From the Commodore Slate for 2011

Transcription

1 BLACKBEARD SAILING CLUB Upper Broad Creek On The Neuse PO Box 1543, New Bern, NC Volume 38, Number 9 COMMODORE Lu-Ann Perryman \ VICE-COMMODORE Dave Whitney SECRETARY Jan Green TREASURER Suzie Williamson DIRECTORS Ken Laws Doug Longhini Tom Wynn George Nauman Bill Drechsler Janet Harrison DOCKMASTER Pete Moore DINGHY & DRY STORAGE Ted Clark (Dry Storage & Woods) John Stokes (Dinghies) EDITORS Bill Green George Myers bscepitaph@yahoo.com bscdirectory@gmail.com ALL THE NEWS THAT S IN THE WINDS (252) From the Commodore Slate for 2011 On Saturday, September 11, the Blackbeard Sailing Club held its annual nominations meeting in conjunction with the first social dinner of the fall. Nominations to the slate were added from the floor to both officer and board positions. The full slate for your consideration is posted in this issue of the Epitaph. Look in the October issue of the Epitaph for candidate introductions and their belief why you should vote for them. The Club s future is in each vote cast. Please participate by marking and returning your ballots. The September board meeting was held Friday, September 10. The board took the following actions: Approval of Live Aboard status for Jimmy Sellers effective July 1, 2010;Junior Sailing: Approval of request for BSC sanctioning of offsite Junior Sailing event at Mumfest; Approval of Club supplied t-shirts for the Junior Sailors; Approval of proposals to address the infield drainage problems and improvements to A dock. The board discussed the following: Meter testing to determine if meter lights are running through the meter counter the test has been operational for two weeks on meters at the end of A dock. The meters were read and locked for the test. The lights are operational at night on the test meters. To date, the reading has not changed. The test will continue for at least two more weeks. This brings up a very important safety issue. If your meter s light is not operating at night please notify a Board member so it can be changed. If you have removed the light for fear you may be paying for electricity to operate the light, please put the light back. This endangers everyone on the docks and should not occur. The board has received the Easement Agreement for the future waste water hook up to Fairfield Harbor. The Commodore will execute the documents for recording. The October 1 board meeting has been changed to OCTOBER 15, the night before the Fall Workday. Lu-Ann Perryman Officers In alphabetical order Commodore Susanne Pendleton 1 year position Dave Whitney Vice Commodore Jim Sellers 1 year position Dave Watrous Treasurer Ken Gurganus 1 year position Jerry Harwood Board of Directors Bill Braun 2 year positions Mike Flanagan Vote for 2 Janet Harrison David Pfefferkorn Bill Talbert First Aid for Boaters Fairfield Harbour Yacht Club extends an invitation to members of Blackbeard Sailing Club to attend their program on first aid for boaters, Friday, October 15th, am. The program will be presented by Kathie King, MD. The date is the day before our upcoming Work Day and new member orientation. The program will be at the Fairfield Harbour Community Center, adjacent to the firehouse on Broad Creek Road. I would like to know if you plan to attend, so we can have a better idea of how many people to expect. You can send an to me, at bobkatf@suddenlink.net, or call me at Also, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Bob Fortenbaugh

