The Chowder Chatter. Newsletter of the Caloosahatchee Marching & Chowder Society A Premiere Sailing Club of Southwest Florida

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1 The Chowder Chatter Newsletter of the Caloosahatchee Marching & Chowder Society A Premiere Sailing Club of Southwest Florida Next Full Moon Oct 29 October 2012 C o m m o d o r e ' s M e s s a g e Ahoy Mates September was another big month for CMCS. We had two great cruises, and kicked off the beginning of our Race program. Check out this month's Chowder Chatter articles about our Where the Wind Blows Cruise that blew us on down to Naples Boat Club. Then the South Seas Plantation Cruise which teamed up with the Kayusa Cup offshore race. Hopefully you have all made plans for the Society's premiere regatta of the year - SUMMERSET! Whether you sign up as a racer or a cruiser, Summerset is a great deal. Plus you'll be supporting youth sailing programs in Southwest Florida. Finally, as you all likely know by now, our great little Society could sure use your help in the form of people giving a little time to keep the club running. The most serious shortcoming for our 2013 slate of board members is for a Rear Commodore of Racing. Steve Roake has done a terrific job these last two years, especially in the department of simplifying the paperwork portion of the job. There are also a few choice openings on our list of Committees (page-5 of our yearbook/calendar or go to Please contact Stephanie Webb ( ) if you can assist. Web Guru's October Tip If you have ever wondered just what goes on at those CMCS board meetings, well wonder no more. The board's 2012 meeting minutes are all posted under the For Members of the Society menu. Of course, you need to Log In to see that menu. ALSO, have you ever scrolled down on our Home Page? The Recent Society Stuff scrolls on clear to last Thanksgiving Cruise. The current plan is to display twelve months worth of a taste of what our club is all about. Smooth sailing to all, Commodore Glen Vetter gwvetter@gmail.com Welcome Summerset Participants

2 Summerset 2012 The 47 th annual Summerset Regatta is almost upon us! If you have not yet visited check it out entries are kept up to date every day by Jerry Canning. Schedules and forms are also available as will be race results and a new supply of photos. Sailors love to see photos of their boats under sail. We have hopes for some video coverage of the race as well. Steve Romaine has done a great job securing sponsors. Now he s working on Vice Commodore of Summerset door prizes, and what a bounty of goodies he has amassed free haul-outs, Joan Perkett free dockage at some of our beautiful Southwest Florida marinas, free night s stay on Ft. Myers Beach, marine equipment galore, free dinners it s worth joining in the fun just to get a chance at some of these wonderful prizes. Racers and cruisers are eligible. Cruisers are definitely invited to the Skippers Meeting Friday night as that is when we will be drawing for their door prizes. Racers door prizes will be drawn at the cocktail party on Saturday night. You will get your tickets to the cocktail party at the Skippers Meeting. If you lose them, admission is $5.00. It s still a bargain! But be sure to hang on to your tickets for the best bargain of all. The deadline for entries is 17:00 hours, Wednesday, October 3 rd. You can also use the entry form to order extra t-shirts, hats and long-sleeved microfiber shirts. The microfiber shirts will be dark blue this year, which is a great color for winter sailing. Summer has set, you know and fall is in the air! So I typed into Wikianswers.com What is the best way to prepare for a regatta? This is the answer that was posted: get absolutley wasted off alcohol the night before and detox during the regatta you will go 5-10 sec faster than you did before. TRUST ME!! Mahe Drysdale did that at the Olympics that's why he was spewing and looked like crap all the time and he came away with a bronze that's pretty good if you ask me. Well, that is not what I would recommend, but to each his/her own! Are you ready yet? How clean is your bottom? Have you practiced with your crew? Have you checked out the condition of your lines and blocks? Are you ready for fun? As usual, my definition of a successful outing is a) no one gets hurt and b) nothing gets broken. And if you happen to win one of our trophies, that is one heck of a bonus! I wish this for each and every one of you and be safe out there! The Fort Gorda Cup will be awarded on Sunday night as well. The South is ahead, so we hope to match the good results we attained during the Conquistador Cup in Charlotte Harbor this spring and bring it home in its first year. Thanks to all of you that have made all this fun possible. Every little bit of help has been appreciated, and we hope we can replenish our Youth Sailing Grant funds with some very healthy deposits. Happy Sailing! - Joan Perkett, CMCS Vice Commodore - Summerset 2

