Scuttlebutt COMMANDER S MESSAGE. The Prince is Back!! What fun the Chili Cook Off was! This PAGE 1

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1 THE DOOR Scuttlebutt Newsletter America s Boating Club Door County Squadron United States Power Squadrons Vol. XII, Issue 10 November 2018 In This Issue Commander s Message COMMANDER S MESSAGE Chili Cook-Off 3 From your Education Officer. 4&6 Gale on the Bay... 5&6 The Prince is Back!! What fun the Chili Cook Off was! This was our first time at the Sevastopol Town Hall. Definitely a keeper! Thank you, Dolores, (and John) for a fun evening. Karen and I have just returned from the District 10 Fall Conference in the Dells. The Fall Conference is reflective of accomplishments since the District Change of Watch this past April. It is also typically focused on education. This Conference was intended to be more social and fun. It was! My Commander s Summary to the Council and Conference ACCOMPLISHMENTS ( Alan, the Prince, Bob, Kevin Shutes (last owner SEO Minnetonka) It goes without saying: If it wasn't for Alan, the Prince would not be here. But special thanks go out to our JN & N graduates; Rex and Linda Pope and Dan Balch. And thank you, SEO Steve, for your encouragement and guidance. We added 12 new members this year. In support of transitioning to our new brand, we have incorporated high resolution ABC graphics in both our newsletter, letterheads and newly remodeled website. We are living the logo. The mantra of BoatLive 365 is: boating is serious fun. In support, we have promoted BoatLive 365 at Boat Shows and Marina Fests, in addition to every VSC. We ve had 2 opportunities to execute Jump Start. We graduated 3 Navigators:; Rex & Linda Pope and Dan Balch. We are hoping to get the Prince back. (We did it!) We added one new vessel examiner; Mike Wember. We completed 222 VSCs compared to 219 last year; very good for 6 VSEs. Lou Pasquesi hit over 100 for his 5th year. The Boating Safety Vertual Trainer unit for the Door County Maritime Museum, Tower of Exhibits, Level 4, Recreational Boating, has been paid for ($16,224). Delivery is scheduled for end November A Facebook Page was established for the Door County Squadron (CONTINUED ON PAGE 2) PAGE 1

2 COMMANDER S MESSAGE (CONTINUED) Our two automated radio check systems continue to function flawlessly at the Sturgeon Bay and Deaths Door Maritime Museum host sites. CONCERNS While membership appears to be moving in a positive direction, leadership is not. Our Door County Squadron continues to struggle with succession. A critical mass of smaller squadrons may necessitate merging. I m very proud of what our Little Squadron That Could has achieved. Thank you all for your support and dedication. Alan will be calling for Merit Marks shortly. Given our achievements, lets make sure you don t miss any recommendations. Goals, Goals, Goals: We have SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time bound) goals; smarter, clear, pure and stretch goals: Goals, Goals, Goals. But when you peel it all away, we really should be listening to the advice of our friendly Water Rat, the little extrovert in The Wind in the Willows, who said, There is nothing absolutely nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Let s make a pledge next boating season to have fun and play more on the water. See you at the Holiday Party! Cdr. Bob Successful squadrons such as ours reflect upon the success of their districts. Here are some of the success stories that were shared in the Dells this past weekend by D/C Dave Fine. The National Governing Board Meeting this August in Minneapolis, hosted by D-10, was a huge success. D-10 America s Boating Club roll-out. branding is on 10/11 Squadron Websites (91% vs 43% National). Living the Logo has been adopted by National..New members achieved 100! Goal = 68 Communication is up with Monthly Top 10 and quarterly Communicator newsletters. Jump Start is gaining traction. VSCs completed 1382! Goal = Record! #6 in the USPS. Civic Service is alive and well in D10! 935 volunteers donated 8,104 hours!. District 10 is the only district showing growth 2.2%. However, we lose approximately 14% annually. PAGE 2

