The Old Man < October 2013 > The Monthly Newsletter of the Magothy River Sailing Association Contents Calendar, 1 Commodore s Comments, 1 Upcoming Cruises and Events, 3 Past Cruises and Events, 3 Special Notices, 6 Racing Corner, 7 Junior Sailing, 7 Oh, by the Way, 7 E-mail newsletter contributions to newsletter@magothy sailing.com Deadline for ALL future issues: 25 th DAY OF THE MONTH PRIOR TO publication date Calendar of Upcoming Events - October 5-6, Sat-Sun: Goose Cruise: Gray s Inn Creek - October 26-27, Sat-Sun: Frostbite Cruise: Mike s Crab House North on Rock Creek Commodore s Comments Commodore s Ball Bye Bye and A February Tour of The British Virgins By Dick Paden, Commodore The temperatures may be dropping but the sailing is great. I hope each of you had an opportunity to see this year s Harvest Moon during the month of September. Donna and I were aboard our sailboat, Petite Cherie, having coffee after dinner on Friday, September 20 th. About 8 PM we noticed a sliver of deep orange rise above Gibson Island as it rose and grew into a huge Harvest Moon. The mast, booms, and fly bridges of the boats at the Magothy Marina slowly became dark silhouettes against the backdrop of a massive full moon that lit up the entire Magothy River. I think it is these simple pleasures in life that we all experience on the water that fosters our love and appreciation for sailing and our time on the water. Next Year s Board. Fall has arrived, as I prepare to have my boat pulled for the winter. My articles are approaching a full circle of a year on the water and serving as your Commodore for the year 2013. Last month many of you must have overlooked the end of my September article, as the last sentence invited everyone to contact me if you were interested in serving on the Board of Governors Nominating Committee to select the Officers for 2014. This month, I am asking you to contact me to let me know which position you would like to serve on the Board next year. The MRSA Board of Governors positions that need to be filled are: 1. Commodore 2. Vice Commodore 3. Fleet Captain Cruising 4. Red Book Editor The nominating committee has been selected and we will be calling to solicit your support to help manage the Magothy River Sailing Association or you can avoid our calls by contacting me to secure the position of your choice. The Commodore s Ball, January 2014? The Board of Governors is very committed to supporting the vitality of the Magothy River Sailing Association. We are challenged to Page 1
2013 OFFICERS OF THE MRSA Commodore: Dick Paden 443-315-7000 commodore Vice Commodore: Chris & Norm Poulsen vice_commodore Rear Commodore: Gene McCollum rear_commodore Fleet Captain Cruising: Myron Dorf and Mike Bonham 410-255-8330 and xxx-xxx-xxxx cruising Fleet Captain Junior Training: Zoe Forsyth 410-315-9548 junior_training Treasurer: Homer Sandridge 410-384-9101 treasurer Secretary: Sue Kirkendall 410-437-3630 secretary Race Committee Chair: Angelo Guarino race_committee Protest Chairman: Drew Dowling 410-647-6492 protests position the club to appeal to today s sailors, their families and the breath of activities they have to choose from. Some of our legacy activities that used to be very successful are not as appealing to as many members as they used to be such as the Commodore s Ball that we have traditionally held in January. For several years the Commodore s Ball was well attended by both cruisers and racers. Many of you will recall that we used to award the racing trophies and get together for a party night with a dinner and band to acknowledge the racers success and the induction of officers for the coming year. A few years ago we stopped awarding the Racing Trophies at the Commodore s Ball due to lack of attendance from the racers. Their attendance issue was related to a couple of factors: the racing captains are members of four clubs not just MRSA; the captains are club members and boat owners but most participants are crew. For the last several years, the Racing Trophies have been awarded in September at a separate annual Trophy Party that is well attended by members and crew; typically a 100 or more attend. It is a successful awards event for us to co-ordinate. Without the racers attendance, the Commodores Ball has become a MRSA winter social event that has experienced consistently