Happy New Year! - SSSS Clubhouse

Volume 26 Issue 5 January 1996 Celebrating 25 YEARS
Commodore’s Corner : Don’t Start the Resolution Without Me
January is a time to contemplate the new year ahead and resolve to take some actions to
make life more fulfilling for ourselves and our community. Of course, that can be difficult for
us sailors because life is so fulfilling already, especially when we’re out among the wind and
waves. Never one to shy away from a challenge however, I have developed a few modest
resolutions which you may add to your list. They are all guaranteed to brighten your life in the
coming months. Best of all, they’re easy to accomplish so you can check them off your list
with alacrity and
satisfaction!
\polish some brass aboard
your boat \try a new
fairlead position \invite
someone from the SSSS
crew list for a sail \crew
on someone else’s boat
\paint the oars on your
dinghy a bright color \go
on a SSSS cruise \study a
chart of the Sea of Cortez
\put new telltales on your
rigging and sails \take out
a friend who’s never
sailed before \practice a
MOB drill the next time
you lose a hat overboard
\go on a race \buy new
flares \shoot off your old
flares on July 4 \leave
your slip under sail one
day \study the racing
rules \refrain from
barging at the starting line
Ship-to-Shore
The South Sound Sailing Society’s Newsletter
O-My-God finishing the Squaxin Island Race photo : Joe Neel
\visit a SSSS reciprocal club \sail a dinghy \paint your anchor white \bring a friend to a SSSS
meeting
See how easy these are? I’ll bet you can enhance your own list with one or two of these. In
fact, here’s one more. Now is the time to invite yourself to help put on the Toliva Shoal Race.
If you’re able to help, please contact any of the SSSS officers or Tucker Smyth, 1996 Toliva
Shoal race chair (details in this issue).
Best wishes from all your SSSS officers for fair winds and following seas for all your 1996
sailing!
John Sherman, Grendel
January Meeting : Cruising the Pacific
If you enjoy cruising and dream of someday leaving Puget Sound for an extended cruise,
then our January program should fascinate you. Bob Benn, whom Chuck and Donna Kinsey
(Summer Snow) have referred to in some of their letters, left Puget Sound in his 36 foot S-2
sloop, Cool Change, on April 18, 1994, and returned last September. He logged 20,000 miles
cruising the Pacific. He single-handed part of the time. At other times he was joined by
thirteen different groups. Bob will be sharing some of his experiences and photos, as well as
the do’s and don’ts involved in preparing for an extensive voyage.
I hope those of you that attended Brad Bakers presentation, on racing tactics and sail trim,
enjoyed it as much as I did. I noticed a lot of notes were being taken. Thanks Brad!
Joe Neel, Graffiti
More Baja Ha-Ha : Open Boat Cruising on the Columbia : Race Results from 1971
Happy
New Year!
New Years Cruise
December 31 & January 1
Percival Landing
Duwamish Head TTPYC
January 6
second Southern Sound Series race
General Meeting, OYC
Bob Benn : Cruising the Pacific
January 9
the doors open at 1900
Visitors welcome
S-t-S deadline February
board meeting
January 16
RC Meeting : Handicaps
January 17
1900 Olympia Timberland Library
Eld Inlet Race
January 20
first start 1000
McAllister Creek Race
February 3
first start 1000
Valentines Cruise
February 10 & 11
Coon Cove (Squaxin)
General Meeting, OYC
Lidgard Sails Rep.
February 13
the doors open at 1900
Visitors welcome
S-t-S deadline March
Toliva Shoal Race
February 17

Ship-to-Shore January 1996
RC Report
The Holidays are over and fun was hopefully had by all. Now
its time to get into some serious racing. The next few months
has some of the best sailboat racing and racing programs.
To start off, the Race Committee and interested racers are
meeting at 1900 on January 17th at the Olympia Timberland
Library. The topics of discussion will be various handicaps
systems, such as PHRF time-on-distance (that SSSS is currently
using), PHRF time-on-time, and a soft (‘golf type’) handicap
system. If you are interested in learning more about handicaps
systems in general, participate in discussing the pros and cons
of each, or have something to add in general, please attend the
meeting. If that is not enough to get you interested in coming
to the meeting, we will also discuss the fleet handicap breaks
(A, B, and C) for next year. This is guaranteed to create some
exciting discussion. If you can’t attend but would like to share
your ideas please write me a letter or call me.
February 20th we will be having a racing rule lecture with
Dick Rose. This is one week after our General Meeting and just
three days after the Toliva Shoal Race. That is when Dick can
come. You should come hear him.
I mentioned, in the November
newsletter and at the Meeting, the
value SSSS places on outstanding
crew by presenting the Foredeck
Award to the winner of each series.
The Island Series is over and the
following is the list of nominees for
the award (to be received at the
January Meeting) :
Dennis Gudgell A Fleet Savage
Jim Findley B Fleet Andante
Betty Hansen C Fleet Vela
John Perkins D Fleet Balder
I want to thank the Race Committee
Boat volunteers for their efforts over
November and December. Thanks to
Bill Wilmovski of Courageous, Joel
Rhett of Waterbear, and Bill Maclean
of Savage, for doing a great job.
