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Cat TalesJanuary 1999 |
Bill Weeks, Commodore
A very Happy Holidays to the
Club!
As you can see I have taken the "Helm" from Wayne Savage, and my
first thought is to thank Wayne for a very good year. Thanks, from me. Our
first event was the Christmas Party held at Wayne and Joan's lovely home. I
believe that everyone enjoyed themselves and the company was superb. Thanks
again Wayne and Joan.
I am not sure how to begin this so I will just
start out and see where it goes. We will be having our January Meeting at the
Fleet Reserve Club in Annapolis. We had a lot of discussion at the Christmas
party about maybe moving some of the meetings to west of the Potomac. It seems
that a number of members live west now and Annapolis is a long drive. We will
discuss it more and see if we can reach some conclusion.
On Friday
night, February 5th, Sharon and I will host a "Cruise Planning" meeting. I want
to start the meeting with a Pot Luck dinner. Sharon and I will furnish a main
course, and request everyone else bring an appetizer, side dish or dessert.
Please coordinate with Sharon.
We will have Cocktail Hour at 6:30 PM and
dinner at 7:30 PM, with the meeting beginning at 8:30 PM, or there
about.
For the planning session, please bring your favorite cruise or
anchorage. The plan is to have a monthly club outing with a cruise
captain/leader. We will try to spread the events out along the bay so that
everyone has an enjoyable summer. The only request we have so far is a Ladies
Cruise in June.
Directions: From the Virginia beltway, Take exit 10,
Leesburg Pike, Rt. 7, toward Tysons Corner. At the second stoplight, turn left
onto Gallows Road. One block past the second stoplight on Gallows, turn right
onto Madrillon Rd. Go one block and turn right onto Madrillon Ct. 50 yards and
turn left at the "T". After turning left, our Townhouse is ahead of you on
corner. 8179 Madrillon Ct., 703-848-1848. Parking is limited, so after finding
our place and unloading your goodies, return to Madrillon Rd. to Park. We will
have space for two cars in our driveway and there maybe a space or two in the
lot at the "T", but all other parking will be on Madrillon Rd.
I have
also looked at the calendar and noticed that I have some conflicts. I will
discuss it with the Vice Commodore Pete Denholm and if he can stand in, things
are cool, however, we may have to change the February meeting? I will know more
later, by next month.
I know that we will have a good year again this
year with lots of good sailing. Sue Dennison already is moving forward with a
Womanship cruise. We will visit some old haunts and maybe some new ones, if
that is possible. Everyone please think about where you want to go next
year.
This year we are trying to add new members again. Ray Nieves is
our membership chairman and will be directing the effort. Thanks Ray. I will be
talking to the Catalina dealers about giving a year's membership with each new
boat in return for some advertising in our newsletter. We will see how things
go.
Well that is enough for now but I will be talking to you from time
to time.
Ron Marcuse, Commodore - Intl C400 Assn., Good
Vibrations
The C30, C36 and C400 Associations will be holding
their National Regatta's at Zahnisers Marina in Solomons June 18 - 20, 1999.
These will be the National Championships for the latter two. Catalina will be
hosting the "official" East Coast Rendezvous with the Associations. This is an
all-Catalina rendezvous, so everyone is invited to attend.
I'm starting
to put together a preliminary budget now, and need an estimate of how many
boats may attend the Rendezvous and how many might race in the
Regatta.
We will have activities on the 3rd day for those making a
longer cruise out of it. I've blocked out some rooms at the local Comfort Inn,
lined up some suppliers for food, tents, tables and chairs. It looks like we
may be able to hold the cost at about $160 per boat/couple, INCLUDING dockage
at Zahnisers - or $55 apiece for those coming by other means. Racers will have
to contribute another $40 - for trophies and committee boat expenses. Any other
Catalina will be able to race as part of a PHRF class.
Contact Ron
Marcuse at CaptRon400@aol.com or your local International Association
Commodore.
