March, 2016 (12 pages, 1.5Mb)

…a little dinghy
March 2016 Issue 38-3
Feature Columns:
• Calendar
2
• From the
Commodore
3
• Monthly Minutes
4
• PICYA Info
5
• Errata
6
• Places to go
7
• Water Woes
10
• Spotlight
11
• Classifieds
89 DAYS TO GO
Go for the Gold
Regatta
9
March 2013
…a little dinghy
Page 2 of 12
At Our Helm
Commodore
Howard Hendrich
530-272-6969
commodore@gcyc.net
Vice Commodore
Stewart Perry
530-887-9522
Calendar
vicecommodore@gcyc.net
Secretary
Debbie Mack
925-899-0739
secretary@gcyc.net
Treasurer
Stephanie Perry
530-887-9522
treasurer@gcyc.net
Cruise Chair
Lynn Buchanon
530-913-4283
Publicity/Membership
Hugh Talman
530-272-2344
membership@gcyc.net
Port Captain
Bill Gully
530-263-5994
portcaptain@gcyc.net
Race Chair
Jerry Lewis
530-272-9380
race@gcyc.net
Sailing Education
Don Hare
916-774-6610
education@gcyc.net
Newsletter Editor
Dave Cowell
530-272-3209
newsletter@gcyc.net
March
7
*PICYA Meeting – Benicia YC – Dave Cowell
9
General Meeting-Alta Sierra Pizza & Grill
28
GCYC Board of Directors Meeting #3
April
2
3
4
9
10
13
16-17
23
24
25
May
2
7
11
13-15
14
21
22
25
28-29
*Trans Folsom Race – Folsom Lake
GCYC Club Race #1
*PICYA Meeting – Pittsburg YC – Dave Cowell
GCYC Club Race #2
Work Party- SFL Clubhouse (10 AM)
General Meeting- SFL Clubhouse
*Camellia Cup Regatta - Folsom Lake
*Konocti Cup Regatta - Clear Lake
SFL No Motor Day/Open House
GCYC Club Race #3
*Opening Day on the Bay
GCYC Board of Directors Meeting #4
*PICYA Meeting – Oyster Point YC – Dudley Gaman
*Opening Day on the Delta
General Meeting-SFL Clubhouse
Adult Sailing Class
GCYC Club Race #4
Work Party at SFL
GCYC Club Race #5
GCYC Board of Directors Meeting
General Meeting – SFL Clubhouse
*Whiskytown Regatta - Redding
JUNE
4-5 GO FOR THE GOLD REGATTA
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From the Commodore
Here it is March already, even though we had an extra day in
February, it sure seemed to fly by. Donna and I did get to
spend some time on the water in our boat as well as sailing
with Dave Cowell and Stew Perry on Dave's Mas Tiempo. The
winds were so light, we had to spend a lot of time motoring,
but the day was so warm and sunny, it was ok anyway.
Donna and I finally have our new engine panel in on Alice, it's
really nice to be able to look down and see the gas gauge
without having to remove the aft bunk and lift the cover to see
the top of the tank! So now on to the next project. As all of you
should know, working on boats is never ending.
Launch time for Scotts Flat isn't that far away, so on the nice
days, it might be time to spruce up your boat and fix those
things that need fixing so you don't have to waste valuable
sailing time to get them done. A little soap, water, wax and
varnish go a long way in making your boat look a lot nicer and
last longer too.
In other club news, Lynn Buchannan has resigned as our
Cruise chair. She has other commitments that don't allow her
a lot of time to work with the club, so we have accepted her
resignation. With that in mind, if you are interested in serving
on the club's Board of Directors as the cruise chairperson,
please let us know. There was discussion about maybe having
a director of the month kind of thing, so that individuals who
have plans in place could be the "director" of that event for the
club. I think it's an interesting proposition.
That concept has already been adopted for our PICYA
representative. We will be having different people represent
the club at the delegate meetings through out the year. Dave
Cowell will be donning the Blue Blazer and going to the March
meeting, Dudley and Teresa Gaman will be going in May,
Donna and I will do July and Don Hare will do August. That
leaves April, June, September, October and
November open. The club will pay for you and
your significant other's dinner at the meeting. If
interested, please look at the locations and dates
of the meetings either on their web site or contact
one of the directors.
Fair winds to you all,
Howard Hendrich
Member RAFT-UP every Wednesday from 3:00 PM until dusk.
Last month to receive the Little Dinghy if you haven’t renewed.
Club Membership Renewal is due by April 1st.
