|
From
the Captain
SAIL
for the
CURE
|
|
Event Day Schedule |
| 10am - 12pm:
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). The skipper's packet will include instructions on how to do this year's event. 12:30 - 3pm: Sail for the Cure. 4 - 7pm: Silent Auction 7 - 10:30pm: Benefit Dinner. |
Silent Auction
Bring your checkbook! Past silent auctions have 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!
| Cruising |
Beacon
Rock Cruise, August 17 - 20
By Dale Mack
Nestled
amongst the slopes of the Columbia Gorge is Beacon Rock State Park just
downstream of the Bonneville Dam (the last dam on the Columbia River). Part of
the Washington State Park System, Beacon Rock features, wide docks, picnic and
camping sits, BBQs, sandy beaches, a launch ramp (popular with the local
fishermen), excellent restrooms with hot showers, and potable water. New in
2005 was the addition of power on the docks, and a marine head pump out
station. One of the added benefits of Beacon Rock is that you can have family
and friends meet you there by car.
Reachable in six and half hours motoring upstream from the I-5 bridge, the trip to Beacon Rock can sound intimidating if you haven't cruised that long non-stop before. Although I've motored straight through in the past, my favorite method now is to split the upriver trip into two parts, and spend the first night at Parker's Landing (the Port of Camas-Washougal, 3 hrs). One of the treats about staying at Parker's Landing is going to the floating Puffin Café for dinner. The marina has fuel, a launch ramp, and lots of guest berthing with power. The return trip from Beacon Rock takes about 4 hours. I recommend planning to get to Beacon Rock in the early afternoon, because the late afternoon wind blowing East can sometimes generate a considerable swell.
Laura, Sean, and I are the cruise leaders for the Beacon Rock cruise this year. Please email me at celtic-myst@comcast.net if you'd like to sign-up for the cruise or you want more information.
Cruise Itinerary
Thursday
- Destination - Guest docks at the Port of Camas-Washougal
- Dinner - 6:30 pm at the Puffin Cafe.
Friday
- Destination - Beacon Rock State Park Docks
- Potluck Appetizers - 4:30 pm on the dock.
Saturday (Beacon Rock)
- Hike to the top of Beacon Rock, Kayak the backwaters, etc.
- Potluck Appetizers - 4:30 pm on the dock.
Sunday
- Return to Portland
Notes on Beacon Rock:
- Moorage at the dock $.50/foot per night. In 2005 power was $6/night.
- Bring quarters for the showers (3 minutes for 50 cents).
- Great place for dinghies, kayaks, or small sailboats.
- Running water is available at the top of the ramp.
- There is a one knot current that runs south passed the docks.
-
Camp sites, boat ramp, and picnic area available.
-
The walk to Beacon Rock is very doable if you want to hike to the top.
2006 Cruising Schedule
| Date | Destination |
| Aug. 17 - 20 | Beacon Rock (Thursday – Sunday) |
| Sept. 15 - 17 | Catalina Rendezvous: McCuddy's Landing |
To sign-up for a cruise or get more information contact:
Dale Mack: celtic-myst@comcast.net
Greetings Catalina Yacht owners, Catalina enthusiasts and soon to be owners. On September 15th through September 17th the Columbia River All Catalina Association (CRACA) of Portland, OR, is proud to present the 7th Annual Catalina Rendezvous. We thank all past attendees for their wonderful company and hope you enjoyed the activities. As before, the 2006 Rendezvous will be a "casual" event where you'll have an opportunity to relax, socialize, meet new and old friends, share ideas, and most of all have fun with fellow Catalina owners & enthusiasts!
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 McCuddy's Landing on the tranquil banks of Multnomah Channel. Participants are welcomed to arrive by car or by boat.
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 need berthing. You can register for the event by emailing the following information to either Dale Mack (celtic-myst@comcast.net) or Eric Rouzee (erirou@colmac.com):
-
Your Name and guests
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Boat Model, and Name
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Indicate whether you are coming by boat or car
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Indicate whether you plan to arrive Friday or Saturday
Itinerary
Friday September 15th
| Afternoon | Boats arriving should check-in with the Docking Crew to arrange berthing. | |
| Evening | Dinner on your own |
Saturday September 16th
| Morning | Breakfast on your own. Boats arriving should check-in with the Docking Crew to arrange berthing. | |
| 11:00 - 4:00 | Seminars, Workshops, and Guest Speakers | |
| 4:00 'til whenever | Potluck appetizers on the veranda | |
| Evening | Dinner on you own | |
| 8:30 | Potluck desserts and door prizes on the veranda |
Sunday September 17th
| 10:00 | Potluck Bunch on the veranda |
Notes About the Rendezvous
Water and 30 amp power is available on the docks.