Gerry and Jeane Helldorfer, Ragtime
October
30
It's Friday night (I think). We're anchored behind Butler Island in
the Waccamaw River, just north of Georgetown, South Carolina. Like almost every
one of the 17 other days since we left Annapolis it was crystal clear and in
the upper 70s to about 80 degrees. It hasn't rained yet. We've transitioned
slowly to the cruising mindset. As the Gandy's do, we are keeping track of our
progress on a roadmap of the east coast. We have it taped to a bulkhead door. I
noticed we seem to be making shorter and shorter trips. I guess we better step
on it or the cold weather will catch us.
The Whitehall Flotilla, as we
are calling ourselves, is Luv It, True Blew, Ragtime, and a trawler called Good
Crew's Inn. We left Annapolis on Tuesday, October 12 and stopped in Solomans
Is. We spent an extra day there waiting for the wind and seas off the Potomac
to calm down and then went to the Piankatank and on to Portsmouth, VA. We spent
the Friday and Saturday in a Marina in Portsmouth and took the ferry to
Waterside in Norfolk. We left Portsmouth at sunrise in a light fog and headed
right into zero visibility on our way to the Dismal Swamp canal. We were in a
string of boats with two big Hatteras cruisers in front. Their radar antennas
looked real so off we went, following them into no man's land. Unfortunately,
the sailboat behind them lost contact and there we were, we just didn't know
where. We did know there was a draw bridge ahead. True Blue to the rescue. Bill
found the bridge and we continued on. The fog lifted as the sun rose and it was
a fascinating day for us as we locked through the Dismal Swamp
Canal.
The town dock in Elizabeth City, N.C. with its famous Rose
Buddies and free party every day for the boaters was great. We got to meet some
of the other cruisers and we are still in contact with them as we meet up in
the popular stops on the way south. After Elizabeth City we blew across
Albemarle Sound into Belhaven, N.C. with 20-knot tail wind. We spent two nights
there waiting for the wind to subside for our trip across the Pamlico Sound and
Neuse River. It was still sunny every day and we had a good time socializing in
the marina. As we continued through North Carolina we had dolphins swimming
with us whenever we were near the ocean inlets. We could almost touch
them.
South Carolina has been great, as well. We stopped at Barefoot
Landing which is a popular free dock along the Waterway at a large outlet mall.
It has good restsaurants, as well. We had dinner for 14 that night as some of
the others cruisers joined us. Tomorrow we continue on and plan to stop at
Charleston for a day or two. We have reservations for our "flotilla" at a new
marina right in the heart of town.
All of the boats we are with have
amateur radio. About half of the cruisers have it. It makes for very reliable
communications with lots of options. We are delighted with the free email we
have via amateur radio. All of us are getting and sending email every day. Our
friends and family are able to keep up with our progress and it's turned out to
be a big deal for our grandchildren. One of them even has his kindergarden
class keeping track of our progress.
Well, it's time to download
tomorrow's waypoints into the GPS. More to come as we head
south.
Charles and Freda Gandy, Luv It
October 31,
1998
Our trip is going well. This morning Charles zoomed our engines -
that is our signal that whoever is below should come topside - and we watched
two adults and a baby dolphin swimming near our boat. Fellow traveler Good
Crew's Inn radioed that we should watch for a bald eagle they had sighted. As
we approached, it took flight and soared just over the waterway before us, then
back to its perch at the top of a scraggly pine tree.
Tomorrow we will
arrive in Charleston, where we plan to stay for a few days. We've been moving
steadily since waiting out high winds for 3 days in Belhaven, NC. We're ready
to rest. Also, we're ready for clean laundry and fresh food. My heart jumps
just thinking of the Harris Teeter near the marina we will stop at. Visualize
the best grocery you've ever visited crossed with Pier One Imports, and you
have this Harris Teeter. And we'll have a loaner car to a West Marine. And
we'll visit the downtown crafts market. Tomorrow. We can wait. But just
barely.
Charles and Freda Gandy, LUV IT
November 12,
1998
Today is the 12th (looked at my watch to find out). It's Thursday
because on ham radio yesterday a friend asked if we would be at the Thursday
picnic tomorrow. No, we won't make the Waterway Net picnic. That would have
meant that at least a week ago we would have had to speed up our pace. It would
have been great fun to meet the hams in person that we speak with on a regular
basis on the radio, but we weren't willing to be put on a schedule that would
cause us to miss interesting places.
