Commodore s Report. Calendar of Events. April Open House 2:00 pm Sunday, April 4. May Launch Service Begins 10:00 am Saturday, May 1

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1 Celebrating 56 years: Celebrating years January/February 2000 April Calendar of Events April Open House 2:00 pm Sunday, April 4 Work Party 8:30 am Saturday, April 17 Cruise Meeting 1:00 pm Sunday April 18 May Launch Service Begins 10:00 am Saturday, May 1 Mercury Fleet Prep and Launch 9:00 am Saturday, May 1 and 15 Commissioning 1:00 pm Saturday, May 8 Mercury Mandatory Meeting 1:30 pm Sunday, May 16 New Members Welcome Reception 3:00 pm Sunday, May 16 Memorial Day Weekend Cruise Friday-Monday, May Old Greenwich Memorial Day Parade 9:00 am Monday, May 31 Vespers 7:00 pm Wednesdays, May 26-September 1 (Tune up: 7:00 pm Wednesday, May 19) June Sundowner (Lobsterfest) 7:00 pm Friday, June 4 Mercury Member Meeting (Mandatory) 1:30 pm Saturday, June 5 Cutty Sark Mercury Series 2:00 pm Sundays, June 13, 20, 27 and July 11, 18 Welcome New Members Reception 5:00 pm Sunday, June 13 Island Beach Rendezvous 6:00 pm Saturday, June 19 Round the Island Russell Payea Chase Race 1:00 pm Sunday, June 20 Sundowner (Grill the Commodores) 7:00 pm Saturday, June 26 Commodore s Report Many of the members cruised Long Island Sound on March 13. It was a great opportunity to see the sound at night in the Winter (hopefully to soon be Spring!) For those of you who couldn t participate, you may have the opportunity next year. With a great deal of regret, the Board accepted the resignation of Wally Bloes as Secretary due to personal commitments. We will be filling that position shortly. Many of you are working on your boats in preparation for the sailing season. Please make sure you become knowledgeable about the information presented by Pat Linskey in the Waterfront Report. Each of us is individually responsible for maintaining the environmental quality of the Sound and other sailing waters. The Parks and Recreation Department of the Town of Greenwich is considering extending the safe roads program at Greenwich Point next fall. We have met with them and expressed our concern over the hours, days, months and the location of the starting point to our individual boat owners and members. Boat owners, people with disabilities, clam diggers and fishermen are allowed past the barricade since vehicular traffic is not forbidden----just restricted. It appears that they may change the hours to 10-1, but want to have the safe roads program on Saturdays (from Thanksgiving through end of February) as well as Sundays like the current program. We suggested that the starting point be moved to the Clambake Parking Lot vs. the current starting point. The extension of the safe roads program will go before the total Parks and Recreation Committee and if that Committee agrees to the extension, the proposal will need RTM approval before it can be implemented. At this time neither of those bodies has this item on their agendas but we have requested that the Parks and Recreation Department inform us as soon as they are scheduled for public comment. (continued on page 3)

2 Who s Who at OGYC Commodore Ann Riley annrileyogyc@yahoo.com Vice Commodore Pat Linskey patlinskey@mac.com Rear Commodore Tom O Connell oconnellrc@optonline.net Secretary Treasurer Larry Bowman BowmanL@aol.com Fleet Captain Stephen Marino s.p.marino@att.net Director Race Committee Karen Thomas racecorner@aol.com Director Cruising Morris Sandler sandler@aeq.com Director Membership Anne Burns anneburns@brucemuseum.org Director Education Programs Brian McGlynn ogycmercury@optonline.net Past Commodore Gene Fignar Newsletter Editor Bob Cullinane bcullinane@cullinane.com Fleet Chaplain Rev. Steve DeLuca Club Historian Joe Powers Club House Telephone/Voice Mail Planning Committee Gene Fignar, Don Breismeister, John Craine, Bob Bair, Denis Keneally, Tom O Connell, Pat Linskey Race Committee Karen Thomas, Bob Krasnor, Trevor Nightengale, Kathy O Connell, Tom O Connell, Chris Allen, Anne Burns Save the Date... Commissioning