Clear Lake Yacht Club      2006 Crows Nest  Editor Brad Osmundson  MC 2000  Clear  Lake  Boats

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CLYC December 18, 2006

Now that the Halloween candy is gone, the Thanksgiving turkey is finally digested and Clear Lake has frozen over, it’s time to reminisce about a time not too long ago when the water was soft and we were wearing shorts, t-shirts and flops.  All in all, 2006 was a good year for the Clear Lake Yacht Club. 

We got to race sailboats against each other, we got to host regattas, we got to travel to regattas all over the country, and during all that we got to visit and party with old friends and new.

Some stuff happened that we don’t normally see during a typical sailing season. We got good news on funding for dredging the west end of the lake, we got to wrestle with new dock regulations (and we’re still wrangling with more proposed rules), we got to debate condominium development on the north shore.

We crowned CLYC fleet champions:
            X Fleet:                                    Jon Osmundson
            MC Fleet:                                 Stu Oltrogge
            C Fleet:                                    Mark Tesar
            E Fleet:                                     Lori Zachar
            Hobie Fleet:                              Regan Elsbury
            Hobie Unlimited Fleet:               Bruce Ray

We crowned new Dad/Mom/Lad/Lass champs, Stu and Emily Oltrogge.

We even crowned a couple regatta champions when Jon Osmundson won Interlakes in the X Fleet and Mark Tesar won the Lake Harriet Spring Regatta in his MC.

We sent sailors from our X, C and MC fleets to the 2006 Blue Chip, the ILYA’s “championship of champions regatta”.  Our sailors traveled all over the country, and as far away as Ohio, Michigan, South Carolina and Florida to race against the best the USA has to offer at the various invitational, regional and national regattas.

At last count, we hosted 5 (count ‘em 5) regattas in 2006, with the Hobie fleet taking honors for “hosts of the most” with 3 events, including a US Sailing Regional Qualifier and Hobie 14 Nationals.  Our Opti fleet got a taste of regatta competition when we held No Tears West.  And everyone else got involved when Clear Lake fielded the granddaddy of them all, the Interlake regatta.  We found, once again, that sailors love to come to our lake……great sailing and great people.

By the way, we tried out a new fleet…..The RC Laser Fleet dominated the Outing Club dock on Sunday afternoons.  It’s amazing how dry you stay and how few Advil you need after racing sailboats with remote controls! Check out the year end fleet reports at the end of this newsletter……….

We got new leadership in our judging crew, and PRO Charlie MacNider made it all seem so easy and smooth.  We’ve still got the best judges in the Inlands and some of the new blood that’s stepping up will make it even more so.

We do have a tendency to party and 2006 did not disappoint.  It would take a computer to calculate just how many formal and informal get-togethers we had but I can specifically remember taking over Steve and Sue Taylor’s, Tom and Denni Erickson’s, and the Outing Club, not to mention the family fun nights at the Yacht Club, and the fleet parties at fleet captains’ homes.

And some of our members have spent time and effort trying to make sure that the Yacht Club remains a vital part of the community.  Andi Tisor and J.C. Risewick initiated new programs, like the Sunday morning breakfast club at PM Park, to reach out to both social and sailing members.  Mark Tesar worked hard at reinvigorating the Thursday night racing program.

We gave out some awards at the Year End Banquet to several deserving YC members:
Charlie Crane Trophy (for contributions to the CLYC) -                        Dave Miller
Loose Anchor Award (for behind the scenes contributions) -                 Chris Wessels
|Marie O’Brien Trophy (for best regatta results) -                                 Jon Osmundson
Tom MacNider Trophy (for best improvement) -                                    Stu Oltrogge
The Blooper Award (for the biggest screwup of the year) -                   Chris Wessels

Incidentally, Mark Tesar has already thrown his hat into the ring as the front-runner for next year’s Blooper Award.  The rest of us are going to have to mess up in a big way to even have a chance of competing with him.  But, speaking from personal experience, I’m pretty sure I’ve got it in me…………

And last but most definitely not least we ran a Sailing School, that for the first time in recent memory was financially in the black……just barely.  But that’s not the important part……….what is important is that we have a group of people who devote their time year-round to making sure that over a hundred kids (and adults) have a chance to learn what sailing is all about.  Hats off to Julie Oltrogge, Mark Tesar and Margaret Osmundson who keep it all together year after year.  And more hats off to Kristin Ebeling (Program Director), Chris Osmundson (Head X Boat Instructor) and Spencer Anderson (Head Optimist Instructor) who made it happen each and every day all summer.

And thanks to those who ran the CLYC show in 2006, Eric Protzman (Commodore), Mark Tesar (Vice Commodore) and Dave Miller (Secretary/Treasurer), as well as the Board of Directors (who keep the officers honest).

My personal thanks go to Harry Alcorn and Bill at Larson Printing who wait patiently each week for my last minute emailing of the Crow’s Nest so they can actually get it in front of you.

I’ve got some shopping to do now……and maybe a little iceboating.

Happy Holidays,  Oz

SAILING SCHOOL VISIONS

The Clear Lake Yacht Club Sailing School has visions of sails and sugarplums dancing in their heads.  After a very successful year with the largest number of students ever enrolled, and one of its alums being an Inter-Lake champion, we want to continue to grow.  Our wish list includes purchasing a raceable X Boat to charter to a family, bumpers for the Optimist Dinghies and a storage rack to be built at the Yacht Club for Optimist storage.  Please remember us in your year end giving by mailing a donation to:

CLYCSS           P.O. Box 29     Clear Lake, IA   50428 

2006 CLYC “X” FLEET REPORT

Submitted by Jon Osmundson, Fleet Captain

This year’s X fleet participated and raced very well both on and off of Clear Lake.  All of the racers showed great improvements throughout the course of the season, and there is much reason for optimism about next summer.  The club races saw many new participants and very much increased overall participation this year with as many as eight boats on a starting line and a pretty consistent 4 to 5 despite the fleet captain lacking greatly in the participation department (who does that person think he/she is?).  The future looks bright as the X team is only losing two boats and many young racers are moving up the ranks to fill in the holes.  As for this year’s regattas, a really bright spot was that Interlakes was conveniently on Clear Lake and we were able to race a full team which placed second in the regatta and took home an individual champion and the Mendenhall trophy for beating that other lake in Iowa.  Emily Oltrogge, Drake Lundeen and myself made the brief trip to Lake Minnetonka for the X-Inland Championships and all sailed well (the Senior Fleet even let me win one race…a real thrill).  I believe Emily also made it to the Icebreaker spring regatta at Lake Harriet where it was 94 degrees below zero (give or take a few degrees). I was also fortunate enough to qualify for the Blue Chip regatta at Cedar Lake in Wisconsin.  I was even more fortunate to rope fellow skipper Drake Lundeen into crewing. Overall, the sailing season saw great competition and participation and the next few years look to be a lot of fun in our youthful X fleet.

2006 CLYC “C” FLEET REPORT

Submitted by J.C. Risewick, Fleet Caption

2006 marked the 100^th anniversary of the C Scow, and the CLYC C fleet enjoyed closed racing right to the very bitter end.  Mark and Todd Tesar expertly sailed the last weekend of the season to just take home fleet championship hardware by 2 points.  Mr Tom Birdsall and Brian Edison covertly navigated light and treacherous heavy breezes in their “Plastic Toy” to finish strongly at 2^nd.  They even managed to capsize at C Nationals in Okoboji.  Tom’s first ever capsize at a regatta!  Irie men Bill and Greg Nicholas consistently sailed all season on and off lake.  They were also the only boat to represent CLYC at the prestigious Blue chip regatta in Pistakee, IL.  Don Taylor (with crew Denni Erickson) continually battled JC Risewick (with various crews) all season.  A number of races between the two featured photo finished with Z-110 just edging out Z-77.  What a marvelous season of C boat sailing! Congratulations to all competitors and best of luck in 2007!

2006 CLYC HOBIE FLEET REPORT

Submitted by Todd Wilson, Fleet Captain

Hobies’ had a great summer of sailing. With awards going to a diverse group of sailors, it is evident that the Hobie Class is well-balanced and has great competition.  The Hobie groups will have hosted Three Weekend Regattas, including a U.S. Sailing Regional Qualifier and a Hobie Class Association H-14 Nationals Event.  These events show the commitment both the sailor and the sailor’s spouse have to establishing Clear Lake and the Clear Lake Yacht Club as a premier destination for National Catamaran Events.  Without the help of Charlie Clemmons and his wife Ruth from food duty to building the necessary ramps to beach the boats; Lynn & Alice Twedt for Race Committee and all around regatta support; Bill & Lana Wilson for just contributing wherever and whenever they have been asked; these exceptional regattas just would never have been possible.