You may want to bring:
- Folding chairs and a small table
- A potluck appetizer for Saturday
- A potluck dessert for Saturday
- A potluck breakfast item for Sunday
A Docking Crew will be on duty to help all boats with berthing. They will also be handing out the itinerary for the weekend. The Docking Crew will be monitoring channel 16 and then moving to working channel 72. Just ask for the “Catalina Rendezvous” and they will answer.
| Racing |
Making Fewer Errors to Win
Hanging in there pays off for
the crew of Harmony
By Dale Mack, C22,
Crocus
 Dan Dugan and his crew aboard Harmony (#14286) winning the fifth race of the SYSCO Summer Series. |
Racing often comes down to who makes fewer mistakes. Sailing a boat efficiently around the course requires innumerable decisions. Tacking at the wrong time, sailing in another boat's dirty air, and failing to trim the sails properly are just a few of the activities that can slow a boat down. Since no one sails a mistake free race, it's really about making fewer mistakes than the other guy, and knowing how to recover when you really screw up.
The last race of the SYSCO Summer Series challenged the competitors with moderate to heavy winds. The race committee set a windward/leeward course and displayed signals indicating that we'd be going around twice. Dan, on Harmony, had another one of his great starts and took an early lead. Crocus stayed more in the middle of the course and found herself first to the windward mark when Harmony sailed beyond the layline.
The first downwind leg was fast as Crocus' spinnaker surged the boat upstream. As we approached the mark with the wind coming over our port quarter, we prepared for a stretch and blow maneuver in order to transition back into an upwind configuration. The Genoa was raised, the spinnaker pole eased forward, and the spinnaker was stretched behind the Genoa to depower it for the drop. What happen next was a collection errors that took us from first place to last in only seconds. Before I describe the details, the story needs a little background. Crocus' crew of four had learned to race the spinnaker as a team of four. Everyone had a specific job during the hoist and the drop, and everyone had practiced their position several times in light to moderate air. On the night of our mishap we were sailing with only three aboard and in heavy air by the time we had to perform our first spinnaker take down of the race. The stretch went flawlessly, just before our comedy of errors took center stage. We were suppose to grab the spinnaker sheet, blow the spinnaker halyard (completely release it), release the spinnaker guy, all the while pulling the spinnaker into the cabin as fast as we could. What really happen was that the spinnaker didn't depower enough and the spinnaker halyard got released late. Onboard Crocus the spinnaker was heeling the boat near forty-five degrees as the crew looked for something to hang onto. Finally the spinnaker halyard got released and Crocus stood right back up. Unfortunately, someone had mistakenly untied the figure-eight knot at the end of the halyard, so when the spinnaker accidentally landed in the river because the spinnaker guy hadn't been released, the halyard went through all the blocks and joined the spinnaker being towed behind the boat.
While the cockpit crew struggled to get the spinnaker aboard, the bow crew mistaken stowed the spinnaker pole on top of the Genoa sheets instead of underneath them. We didn't learn of the tangled sheets until we tacked, which forced us to tack back in order to clear our gear. As Crocus' crew fought to regain control, Harmony rounded the mark cleanly and started back upwind. With the boat finally squared away, we began chasing Harmony which by now had a considerable lead. We made up some ground on the way to the windward mark, but Dan and his crew were sailing Harmony well and they were going to be hard to beat on the downwind final leg without our spinnaker. That missing spinnaker halyard forced us to sail wing-an-wing. While the heavy air had Crocus gaining on Harmony, Dan and crew went onto win by six boat lengths at the finish.
Congratulations to Dan for a well sailed race.
| Technical Tips |
Kick-up
Rudder Hold Down Repair
By Dale Mack, Crocus, #8244
The 2006 Catalina 22 National Championship Regatta might have been decided differently if the lead boat hadn't experienced a freak accident on the last leg of the last race of the regatta. After rounding the leeward mark the rudder's pintles lifted free of the gudgeon sockets. In the time it took to regain control the National Championship slipped away.
Most
folks rely on gravity to keep their rudder in place. In the case of the
kick-up rudder, Catalina Yachts designed in a spring tang that presses against
the top pintle and beneath the gudgeon. If your boat came to you from the
previous owner with a deformed tang then you probably have never known what the
bent piece of stainless steel was for.
Straightening out a bent tang and restoring its shape is a fairly easy task with a hammer, vise, and pliers. The more challenging task might be getting the two stainless steel screws out of the cast aluminum head of the rudder. If you aren't in the practice of disassembling your rudder once a year for maintenance, then the dissimilar aluminum and stainless steel may have seized together. If the screws just aren't going to come out, remove the pintle instead and correct the shape of the tang while it's still attached to the rudder. The pintle can be removed by loosening and removing the nut at the top and push the pintle out the bottom. If the pintle is corroded in place be careful about hammering on it because cast aluminum is prone to cracking when stressed this way. Sometimes soaking the parts in penetrating fluid helps with getting the components a part.
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| 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) |
| Upcoming Events |
August
|
12 - 13 17 - 20 |
SYSCO One-Design Regatta Cruise: Beacon Rock |
September
| 15 - 17 | Cruise: Catalina Rendezvous: McCuddy's Landing | |
| 23 | 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.