Day Saturday, May 8 th 1:00 p.m. Safe Boating Certification OGYC will be offering a FREE Connecticut Safe Boating Course in May. Anyone operating any boat with an engine (including jet ski s) or any sailboat over 19.5 feet is required to have this certificate. The course will consist of two four-hour sessions. Dates and times of the course will be finalized by April 20th, so watch for announcements in your as well as in next month s newsletter, the web site, and postings at the club. The Boathouse, the newsletter of the Old Greenwich Yacht Club, P.O. Box 162, Old Greenwich, CT 06870, is published monthly, except for bimonthly issues November/December and January/February. Please submit items for publication to The Editor, c/o OGYC, P.O. Box 162, Old Greenwich, CT Items must be received by the 15th of each month for publication in the following month s issue. To submit articles, photographs, classifies etc. electronically, to The Boathouse newsletter editor: bcullinane@cullinane.com. Visit our website at: 2

3 OGYC Launch Schedule 2004 May 1 Saturday [1st Mercury launching] 10:00 AM 6:00 PM 2 Sunday 10:00 AM 6:00 PM 8 Saturday Commissioning Day 10:00 AM 6:00 PM 9 Sunday [Mothers Day] 10:00 AM 6:00 PM 15 Saturday [2nd Mercury launching] 10:00 AM 6:00 PM 16 Sunday 10:00 AM 6:00 PM 19 Wednesday [ Vespers Tune-up] 1:00 PM 9:00 PM 22&23 Saturday & Sunday 10:00 AM 6:00 PM 26 Wednesday [First Vespers Race] 1:00 PM 9:00 PM Memorial Day Weekend Fri, Saturday & Sunday 9:30 AM 9:00 PM 31 Monday, Memorial Day 9:30 AM 9:00 PM June 1st through September 5th (Labor Day Weekend) Monday Thursday Noon 9:00 PM Friday 9:00 AM 10:00 PM Saturday 9:00 AM 10:00 PM Sunday 9:00 AM 9:00 PM SPECIAL NOTES: 1) Sunday 4 July: Launch service will run until 10 PM. 2) Monday 5 July: Launch from 9:00AM - 10:00 PM 3) Launch service ends at 10:00 pm on Club Rendezvous Saturdays (i.e. 19 June, 24 July, and 28 August).Extended service to 11:00 PM is only available for participating boats. Labor Day through September 12 6 Labor Day Monday 9:00 AM 8:00 PM 7 Tuesday Noon 8:00 PM 8 Wednesday Noon 9:00 PM 9 Thursday Noon 8:00 PM 10 Friday Noon 9:00 PM 11 Saturday 9:00 AM 9:00 PM 12 Sunday 9:00 AM 8:00 PM September 13 through October 10 Fridays Noon 8:00 PM Saturdays 9:00 AM 8:00 PM Sundays 9:00 AM 7:00 PM Mondays Noon 7:00 PM *Columbus Day, Monday Oct 11 9:00 AM 7:00 PM *Cruisers are reminded that many boats are traditionally hauled this weekend, so be sure to park your cars well clear of the ramp and the part of the boat storage area nearest the pier. The last half of October (and the end of the season) 16&17 Saturday & Sunday 9:00 AM 6:00 PM 23&24 Saturday & Sunday 9:00 AM 6:00 PM 30&31 Saturday & Sunday [DST ends Oct 31 at 2:00 AM] 9:00 AM 6:00 PM Member use of launch service during the extended late hours last year (i.e. to 11:00 PM) was minimal. With the improvements to clubhouse in recent years, people tend to come ashore and watch the stars came out from the clubhouse deck rather than their boats. Additionally, except for the middle of the summer, it gets chilly on the water after sunset. Sunsets: Memorial Day Weekend: 8:13 PM. Mid- June: 8:28 PM. Mid-July: 8:22 PM. Mid-August: 7:51 PM. Labor Day: 7:16 PM. End of September: 6:36 PM. Columbus Day: 6:18 PM. October 30th: 5:51 PM. October 31st: 4:49 PM. End of season planning: Even with well-timed tides, fair weather, acceptable winds, and competent skippers, anything over 10 boats in one day is pushing it for Beacon Point in terms of staffing and staff fatigue. There are only 10 weekend days in October, which means ~ 100 boats being hauled if everything works out well. No one will think less of us as sailors if we haul our boats before it gets too cold to de-commission them. Commodore s Report (continued from page 1) For those of you who have not obtained CT certification, there are several upcoming opportunities to complete the courses that lead to Certification. The Coast Guard Auxiliary offers the Safe Boating Course as well as other courses. For more information, go to their web site and