Featured Trip: Spring 2008 Caribbean Cruise

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Page 2 Featured Trip: Spring 2008 Caribbean Cruise Ready for some fabulous weather, steady winds, pristine water, great snorkeling and diving, open water sailing, quaint local restaurants on the

Antigua and Barbuda have become one of the premier cruising areas in the Caribbean, with the famous Antigua Race Week held every year in April (the week after we will be there) attracting thousands

You can sail each day for two hours or eight to a new location, then enjoy swimming or other water sports after anchoring in unspoiled bays that you thought only existed on postcards.

1 The Official Newsletter of The Sailing Club, Inc. Volume 16 Number 2 Summer 2007 Antuiga Ahoy! The tropics are calling. We ve got your chance to answer in April Page 1 Memorial Day Weekend Trip leader Bob Lipman shares his thoughts as a successful journey unfolds. Page 3 Cruising Memories Larry Sherwood s tale of a first-time charter adventure. Page 2 Featured Trip: Spring 2008 Caribbean Cruise Ready for some fabulous weather, steady winds, pristine water, great snorkeling and diving, open water sailing, quaint local restaurants on the beach, good company, and great boats? Antigua and Barbuda have become one of the premier cruising areas in the Caribbean, with the famous Antigua Race Week held every year in April (the week after we will be there) attracting thousands of sailors to the island. Why? Because it offers the perfect combination of good sailing and fantastic activities. You can sail each day for two hours or eight to a new location, then enjoy swimming or other water sports after anchoring in unspoiled bays that you thought only existed on postcards. Maybe dinghy ashore and walk across the sand to the perfect sunning spot, or rent a horse for an hour s ride across the sand, or visit a beach bars. We ll sail about 150 nautical miles around Antigua and up to Barbuda over nine days. The passage to and from Barbuda will be across the open Caribben with average fifteen to twenty knots of wind. Sailing doesn t get much better than that. We have reserved two 47s and a 43 from Sunsail Charters, based in English Harbor, Antigua. Antuiga and Barbuda: a perfect sailing destination. The trip starts with a pre-board on Thursday, April 10 allowing for boat checkout and mid-day departure to nearby Nonsuch Bay on Friday. We plan to do partial provisioning from the charter firm to simplify the food shopping and allow for some meals ashore. Other than a mid-trip stop at Jolly Harbor Marina for hot showers and any supplies we may need, we will be anchoring most nights. The trip ends at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 20th. The price is $1,225 plus airfare and incidentals. Visit for details. 1

2 2 Butterflies and the First Charter (1996) by Larry Sherwood As we rolled the jib a few turns and put the first reef in the main, I wondered how I got here and the path I took.. I had time to reflect. We were on about the tenth tack in the lee of Frenchman s Cay and had not yet felt the twenty-plus knot winds and four foot seas waiting for us in the Sir Francis Drake Channel. I was on my first bareboat charter, my first time as skipper on the largest sloop I had yet sailed, a Moorings 405. I was also responsible for a mostly inexperienced crew and about to enter a minor tropical depression, another new experience for me. Two summers as crew day sailing on Windbairne, a Tartan 34 owned by June Bryson out of Keyport, and one summer racing on Zelda, a C&C 35 owned by Terry and Marie Blackburn from the Raritan Yacht Club had given me a love of sailing sloops and a desire to learn more. Offshore Sailing School in Jersey City had given me the fundamentals I had skipped while learning on the job and The Sailing Club had given me the opportunity I craved. As a second year member of the club, I had sailed with two skippers. John Sefcheck impressed me with his attention to detail. Peter Pizzi amazed me with his coolness and clear thinking under pressure. It was between these two trips that my wife Patty and I went to Sail Expo in Atlantic City with the intent of scheduling a bareboat charter with The Moorings. Our destination would be Tortola, British Virgin Islands. We selected the Moorings version of Beneteau s Oceanis 400. It was only six feet longer than Offshore s Hunter 336 and therefore was less intimidating than the Moorings 445. To prevent cold feet, I needed to sign on crew quickly. Patty had a love of sailing but little practical crew experience. I selected Sandy Grant as first mate. She had some formal training and extensive experience day sailing on Windbairne. She also had crew experience on a Mediterranean charter. The crew was rounded out with Charlie and Wilma Shibla, long time friends with day sailing experience and Sandy s daughter Jennifer, a 22-year-old with no sailing experience. The crew was set and enthusiastic. The payments began and backing out would be embarrassing and a blow to my self-esteem. This was just the incentive I needed. For months before the August trip, I would sometimes wake in the middle of the night thinking about the responsibility and imagining all different scenarios. The turning point was the practical part of The Jeanne s Rum Punch recipe. continued on page 4 The Official Newsletter of The Sailing Club, Inc. 19 Manor House Drive, Dobbs Ferry, New York Mia McCroskey, Editor The Sailing Club Board Officers Commodore Larry Sherwood Vice-Commodore Jeff Hamer Membership Secretary Mary Ann Gordon Treasurer Cecilia Sweeney Charter Liaison Jon Stufflebeem Past Commodore Steve Krakauer Members at Large John Foord, Bruce Gollob, Joel Mack, Clara Matejka, Mia McCroskey, Lillian Parsons, Theresa Petras, Doal Sanderson Please send all newsletter submissions to: Mia McCroskey 19 Manor House Drive K12, Dobbs Ferry, NY news@thesailingclub.org

