Club News


July 2004 Mainsheet PC News

By | July 01, 2004

As you all know, our San Diego weather has been just fantastic!!! I am going crazy having to spend so much of my time trying to bring DAWN to completion when I would surly rather be sailing her! Several people have kindly offered the use of their boats or asked us to crew... but between preparing for the Wooden Boat Festival and trying to get DAWN finished, I would feel too guilty to be sailing instead of working. By the time you read this…I fully intend to be out on the water grinning from ear to ear! I spent Saturday putting “old” standing rigging on the new mast so that Pacific Offshore Rigging can come down and take measurements to do the final job. The new mast and boom are great to see bright! I called original owner Sco Bonnet and asked if I could borrow some money to finish up the project. I’m looking for a penny to put under the mast and I needed a loan. I could not think of a better person to ask, so Sco is speaking with his financial advisors and will draw up papers for the loan. Thanks, Sco! I am hoping Cissy will get a part time job so she can pay you back! I confess to being incredibly excited seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and am having trouble concentration on much else!

As always, much is happening with the PC fleet. Three more of our fleet members recently joined the Ancient Mariners Sailing Society. Welcome to #’s 11, 26 and 63. Our fleet is now the largest fleet in the AMSS. I believe we are up to 7 vessels. The AMSS Kettenburg Regatta was a real big hit and there were 10 boats at the line. I am told by Fleet Captain Vance Gustafson and YANKEE skipper Dave Grundies, that there was not enough wind. The fleet saw about 15-20K SSE with gusts to 25! There were 23 beautiful K boats at the line, 10 of which were PC’s. As near as I can figure out, the PC’s faired as follows:

1 lost a lower shroud turnbuckle and had to limp in
1 lost a mainsail
1 lost a jib and spreader
1 lost a backstay
2 boats decided to immediately decided to head back in after figuring out that there was more water in their boats than in the ocean

Ahhhhhh, yes! The joys of sailing!

Congratulations to #62 for a win, 63 for a second (Greg Stewart remembered everything I taught him about PUFF and sailing) and 66 for a 3rd. These three were the only salts that finished! Speaking of the AMSS, member, and past Navy pilot, Dave Easter (1938 John Alden) is a docent for the USS Midway. Members of the AMSS were invited to a tour of the vessel before she opened to the public. Dave was kind enough to take Cissy and me on a 4 plus hour tour. It was FANTASTIC! Events and opportunities like this are examples as to why joining the AMSS, is a plus. I encourage you all to consider membership in order to take advantage of this terrific group! Club member Greg Stewart can give you the details. Of course, I will be happy to tell you more as well. Thanks, Rabbit, for a great afternoon!

We are still preparing for the 14th Annual Wooden Boat Festival to be held on June 19th and 20th. I hope to see you all there. It promises to be another great show. I will give full report of the June 27th “Lady Skipper Race”, next month. I will also remind you that July 24th and 25th will bring the PC Nationals. I expect that we will see one or two boats come down from Marina Del Rey and we hope to have a great two day series of races. Don't forget our "welcome" BBQ will be held on Saturday night, July 24th, at the new club pavillion. Any readers who are not fleet members and would be interested in attending should PLEASE call the front desk at the club, or stop by. I have provided them with a “PC BBQ Sign Up” sheet. You will be asked to choose between chicken or hamburgers. Tickets will be billed to your account or paid for in cash. Those on the PC Fleet mailing list will have accomplished the goal in advance via the fleet mailing and should remember to respond according to the instructions, however we must have an accounting of others who plan to attend in order to have enough food available for all. This is always a terrific evening and the fleet enjoys seeing friendly faces from PC sailors/admirers of years past and present and other friends of the fleet. Please join us if you wish, but do sign up at the desk! On the 25th, we will have the awards ceremony on the front deck of the club after all the boats return from competition. Again, please join us.

This about wraps it up for the month of June. I really, really really hope to be sailing DAWN by the time you read this!

My best to all of you!

Rish Pavelec
PC #16 DAWN