July 2007 - Traditional Small Craft Association

Sacramento TSCA
Third Issue 2007
July 2007
CHINA CAMP HERITAGE DAY
AUGUST 25-26, 2007
Heritage Day at China Camp State Park is a
great opportunity to participate with California
State Parks in partnership with three maritime institutions -- San Francisco Maritime Museum,
Master Mariners Benevolent Society and the
Sacramento Chapter of the Traditional Small
Craft Association.
China Camp State Park has asked us back again
to support the park’s Heritage Day celebration
with a flotilla of historic and traditional watercraft
from around the Bay.
Similar to last year’s event you will be able to
purchase a meal ticket for $8.00 prior to the dinner (service 1900) and the meal will be pasta,
salad, and bread. We will not turn away any side
dishes that folks wish to bring!
Last year we had 90 folks, so please RSVP at
this number: 415-561-7120 and state how many
will be attending.
Richard Geiger, Editor
Bill Stoye and Francisco Hernandez
explore the nooks and crannies of the
Cosumnes River on the May TSCA event.
See page 2. — Photo by Rick Thompson
As guest of the park we will be permitted to set up
camp after hours (1800) Saturday evening (no open
flames). If you plan to attend by land and wish to
bring a sleeping headquarters (RV) you must call me
3 days prior to the event at 415-859-6779 (Bill Doll)
to get instructions on were to park your vehicle.
Launching instructions are as follows; high tide at
Galinas Creek is @1240 – 4.7’ however you may be
able to launch @ 1000 with 3’ tide- your call! There
will be no launching at the park on Saturday.
Please call Bill Doll to sign up or if you have any
questions — 415-859-6779 cell.
For information on the August 11-12 Mendocino
Big River Row and Campout, see Page 7
Page 2
Marshall Beach, Tomales Bay, Sept. 15-16
Come to the Annual Meeting of the Sacramento
TSCA Chapter! We will also have a great weekend of
rowing, sailing and camping on the beach. Great
food (OYSTERS!) and companionship makes it the
high point of the year.
Finding a place to launch and park should be difficult
this year. Read story below. Check in for the latest
info.
Also, bring some wood for the campfire so we can
roast some of the famous Tomales Bay oysters. Many
dozen will be inhaled over the weekend. Facilities include well-maintained toilets, but no fresh water.
Questions? Call: Don Rich, (707) 766-9602
Groundbreaking set for Miller Boat
Launch
Marin Independent Journal, 5/13/2007
A groundbreaking ceremony is set for 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday [May 16] to celebrate renovation of the
Miller Boat Launch at Nick's Cove near Marshall in
northwestern Marin County.
Sacramento TSCA
Consumnes River Row
Sponsor: Francisco Hernandez
Less than auspicious start: Arrive to an empty parking lot, gated closed and locked, the visitors center
doors closed and locked, this the middle of the day,
a quarter of nine a.m.
Walking to find river access, a fifty – fifty chance
takes me on a path across a wild marsh where a
pleasant birder points me in the right direction, the
other way. I made note of his 60x camera lens!
Rick Thompson, a new TSCA'er arrives, a park
ranger kindly opens the parking lot gate and stumbling along with a coffee in hand, our esteemed organizer, Francisco Hernandez. This makes up the lot
of us for the row, three boats and rowers. Unfortunately, the date competed with the Master Mariners
Race day and possibly robbed the event of a few
would be rowers and then there is just today's busyness and distractions; myself distracted for a couple
of years.
A wonderful convenience; for the cost of leaving
your drivers license or first born behind, the loan of
The $1 million renovation, funded by the California
Department of Boating and Waterways, includes a
new boat ramp, boarding floats and parking lot improvements.
The renovated county facility, one of the few public
boat launches on Tomales Bay, has been designed by
Noble Consultants of Novato to serve fishermen, kayakers and recreational boaters. It also provides public
access to Tomales Bay and ocean beaches.
Construction, by the Richmond company W.R.
Forde, is set to begin in June and is expected to be
finished in November.
Originally developed in 1959 and upgraded by the
county in the early 1980s, the launch serves some
4,000 boaters annually.
For more information, call Marin County Parks and
Open Space at 499-6387.