Then there is all the work others in our group have contributed this summer.  Reagan Elsbury ran countless races on Thursday nights, Chris Wessels….well what doesn’t Chris do?? And thanks to his lovely wife Kelly who gets volunteered countless times and never gives it another thought.  Bruce Ray our computer guru spent housrts testing the scoring software for a Portsmouth Scored Event…something we as Hobies rarely need to do and Jeff Griffin and Doug Southwick seemed to always pitch in when asked.  Then there’s our Legacy member, Mick Minette.  Mick was the original Fleet 10 member and the Hobie Cat Dealer in the mid-70’s!  In fact, I think it’s possible my dad bought our first Hobie from his dealership in 1978….WOW!  Mick has taken hours to dig up the historical information on the Hobie Fleet 10 and used it to continue promoting our fleet today.  Finally, a HUGE THANK YOU to my wife Angie; she has tolerated me sailing at EIGHT events on three different classes of Hobies including two National Competitions.  The time I spent having fun, left her with double the workload at home….I am truly blessed to have the greatest wife in the world!

All in all we as a group sincerely appreciate the Yacht Club accepting us as another Fleet.  We will strive to continue promoting the Clear Lake Yacht Club with top-of-the line regattas, encouraging our best sportsmanship on and off the water, and encouraging anyone who would like to fly a hull, to come out for a ride on a HOBIE!

2006 CLYC RC LASER FLEET REPORT

Submitted by Eric Protzman, Fleet Captain

The RC Laser fleet’s inaugural year was a great success.  We bought all the boats we could until they ran out of stock and raced every possible Sunday at 3pm.  We are learning about the boats, the technology and how to race these critters.  Jeannie Snyder, Sterling Laaveg, Mark Tesar, Steve Bartels and Eric Protzman started this one design fleet and have put a lot into making it go.  2007 looks like a banner year.  We have 10 new boats fully committed for next year to bring the fleet to 15!  Gil Bovard, Jeff Nicholas, John Lundberg, Bill Nicholas, Sr., Bill Osmundson and Bob Snyder are in.  Actually there are three more but they don’t know it because they are getting a nice Christmas present.  If you would like to be one of those lucky Christmas recipients but are pretty sure you aren’t then it is time to start dropping BIG hints.  There are 4 to 5 additional interested skippers.  Com join us.  Contact Eric Protzman if you are interested (ericprotzman@mac.com).  Boats sell for around $500 complete.  The championships were held over the final two weekends of the year with Eric Protzman taking first and Mark Tesar in second.  (Editor’s Note:  It’s always nice to create a fleet just so you can win something!)

THINK CHRISTMAS and the RC Laser --- http://www.sailrclaser.com.  Have a great winter.

2006 CLYC FLEET REPORTS FOR MC’s, E’s, A’s and Cougars are all MIA (Missing In Action).

SECRETARY/TREASURER’S REPORT

Submitted by Dave Miller 

We ended the year with a profit.  We made a total of $2688.  This is an improvement over the previous year when we ended with a loss.  The good news is that we will be maintaining the membership costs at last year’s level. 

Through the efforts of the Co-Chairs, Andi Tisor, Denni Erickson, Margaret Osmundson and many Club members, the Interlakes Regatta we held in early August generated a profit of $5978.   

The Hobie fleet contributed a total of $2500 for their 2005 regattas and will be contributing additional moneys in 2007 for their 2006 regattas (We don’t need the income this year).   Also, for the first time, we had income from the rental of the Clubhouse.  We hope this benefit of membership will grow in use over the next few years and generate additional money to support the Sailing School. 

Ad Sales this year were terrific.  Dawn Southwick and Val Lafrenz sold $6000 worth of adds placed in our yearbook. 

Social membership remained at last year’s level - 171 Social members.  Racing memberships increased by 5 boats, from 41 to 46, with 5 additional families racing.    

Thanks to all for a great year!  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  (PC – Happy Holidays)                    

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August 31, 2006

The fat lady may not be singing yet…..but she is certainly warming up…

LABOR DAY REGATTA………is this weekend.  It’s the last club regatta of the season.  If you haven’t gotten any hardware yet this year here’s your last chance.

THE YEAR END BANQUET…..is this Sunday, Sept. 3, at the Yacht Club.  The catered meal starts at 6:00 p.m.  And, if memory serves me, adults get in for $5 and kids (under 12) get in for $3.  The “meet and greet” part will start about 5:00 p.m. for those who would like to reminisce with friends about the season and enjoy some liquid refreshments..

Speaking of refreshments, the MC Fleet has donated a keg for the banquet……before you get all teary-eyed regarding their philanthropy, keep in mind they just figured they would be thirsty…

Andi Tisor informs me that there will be Interlakes T-Shirts for sale at the banquet for the low, low, post-regatta price of $10.00…..and there may be a few other CLYC treasures for sale, such as cups and burgees.

THREE THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE BANQUET…..(1) Get your Blooper Award nominations in to Stu Oltrogge at Oltrogge@clyciowa.com. (2)  Get your traveling trophies in to Jeff Nicholas, so they can “travel” on to the next deserving winner. (3) Pay your Interlakes fees to Dave Miller.

CLYC BOARD MEETING…..is Saturday morning, Sept. 2 at 8:00 a.m. at the Yacht Club.  It shouldn’t last long because there’s racing to be done……….

AND FINALLY, A WORD FROM THE “COMMODORE” OF THE RC LASER FLEET…….

RC LASER CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS SUNDAY 3PM AT CLYC DOCK

Come join the RC Laser fleet this Sunday at 3pm at the yacht club, a few hours before the banquet, for the final 2006 races for the five boat radio controlled laser fleet.

With the commitments in place the fleet will at least double to ten boats for 2007 and may well run closer to 15-20 boats by the middle of the season. No kidding.  These boats are fun and it is very real sailing and racing.  Come see what it is all about!

If you are interested in this fleet either as a spectator or as a boat owner let Eric Protzman (ericprotzman@mac.com) know so he can put you on the e-mail list.  If you would like to buy a boat it is 

essential that you let him know so he can arrange a group discount.  

(The complete setup costs about $550, less with a group buy....think Christmas!!)

They will have beer and a gallery area where, as it turns out from last week, it is encouraged to make fun of all of the racers.  There is a lot of laughter and camaraderie and they welcome one and all to the final sailing event for CLYC of the 2006 season.  When they finish their races they will pass around the controls for guest races so you can have a chance to put your skills where your razzing has been.

Enjoy the sailing out in front of the club at 3pm and make your plans for the happy hour and banquet addressed elsewhere in this newsletter.                                                                                                                                                                    

RACING RESULTS FOR LAST WEEKEND (EVEN FOR THE RC LASERS) ARE ATTACHED……

CLASSIFIEDS

Steve Taylor is parting with 2 boats.  The 2001 MC (#2079) is in excellent condition, includes a 2004 ZMax sail and full deck cover, and is priced at $6500.The 1995 Johnson C Scow has been in storage for the past 5 years (making it nearly new), and comes with 2 good sails and a trailer…all for the deeply discounted price of $2500.  If one or both of these racing machines excite you, call Steve at 515-223-1553 any evening.

Bill Casey is parting with MC 2177.  The $9000 price tag includes lots of goodies, including four sails (one is a new ZMax), a full deck cover, a trailer and a lift.  Call Bill at 319-335-5788

That’s all folks………..Oz

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August 24, 2006

Summer may not be out of reach just yet, but I can feel it in the air……….(didn’t Don Henley of the Eagles do a song about that once upon a time?)

A BELATED THANK YOU TO TOM AND DENNI ERICKSON…..for hosting the last regular Yacht Club party of the 2006 season a couple of weeks ago.  They would have gotten a thank you last week, IF I would have written a newsletter.

THE LAST YC “HAPPY HOUR” OF THE SEASON……for members and non-members is this Friday, from 6-9 p.m. at the Yacht Club.  Like the happy hours held in June and July this one is BYOB & S (Drinks & Snacks).  Stop in and have some fun as the summer starts to wind down.

FLEET CAPTAINS ARE CRAMMING IN FLEET PARTIES THIS WEEKEND….

            X Boaters and crews should show up at the Osmundson household, 507 South Shore Drive, this Sunday, August 27 right after the race….or if there isn’t a race, at noon, for some typical X Boat Fleet Party Fun hosted by Fleet Captain, Jon Oz.