Volunteers are still needed for the Go for the Gold Regatta.
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Monthly Meeting Minutes, February 10, 2016
These are the preliminary minutes to be submitted to the membership for amendment and
approval at the next general meeting:
20 members present.
The meeting was called to order at 7:07 PM by Commodore Howard Hendrich.
Commodore – Howard welcomed all members and announced club burgee stickers, logo bags,
and license plate rims are available at the head table.
Vice Commodore – Stewart told of the progress on the Go for the Gold regatta. He is contacting
sponsors and asking for help with donations, raffle and auction prizes. He needs help with the
Gold Pan trophies and discussed the sizes and where to purchase them. He requested help with
the publicity as well. Robin Hart is working on Barbara Hare’s Regatta logo getting it ready for
event t-shirts. Stuckie’s Engraving would love for us to come back for badges, engraving etc.
Discussion followed about cheaper alternative engravers.
Treasurer – Stephanie stated that as of January, the club’s bank account has $7,700. The club
has submitted applications for insurance although there are some questions about required
information needed on the renewals.
Secretary - ( Absent)
Publicity/Membership – Hugh thanked former membership and publicity officers for their support.
He has recently introduced himself to the Union staff. He introduced Mr. Don File as a new
member, who shared his experiences sailing and expressed a desire to connect with the Port
Captain to help work on the club’s boats.
Racing - Jerry stated that that Folsom Lake is rising and the FLYC is starting their winter racing
series this month. This was witnessed by Scott Mack and Dave Cowell as evidenced in their
appearance on KCRA TV News.
Youth Sailing - Don has had one woman show interest in the adult program so far. He will contact
former Youth Sailing kids about the advanced program being offered for FJ racing this year.
Port Captain - The clubhouse is in fine condition and the dingy dock is afloat now. Bill asked how
the members’ dinghies have been identified when using the dinghy dock. The reply was “There
should be a club burgee sticker on the boat”.
Cruise Director – (Absent)
News Letter - Dave asked if everyone got their emails and gave the answers to the January quiz
about when and where the board members started sailing.
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New Business Lynn Buchannan has resigned as Cruise Director. The club is looking for someone to step up
and take the position. Discussion followed about an alternative system of a revolving “director for
the month” or Cruise Leader for individual events. The Board would prefer an individual to fill the
board seat.
The question came up about selecting a PICYA delegate. The board has realized that the PICYA
delegate has to incur a lot of hardship and expense to make the monthly meetings. It was decided
that the club would have multiple delegates to reduce the impact. Volunteers were solicited from
the present members. After reading the PICYA meeting dates and locations, Dave Cowell took
March and April, Dudley and Teresa Gaman took May, Howard and Donna Hendrich took July, and
Don Hare took August. These will be re-published in the monthly news letter calendar.
From the Floor –
Hugh Talman handed out state waterways boating maps of the Delta.
Melinda Day shared information about No Motor Day and Surf Expo at Scotts Flat Lake.
Teresa Gaman requested that reminders about the next club meeting be sent out by email.
Attendance to the meetings and club membership renewal has been slowly picking up. Jerry
Lewis suggested penalties each month for late membership.
Bill Gully asked if the club had made its contribution to a local charity back in January. He then
made a motion to give a donation to the Food Bank, Melinda Day seconded it, and the motion
passed by unanimous vote of the members present.
The meeting was adjourned by the Commodore at 8:12 PM.
PICYA Information
March 7, 2016 – Delegates Meeting, Benicia Yacht Club
March 21, 2016 – Board of Directors Meeting, Aeolian Yacht Club
March 26, 2016 – Leadership Conference, Martinez Yacht Club
April 4, 2016 – Delegates Meeting, Pittsburg Yacht Club
April 24, 2016 – Opening Day on the Bay – Heroes on the Water
May 7, 2016 – Opening Day on the Delta
September 17, 2016 - Coastal Cleanup Day
September 24, 2016 – PICYA Wheelchair Regatta (Encinal YC)
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Errata
Club Notices
Suggestion Box
'To sail is the thing,' wrote Arthur Ransome in his children's classic “Swallows
and Amazons”. And just what is that thing? Every sailor knows. It's what the
poets say and the pictures show, and everything else, too; it's the joy of casting
off and the delight of returning home, and it's all the winds and waves in
between. It's the beauty of a boat and the power of the currents, the sound of
ratcheting winches and the strain on the wheel; it's the fair breezes and
sunsets, the storms and luffing sails. It's the beer in the bar when the race is
done, and that moment when you feel you'll never get there. It's what sailors
mean when, safe and dry, standing on solid ground, they look at you and say,
'I'd rather be sailing.'"
