All Catalina Fleet 69
2002 NEWS
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All Catalina Fleet 692002 NEWS |
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HOLIDAY
PARTY 2002 (Saturday, December 14)
We
had a pot-luck dinner, recognized 2002 officers, installed 2003 officers,
award the coveted Stough award, designated the winner of the Best Blooper
Award, and had a mostly nice nautical gift exchange.
Congratulations
to our Officers for 2003!
Commodore:
Vince
Vice
Commodore: Bob
Secretaries:
Robert and Sheila
Treasurer:
Shirley
Appointed
positions:
Phone
Committee: Karen, Sue, and Jeannine
Social
Chairpeople: Marty and Sue
Historians:
Clay, Cheryl
NOVEMBER MEETING: Mark Murray, weatherman for TV station KVUE, gave us a very informative and entertaining talk. We learned about highs, lows, sun dogs, weather maps, El Nino and La Nina, and how to find the best wind on the lake. Many thanks to Mark for coming to our meeting! We also nominated and elected 2003 officers (see Holiday Party above).
NOVEMBER CRUISE: This is the cruise that wasn't. Even though the weather was very pleasant, one boat and one person showed up at Smokey J's and Barry's Cove. Several fleet members raced on a C30 the AYC Wild Turkey Regatta. Others started their shopping early and others had parties to attend.
OCTOBER CRUISE: Oktoberfest in Barry's Cove was rained out by one of the rainiest Octobers in record, so we all met for a CAJUN-FEST at the Alligator Grill. Yes, one person even ate alligator! We heard stories about the Harvest Moon Regatta, told a few jokes (not to be repeated here), and learned more about one another. It was fun and many thanks to our Commodore for organizing this at the last minute.
HARVEST MOON REGATTA: October 17+. Ten of our fleet members and friends chartered a beautiful Beneteau 44 from Kemah, TX, and raced it from Galveston to Port Aransas. The start was at 2 pm on 10/17 near the Flagship Pier in Galveston, and they finished on Friday after 150 miles and 21.5 hours near Port Aransas. They were 5th out of twelve in their class. 260 boats in all. Winds were near 10 and seas were calm at the start, but by 10 pm and beyond, winds were 25 to 35 and seas were 6 to 9 feet. Congratulations to our intrepid sailors!
OCTOBER
MEETING: More Bang for your Maintenance Buck, by Fred of Schroth Fiberglass.
Fred
Schroth, a local boat maintenance expert and sailor extraordinaire, talked
with illustrations about boat maintenance.
Use
silicone to seal around all fittings, everything that attaches to the deck.
Winches, jib tracks, stantions, rudder fittings.
Instead
of WD-40, got to a bike shop and get Tri-Flo or Triflon. Squirt winches
and blocks once a year for longer life.
If
boat is over 5 years old and has a chalky surface, use Comet Cleanser to
get it clean.
For
shine, go to large home-hardware supply store, near the vanities, and get
Gel Gloss. Don't get the aerosol. It serves a purpose between buffing and
waxing. Don't put it on the non-skid. Lasts about 6 months in TX, as good
or better than anything else. Wax afterwards.
Fred
likes Maquire's deep cleanser and their wax. Apply 2 or more coats.
For
an old boat, use the strongest buffing compound that you can find at an
auto shop.
When
you take out to do the bottom, always check the keel bolt. Fred has seen
one that was thinner than 2 nickels.
**
Mildew? Get several "brownie pans" (eat brownies first) and fill them with
Chlorox bleach. About an inch or 2. Or in buckets. Leave in boat and close
up and leave. When you return, all that ugly mildew will be gone.
Mildew
on cushions? lightly wipe with a sponge with diluted Chlorox.
Teak?
Use Starbrite Teak Oil. Comet and 80 grit sandpaper.
SEPTEMBER
22
BREAKFAST CRUISE: On
the shores of Arkansas Bend, between the setting moon and rising sun,
our fleet had Yet Another Successful Breakfast Cruise! Many thanks to our
chefs Elaine and Clay, along with their contributing cooks, for blueberry
and buttermilk pancakes, sausage, bacon, juice, and all the toppings! There
were 8 boats (including the coffee-bearing powerboat), 2 land-yachts and
20 people. Six boats arrived the evening before and enjoyed watching a
full moon rise over the hills. Others arrived bright and early and joined
in the delightful comraderie. The shores were short and steep this year,
as the lake level was 677'. (For the curious, it was 670' last year (the
mast-climbing breakfast cruise) and in 2000 (the racoon
breakfast cruise) it was 643'.)
