From the Captain
By Dale Mack, Crocus, #8244
celtic-myst@comcast.net

I enjoy the feeling of getting the boat back into the water.  It never happens as soon as I want, but in the end it doesn't matter.

I want to thank Susan Estes, a C25 owner, for arranging a six months (April - September) 15% discount at Tomahawk Bay Moorage for Catalina trailer sailors.  Several C25's and C22's are on "D" dock along with part of the J/24 fleet.

Sailing in April and May

During the course of figuring out who was going to add their name to the list for the group discount, I had several folks ask whether the sailing was any good in April and May.  Others had heard of fast current and lots of debris because of the melting snow pack combined with our typical April and May showers.  The answer to how is the sailing depends on your sensitivities.  Here are my observations after sailing in the local conditions for the past ten years:

Winds.  The winds in April and May are great.  While the summer pattern is wind out of the northwest, in April and May you can get winds out of the east and from the south.

Current.  Between the bridges the average current is about two knots. At the height of the Spring run off or after a big storm you might see three knots. In August, 1.5-2 knots is common. Sailing on the river is all about learning to sail in current. I tend to think of the Columbia River as having a strong current all year round.  Debris in the river is typically the result of raising water lifting material off the banks. The Spring melt and big storms usually cause an increase in the debris, but it's not the slalom course some would have you believe.  Local racing starts in April and by mid-month 50+ boats will be hitting the starting line on Thursday evenings. Those skippers wouldn’t be there if the conditions were unsafe.

Unpredictable Weather.  Variation year to year is normal.  In 2005 I was sailing my C30 in February, and in 2007 it stayed at the dock.  I’ve experienced both wet and dry Aprils and Mays. It definitely rains more in April and May than it does in June and July, but at least the temperatures are starting to climb.  Outfitted with boots, and inexpensive set of West Marine foul weather gear, and dressing in layers, I come to ignore anything but the worst conditions because my gear keeps me comfortable.

Before You Paint

Crocus went back into the water with a bit more shine to the hull than in past years.  I'd become accustom to the boat's patches of light and dark yellow.  Previous owners' years of neglect were apparent in the chalky white oxidation that covered the hull and topsides (the topsides are next year's project).  Fortunately for me the gelcoat was still in restorable condition so I didn't have to resort to painting.

To recondition the hull I wet sanded with 1000 grit 3M WetorDry sand paper.  The wet sanding evened out the color and actually gave the hull a bit of a gloss.  I become a wet sanding convert during one of my vanishing projects.  The water both lubricates and helps keep the surface cool which is important when sanding.  After the wet sanding I switched over to my 6" random orbital polisher/buffer and applied liquid rubbing compound (West Marine Rubbing Compound) to the hull with a synthetic wool pad.  Now that the gelcoat had been repaired with compounding, I repeated the process using a polish (Meguiar's Deep Crystal System Polish) and a fresh pad.  At this point the hull was very glossy.  To protect the hull I applied a wax with a UV inhibitor in it (Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax) using a yellow foam pad and the polisher.  The polish and wax were removed using clean dry terry-cloth pads.

Need Crew?

I'm contacted from time to time by folks looking to gain some experience by volunteering to crew.  If there are any C22 or C25 skippers out there still looking for crew, here's someone looking for a ride.

Dale,

I spoke to Jim Elieff [Cruise Chairman, Columbia River All Catalina Association]  today and he mentioned that I should contact you regarding the possibility of a crewing for someone. My friend and I are looking to learn to sail and we have been told that racing is the best way.  Do you know of anyone looking for crew members.  We are willing to race any day of the week.  Thanks for your help.

Dave Smith
dfs356@gmail.com
360-635-2683

Catalina 22 Fleet 20 Roster

An Adobe PDF version of the Fleet 20 roster was emailed out to everyone in the fleet.  If you didn't get your copy let me know.

If you've sold your boat, or your information has changed, please email me back and I'll make the appropriate updates.

Boat Looking for a new home

Believe it or not there is more than one yellow-hulled Catalina 22 in the Pacific Northwest.  Gary McLean sent this along:

Sunrise, #10868, is for sale

$4500 without an outboard
$5000 with the older 6hp, 4-cycle Honda, $5700 with the 2 year old 6hp, 4-cycle Merc.

I'll be sending Dale more information and photos shortly for posting on the web.

