The Technical Manuals were produced over a period encompassing the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. As such, solicitations for updates are no longer being accepted, and the manuals are offered to Association Members as a courtesy by the Catalina 25/250 National Association.

Special thanks go to Bill Holcomb for making these copies available for our use.

The 2004 – 2005 Officers Catalina 25/250 National Association

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15 1 6

17

18

19

20

21

22 ------

Mast Base Organizer Skippers who want to modify their and other lines so that all (or some) are lead from the base back on the cabin for single handed and for ease of handling often use stainless steel plates with attachment holes for shackling blocks. Two sources of these plates are: M&E Supply Company 1-800-541-6501 And Bill Henshaw 111-SW 16 St, Southport, NC 28465-7308

------

Bill Holcomb wrote the following article on behalf of Mike Leyden and other skippers thinking about changing their swing keel to the new wing keel.

Mike Leyden's Wing Keel Installation by Bill Holcomb

During his fall haul-out, Mike Leyden didn't get his Catalina 25s keel fully retracted before the boat settled onto the trailer. The crunching sound that came from the keel trunk as the boat settled was alarming to say the least. Mike assessed the damage and found that the cable attachment fitting on the keel end of the cable had "flopped over" rather than finding its way into the cable hole. The resulting damage to the keel trunk was enough to convince Mike that he wanted to change to the wing keel by using the retro-fit option that is offered by Catalina. Mike and I made plans to install the new wing keel "sometime" in the spring. And, on the weekend of March 26/27 we did just that. What follows are some thoughts that Mike and I have following the installation: First of all, Mike had an almost perfect facility to do the work in. He works at a medium sized machine shop that has several overhead cranes. These cranes made moving keels and lifting the boat much easier than would have been otherwise possible. The cranes also made positioning the boat over the keel trunk (and the holes we'd drilled) very easy. The boat could be moved a little ahead, or to the right, or a little down at the , etc. The arrangement that Mike devised was to use two overhead cranes, one to lift the forward part of the boat and the other to lift the aft half. He prepared a nine foot long "" bar to keep the 4 inch nylon straps from exerting too much pressure against the sides of the boat, and also fashioned two connecting straps to keep the lifting straps from slipping toward either end of the boat. Second, after you've received the keel, bolt hole template, resin, fiber-fil, etc.; think, think, think. What are the steps that you expect to go through, and in what order. Things like: A - Bracing the old keel so that it won't "flop" over. B - How will you lift the boat off of the old keel. You need to be able to lift the boat up about two and a half feet altogether.

23 C - Where will you put the old keel, and how will you get it there after it's been unbolted from the boat. D - How will you get the new wing keel under the boat. E - Do you have a long enough drill bit to drill the six 3/4 inch holes for the keel bolts. And, do you have a long 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch drill bit to drill a pilot hole and second hole before you drill the 3/4 inch final hole. F - Do you have a method for "sanding" off all of the old bottom paint that has been painted on the bottom of the boat and in the keel trunk. This was the hardest single job in the whole process for us. G - How will you make sure that the boat is lowered onto the keel bolts without a "near miss" and subsequent damage. H - How will you stir the fiber-fil (the bedding compound that makes a water-tight seal between the keel and boat) and its hardener. The fiber-fil has the consistency of green tooth paste and needs to be thoroughly mixed with hardener to set up correctly. I - What kind of hole in the cabin floor will you cut and how will you cut the holes so that you will be able to put the washers and nuts on the keel bolts. And, of , how will you want to finish the hole in the cabin floor after the keel is bolted to the bottom. J - How will you "fair" the junction between the flange on the wing keel and the bottom of the boat. What do you want this part of the boat to look like when you're through. K - Will you need to drill new holes in the trailer bunks support pieces to accommodate the taller keel. Well, you can see that the 5 "P's" (Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance) really come into play with this project. For us, everything went pretty smoothly. With the two cranes ready, Mike unbolted the old keel hangers. The keel was resting on the trailer in its normal "travel" position. Mike had also made an to keep the keel from flopping, and had already removed the keel cable from inside the boat. We then lifted the boat straight up about a foot or so. Mike pulled the keel cable out of the hole and we used a forklift with a ball on one fork to move the trailer forward and out from under the boat. We now used a -crane to lift the old keel off of the trailer, and then positioned the trailer back under the boat. One little surprise that we had when we lifted the boat off of the old keel was that we had not gotten the slings just right and the boat tilted a bit when lifted. When we lowered the boat back onto the bunks to sand the bottom, it was necessary to re-position the slings so that the boat would lift straight up and not tilt. This took a couple of tries lifting the boat off of the bunks to get the slings just right. Now Mike loaded the old swing keel onto the forks of the fork lift and we took the keel out into the and deposited it on a couple of 6 X 6s. Mike says that if anyone wants the keel that you can have it for free if you pay the freight to haul it home to you. It's in very good condition. Back inside, we lowered the boat and began the work of "sanding" the bottom paint from the keel trunk and from about six inches of the boats bottom around the keel trunk. As I said, this was the toughest single job. To sand the inside of the keel trunk Mike used a circular "Scotch-