Bill Stoye leading the train of rowing boats.
Photo by Rick Thompson
Sacramento TSCA
Page 3
very nice light weight dollies (I want one!). Entrain,
heading down the somewhat fresh cement walkway
to a floating dock(also in like new condition), a
planked up Peapod, a fiberglass 15' lapstrake Whitehall type and a clipperized Natoma skiff are
launched.
Dollies cabled and locked to a tree, we're off, into a
part of California that has been long forgotten, as to
what it's rivers were once like... yet to be improved
by the Army Corp of Engineers.
A few years ago on the phone with my 88-year-old
mother, upon her return from a road trip with her 85year-old brother (driver!), a drive that took them
from New Jersey to Nova Scotia, I asked her, what
did you see? Her less than enthusiastic reply, “Trees,
lots of trees.”
What did we see on our row? My enthusiastic reply,
Trees, lot's of trees! Wonderful trees, the largest
Oaks I've seen since being in California, Francisco
said, the largest Cottonwoods that he's seen in California. We saw native wild grapes with nine-inch
leaves that made their way to the tops of the huge
Oaks, loaded with the beginnings of grape clusters.
We saw a very large Beaver, and many Beaver Den
entrances in the natural embankments. We saw, very
large fish breaking surface (Stripers I believe).
Birds, we saw birds. Great White Egrets and Great
Blue Herons... on steroids! Francisco claims to have
seen Wood Ducks take off but I would be suspicious, just because it was on Wood Duck Slough
doesn't mean it's true! He witnessed the harshness of
Mother Nature as well, a Hawk hit and took a baby
duckling from it's mother's brood as she lead them
across the water way. We agreed, Mother Nature can
be a bitch at times. Rick said, “every where we look
there's a bird”. True, if not seen, heard.
Flora, we saw Flora. There is no doubt in my mind,
this is the lushest environment I've experienced in
California and it brought home the lushness of the
thick woods of New Jersey and other northeast
states. From lovely wild flowers to a native berry
bramble that supplemented our meager lunches. Our
Francisco Hernandez among the fallen trees.
Photo by Rick Thompson
lunch grounds were enhanced with delicate pink wild
roses and many other wild flowers the nature of which, I
have no idea.
If ever the Sac' TSCA had a true Gunkhole, this was it; a
gentle row in a gentle environment with no particular
place to go, no agenda, just poking our noses into back
holes; we decided to row to the “Tall Forest” area and
had our picnic in this environ. Still early after lunch, we
carried on a little further and were stymied on the Consumnes by fallen trees across the waterway from each
bank and a rock dam on another slough, we had rowed
to the end of the map, which was picked up at the visitor center.
Sorely missing were our fellow TSCA'ers to share it
with; none of us wants to keep this to ourselves... there
is always next year. Closing the event at Al The Wop's,
a proper ending to this story.
Fond Regards;
Bill Stoye
PS:
Source for Roleez dolly/cart (redirected to Wheeleez):
http://www.wheeleez.com/canoe-kayak-cart.php
Photos of cart in use:
http://www.wheeleez.com/view-kayak-canoe-cart.php
(176 lbs./ payload).
Page 4
Sacramento TSCA
Elkhorn Slough Row and Campout
By Jim Lawson
A long, long time ago, John DeLapp and I wrote a
piece for the Ash Breeze that we called something like
“How to Go to a TSCA Row.” Most of it is lost in the
mists of time, but I clearly remember one thought:
“Go Anyway.” Often, the rain stops, winds die down,
the sun comes out. And, if not, we get to enjoy the
company of people as nuts as we are. Only one recent
event has been rained out, and that was our row on
Lake Natoma. Of course, last time we did it, the temperature was well over 100 degrees, and we had to
huddle together in the shadow of a railroad bridge to
get enough breath to row back to the launch. But we
went anyway, and had a good time and ammo for
good stories.
So we watched the weather reports for this year’s Bill
Grunwald Memorial Row on Elkhorn Slough. I got up
at 0400 on Friday morning and it was pouring up here
in Davis. But I got the boat ready anyhow, and by
gosh, by the time we left, the rain was already lightening up, and a few miles further, it cleared up, except
for a bucket or two.