2 % of Total Electric Bill % of Total Electric Bill Page 2 Why Did We Spend All This Money on These Electric Meters, Anyway? The question above is a good one and I appreciate the question because, as a nonprofit executive for more than 25 years, it is appropriately challenging to a nonprofit board. Since I wasn t a member of the board at the time the decision to install meters was made, I think I can say the BSC board s decision on this subject reflects a non-profit board at its best. How so? The board heard concerns from members about the size of the club s electric bill and the fairness of how the bill was being paid. The board considered the situation, explored the alternatives, presented a plan to members, and implemented a solution that has addressed the issue. This was the situation as I understand it before meters were installed. There was no way to determine how much electricity each wet slip holder was using. BSC paid Tidewater Electric a total of approximately $11,000 in 2007, and the club s electric bill had grown to $12,400 by The dock portion of the bill was estimated to be $9,250 by 2009, although the amount isn t precise because some of the dock electric charges were combined with the clubhouse and other club facilities. The club recouped only $2,250 each year from wet slip renters through a fixed electric fee, and the remaining $7,000 electric bill for the docks was paid for by Blackbeard s Epitaph Published Monthly Editorial Deadline - the 11th of each Month Editors: George Myers & Bill Green Hardcopy Distribution: Jan Green Photography: Judy Hills Contributor: Susanne Pendleton Proof Reading: Christina Riley Articles - to bscepitaph@yahoo.com Address Changes - to bscdirectory@gmail.com the membership at large. One solution the board considered was simply to increase the electric charges to all wet slip holders, but a significant number of wet slip holders claimed to use no (or almost no) electricity and objected to paying more. To address that issue, the board investigated meters and found the cost to purchase and install the meters would be about $7,000. Although that represented a significant investment, it was the only way to stop the socialized approach to paying a growing electric bill, and also free up money from the general fund to support the needs of the club overall. With the assistance of Julie Burbank, our bookkeeper, and Harrison Marks, a member of the finance committee, I have analyzed the data on dock electric use for the first two quarters of The two charts attached to this article will provide a picture of the situation and, I believe, validate the board s decision. Looking at the graphs you will see the total amount of electricity billed was much greater in first quarter, $3,566, vs $1,220 in the second quarter, which is weather related. The dollar range brackets are on the bottom row on each graph. Figure 1 & 2 begin with the ranges $0, <$5, $5<$10, etc. The first quarter has seven ranges and the second quarter has six ranges, but the distribution characteristics of individuals within the brackets remain very similar for both quarters. The bottom line is that in the first quarter, 22 individuals were in the two highest rangesand accounted for 64% of the total dock electric expense, Figure 1 First Quarter % 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% 0.0% Figure 2 Second Quarter % 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% and 45 members accounted for 86% of the usage. In the second quarter, 19 individuals in the two highest ranges $25<$50 and $50<$100, accounted for 58% of the total dock electric expense, and 38 members accounted for 83% of the usage. Approximately 35 slip holders in both quarters used no electricity and had a bill of $0. With electric meters in place, BSC members now have an infrastructure, which allows them to use electricity as they see fit to meet their needs without placing a burden on other members. Each member is sharing cost in proportion to use. The data supports that the electric meter project has proven fiscally responsible for the membership as a whole, and has established a fairer system for sharing costs. Suzie Williamson 1st Quarter Electric Bill - $3, % 2.6% 9.9% 23.1% 31.2% Treasurer 32.3% $0 <$5 $5<10 $10<25 $25<50 $50<100 $100< % # of Wet Slip Holders within billing range 2nd Quarter Electric Bill - Total $1, % 9.9% 25.6% 48.1% % $0 <$5 $5<10 $10<25 $25<50 $50<100 # of Wet Slip Holders within billing range

3 Winds Spur Spin Wins Except for a brief starting windward leg in Broad Creek and a one-mile reach near Oriental, Labor Day weekend was ideal for the spinnaker fleet. In fact, in the Michelob Cup on Sunday, spinnakers were all that were needed from start to finish a 20-mile run! And predictably, spinnaker boats took the honors. In Saturday s Oar Race, after a short windward leg, the fleet ran before the wind in rather light air. Boats tended to sail either the north (north seemed a little better) or south shore going to Minnesott, but a lot of gibing was required to keep up boat speed. On Compass Rose we gibed the chute at least 15 times to keep moving. Past the ferry, it was pretty much a straight shot to Adams Creek, where we rounded and jib reached to Oriental #1. At 4 6 hours, it was not a quick race. Several boats in non-spin and cruising dropped out in order to make the steak and shrimp dinner in Oriental. Ed Doughty and Chris Moorman (and crew) sailed their first race in the beautifully refurbished Santa Cruz 27 Super Bueno using sails that may have been original on that 1976 boat. The first four spin boats finished within four minutes of each other. Tight after that distance and time. In non-spin, another vintage boat new to the area won the class in the Oar Race a 1970 Sparkman & Stephens Dolphin 24. We hope to see more of this boat. In the cruising class, Arch Altman in Julie was first and Dave Watrous was third in his Catalina 34 Ocean Road. Sunday the wind switched from Saturday s NW to ESE, so we hoisted the spinnaker before the pursuit start in very light air. By the time the last and fastest boat started, we were only a quarter mile down the course, so when the wind slowly filled in, the early starters were easily overtaken. Lee King s newto-him Sabre 38 Cloud Nine was among the stalkers and took first in nonspinnaker. Super Bueno was third in the spinnaker class. Eddy Parker in Brown Eyed Girl was fifth in spinnaker as Blackbeard s second-best finish in that class. Arch Altman s Julie was first in the cruising class by more than 30 minutes. It s great to have the Michelob Cup back on the schedule, and with 26 boats entered, it should be a feature again next year. October, November & December Racing Events October 2 is the Neuse Solo Race in Oriental. This is an area favorite despite the fact that the skipper has no one to blame for the boat s mistakes except himself. The logistics are certainly simple enough. Single-handers Water Phantom just after passing Compass Rose (Zahradka photo) Page 3 of all boats of the PHRF classparticipate. There is one race about ten miles, with a relaxed pursuit start. Jib and main only. Race HQ is the Whittaker Pointe Marina, which is lovely and has slip availability. See for the NOR and registration form, or contact Bill Kirsch at October 30 is the Halloween Regatta, a.k.a. the first of the Winter Series races. Remaining dates are November 13, December 4 & 18, and January 8 & 22. We expect to have some fresh racers from the Labor Day races in the non-spin and cruising classes, which have grown in recent years. Mark Brennesholtz "Chris and Michelle Moorman with Ed Doughty at the tiller aboard Super Bueno, their newly restored Santa Cruz 27 (Zahradka photo)" One Design Regatta Photos here and elsewhere in this issue - Judy Hills

