San Juan Sailing Club

June 08 Board Meeting Minutes

2008-06-10T15:05:00.002-06:00

Minutes of SJSC meeting held at the Two River’s Marina dock, Saturday, June 7th at 4:15 PM:

NEXT MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, JULY 12TH AT THE DOCK. TIME - TO BE ANNOUNCED.

Perry asked about the status of the Blog. Reply was that it’s “in process”.

Treasurer’s Report will be available soon.

A member of the club had asked that the new handle for the mast crane be discussed. It is much slower than the old handle requiring more cranking to raise and lower masts. The outcome of the discussion was that the state park installed the winch handle for safety reasons. The state park controls the mast crane. As such, it is unlikely that the old handle can be put back into service. Sorry…

Upcoming events include:

San Juan Cup, Saturday, June 14th. Skipper’s meeting to be held around noon on the dock. The fee for this race is $15.00. Fees must be paid prior to the race. Checks or cash. Prizes will be awarded.

“Bass-ack-ward’s” Race, Sunday, June 15th. Skipper’s meeting to be held around noon on the dock. No fee for this race (and no prizes either!). But, it’s fun so come out and give it a try! The boat with the highest handicap will be first to cross the start line. If you plan to participate, PLEASE CONTACT PERRY ASAP (powder4evermon@hotmail.com) so the handicaps can be figured prior to the weekend! This will save considerable time on the weekend when we all want to relax and just have fun.

Clean up at the park, Saturday, June 21st. Pancake breakfast to be put on by the Marina crew in the morning for those participating If you want pancakes/breakfast, you must let us know (i.e., if you want to eat that morning, RSVP!).

The Man-Over-Board (MOB) drill will be rescheduled to the weekend of July 12th. Several folks interested in this event can not attend on the weekend of June 21st. Stay tuned…

Rum Run and Pot Luck, Saturday, June 28th. Details regarding this event were sent out previously. For the pot luck, bring your own item to grill, a dish to share and, BYOB.

Stahlecher Race for the LOCAL chapter of the American Cancer Society, weekend of July 5th and 6th. This is a fee race with prizes. All fees collected will go to the local chapter of the American Cancer Society. MINIMUM entry fee is $25.00 but open your wallets wide and make as generous a donation as you can. If you are not racing, your donation will be gladly accepted as well!

Reminder: Port Supply orders go to our treasurer, Janet Dickinson (dancingnana@frontier.net). Save money on your West Marine wish list items and order through the club! You will save a little (maybe even a lot) and the club will get 5% of your order total. This revenue adds up over time and helps us to pay for our insurance and other club expenses.

If you haven’t renewed your membership in the club yet, it’s never too late! Again, contact Janet for information on membership.

If you have news for the blog, let Barbara and Bill Dodds know… thinairthinker@bresnan.net.

Interested in racing rules, handicapping, etc., check out the US Sailing Web site at:
www.ussailing.org.

Speaking of racing, a very big thanks goes out to Don Aarvold for sharing his extensive knowledge of race starts and tips on rigging for performance on Saturday evening before the dock party! Everyone enjoyed his talk on Saturday evening and we all learned a few new things. Do you have something that you could share with your fellow sailors? We are all ears….

Notice regarding all racing events

2008-06-10T14:55:00.001-06:00

This is a notice for all racing events. All racing is subject to USSA rules, modified as follows:

Protest are officially discouraged.
Courses will be announced at skipper’s meetings.
Unless other-wise announced, skipper’s meetings will be at 1:00pm on day of race; start will be at 2:00pm or when wind permits.
No skipper’s meetings for Beer Can Races.
Flags may be flown while racing.
All race starts will be on VHF 68
Start sequences will be 11:00 minute “boom”;
Followed by 10 minute “boom”;
Five minute “boom";
“boom” or go.

Unless otherwise announced, races start at 2:00pm. Any on-water event is followed by a raftup, dock party or beach party. Location will be determined via VHF.

Be sure to check the Blog or this spot for calendar changes, start times and other important information.

1st Annual Rum Run

2008-06-10T14:52:00.001-06:00

1st ANNUAL RUM RUN

June 28,2008

General Information:
• The entrance fee is 1 pint of Good Quality Run (Bad Quality- Bad Handicap)
• The Race Committee assigns Handicaps and Penalties as they wish.
• The Race Committee can assess penalties, as well as time awards for exceptional seamanship or costumes.
• Absolutely no motors can be used at any time for any reason.
• There will be a skippers meeting at the dock before the race. At such time, the Race Committee will go over the following rules to make sure everyone understands the rules. Skipper’s meeting @ 12:30 June 28th.

Rules:
• The race begins when boats anchor off the beach with sails down.
• The owner or 1 designated member of the crew rows, paddles or swims ashore with his/her entrance fee for the start of the race.
• The Race Committee deems the entry to be of good, poor or mediocre quality.
• The rum will be poured out into the “RUM KEG”.
• When the “gun” goes off, each designated crew must race past the rum keg and row, paddle or swim to their waiting yacht.
• ONLY when the sailors have made contact with the boat can the crew begin to hoist sails and pull anchor and sail off anchor.
• Sail the race course back to anchorage.
• Drop anchor and lower sails.
• ONLY then can the designated member row, paddle or swim to shore.
• The Designated member MUST have a cup in his/her hand or they will be sent back to the boat.
• The designated member, on reaching shore must find the Race Committee and drink a TOT of Rum.
• Upon finishing the rum, their time will be recorded.

This all will be followed by a beach party / raft up serving Rum Drinks as the Specialty of the House.

2008 Schedule

2008-05-27T20:34:00.008-06:00

San Jan Sailing Club Schedule for 2008

May 25, Saturday: Reverend Ted will bless the fleet at 11:00am at the Marina. Celebration to follow - POSTPONED.

June 1, Saturday: Celebration of Frank and Adele’s marriage. Lunch at the dock followed by informal racing and cruising with wedding guests. Blessing of the fleet by Reverend Ted.

June 4 Wednesday: Beer Can Races begin and will be held every Wednesday through August. Races start at 6:30 sharp! If you plan on racing, call the marina so we know who’s coming. This is a good opportunity for people looking to sail who don’t have a boat. Show up at the dock with the right provisions and you're bound to get a ride.

June 7-8: Saturday June 7th, Two Rivers Marina is hosting a dock party. When Neil and the gang decide to throw a party, it’s going to be good. SJSC will also host it’s first sailing clinic of the year. This clinic's focus will be on racing. Saturday evening over sundowners, we will have instructional discussion on starting, simple tactics and of course a few tricks. Sunday we will have experienced racers go out aboard other boats to demonstrate and practice racing
skills.

June 14-15: Saturday, San Juan Cup; Sunday Bass-ack-wards Race. The San Juan Cup is a non-triangular course with lots of running and reaching – great for cruisers just ask Fred. Fee of $15 applies; prizes awarded. The Bass Ack-wards on Sunday features a staggered start with slowest boats going first. No fee for this fun, cruiser race. No crowded start line, but if we do a good job handicapping, everyone should finish at the same time.

Saturday, June 21: Cleanup at the park. The SJSC will be doing a cleanup of the shoreline around the marina, dry storage, mooring cove and other areas on the Colorado end of the lake. The crew at the marina will be putting on a pancake breakfast at 9am as a kick off for the event. Everybody is encouraged to show support by helping keep the lake beautiful. If you plan to attend the pancake breakfast, please let Perry or Barbara Dodds know. If you want to eat, let us know!

Man Over Board event(MOB) postponed to weekend of July 12th.

Saturday, June 28: Rum Run This new event is designed for skill development and fun. We will meet at the dock at noon and go over the details of the event. The Rum Run is a race where one member from each boat starts ashore and has to row, paddle or swim back to their boat anchored off shore. The crew on the boat cannot raise the anchor or sails until the crew member from shore has touched the boat. The crew then raises the sails and sails off anchor around a buoy course. After completing the course, the boat sails back to the starting point, anchors, a crew member rows ashore, drinks a shot of rum and records their finish time. The event will be followed by a beach party at the anchorage. (No race fee for this event.)

Saturday/Sunday, July 5-6: Sandy Stahlecker Memorial Regatta - annual benefit for the local chapter of the American Cancer Society.
This is a fun two-day race series. We will try to run 2-3 short course races Saturday afternoon and one Sunday morning. The finishes from each race will be scored together to create a final score. If you do poorly in one race, you have a chance to do well in the next and as we have seen in the past, it makes for an exciting couple of days. This year we are hoping to create a pledge sheet for each racing boat to help increase the clubs overall donation. The MINIMUM race fee is $25with all proceeds going to the local chapter of the American Cancer Society). Donations from all club members - racers and non-racers - will be welcome.

Saturday, July 12th: Man Over Board (MOB) drills off-shore and onshore. We will discuss how/how not to retrieve crew members overboard while under sail. Sunday morning, we will practice these skills on the lake. More experienced sailors will accompany others aboard their boats to help facilitate practice of MOB maneuvers. This is good chance to practice this seldom practiced art.

Saturday, July 19: 2nd Annual Pirate Regatta...Pirates will be back again to harvest the bounty of Navajo. You pirates best be armed with tennis balls, water cannons and anything else needed to repel boarders. Pirate dress is strongly encouraged. Details of Pirate party are still being worked out, but until further notice the dock is ours! Arrgh!

Saturday/Sunday, August 2-3: The He-Man Race followed by La Jara Champagne Brunch on Sunday. Start for the He-man is 7:00am Saturday. This is a fee race with prizes. This is the ultimate race and a test of your marriage. Racing class racers (with or without spinnakers) will race down to the dam and back to La Jara Canyon. Cruising class racers will race only to La Jara Canyon.
More details about this event will be posted concerning eligibility and raft up location. All boats welcome for the raft up and brunch.

Saturday, August 9: National Marina Day. This year there will be an on the water boat show by Rich’s Marine. Sailing Club members are encouraged to have their boats tied to the dock to show people the beauty of a sailboat. We will also arrange rides for newbie’s to experience the thrill of sailing.

Saturday/Sunday, August 16-17: Cruising Commodores will be hosting “Jacks Cruise”. Grandsons are encouraged to attend. Location TBA.

Saturday/Sunday August 23-24: La Jara Canyon Cruise to include a morning cruise down the lake to La Jara Canyon for a raft up and fun social.

Saturday/Sunday, September 6-7: Francis Canyon Cruise. Perhaps one of the best cruises on the lake. Water is still warm but the summer crowds are gone. Plan to join us on this unforgettable cruise.

Sunday, September 14: Commodore's Cup. This will be the last organized race and event of the summer season.

Other events may be added to this calendar at anytime. check the blog: http://sanjuansailingclub.blogspot.com/ for updates.

