a little dinghy From Your Commodore Special Interest Articles: Individual Highlights: Gold Country Yacht Club

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1 October 2010 Volume 32, Issue 10 Special Interest Articles: Out the gate Cruising the Channel Islands Gold Country Yacht Club Ahoy Crew, From Your Commodore This month finds us getting ready for fall. Some of the trees are already starting to change and the cool nights and cooler water temps remind us we're heading into the next season. Everyone on the moorings at the lake had to be out on Sept. 15th this year. I was surprised they wouldn't let us stay another month given the water level although we could move to the parking lot and dry sail until the water drops to really close the season. It has been a great season this year with all the late rain and the weather systems that kept coming and giving us some wonderful sailing breezes. As for myself I brought Mental Floss home and called it a season for Scotts Flat. Now is when the bay sailing weather is at its best. The cool inland temps let up the wind machine and the most pleasant bay sailing conditions are on tap. Don't get me wrong; I love the winds of summer, but most folks like the pleasure cruise you see in the brochure. Just ask the first lady, when things are wild and woolly, I'm always saying, "Sorry this wasn't in the brochure". We will be sailing the brochure mid month with the folks that bought our day on the bay aboard Daydreams from the South Yuba River Citizens League annual fund raiser and auction. Our own Dennis Barry is a founding member of this great organization that is helping to preserve the Yuba River and its tributaries. We are big supporters of SRYCL and join in every year to do our part in keeping our favorite river clean and pristine. Individual Highlights: From Your Commodore 1 Membership memos 2 Channel Islands 3 Meeting minutes 5 Club pictures 6 With the great weather of fall here, Dennis Barry and I had been planning a coastal trip to Monterey to get in some sailing and scuba diving. If you remember last year the kids and I started our scuba diving classes with Dennis in the Nevada City Pool (which was kind of cool seeing as I learned how to The divers return to the inflatable swim there 45 years ago). We set sail on September 18th for a week long trip to Monterey with Jerry Cirino joining us for the fun. After passing under the Golden Gate and motoring out to the first buoy we turned left and set sail. We had a nice sail for a couple hours before the wind let up and we resumed motor sailing. As we approached the north end of Monterey Bay around midnight we had been making such great time I knew we had to slow the boat down so we wouldn't arrive too early in Monterey. Dennis and Jerry were off watch when I turned off the motor and rolled out the jib and started sailing in the calm breeze. We were ghosting along at 2 kts. for only a few minutes when I started hearing the whales all around us. They were breathing and talking amongst each other and I would see their backs every once in a while in the moonlight. I yelled down the companion way to the guys to come up and check it out. Jerry was right there but Dennis needed another shout as he was in slumber-land and I knew he would not want to miss this experience. We had the most amazing next two hours of whale sounds as they talked during breaths and moved along slowly with us before changing course and swimming off into the moonlight. We arrived in Monterey for breakfast and picked up a slip just as the Harbor Master opened for the day.