4 Page 4 Junior Sailing Program There are 14 kids that have sailed with us not counting the guests at the BSC Regatta; the regulars are Joshua LeRay (new BSC member), Cora Talbert, and Emily, Trevor, & Katie Bornarth. At the beginning of our sessions, Katie & Trevor could already steer & handle a sheet, so they set a high standard for the others. We have studied the parts of a sailboat, the funny names and functions. The Optimist Pram has some parts that are unique, and doesn't have some other parts that are standard on most boats. So we add to the land-lessons by walking the docks & playing 'name that part.' We've also studied the how the wind occurs, it's patterns, and a little bit about the weather. All the regular kids now understand the sea breeze and recognize it when it comes in! On the water, we have several practice exercises on sailing to windward, tight maneuvering, tacking & gybing, and the ever-popular Right-Of-Way rules. The great thing about these exercises is that they focus on learning & practice one particular skill, so the students are learning in a systematic way rather than just a scattershot of doing everything at once Photos for collage by Judy Hills Now that we have worked on the basic skills, we have several games. The most popular one so far is a kind of "boat basketball" where everybody has a ball (literally!) and the boat is the basket. It's a challenge for all skills & all levels of ability, and it's HUGE fun. Volunteers are Arch Altman, Bill Talbert, and Archer Watkins. Michelle Moorman also coached during the BSC Regatta. Alan Hills is helping to fix up the Optis (which we acquired very cheap, and you know what that means). I think all the volunteers are having a lot of fun, I know I am! Doug King

5 Page 5 October 2, 2010 Blackbeard s Sailing Club October Potluck & Social FUN, FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN,FUN 3:00-5:00PM: Open Hatch Dock Crawl Show your boat off, and learn new ideas from fellow members! Each dock will have 45 minutes to host interested members, then we will rotate to the next dock. Treats or beverages are optional for each owner to provide Clean your boat off and join in the fun! Call Leigh Pfefferkorn at (252) to register your boat. (You don t have to open your boat to participate, but it is strongly encouraged.) 5:30 PM: Social at Clubhouse Appetizers & Hors d oeuvres 6:00 PM: Potluck Dinner 7:30 PM: Outdoor Movie Captain Ron Climb aboard for the funniest high-seas adventure in years! A must see for all sailors of all ages! Bring your chairs and coolers. Popcorn will be provided. Special Initiation for first time viewers! NOTE: In case of bad weather/bugs, movie will be shown indoors.