            MCs and Cs (which are just MCs on ‘roids) have decided to merge their fleet parties.  Fleet Captains Dunbar and Risewick are “sponsoring” (whatever that means), but Stu Oltrogge and Mark Tesar are “hosting”.  So show up at the Oltrogge/Tesar compound this Saturday, Aug. 27, at 6:30 p.m. with something edible or drinkable to share.  Meat and beverages will be provided.

REGATTA REPORTS…..Clear Lake was sending sailboats all over Wisconsin the past few weeks attending the various ILYA regattas.  Jon Oz hit the X Blue Chip at Cedar Lake a brought home a 14^th place finish out of the 30 X Boat hot shots there.  Mike Risewick also wound up 14^th  out of 46 at MC Championships at Lake Geneva.  Bill Nicholas moved into 24^th out of 79 boats at C Championships at Lake Geneva after improving to an 8^th place finish in the last race.  JC Risewick was racing there, too, but won’t let me tell you how he did.  Finally, Clear Lake’s “chaotic” A Boat took home 6^th in the Open Championships held at Geneva, as well.

YEAR END BANQUET EARLY NOTICE…..The Year-End Banquet will be Sunday, September 3, at the Yacht Club.  It will be catered and the food will be served starting at 6:00 p.m.  However, the Club will open at 5:00 for those who would like to “chill” a bit before dinner and enjoy a beverage or two.

TURN YOUR TRAVELING TROPHIES IN TO JEFF NICHOLAS…..so there will be something to hand out to the fleet winners at the banquet.  You can reach Jeff at 357-2630 or Jnichls@netins.net.

PAY YOUR INTERLAKES DUES, IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY…..E’s=$100…C’s=$80….MC’s=$70….X’s=$60………otherwise, no hardware at the Banquet….

BLOOPER AWARD NOMINATIONS……need to get in to Stu Oltrogge as soon as possible, so we can skewer some deserving soul at the Year-End Banquet. Give Stu an earful at 641-357-8957 or 651-365-5108 or an eyeful at Oltrogge@clyciowa.com.

CLYC BOARD MEMBERS….remember the final Board Meeting of the season is Saturday, Sept. 2 at the Yacht Club.  It’s currently scheduled for 8:00 a.m., so bring your coffee.

CLASSIFIEDS……

            Oltrogges are putting X  Boat Z-23 on the sale block.  It’s a 1995 Melges in good condition and race ready, with several sets of sails (including a 2005 Quantum main and jib), full deck cover and Melges trailer….all for the reasonable price of $3750.  Call at 651-365-5108 for email at Oltrogge@clyciowa.com if you have an interest.

            Langharts want to sell their 1987 Melges E with 3 sets of sails and spinnakers (one being a 2003 set), trailer, lift, and full cover. It’s in “excellent” condition and should be worth $3,300.  Call Lyle Bergo at 641-357-4623 or 641-420-6789 (cell).

            Osmundsons have to put Z-84, their Melges X up for sale (Jon’s gotten too old).  It’s a 1999 in great condition with a good pedigree, including 4 Blue Chips, 2006 X Inlands race winner, and 2006 Interlakes overall winner. 2 sets of North Sails (including a 2005 set), full deck cover, envelope travel cover.  If $5850 sounds good to you call 641-357-5513 or 952-937-9170 or email inremoz@aol.com.

Later,  Oz

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Aug 17, 2006
   No crows nest this week.  

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August 10, 2006

In case you didn’t notice we had a nice big regatta here last weekend…..but before we spend time on that a few announcements……..

THE NEXT YACHT CLUB PARTY…is this Saturday, August 12, at Tom and Denni Erickson’s on the North Shore (101 5^th Ave. North if you’ve never been there).  It starts at 6:30 p.m., and the Board Members, C’s and Cougars (and former Cougars ?) get to make hors d’ oeuvres and serve beverages.  Denni is apparently carrying the momentum from the Interlakes Regatta, which she co-chaired, all the way thru this weekend…..party on!!

INTERLAKES REGATTA RACING REPORT……..Let’s start with the sailing. This was the 112^th year of the Interlakes Regatta.  About 90 boats showed up from the 6 lakes that make up the Interlakes Association.  The number of E’s was way down and the number of X’s was down some.  We got 3 races in with a little bit of everything in terms of wind…..we had races cancelled because of no wind….we had races cancelled because of too much wind.  The 3^rd race got windy very quickly and there was significant carnage during the race…..in fact, over half the E fleet never made it across the finish line.

This is a team regatta. In fact it is one of the few remaining team regattas in the entire ILYA.  But I must say that, other than the E Fleet’s 1^st place team finish, there was nothing to write home about for the Clear Lake teams.  Our C Fleet team finished 3^rd, only 9 points out of 1^st.  Our MC team finished 2^nd to Okoboji by 8 points (partly cuz we had to use my crummy finish after Stu Oltrogge’s pre-race breakdown), and the X team settled into 2^nd behind a strong Minnetonka group.

CLYC probably had more individual bright spots than team bright spots this year.  We had 4 race winners…..at least one in each fleet…..Thomas Zanios (E’s), Mark Tesar (C’s), Stu Oltrogge (MC’s), and Jon Oz (X’s).  Actually Jon Oz won all 3 races which pretty much guaranteed him top individual honors in the X Fleet.  Thomas Zanios finished 2^nd overall, while winning the heavy wind 3^rd race.  And Byron Beasley and Mike Risewick ended up 2^nd and 3^rd overall in the MC Fleet.  For more details you can see all the results on the CLYC Web Site.

INTERLAKES REGATTA VOLUNTEER REPORT……This is a team regatta in more ways than one.  And Clear Lake clearly won the competition for best host team.  It starts with the regatta co-chairs, Andi Tisor, Denni Erickson, and Margaret Oz.  These ladies care how we present ourselves to folks from other lakes and they are tireless in bringing the whole regatta chaos into a nice package that we can be proud of and that every other lake envies.  But what really makes it tick from minute to minute is all of you who volunteer your time….and do it with a smile.

So, here’s a list of thank-yous (in no particular order) that rivals anything you’ll ever hear at the Academy Awards:

-         Val LaFrenz and her friendly registration crew

-         Nancy Protzman for typing up the program

-         The Lundeen family for donating cookie dough to be cooked by Aspen Lundeen, Makenzie Lowry and Mary Young for registration and Friday’s lunch

-         The “old guys rule” group for helping direct traffic during put-in

-         The “young guys rule” group for taxiing (Chase Langhart, Nathan Kotz, Taylor Zachar, Drake Lundeen, Jon Oz……and Bob Swanson (our eldest “young guy”))

-         Frank Clark, Bill Oz, Councilperson Terry Unsworth, and Jennifer Langhart, who showed up all 3 days to taxi and pick up spectators….and others of you I know I’m forgetting

-         The Clear Lake Evening Lions for setting up the tent and doing the Friday dinner and the Sunday lunch

-         Tom Weigel, Eric Protzman and Charlie MacNider for last minute scrambling on the sailing instructions

-         The Tesar family, for donating the Friday night band….awesome, especially considering it was their first gig

-         Pam Allen, for security

-         Stu Oltrogge, Eric Protzman and someone else, for handling protest committee duties and controversies with style, grace and aplomb

-         Louise Krogh, for setting up the Surfer lounge on Saturday night

-         Kim Holtz, Kelly Wessels and Theresa Brakke, for braving the Fort Custer Maze and riding the trolley with a mob of X-boaters on Saturday evening

-         Mary Risewick, who set up housing for visiting sailors…..and to a whole host of you who open your homes to those from other lakes

-         Kathy MacNider and Kristin Ebeling, who cleaned all those white chairs and carpets that had built up 5 years of crud

-         Dave Miller, for carrying the Yacht Club check at the ready and to his “galley slave” wife, Ruth

-         Corine Hadley, first time volunteer (who we haven’t burned out yet)

-         Carol Casey, for being the Saturday and Sunday “morning gal”, but never really leaving after the morning shift is over

-         Jean Bergo, Friday’s “morning gal” who couldn’t seem to leave either

-         Mark Tesar, for scoring (even tho he never seems to fudge the numbers in favor of the home team)

-         The X Fleet Judging Crew…..Brad and Suzanne Robinson, Ed Hanes, Gil Bovard, Regan Elsbury, Andi Tisor

-         The E,C,MC Judging Crew….Charlie MacNider (first regatta as head PRO), Russ Schurtz, Tom Erickson, Dave Roberts, Jamie Zanios, Kathy MacNider, Kristin Ebeling

-         Ruth Miller, Fran Oz, Margaret MacNider, Dorothy Westly, Jo Cutler, and Sheila Swift for manning (womaning?) Friday’s lunch

