1 November 2013 Mainsheet C o m m o d o r e s m e s s a g e November 3 Dockside Cruise November 7 7:30 Regular Meeting and Nautical Sale November 21 7:30 regular Meeting As I write this note, I am half-way through a very interesting book, Sudden Sea, about the Hurricane of 1938, which struck September 21 st, 75 years ago. Did you know that Napatree Point in Watch Hill was loaded with houses? They were never rebuilt after the storm and the beautiful barrier beach which so many of us anchor behind, is all that remains. Although I am lamenting the close of sailing season, I am already looking forward to everything our club does in the off season. Docksides continue with gusto as do many social events. Our Holiday Party will be held at the new Madison Beach Hotel on December 7 th with the Wango Tango Band playing. (They played at the Commodore s Gala aboard the Lady Katharine this spring) On January 5 th will be the annual Boar s Head Festival at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford. (Watch for details coming soon). In February, many of our members will be sailing the Caribbean. When the snow flies, we will have snow shoe, cross country and alpine ski gatherings and dock sides. And then, before you know it, the call will go out for help in removing boat covers! In looking back, we had a great Labor Day weekend of sailing in and around Sag Harbor. The Bud Cook Memorial Race was held with a stiff breeze and close competition. Congratulations to Bob and Denise Lattanzio, winners of the Bud Cook Trophy. Full race results are included in this issue. The Lobster Bash was a great success and special thanks to Sherri Condon for putting on the Silent Auction, our big fund raiser of the year. At our first meeting in November we will have a nautical tag sale and our second November meeting will have a speaker from the Essex River Front Museum. Our first meeting in December will be our annual meeting and the second meeting will be our traditional holiday sing-a-long. Check out the new calendar section on our website where all our activities can be found. There are no barnacles on our bottoms! Norb Church, Commodore SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS Joan Dunham September 2 Charlie Ammann September 8 Gisela Lee September 10 Thomas Malley September 10 William Jacobs September 15 Art Rossbach September 17 Fred Davis September 23 Henry Petry September 25 Pat Barberio September 25 Sue Curley September 26 OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS Catherine Jackson October 2 Gunther Kaul October 5 Dino Mitsalexakis October 10 Bob Lattanzio October 12 Tom Doyle October 13 Alannah Dutchess October 19 Bill St. Paul October 19 Paul Krell October 22 Dick Siedzik October 24 Barry Weinstein October 26 Josie Malangone October 27 Reyd Dyer October 31 NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS Doug Ewers November 2 Rita Lehto November 4 Terry Maitland November 7 Jenny Lombard November 7 Karen Henry November 10 Cliff Kramm November 11 Bob Cifaldi November 11 Linda Chapman November 15 Karolyn Dunn November 17 Sandy Olbrys November 27
2 On return from day-sail to Thimble Islands: Val Valentino, Karen Devine, Susan Ledger, Harry Mark Born to Sail. by Dee Johnson One could say that Bill O Shaughnessy was born to sail as pictured here in the first known encounter with a sailboat at age 3. Bill learned to sail off the coast of New Hampshire where his family summered. He taught his daughter and 2 granddaughters who now reside in VT to sail. Bill has owned many sailboats over the years ranging from 15 to a 27 Catalina. Mariposa, his current 26 Pearson which is moored in Old Saybrook s North Cove. He flirted with power boating for a short time when he owned an aluminum cabin cruiser which was kept on Lake Candlewood while he worked in Danbury but quickly returned once more to his passion of sailing. Bill also enjoys playing tennis and skiing. You could say Bill was into drugs having worked as a Senior Vice President of McKesson Drug Laboratories and previously Chief Financial Officer of E.E. Dickinson in Essex. He currently owns and operates Eastern Analytical Lab in Old Saybrook, an environmental water testing firm servicing commercial and residential clients. Bill has recently enjoyed racing Mariposa with the North Cove Yacht Club. Thanks in large part to the assistance and guidance from Jack Lombard, he came in 4 th place overall for the race season this year. Bill is retiring from racing since he blew out his head sail in this season s final race. Bill has enjoyed his association with the Shoreline Sailing Club since 2005 and says the most important thing to remember when sailing...is...to have fun! A very rare orange and brown lobster caught in Maine