2 At Our Helm Page 2 of 8 Commodore Joe Day joe.day@sbcglobal.net Vice Commodore Chris Buti cbuti@njuhsd.com Secretary Janis Johnson janis@wingandwing.net Treasurer Jean Cutshall jean.cutshall@yahoo.com Cruise Chairman Doug Epperson Publicity/Membership Melinda Day solisday@yahoo.com Port Captain David Niedziejko wbuti@yahoo.com Race Chairman Jerry Lewis jml@usamedia.tv Newsletter Editor Ken Neely ken@wingandwing.net Sailing Education Don Hare donhare@surewest.net From Your Commodore (cont) After a nice breakfast at Lou Lou's on the Pier we readied the inflatable and all the dive gear for the adventure just outside the breakwater where we spent the next two days diving between there and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Jerry snorkeled while Dennis and I dove and explored the kelp forest and all of nature's wonders below the surface. I think Jerry will be joining Dennis for some scuba classes so he can join us below the surface next time. Dennis had to head for home on the Amtrak while Jerry and I headed for Santa Cruz to start our journey back to S.F. We had a great sail across the bay with building winds that would have us reefing and rolling up some jib before reaching Santa Cruz. We took a slip for the night and planned on leaving the next evening for a full moon trip North. After listening to some weather reports and watching the ocean we departed at 1800 hours and motor sailed out in light conditions. As we reached the North point of the bay things started changing pretty quick. The conditions went from nothing to 4 to 6 foot chop and winds that continued building over the next couple of hours. By 2200 hours our progress was down to a crawl or were heading to Hawaii so I decided it was time to head back to Santa Cruz. We tied up just after midnight and were happy to be safe and sound. The weather rules when your on the ocean and it's not worth beating yourself up or breaking the boat. The weather reports are for the general area and local conditions can be totally different. So with all the commitments of life Daydreams is setting in Santa Cruz safe and sound awaiting our arrival for what will now be the second part of our trip. That's OK though, as we didn't want it to end anyway! The weather gods have had Daydreams waiting before, anchored in some remote places for so long we thought we might have to ration our provisions. But all is good when you're sailing and cruising. Fair Winds Amigos! From Your Commodore Joe Day S/V Daydreams S/V Mental Floss Melinda's Membership Memos Ahoy mates, Where did the summer go? This year really sped by; the warm weather started late and is ending early. Wouldn't it be nice if the lake stayed warm and full for a few more months? Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the last two meetings at the Club House. I missed being there and have rearranged other commitments on the second Wed. of each month so I can attend. Thanks to all whom helped welcome the new members in my absence. I would like to welcome Don and Matt McKay as new members. I believe Dad (Don) had a little experience on the water but son Matt caught the bug in the Junior Sailing Class. They are really enthusiastic and excited about getting a chance to sail more. Also, I would like to share a little bit about new members Arnold and Deborah Owens: The Owens met in 1995 and sailed their 18' Capri on Scotts Flat until they bought a blue water cruiser, a 31 ft. Southern Cross, in This boat took them down the coast of California and Baja and into the Sea of Cortez. In 2001 they sailed her to Hawaii and Arnold single handed her back to Monterey in Impressive! They sold this boat in 2008 and came back to Grass Valley. Deborah says "they have come full circle and are once again proud owners of another 18'ft. Capri." They are really looking forward to sailing locally. A bit different then sailing on the big blue but equally pleasing. Wrapping my memos up this month, I hope to see all salts at the next meeting. I will send a reminder to the Union newspaper. We meet at Alta Sierra Pizza and Grill the former Larry and Lenas. Same place, same time. Melinda

3 Page 3 of 8 Channel Island Report By Dudley Gaman It dawned on me as I was into page five of my story about our sail to the Channel Islands and we hadn't even started for home, that there was simply too much excitement, beauty, and friendship to put into the newsletter. Perhaps a summary would be in order...and besides, who cares what we had for breakfast while at anchor in Smugglers Cove? People usually ask one of two questions about the trip: 1) What was it like rounding Point Conception, and 2) What do you do at the islands? Answers: 1) An E-Ticket ride, and 2) Watch "The Show" But never mind that. This is what I learned on the trip: - Redundancy. Not a new lesson, but a refresher course in why you never want to depend on any single piece of electronic equipment. The GPS wouldn't turn on until we got to Morro Bay (the navigation apps for the iphone are terrific) and the autopilot turned into "Crazy Ivan" (David is good at hand steering). - Redundancy again. Having a buddy-boat within eyesight at all times provides an additional level of confidence in the event of a problem. - Use waterproof ink in the log book. - Attitude. Don and Katie's level of enthusiasm was a treat. And never was heard a discouraging word. Not only was the coast clear of fog with a brilliant fullmoon in the sky, but we got to witness the moonset followed immediately by the sunrise then 36 hours later a sunset followed immediately by a moonrise. - Crew. Stewart was wonderful. Serious, dependable, and eager. Steuart. A few hundred more miles to the thousands we've logged together. David comes through when the chips are down. - Favorite anchorage. Still Coches Prietos. - Weather window. Another refresher course, but we left for home a day or two earlier than planned to avoid forecast winds and swell building from the south. A little schedule flexibility on the way and the result was light wind and slight swell most of the trip. - Food. Meals taste better at anchor anyway, but thanks to Teresa and Katie for making them the best. And next time Steuart will wait to order his wine. Rounding Point Conception

