CROWS NEST |
 |
|
| ail OZ |
April 5 | May 20 | June | June | June | June | June
July | July | July | July | August | August | August | August | September |
April 5 | May 20 | June | June | June | June | June July | July | July | July | August | August | August | August | September | |
||||||
*************************************************************************************************
September 1, 1999
It’s happening again…………the summer and the sailing season is winding down and the scramble is now on to secure that storage space in the barn or shed or garage for the winter months.
BUT BEFORE THAT HAPPENS…………..there’s still Labor Day Regatta. So I would expect that back-to-back races will be the program on Saturday. Last chance to pick up some hardware, even though it may only be a Juno Cup.
AND THERE’S ALSO……the CLYC Year-End Awards Dinner at Camp Tanglefoot Lodge on Sunday, September 5. Arrive about 5:30 p.m. and $5.00 will get you a meal and beverages and all the conversation you want.
AS PARTIES GO……the Bangs did a bang-up job of hosting last Saturday’s Yacht Club party…..and the MCs and Cs didn’t do so badly either with the hors d’oeuvres. It was fun to have one of our parties at a new venue…..I can’t remember the last party we had that was actually "out on the point" at Dodges Point.
LAST BOARD MEETING OF THE YEAR…..is Saturday morning, Sept. 4, 8:00 a.m. sharp at the Yacht Club HQ for a wrap up of this season and the beginning of planning for next.
THE LASER REGATTA…..was getting good responses from the participants, some of whom traveled from Canada and the East Coast in order to further their Olympics campaigns. The only thing they seem to wonder about is when the patented Clear Lake heavy winds will show up for their event. Barely anything showed up for Saturday’s floating match; and some nice medium stuff appeared on Sunday, enough at least to get in 4 races before lunch time (doesn’t 4 races before lunch violate some law??). Thanks to those who helped make the Regatta happen.
MISSING 2 WHEEL DOLLY……..The 2 Wheeler that Tom and Nancy Lundeen use to haul the beverages for the CLYC functions is missing. It was last seen at the Outing Club event in July. If you happen to see one lying around, please give Tom or Nancy an email or a call (357.3706).
Later, OZ
***********************************************************************
August 24, 1999
The irony of it all……….the best weekend breezes we’ve had at Clear Lake this year, and it has to be cool, cloudy and rain splattered. I don’t exactly know why the X’s didn’t race Saturday morning, but did race Saturday afternoon (……maybe they were waiting for the weather to get just a little bit worse). Sunday morning’s postponement turned out to be well-timed. As soon as that little storm moved through, the racing was great.
INLANDS REPORT……..While all is quiet on the A-Boat front, I have heard a bit about how our C’s did at the Inlands at Lake Okoboji (actually you can get all the results, except for the C’s for some reason, on the ILYA Web Site). It sounds like Marcus Lundberg created the biggest stir, pulling off a 3rd and a 10th and possibly finishing in the top 20 overall. After he held off Jack Strothman in one race, everyone was asking who the heck that Z-999 was. Swifty was 15th going into the 2 heavy wind races on Sunday…….where he did fine the first race, but decided to give his wife (and 3rd crew) Sheila, a perfectly executed death roll for her 40th birthday (“Oh Steve, you shouldn’t have…….no I really mean it, you shouldn’t have !!”).
All in all, I would have to say the CLYC fleets proved their competitiveness again this year at Inlands.
LASER REGATTA…….is this weekend, August 28 and 29. Craig Caslavka asks that any CLYC members who would be willing to house a Laser sailor for a night or two this weekend please send Craig an email (rx12420@deere.com).
The Laser races will have some effect on our club racing this weekend. We will not be sailing at our normal times. The CLYC fleets will all sail Saturday morning at 9:30 and on Sunday afternoon at 2:00; Optis will not race this weekend. The rest of the time is reserved for the lasers.
CLYC PARTY…….is this Saturday evening, August 28, at Roger & Peggy Bang’s on Dodges Point. The C’s and MC’s have hosting honors (just for the record, the MCs are A LOT BETTER at this than the Cs are). You’ll get a chance to meet some of the the Laser Regatta sailors. And be sure to bring some extra cash, because not only will T-Shirts be on sale, but so also will be those large frameable maps of Clear Lake (a $10 value).
XMAS GIFT IDEA…..For those of you who for some inexplicable reason don’t yet have your Christmas shopping completed, one of those VHF radios might not be a bad idea. As usual, I’ve been a bit slow on the uptake with such high-tech stuff, but it certainly would have been nice to have last Sunday morning to find out what the Head Judge was thinking when bad weather was moving through at race time.
CLYC BOARD NOMINATIONS…….The Yacht Club’s Nominating Committee is in the process of putting together its list of nominees to serve a 3 year term on the Board and replace those whose terms are expiring this year. The Committee is concerned that it might unintentionally overlook someone who would be interested in serving on the Board and who could be a contributor to Board decisions. If you would like some meaningful input in how the Yacht Club is run, you may want to give John Hanson (515.357.8059), Jeff Nicholas (515.357.2630) or Fred Wieck (515.357.7874) a call so they can include you on the list of those they are considering.
YEAR END AWARDS DINNER…….will be at the Camp Tanglefoot Lodge starting at about 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 5. $5.00 will be the amount you can expect to shell out for each of the catered dinners that evening.
FINAL BOARD MEETING OF THE YEAR…..will be at 8:00 a.m. the morning of Saturday, September 4 at the Yacht Club Headquarters
INTERLAKES FEES…..There are still 3 delinquent Interlakes participants who haven’t paid their fees. You know who you are……..so don’t make us keep asking.
CYBER-TACK OF THE WEEK…..Bill Nicholas turned me on to the NALSA landsailing web site at www.nalsa.org. You might want to take a peek, too.
Later, OZ
*********************************************************************
Just returned from Inlands, but I understand those of you who spent the weekend around Clear Lake got a taste of both extremes of wind conditions……zip on Saturday and the Full Monty on Sunday.
