Newsletter 1

COMMODORE’S CORNERBy Bob Buck

Summer is here, let's get out there and cruise. We have two cruises that should be a lot of fun in the near future. The Turners are having their annual Boston harbor outing this coming weekend. If you plan on attending give Candy a call. She needs a head count.

Mark down the last weekend in July. We have reserved space at Longbranch Marina. This has always been a favorite of mine. This is probably why I like hosting it. Please let me know if you can make it. The crab feed that we have done in the past will not happen due to the price, but I am sure we will not starve.

If you are going north this summer my brother and I are leaving around the first of August. If you want company let me know. I hope all of you have a safe summer and watch those companionways, my wife can attest to that.

See you on Thursday for our meeting.

*****

CRUISE CHAIRMAN’S REPORTBy John Segerstrom

Vice-Commodore

UPDATE ON GOOGLE GROUPThe use of Google Groups is to make single a point of contact for group information. GOOGLE GROUP email: catssps@googlegroups.com

This is to become CATSS means of group communication. All should have received an invitation. Please add catssps@googlegroups.com to your contacts list so you won't miss group messages. If you didn't receive an invitation or deleted the invite please let me know and I will add your email address to the group. I got little or no responses to Google Groups from members who have not paid their 2012 yearly dues. These people will not be added to the group and should be removed from the roster.

*****REPORT ON CATSS MAY RENDEZVOUS AT PORT ORCHARDThe May rendezvous held at Port Orchard was blessed with great weather all weekend. Four CATSS boats and 3 boats

Newsletter 2

JUNE MEETING THURSDAY EVENING THE 21st AT 6:00 PM—Fife Bar and GrillThis is the last meeting before the Summer break. We’ll be discussing the Boston Harbor rendezvous and the Summers cruising plans.

Come on Down

Website: catssps.org

attended it from CAPS. Numerous members also attended by land cruiser for a total of 27 people. We started off on Friday evening with pizza, salads and beer at Moon Dogs where we had the entire upper dining room to ourselves—that is we were on the balcony overlooking a live band. Saturday we attended the farmer’s market and went shopping in town. On Saturday evening we had dinner at Amy’s On the Bay. On Sunday we had a delicious breakfast buffet courtesy of Joe and Beverly Sporac of CAPS with extra galley space provided by Billie Lindh on Laff’n Gecko.

In between we sat around and enjoyed the sunshine and several of the guys helped your editor fish his forestay halyard out of his mast, but more of that latter.

CATTS members attending the rendezvous were: Lowell Anderson and Marlys Griffis, Bob and Barbara Buck, Lee and Oleta Artman, DeVere and Billie Lindh, John and Neena Stoner, John and Betty Segerestrom, Bob and Candy Turner, Lyn and Lisa Ward.

Antique Treasure, Maybe!!!!

Ahhh More Sunshine

Dinner at Amy’s on the Bay

Newsletter 3

Dinner at Amy’s on the Bay

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CATSS RENDEZVOUS SCHEDULE

Location Date Hosts

Boston Harbor

June 22-24 Turner’s

Long Branch July 28-29 Buck’s

Poulsbo August TBD

Penrose Point SP

Sept. 22-23 Segerstrom

Dockton Oct 27-28 Artman’s

SUMMER CRUISE INVITATION Summer Cruise Month of August to Gulf Islands and possibly to Desolation Sound. If you are interested here is a tentative schedule.Aug 3, 4 meet in Anacortes for some provisions. Remember that some fruits and veggies are not allowed into Canada. At this time of the year fresh fruits and veggies are usually available there. Get I-68 if you want to call in when coming back from Canada. Each person aboard will need one, otherwise you will need to check back into the U.S. at Roche Harbor or Friday Harbor. Be sure you bring your passport for further identification. You may need boat documentations. Of course if you have a Nixus card you won’t need the I-68. One other thing you will need is a boat sticker if your boat is over 30 feet. This sticker can be obtained at https://dtops.cbp.dhs.gov/ Login or create a login to apply. Takes about 3 days and the fee is $27.50. Aug 5th Bedwell Harbor. Check in Canadian customs. Usually you dock the boat and the Captain runs the ramp, picks up the phone and talks to the agent. They will give you a number to post in the window of your boat. We can anchor there or pick up a mooring ball or go to the resort dock.Aug 6th Ganges for more provisions.Aug 8th Montague harborAug 9th Nanaimo. Dodd Narrows slack 10:37, 16:23, URL http://www.dairiki.org/tides/monthly.php/dod/2012-08Aug 10 NanaimoAug 11th Across the Straights of Georgia to ??Aug 12th LundAug 13th Desolation SoundThen we'll see what we want to do and see.On the way back we can visit places like Montague, Ganges, Maple Bay and other

Newsletter 4

places you would like to visit, but I need your input soon so I can send out an emailto the Google Group on our possible locations so those who would like to join us for part of the voyage will be able to do so.Cell phone rates are expensive in Canada if you can get reception.I suggest using Family Service Radio (FSR) Ch 13 13 (Walkie--Talkie) to communicate between boats. Breaker Breaker...