Speaking of Race Committee Boat I
Welcome Aboard to New Members
Bob Eastman 956-7513
Ray Greeley Free Spirit Alajuela 38 352-0177, 786-1303
Dick Rose to Speak
February 20, at OYC
Co-sponsored by SSSS/OYC (thanks to Dave Knowlton
& Bill Thomas, OYC Fleet Captain-Sail).
Dick Rose knows the IYR Rules. He has earned the title
of Judge, writes a rules column for Sailing World, and
heads the USSA committee on the rules. He is one of the
most knowledgeable people in the country on the subject.
Not only does he know the rules, he can explain them,
clearly. Just ask anyone who heard him when he spoke
here several years ago. The room was filled to
overflowing. Everyone not only left wiser; we were
impressed by how interesting he had made the subject.
Mark your calendar. This is not something to be missed.
Steve Worcester, Sugar Magnolia
Toliva Shoal Race
The next race in the Southern Sound Series starts right here in
Olympia. It is hosted by us, with help from OYC. This is the event
that put SSSS, and Olympia, ‘on the map.’ It is still how many
people on the Sound relate to SSSS. We all have a stake in making it
a positive experience for our guests.
Preparations for the event are well underway.
However we could use your help to do it right,
particularly if you do not plan on racing.
Volunteers will get a free T-shirt, not to mention the
benefits of belonging to a club that is well
recognized and a respected member of PIYA.
We still need a scorer : someone who will not
race and can learn to use a simple computer
15
still need a volunteer for the
McAllister Creek Race on February 3.
Please call me at 491-7846, or let me
know at the January meeting.
Inlet Series starts (first start 1000) :
Savage in the Squaxin Island Race
photo : Joe Neel
Eld Inlet January 20 Grendel is RC
McAllister Creek February 3 McAllister is a
good tune up for Toliva Shoal, the tides are similar
Thanks to all of you that help make racing in the south sound
as great as it is.
Mark Swartout, Pas de Chat
program. You hang out at OYC, Friday night to
enter boats into the computer to produce an up to
date list of entries, and during the Race to keep a
‘running score’ as the RC boat calls in results.
Being able to see how they are doing shortly after
finishing is much appreciated by the racers!
We could still use an auxiliary RC boat. A power
boat that could keep an eye on the fleet would be
most useful.
The RC boat may be in need of a crew member
or two.
Volunteers are needed to help mail the entry
forms (an evening in January), man the registration
table (Friday), serve beer (Friday), and clean up the
club afterwards. And probably some other things
not yet thought of.
If you can help, contact Tucker Smyth at 866-2333 (or Jeanne
Wagner, or Steve Worcester).
Tucker is RC Chair. Jeanne is Vice-Chair. Steve will be in charge
of registration. Dave Lindley will run the race on the water. As in the
past, Jan Visser and CSC will handle the food. Dave Knowlton will
be in charge of the bar. The Sea Scouts will handle moorage and
security, with Bill Thomas, OYC Fleet Captain Sail. Susanne
Windels will get the T-shirts printed. Last but not least, our Series
Council Rep., Bruce Campbell, will man Woodstock for RC use.
Help us put on an event that our Club can be proud of.

Ship-to-Shore January 1996
Cruise News
Well, 1995 is ending. It has been a good year for all at SSSS.
I hope that in the coming year more of you will make good use
of your boat and come on a Cruise or two. We have a New
Year’s Cruise happening almost as you get this S-t-S, there may
still be time you go. Jeanne Wagner is host : thanks Jeanne. Our
next Cruise is to Coon Cove. And there are many more great
Cruises coming up. I wish all of you a joyful New Year : one
with time to use your boat. See you out there.
Gerry Gagne, My Home II
NEW YEAR’S CRUISE PERCIVAL LANDING
ALD LANG SYNE AND ALL THAT JAZZ ...
DECEMBER 31 (POTLUCK 1700) TO JANUARY 1 (COFFEE AT
0830)
Even if you had not planned on
coming, there still may be time.
Particularly if you drive. Join us to
welcome in the new year.
FEBRUARY CRUISE
FEBRUARY 10 TO 11 AT COON COVE
Coon Cove is Squaxin Island, so
this will be a raft up cruise. We may
make a star raft. Bring a dish to share
for the potluck, plus your own eating
utensils and drink. Also bring playing
cards and board games. See you there.
Gerry Gagne, My Home II
THE DECEMBER CRUISE
TO EASTBAY
It is happening as I write. We
will tell you about it next month.
8
Precocious, Fall Series Race 2, Gadzooks, Savage,
& Strider in back photo : Laura Farris
December General Meeting Canceled
The wind storm blew away our annual potluck. We hope this
was not a major disappointment. Our RC Chair has assured me
that this will not happen again. He will schedule races for the
second Tuesday of the month, guarantying less wind!