This is a notice for all racing events. All racing is subject to USSA rules, modified as follows:

Protest are officially discouraged.
Courses will be announced at skipper’s meetings.
Unless other-wise announced, skipper’s meetings will be at 1:00pm on day of race; start will be at 2:00pm or when wind permits.
No skipper’s meetings for Beer Can Races.
Flags may be flown while racing.
All race starts will be on VHF 68
Start sequences will be 11:00 minute “boom”;
Followed by 10 minute “boom”;
Five minute “boom";
“boom” or go.

Unless otherwise announced, races start at 2:00pm. Any on-water event is followed by a raftup, dock party or beach party. Location will be determined via VHF.

Be sure to check the Blog or this spot for calendar changes, start times and other important information.

Newport to Ensenada -- by Buz Branch

2007-05-01T19:06:00.000-06:00

REPORT FROM MEXICO (ALMOST)

Hello fellow sailors,

Slowest race ever were the words for this year’s Newport to Ensenada. Booked as the biggest international yacht race in the world with sometimes over 650 yachts competing. Numbers were down at 455 racers this year. Wind predictions were for 0-4 knots right out of the south and held true. Now what could be more fun than going to windward in light air for possibly days? Brutal conditions prevailed with the wind on the nose the entire race.

Our crew of 5 on the Olson 30, SOUTHERN COMFORT, worked her to the max. My job this year was helmsman and ran things at night, big job as it is well known that the night fight is where this race is usually won or lost. We kept her moving and in the breeze, tacking back and forth, not a star or moon, not a windex light, totally by the feel of the breeze on your face. This might not sound very efficient but the Olson 30 is a high powered sport boat so any slight change in trim or helm is immediately felt. She has a narrow groove and so it’s fairly easy to keep her at full speed with an inch of helm either way. She will move at 5-6 knots in 4 knots of breeze. Visibility was zero with the rain, fog and pitch blackness.

My biggest worry was running into a navigation buoy or one of those 75 foot by 75 foot fish farms that are along the coast of Mexico (Unlit and floating via 50 gallon drums). I told my navigator to keep us no closer than 5 miles off the coast as there are large kelp beds that were thick several miles off shore. We were 50 miles from the finish line at 3 am when the skipper stuck his head out of the cabin and asked if I needed a break. ”Sure”, I said and went below. An hour later we hit the kelp that stopped us dead and it took an hour to get out. An hour lost with the kind of competition we faced usually meant last place. The skipper lost heart… I took over again and just after dawn the skipper made the decision to quit the race and head back to San Diego.

Turns out that by doing the math, we had less than 50 miles to go and 12 hours to do it as the 1st place guy didn’t finish till after 5pm and he owed us a bunch of time. The second place guy finished 5 hours later so it looks like we could have had second if not the first. (should of, could of) A lot can happen in 50 miles. We have trophied 6 out of the last seven years on this race -- always a second, never a first ... Maybe next year.

One thing is certain, we had a great team and it was the right decision to quit as another deciding factor was the boat yard that hauls us out for the trailer ride home would have been closed. It was either wait till Tuesday when they reopened or slog 18 hours north with a 2 hp Nissan outboard pushing a 30 foot boat. Sail home you say, well the winds were predicted to change ….again on the nose. Not a pretty prospect for an extremely tired crew.

So it was off to the San DiegoYacht Club where we called for a pick up from our shore crew already in Mexico. We had a nice lunch and I got to visit with Paul Calyard (A thrill for this hick from the sticks) as he is skipper of Americas Cup fame and Volvo round the world ocean race winner. As we sat resting, there must have been half the racing fleet come into the harbor -- even some of the Maxies and turbo sleds. We were in good company.

Well… That’s this years report from (almost) Mexico. See you on the water (not till end of June as Doubloon is in San Carlos where the Branch family will join her in a few weeks ).

Buz Branch

S/V DOUBLOON 5/1/07

This document can also be seen at REPORT FROM MEXICO.doc

Surviving a Twice Flipped Cat

2007-04-24T13:18:00.000-06:00

Check out this article submitted by Buz Branch!

It is about Tom and Stanna Galbraith's cat Paradox

Article on a Twice Flipped Catamaran

Thanks,

Fred Grimes

Info from the Commodore

2007-04-17T22:50:00.000-06:00

SJSC members:

There is a lot going on as we move into the sailing season. A few boats are already in the water, enjoying the more consistent winds of early spring. Hope to see you all on the water at the May 5 group launch.

Buz Branch forwarded info about former members Tom and Stanna Galbraith, who are on this list. Buz, thanks so much for letting all of us know that Tom and Stanna are OK. This is really scary. Tom and Stanna were rescued after their catamaran was capsized off of Florida on a passage from Isla Mujeres, Mexico. According to the press release, they were rescued after about 24 hours in the water, thanks to their EPIRB:

Coast Guard Rescues 2 From Capsized Catamaran
**Video Available

TAMPA, Fla. - A Coast Guard Air Station Clear water rescue helicopter crew from Clearwater, Fla., hoisted two people from a capsized catamaran approximately 175 miles southwest of Tampa, Fla., at about 9 p.m. yesterday.

Thomas Galbraith, 60, and his wife Stanna Galbraith, 58, both of Durango, Colo., were sailing from Isla Mujeres, Mexico, to Anclote, Fla., a when their 35-foot catamaran, Paradox, hit a squall and capsized. Salt water activated the Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) on board the vessel giving the vessel's location. The Coast Guard's Seventh District Command Center in Miami received the signal and launched an Air Station Clearwater C-130 search plane at about 5 p.m. yesterday at to locate the distressed boaters.

The search plane found the capsized vessel at about 6 p.m. and flew overhead until the rescue helicopter could get on scene to hoist the couple.

The rescue helicopter crew arrived on scene at 8:25 p.m. and hoisted the couple into the helicopter. The helicopter arrived safely at Air Station Clearwater at a about 11 p.m. yesterday.

No injuries were reported and the couple refused treatment.

**Editor's note: Video of this case can be picked up at Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater's front gate at 15100 Rescue Way in Clearwater, Fla. Interviews are not available.**

###

The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the
Department of Homeland Security dedicated to protecting the safety and security of America.

Preliminary reports are that the boat was a total loss, but the Galbraiths are OK. Tom & Stanna, all of us wish you well.

The next time you hear about the Coast Guard and alleged Gestapo tactics, please remember that the USCG is there for all of us. Janet will order the video for the Club.

On a less somber note: Additions to the proposed SJSCschedule for this season. We forgot the club service project, a shore cleanup. Date TBA, but probably July. We have run this past Neal Dennis, and he says go for it. This is the marine version of "Adopt a Highway"--we'll each adopt a piece of shoreline, dinghy ashore, and pick up all the junk on the shore.

Also: USCG Auxiliary asks for our assistance in a sailing class. Neal is trying to firm up dates. First proposal is June 2, other dates TBA.

And about working in the storage yard:

Please be considerate of your neighbors when working on your boat in dry storage (or at the dock, for that matter). We narrowly averted a disaster this weekend.

A houseboat owner, whose boat was next to ours, was having the pontoons on the houseboat redone. We came down this weekend to work on the boat and found this black grit all over the deck (Bill Dodds had it too). The owner arrived shortly thereafter, and we were talking about boat projects. The mystery of the black grit was quickly solved-he had hired a guy to sand blast the pontoons and paint them with a two-part epoxy. (BTW, I know the owner, he's a thoroughly good guy, and I'm sure he had no idea about the impending disaster.) The black grit was the media used to sand blast the pontoons, which apparently was blown onto the adjacent boats. It was in every crack and crevice but hey, it will wash off. His contractor was using a professional sand blasting outfit, with a compressor/trailer, big hopper, heavy hoses, etc.

The next AM we were down working on the boat, and I went over to chat with the owner. I had noticed that one pontoon had been partially brush painted the previous evening and mentioned it. He told me his contractor had intended to spray it but his sprayer broke, and he didn't want to waste the epoxy, so he put on as much as he could with a brush!

Spraying any paint in the dry storage would be a complete disaster. But an epoxy is even worse--the paint takes up to two hours to dry--once atomized, it could drift all over the yard. Every boat would get a new paint job, whether it wanted it or not!

I showed my friend the sand blast media all over the deck, and he was appalled. He immediately realized the problem, contacted his contractor, and told him he had to roll the paint, which he did (but he didn't seem really thrilled about having to do so).

I'm really worried about the possibility that someone else might try this. Several boat owners talked to the contractor (sorry, I don't know his name) about doing their boats. The sand blasting is a horrible nuisance, but spray painting, especially with a slow-drying epoxy, would be an unqualified disaster.

Neal Dennis says he will make sure that all owners know that spray painting is not allowed and will police the yard to prevent a reoccurrence of this problem. We also have talked about a designated wash/sanding area, but it is still in the works.

I let Don Aarvold know that a houseboat owner next to "Nighthawk" had arranged to have his pontoons done. He went down today and found that his boat too had a generous helping of sand blasting crud. He has talked to both Neal and the park rangers, who have told him that they will stop any further sand blasting or spray painting in the storage yard.

When I sanded for the last bottom paint job, I moved the boat out of the yard, put down drop cloths, and picked up as much of the residue as I could. In the yard, I've sanded (lightly, with a dust collection vacuum on the sander), painted, waxed, varnished, etc. (And I don't think I've ever painted my neighbor's boat!) Before you start that industrial grade project, please be considerate of your neighbors--move the boat out of the yard to an isolated area.

And if you see someone getting ready to try a huge project which is going to trash the adjacent boats--please talk to the owner and contact Neal or the park ranger.

Here's hoping that your boat projects aren't nearly as much of a disaster! See ya on the water!

David Dickinson
Commodore

P.S. More to follow re annual meeting and schedule. Watch this space!

April 12th Board Meeting Minutes

2007-04-14T13:56:00.000-06:00

A Board Meeting was held at Lady Falconburgh's on April 12, 2007

Attendees: Frank Weis, Kari and Perry Pepper, Buz Branch, David and Janet, Bill Dodds, Jeff Willis, Fred Grimes, Wes Hartman, Nick Mavrotheri

May 5: Launch day and noon potluck

June 2: Blessing of the Fleet @ 3:00 and then Potluck at 6:00

June 9: La Jara Cruise

June 23: San Juan Cup

June 30: Full moon cruise

July 4th Boat Parade and Holiday Party on Janson's house boat. This will be held on the day of the fireworks.

July 14: He-Man

July 28: Pirate Regatta and Greek Pirate's Lamb Roast

July 29: Sunday Morning Brunch in Pirate's Cove, Pirate attack on the Marina

August 11: Race to La Jara

August 25: Stahlecker Cup

August 26: Progressive breakfast and awards

September 9: Frances Canyon Cruise

September 15: Commodore's Cup

Pirate Regatta Basic Idea: Select a pirate ship by lottery between the club's fastest boats. When the starting gun goes off, the Jolly Roger goes up. The object is for the pirate ship to get a tennis ball in another boat's cockpit. Then that boat becomes the pirate ship with the same mission. Participants should bring tennis balls and a Jolly Roger. The last boat to be a pirate boat wins.