-         Ellen Dix and Rita Laaveg, for being the afternoon YC “watchers”

-         Val Edison, Nada Oltrogge, Julie Birdsall, Ruth Miller, Dick Casey and Carol Casey for Saturday’s lunch

-         Bill Casey, for being a little bit of everything, but especially food pickup and cardboard carry away

-         The Chamber of Commerce, for always helping out with a million last minute things

-         Julie Oltrogge, who never seems to leave, especially if some cleaning needs to be done

-         Tom Birdsall, for braving the maze to bring pizzas to the always quiet and ever-polite X-Boaters

-         Steve Swift, who always makes sure we have fresh tablecloths, etc. for our festivities

-         All those 3^rd crews who accepted bribes to go sailing on Saturday and got some wild rides for their trouble……and to the Gooding family for getting son Brooks out of bed early Sunday morning to crew with a desparate X-Boater

-         Whoever picked up the kegs before the Governor showed up on Wednesday

-         To all those we forgot to mention, who help make this just enough fun to keep doing it year after year………THANKS FROM DENNI, ANDI AND MARGARET

AND FINALLY, GOOD LUCK TO JON OZ…..who is heading to the X Blue Chip in Cedar Lake, WI this weekend.

I think that’s enough for this week,  Oz

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August 2, 2006

I know last week was the Jack MacNider Memorial Regatta at Clear Lake, but it felt more like the Sub-Saharan Equatorial Regatta…..

CLEAR LAKE’S X BOATERS LEFT THEIR MARK AT THE X INLANDS REGATTA…at Lake Minnetonka.  It took a day and a half to get 2 light wind races in.  But as soon as the wind picked up for the final 4 races our X’s showed they could compete with the best.  In the 43 boat Junior Fleet, Drake Lundeen (and crew Barak Brakke) grabbed a 3^rd place in the 3^rd race on his way to a 24^th place overall finish while Emily Oltrogge (and crew Brittany Holtz) sailed with solid consistency to take home 28^th place overall.  These guys and girls will be showing the way the next few years to our younger X Boaters……

But the star of the show (and I can say this because I’m the editor) was Jon Osmundson in the Senior Fleet.  He and crew Harrison Southwick led the other 47 Senior X’s wire-to-wire in Race 3 for a nice convincing win and went on to finish 9^th overall, a measly 3 points out of 5^th. Jon was the top western boat in the regatta….and believe me, it’s always fun to see a sailor from Clear Lake beat out all the high maintenance Minnetonka racers and many of the higher maintenance eastern skippers.  By the way, the big trophy he got for winning Race 3 (and which he promptly dropped and dented) had the name of another X Boat skipper from Clear Lake on it who you might remember…..Thomas Zanios, who won the whole enchilada in 1995.

Congrats X Boaters…….

MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH, CLYC WAS HOLDING ITS OWN JACK MACNIDER MEMORIAL REGATTA…….and the finishes went like this:

            E Fleet                                     C Fleet                                     MC Fleet

1. Z-5   Mike Lundberg            1. Z-3     Bill Nicholas              1. 1910  Jeff Nicholas
2. Z-15 Charlie MacNider        2. Z-110 Don Taylor, Jr.          2. 1764  Randy Kotz
3. Z-11 Dan Allen/Ed Quinn     3. Z-2    Tom Birdsall               3. 2257  Eric Protzman
4. Z-6   Lori Zachar                  4. Z-77  JC Risewick               4. 2012  Byron Beasley
5. Z-24 Bob Swanson              5. Z-1    Mark Tesar                5. 2178  Todd Tesar

            X Fleet                                                 Hobie Fleet

1. Z-11  Maggie Long/Ben Miller          1. 94425    Regan Elsbury
2. Z-19  Taylor Ludwig                        2. 105343  Bill Wilson
3. Z-1    Anne Tesar                             3. 108196  Alexander Wessels
4. Z-49  Danny Bartels                         4. 96812    Charlie Clemens
                                                            5. 110071  Lynn Twedt

INTERLAKES REGATTA IS UPON US….Registration is this Thursday, Aug.3 (and that’s the only time you can order meals and t-shirts) and racing will happen Friday, Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting.  One final plea by the regatta co-chairs….if you’re going out to watch the races, please drive by City Dock to see if there are some spectators you can take out.  I’ve been one of those dock-standers praying that someone will come along, and believe me, your thoughtfulness will be most appreciated.

NO THURSDAY NIGHT RACES THIS WEEK…..because of the Interlakes Regatta, but they will resume next week.

ADVANCE NOTICE….AUGUST 12 PARTY AT ERICKSON’S……Board Members, C’s and Cougars (maybe we should say former Cougars) should bone up on your appetizer and beverage-serving skills.

AND REMEMBER….THE ANNUAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF CLEAR LAKE PICNIC…..will be at State Park, Friday evening, August 18.  More detail to come….or else just open up your CLTel phone bill and there’s a brochure in there that includes all the info you need to know.

‘Nuff Said………Oz

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July 26, 2006

REPORTING FROM X INLANDS AT LAKE MINNETONKA……where, you guessed it, there is no wind.   On the other hand, motorboat chop is plentiful as ever…..  Hopefully, some air will magically show up so our Clear Lake sailors, Jon Oz, Drake Lundeen and Emily Oltrogge can show their stuff.

THE OUTING CLUB YC PARTY…..was outstanding.  The Yacht Club thanks the Outing Club for letting us visit once again.  Our Commodore tells me over 80% of the Outing Club is somehow involved in the Yacht Club or the Sailing School, so parties like this are really just “old home week”.  Special thanks to the setup and cleanup folks, Steve and Cheryl Schurtz, Frank Jeffrey, Todd Blodgett, Dave Miller, Jason Gordon, Bob Swanson and some others….and to Chris Wessels for filling in for Mark Ebeling on party supplies.

A BOAT INVITATIONAL REGATTA REPORT…..Team Chaos reports they were the fastest boat from Iowa (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).  12 A’s got three races in on White Bear Lake and Chaos wound up 10^th.  But it was the first race that was really special.  It was called the Six Knot Course, and it was the first course raced in an ILYA regatta in 1898.  Start at “Johnson Boat Works Bay”, sail to the middle of the lake, back to a mark near the White Bear Yacht Club, back to the middle of the lake, back to the other bay, back to “Johnson Boat Works Bay.  Maybe there should be more of these propeller-shaped courses, because Chaos finished 5^th in that race.

WE ARE HOSTING THE 112^TH INTERLAKES REGATTA NEXT WEEKEND…….   See information on our web site. 

I think most of the volunteers have been lined up, but we still are in desperate need of taxi boats and spectator boats…call Margaret Oz (357-5513)……ALSO……IF YOU WANT TO SIGN UP FOR ANY OF THE REGATTA MEALS OR EVENING FESTIVITIES…OR IF YOU WANT REGATTA T-SHIRST YOU MUST DO SO DURING REGISTRATION ON THUSDAY, AUGUST 3 BETWEEN  2:00 AND 8:00 P.M.

Just so you know what you will be buying into:      The Friday evening (Aug. 4) Regatta party will be at the Yacht Club.  It’s $20 for adults, $15 for children.  There will be a live band, a shish-ka-bob meal, and the classic car parade, and……..

The Saturday evening (Aug. 5) Regatta party will be at the Surfer Lounge (which is the room next to the ballroom at The Surf).  It’s $20 for adults, who will experience a grilled pork loin meal, a cash bar and the ambience of The Surf.  At the same time, for $15 the kids will be taking the trolley from The Surf to The Maize where they will do a pizza meal and return by trolley to the Yacht Club, to be retrieved by their beaming parents.

THE JACK MACNIDER MEMORIAL REGATTA…..is this weekend at Clear Lake. So, those of you who aren’t regattaing (yes, that’s a real word) at other lakes should be prepared for 3 races.

NO THURSDAY NIGHT RACES ON AUGUST 3……because of Interlakes Regatta.

WE’VE BEEN ASKED TO TRY AND REPORT EACH WEEK’S RACE RESULTS IN THE CROW’S NEST……so last week’s top 3 in each fleet are attached to this newsletter.  And remember, you can also find race results in the “Race Results” tab on the CLYC Web Site.