The First Annual Schooner Festival by Rita C. Lehto 3 The first annual Schooner Festival was held in New London the weekend of September 14-15. Three SSC boats attended the event and several other members came by land. It was a great time for the SSC members, but not for the city of New London. The festival was supposed to draw 20 Schooners and over 20,000 people. Only 7 schooners showed up and there were just a few hundred people. We never found out why it was such a bust but that didn t stop us from having a great time. You may have heard on the news about the schooner, Amistad being MIA. Wow, did they ever get into trouble for not attending the event! Spellbound, Captained by Marc Greenleaf, Crazy Cakes, Captained by Lois Glazer and Camelot, Captained by Roger Potvin all attended the event. Want to hear a fun story about how great friendships are made in SSC? Well, Rita Lehto and Josie Malangone were to attended the event on Captain Marguerite Ruppenicker s boat, however, at last minute plans were changed and Josie and I went by car. Our mooring was all paid for but we were boat less. So I called Roger Potvin, whom I knew only had reservations for Friday night, and offered him our mooring. As it turns out, Roger was in New London Harbor getting ready to set sail to go watch the Schooner boat race. He came in by dinghy, picked us up, and off we went sailing for the day. Josie and I boarded Camelot with nothing in hand, no food, no drinks, and no wine! But Roger and Sandy shared their lunch, their snacks and the one tiny bottle of wine. Then Roger and Sandy spend an extra evening on the mooring that we were supposed to have. What a great exchange of gifts and what good friends!!! After the race, the SSC boats came back into the harbor and we all had dinner at Chaplin s, a cozy little place on Bank Street. We had 14 SSC members. Chaplins seated us at a round tiny table (the restaurant is very small) where we were all very cozy. We feasted on flounder stuffed with lobster and crab, yummy pork chops, pasta and big bottles of wine! Thanks to Marc Greenleaf for organizing the dinner and the event. Mystic & Brilliant at the start
4 Vixen trying to catch up with Virginia Brad Ficken and Bill Bacon went out on Brad s Vixen on 9/14/2013 to watch the schooner race off New London Working aloft on Virginia After a failed attempt to land on Faulkner s Island in stormy weather some SSC members took refuge in the Guilford Yacht Club
Newport Boat Show by Rita C. Lehto Ahhh, fall has arrived and with it comes the boat shows. Pat Holinka, Doree and I, headed to the Newport Boat show on Friday, September 13 th. It was a full day of seeing many of the venders, many other SSC members who we kept running into at the show (Marc Greenleaf, Mark Greenfield, George McLaughlin, Lois Glazer, Joy Sherman, Bob Wilmer, Alannah Dutchess) and boarding both power and sail boats. The best boat at the show that we saw was a brand new, 3 million custom designed sailboat. It was a wooden boat with a fiberglass over lay on the hull. It has 4 staterooms, a gigantic cockpit and all the bells and whistles. The best part, it was custom built for a 90-year-old gentleman. See, it s never too late! We also made a visit to the Seaman Church Institute. Many of you may remember, when Chuck Roode died several years ago, SSC took up a collection and bought a brick in his name and then made a significant donation to the Institute. Pictured here is the wall of bricks and then Chuck s brick. It was very moving to see. And did you know there is an Elks Club in Newport? It is right up the street from the boat show and provided a yummy dinner for us and live entertainment. The building, as pictured here, is an old Victorian Style home with a large yard and old oak trees. Just beautiful. It was a long day but so worth it as boat shows are just so much FUN!!!! 5
6 By Jeff Bander Puzzle: I want to learn to be a better sailor: how do I go about it? Answer: There s no single answer but when you re out with a Captain on a sail ask their advice. Or collar one at a meeting. Here are some thoughts though: a) Start by taking Keelboat lessons in small boats, especially those with tillers and without engines. The light weight of the small boats amplifies the forces of the wind and waves. The tiller in your hand reinforces boat control. The absence of an engine forces you to figure out how to sail everywhere you want to go, even back to the dock! b) Join a sailing school or yacht club that gives you access to their small boat fleet so you can get in a lot of practice time to hone your new skills. Yale Corinthian in Branford is one example. c) If you want to amp up your sailing skills further, try some racing. Again, smaller boats if possible. The added pressure of a race helps sharpen everything you ve learned about line handling, sail trimming, helming, wind angles, boat speed, navigation. d) If you want to explore multi-day trips take additional courses in Cruising and Navigation and get yourself on some weekend sails. Translate your sailing knowledge to the larger boats. Pay attention to operating the systems found on larger cruising boats, especially ground tackle, sail handling, engines, batteries, plumbing. Ask the Captain how to manage these systems and keep them in good order. e) If you want to keep progressing you ll want to become first mate and then Captain of a boat. Refine your navigational skills and learn some about marine weather. Also, now is the time to develop your big-boat docking skills and further courses may be in order. Funny how much of the drama of sailing happens right at the dock. f) Lastly, I have it on good authority that nothing refines your skills like solo sailing. I have only limited experience here but I saw how important it is to have all your skills down pat and with every eventuality thought out in advance. Knowing I could handle the boat alone gave me more confidence when I sailed with a crew. Marc Greenleaf and Rob Wilkins get their burgees Winners of the fishing tournament. Joanne Salvestrini who caught the smallest fish and Dave Zita who caught the most fish.