24 brite" type of pad that rotated on the end of a 1/4" die grinder. He wore out eight or nine of these. A circular sanding pad for a 4" sander with 6" discs (without a backing pad so the disc would flex) was used for the boats bottom. We had thought that 80 grit paper would be more than enough, but quickly found that the 10 or so layers of bottom paint were so tough that 24 grit was all that would really do the job. Boy were we a mess, especially Mike. Throughout the sanding operation both of us wore respirators. The little white cloth masks would not have been enough with all of the fine dust that the bottom paint made. When the sanding was done, we cleaned off the sanded areas with an air nozzle and then with acetone. Now it was time to mark and then drill the bolt holes. We used the template that Catalina supplied. It is a fiberglass template that comes fitted to the new keel and has the bolt holes in just the right position. The template has a hump that fits into the keel cable hole. This anchors the template and makes marking and drilling the keel bolt holes an easy job if your drill bits are long enough. Mike ran the drill while I lined him up vertically from the side of the boat. The 1/4 inch drill bit was long enough to drill through both the top of the keel trunk and through the cabin floor. That way, we could see just where in the cabin the floor needed to be removed. Once the 1/4 inch pilot holes were in, we drilled the holes out to the recommended 3/4 inch size. This done, we both got inside the cabin and used a hole saw to cut holes in the floor over the bolt holes. Mike has a dinette model, so two of the holes were under the aft seat. One surprise that we had at this point was that the fourth hole aft was too close to the forward side of the aft seat. This meant that we had to use a jig-saw to cut an opening for the hole-saw. It was time now to get the wing keel on the trailer. But, before we did this, Mike welded a 6 inch piece of channel to the trailer as a pad for the keel to rest on. This piece extended over the three cross members on the trailer and, of course, was centered. A boom crane lifted the new keel into place on the trailer and we then lifted the boat high enough to "clear" the keel bolts, and positioned the trailer under the boat again. We used the two overhead cranes to move the boat into just the right position. To make sure that we had the keel holes in the correct places, we now lowered the boat onto the keel. I got into the boat so that I could look down through the keel bolt holes and "line things up". This worked really well as Mike could use the cranes or simply push a little on the outside of the boat to get things just right. We used the keel bolt furthest aft as the guide. Once this bolt was in its hole, the front of the boat was lowered a bit more and all of the holes had bolts in them. No clunking, cracking, or breaking. Everything was just perfect. Mike, using the cranes, now lifted the boat straight up off of the new keel. The bedding compound that Catalina had sent was next. This was 3/4 gallon of a toothpaste like fiberglass and resin mixture that needed to have hardener mixed in. Mike had made a steel paddle that he could attach to a 1/2" impact wrench that made stirring the mixture possible. I'm not

25 sure what you would do to stir by hand. The stuff is awfully thick, and you only have about a half an hour to mix and apply the mixture. We used plastic spatulas to spread the mixture on the upper surface of the flange on the keel and all over the part of the keel that would fit into the keel trunk. I got back into the boat and again guided the lowering of the boat back onto the keel bolts. We again used the aft bolt as the primary guide. When the boat had been lowered down to the flange, I put the backing washers, lock washers, and nuts onto the keel bolts and tightened them down tight. The excess bedding compound "squooked" out at the flange to boat joint and we cleaned this excess up with the plastic spatulas. All of this took about 5 1/2 hours of actual doing. We ate lunch and had a couple cups of coffee too, so spent about 7 hours getting this far, and we left the boat to let the bedding compound harden overnight. The next morning, the bedding compound had hardened about 60 or 70% so we decided to leave things alone. But we did have a couple of jobs that could be done while we waited. The bunks and bow support on the trailer needed to be adjusted to fit the greater of the wing keel (the boat was still being supported by its slings and the overhead cranes). When the bunks and bow stand were adjusted, we lowered the slings enough to take them off and the boat sat perfectly on the trailer. Due to the cool weather, the bedding compound had not hardened completely. We decided to allow it to finish hardening and made plans to fair the joint between the flange and the bottom of the boat on the next Saturday. There were a couple jobs that needed attention that morning. We adjusted the bunks on the trailer to fit the taller configuration of the wing keel, as well as adjusting the launching guides at the back of the trailer. The bow winch stand also needed to be moved to fit. All of these jobs were completed in an hour or so. Mike took the boat home on the trailer. The following Saturday morning I met Mike at his house and we decided to try fiberglassing the joint between the hull and the new keel. The lip was about 1/4 inch tall, so we cut some fiberglass into 1 inch wide strips and attached it with resin to make a fill. Next we used 4 inch wide fiberglass to bridge the area from the hull to the keel. Unfortunately, gravity began to come into play and the whole "mess" (and it turned into a real mess) began falling and pealing off the bottom. It was just impossible to get everything to stick, and we made the decision to clean up what was left and simply fair the flange itself by grinding. Mike did this during the next week and then epoxy sealed the whole hull to flange area. Mike faired the flange to hull area by first grinding the flange down as close to the hull as he could. There was still a lip so epoxy putty was used to build up the hull and create a smooth radius transition all around the flange. A little light sanding made the flange to hull joint look just right. Mike sealed the area with epoxy paint and then finished the job by painting the new keel and bottom with new antifouling paint. All in all, the job went pretty well. But having the right facility and planning the job out ahead of time probably meant the difference

26 between our success and a real disaster of lost time and reworking mistakes. The boat is in the water now and Mike reports that she feels much more stable....She "tracks" better and doesn't heel as quickly. And, Mike feels that she is now more particular as to the balance between and .

(Mainsheet Vol 12, No 4. November 1994 ------

Mast Tuning A Catalina 25 By Bill Holcomb

Basic Concept Over the past several years, there have been many inquiries in both the Mainsheet magazine and on the C25/C250 website regarding the proper way to tune the mast on a Catalina 25. Here’s a step-by-step method to get your mast tuned properly and keep it that way. The basic idea of mast tuning is to adjust the standing (the and shrouds) in such a way so as to make sure that the mast is vertical with regard to its starboard/port relationship and raked forward or aft in such a way that proper feel on the helm is achieved. From a practical point of view, the mast will usually be straight up when the boat is floating on her lines.

What You’re Working With The Catalina 25 has eight wires that support the mast and make up the . These eight wires are: The The The Two Upper Shrouds The Two Forward Lower Shrouds The Two Aft Lower Shrouds Marine eyes (swaged to the wires) attach these shrouds and stays to fittings on the mast with clevis pins. The clevis pins are secured with cotter pins or split rings. Turnbuckles attach the shrouds and stays to fittings (chainplates and stem fitting) at the stem, transom, and sides of the boat. Turnbuckles are rigging screws that have a barrel in the middle of two screw in bolts. One bolt end has left handed threads while the other has right-handed threads. By turning the barrel, the tension on the wire can be increased or decreased.

Safety & Inspecting It is very dangerous (not to mention expensive) to have your mast collapse. The mast is relatively heavy, hard and can do considerable damage to anything it hits while falling. For this reason, it is important to inspect the standing rigging at least annually. Make sure that the shrouds and stays don’t have any little broken wires or rust. Insure that all clevis pins are secured with either cotter pins or split rings. Never use kinked wires or bent turnbuckles. Replace immediately any shrouds or stays that show bent, broken, or cracked swaged fittings.

