All Catalina Fleet 69 Austin, Texas  2001 NEWS
Lake Travis

DECEMBER CRUISE: Nautical Holiday Party 12/14/01
Many thanks to the Jones's for hosting our Holiday Party for the second year in a row! We had around 30 attendees, lots of food (we sure have a lot of good cooks in the fleet!), and a delightful gift exchange! The rocking musical ship was the hit of the evening, along with the binoculars and the usually in-demand sailing calendars. There were a couple of cute sailboats with candles, flashlights, water toys, sailboat pendant (very nice), and nautical knick-knacks.

We elected and installed our 2002 officers.

We also awarded the Stough Award to Gary for his continued and outstanding contributions to the fleet and the sport of sailing. A description of the award is here. Congratulations and many thanks for helping with the fleet leadership, hosting cruises, inviting fleet members to race on your boat, and coordinating our out of town charters!

The blooper award was won by Gary for his outstanding performance in the Harbor House Marina in Galveston. Fortunately it turned out OK and we thank Gary for taking the risk and responsibility of chartering the boat! Other nominees were for grinding up wedding rings while missing a cruise and sailing in-place.

NOVEMBER CRUISEs: November Fest, 11/10/01
This was possibly one of the smallest cruises in recent club history, but I think all would agree that we definitely preserved the spirit and enjoyment of the best of them.

"Look Far" left Yacht Harbor Marina around 2:45 Saturday afternoon.  After a brief "glitch" with the outboard, they made it to Arkansas Bend without any other issues.  They were joined by 2 former (and soon to be renewed?) fleet members on their Capri 26.  About the time the bacon wrapped fillets were about ready to come off the grill, another Catalina 22 entered the cove.  They hailed the un-identified vessel, asking if they were club members or pirates (how would you tell?).
Turns out that it was "Double Happiness" with 3 long-standing and out-standing fleet members, and the raft-up grew.

Now they had enough boats/folks for a quorum, and plenty of food for the crowd.  The menu included various cheeses and crackers, summer sausage, salami, boiled shrimp, steak, Bratwurst, sauerkraut, fruit salad, 3 bean salad, beer, wine, juice, Black Forest cake, and Caramel Apple cake.

By 8:00 the sun was down, and the wind had come up enough to encourage all to don light jackets or sweats.  It was time to start heading back and a good time was had by all.

On Sunday, November 11, our fleet Catalina 30 "Somewhere N Time" (aka "No le Hace") Captain Gary invited the entire fleet to join him in a cruise around the AYC race course. Perhaps the notice was too short, as only a few showed up. The captain started out by grilling hotdogs for the crew on the gas grill on the stern of the boat. We then left the dock and ventured out onto the race course, which was I, J, X, K, D, and finish. That is, south to the dam, east past the islands, past Windy Point, over to the west shore, north to the island, and back to the area outside the AYC harbor. About 6.2 miles and 2.5 hours in 5 to 10 knots. We trimmed the sails and managed to beat the Hunter 33 for the first time. (Look for successes one boat at a time!) It was a very pleasant time and many thanks to our captain!

OCTOBER CRUISE: Oct 19-21, Kemah to Galveston Cruise.
We had 17  sailors arrive in Kemah last Saturday to charter 2 boats from At The Helm: a C&C 36  and  Newport 33. Most of us arrived Friday night where 5 of us stayed on the boats overnight while most of us stayed at the Comfort Inn which is in Webster (the same one we stayed at last year). Those of us who arrived Friday night had supper on the BoardWalk at Willie G's in Kemah and enjoyed the local flavor of watching sailboats cruise in and out of Clear Lake.

The weather was absolutely fantastic with a 67 degree temperature Friday night in Kemah, while most of the day was sunny in the 70's as we sailed across Galveston Bay with a stiff 12 knot wind. The waters were fairly smooth, so both boats ventured out through the wide channel between the jetties and into the Gulf. Everyone on the Newport was fine; some on the C&C were "on the edge" but managed OK. (And they even were willing to go back out the next day!)  After about an hour or two sail out there, we went downwind to arrive in Galveston at the Strand on the Harbor House Marina. On the way the Newport flew a brightly colored spinnaker. No spinnaker pole, but humans and boat hooks work well.

Captain Pipp instructed us at the Skippers Meeting that the cut into the Harbor House was very narrow, and the current was tricky after the bow passed the wall. The C&C expected to have room to turn around inside the harbor, but surprise, it was full of boats and the was little space for maneuvering. They put quite a show on for all the spectators in the Harbor, at the restaurant, and on the docks. By the time the Newport arrived, the audience had grown, but the boat was gently maneuvered into its slip.

