CATALINA 30 – FLEET 1 NEWSLETTER
FLEET PLANING DINNER & MEETING: February 17th
Well, the 2013 sailing seasons in ahead of us, so it’s time to get together and make some plans for the year. Unfortunately, my sailing was limited last year for a host of reason, but after I get my boat maintenance done this winter I plan on getting out pretty regularly.
In the meantime, let’s get together at South Beach Yacht Club for dinner, drinks, and some planning.
Lorianna Kastrop has reserved SBYC for dinner and the meeting on Sunday, February 17th. Dinner options are grilled tri-tip or grilled salmon, penne pasta with pesto and sundried tomatoes, green beans with red peppers, and cheesecake. Once again, the Fleet will subsidize the dinner so the cost is only $15 per person. Dinner starts at 7 p.m., so I suspect you can arrive a few minutes early and help support their bar. So get your crew, first mate or first born, and come out. Please let Lorianna know (, or call her at
650.368.7143 and leave a message) as soon as you can so we know the final number. Also, this will be a great time to support the Fleet by renewing your membership ($15). South Beach Yacht Club is located on the second floor of the Harbor Services Building at Pier 40 on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, right next to AT&T Park. If you scout around, you can find parking on the street. Otherwise, there is paid parking at the shed on Pier 40. Check out South Beach’s website at for more info about the Club’s location.
RACING SHEET
Good news for all you racers out there. Jessica Chase
() has been appointed Racing Chair by acclamation. Of course, I was the only person doing the acclaiming, so it was unanimous. Jessica was kind enough to write a note for the newsletter, and here it is.
The midwinter season is heating up, literally, it was actually warm last Saturday! The C-30 division had a blast at the Island Fever race #3, with Mark Hecht’s “Friday’s Eagle” taking first in the day’s race and Jack McDermott’s “Adventure” leading the series.
With midwinters in full swing, it’s time to start thinking about the upcoming summer racing season. Last year we had C-30 divisions for SBYC’s Friday Night Series, the X-Bay Regatta, and Jazz Cup. This year we’re planning on repeating all of those races and also want to start thinking about some other fun races we can get the fleet together for, such as the YRA Party Circuit, and Plastic Classic.
For a calendar of all races mentioned in this newsletter, please click here. Start thinking about participation this year, and we’ll be surveying skippers to see what our interests are this season.
Starting up in April is the Friday Night Series (FNS) at South beach YC (SBYC), and as usual, we are expecting a great C-30 turnout. Last year we had 11 C-30s in a non-spinnaker division, and this season we already have 12 skippers committed! This year we will definitely have a non-spinnaker division, and are also aiming to get five boats on board to start up a C-30 spinnaker division. After polling skippers, we currently have four C-30 skippers interested in a spinnaker division.
If you’re interested in participating in a C-30 spinnaker or non-spinnaker division for FNS, please reach out to Jessica if you haven’t done so already, see above for email.
Do you want to work on training and building up your crew in a fun, very casual race environment? The summer Ham Jam series' mission is to provide race practice for skippers, and recruit new racers who want more experience and are interested in committing to crewing. Bring along your own crew, and take on a few new racers too. Please reach out to Jessica if you are a skipper interested in participating, see above for email.
The big focus for the summer season is to rally Fleet 1 to participate in numerous fun summer races going on in the San Francisco Bay, and to provide a fun, safe environment through our Ham Jam races to train new crew, so we can participate in more races!
BOAT MAINTENANCE (or frustration in cramped spaces)
As I recounted in past newsletters, I decided to spend a few dollars and install a refrigerator. I figured it would be nice to keep my food from spoiling and a few brewskis cold while up in the Delta. In order to keep up with the electrical demand of the refrigerator, I spent several hundred dollars last year upgrading my solar panel from a 55 watt to an 85 watt panel and installing a high efficiency solar charger to maximize the current out of the panel. That was fine, but not enough. In the Delta I was drawing the house batteries down faster that the solar could recharge them and ended up cycling the reefer on and off several times each day so I still had some battery power in the morning. I thought things might be different during our Fleet Week cruise since the temperatures in the Bay (and on the boat) were cooler and the demand on the reefer would be less. The reefer worked fine, but I still played the same game of cycling the batteries on and off.
So I am not installing a second set of house batteries. There’s another $250, but I guess the marine economy needs some stimulus.
The most reasonable place to locate the second bank is on the port side just aft of the holding tank. It’s a little tight (actually a lot tight), but I can just get two group 27 batteries in there. I have to build a battery box and glass it in (my February project) and then tie the batteries into the rest of the electrical. Of course, to get some room for the batteries I will first have to cut, relocate, and reinstall the holding tank pump-out hose and the macerator inlet hose, a crappy job. I’ve already removed the primary fuel filter and the electrical fuel pump to get some work room in the compartment, and have a real mess. I will have to reinstall the filter and pump in a different place when I get things put together. Nothing’s easy, or inexpensive, when dealing with a boat.
I have a Dahl fuel filter on the diesel. It works great, but can present a challenge when it’s time to replace the filter cartridge.
You need both hands, and have to be careful to get the gasket properly seated when you reassemble it. So I decided to replace it with a Racor. (I can give someone a great deal on the Dahl complete with replacement filters!) After doing my research, I found out that you should use the Racor 500 MA 2 or 500 FG 2 filter for the Universal M-25 engine. The filters are identical except that the 500 MA has a metal bowl covering the plastic bottom of the filter to act as a heat deflector. The heat deflector is a good idea, but blocks your view of the clear plastic bowl where sediment and water can accumulate. Since I want to know if I have any water in the fuel, I decided to order the FG instead. Both filters are rated at 60 gph, and filter to two microns. I check around the internet and found the 500 FG 2 for about $175.
I also did some research on the fuel pump. The Facet Model 476 087E is the present replacement for the diesel lift pump. It is installed after the Racor. I figure I will change out the fuel pump as part of my project. I checked on line, and they go for about $95. I am pretty sure you can also get them at Napa Auto Parts.
While I am talking about engines, I figured I would mention antifreeze.
Some years ago I got on the mailing list for MER Equipment in Seattle when I had to get parts to rebuild my transmission. They sell all kinds of marine propulsion equipment, especially for big commercial fishing fleets, and seem to be a real good company. A recent newsletter from them discussed diesel coolants and the benefits of fresh coolant. There are two types of coolants for diesels - fully formulated conventional or extended life. The company noted that fully formulated coolants are good for two years, and extended life coolants for six. I suspect I am long overdue, and changing the coolant will be another spring job. I always mix the coolant 50/50 with distilled water, and keep a container with this mix on the boat if I need to add any to the diesel. I am starting to think that things were a lot cheaper and easier when I used to sail dinghies.
Well, that’s the news for now. Come on out for our dinner and meeting on February 17th and enjoy the company of other C-30 sailors. I look forward to seeing you all there.
Jim Sobolewski
Fleet Captain, Fleet 1
s/v Bella Luna
916.425.3469 (cell)
2/3/12