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| www.c22pdx.org |
November 2004 |
From
the Afterguard
By Dale Mack, Crocus, #4248
The wind roars through the trees like waves crashing on a shore as I type this seated at the tent trailer's dinette table. It's our last camping trip of the year, and the local weather folks got it pretty much wrong. Although we've gotten out, Ft. Stevens, Oregon, near Astoria, is so much nicer when everything is a little dryer. One of the local sights I found interesting, is youth soccer. Picture four soccer games running simultaneously, with parents cheering from the sidelines armed with umbrellas and raincoats. There is a constant rain, but no wind. Under similar conditions just two hours away in Vancouver, the games might have been called on account of weather.
So what does this all have to do with sailing? Surprisingly, quite a bit. The difference between those Vancouver kids and those Hammond kids (the town near Ft. Stevens), is learning to cope with less than perfection. Or put another way, learning to find the joy in what we have. Some of my most cherished sailing memories have been accompanied by less than perfect weather. For example, in 1987, Laura and I spend New Year's Eve on San Francisco Bay. While the day was overcast and cool, the sailing was great. In 2000, on one of our San Juan Island cruises, we left Anacortes for Roche Harbor in drizzle, low clouds, and fog. While we had to cope with less than perfect weather at the start and at end of the cruise, it turned out to be one of our most enjoyable trips so far. Even as recently as this year's Catalina Rendezvous, just a few weeks ago, Laura and I were glad we went regardless of the wet forecast, because we had a great time.
A Renewal of Friendships and the Creation of New Ones
I invite you to attend the Fleet 20 Holiday Party at the Bateson's home on Sunday, December 5th. This annual get together is a great opportunity to relive the season's sailing, and to meet some fellow Catalina 22 enthusiasts if you're new to C22 sailing, or are just wishing to connect with others who have a similar interest. Don't' forget bring your photo albums if you've got them. This is a casual affair, so don't feel like you have to dress up. We are going to skip the white elephant gift exchange this year and just focus on socializing.
Signs
of Winter
The boat is under the tarp and put away for the season. Winterizing isn't too much of a chore, the battery and outboard are stored in the garage, and anything that could freeze, porta-potti, water storage, water in the bilge has been emptied. To protect the trap from the ends of the mast chafing through, I place a three gallon plastic pot leftover from landscaping over each end. The trap itself lasts about 2-3 seasons and then needs to be replaced.
Yikes! Five months until Crocus goes back into water and the winter project list is already getting too long. Running all lines aft to the cockpit was completed this summer, and the new and improved adjustable backstay works great. Rewiring the electrical panel isn't far from completion, although I'm going to add the toggle switch protection bar shown last month on Gromit.
I'm considering dropping the keel on Crocus over the winter to refinish it, so it's been with an above average level of interest that I've been reading about the experiences of others on the Internet. The raise the boat, lower the keel, and slide it out from under the boat seems pretty straight forward. Handling the 550 lb. keel once it has been sandblasted still seems pretty daunting. I'm curious to see want shape the keel pin hole is in.
If I don't manage to talk myself out of the project before the boat goes back into the water in March, I'll be sure to take lots of pictures along the way.
Fleet
20 Holiday Party
By Dale Mack
December 5. Please join Don and Carolyn Bateson as they host the Fleet 20 Holiday Party at their home on Sunday, December 5th. This popular event will start off with a potluck dinner, followed by the election of new officers, and then dessert. Children are welcome.
The Itinerary for the Evening:
4:00 - 7:00 pm, Socialize and Potluck
| Whose Invited: | Fleet 20 Members, Alumni, Crew, and Catalina 22 Enthusiasts |
| What: | Potluck dinner and dessert |
| Where: | Don and Carolyn Bateson 2103 NW 138th St |
| When: | Sunday, December 5, 2003 4:00 - 7:00 pm |
| RSVP: | Please respond by December 5th
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| Cruising |
Cruising in 2005
By Dale Mack
This is that time of year when we start thinking about the cruising schedule for next year. Long time Fleet 20 members know that our on the water activities tend to fall into four categories: day sails, overnights, long cruise (typically to the San Juan Islands), and racing.