4 Page 4 of 8 Channel Islands (cont) - Timing. Not only was the coast clear of fog with a brilliant full-moon in the sky, but we got to witness the moonset followed immediately by the sunrise then 36 hours later a sunset followed immediately by a moonrise. - Fog horns. Arghhhhhhhhhh! - Wildlife. Lions, and tigers, and bears...well, no. But the feeding frenzy at sunset in the Channel Islands is as good as the Monterey Bay Aquarium and $30 less. - Character. Never wear a hat with more character than you. And the bottom line? We covered 739NM in 16 days and visited Santa Cruz, San Simeon, Morro Bay, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz Island, Anacapa Island, Monterey, and Half Moon Bay. All-in-all, this was the best of the 4 Channel Islands cruises we've done on Kia Orana in terms of overall conditions. Fun people make for a fun trip. Thanks to everyone for making it so memorable. September's General Meeting Minutes Commodore Joe Day called the meeting called to order at 19:19. Twenty-five members were present. Several boats were untied from their moorings and set adrift... Apparently no damage was done, but the incident serves as a reminder to secure your boat, consider locking your mooring tie, and visiting your boat often. Commodore (Joe Day): Joe thanked everyone who braved the cold weather to attend the last lakeside meeting of the year. He also thanked Hugh Talman for running August s meeting. Although the lake is still relatively full for this time of year, NID sent an out notifying boat owners of the 9/15 deadline for pulling boats off the mooring balls. NID will be offering dry storage in the parking lot over the winter for $50/month if anyone is interested. Hugh suggested contacting Peggy to see if NID will extend the deadline especially since the lake level is up. Joe received a letter from the Summer Sailstice organization discussing the dwindling possibility for the next America s Cup to be held in San Francisco. Several boats were untied from their moorings and set adrift about 3 weeks ago. Apparently no damage was done, but the incident serves as a reminder to secure your boat, consider locking your mooring tie, and visiting your boat often.

5 Page 5 of 8 September's General Meeting Minutes (cont) Former member David Cowell is attending the meeting tonight. He is looking for crew for his Islander 30 to sail/spectate during the upcoming Big Boat Series on the Bay. He will be going from Rio Vista to Benicia/Vallejo to China Cove then to Encinal YC (September 14-18). He mentioned that St Francis YC extends privileges to GCYC members ($10 entry fee). Vice-Commodore (Chris Buti): Chris was not present, so no VC report was given. Secretary (Janis Johnson): Janis announced a PICYA newsletter contest, where clubs enter 3 editions of their newsletter. Ken Neely will select three newsletters to enter in the contest. Treasurer (Jean Cutshall): Jean announced the club s bank balance and mentioned that she is expecting to receive the county tax bill soon. Membership/Publicity (Melinda Day): Melinda was not present, so no report was given. Race Chairman (Jerry Lewis): No one has shown up for the last three club races, so Jerry is considering changing the race season next year: maybe a keelboat spring series followed by a dinghy summer series. He would like members to brainstorm about how to generate more participation in the races. Educational Director (Don Hare): Don was not present, so no report was made. Port Captain (David Niedziejko): David has returned from his sailing trip with Dudley Gaman from the Channel Islands to San Francisco. Some helping hands contributed to storing the Sunfish this evening before the meeting. There will be a work party to prepare the clubhouse for winter on September 25, so please come down and help out. Cruise Director (Doug Epperson): Cruising season is winding down. The Tahoe cruise was cancelled due to weather concerns. Bryant Cockcroft took his boat out anyway that weekend and has some wild wind stories to report. As several club members just returned from a trip to the Channel Islands and back, Doug asked for a cruise report from them. Dudley Gaman took a friend onboard Kia Orana, while Don and Katie Wight took Stewart Nielsen onboard Valhalla. They had a full moon departure under the Golden Gate Bridge and made stops in Monterey, San Simeon, Morro Bay and Santa Barbara. After several days cruising the Channel Islands the weather forecast chased them out of Santa Barbara and they motored back up the coast. As Kia Orana waited at the Gate for Valhalla to catch up, the incoming tide pulled them under the bridge going backwards, so now he can say he backed under the Golden Gate Bridge. Newsletter Editor (Ken Neely): Ken welcomes submissions to the newsletter; please him with your story, ad or newsworthy note. He and Janis have been weekend warriors at the Napa Valley Marina where they have been working on Kuani. The marina is hosting a free wine tasting on 8/21; Ken invited members to come down to help out with the boat work then enjoy some wine and appetizers. Old Business: No old business was reported. New Business: Hugh Talman inquired about next year s board nominations and elections. Joe responded that the past commodores will convene and nominate next year s board members. The raffle is postponed until next month. Ken Neely announced that he and Janis are splashing Kuani on September 25. He will be teaching sailing at Tradewinds Sailing in September, so please send students his way. As Kia Orana waited at the Gate for Valhalla to catch up, the incoming tide pulled them under the bridge going backwards, so now he can say he backed under the Golden Gate Bridge. October schedule: 13 Club Meeting at Alta Sierra Pizza 26 BOD Meeting The meeting was adjourned at 19:55.