3 THE GREAT CHILI COOK-OFF Happy Birthday, John All lined up and ready to go This was our first attempt at a chili cook-off. With thirteen people and seven different chili dishes to sample, it was a busy night. When all were eaten and enjoyed, two chilis were voted best and the recipes are printed below. We welcomed first-time event attendees David and Kathleen Quirsfeld and celebrated John Hermann s birthday. Wish you could have been there. Welcome David & Kathleen Quirsfeld Grota s, Keating s and DeNoto s First place winner, Julie Keating and Terry Modified Betty Crocker Chili Con Carne Recipe By Julie Keating 2 lbs ground beef 2 medium onions chopped 1 can (1 pound 12 ounces) tomatoes 1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce 2 or more teaspoons chili powder Pinch or more crushed red pepper 1 can black beans 1 can northern beans Cook and stir ground beef and onions in large skillet until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in remaining ingredients except beans. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) about 45 minutes. Stir in beans; heat. About 6 servings. PAGE 3 My favorite Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Recipe By Patsy Stierna 2-14 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes, drained 2-7 or 8 oz cans tomato sauce 2 lg. skinless boneless chicken breasts (1 & 1/2 lbs) 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup yellow onions, diced 1 lg. green pepper, diced 1-14 oz. can corn, drained & rinsed or 1 pkg. froz corn 1-14 oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. dried oregano 2 tsp. chili powder (1 tsp. for a less spicy chili) 1 tblsp. ground cumin 1 tblsp. minced garlic 4 oz. brick-style light cream cheese (or full fat) Put in 4 qt. or larger slow cooker. Stir to mix. Cook 6-7 hrs. or set on high for 3 hours. Remove the chicken and chop or shred into pieces, then return to the slow cooker and stir, Stir in the cream cheese until fully melted and combined. Add salt & pepper to taste. Cover the slow cooker and cook for about minutes more. Serve topped with cilantro, shredded cheese and crackers.

4 FROM YOUR EDUCATION OFFICER Ahoy Everyone, If you are like me you periodically come across an article in the paper. or on the news. about someone that went out to enjoy themselves in the beautiful natural world and to refresh their spirits only to have that outing turned into tragedy because the beauty lulled them to not being vigilant to the danger that can lurk beneath. For example, an older man and his wife were hiking off trail at Peninsula State Park last month when the husband ventured too close to the bluff and fell to his death. The area the couple was hiking in was Eagle Terrace which features a spectacular view but also a hundred foot drop. There are plenty of guardrails along the designated trail but not so when venturing off the trail to get a closer look. I m sure that this was a case of underestimating danger while being lulled by beauty and serenity. The lure of adventure and the thrill of conquering danger is another pathway to potential tragedy when we are lulled by beauty which, like a Siren singing to ancient mariners, makes us forget about or minimize danger. In May of 2017 a young Marine. home on leave. and his buddy were out for a kayaking adventure off of Cave Point in Door County. According to the Green Bay Press Gazette, At 11:30 a.m. Friday, a call came in for two kayakers in distress about 100 yards from shore. The kayaks the men were in capsized; the water temperature was 43 degrees. One of the kayakers was described as "a boy everyone could love and who loved everyone. His adventurous spirit found its home in the outdoors, where he plotted his hunt, hung his bow, welcomed the challenge and cherished his moments. The other kayaker joined the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating from high school. He was described as an adventurer who was always drawn to do whatever someone suggested a true daredevil at that. No jump was too much for him, he never turned down a good dare. He loved spending time with family and friends. There are several things people should know about kayaking before going out onto the water, said Ken Braband, a state education director for the American Canoe Association. Braband also teaches during the Door County Sea Kayak Symposium. You have to get to a certain knowledge level before going out on the Great Lakes, he said. There are two main types of kayaks; a recreational kayak and a touring or sea kayak, Braband said. Touring kayaks have airtight compartments in the front and back of the vessel, he said. If the kayak capsizes, it will not fill with water the same way a recreational kayak does. He recommends people learn the different types of exits from a kayak in the event it capsizes. It s a lot of different techniques that anyone who kayaks on the Great Lakes should learn, he said. He also recommends people look into wet and dry suits depending on water temperatures. A dry suit will offer more protection this time of year. In both the case of the older hikers and the young kayakers, spectacular beauty and a sense of adventure led to tragic consequences. The lesson for all of us as we enjoy our love of boating is to not to ignore the little voice in our head that asks us what if questions. When we ask ourselves those questions we can anticipate unexpected consequences that will help us to prepare for the danger when taking risks. Taking risks thoughtlessly is stupid. Weighing and preparing for danger when taking risks is smart. Speaking of Cave Point, I took this video a few weeks ago of a very tired and therefore tame cormorant that landed at my feet on a rocky ledge there. Notice the waves behind the cormorant at the end of the video as they crash against the rocks. This is a pretty typical day and probably similar to the one the two kayakers encountered on that fateful day in May. What do you think when you look at this scene? What was I thinking about? Do you think I was thinking about falling while photographing the bird? Click here (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6) PAGE 4

