Long Days, Cool Breezes, and Many Happy Sailors

Transcription

1 Volume 23, Number 2 July 2014 Summer Sols ce An extra large cruise for the longest day of the year. Page 1 Tropical Paradise Three crews prove that February really is the perfect time to head south. Page 3 Seamanship Crews practice boat handling and sailing on a balmy July weekend. Page 9 Summer Solstice Cruise Long Days, Cool Breezes, and Many Happy Sailors By Mary Ann Gordon As we gathered Friday afternoon, June 20th, at Haven Harbor Marina the weather was perfect. There was a good breeze, temperatures were in the low 80s and it was sunny with a few white, puffy clouds for contrast against the blue. Our five boats slowly filled with provisions and gear. Most folks checked out the antique car show on Main Street before heading over to Harbor Shack for dinner out on the porch overlooking the harbor. Old friends were greeted and new ones introduced. Skippers Jeff Hamer, Julio Menendez, Steve Krakauer, Mia McCroskey, and Bob Rainey took the opportunity to get to know their crews, including five first mate candidates. Saturday morning at the skippers meeting the weather forecast disappointed everyone cloudy, with a chance of rain and little or Raft-up in Rock Creek no wind. After discussion of the destination cove, raft structure, and radio channel to monitor, the three skippers that would be joining in our raft from the Philadelphia Sailing Club were introduced. As trip leader I was asked for any other details. I handed out some decorations for the evening raftup and commented that weather forecasts are often wrong and I had a feeling we d get winds closer to ten knots. My feeling proved true. Winds on Saturday were great, steady 8-10 knots with gusts to 15. The bay was almost empty and it never really rained a few drizzles only. All boats had a good day of sailing! The raft-up in Tar Cove in Rock Creek off the Patapsco River was well planned and executed. At completion the eight boat raft became a floating party, with people making the long climb from one end to the other. Many of us did not make it all the way to the end, but sat down somewhere around boat four or five as the food choices were excellent everywhere! Some used the excuse of the long climb between boats to request additional grog and were quickly accommodated. (Con nued on page 2) 1

2 Solstice (Con nued from page 1) As the sun was setting, the ethereal sounds of piano and flute music provided by Ron Vitali played across the water. Boats were decorated with string lights, paper lanterns, and battery powered candles. The sounds of happy people talking, laughing, and a few breaking into song punctuated the night. It was a great way to celebrate the summer solstice. Additionally, the trip leader s boat, Legacy, was flying a Summer Sailstice burgee in support of Summer Sailstice. This annual event strives to inform and mobilize sailors, their families and communities to enjoy and conserve the beauty of the oceans, while raising awareness of human impacts on the fragile marine environment and wildlife. See more at: Sunday dawned clear with light wind. The Sailing Club boats bid farewell to the Philadelphia Sailing Club boats, which were returning to Haven that day. Our fleet sailed lazily and with reverence back across the bay to our destination Castle Harbor Marina on Kent Island. Once tied up in our reserved slips, crews headed to the Olympic size pool for fun, exercise, and good conversation. A few headed to the onsite restaurant to check on the World Cup soccer games at least that was their excuse for visiting the bar. With temperatures in the high 80s and in a very protected location, the pool became the place to be. The hot tub nearby provided a place to warm up and relax after a good swim. Mia s crew on Intention stayed settled near the pool for a barbecue using the marina s grill. Walking to the nearby restaurants, more than a few from the other boats questioned their decision to shower, change, and head out to a restaurant instead of staying by the pool. In the end, everyone enjoyed their dinner and the convenient layout of the marina made the trips back to boats easy. Most boats were quiet by 9:30 2 p.m. Legacy s crew became involved in a competitive game of dominoes and stayed up all the way to 10:30, with our youngest member, Molly, providing lighting with a flashlight. Monday, most boats enjoyed a late morning and headed out to the bay for the trip back to Haven Harbor. Skipper Bob Rainey was disappointed that the Legacy crew did not provide the standard peanut M&Ms (crucial to his theory that by making this offering to the water, wind speeds increase once you see it work, you never doubt). But despite several generic "M&Ms" thrown astern, we had little success at raising the wind speed above five or six knots and most boats turned on engines at about the halfway mark. This trip was unique in many ways. This was the first trip of the year late compared to previous years. We filled five boats. We had five First Mate candidates. We provided an opportunity for five skippers to sail at once on a Club trip. And, lastly, this was the first trip I ve led using lots of advice and information from Sr. Skipper and Assistant Trip Leader Mia McCroskey. Club rules require that either the Trip Leader or Assistant Trip Leader be a skipper, Officers Commodore due to the technical Vice-Commodore points of navigation Membership Secretary in planning destinations. Treasurer Charter Liaison If you ve read this far in the report, I want to encourage everyone in the club that has an idea for a trip or destination to Past Commodore The bleachers held the party overflow reach out to a board member and ask for assistance. Finally, among the interesting sights we saw while on the Bay, all boats spotted small dark fins in the water. Most were able to see them close enough to determine that the fins were attached to a ray or skate. Research has proven that the fins were from a feeding cownose ray which is common to the Chesapeake in mid summer. If you d like to learn more, check out cownose_ray The Sailing Club Board Bob Rainey Steve Krakauer Clara Matjeka Steve Krakauer Mary Ann Gordon Mary Ann Gordon Members at Large Linda Baker, Henry Gibson, Bruce Gollob, Mia McCroskey, Eleanor Popolizio Please send all newsletter submissions to: Mia McCroskey 19 Manor House Drive, K12, Dobbs Ferry, NY news@thesailingclub.org