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OTHER CATALINA EVENTS June 30th Northwest Catalina Regatta

2012 at Shilshole Bay. http://www.capsfleet1.com/pdf/2012%20NWCR_flyer%20and%20info.pdf

July 1st to the 5th anchor out cruise to Poulsbo with CAPS.

July 1st and 2nd anchor in Port Madison.

July 3rd anchor in Liberty bay and watch fire works.

The rest of the week is open. July 28th and 29th Cruise to

Longbranch hosted by Bob and Barbra Buck

*****.

Gecko Leaving Gig Harbor from April Impromptu Rendezvous

Newsletter 5

CHICKEN POPPY SEED SALAD

This super easy salad is colorful and also a great way for non-broccoli lovers to get there veggies and vitamins in!

1 bag dried cherries1 bag frozen chicken tenderloins1 bag broccoli melody coleslaw1 bag glazed pecans¼ teaspoon curry powder¾ cups mayonnaise1 teaspoon lemon juice1 bottle Brianna poppy seed dressing

Bake chicken covered at 375 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. Cool and chop. Mix dressing, mayo, curry powder and lemon juice. Toss with remaining ingredients, and ENJOY

MYTHS ABOUT PFDs

As you put the finishing touches on your preseason preparations before hitting the water, don’t forget about your onboard life jackets. Is it time to move into the 21st century and get rid of the old orange models? Have you been thinking about inflatable PFDs? If you have, there are a few things to consider. BoatU.S. has put together a short list of inflatable PFD myths and set the record straight with explanations. Myth No. 1--Inflatable life jackets

require no maintenance Wrong, they contain CO2 cylinders that need checked regularly, and you should manually blow them up once a year to check for leaks.

Myth No. 2-- One size fits all Wrong, the one-size designation may be true for most adults, but there are no inflatable jackets for kids under 16.

Myth No. 3--There are not a lot of choices Wrong, the two basic designs are over-the-shoulder suspender style and waist-fitting belt packs and come in many colors and models. Some are even disguised as fashionable jackets for use when the weather is foul.

Myth No. 4--they are too expensive Depends on the buyer, there are some models for less than $100, mostly belt-pack types, while over-the-shoulder auto-inflate models cost a little more.

Myth No. 5--they are quite uncomfortable. Wrong, when they are not inflated, they provide ease of movement and they don’t trap body heat. Some have neoprene chafe guards around the neck

What’s Your Life Worth?

*****

A LITTLE NAUTICAL TRIVIA

The following superstitions are a part of the lore of the seas: Pouring wine on the deck brings good

luck. Women aboard ship result in angry

seas, but a naked woman calms the seas. That’s the reason many figureheads are of topless female figures.

A silver coin under the mast step results in a successful voyage.

It was dangerous to have bananas on board.

The reasons for each of these superstition will be given in the next issue of CATSS Ayes.

*****ALL ABOUT ZINCS

How often zincs should be changed depends on a lot of factors. The biggest one is whether the boat is in salt water or fresh water. Other factors include the marina and its efforts to keep stray power out of the water. Nearby boats can affect stray current in the water and so can industrial work in the area. Check zincs often with a diver or when you pull the boat. Err on the side of too often and keep a record of when you change them. In a saltwater marina expect about five months from zincs. The quality of zincs also affect life. Talk to your marina manager and see what is done to test for electrolytic corrosion due to DC current running through the water. The people at some marinas test often and look for any problems in the marina. They notify boat owners if a problem is discovered. Some will come to a slip if you express concern. Bad zincs can cause severe corrosion problems that are much more expensive than the cost of replacing zincs.