SSSS Bulletin Boards
We will no longer post race results on our board at US
Marine. Instead you will find photos of our fall racing, Fall
Series and Squaxin Island, shot by Joe Neel, Susan Marrs,
Laura Farris, and yours truly. They have been up since
December and will stay up a couple of weeks longer (Toliva
photos next). We are counting on you, our readers, to keep the
photos coming.
The results are posted at Percival Landing, as well as at
Eastbay and OYC.
Southern Sound Series Results : we are making an effort to
get these faxed to us after each race, to post almost as fast as a
local race. It worked for the Vashon results. Thanks to Joe Neel,
for use of his fax, and Bruce Campbell, our Southern Sound
Series Rep. Look for Duwamish Head results.
If you are disappointed that this column is more about push
pins than pushing keys, give me a call. If there is interest, and
help, we might be able to do something about that. Ed
Enjoy Wednesday Night Racing?
Then you should think seriously about buying a smaller boat
(or your first boat). You could better than double your summer
racing, for the price of a new headsail! There are nine more
nights of racing, on Thursday. And there’s no hassle finding
crew with these boats. It is a great way to spend a summer
evening. Ask any of those racing.
Our handicap system, Portsmouth Yardstick, is very
sophisticated. It is time-on-time with variable handicaps for
three different wind strengths. Look at the results to see how
well it works. Like PHRF it is performance based. However
there are better statistics on most of the boats raced as they are
one designs with many racing. There is potential for some good
competitive racing. And it is free.
Better, if there are five or six of us
willing to buy boats, we could have a one
design fleet. I was hoping for a boat that
is small and fairly common (could be
bought used) to keep costs down and
maintenance to a minimum? A tactical,
not to athletic, boat so everyone, young
and old, could be competitive? [We are
already half way to a fleet with Lasers,
though they are athletic boats. We have a
some Hobie 16s (I would not complain)
though they are bigger and more
complicated than need be.] If anyone is
interested, we need to get together and
discuss what boat. If one of those
interested is you, give me a call.
Whether you need to buy a boat,
arrange to borrow one, or already have a
suitable boat, now is the time to start getting it ready for racing
in the spring and summer. Think about it. Do you have anything
better planned for Thursday nights next summer? Come sail
with us. Double your summer racing fun with a small boat.
Steve Worcester, Sugar Magnolia & Hobie 16
Voice of the Vice : ‘Juiced’ on Vashon
We’ll I’ll tell you, nothing more exciting then doing the
Vashon Island Race on Uncle Juicy. For those of you who do
not know, Uncle Juicy is a vintage Cal 40 owned by Joe Dubey.
The Vashon Race, Tacoma YC host, was the first of the
Southern Sound Series Races, Saturday December 2.
Joe had an intrepid crew of five crack racers. We met at
TYC’s breakfast buffet, at which time Joe briefed us on our
race strategy. We were assigned to a large fleet with two other
Cal 40s and a Cal 43.
The first start was at 0900. The wind was blowing out of the
Southeast at about 20 knots with gusts to 30. This made for an
exciting start.
Our first secret weapon was Joe’s famous ‘chicken chute’.
Why chicken? Joe explained that it is a lot smaller and easier to
handle than the full spinnaker. Only one other boat in our fleet
was brave (crazy?) enough to fly a chute. Well the strategy paid
big dividends. After wrestling the chute up, and bloodying the

Ship-to-Shore January 1996
Winter Vashon Race
Fun race! Good wind, no rain, and sun at times! TYC put on a good
party too! Lots of SSSS boats, and people, were there. It was even a great
delivery sail to Tacoma! (results are preliminary — as of 12/4/95)
RESULTS SSSS BOATS : (IF I MISSED SOMEONE LET ME KNOW)
Gadzooks 1. class G 23 OA
Andante 1. class H 45 OA
Vector Space 2. class J 76 OA
Savage 3. class H 59 OA
Spar Treck 4. class I 57 OA
Koosah 4. class H 62 OA
O-My-God 5. class D 20 OA
Flirtation 5. class H 63 OA
Strider 5. class C multihull
Flying Circus 6. class D 25 OA
Uncle Juicy 6. class G 49 OA
Spiff 7. class J 94 OA
Rushwind 8. class H 79 OA
Courageous 9. class B 30 OA
Uproar 9. class G 58 OA
Bodacious 10. class G 60 OA
Sliverheels 10. class F 93 OA
Eight Bells 11. class F 97 OA
Damn Yankee 12. class G 82 OA
Something Special DNF class B
eye of one of the crew, ‘the Juice’ took off like a shot. After we
had passed almost everyone in our fleet, folks started catching
on and decided that it might be a good idea to put up their
chutes.
Down Colvos Passage we went, averaging about eight knots.
The sun was out. Dozens of beautiful yachts were flying their
colorful spinnakers. What a gorgeous sight.
At the North end we doused the chute, put up the #2 genoa,
and reefed the main. This proved to be a good combination, as
we made our way to weather passed the other Cals. Until we
reached Point Robinson and decided to shake the reef out the
main. Well the wind picked up and the other Cals put some
distance between us. By the time we put the reef back in it was
too late.