7 Cruising off Mew London skipper Sharon Bell & crew [Jean Paupeck, Karen Walker, Harry Mark], spotted the Mystic whaler near a nuclear submarine. Marguerite, the new captain in the club gets her burgee Photos by Rita On Pat Holinka's boat. First annual pub stroll., Pat, Doree, Rita
8 Cruise Week, 2013 by Rita C. Lehto This year s cruise week was a bit different than other years. It seems SSC has lost many of our Captains in the club for many different reasons; illness, sale of their boats, boat breakdowns, the list goes on. So this year we had only four boats participating. Two of the four boats were two of our brand new Captains: Marguerite Ruppenicker, Captain of the 27 Catalina, Swallows and Amazons, and Alan Brothers, Captain of the 40 Swan, Lucy Vincent. The other two long time members, Jack and Jenny Lombard and George Krug and Linda Chapman, joined the fleet. Special thanks to Jenny for coordinating all of the events. I was crew on Swallows and Amazons along with Pam Tracy. We left Westbrook Harbor on a perfect sunny and fair winded day. Although we had to motor as the winds were just a bit too light and out of the wrong direction, we arrived in Stonington Harbor late afternoon. By 5:30 pm three of the four cruise boats were in port and all met at the Dog Watch Café for happy hour. As I personally had been away for 9 months in FL, it was a pleasure to see all the SSC members that I haven t seen in ages. The next day all boats were to sail Dutch Harbor, up the Narragansett River. However our boat, Swallows and Amazon and Alan s boat, the Lucy Vincent, decided to spend another day in Stonington. Stonington had the Blessing of the Fleet going on, with a parade, a rock n roll band, festivities and lots of yummy food. Both crews went a shore for the events. People from Stonington who had lost loved ones at sea, over many generations, were wearing a red, white and blue ribbon on their shirts. We met several of these people who graciously told us their stories of their relatives and how they had been lost at sea, how their families that were left behind survived and how each generation continued to make their livelihood has fisherman. After the blessing of the fleet, which was done by the Bishop, several of the fishing boats left the harbor to go into Block Island Sound, to place flowers and an anchor in the water as a sea memorial. It was a very moving day and we were all so glad that we had stayed behind for an extra day in Stonington. Later that day, Marguerite, Pam and I walked and shopped in Stonington. We were fortunate enough to end our walking tour at the end of Water Street where the small lighthouse is. We were able to enter the lighthouse, climb the stairs and see the breathtaking views from the top of the lighthouse. If you have never done this in Stonington, I highly recommend it. It is worth the time and since the lighthouse isn t that tall, it was an easy climb to the top. The next day we thought we would head to Dutch Harbor, but there was more exploring to do. Alan and Marguerite were new to the Stonington area and when Watch Hill was mentioned, we all knew we just had to visit. Watch Hill channel has become rather shallow, silted in a bit due to last years storms. After speaking with several of the locals, we decided on taking just one boat over for the day. Alan s 40 Swan draws 6 8 of water, so he could only get into the harbor at high tide. So crew from Alan s boat, which was Wayne Garmon and Marguerite s boat crew all joined Captain Marguerite on her boat and off we headed to Watch Hill. Watch Hill is a quaint New England town with beautiful beaches, shops, and a few restaurants. We had lunch at the Olympia Tea House, which is located right on Main Street. We dinned on mussels and fish and a Bloody Mary or two. After lunch the crew split up to do their own things (swimming, shopping, people watching) and regrouped around 5 pm. Watch Hill wouldn t be complete without a trip to the Ocean House, a beautiful 5 star hotel located on top of a hill overlooking Block Island Sound. On a clear day, you can see Block Island. And this day was perfectly clear with no humidity, we got to wave to Block. Oh, and as a side note, we were able to take the launch into Watch Hill from the mooring field, and guess what the launch s boat name, yup it was the Rita. Our trip ended earlier than expected, as did another boat for various reasons. But all in all, it was a perfect cruise week. The rest of the fleet made it to Narragansett Bay and enjoyed perfect weather and sailing there also. I always feel so blessed to be part of SSC as I was able to experience sailing with competent captains and fun crew. Thanks to SSC and all the wonderful people.