27 How long does rigging last? That depends on how often the boat is used; if the boat is raced, cruised or only day-sailed; how often the boat is trailered; if the boat is stored outside during freezing weather; and many other factors. Sometimes standing rigging will last many years. Other times, a turnbuckle bolt will become bent the first time the mast is raised and will need to be replaced immediately for safety sake. At the very least though, the standing rigging needs to be completely inspected annually and any part of the rig that is not 100% needs to be immediately replaced before going out again.

Relative Tensions Like everything that has to do with , compromise and judgement are important factors when you are tuning your rig. Some sailors don’t want to “over-tension” the rig; others want to make sure that the rig is very tight; and there are lots of folks who fall somewhere in between these extremes. However, the relative tension between the shrouds and stays are as follows: Forestay and Backstay have the greatest tension Upper Shrouds have nearly as much tension as the forestay and backstay Forward Lower Shrouds have less tension than uppers, but more tension than Aft Lower Shrouds

OK, let’s get started with the mast raised and all of the shrouds and stays loosely adjusted - Start At the Dock: Step One – Forestay/Backstay Rake or Not Rake Is The First Question – Raking the mast (tipping it forward of aft from vertical) will directly influence the feel of the helm. Generally, raking the mast aft increases while raking the mast forward reduces weather helm and can lead to . Most sailors like a little bit of weather helm for the “feel” this give while steering. Too much weather helm though makes steering the boat difficult and can quickly tire out the boat steerer. Adjust the Forestay and Backstay – Start by using your main ’s headboard to make a plumb bob. Shackle the headboard shackle to a large wrench or crescent wrench. Set the halyard so that the headboard shackle/plumb-bob is at the level that the boom will be while sailing. If you want the mast straight up and down, adjust the turnbuckles on the forestay and backstay until the plumb-bob is just touching the back of the mast. If you want the mast raked aft a couple inches, loosen the turnbuckle on the forestay and tighten the turnbuckle on the backstay until the plumb bob is the desired distance aft of the mast. Once the desired amount of mast rake has been set, tighten the turnbuckles on both forestay and backstay one turn at a time until the amount of tension you want is “dialed in”. Remember that these two wires need to have the greatest tension; so, make sure that these two wires have considerable tension. I know that this is vague, but each rigger/skipper will have a different “feel” for this tension. Check other boats where you by pulling on their forestays. Racers will often have much more tension than daysailers.

28 Loos Gauge – There are shroud/stay tension adjustment gauges available that will give you a numerical method to adjust the wires. You can check with others to see if your tensions are greater on less than the wires you are comparing to.

Step Two – Upper Shrouds The Kerf is the slot in the back of the mast. Your mainsail’s or slugs fit into the kerf so that the mainsail’s luff is fully supported by the mast. By looking up the kerf you can see if the mast is bending – either bowing or bending in an “S” - curve.

Adjust the Upper Shrouds to insure that the mast is straight up with respect to tipping either to port or starboard (left or right). The easy way to do this is to tape a steel tape measure to your main halyard’s headboard shackle. Hoist the halyard and extend the tape measure aloft. You can now measure the distance from the masthead to the toe-rail outside the upper shroud chainplate with the tape measure. Adjust the turnbuckles so that you get the same measurement to both sides of the boat. Now tension both turnbuckles so that you end up with the mast straight up and nearly as much tension on the upper shrouds as you have on the forestay/backstay. Turn the turnbuckle barrels either one or ½ turn at a time until you get the tension you want.

Step Three – Forward Lowers Two Considerations that you have now are Is The Kerf Bent and Do You Want To Pre-Bend The Mast. Look up the Kerf to determine if the mast is bent, bowed or in an “S”-curve. Usually, there will be a bow, if anything. If you see one, increase the tension on one of the forward lower shrouds until the bow has been straightened out. Tension the opposite side now to balance the previously tensioned forward lower shroud. At this point, the mast should be raked the amount that you want and exactly straight up and down with relation to a starboard/port lean. The reason that you might want to have “pre-bend” in the mast has to do with the amount of draft your mainsail has. Another way to look at this is – If your are old and “full” as opposed to newer and relatively “flat”, you might want to pre-bend the mast forward in the middle so that some of the fullness is pulled out for better upwind pointing. If you decide to Pre-Bend the mast all you have to do is increase the tension on both forward lower shroud turnbuckles until two or three inches of bend is pulled into the middle of the mast. When you are done with this, your mast will be bowed forward in the middle and when you hoist your mainsail, it will be flatter than before and you’ll notice that you can sail higher on the wind than before. Make sure that you sight up the mast as you pre-bend it to make sure that you aren’t getting an “S” or a bow left-right.

Step Four – Aft Lowers

29 The Aft Lowers balance the forward lowers, fine-tune the rig, and give additional support to the mast. All you need to do with the aft lowers is tighten the turnbuckles about one turn past “finger-tight”. Sight up the kerf to make sure that the mast is still straight. With these steps complete at the dock, it’s time to set sail and make your final adjustments.

Go Sailing - Step Five – Fine Tuning Fine tuning the Rig is fairly easy. On a day with moderate breezes in the 8 to 12 knot range sail the boat on a series of upwind tacks. What your are looking for is a couple of things: That there isn’t too much slack in the leeward (downwind) shrouds That the luff doesn’t sag more that a few inches in the puffs That the kerf stays straight on both starboard and port tacks.

Adjust the shroud turnbuckles to fine tune the standing rigging. Remember that it’s OK to have a little bit of slack in the leeward shrouds.

Step Six – Securing the Turnbuckles When you get back to the dock, it’s time to Recheck the Tensions and the Alignment of the mast. First, check that the relationship in tensions between the forestay/backstay and upper shrouds is still about the same. The forestay/backstay should still be slightly tighter than the uppers. Next, secure your tape measure to your main halyard again and hoist the tape aloft so that you can measure the distance from masthead to toe-rails again. The measurement should be the same to both starboard and port toe-rails. Sight up the kerf again and make sure that the kerf forms a straight line. Make the appropriate adjustments to the turnbuckles. When everything is set, you will want to Secure the Turnbuckles so that they won’t back themselves off and loosen the rigging. With closed barrel style turnbuckles, there is a locking nut on both bolts. Turn these nuts down to the barrel and use a small wrench to secure the nuts against the barrel tightly. With open style turnbuckles; use cotter pins, split rings, or seizing wire through the little holes in the bolt ends that you can see in the openings of the barrel. The cotter pins, split rings, or seizing wire will prevent the bolts from turning just like the locking nuts on the closed barrel style.