dwindling attendance on a cold night and it is typically attended by about 20 member families and guests while our club has over 100 active members. Each year, even though we have worked on keeping prices down, the Club has still had to subsidize about $1,700.00 of the total cost. This year the Board wrestled with how we could rejuvenate the event and improve attendance. Issues we considered included: where to hold it; when to hold it - perhaps at the beginning or the end of the sailing season; would a more casual event attract greater membership participation; and would a lower price attract more attendance. Chris Poulsen our Vice Commodore headed a Commodore s Ball Steering Committee comprised of other Board members to address these issues. After a lot of consideration the committee recommended dissolving the formal Commodore s Ball and incorporating the installation of new the MRSA Board into the Annual Brunch in March at the beginning of the Sailing Season. In the future, the Annual Brunch will serve to commence MRSA s activities for the New Year. In January while many are not thinking about sailing, the Board of Governors will still meet to plan for the upcoming year with emphasis on the production and publication of a new year s Red Book. Junior Training 420s. Speaking of revitalizing, this summer MRSA sold one of our Junior Training 420 sailboats to a student s parents and tried to sell another. At the September Board Meeting we recognized that it is time to purchase a new 420 for the students to learn how to improve their sailing skills on. We are going to dispose of the old 420 s hull that we could not sell but retain its sails and other gear that is in good condition. The junior sailing fleet will actually decrease by 1 boat but the fleet will be in better shape for the students. In addition we have rented a commercial storage space to store the junior fleet s sails and equipment. That will help us keep track of our assets that have been graciously stored for several years at member s homes. Let s go south where the water is crystal clear and blue. One of my themes this year has been promoting and expanding our intra-club relationships. I was pleased last week when Joel Gross with the Chesapeake Bristol Club called and extended an invitation to our membership to join CBC on their February charter-cruise in the British West Indies in mid- February. Joel has been co-coordinating and negotiation charter cruises for their club in the Caribbean for years. The more boats he has to negotiate for, the better terms and rates he is able to obtain. Previously Joel has been able to secure a 10 day cruise for the price of a one week cruise and he has been able to get the charter companies to include both first and last night sleep aboard privileges to avoid use of the local hotel accommodations. This year charter prices are down significantly from the charter companies preferred/advertised rates. Adding more boats for MRSA members will allow him to obtain even better pricing. Typically a fully equipped 42 foot sailboat (both monohulls and catamarans are available) with three cabins and two heads, charters for $4,500.00 for one week. He is doing his best to obtain much lower prices. Joel will be Page 2
Race Gear Chairman: Mark Walker 410-647-2468 race_gear Race Marks Chairman: Tom Price race_marks Scorer: Mike Mullarky 410-439-1556 scorer Junior Racing: Dan Prucnal 410-255-3015 junior_racing Membership Chair: Peggy & Ed Poe 410-296-6428 membership Fleetmaster: Ben Reed fleetmaster Immediate Past Commodore: Debbie Lund 410-544-2551 past_commodore Ship's Store: Loura Bonham ship_store Red Book Editor: Joanne Trepp redbook Old Man Editor: Bert Polk 410-757-0989 newsletter Web Master: Mike Mullarky 410-439-1556 webmaster negotiating with the charter companies at the Sailboat Show (October 10 th - 14 th ). If you and two of your friends are interested in chartering a boat for a week or more in the BWI please call Joel before the Sailboat Show. His phone number is 301-460-3070. Shortly after the Sailboat Show Joel will have a pre-cruise meeting to discuss the arrangements in detail. Upcoming Cruises & Events THE GOOSE CRUISE IS BACK - October 4-5 - Grays Inn Creek Submitted by Al & Sue Kirkendall, cruise leaders And in that first moment of seeing the geese he comprehended