SailTies. Malletts Bay Boat Club. Greetings from the Master by Ken Grillo. May high water mark once that is behind us.

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1 Malletts Bay Boat Club May 2011 Greetings from the Master by Ken Grillo Inside this issue: If you have not dropped by the club lately, you are in for a few surprises. The new seawall is complete and working well, but there is still some grading to do and lots of grass yet to grow. I know you ll be impressed with the project and hope you will agree with the long term benefits. We also took the opportunity to improve the grade and water runoff on the club driveway. It has been well tested this week and appears to be doing the job of keeping our driveway runoff out of the lake. There is still much finish work to do and we just need a few days of cooperative weather to get that done. Please keep the dry sailing area clear until the work is completed. The lake level exceeded 103 feet above sea level late yesterday and is expected to crest tomorrow or Saturday. Let s hope there are no new records to break in the future. Many photos have been posted on our Facebook page which I encourage you to explore group.php? gid= Our work dock is under at least 4 feet of water and Tim Ambrose has volunteered to mark our boat crane with the high water mark once that is behind us. Steve Crane has already figured out how we will provide access from the lawn to the main dock which we plan to have done by club opening. Between the high water and new graded surfaces, there is a lot of mud and not so much grass at the club right now. Seeding should be completed before club opening and everyone is encouraged to stay off the mud for a few weeks until our lawn gets established. This year is the 75 th anniversary of our club. The main anniversary celebration will take place on Saturday July 2 nd. Mark your calen- Cruising Anchoring Workshop and Setting an Anchor Special points of interest: Laser Series Starts, May 10, 1800 Club Opening, May 14, 0900 Get Acquainted Party, May 21, 1830 Midweek Practice Race, May 26, 1815 Coffee Pot, May 28, 0900 One Design, May 30, High Water Lightning Atlantic Coast Championship and Fleet 301 Schedule Boat Parts and Gear Exchange Women s Sailing In Memoriam 9

2 Page 2 Save the Date for the Cruising Anchoring Seminar SETTING AN ANCHOR, Adapted from howtoanchor.htm Wednesday, June 6, 2011, 1800 This seminar on anchoring will be followed by practical experience anchoring on your boat with experienced cruisers. We will covering the topics of ground tackle, setting procedures, how to pick a place to anchor in a crowded anchorage, and more. Pizza will be provided by the cruise committee. Everyone welcomed! 1. Prepare in Advance Use a chart to pick your spot paying attention to wind direction (including anticipated changes) and weather forecast. The ideal anchorage has some protection from the wind and waves. Be sure not to anchor against a lee shore in case the anchor drags. The ideal bottom is sand or mud, not rock or grass. Charts show bottom characteristics. Get the anchor ready before your approach. Whether on a bow roller or lowered by hand from the bow, assure that the anchor rode is free to run. If the anchor rode is not marked at progressive depths with tags or color codes, measure it out on the deck so that you know how much rode you are letting out. Put out enough rode for about 7 times the water depth (including the height of your bow over the water). 2. Pick Your Spot Carefully Look for a spot with the right depth: from a few feet deeper than the draft of your boat to as deep as feet if necessary if you have at least feet of anchor rode. Make sure you are well clear of any boat traffic regardless of how the boat swings with wind shifts, and that there are no hazards if your boat were to swing in a full circle around the anchor. When other boats are already anchored nearby, follow good anchoring etiquette to stay safe without risking collision or entanglement. The general rule is that the first boat in an anchorage can choose a spot and each subsequent boat must stay clear of others already present. Calculate how much swing room you may need if the wind changes, based on how much The recommended pennant length is your freeboard plus 1 foot. The Hazelett Mooring System we use allows for a 1:1 scope. You should draw your mooring line tight to reduce your swing radius. Don t draw it so tight that the mooring cylinder comes out of the water. Read the last MBBC Sailties newsletter article on how to prepare your mooring of the season. Harbor Committee