select CT where you will find a complete listing. In addition, one of our members, Bob Russell will be offering a course in the near future. As we are getting closer to the season when we all want to spend more time at the clubhouse, I do want to remind you that each member is responsible for care and maintenance of the clubhouse and porch. If you are the last person to leave in the evening, make sure the doors and windows are locked, garbage cans emptied and lights turned off----these actions will make the use of the club more pleasurable for your fellow members and will also deter the four-legged uninvited guests! In the February newsletter we recognized Don Breismeister as Boatsman of the Year. Vincent Pici, a fellow member of OGYC, prepared the deck design and construction plans. 3

4 O L D G R E E N W I C H Y A C H T C L U B S C H E D U L E O F E V E N T S Note: For updates and a calendar suitable for printing, please see the website APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER 4 Open House 2 pm Sunday, April 4 Work Party 8:30 pm Saturday, April 17 Cruise Meeting 1:00 pm Sunday, April 18 Mercury Fleet - Prepare and Launch 9 am Saturday, May 1 Launch Service Begins 10 pm Saturday, May 1 Commissioning Day 1 pm Saturday, May 8 Mercury Fleet - Prepare and Launch 9 am Saturday, May 15 Mercury Member Meeting (Mandatory) 1:30 pm Sunday, May 16 Welcome New Members Reception 3 pm Sunday, May 16 Vespers (19th is Tune-up) 7 pm Wednesday, May 19, 26 Memorial Day Weekend Cruise Saturday, May 29 OG Memorial Day Parade - OGYC Float 9 am Monday, May 31 Vespers 7 pm Wednesday, June 2, 9, 16, 23 Sundowner (Lobsterfest) 7 pm Friday, June 4 Mercury Member Meeting (Mandatory) 1:30 pm Saturday, June 5 Racing Seminar 1:30 pm Sunday, June 6 Cutty Sark Mercury Series 2:00 Sunday, June 13, 20, 27 Welcome New Members Reception 5 pm Sunday, June 13 Island Beach Rendezvous 6 pm Saturday, June 19 Round the Island Russell Payea Chase Race 1 pm Sunday, June 20 Sundowner (Grill the Commodores) 7 pm Saturday, June 26 Vespers 7 pm Wednesday, July 7, 14, 21, 28 Cutty Sark Mercury Series 2 pm Sunday, July 11,18 Sundowner 7 pm Friday, July 16 Island Beach Rendezvous 6 pm Saturday, July 24 Heineken Beer Chaser 2 pm Sunday, July 25 Welcome New Members Reception 5 pm Sunday, July 25 Heineken Beer Chaser 2 pm Sunday, August 1, 8, 15 Vespers 7 pm Wednesday, August 4, 11, 18, 25 Sundowner 7 pm Friday, August 13 Welcome New Members Reception 5 pm Sunday, August 15 Island Beach Rendezvous 6 pm Saturday, August 28 Vespers 7 pm Wednesday, September 1, 8 Labor Day Weekend Cruise Saturday, September 4 USS Americas Cup/Mercury Stanley Birdsey Cup 12:30 pm Saturday September 11 Ray Wescott Memorial One Design Family Picnic 4 pm Saturday, September 11 Sundowner 7 pm Friday, September 24

5 OGYC s Work Party 2004 We need all of you to help ready our clubhouse, porch/kitchen and twenty-one vessels. The fleet tasks consist of removing covers and frames, installing batteries, waxing the fiberglass hulls, painting boot tops on the Mercury s and storing the frames and covers in the Chimes building. When you arrive be sure to pickup a free door prize raffle ticket for the drawing after lunch. There will be a Free T- shirt for early arrivals. Bagels at 8:30 and lunch will be served. Be there, rain or shine. Saturday April 17, 2004 Coffee and Bagels 8:30 Official Start Time 9:00 Lunch 13:00 Raffle Drawing 13:30 Stephen Marino Thomas O'Connell Karen Thomas Brian McGlynn Fleet Captain Rear Commodore Race Committee Director Mercury s.p.marino@att.net oconnellrc@optonline.net ktstampede@aol.com ogycmercury@optonline.net Waterfront Report by Pat Linskey, Vice Commodore As this is being written snow is falling on our boats as they rest up for the upcoming season. However, by the time you read this many of you will already have taken the tarps off and started in on preparation. So now is a great time to re-acquaint you with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Regulations that all of us are required to follow when we undertake these activities