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Cat TalesMarch 1995 |
Are you ready for the 1995 cruising season? Is your boat ready to
launch? On Saturday, March 18, 1995 from 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, CCYC will be
presenting a Boat Maintenance Clinic, designed to assist us as we get our boats
ready for the 1995 sailing season. Three hours of focused and informative boat
maintenance discussion and tips could save hours of work and/or problems after
launch.
Three talented and experienced boat maintenance and repair
experts have volunteered to meet with us to discuss their specialties. Topics
to be discussed will be:
Matt Jabin of Burt Jabin's Yacht Yard, will discuss general boat
maintenance with us, with particular attention to fiberglass repair, and bottom
painting and preparation. Jeff Leach of Bayshore Marine, will discuss engines,
dealing both with diesels and the Atomic 4. Jay Herman of Annapolis Rigging,
will deal with rigging maintenance and tuning.
Each speaker will make a
20-30 minute presentation which will be followed by a question and answer
session. They will be giving us some hints on non-routine, overlooked and
preventative maintenance as well as routine items. We expect each of the three
sessions to be not only interesting, but a "learning experience."
So,
bring you questions and problems. Get some answers and ideas! For information
or to RSVP, call Joan/Wayne Savage or Paul Payne. Guests are welcome too!
To kick off the 1995 CCYC Sailing Season, the Fleet has reserved a room
at BOBBY D'S in Deale, Maryland. The event will begin at 9:30 am, with coffee,
juices, and a cash bar, while we greet everyone to the new season. BOBBY D'S
will have a full breakfast buffet for us, with specialities to make our mouths
water.
The 1995 CCYC Cruising Schedule will be presented by Fleet
Leadership at the Brunch, with rafting captains for each event introduced. A
short description of each will follow, with comments and discussion from the
floor the rule of the day.
We look forward to seeing you again on April
1, and getting the 1995 Sailing Season underway!
February's CCYC monthly meeting featured Captain Robert Houle of the
U.S. Coast Guard (and CCYC Member), speaking about navigation aids in the
Chesapeake.
Coastal GPS
Captain Houle discussed the Coast Guard's
Coastal GPS program which is placing highly accurate GPS receivers at base
stations around the nation enhance navigation information available to boats
and ships. These base stations receive data from in-view satellites and
calculate the GPS unit's position. Approximately 6-8 of the existing 24
satellites, are positioned above the horizon at any one time - at any point in
the world, sending signals to GPS receivers. Because the Department of Defense
uses a technique called Selective Availability (SA) to prevent enemies from
using the GPS system as a navigation aid. SA places a random 100 meter error
into the GPS satellite signals, thus introducing up to a 100 meter error in the
reading of a commercial GPS receiver. This is not a problem for many uses, but
can be a problem for boaters.
Differential GPS
To make the GPS
information more accurate the Coast Guard is implementing a feature called
Differential GPS, which calculates the SA introduced error and transmits that
error via radio for boats and ships to correct their GPS unit's output. The
error is the difference in the Base Station location (known from prior survey)
and that determined by the GPS unit. The broadcast signal is then received by a
commercial receiver and input into a boater's "differential ready" GPS
receiver, which then output the calculated, differential position of the unit
(and boat), at accuracies in the range of 2-5 meters.
GPS
Costs
GPS receivers are widely available through boating supply stores
with prices ranging from the high $300's to several thousand, depending upon
features. Many even include the capability to display digital versions of
NOAA's charts. Optional differential receiver units are available for
approximately $5-700.
GPS Usefulness
GPS equipment provide
boaters not only with accurate locational data, but most also provide useful
speed, direction, way point location, and autopilot outputs.
However, the
accuracy of GPS technology has identified another problem. NOS Charts have been
developed over a long period of time, with some dating back more than 20 years.
When GPS is used in conjunction with these charts, discrepancies of locations
are often found. A buoy may actually be several hundred feet from where it is
shown on the chart. A shoal may also be mis-placed. All this adds up to a long
term problem. GPS technology is here, and everywhere. However existing nautical
chart's accuracies do not presently match, and NOAA's funding for updating its
charts (using GPS) is diminishing.
Lots of information was presented,
leading to extensive discussion and thoughtful comments. Thanks Bob, for such
an interesting session.
(The January edition of Cat Tales presented Freda's January 29
letter. Stay tuned, we will get the timing straightened out)
Freda
and Charles Gandy, LUV IT
January 16,
1995
Dear Friends,
Charles and I are provisioned and ready to cross the
Gulf Stream, waiting for weather. We plan to make our crossing from Key Largo
to Gun Key south of Bimini, make a long passage to Chub Cay at the south end of
the Berries, over to Nassau, then begin to move down the Exumas ready to leave
George Town in early February, our most southerly port of call. When we get
ready to leave George Town, we'll work our way back up Cat and Eleuthera
Islands, cross up to the Abacos, then move north and west until we cross back
to the U.S. and head for the Chesapeake.
