MARCH Calendar of Local Sailing Events. APRIL Calendar of Local Sailing Events

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1 FOOT, TACK & CLEW East Coast Sailing Association P.O. Box Satellite Beach, FL BOAT/US number GA81299B March 2010 THE OFFICIAL LOG OF THE EAST COAST SAILING ASSOCIATION Board of Governors Flag Officers Commodore John Geraci Vice Commodore Del Wiese Rear Commodore Jim Edwards Secretary Loretta Schnitzius Treasurer Karen Coleman Elected Governors David Cordial Don Theriault David Keane Fleet Captains Cruising Page Proffitt River Racing Tom Knowlton Women s Racing Susan Jackson Newsletter Editor Mary Ann O Shea Program Chairman Alan Clendinen Membership Chairman Brenda Merchberger Rating Chairman Del Wiese Advertising Karin Mann Hospitality Nancy Keane Next General Membership Meeting Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Satellite Beach Civic Center (565 Cassia Blvd) Latitude 28º 09' North, Longitude 80º 36' West Jim Merker and Lew Rivers of the Banana River Sail and Power Squadron present: E10 and Your Marine Engine MARCH Calendar of Local Sailing Events 7 MYC Small Boat Sunday 10 ECSA General Membership Meeting ECSA Titusville Dixie Crossroads Cruise 14 MYC Spring Rum Race #3 20 ECSA Spring-Summer # MYC Sunfish Master s 21 IRYC Winter Race #3 21 MYC Small Boat Sunday 26 MYC Spring Rum Race #4 27 ECSA Women s Winter # PCYC Distance Race 31 IRYC Spring #1 APRIL Calendar of Local Sailing Events 3 ECSA Women s Winter Race #4 4 MYC Small Boat Sunday 7 IRYC Spring #2 9 MYC Spring Rum Race #5 10 ECSA Spring-Summer # ECSA Sebastian Inset Fish Fry 14 ECSA General Membership Meeting More to come... F o o t, T a c k & C l e w i s t h e o f f i c i a l n e w s l e t t e r o f t h e E a s t C o a s t S a i l i n g A s s o c i a t i o n a n d i s m a i l e d t o t h e m e m b e r s h i p e a c h m o n t h o r a v a i l a b l e a t h t t p : / / w w w. e c s a s a i l. c o m. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the East Coast Sailing Association.

2 THOUGHTS FROM YOUR COMMODORE Boat Fitness John Geraci In today s world, there is a big push to be fit. At work I am involved with the Tupperfit program; on TV there are numerous ads that claim to reduce inches and build toned bodies, along with diets that have celebrity spokespersons and so on. All vying for our hard fought dollars, but wait! There s more: I m here to tell you that you don t need that Thigh-Master, Bow-flex or other hitech machine because we own boats. Yes, you too can shed unwanted pounds or build lean muscle mass by sailing and maintaining your boat! Anyone who has cranked in a big jib can relate to the sore muscles that result from tacking down a narrow channel or running the upwind leg of a race. It builds agility and sharpens your reflexes as you have to bob and weave in order to avoid the swinging boom on a gybe. But remember, I also said maintaining your boat. Recently, I have had a lot of work to do at the masthead. My wind instrument wasn t indicating, the radio antenna needed to be replaced and my anchor light replacement socket wasn t an exact fit for my boat s fitting. (Why is it that the misbehaving part is always at the most difficult place to get at on the boat?) Of course the bosun s chair doesn t do much for the one going aloft (their legs go to sleep), but look at the workout the grinder gets! My predicament is that most of my neighbors have all had hernias (they ll do anything to get out of helping crank me to the top of the mast), so I needed a device to get me to the masthead. After doing a massive research project on the benefits of mast climbers and steps and the like, I settled on the one that uses webbing loops that you haul up the mast in the sail track. It works quite well as I have visited that lofty place on my boat now many, many times. Since my mast is 51 feet off the water, I m climbing the equivalent of a four-story building each time I visit the top. Add the factor of forgetting a tool and I ve gone up and down twice. Anyway, you can see where this is leading: fitness! In just one day, I climbed over 300 feet. Lynda claims I could consider that effort as training for when we visit Machu Pichu, but the fact is the next day I can t move around on my rubber legs. I work out with a colleague at work with DVD workout programs called Plyometrics and the regime doesn t (Continued on page 6) VIEW FROM THE VICE COMMODORE Why Race? Del Wiese The purpose of my article this month is to try to