We crossed the finish line about 1430, if my aging memory
serves me correctly. Rounding Vashon took a little over five
hours, not too shabby.
Juicy’s crew headed back to the clubhouse for chili and beer
to tell stories and watch the others finish. In all a remarkable
day of sailing. My thanks to Joe for inviting me along.
I am sure that our Toliva Shoal Race will be equally exciting.
I encourage you all to give it a try.
Looking forward to seeing you all in 1996.
Mark Johnson
Please Let Me Know
When it is time to move out of D-Fleet and race with a
spinnaker, make sure to let me, the race scorer, know. You can
not count on the RC boat to pass the information along — it is
not their job to register anyone. Those who change back need to
tell me too. The computer will score you in the Fleet you last
raced in, if not told to do otherwise.
All it takes is a phone call (352-9283). Before the race if
possible. But if not, call me right after the race : hopefully
before I score it.
Steve Worcester, Sugar Magnolia
Happy New Year from CSC
The New Year is here and with it many new ideas are on the
horizon for Corinthian Sailing Club’s kids. 1996 will be the
year to really emphasize the El Toro. With the El Toro
Nationals being held at Oak Harbor in August, it could be a
great time for a number of people. Remember, you do not have
to be a junior to sail an El Toro. They have classes from
everyone from eight to eighty.
March will bring a spring program for Corinthian. Classes
will be held beginning March 30 running through April 6
(Spring break). This will give moms a break and be a good tune
up for those sailing the NW Youth Racing Circuit. The Kitten
Cup, in Vancouver BC, is the following week.
The South Sound Junior Regatta will be in Olympia this
year, hosted by CSC. We do this in partnership with Tacoma
YC; each club hosts this event every other year. 1995 was a
tremendous success. Craig Rone, from TYC, was in charge and
what a great job he did. Participation in the 1995 was upward of
65 boats : El Toros, Optis, Bytes, and Lasers. It was a very
impressive sight as the youngsters raced through Wollachet Bay,
with winds gusting up to 20 knots. This will be a tough act to
follow, but the pattern for success is there. Every step in the
process of getting this event off the ground was closely
documented.
Hope Island Race December 9th
was the RC Boat. Thank you.
points/ Corrected Course
Place Sail No. Yacht Name Yacht Type Rating Time Time
A-FLEET Start Time 10:00:00 Distance 15 nm
0.75 69880 UPROAR JBOA 80 129 14:15:45 4:48:00
2.00 31396 O-MY-GOD BSNSA 40 89 14:31:15 3:53:30
3.00 87552 COURAGEOUS JBOA 35 73 14:32:08 4:50:23
4.00 73392 BODACIOUS BENE 35 S5 129 14:32:40 5:04:55
5.00 69171 ZUGUNRUHE JBOA 30 142 14:42:05 5:17:35
B-FLEET Start Time 10:00:00 Distance 15 nm
0.75 69853 ANDANTE CATA 320 165 14:34:10 5:15:25
2.00 47914 KAITLIN RANC 32 175 14:44:20 5:28:05
3.00 59053 LE VOLIER SANJ 28 197 14:58:48 5:48:03
4.00 39110 KOOSAH PEAR 36-1 155 15:02:00 5:40:45
C-FLEET Start Time 10:05:00 Distance 15 nm
0.75 1 VELA MERC 30 235 14:39:43 5:33:28
2.00 59048 FOSSIL TECH SANT 20-1 235 14:50:00 5:43:45
D-FLEET Start Time 10:05:00 Distance 15 nm
0.75 61077 ACQUITTED TARG 9.6 232 14:51:55 5:44:55
2.00 260 SPIFF RANW 26 226 14:52:38 5:44:08
3.00 39726 SWALLOW CAL 27T 223 14:54:33 5:45:18
4.00 BAL BALDER ERIC 38 150 14:57:32 5:30:02
5.00 C31 TURNING POINT CAL 31 196 15:02:03 5:46:03
6.00 66 LARS JENSEN CNTS 36-1 163 15:18:40 5:54:25
7.00 69359 CYGNET RANC 29 219 15:28:38 6:18:23
8.00 1475 DANCING TREES VAN ST 219 15:33:22 6:23:07
9.00 27 OLYMPIA GOLD CATA 25 256 DNF
Corrections :
qHerron Island and McHerron Island Races : Lars Jensen raced in D-Fleet,
not A-Fleet,. She corrected to Second in D-Fleet in both races (corrected time :
14:20:17 Herron, 17:00:17 McHerron).
Everyone in D-Fleet for the above races, except first, add one to your finish
position (2 becomes 3, 3 becomes 4, etc. — the Series results have it right)

Ship-to-Shore January 1996
I would like to extend a
personal thank you to Mike
Wilson for chairing the
Thursday Night Racing
program. You could not find
a more dedicated person as
he and his wife sailed out to
the course for the last two
11
At Hope Island, Squaxin Island Race, front row : Graffiti, Damn Yankee,
Flirtation, Andante, Vela photo : Dave Knowlton
years. A job well done and much appreciated.