On the Friday evening before the launch, a bunch of
us met for dinner at a new restaurant in Capitola called
Papa O’s. Papa O himself is your basic Entertaining
Uncle, the one who grabs a cane and puts on a fedora
and sings “New York, New York,” (which he did) and
brings the food himself. I would go back anytime. Our
company was Jake and Sally Roulstone, Bill and
Wendy Doll, Meri and Delwyn Pezzoni, and Sunny
Foster and I.
In the morning, we are at the launch ramp. Jake didn’t
have a count of who was coming, so we tried to leave
pretty much on schedule. What interesting boats. We
admired Delwyn’s work on his catboat, and, for me,
Jake and Sally’s Old Town cargo canoe. When I was a
boy, that boat was the first love of my life, and, except
an interval involving girls, still is. Don Rich and
Sheryl Speck joined us at the ramp.
We threaded through the channels of the Slough without incident, and stopped for lunch at a beach within
sight of the bridge and the breaking surf beyond. And
here come Susan and Richard Geiger, an hour behind,
but more welcome for it.
Lunch was BYO, but our tradition seems to be that if
there are ten people coming, everyone brings lunch for
ten. You’d think we would have noticed the math by
this time, but what feasts we have. As advertised, the
favorable wind came up, and those who could sail just
evaporated into the distance. Sunny and I, in Sunny
Day, lumbered behind.
There they are: otters, osprey, harbor seals, sea lions,
layers of green hills and blue mist, the whole kit, the
reason we didn’t stay home and wait for a flaming
crash on the Nascar channel.
Now out to the campsites, where Jake has built a charcoal fire seasoned with oak bark to add the smoke flavor to the big
salmon fillets that
have already been
marinating in this
year’s magic potion. Wow. Sally
and the Pezzonis
have prepared all
kinds of accompaniment, and everyone brought something wonderful to share. Thanks to
Del and Meri and Jake and Sally for organizing this
event and preparing such great food.
And thanks to those who showed up and gave us
memories of beautiful days and kind friends to keep
and sustain us on our sometimes hard journeys.
Drake’s Estero Row Cancelled
I made a scouting trip out to Johnson’s Oyster Farm
and Drakes Estero and I've come to the opinion that
this venue really won't be practical with less than a
4'+ tide on both launch and take-out.
There will not be enough water on July 22, even for
hand launch boats.
I'll try to pick a more suitable date for this spot in
the future.
— Tom Kremer
Sacramento TSCA
Page 5
Elkhorn Slough, Photos by Delwyn Pezzoni
Page 6
Sacramento TSCA
Gunkhole 2007
Photos by Kathy Geiger
4-foot Gator Caught Near
Gunkhole Swimming Spot
From The San Francisco Chronicle
Saturday, June 16, 2007
First the wandering whales, now a vagabond alligator.
Authorities captured a feisty 4-foot alligator Friday
next to a rural highway in the Sacramento-San Joaquin
River Delta.
No one knows how the gray and white reptile got
there, but officials are glad motorist Dennis Bradley of
Elk Grove (Sacramento County) quickly called for
help after spotting it.
Bradley, who was on his way to work in Antioch, told
authorities that he had stopped to stretch his legs when
he noticed the gator, whom he called Maria after his
granddaughter (though state Fish and Game officials
aren't sure of the animal's sex).
The reptile "appeared very healthy," said Kyle Orr,
spokesman for the Department of Fish and Game,
hours after the gator was fetched from alongside Highway 160, 3 miles south of Highway 12. Its resting spot
was south of Rio Vista about 1 1/2 miles south of
Three Mile Slough Bridge.
The alligator thrashed about when snared in roadside
brush by a Sacramento County animal control officer
using a catch pole, but was placed into a cage without
mishap around noon. Also assisting were Fish and
Game officials, who took the creature to their wildlife
investigations lab in Rancho Cordova. They hope to
find it a home.
Alligators are not native to California, so Fish and
Game experts theorize that it escaped from its owner
or was dropped off.
Given that it's the start of the weekend, and that the
alligator was sitting near a popular fishing spot, officials are also relieved it was captured before it could
bite anybody.