3 A Cruising Diary British Virgin Islands, February 2014 Tuesday Feb. 11. Most participants made their way from the U.S. to Tortola uneventfully via ferry from St. Thomas, with a few arriving earlier to spend time on the island. All except for Julio, our trip leader, who s 5:00 a.m. train to Newark Airport never made it. The train was delayed for two hours due to icing on cables, and when it preparing the boat for the trip. After a short skipper s meeting, we finally departed around 1:00 p.m. and headed to our first destination, the Bight on Norman Island. Winds were around twenty knots from the East so we had a very Saint Thomas to Road Town high-speed ferry Crew of Marakery stowing provisions started to move again they announced it would not stop at the airport. Julio missed the flight and after much cursing and lots of money, rebooked flights to arrive in Tortola the following morning. Upon arrival, crews, sans Julio, were directed to our boats. Julio would skipper Marisa Too, with Bruce Gollob as first mate. Bob Rainey had Marakery with provisional first mate Don Schlenger. And on Alimata 4 Larry Sherwood was skipper and Jack Buckley first mate. Marisa Too and Marakery had opted for pre-provisioning so they checked out the boats and stashed food and beverages while Alimata 4 checked out the boat and prepared for a food shopping spree the next morning. After drinks, crews sauntered to dinner at one of two restaurants in the marina. pleasant broad reach sail, arriving there around 3:00 p.m., and picked up moorings. All boats relaxed while the crew of Marisa Too took the dinghy to snorkel the caves while the other two chilled on the boats. All boats had dinner on board. Marisa Too had planned on grilled steaks and baked potato, but the first mate could not get the charcoal bag lit (found out later that bag was wet) so the steaks were done on a frying pan. First mate was very upset and felt the incident had tarnished his grilling reputation. But all ended well and they had a very nice dinner. The grill on Marakery lit without a hitch, although it was only later that they discovered there actually was a designated side of the charcoal bag to be on top; the grilled jerk chicken was great for dinner and there was enough left over for lunch the next day. Wednesday Feb. 12. Skippers, sans Julio, and first mates participated in Sunsail s orientation, chart briefing, and boat check out. Alimata 4 s crew went shopping. The provisions were delivered to the marina by taxi and loaded into a golf cart for delivery to the boat (much better than manual dock carts). The crew of Marakery visited Cash and Carry, a mini-costco-like store and discovered an attractive price for a bundle of three 1.75 liter bottles of rum; it was a tough decision but the fact that they came in plastic bottles was the deciding factor. Julio finally arrived at 11:30 a.m. and found that his first mate and crew had done a superb job storing food, water, and booze and We had planned to visit the infamous Willie T after dinner, but never discussed at what time. So, Marisa Two went around 7:00 p.m. and danced, drank, and watched young women get their breasts and behinds tattooed. By 8:45 or so, none of the other boats had arrived so Marisa Two s crew went back to their boat and retired for the night. The crew of Marakery made it to the Willie T by 9:00 p.m. and since the other boats were not there, did not stay very long. Thursday Feb. 13. Our original plans called for a sail to Marina Cay, across from Trellis Bay. Bob R. had heard of a nice snorkeling (Con nued on page 5) 3