at Town Marinas. Commissioning or decommissioning engines for the season Sanding, painting, stripping or cleaning vessels (use of dustless sanders, weighted tarps, removal of shrink wrap from the marina, etc.). Fiberglass work Mechanical work Bilge cleaning Battery replacement Oil changes Pressure washing Disposal of solid (shrink wrap, etc.) or liquid (paint, oil, etc.) waste materials The Town of Greenwich Parks and Recreation Department has made the dockmaster available to provide specific information regarding the how and where of each of the above. He can provide handouts that explain the activities and outline the legal requirements and Town Marina policies that we (or anyone who works on our boats) are required to comply with. The Boating Division has noted that failure to comply could result in losing boating privileges at town marinas. In addition, we will post these documents (along with additional copies) in the clubhouse for your use. This is very important... we must help the town administer these state environmental laws. As taxpayers, the town can incur significant financial penalties if the DEP brings a compliance case. Now that all of that underlining is behind us please allow me to comment on the OGYC 2004 Launch Schedule. Here are some improvements that we have made: Memorial Day: launch will run until 9:00 PM on all four days July 4 Weekend: launch will run until 10:00 PM on all three days Weekends June 1 September 5: launch will start at 9:00 AM Fri Sun to allow cruisers to get a jump on the weekend crowds

6 Racing Corner by Karen Thomas, Race Committee Director Most of you have heard me say this before, but I cannot emphasize this enough: this is your race program. Most of the ideas are yours, you man the race committees, and your positive attitude and sportsmanly behavior make this club s racing program the huge success it is. This year s spring race meeting added a number of interesting possibilities to the upcoming season, both from inside and outside the club. First, the result of the vote on the Vespers race day: Wednesday was chosen by a close margin. Before you Thursday voters start groaning, this actually opens up more competitive racing for you all. George McBride (who crewed for many of you last year, and even helped out with our race committee) has brought a request from the most local C&C 35 s that they be raced at the same handicap and occasionally race as a group with our Wednesday evening racers. Riverside s J-24 s have also requested they be permitted to occasionally join us. I spoke informally and off the record with the RYC Vespers race committee, and it appears, when the occasional IHYC boat appeared on their line it has not been chased and this courtesy could be extended to our sailors as well. The C&C 35 s could be started with Division I or if that did not work out, could be given there own start with the same course as Division I. The J-24 s at this point would be started with Division I, but should this informal mix work out, the handicap split could be changed next year to be more in line with the Friday Night Invitational split, which is what Riverside uses. There has been some talk of all the clubs eventually racing together and this would be a huge step toward more fun and competitive racing for everyone. Three courses have been added to the Wednesday course list: FF defined as ULTUL round to starboard distance 5.4nm ZP defined as AH round to port ZS defined as HA round to starboard ZP and ZS have been added for the evenings when there is wind outside but not inside. As the start may be moved from the usual starting area, the race committee will determine the distance of the course. The race committee and racers should be very sure all boats arrive back in the harbor. As these courses are experimental, input is welcomed from the racers after any of them are used. Additionally, there has been some concern over interaction between the race committee and the fleet. Consequently, to ensure a fair and fun race for everyone, the following requests are made: 1) Racers that are participating in race committee make the program stronger, but occasionally a beginner committee makes an error (or an experienced committee has a brain glitch). Rather than everyone yelling to/at the committee, express your concern to any of the members of the protest committee which may be sailing that evening. At the moment, that committee consists of Chris Allen, John Craine, Dave Kauppi, Don McCulloch, Sam York, Andy Acton, and John Ehlers. Members may be added to this list as the season progresses. 