The Cat's Tales
Catalina 36 Santa Monica Bay—Fleet #1
January 2002
John Celick — Newsletter
Editor\Treasurer
Web
Site: http://www.catalina.net/c36fleet1
From the Captain of the
Fleet:
“I hope all of you had a great holiday
season and are now ready for the new year.
“We've had house guests from Catalina 36
Fleet #5, Long Island Sound, since December 28 and
we've really had lots of fun. We went to Catalina to show them Avalon and the
Isthmus on December 28 and 29, returned home in four hours of rain and cold.
Phil kept saying, "Try not to think about a hot shower."
“We found several of our Fleet #1 members enjoying the New Year Holiday at Catalina. Garry and
Marci Willis on Breez'n’ neat as a pin
even in the rain, and we looked a little like a drowned rats. Also, saw Dick
and Sharon Dreshler on Last Resort.
Even though Dick and Sharon live in Arizona, I think they may get to the Island more often than some of us that live
much closer.
“On Thursday, January 3, I took our
guests for the Catalina Factory tour. Boy, they are really turning out a lot of
new boats; the building was full.
“I am working to get a complete slate of
officers for the year 2002. Quit holding back! Call me to volunteer for a
position that you would like. Maybe by our January meeting I'll have everything
in place.
“Our next meeting will be a Pot Luck
Dinner on January 15th at Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club. We’ll have
cocktails at 6:30,
dinner at 7:15 and follow-up with a speaker on
navigation tips. Sounds interesting to me. See you
there!"
Ouida Rojas, Captain of the Fleet
Gregory Daley on
Navigation Tips at our Next Meeting:
Our speaker will be Gregory Daley on
navigation tips and techniques. Charlie says, "This guy can go slower than
you and will get there before you do."
Huh? Gregory Daley will speak to us about all things having to do with
navigation...from celestial to GPS plotters and tricks of the trade. He is a
man with an interesting background which includes experience with hi‑tech
electronics to having his Coast Guard Captains license. Come and let’s see what
Charlie Segal is talking about.
John Celick, Editor
New Members - The Fleet
Keeps Growing!
Chris Baird and Susan Klos
have joined us with their Catalina 36 named after the spouse, Susan Marie.
Also, Dix and Anne Stillman have joined with their
Catalina 36, hull 408, named Hale Kai. This makes our Fleet rather large... let’s
take over a cove once this summer with 46 Catalina 36's, 6 Catalina 42's, 1
Catalina 400 and 1 Passport 40... totaling 54
in the Fleet. Welcome!
Gisela Dawson, Membership
Tech Tips - SCOOTCHEE
AS A SHELTER
In the "new world" after 9/11 our perspective
of personal safety has somewhat changed. Recently Tannis
and I were sharing our new view of life and Tannis
asked how we might make the boat a haven of advantage in event of a
catastrophe.
First, what are we afraid of and how can
we use our boat to get to a safe place? If Los Angeles blows up, then we will all have a great
time together sailing the heavens together so the boat isn’t going to help
anyone. But, there are other threats that we can deal with. If an airborne
agent like Anthrax or a "dirty" bomb laced with radiation were to be
released or exploded in the Los Angeles basin, one would not wish to be
"down wind". And if you could get to your boat, which in all
likelihood is docked "up wind" on the West Side, it could provide an opportunity to
escape to a safer place.
Therefore, we are preparing our boat to
be a somewhat self‑sufficient personal safety vehicle upon which we could
get upwind of catastrophe. A sailing craft has the advantage of being able to
travel great distances without the use of fuel. We have the proper
communication devices aboard already required by law. And we have television and broadcast radio
units aboard to stay in touch with the news media. We have a 77 gallon supply
of water, 36 gallons of diesel fuel and a functional refrigerator. We have
listed some of the additional things we think we need.
We begin with a small AC Generator to
recharge batteries, a water maker to refill our tanks, a good supply of dry
batteries in D, C, AA and AAA sizes and food for at least 2 weeks. We have been
to Costco to purchase canned and packaged goods, dry staples and
seasonings and Tannis plans to go to Trader Joe’s
for packaged dried, proteins, fruits and vegetables. Boxed soy and rice milk products
have a long shelf life and I plan to access a source of military meals ready to
eat (MRE) in addition to the above.
In the area under the V‑berth,
there is a large space in front of our forward water tank that we will use as a
storage area for the foods. I plan to keep 10 gallons of generator fuel and
another 5 gallons of diesel in the garage at home in a place where we can get
it should we decide to run for the boat.
We all hope and pray that we will never
have to be forced to need our wonderful boats as shelter from Terrorists, but
it makes me feel better just knowing that we have that
option.
Brian Frankish
Tech Tips - Some More
Ideas on post- 9/11 Readiness
Three things have been stressed after
9/11 by firemen and police that you should think about doing:
1. Choose an
out-of-state friend or relative whom family or friends can call after an disaster to report your condition. This person can be the
communications hub everyone in your family needs.
2. Develop a message
drop in a secure location outside your home where family members can leave
messages for each other. This way if you're separated, and
unable to communicate with each other your will to reunite.
3. Develop a
“self-help network” of
families and friends. Catalogue and itemize specific skills and resources.
This “resource bank” includes a list of tools, equipment, materials and members
who have special skill and resources to share.
Additional, if you are thinking about
your boat as shelter, here are some useful supplies and equipment for your boat
and car.
MEDICATIONS:
Antibiotic ointment
Antihistamine
Aspirin and/or pain relief medications
Diarrhea medications
Ear and nose spray
Eye drops
Hydrogen peroxide
Insect spray
Necessary medicines (prescriptions, etc)
ESSENTIAL WATER: Safe drinking water - 5 gallons of water
per person a day.
8 drops of unscented liquid bleach per
gallon will reduce contaminants in the water.
Add the bleach when you first store the
water.
Rotate water every six months.
MINIMUM SURVIVAL KIT: The Fire Dept. recommends having a car
survival kit which could be transferred to the boat.
Bottled water
Can opener
Cash small denominations
Change of clothes
Chemical light sticks
Dust masks - keep some in your car, boat
and office!
Essential medications
First aid kit
Flashlight w/ extra batteries
Gloves
Jacket
Matches and lighter
Non-perishable food
Nylon carrying bag.
Pre‑moistened towelettes
Radio with extra batteries
Sealable plastic bags
Sleeping bag
Small tool kit
Walking shoes
I hope you don’t need this, but you are
going to look awfully smart if you ever do and you are ready.
Al Casal
Coming Events
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Date:
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Event:
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Remarks:
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Tuesday, January 15
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Meeting
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SMWYC “Pot Luck”
Dinner, Speaker is Gregory Daley on Navigation Tips
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Tuesday, February 19
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Meeting
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SMWYC “Pizza Night”,
Speaker TBA
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2002 Event Schedule
will be in the next newsletter!
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Meetings are on the 3rd
Tuesday of the month at the Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club, 13589 Mindinao Way, cocktails at 6:30, Dinner at 7:30