After
breakfast the wind started to pick up and eventually was a good 20+ knots
with gusts to 38. All 7 boats raised sails and braved the winds, but the
winds increased, swirled and gusted from the windward hills. A couple of
boats lowered sails and motored, one sailed into Devil's Cove to unjam
the jib furler and roll up a torn jib, another partially furled a tearing
jib, another hung in there and got wet, and another, under full main and
jib, was "too scared to let go and lower the main!" Good times and good
seamanship, that is success for a sailor! Some pictures are available
at http://members.aol.com/CatFleet69/photo-2002.htm.
September Meeting: Cruising the Virgins Islands. We were pleased that Ken and Carrie Michalek, the new owners of The Sailboat Shop , came to our fleet meeting. They were very knowledgeable and talked with us about sailing in the British Virgin Islands (and some on the coast of Maine.) This was particularly relevant to those of us planning to sail there next March and memorable for those who have been there. Thanks and be sure to stop by the Shop and say Ahoy!.
AUGUST
SUMMER SIZZLE CRUISE: On Saturday, August 17, between the setting sun
and rising moon in
BARRY'S
COVE, several members of the All Catalina fleet dropped anchor for
a pleasant evening of swim, conversation, fruit, burgers, and sausage.
Many thanks to Vince, who provided the meat and initiated his brand new
gas grill! We had a variety of boats, including 2-C22s, one C27, one C25,
and one 19' Cape Dory / aka Typhoon. Three boats spent the night and it
was very pleasant with a cool breeze that blew thru the boat all night.
No bugs. In the morning we had hot coffee and fruit before sailing back
to our marinas with winds 10-15 and virtually no power boats. (We'll ignore
the 2 jet skis that buzzed around the cove at 9 am.). We didn't solve all
the problems of the world, but we made a good start. We also learned what
to do if one is stuck in a river upside-down in a kayak. Or if you are
thinking about going downstream in a rapid river (was it the Guadalupe?)
in a kayak or canoe, go to the end of the trip and throw your glasses and
wallet in the river, get bruised and scratched in the brambles, dunk yourself
in the water, and you'll have the same effect and save time. : - )
AUGUST
8 MEETING: West Marine. Richard, assistant manager, former Navy man,
and GPS specialist, presented a technical slide show on the latest GPS
equipment. The talk was very informative and in-depth and we had
a great turn-out of fleet members. We received a 10% discount on West Marine
merchandise that night. Look for a new BBQ grill on Vince's boat
on the next cruise! The best recommendation for a GPS system for fresh
water sailors is the GPS Map 76 for around $350. It is also
recommended
by Practical Sailor magazine. It is waterproof, floats, and includes
many extra features such as MOB (man
overboard)
instant waypoint. It has DSC which lets you see where other boats are on
the lake.
JULY SHRIMP CRUISE: We sailed and dodged the powerboats and racing boats on a hot but pleasant summer afternoon, tied up in the mouth of Barry's Cove, grabbed our noodles, and jumped in for a pleasant swim in the lake. At lake level 685, there was plenty of water! There were three boats of three lengths: 22, 25, and a 30, and 8 sailors. We then enjoyed a pot-luck repast of chicken salad, 2 types of veggie pasta salads, bread, and pound cake. We then untied, raised sails, and enjoyed a pleasant and relaxing moonlit sail back to the marinas. We even had live entertainment, thanks to a karaoke pontoon boat playing and singing songs from way back when!
July Meeting: Jim Schwobel, owner of the Corpus Christi Sailing Center, talked about Cruising in Belize. (Learn about Belize.)