4 August 2 A Day at the Lake Doug Otte and Nancy Hackelberg, our hosts this year for the annual Day at the Lake social, invite you to their home on fabulous Lake Hopatcong. This event is a pot luck meal and a great afternoon for catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Doug has a few kayaks for your use, as well as floaties and noodles, but you are welcome to bring your own. You must complete the Waiver and Release Form (link below) in order to attend. A special minor waiver and release form is also available. Please print out and complete the form to bring with you to turn in to Doug upon your arrival. Who: 2014 Members and their guests When: Saturday, August 2, 2014 (rain date Sunday, August 3) 1:00 p.m. to Dusk Where: 18 Shore Rd., Hopatcong, NJ Car pooling is suggested, as parking is limited What to Bring: A dish to share with people. If your last name starts: A D: Bring an Appetizer E P: Bring a Main Dish Q Z: Bring a Dessert (please provide a serving dish and utensils) If you plan to arrive after 3 p.m. please bring a main dish or dessert only, no matter your last name. Completed Waiver and Release Form Preferred alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages Lawn chair Bathing suit, sunscreen, and towel Change of clothes Bug spray Pictures from trips A big smile The club will supply: paper plates, cups, plastic ware, water, and sodas. Please bring food that requires minimal warm up or none at all. Please RSVP by Tuesday, July 29 to Doug at Links to Membership and Waiver and Release forms h p:// h p:// h p:// 4

5 Virgin Islands (Con nued from page 3) place named Alice s Wonderland on Ginger Island, so it was decided to stop there to snorkel and then go to Marina Cay. Winds were blowing twenty to twenty-five knots from the East which was more or less where we were going. Marakery left first and made it to Ginger Island only to find out that the location had very rough conditions not suitable for snorkeling. Alimata 4 decided to go outside and found very rough conditions and back-tracked to the inside where it was less rough. Marakery and Marisa Too decided to go directly to Marina Cay, but they could not make radio contact with Alimata 4 due to her radio malfunctioning. Marakery and Marisa Too made it to Marina Cay and picked up moorings. After motor sailing to Ginger Island, Alimata 4 did not find the other boats there so they too headed for Marina Cay. Finally, radio contact was made. Alimata 4 arrived and picked up a mooring near the other boats. The crews relaxed, took a dinghy Friday Feb. 14 (Full Moon). Our plans for the day were to go to The Baths until early afternoon and then return to Trellis Bay for the Full Moon party. However, after seeing all the masts already at Trellis Bay before leaving Marina Cay, it was decided to proceed to the Bitter End after The Baths. We departed for The Baths around 8:00 a.m. and motored to a mooring. You are not allowed to take dinghies ashore using engines. Crews had to tie the dinghies at a prescribed area and swim ashore. Crew of Marisa Too was dropped off by the skipper at a location where they could use the demarcation rope to help them reach shore. The crew of Marakery tied their dinghy and swam ashore, while the crew of Alimata 4 dropped some crew at another beach without access to The Baths. Later it was found that you could row your dinghy close to the beach to drop or pickup crew, so the skipper of Alimata 4 went to pick up the crew left at the wrong beach. All boats rowed their dinghies to beach to pick up their crews when they were ready to go. After lunch, all boats left en route to North Sound on Virgin Gorda and a Bitter End mooring. Winds were fifteen to eighteen knots from North of East, making for a Lunch at the Bitter End Yacht Club Snorkeling at Prickly Pear ashore, or went snorkeling. Cell phone washing commenced during Marakery s dinghy trip to the dock to get ice. There was a plunk sound, and although the clear water allowed rapid recovery, the salt water destroyed the crew s cell phone. Dinner again was on board, with Alimata 4 having Helen B s famous Pork Loin, brought with her from US and grilled to perfection by Dexter. Marisa Too had grilled chicken. The first mate had ensured that the grill would light by buying and generously applying a large bottle of lighter fluid. After a magnificent fire, the chicken was grilled superbly and the first mate cleaned his tarnished reputation. Marakery s crew enjoyed grilled Mahi-Mahi, realizing that they could have ordered provisioning from Sunsail for one less person and still have lots of food. delightful sail. After picking up moorings, some crews went ashore to explore and to find showers. The plan called for dinner ashore, so we checked with the hotel restaurant about reservations. We learned that they were having a seafood buffet at the low price of $65 per person. Not being so hungry, we all opted for the more reasonable Pub, which had burgers and local food (Roti). We all had dinner and drinks there. The Roti was very good and the pub atmosphere was fun for all. The Pub also had Wi-Fi, so everyone caught up on s. It is sad we (Con nued on page 7) 5