*****

Newsletter 6

FISHING 50 FEET UPBy DeVere Lindh

Murphy finally caught up with me on Saturday at the rendezvous. I thought it would be a good time to change the foresail halyard on Laff’n Gecko when the wind was light and I had some help in managing the 140 Genoa if some wind came up. I recruited Bob Buck and John Stoner, who looked too relaxed enjoying the sunshine. My plan was to drop the sail, and attach the new halyard end to end with the old one using duct tape. John warned me that I should sew the two ends together so I wouldn’t lose the old one down the inside of the mast. I had just successfully changed the main using the technique described, so I didn’t accept his advice and low and behold the tapes broke and guess where the end of the old halyard went. The mistake was not removing enough of the end of the old line, which was stiff with salt and age to the point it wouldn’t bend around the upper pulley, causing the tape to break. Now comes the fishing part. We inserted a messenger line with a light metal chain attached for weight on the end around the upper pulled and then fished it out at the bottom of the mast. Then we attached the new line and pulled it through using the light line. Obviously someone had to be at the top of the mast, the whole time it took to fish out the end and then sew it to the new halyard. I was the doofus up the mast. And just like angling for real fish, it seemed to take forever and ever to get the fish on, in this case to get to the point we could pull the new halyard through. One hour and fifteen minutes later to be exact, my feet were again on the deck. Have you ever spent that much time in a Boson’s chair? You don’t sit, you hang from your crotch. You feel like a sheep—if you get the point. Murphy won.

*****

Some People Just Couldn’t Just Enjoy It!Jolly Roger of CAPS just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do some chores at Port Orchard.

*****

Newsletter 7

JUNE RENDEZVOUSBOSTON HARBOR

SATURDAY 22--SUNDAY 24

COME BY BOAT OR CAR

Saturday Dinner on the Dock

Make you reservations with Bob and Candy Turner, rendezvous

hosts by June 18th

ANNUAL CRAB FEED JULY 28—29

LONGBRANCH MARINA

HOSTED BY BOB AND BARB BUCK

WHAT TYPE BOAT INSURANCE? By DeVere Lindh

Should you obtain insurance from a marine insurer or just get a rider on your home and auto policy? This question is open for debate and is dependent on how you use your boat.

True marine insurance has many advantages. First, marine insurers understand boats and boat insurance. During the insurance buying process, marine insurers will be able to show you examples of what can happen. They can better help with claims. The most “infamous” losses in the Northwest might be boats sunk or flooded by muskrats chewing through exhausts. The boat’s not covered. What can be missing in the insurance from a non-marine carrier is consequential damages or not having all-risk and thereby exclusions apply.

Some important issues to consider are where you go in your boat, salvage, tender coverage, liability and pollution cleanup. Some companies won’t cover you in Mexico or Canada, or they charge extra and require notification of where you plan to travel. Talk to your prospective insurer about these issues. This writer has had no problem using the rider approach, but I also carry a substantial umbrella policy to augment my boat insurance. The answer is to ask before you buy.

*****

CARE OF A POWER CORD

Is there is burning of the plastic on the female side that connects into your boat; If there is, this is a big warning to heed. The importance of not allowing this process to continue cannot be over emphasized. This is evidence that there is a bad contact between the cord and the

receptacle, which can cause a boat fire. You can sometimes be misled by discoloration caused by arching that can occur if you fail to shut off the power prior to breaking the connection. Disconnect the power cord from your boat and inspect both the cord and the boat terminals. If burning is on both the boat terminals and the cord, there is an overheating problem that must be corrected. Inspect the boat receptacle for any signs of burning or loosening of the metal connectors. If damage is limited to the cord, check for the extent of the damage. If the female metal prongs are burnt the cord should be replaced.

Major causes of damage to power cores are that the power cord is either not plugged in properly or there is corrosion. Most power cords need to be turned slightly after they are plugged in. You should actually twist the cord slightly so it will apply a little tension in the direction needed. Next, there is usually a sealing cap on the boat end of the cord that is screwed on for a mechanical connection. Make sure it is not cross-threaded, it makes a good water seal and it will secure everything tightly in place.

Another overlooked concern is things tugging on the power cord. If the cord falls into the water and then gets tugged between a fender and the hull, no matter how carefully the cord was attached, there could be make-or-break connections that will burn the costly cord and could start an electrical fire. I suggested that you use a strap around my power cord and a spring line to prevent this from happening. Make sure there is enough slack going to the dockside power outlet. Always inspect carefully to see that wind and waves cannot cause any stress on the cord to avoid loose connections and arching.

*****

Newsletter 8

SIGN-UP A NEW MEMBER

Newsletter 9

CATSS Membership ApplicationPlease fill out the form below and mail to:

Lyn Ward3506 North HudsonTacoma, WA 98407

Your Name: ___________________ Spouse: ______________________

Address: ______________________ Phone: ______________________

City: ________________________ State: _____ Zip: _________

Cell Phone: ( ) ____-- ______ Email Address: __________________

Type and Length of Boat: ______________________________________

Name of Boat: __________________________MMSI# ______________

Home Port: ___________________________City:___________________

First year membership: $46/year, General Membership: $40/year, Associate Membership: $25/year