5 A GALE ON THE BAY by Dan Balch On 23 August 2018 we set sail on the Lanikai for our annual cruise around the Door Peninsula. The Lanikai is a 1969 Pearson 300 sloop. It was originally purchased by my parents who lived in Annapolis Maryland and sailed 25,000 miles before being shipped to me 20 years ago. It is a very sturdy boat and easily sleeps three or four crew. The boat is equipped with a Universal four cylinder diesel engine installed in Lanikai (which means beautiful sea in Hawaiian) displaces 10,000 pounds with 3800 pounds of ballast and is thirty feet long with a beam of nine feet drawing three and one half feet. Our crew consisted of myself, my son Richard and my brother Michael from Iowa. My first mate Bonnie declined to join us. We had an uneventful sail to Sister Bay on Saturday 25 August and stayed at the Sister Bay Municipal Marina. On Sunday 26 August we sailed from Sister Bay around the west side of Chambers Island to the Menominee Michigan Municipal Marina. We encountered a couple of squalls between Chambers Island and Menominee with thirty knot gusts and twenty-five knot sustained winds but easily weathered them with a rolled up storm jib and our main sail. Storms only lasted about twenty minutes each and then the winds and waves petered out. On Monday 27 August we awoke to heavy rain but the weather forecast for our part of the bay called for ten to fifteen mph winds in the morning increasing to fifteen to twenty-five mph winds in the later afternoon with a chance of thunderstorms. We felt if we left early we could be across the bay before the heavier winds hit so we departed Menominee Marina about 0800 and motored in the rain in our foul weather gear and self inflating life jackets to Green Can one on the western tip of Green Island. Here we put out our sails and headed for the mid-channel buoy at the mouth of the Sturgeon Bay shipping channel on a starboard tack with a course of 160M. Winds were already at fifteen to twenty knots out of the South and waves were about one to two feet but the winds increased to twenty to twentyfive knots as we crossed the bay so we reefed our jib down to storm size. We were unable to keep our original course due to the wind and wave action and at about two miles off Door County we were five miles north of the mid-channel buoy. We came about and began a port tack of 240M which would hopefully get us further South so we could head into the Sturgeon Bay shipping channel. Our original plan was to leave Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor on Thursday 23 August and proceed to Bailey's Harbor Municipal Marina but the weather forecast for Friday 24 August called for 35 mph winds and foot seas on Lake Michigan so instead we sailed directly to Shipyard Marina on Washington Island to avoid being trapped by the weather in Bailey's Harbor. We planned to do some day sailing in the Death's Door waters Friday if weather permitted but as it turned out the weatherman was right and we spent the day touring Washington and Rock Islands with a car the marina provided us. PAGE 5 A large thunderstorm came upon us from the South accompanied by heavy rain, hail, thunder and lightning and winds increased to forty knots with waves in the four to six foot range. By this time it had become too dangerous to go on the deck to try to lower the main sail and we had no safety lines rigged. We only had a small storm jib out in addition to the main. At about 1145 we were about two and one half miles north east of the Peshtigo lighthouse with the storm continuing as we attempted to come about and head to Sturgeon Bay shipping channel. The waves at this point had increased to eight to ten feet and coming in very quick succession and gusts of wind were hitting forty eight knots. As we came about the twenty- five year old main sail shredded into rags and we temporarily lost control. A wave came over the bow and popped open our forward hatch, inundating our forward cabin. My brother went forward inside (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)