Wishing you all fair winds and a great New Year.
Jan, Mike, and Bill, CSC
Island Series Results
RC Boats : Graffiti, Waterbear, Courageous, and Savage Thank you
place Sail No. Yacht Name Skipper Name Rating No. Strt Squax Herron McHer Hope Total
A-FLEET Races: 1 to 4, 1 throw out 10 Strt 11 Strt 8 Strt 5 Strt
1 49442 SAVAGE Bill Maclean 142 4 0.75 0.75 5.00* 2.17@ 3.67
2 31396 O-MY-GOD Dave Ames 89 4 2.00 5.00* 0.75 2.00 4.75
3 69880 UPROAR Ian Christopher 129 4 7.00* 2.00 3.00 0.75 5.75
4 69171 ZUGUNRUHE Ken Dzinbal 142 4 3.00 4.00 6.00* 5.00 12.00
5 73392 BODACIOUS J Rosenbach 129 4 8.00* 7.00 2.00 4.00 13.00
6 87552 COURAGEOUS Bill Wilmovsky 73 4 6.00* 6.00 5.00@ 3.00 14.00
7 32589 SOMETHING ... Glenn Cowling 73 3 4.00 9.00* 4.00 7.00 15.00
8 64999 SILVERHEELS D. Wayne Smyth 98 3 5.00 10.00* 8.00 7.00 20.00
9 28108 ELIXIR Richard Demmler 73 1 12.00* 3.00 10.00 7.00 20.00
10 29770 DAMN YANKEE Jim Thurman 128 3 10.00 11.00* 7.00 7.00 24.00
11 69399 FLYING CIRCUS Dave Elliott 73 1 12.00* 8.00 10.00 7.00 25.00
12 6826 UNCLE JUICY Joe Dubey 126 1 9.00 13.00* 10.00 7.00 26.00
B-FLEET Races: 1 to 4, 1 throw out 9 Strt 9 Strt 7 Strt 4 Strt
1 69853 ANDANTE Lee Heusman 165 4 4.00* 0.75 0.75 0.75 2.25
2 39110 KOOSAH Dave Knowlton 155 4 0.75 2.00 3.00 4.00* 5.75
3 47914 KAITLIN Roger Edwards 175 4 8.00* 5.00 2.00 2.00 9.00
4 29604 FLIRTATION Gary Pedigo 155 3 2.00 4.00 4.00 6.00* 10.00
5 29718 RUSHWIND Ken Russell 155 2 3.00 7.00 8.00* 6.00 16.00
5 1395 GRAFFITI Joe Neel 185 2 7.00 3.00 8.00* 6.00 16.00
7 49922 WAVELENGTH Eric Dahl 192 3 5.00 6.00 7.00* 6.00 17.00
8 59053 LE VOLIER Dave Brown 197 3 6.00 8.00 8.00* 3.00 17.00
9 59790 PRECOCIOUS Jeffery Weeks 188 2 11.00* 9.00 5.00 6.00 20.00
10 1701 MOONRISE Jim Schafer 193 2 9.00 11.00* 6.00 6.00 21.00
C-FLEET Races: 1 to 4, 1 throw out 3 Strt 3 Strt 2 Strt 2 Strt
1 1 VELA George Hansen 235 2 0.75 4.00* 3.00 0.75 4.50
2 59048 FOSSIL TECH Mike Morris 235 4 3.00* 0.75 2.00 2.00 4.75
3 99 VECTOR SPACE Steven Campbell 208 2 2.00 4.00* 0.75 4.00 6.75
4 N27 CLARITY Steve Hatton 221 1 5.00* 2.00 3.00 4.00 9.00
5 39832 VIRGA Ken Mitchell 228 1 5.00* 3.00 3.00 4.00 10.00
D-FLEET Races: 1 to 4, 1 throw out 8 Strt 10 Strt 8 Strt 10 Strt
1 BAL BALDER John DeMeyer 150 4 0.75 0.75 0.75 4.00* 2.25
2 39726 SWALLOW Brian Benson 223 3 2.00 10.00* 4.00 3.00 9.00
3 66 LARS JENSEN Clarrence Gadley 163 3 9.00* 2.00 2.00 6.00 10.00
4 61077 ACQUITTED Jim Legenfelder 232 2 9.00 10.00* 3.00 0.75 12.75
5 C31 TURNING POINT Jay Ford 196 4 3.00 6.00* 5.00 5.00 13.00
6 1475 DANCING TREES Ralph Perry 219 4 6.00 3.00 7.00 8.00* 16.00
7 69359 CYGNET Keith Grant 219 3 8.00 4.00 9.00* 7.00 19.00
8 69851 VICTORY ROSE Jack Shincke 223 2 9.00 5.00 6.00 10.00* 20.00
9 260 SPIFF Tom Fell 226 1 9.00 10.00* 9.00 2.00 20.00
10 59862 INFINITY Gary Zerbst 219 2 4.00 9.00 9.00 10.00* 22.00
11 27 OLYMPIA GOLD John Martin 256 4 7.00 8.00 8.00 9.00* 23.00
12 69825 GRENDEL John Sherman 195 2 5.00 10.00* 9.00 9.00 23.00
13 69347 KALAKALA Rob Young 239 1 9.00 7.00 9.00 10.00* 25.00
14 4485 NATALIA Curtis Dahlgren 213 1 9.00 9.00 9.00 10.00* 27.00
* = throw out @ = assigned points for RC duty
Savage was First in Series Over All
Boats in bold above still have perfect Attendance. Uproar had prefect attendance last year too;
Koosah is going for the third year in a row with perfect attendance, and that includes summer racing.