INLANDS REGATTA REPORT…….The Okoboji Yacht Club has built itself a heckuva headquarters facility. Then again, $3 million in donations allows you to do that. As usual, the lake itself managed to throw all types of conditions at the E, MC and M-20 sailors. The E’s and MC’s both got in 4 races. Jeff Nicholas and J.C. Risewick both took home race winner trophies in the 43 boat MC fleet, and Jeff pulled off an overall 3rd place finish. Last I checked Jenny Child was having a good regatta in the E fleet, sitting around 17th. The A’s, C’s and M-16’s have the lake starting Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Good luck to our A and C teams. Remember, that means the C races don’t count toward Club standings this weekend.
PAST COMMODORE’S REGATTA……These placings are a week late, but thought you still might like to know who the hardware winners were in the Past Commodore’s (f/k/a Governor’s Day) Regatta were:
Class X Class MC Class Cougar
1. Z-16 Katie Gentry 1. 1591 Stu Oltrogge 1. US8 Ken Hanus
2. Z-4 Gunther Langhart 2. 1635 Brad Oz 2. US279 Bob Krogh
3. Z-22 Scott Little 3. 1831 Eric Protzman 3. US21 Rudy Wieck
Class C Class E
1. Z-100 Steve Swift 1. Z-16 Tom Erickson
2. Z-88 Thomas Zanios 2. Z-24 Bob Swanson
3. Z-999 Marcus Lundberg 3. Z-5 Mike Lundberg
X BOAT REGATTA SERIES RESULTS…….The X’s also finished their Regatta Series a week ago with the top 3 finishers being:
Z-4 Gunther Langhart
Z-1 Brett Larson
Z-94 Robert Protzman
LASER REGATTA……Remember that we are hosting the Laser regatta again this year during the weekend of August 28-29. I’m sure Craig Caslavka and crew could use some volunteer help. Maybe we can get them some more wind this year than they had last year. What this means for club racing is that on Sat. the 28th the CLYC fleets will all be sailing in the morning and on Sun. the 29th the CLYC fleets will all be sailing in the afternoon.
YACHT CLUB PARTY ADVANCE WARNING……The last Yacht Club party of the season (other than the year-end awards dinner) will be at Roger and Peggy Bangs on Dodges Point , Sat. Aug. 28. This advance warning is both for the MCs and Cs, who now have an entire week to prepare fine hors d’oevres and practice drink-making and also for the Bangs (just in case they forgot the Yacht Club will be invading their home).
CLASSIFIEDS…..Steve Swift is putting his C Scow on the market. It’s a 1996 Johnson (Z-100) in excellent condition with 2 sails and a top cover for $9000. Give Swifty a ring at 515.423.5830 if you would like a C with a good pedigree.
Later, OZ
*******************************************************************
Last weekend was the first I can remember (which isn’t saying all that much) when most of the fleets ended up sailing 4 races. The X’s and Cougars missed out when the breeze fizzled out Saturday morning, but the other fleets certainly got in their share of boat time.
ILYA INLANDS REGATTA……begins at Lake Okobjoji this weekend and runs through the following weekend. The message in last week’s newsletter got garbled, so I’ll repeat what I was trying to say. Races on Clear Lake will not count for the E’s and MC’s this weekend (August 14 and 15), but will count for all other fleets. Races on Clear Lake will not count for C’s on the following weekend (August 21 and 22), but will count for all other fleets. Good luck and fair sailing to all who plan to race there.
X BLUE CHIP REGATTA REPORT…….2 of our X’s qualified for and were invited to the X Blue Chip at Cedar Lake last weekend to compete against the 28 other top X Boats in the ILYA. And they did great, even though the last 2 races on Sunday were held in light winds and a downpour. Mike Risewick won a race and placed 6th overall; and Parker Zanios placed 9th overall. Congratulations to skippers, crew and support teams. Coming away with results like that against competition like that is very rewarding and is a good reflection on the training our young sailors are receiving and the effort they are willing to put into it.
SPEAKING OF TRAINING OF OUR YOUNG SAILORS…….The 90’s have been probably the best decade ever for our X Fleet. We’ve had several Blue Chip participants over those years…….Thomas Zanios won the X Inlands a couple of years ago……the X Fleet consistently does better in big regattas…..former X Fleet members are now making their mark in all of our other fleets. There are, I am sure, many reasons for this vast improvement, from supportive families to excited youngsters. But the catalyst for it all has been the CLYC Sailing School program, which for the past 8 or 9 years has been a smoothly running machine. This has a lot to do with instructors who are capable, interested and fun to be around and with volunteers and parents who are willing to contribute and assist however needed. In the end, though, the great success of our Sailing School falls to those at the top who made it all work, Bob Swanson and Charlie MacNider. Words can’t express our appreciation. Maybe the best thanks is to do all we possibly can to keep the tradition intact as we enter a new era with new players, whoever they may turn out to be.
I PROMISED……earlier in the year to recognize, on a monthly basis, those who have made donations to the Sailing School. Unfortunately, I think I missed May and June. But I’m making up for it now. These folks deserve your thinks for reaching into their pockets to make certain the sailing school can deal with the monetary realities of keeping young sailors interested in the sport. I’m not absolutely certain that the list is 100% accurate (because, unlike good reporters, I don’t check my sources), but it should be darn close. If anyone feels slighted by an error in the list, it’s OK to give me a call and let me know….but understand it’s not personal. In alphabetical order:
Ann & Byron Beasley Brad & Cathy Isaak W.D. Osmundson
Tom Birdsall Charles MacNider Brad Robinson
Dr. Joe Craven Jack MacNider Steve & Cheryl Schurtz
Fullerton Funeral Home David Miller D.H. Taylor
John V. Hanson Wm. R. Nicholas Dick Winga
Thanks for caring!!!!!!
OPTI RACES….well actually only 1 race was held in kind of light, crummy conditions. Mary DeBartolo took the gun with brother Gil (and his cousin) right behind. NO RACES this weekend, August 15, but we’ll be out there again at 2:00 p.m. on August 22.
REMINDERS…….Rick and Mary Lou Fitch still have CLYC T-Shirts and they will also be selling them at the next Yacht Club party on August 28.
Also, cough up your Interlakes fees if you haven’t done so already…and cough in the direction of Dave Roberts.
Later, OZ
******************************************************************************************
After the Interlakes Regatta it seems like the summer slips away very quickly. We are now on the downhill slide but there are still enough club races, regattas and parties to keep most everyone satisfied, I think.