Charles and Freda Gandy, LUV
IT
November 18, 1998
Terrain and its relationship to the
water shape our trip. In the 5 weeks we've been aboard Luv It, we've watched
the land, the water, and our path through it change again and again. We came
from the Chesapeake and its many tributaries through the long land cuts and
swamps of Virginia, the enormous sounds of North Carolina, the low country of
South Carolina and Georgia, and now are traversing the waters of Florida, both
the Straits of Florida and the waters in between the barrier islands and the
mainland. To mention all of these areas in one paragraph doesn't do them
justice, because the influence that they have on us is enormous. The Chesapeake
and its thousands of good anchorages with choices of openness or good
protection spoil its cruisers. Nothing south of it can anywhere near equal it
for beauty, flexibility, and safety. Norfolk's military and commercial
activities are exciting to see. The camera gets a good workout with interesting
sights at every azimuth. We watched missiles being loaded into the tubes of a
frigate, perhaps to be delivered to Saddam Hussein? The Dismal Swamp of
Virginia holds transparent black water that gives mirrored reflections of
overhanging trees. We hold the middle of the canal carefully so we won't snag
branches in our shrouds. The camera is again busy, but for aesthetic, artistic
reasons.
Broad sounds in North Carolina create an opportunity to put out
our sails, but also give concern over our safety as we cross. Expanses of
shallow water don't form into smooth swells as in the ocean, but are cut by the
shallow bottom, creating a confused chop. This makes a terribly uncomfortable
passage if winds are not right, and a downright dangerous one if winds are high
or from an undesirable direction. So we watch and wait, and move when winds are
low, from the right direction, and after time has passed so that the water has
had time to calm after high winds. In Belhaven, NC., we waited 3 days for an
opportunity to cross the Neuse and its surrounding sounds. The Neuse had not
been gentle with us in the past, but it was this time. A beautiful sight in
South Carolina is Fort Sumter in the bight of Charleston Harbor, with its city
off to the East. The expanse of water is dramatic, and contains both commercial
and pleasure craft of all sizes. Several ferries ply the waters, and tugs work
to position seagoing vessels. The colorful old homes of Charleston come right
out to the edges of the water to welcome us, and we pass and move on into the
savannahs - rivers through grasses - in the low country of South Carolina and
Georgia. Our boat winds through natural and manmade cuts for many miles where
we see trees only in the distance and upon occasion as we pass firm land. A
young Canadian couple that we met said that they just weren't prepared for
Georgia. We first saw them as we were studying a creek for the best spot to
drop our anchor. They were already at anchor, had deployed their dinghy, and
the man was in the process of rowing a pit bull and a large black dog to shore.
When we spoke with them the next day at a marina in Jekyll Island, they
animatedly described that unfortunate trip. It seems that Georgia's black
fertile soil gave them a problem. They had hoped for a beach of sand or
seashells to land the dinghy, but no, it would not be. The dogs sunk to their
bellies in soft black mud, and had difficulty deciding how to take care of
their personal needs. Returning to the trawler, the couple washed down the dogs
on the swim platform, washed down the dinghy, washed down the skipper, repeated
all washdowns, then washed the swim platform. They had had a miserable and
time-consuming experience. Our traveling companions on Good Crew's Inn
confirmed their choice to cruise with cats.
We must pay alert attention
to tides and currents in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, and we regularly
hear stories of boats grounding while at anchor and its crew asleep. We also
have a similar story to tell, but thankfully not from this trip. Tidal
differences are the usual cause. They can reach 9 feet, and the water must flow
very fast to fill and then empty each 11 ½ hours. We must time our
departures and arrivals in critical locations for slack tide - either dead low,
or dead high -so that the effect of the flow will be diminished.
We had
a hair-raising experience in Elliot Cut, just south of Charleston, when we
traversed an extremely narrow land cut against a strong current. Our engine at
max, we could only make headway of about 1 1/2 knots over the ground (according
to GPS) while showing 7 knots through the water on the paddlewheel indicator.