ERIC PROTZMAN PROCLAIMS…..the RC Laser fleet is till racing each Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at the Outing Club.  The fleet consists of Sterling Laaveg, Jeannie Snyder, Eric, Steve Bartels and Mark Tesar.  If you don’t like any of those folks, it might help to know that additional skippers who are interested in joining the fleet include, Gil Bovard, John Lundberg, Jeff Nicholas and Jim Juhlin.  The boats are high-quality, radio-controlled, 3 ½ foot long Lasers that cost about $500.  A shortage of boats from the supplier has limited the fleet to 5 this season, but boats will be available for next season.  Eric is looking for the fleet to double next year.  So, you have an open invitation to come to the Outing Club at 3:00 p.m. any Sunday and give it a try. “10 minutes on the hem and you’ll know why this is real sailing, not (just) toys”.  Eric sends congrats to Jeannie Snyder, Steve Bartels and Jeff Nicholas for victories last Sunday.

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE SUMMERS WHEN WE HAVE TO KEEP FIGHTING TO PROTECT THE LAKE……… from those who either haven’t thought it through completely or just don’t care.  In that vein, you might want to attend a public informational meeting about a proposed hog confinement facility near Ventura and Clear Lake.  It will be held tonight, Thursday, July 27, at 7 p.m. at the Ventura High School Gym.  Several organizations will be present to provide information on the hog confinement process and its potential impact on the area, including the DNR, the City of Clear Lake, and the Association for the Preservation of Clear Lake.  On Monday, the City, the Association and the Chamber all passed resolutions opposing the location of the facility.  If you would like more information please contact Randy Cram (641-423-6349) or Jan Lovell (641-357-2111).

“Nuff Said……….Oz

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July 19, 2006

Ahoy:  Crows Nest and Party Reminder 

CLYC Party this weekend         Saturday  July 22
Location                                     Outing Club  @ 6:30pm  
Hors D’Oeuvres & Bartending Severed by:   E, Hobies, and MC 

Last weekend was definitely summer with a capital “S”.  But that’s exactly what we dream about in the dead of winter…….unless the iceboating is real good.  Nobody missed any races, but the winds were a little fickle on Saturday.  Sunday brought out maybe the nicest breeze of the season……and more sailboats than we’ve seen most of this year.

YACHT CLUB PARTY…..this Saturday, July 22, the Outing Club, starting at 6:30 p.m.  Every CLYC member is invited, as usual.  But the E’s, Hobies and MC’s are in charge of bringing food and serving beverages.

SAILING SCHOOL POTLUCK….is Friday evening at the Yacht Club, beginning at 5:30 p.m.  The Sailing School provides grills and fun…..you get to bring a place setting, something to grill and to drink,  and something to share with others.

INTERLAKES REGATTA ANNOUNCEMENTS……Registration is Thursday, August 3^rd.  The actual racing is Friday, August 4th thru Sunday morning, August 6^th.
  For more information check out our web site at www.clyciowa.com  

There are a lot of events going on that weekend, so hotel rooms are in scarce supply.  We need places to put up sailors.  Call Mary Risewick (357-5155) if you can put up a sailor, or 2 or more for a few nights.  Sailors are NOT HIGH MAINTENANCE, so this isn’t a tough ask.

If you want any or all meals (lunches and dinners) during the regatta, YOU MUST SIGN UP DURING REGISTRATION on Thursday, Aug. 3, from 2:00-8:00 p.m.  We need to get an accurate count, so don’t be showing up during the regatta begging for meals.

If you have a motorboat, and you are not racing, WE WANT YOU….AND YOUR MOTORBOAT for taxing before, between and after races….and for taking spectators out during races.  For those who haven’t had a chance to volunteer for the Yacht Club this year, helping with taxing or spectating, or both, is an easy way to contribute.  Call Margaret Osmundson (357-5513) so she can put a schedule together….before she calls you.

Finally, by now your fleet captain should have made all the calls and determined who the 5 team members for each fleet are…and you should know whether or not you’re on the team.  Even if you’re not on the “team” you can sail in this regatta…..all you have to do is notify Dave Miller, the YC Secretary/Treasurer (davem500@mchsi.com or 641-423-5888) and let him know you want to be.  THE DEADLINE FOR GETTING NAMES OF ‘TEAM MEMBERS’ AND OTHERS WHO WANT TO SAIL TO DAVE M. IS JULY 24.  You probably should know that there is a fee for everyone who registers for the Interlakes Regatta…..you just have to write a check to CLYC……E’s are $100 per boat, C’s are $80, MC’s are $70 and X’s are $60…..mail the check to CLYC, c/o Secretary/Treasurer, PO Box 29, Clear Lake, IA 50428…and do it soon.

MC INVITATIONAL REPORT……Clear Lake was represented by Mike Risewick at Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin last weekend for the MC Invitational.  It was hot and there were 37 hot shot MC sailors ready to hit the starting line.  Mike was in 2^nd after the first day, slipped a little as the winds got lighter over the next 2 days, but still ended up 6^th…only a few slim points out of 3^rd.  Not bad for his first racing of the season.

A INVITATIONAL…..is this weekend at White Bear Lake.  As far as I know, Clear Lake’s own Team Chaos is traveling to join all the A’s, who are now being civil with each other after settling all the nastiness of the past few years.  That should mean there will be a lot of A’s to celebrate the 106^th year of racing those magnificent boats.  I hear that Steve Johnson will be sailing the last wood A, that was built in 1963…..I wonder what kind of handicap he will be getting.

PUT THIS ON YOUR CALENDAR….August 18^th, a Friday, is the next meeting of the Association For the Preservation of Clear Lake.  Details will follow as we get closer.

IF YOU’VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR THE CLYC CAM ON CLVISION….in vain lately, that’s because it has moved to channel 2. 

THANKS TO DOUG SOUTHWICK…..who took it upon himself to weed huge areas of the Yacht Club lawn.  It’s really appreciated…..especially when he did it on one of the most stifling days of the summer.

‘Nuff Said………Oz

email (office):                brad.osmundson@opuscorp.com
email (home):                inremoz@aol.com
fax (office):                   952-656-4814
CLYC Web Site:          www.clyciowa.com

**************************************************************************************************************************************
July 12, 2006

I’m having trouble believing it’s the middle of July already, but the calendar doesn’t lie.  We all got in some pleasant sailing this past weekend.  The prediction for this weekend is a scorcher. Thank God for Clear Lake……

THE 2006 OPTI NO GUNS, NO TEARS WEST REGATTA……is history.  Last Friday saw a bunch of young sailors out in front of the Yacht Club battling some pretty ferocious winds trying to get races in.   I think we had around 15 boats……and only got in one race before the winds went to a full howl.  Mother Nature ain’t always fair, I guess.  Anyway it sounds like the lack of racing didn’t dampen any spirits……The 2006 Champion is Anne Tesar and the results were something like this:

            Junior Fleet                                                       Senior Fleet

1.  Hailey Lee and Rachel Barillas                     1.  Anne Tesar
2.  Jacob Wessels                                             2.  Adrienne Lowry
3.  Halston Southwick                                       3.  Nick Barillas and Zach Wells

Even though this isn’t a huge regatta, it takes a lot to put it on.  Thanks to Nancy Lundeen for coordinating the whole event……and thanks to those of you who stepped up and helped out.

HEADS UP FOR THE NEXT YACHT CLUB PARTY…..It will be at the Outing Club on Saturday, July 22^nd.  E’s, Hobies and MCs are in charge of hosting.

INTERLAKES REGATTA REMINDER……Fleet captains need to contact the top 5 qualifiers in your fleet to see if they all are planning to sail at Interlakes.  If some can’t make it you need to work your way down the qualifying list until you have a team of 5.  Then let Dave Miller, our Secretary/Treasurer know as soon as you can. Dave’s at davem500@mchsi.com or 641-423-5888.
Check out our web site for more information under regattas.   www.clyciowa.com   

REMINDER FROM THE JUDGES…….fleets please show up in the starting area a little while before your actual start.  It gets confusing for the judges and other competitors if most of a fleet doesn’t even get in the vicinity of the starting area until just before their scheduled start.

GAS PRICES ARE WAY UP…..AND SAILING SCHOOL DONATIONS ARE WAY DOWN………if this is a trend, let’s reverse it.

ANYONE MISSING AN MC RUDDER?......Steve Bartels, one of the more recent additions to the MC Fleet, was visiting the carnival with his family over the 4^th and came upon an MC kickup rudder washed up on the rocks by city dock.  Steve thinks, from the looks of it, the rudder probably spent a year or so in the depths of Clear Lake.  If you think it belongs to you or yours, you can look Steve up.  In the meantime, Steve has been visiting city dock regularly since the 4^th, hoping that the rest of the MC will magically appear…..

IF YOU GET A MOMENT…..wish Lyle and Pat Bergo a happy 60^th anniversary.