get more of us out racing, maybe including myself. I started racing my Cal 25 back in I bought that boat from Jim Conner who subsequently bought his Cal 27 White Lightning. My purposes in racing were to better my sailing ability, to compete with crew and opponents that I liked and respected, and to force myself to go sailing more often because of the schedule of races. Back then we had 8 or 10 boats in the PHRF spinnaker fleet I raced in, and for the first few years, I was lucky not to finish last or near last. As time went on and my experience and my crew s experience improved, we started to move up in the fleet. I had that boat for 17 years and my purposes were fulfilled. I was a better sailor, I made some good friends with my crew and competitors, and I went sailing fairly often. I am also a member of the Melbourne Yacht Club and we have an active Rum Racing program. On a given day we get as many as 20 boats out. We use a modified PHRF rating system. We use reverse handicap starts (which does not require a race committee), higher rated boats first, lower ones later. The theory is that everyone finishes together and we ve had some close and exciting finishes. Perhaps we could start a fleet like this as part of the River Racing Series. Call it the Cruising Class or whatever best fits. Do timed starts or reverse handicap starts. Use triangle courses versus windward/leeward. Put the emphasis on fun, learning to sail better and building camaraderie and friendships with your crew. Perhaps we could raft up after the race, share thoughts and strategies, and party! Let me be the first to express interest in this kind of racing. I have not river raced much in recent years because we have not had many cruising type of boats (like mine) out racing. Maybe this is a way to get more of us out. A related issue is that there is some controversy going on now in the PHRF community, and as the ECSA PHRF Committee Chairman, I am very much involved in it. I am not going to say much about the controversy here; I don t think it is appropriate. We had a committee meeting on February 16, got a lot of input from attendees, but did not make a decision. Another meeting is planned in the next few weeks. Amidst the controversy there are some who are putting forth the thought that we (Continued on page 6) Page 2

3 Income Statement TREASURER'S REPORT Karen Coleman Year to Date REVENUE Feb 10 Sep 09 - Aug 10 Activities Income 1, , Advertising Income Membership Dues , Merchandise Income Misc & Sunshine Income Total Revenue 2, , EXPENSES Activities Expense , Bank Charge - - Dues/Subscriptions Insurance - - Miscellaneous/Office Supplies Postage/Delivery Printing/Repro Rent Sales Tax Sunshine Fund Total Expense 2, , Net Income (231.45) 4, Balance Sheet as of February 28, 2010 Assets Checking 6, Restricted Cash (Lasowska Fund) Restricted Cash (Sunshine Fund) Security Deposit Total Assets 7, Liabilities & Net Worth Unrestricted Cash 6, Retained Earnings (3,095.67) Net Income 4, Total Net Worth 7, SECRETARY S REPORT Mary Ann O Shea for Loretta Schnitzius EAST COAST SAILING ASSOCIATION General Membership Meeting Wednesday, February10, 2010 Flag Officers present were John Geraci, Karen Coleman. Elected Governors present were Dave Cordial and Don Theriault. Absent: Loretta Schnitzius, Del Wiese, Jim Edwards and David Keane. CALL TO ORDER: Commodore John Geraci called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Following introduction of the board members, fleet captains, program chairs, and past commodores, John welcomed several guests and new members, including Lloyd and Michelle French, and George and Susan Allred. NEW MEMBERS: Approved for membership at February board meeting: Claude and Rita Auger, Cocoa, Hunter 34, Sacripant, and Raymond Nicolich, Cocoa, Ranger R33, S/V Appreciation. The following were presented and approved for membership at tonight s meeting: George and Susan McCoy Allred, Indialantic, Formosa/Slocum 42, Stormy Monday SECRETARY/TREASURER REPORTS: A motion was made, seconded and carried, to approve the minutes of the January 9, 2010, general membership meeting and the January Treasurer s report, as published in the February Foot, Tack & Clew. COMMODORE John Geraci: John welcomed all new and continuing officers and members, and expressed his appreciation for their support, as well as the support of the outgoing board members. He also expressed his appreciation for all involved in planning the awards banquet; it was so successful that next year s banquet will also be held at the Melbourne Yacht Club. There will be no general membership meeting in June. Potluck dinners are planned for the August, October and December meetings. John and Lynda are looking forward to the boat show bus trip this weekend; two seats are left open on the bus. John is working with Brenda to update the ECSA publicity fliers, and looking for a volunteer for publicity. Ship's store is open, selling jackets, blankets, license plates, siphons. Thanks to Terry Schorn and Joanne Theriault for (Continued on page 4) Page 3

