December 2008 Holiday Party !
Date: Saturday, December 13
It was a festive and nautical night as thirty-one members of All Catalina Fleet 69 and their guests gathered at the home of Charles and Pat. Our hosts were gracious and the feast was fantastic (especially the smoked turkey). We recalled cruises on Lake Travis, as well as cruises in Tahiti, BVIs, Belize, Florida, and elsewhere. Paulette kept up the tradition of stamping out candle-lit fires. Commodore John recognized all who contributed to the fleet's activities in 2008, and "installed" the new officers. The Stough Award was awarded to Sheila for her innumerable contributions to the fleet over the past few years, as well as her willingness to share her boat and knowledge with other fleet members. The gift exchange was lively. The most popular gifts were the nautical doormat, blanket, cart, and tray. It was a fun-filled evening, and we look forward to more fun in 2009! Pictures are here.

2009 Officers: Commodore Clay L, Vice Commodore Joe L, Secretary Sheila A, Treasurer: Robert A.
2009 Appointees: Social: Salvador and Nina, Historian: Cheryl, Web person: Cheryl

November 2008 Tahiti Cruise: Saturday, November 15: We intended to sail to Sometimes Islands and enjoy a Tahiti-style afternoon, but a cold front blew in and put a chill on the plans. Winds were around 20 with gusts to 30 or 50, so we accepted Robert and Sheila's generous offer and land-cruised to their home. Fifteen of us enjoyed an afternoon of tropical sandwiches, fruits, and treats. We all had a good time, and look forward to a nice hot day in 2009 when we can try again!  Photos

November 2008 Meeting: Iaorana – that’s “Welcome” in Tahitian! At the end of September, Robert and Sheila and 6 others chartered a 40' catamaran from Tahiti Yacht Charters in Papeete, Tahiti. They sailed for a week and visited several islands, including Bora Bora. The pictures were gorgeous and they had a wonderful time. They saw dolphins (and got pictures of them), hiked on the islands, and enjoyed the tropical breezes. Photos of fleet meetings.

OktoberFest 2008 Cruise:The 2008 Oktoberfest Cruise was held near the shrinking Barry' Cove (657.6'). There were 7 boats at anchor, plus one "sail-by" and 20 hungry sailors (plus 3). Winds were 5-10, air temp was in the 80's, and the water was a pleasant 78. Bob and Karen hosted the cruise with plenty of bratwurst. Sailors brought sauerkraut, homemade potato pancakes, german chocolate cake, salads, and German wine and beer. Add a near-full moon to all that, and it was the perfect formula for a very relaxing and enjoyable October afternoon and evening on Lake Travis. The pleasant breeze allowed most of us to sail to and from the anchorage. Photos.

October 9 Meeting: Bob and Karen presented an excellent program on American Sailing Association (ASA) Certification. They recently became certifed in several ASA levels during a trip from Fort Lauderdale to Key Largo, Florida, and had both interesting and entertaining stories to tell. Try to say "Jew Fish Creek Bridge Tender" three timers! Or learn how to crawl on the foredeck like and 80-year old! Other fleet members, who became certified in Austin, Corpus Christi, and Kemah, Tahiti and San Diego, added to the discussion. 2008 Meetings Album.

September 20-21 (Sat-Sun) Breakfast Cruise. At lake level 659', the shoreline of Arkansas Bend north cove was very comfortable for several stoves, chairs, sailors, and even a truck. Getting from the boats and cars to the food was a bit of a challenge. Eighteen sailors attended (11 spent the night). There were 8 boats (7 spent the night) and 4 vehicles (one spent the night.) Chefs extraordinaire, Joe and Clay, and their able assistants, served up a delicious breakfast fare of eggs, 2 types of sausage, pancakes, juice, and camp coffee. The night before, Joy serenade the fleet with her beautiful voice and guitar. Sailing winds were OK on Saturday. By Sunday morning it was quite calm and the temperatures were pleasant. It was another successul Breakfast Cruise! Pictures: hers, his.