Damn Yankee, Flirtation, Le Volier, and Strider all missed a race this series.
Rules Review
No Appeal this month, just a
simple question. Do you have to
start, i.e. cross the starting line,
to be scored Did Not Finish
(one point better than Did Not
Start)? There is widespread
misunderstanding of this, even
past RCs have got it wrong! So I think it is worth a quick look.
Rule 74.5 (a) Scoring, first paragraph [italics added]
“A yacht whose entry has been accepted and that starts or
sails about in the vicinity of the starting line
between her preparatory and starting signals
shall be scored as a competing yacht.”
This means that if you have paid your race
fees and sail around in the starting area in the
five minutes before your start, then some
aggressive D-Fleet skipper pushes you over
early, and you can’t get back as there is current
but no wind, you should be scored DNF — not
DNS.
This is a new rule, but the principle has been
around for many years as rule 50, Ranking as a
Starter. This part of the 1993-6 rules is not
effected by the X-rules.
Steve Worcester, Sugar Magnolia
Letters : Baja Ha-Ha Part 2
We spent several busy days in San Diego
getting fishing licenses, tourist visas, provisions,
and the inevitable dozens of other last minute
things we needed. This always happens before
any cruise, but setting out for a country like
Mexico, you can’t be sure of finding things you
could pick up enroute here. We also took the
boat out for a brief shakedown cruise, attended
at least one party per day, and made several
visits the complimentary hot tub at the Sheraton
next to the marina.
Our menu was simple. We chose to do 3 or 4
dinners 3 or 4 times : macaroni and cheese,
spaghetti, chili and soup. We varied them by
adding things, like peas, or tuna fish. Breakfast
ended up usually being 1-2 packets of instant
oatmeal apiece, supplemented with bananas,
juice and coffee or tea. Lunch was leftovers,
bagels, fruits and veggies, and other snacks. We
were able to gauge our consumption pretty well,
since we didn’t have a lot left in Cabo. We only
bought a few things at our Turtle Bay stop; we
made sure that we soaked the produce in a
dilute bleach solution. Fresh tortillas were a
particularly good addition. Overall, everyone
felt that we ate well and by keeping the menu
simple we were even able to persuade our
bachelor skipper to cook a dinner. He did pretty
well, too.
We had a nice windy start off Point Loma,
and soon were past the Coronados.

Ship-to-Shore January 1996
Unfortunately the next two days were pretty light. Wind
direction was prevailing northwesterlies, but we had a fair
amount of south and southeasterly breeze too. We soon
separated from the fleet, especially since many of them lost
patience with ‘slopping around’ and turned on the iron Genoa.
We were particularly concerned with monitoring the Sea Beast’s
progress, especially since the ‘genniker’ they declared at the
skipper’s meeting looked an awful lot like a spinnaker to us.
One night around midnight, 60 miles offshore, we came sailing
up to another boat with a familiar looking genniker. They did
not respond to our hail, but blinded us with their spotlight.
When we heard the “Yo-ho-ho” and “Har-har-har”s, we
concluded that it must be Sea Beast, and proceeded to engage
the in a jibing duel, in
about 1 knot of wind!
We had a daily radio
check with our fleet
captain and monitored
channel 68. Initially, there
was quite a bit of radio
traffic as people compared
notes, fishing tips, etc. As
the trip progressed, folks
moved to single sideband
(SSB) or ham or to one of
the other VHF frequencies
for chatting. In Mexico
many more VHF channels
are open and there appear
to be fewer restrictions on
what you can say (based on
at least one conversation
we overheard!). Almost
everyone in the fleet had
SSB or ham : not only is it
good auxiliary
communication, it is a way to get information not available
otherwise (such as weatherfax). Best of all, Deanna, Jan and I
were able to ‘phone home’ with the help of Mike Colyar and
Seattle ham operators.
We finished the first leg at midnight November 2. To finish,
boats recorded the time they passed west of a certain longitude
and south of a certain latitude. Since the coast cuts away to the
southeast we determined at sunset that the fastest line to the
finish was due south, a broad reach, although it meant we
finished nearly 40 miles offshore. At the time we decided to do
this, we were watching Sea Beast head over the horizon, yet we
finished three hours before they did! As though to celebrate, we
were greeted by hundreds of Dall’s porpoises and a group of
bottlenosed dolphins on our way into Turtle Bay at sunrise.