4 SECRETARY S REPORT (continued) Mary Ann O Shea for Loretta Schnitzius refreshments tonight. VICE COMMODORE Del Wiese: Del was not present. Report from John: There will be a PHRF committee meeting on February 16 th at Melbourne Yacht Club. The agenda includes website changes, river racing signups and recent rating changes. The hope is to avoid duplication of documents on multiple websites. Volunteers are still needed as membership and publicity chairmen. Tom McIlree volunteered at the meeting to take the publicity position. River Racing Tom Knowlton: First race of the coed series (river races) is March 20. The schedule is posted on not yet on the ECSA website. Some of the women racers are now coming from Orlando. There are two divisions: coed, or summer/ spring, and the women s series. Tom has applications for the next series. All applications should be made with Tom or Susan Jackson. If you haven t yet signed up, please send a check. Women's Racing Susan Jackson: Susan reported a good race in January with five boats. The race last Saturday was cancelled due to weather. March race will be on the 27th. Susan encouraged anyone interested in learning more about sailing to come and join the races. Cruising Page Proffitt: The January Frostbite cruise was good, and not as cold as expected. Some bad weather was forecast, but all had a good time. Attendance was about 30 or 40 people. Brenda Merchberger gave us the final details on the boat show bus trip two seats left. Bus departs at 6am from Harbortown; 6:45am from Osler Medical. Don't be late! Brenda also talked about the Cocoa Village Mardi Gras cruise, Feb Meet at 6 p.m. at the dinghy dock by Lee Wenner Park. Walk to Mexican restaurant El Charro. Join us just for dinner if you like. The first to arrive at El Charro should let them know the group is coming (usually 40 to 50 people). Then walk to the Mardi Gras event. Tickets are $12 at the gate, but Brenda will get tickets ahead for $8 if you sign up. Parade begins around 9 p.m. Gather near the gazebo area. NO prebeading! Breakfast the next morning will be at the Lee Wenner Park pavilion (Brenda and Dave will be cycling). Dixie Crossroads cruise on March Page will not be able to host, but has made arrangements with the restaurant and marina. Slips for $1.60/ft. Let Page know if you plan to attend. Memorial Day Cruise, May to North Banana River, still has no host. Other cruises: Some members want to go to St. Augustine or the Keys. Let Page know and he will coordinate. George Schorn is putting together an offshore cruise. There is a flyer on the table for this trip to Fernandina Beach the first two weeks in May. The intent is to do an offshore leg overnight to St. Augustine. OLD BUSINESS: Ken Windsor presented last year s Treasurer, Gil Paradies, with his gift. Gil missed the awards banquet; he was traveling to his new home on the Chesapeake. Commodore John also read a thank you note from the caterers who provided dinner for the Awards Banquet. NEW BUSINESS: Karen Coleman had a letter from the Satellite Beach Adopt-A-Park program, and proposed that the ECSA adopt Samson s Island. The ECSA would agree to a cleanup date twice a year, moving overgrown plants, etc, a commitment of approximately four hours, with transportation provided if necessary. Karen suggested planning a cleanup date for the Sunday after the Progressive Dinner on May 1. Samson s Island has a nice dock; requires a permit. A show of hands indicated general interest by club members; Karen will get more information. Brenda Merchberger has membership directories for those who have not yet received them. Pick it up from her, deliver to others you know if possible. They are costly to mail. Don Theriault described initial plans for the SquidLips cruise in June. He has talked to the manager there and thinks this will be a good opportunity for publicity for ECSA drawing winner was Pam Windsor! With there being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Mary Ann O Shea for Loretta Schnitzius, Secretary, ECSA Page 4