The Stahlecker Cup trophy wheel has enough places for 8 more plates. We decided that after these are filled the trophy will be retired.

The Dinghy dock on the main boat ramp is owned by the SJSC -- 2 sections. We are still trying to move it to the mooring cove.

Beer can races will be held on 06/06, 06/20, 07/11, 07/25, 08/08, 08/22

We need a rotisserie grill for Pirates Regatta. Fred will e-mail the club members to see if there is anyone that has a bar-b-que type rotisserie for roasting a lamb. Nick is considering having one built, maybe Joe Janson will build one, club members may have one, or we could probably rent from Durango Party Rentals..

2007 Registration Form Online

2007-03-11T11:07:00.000-06:00

You can view and print the 2007 Registration Form at:

2007 SJSC Registration Form

Please bring the form and dues to the Annual Meeting or mail to Janet at the address shown at the bottom of the form.

Thanks,

Fred Grimes
Secretary

Annual Meeting -- 03/17/07

2007-03-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

Annual Meeting will be March 17, 2007, at 6:00 p.m at Joe and Vickie Janson's off CR 502--driving directions below. Bring your St.Patty's Day finery. Potluck and BYOB.

Please call Vickie to RSVP and let her know what dish you would like to bring. When Joe & I e-mailed about menu, our first reaction was that it would be sorta fun if everyone brought desserts, but on second thought, maybe that's not such a good idea!

Please bring your 2007 dues, ideas for calendar or activities, and nominees for officers.

We'll also discuss a club service project. One possibility--a shore cleanup day. Instead of adopting a road, each boat adopts 1/2 mile of shoreline. Anchor off, take your dinghy, and haul out all the junk and trash accumulated from our careless boating brethren. (And admit it--we may have lost an item or two over the side on occasion too!) It's sad but true--while we would like to think that boaters are more ecologically responsible than your average bear, it ain't necessarily so. Those of you who participated in the great cove cleanup the year the water went away will agree. Batteries, duct work, batteries, freezers, and an engine block or two? And remember the huge circle of beer cans around one mooring? Odd that it was about 70' in radius. I leave you to draw your own conclusions.

Here are driving directions to Jansons' house:

David
It's always simpler and so straight forward to bring first time visitors here from Bayfield. If anyone wants to know the other two ways we'd be happy to give those directions to those who want them.
Thanks, Vickie

308 Highview Rd., Bayfield, CO 81122

From Durango take Hwy 160 towards Bayfield.

Continue through Gem Village.

After passing under the pipe over the road and before the Los Pinos River, turn left on CR 502.

Go approximately 7.8 miles

(Be sure to turn left when the pavement ends to keep you on CR 502).

Turn left on CR 503 (Homestead Ranches Subdivision entrance)

Make immediate right turn up the hill on Highview Rd. (shows on map as C.R. 503A).

1st driveway on the left.

Janson sign is posted on the tree as well as #308 and butterflies.

She's right about that route being easier--we found that out one night dragging our boat trailer, the big one, around with the Suzuki in the rain!

But you can also get there via C.R. 223, 228, and 502. Tricky parts of going that way are where 223 and 228 cross and the wye intersection of 228 and 502 (turn right onto 502).

Map is available at MapQuest Directions To Janson's

(If link doesn't work, just go to MapQuest.com and type in the address).

David Dickinson
Commodore

Marina Update

2007-02-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Neal Dennis tells us of the following happenings (or about to be happenings) at the Two Rivers Marina:

By the end of April, the extension of water and electricity to the dock extension should be complete.
The gas dock should be sporting a new canopy.
The Boston Whaler work boat is due for some spiffing up with new buckets seats, cushions and a bimini top to keep our best customers KOOL
Two playgrounds in the park area for the benefit of the younger patrons

With the report of zebra mussels (and variations of this species) in Lakes Meade and Powell, the urgency of having a wash station for boats and trailers has moved to the forefront and funding is being checked on.

Lastly, Neal is looking for someone willing to live aboard their boat in the mooring cove for the summer season. He is offering free mooring as well as a park pass. Contact Neil for more information.

Fred Grimes for Bill Dodds

"La Brisa" and Port Supply Orders

2007-02-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a gorgeous pic of Richard and Tudie's (sp?) new boat, La Brisa, along with some info about the Mason 43.

Richard Taylor wrote:

It is a Mason 43 Hull#1, 1979. Tom Galbraith had the same
model only Hull#5. It is also the same model as the boat
used in the last scene of Romancing The Stone. We were
seduced by the extra room below. We like some things
better on the Cheoy Lee, but over all the Mason will work
better for us. Some of the upgrades that we did on the
Cheoy Lee will have to be done again, such as solar
panels, wind generator, and Monitor wind vane. Here is
some info from the listing sheet:

Builder/Designer
Builder: Mason Designer: Al Mason

Dimensions
LOA: 43'10" LWL: 31'9" Beam: 12'4"
Displacement: 27,400 lbs. Draft: 6'5" Ballast: 9,400 lbs.
(lead)
Engines
Engine(s): Perkins Engine(s) HP: 50 Engine Model: 4-108
Hours: 1000 Cruising Speed: 5 kts. @
1,900
Tankage
Fuel: 80 gal. Water: 200 gal. (SS tanks) Holding: Unknown
Accommodations
These semi-custom boats are well-known for beautiful
joinery, and La Brisa is no exception. Lots of
livable, cruisable room, and storage everywhere! The
forward stateroom has an expandable pullman
berth to port and locker/drawer storage below and to
starboard. Aft and to port is the head with shower,
hanging locker to starboard. The salon features a dinette
(converts to a double) to port and settee to
starboard, all freshly reupholstered. The U-shaped galley
is aft and to port. The aft-facing nav station is
to starboard, with a unique bulkhead for protection from
spray and wet foulies. Aft is the master
stateroom with large double berth to port and starboard
single berth/settee.

Port Supply Orders

And for all of our members--Port Supply has its annual spring discount
sale on. Get 5% off your order. You have to get your order to us by
e-mail, fax, carrier pigeon or pony express no later than March 21, 2007 to get in on this deal! As of this writing, I'm not aware of any
exclusions, but in the past, things like electronics and inflatables
haven't been eligible for the discount, so no guarantees! If you send
in a PS order, please let us know if you are willing to wait until we
collect all the orders that want the discount. We need at least a $500
order.

David Dickinson
Commodore

The Mussels are Coming!

2007-01-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

The Durango Herald recently ran an article about zebra and quagga mussels, which infest the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway and have now been found in Lakes Mead, Mojave and Havasu.

Durango Herald Article Mussel Power

Other links:
http://www.protectyourwaters.net/
http://www.100thmeridian.org/

Bill has talked to Neal Dennis about a wash station, which looks a little more critical based on the mussel threat--his update to follow.

David Dickinson
Commodore

Minutes of Jan. 25 board meeting:

2007-01-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Present: Randy Waslien & Kristen Nelson, Joe & Vickie Janson, Perry
Pepper, Bill & Barbara Dodds, David & Janet Dickinson.

Annual Meeting will be March 17, 2007, at 6:00 p.m at Joe and Vickie
Janson's off CR 502--driving directions to follow. Bring your St.
Patty's Day finery Potluck, BYOB. Details to follow.

We'll have an update within the next week on plans for the lake and
marina this summer.

We'll talk about a calendar for this summer at the annual meeting, but here are some preliminary dates:

May 5--Launch Day.

June 2--Opening Day Regatta.

And watch this space for the Pirate Regatta!

Thanks to Buz and Bev for some info on the lake:

We went sailing yesterday and no boats are sunk, ice blocks the ramp at the south side of the docks behind the store and there is excellent cell service now all over the lake and mooring cove.

See ya on the water (snow at present!)

David Dickinson
Commodore

Great work by Kristen! SJSC Logo'd Items For Sale!

2006-11-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

HERE YE - HERE YE

The San Juan Sailing Club Web Site is OPEN for business--

Just in time for the holidays.

www.cafepress.com/sanjuansailing

There are T-shirts for kids, dogs & adults – long and short sleeves.

There are hats, tote’s aprons, coaster, clocks, pillows, mugs and more.

There is personalized club calendar with a collage of pictures for each month.

The base price up by 15% - all proceeds go directly to the club.

Currently all items have one of three different logo’s.

Kate Gales created them – Kari Pepper did a water coloring for Kate’s circle logo.

Most items have WORDS on the front:

Or:

And a Logo on the back.

When you go onto the web site, make sure to click on the item to see what is on the Front & Back of the item you are ordering (not all items have back).

Check out the Wall Calendar by clicking on that item and looking at the pictures for each month. They are pictures of people in the club from sailing this summer.

NOW – the good news is this is a dynamic Web Site where we can continuously add new pictures & items – all we need is the ideas and art work.

Here are some options to consider right now:

Say you find an item you like, but you want to personalize it. Put the name of your boat on the T-shirt or Hat. Maybe you'd like a picture you took this summer on the front or back of an item.

IF you send me a request letting me know

1. What words you want (the color and font also)

2. What logo you want / or / send me your picture

3. What item you want created for you.

4. Where you want the words or picture.

I will make it up for you as quickly as I can and let you know when it is available for order.

One warning though – I (Kristen) will be on the road in the RV for the month of November. I may not be able to make personal requests till we get back December 1^st.

Let me, Kristen, know if you have any questions Huckwagon@aol.com

Have fun

Kristen

Buz's Tips -- Things To Do At Haulout -- Winter Battery Storage, Winterization Checklist, Keel Bolt Torques and Maintaining Brass Seacocks

2006-10-20T14:09:00.000-06:00

Hello sailing friends ,

Don Arvold asked me to find some info on tightening keelbolts and the torque settings which I had recently done on DOUBLOON. Here is the info I came up with . During the search ,I came up with a few articles that should interest all you folks that are pulling boats this next weekend for the winter lay-up. best regards ,

Buz Branch ,

S/V DOUBLOON

Winter Battery Storage

Prior to placing batteries into winter storage make certain the electrolyte level is approximately 1.2" (13mm) above the top of the separators. The electrolyte level in very cold batteries will be lower than normal, so let batteries warm to a normal temperature before judging electrolyte levels. Once the electrolyte level is correct ensure that the batteries are fully charged. Ensure that the battery tops are clean and dry.

Now the choice is whether to leave the batteries aboard your boat or remove and store in a cool dry area. If the batteries are stored aboard the boat, disconnect the terminal cables. This will prevent premature discharge of the batteries due to a ground in the electrical circuits or failure to turn a piece of electrical equipment off.