INTERLAKES REPORT…..The Interlakes Regatta’s Friday races were held in what can only be described as a huge outdoor sauna, and Saturday’s and Sunday’s races were exactly the opposite. The MC Team managed to steal the team trophy from Minnetonka (for the 2nd time in the last 3 years) by being the best heavy wind sailors (on Sat. afternoon when 1/3 of the fleet went to the bottom) and by not allowing the last race’s black flag start to decimate the team. Eric Protzman pulled down an individual 3rd. Jeff Nicholas won the heavy wind race (and, unfortunately was Clear Lake’s sole "black flagee" on Sun. morning). The X Team finished 2nd behind Minnetonka. Mike Risewick and Parker Zanios had a 1-2 photo finish in that same heavy wind race and went on to take 3rd and 4th in overall individual honors. The C Fleet had a great showing and might have placed 2nd in the team standings, but didn’t have a 5th team member. And last I saw, Steve Paulsen’s E had 1/3 of the fleet behind it. All in all, a good regatta. Upper Minnetonka proved to be a real good news/ bad news lake. The bad news is that the lake is really much smaller than it looks because it has so many huge, nasty weed beds…….the good news is that the UMYC has air conditioning.
INTERLAKES FEES……need to be sent to Dave Roberts ASAP, if you haven’t already done so. E’s are $90, C’s $70, MC’s $60 and X’s $55. Remember no fees mean no trophies at yearend.
PAST COMMODORES REGATTA……If my calendar is correct, this weekend, August 7-8, is the Past Commodores Regatta at Clear Lake (f/k/a Governor’s Day Regatta), so I expect there will be back-to-back races on Saturday.
X BLUE CHIP REGATTA…..is at Cedar Lake, Wisconsin this weekend. This regatta is only for those who have placed at the top of the fleet in the big regattas and Clear Lake will be sending 2 of our X Boaters to do battle: Chris Risewick and Thomas Zanios. Good Luck Guys!!
THIS IS THE FINAL WEEKEND……for the 3 week long X Boat Regatta Series.
INLANDS REGATTA……is the week of August 14-21 at Lake Okoboji. The E’s and MC’s will be racing the first half of the week and the C’s will be racing the last half. According to Head Scorer, John Lundberg, there is at least one boat attending from each of the E, C and MC fleets. So, races won’t count for E’s and MC’s the weekend of August 14-15 ount over the next couple of weekends.
OPTI RACES…..are on again this weekend. See you at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday somewhere between City Beach and the Outing Club.
CYBER TACK OF THE WEEK…..As hot as it was a week ago, I must admit my thoughts wandered for a moment or two to iceboating. If your thoughts tended in the same direction (or even if they didn’t) take a look at the DN site, www.paw.com/sail/ice.
Later, OZ
**************************************************************************************************
I am assuming that the last vestiges of RAGBRAI have finally left Clear Lake and that all of the bikers are attempting to experience heat exhaustion in a different part of Iowa right now. Speaking of heat exhaustion, Saturday’s afternoon race turned into a sort of death march for the MCs (and, of course, the judges who had to wait for the march to end). Tom Schaefer and Kathy MacNider were those judges who were forced to endure (with amazing grace and dignity I might add) more than 4 hours of race time in the 90+ degree heat. Sunday was much easier on both sailors and judges as the breeze continued to build throughout the race.
OPTI NO TEARS WEST REGATTA……was this past Monday. 42 Optimists showed up for this great little event for the younger sailors. 10 or 12 of those were our own Clear Lake Optimist sailors and they did themselves proud. For most, it was their first regatta experience. 4 races were held in winds that started out light in the southeast and ended up medium out of the northwest. I am sure final results will be published in Scow Slants, the ILYA Web Site and several other places. Best overall finish was Jon Osmundson’s 2nd in the Junior Fleet (must take after his old man). Casey Martin, Nancy Lundeen and Laura Hansen did a bang-up job making sure that everyone stayed smiling the whole time. Thanks to the judges (Caslavka, Barg and Hanson), photographer (Margaret Oz), and the others I’m forgetting (like Julie Oltrogge, Kathy MacNider, the elder Ozzies, the Hungry Mind) who pitched in and made this a fun time for parents and participants alike.
INTERLAKES REGATTA……is at Minnetonka and Upper Minnetonka this weekend, so all fleets (except the Cougars) will be missing some boats. A full team of X’s and MC’s will be going; the C’s are 1 short of a full team; and an E will be showing the CLYC flag. That means that here at home, only the Cougar races and the X-Boat Regatta Series races will count. Good luck to the Interlakes teams; bring some hardware home…….
BOARD MEETING RESULTS…..A couple of things were discussed at last week’s Yacht Club board meeting that are probably worth mentioning. Since our Yacht Club headquarters building has begun to show some serious wear and tear, the Board is forming a Building & Grounds Committee to start the process of deciding what repairs to make and how to get them done. The Committee, I am sure, will be seeking volunteers to help wield brushes, hammers, elbow grease or whatever to get the HQ back into a condition we can all be proud of.
The Board is also trying to deal with the perennial problem of who should be notified (and when) by those planning on attending regattas. Unfortunately we don’t have a good system in place at present with the result being that fleet members don’t find out ahead of time whether races will count or not (other than by word of mouth), the Head Scorer usually doesn’t know until the umpteenth hour who (if anyone) is attending a regatta, and everyone calls everyone else at the last minute to try and figure it out. John Lundberg, especially at this time of year when there are regattas nearly every weekend, ends up with the lion’s share of those calls. So we’re going to try and come up with a better way.
OPTI RACES……..As a warmup for the Opti No Tear Regatta we held our normal Sunday races. The wind was blowing hard enough that there were actually some casualties…… none very serious. Taylor Zachar recorded the most capsizes of the day, but never let it get him down (even though the tipovers made him wind up in 3rd both races). Jon Oz and Gil DeBartolo traded places in the 2 races that we got in before it really started to blow.
NOTE……No Opti races this Sunday. I don’t think the judges will be back from Minnetonka in time. But be ready for more on the Sunday after that (August 5), same time, same place.
I MISS THE RITZ ALREADY !!!!!
