It’s time to consider dis-homing the spiders from the tiller, making sure the engine turns over without too many extra thumps, and scrutinizing the forecast for a good day to scrub the green off the decks. February and March are also chock full of events you should have on your calendar as we ramp up toward Spring racing.
Odds and Ends
Check out this nice little perk from OCSA! Click on our OCSA/US Sailing MVP Program link and save when you join or update your US Sailing membership:
- Individual – $55 (discounted from $65)
- Family – $85 (discounted from $115)
- Youth – $25 (discounted from $30)
Last week, I sent something about CRYA’s (Columbia River Yachting Association) campaign to secure funding for the MCSO River Patrols. If you haven’t yet taken the time to email the Commissioners and the Sheriff, please consider doing so. All the information you need is in this article. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to send the emails, and a large community of sailors showing interest in the safety of all boaters on our 100 nautical miles of rivers could be exactly what is needed to fully fund that arm of the Sheriff’s Office to keep them on duty.
Finally, if you’re planning on participating in any SYSCO races, the early bird SYSCO membership ends after today! Renew your SYSCO membership today here!
Upcoming Events
SYSCO FLEET NIGHT
Tuesday, Feb 18 (TONIGHT!) at Willamette Sailing Club, starting at 6:30pm.
There will be a short presentation highlighting the need-to-know changes in OCSA Racing Instructions and a few other odds and ends, as well as a guest speaker from Tidewater Barge. WSC will have their no-host bar open, so please *do not* BYOB. Pizza will be available by the slice for cash, and a limited number of OCSA memberships w/printed 2020 Racebooks, as well as 2020 Course Charts will be available for sale.
OCSA RACE MANAGEMENT CLINIC
Saturday, Feb 29 at Willamette Sailing Club, 10am – 1pm.
Guest speaker Gregg Bryden, the first 2-consecutive-term SYSCO Race Captain! All fleet captains, race captains, and volunteer PROs need to attend, however everyone who is interested is invited to attend this free workshop. Pre-register by emailing your interest to commodore@sailocsa.org.
CYC “PRAY FOR WIND” PARTY
Sunday, Mar 8 at Portland Yacht Club, 3pm-6pm after Sailing on Sunday racing.
Last year’s PRAY FOR WIND PARTY added the tagline AND BRING A FRIEND because we wanted to build Portland’s sailing community. It was a roaring success! We want to continue that roll. We know you know people and have friends who say, “Golly gee that sailing stuff looks fun!” or “Yeah, I went out sailing once a bunch of years ago, but who knows how to get on a boat?” Well, now’s your chance to show them how much fun all us sailors can be by bringing them to the PRAY FOR WIND PARTY. The PYC bar will be open. The kitchen will make food. The clubs and fleets will have tables set up to answer questions about J-24s, Ranger 20s, Merits, Cal 20s, other fleets, SYSCO, OCSA, PYC, RYC, CYC, Island Sailing Club, other YCs, and on and on. Music playing. Videos running. Fun. News. Connections. Networking. Crew lists. No time to lose. Bring your friends, relatives, co-workers, anyone and everyone who’s shown any interest in sailing in Portland in the last, oh say, 5 years. They will see we don’t bite.
US SAILING PRINCIPLE RACE OFFICER (PRO) TRAINING
Saturday, Mar 14 at Willamette Sailing Club, 8:30am-5pm.
$35 with US Sailing membership (check out the discount above!) includes all course materials & online testing for certification. OCSA will reimburse tuition and US Sailing membership (new members only) if you complete the certification test and serve as a PRO in at least one local race this year. Details can be found here: SailPDX.org. It is particularly important for members of our community to get this training, since most clubs no longer are hiring a paid PRO to run races. We are relying on volunteers from our own sailing community to step up and fill this role for our river races. You can register here!
OCSA RULES REVIEW CLINIC
Tuesday & Thursday, Mar 17 & 19 at Willamette Sailing Club, 7:30pm – 9pm both days.
This is a two-evening course for new racers and those wanting a refresher alike, led by Craig Daniels, US Sailing National Judge and Regional Umpire. Craig will discuss the basic right-of-way rules, as well as present trickier situations that may not be as clear-cut to make sure you’re ready to make the right calls on the water in a split second. Please register by email to protest@sailocsa.org.
Additional educational events can be found here or on our Events Calendars.
More fun than you can shake a stick at. See you on the river!
Jacqueline Pitter
OCSA Commodore 2020
Skipper/co-owner s/v Thunder Pig (Ranger20 #117)
Co-owner s/v Rocinante (Martin241 #791)
OCSA membership:
For e-membership, click here.
For membership with printed 2020 OCSA Racebook, or to purchase laminated OCSA Course Charts ($2 each):
North Sails
7304 NE Martin Luther King Blvd Portland, OR
(503) 282-4282
West Marine
1176 N Hayden Island Dr Portland, OR
(503) 289-9822
