The fleet's annual Holiday Party and Winter Meeting was held at the home of Don and Carolyn Bateson.  This was our first fleet activity at their home since the Batesons moved from Portland to Vancouver in 2004.  It's always a treat to be invited into someone's home during the holidays, and it was so generous of Don and Carolyn to host this year's party since they were our hosts in 2003.

Although the weather outside was cold and rainy, the conversation inside was warm and delightful.  We had a great time reliving the activities of the past year, talking about the Batesons new home, listening to the home building stories of Debbie and Mike Hibbs as their new home nears completion in Clackamas,  and laughing at the family adventures of the Maywalds sailing with four young children onboard.  While the adults socialized, the Fleet 20 children played, watched TV, and snacked in the family room.

Our 2005 Fleet Captain

After dinner we held a short business meeting to elect a new Fleet Captain.  The duties of our Fleet Captain can be viewed here.

While my mouth was full of dessert, nominations, quickly followed by a vote established me as our new Fleet Captain for 2005.  Thanks Don and Mike.

I'm looking forward to the new year as your Fleet Captain, and I'm hoping to put together some events in 2005 to give everyone an opportunity to mingle with other Catalina 22 owners.

Thank You Don

Thank you Don Bateson for serving as our Fleet Captain in 2004.  From organizing the Spring and Winter meetings to making sure Fleet 20 showed up with a boat and sufficient people to serve as the Race Committee twice during the 2004 season, Don worked behind the scenes to keep Fleet 20 moving.

Newsletter Reaches a Milestone

This issue of the newsletter represents the 60th edition since its first publication in January of 2000.  As the chronicler of local Catalina 22 activities, I look forward to meeting more of you in 2005 both on and off the water.

2004 Christmas Ships Parade By Dale Mack December 9 - 21. The Christmas Ship Fleet is an all volunteer group of approximately sixty boaters from the Portland/Vancouver area. Starting December 9th, the fleet began its 50th 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.

Fleet 20 Membership is FREE!!! That's not a misprint, for 2005, membership in Fleet 20 will be free. The fleet has traditionally charged $10 a year, but with annual expenses  so low we just don't need the income this year. The membership application form is available here online.

Portland Boat Show
By Dale Mack

January 8.  The Portland Boat Show runs from January 8 - 16.  I'm thinking about attending the show on Saturday the 8th, and would like to invite other Catalina 22 enthusiasts to join me.  If there is enough interest, we might start the day off with a 9 a.m. breakfast at  Elmer's, followed by a visit to West Marine (looking for after Christmas sales), and then onto the boat show which opens at 11 a.m. (closes at 9 p.m.).

If you'd like to rendezvous, contact me at 360-260-4196.

Admission to the show is $7.00     (free to children 12 and under)

'Tis the Season
By Dale Mack

Something about being stuck ashore, with the boat stored on the side of the house, while looking at walls covered with boating memorabilia, gets me yearning for warmer days and steady breezes.  While I'm try to satisfy my appetite through sailing magazines and watching old tapes of the last America's Cup, I've got to admit that knowing that "boat show season" is only a month away feels good.

After the Portland Boat, its off to the Seattle Boat Show and the Lake Union Boats Afloat Show.  I'm always amazed how, with no pre-planning, I always run into Columbia River Catalina enthusiasts whenever I'm at the Seattle shows.  Some of my best memories from previous shows have been browsing the boats by day, and finishing off with an impromptu group dinner at one of the restaurants overlooking Lake Union.

Making a List and Checking it Twice...

I figured out a long time ago that boat ownership, particularly in the dead of winter, has a lot in common with new year resolutions.  At the end of each year I create my wish list of boating projects I hope to complete before launching the boat in the Spring.  When the day arrives to splash the boat, I momentarily feel guilty for not getting more done, and then I forget it and enjoy the sailing season.

In 2004 Crocus' "Boat Butler" completed several projects.  Some of the standouts include:

• Removed the old bottom paint to expose the boat's original gelcoat water line.
• Replaced the bow eye with the U-bolt style version and replaced backing block.
• Reinforced the forestay by tying the deck fitting to the bow eye with a turnbuckle.
• Reinstalled the chainplates
• Found and fixed several leaks
• Cleaned a lot of nasty stuff out of the bilge that was leftover from the previous owner storing newspapers and magazines in the bilge that eventually turned in to moldy paper maché.
• Installed a new spring assisted motor bracket
• Installed a handle on sliding hatch
• Installed a lockable latch on the hatch
• Installed a cascade style adjustable backstay
• Installed an improved outhaul on the boom
• Installed a downhaul
• Installed a cunningham
• Installed a cascade style boom vang for increased mechanical advantage
• Installed a single line jiffy reefing system
• Ran all the lines aft to the cockpit
• Improved the layout of all the rope clutches and cam-cleats for the line lead aft.

For 2005 the list includes some projects nearing completion and a few new ones.