September 2008 Meeting: Joy-ful Sailing in Song. Our favorite singing sailor, Joy, treated us to a program of original, favorite, and sailing songs and shanties. Fleet members were given song books for a sing-a-long! Pictures are in the 2008 Meetings Album.

August 23, Flor de Caña Cruise. Salvador and Nina hosted this wonderful cruise on a pleasant August evening in the shrinking Barry's Cove (661.9'). Twenty-one sailors on 9 boats anchored or rafted, swam, and feasted on a delicious variety of Nicaraguan food and beverages. Pat & Laura on Catalina 320 #130 ("Sexual Heeling") joined us for their first cruise. Annette came with her fiance, David, and 2 guests. Othere attendees included Bob, Karen, Patrick, Phyllis, Lane, guest, Sue, Martin, Jane, Joy, Joe, Robert, and Sheila. They  had grilled pork tenderloin marinated in achiote and other spices, Ensalada de Repollo (Nicaraguan coleslaw), boiled green plantains, and tortillas.  Robert brought some home-made pico de gallo from his garden (very good).  Other people brought salads and finger foods.  They sipped Flor de Caña rum and visited for a while, but then the skies turned grey. Looked like rain and many left in a hurry!  However, Bob, Karen, Phyllis, Patrick, Lane, guest, Salvador, and Nina stayed. They got only a few drops of rain and not much wind. Salvador talked about Nicaragua's geography, history, marinas, and beaches. Maybe we should cruise there! The night was cool and clear. Two boats spent the evening. Patrick pointed out some of the summer stars and gave a quick lesson on why stars twinkle. Morning was peaceful. Sailors headed back to marinas around 10:00 AM. Photos.

August "Wok 'n Roll" Land party. Our August land cruise was a great success, thanks to head chef Norma, and her crew of Clay, Phyllis and Patrick. We had a wonderful meal, the food was delicious and the menu extensive.  Here's a sample:
Appetizers: Egg Rolls (scrumptious, fresh and hot), Shrimp chips, Sweet & sour sauce.
Main Dishes: Cantonese Roast Duck, BBQ Pork with pineapple chunks, Prawns with assorted vegetables and shiitake mushrooms, Broccoli and beef with cashew nuts, Sweet and Sour Turkey meatballs. Special Chinese Tea from Yi-Mo Mountain, best tea of China. We truly enjoyed a feast. Photos.

August Program: Gary showed pictures and told us about his recent sailing experiences in the Bermuda and Lake Michigan. Bermuda was your typical gorgeous tropical sailing venue. Michigan looked like more of a challenge, especially with the electrical storm, but provided valuable knowledge on how to handle such conditions. Salvador and Nina brought back memories to many of us, and anticipation to others, of sailing in the beautiful British Virgin Islands (BVI). I was impressed by how much they managed to see and do in just seven days. They hiked to the top of Virgin Gorda for spectacular views of the sound, Atlantic, and Caribbean. They also hiked to the interior of Salt Island. Snorkeling was great, as well as the sailing, of course. Steve, Steve, and Cheryl showed pictures of their sailing adventure around the Cayes of Belize on a 40' Catamaran with 6 other sailors. Once the tropical storms passed by, the sailing was beautiful and the waters were the typical Caribbean blue. We sailed from one palm-covered cay to another. All the sailing was done within the protected waters inside the second-longest barrier reef in the worled. We sailed out of the port of Placencia, a nice small village 80 miles south of Belize City. It would be a nice place to return to with a fleet flotilla.

July 13 Cruise: It was almost 100 degrees and the winds were light, so six boats and 15 sailors motor/sailed to Barry's Cove for a Fruity Cruise. We did a lot of swimming. Barry's Cove is now at 666.25', but there was still plenty of water for everyone. We feasted on chicken salad, watermelon, cantaloupe, and other tasty delights. Attendees included Robert, Sheila, Bob, Karen, Phyllis, Patrick, Steve, Cheryl, John, Kathi, Clay, and guests (on a C25) Pam, Dwayne, Karen, and George. Ya'll come back to our next cruise! The winds almost picked up afterwards, and boats sailed and/or motored back to their marinas, while witnessing yet another beautiful Lake Travis sunset.