June 2002 KID'S CRUISE: Saturday, June 22: Kids' Cruise. Kids in years and kids at heart were all invited to the June Cruise. Although we didn't all manage to meet at Barry's Cove at the same time, we all hooked up with at least one other boat during the day. The Marshalls, Paynes, and guests anchored out at Barry's Cove, swam, and ate pbj sandwiches and grilled hot dogs. We threw a watermelon into the lake to see if it would float. It did, but we found that if you tried to lift it, neither you nor the watermelon could float. After lunch, we left the cove and headed to Dutchman's Landing for some fishing. All kids caugh fish. One of our boats had a great day of sailing but didn't get to the Cove, but they met up other members by coincidence at the Alligator Grill in the evening and had dinner together. The Keith, the Jacksons, and the Meyers all met up at the cove at 5:30. We all enjoyed the day in many ways!
June
2002 MEETING: Thanks you Keith for a very interesting and informative
talk on heavy air sailing. He helped to remind everyone that skippers
need to be responsible for the safety of everyone on board, and do need
to monitor the weather channel and keep an eye on the sky. Luckily,
sailors are not among most water-related accidents as we are unrelated
to the dangers of speed on the lake. There are a few precautions that can
keep us safe in case of bad weather:
1.
Put on life jackets, and if single-handed, use a safety harness to attach
yourself to the boat.
2.
Get the jib down and stowed below.
3.
Put the boards in the companionway, and close the top over them and fasten
in place.
4.
Secure all lockers.
5.
Get the main down.
6.
Start the motor and head into the nearest marina.
7.
Put the anchor on deck . You may need to anchor and ride out the
storm.
8.
In case of lightning, stay out of the water, and stay away from metal.
Avoid touching the motor.
9.
Once on shore, remember that you still have to get home safely. Don't
try to drive on flooded roads.
MAY
TURNBACK CRUISE MAY 18-19:
For
the May cruise, we participated in the revival of the Austin Yacht Club
Turnback Canyon Regatta.
This
race/cruise has been occurred almost every year since the late 1950's and
has always been full of fun and
adventures.
On Saturday we sailed to Lago Vista (http://members.aol.com/CatFleet69/map.gif)
in winds that ranged from 15 to 20 and with temperatures in the 70's. Perfect.
Catalinas arrived in 4 to 5 hours without being too sunburned or bruised.
We ate BBQ and spent the night, and on Sunday we sailed back to AYC. There
were fleets of C22s and C25s (6 boats).
MAY 2002 MEETING: The topic, "Dead Reckoning" or "Live Reckoning" was for those who reckon they want to stay alive, was presented by Gary. Other topics he touched upon: Where am I?, How do I get somewhere else?, What is the difference? Between a bearing and a heading?, Do I need to know the difference between latitude and longitude?, And what are minutes and seconds all about anyway?, What does depth have to do with it?, What's love got to do with it?, And does the color of the water mean anything?
APRIL
CRUISE: CORPUS CHRISTI - PORT ARANSAS CRUISE: April 26 to
28. At 8 am on Saturday the crew of 12 (one land-crew) arrived at the
Corpus Christi Sailing Center http://www.constant.com/sailing/page14.html
and boarded Cassandra,
a Catalina 36. We had a mixture of experienced and less-experienced
sailors, but all were brave to venture out in winds that were to be 20
to 30 knots and choppy to rough conditions in the bay. We unfurled the
jib to about 80%, which worked well. We still got a little wet and for
most it was more comfortable to stay on deck, and we managed just fine.
It was a good illustration of how one doesn't have to use full sails to
have fun. The waters became less choppy as we entered the area protected
by land from the S to SE wind. We tied up in the Port A City Marina
(the channel to Island Moorings was clogged) at a transient slip.
On
Sunday the winds were less, only 15 to 25 knots, so we used a reefed main
and jib, which worked well in the protected waters. Once in the open waters,
we again partially rolled up the jib and headed upwind towards CC. Soon
thereafter, the point where the rolling furling jib attached to the deck
broke. We secured the mast with makeshift forestays, started the engine,
and attempted to lower the jib. There was no jib halyard to be found (it
was inside the forestay) so we wrapped lines around it to minimize flogging
and tied it to the bow pulpit, and used manpower to keep a pin in place.
We made it back to port and everyone was ok thanks to a lot of quick thinking,
good teamwork, and excellent seapersonship.
APRIL
2002 MEETING: "VHF for Sailors"
We
all enjoyed Joe's interesting and informative talk on using the VHF radio.
The term "May Day" comes from a French word pronounced the same way which
means "help me" (m'aidez.) Do not name your boat "May Day".