Later Step Seven – Check the System Over time, there is every chance that your rig will loosen somewhat. This may be due to sailing in strong winds, or to changes in temperature, or combinations of other factors. At any rate, you will want to periodically check your standing rigging from time to time (at least annually) for tension and condition. Make your checks of the system both while at the dock and while sailing. As your sails age and get fuller, you may want to pre-bend the mast (or pre-bend it more than you already have). This will help your upwind

30 pointing ability and will decrease the amount of heel your boat develops in stronger breezes (you won’t have to reef as soon). As your sails age, you may feel as if your boat is developing more weather helm. If you’ve raked your mast aft, it may be time to adjust the rake forward so that the mast is straight up instead of raked. The combination of pre-band and mast rake can change the weather helm feel of the boat; the boat’s pointing ability, and the boat’s speed and efficiency through the water. So, don’t forget to check the standing rig from time to time.

------

Let’s Go Cruising

For most of us voyaging across the sea is out of the question as a part of our sailing experience. Most of us, however, are quite capable of taking weekend trips or spend a one or two week vacation aboard, sailing in protected waters. This often means cruising from destination to destination during the day and mooring or anchoring the boat at the end of the day in some new place. Trips like this can easily be handled on boats of nearly any size. Your need for comfort will determine what size boat you will want for this kind of sailing. Many people go out on daysailors for weekend camp-outs. They stuff their clothes, tents, sleeping bags and food into plastic garbage bags; tie the bags in the cockpits of small daysailors or on the trampolines of catamarans; and head out for a planned campsite. If you're not into tent camping, you will probably want a boat with a cabin that contains sleeping accommodations, a bathroom, and cooking facility on board. While there are some sailboats as small as 16 feet that have cabins, you are more likely to find minimum accommodations on sailboats from 21 to 28 feet. Some models have "pop-tops" that raise up with an enclosure that offer standing headroom of 6 feet or more. Cruising on this kind of is more like camping with a nice camper

31 or camp trailer. It is certainly more comfortable than tent camping, but still not the "Ritz". If you really want and "need" more comfort still, but don't have the cash to buy a 30 footer, there's always the option to charter (rent) a larger boat for your vacation. Many of the larger sailboats have hot and cold water systems, showers, ovens, TV's, and other luxuries not found on smaller boats. For many the thought of trailoring their sailboat cross country is inhibiting and prevents them from enjoying new anchorages and towns. For these folks, chartering is a great option, even if they rent the same size boat as they normally sail on.

Before You Go General Maintenance

Before you take your boat away from the dock, even for a short daysail, she should be in condition to weather whatever may come your way. On longer trips, proper maintenance is even more important because you may be considerable distance from help and the need to be self sufficient may be very important. Some of the general maintenance items you need to be attentive to are: 1. Make sure that holes, and chaffed spots on the sails are

repaired. If they are left, they can cause complete sail failure if the wind blows strongly. 2. Replace ropes (lines) that are showing considerable wear. If

there are chaffed places on the lines, they can break when under strain. This could happen while sailing, at anchor, or even tied to

a dock. 32 3. Inspect the wires of the boats rigging. If you find any that have broken strands (meat hooks), replace it immediately. There are

two reasons for this: First, the broken ends that stick out from the wire can catch your skin and cause really nasty cuts. and, Second, the broken strand truly weakens the wire. The broken wire is dangerous since it will fail when you most need it to be sound. Broken masts, torn sails, and other significant damage can happen when broken wires are not replaced immediately. 4. Inspect the terminals at the ends of all of the wire rigging.

If you notice any hair-line cracks in the terminals, they need replacing immediately. Rust on these stainless steel terminals also carry the same replacement need. Like the broken strands, these pieces will fail without warning. 5. Check the and other fasteners to make sure that they are tightened snugly. 6. If your boat has , grease them properly each year. This is not a difficult job to do. It will take a bit of time (an hour or so for a pair of winches) and will insure that the winches work properly and last for the life of the boat. 7. Once or twice each year, wax the topsides (the hull and cabin) of the boat with a good all weather wax. This will help keep the oxidation in check and make your boat look nice too. Similar

maintenance goes for your woodwork. Once or twice each year apply one of the preserving liquids (teak oil, varnish, etc.) to seal the wood and keep out the dirt. There are many good liquids for this

ranging from oils to synthetic preservatives. All seem to do a good job. Some have a matt finish, while others are glossy.

33 8. To prevent the growth of marine plants and animals on the bottom of your boat, you will want to clean the bottom frequently or have an anti-fouling bottom paint applied to the bottom. The bottom

paint needs to be re-done more often in salt water than in fresh. Your local marina staff will be able to give you advice regarding bottom painting. Of course, anti-fouling paint is poison and should be treated as such. If you do the job yourself, take all of the precautions recommended by the paint manufacturer as well as the advice given to you by the persons selling you the paint. Don't cut corners here! 9. Part of your general maintenance should include having on hand some spare parts and tools. The larger and more complicated your boat is, the more elaborate the tools and the more extensive the spare parts. Some of the basic tools you will want to have on board include: a good sharp knife; a screw driver for both flat and phillips screws; and a couple small adjustable wrenches. Some of the basic spare parts you will want to have on board include: shackles to replace those in use on your boat; clevis pins to replace those in use on your boat; sail repair tape and anti- chafe tape; some 1/8 inch light line; and perhaps some replacement

line the size of your sheets or halyards.

SETTING YOUR BOAT UP FOR YOUR CRUISE

There are several things that you will want to have on your boat to make cruising safe and enjoyable, even if the weather turns against you. These items make sail handling easier; let you safely anchor out if you have to; and help you find your destination and then get home without allot of guess work. Most of these items do not come as standard gear 34 from the manufacturer, and need to be purchased as additional equipment later.