Raging water pushed us left and right, according to the shape of the bottom of
the cut and the rocks at the sides. So much for deciding to leave Charleston
according to personal schedule instead of tide charts.
We arrived at the
Bridge of Lions at St. Augustine about an hour early, but felt comfortable
because the flow would have begun to diminish. Not optimum, but close. We
planned to go into the marina just beyond the bridge. A northerly current
affected our boat's hull, a southerly wind affected our freeboard and rigging.
We called on VHF Channel 13 to alert the bridge that we would like to pass at
its next opening. Bridge acknowledged in the affirmative. Then an unknown voice
spoke on the frequency. "Good Luck", it said.
We've packed away our
thermal clothing, wool hats, and thick gloves now, because we have reached
central Florida and that is where the weather becomes balmy. My thick nightgown
is now in deep storage under the vee berth. Shorts and tee shirts are the
uniform. It's difficult to get dressed up while living on a boat. There are no
shoes on board our boat with leather bottoms, for instance. Restaurants in
locations frequented by cruisers, even the better ones, are quite accepting of
simple clothing.
Florida's beautiful islands that contain beaches are
reached by most tourists by - bridges - some high, a great deal low. Bridges
become more and more of a problem. Some open on demand, but most open every 30
minutes, or every 20 minutes, or hourly, with no opening during morning and
afternoon rush hours. It becomes more and more attractive to go
offshore.
We've made one offshore passage already, from Ponce De Leon
inlet near New Smyrna to Cape Canaveral. We pulled anchor at first light and
came through the Canaveral bridges and lock about 4 PM. At this time of year,
dark is at 5:30, and we prefer to travel in daylight and be settled in for the
night. We traveled the sixty-five miles with jib and motor, since the wind was
too close to our bow for full sails. It was much more pleasant than watching
chart and navigation aids, plying the waterway in narrow channels between the
barrier islands and mainland, and dealing with bridges. Also, since we were
only about 3 miles offshore we could see the major structures on the Cape, and
upon entering the inlet, saw a barge for booster rockets and 6 huge cruise
ships, as well as shrimpers and other work vessels and pleasure
craft.
It won't be long before I'll have to move the nightgown over and
bring out Christmas ornaments. Our kids and grands will be with us for the
holidays in Key Largo. We'll wrap a green towel around the mast support in our
cabin, wind it with a string of tiny lights, put ornaments on, and it will
become our Christmas "tree".
A new kind of boating will begin. The coral
reefs that lie about 5 miles offshore will cause us to become a dive platform,
and our family will snorkel and Scuba to see sunken ships, cannons, fish, and
plants. Camera usage will become really useful. Charles has used a tiny color
TV camera and built a device that will allow us to watch the waters below our
boat on our onboard TV. We'll be able to locate the best dive spots before we
deploy our swimmers.
Does it all sound like fun? Yes, it certainly
is.
Charles and Freda Gandy, LUV IT
November 24,
1998
We left a marina behind the dragon (In Cocoa Beach) about noon
yesterday, and moved down the ICW about 12 miles to anchor out behind a tiny
island the equivalent of a terrestrial postage stamp. It provided a very small
wind shadow , and there were 3 boats at anchor already when we arrived about 3
PM so Ragtime and Luv It weren't able to get the best spots. The wind was on
our nose all of the transit, and is still about 15 knots as we lie at anchor.
The boat rides the small waves well, and we will be rocked to sleep
tonight.
This morning at 7:30 we pulled anchor and moved south 40 miles
to Ft. Pierce for the night. It was a good plan. The weather forecast said that
it would go sour mid-afternoon, and indeed it did. Within an hour after putting
our anchor down, a thunderstorm cell went through and it was nasty for a
while.
Should the Straits of Florida be calm tomorrow, we will go
offshore for a short hop down to Lake Worth, near Palm Beach. If the weather
isn't great, we'll continue down the ICW to the same location. We'd like to
gather some other cruisers to share Thanksgiving with us. Ragtime has a turkey
breast to bake, I'm making sweet potatoes and apple pie, and so we'll celebrate
even if there is only the four of us.
