderful little river town that has new concrete docks at the foot of the Courthouse. Whether you race there or just enjoy a leisurely sail there, this event should not be missed an has become a tradition for Fleet 20.
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Fourth Annual All Catalina Rendezvous (Sept. 12-14) sponsored by the Columbia River All Catalina Association (CRACA). I'm the Commodore for CRACA this year, so I can assure you the rendezvous is very Catalina 22 friendly. McCuddy's Landing is an easy three hour motorsail from most folks' berths. The event features delicious potluck meals, open boat tours, door prizes, and boat sponsored hors d'oeuvres, the rendezvous is open to all and can be easily reached by boat or car depend on whether you just want to come down for the day, or spend the weekend. For those that don't want to bother with cooking on the boat, you can eat at Mark's on the Channel, located right at the marina.
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Sail for the Cure (Sept. 20) sponsored by the Oregon Women's Sailing Association. What is Sail for the Cure?:
- An event organized by OWSA to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
- The event starts out with coffee & snacks at check-in, then we sail a "fun race" stressing cooperation more than winning, followed by a post event party with food and prizes.
- Each boat must be skippered by a woman (she doesn't have to own it to be the skipper), and men are welcome to crew.
- The entry fee is $20.00 per person, with all profits go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
You need to get your Sail for the Cure registration in by September 3rd to avoid paying more for registration.
Meet Your Fellow Catalina 22 Owners
Fleet 20 has always been a loose collection of Catalina 22 owners in northern Oregon and southwestern Washington. Our membership includes more than twenty-five (25) boats in the Portland/Vancouver area, and our newsletter goes out to another fifty-plus boat owners spread throughout the northwest. Few of us ever get together in one place, because we mostly daysail our boats with family and friends. I'd like to encourage you to consider attending the 2003 All Catalina Rendezvous at McCuddy's Landing. Mark McCuddy has graciously offered up free moorage, power, water, ice, and access to the marina's new restroom and shower facilities. The cruise through Multnomah Channel is very pretty, and the sail on the Columbia River and Willamette Rivers to and from the event should make for a well rounded weekend cruise. If you are at all interested in the cruise, or just want more information please contact me. The event is FREE this year, so please consider mailing or emailing your registration back to me ASAP so the organizing committee knows how many boats will be coming.
Newsletters of the Northwest
By Dale Mack
Checkout these links to Northwest Catalina newsletters and local racing:
- Columbia River All Catalina Association (CRACA)
- Small Yacht Sailing club of Oregon (SYSCO)
- Catalina Association of Tacoma and South South (CATSS)
- Catalina Association of Puget South (CAPS out of Seattle)
| Cruising |
St. Helens Cruise,
September 6 & 7
By Dale Mack
September
6 - 7. 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).
Here's the itinerary for the cruise:
| Date | Destination | Nautical Miles | Estimated Travel Time |
| 6 sa | St. Helens, City Dock | 17.4 | 4-6 hrs sailing |
| 7 su | Portland | 17.4 | 4 hrs motoring |
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 four hours. We've usually been able to sail back part of the distance, but it's not real dependable, so plan on motoring.
Fleet 20 Plans for All Catalina Rendezvous
By Dale Mack
Several former and current Fleet 20 and Catalina 22 owners have already signed up to attend the 4th Annual All Catalina Rendezvous sponsored by CRACA. This promises to be a fun and relaxed weekend. If you can't get away on Friday, then arrive on Saturday.
Contact me if you have any questions. Laura and I are looking forward to seeing you there.
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Mark McCuddy, of McCuddy's marinas, has generously offered rendezvous participants free moorage, power, ice, access to the restrooms & showers, and the use of the covered area around the moorage office and store. Power for the 50' slips will require a 50A/250V adapter, otherwise they are standard 30A. This year's rendezvous is a FREE event. There will be no charge to attend, although registration is still required so the organizing committee can plan for how many boats will be attending. Registration packets will be emailed out in August. The registration form can also be downloaded and printed out, or you can email in your registration information to here. For those interested in clothing, hats, or bags embroidered with the CRACA burgee, orders can be placed during the rendezvous.
Itinerary Friday September 12th
Saturday September 13th
Sunday September 14th
Notes About the Rendezvous Please bring one (1) gift per boat (value no more than $15.00) and drop it off at the committee boat upon arrival. The gift does not have to be Nautical. Water and 30 amp power will be available on the docks. You may want to bring:
A Docking Crew will be on duty to help all boats find a spot to tie up based on the list of available slips provided by Mark McCuddy. The Docking Crew will be monitoring channel 16 and then moving to working channel 72. Just ask for the “All Catalina Rendezvous” and they will answer.