If the batteries become discharged, the electrolyte can freeze when stored below +20 o F (70oC). Below shows temperatures at which electrolyte, in various states of charge, starts to freeze.

Specific Gravity(cor.to 80oF/26C)Freezing Temp

1.280 Spec. Grav.(cor.to 80oF/26C)-92F (-69C)

1.265 Spec. Grav.(cor.to 80oF/26C)-72.3F (-57.4C)

1.250 Spec Grav.(cor.to 80oF/26C)-62F (-52.2C)

1.200 Spec Grav.(cor.to 80oF/26C)-16F (-26.7C)

1.150 Spec. Grav.(cor.to 80oF/26C)+5F (-15C)

1.100 Spec. Grav.(cor.to 80oF/26C)+19F (-7.2C)

A 3/4 charged battery is in no danger of freezing. Therefore, batteries should be kept at least 3/4 charged, especially during winter weather.

The frequency of checking batteries depends greatly on temperature. The effect of temperature on self discharge for the average fully charged, new, conventional battery in good condition is approximately as follows:

At 100oF (37.8oC) .0025 Sp.Gr. per day

At 80oF (26.7oC) .001 Sp.Gr. per day

At 50oF (10oC) .0003 Sp. Gr. per day

A fully charged battery stored at 80oF (26.7oC) will take 30 days before it self-discharges 25 percent. At 50oF (10oC) the time period increases to 100 days.

This will give you an idea of how often a battery should be checked.

Some makes of batteries will have a higher and some a lower rate of self-discharge. This depends on the method of manufacture and purity of materials used.

Winterizing Checklist

The following checklist for laying up your boat is adapted from Nigel Calders invaluable Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual (Model 420323).

Change the engine oil, transmission oil and antifreeze.
Drain the raw water system, taking particular care to empty all low spots. Remove rubber pump impellers, lightly grease with petroleum jelly and replace. Leave the pump cover screws loose so that impellers wont stick in the pump housings. Run the engine for a few seconds to drive any remaining water out of the exhaust. Wash salt crystals out of any vented loops.
Check the primary fuel filter and fuel tank for water and sediment. Keep a diesel tank full to cut down on condensation.
Squirt some oil into the inlet manifold and turn the engine over a few times (without starting) to spread the oil over cylinder walls.
Grease all grease points.
Remove the inner wires of all engine control cables from their outer sheaths; clean, inspect, grease, and replace. Check the sheathing.
Seal all openings into the engine (e.g., air, inlet, exhaust) and the fuel tank vent. Put a conspicuous notice somewhere so you remember to unseal everything at the start of next season.
Inspect all hoses for signs of softening, cracking and/or bulging.
If hauling out: Check for propeller blade misalignment and Cutlass bearing wear; tighten any strut mounting bolts; inspect stainless steel prop shafts for crevice corrosion; remove prop nut to check under it.

Batteries

Bring to a full charge. Equalize flooded batteries. Top up. Clean the battery tops. Unless the batteries are being properly float charged (via a solar panel or battery charger with float regulation) remove from the boat and store in a cool, dry place. Bring flooded batteries to a full charge once a month.

Electronics and Electrical Circuits

Remove electronic equipment to a warm, dry place.
Clean corrosion off all electrical terminals and connections and protect with petroleum jelly or a shot of WD-40 or other moisture-dispelling aerosol. Pay attention to all external outlets, especially the AC shorepower socket.

Toilets

Drain and/or pump system with 30% to 50% antifreeze. Break loose the discharge hose and check for calcification. Wash out vented loops.

Freshwater Systems

Pump out and clean tanks. Drain system and/or pump through a 30% to 50% propylene glycol antifreeze solution. Use a water heater bypass, if applicable. Inspect pumps (especially vane and flexible impeller types) for wear. Remove flexible impellers, lightly grease (with a Teflon-based grease), and reinstall.

Stuffing Boxes

If hauling out, repack. If wintering in the water, tighten down to stop any drip. Be sure to loosen before reusing the propeller or the shaft will overheat.

Seacocks

If hauling out, pull and grease all seacock plugs if possible. Dismantle and grease gate valves. If wintering in the water, close seacocks (except cockpit drains) and closely inspect cockpit drain hoses and clamps.

Stoves

Drain a little fuel from kerosene and/or alcohol tanks and check for water and contaminants. Close LPG or CNG gas valves at the cylinder. Renew filaments on filament-type igniters at least every two years.

Steering

Cable steering: Remove cables from conduits, then clean, inspect, grease, and replace them. Also, check sheave mountings and clean, inspect, and lubricate cable ends. Rack-and-pinion steering: Remove top plate and input socket screws; clean, grease and replace. Hydraulic steering: Top off fluid and check all seals and hoses for leaks and/or damage.

Compasses

Remove all oil filled compasses from the boat and store in warm environment.

Keel Bolt Torques

KEEL BOLT TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS

MODEL SIZE	BOLT DIAMETER	FOOT POUNDS	SOCKET NUT
MEGA ONLY	3/4"	90	1-1/8"
C&C 40	1-1/4"	450	1-7/8"
ALL OTHER	1/2"	80	3/4"
MODELS	3/4"	250	1-1/8"
	1"	350	1-1/2"

Maintaining Bronze Seacocks

Sturdy bronze seacocks may look like impenetrable lumps of metal down in the bilge, but they are actually finely machined valves that must be lubricated periodically to prevent the tight-fitting surfaces from "freezing" mechanically. Many skippers, unfortunately, tend to forego the recommended inspections in favor of a somewhat less rigorous maintenance philosophy: "Out of sight, out of mind." The results are predictable. A poll of marine surveyors found that almost 42% of the bronze seacocks they inspected were mechanically frozen, either open or shut.

Question: How do these negligent skippers close thru-hulls in an emergency or when they will be away from the boat for extended periods? Answer: They don't.

Claim #911273. "During a period of heavy November rains, the vessel took on water. It should be noted that the vessel was not fitted with an automatic bilge pump. Although the head intake and discharge valves were fitted with seacocks, they appeared to be inoperable. With the valve in the open position and in conjunction with the heavy rains in this area, the vessel took on water to the point where the head back-siphoned into the hull and the vessel sank."

The first line of defense against flooded heads, burst hoses, and many other dockside calamities is an operable seacock. A 1 1/2" hole in the hull will admit 71 gallons of water a minute into the boat, which will quickly overcome a bilge pump. The good news, at least for skippers of boats with frozen bronze seacocks, is that a stuck seacock can probably be rejuvenated fairly easily. And if the seacock is already in good operating condition, it can be kept that way with only a few dabs of waterproof grease every spring. All you'll need is a wrench, a wood mallet, kerosene, an emery cloth, waterproof grease, and a few cotton rags. For a badly frozen seacock, you may also need a pipe that fits over the end of the adjustable wrench. And if the drum is badly scratched, you'll need a valve grinding compound.

Disassembling the Seacock

With the boat out of the water, remove the large nuts at the end of the barrel (opposite the handle) and tap the stem lightly with the wood mallet until the barrel is loosened. (If all you have is a metal hammer, use a block of wood to absorb the blow.) Resist the temptation to clobber the stem, as this could damage or bend the threads. If tapping fails to dislodge a stubborn drum, you can reassemble the seacock and use a large wrench (not the bronze handle) at the end of a long pipe to get sufficient leverage to loosen the drum. You can also try tapping the wrench or pipe with the hammer. Be forewarned, however, that unless the seacock has a wide, flanged body that sits on a backing block (contoured and bolted snugly against the hull), you run the risk of seriously damaging the fiberglass. It would be wise to replace the seacock with one that is properly flanged and backed (see diagram).

Lubricating

Once the drum is removed, use the kerosene and rags to clean salt, old grease, gunk, etc., from the drum and seacock passageways. Scratches and roughness, if any, should be smoothed with the emery cloth. Deep scratches can be smoothed by spreading a valve-grinding compound evenly on both the drum and the interior of the seacock. The grinding can be done by reassembling the seacock and moving the handle back and forth a few times. Too much grinding may do more harm than good. After grinding, use the emery cloth to smooth the drum. As an alternative to emery cloth, you can use wet sandpaper, starting at 220 grit and going to a finer 600 grit paper.

Once the drum is reasonably smooth (slight scratches and pitting can be tolerated), you should clean the surfaces again with kerosene and then wipe on the waterproof grease. Teflon is also acceptable. Be liberal; the grease not only keeps the drum limber, it also helps prevent leaking.

To reassemble, tighten the nuts sufficiently so that the seacock will still be operable but the drum won't be loosened by vibration. Make sure two stainless steel hose clamps are used to secure on the hose. Finally, a soft wood plug tied next to the seacock is excellent insurance against an unexpected catastrophe.

Greasing without Hauling

Between annual inspections, a grease (zerc) fitting screwed temporarily into the seacock's drain hole will allow you to lubricate the drum with a grease gun while the boat is still in the water. This should be done with the seacock open, or the grease will just empty into the hole. A grease fitting that will fit the drain hole (typically 1/8") can usually be found at an auto supply store.

Defining a Proper Seacock

All thru-hulls below or near the waterline must have a valve that can be closed in an emergency or when the boat will be left unattended for more than a few days. Traditional bronze seacocks are acceptable, but gate valves and many plastic thru-hulls should not be used at thru-hulls below the waterline.

Gate valves have internal parts that deteriorate and snap off. And unlike a seacock, which has a handle that is clearly open or closed ("positive action"), a gate valve's wheel may or may not be closed. Even turning the wheel will not confirm that the valve is closed. The internal mechanism could have become jammed open by debris, for example, but feel as though it had been closed.

Plastic seacocks are brittle and can be easily broken by an errant foot or a stowed anchor. The exception is Marelon thru-hulls, which are made of glass-reinforced plastic and are acceptable for thru-hull installations below the waterline. Marelon seacocks have been tested (most sizes) and approved by Underwriters Laboratories. While probably not as prone to mechanical freezing as their bronze counterparts, Marelon seacocks must also be taken apart, inspected, and lubricated periodically.

Finally, some boat builders have recently been installing ball-type bronze seacocks that use a Teflon-coated ball (either plastic or stainless steel) instead of traditional tapered drums. These newer valves are acceptable, especially if they have a flanged base and are mounted on a backing block. The ball valves are not inclined to mechanical freezing, but the models that can be taken apart (some can't) should be inspected occasionally to make sure they haven't become clogged by debris.