them totally: jet-black head and neck, snow-white underchin, beautiful cream body with brown top, black tail, raucous, lovable, fat and constantly shouting to each other, Onk-or! Chesapeake by James A. Michener Please join us for the Goose Cruise to Grays Inn Creek on the Chester River October 4th- 5 th. The Eastern Shore abounds with amazing bird watching in the fall. The cornfields of Kent County boast some of the best migratory birds on the East Coast. Not into bird watching? Just enjoy a leisurely sail, in cooler temperatures, across the bay and up the Chester River. Happy Hour will commence aboard Flying Low at 5 PM (1700). Dust off your Eastern Shore history books and random UBI s. We will take a stab at a game of Eastern Shore Jeopardy. We have gathered plenty of wampum to be awarded! Grays Inn Creek can be reached by traveling up the Chester River to GC1, found on the northern side of the Chester, just prior to Reed Creek entrance located on the southern shore. From GC1, head North West to entrance to the Creek and follow it until you come to the opening at the head of the Creek and turn left to the anchorage. If you can join us on this Cruise, contact Al or Sue Kirkendall at (410) 437-3630 or alkirkendall@verizon.net. We hope to see you there!! Frostbite Cruise - Saturday & Sunday, October 26 & 27 Submitted by Susan Sharkey, Cruise Leader The last cruise of the year will be to Rock Creek, and will offer something for those coming by boat OR by land yacht. We will be meeting at Mike s Crab House North (former location of Windows on the Bay). Final details will be E-mailed to the Club, so please keep an eye out for the details for what will be, I'm sure, a wonderful Fall weekend. Tall Tales from Past Cruises and Events Labor Day Cruise Submitted by Loura Bonham, Cub Reporter & Rummy Router Noonish, Friday, August 30, we departed our dock for the Labor Day Cruise via Back Creek for that night. Much to our surprise, we encountered Goose Cruise water and wind activity. One tack off the western shore and through the bridge we sailed right into Back Creek. Oh brother, the forecast was the same for Saturday when the remainder of our cruisers would depart for Pirate's Cove in the West River. Much to our surprise, 11 more capable captains brought their mates and crew members safely into the anchorage. Three took slips. Crews braving the conditions were: John & Debbie Lund, Rich & Toni Hughes, Rod Swank & Dennise Fath, Ed & Peggy Poe, Jon & Mike Mullarky, Dick & Marianne Kammann & friends/neighbors, Dave & Ann Brunson, Dick & Dreta Peterman, Fred & Sue Page 3
Betz, Stu & Vicki Timmerman, Myron & Sigi Dorf, and Mike & Loura Bonham. Those braving the highways were Dick & Donna Paden and Norm & Chris Poulsen. CBYRA Representative: cbyca@magothysailin g.com Website: www.magothysailing. com. MRSA is a member of CBYRA, CBYCA, and Boat US. (Member #GA 80366 S) RESERVATIONS REQUIRED or REQUESTED FOR: Goose Cruise by October 3 to the Kirkendalls Frostbite Cruise by October 22 to Susan Sharkey PHOTO CREDITS: Special thanks to Donna Paden, Dick Kammann, Peggy Poe, Wes McNair, Kathy Polk, Toni & Rich Hughes, and Loura Bonham for recent photos in The Old Man! Below: Choptank Light by Loura Bonham The Kammann's so very kindly hosted happy hour Saturday evening aboard Renaissance. Luckily, we had some dock space near their slip with a bench to sit on and a dock box to display the appetizers. Some delicious offerings were shared. Sunday morning, the Peterman's, Timmerman's and Swank/Fath's departed to explore other ports. At 1300, the 300 Rummy Tournament was held aboard 3 boats with 12 competitors. The Lund's played the Mullarky's, the Poe's played the Hughes' and the Betz' played the Bonham's. Winners of that first round were Debbie Lund, Toni Hughes, and Loura Bonham. Since it was getting very close to 1700, and the winners were all heading out on the first week of the Lund's long cruise, we set the next and final round for an evening when we would all be together in the Cambridge Municipal Marina. Winner of the final round was Loura Bonham with Debbie Lund running very close behind her, and Toni Hughes coming in third. There was a protest filed, but the protest committee determined that chocolate and bourbon were not performance enhancing drugs. Prizes were the fixings for Dark & Stormies, still intact on Frequent Flyer. Sunday dinner was held at Thursday's Restaurant on the West River and enjoyed by all. Great weather with a breeze and sunshine was enjoyed the entire 3 days with only a minor shower Saturday night. (Photos by Loura Bonham.) Monday morning, the Lund's, Hughes', and Bonham's left for further great wind (in the right direction by the way) for the Lund's long cruise. Rumor has it that the rest of the cruisers either returned home to do chores or to go back to work! DESSERT CRUISE to the Big City September 14-15, 2013 Submitted by Al & Sue Kirkendall, Cruise Leaders and Dessert Impresarios It was a long and peaceful sail, during which he was able for the first time to savor the Chesapeake and see it for the glorious body of water it was - Chesapeake by James A. Michener The dawn was bright with an autumn chill. Flying Low (AL and Sue Kirkendall) left the Magothy headed north to Baltimore with winds out of the northwest. The jib willingly rolled out and the engine turned off we were sailing on a starboard tack. That lasted until Bodkin Point where winds on the nose forced us to power sail. As we pulled into Inner Harbor East we were greeted by Renaissance (Dick and Marianne Kammann) and Betelgeux (Jon and Mike Mullarky, John and Ruth Baumert with daughters Taliah and Natasha). Jon took Betelgeux to the Francis Scott Key buoy to begin their history lesson. Some of the crew of Betelgeux was headed for some education at Fort McHenry, but were Page 4
sidetracked by the shops in Fells Point and eventually passed on the history lesson. After getting secured to the dock, with the help of very gracious dockhands, we headed to the new office with a big screen TV and gorgeous heads. (Amazing what you learn in The Old Man. Ed) Min Van IV (John and Debbie Lund) arrived a few minutes later having sailed from Swan Creek on their last leg of the Long Cruise. Myron and Sigi Dorf, having other commitments, arrived by land yacht with the realization it took longer to park than sail from the Magothy. As always, Happy Hour provided dinner, then we were off to Vaccaro s in Little Italy for dessert. We enjoyed our dessert at tables on the street because the night was cool and the activity of Little Italy was quite entertaining. Fireworks from Fort McHenry were scheduled at dusk, so we headed back for the show. Just as everyone felt they had been misinformed the sky lit up over Under Armour. The Defenders Day fireworks were outstanding, lasting about 20 minutes. Everyone turned in early! At 9 AM on Sunday morning, the table was spread with bounty from the galleys of 4 boats. Natasha, with her bucket jellyfish pot, attempted to catch some delicacies from the Bay, but they were a bit illusive! All food groups were complimented with mimosas to cleanse the pallet! After breakfast, the crews packed up anticipating a south wind and a power sail home. Three barges and three ships later we arrived at the Magothy under sunny skies and a strong south wind. Thank you to all for a memorable weekend!! Swan Creek Race Over and Back Sept 28 29 Submitted by Your Favorite Old Man Editor The Potapskut Sailing Association has changed its long heralded Queenstown Race to a new venue. This year, the race went to Rock Hall instead, and back the next day, with a party in between. The Poes on Ravenous provided RC services at the Baltimore Light start, and at the Swan Creek finish (and start the next morning). The McNairs on Merlin anchored in Swan Creek for easy access to the party site, with tender service available to Haven Harbor marina. Details later; for now, pictures (by Kathy Polk) for thousands of words. 2013 MRSA Cruise Schedule For more information on specific planned cruises, contact the cruise leader listed on the schedule. For any general information feel free to contact us directly, Myron and Sigi Dorf (410-255-8330), E-mail cruising. We wish you all a great summer and fall of safe, fun cruises. See you on the water! Dates Cruise Cruise Leader Oct 5-6 Goose Cruise Goose Territory Al & Sue Kirkendall Oct 26-27 Frostbite Cruise Mike s Crab House Rock Creek Susan Sharkey & Robert Bell Page 5