Anne Depue
It is with great regret that the Board has accepted Lynn Buchanan’s
resignation from the Cruise chair. The Board has decided that one person could
not possibly fill her shoes and so will be asking for Cruise Leaders for each of
the planned outings. Leaders may opt to change the destination as weather and
water levels dictate; however, they will be required to give one month’s notice.
The Commodore will be asking for Cruise Leader volunteers at the next
General Meeting.
Lynn and Dale have been longtime benefactors of the club since its inception.
They are Plank Holders and have served in just about every capacity there is in
our organization. It would be a sure bet to say they’ve owned and raced more
(different) boats in our club than any other member. Curiously, the only name
you may recall is “Sailynn”. (There was mention of another boat -“Despite a
blue cheek, Dale "Diesel" Buchanan has successfully installed a new fuel tank
in Dulcinea.”) Ask Dale about that.
There are so many young people who have Lynn to thank for introducing them
to the sport of sailing. One can remember her sharing the intricacies of knot
tying and how to properly secure a painter to a cleat and the pain she suffered
when bending and stooping to help the smallest child. She had knee problems
then.
You might also recall a race while closing on a leeward mark with Lynn on your
quarter, asking no room and pushing the limit of the rules. She has been one of
our steadiest and best racers.
We can only hope that Lynn and Dale will be out there to test our mettle on the
race course and offer insights about the club for years to come. Stay the
course!
“Nice? It's the only thing," said the Water Rat solemnly...,” Believe me, my
young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing... In or out of ‘em, it does not
matter. Nothing seems really to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get
away, or whether you don't, whether you arrive at your destination or whether
you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're
always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done
it, there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like..."
"The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame.
You can anonymously make
recommendations to our board of
directors with a mind to make
this an even better yacht club!
It can be found at www.gcyc.net
or with this link:
Free Sailing Magazines
Latitude 38 and 48 North
magazines can be picked up
anytime at 148 Richardson
Street in Grass Valley. They are
in the driveway in the BLUE
MAILBOX. Usually we get them
between the 2nd and 4th of the
month. They are also available
at the general meeting.
Club Meetings
The February meeting was held
Wednesday the 10th. The next
General meeting will be held
Wednesday, March 9th at the
Alta Sierra Pizza & Grill; dine
from 6pm, Commodore’s bell at
7pm to start the meeting.
(The club meets the 2nd
Wednesday of every month but
December, and two Wednesdays before the Gold Country
Regatta.)
Dues
Club dues for current members
should be paid before 1 April.
Forms available at :
http://gcyc.net/gcycmembership.html
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Places to Go
Camp Far West is full of water. As a matter of fact it's
overflowing and the sight of the water in the spillway is
awesome. As a sailing destination this could be a real
sleeper except that the facilities around the lake are
rather limited. There is a ramp on the north side and
one on the south side; however, the south side doesn't
open up until May. By then the power boat crowd from
Sac has taken over the lake and it becomes a weekend
nightmare. Since the lake lies in the extreme ends of
Placer, Yuba and Nevada counties it's hard to say
there's any effective marine patrol by Sheriffs who don’t
see it in their jurisdiction. The lake is notorious for late
night parties and high speed powerboats. But, between
now and May there is some tranquility and the upper
ends of the lake would do for an anchor-out away from
the public. There's limited shore access to the upper
end of the lake.
Because the lake is essentially in the valley with no significant hills the winds follow the
Sacramento pattern with afternoon breezes. Most of the shoreline is rocky with no beach sites.
There are significant underwater rock outcroppings which become a problem when the lake level
drops during irrigation season so that late summer use is severely limited. Access to the lake north
shore ramp is via Highway 20, Chuck Yeager Rd. and a gravel road, Waldo and Camp Far West
Rds. Otherwise you'd have to drive to Lincoln or Wheatland and come in from the south.
Collins Lake
Collins is known predominantly as a fishing
lake. They spend a lot of money stocking it and
often have tournaments for fishermen. Looking
at their website at http://www.collinslake.com/
you immediately see happy fishermen with
giant fish. That doesn't mean it isn't suitable for
sailing. Like Camp Far West, Collins is a
"valley" lake and has wind patterns mostly the
same. Low hills surround the lake and high
mountains to the north prevent northern winds
though. Most of the shore is dirt banks with
brush and scrub oak predominantly. The
campground sits on the western shore with the
eastern shore pretty well devoid of
development. Except for fishermen, the setting
is serene.