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The rendezvous is an open invitation to all Catalina owners both
CRACA members and non-members to enjoy a wonderful weekend in the company of
fellow Catalina Yachts enthusiasts as they open their boats for your personal
tours and share hors d'oeuvres in the beautiful surrounds of
Fleet 20 Plans for SAIL for the CURE
By Dale Mack
Tomahawk Bay Moorage is willing to let Catalina owners have as many slips as we need to gather together for participating in the 2003 Sail for the Cure. The Columbia River All Catalina Association (CRACA) has made the arrangements and has to let Tomahawk know one week in advance how many boats will be coming. Since the Saturday evening food and music is on the lawn at Tomahawk, this is a great opportunity for the fleet to get together. If you'd like CRACA to arrange a slip for you Saturday evening let me know at least a couple of weeks before the event.
Time is running out to register at the $20 per person rate, so find your crew and get your registration turned in before September 3rd. Registration after the 9/3 and on the day of the event is $30/person.
Laura has been busy filling the crew positions on Celtic Myst (I think I'm going to be the only male aboard), so start thinking about who you can invite and get your boat out for the day.
SAIL
for the
CURE
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Event Day Schedule |
| 10am - 1pm:
Event Check-In. Pick up your Sail for the Cure packet and
T-shirt, check out the silent auction items, and register if you haven't
already (no on-the-water registrations will be permitted).
Day-of-Event registrations are $30.* Tomahawk Bay Moorage Picnic
Area, 515 NE Tomahawk Island Drive. The skipper's packet will include instruction on how to do this year's event. 2 - 4pm: Sail for the Cure. The Columbia River at navigational buoy #14. 4 - 7pm: Post-event Party. Food, music, silent auction and fun prizes! Tomahawk Bay Moorage Picnic Area. * We cannot guarantee T-shirts will be available for later registrations. |
Silent Auction
Bring your checkbook! Last year's silent auction included items such as sailing and kayaking classes, clothing, sailing equipment, wine and goodies, massages, haircuts and pedicures, framed photographs, a gas barbecue, gift certificates and more! At this year's auction, you can expect and even better selection of goodies.
The auction will open during the morning check-in at 10am. A bidding sheet listing fixed amounts will be beside each item. Write your name beside the amount you want to bid for that item. Note that there will be a "Buy It Now" price, which means that you are guaranteed to get that item. Be sure to take a quick look and start your bidding before you head out on the boat. When you come back for the party, don't forget to check your items!
The tables have a range of closing times, so be sure to look for a sign on each of the tables. When the table closes (a 15-minute warning will be given), go to the cashier who will be set up nearby, and see what you've won. Once you've made your payment, someone will retrieve your item for you. Cash or checks only and items must be purchased and picked up by 7:00pm. Please make arrangements with the cashier if you will be unable to claim your item(s).
Donating to the Silent Auction
Have something you'd like to donate to the cause? Maybe a service, gift certificate or theme basket of items?
Call the Sail for the Cure Hotline 503-254-CURE or send an e-mail to sailforthecure@creativeabandon.com and our donation committee will contact you. Please make arrangement to donate by August 30.
More Information
August Meeting to be held at RCYC
By Dale Mack
As the CRACA Commodore, I'd like to invite my fellow Catalina 22 sailors to a BBQ at the Rose City Yacht Club. This is a social meeting to discuss the upcoming Rendezvous and the Sail for the Cure. You'll also have an opportunity to walk the docks and checkout the renovated RCYC facility.
This is a good excuse to get out of the house and enjoy dinner in some nice surroundings, so please considering join Laura and me at RCYC.
| What |
 CRACA General Membership Meeting & BBQThis is a bring your own food and beverages barbeque. RCYC is providing the grills out on the docks just steps away from the floating clubhouse. |
| Where | Rose City Yacht Club www.RoseCityYachtClub.org 3737 NE Marine Drive Portland, OR 97211 503-282-2049 |
| When | Wednesday, August 27 Gate opens at 6 pm BBQ and Social from 6 pm to 7:30 pm General Meeting and Rendezvous discussion starts at 7 pm |
| Agenda |
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| Racing |
Blaine Dickason Wins the Summer Series
By Dale Mack
 Blaine Dickason acknowledges a good race. |
Blaine Dickason, at the helm of Gromit, #12286, went on to win the Summer Series. In a hard fought series that came down to the final race, Mike McGrath, Solus, #6800 and Blaine showed us that tactics play a big role in the current of the Columbia River.