3 Page 3 SETTING AN ANCHOR continued anchor rode you will pay out according to the water depth. If possible, your swinging circle should not overlap with another boat s swinging room. In a crowded anchorage where your swinging room may have to overlap another boat s, choose a spot among similar boats. Most cruising sailboats with a keel will swing in the same direction at the same time and therefore should not collide if not positioned too close together. But a shallow-draft powerboat will swing on the wind differently from a keel sailboat, increasing the risk of collision if the swinging circles overlap. 3. Approach Slowly Most cruising boats lower or furl the sails before making the approach into the anchorage, and anchor under power. Using the engine rather than sails gives you more control if a last-minute maneuver is needed. Approach your planned spot into the wind, keeping an eye on your depth finder to ensure you are where you want to be on the chart. As you near the spot, slow down to allow the boat to coast to a stop. If you come in fast and have to use the engine in reverse to stop, there s a good chance the boat may pivot or turn and the boat then will not at first pull directly back on the anchor. There s seldom any reason to hurry at this point. Double-check to make sure you are not too close to another boat and are at the intended depth. If you decide you need to move to either side, circle back around to make your approach again to the new spot upwind. 4. Lower, Don t Drop, the Anchor Wait until the person at the helm says the boat has stopped completely and started to move backward on the wind before lowering the anchor. (Watch your GPS speed if you re not sure.) If the boat is still moving ahead, you may accidentally set the anchor in the wrong direction by pulling it ahead instead of drifting back to set it. Lower the anchor gradually to prevent the anchor rode from falling down on the anchor flukes and fouling the anchor. If this happens, the anchor may not set well, and if the wind comes up later the anchor can easily drag if fouled. Never just toss the anchor over! The anchor reaches the bottom when reduced strain is felt on the rode. Pause a moment to let the boat move back and pull the rode tight. If the boat is floating motionless in the absence of wind and current, the person at the helm should put the engine in reverse to set the anchor. Your goal here is to align the anchor correctly on the bottom, with its shank pulled back in the direction in which the boat will lie at anchor. Otherwise, the anchor chain may foul the shank or flukes and prevent the anchor from setting well. DON T FORGET: JUNIOR SAILING SIGN UP Classes start next month. Visit the website for schedule, registration and payment.

4 Page 4 The High Water by the Numbers: Lake Champlain 2011 Source: nwis/uv?

5 Page 5 The High Water in Pictures: Lake Champlain 2011 Our neighbors at Champlain Marina Jonathon Haas s dog "Lucy" taking a walk out on the aluminum ramp going to the concrete span which goes to the floating dock. She is standing in about 8" of water! Champ swimming at Perkin s Pier There s a dock under there somewhere. No boat launches anytime soon. Linda and Nile Schneider s Boat on the hard Aerial photos of high water: ECHO story: ECHO cam: What happened to the beach?

6 Page 6 Lightning Atlantic Coast Championships (ACCs) On July 30 and 31, MBBC and Lightning Fleet 301 are hosting the Lightning Atlantic Coast Championships. This will be the third time we have hosted this event, the last time being in It will be a weekend event with approximately 60 boats. We will be racing in the Outer Bay Saturday and Sunday and there will be a party Saturday night. There will probably be a tent. We will be parking visitor s cars and trailers off-site to allow MBBC members ample parking space. We also plan to keep the boats in the water and will be using the main dock and dinghy dock. Some visitors may be arriving Thursday afternoon and we have invited them to race that night. Most will arrive Friday and some Saturday morning. Friday and Saturday morning will be very busy as boats are being unpacked and launched and trailers moved. As best we can we will minimize the impact on the membership. We ask for your cooperation as you always have for these large events. Lightning Fleet 301 can always use assistance in running these regattas. We will need help on the water for race committee, crash boats and spectator boats. In addition, your help can always be used in the parking lot to greet arrivals, move trailers, registration, dinner Saturday night, and haul-out Sunday afternoon. If you d like to volunteer in any capacity please contact Dick Fastiggi at dickf2@myfairpoint.net or at LIGHTNING FLEET RACING SCHEDULE One Design 1 - May 30 Spring Regatta - June 4-5 One Design 2 - June 19 One Design 3 - July 3 NE Districts (away) - July 8-10 One Design 4 - July 24 ACCs - July One Design 5 - August 28 One Design 6 - September 25 Leaf Peeper - October 15-16

