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Friday, May 11, 2018

Catalina Rendezvous 2018, Roche Harbor, San Juan Island, WA.

Jah Mon C-42 out of Anacortes,
Bill, Lori and the Count.  Patrick not shown.
Vela, C-355 from Victoria BC

Captain Ron and crew of Zephyr out of Blaine


The Boats and crews:

These photos show most of the boats and crews, some were not captured but all had grins.


Rocky Horror Picture Show fans of Time Warp!





C-320

Bob of Archimedes from Victoria BC

A 1976 C-30, oldest boat here and very nice!

Randy and Donna who came all the way
from Friday Harbor on their 1995 C-42.

1995 C-42

Dona and Leo down from Campbell River
BC on a C-310

Don and Gail of Victoria BC and Gailforce

C-34

Claire and Gary who came in from Austrailia.

C-47, Passion out of Semiahmoo.

Stu on his C-34 Aquavit out of Maple Bay BC

 Ann and Alex

Tenaya, C-34 out of Victoria BC

Mari and Dave out of La  Conner


C-42, Elara

Ry-Ry,Rita, Ken and Madison, on Solaria, C-42
from Anacortes

Mary and Dave with their C-34 down from
Bellingham

Gail and Nick of Ursa Minor

C-42, 1990 out of Olympia

Mike, Wendy, Monte and Joyce of Linje Akevitt, C-42
from Anacortes

Joyce and Monte, partners in Solaria, C-42

Rick and Bob of Camelot, 1989 C-42, original owners

C-42 based out of Semiahmoo

Carolyn and Ed of Pelican Way from Anacortes

C-320

Cathy and Mike of Wanderin' Star

C-34 from Point Roberts

Joe and Patti of Second Wind, C-320

C-320 out of Anacortes

Crew of Time Warp


Time Warp, C-320

This is a report on the last Catalina Rendezvous organized by Count Enrico Ferrari of the s/v Jah Mon C-42.


Taking some pride in flying our banner.

Q:  Why even have a rendezvous?
A:  This is a gathering of owners of boats that were manufactured by a single factory.  It allows for an exchange of ideas on boating repairs, options, cruising ideas, cooking aboard, safety issues, and other good ideas that make boating more enjoyable.
27 boats of all sizes showed up for the fun.  The largest gathering of sailboats at Roche
in years for a Rendezvous.

In this case, the Manufacturer is Catalina Yachts, now based in Florida but formerly of California.  This event is the ONLY sailboat rendezvous hosted at Roche Harbor out of 54 rendezvous scheduled.  The rest are groups of similar power boats or Yacht Clubs which would typically have a mix of types of boats.
The 42' model was the most represented.

Q:  What does one do at this event?
A:  If the reader would go to each of the links provided below for the various years, you will see an agenda for each (I hope) and the events are listed.  All seminars are fun so get organized and put something out there.  Speakers are easy to garner if you just ask.

Rebuilding the winches each year was well attended each year although few actually did the recommended maintenance even though it was featured at about 6 of the rendezvous.  We didn't do it this year.


Flying flags is just fun!


click here for 2017

click here for 2016

click here for 2015

click here for 2014

click here for 2013

click here for 2012

Ideas:  
The ideas found in the various agendas above came from various sources and depended on very generous presenters to step up and tell the group about their specialty.  Most boating industry businesses were willing to donate time, give aways, discounts, and good will.  All you have to do is ask.

The next Catalina Rendezvous will be organized by two Co-Fleet Captains.  One with a 28' and the other with a 42' Catalina.  The event has grown each year since we started inviting all sizes of Catalinas.  We started with just the 42' Fleet 12 of the NW and maybe had 15 42' Catalinas attend as our largest event.  This time we had over 45 registries but only 27.2 boats showed up.  (The .2 was for a boat that was only there for one night and regrettably had to leave.)

The boats:
The sizes ranged  this time from 28' to 47' with the 42' size being the most popular, followed by the 34' size.  After the event there was interest by an owner with a 50' Catalina (the largest ever made).  We have had a 22' in attendance a couple of times and they had as much fun as anyone.  It is not the size of the boat but the attitude those aboard.