Ladies' Cruise 2008: On a pleasant and breezy Friday afternoon (July 11), seven ladies set sail on Karen's Catalina 30, "Watercolors." (Karen, Phyllis, Cheryl, Jane, Joy, Sue F, and guest Barbara.) We sailed to Cypress Creek, Windy Point, and then to Barry's Cove. We dropped anchor (and it held) and cooled off in the 83 degree water. Then we "snacked" on gazpacho, sushi, dolmanti's, and various dips. The anchor came up without too much trouble, and we sailed / motored back to the marina in wind gusts that exceeded 20 knots. We all had a wonderful time, and plan to do it again on a weekend, so the working-ladies can join us! .

July Program: Dr Gary and Nurse Paulette gave an excellent entertaining and informative presentation on "First Aid for Sailors". With many handouts and demonstrations, they covered all topics, including CPR, drowning, choking, fractures/sprains, burns, medications, stings, blisters, wound care, how to stop bleeding/shock, hypothermia, heat stroke, and  first aid kits. I was impressed by West Marine's First Aid kit, which has separate bags and instructions for each type of aid. We all wanted to learn more, so we agreed to schedule a fleet course on CPR on  a Saturday in the near future.

June Cruise to the Narrows of Lake Travis: Sat June 21 - Monday June 23. Here is Sheila's edited account and pictures by Sheila and Salvador.
Bob and Karen, sailing on Catalina 30 "Watercolors," and Robert and Sheila, on Catalina 250 "Flying Cloud," spent three days on Lake Travis exploring the lake all the way to the Narrows.  We were joined by Salvador and Nina part of the way, they stopped to eat at the restaurant, [ The Pier, in the former location of] Shades, and headed back later for a single day of sailing.

When I say sailing, I really mean “mostly motoring with the mail sail hoisted, and occasionally adding the jib and turning off the motor”.  Evidently we were at exactly the right place at the right time to get rained on.  There were two separate storm cells with winds and lightning, both cooling off the day be several degrees.

The rest of the weekend we were under very calm, if any, winds.  Good thing we brought extra gas.  The shade bimini is very helpful to keep us out of the direct sun.

We found a very  nice cove just past Bar K ranch in Lago Vista and anchored there on Saturday.  We rafted together for dinner and separated later for sleep time.  Both boats set out stern and bow anchors to keep us secure the entire night.  While it was a little warm at the beginning of the evening, the blankets came out during the night.  The temperatures were quite cool in the middle of the night.

We had super calm mornings with glassy water on awakening.  After coffee and a bite to eat, we were underway again.  We decided to scout out Turkey Bend on our way past, and continue on to the Narrows.  Once there, we turned back and found a very nice cove once again to stay in on Sunday evening.

Mile marker 53 starts the area of Lake Travis called the Narrows.  There is much less boat traffic that far out.  We see the majority of the boat traffic on our regular cruises near Starnes Island, Carlos and Charlies, all the way to Lakeway. [The Pedernales is approximately mile 37. Starnes Island is approximately mile 7.]

We saw many blue herons, an osprey guarding it’s nest, and even caught a couple bass on Monday.  There were some inquisitive fish at Turkey Bend taking several nips of Bob.

Over all, we put our boats to good use for the three days.  The engines got a work out, we used our grill, and the port-a-pot limited out.

[Karen added "the cruise gave Bob some time to fix more things on the boat and to work all the systems. Very quiet and relaxing.  It was a great time, but a biminni is really a must.  No matter how much ice you take, it only lasts two days."]

Maps: The Narrows (A3 on the map) google map

June SWAP Night. Fleet members brought books, videos, magazines about sailing, cruising, history, sea adventures, and maritime culture to give-away or loan. (Remember, what you borrow must be returned to the lender at the August Fleet meeting (or whenever.)) Active trading was going on and everyone left with something "new."
In addition, there was much discussion about fleet members' recent adventures: Cruising around the Southern Cayes of Belize, Cruising around the islands of the British West Indies, ASA Certification in the Florida Keys, and Turnback Canyon.