Buz's Race - Catalina Island Series

2006-10-18T09:46:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone , I had the pleasure of racing this past weekend. It was final race of the Catalina Island series(14 seperate races during 2006 with 3 throw outs) The Boat ,an OLson 30 ,SOUTHERN COMFORT XL (same boat I have been crewing on the past 8 years) We were tied for 1st for the series going into this race and needed to win both going out to Catalina and the race back .Check out the attached pics. Pic #1 is of the famous yacht MERLIN trying to pass us which she eventually did but only after the wind went aft and she was able to unroll that huge code zero spinnaker that you see rolled up on her headstay. In spite of her canting keel and all pro crew ,we still beat her on corrected time as we did all competitors on race 2, The other pics are of a "one design 48" that never did pass us. Notice crew of 12 on her .Race 1 was not our conditions with wind on the nose almost the whole race and we took 6th which gave us second place overall for the series Great fun! The island was hopping with "Buchaneer days" (a bunch of folks dressed as pirates and wenches , crazy with grog) Our crew was serious about winning race 2 and hit the bunks by 10pm. It is alot of satisfaction working together as a team, especially when the wind gets wild , you've already gone turbo , the skipper calls for the "womper" and you change from one chute to that big chute on the fly while planing at 14-18 knots of boat speed . As the spin trimmer, My mind screamed "oh no ,not the womper...it's already scary"Talk about staying focused and on the edge...see ya on the water.

Below is an e-mail our captain wrote about the race.

Buz Branch

S/V DOUBLOON

One other thing - We had the lowest corrected time on Sunday's race for
ALL classes. We beat the faster boats, we beat the slower boats.

> _____________________________________________
> From: Price, Cole J
> Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2006 2:10 PM
> To: Mike Price; Buz Branch
> Subject: Catalina Island Series 2006 Race Results
>
> Hi Guys & Gals,
>
> We took 6th out of 12 boats going out to the island on Saturday. By
> flying our spinnaker, we picked off 2 boats on corrected time,
> including the Nat'l Champ Schock 35 Whiplash! That ain't bad
> considering that we were going to windward which is not our direction
> to sail to our rating. The only boats that beat us ranged in length
> from 39 to 44 feet - it was a big boat day. Notwithstanding that, we
> finished boat for boat in front of a J35, J105, and a Soverel 33 - all
> of whom owed us time. Not bad!
>
> Then on Sunday, we got a good start, the jib and main trimming was
> awesome (excellent job Jarred, Derrick - aka Tiny Trim and Jazzy, with
> great coaching from Buz). We made all the right moves tactically,
> steering right down the rumbline. The call to hoist the chute that
> Mike and Buz made (chute first, ask questions later) was at precisely
> the right time. We went turbo with Buz's great spinn trimming (he was
> spot on this weekend on his spinn trim) and reeled in the J105 who was
> probably ahead of us on corrected time when we hoisted. We ended up
> beating the J105 by only 39 seconds and the third place boat by 57
> seconds. So, after 23.1 miles, we were 39 seconds out of second and
> 57 seconds out of third. That's why we have to be flawless - no
> pressure. One small mistake and they would have corrected over us.
> We did great against the J105 given that we never got lifted enough to
> pole back the spinnaker to drive deep downwind which is what we need
> to gain an advantage over the J105. When the wind is forward like it
> was, they have a significant advantage over us. Had the J105 nailed
> the start (like we did) and not had to drive way up to the left to
> keep their air clean, they probably would have corrected over us.
> But, they didn't - we out sailed them and they're a very good team.
>
> Because Gator beat us on Saturday, they took 1st in the series (with 9
> points) and we took second (with 16 points). Third place had 28
> points, so Gator and Southern Comfort were way out in front. All in
> all, I think that we did very well. As this young and inexperienced
> team becomes seasoned, we're going to be a threat every time that we
> show up to race. You may view the race results at the following
> websites:
>
> Results 1
>
> Results 2
>
> Check out this video which shows what boats looks like when they're
> planing (most boats don't plane, yet all of you have had the
> experience which many seasoned crew have never had):
>
> http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/media/06/1002/
>
> Great job guys and gals!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Cole

Tiki Bar Christmas Party

2006-10-17T12:25:00.000-06:00

San Juan Sailing Club’s
Tiki Bar
Christmas Party

When: Saturday, December 9, 2006 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: 194 South Fork Road
Durango, CO

Rafter J

Hosts: Randy and Kristen

Again, no steel band, but we will have Jimmy on the stereo and pictures of the SJSC on the TV. (Please send me NOW – huckwagon@aol.com – your favorite summer pictures to be included in the video show!) Dress in your favorite Jimmy Buffet attire and join us for our annual Christmas celebration.

As we have done for the past couple of years–please join us in helping those less fortunate. Bring can goods or other non-perishable food items or a new, unwrapped toy. We’ll have a collection box on the front porch. All contributions will go to Project Merry Christmas.

Club will provide eating utensils–

Dickinsons a smoked turkey & Gravey
Randy & Kristen will have Mashed Potatoes & Green Chili Squash
Sailors bring your favorite Christmas Dish for 10-12 people.
BYOB or non-alcoholic beverages if you prefer.

R.S.V.P. to Kristen at Huckwagon@aol.com or call us at 375-2747 or 749-8795. The early callers get their choice of menu items!

All SJSC members welcome! Please extend an invitation to anyone who is interested in sailing.

Gift exchange is same as last year--presents must be wrapped so you cannot tell what the gift is. Make the sail ties look like a Parcheesi board! You get to trade for the same number of gifts you bring. You bring one, you have 1 trade. You bring 2, you get to go for 2 and so on. Limit $15 per gift.

Merry Christmas to you and yours, and may the New Year bring you fair winds and smooth sailing.

Randy Waslien & Kristen Nielsen
Cruising Commodores

Mexican Potluck Cancelled; Haulout Oct. 28.

2006-10-11T10:58:00.000-06:00

All--

We have a Mexican Potluck scheduled for this weekend (10-14), but lots
fewer people are coming to the lake, and the weather Saturday looks
very iffy. The Admiral (Mrs. Commodore) has volunteered to host this
as a mid winter event after the first of the year.

So--let's postpone it for now and plan on a get-together (off the water,
of course) sometime in January or February.

Haulout Oct. 28 is still on, with a potluck for lunch (no potluck in
the evening, a very tentative plan for that fell through).   We will
bring a pressure washer and set it up in the parking lot. I think the
park is going to make its washer available, too.    It's lots easier to
get the crud off the bottom at haulout than to wait till its hard and
crusty next spring.   Last year, we hauled and washed down 13 boats. If
you plan on hauling the boat home, there's help available to take down
the rig, too.

Don't forget the RV antifreeze for the head and water systems, plus
engine antifreeze if you have an inboard.

David Dickinson
Commodore

Poker Run & Commodore's Cup

2006-09-21T11:09:00.000-06:00

All--

Summer is drawing to a close, and fall is apparently arriving early this year!! It's time for heaters on the boat, and it looks as though swimming is over, unless you're a charter member of the polar bear club.   The lee cloths are going on Windrose this weekend!

The good news is that fall at the lake can have some beautiful, if cool, weather, with more consistent wind than the fluky winds of summer, and the sailors and fishermen pretty much have the lake to themselves.

But back to our coming events:

Poker Run is scheduled for Saturday 9/23. Forecast is a bit of a jump ball--cool but mostly sunny. High of 56 degrees and lows in the upper 20's, chance of precip pretty low. Sunday is warmer, high forecast to be in mid '60's. Watch this space for the call on the Poker Run. If weather for Saturday deteriorates, we may cancel or move to Sunday.    Please RSVP if you are planning to come to the lake.

For the uninitiated, here's how a Poker Run works. It's not a race--you can motor, row, or whatever. Entry fee is $5 per person. Five decks of cards are taped to various buoys or other spots around the lake. You go to each of the destinations and draw one card from the deck. (If each member of your crew has entered, each one gets to draw a card.)    Honor system applies--one card, no fair peeking! Everyone returns to the dock or raftup--highest poker hand wins the pot. (If you draw 2 3's of spades, that counts as a pair or a flush.)   Meet on the dock at 11:00 (time subject to change). Raft-up or dinner at the dock TBA.

We'll hope the weather moderates for next weekend for the Commodore's Cup Sat. 9/30--our first ever. Format will be similar to the Stahlecker Cup--2 or 3 short races.   Race committee reserves the right to restrict this to jibs only (no spinnakers). Skipper's meeting on the dock at noon. This will be our last on the water event this year. Even if you don't want to race--we'll shoot for a great after-race dinner on the dock or a raft-up.

Thanks to all who participated in all our events.  Hope to see you all at the lake at least once more this year. Watch this page for reports on the He-Man, La Jara, and Frances Canyon races and cruises.

David Dickinson
Commodore

Board Meeting

2006-08-31T19:19:00.000-06:00

We had a board meeting today at the Palace.

Those in attendance were: David and Janet, Bill and Barb, Randy and Kristen, Wes, Buz and Fred.

Janet noted that we raised $380 for the American Cancer Society from the Sandy Stahlecker Memorial Regatta.

David said he will follow up on moving the dinghy dock over to the mooring cove.

The rest of the meeting focused on the schedule of upcoming events.

September 9th and 10th: Francis Canyon Moonlight Cruise.

September 23rd: Poker Run. This will be run by David and Janet. There will be a $5 entry fee with the winner collecting the entry fee pot. Meet at noon at the dock.

September 30th: Commodore's Cup. A triangular course race with a $15 entry fee.

October 14th: Mexican Potluck at the dock.

October 28th: Haul Out.

December 9th: Christmas Party. This will be graciously hosted by Randy and Kristen this year.

Fred Grimes

Secretary

Buz's Katrina Pics (and one of "Dementia")

2006-08-30T17:01:00.000-06:00

My daughter Brittany and I spent 10 days a few weeks ago helping rebuild a home after Katrina and thought you would like to see the New Orleans Yacht club 1 year later. Still no power or plan to fix the marina or even haul off the destroyed yachts. Believe me the devastation is mind boggling. So many beautiful sailing vessles splintered and piled.

Also, there's a good shot of Phil enjoying DEMENTIA and by the way, he did a great job sailing her in the He-Man Single Handed with line honors.

Buz

He-Man Pictures from Kari

2006-08-29T13:32:00.000-06:00

These pictures were taken by Kari Pepper. (click to enlarge)

He-Man Cup Start (by the Unofficial Observer)

2006-08-20T20:36:00.000-06:00

I watched the start of the He-Man Cup and took a few pictures.

Five boats raced -- "Dementia", "Doubloon", "I'm Serious", "Marci Ann" and "Windrose". It was cool and cloudy with maybe a 2-3 knot breeze out of the north. The skies to the south looked threatening.

After about the first half-mile, the wind pretty much died and the spinnakers started luffing. Soon thereafter, good news appeared to the south in the form of a distinct windline approaching.....

The spinnakers were dropped and the race was on!

There was a bit of controversy at the start; always important in any sailing race. The question was whether Dorman crossed the line early. This picture was taken just as the gun went off and should settle the issue.

David and Janet in the lead after about a mile.

Buz and crew catching up.

Phil doing it solo.

Kari and Perry Pepper settling in for the long haul.

Hopefully the participants will share some of the details about their race with us.

