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

Fleet racing ended in August.  For those of us who participated in it, 2007 will be remembered for the fine winds, challenging courses, and all the laughter we shared with our crews as we learned or enhanced skills.  I especially want to thanks the SYSCO and CYC Race Committees that made it all possible.  Resolutions for 2008?  More spinnaker racing probably emerges as the number one.  I raced the SYSCO Summer Series and the CYC Summer Series without the spinnaker to even things out a little bit between Crocus and the spinnaker-less Togarty.  Fortunately the two series had pretty good wind, so we avoided the slow downwind (upriver) slogs of the past.  My crew is telling me that for 2008 they want more non-race day spinnaker practice, and no skipper agreements to race without spinnakers.  Fair enough.  For 2008 we'll be flying the chute whenever our skills and the weather permit.

September Fullness

For many September represents a winding down of the sailing season.  Oddly enough, September is also one of the fullest months when it comes to organized events.  Here's just a sample of the things Fleet 20 members will be doing:

• 6 - 28, The Tall Ship Lynx visits the Columbia River, www.privateerlynx.org
• 8, Boater's Picnic at Tomahawk Bay Moorage sponsored by Columbia Crossings
• 8 - 9, Fleet 20 and SYSCO cruise and casual race to St. Helens
• 14 - 16, Catalina Rendezvous at St. Helens, Columbia River All Catalina Association
• 15 - 16, RCYC Long Distance to St. Helens and back, Rose City Yacht Club
• 22 - 23, Portland Pirate Festival, www.portlandpiratefestival.com
• 23, Sail for the Cure sponsored by the Oregon Women's Sailing Association

New Members

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

John & Claire Babin Dixon of Eagle Creek, OR

C Willow, #7316

Hello Dale,

I went out yesterday.  The wind wasn't quite so fresh as my previous experience, but it was up there.  I put into practice the stuff we talked about on the phone.  Traveler stuff, sail flattener stuff, etc.  I seem to have gone further, in less time, with less effort, and in a lot more comfort than ever before.  Thanks for the input.

Avid

[Editor's Note by Dale Mack]  When I began sailing, mastering the sheets was my focus.  If the sail wasn't flapping in the wind I considered that good sail trim.  As my skills grew and I became more in tune with the boat I learned how the various control lines contributed to making the boat sail more comfortably.  Oddly enough, more comfortably usually translated into faster.  While I got plenty of practice at heavy air sailing on San Francisco Bay, I look back at those days and chuckle as I think about how out of balance the boat was compared to what I've learned while racing in all kinds of conditions.

I annually day sail and cruise my boat more than I race it, even though I race it nearly every week of the season.  Despite my non-racing activities, many still tagged me as a racer.  I notice it most when someone asks me for advice on sail trim.  I'll make some suggestion about how to use the traveler, or the advantages of adding a Cunningham, and what I'll hear back is "...oh, I don't plan to race...".  Most of us who buy Catalina 22's don't plan to race either, but we often want to share the C22 experience with family and friends.  Learning to sail the boat comfortably translates into helping keep your family and friends coming back.  Competition aside, being a racer just means you're probably out on your boat more than the average owner which means you have more opportunities to grow your skills.  Heck, if you just day sailed two hours a week for a season, and went out rain or shine, you'd experience much of the accelerated learning that comes from racing.  It's the time on the water under sail that matters, and since racers typically get a lot of it, they can be a nice source of information on how to sail the boat more comfortably, with less effort, and even faster.

Don Woodhouse Wins the CYC Summer Series
By Dale Mack

Congratulations to Don Woodhouse and his crew for winning the CYC Summer Series.  Don's secret to success was the downwind (but upriver) legs of the races.  Despite never leading at the first windward mark rounding, Don would slowly overtake you on the last downwind leg by finding clear air and more breeze.

The CYC Summer Series was new to Fleet 20 this year.  Our traditional race season has included the SYSCO Spring Series, SYSCO Summer Series, and ends with the SYSCO One-Design Regatta in August.  The idea of continuing our Thursday evening racing through the end of August sounded appealing, so we gave the series a try this year.  While other commitments, or in my case the thieved of my outboard motor prior to race #1, kept some of us off the water for some races, we all had a wonderful time. I'm definitely hooked, so Crocus will be back next year.

Again, congratulations Don.  Well Done!