TheTopping Lift

Unfortunately, most sailboats do not have a useable that will assist you while raising and lowering your mainsail. Instead, many sailboats come from the factory with a little "snotter" line and hook hanging from the backstay. This "snotter" can be used to hold the boom out of the cockpit when the boat is at anchor or at the dock, but clearly is not a Topping Lift - no matter what the manufacturer calls it. The function of a Topping Lift is to allow the boom to swing left and right while the sail is being hoisted or lowered. The boom is held up out of the cockpit so that the sail can spill wind by acting like a flag. There are several obvious advantages to this arrangement:

35 1. If a gust of wind hits the sail from the side, the sail will spill the wind instead of trying to tip the boat over. 2. The boom is held away from the boat and crew so that its gyrations do not damage either the boat or the crew. A boom "flogging" around the cabin top or cockpit does nothing to instill the crew's confidence in the skipper. 3. The use of the Topping Lift makes the mainsail much easier, and a quicker job. There are several ways to rig a Topping Lift: 1. A 1/4 inch line or 1/8 inch wire can be attached to the top of the mast and lead to the aft end of the boom. The boom end of the lift can have a hook on it so that when the sail is raised, the lift can be disconnected to allow for better sail shape. or 2. The above arrangement can be lead through a pulley at the end of the boom, and then forward to a mounted on the boom.. This system allows you to release tension on the lift while sailing, and then easily snug up the lift when you decide it's time to lower the mainsail. or 3. The end of the line can be fixed to the aft end of the boom, then lead through a pulley at the mast head, and then down the mast to a cleat near the boom gooseneck fitting, where the boom fits to the mast. There are other variations on this theme, but the important idea is that you will be able to raise and lower the mainsail without the sail either trying to tip you over or beating up on the crew and the boat.

Reef Points and "Jiffy" Reefing

Earlier, we saw that there were reinforced holes in the mainsail approximately 4 feet above the foot of the sail. These holes are the 36 reef points; and there should be one hole near the luff of the mainsail

and another near the leech; there are then intermediate holes in the sail between these two primary reef points. On very small sailboats, you might elect to only have the primary points and forget about the intermediate holes. The idea of the reef points is that you can tie the reef points to the boom and only hoist the mainsail partially. This will reduce the total size of the mainsail that the wind is working on and this will reduce the "tipping" energy that the sail imparts on the boat. From the practical side of things, this means that you only need one mainsail while you may have several different sizes of jib sails. The reef points allow you to adjust the size of the mainsail depending on the wind's strength. Often, reefing the mainsail takes place after you have been sailing for awhile. You may notice that the boat is tipping (heeling) more than you like; or you may see other boats upwind of you suddenly heeling in stronger wind; or you may observe an increase in the number of white capped waves; or the boat may have become physically harder to steer. If any one or a combination of these happen, you'll want to reef the mainsail. Reefing is usually easier and faster than changing the jibsail to a smaller size. To make reefing easier, many skippers have installed "jiffy reefing gear". This gear is made up of a couple of lines, pulleys, and cleats that are permanently set up. There are several different variations, but the most common rig is to have the following:1. A 1/4 inch line secured to the mast by an "eye strap" at the level of the boom gooseneck. This line is lead up through the luff reef point then back down to a cleat on the mast near the main halyard cleat.

37 2. A 1/4 inch line is secured to the boom by an eye strap on the same side as the eye strap on the mast. There is a "cheek " mounted on the boom on the opposite side. Both of these will be located near the clew corner of the mainsail. The line is lead from the eye strap up through the leech reef point, back down through the cheek block, then forward to a cleat near the boom gooseneck.

Reefing the mainsail now becomes a much easier task. When you've decided that it's time to reef do the following: 1. Snug up the topping lift so that the boom is supported. 2. Lower the mainsail approximately the distance from the boom to the reef points. Many skippers mark the main halyard to show this distance. 3. Tighten up the luff reefing line and secure it to its cleat. 4. Tighten up the leech reefing line and secure it to its cleat.

5. Adjust the main halyard to tension the luff of the mainsail. 6. Release the tension on the topping lift. 38 At this point, you're reefed and the boat will not tip so far in the gusts, and you will probably sail faster through the water. Remember most racers will say, "Flat is fast." If you want to make the job a bit tidier, you can tie light lines through the intermediate reef holes and around the boom. This gathers the sail close to the boom making the job look neater and allows you to see forward easier.

Anchors

Sooner or later, you'll want to anchor your boat for the night. This may be because you've planned your trip to arrive at a destination that has neither docks nor moorings available. Or, you may have had a tough sail in deteriorating conditions and you need to rest before going on. There are many other reasons as well. In any case, you will want to make sure that your anchor and its related equipment (ground tackle) is ready to use. You (and your crew) really won't enjoy drifting around a potential anchorage in bad weather and descending night, while you try to find and set up your anchoring system. Your anchoring system includes: your anchor, a length of chain, the anchor rope, and two shackles to attach everything together. The anchor needs to be sized to your boat. The following are some suggested anchor to boat sizes: Anchor Type Boat Length 18 20 22 24 26 28 feet Danforth | 8 lb | 13 lb | Bruce | 11 lb | 16.5 lb | CQR | 25 lb |

Chain Size | 1/4 inch | 3/8 inch 25% to 100% of boat length

Rope Size | 3/8"X200' | 7/16"X200'|

39

Anchoring

The more often that you sail, the more likely that you will begin spending "nights on the hook". And, the more often that you anchor your boat, the more likely that you will have "adventures" in the middle of the night. Usually, these adventures have little long term affect on your sailing. The important thing to remember when anchoring is that there are a few basic rules to follow, such as: 1. As hard as it is to believe, make sure that the anchor is securely shackled to the rest of the ground tackle before you toss it over the side. 2. Equally hard to believe is to insure that the other end of the anchor rode is securely tied to the boat somewhere. 3. Be sure to let out enough anchor line to insure that the anchoring system will hold you at high tide where you want to stay

overnight. Waking up tomorrow morning to find that "the island has sunk during the night" is not the kind of adventure that most of us want before breakfast. and 4. Make sure you'll have enough water under you at low tide.

We have already said that the anchor system consists of the anchor, a length of chain, and the anchor rope. Each piece is securely shackled to the next, and most of us like to make sure that the shackle bolt does not turn itself out by using a wire to hold the bolt from turning.