6 Page 6 New Member Orientation in August Blackbeard Sailing Club welcomed five new members to our club on August 14, just prior to the Annual Shrimp-A- Roo. Led by our Membership Chairman Ken Caviston and his committee, all those attending received their new member packets, which contained a member directory, BSC license plate, and a copy of the current bylaws and other club documents. The group was taken on a complete tour of the facilities, interspersed with some stories of our club s history. Our dockmaster thoroughly reviewed the dock policy and answered new members questions. The new members were encouraged to get involved right away by signing up for a committee. When you see a new member or an unfamiliar face at the club, please introduce yourself! Laura and Doug Brauninger Rita Brodegard & Brett Parkhurst Cole and Tracy Hankins Mary Ann & Jeremy LeRay Robert Buddy Stallings III Susanne Pendleton Hurricane Earl Taxi Boat Report: Hurricane Earl certainly gave us a reason to sit up and pay attention. It could have gone either way, as some computer models had it coming quite close to our coast, which could have resulted in very high water at BSC and strong 60 to 70 knot winds in the creek. So, just what was Earl to BSC? A very good chance for a dry run for much worse storms that will hit us. I was able to test my largest Danforth and its companion Bruce anchor and was pleased with their ability to hold, as evidenced by the struggle getting both of them back up on Saturday. Our most valuable assets are our docks and the only way to protect them during a hurricane is to empty them of boats. Past experience has proven that heavy boats can and will snap off pilings, damage docks and other boats at will during heavy hurricane conditions. For the protection of our facilities boats must be removed. Without any powerboats owned by the club, we fully depend on the volunteer powerboats of our members to assist in anchoring out. Stepping up to assist, Ted Clark, Scott Wade, Mike Bonner, Doug Longhini, Ken Gurganus, and a number of smaller inflatable dinghies did a yeomen s job on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A number of members discovered at the last minute engines wouldn t start, or props were fouled with barnacles, not allowing them to leave the dock without assistance. We towed a number of boats out into the creek. This is not the best way to anchor a boat, as it s hard to really set the anchors without some way to back down on the anchors. If not already done, make sure your boat is capable of moving itself in any conditions. A properly prepared boat and anchor system is much easier to deploy in times of need, and a lot easier on the volunteer taxi boats. Take the time to make sure your boat is ready for the next one, as it may already be on its way. For the Taxi Boat Fleet Ken Gurganus Use One Put One Back The freezer that sets just outside the men s restroom is something that I use a lot. You put a jug of water in and let it freeze and you have ice for your cooler. The next day you swap it out and you still have ice for your cooler. Over the past year there have been several times that I could not find a jug with my name on it, so I borrowed one from someone else and then put it back. The other day I went to change out my ice bottles, the top 4 inches were frosted over and the frost was curled around the opening. Upon careful examination, I realized that the lid would not close because the freezer was too full of helter skelter bottles tossed in. So I decided to defrost and organize the freezer. Bottles that were split, cracked or missing lids were put discarded. Several members stepped forward and helped with the throw away effort. At the end of the day the freezer was turned back on and the bottom was covered with free standing bottles ready for your ice chest. Through this process, many club members made observations and suggestions. As a result here are some suggested freezer guidelines: Freezer is for water ice only Put bottles of water in without names. Use sturdy plastic bottles with screw on lids (Juice, Gatorade, and Soda bottles work best) Use gallon size or smaller. Use what is in there now as a base. Keep the freezer less than 2/3 full. When you use one, put one back I have made a chart of Freezer Guidelines and will post them just above the freezer. I would appreciate any suggestions for improvement. Call me: , o r E - m a i l m e : j a - net@strategiesinaction.com, or meet with me Saturday morning, October 2 nd, 2010, at 9:00 A.M. in the clubhouse. Janet Harrison

7 Blackbeard One Design Regatta This year s edition of our One Design Regatta must have set a record for the smaller boats at BSC. Looking out over the parking lot early on that Saturday morning, I counted maybe a dozen boats or so. But that was at 9:00 AM. By 10:30 AM, it was hard to walk across the parking lot without running into a boat & trailer. What a sight it was, as our club came alive with eager sailors putting together their boats for some fun on the water. Totaling up the boat count, the number of boats racing in the river reached 44. Add the 7 Optis that raced in the creek and we hit the 51-count mark of small boats. That s 12 Flying Scots, 12 San Juan 21s, 6 Sr. Sunfish, 7 Jr. Sunfish, & 7 Tanzer 16s, for the two-day Regatta on the river. Adding that to the 7 Optis that raced in the creek just off the end of C dock and it made for a huge fleet of One Designs. I was delightfully surprised at the number of Jr. Sunfish that registered. At the skippers meeting I asked that all the Jr. Sunfish Skippers meet with me briefly after the meeting as I needed to know what level of sailing they were at. After meeting them and their parents, they all wanted to race with the big guys out on the river with the Sr. Sunfish. Not only that, but some of them showed a Sr. or two how it s done. What a great group of young sailors. On Sunday morning during the last race, one young girl overturned near the windward mark. Quickly racing to her assistance, we stood by as she righted her craft twice before getting it under control. As she climbed back on board and got herself together, I asked if she was going in now. NO! she replied. I m still racing! And away she went, hopelessly in very last place, but determined to finish at all costs. What a great attitude. Out in the River, looking back up the creek as the fleet came out on Saturday, it almost seemed that you could just about walk across the creek on small boats and not get your feet wet. What a sight it was! The racing the first day gave them every type of racing there was. Starting off with little of no wind, the fleet took 45 minutes to get out to the start line. As the wind slowly came up, shifted around, settled for a while, gave up a cooling quick shower, PRO Bill Jarvis, got a race started at the scheduled time. With a light but steady breeze the first race was completed. Then, the next start had to be blown off with 15 seconds to go, as a 40-degree shift to the right remained solid. Resetting the marks to the shift the second race went off with a steady building wind. Then back to the dock to cool off and get ready for the catered meal by Moore s BBQ. Serving over 90 meals, Moore s handled the affair with their usual expertise. What a meal! After the Saturday evening meal, Doug King assembled everyone upstairs on the upper deck for the awards for the one day Opti Regatta race in the creek. An outstanding group of young Opti sailors accepted the awards and enthusiastic applause of the members and guests on the deck. This is the future of our sailing club, our youth. The Sunday racing on the river was with fair, steady wind as Bill Jarvis was able to get in 2 good races in the time allowed. I d like to thank all the members of the Race Committee for an outstanding job both days. Bill Jarvis as PRO making the tough decisions, Mike Foster calling the line on starts and finishes, Bill Drechsler assisting everywhere, Wayne Freeman on flags and scoring along with Carol Farmhan. Richard Schot and Conner Atkinson on the Mark boats, moving marks and watching over the fleet for any boats in trouble. You couldn t have asked for a better crew than this bunch. Scoring Tanzer Class: Peter Thorn, Arch Altman, Paul Manis Flying Scott Class: Joe Brake, Breit Creelman, Charlie Buckner SJ 21 White Sails: Hans Lassen, Margaret Alexander, Doug Longhini SJ 21Spinnaker Class: Dan Bornath, Mike Evans, Tinka Talbert Page 7 Senior Sunfish Class: Ebele, Reiner Zeppenfield, George Sechrist Junior Sunfish Class: Levi Kremar, Kara Wheeler, Nicole Edwards Ken Gurganus