6 The Sailing Club s Southern Chapter On Feb 22, 2014, a group of current and retired members of The Sailing Club ( Sailing Club South ) got together for dinner at the River City Grill in Punta Gorda, Florida. The group consisted of residents, "snowbird" residents, and visitors. Some of the people hadn't seen each other for several years. Everybody had a good time. From the left are Harvey and Marianne Goldberg, Linda Baker, Marcia Richmond, Ray Gray, Julie Zuk, Clara Matejka, Joe and Helen Brozek and Cecile McKenzie. Unfortunately, some other residents were unable to attend. Launching Our 31st Season We switched things up a bit this year and held The Sailing Club s annual meeting as a luncheon buffet instead of dinner. A jovial group gathered to view trip presentations and socialize with sailing friends. As guests arrived this year s trip leaders offered displays describing our season s events and chatted with eager potential participants over cocktails. Commodore Bob Rainey called the meeting to order with a brief state of the club address and recognition of those who have volunteered throughout the past year. As in the past few years, recognition of exceptional contribution by regular members was Boat US Discount made as well as acknowledgement of those serving in formal volunteer roles. In addition to a thank you and hand shake, each person recognized received a Sailing Club Thirtieth Anniversary t-shirt. Annual Meeting Attendees Door prize drawings alternated with presentations for the trips. Several members won bottles of wine, while others took home gift certificates good toward this season s trips and the Boatique. Every winner also received a Sailing Club Thirtieth Anniversary t-shirt. With the sailing season officially kicked off, reservations were already flowing in for all of the planned trips. If you haven t made your plans yet, you still have time to look into Maine in September or Tilghman Island Day in October. Go to The Sailing Club, Inc. is a group member of BoatUS. The primary advantage of this membership is that it provides a discount for those Club members that may want to join BoatUS for their own purposes. It is a worthy organization with informative newsletters about boat operation and maintenance. There are various levels of membership that provide partial coverage for boat towing and trailer towing. Our group code is: GA82513S You can use this code for your renewal or initial BoatUS membership application. If you have any questions please contact Commodore Bob Rainey, rjraineyjr@aol.com,