The lake management is great with all the attention to detail and regulation you would want so the
Wild West attribute of Camp Far West is missing. Like Scotts Flat, personal watercraft
are prohibited. Unfortunately the lake is filled by Dry Creek which is strictly a local
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drainage. Currently the lake is twenty feet below full. You can stay overnight on your boat though
and the charges are $22 per day(night). To get there you go down Highway 20 to Browns Valley
and turn onto the Marysville Road (Chevron Station). Another 10 miles and you'll see the entrance
to the lake.
Cruise to Pittsburg (Report)
Just last Friday I decided to take a mini-cruise to Pittsburg Yacht Club. It's only 19 miles
downriver and there was to be a frontal passage which usually has SW and NW winds associated.
I planned on catching the morning ebb tide for an extra knot or two. Friday nights, PYC has great
dinners for club members and guests and the Pittsburg marina is a brand new facility with low slip
rates and excellent
accommodations. It just didn't
quite turn out so well.
Firstly, the wind didn't pick up
until the last couple of miles, and
then it blew fifteen knots right on
the nose. Arrrgh, tacking up New
York Slough is a pain, especially
when a tanker comes through from
Stockton. Dropping all sail and
motoring into the Yacht Club
marina (it's separate from the
regular public one), it was
apparent I was the only visitor and
the clubhouse was closed. Maybe
I was just the first to show up since
it was only two in the afternoon.
After docking, hooking up the electrics and paying the $15 berthing fee, I wandered over to the
Tocci Yacht Sales office and had an hour or so conversation with Ralph Tocci. Ralph pointed out
that since the cook hadn't shown up there probably wasn't to be a dinner that night. Later the
clubhouse opened up and I met him again inside. He was correct about no dinner. PYC had a
Cruise-OUT going on and they were all up at Benicia YC dining. Oh well! Some venison chili and
snack bars for dinner then some TV. Maybe things would improve tomorrow.
It was about 3:00 AM when I woke to notice there wasn't any hum from the battery charger. I got
up and looked at the breaker lights which were all off. Lost shore power. Did the plug come out,
breaker pop, or what? Pulling back the hatch I poked my head out to look around. It was dark, but
shouldn't have been. All the dock lights were off. Since I was the only boat there I wondered what I
could have done to cause that. Later, at a more reasonable hour I got up and went into the
clubhouse to use the facilities (they'll loan you a key). The lights were on in there so the power
outage wasn't anything big. Later still, Ralph showed up and we went over to the Harbor Master's
office to see if they could fix the problem. We all trooped back to the dock and the HM opened the
breaker cabinet on the dock. All the breakers were set as was the master switch so it had to be a
PG&E problem. . (That’s the breaker panel box in the middle of the photo.)
I spent the next few hours working on boat projects, waiting for the tide to start flooding. Around
noon I checked in with Ralph to say goodbye and see if he knew anything. What he told me was
amazing. It was apparently a copper wire theft attempt. It's hard to say but since the
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thieves thought the marina would be deserted they'd have been hard pressed to do their dirty work
with someone close by who was obviously awake and in plain sight of the breaker box. Then
again maybe the dock breaker box padlocks were a deterrent. We'll never know
I left and sailed back to home port in time to rendezvous with Howard and Donna and go to
Lucy's in Rio Vista for a great Italian dinner. Sunday would be another great day of sailing.
If you’re looking for a great place in the Delta to launch and base out of you can’t find a better
one than Pittsburg Marina. Everything is new and well maintained and the rejuvenated downtown
boasts several restaurants and shops well within walking distance. You can use the slips at the
yacht club if they’re not reserved or call and reserve one. Cost is only $.50 /foot paid with an
envelope via drop box. PYC will loan you a key to their bathrooms and showers gratis. Call and
check to see if they have something scheduled though. See pittsburgyc.com .
It is one hundred and thirty-one road miles to the Pittsburg Marina from Grass Valley via I-80, I680 and Highway 4. Get off Highway 4 at Railroad Avenue and head north until you get to the
marina. It is very popular with the local folk and is quite busy on shore during the day. Weekends
are busy with many events happening during the year. Howard swears by the Bar-B-Q truck that
habituates the parking lot weekends. PYC is mainly a power boat club but is very hospitable and
well organized.
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Water Woes
If you check the club's web site lake level indicator you'll see that Scotts Flat is slowly rising,
very slowly. About a foot a week. At this rate the lake will get full in --- 14 weeks, about the middle
of June. That is if the outflow doesn't go up with the start of irrigation season.