Sacramento TSCA
THE 2nd OCCASIONAL
BOLINAS BIRD-WATCHING,
MUSIC APPRECIATION &
POETRY READING ROW
Saturday - Sunday, October 6-7
This intellectually stimulating event is designed to
challenge the physical as well as the cerebral capacities
of its participants. The last time it was attempted, it
was a blow-out with only one boat (Ed Foster's) completing the course against hurricane force winds,
surging tides, sharks attacks, and the lure of cafe lattes
ashore.
This year we are offering a package deal with all the
above -- possibly -- plus a night of decadence and revelry at the Evans' house on the Little Mesa. Rowers are
encouraged to bring not only their boats but field
glasses, bird books, musical instruments, and a
poetical reading of undoubted merit.
Plan to launch boats off the beach at the end of Wharf
Road in Bolinas at about 0830. (There is no ramp in
town. Boats will have to be carried a short distance
from the end of the road to the beach alongside the
channel. We'll hope to have sufficient manpower to do
this. O.K.?) Parking is limited so we'll organize a car
shuttle to the Evans' house (about 10 minutes away).
High tide on Saturday occurs at 0945. We'll plan to get
underway about 0900 for a row into the lagoon on the
last of the flood.
Rowers are encouraged to prepare a list of all birds
watched -- not just seen -- during the voyage. The participant with the highest bird count will receive a merit
badge at an evening ceremony. (We assume, of course,
that all participants will be thoroughly honest in compiling their list!)
We'll probably be tired of rowing around the lagoon
around noon or a little before, so we can ride an ebb
current back to the Bolinas Rod & Boat Club for a picnic-potluck lunch. (Please bring something to eat and
share.) There should be room for boats to raft up at the
Club or nearby. We'll car shuttle, haul out, and head up
to the Evans' house after lunch.
Page 7
Big River Row
The Lost Coast Chapter — August 11
Big River is just south of Mendocino at the big
bridge. Be there about 10 a.m. Bring a light lunch.
There will be a BBQ at the Swallow’s after the row.
We will have camping, etc. for those who want to
stay overnight.
Come and have a great weekend.
Lee Caldwell, 415-233-1015, pager: 415-679-0010
Or Stan Halvorsen, 707-964-8342
— Lost Coast, Fort Bragg
Stan Halvorsen on Big River with his grandson Jake.
Bring a sleeping bag, a tent if you wish, and plan to
camp out on the "lawn" at the Evans' house. We'll
have a barbecue Saturday night, plus music and poetry reading -- as available -- and the awarding of
at least one merit badge. Sunday morning breakfast
will also be provided.
PLEASE CALL 510-652-2034 OR E-MAIL
(emevans (at) berkeley,edu) PETE EVANS IF
YOU PLAN TO COME. He needs to know how
many are coming in order to plan for food, booze,
merit badges, etc. Also, he can tell you how to get
to Bolinas, Wharf Road, his house, etc.
Page 8
Sacramento TSCA
TSCA ADDS SMALLER WOODEN
BOATS TO MMBA SHOW
It was a warm and glorious day on Sunday, June 24
when the Master Mariner Benevolent Association
(MMBA) held their annual Wooden Boat Show at
Corinthian Yacht Club. This event raises money for
youth sailing
scholarships and
other nautical
projects.
For the first
time, TSCA
members and
others who own
wooden rowing
and/or sailing
boats were invited to attend. These small boats were of great interest
to the public and added craftsmanship and elegance to
the scene of over 25 larger beautiful wooden boats.
The small boats were organized by TSCA/MMBA
members Barbara Ohler and Alice Cochran.
Some boats launched in Sausalito and had a lovely
morning row and sail together over to Tiburon. TSCA
members who attended with their craft were: John
Rich, Don Bybee, Alex Hunt, Ed Foster, Don Rich,
and Christian Buhl. From the Lost Coast Chaper were
Stan Havorsen and Bill and Gwen Jacobson. Master
Mariners member Barbara Ohler and Craig Swayne
also had small rowing or sailing boats.
The Richardson Bay Maritime Association sent over
the newly launched Swamscott Dory, "Charlie Merrill"
from Sausalito. Other potential members who rowed
their boats from Sausalito were Lance Lesneski and
Doug Gilmore.