Gary McLean
503-668-3064
gcs03@aol.com

New Members

Please join me in welcoming our newest members to Fleet 20:

Jim & Joyce Simpson -

Volare, #13227, berthed at Tomahawk Bay Moorage

Jim and Joyce are interested in cruising and are curious about racing.

Jim mentioned that he goes to the San Juan Islands every year but has never been there cruising his own boat  The Simpsons would like to go to the islands with a group that has had experience up north.

On March 28th Jim wrote, "I got her in the water today, now she's at Tomahawk. Took a while to get the mast and roller furling set up correctly. Had to step the mast two times.  Hope to get the sails on her this weekend.  So many things to get familiar with.  I learned to sail on a Catalina 22, but this one is much better equipped."

On April 2nd Jim wrote, "Got the sails on this weekend and finally went sailing!!"

Weston Becker -

Celeste, #???

Last year was Weston's first year with the boat (formerly known as Kartusch, and soon to be rechristened Celeste).

Weston writes, "I haven't raced before, but have wanted to get involved.  I crewed a couple times for a friend on his Buccaneer 19 out on the ponds in Idaho -- mostly against Macgregor 26s/open class."

In a recent email Weston writes, "Last summer I ran lines aft to the cockpit, added a topping lift, jib downhaul, purchased a used spinnaker, and setup a spinnaker/whisker pole.  The boat really likes wing-on-wing; still a little tricky with the spinnaker."

"The genoa is (I think) only a 110 or 135 jib, not a true genoa.  Both main and genoa are fairly blown.  New sails will probably wait until next year, so I won't be setting any speed records.  I continue to troll eBay for a good set of lightly used sails."

Lemon Island Rendezvous

Although it's more than a month away, I'd like you to consider marking your calendar with the date of the Lemon Island Rendezvous on Saturday, May 19th.  Here's my current thoughts on the day.

• Meet at the Tomahawk Bay Yacht Club swap meet at Tomahawk Bay Moorage.  Starts at 7 am.
• Perhaps have a Fleet 20 booth and let folk's sell of stuff they no longer need, while doing a little recruiting.
• Enjoy the breakfast typically served by Columbia Crossings, the company that runs Tomahawk Bay Moorage.
• Sail up to Lemon Island and raft-up for a couple of hours, sharing appetizers, and then sail back.

Dale Mack:  360-260-4196 or celtic-myst@comcast.net

Racing a Catalina 22 in the Spring Series
By Dale Mack

Racing starts Thursday, April 19th and four boats have committed to race in the SYSCO Spring Series.  The skippers are:

• Dan Dugan (Harmony, #14286)
• Scott Ferre (Promiseland, #12982)
• Don Woodhouse (Togarty, #7260)
• Dale Mack (Crocus, #8244)

I received inquiries from three other skippers who liked to try racing in the future.  It's great to see a rekindling of interest in racing.  Catalina 22 racing truly is casual.  It's less about boat against boat and more about seeing how well you and your crew can sail around a fixed course.  For beginners worried about things like how to start, how to finish, mark roundings, and all the rules, my advise is to do what I did and forget about all that "racing stuff" and just follow the other boats around the course.  Over a couple of years I became more comfortable, asked lots of questions, read a little, and most importantly come to enjoy my Thursday evening excuse to be out on the water with friends.

Fleet 20's racing page has a lot of information on local racing.  Everything from the entry form to the sailing instructions for each race are available.  The material targeted at the race committee is very informative because it explains in simple straight forward language what the race committee is doing to start and finish races.

You can download the presentation I created for teaching the SYSCO Race Clinic.

http://home.comcast.net/~sailpdx3/RaceClinic.pdf  (2.3 mb)

The presentation teaches you most of what you need to know to race on the Columbia River that isn't in the Racing Rules of Sailing.

Bartlett Landing Cruise April 21-22
By Dale Mack, Crocus, #8244

Looking upstream to Mt. Hood. Covered picnic structure. One of many camp sites. Pasture.

Fleet 20 will be rendezvousing with the Catalina Owners Association at Bartlett Landing on the Columbia River the weekend of April 21-22.

Bartlett Landing

Located 9.1 nautical miles upstream from the Interstate Bridge (I-5), Bartlett Landing is situated on the north side of Government Island.  From the I-5 bridge you can reach Bartlett Landing in about two hours under power.