The type of anchor, the length of chain, and the size and length of the rope are all decisions that will vary from skipper to skipper and sailing area to sailing area. In general, you can ask other sailors in your area what kind of anchor they use and prefer. You'll probably find that a Danforth style is the most popular. Danforth anchors are 40 relatively easy to stow and have acceptable holding power, pound for pound. Instead of weight, the Danforth anchor uses its ability to dig into the bottom to hold your boat. The length of chain provided in many "safety & equipment kits" is often about six feet. This is OK for most purposes; but if you have had a high wind or storm adventure, you have probably increased the length of chain any where from 1/2 your boat's length on up to equal to your boat's length. Some skippers have even opted for 100% chain with no rope at all. Of course, this will give you the best holding power and shock absorption; but, it is a chore to weigh the anchor when you want to leave, and is quite a heavy bit of ballast while sailing.

Many sailors have a rule of thumb regarding the amount of anchor rope to set out when anchoring. The rule depends on the expected wind: Light breezes - Depth of water times four

41 Moderate breezes - Depth of water times seven Stormy conditions - Depth of water times ten This means that if you anchor in twenty feet of water, you will want to deploy 80 feet of anchor line in light breezes, and possibly more than 200 feet if stormy conditions are expected. Some skippers will deploy two anchors for stormy conditions for extra holding power. These are usually set out at about a 90 degree angle to each other.

Maps and Charts

Even if you are thoroughly familiar with your sailing area, you will probably want to have a good map, or better yet, a nautical chart of your sailing "grounds". A nautical chart is a map that has been specially prepared for navigation. It has little detail regarding the land, but great detail regarding the water. The depths are shown frequently, both longitude and latitude scales are shown on the edges, navigation aids are shown and described with a "light list" code, and the compass rose (a picture of compass points showing both geographic and magnetic

directions) are always included. Maps, on the other hand, show detail of the land and only the major features of the water. And, maps are a poor second choice if a nautical chart exists for the area you will be sailing in. Planning Your Trip

Just like camping, your success and happiness are often directly proportional to the planning that is done before you leave. First, you need to decide where to go. Your chart will help you identify a primary (first choice) destination, as well as secondary

or intermediate areas to use if the weather turns bad or you decide 42 that your first choice is too far away. Remember that sailing is supposed to be fun, not some kind of marathon. If you make cruising too tough, your crew may not want to participate in a second trip. Second, give a copy of your plans to someone ashore. Write out your plans including when you plan to be home and your backup plans. Third, if the weather gets bad while you're still out, find a secure place (marina or anchorage) and "stay put" until the weather improves. It's always better to err on the side of prudence. Your crew will appreciate your good sense, and you will have a far better story to tell. Most potential crew members will accept your description of the time spent in a secluded cove as a great, possibly romantic, decision. They may decide you're too "bold" if you describe a tough passage with decks awash, waves breaking over the bow and your crew seasick below. Fourth, bring along clothing as if you were going on a high mountain campout. Light clothing for nice weather, and warmer layers for evenings and cooler weather. There's a 50/50 chance that you'll have rain at some time during your cruise. The best advice for rain is to have good foul weather gear including sea boots and a sou'wester. This waterproof clothing will help keep you dry even in

a southeast Alaska downpour. The plastic or rubberized (read that as "cheap") rain gear simply will not be adequate. You might as well save money and use a garbage bag rather than buy the inexpensive stuff.

Lifejackets

Nearly everyone likes sailing. But nobody likes an unexpected swim.

Someone falling overboard is very dangerous. Remember that if your boat 43 is sailing along at six knots, you're traveling 600 feet per minute....If someone falls overboard, they will be two football fields away in 60 seconds!! And, you will be looking for something resembling a honeydew melon in the whitecaps that far away. Final point, few people fall off your boat on a nice day. Because of this, you need to have some firm rules regarding windy days, night sailing and other conditions that you feel are more dangerous than normal sailing. One of your rules must include "lifejackets". Personal floatation devices (PFD's) come in a variety of types, but suffice it to say that everyone on board needs to have a personal "lifejacket" that fits properly. The somewhat uncomfortable to wear orange PFD's are your best protection if you fall overboard. They will do the best job of keeping you afloat - period. The big problem is that they're not comfortable to wear, so many people leave them in lockers or under seats and don't have them on when they fall off the boat. The "lifejacket" that you're not wearing cannot keep you afloat. If you're one of the vast majority of people who won't wear one of the orange PFD's, you should purchase a PFD that has been designed for canoeing and kayaking, or one of the new inflatable PFD’s. These come in designer colors, are lightweight and comfortable to wear, and are almost as good as the orange style (that you won't wear). These lightweight PFD's feel almost like a "down" vest or pair of suspenders, and do not restrict you movements while sailing. It is important, though, that you purchase the correct size. To do this, you need to put on the PFD in the store and stand, sit and crawl around with it on. If the PFD "rides up" or is not comfortable, it's the wrong size - select another size.

Of course, all children should have their own, properly sized, "lifejackets"; and they need to wear it at all times when on deck. The

44 problem is that the kids will follow your lead. If you refuse to wear your PFD they will likely "forget" to wear theirs. A piece of gear that might be used instead of a PFD for members of the crew who are moving around on deck is the safety harness and jacklines. This gear keeps you attached to the boat even if you fall off the deck. It consists of a harness much like a parachute harness, made of nylon webbing and heavy clasps. A lanyard about six feet long attaches to the harness at one end and to the boat with the other end. And, the best method of attachment to the boat is a that runs on deck from bow to stern on both sides of the boat. Jacklines may be made of strong nylon webbing, 1/2 inch rope, or 3/16" cable that is attached securely to the boat at both ends. The lanyard is fastened to the jackline with a strong metal clip so that the crew member can move forward and aft easily while being "hooked" to the boat at all times. Again, you need to establish firm rules for the use of "lifejackets" and safety harnesses. Some basic rules might include (but are not limited to): EVERYONE ON DECK WEARS ONE OR THE OTHER IF

1. The mainsail is reefed. 2. At night. 3. A small jib or storm jib is in use. 4. Either the skipper or the crew is concerned about the conditions forecast for later in the day. 5. You can see a storm approaching. 6. If you're sailing in fog. 7. Or any time you are concerned about the safety of the boat or anyone on board.