In addition to seeing and boarding many Master Mariner boats, the food, soft music and elegant setting was
perfect. This could become an annual event - so think
ahead to next June and have all your boat maintenance
projects complete!
— Alice Collier Cochran
Clearwater Lodge
In early May, five TSCA couples booked rooms in
the Clearwater Lodge on the Pit River. The scenery
was beautiful, the food grand and the trout fishing…
not so good for us. But we had a lot of fun. Above
Don Rich standing and Ken Tomaszewski in the stern
of his Ed Foster-built skiff on Big Lake, near Fall
River Mills. Below, other usual suspects.
Sacramento TSCA
Page 9
TSCA Lost Coast Chapter Events
Saturday, July 21 — Novarro River Fletcher
House Boat Show & messabout , 11 a.m.
Saturday, August 11 — Big River Row with the
Lost Coast Chapter, 10 a.m.
Join the Chapter and get a great newsletter!
President: Stan Halvorsen
lostcoast (at) saber.net 707-964-8342
TSCA Wares
Caps
Pre-washed 100% cotton, slate blue with TSCA logo
in yellow and white. Adjustable leather strap and snap/
buckle. $15. ($14 to members if purchased at TSCA
meets.)
T-shirts
100% cotton, light gray with the TSCA logo. $15.00
postpaid for sizes M, L, and XL and $16.00 for XXL.
Patches
3 inches in diameter featuring our logo with a white
sail and a golden spar and oar on a light-blue background. Black lettering and a dark-blue border. $3.00
Please send a SASE with your order.
Above is a photograph from the memorial at Catalina Island for my mom, Thelma Geiger, who died
at age 93. In “Draco” are four of my five siblings.
— Richard Geiger
San Francisco Bay Water-Trail
Check out Chronicle outdoor writer, Paul McHugh’s
July 5 piece on the San Francisco Bay Water-Trail.
Go to www.sfgate.com and search, in quotes, “bay
water trail”
We are certainly behind Maine and Washington, but at
least we’ve made a good start.
Also check out this interactive map of the Bay— The
“Shoreline Access Web Guide” on the BCDC website
http://www.bcdc.ca.gov
Decals
Mylar-surfaced weatherproof decals similar to the
patches except the border is black. Self-sticking back.
$1. Please send a SASE with your order.
Burgees
12" x 18" pennant with royal blue field and TSCA
logo sewn in white and gold. Finest construction. $30
postpaid.
Place orders through Cricket Evans,
Emevans (at) calmail.berkeley.edu
or visit the TSCA web site for ordering information. www.tsca.net/wares.html
RIG NEEDED: We are just finishing up a pygmy
wineglass wherry (4’x14’)and transforming it into a
sailboat. We need a small wooden mast, boom and
sail. Looking for something similar to a Sabot rig.
Shana Avalos & John Knott, Loomis, CA
916-652-3864 [email protected]
Page 10
Sacramento TSCA
For Sale: Golden Bear Skiff
Designed by John DeLapp, Golden Bear Skiff. Great
car-topper – about 80 pounds! Sails like a speeding
ghost in light winds. Rows like a knife through soft
butter. Good for lakes and back-waters.
Bristol condition. Asking $1,900.
([email protected] Bodega Bay: 707-875-3976).
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Sacramento TSCA Website
Although it is not well known, our association and
our chapter have a very nice web site. Check it out!
http://www.tsca.net/
http://www.tsca.net/Sacramento/
You’ll note that newsletters for over three years are
posted as PDFs on our web site in beautiful color.
One feature we would like to expand is “The Fleet”
pages. Please email me a favorite picture of your
boat. My email address: rggeiger at comcast.net
Speaking of electronic stuff, please send your email
address to the TSCA officers:
wendydoll (at) sbcglobal.net
todd.sb (at) comcast.net
rggeiger (at) comcast.net
Very important! We normally send out info about
once a month, max, so don’t worry...
