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Cat TalesMay 2000 |
Pete Denholm, Commodore
With the Flag Raising brunch and
Icebreaker cruise under our belts, we can joyfully state that the cruising
season is HERE! Scimitar was a little cranky at first
on the morning of the Icebreaker. When the engine wouldn't start after
Scimitar's long winter nap, I had a few well-chosen
words for her. But after a brilliant suggestion from Karen, "Why don't you put
'Stabilizer' into the diesel fuel like you do at the beginning of every year?"
we were able to get Simi started right up. Oh yeah, I must have been so excited
about the prospect of cruising once again on the Bay waters that I forgot a
very important step in Scimitar's dewinterizing
procedure. The cruise up to Paula's Landing was less eventful. In fact, after
tussling with our 150% jib and later the spinnaker, we decided to motor up with
Ayewash. You can read about the rest of the evening in
the article by Joan Savage, Jubilee.
The cruise
home the next morning was wonderful. Scimitar's new
instruments (wind, speed, and depth) are in the process of being installed by
the same genius that couldn't follow a simple dewinterizing list. So we were
sailing "blind", but my guess is that the wind was never under 20-25 knots for
the sail home. It was a nice way to break the ice for our first sail of the
season.
Like the rest of you we are looking forward to the Memorial Day
raft-up on the Choptank. Be sure to read about the details of the cruise in the
article by Ray Nieves, Classie Chassie II. With luck,
the boating gremlins will have installed our instruments and we won't have to
sweat so much during the passage through Knapps Narrows. The Narrows seems to
be shoaling more and more every year. Does anyone know if there are any plans
to dredge it? It sure would be nice.
With June right around the corner,
Karen is looking forward to the Wahine cruise. This cruise gives the women an
opportunity to sail with other women without the evil, overbearing but well
intended support from their counterparts. This event was a wonderful success
the last time the club held it. Sue Dennison, Foxfire,
who has tons of experience from Womanship (whose motto is "No yelling"), and
Joan Savage, Jubilee, will lead the event.
See
you on the Choptank.
Ray and Carolyn Nieves, Classie Chassie
II
Our game plan is to start on Saturday in Hudson Creek
off the Little Choptank River.
Enter the Little Choptank River, passing
green marks 1, 3 and 5; and then pass Brooks Creek to port and head for green 7
off Casson Point. Round green 7 and head north to green 1. After green 1, turn
west and you should spot Classie Chassie anchored just
ahead. We will set up by 3:00 PM and monitor VHF Ch 72 every half
hour.
(Ed note: Keep in mind, Classie Chassie
grew 6 feet since last year and is now a C36!)
We will have a wine wind
down on Saturday night. Folks with a birthday on an even day should bring red
wine and folks with a birthday on an odd day should bring white wine - and of
course the ever tasty finger foods of their choice.
If you can't join us
on Saturday, on Sunday we will move to Dunn Cove off Harris Creek and the
Choptank River. This will make it easier for those heading north after the
weekend. We will again set up by 3:00 PM.
Each boat should also bring a
board game in case of bad weather. We can split to various boats and if we are
bored, we can play board games.
Let me know if you need more info.
Sue Dennison, Foxfire, & Joan
Savage, Jubilee
We women need to know how to
handle a boat on our own. This is your chance to learn. Come and be a part of
our all-women-boat cruise. We will meet and raft-up with the men (who will sail
together) at Dividing Creek off the Wye River. Women - if you want to take part
in this cruise, please call Sue Dennison (301-262-4985) or Joan Savage
(301-762-6752) before June 1st so we can determine interest and make plans.
Joan, Wayne and Winston Savage,
Jubilee
What a great time. Even the weather
cooperated - mostly. At least no rain; a little cool, but no rain. Folks
started showing up early. Paul and Sharon Payne had been in town for business
during the week and decided to stay for another day to see the club members
again. They showed up at about 3:00 PM, enough time to catch up on the last
several years' activities.
Over the next couple of hours, boats and cars
showed up on Spa Creek to participate in the fun. Sue and Walt Dennison on
Foxfire arrived at Paula's dock. They were followed shortly by Bev, Mike, and
Diana Davis on Ayewash, and Pete and Karen Denholm on Scimitar. While the boats
were docking and preparing for the festivities, others began arriving via auto.
Bill Wesley (True Blew) arrived, followed by Tim Feldmann and Connie Browning
(Second Wind). New members Ken and Joyce Stoppelbein (Wind Tyme) and Harvey and
Susan Silver also arrived by auto. A new couple Diane Benyus and Richard Schatz
who recently moved to the Annapolis area from New Jersey and have extensive
small sailboat racing experience also attended as their first event. They have
recently purchased a Catalina 25 (Aire-Borne) and joined in the last
week.
All brought Horse Devours or other dishes to celebrate a new
sailing season. After re-establishment of old friendships over a glass or two
of wine or other beverages the group lined up for real food. The dishes were
great and everyone had their fill. Following dinner, folks continued catching
up around the covered pool until the late hours.
Winston and Copper, the
fleet mascots, also re-discovered each other, racing around the yard. Copper
running under the tables and chairs and Winston running around the fences,
while Copper jumped through.
In the morning, breakfast coffee and rolls
were served around the pool by Sue Dennison and others as they prepared to
return to their home slips. Folks said good-bye and set out for the day, vowing
to get together for the Memorial Day raft on May 27-29th.
We'll all see
you there.
Gerry Helldorfer, Ragtime
For those who
might not have heard, the intentional distortion of GPS signals to reduce
accuracy ended May 1st. Until then, civilians using GPS for navigation got a
less accurate reading than the military out of fear that potential enemies
could use the system to target missiles. Effective midnight May 1st, the US
stopped jamming the signal for civilian users, but can still selectively block
the improved GPS over any given region at will. The military will still use an
encrypted, highly accurate version of the system for guiding precision weaponry
such as the missiles used in the Persian Gulf War and last year's Balkan air
strikes. The change will make GPS receivers people already own 10 times more
accurate and will not require the purchase of new machines.
The market
for GPS users is expected to double in the next three years to more than $16
billion annually. The system of US GPS satellites is free, but all kinds of
businesses profit from it. Commercial interests have long asked the government
to loosen its hold on the most accurate GPS information, but officials said
outside pressure was not a factor in the decision. The decision follows the
development of the new technology that allows the U.S. to block certain regions
while offering the improved service everywhere else.