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| www.c22pdx.org |
April 2005 |
From
the Captain
By Dale Mack, Crocus, #4248
Here I am in the first week in April and boat still isn't in the water. Yikes! Twelve days until the first race and I don't know whether all the spinnaker handling gear I'm still installing on the boat is going to work. Add to that, that aside from my spinnaker racing experience from crewing on a Catalina 25 last season, the rest of the crew of Crocus has little or no spinnaker racing experience. It should be a fun season of learning for us all. The truth is it "should" be a season of fun and learning for all of us Catalina 22 owners, isn't that the whole point. Those of us racing Catalina 22's aren't doing it because of the competition, if we were we'd be in the J/24 or Cal 20 fleets which commonly bring 15-18 boats to the line. Most of us are doing it for the camaraderie, an excuse to get out on the boat, and the enjoyment of furthering our sailing skills. Like most sailors who race, I'll lose more races than I'll win this season, but its not the winning that keeps bringing me back, its the people I meet along the way.
March Wetness and that Never Ending To Do List
March made working on the boat next to impossible with all the cold wet weather. I did manage to complete several projects while huddle beneath the tarp. The boat's electrical system is functional again after repairing the switch panel, replacing the master ON pilot light, and replacing all the wiring from the panel to the battery. The corrosion finally did in the plug socket for the mast wiring, so I had to replace both the socket and the plug. The light over the table removed my one of the boat's many previous owners has also been replaced. Other projects have included patching chipped fiberglass in the cabin that would have snagged sails, installing hold down brackets for the porti-potti, installing a strap to keep the fuel tank in place, finishing the re-gelcoating of the rudder and putting it back together, placing plastic bins into the storage compartments to keep things dry when water is in the bilge, continuing to discover and epoxy fill holes on the exterior of the boat, and removing all the stanchions and the stern rail. The bottom and the keel are going to have to wait for next year.
Return of a Spring Tradition
The Fleet 20 Lemon Island Rendezvous is scheduled for Saturday, May 21st. With a number of former members moving onto larger boats over the past few years, this annual rite of Spring has withered of late. I'd like to restore this Spring tradition that had typically attracted 4-6 boats.
The plan would be to informally rendezvous near buoy "14" at 1 pm and then head upstream to the north side of Lemon Island where we'd raft-up and share snacks for a couple of hours before heading home. The May newsletter will cover more details. Here's a couple of stories from past rendezvous:
Catalina
Discount Night
By Dale Mack
April 27, 6pm at West Marine. The Columbia River All Catalina Association has arranged to have their meeting at West Marine (1176 N. Hayden Meadows Drive, Portland, OR) on April 27th. West Marine will provide a 10% discount on all purchases made during the meeting (5% discount on electronics). The store will be open exclusively for Catalina owners. CRACA will hold a short business meeting to elect their new officers, and then the rest of the meeting is shopping and socializing.
Hope to see you there.
Marine Swap Meet
By Dale Mack
April 30, 8am - 2pm at West Marine. The notice board at West Marine is announcing a marine swap meet on Saturday the 30th if anyone is interested. The board says 8 am, but I know from experience you probably want to be there at 7 am and then hang around for a couple of hours as gear trickles in.
Parking lot spaces for sellers can be had for $5. Several of us have shared a space in the past as we unloaded our treasurers. The swap meet is always a good excuse to hang out together and then head over to the nearby Elmer's for breakfast. Anyone interested?
Racing Sails For Sale
By Norm Oleson
Contact Norm Oleson at noleson@adelphia.net of call 772 692-9380.
| Cruising |
April Cruise to Bartlett Landing
By Dale Mack
April 23-24. Although I'm going to miss the cruise because I'll be busy racing my Catalina 30 in the SYSCO Spring Regatta, I'd like to encourage you to drop in on or stay overnight at the Catalina Owners cruise to Bartlett Landing (aka Government Island, East Dock). Bartlett Landing is a beautiful destination and it makes for a great sail back down the river. From the I-5 bridge it takes about two hours to motor straight through to the moorage, although sailing is always more fun when the wind permits.
Fleet 20
Lemon Island Rendezvous
Saturday, May 21
Details of this day sail to Lemon Island followed by a raft up and the sharing of snacks will be covered in the May newsletter.
Mother's Day is May 8th, so we shouldn't have any conflicts with the date.
Beacon Rock Update
By Dale Mack
For those of you who like making Beacon Rock one of your annual destinations, you'll be happy to learn that the Washington Parks Department has added power to the docks.
Sean and I stopped by a couple of weeks ago while Sean was practicing his driving. The power is in and ready to go. A porti-potti dump has also been added to the docks.
| Racing |
Catalina
22 Racing
By Dale Mack
Catalina 22 racing begins this month with the start of the Spring Series on April 14th. Oddly enough I'm going to miss the first race because I'll be in California visiting my sister and attending the Strictly Sail show at Jack London Square in Alameda.
If you are planning to race, make sure you get your entry form turned into Terry Annis by April 8th to avoid the late fee. Where to send the entry form is contained in the Spring Series Race Notice.
The First Night
Plan to be on the water and in the vicinity of the Race Committee (RC) boat at 6 pm. Although the first race doesn't start until 6:30 pm, you'll find that checking in with the RC, and then testing out various wind angles makes the time go by fast.
Checking in is simple. You pass by the RC with either your sail number or boat's name visible. The RC will then find you in the list of boats entered for the race. If the "Come Within Hail" flag is flying, then the course board will show which start you are in and the course you are to follow. During the first few races, the RC will be handing out USCG Marine Event Permits that are good for the 2005 season. RC's commonly handout materials on the course by rolling them up and inserting them partially in to the end of a PVC pipe which they will extend out from the RC boat.
Be sure to check out our Fleet 20 Racing page for more assistance.
Short Course Racing Clinic
Hosted by North Sails Oregon
May 10th
Invitation: North Sails Oregon (www.northsailsoregon.com) invites all sailboats to participate in some fun, informal short course racing on the Columbia River between the I-5 and I-205 bridges.
Description: Several short course races will be completed in one evening. The goal is to practice starts and boat handling in a relaxed atmosphere. North Sails Oregon will be taking photos and coaching from a powerboat. Skippers and crew should fee free to ask questions of the powerboat crew.
Eligibility: All yachts that are willing to participate and learn!
Date and Time: Tuesday, May 10th. First warning signal is at 6:30 pm.
Registration: None required. Just show up and start.
Fees: None! Come out and join us!.
Supplemental Sailing Instructions: Instructions will be handed out on the water.
For More Information: Contact Kerry or Amy Poe at North Sails Oregon at 503-282-4282 or kerry@sales.northsails.com .
| 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)
Sail Portland
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Catalina Assoc. of Tacoma and South Sound (CATSS) |
| Upcoming Events |
April
- 8, The Portland Yacht Club Sailors Dinner (open to all)
- 14, Spring Series Race #1
- 21, Spring Series Race #2
- 28, Spring Series Race #3
- 27, Catalina Discount Night at West Marine, 7 pm
- 30, Parking Lot Swap meet at West Marine, 8 am - 2 pm
May
- 5, Spring Series Race #4
- 10, Short Course Racing Clinic, North Sails Oregon, on the River
- 21, Fleet 20 Lemon Island Rendezvous
- 26, Spring Series Race #5
See the calendar
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The Fleet 20 newsletter is published online once a month. Articles are the opinions of the
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