Later, OZ
**********************************************************************************************
[Editor’s Note: You will see this is last week’s newsletter. We had a high-tech hiccup last week and, ironically, the only folks who got the newsletter were those still using snail mail. On rare occasions the tortoise does beat the hare] I just took a look a the live Clear Lake Cam on the Yacht Club Web Site. It looks like there is quite a bit more lake than there was when I left on Sunday. Somebody up there is determined to keep the lake full to the brim this season, and that’s fine with me (but only if they keep all the storm sewer stuff, etc. out).
A INVITATIONAL……….held last weekend at Clear Lake was a lot of fun to watch. 15 boats came to test out the varying conditions Clear Lake has to offer and I don’t think they were disappointed. Heavy winds, medium winds, light winds, some sun, some rain…..they got it all. Actually the best conditions may have been Sunday afternoon after everyone had left town………but that’s par for the course. John Porter and Buddy Melges finished 1 and 2, which is exactly the way they finished all three of the races. Z-1 Chaos did well, ending up in 11th, right behind Gordy Bowers and a couple ahead of Harry Allen.
Thanks to Denni Erickson and her minions of helpers who made the regatta yet another smooth and successful one. Kudos to the Outing Club, which was kind enough again to host a combined Saturday night get-together on its grounds. Special thanks to Nancy Lundeen for her superhuman work in making sure there were enough beverages to go around – quite a task when you combine the CLYC and the A Fleet; and to John and Carolyn Hanson for donating 1000 cool CLYC-logo cups for use at the parties.
X INLANDS…….run through Saturday of this week at Pewaukee Lake. I know of several X-Boaters who will be attending……so good luck.
X BOAT REGATTA SERIES…..This kicks off the time of year when the CLYC X-Fleet holds its Regatta Series. For the next 3 weekends beginning this weekend (July 24-25) X Boat race scores are not included in the Second Series nor are they included in the calculations for Fleet Champion.
OPTIMIST NO TEARS WEST REGATTA……is this coming Monday, July 26. Nancy Lundeen and Laura Hansen have been doing all of the yeoman’s work for this regatta, but they can always use volunteers. You can call either of them or Casey Martin if you’d like to help out…… or simply show up on Monday. There still is time and room for Clear Lake Optimist sailors to register right up to the day of the event (I understand the late fee is being waived for our local Opti sailors because of late notice to them). Registration will be at the Yacht Club and races will be held off State Park Beach. Plus, you can contact Kristin MacNider (357.2036) if you need to borrow one of the Sailing School Optimists to sail in the event. This is a great event for our very youngest sailors because it is designed to be a fun and casual way of introducing them to sailboat racing.
INTERLAKES……We just received the Race Notice information and Schedule of Events from the Interlakes Association. It contains all the details you will need about this year’s Interlakes Regatta at the 2 Minnetonka lakes. Since it arrived so late, we are trying to post the Notice and the Schedule on the Web Site so that you can gain access quickly. If that doesn’t work, let me know or let Dave Roberts know and we will get you what you need.
BOARD MEETING…….This weekend, Saturday, July 24, 8:00 a.m. at the Yacht Club.
CLYC T-SHIRTS……The new and exciting Clear Lake Yacht Club T-Shirts are now available. They are 100% combed cotton heavyweight with a 3 color design showing the CLYC burgee. The shirts are only $10.00 each in sizes M through 2XL. You can get them at the Yacht Club parties or call or email Rick Fitch, who has been good enough to put this program together (357.1985 or Rfitch@netconx.net). Shirts can be mailed to you if necessary. Get your now before they are all gone for ’99.
CLASSIFIEDS……A 1984 glass Johnson X with 3 sets of sails and trailer in excellent condition (only used lightly the past 2 years) for $2000. If that gets your heart racing call Diane Truex (357.0995) or check out the boat in her driveway at 202 Fairway Drive in Clear Lake.
OPTIMIST FLEET REPORT……..The Optis were the only fleet to get in races last weekend (other than the A-Boat). 4 boats sailed 3 races in nice conditions on Sunday afternoon. The results:
Race 1 Race 2 Race 3
Chris Osmundson "Second verse same 1. Jon Osmundson
Mike Waters as the first" 2. Lucy DeBartolo
Gil DeBartolo 3. Mike Waters
Lucy DeBartolo
See you at 2:00 p.m. this Sunday!
Later, OZ
************************************************************************************************
Look what we get for starting to complain that it’s been too windy. Weird stuff on Saturday and no stuff on Sunday. I believe the moral of the story is to stop complaining. So be it.
A REGATTA…..is here this weekend. It sounds there will be a good turnout of boats – maybe as many as 16. Pray for good breezes and cheer on Chaos, the CLYC entry. Remember that the our Club races will not be held this weekend, so when you go out to watch the A’s stop by City Dock to see if any spectators want a ride.
OUTING CLUB PARTY…….is this Saturday, July 10 for all Yacht Club members and the A Boat folks. As usual, I imagine the festivities will commence around 6:00 or so. X Boat Parents (with help from their kids), Cougars and E’s are in charge of food and beverage tending. The get-together at the Outing Club during last year’s Interlakes Regatta was super and this one should be the same.
SPEAKING OF INTERLAKES…..I believe the teams for each fleet are set. The Interlakes Association has increased the dues this year for each participating boat as follows: E’s: $90 C’s: $70 MC’s,M’s, 420s: $60 X’s: $55.
So if any of you have been diligent enough (God forbid) to have already sent in payment for your boat, you may want to send Dave Roberts just a little bit more coin to make up the difference. X’s and MC’s will be mooring and sailing on Upper Minnetonka; E’s, C’s, M’s and 420s will be doing the same on Minnetonka. The 420s will actually have a separate course. Minnetonka Yacht Club is offering to charter its 420s for those who would like to race one at the regatta. I understand that Thomas Zanios may have already gotten some info on this, so it might be worth checking with him for details. Also, Medicine Lake (a lake here in the Twin Cities) will be the guest fleet this year and will have their MC fleet participating. Official regatta information and notices are being sent to each member yacht club this week, so more details will follow.