The push on the side of our
boat as we cross the Gulf Stream will be considerable. It's like a great river
about 40 miles wide, moving at about 2.5 knots. The maximum speed that our boat
can move is about 7.5 knots. Its effect on our course must be heavily weighed,
and compensated for. We'll probably have to point about 20 degrees south of our
destination to make way accurately. We will know when we are I the stream by
watching the water temperature. It is about 5 degrees warmer than the water on
either side. Also, its push is strongest in the center, weaker on the edges.
Radio weather reports tell us the general location of the strongest flow. Our
crossing to Gun is only 68 miles, with 40 of it in the gulf Stream. We can't
make a crossing when the wind, even if gentile, is from Northwest to Northeast.
The northerly flow of the stream gets pushed up into big waves with the wind
pushing against it. We can't cross with an East wind unless it's less than 5
knots, because we couldn't make headway and the waves would again be a problem.
Prevailing winds this time of year are NE to E. So we wait.
HF radio and
my laptop computer work together to bring us Weather FAX, so we can watch
weather patterns come from the west, and know what to expect. We check as many
weather sources as we can. Two big lows passed through here in the last few
days, with gale force winds. They are beyond the keys now, but the ocean's
waves are still 9-10 feet.
Christmas was certainly an
out-of-the-ordinary holiday for us. Our family, twelve strong, went out to
Christmas Day Dinner at a Key Largo Restaurant. We each wore a knit shirt with
an image of LUV IT silkscreened on. Santa had not been confused by our
location, and found our small tree covered with sea shells and nautical wooden
figures. Chuck, with his family, came from North Carolina and Beth, with her
family, came from Maryland. We had a nearby hotel apartment for 12 days to
augment space on the boat. The hams in our family (amateur radio operators,
Charles, Chuck, and Mark) kept everyone informed of current events, and most
days Luv It went out to the reefs of Pennycamp State Park for snorkeling and
SCUBA diving. Short trips to the everglades to ride in an air boat, Key West to
see the Atocha treasurers, eat Conch fritters and watch street performers as
the sun set, a family luau and cookout at the hotel's outdoor cabana, and
visits to catch up on the hugs and visiting that we had been missing since
seeing our family last. Now we are refreshed and rejuvenated, and ready for the
next leg of our Great Adventure.
We've met such interesting people.
Anchored in Lake Worth, near Palm Beach, a friendly man dinghied over to visit,
and as it turned out, he used to sail with our neighbor, Paul Fleishmann, and
had been in our house many times while the previous owners were there. The
couple on Columbine, from Colorado, went to school with Ruth Fisher, Beth's
best friend in elementary and high school, knew her family, and had visited in
their home while we lived in College Park. Our starboard neighbor here in Key
Largo Marina shares fresh bread on baking days. Yum! And we've been able to
renew our friendship with Ed and Cori Summersett, liveaboards on their
beautiful 44' sloop, whom Charles worked with years ago. They are full-time
cruisers who plan to leave for the Bahamas in March, then head north for a cool
summer. We met with long-time friends Sherrill and Wayne Bower in Marathon, and
spent a whole day together. (And had a great fried grouper sandwich.) Our paths
have crossed several times, as they and we cruised down from Maryland. We hear
that the Wesleys and Willcoxes have made the crossing from Lake Worth
already.
This letter must end. It's time to study the new weather fax
pictures, listen to VHF NOAA weather, contact Herb on Southbound, a
meteorologist who gives personalized data, then compare all that to what we see
on Cable TV weather channel. Is tomorrow the day?
And are we having fun?
A resounding YES!
This is now the third month of 1995. It's time to muster "roll call."
All CCYC members who have not paid their 1995 dues will become, ex-members as
of April 1, 1995 and no longer be included on our newsletter mailing list.
Those new members whose memberships were paid by Back Yard Boats or Tidewater
Marine as part of your boat purchase agreement, will remain on our mailing list
for the full year from the time your membership was paid.
To renew
membership, please complete the form included in this newsletter, and mail it
with a check for $30 to CCYC, to:
Diane Lang
8 Milestone Manor
Court
Germantown, MD 20876
Don't forget to renew your BOAT U.S. membership this spring. CCYC is a cooperating group (#GA805428), which means your membership cost is half-price, only $8.50. Don't miss those timely and important boating issues discussed in the monthly BOAT U.S. Reports newsletter, boat financing and insurance programs, or the great discounted merchandise catalog. Max Munger has some brochures and applications and more information. You can also contact BOAT U.S. directionally, 703-823-9550 (Sean Brown), but remember to refer to the group name and number for the discounted price.
Patrick Turner of CY has announced that the first annual East Coast rendezvous for Catalina Yacht owners will be held at the Newport Yachting Center in 'Newport, Rhode Island on August 11 thru 12th. All Catalina, Morgan and Capri owners are invited, with or without your boat! Check your previous August or November MAIN SHEET issues for details and pictures of past rendezvous activities. This will be a huge 100+ yacht, 3- 400 personal, Catalina sponsored event without equal. Plan now to give Frank Butler and CY a warm welcome to the east coast. Chesapeake Bay is still being considered for a future event. The (other) west coast rendezvous will be at Isthmus, Catalina Island (California) on July 14 thru 16th. For further information, please call Patrick at CY at 818-884-7700 or FAX at 818-884-3810.