Blaine had an amazing turnabout in just one year. Compared to Gromit's 2002 record, it was like a different boat and crew on the race course. Blaine showed good windward tactics, and demonstrated that he's starting to understand the nuances of sailing downwind against the river's current.
As reported in the last newsletter, SYSCO has been mistakenly scoring the two Ranger 20's with SYSCO fleet H2 which is reserved for the Catalina 22's. I haven't heard from our fleet's Race Captain Don Bateson whether this issue has been cleared up with SYSCO.
As we head
into the end of summer and the racing activities start to get replaced with more
daysailing and cruising, I hope everyone who came out and raced, either as
skippers or crew, had as much fun as I did.
I'm already looking forward to next Spring as Mike Hibbs, Don Bateson, and myself work together to improve our performance as a team and learn a little sailing along the way. Thanks again for some wonderful racing.
Race Results:
| Boat Name | Sail # | Owner | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 | Race 5 | Score |
| Gromit | 12286 | Dickason | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Solus | 6800 | McGrath | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| Crocus | 4248 | Bateson | 3 | 3 | DNC/5 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| <no name> | 13408 | Forrest | DNC/5 | DNC/5 | 3 | DNC/5 | DNC/5 | 23 |
The No Race, Race Committee
By Dale Mack
 Part of the race committee aboard Celtic Myst
Fleet 20 Captain Blain Dickason |
All the elements were there, the race committee boat, the race committee, the mark setting boat Pancho III, the race boats, and a beautiful day. The course was set, the signal flags made ready, and all the committee positions filled. All was ready but the wind. Despite a forecast of between 5-8 knots of wind, nothing was sailing.
At 6:30 pm, we put up the postponement flag announcing to the racers that conditions wouldn't support starting a race. As boats anchored and rafted together, we sat back and waited.
Being the final race of the Tuesday evening Summer Series, and knowing from the published results that tonight's race would decide some fleet champions, we were determined to wait it out in hopes of wind.
As the clock neared 7:10 pm we noticed some boats starting to retire. While we discussed whether we should abandon the race, the conscience was to wait under 7:30 pm before making the call.
In the end we had to abandon the race. On board the race committee boat the evening hadn't been a total loss. The potluck dinner was delicious, and the talk about our own racing adventures was fun and humorous. I want to thank those who responded to Don Bateson's call for volunteers and came out and helped.
Catalina 22's Racing with Spinnakers in 2004?
By Dale Mack
The Catalina 22 fleet is the only fleet racing on the river with a
self-imposed no spinnakers policy. I know various members have raised the
question over the last couple of years of whether we should allow spinnakers
since fighting against the two knot current wing-and-wing on a light wind day
can be quite a grind.
I've raced on Terry Annis' C25, Lematike in the last two One-Design regattas, and I can tell you from experience the spinnaker makes a big difference. We sailed one day of the 2002 One-Design without spinnakers (group decision) and the C25's have never sailed without them since based on that one experience.
If you're planning to race your boat in 2004, would you still race if spinnakers were allowed? Would you race with a cruising spinnaker if that's all you had? Think about over the Fall. I'd like to see us make a decision on the subject at the fleet's Holiday meeting in December.
| Technical Tips |
Catalina 22 Bowsprit
By Dale Mack
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This fits into the interesting things I've seen while walking the docks folder. Catalina 22 owners are an imaginative lot and this project surely fits. What you are looking at is an anchor roller, but the impression, particularly when viewed from the side, is that you are looking at a bowsprit.
I haven't had a chance to meet the boat's owner, so I don't know the story behind this project.
Aside from the stainless steel hardware, the main construction material appears to be "King Starboard Marine Plastic".
This boat had several other interesting projects, that I'll feature in some future newsletter articles. One of the boat's other projects is the bow ring. A thick piece of stainless steel plate was cut in the form of a diamond and then bent to match the curve of the bow. The plate then sits between the bow ring and the hull.
| Upcoming Events |
September
- 6 - 7, St. Helens Race/Cruise with SYSCO
- 12 - 14, All Catalina Rendezvous at McCuddy's Landing on Multnomah Channel hosted by the Columbia River All Catalina Association
- 20, Sail for the Cure
See the calendar
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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.