www.scow.org “ The Newsletter of the Sailing Club of Washington October 2017 Commodore’s Log .......................................................... 1 SCOW Cruiser Fleet Welcomes Lions Paw and Bids Adieu to Skirmish. .................................................................... 2 A Few Things about the Flying Scot ................................ 3 2017 Leukemia Cup Regatta Fundraising Sails Past Goal . 6 Halloween Party: October 21 st from 6PM to 10PM ........... 8 Hail & Farewell: November 18th, 2017 from 7 PM to Midnight ......................................................................... 9 SCOW Racing Program .................................................. 11 MEET THE NEWEST ADDITION TO THE SCOW FLEET – LIONS PAW. IN THIS ISSUE Commodore’s Log Ahoy, mates! One of the joys of being a SCOW tutor/trainer and skipper is the prospect of changing the trajectory of someone’s life. I’ve witnessed students starting at our basic sailing course progress through the cruiser sailing course, and then proceed on to bareboat charters all over the world. I’ve seen students from our basic sailing course become winning racing skippers within a very short period of time. While a developing sailor’s success is primarily a function of his or her own drive and determination, I still like to think I helped influence that outcome if they’ve spent any time sailing with me. Joe Leoncio – firmly in control Teaching the basic sailing class has been a rewarding experience over the past two years for me. Most of the students are brand new to sailing. In fact, I recall that maybe one or two from the most recent class had been on a sailboat previously while the rest were stepping onto a sailboat for the very first time in their lives during the ChaNNels October 2017 2 first class on the water. Initially, they fumble with the easy skills that are second-nature for seasoned sailors, i.e. points of sail, ballast, and knots. Eventually they learn well enough to demonstrate proficiency and to even teach their crewmates. The most rewarding part is when I teach a concept, and then subsequently see my students successfully teach that concept to others. It’s a profound moment to realize that the skills transfer and their application bears a promise of perpetuity - that when I’m gone, the skippers that I train will apply these skills for their own benefit and the benefit of others as I have done for them. It might later impact someone’s friend, child, or grandchild. It might lead to that initial spark that ignites a lifelong passion for sailing in someone who I might never meet. As we move into next year’s sailing season, please consider giving your time to SCOW’s tutoring or training program. Our training program positions us to better our community, our families, ourselves, and each other with an immeasurable future value. Russell Crowe’s character Maximus sums it very well in the movie Gladiator, “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” Cheers! Joe Leoncio Commodore Sailing Club of Washington 703-314-7583 SCOW Cruiser Fleet Welcomes Lions Paw and Bids Adieu to Skirmish. By John Kauffman, Chair of Boat Assets Committee SCOW purchased, with glee, a new cruiser, Lions Paw on August 31st. And, with tears, sold Skirmish on Sept 14th. Lions Paw is a 2003 Catalina 250, the same model and era as Hiatus . The total price was about $13,000, which included the buying price plus a long list of improvements, repairs and equipment that brings her to SCOW standards of safety and convenience. The funds were from the Boat Asset Fund, which receives about 6% of the club’s revenue each year. Purchases are suggested by the Boat Asset Committee (BAC) and then approved by our board. Several features of Lions Paw stand out. Like Hiatus , she has a head and galley. She also has an insect-proof tent to go over the pop-up hatch while in port; but as of now, she does not have a bimini. Skippers have available a GPS display which also indicates depth and VMG. Her roller furling headsail is larger than Hiatus’ at 150% vs. 130%. The engine is 8 hp compared to Hiatus at 10 hp, but still with electrical start and automatic battery charging. LP’s electrical system is simpler in having only one battery, but it can easily be charged by shore power when needed. Overall, these two boats are essentially the same. When purchased, we knew there were about a dozen tasks to be completed before commissioning. These ranged from rework of electrical systems to swapping engines, registering her, and giving her a three-part scrub and detailing. The BAC contacted all members who, in 2016 or 2017, took cruiser classes or checked out as cruiser skippers. About 15 of them took responsibilities for tasks, recruited teams, did research, and finished the tasks. The club as a whole can be proud of this group. In a frenzy of effort and enthusiasm all work was ChaNNels October 2017 3 completed in just 4 weeks so LP could be commissioned on Sept 28th and be available for wonderful autumn sailing on the Potomac. A big thanks to all who helped SCOW adopt Lions Paw into our fleet. A Few Things about the Flying Scot By John Rogers, Chairperson of the SCOW Training and Skipper Certification Committee One function of the TSCC is to help ensure that skippers have the necessary information to be safe on the water. This is generally done through the sailing classes and Rub-off-the-Rust days in the spring. We teach general procedures that are useful and rely on skippers to use their judgment to adapt those procedures in specific situations. Keeping everyone up-to-date is made more difficult when we change the recommended procedures over time. This article discusses a few items that have changed over time as well as considerations on what to do in emergency situations. Although we try to teach one primary approach to a problem, there are many different approaches that may be relevant depending on the situation and we can always learn new tricks. So, if you have comments or questions on the discussion below, or another point of view, please send me an email: [email protected] . Reefing on the Water If you need to reef on the water, I suggest dropping the main sail, sailing using just the jib while reefing the main, turning into the wind, quickly raising the reefed main, and sailing off. You may need to quickly tack or jibe while sailing with just the jib. You will not be able to sail upwind. Anchoring! So, you probably haven’t anchored recently (or ever)? Whether you are stopping for lunch or dealing with a thunderstorm, knowing how to anchor is important. So, let’s review a few important points: 1) If you are planning to anchor or think there may be a storm coming in, get the anchor ready to deploy before leaving the dock. It is harder to get the anchor ready on the water. 2) In the past, we taught students to pass the end of the anchor line through the bow eye and tie it to the base of the mast. NO! People at the Flying Scot factory say that the base of the mast is not very strong, so, Don’t Do That! The front end of the lifting bridle is attached to a bolt that goes through the wooden stanchion below the mast step (I call this the bridle bolt). If the bridle bolt is strong enough to lift the boat, it is strong enough to attach the anchor to. So, pass the anchor line through the bow eye and tie it to the bridle bolt (a bowline knot will do). ChaNNels October 2017 4 3) If you need to reduce scope, pull the anchor line from a position within the cockpit and, once again, tie it off to the bridle bolt (without untying the end of the bowline at the end of the line). 4) When it comes time to anchor, head up into the wind to lose speed, lower the anchor over the side forward of the shroud, making sure it will pull from the bow eye (i.e., the anchor rode should be under the jib sheets), and let the boat blow downwind to hang off the anchor… OOOPS! The boat wants to sail off! So after dropping the anchor, raise the centerboard and drop the sails. The boat will still swing around somewhat. 5) Anchoring takes some time, even if the anchor is ready to deploy. Figure 1. Anchor line coming from the bow eye is tied around the bridle bolt using a bowline. What to do if you expect a thunderstorm with 50 MPH winds? We don’t really teach this (we teach watch the weather and get to a safe place before a storm hits), but you know, the best-laid plans … I have been thinking about this, so, based on anecdotal comments from various sources, consider the following: 1) Everyone puts on a life jacket. 2) If you have time to anchor and are in a good place to anchor (not in the channel), Great! Otherwise, 3) Lower the sails fast and stow them or tie them down. The fastest way to get the main out of the way is to remove the gooseneck from the boom and shove the boom (with the main sail attached) under the foredeck and in the floor of the cockpit. Tie down the jib so it does not catch wind. 4) If you have gotten this far without blowing over, keep low in the boat, head downwind, raise the centerboard, and hope for the best.