Fleet 20 promotes three overnight cruises during the course of the year. They include: Martin Island (May), Beacon Rock (August), and St. Helens (September). All three cruises are held in conjunction with other clubs, Martin Island (SYSCO & All Catalina), Beacon Rock (All Catalina), and St. Helens (SYSCO). Each of the cruises are very nice both in terms of the scenery and the destinations, but they also involve long motoring at least one way (4.5-6.5 hrs), so as a result participation is usually limited to two to five boats.
In 2004, I was so impressed with the new docks at Bartlett Landing (a.k.a. Government Island, East) that it got me thinking about an overnight cruising schedule that would include destinations that are less than two hours motoring away, and can all be easily reached under sail. Here are my picks for nearby overnight destinations for 2005:
Canoe Bay (also known as Grandma's Cove)- 0.7 nm from the Interstate Bridge
- Anchor in a cove between the Interstate Bridge and the Vancouver Railroad Bridge. The cove is protected from the river's current.
- Boats would raft up
- In the late summer it is a great location to swim and bring the dinghy
- 8.7 nm from the Interstate Bridge
- Wooden docks with land access
- Not as nice as the Government Island, East Docks because the facility is showing its age, but still very much worth consideration.
- No sand beaches
- Ashore there are campsites with picnic tables and fire pits
- Outhouse facilities are available
- 9.1 nm from the Interstate Bridge
- Newly rebuild in 2004 with concrete docks and an aluminum ramp to shore
- Covered picnic structure
- Campsites with picnic tables and fire pits
- New composting toilets
- Lots of sandy beaches
- Avoid outer docks, because the wakes of passing boats will make for a bumpy stay.
- If you motor there because the wind isn't cooperating, the sail back is usually wonderful.
- 9.9 nm from the Interstate Bridge
- Very nice wooden docks with shore access
- No campsites, picnic tables, or fire pits
- No shore side toilets
- The Columbia River and Willamette River legs of the cruise can be nice sailing.
If you have any recommends, please feel free to pass them along.
| Racing |
Racing in 2005
By Dale Mack
The first race of the 2005 Spring Series is Thursday, April 21st. Between now and then, the crews of Crocus and Solus hope to find at least one other Catalina 22 crew who'll come out and allow us to race one design. If we don't manage to bring a least a third boat to the line, then we plan to race level in SYSCO "H" Fleet, which is targeted at boats with similar performance characteristics.
If you have any questions about racing, need crew, or would like to crew to gain experience, please don't hesitate to contact me at:
| Technical Tips |
Anchor Bow Roller
By Dale Mack
|
No visit to Astoria is complete without a stop at the West Basin Moorage near the Astoria bridge. As I walked the docks browsing the boats, I came across a green hull Catalina 22.
Among the boat's many upgrades, most focused on racing, was the stainless steel bow roller pictured at the right.
I've never seen the bow roller offered by Catalina Direct, but I have a suspicion that this might be it because of the slot located just forward of the stem fitting. Newer stem fittings have a tang attached to the front that travels behind the rub rail and is through bolted to the hull. This tang reinforces the stem fitting and counteracts the force of increasing the tension on the forestay.
Having played around with the stem fitting on a first generation boat (1970-1985), access is pretty easy, so this should be and easy upgrade. Second generation boats (1985-1995) still have access, but the anchor locker makes it a little more difficult.
| Scuttlebutt |
Catalina Newsletters of the Northwest
By Dale Mack
Checkout these links to Northwest Catalina newsletters and local racing:
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Columbia River All Catalina Association
(CRACA)
Catalina 25 Fleet 94 of Portland
|
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Catalina Assoc. of Tacoma and South Sound (CATSS)
Catalina Association of Puget Sound (CAPS) Small Yacht Sailing club of Oregon (SYSCO) Sail Portland |
| Upcoming Events |
November
- 20, OCSA Tropical Party at PYC
December
-
5, Fleet 20 Winter Meeting and Party
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.