Later we all had a variety of seafood at Landry's Oyster Bar and Willie G's.  Some people stayed at the lovely Harbor House while others "roughed it" on the boats. Those who slept on the boats were allowed to use the restrooms at the marina, but they did not have shower facilities.

The next day, Sunday, the C&C 36 went out into the Gulf again.  This time the current was stronger in getting out beyond the jetties.  Once past the jetties the swells and waves stopped and we had a wonderful smooth lulling cruise on a beam reach. However, coming back into the jetties we had a slopply ride with jibbing of the jib and boom became a normal activity as the wind constantly changed directions off our stern with large swells and waves.  On the other hand we had lots of dolphins to play with as we rode the current down to Galveston Bay. Once in the bay we went out off to the east of the channel, and with GPS's we were able to get to maker 59 to cross over to the other side of the channel to make our way back to the marina.  We were fighting the sun set, so we put on our motor, and was able to make it into the slip with the help of fellow sailors who stayed by waiting for us to arrive.

The Newport raised her sails as soon as possible and headed for the  Houston Ship Channel area, near the ferry crossing. We were wing and wing, sails were full (well, mostly), the human whisker pole was at work, our navigator  was navigating down below, and the crew was enjoying the 10 knot breeze. Boat knotmeter said we were doing 3.8. Then a ferry crossed in front of us, another ferry crossed in front of us, we kept aiming for the same red buoy that was many boat lengths away, and eventually we realized the lighthouse on Bolivar Island was still on our starboard and the buildings of Pelican Island were still on our port! We weren't going anywhere! The navigator came up and said the GPS said we were doing zero knots! How could that be? Our boat speed had perfectly matched the outgoing current, and we were sailing in the same spot for all that time, maybe half an hour! It took a while longer to get out of that current, then the wind picked up.We had a very pleasant downwind sail (mostly broad reach) all the way back to Kemah.

In conclusion, sailing in the Galveston Bay requires exercising a lot more skill than the Corpus Bay.  The traffic of ocean and commercial vessels with cross channels, and spoils on each side of the channel makes it much more important to know the charts and which channel marker you are at.  At Marker 59 is where one can inter the channel at going to or from Kemah. The water in Galveston Bay area is shallow, about 8 to 9 feet with a few submerged obstacles which become hazards.  If you stay in well traveled areas it can be safe.  The currents, having to be in radio communication, reading the charts, being able to be close enough to the markers to read them, knowing how many whistles mean what, knowing how to use the range markers, knowing
the capabilities and uniqueness of your boat are all exciting skills one gets to exercise in Galveston Bay.  In the future it may be advisable to practice going out to an object to see how long it takes to stop in going to it, around it, and what radius of curvature it takes to go around it with a current hitting you.

OCTOBER 11 MEETING:
Program: How to Navigate in Galveston-types of Bays and How to buy a sailboat on the internet!

GOVERNOR'S CUP REGATTA: October 6-7
For the non-spinnaker D-Fleet, it was essentially a race of the Catalinas (ignoring the J30 and J29 that were somehow misplaced in our class...we didn't see much of them.) For a while the C22, C25 (two of them) and the C30 seemed to be going the same speed downwind! The winds were variable, from the north to west to south to east and back to north, and speeds ranging from 2 to 12. It was a lot of fun and a nice weekend to sail. Temperatures were in the 60's to 70's. We covered the lake from the dam (I-mark) to the powerlines (C-mark.)

TURNBACK CANYON PRACTICE CRUISE:  Sept 29-30
The revised "Turnback Canyon Cruise Regatta" was a lot of fun. Winds were light on Saturday, and since it was a cruise for fun and not a race, motors were started when it looked like boats wouldn't arrive at dinner time otherwise! We had a excellent BBQ, provided by the Lion's Club, followed by kareoke entertainment (mostly by the Lago Vista residents.) The Lago
Vista (new) Boaters' Association were the hosts, and were very excited that the sailors came all the way up the lake for their event. This was sort of a trial run and they are making plans for next year's event. On Sunday the winds were medium and most boats sailed all the way back. It took about 6 hours in a Catalina 25. A great time was had by all, and we wish that more Catalina cruisers could have been there. Half of the keel boat participants were Catalinas: 38, 27, 25, 22, and 22. Let's
make it a real event next year!