Now that you have our news, we'd
love to hear from each of you. The worst thing about cruising is lack of
contact with people that are special in our lives. It is good to meet other
cruisers as we go along, but their friendships are transient and won't be along
for the long run as each of you is.
Charles and Freda Gandy,
LUV IT
December 13, 1998
Anchoring near Watson Park,
Miami, was a great deal like being in the Bahamas. When we arrived, two boats
that we knew in the Bahamas were there waiting for a weather window to make
their crossing, and the longer we stayed the more boats arrived to join the
group. We dinghied to visit with one another, made long (wet) rides to Miami
Beach for groceries and sightseeing, and Our Star, a veteran Bahamas traveler,
made contact with Herb, Southbound II, for daily weather information about the
timing of a crossing, and passed it along. It was a great deal like being in
George Town, the Bahamas, with lots of different cruisers' activities. One boat
with electrical generation problems found willing and knowledgeable help, Crux
had time to complete the installation of solar cells, Windstar 4 dinghied over
to bring a copy of WeatherFax information, Gentle Wind showed me her
watercolors and acrylic paintings. While at George Town, she will paint
portraits of boats on paper or conch shells. Ten Years After heard from our
mutual WinLink system operator that Charles would be a good person to help with
his radio interference problem and was aboard Luv It heading south. Upon
realizing that we were in a boat nearby, he dinghied over for help. He is a new
ham whose background is mechanical, not electrical, but with a quick mind and
intense interest in solving the problem, he came back the next morning to
report improvement and get further advice. Good Neighbor made arrangements to
see us while further down in the Keys. They'll winter at anchor in Marathon,
Florida.
Charles and I invited several boats for pot luck. The idea was
received enthusiastically, and so Luv It became mother ship to 9 dinghies for
the event. Twenty people on board may sound like a lot, but it worked out just
fine. We had put extra chairs out on the fantail, and the cockpit was full. A
few sat near the mast, but noone sat below. (The weather and location were too
good.) Dishes were spread on the table above the engine compartment where
guests filled their plates buffet-style
The usual procedure for these
gatherings is that each crew brings their own plates, utensils, napkins,
beverage and glassware, which makes it easy on the host boat. We had such a
good time: rousing conversation, friendly camaraderie, the common goal of going
- surviving and enjoying- adventuring. This kind of party doesn't usually go on
and on into the night. For one thing, cruisers usually aren't big drinkers
because that could be a safety hazard. Also, there is an unwritten rule that
short of an emergency, you don't use the head on another person's
boat.
When we left Miami, we traveled the inside path through Biscayne
Bay down to anchorage near Pumpkin Key. Ragtime tried out their Christmas
lights, forming the shape of a huge tree on the bow of their boat. A small boat
came out from a nearby home to tell them that they enjoyed the display. We had
staged our passage through Angelfish Creek so that we would go through on
rising tide because Ragtime drafts 5.5 feet. So we left anchorage at 0830, came
through Angelfish with plenty clearance, and had a glorious sail down Hawk
Channel on the outside to the canal where Marina del Mar is located in Key
Largo. It couldn't have been better. We had a port beam reach, 12-15 knot
winds, for the 17-mile passage.
It felt good to feel terra firma and to
know that we'll be feeling it for a while. Also, it felt good to see familiar
faces. Long-time friends who make Key Largo their home came over to welcome us.
There are quite a few boaters who come to this same location winter after
winter, and were here the two times we were here.. And so it didn't take long
to feel a familiar niche about the place.
Our kids and grands begin
arriving on Thursday. We'll have time to hug, and to visit, and to dive/snorkel
the coral reefs. We've even planned an overnight south of here. Chuck's family
is traveling on frequent flier miles, and since they had to avoid the lockout
dates will be with us two weeks. Beth's family arrives Christmas Eve day,
bringing their camper.
In essence, our lives will become even busier.
But that's the good news.
We wish you well. Hope that your holiday
season is filled with joy, and that you spend much time under the
mistletoe!