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16’ long, 43” wide
14’ fir mast with sprit-boom tied with a snotter
39 sq. ft. sail by Hogin Sails in Alameda rolls
onto mast
Bruynzeel Okoume plywood, West System epoxy, 4 ounce fiberglass on bottom
Linear polyurethane = white on hull
Old growth Port Orford Cedar gunwales and other
parts
California figured walnut laminated outriggers
Honduras mahogany parts
Spruce seats and backrest
Madrone cross piece in backrest and foot plate
rungs
8’ Spruce oars with Bruynzeel plywood spoons,
leather collars w/ lamb’s tallow
Sacramento TSCA
Page 11
TSCA / Sacramento Chapter / 2007 / Coming Events
Sun July 22
Drakes Estero Row — CANCELLED
Sat-Sun Aug 11-12
Big River Row w. Lost Coast Chapter TSCA — Lee Caldwell
Sat-Sun Aug 25-26
China Camp Row & Campout w. Master Mariner
— Bill Doll, Al Lutz & Barbara Ohler
Sat-Sun Sep 15-16
Marshall Beach Row & Camp/Annual Meeting — Don Rich
Sat-Sun Oct 6-7
Bolinas Lagoon Row & Campout — Pete Evans
Sat Oct 27
Redwood City Row — Al Lutz
Sat Nov 3
Delta Meadows Row — Lynn DeLapp
Sat Nov 24
Wet Turkey Row — Jim Lawson
Tue Jan 1, 2008
Hair of the Dog — Tomales Bay — Lee Caldwell
Sat Jan 5, 2008
Annual Planning Meeting — Aeolian YC — Pete Evans
TSCA John Gardner Fund
The John Gardner Grants are designed to support
projects that broaden our traditional small craft
heritage, and for which sufficient funding would
otherwise be unavailable.
Direct donations can be made to "TSCA John
Gardner Fund" and sent to:
Maine Community Foundation
Attn: Ellen Pope / TSCA Fund
245 Main Street
Ellsworth, ME 04605
The Boat/US Cooperating Group
agreement with TSCA
The primary benefit is 50% off annual Boat/US
dues. Speaker Bureau is also available to chapters,
we are eligible to apply for various grants, and there
are a few other bennies. More info on the Boat/US
web site and at
http://www.tsca.net/pdf/BoatUSCoOpBrochure.pdf
For reference, our group number is GA84393B; use
that on your Boat/US application/renewal for the
dues discount..
GREETINGS & SALUTATIONS FROM THE TREASURERS!
Please notice the numbers after your name on the mailing label. These represent the status of your membership dues. If you see 06 or earlier (05, 04) after your name, your dues are due! You can pay by writing a
check to: Sacramento TSCA; and mailing this check to: Wendy Doll, 3222 Santiago Street, San Francisco,
CA 94116-1541 $15 per year or $40 for 3 years. Note: You may remember that at the January 2006 planning
meeting, it was voted to have dues due in January of each year. Also, please let us know by email: wendydoll
at sbcglobal.net or phone (415) 681-8117, if you have an address change. Also, for national membership including The Ash Breeze, please send dues directly to the main TSCA address. — Wendy & Bill Doll
TSCA
Traditional Small Craft Association
Sacramento Chapter
Calendar
Sat-Sun Aug 11-12 Big River Row w.
Lost Coast Chapter TSCA — Lee Caldwell 415-233-1015
Sat-Sun Aug 25-26 China Camp Row &
Campout w. Master Mariner — Bill Doll,
Al Lutz & Barbara Ohler 415-561-7120
Sat-Sun Sep 15-16 Marshall Beach Row
& Camp/Annual Meeting — Don Rich
707-766-9602
President:
Todd Bloch (415) 971-2844
todd.sb at comcast.net
Treasurer & Bill & Wendy Doll
Membership: (415) 681-8117
3222 Santiago St
San Francisco, CA 94116-1541
wendydoll at sbcglobal.net
Chapter dues: $15 year (3-years $40)
National dues $20 (send direct)
Sat-Sun Oct 6-7 Bolinas Lagoon Row &
Campout — Pete Evans 510-652-2034
Inside This issue: Presidents Day Row &
Campout in the Delta
Sacramento TSCA
Richard Geiger, Editor & Secretary
3719 September Ct.
Castro Valley, CA 94546
(510) 582-8593 rggeiger at comcast.net
First Class Mail