Special Membership Notices and Announcements Maryland Boaters Can Now Take No-Cost Boating Safety Course at Home - BoatUS Foundation Online Boating Safety Course Approved by Maryland DNR Submitted by Mike Mullarky, MRSA Web Master ANNAPOLIS, Md., September 17, 2013. Until now, the only option for Maryland boaters wanting to take a required boating safety course was to pay for one out of their own pocket. However, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources now offers Maryland boat owners a free option with the availability of the no-cost BoatUS Foundation Online Boating Safety Course <http://www.boatus.org/onlinecourse/maryland.asp>. The BoatUS course fully meets the state s education requirements for boaters and PWC operators born on or after July 1, 1972. The course is also approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and recognized by the US Coast Guard as exceeding the minimum requirements for the National Recreational Boating Safety Program. Our goal is to make boating safety education as accessible as possible to as many boaters possible, said BoatUS Foundation President Chris Edmonston. By making Maryland s course free, it removes the last possible barrier towards ensuring everyone s safety. And because you can work on it as you go, it fits in with today s busy schedules. The course is loaded with interactive animations, videos and photos to give boaters an education that goes well beyond the basics of boating. Videos show important safety devices such as visual distress signals, how to get help in an emergency, how to prevent fires aboard your boat, and the best way to fit a child s life jacket. Passing the course could earn a discount on a boat s insurance policy. Boaters who successfully pass the BoatUS Foundation online course can print their own Certificate of Completion and then the state will automatically send the official Boater Education Card to their homes. This card must be kept within a boater s possession when boating along with picture identification. To take the course, go to www.boatus.org <http://www.boatus.org>. For more information about the Maryland Boater Certificate, go to dnr.state.md.us/boating <http://www.dnr.state.md.us/boating>. --- Eastport Yacht Club Extends Reciprocity to MRSA --- In Mid-March 2013, Mr. William Kocan, General Manager of the Eastport Yacht Club officially welcomed MRSA Members through a formal reciprocity agreement. This is an excellent arrangement for both clubs, especially MRSA Members who now can use the EYC facilities to tie up, and also use their restaurant facilities. Please remember to take and show your new MRSA Membership Card when you visit EYC. Be sure to thank them when you visit! MRSA Members may pay for meals by credit card. CAUTION: Shoaling at Kent Narrows Shoaling has been reported and confirmed on the Chester River side of the Kent Island Narrows. Caution or avoidance is recommended in the Narrows for boats drawing over 5 feet or at low tide. Page 6
MRSA Classifieds good deals from MRSA Members NOTE: If you see your ad here, and do not contact your Editor before 25 September to continue, or that will be the last month it appears. Small Boat For Sale: 14' Newport built Skipjack #64 with Trailer. Pivoting keel, self bailing, main sail and jib. Asking $500. Call Greg at 410-707-8631. ~ (\_~~(\_~(\_~~ Leftover Anti-Fouling Paint Wanted: Anti-Fouling Bottom Paint leftovers any color, any amount. Needed to paint wooden pier ladders to repel barnacles. Please E-mail bpolkmd@yahoo.com. Racing Corner Stay Tuned for the Trophy Party Please contact Angelo Guarino at race_committee for the latest concerning the Trophy Party this fall, and all other racing info. Junior Sailing Program Ages 9-16 Junior Sailing 2013 Wrap-Up Y all done good!! Sincere thanks to Zoe Forsythe, Fleet Captain Junior Training & Junior Sailing Coordinator, for all her efforts once again to provide another very successful, enjoyable, and educational sailing program for our junior sailors! Info on the 2014 program will be provided in the spring. Questions? Contact Zoe Forsyth at 410-315-9548 or junior_training. Oh, By the Way West River Labor Day Cruise photos by Loura Bonham: (Center: Rich and Toni Hughes.) Page 7
Dessert Cruisers Baltimore Harbor September 2013 photo courtesy of The Kirkendalls. The Old Man Magothy River Sailing Association P.O. Box 1135 Pasadena, MD 21122 Treasure the Chesapeake! htttp://www.magothysailing.com Please do your part to restore the Bay and make it cleaner. Page 8