Apr 2006 newsletter

Cat Tales

April 2006

	View from the Bridge
	Pete Bruzik, Commodore Spring has "sprung" – yippee! It does not get any better than this! Now is perhaps the most dangerous time for our tools, small parts and pieces that keep our boats together. Have you ever heard the pitter-patter of ball bearings bouncing off the topside and making that wonderful "plopping" noise in the water? I have! I once removed the outhaul on my boom to check it out… it never occurred to me that the bearings were loose in there! I have seen a bucket of tools fall from the masthead of a neighboring boat, crash on the topsides and go overboard…you should have heard the "conversation" between spouses - one at the mast top and the other on the deck… hmm I wonder whatever happened to them! We all know the resounding "thwack" that the clevis pin makes after bouncing off the deck and arcing overboard. And let's not forget the baby's pacifier that very silently falls overboard followed by the howling wail of despair (from the parents)… We have been there / done that… our niece did that three times in one outing, we actually tacked back each time and picked it up! Talk about great man (nook) overboard practice! Spring has indeed sprung, so now is the time to stock up on small spare parts and perhaps an extra screwdriver and pliers because you know it will – someday visit Neptune! Spring really is here, our indoor events are completed until that next dark dreaded period of the year "w_ _ _ _ _". So let's get "out there" and mark you calendars now with CCYC events and invite other Catalina owners to our raft-ups. They will join for sure once they meet our group! See you "Out there"!
	Icebreaker, May 6th, 3:30 - 7:30 PM Harness Creek, Quietwaters Park, Annapolis & Volvo Ocean Race Start, May 7th, 1:00 PM
	Ray and Lynne VanHorn, Scimitar Come by Land or by Sea! CCYC's 2006 Icebreaker will be held on Saturday, May 6th at Quietwaters Park, on Harness Creek, just off the South River. We have reserved the Dogwood Pavilion, which is conveniently located for boaters as well as landlubbers. Cocktails and munchies will start at 3:30, followed by a potluck dinner at 5:00 PM. Those attending should bring their own main dish; the Club will provide charcoal for grilling. In addition, please bring an hors d'oeuvre, side dish or beverage to share. Please send a note to Ray and Lynne via email at either RaftCaptain@SailCCYC.org or rayvanhorn@comcast.net to let them know you are coming and what food you are bringing so we can coordinate the feast. If you are joining us by sea, head for the South River. Continue up the river for about 2 ½ miles and just short of Red 10, you'll see the entrance to Harness Creek on the north shore. After you enter the creek, you'll see Quietwaters Park to starboard. Look for Scimitar and hail us on VHF (Ch 72) or cell phone (410-279-6215). We'll be standing by to assist you in joining the raft-up. We will go ashore at 3:00 but you can still hail us on the VHF or cell if you arrive after that. We will make special arrangements with the folks at the boat rental dock to tie up a dinghy. We won't abuse the privilege, so we will use dinghies to ferry folks and try to keep only one dinghy at a time at the dock. To get to Quietwaters Park by land, take Exit 22 (Route 665/Aris T. Allen Blvd) from US-50 in Annapolis. Stay on Rt. 665 as it merges with Forest Drive for 2 miles. Turn right at the Exxon Station onto Hillsmere Drive. The park entrance is 100 yards on the right hand side. Inside the park, stay on the road until past the White Oak Pavilion and look for parking lot "I" and the Dogwood Pavilion. Park in lot "I" and join everyone at the Dogwood Pavilion. The park is open from 7:00 AM to dusk and we have the pavilion all day, so you can use it if you want to enjoy the park before the Icebreaker starts. On Sunday, the raft-up will break up in time for everyone to sail out the South River and position themselves to watch the start of the Volvo Ocean Race. The starting time is 1:00 PM at the starting line south of the Bay Bridge near Thomas Point (not sure how near). They will race north, round a buoy just south of the bridge, then race back south through the starting line again - which will now be a gate. There is a spectator exclusion zone 2/3 mile wide down the middle of the Bay from near the bridge to Thomas Point. We plan to be out by the southern end of the exclusion zone in order to see the racers as they head out to New York on the next leg on their around-the-world race. Please Note - Spectator boats are not allowed closer than 200 feet to the race boats, even after they leave the spectator exclusion zone. Spectator boats are also required to be prudent and use good judgment concerning speed, ensuring that your wake does not create an unsafe situation for other spectator boats in the area. There will be a significant law enforcement presence, including the US Coast Guard.
	The Army & Navy Club Raft-Up March 18th Army & Navy Club
	Bob and Lucia Klimek, Vice Commodore We had a seventeen (17) boat circle raft! We’d never seen anything like it! The moon, resting heavily on the horizon shone like a newly minted gold doubloon and suddenly without warning, the bartender turned the lights off and kicked us out, but I still say the street lamps looked like newly minted gold doubloons! Bob said, Keep your day job! The following morning we thought we overheard Tony, our Maitre d’Hotel mumble under his breath, we should have never let these Air Force people in here! But as we walked by, Tony said rather congenially if not somewhat conspiratorially Morning Ms. Klimek, how are you doing this morning, have a good time last night? I looked at Bob who was straightening his tie, and then I replied Yes Tony, lovely time thank you for everything. The sailing club wants to make this an annual event! Tony smiled, looked down his glasses at me and said ummm, well that’s very nice then, enjoy your brunch. Did he roll his eyes at me? No one sang a round of Blow the Man Down, OK they kicked us out of the bar but nobody dragged anchor, Kathy Bruzik was not called to administer CPR or anything like that, there was no property damage, no dancing with lamp shades in one’s evening gown. I thought it must be my imagination, but we demurely declined the mimosa’s that were offered at brunch, just in case. Our coast guard speaker, Lt. Commander Mike, clarified that Mayday calls on channel 16 should not be used for warm beer or out of vodka. Code flags are to be used for these distress calls.
