www.c22pdx.org

December 2005
 

From the Captain
By Dale Mack, Crocus, #4248

December sure showed up cold and reminded me that even on a C22 there are a few winterizing projects that need to be done every year.  If your boat stays outside, either on the trailer or in the water, you might want to consider storing your battery in the garage and keeping it charged to extend its life.  You should also drain the water from your water storage tank (if you have one) and the Porti-Potti along with removing anything that can be damaged by freezing.  An inexpensive tarp pulled over the cabin, so it covers the windows and companionway, can do wonders for keeping the the boat dry.  If your boat sits on the trailer like Crocus over the winter, consider supporting the trailer's frame with jack stands to take the take the weight off the tires and wheel bearings.  If  your cushions are staying aboard, set them on edge to allow for air circulation.

Winter Projects

All the exterior wood is off Crocus along with the sliding cabin hatch.  My hatch rubbed on the cabin top with a loud screeching sound that made me cringe every time I opened and closed the hatch.   The hatch's fiberglass flange is cracked on both sides of the forward half of the hatch.  One of my projects before Spring is to restore the structural integrity of the flange.  I'll document the project should anyone else  be interested in my solution.

As for the wood, removing it was a blessing because all of the caulking was shot and needed to be replaced.  For this project I'll be removing the gray with a chemical wood brightener, followed by a light sanding, and then several coats of West Marine's "Cetol-like" product "Wood-Pro".

Although I'm taking Crocus to the 2006 Catalina 22 Nationals being held on Scotts Flat Lake near Nevada City, CA, June 19-22, most of my winter projects are aimed at restoring this old boat's ability to support comfortable cruising instead of focusing on additional go-fast projects.  For example, the windows are leaking so I'll be purchasing the Catalina Direct window kit.  I'll also be sewing some curtains so I can stop using the aluminum foil everyone was kidding me about at the Catalina Rendezvous.

New Members

Please join me in welcoming our 38th and 39th boats to Fleet 20:

Sean & Ellen Madian of Portland, Oregon

C22, Time Out, berthed at Columbia Way West

The Madians are interested in cruising.

Avid Brickman of Portland, Oregon

C22, Jus Fine

Avid has been sailing for about 35 years in everything from small boats to larger craft, including at least one voyage to South America.  He came to Portland fourteen years ago and has been day sailing his O'day 17 footer.  In recent years he become interested in staying out longer but didn't want to get tied up with anything too big.   That's when he discovered the Catalina 22's and realized it would be perfect for the experience he was seeking.

He found his 1975 model boat near Sacramento, CA, where it had been left ignored in a storage facility.  From Avid's inspection the boat appears to have been lightly used.  He doesn't think it ever saw salt water and pretty much sat most of the time in dry arid weather.

Avid has been cleaning it up, buffing the hull, squaring away the topsides and reports that it has cleaned up "right nice" (his words). The teak was in pretty sad condition so he's sanded and refinished it all.

When Avid isn't sailing, he is a Portrait Photographer.  You can see some of his work at www.artbyavid.com.

 

 

Become a Member of Fleet 20
By Dale Mack

Membership in Fleet 20 will be FREE in 2006.

Renewal notices will go out in December.

The Fleet 20 Membership Application is available online at  www.c22pdx.org/docs.  Simply print it off, fill it out, and sending it in.  You can also email it to:

 

catalina22fleet20@comcast.net

 

Portland Boat Show
By Dale Mack

January 7-15.  It's hard to believe that the Portland Boat Show begins its nine day run in less than a month.  For many the show kicks off the planning for the new sailing season in the Portland/Vancouver area.  Admission to the show is $8.00 (free to children 12 and under).

For the past couple of years, a few of us Fleet 20 members have gone out to breakfast at Elmer's at 9 am followed by a trip to West Marine, and then onto the boat show that opens at 11 am.  Let me know if you are interested in joining us on Saturday, January 7th.

The Columbia River All Catalina Association (CRACA) will also have a booth at the show.  Photos and recruiting materials for Catalina 22 Fleet 20 and Catalina 25/250 Fleet 94 will also be incorporated into the booth.

 

Fleet 20 Newsletter Reaches a Milestone
By Dale Mack

This edition of the Catalina 22 Fleet 20 newsletter represents the 72nd issue since first going online in January of 2000.  As the newsletter's editor, I want to thank everyone for sharing their photos and stories, and allowing me to tag along occasionally.

Chronicling the adventures of local Catalina 22 enthusiasts continues to be both fun and rewarding.  Along the way I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of great folks.  Here's looking forward to the next seventy-two issues.

 
Cruising

Where Do You Want to Go?
Looking Ahead to the 2006 Cruising Season
By Dale Mack, Crocus, #8244

Whether you only day sail your boat or enjoy the occasional overnight aboard, I hoping to entice more of you to come out in 2006 and join one of the Fleet 20 rendezvous'.  Some of our favorite day sail destinations for a casual raft-up include Canoe Bay, Vancouver Landing, and Lemon Island.

Cruising the San Juan Islands

Are you thinking about cruising the San Juan Islands in 2006?  This is a great trip in a Catalina 22.  Destinations like Roche Harbor, Friday Harbor, and Deer Harbor, just to name a few offer great docks and wonderful shore side attractions.  For those wishing to anchor out, locations like Garrison Bay, Double Island, and Sucia Island offer protection and scenic views.

