Cat Tales

January 2005

 
 
View from the Bridge 		 
  Al Lohman, Commodore

Well Happy New Year everyone. Hard to believe it’s 2005; it seems that 2004 just zoomed by us. Well, so far I haven’t written 2004 on any of my checks, but I’m not sure how long that streak will last. As I sit here writing my first “From the Helm” article, I’m looking outside at 6 inches of snow, and my freshly shoveled driveway. My boat is up on jack stands at Herrington Harbour North, and it’s difficult to get in a sailing frame of mind. I know there are some people who go in for Frostbite sailing, but my blood is too thin for that. I guess I’ll just have to be content with perusing my owner’s manual and trying to learn a little more about all the neat stuff on my boat.

I’ve also got a stack of sailing books to read. I just finished reading The Ship and the Storm. It’s about Hurricane Mitch and the loss of the Fantome. The Fantome was a 282 foot schooner in the Windjammer Barefoot Cruising fleet. This is a pretty sobering story. It drives home the point that the time to take safety measures is while still able to do so, before things get out of hand. Yeeesh, I have to get a more light-hearted book for my next read.

I know that snow out there is going to melt eventually, and we’ll all want to get back out on the Bay. In preparation for that eventuality, the board members are starting to put together the 2005 cruising schedule. As always we’ll need raft captains to help out. This is an easy thing to do, so please volunteer. For our new members, this is a great way to meet the rest of us. All you have to do is get to the anchoring spot first and pick a location for the raft-up. Don’t worry if you don’t have a big anchor, we can swap out with a bigger boat later. In fact, I’ve been a raft captain before and never even set my own hook. If you have a favorite spot, or have an idea for a raft-up theme, please pass your suggestions on to the board members. Last year, we had one raft-up that had a pirate theme, we also had one where I put on my dive gear and cleaned everybody’s prop. The website is a great way to pass along your ideas.

As you may have heard, this is the 25th year for CCYC. There has been some discussion about celebrating that somehow, but no specifics on how to do that. So, any of you creative folks out there who have ideas about how to celebrate our 25th year, please help us out, and pass along your suggestions. 		 
 


2005 Schedule 		 
  The proposed schedule for 2005 is included at the end of the newsletter. Please take time to review the recommendations the Board has drawn up. The final schedule will be approved March 5th at the Spring Member Meeting. If you can't make it to the meeting, send comments and recommendations to any of the board members.

As you can see, there are many openings for Raft Captain for several of the events. As Commodore Al pointed out above, you can be a Raft Captain without being the anchor boat. Raft Captain responsibilities include:
  • Publish an article in the newsletter preceding the event to provide information about:
    • When you plan to arrive at the raft-up location
    • Anything special that might be needed, e.g., appetizers, your favorite cocktail, etc.
    • Time period you will be monitoring Ch 72
    • Any special plans or arrangements you have made, e.g., dinner reservations, slip arrangements, etc.
    • Cell phone #, if you have one, and home phone #
  • Monitor Ch 72 on the hour and half-hour during the agreed time
  • Direct the raft-up to balance the boats around the anchor boat
  • Decide how many boats to carry overnight
  • If appropriate, direct the break-up of the raft in time to allow boats to get anchored and set
  • If appropriate, call marinas to tell them the fleet is coming and coordinate activities such as picnics, cocktail hour, etc.
  • Coordinate changes to alternate destinations with Commodore or Vice Commodore
  • Write a post-cruise article for the newsletter
There's not a lot of work but it's an effort that's needed so everything will go smoothly and everyone can have a good time. 		 
 


Lands' End Reminder 		 
  CCYC has a registered logo with the Lands' End Company, so you can order shirts, shorts, sweaters, jackets, towels, bags, caps,...lots of nice things... and show your club pride. The logo fee per item is $11.50. However, if the order is for six items of the same product category, then the logo fee is only $5.50 per item!

Of course, you can order on your own at any time, but CCYC has set up a process so we can combine individual orders and save you money!

Log on to our web site and go to the Reference page. There you will see a selection for "Lands' End" and that will take you to the instructions on how to choose what you want and how to request it.

When there are at least six (6) requests in a product category, the club will confirm everyone's request, place the order and remove the articles from the list. When the order arrives (it takes about 2 weeks), you will be notified and arrangements made to pick-up and pay for your part.