‘Nuff Said,  Oz

***************************************************************************************************************************************
July 6, 2006 

As 4^th of July holidays go, I think you have to rate this as at least a “9”.   Great weather (although we could have used some wind Sunday morning),  lots of friends in town (although a few too many of them were in motorboats), awesome fireworks (although I may have to wear sunglasses for next year’s finale), and the customary cornucopia of parties and events (although I still can’t win anything at the carnie).  Anyway,  the First Series, the 4^th of July Regatta, and Inter-Lake Regatta qualifying are all in the books. 

4^TH OF JULY REGATTA RESULTS……In the midst of all the holiday chaos we still got races in on Saturday, even though the wind could not make up its mind whether it wanted to be there in a big way, or not at all. 

            X Fleet                                     MC Fleet                                 C Fleet 

1. Z-84  Jon Osmundson          1. 2000  Brad Oz                     1. Z-3  Bill Nicholas

2. Z-7   Drake Lundeen (tie)     2. 1764  Randy Kotz                2. Z-2  Tom Birdsall

2. Z-23 Emily Oltrogge (tie)      3. 2178  Mark Tesar                3. Z-77 JC Risewick

                                                   4. 2340 Stuart Oltrogge            4. Z-110 Don Taylor, Jr.

                                                   5. 2012 Byron Beasley

            E Fleet                                                 Hobie Fleet 

1. Z-5   Mike Lundberg                        1. 105448  Todd Wilson (tie)

2. Z-15 Charlie MacNider                    1. 105377  Jeff Griffin (tie)

3. Z-11 Dan Allen (tie)                         3.  94425    Regan Elsbury

3. Z-50 Stuart Schurtz (tie)                   4. 105343  Bill Wilson

5. Z-22 Jenny Child (tie)                       5. 16851    John Peterson

5. Z-24 Bob Swanson (tie) 

THANKS TO THOSE WHO MADE CLYC’S PARADE FLOAT A SUCCESS….  especially Todd Larson for letting us use his pickup and for storing the float 364 days a year, Don Teepe at Clear Lake Ford for the float trailer, Nancy Lundeen for the candy (that had to be handed out, not thrown, this year according to the parade commandments), and Val LaFrenz for getting the signage on the float, sprucing it up and letting it overnight in her yard. 

YACHT CLUB BOARD MEETING……is this Sunday, June 9 at 1:00 p.m. 

INTER-LAKE REGATTA…..E, C, MC, and X Fleet captains have received lists of qualifiers for the Inter-Lake Regatta that will be here at Clear Lake in about 4 weeks.  The captains will be calling fleet members to see who is planning to attend as team members.  Remember, the Inter-Lake Regatta is open to all who want to sail, but we still need to designate a 5 boat team for each fleet for team sailing results. Click here for more INFO

If you have room at your place August 3-5 to put up some “low maintenance” sailors from other lakes, please call Mary Risewick at 357-5155.  Hotel rooms are in very short supply that weekend because of so many other events going on at the lake, and the regatta co-chairs would very much appreciate your help in putting a roof over some of these sailors’ heads. 

An official Inter-Lake Regatta Notice of Race is attached with some of the details about the regatta. 

RC LASER ANNOUNCEMENT…..The RC (Radio Controlled) Laser group wants you to know they meet each Sunday at 3:00 p.m. on the Outing Club dock.  If you haven’t tried one, you owe it to yourself to see what this is all about.  The boats are remarkable and I understand it’s real sailing without the back pain, the assorted bruises, and the need for massive post-race ibuprofen dosages.  The group is made up of casual to serious sailors.  So stop in Sunday at the Outing Club.  If you’ve got questions, Eric Protzman pretends to know a lot about all this, and he’s at 357-1418 or ericprotzman@mac.com.

Remember Thursday evening racing and Sunday morning coffee…………… 

“nuff said………..Oz

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June 27, 2006

OK.  It got a little confusing this past weekend.  Saturday was definitely the more pleasant of the two days, but the wind was nowhere to be found.  Sunday was definitely the more miserable of the two days (with 5 minute long downpours every half hour), but the wind was great for racing.  Apparently we are not allowed to have our cake and eat it too. 

Get ready for the 4^th of July onslaught of parties, crowds, fireworks, carnies, parades, etc., because it is nearly upon us………. 

DAD/MOM/LAD/LASS RACE RESULTS……It was kinda windy and kinda rainy, but it was a lot more than kinda fun.  Race Officer Charlie MacNider set a nice course for 5 X-Boats, to perform our annual test of just how much parents can screw up while sailing their kids’ boats.  And believe me…..there were plenty of screwups.  The Oltrogges ran away from the rest of us while we all were performing our “Keystone Cops” imitations from starting line to finish line.  And here’s how it turned out: 

1.                  Stu and Emily Oltrogge

2.                  Brad and Jon Oz

3.                  Chris, Maggie and Henry Long

4.                  Mark and Ann Tesar

5.                  Chris and Jacob Wessels 

THANKS TO STEVE AND SUE TAYLOR….for allowing all of us to invade their home last Saturday evening.  The weather cooperated nicely and made for another fine Yacht Club party.

SAILING SCHOOL POTLUCK TRADITION CONTINUES…..the first one of the year is this Wednesday evening, June 28, starting at 5:30 p.m.  All Sailing School members and their families are invited for this casual get-together.  The Sailing School will furnish grills, and you get to bring your food, beverages, plates and utensils.  If the weather is decent, we’ll try to get in some practice for the Opti No Tears Regatta. 

THE 4^TH OF JULY PARADE SAILING SCHOOL FLOAT TRADITION CONTINUES….The CLYC/CLYCSS float will be making its annual appearance again this year.  As always we love to load the float up with Sailing School students.  The first session’s students already have their T-Shirts and information about when and where to meet the float. Students from later sessions who want to be on the float should call Kristin Ebeling at 357-5213 by Sunday, July 2, so they can get their T-Shirts and get the scoop on hooking up with the float before parade time. 

4^TH OF JULY REGATTA……is also this weekend.   So expect back-to-back races on Saturday……..or Sunday (if Saturday continues to follow its 2006 pattern). 

MC MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP REGATTA REPORT…….Clear Lake was well-represented at Lake Delavan last weekend by 2 of our own MC Masters  (“Masters” is a euphemism for “over 50”……I didn’t attend because I just might possibly be in age denial).  Byron Beasley cranked out a 9^th place overall of the 42 boats in attendance.  And Eric Protzman tied for first place…..but was awarded 2^nd on a tiebreaker.  And it sounds like there was quite a bit of high drama…..it all came down to the last race…….and the top six boats ended up only 7 points apart.  Congratulations, guys.  It’s nice to know that at lease I’ve been getting beaten by quality sailors. 

"RC LASER FLEET 3pm Sunday - OUTING CLUB

The radio controlled laser fleet will sail this Sunday at 3pm at the Outing Club. If you are interested in trying out this wonderful 3 foot boat just show up! Contact Eric Protzman with any questions (ericprotzman@mac.com).   The fleet has 5 boats and two additional fleet members ordering new boats. They are having a ball, they share and they'd love to have you join them." 

THANK YOU……..to Kristin Ebeling and Kathy MacNider for doing the “gardening” around the Yacht Club.  It needs a little tender, loving care on an annual basis and fortunately Kristin and Kathy were there to give it this year. 

CLASSIFIEDS……Paul Skram is looking to sell his Shore Station 1088 lift, which is perfect for an MC or an X Boat.  He’s keeping it on the south shore, and if you are interested, it’s probably best to email Paul at paul.skram@opusnw.com. 

REMINDERS……..    Thursday Night Sailing – 6:30 p.m. on the lake

                                    Sunday morning Breakfast Club – 7:30 a.m. at PM Park

‘Nuff Said………OZ 

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June 21, 2006 

We had races galore, all weekend…..so many I can hardly count.  And it was about time………There was a chance for even one more race on Sunday, but we wouldn’t have gotten back in until sometime in the p.m., so Race Officer John Hanson decided not to mess with Fathers Day afternoon.  He let all of us dads get home so we could finish up our Fathers Day to-do lists.  Whaddaya think…….should we really thank him for that??!!?? 

There’s lots going on this weekend, in addition to the regular racing schedule……..Keep in mind this is the weekend with the most daylight of the year……..so enjoy it. 

YACHT CLUB PARTY AT STEVE & SUE TAYLORS…….as usual all YC members are invited.  It starts at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, June 24.  The Commodore, Vice Commodore and X Boat Parents have honors for hors d’ oeuvres and serving beverages.  This one is not BYOB.  Refreshments will be available at the party.  For those of you who didn’t pass last week’s test by looking up Taylors address on the web site’s newly installed roster………..you will have to look at the end of this Crow’s Nest to find our where you’re going this Saturday evening. 