7 Page 7 Boat Parts and Gear Exchange May 22, to 1400 A great opportunity to sell anything boat related that you don't want, make money, and support the non profit 501 of Malletts Bay Boat Club. Here is how it will work: On Saturday, May 21, 2011 between 1500 to 1800 brings your items to be priced and tagged. On Sunday, May 22, 2011 between 1000 and 1400 is the YARD SALE! Items will be sold by MBBC volunteers. If you want to negotiate your prices, it's best that you stay during the sale. 20% of the sale will go to the 501 account, 80% is yours. Pick up unsold items after the sale and your cash by Event organizers: Linda Sheridan , lsheridan412@gmail.com and Linda Schneider, , linda.schneider@uvm.edu

8 Page 8 Get Acquainted Party Saturday, May 21, 1830 $8 with an hors d oeuvre. $14 without Don t miss the annual celebration of spring, club opening and great sailing weather. Come join the fun and meet our newest members. Don t miss the champagne. Opening Day May 14, 2010, 0900 Bring your rakes, work gloves, cordless, and other tools. Lots of work and fun for the whole family. Who will wear the yellow jersey? First Laser Race Tuesday, May 10,1800 Contact Al Russell, Fleet Captain with questions, alrussellvt@yahoo.com

9 Page 9 Women s Sailing Starts June 6th, 1800 hours dusk as the first night this season. A calendar for the 2011 season was developed and is posted on the MBBC The Women s Sailing Committee met recently to converse and laugh over pizza and wine at Zachary s. Based on feedback from the majority of women sailors, Monday nights wer set for Women s Sailing with June 6th from 1800 to website. Women s Sailing is open to all women in the club, young and old, and is led by a "group leader" each Monday night. Rain or shine wind or no wind, we meet informally at 1800 on Monday s to enjoy an evening sail. If you are interested in participating or want to learn how to sail your boat or participate in a new adventure on another boat, don t hesitate to show up. Women s Sailing is your time for social connection, learning, laughter and fun. If we cannot sail, we will play board games, cards, share snacks and conversation, swim, practice motoring and person overboard drills, and anything the group has in mind. your schedule, make 1800 Mondays your night to leave all the stresses of life behind you. We are a talented, fun and networked group of women who support each other, whatever your sailing experience, please join us. We look forward to another great season of sailing, learning from each other, and just spending time together. Thanks for participating in and supporting women's sailing at MBBC! Add Women s Sailing to Al, We ll Miss You On the Start Line AL JOHNSON Owner and proud racer of Swan Song Feb. 10, April 19, 2011 Ted Brooks Trophy 1994 Coffee Pot 1993 Goose Trophy 1994 Corlaer Trophy 1987 Midweek Series 1977, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Fall Series 2004, 2006

10 University of Vermont MBBC P.O. Box 402 Colchester, VT MAY SAILTIES Kathy Manning, Sailties Editor, Ken Grillo, Communications Chair, Master s Greeting continued dars now. More details will follow but much of the planning is already in place. Kid s events will begin at The evening s festivities start at 1830 with cocktails, lobster dinner and live music to follow. We have five committees which can use your help, so please contact the committee heads and get involved. Contact Marilynne Johnson for set up and decorations, Ken Grillo for communications and reservations, Kika Bronger for photo displays, Alan Ouellette for kid s events, and Nancy Aswad for anniversary apparel. I m looking forward to seeing all of you at club opening on May 14 th. Photos needed for the newsletter and website. Please send to Kathy Manning at kmanning250@yahoo.com.