And we were doing so well with the rain in January. But now we've had weeks of warmer weather
and the rains haven't kept up, but the snow melt has and so the Deer Creek drainage snowpack is
gone. Without natural inflow the water to fill the lake all comes from the NID South Yuba Canal via
the Deer Creek Powerhouse. So the question comes back "Why isn't NID filling Scotts Flat Lake".
Curiously you only have to look at the minutes from the NID Board January 29th meeting to see a
telltale comment.
"Rem Scherzinger, General Manager, reported that the District has 165,094 acre feet in
storage, which is 101 percent of average and 62 percent of capacity. Precipitation as of
January 21, 2016 is 115 percent of average. He noted that Rollins Reservoir has been spilling for
about one month, and that the District is losing that water to the system at this point. Combie
Reservoir is full and both power units are running."
This can be validated by the fact that the downriver reservoir at Camp Far West is also spilling.
So, why hasn't NID allowed that "lost water" to be captured in SFL? You'll have to ask Rem that.
The only financial motivation to let it go down the Bear is that PG&E has four powerhouses and
NID has two to use that water whereas Deer Creek has just one.
But, isn't there a flood control issue with the dams being filled too early? Kind of. If Rollins and
Camp Far West are full then why is Scotts a flood control reservoir? Because of Nevada City and
Lake Wildwood. Some old timers can remember Deer Creek in full flood with the lower level of
Lefty's Bar and Grill (then Big AL's) under water and the Broad Street bridge at risk due to debris
collecting on the upstream side. There're no flood gates on Scotts Flat and so it fills and then
spills. Fill it too early and risk a flooded restaurant in Nevada City. And since this is an El Nino year
with heavier than average rainfall.... But, they could divert more water down the lower Cascade
canal which isn't used any more. That would spill into Wolf creek and cause issues there. Why
make problems for yourself, right?
What's the next step? Of note in the same NID minutes was another statement.
"Rem Scherzinger, General Manager, reported that the District is going to receive three
500 horse power pumps for the Siphon Lane Pump Station. This Project was initiated a
year ago when there were failures on the South Yuba Canal. This will provide the
District the ability to move approximately 7 to 8 cfs from the Deer Creek side to the Bear
River side."
Gee, if they're putting in these pumps then if something happens to the South Yuba Canal where
will the water come from, SFL? Stand by for the next development on this plan. Curiously there
isn’t any reference to it on the NID website. Siphon Lane is just off of the Highway 174 and
Brunswick intersection in Cedar Ridge.
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Spotlight on a New Member
A new member to join GCYC is Dr. Roman
Malvehy. Roman recently retired from a local practice and is looking to increase his sailing experience
with us. He is Catalon by birth and sailed Snipes
and Vauriens in Spain before immigrating to the US.
(No, that's not a misprint, there is a Vaurien - see
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaurien.) In the US he
sailed a Catalina 27 in Kennebunkport, Maine and in
the BVI. Later he moved to the LA area where he
sailed locally with trips to Catalina. Some of his best
adventures involved sailing in Moorea on a Hobie
and more recently in the San Juan Islands in a
Catalina. Ask him to relate those stories.
Lately he went out on Mas Tiempo and had his first exposure to the Delta and big(er) boat sailing. He's hooked and is willing to ship out with anyone looking to take on new crew. Does anyone
else see a resemblance to another of the club’s big boat sailors?
Parting Shot
There were three elderly Irish sailors starting out on a great voyage;
The first, Scotto, said “My, but it’s a fine windy day.”
The second, Howie, said “No. I b’lieve it’s Thursday.”
The third, Davey, said ”Aye, me too, let’s go get us a beer.”
And so they turned back into port and now you know
why Columbus discovered America.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
Classifieds
J24 Sloop.
Very fast 1980 race boat. Hull and standing rigging is in good condition with many updates. Has large sail inventory
including 2 spinnakers, several sets of working sails and one brand new set of racing sails. Carbon fiber spinnaker pole,
duplicate set of blocks and sheets. Tactic sail computer, Sony marine am/fm dvd player stereo and VHF marine radio.
Single axle trailer and a great mooring spot at Scotts Flat Lake.
$5900. Call Seth - 530 292 3274
Flying Junior Sailboat for Sale
Contact Bryant Cockroft for more information:
.
530-265-5196 or email cockcroft@hughes.net
13.25’ molded fiberglass centerboard dinghy. Club youth and
collegiate racer. Used but good condition with nearly new
Pineapple sails.
No trailer
Asking $600