THE ANNUAL DAD/MOM/LAD/LASS RACE IS THIS WEEKEND………..Sunday, June 25 at 2:00 p.m. out on the lake.  This is a chance for our X-Boaters to get their moms, dads, or stand-ins out to see how easy it isn’t to race an X-Boat well.  If the weather gets crummy, we will try to do a makeup race on another weekend…..to be figured out and announced later.  If you have the requisite son or daughter, but no X-Boat, the Sailing School is willing to lend you a boat for the race IF you call Kristin Ebeling at 357-5213 by noon on Saturday in order to make arrangements. 

C NATIONALS REPORT…….Sounds as though there were good breezes until it all went flat on Sunday, and many dropped out of the last race to make it home in time to celebrate Fathers Day.  I’ve heard there were fifty some boats….I know Mark Tesar finished in the teens…..and the rest must be on the C Scow web site. 

AQUATENNIAL REGATTA AT LAKE CALHOUN…. in Minneapolis is coming up the middle of next month.  Our webmaster, Harry Alcorn, emailed all of you a Notice of Race with all the details,
or check it out on our Regatta web page on our web site  www.clyciowa.com  

REMEMBER, THURSDAY EVENING SAILING……is still happening. 

REMEMBER, THE CLYC BREAKFAST CLUB……is still happening…..7:30 a.m. at PM Park…..I missed last Sunday’s….but it was probably better because of that. 

OH, YEAH……TAYLOR’S ADDRESS…..for those too scared or too lazy to look on their computers…is 5246 Lakeview Drive, on the south shore of lovely Clear Lake, Iowa. 

‘Nuff said……….Oz
************************************************************************************************************************************************
June 14, 2006 

The E’s and MC’s were going for a modern day record for futility……no races in the first three weeks of the season.   But thanks to the 12 knot breeze on Sunday the record is still safe. 

YACHT CLUB OPEN HOUSE AND HAPPY HOUR….is from 6:00-9:00 p.m this Friday, June 16 at the Yacht Club.  This is a casual meet-and-greet event.  CLYC members……bring a friend or two and your and their kids.  It’s BYOD&F (Drink & Food), but remember no hard liquor.  Come by boat, by bike, by feet, whatever.  We will be handing out membership packets to those who are interested and are not yet YC members.  Come over and have some fun! 

AND TO KEEP UP THE PARTY MOMENTUM…..here’s advance notice of the regular CLYC party at Steve and Sue Taylor’s home, on Saturday June 24 (that’s next Saturday, not this Saturday).  The Commodore, Vice Commodore and X Boat Parents have a week and a half to plan what they are going to bring for culinary delights. 

C NATIONALS…..are this weekend at Lake Okoboji, and I think we are sending nearly the entire CLYC C Fleet to the event.  So good luck and fair winds………. 

HERE’S A TEST……….go the “Roster” tab on the CLYC web site and find the address for Taylors’ home.  It’s now up and running, and new and improved. Harry Alcorn, our webmaster, now has all the membership information entered (for those who wanted it entered) on the web site.  He’s done yeoman’s work to make sure the email and snail mail addresses are accurate…..and believe me it’s no easy job, especially when folks decide to mail indecipherable handwritten registrations instead of using the online system, or change their email addresses after they’ve registered.  The last newsletter alone had 25 “bouncebacks” from bad or full email addresses, and Harry chased each and every one of them down to see what had gone wrong.  So thank him if and when you get a chance……… 

SUNDAY BREAKFAST CLUB REPORT…..Both stomachs and minds were full of eggs, bacon and wisdom at last week’s breakfast club.  After much stimulating discussion “CLYC Confucius” says…..”mast fall in woods, make sound.” JC Risewick will be at C Nationals this weekend (he guarantees a first place finish……or not) so club member Andi Tisor will be hosting this week.  Please join the group again this coming Sunday at 7:30 a.m. for more philosophy and banter at PM Park.  As always ALL ARE INVITED. Hope to see you there! 

WANT TO SAIL WITHOUT GETTING WET, WITHOUT GETTING BRUISES AND WITHOUT GETTING MUSCLE CRAMPS??......Eric Protzman has a program for you. Take a look at the attachment to this Crow’s Nest. 

THURSDAY NIGHT RACES……are still on for this (and every) week.  Show up on the lake at 6:30 p.m. 

‘Nuff Said…..Oz

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

JOIN THE NEW RADIO CONTROLLED SAILING FLEET - Sailing THIS Sunday, 3pm at the Outing Club.

CLYC's newest fleet, the radio controlled Laser fleet has started.  5 boats are charter members of the fleet which races these 3 1/2 foot long boats.  The fleet sails only with the B size sail which is good up through 22 mph. The boat was selected because, unlike most remote control sailboats, it sails well in waves like those on Clear Lake. 

Boats cost about $500 and you are encouraged to try one of the charter member boats to see if you would like to join the fleet.  Boats are purchased under a 30 day money back guarantee program from the manufacturer.  

Sailing in the fleet begins this weekend.

Specifications of the RC Laser

All are welcome. Contact Eric Protzman (ericprotzman@mac.com or 357-1418) if you are interested.  Also, let Eric know if you would like to be on the copy list for our communications. 

Information on the boat may be found on the web at www.sailrclaser.com.  Be sure to find the videos as well on the site. 

 
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June 8, 2006 

The way Mother Nature is treating us, the E’s and MC’s may only have one race to qualify for the Inter-Lakes Regatta.  They haven’t gotten any in yet. Nor have the Hobies.  This past Saturday afternoon was just too flukey to race, and then Sunday  blew like all get out.  But the C’s and X’s kept up their string of successful racing with back-to-back races again on Saturday morning……before it all fell apart for the rest of the weekend. 

This will be a short Crow’s Nest, cuz I’m out of town and there isn’t much to report anyway. 

LAST WEEK’S PARTY AT THE YACHT CLUB…..went well, I think, even with our new “strong beverage” restrictions.  As usual, the social members provided some high-end culinary delights, and, except for a brief shower or two, the weather managed to cooperate.  Thanks to all who helped set up beforehand and clean up afterwards. 

REMEMBER THE CLYC BREAKFAST CLUB…..Last weekend it may have been difficult for some to pry themselves out of bed after Saturday night’s festivities in order to attend the first CLYC Breakfust Club at PM Park.  But it won’t be nearly as hard this weekend.  JC Risewick reports: 

A good time was had by all at last Sunday’s CLYC Breakfast Club.  The eleventy billion was graciously donated to JC Risewick’s grocery/laundry fund, but the Gremlin unfortunately broke down on the way to breakfast and was towed away to an undisclosed location.  Thank you to everyone who came! JC will be hosting breakfast again this Sunday at PM Park.  It will start at 7:30 am to give our racing friends plenty of time to get out to the course, but please feel free to arrive at your convenience.  Potential topics of discussion include “if a mast falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”  Once again all are invited.  Hope to see you there! 

THURSDAY NIGHT SAILING AGAIN THIS WEEK…….join your fellow sailors at 6:30 pm out on the course for a little casual weeknight racing and tuning.  If you’re an E Boater or an MC Boater this might be your only chance to get races in this week! 

‘Nuff Said,  Oz

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May 31, 2006

Do not adjust your glasses! There is nothing wrong with the date on this newsletter!  It might be 90 degrees, but it’s not August 31.  Heck, it’s not even June yet.  Shorts and t-shirts are usually just a hopeful addition to the Memorial Day wardrobe, but not this year.  Now, mind you, the water hasn’t warmed up quite as much…..and you can confirm that with Don Taylor, Jr. and his crew (who will remain nameless) who swam around for awhile during Saturday morning’s races after a slip-up at the leeward mark.  The back-to-back races Saturday for the X’s and C’s was all the racing there was to be had.  The winds built to 25-30 mph and managed to stay there the entire 3 day weekend. The mad Memorial Day scramble to get all the boats in is a little bit tougher with waves crashing in.

FIRST YACHT CLUB PARTY OF THE SEASON IS THIS SATURDAY…..June 3, 6:30 p.m. at the Yacht Club.  Social members are in charge of hors d’oeuvres….and they always do the best job!  Remember, all Yacht Club members are invited to all Yacht Club parties, whether or not you have to bring goodies. HEADS UP….There is a new beer, wine and liquor policy this year that applies to this party:   Beer and wine are BYOB, but liquor is no longer allowed at the Yacht Club. In order to make this a little less painful, Mark Tesar and Dave Miller are teaming up to provide a keg and several of the Board members will be bringing some wine.  I have a sneaking suspicion we’ll still have some fun, though, in spite of some more rules to deal with.