7 Virgin Islands (Con nued from page 5) Marakery arrived first and found that there were no moorings available so we all had to scramble to find an anchoring location. Alimata 4 found space by the catamarans with depth gage showing 0 and a 6 foot offset. Marakery found a location and stayed there, while Marisa Too anchored near a 200 foot yacht that started swinging towards it. So the anchor came up to find a new location. After trying two more times, and a heated discussion with a charterer who thought they were too close, Marisa Too finally found a good Anegada sunset are so dependent on being connected even on a trip to get away from it all. Anegada Reef Hotel grilled lobster on the beach place where the anchor held. They had no land protection from the wind, so it was a little bouncy. Winds picked up considerably that night, and Marisa Too saw reading of 35 knots. Saturday Feb. 15. A lay day on the moorings at the Bitter End. Some crew took the resort s shuttle and a taxi to Spanish Town, some went to explore the resort and for a long walk, and others just relaxed. The crew of Alimata 4 (Larry, Kristin, and Dexter) took a snorkel tour to Mosquito Rock. They saw rays and turtles from the boat. Underwater they saw few fish but some nice coral. Outside the reef, Dex encountered a ball of unknown substance. After swiping at it, he got squid s--t (ink) in the face and managed to cloud up the area for everyone. The boat driver could see a yard wide disturbance from the panicked squid. All boats had dinner on board and, since there was nothing going on ashore, a BYOB get together was planned on Marisa Too. After drinks, snacks and solving many World issues, each boat retired for the night. The wind piped up again and it sounded like a freight train was running through the rigging. Good to be on a mooring. Sunday Feb. 16. After breakfast and morning showers ($3 for 4 minutes), we departed en route to Anegada. This is a very low island and totally surrounded by reefs, so care must be taken upon arrival. Winds were twenty-five knots from the East, so with reefed sails we had a lively trip. Alimata 4 s crew decided to go ashore only to find that the town (The Settlement) was five miles away and you needed a taxi to get to the snorkeling. Larry did find out a few factoids population 350, school has grades K 12, goats are exported to Tortola (no goat ribs here), there are a few donkeys (sold to farmers on Tortola). Upon returning to Alimata 4, Larry managed to let the dinghy escape. He swears that Kristin pushed him in to rescue it. One less Sunsail cell phone and a wet wallet later, the dinghy was secured. Kristin s story she suggested to Larry that he should jump in. We had planned to have a lobster dinner ashore, so reservations were made and food orders placed with the Anegada Reef Hotel ( Because of the waves, climbing between the dinghy and the boat was not easy. Moreover, the ride to and from the hotel was somewhat wet, so most people made use of their wind breaker trip memento. Dinner was on the beach. Vivian Wheatley, the manager, arrived on the island from England in 1970 after not finding a hotel management position in her native land. She and her husband have been there ever since (their web site said 1976 but island time is always approximate). There was a discussion about staying two nights to get some great snorkeling in, but someone checked the TripAdvisor website and the reviews were not good. It seems that the reefs have struggled (Con nued on page 8) 7

8 Virgin Islands (Con nued from page 7) over the last twenty years. It was decided to leave for Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke for good snorkeling in adjacent White Bay. Monday Feb. 17. Anchor up at 9:00 a.m. Alimata 4 was stuck on the bottom five minutes later. Jack managed to wiggle them off (in front of an unhappy Sunsail skipper on the next boat over). They contacted Sunsail via Larry s cell (having soaked the Sunsail phone). water. They went back to the mooring and with the crew from Marisa Too, took a taxi ride to White Bay and The Soggy Dollar. Marakery s crew took their dinghy around Pull and Be Damned Point (honest, Larry checked the cruising guide) instead of going by land. The west side of White Bay promised to be best, but some were discouraged by what appeared to be rough water there. Dex and Kristin did snorkel there and found the swells to be no problem. Gertrude s was recommended by Bruce s taxi driver and it did not disappoint. Larry and crew spent hours there and signed the ceiling with our website and date. Hopefully we get some response to this White Bay, Jost Van Dyke Great snorkeling at The Indians They encouraged someone to dive and check out the bottom at their earliest convenience. The cabin sole was dry, no panic. Winds were at twelve to fifteen knots from North of East, so we all started running or broad reaching. After an hour the wind slowed to five knots, so engines were started. Ten to fifteen minutes later the wind pickup again to fifteen knots so engines were turned off. We had a real nice broad reach sail to Great Harbor where a slow jibe took us directly into the bay. Marisa Too arrived first and picked up a Foxy s mooring. Since it was a Monday, there were many available moorings. Alimata 4 and Marakery arrived shortly thereafter and also picked up moorings. Plans were made to go snorkeling on White Bay the next day via taxi. Dinner was on board. Afterwards, the crew of Marisa Too and Marakery took their dinghy to the world famous Foxy s, where music was being played by a DJ. They proceeded to drink and dance the night away. The return to boats was uneventful and sleep came quickly. advertising. Crew of Marisa Too, Carol and Karen, had arrived by taxi with Bruce, their first mate. They went snorkeling while Bruce hung out with Alimata 4 s crew at Gertrude s. The Alimata 4 crew left him snoozing next to the bar and took a taxi back to Foxy s. Carol and Karen came back, could not find Bruce, and returned to Foxy s sans Bruce. When they realized Bruce was not back, they called Gertude s and Olga (barmaid extraordinaire) woke him up. His crew refused a ride back with Alimata 4 s dinghy and decided to wait at Foxy s for him (he had the dinghy key). All boats dined aboard. During dinner, a ship from WindStar cruise line, Wind Surf, arrived and lit up the bay. Crews from Marisa Too and Marakery returned to Foxy s for more dancing. Sadly, the place was crowded with passengers from the cruise ship and the music was not as good as the night before. After an hour or so, they decided to go back to the boats. That night, we experienced some squalls with heavy winds and rain. Again, glad to be on moorings. Tuesday Feb. 18. After breakfast, Alimata 4 dropped the mooring before 9:00 a.m. and moved to the dock to purchase fifty gallons of (Con nued on page 9) 8