45 Man Overboard (MOB)

The two problems with having a person fall off of the boat are: Getting the crew member back to the boat; and then, getting the crew member back on board. Remember that you could be approximately two football fields away from the overboard crew in only a minute; and it will probably be very difficult to see that person in the water. For that reason, the best thinking is that You Must Stop The Boat Immediately! The easiest way to do this is to turn the boat in as tight a circle (all the way around) as possible. You will want to practice this maneuver several times so that you will know how quickly your boat spins around. It will turn faster than you expect, and one of the dangers is that you will run over the overboard crew. You will find that the boat has almost no speed after the "spin" and that you are close to your crew. You can now head up into the wind to stop completely. There are several factors that make getting the crew back aboard difficult: Their size & weight; if they're injured; how cold the water is; how stormy it is; if it's night;, if you have a "swim ladder" or open transom; your strength; etc. You need to think about and plan how you will rescue the overboard crew. Trying to figure it out as it happens often turns into a disaster for all concerned. A new method for getting the victim back aboard is the LifeSling.

This is a floating “collar” that the MOB can slip on while in the water. The LifeSling is attached to the boat with a length of “poly” line that you will use to bring the MOB to the boat. A block and tackle (like your main or ) can be attached to a halyard and to the

LifeSling allowing you to use the mechanical advantage of the pulleys to bring the victim aboard.

46 Hypothermia

Hypothermia, we used to call this exposure, can often happen to a MOB. The wind and water chills the body core and causes the person to have inhibited blood flow to arms, legs, and head. You need to treat hypothermia quickly. Get the person out of their wet clothing and into a dry, warm sleeping bag if possible. Warm the person up slowly, if possible get into the sleeping bag with the person. Do not give the

person either hot drinks or any kind of alcoholic drink. And, as soon as possible, get the person to a medical facility. Even though the victim says he’s OK, get them checked by a medical professional. A hypothermic person cannot tell if they’re OK or not. Hypothermia can also happen to you or your crew even though no one has fallen overboard. If you're wet, if the wind chill makes you shiver uncontrollably, if clear thinking becomes difficult, if speaking is not clear - then you may be into the grips of hypothermia. Take appropriate actions to warm up and stay warm. Watch your crew mates for signs of hypothermia and take immediate action if you suspect anything.

SeaSickness

Some people never seem to get sea sick. Others have trouble with motion on the dock. Most of us fall somewhere in between. But, nobody wants to be sea-sick; and there are several effective ways that you can minimize the chances of getting sea-sick. Over-the-counter medicines like "Dramamine" are readily available. They work for most people to prevent being sea-sick. The side affect of these medicines is that many people fall asleep. You aren't sea-sick, but you don't have any fun being asleep either. 47 There are also prescription drugs like "scopolamine" that your doctor can prescribe for you that work well. These are often administered with a Band-Aid type of patch. The medicine is absorbed through your skin. These work quite well with few side affects other than perhaps a dry mouth sensation. There are wrist bands that contain little balls that will press against "accu-pressure" points on your wrist. Some people swear by these as working perfectly in all weather. No matter what method you use, you will want to begin application before you are sick. "After the fact" just doesn't seem to work, so plan ahead.

Food

For most of us, food is not only necessary, it is part of our social make-up. When you are cruising, it is important to plan your meals in advance: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks. Most of us like to make sure that two out of every three meals is a hot meal. This usually means Breakfast and Dinner in most cases - you'll want to decide this for yourself. Preparing meals on your sailboat should not be markedly different from preparing meals at home. The biggest difference should be that you won't have an oven on the boat, so you have to rely on "stove top" techniques. A good attitude is that if it can be cooked at home on the range top, it can be cooked on the boat. Many camping stores stock terrific meals (not just freeze dried) that don't take up much space and cook by using boiling water - not too tough. Camping stores also often sell an implement called a "Camp Baker". This gridlike unit is placed in a deep pan, with water almost up to the units top. With it you can bake 48 bread, cook stews, and perform a variety of other cooking jobs in much the same fashion as if you had a small oven. The main thing to remember is that you don't have to change your eating habits just because you're on the boat.

Right of Way Rules

For most of us, sailing is just for fun. And, in general, sailboats have the right of way with respect to power boats. There are important exceptions though. Some of these are: 1. If your motor is on, you're a powerboat; and have no special rights over "powerboats". 2. If the power boat is a large commercial or military vessel, you give up your right of way. 3. Tugboats with a tow have the right of way over you. 4. You have to "give way" to anyone fishing with nets (fishermen who are trolling with lines and hooks don’t have the right of way – but may not know that). 5. If you as the sailboat are catching up to (overtaking) a powerboat, he has the right of way. 6. If you obviously have better maneuverability, then the powerboat has the right of way. And, the last is the key. If you can avoid the collision, you should; and you may be legally bound to avoid it as well. Remember that you could have had all of the right of way in the world; but if your sailboat has a big hole in it (or worse has sunk), you're having a rotten day.

When we look at the right of way rules for sailboats only, there are three situations that are considered: 1. If both sailors are on the same with regard to the wind. 49 2. If the sailors are on opposite tack. and 3. If one sailor is overtaking another from clear astern.

The rules are as follows: 1. If the sailors are on opposite tacks, then the sailor who is on a Starboard Tack has the right of way. Your tack is determined by

the side of you boat which is to windward (up wind). If the wind is blowing over the right hand side of your boat first, you are said to be on a Starboard Tack. If the wind, on the other hand, is blowing over the left side of your boat before it gets to the sail, you're on a Port Tack. To determine relative tacks, you need to first determine which tack you're on, and then decide which tack the other sailor is on. This takes a bit of practice, so practice often. 2. If both sailors are on the same tack, then the down wind (leeward – usually pronounced “lew’rd) sailor has the right of way. 50 This is because the windward boat is able to obstruct (blanket) the

wind from the leeward boat. The leeward boat is not able to sail as effectively, so the windward boat has the best ability to avoid any collision. 3. The rule for overtaking another sailor is the same as with the powerboats. If you are catching up to another sailor, you must turn so as to avoid running him over. ------

From Snickerdoodle’s Galley Bill’s Scrambled Eggs 1. Fry some sausage or bacon in a medium frying pan. I like a well- seasoned cast iron one. 2. Slice a little onion and sauté’ it in the grease. When tender, take the onion out of the frying pan and save till later with the meat. 3. Fry some frozen hash-brown potatoes using the remaining bacon grease. I like tater tots the best for this. Season with lemon-pepper, stirring often as the potatoes cook. 4. Meantime, dice the cooked meat and onion and combine with 1 ½ eggs per serving. Mix in a little milk or cream, and a little blue cheese salad dressing if you have some. 5. Leave the potatoes in the pan when done and add the onions, eggs, meat, etc. Grate in some cheese of choice (I like cheddar or sometimes Velveeta). Stir often turning mixture over from bottom to top. Cook until your desired consistency is reached and serve. 6. I like this one with bakery sweet-rolls.