The treks made included a boat from Olympia and as far north as Campbell River, BC (150 miles!)

The Weather:

The weather ordered in advance in the fall by Count Ferrari was to be Upper 60s to mid 70s F with light winds and lots of sun.  
Friday morning saw some pretty sights.

Sunset and dock lights on Saturday night.
Sunset on Friday night.  Note the still water.  All good.

Notice of Event:

The first notice went out to as many emails as were available as did the second notice.  This was started in September or October to allow for vacation planning.  The attendees from the past were the most active in registering but they also recruited several others from their docks.

An UPdate was sent out each month starting in January.  It included the incomplete agenda and asked for ideas of things to do. 

New Events:
The newest event was the Boat Hop (see below) which was a very fine success and run by the captain who suggested it.  30 minute rotations made for short visits but all was good.

Volunteers made the events go smoothly.  We had a Man Over Board drill where a brave soul jumped off as we were sailing 7.5 k to weather.  He was retrieved quickly and then transferred to another boat which was watching and then first boat was the observer.  The 20 minute pre-talk on what works and what to expect was a very good idea, even if several steps were ignored in the execution of recovery.  The reality is that things ramp up the intensity and you just make do.

This event had been done 8 years or so previously and is a GREAT idea for all to watch and do.  It really only consumed 1.5 hours from talk to tying the boat back up.



Seminars:

CBP:  The hour long presentation by Officer Kevin Holmes started out the official program and lent street cred to the event as he showed up in full Customs and Border Prevention (CBP) regalia including a sidearm.  

His talk was needed as it was mostly Q&A and the questions ran over the allotted time.  Our group had lots of questions and he answered them all as candidly as he could.  This was a very worthy event.

Rigging:  Quinn Olson, senior rigger for NW Rigging in Anacortes stepped up to the plate and hit a home run in his discussion of the issues of rigging we will all encounter.  His delivery of information brought on droves of questions from our group and he even spent time looking at individual boats afterwards.  He covered mast tuning, inspections, and things to look for and others things to not do.

Safety at Sea:  Deon Human MD, put on a very direct and impactful discussion of what you can do if presented with a health issue at sea.  He was direct and emphatic in what should be done and in what order.  I am hoping to get a one page synopsis to publish here.  He covered CPR, just do it with in 10 seconds!  Bleeding (pressure), choking (back slap and Heimlich (sp)), broken bones (magazine splint).  I am sure there was more but that is what I recall.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary inspections saw 13 boats, nearly half the fleet take advantage of this free and worthy inspection.  There were two of the inspectors going from boat to boat checking lights flare dates, and various preparations for safety.

NEMA 2000 presentation by Les Troyer of Mahalo was attended by 8 brave souls trying to keep up with the latest standards in boat equipment and technical matters.  He had to start later than expected as the Potluck ran late.  

Fun:


The crowd OOHed and Ahhed the contestants battling it out for the award in the Decorated Tender Contest.

The dinks made a circuit in front of the crowd on a sunny Saturday.

The Decorated Tender Contest:
Stu running the firehose while Les captained the direction of the vessel.
Safety first won the day!  These were the only crew to wear their PFDs  The winning boat!

Judged by Don Paget and friends saw Mahalo's auxiliary Fire Boat with working water pump gun take first place.  He intimidated all the other entrants!  Les recruited Stu of Aquavite to run the water gun, and run it he did!
Gary and Claire came all the way from the land of Oz to make this event.

Passion's entry of All Things Austrailian tied for second with Jah Mon's  Elmer Fudd goes Duck Hunting.








Elmer Fudd shoots bubbles hoping to hit a duck.
Which way did the ducks go?
I am ready for the little devils.


Appy Hour was a total success on Thursday night with too many snacks to allow for dinner for anyone.




Even the 42' boat made it snug with big crews visiting but all
was gooder!

Boat Hop on Friday night had to be experienced to be believed but it was great!
Aboard Jah Mon.
Dick, Don, the Countess and Count.
We squeezed the larger crew into a 30' and spread out on a 42'.  It was great seeing what others had going on.
If you were the host boat for the initial hosting you could do a full baked brie with a boat decorated on it and Catalina logo on the sail!
Again this event took the place of dinner for most.
Our photographer, Joyce and her sister in law Wendy on Jah Mon.
Gary and Darlene of Moon Shadow and Monte of Linje Akevit.

