Catalina Nights are
finally starting: WITH CAUTION!
The wait is finally over.
Like everyone else, I have been watching the harbor sounding
charts. I have been as anxious as
everyone else to get this ball rolling again.
As an ex surfer I never thought I would be praying for no surf, but
found myself in this position throughout this long winter. Four months with the harbor closed is way too
long!
I called the harbor this morning (Easter Sunday) and they
said we should be ok for Tuesday night.
We will have a 3 foot tide which will help things. Also there is no big swell predicted, so with
luck the harbor will make further progress.
As of now, there is one requirement that is absolutely necessary. Each
boat exiting the harbor MUST call the harbor office on channel 9 and get
clearance to exit the harbor. Have your
CF number handy when making this call! This
step is absolutely necessary carrying a rumored $40,000 fine for
noncompliance. This stipulation may
change with improved conditions by Tuesday. I would recommend that everyone
keep tuned on channel 69 for communication before leaving the harbor. If it is no longer necessary to check in with
the harbor, we can broadcast this on channel 69.
We have a great year planned for Catalina Nights. Fred Molnar and Chris Hoffman were kind
enough to put together an awesome course chart.
I have had these laminated as in the past and this year, the color is
turquoise. I cannot express enough
appreciation for their effort and expertise on this key element of our Catalina
Tuesdays.
In years past, I have walked the docks putting coarse
charts on all of our boats. This Tuesday
happens to be the last Tuesday of the month making it BARBECUE NIGHT AT
SCYC. After the race, please come to the
club with your favorite grilling food. I
will be passing out the laminated course cards at the barbecue. This should be a great kickoff for a great
year! The club and bar will be open, so
count on your favorite mixed drinks from the bar. Please do not bring your own alcohol.
I realize we have a full gamut of experience every
Tuesday night. In these perilous times
of shoaled harbor entrances, a word of caution is necessary. In many parts of the world scraping your keel
on the bottom can be a common occurrence.
This should be avoided whenever possible even in still water. With our harbor entrance being shoaled and
the waves breaking, it is absolutely essential to AVOID surfing a wave in and
bottoming out in the trough of the wave. This is like a 10,000 pound jack hammer hitting
the bottom of your boat and will lead to an emergency haul out for serious
repairs. Please keep an eye on the waves
as entering the harbor and if there is any question, make another pass. Another pass is much better than an emergency
haul out. We want everyone to come out and enjoy our Catalina Tuesdays, but you
are responsible for the safety and damage of your boat.
Let’s have a great year.
Sail hard but sail fair. I am
looking forward to seeing all of you this Tuesday.
Barry
Sailing Pair a Dice