5 Upcoming Cruising Events Titusville - Dixie Crossroads March 13 th - 14 th Page Proffitt Good weather is just around the corner and it is time for Dixie Crossroads again. We will be getting to the restaurant about 5:00 p.m. for cocktails, and dinner whenever you are ready to order. The manager said she will put us in the back room but as the restaurant fills up we may have others around us if we don't fill it up. For those that sail up, let us know and we will have one of the drivers pick you up for a ride to dinner. There will be a pot luck breakfast at the Titusville Marina docks on Sunday before leaving for home. Dixie Crossroads Directions: Restaurant Coupons: Titusville City Marina: ville.c om /SectionIndex.as p? SectionID=52 Transient slips are $1.60/ft/day and $5/day for 30 amp power. Sebastian Cruise and Fish Fry April 10 th - 11 th Ken Windsor This cruise is on the schedule by popular demand. We have not been to Sebastian Inlet State Park since 2007, and many have enjoyed past cruises there. The cruise will officially be Saturday and Sunday but you may arrive on Friday if you wish. We will be renting pavilion #2 Saturday night, near where the boats will be anchored but more out on the point, not where we have been in the past. The plan is for boats to arrive throughout the day. Come ashore and enjoy the park and the beach. There is also a cool historical museum in the park to tour as well. Usually there is also quite a large gathering on the sand bar which is always fun. Dinner Saturday night will occur near the 5:30 hour and will feature fried cod, French fries, and my world-famous tartar sauce, of course. The cost for the fish fry is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for kids 10 and under. Please see Ken for tickets. Sign up at the March and April meetings or send me an at captainken37@aol.com so we can get the proper amount of food. After dinner we will have social time until the last sailor leaves or is standing, whichever applies. Sunday morning there will be a pot luck breakfast at 8:30, hopefully at the same place. Other than this all activities are on your own. There is new management since we cruised there last. They are asking each boat that participates to pay a state park entrance fee of $8.00, payable individually at the ranger station. For those coming by car the fee is the same. It would be good to mention also that there are many marine patrols in the area and they often stop small boats, so make sure you are legal with all documents on board, including safe boaters cards required for kids driving your dinghy. How to get there? By boat, head south to Sebastian Inlet. Pass the inlet and turn east at marker 65. You should find six feet of water all the way to the anchorage, which is just south of the tip of the park. Check your chart and watch your depth gauge as this is an inlet area and things change often. By car, head south on A1A, go over the inlet bridge, and take an immediate right into the park. Proceed to pavilion 2. Page 5

6 Commodore s Thoughts continued View from the Vice Commodore continued (Continued from page 2) come close to giving me the burn that mast climbing provides. I may be on to something here: we, as boat owners, can now offer a complete fitness program by allowing our friends and neighbors membership in the exclusive fitness club of mast climbing. This could be a win-win situation by getting those around us pumped while we get our maintenance done! See you on the water, John Women s Racing Marlene Sassaman (Continued from page 2) should do what makes most sense for the majority and what furthers racing in the area. This kind of level-headed, positive thinking could lead to a change in rules that would solve long standing controversies and hopefully lead to more racing. I sure hope so! Maybe some of you have other ideas, or input on what might be keeping people from racing that we could try to rectify and improve attendance. If you have comments or suggestions, give them to me, or Tom Knowlton, the River Racing Chairman. This is brainstorming; there are no bad inputs, give us your thoughts! We d love to get help in getting more people out racing. Del FT&C Advertising Rates Winning their first entry into the ECSA Women's Racing Series, the Other Half, skippered by Sandi MacAllister, set the precedent for the 2010 season. Racing Dave Noble's