Turnback Canyon Regatta: Congratulations to Keith on his first place finish in the non-spinnaker G class! Keith, who has been sailing for at least 60 years, got second in the first race and first in the second race. Clay was his crew. Congratulations are also in order to Gary Payne and his crew of John O and "Big John", as they took first in the Catalina 30 class! Ask Gary about his spinnaker pole. In second place were Bob and Karen, on their "new" Catalina 30 "Water Colors.". Robert got third in his class on his Catalina 250. The first race took over 3 1/2 hours and the second race took over 4 hours. It was a hot weekend. Winds looked rather light. Come to the next fleet meeting and hear the REST of the stories! Results and Pictures.

May Tax Extension BBQ Cruise: The “Tax Extension BBQ Cruise” was hosted by Phyllis and Patrick in Barry's Cove on a hot and sunny day in May. Five boats and 13 sailors were there, including Clay, Gary, Phyllis, Patrick, Steve, Cheryl, Salvador, Nina, Robert, Sheila, and 3 guests. The lake was at 677' and warm enough for a “refreshing” 74-degree swim. Winds were moderate to light, which allowed most boats to turn off the iron wind and do some real sailing. We ate lots of BBQ plus fixings. Phyllis then gave us a quiz, to see how much we remembered about taxes. It was fun, but it's a good thing most of us don't do taxes for a living! We then pulled up anchor and enjoyed a nice sail or motor back to our marinas. There was a threat of rain, but it never really materialized. Pictures.

May Meeting: 'To Be or KNOT to Be'. This meeting was interactive and loads of fun, as Gary, John G, John O, and Steve taught or refreshed memories on the knots that every sailor should know. We broke into 4 groups, and practiced these knots or hitches: clove hitch,figure 8 knot, flying one-handed bowline (my favorite), slippery cow hitch (keep the tail up, great for bumpers), and cleat hitch. Clay led the program and provided several good links. Seven Knots, Animated Knots, Knots Gallery, I Will Knot, Net Knots, Roper's Knots, Knot Photos.

April Cruise: On the 12th of April, it was a sunny and windy day, with temps in the  70's and winds in the teens with gusts to 28. Eighteen sailors on six boats either finished their taxes, filed extensions, procrastinated, or didn't care. Some almost came shirtless, saying they gave the government the shirts off their backs. Others almost came minus an arm and a leg. Nonetheless, we sailed to Barry's Cove and tied up to Bob and Karen's "new" C30. Lane arrived on his "new" C22. We had plenty of food, including beans & franks, po-boy sandwiches, bbq, deviled eggs, tortelini roasted peppers k-bobs, fruit, and brownies. Some of us got sunburned by the hot April sun. Photos

April Program: The Lone Star's Wooden Walls. Jerry Drake, member of the Texas Navy Associations' Board of Directors (and Deputy Commissioner for Archives and Archives at the Texas General Land Office and part-time professor of history at Concordia University) gave us a facinating talk about how the Texas Navy had a major role in Texas' struggle for independence. He gave us insights into both humorous and informative aspects of the history of our state. Apparently the existence of the Navy depended upon who was governor of Texas at the time. Keith won the door prize, a book about the Texas Navy in the Civil War. He read most of it by Saturday and educated many of us at the cruise. Learn more about the Texas Navy at http://www.texasnavy.com/. Keith won the door prize, a copy of From Sail to Steam: Four Centuries of Texas Maritime History, 1500-1900, by Richard Y. Francaviglia (Author)

St Patrick's Day Cruise: It was an all green cruise for St. Patrick's Day with 12 sailors and 7 boats, including two new ones: Lane's C22 and Robert and Karen's 1994 C30 MKIII named "Watercolors." Sunny sky, moderate breeze from NE to E, and above 80 temperatures. Photos.