Memorial Day Weekend 2007: The Inner Thoughts of a Sailing Club Trip Leader by Bob Lipman I must be nuts to run a trip whose theme is: A Rejuvenation of Mind, Body and Spirit.

Will the concept be a flop a trip for woosies as another skipper had suggested or are some of our members looking for something other than party party party on a sailing trip?

They checked out our boats for an early morning Saturday start of a busy holiday weekend. Everyone was notified that the Yoga session would begin promptly at 8 a.m. the Mimi, Bob, and Tom doing chair yoga.

3 Memorial Day Weekend 2007: The Inner Thoughts of a Sailing Club Trip Leader by Bob Lipman I must be nuts to run a trip whose theme is: A Rejuvenation of Mind, Body and Spirit. It wasn t even my idea or vision it was Mimi s! I am definitely in some uncharted waters here. Will the concept be a flop a trip for woosies as another skipper had suggested or are some of our members looking for something other than party party party on a sailing trip? With a few last minute sign ups and no wait list the trip ran with three boats full as planned. Skippers and some crew arrived mid-day on Friday at the Port Annapolis Marina on Back Creek. They checked out our boats for an early morning Saturday start of a busy holiday weekend. Everyone was notified that the Yoga session would begin promptly at 8 a.m. the Mimi, Bob, and Tom doing chair yoga. next morning. The marina had the perfect venue for the class: an open air pavilion and lawn on a hill overlooking the harbor. Our instructor, Kathy Pincoffs from nearby Edgewater, arrived at 7:30 with colored Yoga mats for everyone. There were a few sleepy heads, however they arrived after being beckoned by the trip leader who promised a Yoga mat with their name on it and a cup of coffee next to it! After checking with Kathy to make sure that the local paramedics had been put on stand by, the session began. For an hour we stretched, meditated and relaxed as the morning sun warmed the area, birds conversed, and the mild breeze tickled the branches of trees above us. There is a certain amount of stress associated continued on page 4 Red White and Blue and Buffett Too Havre de Grace, Bodkin Creek, Georgetown on the Sassafras JULY 28-30, 2007 $340 Jeff Hamer, jhamer@njn.org, jhamer2@verizon.net 3

4 continued from page 3 continued from page 2 Butterflies 4 Inner Thoughts Sailing Club s Skipper and First Mate Refresher Course. Thanks to Jim Nixon and Jere Shank, my instructors over the two days, my confidence level soared. I no longer feared the dock. Back to reality and The Sir Francis Drake Channel. Rain squalls and wind gusts greeted us as we cleared Frenchmans Cay. Whisper II responded beautifully with Jennifer at the helm. Two days of sailing prior to the onset of this tropical depression had given both Jennifer and Patty the needed experience and had boosted their confidence level. I found myself thriving on their excitement. Eight days on Whisper II gave us memories that will last a lifetime. Clear skies with shooting stars, the Milky Way, sunsets and sunrises, snorkeling, feeding the remoras, dinghy trips, interrupted sleep at anchor, rain through the hatches waking us up, Spanish Town, Bitter End Yacht Club, Nippy the traveling salesman in Little Harbor on Yost Van Dyke, and more. Whisper II also gave me my next First Mate Patty. with getting away on a sailing trip and these relaxing few minutes of Yoga helped set a less frenzied pace for the day. Other trip leaders might consider an early morning event for everyone on the first day. All boats were out of their slips before 10:00 a.m., enroute to Shaw Bay on the Wye River. I need to arrive at the anchorage as early as possible to secure a spot for our raft. I f I arrive late, there may be no room at the inn, this being a holiday weekend. We could anchor separately, but without a raft how can we have an hors douvre s party or for that matter share our spiritual selves? Saturday proved to be a hot summer day with little or no wind, so we motored. It was amusing to motor through a large regatta just outside of Annapolis all those sails all going nowhere! Trip Leader and Skipper, Bob Lipman arrived at the anchorage by 3 p.m. Shaw Bay is a half mile wide and there was plenty of room. After putting out 110 feet of nylon anchor rode and making several attempts, Lipman s boat was unable to set their plow anchor in 18 of water. Skippers Tom Davies and Ray Gray arrived by 3:30 and with all chain rodes were both able to set their anchors. By 5 p.m. most of the crews were enjoying swimming off the three-boat raft in the sweet, brackish waters of the Wye River perfect temperature! It was decided that the food would be served by 6:30. One dish that was very well received was Mia McCroskey s artichoke and crab meat pizza. The mystery of how to cook a pizza on a sailboat was not disclosed! I had asked everyone to bring a poem, a prayer or a story to share during the evening something that moved the human spirit in each of us. How am I going to pull this off? It s getting dark out you won t be able to read. To make matters worse, the mood of the raft is all wrong. On my boat they are reciting there once was a man limericks (man from Nantucket, Monclair, etc.). Ray Gray s boat had a door in the head that wouldn t latch and it banged against the faucet, draining its water tank (it was, literally, a Polish built boat). They were trying to figure out what to do with all their dirty dishes. I am going to have to innovate here. By 9:30 everyone was fairly tired. The Trip Warm Up to Leader went to each boat with an Historic announcement, there would be no Baltimore poetry reading this evening, however next morning at 10 a.m., he would continued on page 5 Frostbite 2007 Rock Hall Rock Creek Baltimore October 27-29, 2007 $340 Steve Krakauer Stevek@att.net