2) Occasionally racers forget their sailing instructions or are new and don t know what the course is. We re there to have fun. Committees should feel free to advise a competitor what the marks are in such a case. Look out for your race package at the work party April 17, and if you participated in the race program (especially those of you who hosted after race parties) and have not yet received your race glass, please let me know. Looks like it will be a great season! Let s get to it! Member Events by Tom O Connell, Rear Commodore Our first ever Aweigh Anchor Cruise/Dinner on Sunday March 14th was a tremendous amount of fun with 53 members and their friends attending. The service and food provided by Fjord Catering was really great, and we all enjoyed Glen Shoen s mastery as D.J. as we cruised around Captain Harbor, the various inlets, and the Sound. A few of us even found not only our sea legs again but also our dancing shoes... A great start to the Season and an event we will definitely repeat next year! For a full list of the events planned please also see the calendar in this issue. While we are making arrangements for each, we do need different volunteers to help with the detailed planning, set up and tidying up of each event to make each of these events a great success! For those of you that are interested in helping, we will hold a brief meeting after the Work Party session on Saturday April 17th to discuss, or if you prefer, please contact me direct Wishing you a great and enjoyable season ahead. 6

7 Mercury Members Corner by Brian McGlynn, Director of Education Just when we thought of spring, Nature seems to have sprung a nasty trick on us. Honestly, now, what good is snow that you can t ski on? We have a few Mercury work parties scheduled; please refer to the Calendar of Events and put those dates on your calendars. One of the joys of OGYC is that we are a sweat equity club. We do the work, thus giving us a far deeper understanding of the design and workings of our vessels. But it comes at a price: We all must do some work! The good news is that the more of us there are, the less work each of us has to do. And don t forget the April 17th general work party; It s a good way to get to know other members and get a lot of work done with a minimum of effort. At this writing we re not certain how the check-out cruises will work for new members and for those members seeking advanced Mercury certification. There will be more news on that in next month s newsletter. In the meantime, please send me your addresses at ogycmercury@optonline.net. Thanks in advance. About the check-out cruises: No matter what procedure is available to us this Spring, it s a sure bet that the sooner you get this cruise over with, the happier you ll be. To begin with, your sailing season will be longer, and second, particularly those of you interested in advanced certification, you ll have enough wind to really show your stuff! As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to them to mercury@ogyc.org or the above. See you April 17th, May 1st and May 15th for our season opening parties. Cruising News By John and Mary Craine Our first cruise of the season will be the traditional Memorial Day Weekend cruise to New York City. This has always been an easy and enjoyable way to kick off your cruising plans for the new boating season. cruising for landlubbers. Our ports of call are all accessible by car as well as public transportation. If some of your crew can t (or won t) sail, they can cruise by land and meet us