Fred Grimes
Secretary

Buz in Mexico at the Big Race

2006-08-16T10:20:00.000-06:00

Hello sailing friends,

Report from Mexico: This is my sixth Newport to Ensenada, billed as the biggest international yacht race in the world, with close to 500 yachts competing from mega sleds and 90 foot multi hulls to cal 25s. Two starting lines send about 70 or so off on a rolling start every 10 minutes. The sleds like PYWACKET, PELIGROSO, MEDICINE MAN, MERLIN, with ratings of negative 80 zillion start first.

Let me put this in perspective how fast these boats are. Some of you may remember Jerry Popes' F27 trimaran CRAZY KID and how fast that was. It was rated at PHRF 81,Our C&C 29 DOUBLOON.. was.. PHRF 176, PYEWACKET is rated.....NEGATIVE.. 270..... This was an incredible site as they battled for position. I looked up as SCOUT SPIRIT (100 footer) passed not 20 feet away from our Olson 30 ( SOUTHERN COMFORT XL) heading for the line, covering boat lengths in seconds.....WOW.. I swear I saw birds falling out of the sky just ahead of the head sails.

In our class of 38 boats, all were much faster than our tiny Olson 30. We were competing against Farr 40s, Columbia 50s, Soverrel 33, J36...C&C46, and other Olson 30s. We were the slowest boat in the fleet (PHRF F). For our start, the right side of the line was favored and we hit it full speed 3 feet back at the gun, 6-8 knots of wind on the nose and boat speed of 6 knots, a good start. (Last year we were over a foot and had our spinnaker up and powered before the call back.(poor committee work) so we had to do a drop / jib hoist / sail back and restart and still managed a second place.)

This year was a year of hardly any wind. Our top speed was 10.8 knots GPS, pretty tame compared to other years when I've seen our boat speed hit 22 knots for mile after mile. But light air sailing will separate the men from the boys and being the hot team we had (Skipper, Cole Price, won over 120 trophies: Pit, George, 2 time national champion: Trimmer, Stew, 2nd at Worlds Snipes: Foredeck, Mike, 16 years old Coles son: Paul, national champ, lasers: and myself, Buz Branch, Hick from the sticks: Crew chief, driver, rail meat, and trimmer.) The team work was awesome.

The night was cold, wet, sleepless, no moon, dark clouds and not one star to steer by...Next morning, we saw we were in the company of "A fleet" yachts that started an hour ahead of us so we were feeling pretty good about the "night fight "We saw 1 whale and 100s of dolphins (which had given us an escort all night). As the wind picked up during the day, we surfed the big swells rolling down from Alaska. We finished just as the sun set and the wind completely shut off. I felt sorry for the racers that were still out as they had another long night (you could look out and see literally 100s on the horizon).

We were 2nd over the finish line to claim the #2 trophy (or first to lose is how we look at it). We were happy as we had passed Shock 35s, J boats, a Reynolds 38 and lots of other very fast boats. Only a Columbia 50 beat us across the finish line (said he found wind 50 miles out) to just barely correct to first. Our corrected time put us in the top 10% of finishers for the whole regatta. We have trophied the past 5 out of six years in this regatta but have never gotten a first...yet....

Log on to Newport Ocean Sailing Association for lots of pics and results.

See you on the water,

Buz Branch,
S/V Doubloon,
San Juan Sailing

HeMan Cup and Sandy Stahlecker Memorial Regatta---and some bad news

2006-08-16T10:11:00.000-06:00

All--

Two of the SJSC's biggest on the water events are planned for the next two weekends. Unfortunately, summer is drawing to a close, but we still have some great sailing left, and we hope to make these two weekends highlights of the summer.

He-Man Cup and champagne brunch are Aug. 19-20. This is our annual endurance contest and post-race raftup in La Jara for dinner and a Sunday AM champagne brunch. We hope to have both a cruising (non-spinnaker) and racing division, and we're going to try to avoid the starting line mayhem for the cruisers by starting them before the racers. Even if you don't want to race, c'mon down for the raftup and party. (Those of us who made it to La Jara 2 weeks ago had a great time.) Skipper's meeting is at the dock at 7:00 pm Friday. I think Bill Dodds is planning to distribute some race materials via e-mail, so watch this space. Prizes for first through third places in both divisions.

The Social Secretary, a/k/a Mrs. Commodore, reminds everyone to bring hors d'ouevres for the raftup following the race and orange juice and a brunch item for the Champagne Brunch. The Club is bringing the champers. You also may want to toss in a extra bag of ice or two--those Mimosas are kind of hard on the ice supply!

The Sandy Stahlecker Memorial Regatta will be August 26. This is our annual benefit for the American Cancer Society. No entry fee for the club, but a donation of at least the normal club entry fee is required--all entry donations go directly to the local chapter of the American Cancer Society. Checks should be made payable to the Society. Dorman McShan had a great idea last year--he solicited pledges for his entry, and when he won, the pledges kicked our total donation to a club record. Don't race? All donations accepted--please be generous.

Format for this regatta is two or three short races, weather permitting (we got blown off the lake last year after 1 race). Lowest total score based upon finish order in all races wins. 1st is 3/4 point, 2nd 2 points, 3rd 3 points, etc. DNF's get one point more than the last place boat, so if you miss one race out of three, you still have a chance. Prizes for 1st through 3rd places. Raftup for dinner Saturday evening after racing. Skipper's meeting at the dock at noon on Saturday.

Please join your fellow SJSC members for these great events.

And if you haven't checked out Fred's nifty blog for the SJSC yet--please do so! It's fun to know that ancient mariners also struggled with the conundrum of the "head"! (You'll have to go there to find out!)

A bit of a somber note--some vandals/thieves have apparently decided that boats in the mooring cove are easy targets. Many of the boats on moorings were broken into on Wednesday night. Little property was taken (liquor, binoculars), but the thieves/vandals left a big mess behind them, and several boats were heavily damaged by the crude methods used to gain entry (kicking in or prying open doors and hatches). Best guess is that the perpetrators are using methods of opportunity (unsecured dinghies, air mattresses, etc.) to get to the boats from shore, either at the dock in the cove or from the shore. If you are down at the lake on a weekday evening, please be observant. And if you have a dinghy, lock it up. Unfortunately, reaching authorities after the Park closes for the night can be difficult. A week ago, the Bartons spotted some kids on Janson's houseboat. By the time we found someone on the radio who had a land line and could reach the Archuleta County sheriff, they were long gone. Anyone with information should contact the Park.

Thanks to Neal, Ginger, Ted, Deb and Brittany for all their hard work. Brittany, good luck as you go off to college.

David Dickinson
Commodore

Seats-Of-Ease

2006-08-12T13:52:00.000-06:00

(This article, written by Joe Simmons, was published in DIG Magazine. Joe’s biographical statement is at the end of the article. Joe would be glad to give lecture(s) on ships’ toilets, historic ship construction, history of seafaring, and underwater archaeology, if there is interest in any of these topics. Fred)

(Click on any of the pictures in the article to enlarge.)

Seats-of-Ease

“If you want to relieve yourself . . . you have to hang out over the sea like a cat-burglar clinging to a wall. You have to placate the sun and its twelve signs, the moon and the other planets, commend yourself to all of them, and take a firm grip of the wooden horse’s mane; for if you let go, he will throw you and you will never ride him again. The perilous perch and the splashing of the sea are both discouraging to your purpose, and your only hope is to dose yourself with purgatives.”

Eugenio de Salazar, 1573

This tongue-in-cheek passage vividly describes what it was like for one passenger to relieve himself (go to the bathroom) on a Spanish sailing ship during a sixteenth-century trans-Atlantic voyage. Obviously, this man felt the need to humorously describe what was otherwise considered a basic bodily function that was not frequently written about then—or today, for that matter. It’s a good thing he did feel like writing about it, because it is one of only a very few firsthand descriptions from that or any other period of what going to the bathroom was like on historic sailing ships.

Have you ever been on a boat or a ship? Have you ever had to relieve yourself on a boat or ship? If you have, you probably never thought much about it; certainly, you didn’t consider writing about the experience, did you? Have you ever thought about relieving yourself on old sailing ships without flush toilets, where the human waste went, or what it was like to sail and live on board sailing ships for months or years at a time? Did you ever ask yourself what the living conditions on historic sailing vessels were like and how problems with the removal of human wastes (urine, feces, vomit, etc.) may have affected those conditions? All of these are important questions for people who study the history of sailing ships and are concerned about the conditions aboard them and the corresponding health of their crews. And you better believe that the engineers who designed the Space Shuttle or International Space Station had to think about such things.

By appreciating the realities of the effective removal (and, today, treatment) of human wastes from areas where we live, we can better understand what living aboard historic sailing ships may have been like. Conversely, we can begin to understand how the accumulation of these wastes led inescapably to very poor sanitary conditions in enclosed, damp, dark, and often crowded quarters and how these conditions were extremely unhealthy, even deadly in some situations.

Conditions aboard sailing ships

Because of their very nature, waterborne craft have usually been able to accommodate the “human need.” By simply eliminating human wastes directly into the sea or by throwing collected materials overboard, shipboard occupants established an efficient, common-sense disposal scheme.

In what were usually relatively small, undecked, or partly decked vessels limited to seacoasts, lakes, or rivers that made no voyages longer than one or two days without landing, there was no need for anything more elaborate than waste buckets or a small platform from which to answer the call of nature. Prior to the fifteenth century, when multiple decks became common in moderate and large vessels, such rudimentary methods of waste removal were undoubtedly in use on most vessels and, as situations warranted, they certainly persisted until the end of the age of sail (around AD 1850).

During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, as compasses and nautical charts were developed and watercraft that could withstand the rigors of sustained and repeated deepwater navigation were evolving, unique sanitary and hygienic problems began to appear. As vessels began to be decked over, which improved their seaworthiness and offered more protection from the elements, several factors combined to compromise these benefits: diminished air flow to spaces between and below decks, decreased light at lower deck levels, and accordingly, higher humidity below decks.

Of overriding importance is the fact that the “stacking up” of living surfaces (decks), one above another, created a birdcage-like environment in which every imaginable bit of debris, filth, and human waste from the decks above gravitated to the bilges below. The consequent accumulation constituted a rich organic compost in the lowest, foulest reaches of the ships.

As a direct consequence of the horrible conditions between and below decks, great numbers of vermin were able to breed and multiply virtually unchecked. Rats, lice, weevils, fleas, and cockroaches, to name a few, abounded.

Development of external sanitary facilities, improving conditions by trial-and-error

Conscious attempts to improve the unhealthy interior conditions resulted in the development of external waste-disposal accommodations. Any amount of human wastes eliminated directly into the sea, rather than to the interior of the hull, was advantageous, at least in terms of sight and smell, even if the connection between filth and disease that we appreciate today was not then understood.