The sail to and from Bartlett Landing is excellent.  Even if you decide to motor there to beat the current, definitely hoist the sails for the return trip.

Famous for its endless sandy beaches, dappled sunlight through the tall shade trees, and fine picnic and camping sites, Bartlett Landing offers sailors an oasis because Government Island isn't accessible by car.

A pair of parallel concrete docks accommodate an amazing number of boats. The outer dock is twelve feet wide, and the inner dock nearest the shore is ten feet wide. The docks have been located far enough from the shore to keep the landing popular even during periods of low water.

Government Island is also famous for its cows that graze the island's inner grasslands.  Although a fence separates Bartlett Landing from the rest of the island, the cows learned long ago how to get down to the beach and walk around the fence.

Two composting toilets located at the landing set the standard by which similar facilities should be judged. They are well lit by way of translucent roof panels, and usually very clean.  Although trash cans are available, the Parks Department encourages all boaters to carry out what they bring in.

This is one of the area's favorite weekend boating destinations.  Like most docks near Portland it's very popular, but that doesn't mean you can't find space to tie up.

Notes:

• 9.1 nm upstream from the Interstate Bridge (I-5)
• The channel side of the outer dock can be bumpy during the day with wakes.  The shore side of the inner dock is the most peaceful.
• The river's typical two knot current runs parallel to the docks.  Most folks tie up with their bows pointing upstream.
• Accessible all year.
• Water depth is good on both sides of the docks.
• No reservations and no fee to use
• Shore side facilities include campsites, fire pits, barbeques, picnic tables, grass, trash cans (during the season), and a covered picnic structure.
• Hiking trails and great sandy beaches for long walks.
• No running water

 

Cruising   The San Juan Islands

 

Heading North to the Islands
C22 and C25 sailors looking for a group cruise
By Dale Mack

Visiting the San Juan Islands and the Canadian Gulf Islands is an annual event for some Catalina trailer sailors.  I've already received a couple of inquires about a group cruise so I'd like to offer the services of Fleet 20 by serving as a contact point for those wishing to connect with others thinking about traveling north this year.  Between the C25/C250's and the C22's there's probably a good chance some folks would like to cruise together.

Fleet 20 maintains a list of 110 C22 owners and 34 C25/250 owners.  If you are interested in a group cruise, then send me an email with when you're thinking about going, and the destinations your are considering.  I'll connect up the folks showing an interest and let them take it from there.

As folks start to pull their list together about what to take, here's a few notes you might find useful:

• The trip from Vancouver, WA to Anacortes (via I-5 and Hwy 20) takes about 5.5 hours.

• Cap Sante Boat Haven remains my favorite place to launch because the marina has a monorail lift for launching and retrieving the boat which keeps the trailer out of the salt water.  A monorail is also available at Skyline Marina, but I've never used it.  The boat launch operates from 7 am to 5 pm, and you pay in the marina office.

• You can avoid pre-loading the boat with food, because the marina is located across the street from a Safeway grocery store.

• If you forget something, West Marine is about 2-3 blocks away from the marina.

• Launching.  Launching involves parking in the lift queue, loading the gear aboard the boat, mounting the motor, connecting the fuel, readying the fenders and lines, removing all straps between the boat and trailer, and then waiting to be flagged over to the lift (you pre-pay for the lift in the marine store near the lift). After backing the boat under the lift, you and the attendants place two wide straps under the boat and lifted it off the trailer and into the water.  Move the tow vehicle and trailer temporarily to the boat loading area parking lot, and then go back to boat and motored it into its slip (the overnight slip can be arranged in the marina office, also located near the lift).

• Storing the Tow Vehicle and Trailer.  With the boat safely in the slip, go back to the tow vehicle and moved it and the trailer to the RV park and long-term trailer storage at the north end of the marine where they charge a nominal fee per day.

• Raise the Mast.  Launching and retrieving requires that the mast be down.  If you have never raised and lowered your mast in the water, don't worry, it's no more difficult than doing it on the trailer (just avoid rocking the boat from side to side).