SYSCO One-Design C22 Revival
By Dale Mack

The points for C22 Fleet Champion are calculated annually based on one's performance in the SYSCO Spring Series, SYSCO Summer Series, and the SYSCO One-Design Regatta.  Fleet 20 participation in the One-Design waned over the past few years due in part to the emergence of the All Catalina cruise to Beacon Rock that sometimes occurred at the same time.  Held in mid-August, the SYSCO One-Design Regatta has traditionally attracted Catalina 22's and Catalina 25's to the starting line and so it did again in 2007.  New this year was the one day format of 3-4 races (we got four races in) instead of two day format of 5 races.  Sadly missing this year was the SYSCO hosted social after the race.  After a day of great racing it was a little anticlimactic to just go home.  I hope the social returns in 2008.

The racing itself was wonderful.  Great breeze combined with excellent courses by the race committee made for a fine day.  Prior to the start of the first racing, SYSCO's mark setting boat Pancho fouled an anchor line in the boat's prop.  I happened to be motoring by when Pancho's crew waved me over.  As they stepped aboard my yellow-hulled Catalina 22 (Crocus) one of the crew thanks me for the "taxi ride" (their words) to the race committee boat and then with a smile says "...oh and look, it's even yellow...".  Later in the day with the motor still out of commission, Pancho got a tow from the Gary Bruner's Catalina 25 Encore! which was being raced by former Fleet 20 Captain, Terry Annis in the regatta.

Sailing the Sea of Cortez in a Catalina 22
Part 1 of 7:  The Journey
By Don Woodhouse, Togarty, #7260

Last summer I spent three weeks cruising from Olympia on the Puget Sound, up through the Canadian Gulf Islands, on to BC Princess Louisa Inlet and back through the San Juan's. I single-handed the whole way but buddy boated for two weeks with a friend on a mini-trawler. One night we were talking after dinner and he said he would love to cruise the length of the Sea of Cortez going north to south in the winter. The seed was planted. So after doing internet research and talking to a guy who had some experience in Baja on a sailboat , I hooked up Togarty to my 4runner and began the 2600 mile drive south.

It was Nov. 29th and the weather was forecasted for freezing rain. With my wife in the pickup pulling a travel trailer we outran the storm and eventually joined family in Arizona where we would spend Christmas . Mid-December we did a day sail at Lake Pleasant AZ to make sure everything was ready then hauled the boat through Nogales AZ and on to San Carlos Sonora on the mainland side of the Sea of Cortez. I chose San Carlos because of the reputation of the marina there and because most of the Cortez north of there is strongly affected by tides. I rented a slip for a month and returned to Arizona for the Holidays . Then it was off to Baja with the empty boat trailer, travel trailer, and wife. The wife didn't see the glamour in such a trip so I picked up a crewmate in Los Barriles Baja California South. The original instigator of the idea was nowhere to be found. My wife dropped us at the ferry terminal in La Paz and we rode ferry and bus back to San Carlos.

It was cold, about mid-30s at night and 50's during the day. We made a night crossing to Punta Chivato on the Baja side in 15 1/2 hours (72 miles). We spent 12 days getting to La Paz and sailed wing and wing most of the way. The wind was mostly NNW between 6 and 20 knots. It got progressively warmer as we went south. We visited some spectacular places and enjoyed a rare view of the Baja coastline. I left Togarty for three days at Marina de La Paz and returned for the final three day leg to Los Barriles with a different shipmate. The total was around 335 miles averaging 4.5 knots used 17 gals of fuel and had a great time. I used the Internet for weather info favoring the computer generated forecast from NOAA, and cruising guides from Gerry Cunningham and Charlie's Charts. When I got to Los Barriles I hired Ronnie at VERDUGOS to pull the boat and trailer out over the beach with a front end loader ($30). There were a few hitches but all in all it was an easy trip that I would recommend to adventurous C22 sailors.

[Editor's Note]  Future issues of the newsletter will include Don's log from the adventure.

Executed in Teak
By Avid Brickman, Jus Fine, #4945

I installed my teak in the cabin sole and the cockpit.  The step that covers the battery compartment is being adjusted to fit perfect, so I don't have a picture of that part of the project yet.

My friend Gino is the craftsman that performed the work, and he really did an exquisite job.

Avid

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)

See the calendar