March Meeting:Tim Hawkins, Associate Director of Applied Research Laboratories (ARL) presented an overview of the Lake Travis Test Station (LTTS). http://wwwext.arlut.utexas.edu/omg/weather.html. The LTTS which is located near the dam is an 'Organized Research Unit' affiliated with UT.  The lab, built in 1953, was initially funded by the US Navy and built from surplus Navy pontoons and Quonset huts.  Expanded several times over the years, the lab supports testing of high resolution/high frequency sonar.  Tim explained that virtually all existing Navy sonar equipment has been tested at the LTTS which is manned 24-7.  However, Tim assured us we should not expect to see a sub surface on Travis.  He also denied the Navy is searching for the reputed GIANT catfish at the bottom of Travis!

Sunset Cruise (March 1): In honor of Carl Oppenheimer, five boats and ten members from Fleet 69 hoisted colorful banners on their boats and sailed in the sunset under the Oasis. It was a beautiful evening to be sailing, and Carl would have enjoyed it. Pictures will be posted soon.

February Cruise: The "Leap into Sailing" Cruise featured an on-board version of "Sailing Pictionary." Seventeen sailors on 8 boats sailed to the challenge in Barry's Cove, on a beautiful February day, with temps around 70, light air, and partial sunshine. Lake level was around 682'. Steve and Cheryl hosted the cruise and MC'd the Sailing Pictionary game by setting up a marker board on the foredeck of a C27 and handing out clues to willing "artists." Points were awarded to successful artists and guessers. Fun was had by all. Winners were Sheila, John, Phyllis, Robert, and Patrick. Photos.

February Meeting: Nick of Marshall Ford Marina gave an interesting talk about marina management, how to manage a marina on a variable level lake, and about the number of marinas on Travis that are adding boat covers and thereby converting to power-boats only (boo) (Marshall Ford will keep its sailboats). He had 3 pieces of advice to all boaters: Life jackets are very important. (Take a boater safety course.) Know your marina neighbors: it's good for security and is more fun. Use your boat!

January 2008: The Hot Chocolate and Retirement Attire Cruise
We had some gusty wind, but overall the weather was sunny and comfortable (60's). The lake was at 682', which allowed plenty of places to anchor in Barry's Cove.  Eight boats rafted up and 25 people celebrated The Hot Chocolate and Retirement Attire Cruise.  In honor of Cheryl’s recent retirement from corporate life, many of the folks wore retirement attire in the form of pajamas, robes, garden clothing, and just plain comfortable duds.  Gary dressed the part especially well, sporting his PJs, robe, coffee mug and paper, and slippers.  Phyllis, Patrick, Kathi, Shirley, Joy, and Sheila also wore robes and/or pajamas. We've never done this before, even on a breakfast cruise, but it was relaxing and fun!

Our hosts, Robert and Sheila, arrived early and anchored up, joined shortly thereafter by Lane & 6 friends, Salvador, Nina and Ilene.  Phyllis, Patrick, Sue F, Steve, and Cheryl, came next, alongside with John and Kathi. Then we were joined by Gary and Paulette, Joe and Joy, and Clay and Shirley.

No one swam, of course, however we were serenaded by Joy singing and playing her new ukulele.  Patrick and Phyllis provided a CD with many recordings related to the theme.  “Take this job and shove it”, “Working on the Chain Gang”, and many more fun tunes.  We shared many different snacks and appetizers, drank hot chocolate and other beverages, as well. Photos.

January 2008 Meeting: Commodore John got us off to a good start in 2008 with a Brainstorming session on ideas for Cruises and Programs. Some ideas are in a file whose link is in the Calendar page table heading. One popular idea was to have an extended cruise up Lake Travis, lasting about 3 days, to explore coves and see what's there to see. We also learned who has new boats (Bob & Karen and Lane.) John suggested we meet on his boat in Marshall Ford marina or at the Oasis on Wednesdays for Catalina Happy Hour. There's a huge new TV in our meeting room, so we could show sailing movies (Master & Commander, Wind, Captain Ron, The Dove, eg). Someone suggested a talk on Nautical Books, or How to Buy and/or Sell a Boat. Photos.

Happy New Year 2008! The year is still new, but some fleet members have reported cruising and racing on New Year's Day. The lake was "full" at 681', the sun was shining, and the winds were brisk. Sailing is a great way to start out 2008!

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