• Quarters.  Bring two rolls of quarters for use in the showers and laundries.
• Clothes.  You can wash clothes at least once on the cruise, so bring about half as many clothes as you think you’ll need (dress in layers).
• Food.  Bring less food because depending on the itinerary, you'll probably eat out frequently.
• Reservations.  Make advance reservations when you can.
• Reentry to the U.S.  Bring some form of CBP approved ID for everyone onboard if you plan to visit Canada and then reenter the U.S.
• Cell Phone.  These are great for calling ahead to make reservations.
• Fog.  Avoid traveling in fog even if it means changing the itinerary or getting home a day later.

Fleet 20 has a Catalina 22 Equipment List available online that I highly recommend.  Even if you choose not to carry everything on the list, it's a good starting point to make sure you don't forget to bring something important.

The fiberglass mast carrier from Catalina Direct is great.  I purchased one for my first boat and I look forward to getting one for Crocus.  Catalina Direct's description reads as:

This fiberglass mast carrier simply rests on the bow pulpit of your Catalina 22 or 25. It is padded to protect your mast and includes a hold down strap. Just hook one end of the strap into the stem fitting, lead it through the hole in the carrier and over the mast. Hook the other end back onto itself and tighten the buckle. Both the mast and the carrier are held down in one operation. Fast, easy and secure!

The description sounds easy enough but remembering how to properly thread the buckle is key to providing a secure system.  Unfortunately the process is not intuitive so many of us resort to line because we can't remember how to use the strap.

No Tension With the handle pointing towards the hook, thread the strap through the top and out the bottom (based on the photo's orientation). Note:  Be mindful of which side of the buckle you start with.  If you start on the backside you'll end up with the non-hook end of the strap not being under the the hook end of the strap which will allow the strap to slip under tension.

Under Tension Before the handle was pulled down to tension the system, the slack was removed by pulling excess strap through the buckle. When the strap is threaded properly you'll be amazed at how tight the system becomes as you pull the handle down. Consider drawing a buckle threading diagram on the carrier with a Sharpie permanent marker.

One of my funny memories from the 2006 Catalina 22 National Regatta in California was having my sails measured.  Picture a covered picnic structure providing relief from the 100+ degree temperature as sails are pulled from bags and laid out on a new plastic tarp in the shelter provided shade.  I'm sitting on a picnic bench waiting for the completion of my sails' measurement when the crew of Enterprise (the eventual regatta champion) enters the area with their sails.  Not knowing whose sails are being measured, the crewmember of Enterprise picks up one of my battens, shows it to David Hayslip (skipper of Enterprise) and says, "Can you believe this?"  My batten had a pre-bend in it from being a little too long for the batten pocket in the mainsail.  When the crew member compresses the ends towards one another just slightly, the batten bows up or down exactly in the middle (definitely not a great airfoil shape for racing or even causal sailing for that matter).  At the time my two upper battens where tapered and the two lower battens weren't tapered.  Funny thing is that the two upper battens got inserted in the the mainsail backwards (tapered end away from the luff) and the mistake wasn't discovered until the end of the regatta.

Since last summer I've become interested in the role battens play in sail shape.  Some good online sources for batten information include:

• Tapered Battens by Ullman Sails
• Mainsail Trim and Controls by Bill Gladstone
• RBS of Hood River, maker of Tapered Battens
• Plastream battens

My two lower battens are made by Plastream out of ABS Cycolac which can be shaped using a woodworking plane.  Instead of buying new tapered battens, I thought I play around with creating a batten that was flexible enough at the luff facing end to smooth the transition from the shape of the sail to the batten pocket. I wanted to move the maximum draft of the batten (currently in the middle at 50%) to about 40% from one end.  Planing both sides and trail and error fitting got me there.

In the photo on the right you can see a comparison of a batten before planing and after planning.  The non-tapered batten bows in the middle while the tapered batten demonstrates that one end has been made more flexible than the other.

Checkout these links to Northwest Catalina newsletters and local racing:

• Columbia River All Catalina Association (CRACA)
• Sail Portland (hosted by Oregon Corinthian Sailing Association, OCSA)
• Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon (SYSCO)
• Oregon Women's Sailing Association (OWSA)
• Catalina Association of Tacoma and South South (CATSS)
• Catalina Association of Puget South (CAPS out of Seattle)

• Race:  19, Spring #1
• Cruise:  21-22, Fleet 20 Government Island - East Dock
• Meeting:  25, Red Lion Hotel Vancouver, 6:30 pm
• Race:  26, Spring #2

See the calendar