Susanne Windels, Sky Hi
14
Koosah and Andante, Squaxin Island Race, photo : Joe Neel
Letters : Sailing the Columbia
In the October S-t-S we talked about encouraging open boats
to come on a SSSS Cruise. Kris called to say he thought it a
good idea; he is ready to go. We got to talking sailing. I find
out he is sailing his Hobie 18 down the Columbia River to the
ocean (in a series of legs). I thought you might like to hear
about one of them.
On the morning of July 2nd, 1995, I set off to meet friends
for a rendezvous at Blake Island. My trusty Tercel was pulling
Columbia Coyote, my Hobie 18. But it was raining relentlessly
and the thought of spending the night in the rain aboard an open
boat did not appeal to me. Plan
B sounded more inviting. I
decided to sail another leg of
my trip down the Columbia
River. A trip that started at the
Canadian border and will
eventually take me into the
Pacific Ocean. My jump off
point this time was Fort
Spokane, 44 miles above Grand
Coulee Dam, my destination for
this leg.
After arriving at Fort
Spokane I assembled and
stocked the boat, dressed
warmly, and locked up the car.
Shoving off in late afternoon I
paddled Columbia Coyote out
into the Spokane arm of the
Columbia. I paddled hard to
get to the far side of the
Highway 22 bridge, so the 30 foot mast would clear. It was
close, but it cleared, just barely. Finally out into the river
proper, I sailed south down the great canyon through which the
river flows. The canyon here is massive. The eastern wall rises
800 feet from the river. Darkness fell, the stars appeared.
The night was warm and clear, the breeze light yet steady, so
I sailed on. The river gradually wound it’s way westward
around a big bend. The wind lightened so I started looking for a
place to pull in for the night. Finding a protected inlet that
driftwood had collected in, I pulled the boat up onto the
beached driftwood. I tied up to shore. It was midnight. I had
packed a tent, but find sleeping on the trampoline more
comfortable. I spread my sleeping bag on the tramp, crawled in
and slept soundly.

Ship-to-Shore January 1996
I awoke early; an open boat does not lend itself to sleeping
in. Breakfast consisted of a homemade sandwich, diet soda and
an apple. Sailing off westward again, the wind was light. I
needed to cover some distance that day as the next boat ramp
was 25 miles away. After sailing 5 miles a Hunter 30 passed,
motoring towards the dam. It was the only other sailboat I saw
on the 44 mile trip.
Around 1100 the light wind turned
into no wind. I paddled, paddled and
paddled some more, while high
powered motorboats zoomed by.
Finally, peace and quiet. Alone but not
lonely. The river formed a giant mirror
reflecting the high cliffs, beautiful. By
1500 having covered only 10 miles to
this point, thankfully the wind began to
come in again. After getting going
again, the boat was making about 3
knots into the wind. After another hour
of this the wind strengthened to about
10 knots true.
Now the boat was becoming vibrant,
but it was decision time; do I stop at
Keller’s Ferry for the night or press on
the additional 15 miles to the dam? As
the wind seemed steady and strong I
decided to press on. At 1700 I passed Keller’s Ferry. Soon the
wind was blowing at 15 knots, then 20. I was hiking out and the
boat was really moving. Columbia Coyote was in full stride
now. The wind strengthened again, to 25 knots! The cat was
moving so quickly that, between the wind over the water and
the boat’s rooster tail, for a split second I believed it had caught
fire! A smoke like mist was streaming from the stern. At that
What was the Olympia racing scene like 25 years ago?
Thanks to George and Betty Hansen we get a look. They gave
me some of the oldest race results we have saved. Boats are
listed in order of corrected time, first is on top.
Squaxin Island Race
October 17, 1971
owner boat elapsed time
Sargent Col 36 3:12:07
Sibold Cal 29 3:20:00
Oliver Sant 27 3:29:54
Hansen Monk 25 4:04:50
Thorsen Yank 30 3:40:00
Egge Coro 25 3:54:15
Amos Col 28 3:59:30
Seguin Isl 24 4:11:45
Thorp Col 43 3:22:00
Moen Yank 30 3:46:15
McCann Spen 35 3:47:30
Matchette Raw 30 4:11:38
Moe Newp 30 3:52:45
Freested Coro 27 4:10:50
Davidson Haida 4:09:53
Itsami Ledge
November 21, 1971
owner boat elapsed time
Witkin Col 34 2:22:00
Sibold Cal 29 2:25:00
Patton Aqua 23 2:56:50
Oliver Sant 27 2:30:01
McCann Spen 35 2:30:15
Sargent Col 36 2:26:00
Seguin Isl 24 2:54:45
Moen Yank 30 2:39:00
Carlstom Sant 21 3:02:00
Thorsen Yank 30 2:43:00
Beyer Sant 22 2:58:10
Beswick Col 26 2:54:13
Bullpitt Seahorse 3:18:00
The Squaxin race was probably
around a log anchored in Coon
Cove.
moment I understood the term ‘seasmoke’! Columbia Coyote
covered the next 10 miles to the National Park’s Spring Canyon
campground very rapidly, even into the wind. I arrived tired but
thrilled to have covered over 40 miles in less than 24 hours, as
usually I can only cover about 15 in a day.