MORE CLINICS…….Eric Hood from Melges Boat Works found out at the last minute that he will be coming to town for the A Regatta and has offered to put on a seminar for MC fleet members, possible MC members and anyone else who may be interested in learning more about the MC and how to sail it fast. Unfortunately, because of the demands on Eric’s time, he can only do the clinic on this Thursday, July 15. So, those of you who get the newsletter by email, please call others you know who might be interested but who have to depend on snail mail for their announcements. Those who want to sail should bring their boats to the Yacht Club about 4 p.m for the on-the-water portion of the clinic. Then, about 6 p.m. Eric will hold an on-land seminar for an hour or so. This should be great and definitely worth sneaking out of work to attend. If you do attend, bring an X-Boater or 2 so they can get a feel for a possible next step up after their life as an X sailor is over.
COUGAR NATIONALS……were last week, but I haven’t seen any results yet. That could only mean one thing…….former Commodore Fred Wieck didn’t win and he’s making sure nobody finds out.
E INVITATIONALS…..were also last week. The report is that there were a huge number of boats (132) which made it a lot of fun, but nearly impossible to get races started without innumerable recalls, etc.
X’S AT GENEVA… 2 of our X’s traveled to Lake Geneva this past week to attend the GLSS X Invitational Regatta going on there. Mike Risewick and Robert Protzman say they learned a ton. But even better than that, Mike, by placing 2nd out of the 59 boats attending, earned a Blue Chip berth.
WHISKER POLE RESCUE….Steve Schurtz found a whisker pole in the lake last weekend. It’s too long for an X, so he’s thinking it might belong to a Cougar. If you’re missing one give Steve a ring.
CLASSIFIEDS…….Bill Wilson has a neighbor in PM Park with a “like brand new” Optimist for sale for $1100 or best offer. That’s all the info I have. But call 357.8654 if you would like more.
OPTIMIST RACES……Sorry, we didn’t get any races in last Sunday. But it’s not very fun or instructive to float around in an Optimist with only motorboat chop to move you around the race course. We will try again this Sunday at 2:00 p.m., so keep your eyes out for orange buoys somewhere between City Beach and the Outing Club.
CYBER TACK OF THE WEEK…..Here’s a site that’s got a bit of something for everyone who cares at all about sailing: www.floatplan.com. It’s geared toward cruising, but also has an entire listing of sailing related fiction and nonfiction books as well as an entire section devoted to what can only be described as a Parrothead’s dream.
Later, OZ
***************************************************************************************************
The wind blew……a lot…..on Saturday. It blew……a lot……on Sunday. It blew….a lot….on Monday. It didn’t blow…..a lot…..on Tuesday, but by that time most everyone was back at work anyway. Everything else about the July 4th weekend was just fine, however (oh yeah, except for the one or two million bullheads that decided to expire last week and either drift around in very large lifeless schools or else wash up on the beaches of those unlucky enough to have beaches). Speaking of fish, those of you who got to see Hootie and the Blowfish Tuesday night at the Surf got a treat. The multi-generational crowd of 2000+ heard some of Hootie’s (or is it the Blowfishes’?) hits plus a little Carlos Santana, Bob Marley and Pearl Jam. The revived Sailing School float in the 4th of July Parade looked like fun; and I think the candy lasted longer than it has in the past (because I got some). The fireworks were squeezed in when the wind dropped just below gale force…..and they were grand, just as they have been the past several years now. The carnival didn’t quite kill all of the new grass around the bandshell, but tried with all its might. And that’s about it…………..
4TH OF JULY REGATTA………….The results are in and for once the Head Scorer, John Lundberg, didn’t have to work real hard at coming up with the placings. The X’s had two races, but every other fleet only had one. 25-30 mph breezes just got to be too much.
Class X Class Cougar Class MC
1. Z-84 Mike Risewick 1. US175 Fred Wieck 1. 1910 Jeff Nicholas
2. Z-142 Will Price 2. US275 Scott Curtis 2. 1764 Randy Kotz
Z-40 Catherine Martin 3. US8 Ken Hanus 3. 1591 Stuart Oltrogge
Z-88 Parker Zanios (TIE)
Class C Class E
1. Z-3 Bill Nicholas 1. Z-16 Tom Erickson
2. Z-55 Don Taylor, Jr. 2. Z-5 Mike Lundberg
3. Z-100 Steve Swift 3. Z-15 Kristin MacNider
E INVITATIONAL……is this weekend. The Head Scorer thinks 4 Clear Lake E’s will be attending the event at Lake Mendota in Mad City, Wisconsin. So E races won’t count.
MC INVITATIONAL…..is also coming up this weekend at Cedar Lake in Wisconsin. If any MCs are planning to go, make sure to let John Lundberg (and me) know so we can announce it and get the scoring right.
INTERLAKES QUALIFIERS……..The lists of Interlakes qualifiers for each fleet have been sent to the fleet captains (by snail mail or email). It is now in the fleet captains’ hands to contact the top five qualifiers first and then go down the list to fill out each fleet’s team. Classes X, MC and C can take 7 boats with 5 team members designated. Class E can take unlimited boats with 5 team members designated. The fleet captains are to get the list of the teams to Dave Roberts right away. Then we can all find out what the entry fees will be.
A INVITATIONAL……..Remember we are hosting the A Invites July 15-18. I’m sure Denni Erickson can use any help you may have to offer. Saturday, the 17th, during the regatta, is the next Yacht Club party to be held at the Outing Club.
OPTIMIST RACES…….at Clear Lake will return this Sunday, July 11th, just in time for our Opti racers to get warmed up for the No Tears West regatta in a few weeks. As in the past we will try to run several races starting at 2:00 p.m. somewhere between City Beach and the Outing Club. We’ll set buoys out with fairly short courses so you can get lots of starts in.
SAILING SCHOOL…..First session is over and second session gets going Monday, July 14th. If you want to learn how to sail yet this summer, this will be your last chance.
Later, OZ
**************************************************************************************************************
The First Series is history and ended on a windy note. I may be wrong, but I can’t recall missing any races this year for lack of air.
First Series results follow. At the time we got our information there was a possible outstanding X protest. These results assume the protest did not get filed.
Class X Class MC Class Cougar
1. Z-84 Mike Risewick 1. 1910 Jeff Nicholas 1. Rudy Wieck
2. Z-88 Parker Zanios 2. 1831 Eric Protzman 2. Ken Hanus
3. Z-16 Katie Gentry 3. 1591 Stuart Oltrogge
Class C Class E
1. Z-100 Steve Swift 1. Z-16 Tom Erickson
2. Z-999 Marcus Lundberg 2. Z-5 Mike Lundberg
3. Z-3 Bill Nicholas 3. Z-15 Kristin MacNider
Full results of the First Series are on the CLYC Web Site. For those who do not have access to the Web Site and are receiving their newsletters by mail, a copy of the full set of results are enclosed.