J-24, newcomers Susie Putnam and Angela Lambert were complemented by an experienced helmsgirl and foredeck crew. With a 42- second lag in the first race and a 38-second lag behind the Other Half, team MOUSE is now challenged to hone their starting tactics and mark roundings. It only takes one bad tack or poor spinnaker set to eat up the clock. Sleighride, Rendezvous, Zinfandel and Fast Lane are not throwing in the towel, as each of these teams works toward refining their crew work. 1/8 page 1/4 page One month $10 $18 Three months $28 $51 Six months $54 $90 One year $90 $144 Our next race is scheduled for March 27. We welcome women's teams from near and far. A man on board is allowed with the premise that he can advise and must stay in one place during the entire race. For more information contact Susan Jackson at jackson@bladderguide.com. Page 6

7 10th Annual Miami Boat Show Bus Trip Brenda Merchberger We had a great bus trip down to the Miami Boat Show. However, you could definitely say the Miami Boat Show and Sail Expo weren t what they used to be. The difficult economic times our country is going through were evident with significantly fewer vendors and boats in the water. This year the Sail Expo was moved to the power boat marina, greatly reducing the number of boats the manufacturers could bring. The trip itself was great. We enjoyed the bus trip down to Miami, with bagels, muffins, and pastries, along with orange juice, Mimosa s, Bloody Mary s and Screwdrivers. Yum, Yum! We were entertained by the movie Wind, which hadn t quite finished when we arrived. We would have to wait for the return trip to see the ending. A big thank you to all those who helped serve our breakfast treats, including Dave & Gail Cordial, Joe & Karen Coleman, Dave and I, and our new commodore John Geraci (a virgin bus trip attendee) helped by collecting trash. Way to go, John! We were told there was a water taxi that would take boat show attendees over to the Bayside Marina (the previous location of the Sail Expo) where the big boats could be seen. We decided to gather at Mambo s Restaurant at Bayside for an early dinner, for any who wanted to join us. What we didn t know was that the water taxi only had seats for about 10 and only left every half hour. Resourceful sailors we are, we found a bus that also ran to Bayside, so everyone made it safely and on time to depart Bayside at 5 p.m. for our trip home. On the way back, we watched the end of Wind and then enjoyed the movie The Bucket List. At our snack stop, we served cookies, peanuts and crackers, along with soda and water. All in all, a great trip! Cruising Trip from Cape Canaveral to Fernandina Beach May 8 th through May 22 nd Dave Cordial It s time to untie your boats from the dock and join a small group of fellow ECSA members for a cruise to beautiful Fernandina Beach, FL. The object of the trip is to do as much off-shore sailing as possible (weather permitting). However, part of the group will travel north using the ICW. We plan to spend several days at the Fernandina Harbor Marina visiting the city and the surrounding areas of St. Mary s, Kingsland, and Cumberland Island. If you would like additional information on this trip, or would like to join us, contact George Schorn at (gntschorn@yahoo.com) or David Cordial at (davidcordial@msn.com). Women Cruisers Marlene Sassaman Consistent with her recent ECSA presentation, Marlene Sassaman encourages other women to do some solo cruising. She has experienced the tranquility of the intra-coastal waterway, the wildlife, and her newfound knowledge of what it means when a Coast Guard aircraft circles your vessel three times! If you are interested in summer sailing in and around Florida, the Bahamas, or offshore to New York harbor, contact Marlene at sass4sail@dantekinc.com. Page 7

8 Member Classified Ads 1978 ODay 25, $7800. Contact: Lloyd French at 15 HP Johnson outboard, 1994 short shaft, original owner. Runs great, always starts. Owner s manual, 6-gallon fuel tank, TWC-3 outboard oil, and spare prop. Used one month a year since 1994 on dinghy in Bahamas and then stored inside. Motor stand not included. $850. Call or send to waltadams@yahoo.com. Tune your rig! Loos & Co. Professional Tension Gauge model PT-1 for cable sizes 3/32", 1/8", 5/32". Excellent condition. $50 Carla Stewart or crackernoon@yahoo.com 1979 Tartan 27, 1996 Yanmar diesel engine, teak interior, tabernacle. Sail complement includes 2 mains, spinnaker, genoa plus numerous jibs. New