• Trailer:  Repair the surge brakes' master cylinder
• Trailer:  New tires
• Re-condition and fair the keel.  I've got to admit this is the project most likely not to get done if I don't make time in January and February;-)
• Refinish the rudder
• Repair the interior lights
• Rewiring the switch panel
• Remount the battery
• Find and fix more leak(s)
• Install spinnaker handling rigging
• Install porti-potti hold downs
• Install fuel tank strap
• Strip and repaint the bottom

I have a longer list, mostly around cruising upgrades, but I figure why go there when I may not complete everything on the short list.

Good luck to you in your off season boating projects.

What is a Typical Fleet 20 Day Sail
By Dale Mack

If your like many of us, you probably day sail your boat, with perhaps an occasional overnight thrown in.  Furthermore, you probably rarely sail with, or raft up to other Catalina 22's when you do get out.  Fleet 20 has traditionally organized a couple of on the water rendezvous to give folks an opportunity to mingle with other Catalina 22 owners, and checkout each other's boats.

What Do We Do on a Day Sail?

Lemon Island, near the I-205 bridge is a common Fleet 20 day sail destination, so I'll use it as an example of what a day sail might look like.  We start the morning off with a group breakfast at one of the local restaurants near the river (i.e. Elmer's).  After breakfast everyone heads to their boats.  Those who are boat-less would be matched up with a boat looking for crew.  Between 12 and 12:30 we'd rendezvous near buoy "14" and then head upstream to the north side of Lemon Island.  We tend to gravitate to one of four raft up locations (listed in priority order on the photo) depending on the river's level.  Once rafted up, we share snacks and conversation for a couple hours before breaking up the raft and sailing home.

Yes, I own a C22 but I don't know any of these people in Fleet 20

Don't let that stop you.  My first contact with Fleet 20 was via email when I was still in Boise, preparing to move to Vancouver.  By the time I first met Bob Gales in person after several email exchanges I felt like I already knew him.  So if you've never come to a Fleet 20 function consider this an open invitation from me to you.  Email is always a great way to get started.

My Boat Isn't Setup to Race
By Dale Mack 

One of the myths about sailboat racing is that there is a special setup.  While I agree you become more sensitive to how little things matter as you race over time, I also know from personal experience that it doesn't matter a lot in the beginning.  I didn't start racing regularly until 1998 when I crewed for Terry Annis, and then in 1999 I began racing my own boat.

My C22 began its racing career as a stock Catalina 22.  I knew it was stock because I had ordered it new from the factory in 1987.  Stock in 1987 meant Dacron sails (main, 150, and a 110), a boom vang, a traveler, a outhaul, a down haul, and non-adjustable backstay.  Of the various controls, I really only knew about the sheets, and I used the boom vang to prevent goose-wing jibes.  Everything else, including the stays and shrouds, got setup at the start of the season and then was pretty much left alone.

When I began racing, it wasn't about winning, it was about how much I could learn about sailing and racing.  Today I'm still learning, and the current 1978 boat is a long way from factory stock as I've added more and more controls to sail the boat better.  While I've yet to experience the same success on the race course with #4248 as I did with #14286, the joy of the experience, win or lose, remains the same, and draws me back year after year.

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 360-260-4196.

Anchor Bag
By Dale Mack

I was searching for a better method of storing my 11 lbs. stern anchor when I received this blue promotion tool bag from a boating magazine.  Made from all synthetic materials, it occurred to me that it might stand up well to getting wet.  A synthetic gym bag would also work well.

Conversion of the bag to its new purpose involved a couple of minor changes.   First, I replaced the draw string steel grommets with brass, and then I installed a plastic grommet in the bottom of the bag.  By passing the end of the anchor rode through the grommet and then terminating it in a bowline, I have a convenient means of securing the end of the rode to something in the boat when anchoring.

The bag holds over 200 feet of 3/8" nylon anchor rode, and has room for more line or chain.

When anchoring, the bag is brought on deck, and the bowline is placed over a cleat.  By lowering the anchor hand-over-hand, the rode feeds easily out of the bag.  Bringing the anchor back up is a simple reverse process that places the line back into the bag.

I avoid leaving the the anchor rode wet in the bag for any significant length of time, so mold and mildew hasn't been a problem.  My practice is to air dry the line at the first opportunity.

Catalina Newsletters of the Northwest
By Dale Mack

Checkout these links to Northwest Catalina newsletters and local racing:

Columbia River All Catalina Association (CRACA) www.ColumbiaRiverCatalina.org Catalina 25 Fleet 94 of Portland home.comcast.net/~fleet94/ Small Yacht Sailing club of Oregon (SYSCO) www.sailpdx.com/sysco.htm

Catalina Assoc. of Tacoma and South Sound (CATSS) home.earthlink.net/~catss/CATSS Web Page.htm Catalina Association of Puget Sound (CAPS) www.capsfleet1.com/News Letters.htm Sail Portland www.sailpdx.com

December

• 5, Fleet 20 Winter Meeting and Party

• 9-21, Christmas Ships Parade

January

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.