9 The tender into watch hill named the "Rita Blessing of the fleet, Stonington Stonington lighthouse Marguerite and Pam Tracy in Stonington Photos by Rita Lehto Captain Marguerite Ocean House, Watch Hill
Workers unite, it is Labor Day, 2013! And the workers, in this case sailors and power boaters of SSC, did just that. We first had a great day of travel getting to our destination, then we united at 3 Mile Harbor for a cocktail fiesta aboard 3 of our mighty vessels that were rafted together - The Flying Dutchman, Bearcat and Synchronicity. The dingies were all tucked in behind, always a fun sight. Food and drink from every boat was in abundance and varied as were our many crew members. Fun and sun was had by all, and of course, we shared stories of one or another boating experience - either real or fanciful. Cherie, our resident Club photographer, took many, many shots of us all. And one that almost broke the camera; have a look at them on our website. Cherie, thank you for your hard work. We got back to our boats, some at anchor some on moorings, and later were given a Mother Nature Show Extraordinaire. It was thunder and lightening, or was it fireworks?, for an extended showing late at night. Next morning was a beautiful day with a nice breeze. Eleven boats prepared to race in the Annual Bud Cook Memorial RACE and headed out to gather outside the harbor, tacking back and forth to see the lay of the land - er I mean - sea and wind. Toni Nolder and her crew member Elaine Reitman got Lil Red in place and the race began. At the previous cocktail party Toni kept saying bribe me... bribe me... but I don t think anybody took her up on that offer, it seemed to be a fair and square race. Not as fair and square as I would have liked it to be, but not everybody can come in first. After the race was over we then had a good time sailing to Sag Harbor. We gathered again for cocktails, this time on land at the park in the harbor. Lots of SSCers there having a jolly time again trading stories of accomplishments or why did I do that! I will only highlight the first two boats - Bob and Denise Lattanzio again won 1st place and Lois Glazer in her brand-new-to-her boat came in 2nd. Way to go guys and gals. There were many fun prizes given out by Roger Potvin, our orchestrator of the racing event. And every boat won something, mostly funny, quirky prizes. Then we split up going our own way about town or back to our boats for yummy dinners. The end of a very nice day. Good spirit, camaraderie and lots of fun! Next day, Monday, was the homeward leg and I m not sure but I think there were some boats that hit a bit of rain. My boat, Vixen, was one of the last to leave and we had all of 10 sprinkles, yes I counted them. We saw nasty clouds but I think we were late enough that the weather passed us by. It was a nice sail home. Thank you Brad and crew members Susan Ferguson and Chuck Halbing for a great weekend. Vixen will do better next year! Rochelle Dauenheimer 10 RACE RESULTS FOR THE BUD COOK RACE 1. GOT WIND- Bob and Denise Lattanzio 2. CRAZYCAKES- Lois Glazer and Norb Church 3. WINDWALKER- Charlie Ammann 4. BEARCAT- Jack Lombard 5. HADO- Joy Sherman 6. SPELLBOUND- Marc Greenleaf 7. CAMELOT- Roger Potvin 8. VIXEN- Brad Ficken 9. SYNERGY- Ron Luich 10. FLYING DUTCHMAN- Tom Althuis 11. SYNCHRONICITY- Beth Bernardo and Terry Allen Bob Lattanzio receiving Award Bermuda Race Bermuda Race
SSC members on Labor Day 11
The Denaming and Christening Ceremony of a Boat: by Rita C. Lehto We have all heard that it is bad luck to rename a boat however many people do it. If one does rename their boat, one is supposed to have a Denaming Ceremony. Why? Well according to legend, each and every vessel is recorded by name in the Ledger of the Deep and is known personally to Poseidon, or Neptune, the god of the sea. If we wish to change the name of our boat, the first thing we must do is to purge its name from the Ledger of the Deep and from Poseidon s memory. This is an involved process beginning with the removal or obliteration of every trace of the boat s current identity. This is essential and must be done thoroughly. The log books, key chains, wine glasses, anything that has the old name of the boat on it, must be removed from the boat. The denaming consists of 5 parts: 1. An Invocation, 2. An expression of gratitude, 3. A supplications, 4. A rededication and 5. A libation. The Denaming Ceremony Recitation: Here s the actual ceremonial recitation: In the name of all who have sailed aboard this ship in the past, and in the name of all who may sail aboard her in the future, we invoke the ancient gods of the wind and the sea to favor us with their blessing today. Mighty Neptune, king of all that moves in or on the waves; And mighty Aeolus, guardian of the winds and all that blows before them: We offer you our thanks for the protection you have afforded this vessel in the past. We voice our gratitude that she has always found shelter from tempest and storm and enjoyed safe passage to port. Now, wherefore, we submit this supplication, that the name whereby this vessel has hitherto been known, ( and removed from your records. 