Easy Spaghetti 1. Boil the noodles from some “Top Ramon” or similar soup mix in a small pot. Do not mix in the soup flavoring. These noodles cook faster than regular noodles and are already bite sized. 2. If you like sausage, boil your sausage with the noodles. 3. When the noodles are tender, drain off the water. Then mix in some “Newman’s” spaghetti sauce (or similar sauce). I like the thicker one’s, but the choice is yours. 4. Cheese to taste and serve with some French bread, garlic butter, and your favorite red wine. 5. This is really fast and easy.

Special Fried Steak 1. Yes, you can fry steak and it will taste fantastic. I like those little round steaks that are held together with a string or the smaller

51 sized tenderloins. You can fry four in a medium sized fry pan. If you can find a frying pan with a raised grid – even better. 2. Place steaks in the fry-pan with the flame at medium high. Immediately sprinkle with: A little soy sauce (or Jim Beam whiskey) A little Worcestershire sauce Some garlic pepper Some lemon pepper (No salt) 3. Fry on one side for 3 to 4 minutes. Then flip and re-sprinkle with the above items. Fry for another 3 to 4 minutes. Steaks will be about medium done. 4. Serve with some French bread and a quick salad (Kathy likes the “boxed” pasta salads). Or maybe some boiled veggie’s if you like - but remember to keep it simple. And some wine of choice.

INCREDIBLE DESERT!!! Strawberries Coeur d’Crem 1. Slice fresh strawberries and place in individual serving bowls 2. Have ready equal amounts of: Whipping cream Sour cream Soft Philly cream cheese 3. Whip whipping cream with a little sugar until firm. 4. Mix in sour cream and cream cheese. Mix until you have a smooth somewhat thick white sauce. 5. Pour over strawberries and serve. You won’t believe it!!

Other fruits may be used in season.

Strawberries Romanoff Ingredients: Enough strawberries to serve nice portions to each person aboard. Heavy sweet whipping cream Gran Marnier Liqueur

1. Slice fresh strawberries and place in individual serving bowls. 2. Whip whipping cream with a little sugar until firm peaks form. 3. Mix into whipped cream 1 teaspoon of Gran Marnier per serving. 4. “Top” the strawberries with the ‘spiked’ whipped cream and serve.

Other fruits may be substituted. However, I like strawberries the best. Fried Fruit Salad Ingredients: Apple Pineapple Banana Blue-berries Juice of 1 Lime Fresh mint Butter 52 Gran Marnier

Use enough fruit to provide 2 to 6 servings Everything is fried (covered) on the stove top in the following order: Melt a couple pats of butter in the fry pan in medium high heat; Fry the apple(s) for three (3) minutes; Add pineapple and fry for three (3) minutes (remember covered); Add bananas and fry for two to three minutes; Add juice of one lime and a couple tablespoons of Gran Marnier; Add blue-berries and fry for three or four minutes ( the blue- berries will begin to “bleed” juice into the fruit mix); Add a little mint (only to taste if you like mint flavor); Serve warm. ------Weather Sayings for Sailors

When the mist takes to the open sea, Fair weather, shipmate, it will be; But when the mist rolls o're the land, The rain comes pouring off the sand.

North - stormy - stormy and bold, East - steady - frost and cold, South - rain - with troubled sea, West - squalls - and helm's a-lee.

Barometer high - heave short and away, Barometer low - let the mudhook stay; Barometer shifting - reef tackles prepare, Barometer steady - set sails without fear.

At sea with a low and falling glass, The green hand sleeps like a careless ass; But only when it is high and rising, Will slumber trouble a careful wise one.

The hollow winds begin to blow, The clouds look black, the glass is low; Last night the sun went pale to bed, The moon in haloes hid her head. Look out, my lads, a wicked gale, With heavy rain, will soon assail.

When rain comes before the wind, Look out, and well your mind; 53 But when the wind comes before the rain, Then hoist your up again.

When the clouds spread like a feather, Mariner look for fair good weather.

Red in the east I like the least, Red in the west I like the best.

When rise begins after low, Squalls expect, and a clear blow.

Long foretold, long to last, Short notice, soon past.

Mare's tails, leave scanty sails.

A rainbow in the morning It is a sailor's warning; But a rainbow at night It is a sailor's delight.

When the glass falls low, Prepare for a blow; When the glass rises high, Let the light duck fly.

Mugshot grey and dawn sky red Clap on your hat or you'll wet your head.

If woolly fleeces deck the heavenly way, Be sure no rain will mar a summer's day.

When mist takes to the open sea, Fine weather, shipmate, it will be.

Heavy dews in hot weather Foretell fair weather.

54 If the wind be northeast three days without rain, Eight days will pass before south again.

No dew after sun, Fine weather's on the run.

If red the sun begins his race, Be sure the rain will fall apace.

A rainbow to windward, Foul falls the day.

If clouds look as if scratched by a hen, Get ready to reef your topsails then.

If the sun goes pale to bed 'Twill rain tomorrow, so 'tis said.

When the win shifts against the sun, Trust it not for back it will run.

When the dew is on the grass Rain will never come to pass. When grass is dry at morning light Look for rain before the night.

North winds send hail, South winds bring rain. East winds we bewail, West winds blow amain. Northeast is to cold, Southeast not too warm. Northwest is to bold, Southwest blows no harm.

55

Catalina 25 National Association Constitution & By-Laws

The latest National Association and By-Laws, along with many other valuable documents and items can be located at the National Association website: www.catalina25-250.org

56