From the Captain
By Dale Mack, Catalina 22 Fleet 20 Captain
Crocus, #8244, celtic-myst@comcast.net

This month's sailing clinics are the first signs that Spring is on the way.  Our 2008 Fleet 20 Workshop is spread over three days.  On Saturday, March 8th, a classroom session will focus on basic spinnaker handling.  On Friday April 11, and Saturday April 12, a dockside session will be available for those interested in how to rig, launch, gybe, and douse a spinnaker.  The classroom session is not a prerequisite for the dockside session.  Both dockside sessions will cover the about the same material.  Here's a list of those who have RSVP'd so far for the March 8th session:

• Avid Brickman, Jus Fine, #4945
• Tim Taylor, #5727
• Don Woodhouse, Togarty, 7260
• John & Diane Clark, Sohie, 9723
• Erik Bodegom, Sunrise, #10868
• Scott Ferre, Promiseland, 12982
• Dan Dugan, Harmony #14286
• Alden Andre', Fly Bye, Catalina 38

On March 12th you'll want to attend the OCSA Race Management Clinic.  Nothing helps you learn how to start and finish a race then understanding what the race committee is doing.  The SYSCO Race Clinic March 27th (classroom) and March 28th (on the water) will once again help racing beginners to understand Columbia River racing and gain some comfort with the local practices.  I once again have been invited to teach part of the workshop on the 27th.

February seem to zip by for me.  Between recovering from the flu and working on home projects, I found myself accepting the fact that all the boating projects weren't going to get completed by the time Don Bateson and I would launch the boat.  I envy those, who like Scott Ferre (Promiseland pictured left), got their boats into the water in February.

Crocus had its best winter yet under the tarp while stored on the side of my house.  The boat remained dry inside and mold free.  I guess those annual bleach wipe downs of the interior are starting to pay off.

I'll looking forward to getting the boat into the water and a return to my sailing routine.  See you on the water.

Sailing the Sea of Cortez in a Catalina 22
Part 7 of 7:  On to La Paz
By Don Woodhouse, Togarty, #7260

It would be our last morning onboard for a while and that was OK. We had gotten through to the girls and they were going to meet us in La Paz. That was going to mean eating at a restaurant, sharing stories and driving back to Los Barriles where my travel trailer and Waynes' vacation home were. Thoughts of showers and real beds were racing through my head. It had been 12 days since we said goodbye at the Ferry Dock in La Paz and we had completed a big loop, by Ferry, Bus and sailboat covering about 700 miles.

As we were leaving the island I couldn't help but notice how clear the water was. I watched the bottom and the depth sounder and it was 40' deep before I lost sight of the bottom. We motored between Isla Espiritu Santos and Ballena a small island that is shaped like a whale. Then we could see the smoke from the power generating plant that would be our landmark to steer into La Paz harbor. We passed a few Mexican fishing boats and were passed by a few dive charters heading out to the islands. I kept a sharp eye out for the Ferries since they move fast and follow an intersecting course.

It's a short ways from the Island to the Peninsula, maybe six miles, but quite a ways into La Paz Harbor. After passing the ferry dock at Pichilengua there are red and green buoys marking the narrow channel towards town. We could see the Malecon, the waterfront strip of Hotels, restaurants and tourist shops. The city was bustling. This is no sleepy fishing village. La Paz with a population of over 160,000 is the capital of the southern Baja State and the main shopping and business district for the area rivaled only by Los Cabos. Consulting my cruising guide I found the VHF channel monitored by Marina de La Paz. There are many Marinas in the area but I thought we would start with this one. They gave directions and made an assignment. A side tie by the launch ramp, I think we only got in because we were small. The place looked filled up. I grabbed my papers and reported to the Marina Office. It was 10 mins. till five on a Friday, a perfect time to pull in because the staff was trying to go home and simply took the name of the boat and a deposit for a gate key. They said I could complete paperwork on Mon.

As we waited in the designated spot for the girls. A taxi driver asked if we needed a taxi and I told him no, we were going to be met by a luxurious car with two beautiful girls. I wasn't lying. The '95 Jeep and the wives really did look that good to me.

Keel Cable Advice
By Lowell Richardson
Photos by Dale Mack

Editor's Note:  A great source of Catalina 22 information is the Catalina 22 email discussion group hosted by Catalina Direct.  While most of the questions and answers on the list typically come from C22 owners, every once an awhile, Lowell Richardson, owner of "The Foredeck" responds to a question posted on the list (In addition to being a Catalina Yachts dealer in Northern California, The Foredeck's Catalina Direct mail order division specializes in parts for Catalina Yachts, custom upgrades, and accessories.)

What follows is one of those exchanges from the email discussion group.

Question:  What should I watch for with regards to the condition and care of the swing keel cable?

Lowell:  Check the physical condition periodically.  Replace the cable long before it has a chance of failure.  Potential wear points on the cable include:

1) The upper 3/4 of the cable.

Cause:  Tight wraps of cable stacked on top of loose wraps.  Eventually the tight wraps tear their way through the underlying wraps, damaging the cable.

Solution:  Never leave the winch handle completely slack, thereby preventing the remaining wraps of cable from unwinding.  For example, lower the keel onto the trailer for trailering, then tighten the winch slightly to engage the clutch preventing the winch drum from rotating.

or...

Cause:  Old boats used a keel winch whose center shaft was a tube just large enough for the bolt which supports the drum.  Newer boats were equipped with a center drum with a diameter of about two inches.  The small shaft in the old winch was too small a diameter and caused the keel cable to fray.

Solution:  Replace the old winch with a new model.

2) The middle of the cable.

Cause:  Rough surface of a worn keel turning ball chafing the wire.

Solution: Replace the keel turning ball.

3) Wear or broken strands at the top of the swage fitting (the fitting which attaches the cable to the keel).

Cause:  Keel eyebolt positioned improperly.

Solution:  Rotate the eyebolt so that the axis of the clevis pin is athwartships.  In this position the fork hinges on the pin, preventing the wire from bending each time the keel is raised and lowered.

Editor's Note:  Catalina Direct also sells a Catalina 22 Owner's Handbook and Catalog ($9.95 includes postage) which along with lots of helpful advice also lists parts and upgrades available for your Catalina 22.  With or without the catalog, I've found the staff at Catalina Direct to be very helpful, and their technical support line is great if you're looking for some free professional advice.  I've included below  some of the replacement parts associated with the keel cable.

Catalina Direct
Order Desk: 1-800-959-7245
Fax: 916-843-1973
Technical Support Line: 916-843-1971

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)

March

• Clinic:  8 (sa), Fleet 20 Spinnaker Clinic (classroom session)
• Clinic:  12, OCSA Race Management Clinic @ PYC, 6:30 pm
• Clinic:  27 - 28, SYSCO Race Clinic @ RCYC, 6:30 pm

April

• Clinic:  11 (fr), Fleet 20 Spinnaker Clinic (dockside session)
• Clinic:  12 (sa), Fleet 20 Spinnaker Clinic (dockside session)
• Race:  17, SYSCO Spring #1
• Race:  24, SYSCO Spring #2

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.