The development of external sanitary conveniences was expedited by specific changes in northern European hull construction that occurred in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. By the last quarter of the seventeenth century, these features were fully developed and most of them were retained with little or no modification until the early nineteenth century.

Basically, external sanitary facilities were made possible by the construction of platforms at bow and stern that consisted of overhangs and projections, on which devices were erected that emptied directly into the sea. Projecting shelves and chain wales (supports for mast rigging) on ships’ sides provided other structures upon which accommodations were fitted.

The Bow

Evidence of hygienic conveniences in the projecting bow structures (beakheads, or “heads”—the origin of the common name of ships’ toilets) of ships of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries is sketchy. Wooden gratings, slots in the flooring, rails of the beakhead, and simple, holed boards as seats have all been suggested as having served a hygienic, waste-disposal function during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

The seventeenth century witnessed four important hygienic developments in the heads: the advent of seats-of-ease, fore turrets, roundhouses, and pissdales. Between 1670 and 1680, distinct individual sanitary accommodations, or seats-of-ease, placed within the structure of the head and equipped with trunking, or drainage sluices, made their first appearance on models, although we have archaeological evidence from the Wasa of 1628. Fore turrets, devices seemingly unique to the French, debuted and quickly disappeared, although they may have left an enduring legacy. In combination with the imitation of semicircular balconies, fore turrets may have helped bring about the appearance of roundhouses. These were “perhaps the most satisfactory form of convenience found in ships. Access was through a door in the [beakhead] bulkhead, there was often a small port for ventilation and light, and presumably the occupant was left in a solitary state” (J. Munday 1978, p. 127). The same cannot be said of another seventeenth-century development, the pissdale. This was a convenience installed at the head and amidships that consisted of a simple urinal trough plumbed with lead pipes extending directly through the platform of the head or through the sides of the ship. It was designed for, and experienced, heavy traffic, without regard for solitude or protection from the elements.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, an increase in the relative area of the head platform allowed for more gratings, a greater number of freestanding necessary seats, and the arrangement of grouped, multihole conveniences placed against the forward-most part of the hull. About the middle of the nineteenth century, radical changes in bow designs were brought about by the introduction of iron-hulled ships. These changes so affected the sanitary accommodations at the bow that they were necessarily moved amidships.

Of all the types of hygienic conveniences developed at the bow over the course of some five hundred years, only the roundhouse survived into the twentieth century, and that in a modified form.

Amidships

Steep- or necessary tubs seem to have been moved from the sterns and quarters to the main chains of either or both sides of the hull about 1550. Early in the seventeenth century, they are seen in association with angular side-shelves, but necessary tubs are not represented in the pictorial record after this brief appearance. Side-shelves, whose development may have resulted form the shift of garderobes from the quarters to the main chains, were depicted throughout the seventeenth century and became rare in the art of the 1700s. Multihole platforms were prominent from the mid-nineteenth century, after the removal of the “heads” to positions amidships.

The use of pissdales continued unabated from their initial appearance in the last half of the seventeenth century until the end of the nineteenth. Indeed, until the mid-twentieth century they saw service as crew’s urinals placed amidships and plumbed directly into the sea.

The Stern

The employment of three primary external hygienic accommodations located in the sterns of fifteenth-century ships has been suggested: 1) barrel-like attachments on the stern quarter (sides of the stern) and over the transom and counter (squared-off stern end and slight undercut, respectively); 2) closet-like additions over the counters that projected from the sterncastle, similar to garderobes in contemporaneous castle architecture; and 3) structures that closely resembled castle turrets and probably performed much the same function.

In the course of the sixteenth century, steep-tubs were moved to the main chains and garderobes to the quarters, where the walls of the sterncastle were still relatively flat. However, garderobes disappear from the pictorial record after about 1525 and are not seen again until the early seventeenth century, by which time they had been moved to the fore end of the open quarter galleries. Quarter galleries remained largely open through the remainder of the 1500s, but the first third of the seventeenth century witnessed their increasing enclosure, a development that may have gained some impetus from the placement of the garderobe there. The remainder of the 1600s was a period of grand-scale decorative elaboration, readily apparent on the quarter galleries of ships of the time.

Throughout the eighteenth and most of the nineteenth centuries, hygienic accommodations at the stern remained virtually unchanged. Quarter galleries with one, two, and occasionally three levels remained the principal conveniences for senior officers. But by the fourth quarter of the nineteenth century, quarter galleries had been eliminated because of major structural changes necessitated by the advent of iron-hulled ships.

It appears that early flushing water closets were first installed in the quarter galleries of British naval vessels in 1779. However, they do not seem to have been used extensively until well into the 1800s.

Biographical Statement

Dr. Joe J. Simmons III is a dentist currently living in New Mexico. He has come full circle back to his archaeological roots. He began his archaeological career in the Southwest, pursued underwater archaeological research interests in the Caribbean for nearly 20 years, then became a dentist and settled in the Southwest; he is now literally surrounded by prehistoric archaeology sites. His interests include diving, sailing, photography, hiking, and, not surprisingly, archaeology.

Sidebar—Heads of the Wasa

In 1628, the Swedish warship Vasa (or Wasa) sank suddenly in Stockholm harbor. She was located and successfully recovered in the late 1960s/early 1970s; conservation (stabilization) of the magnificently preserved wood took more than 20 years to accomplish. The wooden timbers of the ship and numerous other organic artifacts were well preserved due to the cold temperatures and low oxygen content of the waters at the bottom of Stockholm harbor. Two beautiful examples of nearly complete free-standing seats-of-ease were discovered in the beakhead of the Wasa. A Wasa Museum employee demonstrates the correct orientation of the user on these early seventeenth-century hygienic accommodations; they were simple, but quite effective, devices.

Illustrations.

1. Hanging Out (Simmons, 1997), p. 74

2. Navire Royal 1626 (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), p. 48

3. WA’s Kraeck (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford), p.18

4. Arab dhow, sanitary boxes (Howarth 1977), p. 21, 22

5 and 6. Wasa’s beakhead seats-of-ease (G. Ilonen 1998), p. 45, 46.

The Commodore's Corner

2006-08-12T11:34:00.000-06:00

The Commodore’s Corner

Should I Mow the Lawn or Go Sailing?

After spending most of the early part of the summer getting ready for or being involved in family obligations, we’re back and hope to spend the remaining weekends of the summer at the lake. And I hope to be a little more active in club activities and to make it down for a beer can race or two.

All of these family activities, though, led to some pondering of that age-old question: Should I mow the lawn or go to the lake?

A close friend and former member once analyzed that question like this. Males in his family had typically died by age 60 of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. He, fortunately, is very aware of this risk and is taking precautions against it. When he turned 40, he observed that, if his family history ran true to form, he had 20 summers left. In a typical summer, there are perhaps 20 really nice weekends from mid-May to mid -October that you can get to the lake to do what you really enjoy most (assuming that sailing is your passion, as it is for many of us). Inevitably, family obligations that you can’t avoid, such as weddings, graduations, soccer games, etc., will occupy, say, 5 of those weekends. That means you have 15 weekends, or 30 days per summer. Multiplied by 20, you have about 600 days for the rest of your life to do what you really love.

He then looked at me and said, “I have 600 days to go sailing. Am I going to spend one of those mowing the lawn?”

Maybe we all need to rethink our priorities. And to tell you where ours are–the trim on the house didn’t get painted before Janet’s family came for a visit!

Miscellaneous Thoughts from the Bridge . . . .

Are We Lucky?

Ever thought about how lucky we are to sail here? Granted, the winds are a bit fluky (which will be discussed in the next Corner), the water temperature is a bit brisk, and we’ll all be high and dry if the summers of 2000/2001/2002 repeat themselves.

But–you could be sailing in the blender at Chatfield or Cherry Creek, where there are approximately 4.2 power boats per square foot and the wakes make the chop from a 20 knot breeze look like ripples. Or you could be at Dillon, where the season is 3 months long at best, you can’t sleep on your boat except in the marina, and water contact sports (i.e., swimming) are prohibited. Someday, the Denver Water Board is going to have to explain that one to me. People can’t get in the water, but heaven knows how many sheep and cattle are stomping around in the water and happily pooping away in it.

True, Dillon has one of the most active racing programs in the state. Maybe one of these years, some of us can get organized and haul one of the R-28's up there for the Dillon Open and try our luck against the hot shoes. My rule of thumb is, whenever you see a tricked-out boat with the entire crew in matching foulies, watch out. But I digress.

We sail on the largest lake almost in Colorado, have unlimited anchoring spots and room to cruise, solitude if you want it and look around for it a little, at least some wind, and a terrific marina facility and staff. I, for one, count my blessings.

Seamanship

One of the family obligations was a cruise to the Caribbean; Mom took the whole family. Now, I have to admit that this wasn’t really a hardship!

But during our trip I noticed that more and more of the tenders and other boats coming alongside the ship or dock, in addition to having twin screws, had one or more thrusters. (The ship actually had six, three each at bow and stern.) After watching the skippers maneuver, I decided that if you can lay an underpowered auxiliary sailboat with a single screw alongside a dock in tight quarters with the wind setting you off the dock, you just might know a thing or two about seamanship!

Hope to see you all for National Marina Day and the He-Man Cup.

David Dickinson
Commodore
“Windrose” Ranger 28

A Few Pictures....

2006-08-12T10:39:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures taken by Randy and Kristen.

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Dorman and Crew.

David.

Dorman.

Randy and Phil.

Randy on Phil's Mast.

La Jara Cruise -- July 5-6, 2006

2006-08-12T10:14:00.000-06:00

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

We had a great time La Jara Cruise - our first to organize as Cruising Commodores. We had 4 sailboats; "Windrose" (David and Janet), "Merry Jo" (Dick and Mary Jo DePriest), "Domani" (Randy and Kristen), "I'm Serious" (Kari and Perry Pepper plus Kari's sister and friend Kevin) and one major power boat (I don't know if the boat had a name but it belonged to Sebastian and Elizabeth - friends of the Peppers).

The day began slowly and ended slowly with virtually no wind except for a nice gentle breeze for a few hours in the afternoon. Therefore we did a LOT of motoring. The sun shone all day for great swimming and not a rain drop in sight.

Dick and Mary Jo knew of a great little spot up La Jara Canyon where we rafted up later in the afternoon. No anchors - just tying up to trees in the water.

Good food was shared by all and the Power Boat became the Party Boat with plenty of dancing, led by Kari and her sister.

The morning brought another sunny day with a gentle breeze in the AM (dying once we were all trying to sail). Again good food, lots of conversation, lots of laughs.

Hope to see you on the next cruise.

Randy and Kristen
Cruising Commodores

Progressive Brunch Annoucement

2006-08-11T19:57:00.004-06:00

By now, you have all probably read about the Progressive Brunch to be held on Sunday, September 3rd.