6 FROM YOUR EDUCATION OFFICER (CONTINUED) GALE ON THE BAY (CONTINUED) CLASS NOTES Our students are in the fifth week of Piloting and are doing great. We have discovered that the brain needs to take periodic breaks so that it doesn t burn out when mastering a new task. Sometimes, as teacher s, we ignore that fact due to time or curriculum requirements. The students have helped me to see that courses should be flexible so that everyone has time to master content at a reasonable pace for them. Consequently we have slowed down the course a little to make sure all are mastering and retaining each piloting skill. I want to thank George Mitchell for taking this piloting course as a refresher. He is an example of what I have suggested that it is useful and will deepen understanding to take a course again if it has been several years since you originally took it. George says that he has learned a lot this way. Why not consider following George s example when courses are offered, to refresh and extend your knowledge, if it has been a long time since you took the course the first time? I find that I also learn something new every time I teach a course no matter how often I taught it before. Fair Winds, Steve and secured the hatch. As we tried to roll up the remaining storm jib the sheets got away from us tangling into a huge knot and making it impossible to roll it up any further. We tried to start the engine but could not hear if it was running due to the shrieking winds and flapping sails but finally determined it was running and headed at a course of 160M to try to get into the lee of Door County. We could only manage about one and one half knots of speed due to the size of the waves and it wasn' t until about 1245 that we finally began to feel the lee of Door County and could increase our speed to four knots. As we got close to the Sherwood Point light house we were finally able to secure the remnants of our sails and proceed towards Sturgeon Bay. As we passed the mid-channel buoy the sun came out although the winds continued at twenty to twenty- five knots. We broke out some summer sausage and beer and celebrated our return, reaching our pier about Sailing season was over for the Lanikai and I am having a new main sail built by Dorsal Sail and Canvas. along with the sun cover on the jib. Will have to replace half the battens which blew away and the jib sheets which were shredded. We have decided to hold our annual cruise in July next year instead of late August when the winds seem to have become less predictable the last two years. We have also learned not to rely as heavily on the weather forecasts and to get our sails down quicker on an approaching gale. I thought this article might be of interest to the squadron due to the the annual cruise to Menominee and how fierce the gales can be on Green Bay. Make plans to attend the Holiday Party at Crossroads at Big Creek Friday 7 December 2018 PAGE 6

7 OFFICERS AND BRIDGE Commander Bob DeNoto Executive Officer John Hermann, Educational Officer Steve Rank Administrative Officer Open Position Secretary Lou Pasquesi Thank you to all of the members who contributed articles and pictures. Please take no offense if your article was somewhat changed or if your picture was not included in the Scuttlebutt. Changes, exclusions and inclusions are made based on space. Submit articles and pictures for the December Scuttlebutt by November 30, Send your comments, ideas and articles to: The Door Scuttlebutt is published twelve times a year by America s Boating Club of Door County, a member of District 10 of America s Boating Club, the United States Power Squadrons. The Door Scuttlebutt can be found on the Squadron website: Treasuser Cynthia L. Weis weiscynthia@yahoo.com Member at Large Alan Wentworth AWentworth@aol.com ============================================= Commander s Department Chaplain Karen DeNoto Flag Lieutenant Craig Weis Merit Marks Alan Wentworth, Executive Department Public Relations Open VSC Officer Lou Pasquesi Safety Officer John Hermann Port Captain Open Education Department Adv. Grade Courses Steve Rank Elective Courses John Welch ABC Representative Bob DeNoto & Boat Operator Certification Administrative Department Membership Cynthia Weis Cruise Planning Terry Keating Meetings & Programs Michelle Anderson Member Involvement Dolores Hermann Secretary s Department Newsletter Dolores Hermann Webmaster Austin Hermann Facebook Manager Cynthia Weis Treasurer s Department Ships Store Cynthia Weis PAGE 7 HERE S WHAT S NEW!! Check us out on FACEBOOK - Go to your FACEBOOK page and type in: DoorCountySailAndPowerSquadron In Google type DoorCountySailAndPowerSquadron your boating related photos and stories to Cynthia Weis weiscynthia@yahoo.com for posting and tell her if you would like to include a comment. It is helpful to you to say you like the site and be sure to give it a review. HAPPY NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY 1st Quinn Brennan 3rd Martha Alberti 5th Bob Satterfield 15th Dick Grota 15th Julie Keating 16th Bonnie Balch 17th Sandy King 20th Cynthia Weis 28th John Powell Jr.