	Spring Brunch and Winter Sock Burning April 8th, 10:30 AM Sam's Waterfront Café
	Bob and Lucia Klimek, Vice Commodore It's a conspiracy! Eyewitnesses say they thought they saw a washer and dryer lurking on the grassy knoll outside Sam's Water Front Café. Conspiracy theorist surmise Washer and Dryer have such an insatiable appetite for one sock of the pair (never the pair of socks) that they have devised a diabolical secret weapon to create a torrential down pour of rain each year on CCYC's sock burning day. This year was no exception. Sources say Mike Davis' orange argyle golf socks were the target of the conspiracy as he still has both of them; perhaps not for long, certainly not if Bev finds out he owns such a pair of socks. The Club presented to Suzanne Bergeron, Assistant Cruise Director, the Scepter of Entertainment, a light house shaped hors d'oeuvre tray graciously donated by Jeanne and Gerry Helldorfer, as an appropriate symbol of leadership and authority to the party department. CCYC's fearless leader and founder, Hilda Gorband, was in attendance to survey her legacy. Rumor has it her husband said just look at this monster you have created! Undaunted and fearless as ever, Hilda has volunteered to host the annual Christmas party. Mike Meers, CCYC's guest speaker from Chesapeake Rigging volunteered free spring rigging assessments. You can contact him at (410) 268-0956 or mikem@chesapeakerigging.com. Chesapeake Rigging is located at 7344 Edgewood Road Suite 3 Annapolis, Maryland 21403 in Bert Jabin's Yacht Yard.
	Hardware Adventures With the Vice Commodore
	Bob Klimek, Vice Commodore Ladies let it never be said that we men are not aware of your desire for fine jewelry. Here is a proposal from Gerry Helldorfer that will make you breathless. A diamond may be forever, but nothing is more romantic and exciting than the glitter of a stainless steel trinket adorning the deck of your ship that contributes to your skills as a sailor. One of the best things I ever bought for the boat - Gerry Helldorfer, Ragtime In 1978 we bought an almost new Catalina 30. In those days, Catalinas were pretty basic boats with little in the way of creature comforts. One of our first additions was a dodger. Unfortunately, the canvas maker had never built one for a C30 and maybe had never been on a sailboat. Nevertheless, he made an attractive dodger but the frame was mounted nine inches away from the sheet winches and it was no longer possible to rotate the winch handle through 360 degrees. I griped about it and the canvas maker said “No problem, I’ll make you a new one”. The new dodger was so ugly I was embarrassed to leave it on the boat and worse yet the frame was still in the same place. I said put the first dodger back on the boat and I’ll figure how to deal with it. My first solution was to buy an eight-inch winch handle. That didn’t give us enough leverage to handle the sheets. It also did a nice job of compressing my knuckles between the handle and the frame, and my blood was beginning to stain the pretty new canvas. I was in Fawcett’s one day, moaning about the situation, when one of those guys who probably sailed around the world a few times walked up and handed me a ratcheting winch handle. “Here’s what you need”. The shiny new Barient was it. This thing has a switch on top so it will ratchet clockwise, counterclockwise or not at all. It solved the problem of not being able to pass the dodger frame because I could just pump it in either direction. But, more than that I could work the winch comfortably and put much more oomph into it because I could always have the handle angle just where I wanted it. We sold the C-30 but kept that winch handle. It was always the winch handle of choice for every winch on every other boat we owned. It saved my back, gave me a lot more power on the big sheet winches on our Gulfstar and now on our C-42. It is the perfect tool to use on the halyard winches that are mounted on the cabin top because there is no need to try to crank all the way around 360 degrees, and I can get it at just the right angle to put the final tension on the halyard. It also really helps when trimming the heavily loaded sheet winches. Lewmar still makes a ratcheting winch handle. It’s pricey and a special order at West Marine, but you can often get a used one at Bacon’s in Annapolis for about $40. Now, I never leave home without it.
	Food Glorious Food!
	Lucia Casale, Lucia If your body weight exceeds the weight of your hull, we’re sure that is some kind of Coast Guard violation, so in a conscious effort to avoid this problem here is a fabulous treat we never get enough of at the raft-ups. MARTHA’S DILLY BEANS 1/2 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed Boiling salted water 1 teaspoon minced garlic 8 sprigs fresh dill weed 1/4 teaspoon dill seed 1/4 teaspoon mustard seed 1 cup cider vinegar 1 cup of water 1 tablespoon salt 3 tablespoons sugar Plunge beans in pot of boiling salted water to cover. Turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes. (Test the beans to see that they are “al dente” but not chewy.) Drain and refresh beans under cold water. Drain and place in a ceramic or glass shallow dish. Sprinkle with garlic, dill sprigs, dill seeds and mustard seeds. While beans are blanching, put the vinegar, water, salt and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil until salt and sugar dissolve. Pour hot mixture over beans. Allow beans to cool in mixture. Then chill in fridge, covered for at least 24 hours - up to 2 weeks (if they last that long!) Note: I usually do at least 1½ to 2 lbs of beans, but don’t have to make quite as much brine. I just keep the proportions equal. Martha Bliss, Brunelle Remember to submit recipes by the 10th of the month to recipes@sailccyc.org.
	CCYC Pride Lands' End Clothing and Ball Caps, Visors and Burgees
	CCYC has registered its 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 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. You don't have to go through this process if you need a ball cap, visor, or burgee with the CCYC logo. These are all available from our Treasurer, Diane Benyus. The caps and visors are $15 each and a burgee is $25 each. Let Diane know if you need one.