First I called my wife to let her know I was OK. As I had no
chase vehicle, I tried to line up a ride back to my car. Failing to
do that before dark, I untied
Columbia Coyote from the dock,
sailed 200 yards, beached the boat
and promptly fell asleep.
After sailing back to the park the
next morning, I packed a backpack,
3
and hiked into the town of Grand
Coulee to try again to hitch a ride
back to my vehicle. The first person I
talked to gave me a ride, 50 miles
directly to my vehicle! What luck! I
hope it holds; I still have 600 miles of
river to go!
Kris Engvall, Columbia Coyote
If this has inspired you to think
about cruising in your open boat, a
Pas de Chat and Sugar Magnolia, Spring Racing ‘95 SSSS Cruise may be just the place to
photo : Betty Hansen
try it. Small boats are invited on the
McMicken Cruise, in April (or any
other you would care to come on). If you would like to come, talk
to Gerry Gagne, our Cruise Chair, and he will help in any way
he can. Or see Kris for some experienced advice and/or company
on the water. As I said at the beginning, he is ready to go.
The Ship-to-Shore is published monthly, except July and August,
by the South Sound Sailing Society, PO. Box 1102, Olympia WA 98507.
It is printed be Precision Printing of Centralia.
If you are having a problem receiving the Ship-to-Shore, would like to
submit a letter, article, or photo; run an advertisement, or have other questions
or concerns contact the Editor : Steve Worcester
at 2425 Otis Olympia WA 98501
(360) 352-9283
Deadline for submissions is the second Tuesday of the month.
SSSS Board Members 1995-6
Commodore John Sherman 754-7657
Vice-Commodore Mark Johnson 786-7640
Secretary Dave Brown 459-7416
Treasurer Ken Henderson 491-4093
Member-at-Large Joe Neel 491-9177
Race Chair Mark Swartout 491-7846
Cruise Chair Gerry Gagne 791-6155
Education/Safety Gary Ray 866-0401
Past Commodore Bill Wilmovsky 786-1829
Our Handicapper is Bill Maclean, 943-8351

Ship-to-Shore January 1996
Crew Sheet
Want to crew? Need crew? Sign up to be listed here. The deadline is the
day after the Meeting. You will be dropped from the list after two months
unless you contact me then.
Patrick Wratchford 786-5035, 753-7678(wk) racing
Jason Loffer 705-0198, 866-1000(wk) racing
Laura Loffer 705-0198, 754-5858 ext 1010 (wk) racing
Joe Clark 748-3600 330-7628 (wk) racing
Bob Eastman 956-7513 racing/ds
George Ormrod 352-5172 racing/ds
Leis Wolchott 357-9744 racing
Skipper Needs Crew
Rod Cook 866-3554, 352-7989 (wk) Symbiosis racing
George Ormrod 352-5172 Sea Beagle racing/ds
This months sail plan, of the new Lady Washington, comes
to us courtesy of the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport.
Thank you. They built her to be a replica of the original, or at
least as close as the records, and the Coat Guard, will allow.
The original was the first American ship in the Northwest.
Sailed by Captain Gray, she explored our coast in search of
furs. Then she was sloop rigged, not rigged as a brig as shown
here. She was rerigged in Macao by her next Captain, Captain
Kendrick. He then took her to Japan, the first American vessel
to make a landfall there.
The new Lady Washington tours the NW regularly to teach
us about our nautical past. Some of her crew spoke to us at a
Meeting last spring. We will try to let you know when she
comes our way again.
PHRF dues are due. We will be checking next month.
Sail plan of the Lady Washington
Ditty Bag
Ad deadline — in writing at the Meeting, or call me by the day after.
Please let me know when it sells so I know when to remove the ad.
dNewport 20 $1,500 Gerry, 791-6755
dCoronado 27 ft with 9.9 ob, 5 sails (includes spinnaker)
whisker pole, Autohelm, VHF, DS, more. Good condition.
Bud Bartholet, 357-3669
dCatalina 27, 9.9 Johnson ob, six sails including spinnaker,
electronics, very clean Bob 943-7189
dTanzer 22.5 on trailer with Honda 7.5 ob (low hours), 3 sails,
all great shape. $5,500 or make offer (trade??) 943-2646
dRawson 30, full keel cutter, 7 sails, Farymann diesel, heavy
duty ground tackle & windless, dinghy on davits, dodger,
ds, kn, vhf, compass, stereo, pressure water, shower, large
tanks (80 gal water, 40 gal fuel), wood interior (teak, kona,
white ash) Jim 705-2383
dKenner 32, $14,500 or best offer Ken 491-4093
dDrift-a-Home, 34 foot, live aboard $18,500 (will trade for
RV) Gerry 791-6155
dZodiac 10 ft inflatable, see at slip A20, Martin’s Marina.
Asking $300 Scott 357-4028 or Rick 705-3588
BULK RATE
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT # 169
OLYMPIA WA