continued from page 4 Inner Thoughts convene The Church of the Chesapeake in the cockpit of Tom Davie s Catalina 42.

Next were announcements Father Bob had been scheduled for a baptism on Ray Gray s boat oh well, forget that!

Katrina Demma put the We must sail quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, featured in our 2007 trip packet into context by reading the complete passage.

5 continued from page 4 Inner Thoughts convene The Church of the Chesapeake in the cockpit of Tom Davie s Catalina 42. As promised, Bob opened the Sunday services by explaining the interactive nature of the church, welcoming everyone to participate. Next were announcements Father Bob had been scheduled for a baptism on Ray Gray s boat oh well, forget that! A breeze came up across the water just as Bob began reading his version of an American Indian legend, The Lost Injun. Katrina Demma put the We must sail quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, featured in our 2007 trip packet into context by reading the complete passage. Next was Gerry Van Tassel with a poem by Emily Dickenson. We all agreed that there is a God after Rebecca Hunninghake, who worked for Hagen Das ice cream, told us about the liquid chocolate pumper truck and her overbearing supervisor! Mia McCroskey read two poems by Frank O Hara Jane Schuman brought a riddle, reading a definition of excellence. Where did the definition come from? A kitchen cabinet brochure! We stopped to reflect for a moment when Bill Hungerford casually mentioned that the water our raft was floating in could take us anywhere on the planet. Once again, a few moments of quiet reflection set the pace for a lovely day. Gerry Van Tassel reads during the Church of the Chesapeake service. After untangling our anchor rodes we departed for St. Michaels (5 NM away) with the afternoon and evening ahead of us. I can t believe it, our trip seems to now have a life of its own! I wanted to go to the Maritime Museum, since we would have the afternoon, however there is wind and our crew wants to stay out and sail. The other crews are riding bicycles, shopping, swimming in the pool and going to the museum. We drop Janey off at the dock for a spa appointment and off we go. I am out numbered and after all, this is a sailing trip! The crews spread out, visiting the busy little town s shops, restaurants, and museum. Ray Gray s boat took on water and the marina provided power for TVs, DVD players, cell phones, air conditioning, and lap tops. Crews were on their own for dinner ashore and several of St. Michael s many restaurants were visited. Once again it was an early evening for most after a long day in the sun. Monday morning dawned warm and hazy. The fleet motored out in the Miles River, then the Eastern Bay looking for a breeze. It was holding at five knots there must be more out on the Chesapeake! Unfortunately, this proved untrue. As we rounded Bloody Point the breeze dropped to zero, other than what we were making as we motored along. The return to Port Annapolis, fill up, pump out, and check in were all accomplished in good order and crews bid each other farewell until the next relaxing get-away. The Search for Columbus Rock Hall, Crab Alley Bay, Galesville October 6 8, 2007 $350 Larry Sherwood ljsherwood@att.net 5

c/o Mia McCroskey 19 Manor House Drive, K12

E N T S Date May 5 6 May 26 28 July 28 30 August

April 10 20, 2008 Event On the Water Training

Bay, Georgetown Pirates of the Chesapeake, Havre

6 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 May 5 6 May July August September October 6 9 October April 10 20, 2008 Event On the Water Training Memorial Day Intro Trip Havre de Grace, Bodkin Bay, Georgetown Pirates of the Chesapeake, Havre de Grace Maine Columbus Day Cruise Frostbite Sail Antigua

On the Water Training

The Official Newsletter of The Sailing Club, Inc. http://www.thesailingclub.org Volume 15 Number 2 Spring 2006 On the Water Training Practice makes perfect for docking, anchoring, and rafting. See how