3 Racing News We re now into the fall racing season. The calendar is full of events, near and far. There is no shortage of racing opportunities in Southwest Florida! Local upcoming events include CMCS s Summerset Regatta, Edison Sailing Center s River Romp, and Ft. Myers Sailing Club s River Series. The Kayusa Cup, an 18.5 nm coastal distance race, was held on Saturday, September 15 th. This was the first Boat of The Year race of the new season and was held in conjunction with the South Seas Cruise. Fifteen boats started the race near San Carlos Light off of Fort Myers Beach. The weather was excellent at the start with easterly breezes and calm seas. After a short weather Rear Commodore of Racing leg, the fleet headed for the coast of Sanibel Island and headed north to the finish at Redfish Steve Roake Pass between Captiva Island and North Captiva Island. Some of the cruisers awaited the racers at South Seas Plantation and greeted them with Painkillers and a good freshwater rinse from a passing rainstorm! The Kayusa Cup, as usual, was a tester of patience! Joel Andrews and the crew of Macushla truly had wheels! They had a great start, got out in front and extended their lead - the three simple elements of sailboat racing that Buddy Melges professed as the only things you had to do to win! Macushla passed Blind Pass (the point where the race could be shortened) around 12:30 in the afternoon and was trucking up the beach, finishing about an hour later at 1:41:35 PM. Well done Joel and the crew of Macushla! Unfortunately, Macushla slammed the door on the rest of the fleet! The wind was "moderating" behind Macushla, and "offing" before anyone else was able to finish. For the remaining eight dedicated racers, their patience ultimately rewarded them with a finish - not necessarily the finish they would have preferred, but a finish none the less. The tide in Redfish Pass was unforgiving! Those near the beach were able to avoid much of the brunt of it but those faced with sailing against it struggled in the light air. The next boat to finish after Macushla was Roger Horton's Wicked Wicked Ways at 4:50:09, over three hours after Macushla. The last boat finished at 5:24 PM. Nobody got rained on during the race but many got soaked after finishing as the skies opened just after the last boat finished. In the Spinnaker Division, Joel Andrews Macushla was first (and only!) in section as well as first overall. In the Non-Spinnaker Division, Roger Horton s Wicked Wicked Ways was first, followed by Gary Blessing s After You and Tom Horner s Bentley. In the Cruising Division, Gordon Coffman s Ariel was first, followed by John Finnegan s Miss Cathleen and Brock Johnson s Vixen. The next and last distance race of the year will be on Sunday, October 7 as part of the Summerset Regatta. Remember that WFPHRF certificates expire on June 30 of each year. If you haven t renewed yet, please do so NOW. You must have a current certificate to compete in CMCS events. If you ve renewed already, thank you! The Summerset Regatta Committee has been hard at work. Planning is in the final stages for the 47 th Annual Summerset Regatta on October 5-7, Summerset is also a Boat of the Year event requiring WFPHRF certificates. You can download all of the Summerset information, including entry forms, on the Summerset website: The Notice of Race, Schedule of Events, and Entry form are now available on the Summerset website. It s time to send in your entry. Summerset entries are separate from the other CMCS entries and require the Summerset entry form. After the Summerset Regatta in October, the Festival of the Islands Regatta will be held on Saturday, November 3. This is one of the few events without a scheduled social event following. We are looking for a volunteer that would like to organize an informal social gathering after this race. If you d like to help, please contact Steve Roake (Steve@TheRoakes.com). One of the benefits of being a U S Sailing member is receiving a new Racing Rules of Sailing rule book. The rules are updated every four years. The next new rules book will become effective on January 1, Join now to be on the mailing list for the new rules book. CMCS sponsored a rules seminar last year which was well-received. Look for an announcement in the fall for a rules seminar that will address any changes to the Racing Rules. Lastly, CMCS will pick a new Rear Commodore of Racing in January. If you have an interest in this position, now would be a good time to volunteer to work on a Race Committee boat so you can find out how easy and fun this job really is! 3

4 Cruising Report October is here, fall is in the air! Yes, we do have seasons in SW Florida it s just more usual with cooler evenings. But great cruising weather! Can take the heat if the evenings and nights are cool enough to open the hatches and enjoy the breeze through the boat. Vice Commodore of Cruising Bev Duff Many thanks to the cruise leaders over September ~ Mel Rudd lead the Where the Winds Blows cruise south to Naples ~ must have been a north wind? They actually could sail part of the trip. From the pictures, all who participated had a great time. Thanks Mel and Glenda! Kayusa Race/ Cruise turned out to be a mild event. Dan & Debbie Merriman on Air Boss directed the festivities at South Seas Resort. Per Dan, it was a quiet time until the racers showed up after a very long, windless day on the water. I m sure the pool and watering holes all looked very good to those tired crews. Thank you Dan & Debbie for hosting this event. Looking to the future ~ SUMMERSET Regatta (October 5-7) is upon us and the accompanying cruise. So far we don t have a Leader for this event. Regretfully, slips are hard to come by this year as the docks at the Pink Shell are being replaced and it s my understanding that Moss Marine is booked solid. There are mooring balls at Matanzas Pass Mooring area and the dingy docks at Anchor Inn and the Bodich Park are available. Participants need to complete the application for cruise on the Summerset Packet that was mailed and available online. The costs for the various events is posted. If there is anyone out there who can step up to lead this cruise, please don t be shy! The end of October is the Halloween Cruise with cruise leaders Judy & Charles Tomlins on Judy Judy. This is not a cruise for the faint of heart! Costumes, cocktails, BBQ and BBB (Big Beach Bonfire) all part of the fun. CMCSers are encouraged to secure the Danger Island Friday afternoon for the weekend of frolic and festivities. That evening is cocktails and potluck on the beach. Saturday is the Third Annual CMCS Halloween Golf Tournament, with R&R followed by cocktails and Beach BBQ. THEN the costume contast by the BBB. Look for an blast with more details but know it is a very full weekend of fun! Fall is the time to cruise in SW Florida so look for everyone out and on the water flying their CMCS Burgees. See you all on the water real soon! 4