8 Page 8 Blackbeard One Design Regatta (Photos by Judy Hills)

9 Page 9 Another Successful Shrimp-A-Roo! Member Larry Basden with his crew of cooks gathered in the picnic shelter with their equipment and seasoning to cook up some delicious shrimp for our annual event, held on Saturday, August 14. For several years now, Larry has taken the role of master chef at BSC for many a Work Day meal and Shrimp-ARoo. This year, it was evident he was preparing to pass the spatula to next year s Head Shrimp Cooks, Billy Starr and Mike Kirkman. They delivered in a big way. George Nauman, Tom & Ollie Foster, and Arnold & Wendy Giles coordinated the raft-up in Upper Broad Creek. Eighteen boats were rafted together using a new anchoring method this year for added security and safety. Three boats set their anchors with space in between for other Collage Photos - Archer Watkins and Susanne Pendleton boats to tie up in between them. And Mother Nature cooperated with superb weather for the raft-up. Eroica found her place near the center of the raft-up and served as honorary shrimp boat. Members trekked over and around the rafted boats to get their shrimp booty. The sharing spirit and fellowship of this gathering continually make it a don t miss event on members calendars each year! Susanne Pendleton

10 Blackbeard Sailing Club PO Box 1543 New Bern, NC Page 10 BSC Schedule for 2010 Board Meeting, 7:30 PM Covered Dish Social* MUMFEST Fall Work Day & New Member Orienta- October 1, 2010 October 2, 2010 October 9, 2010 October 16, 2010 tion November 5, 2010 November 6, 2010 November 6, 2010 November 20, 2010 November 25, 2010 Board Meeting, 7:30 PM Christmas Flotilla Covered Dish Social* New Years Eve Party (informal get- December 3, 2010 December 11, 2010 December 11, 2010 December 31, 2010 together) Board Meeting, 7:30 PM Annual meeting, 3:00 PM Covered Dish Social* Turkey Trot Regatta THANKSGIVING BSC September Social As our happy hour neared an end, we discovered more tables were needed for dinner. There were 90 or so members and guests who enjoyed the dinner. I wish to thank those who contacted me in advance letting me know they would be available to help set-up and clean-up for the social and dinner. Mike Penny, Elizabeth Schott, Archer & Sherri Watkins, Arnold & Wendy Giles, Jan Green, Joni Floyd, Clare Troutmann and Audrey Von Dolln helped out. As usual the membership set the tables and chairs away. Club social activities on Oct. 2nd include boat tours. George Nauman January 1, 2011 January 7, 2011 January 15, th Annual Fred Latham Regatta Board Meeting, 7:30 PM Installation, Awards & Dinner/Dance * Socials begin at 5:30 pm / Dinner served at 6:30 pm Dates & Events are Subject to Change Deadline for the Epitaph is the 11 th of each month