12 ), be struck Further, we ask that when this vessel is again presented for blessing with another name, she shall be recognized and shall be accorded once again the selfsame privileges she previously enjoyed. In return for which, we rededicate this vessel to thy domain in full knowledge that she shall be subject to the immutable laws of the gods of the wind and the sea. In consequence whereof, and in good faith, we seal this pact with a libation offered according to the hallowed ritual of the sea. What s next? Now you can pop the cork, shake the bottle and spray the whole of the contents on the bow. When that s done, you can open another bottle for yourself. How long should you wait before the new naming ceremony? There's no fixed time. You can do the renaming right after the denaming, if you want. New Christening Ceremony The traditional ceremony calls for a bottle of champagne to be broken across the vessel s bow. On small boats, the bottle is usually enclosed in a fine-mesh net so that dangerous splinters of glass do not escape. Alternatively, you may open the bottle and spray the contents on the bow and forward topsides. If you have serious objections to the use of alcohol, use any sparkling non-alcoholic drink instead. The gods will not despise you nor punish you in any way for acting according to your true conscience. The christening is very short and simple. The essential parts are the new name, and wishes for fair winds, safe passages, and good fortune. You can make up your own ceremony if you like, but here is one example. It is to be spoken immediately before the breaking of the bottle or the spraying of its contents: I name this ship ( ). May she bring fair winds, safe passages, and good fortune to all who sail on her. Forbidden Names A boat needs a name and a naming ceremony. Superstition has it that if you launch a boat without having held a naming ceremony, you ll offend the gods and suffer bad luck. But be careful when you give your boat a name. A boat with a name that is too presumptuous is said to attract ill fortune. Presumptuous names include those that challenge the sea or the wind, and those that boast that they are tougher than the elements. If you call your boat Sea Conqueror or Tempest Tamer, you re asking for trouble. It s safer to be humble. Denaming and christening Captain Lois Glazer s boat: So on a beautiful October day, Captain Lois Glazer and her crew denamed her new boat and christened the boat with a brand of champagne called Cupcakes. The new boat name is Crazy Cakes. Thanks to Cheri Calabrese for finding just the right champagne! May Captain Lois and her crew always have fair winds and good fortune! Reference: (From How to Rename your Boat and 19 Other Useful Ceremonies, Superstitions, Prayers, Rituals, and Curses, published by Paradise Cay Publications.)
New Members OFFICERS Commodore Norb Church norbchurch@yahoo.com 13 Janet Brutcher Bill Bacon Kathy Bruni Jill Peterson Michael Lutz Michelle Hebert Robert Dudley Laura Zotti Alan Brothers Pasco, Jean Carlson Fay Larson Marilyn Saccu Harvey Payton Andra Read Marco Kinsella Kathleen Nadeau Elizabeth Lomas Pamela Tracy (returning) Deanna Casey Diane Sandler Otto Morgan Jessie Stratton Bristol New Haven Newington East Hampton Dallas ( returning) West Hartford Waterford Niantic Washington skipper Tolland Southington Milford Clinton Niantic Glastonbury Hadlyme Lyme Savannah, Georgia Shelton Marlborough Manchester Noank Vice Comodore George MacLauglin macgeorge711@aol.com Secretary Helene Schafman revedemer3@aol.com Treasurer Elaine Reitman ereitman@sbcglobal.net DIRECTORS Lois Glazer Past Commodore loisglazer@yahoo.com Betty Molle Fleet Captain emolle@snet.net Cherie Calabrese Website cher_delite@yahoo.com Sheila Peckingham Dockside speckingham@comcast.net Dick Siedzik At Large richardsiedzik@snet.net John Kovel At Large email4jfk@yahoo.com OTHER COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND ASSISTANTS Harry Mark Mainsheet iimd@aol.com Donna Durand Membership sunshinesbld@gmail.com Janina Cummings Publicity jcski1250@yahoo.com Jo-Ann Salvestrini New Members/Guests salvestrinij@netzero.net Cathy Flanagan Social drcflanagan@sbcglobal.net Ann Bednarek Social annbednarek@att.net Alana Dutchess Sunshine adutchessa@yahoo.com Pat Holinka Assistant Fleet Captain pholinka@yahoo.com Mary Lou Fischer Sail Coordinator and Publicity Assistant marylouart@aol.com Karen Warhit Sail Coordinator vvvvvvjustmehaha1@aol.com Sue Curley Sail Coordinator synch@sbcglobal.net Lois Glazer Products/Ship Store loisglazer@yahoo.com