With a week in California for the Catalina 22 National Regatta in June, I'm going to have to pass on going to the San Juans this year, but what I can do is help connect folks who'd like to sail in the company of other C22 owners.  If you are thinking about heading north in 2006 let me know and I'll get the word our to others also going north.

Portland Destinations

Here are my picks for nearby overnight destinations for those in the Portland area.  These locations are also great day sail locations for quick rendezvous':

Canoe Bay (also known as Grandma's Cove)
  • 0.7 nm downstream from the Interstate Bridge
  • Schooner Creek Boat  Works calls the cove home.
  • The bay is public property.
  • The cove is protected from the river's current.
  • Boats typically raft up
  • In the late summer it is a great location to swim and bring the dinghy.
  • A low tide there is a wonderful sandy beach near the entrance.

Lemon Island - North Side

  • 4.5 nm upstream from the Interstate Bridge
  • Typically anchor off the beach or nose into a sand bar
  • The cove between Government Island and Lemon Island is wonderful if the water is high enough to get in.
  • Nice sandy beaches
  • No shore side facilities
  • Wonderful sail back
Government Island - West Docks
  • 8.7 nm upstream 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
  • Can sometimes be less crowded.
  • Ashore there are campsites with picnic tables and fire pits
  • Outhouse facilities are available
Government Island - East Docks (officially known as Bartlett Landing)
  • 9.1 nm upstream 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.
Hadley's Landing on the Multnomah Channel
  • 9.9 nm from the Interstate Bridge.
    • 4.2 nm downstream to the Willamette River
    • 2.6 nm up the Willamette River
    • 3.1 nm down the Multnomah Channel
  • 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.

 

Racing

2005 Fleet Champion
By Dale Mack

Sailing in the Columbia River's two knot current is challenging.  To do so while in the company of other competitors and go onto win takes more than luck if you are going to have a winning season.  Beyond boat speed, sail trim, tactics and good crew work, local knowledge plays a role in Columbia River racing.  No group got reminded of that lesson better than the 2004 Catalina 25/250 National Regatta participants when local boats went on to captured all the top awards.

2005 Fleet Champion is awarded to Mike McGrath, Solus, #6800.

Our fleet annually presents a perpetual plaque to the Fleet 20 member who achieves the best racing record over the past year.  The races we count include the five Thursday evening Spring Series, five Thursday evening Summer Series, and the two day One-Design Regatta in August.

For 2005 the team of Mike McGrath (skipper) and Terry Annis demonstrated the steady performance to win aboard Solus (#6800).  In recognition of that accomplishment, our Fleet Champion Award goes to Mike McGrath.

Congratulations to both Mike and Fleet 20 alumni Terry for overcoming a racing season of challenging conditions.

 

Technical Tips

Installing a Boomkicker
Say Goodbye to the Topping Lift
By Dale Mack, Crocus, #4248

One of my favorite upgrades involves the Boomkicker made by Seoladair Ltd.  A Boomkicker supports the boom when the sail isn't hoisted.  Two fiberglass rods flex when a downward force is applied to the boom.  While a topping lift can also support the boom, it becomes yet another line you have to readjust to avoid having it interfere with sail shape or foaling on the backstay during tacks.

One of the things that strikes you when you are unpacking the components is how well made everything is.  I had ordered my C22 Boomkicker kit from Catalina Direct.  This was actually the second kit I had ordered.  I had been so impressed how the system had worked on my first Catalina 22 years earlier that Crocus was destine to get one from the day I got the boat.

   

This is a very easy do it yourself project.  The mast fitting slides into the mast slot and is held in place by two screws feed into an anodized aluminum rod (no drilling needed).  A "Quick Release Pin" allows the Boomkicker to be easily detached from the mast when the poptop is raised.  The instructions say to install the top of the mast fitting 25" below the bottom of the boom.  I found that on an old-style boat like Crocus the fitting will interfere with the operation of the poptop so I choose 10" above the mast step.  The black horizontal line drawn on the mast above the poptop lock showed me where the lower lip of the poptop would touch the mast.

   

The only drilling for the project involves three holes to install the boom fitting.  I installed the  leading edge of the fitting 26" behind the aft edge of the mast.  The instructions recommend 30.5" but remember my mast fitting was installed lower than the instructions indicated.  My chosen boom location was really based on wanting the aft end of the boom angled up to provide headroom when dockside, but more importantly to allow the Boomkicker to assist in sail shape when I wanted to make things fuller.

The fiberglass rods are amazing in how much bending they will take.  The whole systems operates very smoothly.  It's like having the boom on a spring.  Push down the boom effortlessly tilts downward.  Ease off on the pressure and the boom raise.

I used a topping lift for years and the Boomkicker beats it hands down.   The boat is easier to sail, reef, and single-hand with this simple device aboard.

For those curious about the boom vang it has an 8:1 purchase built from a 4:1 boom vang configured in a cascade style.  The Boomkicker fit inside the existing boom vang.  I'll cover how to create an 8:1 cascade style boom vang in a future article.

   

 

Scuttlebutt

Catalina Newsletters of the Northwest
By Dale Mack

Checkout these links to Northwest Catalina newsletters and local racing:

Columbia River All Catalina Association (CRACA)

Sail Portland

Oregon Women's Sailing Association

     Catalina Assoc. of Tacoma and South Sound (CATSS)

Catalina Association of Puget Sound (CAPS)

Small Yacht Sailing club of Oregon (SYSCO)

 

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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.