INTERLAKES QUALIFYING……. Runs through July 4th Regatta.
4TH OF JULY REGATTA………is this weekend, July 3rd and 4th. Expect back-to-back races on Saturday, weather permitting. Put your big, baggy sails on so you can deal with the usual motorboat waves.
EVERYBODY LOVES A PARADE…..All sailing school kids are invited to come and be in the 4th of July parade and toss candy to your friends and family! The CLYC float will again be making an appearance in the parade after a 1 year hiatus. Meet at 9:45 a.m. on Monday, July 5th on North 20th across from the Clear Lake High School parking lot. The parade starts at 10:00 a.m. and the CLYC float number is 117. If you can, wear this year’s sailing school t-shirt….if you can’t, then wear last year’s or the year before’s….if you can’t do that pull one of your many regatta t-shirts. The organizers are looking for khaki shorts if possible, but any shorts will do. PARENTS…..you can pick up the kids after the parade at Lincoln School on Highway 106 and 8th Street. Call Nancy Zanios (357.2789) or Kristin MacNider (357.2036) if you’ve got questions.
E INVITATIONALS……are the weekend after the 4th. There are 130 boats currently registered and word is Clear Lake will be sending at least 5 representatives to Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin in search of hardware.
A INVITATIONALS…..are the weekend after that at Clear Lake. That would be July 15-18. The A Regatta Committee is still looking for volunteers for lunches and manning the Yacht Club. And anyone watching the race should check at City Dock for spectators who may want to get out to watch the event.
420 REPORT FROM THOMAS ZANIOS…..The Sailing School’s newest addition, the Vanguard Club 420 is up and running on Clear Lake. Last Sunday afternoon Thomas, Scott Taylor and Charlie MacNider rigged the 420 and took it out for its first sail. The Club 420 has a trapeze and spinnaker that you don’t find in most college sailing programs. They all say it was great and unbelievably responsive. Thomas thinks it will be a great teaching tool and plans on incorporating 420 training into the "Racers" class to help students become aware of subtle movements in the boat and prepare them for all types of sailing.
ADVANCE RACING CLINIC…..Thomas also reports that an Advanced Racing Clinic will be held Monday, July 12 through Wednesday, July 14. The clinic will run from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Regular sailing school will be held simultaneously. Clinic students should pack a lunch or plan on a quick run downtown. The clinic will cover all the basics from X-Boat tuning, starts, upwind speed, downwind speed, roll tacks, roll gybes, 420 practice, boat speed testing, racing strategy, team racing and more. On Tuesday the 13th, Gordy Bowers will be the guest instructor joining us all day. Thomas wants to see as many X-Boaters as possible sign up for the clinic……and especially the 1999 Interlakes team (all 7 of you !!). Call Thomas (357.2789) to register or ask questions.
BOARD MEETING RESCHEDULED…..from Saturday July 10th to Saturday July 24th due to various regatta conflicts.
SAD NEWS FOR THE SAILING SCHOOL….Bob Swanson and Charlie MacNider, who have devoted 9 seasons to running the Sailing School have announced they are resigning after this year. They will both be sorely missed after handling an oftentimes difficult job so well that we all started taking for granted that they would just always be there. There are an awful lot of young people out there who can thank Bob and Charlie for taking a huge amount of time and effort to make sure sailing could be an enjoyable experience for them. Thanks Bob and Charlie…….. Leading the sailing school is an extremely important job and we now need some new leaders. So, give a serious thought to taking over a project as worthwhile as the CLYC Sailing School next year. If you do have an interest, feel free to contact either Russ Schurtz, Dave Roberts or myself so we can make a seamless transition between this year and the future.
Later, OZ
********************************************************************************************************
Although not the most beautiful weekend on record, it was not too bad for getting out and doing some sailing. Actually, the wind seemed to gradually build all weekend until it blew pretty well during the Dad/Mom/Lad/Lass race on Sunday afternoon.
YEARBOOKS ARE OUT…….By now you should have received the 1999 edition of the CLYC Yearbook. It looks great. Many thanks to the Yearbook Committee of Denni Erickson and Rick and Mary Lou Fitch for all their efforts again this year……and to Cheryl Schurtz and John Hanson for once again lining up advertisers. Incidentally, make an effort to patronize those businesses who appear in the Yearbook. You’ll also note that, as a simple token of recognition and appreciation, there is a page listing those who made donations to the Sailing School during the past year.
DAD/MOM/LAD/LASS RESULTS…….are in. This was my first Dad/Lad (as a Dad) and my first outing in an X-Boat in 28 years. And I think the other 7 dads and significant others (no moms this year) and I made the most of it. Some tight racing; some crashes. X’s are clearly different than scows. They head up much faster if you let go of the tiller…..which I unfortunately did immediately after the start only to find the Langhart boat deep in our cockpit. And they don’t round leeward marks real sharply….which I discovered when I quickly relinquished the lead at the last bottom mark. And they are made for smaller (and younger bodies)….which I discovered shortly after the start, and later as I headed toward my stock of ibuprofen, and am continuing to discover right up to this minute. But, it sure was a blast from the past and I can’t wait to do more…..as long as the wind blows like it did on Sunday. Congratulations to the skippers and the kids who put up with the skippers:
Z-22 Crayke Windsor and Scott Little
Z-84 Chris and Mike Risewick
Z-43 Brad and Chris Osmundson
Z-1 Todd and Brett Larson
Z-4 Karl and Gunther Langhart
Z-88 Jamie and Parker Zanios
Z-94 Eric and Robert Protzman
Z-21 Randy and Nathan Kotz
FIRST SERIES ENDS THIS WEEKEND…….If you’re looking forward to placing well in the First Series, you need to get your act together by this weekend. Sunday is the last day of the First Series. On the other hand, if you’re looking forward to qualifying for the Interlakes Regatta, you have an extra week to improve, because Interlakes qualification is calculated through the 4th of July Regatta.