for happy hour and dinner at each and every stop. Departure Friday, May 28, mid afternoon. We will rendezvous at the City Island Yacht Club, 14 nm, that evening. Moorings and dinner available. Enjoy a New England style village in New York City. For those not continuing with us, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Manhasset Bay, Hempstead Harbor and Oyster Bay are suggested return stopovers. Departure from CIYC for the main fleet will be about 8 AM, Saturday, May 29, and we will travel down the East River in a Flotilla, to ease any navigation concerns. After passing the Statue of Liberty, we will sail under the Verrazano Bridge and rendezvous at the Richmond Hill Yacht Club, Great Kills Harbor, Staten Island. Moorings and dinner at a number of nearby restaurants are available. Sunday morning departure is at your convenience and we sail the incoming tide to The Battery, then 5 nm up the Hudson River, past the Intrepid and Fleet Week celebrations, to the West 79 St Boat Basin. Again, moorings and restaurant available, as well as the Westside Hiking/Bike Path. Our return Monday is governed by the Battery Low + 2 hr Rule. Current turns Northeast, up the East River at 2:39 PM. Lots of opportunity for sightseeing by land or water prior to heading back. For those needing to get home Monday, there is plenty of time to make it back to Greenwich by early evening. Launch service till 9 PM and midnight gate closing. The rest of us may opt to overnight at Manhasset Bay YC, where a club pool as well as nearby shopping, sightseeing and food are available in Port Washington. More details and answers to your questions will be available at the Cruise Meeting, Sunday, April 18, 1 PM. Mark your calendars now and get psyched for a fun filled weekend. A relaxing, fun filled, scenic way to kick off the new boating season. This year we are inviting our friends from the Captain Harbor Power Squadron to join us. We have also added a new feature 7

8 Club Classifieds For Sale: 2002 Boston Whaler Montauk 170. As new condition, very lightly used, under 50 hours on Mercury Saltwater 90hp. Comfort package, depth sounder, fitted compass, custom console and seat covers, EZ loader trailer. $17,200. Call (203) For Sale: 23' Sea Sprite Sloop Brisa, 1976, designed by Carl Alberg. 3 foot draft, 4HP Evinrude, ready to sail. $6,900 / obo. Call Dan Dobryn at Boat Services: Boat Bottoms painted/in-water Cleaning/Dive Service. Call Dave Osler and James Osler at For Sale: Classic Cape Cod Mercury 15 ft. sailboat built in 1954 w/ fiberglass hull #10 Good Condition w/ 3 hp outboard engine and mushroom mooring. $1250 or best offer. (203) Wanted: Laser blades (daggerboard and rudder/tiller) for salvage project. Call John at work or at home For Sale: 1985 O Day 25 with hp Yamaha. Roller Furling, VHF, DF. Asking $8,000. Call Jack at (203) For Sale: Belle of Chickasha a 1986 Pearson 33 II is for sale. She is a centerboarder lavishly equipped for cruising. She has berths for 7 in 3 cabins, a Yanmar diesel engine, draws under 4 feet with the board up. Belle has been extensively refitted to make shorthanded sailing easy. The North main and #1 jib were new in , mwaine@optonline.net For Sale: 1983 Olson 30 Pigasus $14,900. If anyone is interested to compete boat for boat with Wave Dancer, this is a precision built masthead rigged sloop built for speed and strength. Length: 30ft, Draft: 5ft 1in. Beam: 9ft 3in. Hull Material: Fiberglass. Engine: outboard (none). Includes trailer. Samuel Gran: samuel.grant@cox.net / or Charles Hine: hinec1@cox.net / For Sale: 1979 Tanzer 22 with Hp outboard engine. Large cabin sleeps 4. 2 sets of sails. $3900 or best offer. Call (203) Wanted: Used Sunfish. Contact Aubrey Mead at or AMeadjr@aol.com This space is available free of charge to Club members. To place an advertisement, please send your copy to: Newsletter Editor, OGYC P. O. Box 162 Old Greenwich, CT Old Greenwich Yacht Club, Inc. P.O. Box 162 Old Greenwich, CT FIRST CLASS U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 583 SCHAUMBURG, IL FIRST CLASS MAIL