9 On Water Training For ten ambitious trainees the second weekend in July was an opportunity to do things they rarely have a chance to try. The OWT class of 2014 was divided into two crews, each with a skipper/ trainer. Two certified first mates were there as a refresher, and the rest of the trainees were crew who brought various levels of sailing skills, strengths, and weaknesses. Trainers Bob Rainey and Mia McCroskey focused on each crew member s existing skills in order to challenge him or her without raising the bar beyond reach. The first mates and experienced sailors were given the helm for actual docking a task usually assumed by the skipper. Every crew member got to practice docking alongside, using the other boat at anchor as the dock. This exercise culminated in a practice raft-up for lunch. Everyone also learned to motor backwards, and turn the boat in a tight circle backwards. The sails were raised both days of the weekend. Crews rotated through handling each of the jib sheets, the main, and the helm, practicing tack after tack and, on Saturday when the wind was light, gybe after gybe. On Sunday both boats tried a man overboard while Kim practices touch-n -go docking under jib. This was only moderately successful and both skippers were glad they hadn t accepted one first mate s offer to be the victim only life jackets got run over. Thanks to this year s trainees, who were focused, asked good questions, and who all demonstrated new skills over the course of the weekend. Virgin Islands (Con nued from page 8) Wednesday Feb. 19. Our last day of sailing, we decided to stop at the Indians off Norman Island for some snorkeling. Winds were blowing twenty-five to thirty knots from the East, so boats deeply reefed their sails. Alimata 4 and Marakery decided to motor sail to make the cut between West End Tortola and Great Thatch Island, while Marisa Too sailed leaving Great Thatch Island to port. After making the turn into St. Francis Drake Channel, Marisa Too was smacked with the wind on its face and three- to five-foot waves. So it was time to motor sail while tacking up the channel. Marakery arrived at the Indians and picked up a mooring. Moorings were in short supply and really close to the rough rocks. Alimata 4 managed to pick the last one on the southern end after the third try. It was more than a little unnerving to bring the boat so close to the rocks. Marisa Too arrived shortly after and was lucky to find a recently vacated mooring close to the snorkeling area. All boats proceeded to snorkel the area, which was deemed to be the best snorkeling of the entire trip. After lunch, we all set sail for our last leg of the trip to Road Town, Tortola and the Sunsail Marina. Winds were still strong and the sailing was great. Back at the marina crew proceeded to pack, clean, and clear the boats in preparation for early departure the next day. Some ate ashore, while others had must go provisions. After dinner, we had an impromptu get together on Marakery, where there was some trading beer for rum. As usual, some boats had quite a bit of food and other stuff left over. The crew of Marakery ventured into Road Town for dinner at a small restaurant called Le Grande. The menu was simple, the food was superb and the saxophone player completed the dining experience! Thursday Feb. 20. The final morning found most of the crews taking early taxis for a 10:00 a.m. ferry departure from Tortola to St. Thomas for the flight home. Others waited for a later departure for a flight to San Juan. All in all, it was a nice trip, and from feedback received, most had a good time. All participants substantially contributed to the success of the trip, but special kudos go to Bob Rainey, Larry Sherwood, Bruce Gollob, Jack Buckley, and Don Schlenger for the work as skippers and first mates and their attention to the safety of the crews. We think that trip leader, Julio Menendez was too modest with the last kudos so we want to thank Julio for an enjoyable trip while the Northeast USA received 14 inches of snow! 9

10 C/O Mia McCroskey 19 Manor House Drive, K12 Dobbs Ferry, NY S A I L I N G E V E N T S Date Event June Chesapeake Bay: Summer Solstice Cruise July On the Water Training September 6-13 Maine October Chesapeake Bay: Tilghman Island Day February 2015 St. Martin, St. Kitts, Nevis, Statia Photographers in this issue: Thanks to Mia McCroskey, Julio Menendez, Bob Rainey, Jeff Fournier