The Coast Guard will arrest you. In a distress situation, you should
repeat "May Day" three times on Channel 16 , when all else has failed.
Announce the name of your boat three times as well as a brief description
of your emergency and position. Example: "Dismasted and drifting
at 2 knots onto Starnes' Island 3 miles downwind. Require tow." Describe
your boat, and repeat your boat's name 3 times.
In
other less serious cases use the term "Urgent". Or to hail another
vessel, announce their name three times, and then
your
vessel's name. Then ask them to switch to another channel. 71, 78,
68, and 69, are common secondary channels.
Channels
6 and 9 are also used for hailing. Channel 162.475 is the weather channel
frequency.
MARCH
2002: St. Patrick's Day Cruise! Saturday, March 23. ME
LADS AND ME LADDIES!!!
It
was windy and cool but 2 brave boats, skippers, and crew showed up for
a fun afternoon of sailing and green food (because it was the St Patrick's
Day cruise!)
Cruise
Map: http://members.aol.com/CatFleet69/map.gif.
MARCH
2002 MEETING: "GPS and Navigation"
Steve
gave an informative program on how to use the new GPS you received for
Christmas or your birthday to navigate everywhere from Corpus Christi Bay
to Lake Travis to the fast food place up the highway. If someone falls
overboard, click on the Go To function on the GPS to quickly mark the point
where they fell in. Now all you have to do is sail back to that spot
and pick him/her up. No problem!
FEBRUARY 2002 Cruise: "Sailing Along." Imagine a day in February with temperatures in the mid-70's, winds from 8 to 12, and hardly any power boats! That's exactly what we had. Like January, we first met on land, determined host boats and crew, and went to the boats. We had 13 people on 2 boats, a C30 and C27. Three of our members were on their first cruise and another on his second. We sailed to and around Starnes Island, past the high-lines and towards Arkansas Bend. The C30 also sailed over the "Sometimes Islands." The inevitable racing occurred but it was all in fun and everyone got a chance to take the helm. There was even a report of a Catalina 27 taking the shortcut through the Emerald Point Marina!
FEBRUARY
2002 MEETING: "Anchored in Tahiti." We had another good program and
turnout with over 20 members (we'll assume the others were watching figure-skating!)
Gary and Paulette and Steve and Meri took us on a virtual cruise to Tahiti.
They showed beautiful pictures and souvenirs, and gave valuable guidance.
We learned that when travelling to Tahiti, either go with a registered
nurse, or at least pack the entire contents of your medicine cabinet.
DO NOT step off of the road.
DO
NOT order a Tahitian sandwich. DO buy bread and pearls. Pineapples
and coconuts are good. Only hike to a
waterfall
if it has rained recently. DO NOT stick your hand underneath a Sting
Ray! Follow rainbows, and take lots of
pictures.
Thanks to our travelers! Learn more at "Go
to Tahiti."
JANUARY 2002 CRUISE: Buddy-up! Saturday, January 26 was a mild winter day in Texas. The air was 62 degrees and the winds were 0 (in Cypress Creek) to 8 knots. A group of Catalina Sailors gathered at Smokey J's at 1pm, (most) purchased their lunches, and captains/crews were determined. Captains of Catalinas 27 and 250 volunteered their boats and we proceeded to the Marinas. Two new members joined us. Five people each sailed on Pegasus and Sweet Sue. We met at the island, engaged in the "Dance of the Catalinas" and headed up towards the power lines while socializing, bantering, sailing, and eating our lunches. The wind was just right for the temperature and it was great fun. At the appointed hour of 4 pm under the power lines Sweet Sue turned around while Pegasus continued on for a while longer. On the way back in Cypress Creek, we saw another fleet member in his C22 under sail and motor trying to catch us!
The buddy cruise worked out very well, for it allowed the owners to relax and enjoy the sail while the crew helped and entertained. It helped the novices learn how to sail, the motor-less get out on the lake, and others the chance to just enjoy an outing with friends.
JANUARY 2002 MEETING: January 10, 2002. Happy New Year! We had a fantastic turn-out of at least 25 people. Commore Sue ran a well-organized meeting in which we welcomed 4 new members and talked about the calendar and plans for 2002. It looks like it will be a great year!