5 South Seas Cruise Report The South Seas Cruise started off slowly with AirBoss sailing up the Gulf side to Redfish Pass alone on Friday. Arriving at South Seas Sea Change was awaiting us. We had the marina and pool pretty much to ourselves and enjoyed some quiet cocktails on AirBoss. Saturday Blue Skye and Sea Isle joined us. We all spent the day on the beach and by the pool awaiting the racers. But the wind Gods were not smiling on the racers and they spent quite some time drifting in the Gulf. By some miracle Macushla was the first racer to arrive early in the afternoon. Jolly Mon, Passion III, and Barefeet were next after retiring from the race. After You made it into the marina just before the squall hit. Rain came down by the buckets and the wind hit 25 knots. Air Supply decided to come on in during the storm and it took many hands on the boat and on the dock to tie them up safely. Vixen, Ariel, and Miss Cathleen waited on the water for the storm to pass before docking. Painkillers were passed out as the boats arrived and in between the rain showers. The tasty libations were a big hit with the racers after the long day on the water. Everyone found shelter on various boats and began sharing hors d'oeuvres since the storm hit right at cocktail hour. As the rain gradually eased up everyone eventually found their way to Passion III to gather. But some never made it or left for dinner so a new record for number of souls on Passion III was not attempted. Glen and Paula Vetter arrived by car accompanied by Sue Stier that met up with her husband Tim that made a very precarious landing on the pier after racing up on Wicked Wicked Ways. Eric Milbrant and his friend Holly came for the party and to run the triathlon on Sunday. Sunday was spent by the pool telling war stories. AirBoss, AirSupply, Jolly Mon, and Sea Isle spent another night and gathered on AirBoss for one last night of cocktails. But alas, it rained again so we crowded down below in the salon. Thanks to everyone that joined us and we re glad that we could help with the PAIN! Dan and Debbie Merriman 5

6 Where The Wind Blows Cruise 9/1-9/ Judy, Judy Air Boss Freestyle Gopher Boroque Second Edition Avanti Tanglefoot Trust Me Sea Puppy By Mel Rudd What a beautiful Labor Day Weekend. Nine boats left SC #4 between 9-10:00 and sailed/ motor sailed to Naples. By late afternoon, we were all settled into the Naples Boat Club docks. About 5 o clock, happy hour began by the pool. The frozen concoction machine began to produce margaritas by the pitcher. Some boats had a bit of difficulty docking and there was a yellow flag discussion, but no one was awarded the dreaded flag. There were no scheduled events on this cruise so everyone just did their own thing. Sunday morning some people walked to Tin City and others relaxed on their boats. By mid afternoon most were at the pool enjoying a beautiful afternoon. That extended into happy hour. We planned a game of L-R-C at 9:00 in the clubhouse and 10 people joined in. Monday morning everyone began to disappear down the Gordon River bound for home, or where ever the wind blows, and another cruise comes to an end. Special thanks to Charles Tomlin and Glenda for capturing the whole event in pictures. See more pictures from this and other CMCS events at 6