sail cover, Bimini top. Asking $13,500. John Schnitzius J/24 for sale Fast & fun, race/cruise. Steel blue beauty. In water Space coast, ready to go. Moved inland. $5995/BO must sell ASAP. More information available at Pacific Seacraft Flicka Carina. Also a brand new 2008 Mercury cycle outboard engine, 40 hours engine time, 3-gallon tank included. Contact Bob White at Please maoshea@bellsouth.net to add or remove items from this listing. ZONTA CLUB OF MELBOURNE 6 TH ANNUAL BREVARD CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL Eau Gallie Civic Center Sunday, March 28, 2010 from 11AM to 4PM Brevard s best chocolatiers, pastry chefs and restaurateurs come together with community volunteers to raise funds in support of programs to improve the lives of women and girls. Proceeds support local scholarship and community service projects. Treat yourself to samples of chocolate confections, cakes and desserts, beverages, appetizers and entertainment throughout the afternoon! Vote for Brevard s Best Chocolate Fix, watch chocolate cooking demonstrations, enter the Loco for Coco Judged Competition as an Amateur or Professional, or be a Sponsor. Tickets: $20 or $30 With a Kick (includes wine & chocolate martinis). To purchase advance tickets or participate in the Festival, contact Gail Cordial at Page 8

9 More Cruising Information Page Proffitt Sailing in Greece Joe Coleman I m looking at planning a sailing trip of the Greek Islands in the summer of If anyone is interested in joining us, here is some preliminary data. We would leave Orlando International Airport on Wednesday May 25th, arriving in Athens the morning of May 26th. We would spend Thursday and Friday touring Athens, then get on the boats on Saturday, May 28th. We return the boats the next Saturday, June 5th, spend Sunday in Athens, then board a plane on Monday to come home. The average temperature range in June is 69 to 85; winds average 10 mph out of the North. Bareboat charters can accommodate 6 to 8 people, which cuts the cost per person. Presently rates are from $590 to $810 a day for the boat. There are always a few additional charges. The only extras would be airfare and four days in an Athens hotel. Right now airfare would be about $1150 round trip from Orlando to Athens. Some tour agencies book the flights, hotel and boat into one package. I have requested pricing and availability from them. The more people in the group, the cheaper it will be. We need not be limited to ECSA members, so spread the word to other sailors. There is also travel insurance available in the event something happens that does not allow you to participate. Karen and I did this several years ago and it was a great experience. If you would be interested in joining us or just want more information, please me and I will keep you in the loop. We still need a host for the Memorial Day, North Banana River Islands cruise. This cruise is located just north of the locks on May 29th through the 31st. If you plan on attending this cruise, please consider hosting it for others. Cruising season is starting and other cruisers are wondering where you are off to this year. I have created a temporary web page, with cruises listed in chronological order. The web address is This list includes trips planned by both ECSA and MYC members, and will be available to both groups. Take a look to see if some of your friends are heading out. Also send me an with the cruises your are taking this year. Who knows, you may be able to meet with fellow cruisers in some out of the way location. To share your plans, please include the following information: Dates and destination Skipper s name Cell phone number address Any other useful information C o n t a c t m e a t o r rpp@pageproffitt.com. Thank you... to all who have switched from US Mail to delivery of your Foot, Tack & Clew. Each delivery by saves the ECSA about one dollar every month in copy and postage fees. Anyone else who would like to be moved to the distribution list, please let me know at maoshea@bellsouth.net. joecoleman@cfl.rr.com Page 9

10 Upcoming ECSA 2010 Race & Cruise Events Date Event Contact March Titusville Dixie Crossroads Cruise Proffitt March 20 Spring-Summer Race #1 Knowlton March 27 Women s Racing - Winter #3 Jackson April 3 Women s Racing - Winter #4 Jackson April 10 Spring-Summer Race #2 Knowlton April Sebastian Inlet Fish Fry Windsor Check out for the most up-to-date racing info EAST COAST SAILING ASSOCIATION PO Box Satellite Beach FL