The Count in speaker mode.

Go Around Vancouver Island presentation went smoothly and seemed to be well attended.  Kudos have to go to Les of Mahalo who hauled up a huge projection screen, computer projector and made it all work!  The Count was able to find his Power Point presentation and got it transferred to an Apple computer in time for the event. (This was our first evening event ever and the IT work made it possible, Roche had included the use of a good PA system which was needed to talk over the noise of the propane furnace.)

The Potluck:


Ready for action after a fabulous face lift.

A very fun nautical scene with
random photos scattered in the
mix from last year!
The decorations by Joyce and Wendy of Linje Akevitt were ramped up to a degree one saw a total transformation of the tent and tables.  Compass roses and photos from previous events were in the mix along with and organization of where to put salads, main entrees, and desserts.  As usual no one went away hungry and the food was the best ever this year!  You would have thought it was starvation time if you saw some of the plates that exited after filling UP.  
The amount and goodness of the food had to be seen to be believed.


Gift Exchange:
This went smoothly with the young girls delivering the gifts to the crews of the boats randomly drawn.  If you brought a gift you got a gift.  Ken and Rita of Solaria did a great job on this.  Other give aways included many tee shirts and key chains from Ullman Sails.
The loot before distribution.






Group Photo:



Agenda
Catalina Rendezvous 2018  Roche Harbor
May 3-6

Thursday:
Roche dock wizards will assist you to the dock if you call in on the VHF on 78 or at phone number 800-586-3590.  An attendant will come to register you at your boat for slip fees.

Recommend backing in for ease of access on and off your boat.
Registration in the tent with Lori Sorensen, Admiral of Jah Mon
Sign up for events to optimize your experience!
Arrive:  Relax!
4:00 PM Appy Hour!  Fun for all and visits galore!
Friday:
10:00 AM
Customs and Border Patrol:
Customs and Border Patrol presentation, by Officer Kevin Holmes 1 hour

11:30 AM
1.                 MOB drill:  Man Overboard Drill, Actual man falling over from Jah Mon and retrieved a few times. ~3 hours.  Maybe bring food and drink for a nautical picnic.

4:00 PM
          Boat Hop:  Don Lucas, of Gailforce, is in charge of this.  Sign up at registration.  One boat hosts two other crews, then a horn sounds and we shift to a new host boat, maybe 3 shifts in all? TBD
8:00 PM:
          Voyage around Vancouver Island presentation on a 42’, by Count Enrico

Saturday
9:00 AM
1.                 Coast Guard Auxilary:  A group briefing by Auxiliary Coast Guard inspectors prior to inspections, 30 minutes, scheduled for 9:00 AM Saturday May 5.  Inspections over the day.
Sign ups by email or on the dock for registration or during the Group talk.
10:00 AM
          Quinn Olson, of NW Rigging, Anacortes:      
"You and your sailboat rig", What we see everyday, what you should look for in your rig
11:30 AM
Dr. Gideon Human, Safety at Sea:
Health Care on a boat, by Dr. Human, 1 hour

2:00 PM
          Decorated Tender Contest and parade:  Bring a decorated dinghy to your own theme.  Entries accepted at registration
6:30 PM
          Pot Luck Dinner in the tent
7:30 PM
          Gift Exchange:  Ken and Rita Fischer of Solaria will be accepting gifts and awarding them.  Bring your gift of ~$20 to their boat and sign up. Bring a gift and get one, bring two and get two, etc…
Election:  Who is going to organize this event for next year?
7:45ish
          NMEA 2000, 0183, and Signal K networking, by Leslie Troyer Signal K – is an open source application that takes various 0183, N2K, (serial & other) sources and confederates them into a single repository, that can be accessed using common methods.  For example – with the correct signal K plugins and apps,  I can control my Raymarine autopilot from an app running on my watch..
Sunday:
Departure and fond farewells, fair winds and gentle seas….
























































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