I am writing long before New Year’s Eve..but it takes me that long to gather all the news for the February MAINSHEET. In any case, I trust you all had a Happy and Safe New Year’s Celebration with friends and/or family!
The big question today is: “Who will be the new owner of hull #25?” She is on the hard in British Columbia and is in need of calking and some restoration. The present owner bought her with every intention of finishing the task, but ran out of time and money. He has been gracious enough to gather a quote for delivery to San Diego and is willing to orchestrate the haul and delivery. He tells me that he will have the boat delivered to SD for $3,000.00 complete!! Yes, she is a project boat. For those of you PC Skipper Wannabe’s who wish to own one of these beautiful boats for no money down and no money forever… this still might be too expensive… but the people who want to bring another boat into the fleet and are willing to do the work or pay to have it done… this is your chance to be the 2002 fleet champion!! She has all spars and hardware. Contact me if you are interested in more information and how to convince your better half that this is a “once in a lifetime” opportunity that can only make BIG money.
Cissy and I missed the annual PC Christmas party because we had theater tickets, but hear that it was wonderful! Several people I spoke with told me that Troy and Kathy Sears did a blow out job and all had a good time. Thanks to the hosts from the entire PC Fleet! I understand that our new Fleet Captain, Dave Grundies, took the helm and is now working on the 2002 PC sailing schedule which will involve several “social sails” and just the right number of spinnaker sets to keep the racing buffs happy. Like everyone else, I am trying hard to tie up loose ends and get back into a regular sailing routine again.
The long awaited WINGS Restoration Project has finally begun! She has been moved into the building at KoehlerKraft and is now sitting, ready for the stations. You can be sure that I will keep you informed every step of the way. While much of the needed funding has been raised, the Maritime Museum is still gladly taking donations to complete the project. We have not yet come to grips with the costs of signage, photography for the display and a cradle so please be generous with your contributions to the museum. I have had successive meetings with CF Koehler and Ray Ashley (of the SDMM) and we are all very enthusiastic about the task. This weekend, I took the WINGS poster down to the SDMM booth at the San Diego Boat Show, and hope to draw some attention to the cause.
On Jan. 3rd and 4th Steve Barber (K-38 #27 CHELSEA and #32 BANANAS), of the Kettenburgboats web site, came down to meet with SC Paul Kettenburg and son Tom. He brought Scott Wild (K-38 #30 FLARE) to assist with video and interviewing. We spent two days with Paul and Tom while we all asked questions and a recorded history was compiled. Steve is very excited in putting a visual history together for all to see. Do look at his web site (www.kettenburgboats.com) to see a few photos and details about the meeting. Scott and Steve also hope to have a short video available for lovers of these fine Kettenburg boats, sometime within the next few months. Thank you to Paul and Tom for putting up with us!
For those of you who don’t know it, the PC fleet was well represented by Jack Sutphen, Bud Caldwell and Gene Trepte in the New Years Day Race. In fact, they scored a first (# 62 ), a second (# 26) and 7th (#21) in class. Congratulations to all of you and to your crew!
I am pleased to see that #48 has been out a lot lately. Her new sails are so bright, I hafta wear shades! I’ll bet that she’s right around the corner from a complete restoration!
I wrote the last few sentences, just a few hours before #48 had a “little accident” out on the water. That being said, I can tell you that it has happened to many of us. Just get her fixed and get back out there! It’s never fun when it happens... but, sometimes, that’s what sailing is all about! Don’t let it get you down!
Lastly, I am VERY pleased to announce that Ron Arnold brought #70 back home after many years on
the hard. Today I went to the old Kettenburg Yard, where Chuck Driscoll (he’s dying for another PC..I can tell….) took me over to see her. The interior is finished and the sides have been faired and primed. It will not be long before she is in the water. Ron…we are counting on you for an unveiling and dockside party!
So that’s the news on PC Row. I am anxious to get back in the mix with my new Santa mainsail and to see all of our lovely boats sailing side by side. Cissy and I were out today after many weeks of work, holidays and illness. We had a perfect PC sail and will head out again soon!
Let’s all remember that the SDYC Board of Directors allowed our Ken Bertino to be this year’s commodore ONLY because he has a slip across to PC Row, and they felt he was in the best position to keep an eye on us. Cissy and I are going to have to take sailing lessons now!
Until next month, I wish you all a great year of sailing!
Rish Pavelec
PC #63