C NATIONALS REPORT…….Lake Monona (which is the "other lake" across the street from Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin) has the worst algae and weed problem our 2 C Nationals participants have ever seen. 84 C’s got to experience it during 5 races in 10mph "really shifty" winds. It sounds like you’ll have to be really, really nice to Swifty and Bill Nicholas before they’ll tell you how it went for them.
THANKS TO THE BILL CASEY FAMILY….for having the MC Fleet and Judges over last Saturday night. Some people told lies, some told the truth, but all got their fill of excellent Cajun chicken and had a good time. Best of all no one from any other fleet showed up to try and convince the MC’s (with lame "Top 10" lists) that some other fleet is better.
CLASSIFIEDS…..Pam Little’s neighbor, Jerry Kupris (357.7309) has a 1992 Johnson Mini-Scow and is trying to locate a mast for it. If you happen to have one lying around, give Jerry a call.
CYBER TACK OF THE WEEK…..If you get a mental block trying to think up names for your boats try www.boatus.com/names for some help.
Later, OZ
*************************************************************************************************************
I leave town for one measly weekend and the Yacht Club ends up hosting races galore! The X Boats got in 4 races, for crying out loud. I can only guess from looking at the racing results on the Web Site that everyone got in their fair share of boat time over the weekend.
C NATIONALS……are this weekend, but I don’t have a clue what lake is the host. However, rumor has it that there may be 3 CLYC C Fleet members in attendance. I assume these are the only 3 C Boaters who are not nursing some kind of scary or painful ailment. Anyway, Good Luck and Knock ‘Em Dead……wherever you’re going.
By the way, those of you (healthy) C Sailors who are heading to Nationals should make sure that the Head Scorer, John Lundberg, is notified so he can make the official determination whether races will or will not count for the C’s who are left at Clear Lake this weekend.
MC NATIONALS REPORT…..Eric Protzman was Clear Lake’s lone entrant in this year’s MC Nationals held last weekend at Lake Pewaukee, Wisconsin. 81 boats showed up for what turned out to be a 5 race regatta. Greg Gust of Texas won the whole shootin’ match. And Eric did himself proud snaring a 24th overall (especially after starting out with a lovely 64th)….way to go, Eric.
The report from the MC meetings held in Pewaukee is that Clear Lake will be the host for the first MC Nationals of the next millenium. Sounds like fun. I hear that Mark Tesar, great Green Bay Packer fan that he is, just picked up a……you guessed it…..green and yellow MC just so he can show it off next year at the regatta.
DAD/MOM/LAD/LASS RACE……is this Sunday, June 20, at 2:00 p.m. This just happens to be the most important race of the season for many, so be prepared to take a lot of advice on the race course from those who are significantly younger than you are. If necessary, the makeup date is the following Sunday at the same time.
UNNOTICED RULE……Apparently a few sailors headed home right after the first race on Sunday, not realizing there was a second race to be held. If there is a white flag flying from the committee boat at the finish line, this means there will be another race. So, keep your eyes peeled.
MC FLEET PARTY REMINDER…..Casey’s, 3667 N.Shore Drive, 6:30 p.m., Saturday, June 19. The only thing you need to bring is a beverage (and that’s only if you don’t like beer).
CYBER TACK OF THE WEEK…..Here’s one that bills itself as the Mother of All Maritime Links with every link you’d ever want (maybe more….maybe less, depending). It’s www.cyber-dyne.com/~jkohnen/boatlink.html.
Later, OZ
********************************************************************************************************
June 8, 1999
Saturday and Sunday showed us that Clear Lake can still be a windy (and wavy) place to race sailboats. The Saturday morning group cranked off 2 races in the strengthening breeze. By that afternoon, the wind had risen to a decent blow. A few hardy souls left their docks to experience things first hand. But in the end, rather than line the pockets of the boat and sailmakers with all the money from damaged equipment, the judges decided to forgo the afternoon agenda. It didn’t really matter, though. On Sunday the air got pretty darn heavy after the races got going and led to some fairly spectacular wipeouts and less spectacular equipment failures. 2 E’s bit the dust before the X’s even left the starting line and at least 2 MC’s deep-sixed before the first lap was over. And a C-Boat mast or two got a bit kinky before the day was done.
THANKS TO BERGOS for hosting the first Yacht Club party of the season. As proper hosts they kept the weather in check and even managed to hold off most of the bug population…..at least until 9:30 or 10:00. Plus, their neighbors were nice enough to allow many of us to hang around on their lawn rather than be forced off one of the sides of the deck into the lake. The Lundeens did their usual fine job of making sure the beverages arrived. And the Social Members and Board Members (especially the former) outdid themselves in the hors d’oeuvres and bartending department. A very enjoyable kickoff for the year.
SAILING SCHOOL……The first session starts this coming Monday, June 14th, so make sure your registrations are in. Click here for CLYCSS registration.
MC NATIONALS…. are this weekend at Pewaukee in Wisconsin. As far as I know, only Eric Protzman is attending from our lake. Good luck, Eric. As for the rest of the MC Fleet, races will count this weekend since there are not 3 or more fleet members attending the regatta and it is not an ILYA sanctioned event.
SPEAKING OF REGATTAS….. If you are planning to attend an off-lake regatta, make sure you notify the head scorer, John Lundberg, that you are going. It might also be a good idea to contact your fleet captain (and possibly myself) so other fleet members can know ahead of time whether races will or will not count on that weekend.
REMINDER FROM THE JUDGES AND THE HEAD SCORER……If your sail is displaying a number that is different than the number you registered with, you need to explain that to the judge at the finish line at a time when the judge is not overly busy. If you don’t, you can be pretty certain that you won’t get scored correctly. Plus notifying the judge will save all those late afternoon phone calls trying to explain to all the concerned parties what actually happened. The race officers and the head scorer will appreciate your efforts to make their jobs a bit easier. By the way, if you are planning to use that sail regularly, you’re going to have to bite the bullet and get the numbers changed…….It’s the law !!
MC FLEET PARTY….Bill Casey, Fleet Captain, has summoned the MC Fleet to an early season fleet party. Saturday, June 19, the Casey residence, 3667 N. Shore Drive, 6:30 p.m. Bill is furnishing Cajun chicken and beer. You should bring a salad, side dish, or dessert (and a different beverage, if beer is not your thing).