7 MEMBERSHIP & RECRUITMENT This year has been a great one for growing CMCS and thank you to our many members who have sponsored new recruits to our ranks! Those of you who are interested in numbers, we have a total of 129 memberships which include 23 Crew and 8 Honary. There are a total of 110 boats on our Yacht roster as of this edition. So we continue to grow, let s welcome aboard CMCS with Russell & Rita Watjen with their Hobie Daysailer TIME OFF. This is the newest boat flying the burgee of CMCS. They checked all the interest catagories so expect to see them out and about in our waterways. FLEET RECRUITER Bev Duff They are transferring here from the Savannah, GA area and are looking forward to their permanent settlement here. Right now the boat and wife are still in GA and Russell is camping in membership@cmcs-sail.org their RV at Ft. Myers Bch. Russell has not been shy about letting us know he has many interests in getting active as he is settling into his new job at Edison State College as Interim VP of Student Affairs. Welcome Russell & Rita to SW Florida and CMCS! Ken Potter has joined our ranks as a Crew member. He and his spouse, Jayne settled in Cape Coral this past January and per his application Are looking for a Beneteau to purchase and race. He is a novice in racing but willing to learn, and has an long history of cruising so knows his way around a boat. Ken is also an electrical contractor... Welcome to CMCS Ken! Reminder that Sail Mate, Diane Fowler will be getting hold of each new member to try to match them with a Sale Mate and become familiar with the Clubs traditions and events. It is that time of year again ~ Membership RENEWALS. The Board of Directors has been very gracious to hold the dues at $100. for full membership renewal and $50. for crew renewal. In this addition of the Chowder Chatter you will find the 2013 renewal form and it will also be available on line at our WEB Site Please note the DUE date for renewals is November 31 st. After that you will not make the press date for the 2013 Annual Calendar! This is has been a great volunteer job to meet and greet all the boaters and sailors interested in CMCS however, it is time to turn over this post to another. The incoming Commodore is seeking outgoing, computer literate person to take over the station of CMCS Recruiter. I am more than willing to assist the new recruiter to learn the ropes and get off to a good start. Please advise if you are interested to so we can get you on board as quickly as possible. Special Speakers for October Program Jay and Kathy Light will present a Highlight of their recent trip to the Southern Caribbean on Alborada, their Ft. Myers Beach based sailboat at the October 16th. meeting. Jay and Kathy have been members of CMCS since Bill Misenheimer, Program Director 7

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9 Ladies Bridge Club Oct 14 15, p.m. Visit to: Contact: Coast Guard Station 718 San Carlos Drive Fort Myers Beach, FL Petty Officer Todd Walter Our Tour will be 1 1/2 hours long and will include the building, training deck, a question and answer session and go on the various boats at the Coast Guard docks. Each session is limited to 16 people so please let me know when you want to attend. Sunday or Monday, so we can make and coordinate our group lists. Parking is under the bridge and walk around to the coast guard gates. Meet you there! The event is open to your spouse or spice. RoseAnn Hoffman rasails22@gmail.com RSVP CMCS NOMINATION FORM FOR FLAG OFFICER OR BOARD MEMBER I nominate for the position of for the year Nominated by: Name and signature Seconded by: Name and signature Candidates signature: 9

10 Summerset Benefits Youth Sailing Really Great Stuff For Sail Is it time to renew your Boat US Membership? Remember to use the CMCS Group ID # GA82335B on your application, and save half the price of your annual membership fee FOR SALE: 1981 CATALINA 22 SLOOP CTY01 - $3,000 OBO. Swing Keel Draft: BD DN 4 6, BD UP 2 0 Cockpit Bimini Main & Jib 15 HP Evinrude Outboard. LIFT KEPT. Trailer Available. Boat Located in Orange Harbor MHP, East Fort Myers. CALL FOR SALE: 3 blade fixed bronze prop taken from 32' Catalina. 1" shaft. Just $295 OBO - Diane Fowler Oct 10

11 C.M.C.S. CHANDLERY Buy, sell, trade Members, to advertise your boating-related items free in the CMCS Chandlery, Don Lawson, Chowder Chatter Editor at or use your roster for telephone information. Your ad will be listed for 3 months unless you notify me to take your listing out sooner. Non-members are welcome to advertise their items at a price of $30.00 for 3 months. Business cards or business related listings sent in digital format only : Members: 3 months, $25.00 Non-members: 3 months, $50.00 For Sale 2004 Achilles 10.4 roll-up inflatable dingy And 2004 Yamaha 8HP engine Will do 12 knots with two people Freshwater use $1800 Call Tim Cheek Honda 9.9hp long shaft motors for sale. Both run well. Both set up for remote operation. Remote shift/throttle levers included. $ each. Janette or Ned Christensen Shadowfax 1998 Beneteau Oceanis 321 The most beautiful boat in the fleet is now for sale. Very comfortable cruising boat with inmast roller furling mainsail, new mainsail, roller -furling headsail. Yanmar 3GM30 27-hp diesel. New 3-bladed prop. 2-burner propane stove/oven. 3-grp.27 batteries. 30-amp shore power. All electronics. We have tons of information on this well-equipped yacht everything you can think of. Price: $59,000. Call Russell Vance at or at vances105@comcast.net Looking For Area Anchorages? Look Here : anchorage_inventory.php 11

12 CMCS Chowder Chatter c/o Don Lawson, Editor 1411 SW 53rd. Ln. Cape Coral, FL CMCS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS OCTOBER 2012 Oct 5-7 ** SUMMERSET ** Oct Ladies Bridge Club Coast Guard Tour Oct. 16 Membership Meeting CCYC 6:30 p.m. Social 7:30 General Meeting Oct Halloween Cruise 12