HOUSTON in-the-water BOAT SHOW:  Sept 29-30
http://www.houstonboatshows.com/ Reports from fleet members who attended were very positive. One member reconfirmed that the Catalina 30 is still a wonderful boat. Another member was enamored by the nicely appointed 1987 Endeavor 38c!  We can always dream!

SEPT MEETING: Thursday, Sept 13, 2001
This month we heard about fleet members' recent Windjammer Cruise along the coast of Maine. They shared brochures, told stories, and showed a boatload of beautiful pictures. Maybe we should have a fleet cruise in Maine next year! It looked like a lot of fun. Check out  http://www.sailmainecoast.com/ and http://www.mainewindjammercruises.com/ for more information.

SEPT CRUISE: The Breakfast and Boat Maintenance Cruise, Sunday September 16
This is traditionally everyone's favorite cruise and it lived up to its reputation. Fourteen people, six boats, and two cars landed at Arkansas Bend Park around 8:30  am for a sumptuous feast of pancakes, assorted toppings, bacon, sausage, juice, and coffee. Five boats had spent the night under the stars and there were no raccoon sightings. The lake was at 670.14 feet and tying up to shore worked well and the shoreline was mostly level.  Many thanks to Clay, Elaine, and Hal for once again hosting a successful cruise!

In addition to the traditional food and swim with the hungry fish, several maintenance tasks were completed! The JJ boat now has clean sides, an improved rub-rail, and a working motor. No Le Hace now understands more about her radio setup and the wiring to the bilge pump. Pegasus has a working windvane thanks to a brave captain who was hauled to the top of the mast! And Carol's car battery is working once again!

AUGUST CRUISE: VOLENTE TROPICAL BREEZE
A group of about a dozen sailors drove and/or sailed Volente Beach Club for Cheeseburgers in Paradise. Many thanks to Charles and Pat for hosting and providing a festive tropical atmosphere for dinner. After dinner sailors enjoyed a pleasant evening sail to either Barry's Cove or their marinas.

AUGUST 2001 MEETING: Living Aboard. A family who has been living on a sailboat for the past 2 years talked about how they made the life-style change from a full house to a 38-foot Catalina. It is a facinating story of how a couple set their goals, gave up lots of stuff, learned how to keep a boat in ship-shape, and are reaching for their dreams. There was something to learn there for each one of us. Thanks!

JULY 2001 BUDDY-UP CRUISE WITH FRIENDS:
On July 21 we had 2 boats hosting a fun cruise to Barry's Cove.  Ray and Annette hosted crew Shirley, Charles, Pat, and Ray's son on their Catalina 270 with new bimini.  Keith and Sue hosted Phyllis, Patrick, and Jeannine on their C27.  We met at the BBQ joint at the corner of 620 and 2222, and split up into two groups.  We drove to the boats and sailed in fair winds to our rendezvous at Starnes Island.  "Sweet Sue" sailed around Starnes twice until "Afternoon Delight" joined us.  We were all ready for a swim, and so we went on to Barry's Cove where we anchored, swam, and ate our BBQ sandwiches.  The air temperature hovered around 100 degrees, so we stayed in the water for a very long time enjoying it.   The breeze picked up and we headed back to the marinas.  The Renard's boat breezed through the AYC race in progress.  Made it back to port around 9pm.
Thank you Ray and Annette for organizing, and hosting this event, and thanks to the Renards for hosting fleet members on their boat.  We all had a fun day, and it worked out well to form groups before heading out.

JULY 2001 MEETING: On 7/12 we met at the Austin Yacht Club, where we enjoyed burgers and chips, thanks to our fleet officers. Our guest speaker, Vic of AYC, gave us an entertaining and informative talk on "Sailing Safely on Lake Travis at Night." This was a timely topic since summer evenings are among our favorite times for sailing. Before you go, make sure you have a flashlight, your boat lights are working properly, and you know about shallows and local hazards! Thanks, Vic!

JUNE 2001 EVENING FUN WITH FRIENDS CRUISE: On June 23 we had 4 boats and 16 sailors participate in a fun sail from the AYC area up to either the high lines or Arkansas Bend. Three boats returned to port, one or two spent the night on the lake. We sailed, munched, swam, sailed and motored, and had a great time. The northern lightning show on the way back was spectacular and we all managed to avoid the rain. Many thanks to the Whites (C250) and the Paynes (C30) for hosting members of fleet 69 on their boats!

