The Cat's Tales

Catalinas of Santa Monica Bay and Catalina 36 – Fleet #1

March 2003

John Celick — Newsletter Editor\Treasurer

http://www.catalinasmbay.org/

From the Captain of the Fleet:

“Our February meeting had one of the largest attendances that we have had in quite a while. Fortunately there was plenty of pizza and salad to go around. I think the presentation by Charlie Segal on the trip that he and his children took was very interesting. That is a trip I’d like to take.

“We also had a very good turnout for Norm's Short Cruise and the safety inspections. With 12 Catalinas of various sizes, we took over the entire guest dock. The view from the park was spectacular and drew some potential new members. We want to thank Dick McKinney and his crew who did the inspection. We all passed our safety inspections and have our 2003 decals.

“Our presentation in March is on cruising the “other” Channel Islands. Most of us go to Catalina often and seldom, if ever, visit the other destinations in the Channel Islands that offer quite different experiences. Come and share your Channel Island experiences and learn about some of the places you may not have visited yet.

“Our menu for the March 18th meeting is POTLUCK, any style or preparation, bought or home made. I look forward to seeing you there.” Your Fleet Captain, Hal Avery

Speaker on March 18th: Cruising the Channel Islands

We’ll either have a speaker which isn’t yet confirmed or we’ll have a roundtable discussion on cruising the “other” Channel Islands. Bring your maps, guidebooks, pictures and experiences to share.

Charlie Segal

The Short Cruise: On March 9^th to MdR Guest Docks

 
Boaters coming in from a day sails or cruises had a wonderful treat as they sailed by Burton Chace Park Sunday afternoon. It was the Catalinas of SM Bay's first outing of 2003. 12 beautiful Catalinas from the C310 to the C42 lined the guest dock at Chace Park and enjoyed a beautiful sunny afternoon. 39 participants (our biggest turnout ever) shared their ideas on improvements to their boats at the show 'n tell while others took notes. Food and drink were aplenty and the company was delightful.



I hate to toot my own horn (yeah, right) but feel that it was a huge success. Of course, it's all thanks to the participants and the Catalinas they brought to the park. We even had some new boats, new faces, one new member, and perhaps a few more new members.



A big draw was Dick McKinney and his fellow Coast Guard Auxiliary member's hard work in inspecting and passing 11 Courtesy Marine Exams. Thank you, Dick.



To enjoy more, color, photos of the event (…and all our events), on the web visit:

http://www.catalinasmbay.org/photos/03-norms-short-cruise/ Cruise Chairman: Norm Perron
 

Membership Note: Welcome Three New Members

Carlos Cancanon from LA has a Catalina 42 named Oye. He is also a member of SYRC.

Ron & Ruth Kantor have a Catalina 36 named Fancy Free. They are also members of Del Rey Yacht Club

Diane & Anthony Manzella have a Catalina 42 named Catherine Michele. They are also members of California Yacht Club.

Membership Chairperson: Gisela Dawson

TECH TIPS: Two Articles from the Past

Editor’s Note:

Several people have asked for these two articles to be re-printed. The first is about how to freshen your water tanks and I suggest that you file this article on your boat. It isn’t well known that water does go bad and nothing can ruin an outing like having stinky water. The second article is our answer to “duct tape and plastic sheeting.” This article contains the stuff we should all have aboard our boats, in our cars, at our workplace, and stored at home… just in case.  Editor: John Celick
 


TECH TIPS: Water Purification (Reprinted)

Does the fresh water on your boat taste and/or smell bad? Here are two methods for fixing the problem:

Method #1:

The procedures outlined here have been excerpted from an article written by a former Navy officer who spent a year as Engineering Officer aboard a support ship located in the muddy waters of the Mekong Delta. During that year he learned how to make approximately 60,000 gallons of fresh water a day for the troops out of the creamy brown Delta water. He obviously learned his lessons well, because we've used this method for several years, and it works. If your water tastes lousy, do this right away to "sweeten" the tank. If your water tastes fine, you may still want to do it once a year to make sure that alga or bacteria don't start growing in your tank. The chlorine proportions used here assume that you are using swimming pool chlorine to purify 50 to 75 gallons. The recipe can be adjusted to suit your needs. Because our boats carry the water in 2 or 3 tanks (depending on whether you have a bow tank) I use the proportions listed here, mix the total amount of chlorine with water in a pitcher or other container and then estimate the portion of the total to pour into each tank according to its size.

1. Super-chlorinate the water with one cup of chlorine. Fill the tanks and let them sit 4 hours, or take a short ride to let the water slosh around and clean the tanks. Make sure you let water run through the hot and cold taps in both the galley and the head until you get a chlorine smell from the water coming out of the faucet. If you have a water filter in the system, you should remove the filter cartridge until you finish all of these steps.

2. Pump the tanks dry, and then fill them with fresh water to rinse them. Remember to run the rinse water through all the faucets.

3. Pump the rinse water out, then fill them again and add a 2 lb box of baking soda. Go to sea and really roll around for awhile. Return to the dock and pump them dry.

4. Fill the tanks one more time with fresh water and pump them out a final time to rinse the system. The tanks are now clean and sweet.

5. After doing the above to sweeten the tanks, you should add 1 tablespoon of chlorine each time you fill the tanks to prevent algae and bacteria from growing.

If you want, you can buy a cheap swimming pool test kit to test the water. You don't want a reading on the scale, just a slight discoloration of the test sample. If you get a chlorine smell from the water, you are probably using too much and should reduce the proportions. Water with too much chlorine isn't likely to hurt you but you probably won't like the taste. Using this method, you can take on water in Mexico or any other port safely.

Method #2:

This method was published in the Ronco Plastics (they build our water tanks) catalog. They recommend it for a new system, one that hasn't been used for a period of time, or one that may have become contaminated. I haven't used it, but I assume that it works.

1. For each 15 gallons of tank capacity, prepare a chlorine solution using one gallon of water and 1/4 cup of Clorox household bleach. Pour the solution into empty tanks.

2. Fill the tanks with fresh water. If you have a water filter in the system, you should remove the filter cartridge until you finish all of these steps. Open all the faucets until the entire system is filled.

3. Allow to stand for three hours.

4. Drain and flush with fresh water.

5. To remove excess chlorine taste or odor which might remain, prepare a solution of one quart vinegar to five gallons water and allow this solution to agitate in tank for several days.

6. Drain the tanks and again flush with fresh water.

Eric Sorensen

Tech Tips - Some More Ideas on post- 9/11 Readiness (Also Reprinted)

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 a disaster to report your condition. This person can be the communications hub for 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, you will 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. Replace 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

Date:	Event:	Remarks:
Tuesday, March 18	Meeting	Pot Luck Dinner at SMWYC, Cruising the Channel Islands
No Meeting in April		The 3^rd Tuesday is April 15^th and we decided to pass…
Thursday, May 22	Tour	Catalina Factory Tour and Dinner, Meeting Following Tour at Restaurant TBA
Saturday - Sunday, May 31 – June 1	Cruise	To King Harbor YC, Med-Tie Overnight

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