The plan is to get around 6 or more boats that would volunteer to host the Brunch by serving some food of their choice. Being a brunch, you could choose a breakfast type item or a lunch type item.

Next we'll plan a time line of what food will be served on what boat and when. We are thinking that we could start around 9AM and finish by 2PM.

Each host boat can choose where they want to host their portion of the meal. It could be on the dock, on a bouy or on an anchor in a cove somewhere. The rest of the fleet would then either sail, motor or walk/swim to the host boat and raft/join up.

So, we are now asking for volunteer boats to host a portion of the Progressive Brunch. Please let us know (huckwagon@aol.com) if you would be willing to share you boat with the club.

Thanks,
Randy and Kristen
Cruising Comodores

Buz and Brittany in New Orleans Helping With Katrina Relief Effort!

2006-08-11T19:57:00.003-06:00

It has come to my attention, through David, that Buz and his elder daughter, Brittany, have been spending quite some time in New Orleans helping with the Katrina relief effort. Hopefully we will get an account of their experience in this admirable and generous effort.

For now, I'll leave it for us to all imagine the work they have done and encourage all of us to give them a pat on the back when we see them upon their return on August 12.

As David said, "Good on yer, mate! You and Brittany deserve a tip of the SJSC burgee."

Fred Grimes
Secretary

A Thank You Note

2006-08-11T19:57:00.002-06:00

We would like to publicly express our gratitude toward the helpfulness of the club members. We especially appreciate David and Janet Dickinson and Buz Branch, whose advice and generosity has allowed us to pick up our dad's boat and begin our own adventures where he left off at his passing. Without their support, his gift to us would have been lost in our ignorance of the complexity of a few systems. It has been such a wonderful experience and we treasure it every weekend. It is as much a gift from you as it is from dad.

We are profoundly grateful.

Mike and Colleen Hurst

Encounter

Commodore's Tip -- Rigging Mistake Recovery

2006-08-11T19:57:00.001-06:00

We've all done it at one time or another. We put up the mast, or do
some rigging work, only to discover after getting back on deck that a
halyard or other piece of running rigging is led between the upper
shroud and mast over the wrong side of the spreader. If you haul the
halyard high enough to clear the spreader, the weight of the halyard on
the downhaul side will pull the shackle to the top of the mast. (Resist
the temptation to tie a heavy weight to the shackle. Even if it's
heavy enough to keep the halyard from two-blocking itself and pull it
back to the deck, how do you get it to swing to the right side of the
spreader?)

Instead of going up the mast in the bosun's chair to pull the halyard
onto the correct side of the spreader, or undoing the rig and lowering
the mast, try this. Throw a light heaving line over the spreader from
the side where the halyard should be. (It's easier to do this on the
dock, instead of standing on the bow or stern.) Tie the heaving line to
the errant halyard, hoist the halyard until clear of the spreader, then
use the other end of the heaving line to haul it to the correct side
and back to the deck.

(Submitted by David Dickinson)

La Jara, He-Man & Nat'l Marina Customer Appreciation Day

2006-08-04T17:52:00.000-06:00

Here is the revised Schedule:

La Jara Cruise -- August 5th and 6th.

August 12--National Marina and Customer Appreciation Day.

From Neal:David, thanks for the note & if you could email all I would appreciate it. This will be customer appreciation day and national marina day. I always try to put the customer first, hence first here. Free hotdogs & drinks from 12 until 2. Help us make this mad hatter day and we will have prizes for the 3 most unusual hats. Also hula hoop contest & whatever else we can think off. Thanks so much for your help and have a super day.

August 19--He-Man Cup.

Rescheduled, hopefully for the last time--more people had conflicts on the 12th. And it's going even if the weather is dicey, unless the race committee sees some guy building an ark! Skipper's Meeting at the dock Friday at 7:00 p.m. Tentative start times & course will be distributed via e-mail next week. We're hoping to have both a cruising (non-spinnaker) and racing divisions. (Boats without spinnakers are welcome to sail in the racing division if they choose.) Raftup in La Jara for dinner & post race party; champagne brunch Sun. AM. Don't plan to race? Cruise on down for the party and brunch.

Upcoming SJSC Races

2006-06-19T18:01:00.000-06:00

Ahoy, the spring breezes have been more like gales as winds of over 40 knots have been clocked several times and it is only the middle of June. Hopefully the weather will settle down into a more pleasant pattern in the coming weeks. We have three races coming up in the next month, so here are the details:

Saturday, June 24th

San Juan Cup (a real misnomer as there is no cup, there is no trophy, zilch, zip , zero, nada).

The San Juan Cup is a one race event covering much of the northern end of the lake. Course will depend upon conditions. Skippers meeting is set for 12 noon on the dock. Entry fee is $15 for member boats; $25 for non-members. Entry fee is payable at the skippers meeting. No exceptions! Race is tentatively set to start at 2:00 PM at the earliest or the arrival of reliable wind. Awards for first three finishers will be presented at a raft up in the mooring cove after the race. This is a fun event for all – racers and cruisers. See you at the line!

Sunday, June 25th

Bass Ackwards Race

This is an event that handicaps in reverse. Staggered start, with the slowest boats starting first. (If we did a good job handicapping, theoretically all boats would finish dead even.) Don't race much? This is your chance to lead a race and avoid the starting line mayhem. Skippers meeting at noon on the dock with a start planned for 2:00 PM, unless the wind comes up before then. No entry fee, no awards, just a lot of trash talking and fun.

Saturday, July 8th

The He-Man Race

The He-Man Cup for racers starts at the north end and goes to a buoy at the south end (TBA) and returns to La Jara Canyon where the finish will be at the mouth of LaJara, not a quarter mile up that %$*@^ canyon. Cruisers race directly to La Jara. Start for He-Man is 7:00 a.m. (I personally would like to lobby for a 6:30 AM start to take advantage of the morning breezes) on Saturday. We will have some kind of cutoff for the cruising fleet based on handicap and/or experience) Skippers meeting is 7:00 PM on Friday on the dock. Entry fee is $15 for member boats; $25 for non-members. Entry fee is payable at the skippers meeting.

Sunday, July 9th

La Jara Cruise Champagne Brunch

Race, cruise or motor, please join up for awards and brunch Sunday morning.

Bill and Barbara Dodds

Race Commodores

SJSC

SJSC Officers for 2006

2006-06-13T20:32:00.000-06:00

The following are the officers of the San Juan Sailing Club for 2006, as elected during the meeting held on June 3, 2006.

Commodore -- David Dickinson
Vice-Commodore -- Wes Hartman
Secretary -- Fred Grimes
Treasurer -- Janet Dickinson
Rear Commodores, Race -- Bill and Barb Dodds
Rear Commodores, Cruising -- Randy and Kristen Waslien

Fred Grimes
Secretary
SJSC

2006 Calendar, Rev. 06-13

2006-06-13T20:17:00.000-06:00

2006 San Juan Sailing Club Calendar

Opening Day Parade, Commodore’s Party, and Dock Party Sunday, May 28, 2006. Flash: Ginger tells me that we might prevail upon Rev. Ted to bless the fleet! Assemble at the dock at 2:00, then Cruise and Boat Parade to mooring cove and Windsurf Beach–All boaters welcome. Motor, sail, row, use your swim fins, or whatever. Dock Party 4:30 p.m. Potluck & BYOB. Donations welcome–we’ll raise funds for a new BBQ grill for the dock.

Beer Can Racing–May 31and every two weeks thereafter (6-14, 6-28, 7-12, 7-26, 8-9, 8-23). Start 6:30 sharp!! Start is a bit later to try to let more people get there after work (may be adjusted later in season, watch this space), as no restaurant is open till any reasonable hour (they all close at 7:30 or so). Plan on bringing a sandwich or BBQ for after racing supper. There’s a BBQ on the dock, and those of us in slips will try to have our barbies and cockpits available for a relaxed supper after the boats are put away. Looking for a chance to invite a friend to try sailing? Show up at the dock & you’re pretty much guaranteed a ride–especially if you bring the beer!!

June 10–Scavenger Cruise. Postponed to July 22.

June 24–25–San Juan Cup Saturday; Bass-Ackwards Race Sunday. First organized races of the season. OK, I’ll skip the crack about “SJSC” and “organized” in the same sentence. San Juan Cup is usually run on a non-triangular course with lots of reaching and running–great for cruising boats. Bass-Ackwards Race– This is an event that handicaps in reverse. Staggered start, with the slowest boats starting first. (If we did a good job handicapping, theoretically all boats would finish dead even.) Don’t race much? This is your chance to lead a race and avoid the starting line mayhem.

July 1. Dock party (tentatively a Parrothead Party with seafood as the menu).

No formal 4th of July celebration is planned this year--4th is on a
Tuesday, and no sponsor or organizer for fireworks has stepped forward.

July 8-9–He-Man Cup on Saturday; La Jara Cruise Champagne Brunch on Sunday. Start for He-Man is 7:00 a.m. on Saturday. Cruisers–please come down Saturday and join us for overnight anchorage and the Brunch on Sunday. More details (including eligibility for cruising or racing fleets–we’ll have some kind of cutoff for the cruising fleet based on handicap and/or experience) TBA.

July 22 -- Scavenger Cruise. Skipper’s Meeting at dock at 12:30 (monitor Ch. 16-72 for where to meet); start 1:00. Fun cruise for all–it is not a race! Deep draft boats will want to tow a dinghy. Dinner and raftup TBA.

Aug. 5-6–La Jara Cruise. Moon is close to full–c’mon down for a great cruise, raftup, dinner, and relaxation. Spinnaker run Sat. AM, weather permitting.

Aug. 26--Stahlecker Cup and American Cancer Society benefit. Dinner & party afterwards–details TBA.

Labor Day Weekend–Sept. 2-4: Racing Saturday, Sept. 2; Progressive Brunch on Sunday, Sept. 3–details to be announced.

Sept. 9-10–Full Moon Cruise to Francis Canyon (at south end of lake).

Fall End of Season Mexican Potluck –Oct. 7, 2006 at the dock.

Oct. 28-29: Haulout and Chili Cookoff. (If you missed this one last year, it was a heck of party. And you couldn’t believe the food!!)

Dock Parties/Potlucks: TBA. Neal is hoping to have a theme for each party–Hawaiian, etc. (Haulout, obviously, is a Mexican theme.)

Calendar Updates will go out in the newsletter or via e-mail. Be sure to check a day or so before any scheduled event to see if there are changes.

This is a notice of race for all racing events. All racing is subject to USSA rules, modified as follows:

1. Protests are officially discouraged.
2. Course will be announced at skipper’s meeting.
3. Unless otherwise announced, skipper’s meeting at 1:00 p.m. on day of race, start at 2:00 or when wind permits. There is no skipper’s meeting for beer can races!
4. Flags may be flown while racing.