JUNE 2001 TURNBACK CANYON RACE:
First, The annual Turnback Canyon Regatta was June 16 - 17. This long distance race is a long-time tradition and favorite of the Austin Yacht Club. On Saturday the air was light and the non-spinnaker boats raced to Lakeway and back to C mark, and the spinnaker Catalinas raced to Anderson Bend. Our fleet was well represented on Gary P's boat: http://www.texassailor.com/TBC2001_003.jpg. How many Catalina 22 and 27 sailors does it take to sail a Catalina 30? Apparently 6 skippers and 2 crew.
On Sunday the wind came up nicely around the first start at 11:15, and it turned out to be a beautiful day to race.

JUNE 2001 MEETING: Thurs 6/14: This month we had a PROGRAM! Many thanks to Captain Greg White who talked about cartography, Historical Navigation, sailing photography, and the Origin of many nautical terms. He'll also provided some local knowledge of  navigation on Lake Travis and some highlights of American Sailing Association Course 101 on Lake Travis.  His web page is at http://www.precision-camera.com/gallery/gwhite.htm. We had a recent-record turnout of 24 people. (Or counting another way, 17 families were represented.) Many thanks also to Gary for setting this up.

MAY 2001 CRUISE: May-Day, May-Day  Sunday, May 20th
We met around  2PM in Long Canyon. We traded stories of local inspections by law enforcement officers and some equipment they found to not comply with daylight emergency equipment, satisfactory flotation devices (not noodles), fog conditions safety equipment, satisfactory fire extinguisher certifications, proper venting of fuel and gas, plus personal stories that could qualify for "blue duck" awards.

We had 4 boats, and 13 people cool off in Long Canyon as we rafted up with one another.  Getting the anchors to set was quite interesting since we all seem to drift out towards middle as the afternoon went by.

MAY 2001 MEETING: Many thanks to Jack and Jeannine for hosting the meeting at their home and providing a light meal.

APRIL 2001 CRUISE - Sail from Corpus Christi to Rockport. .
We had 13 people show up and 2 boats (Hunter 31 & Catalina 34). We all had a wonderful time with Cool evenings and mild sunny days with moderate enjoyable winds.  Captains checked out the boats with John at the Corpus Christi Sailing Center.  After everyone checked into the Super 8 we all had a fine dinner at the Waterstreet Restaurant.  We all managed to get together and had a good time any sailor would be proud of. One trio stayed on the Hunter 31 overnight while 6 stayed on the Catalina 34.  The latter group agree the Catalina 34 is the perfect boat.  The room in the main salon is airy, the V-Berth and Aft Cabin have doors to them for privacy and the rigging is easy to use.  We had comfortable temperatures overnight so we did not need the AC on the boats; however, the trio on the Hunter 31 said they turned theirs on to drown out the snoring.

We took off Saturday morning at about 9AM. See us at  http://www.caller.com/specials/cams/#.
What a marvel of technology.  I could be talking to someone in Austin on my cell phone while he could see us at the marina on a weather website!

Three hours later we were at the mouth of the channel to Port Aransas and with the easterly winds coming straight down the channel, we lowered our sails and motored out into the Gulf, where we all had a fantastic time with 15 knot winds and 5 foot swells. This gave those who want to bareboat a tremendous addition to their resumes for sailing a Catalina 34 and Hunter 31, because the next day we switched boats so everyone got a chance on both boats.

It took us about 3 hours to sail over to Rockport, with screaming winds pulling both boats beyond 8 knots.  Since there were no swells in the Inner Coastal Waters from Port Aransas to Rockport, it was a very pleasant sail for all.  Even out in the Gulf everyone did fine and no motion sickness this time.  When we arrived in Rockport it was after 7 so we all decided to go eat without showering 1st and to shower afterwards.

When we arrived at the Restaurant (The Latitude) they decided that it would be better for them to bring tables out to their veranda and serve us outside (maybe it was because we all were a bunch of sailors who had not had a bath yet). At any rate we closed that place down and some of us left then at 11PM to then go take out showers.

Sunday at 9AM we took off from the docks at Rockport and went out to the channel to sail back to Port Aransas.  Zach on our boat (Sailing the Hunter 31 that day) became a "living  whisker-pole".  He took the boat hook and extended it out all the way to hold the jib out as we were going downwind. I told him that it would be at least an hour like that, so he whipped up a solution of lashing the end to the shroud. When we turned the corner at Port Aransas we saw dolphins all around our boats.  They were putting a show for us with turning over on their backs and waiving their flippers at us and their tails as well.