FOR THOSE OF YOU PARTY GOERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE SAILING SCHOOL……at 7:00 p.m. during the party there will be a real short get-together in the kitchen of the Yacht Club, complete with “warm weather treats” according to Margaret Oz.

MEMORIAL DAY REGATTA RESULTS……….Only 2 fleets got races in before the gales of May arrived.
                        X                                                         C
1.  Z-84     Jon Osmundson                              1.  Z-1    Mark Tesar (tie)
2.  Z-23    Emily Oltrogge (tie)                          1.  Z-3    Bill Nicholas (tie)
2.  Z-6      Nick Zachar (tie)                             3. Z-77   JC Risewick

YEARBOOKS ARE DONE……and you should have yours by now.  I think we all tend to take these marvelous yearbooks for granted.  I suspect we all find ourselves reaching for them a lot during both the summer and winter months.   And we don’t express our appreciation enough to those who make this happen year after year.  Make sure you tell Denni Erickson that  her efforts to coordinate the yearbook process each spring don’t go unnoticed.  Make sure you tell Val Lafrenz and Dawn Southwick that they do a heckuva job getting businesses to advertise.  It’s not always fun to do, but their attitude and persistence win the day.  Jim Larson has again done the cover art and you can thank him personally or by acquiring some of his artwork.  And make sure you thank those who advertise in the yearbook by patronizing their businesses and letting them know you are saw their ads in the Yacht Club publication.

SPECIAL THANK YOUS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN RESTORING CLEAR LAKE……..Below this newsletter is a brief missive highlighting the efforts of those of you and others who have spent the time and effort to help get our lake back into shape for us and for future generations.  Please read it.

SUNDAY BREAKFAST CLUB…….JC Risewick and Andi Tisor are working on new ways for Yacht Club members to get to know each other and new ways for the Yacht Club to reach out to members and non-members.  Here’s one idea:  Beginning this Sunday, June 4^th, JC Risewick will be conducting the first ever CLYC weekly breakfast club.  All members are invited to join the group at 8:00 a.m. at PM Park next to Clear Lake Boats on the lake. Meet new friends, make business connections, enjoy PM Park’s legendary breakfasts, and just “shoot the breeze.” JC promises that the first 100 people through the door will be entered into a drawing for eleventy billion dollars and a 1983 Gremlin (low miles).  We look forward to seeing you there!

SAILING SCHOOL NEWS………….Thanks to those of you who heeded our prior requests and made donations to the Sailing School.  To those of who reached into your pockets, pulled out a check, then realized you didn’t know where to send it…..you now know.  It goes to CLYCSS, P.O. Box 29, Clear Lake, IA 50428, Attn: Julie Oltrogge.

Also the Dad/Mom/Lad/Lass race is scheduled for Sunday, June 25^th.  If you are interested in participating but don’t have an X Boat of your own, you can call Kristin Ebeling at 641-357-5213 to reserve a Sailing School X Boat.

INTERLAKES VOLUNTEERS NEEDED…..As most of you know, the 100+ year old Inter-Lake Regatta makes its quadrennial appearance here at Clear Lake from August 3^rd thru the 6th.  This is a big regatta and a fun regatta and it’s a great chance to show again what our Yacht Club can do and what it’s all about.  But it does take a lot of volunteers.  Margaret Osmundson is looking for folks who are interested in helping serve lunches or dinners or driving taxi or chase boats.  Please give her a ring at 641-357-5513 if you’d like to help out.

THURSDAY NIGHT RACES…..are on tab again this year.  They will start at 6:30 p.m. each and every Thursday night, beginning June 1 and running thru August 24, except for August 3^rd (which happens during the Inter-Lake Regatta).  This is a great opportunity to get some “tiller time” and to introduce others to our sport, so take advantage of it.

‘Nuff said,  Oz
 

LAKE RESTORATION EFFORTS 

The CLYC exists because of the lake itself and the condition of the water is a primary concern.  Many members have been involved in a multi year effort to rehabilitate the Ventura Marsh, reduce pollutant runoff into the lake, improve the watershed, fix the Ventura grade and dredge the little end of the lake. 

The U.S. Corp of Engineers, along with local entities, are undertaking the marsh and grade improvements.  Cerro Gordo County and the City of Clear Lake, in conjunction with the Hanson Foundation, have installed numerous filter boxes at critical points around the Lake. 

The State of Iowa, led by DNR Director Jeff Vonk and Lakes Program Director Mike McGhee, in conjunction with the City of Clear Lake, City of Ventura and Cerro Gordo County, are now prepared to fund the dredging, beginning either in  late 2007 or early 2008.  The bill funding the State's portion is on the Governor's desk.  We need to thank the people who helped make that happen, including Senators Thurman Gaskill, Amanda Regan and Jeff Lamberti; Representatives Linda Upmeyer, Bill Schickel and Henry Rayhons;  Cerro Gordo County Commissioners Bob Amosson, Phil Dougherty and Jay Urdahl;  The mayors and Councils of Clear Lake and Ventura.  (If I have forgotten anyone, I'm sure I'll hear about it.-C Mac) 

In addition, Representative Tom Latham has been a tireless advocate in acquiring Federal funds for watershed improvements and persuading the Corp to be more cooperative.  Certainly others have contributed but these are the primary  political movers in the effort to fix Clear Lake's water quality issues. 

We as a group ought to thank these good people for their work on our behalf.  As individuals, we need to remember what they have done for us both on June 2nd and in November.  Without their assistance, we would have issues with no solutions.  The solutions are at hand.  We should show our gratitude.

 
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April 24, 2006  

It’s back!!! The 2005 season is behind us and the 2006 season is upon us.  Boats are coming out of barns and docks are going in (despite the newly imposed DNR red tape).

Before we let go of 2005 let’s do a quick recap:

Fleet Champions

X Fleet                        Nathan Kotz                 [ran the table]
MC Fleet                     Brad Oz                       [0.3 points separated the top 5]
E Fleet                         Lori Zachar                  [time had come]
C Fleet                        Tom Birdsall                 [amazing what a new boat can do]
Cougar                        Bob Krogh                   [also ran the table]
Hobie Unlmtd.             Bruce Ray                    [new winner for a new class]
Hobie                          Bill Wilson                    [back on top]

Awards

Tom MacNider Trophy                        Frank Jeffrey                ……new boat….
(best overall improvement)

Marie O’Brien Alcorn Trophy              Tom Birdsall                 ……new boat….
(best regatta results)

Charlie Crane Trophy                           Charlie MacNider         …..getting a new boat….
(contributions to CLYC)

Loose Anchor Trophy                          Carol Casey                 …..husband got new boat….
(behind the scenes support)

Blooper Award                                    Mark Tesar                  …not so new boat anymore..
(best season blooper)

Regattas

As is our custom, we had an outstanding MC Nationals regatta with a little bit of everything, we had the Western Optimist No Tears regatta that brought out a ton of our young sailors, and we had the Hobie early season Division 7 regatta and late season Hobie 18 and Hobie 20 Nationals (for which the Hobie fleet presented checks totaling $2500 check to the CLYC).

Sailing School

Margaret Oz, President of the Sailing School, reports that 2005 was the best year yet! And the Sailing School even operated in the black, a first.  The X Fleet qualified two boats for Blue Chip, the  SS had the highest number of students ever….and that included 18 adults.  As for the upcoming season, Kristin Ebeling is back as Program Director with Chris Osmundson and Spencer Anderson as head instructors.  Margaret adds that “none of this could be done without your support and we are dreaming of two new Optimists and a copule of newer used X boats, so……any appropriated or unappropriated funds that you would like to send to the CLYCSS would, as always, be greatly appreciated.”……a nice segue into 2006

SEVERAL TREES DIED SO WE COULD HAVE ATTACHMENTS TO THIS NEWSLETTER…….SO PLEASE READ THEM AND USE THEM:

(1)        The 2006 CLYC Registration form.  Registration is due May 10….that is when the Yacht Club yearbook goes to print….and it is also when the $10 late fee goes into effect.  You can fill out and mail in the attached form OR you can go to the website (www.clyciowa.com) and either register online or print your own hardcopy to mail in.

(2)       Sailing School information sheet (also on the website)

(3)       Sailing School Registration form (also in printable form on the website)

(4)       Listing of CLYC Officers, Fleet Captains,  and Party Schedule