6 Page 6 of 8 Club pictures Fresh water rinse after the dive The Doo Dah fleet crosses San Pablo Bay Doo Dah'ers approach the Carquinez Straight Jerry Cirino helms Daydreams

7 Page 7 of 8 Glen Cove Marina Gypsy Soul beats back into San Pablo Bay Classifieds 14 ft Laser for sale - Good/fast former racer. light blue. 70's style wood board and kick-up rudder. Sail is used but still has good shape for racing. $1000 or o.b.o. Also for sale: Hobie 16. has full cover, new tramp, 2 sets sails, beaching wheels, double trapeze rigged, and trailer. $800 o.b.o. Please contact Seth at Dreaming of a Beach Get-Away? Here is your opportunity! This is a two bedroom/two bath house on the beach in a quiet neighborhood. Take your coffee to the beach-side patio that overlooks the ocean, where you can sit while watching the dolphins play in the surf and the sun setting over the horizon. Safely tucked away on the coast of South Ensenada is a wonderful gated ranch community called Corona Beach. The house sleeps 8+; a queen bed in the master bedroom, bunk beds in the second bedroom, a Murphy bed in the living room, along with two futons. There is a full kitchen, dining room seating for 6 and two full baths. $75/night or $500 per week, plus a $300 deposit refunded after keys are returned and house inspected for damages. The neighbors are mostly from the U.S. and everyone speaks English. The management of the park is very friendly and helpful. 24 hour security is provided. No motorcycles allowed in the park. The famous La Bufadora blow hole is 30 minutes away. ***There is an additional $20 per night parking and security fee you will be responsible for paying directly to the management of the park. Questions and availability call Howard or Donna Hendrich at (530)

8 Page 8 of 8 Gold Country Yacht Club PO Box 813 Grass Valley, CA PHONE: Classifieds (cont.) Crealock-designed 1970 Ericson 26 (Hull 184) w/ twin axle trailer (electric brakes, spare tire). Low hour 8 hp Yamaha long shaft outboard with cockpit remote control and key start, depth sounder, compass. Upholstery in great shape, V-berth, vanity sink, portable head, galley sink, camp stove, icebox, saloon table, ship's bell, and quarter-berth (sleeps five), 12v electric system for key start motor, cabin lights, running lights and instrument lights. Has 25 gallon water tank (not plumbed). Comes with safety gear, three sails (main, 130 genoa and small jib with covers for main and genoa), swim ladder, Bruce bow anchor with 150' rode, Danforth anchor with 150' rode, Sevylor inflatable dinghy with oars. Asking $6000 contact ken@wingandwing.net or call joe.day@sbcglobal.net On the Web See us at: GOLD COUNTRY YACHT CLUB PO Box 813 Grass Valley, CA 95945