As we proceeded down the channel to Corpus  both boats decided to put up the bimini tops which made it a "lazy Sunday" Cruise with good speed with wonderful temperatures and winds. The winds picked up from behind when we got into the Corpus Christi Bay. We arrived back before 5 and every one had a good start to getting back to Austin at a decent time.

MARCH 2001 CRUISE - St Patrick's Day Cruise
When:  Saturday, March 24, Where: Barry's Cove,  Hosts: O'Chandlers and O'Shanleys.
The Luck of the Irish was with us on this chilly, windy day.  Mary's  four-leaf clover, large St. Patrick's Day flag, and the wearin' of the green right down to our undergarments in some cases, must have helped the lucky eleven passengers of the Shanley/Chandler C27 and the Payne C30 to clear the dock, and to cross the white-capped lake. Spray splashed us, and peak gusts of 38 m.p.h., with a wind chill factor of 35, made us all happy to reach Barry's Cove.  We were happy for the large docks suitable for cruise ships which we tied up to.  Gary and Paulette arrived in their Catalina 30 along with Louis and Janine.  Once secured, a large feast of wonderfully tender corned beef with Rye bread and mustard was enjoyed.  There were many side dishes and desserts topped off with delicious green-frosted cake.  We played some St Patricks games and nautical prizes were awarded. Thanks to the Shanley's and Chandler's for a wonderful Irish afternoon of music, games, and good company!

March 8, 2001 MEETING:We had a nice small meeting with lots of pizza. We talked about new boats and the upcoming cruises. Make sure you mark your calendars for the second Thursday of the month except December in case you don't get your email in time. We welcomed new members Vince and Jan.

FEB 2001 CRUISE: The Love Boat Valentine's Cruise
When: Feb 24
The shrimp may swim, the shrimp may fly,
We had 2 cruises, both low and high.
Some by sea and some by land,
Everyone said the day was grand.

Those who didn't get the email showed up at Starnes Island at the
appointed hour. The 3pm weather turned out to be vey pleasant in spite
of the windy and wet Friday and Saturday morning. The old adage
prevailed. Those who got the email came to the cruise at the Oasis on Saturday
evening. Our small group enjoyed a star-lit meal overlooking Lake
Travis. Next month...the weather will be perfect.

FEB 2001 MEETING: We had a good meeting at Mangia's Thursday.  The buffet was a hit.  Commodore Steve talked about the upcoming spring cruise to Corpus Christi or possibly another port such as Port O'Connor.  He said that people interested in a place other than Corpus should gather information and give to Gary. The cruise will be on the weekend of April 28-29.

We had two volunteers for the phone tree:  Shirley and Sue F.

Hal asked us to remind everyone that dues are still $18 until the end of Feb.

Commodore Steve handed out a quiz by Boat U.S.  He told us about an online course offered online by Boat U.S.  on boating safety.  It can be found at http://www.boatus.com.  He handed out a 50 question review of study topics from the course. Steve also handed out a useful pamphlet on general sailing terms, navigation, and safety rules.

JANUARY 2001 CHILI CRUISE - Canceled due to rain and cold.
    When:  January 27th
    Where: Barry's Cove, Look at our Cruising Map at http://members.aol.com/CatFleet69/map.gif
    Time:  1:00 PM
    Theme:  Chili Cook-Off
    What to Bring : Everyone try to bring your favorite Chili, enough to feed a small group where we can all sample everyones chili.  We plan to have contest to vote or choose and compare the uniqueness of each.

January 2001 MEETING: We didn't get our reservation at Mangia's, so we made a quick decision to meet at Annette's house. Many thanks to Annette for accommodating 26 people at the last minute! It was a good meeting with friends and munchies. We talked about our exciting plans for 2001. We'll continue to meet on the 2nd Thursday of each month, as described above. We'll try to have cruises near or before full moons, except in the winter months when we'll cruise in the daytime. We'll have 2 out-of-town cruises again and talked about the sailing school. Watch your email for details, as the officers and appointees work out the schedule. There is a tentative schedule at http://members.aol.com/CatFleet69/cal.htm.
Please pay your dues to Charles  http://www.texassailor.com/Fleet_membership.htm if you haven't already done so.
Annette needs ccruise chair volunteers for february, april, may, june, july, august, october, november, and december. Please contact her to volunteer!
 

News from 2000

News from 1999