www.c22pdx.org

July 2008
 

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

I hope your summer is going well.  Mine has so far been full of adventure combined with Laura and I buying a new boat and selling our wonderful Catalina 30.  Our trip to Trawler Fest in Anacortes (reported in the June newsletter) became part of the catalyst for purchasing a boat in June.  After twenty-one years of cruising on sailboats Laura was ready to return to a motorboat (we both got started on powerboats in Sea Scouts).  The new boat is a 1987 twin diesel thirty-eight foot Bayliner Motor Yacht that we've named Celtic Myst.  Also in June, Laura and I sold our Catalina 30 locally.  On the sailing front I will continue to enjoy sailing Crocus.

CYC Summer Series Starts July 24

With the SYSCO Spring and Summer Series in the books, some of us are looking forward to the CYC Summer Series.  If you've been thinking about trying your hand at racing, consider signing up for the series.  Our local Catalina 22 one-design racing is casual and all about learning to sail your boat better.

Commodore Cove - Government Island

Later on in the newsletter I have an article about Commodore Cove.  On my most recent visit during high water on a hot day I enjoyed lunch while sitting in the shade of some trees.  Too lazy to drop an anchor, I just left the keel down and slowly headed the boat toward the bank until the boat touched bottom.

The river is full of wonderful gunkholes waiting to be explored.  Commodore Cove is definitely one of mine.  How about you?  Where do you like to take your boat?  If you'd like to share some sailing photos with the rest of the fleet along with a sentence or two, please send them along.

 

Racing

SYSCO Summer Series Results - So Far
By Dale Mack

Summer vacations have been taking a toll on participation week to week, but we're been having fun.

    6-5 6-12 6-19 6-26 7-10 Total
Skipper  Boat 1 2 3 4 5  
Don Woodhouse Togarty 2 1   6 DNC   9
Weston Becker Celeste 4 4   1   9
Dan Dugan Harmony 6 DNC 2   2   10
Scott Ferre Promiseland 3 3   6 DNC   12
Dale Mack Crocus 1 6 DNC   6 DNC   13

 

Register for the CYC Summer Series
By Dale Mack

For those that haven't tried their hand at racing yet I encourage you to come out and have fun just getting your boat around a set course.

CYC Summer Series

  1. July 24
  2. July 31
  3. August 7
  4. August 14
  5. August 21
  6. August 28

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.

Please let me know if you are planning to race.

 
Cruising

Commodore's Cove
Undiscovered Treasures in the Portland Area
By Dale Mack, Crocus, #8244

One of my favorite spring time anchorages is near Commodore's Cove at the I-205 bridge.  I emphasize spring time because later in the season you might see almost no water in the anchorage as the river's level lowers with reduced summer flows out of Bonneville Dam.

I reach the anchorage by staying the in Columbia River eastbound shipping channel until I pass under the I-205 bridge (north is the top of the photos).  Once under the bridge I turn south and follow the bridge.  It's not uncommon to find a yacht club tied up to the beach between the bridge and the west end of Government Island.  I typically transit the area about equal distance from the bridge and the beach.  A depth sounder is always nice to have when exploring unfamiliar destinations like this, especial since the river's bottom can change from year to year.

The bottom in the anchorage is soft mud.  You'll also see folks drop a stern anchor and ease the boat's bow into the gentle sloping southern bank.  There is almost no current in the anchorage except for a tidal flow which is almost undetectable.

This a is a great overnight destination.  You feel like you are a million miles away from civilization.  If you have a raft bring it because the anchorage is a nice place to explore.

Heading sound toward the cove.
 

  

Heading for the trees and shade.
 

Running up to the trees.
 

  

Looking back at the I-205 bridge.
 

Notes:

  • 5.8 nm upstream from the Interstate Bridge
  • Despite the proximity of the I-205 Glean Jackson bridge, the anchorage is very quiet.
  • The anchorage is protected from the river's current.
  • Spring and early summer is the best time to choose this destination because fluctuating water levels can make the area too shallow later in the season.
  • Great location to swim and bring the dinghy.
  • Boats typically anchor or beach on the southern shore.
  • The anchorage shallows as you move east.

 

Technical Tips

Trailer Keel Guides for a Swing Keel
By Dale Mack

Last month I covered various solutions people have used for creating guide posts for their trailer.  This month we'll look at keel guides for centering a swing keel C22 onto the trailer.

No Keel Guides.
 

  

Pipes to guide the keel to the block.
 

Framing steel wrapped with carpet.
 

  

Steel tubing wrapped with carpet.
 

Carpeted 2x6s.
 

  

Carpeted 2x6s with wider vee.
 

Carpeted 2x6s with wider & longer vee.

  

Bunk supports wrapped with PVC pipe.

 

Catalina Newsletters of the Northwest

Checkout these links to Northwest Catalina newsletters and local racing:

 

Upcoming Events

July

  • Race:  10, SYSCO Summer #5
  • Race:  24, CYC Summer #1
  • Race:  31, CYC Summer #2

August

  • Race:  7, SYSCO Summer #3
  • Race:  14, SYSCO Summer #4
  • Race:  21, SYSCO Summer #5
  • Race:  28, SYSCO Summer #6

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.