SAILING GLOVE OFFER……I don’t know if this is the proper place for this, but I’ll do it anyway. I just got word that a former member of our Cougar Fleet, Ken Tartar, is offering sailing gloves at a discount to CLYC members and CLYC Sailing School participants. Unfortunately this is rather late notice. But, if you order by June 15, the gloves cost only $15.00 (including shipping and handling). Just visit the following web site:
www.chapincompany.com and on the order form, name line include "Clear Lake" in order to get the special price (or call at 626.287.5894). The price definitely seems right, and I have it on good authority that the gloves are high quality.YACHT CLUB T-SHIRTS……are now on sale. $10.00 will get you one. Just contact Rick or Mary Lou Fitch at 515.357.1985 to place your order. They are available in sizes Med.-XXL. I saw a few of these being worn at the Yacht Club party and they look nice. This is a Clear Lake Yacht Club promotional thing ( and not to be confused with the Sailing School), although the Yacht Club is considering donating the profits from T-Shirt sales to the Sailing School.
E FLEET REPORT….."The wind advisory board thanks Jenny Child (Z-22) for her wind testing on Saturday. As we suspected, it was windy enough to take the mast off your boat. With Jenny unavailable for Sunday’s races, the E-Fleet was left to fend for themselves in figuring out the winds. This proved to be disastrous for both the MacNider (Z-15) boat and the Ebeling (Z-85) boat. Congratulations to the survivors. Tom Erickson (Z-16) and Bob Swanson (Z-24) showed everyone how the keep the boats in one piece. Not sure what the record is for helping boats up and back to shore, but Denni Erickson must have set it on Sunday, helping at least 3 or 4 boats out of their waterlogged predicaments. Thanks for the much-appreciated assistance, Denni."
Later, OZ
*****************************************************************************
The worst day of this past Memorial Day weekend was better than the best day of nearly every Memorial Day weekend I can remember in the past 25 or 30 years. In case you may have forgotten, exactly a year ago Saturday we were clearing 2 inches of hail out of our boats on the way to the starting line. This year all we had to worry about was getting some sunscreen on. Saturday’s races felt like mid-summer stuff with the wind gradually increasing through the back-to-back events. Sunday’s breeze was predicted to be 15-25 mph but it almost looked like it was going to nothing at the start. As a result, most everyone was underweight and when the heavy stuff hit about the last leg of the race I’m sure many were wishing they had done a few more sit-ups over the winter months.
MEMORIAL DAY REGATTA RESULTS…………The air may have been warm and summer-like, but the E-Boat and the 2 MCs that tested the water temp confirmed that the water is not nearly that toasty. The top 3 finishers in each fleet for the regatta were:
| Class X | Class MC |
| 1. Z-16 Katie Gentry | 1. 1635 Oz |
| 2. Z-88 Parker Zanios | 2. 1591 Stuart Oltrogge |
| 3. Z-84 Mike Risewick | 3. 1831 Eric Protzman |
| Class C | Class E |
| 1. Z-100 Steve Swift | 1. Z-16 Tom Erickson |
| 2. Z-999 Marcus Lundberg | 2. Z-5 Mike Lundberg |
| 3. Z-55 Don Taylor, Jr. | 3. Z-24 Bob Swanson |
FIRST YACHT CLUB PARTY OF THE SEASON….is this Saturday, June 5, at Lyle and Pat Bergo’s home, 901 S. Shore Drive. A correction to last week’s newsletter – Board Members have been enlisted to assist the Social Members in hors d’oeuvres and bartending duties – although I’m not exactly sure why, since the Social Members typically do the best job of party prep.
A DONATION TO THE CLEAR PROJECT…….The Yacht Club Board has decided to make a donation in the sum of $1000 to the Clear Project. As you all know, it has now become the "in thing" to perform studies regarding the water quality of Clear Lake. And that is a good thing. The Clear Project was around before the studies were cool. And while the various governmental studies focus on water quality from a bacterial perspective, the Clear Project focuses on the other aspects of water quality (including water clarity, algae growth, etc.). The Board rightly feels that the Yacht Club should show its support for bettering the quality of Clear Lake in any way it can.
ON-BOARD RADIOS….were a topic at last week’s Board Meeting. The official word from the Head Race Officer, Craig Caslavka, is that until the ILYA makes a formal decision, on-board radios will be handled as they have been in the past by the CLYC. Before race time, racers may listen in on the judges’ discussions and may ask the Judge what he is seeing. The judges will respond to such requests, but have clearly stated they will not answer questions on whether or not there will be a race.
THE PURCHASE OF A 420 APPEARS TO BE IN THE SAILING SCHOOL’S FUTURE….. Sufficient funds are being set aside to buy a 420 for sailing school purposes. The 420 is a hot little boat being used in most high school and college sailing programs and it will be a good thing for our young sailors to see what it can do. When I say "young sailors" I don’t mean to exclude "older sailors" but oftentimes, once the "older sailors" take a try at a 420 they realize they aren’t as young as they used to be (or thought they were).
E FLEET REPORT FROM FLEET CAPTAIN STEVE PAULSEN…."The lake is full, the sun was out and there was enough wind to get up and down the lake more than one day in a row. This is a good start to anyone’s season, especially for Tom Erickson who took advantage of the favorable conditions to win the weekend. From my point of view, this was a good weekend to try and remember which line does what. Also, I would like to welcome John Toepfer/Ed Quinn as the newest E-Fleet sailors to this year’s season – ‘Good Luck’ and ‘Welcome Aboard!’ Thanks to everyone that was able to show up for the party."
Sorry, no other fleet captains got me reports this week. Maybe next time……
CYBER TACK OF THE WEEK: Try "Dogwatch" a sailing-related cartoon site at www.marley.net/dogwatch.htm.
Later, OZ
**************************************************************************************************************
Since Tune-Ups didn’t happen last weekend, I expect to see plenty of stumbling and fumbling around during this weekend’s Memorial Day Regatta. I understand the weather has not been exactly cooperative so far this spring……and Tune-Ups weekend was no exception. Warm but drifter conditions on Saturday with cool but gale conditions on Sunday. Did I hear this right?? The lake level is nearing a foot over the weir?
Actually, everyone won’t be tripping over things and falling out of their boats this weekend. I know that 3 of the CLYC X-Boaters (Katie Gentry, Mike Risewick, Parker Zanios and their crews) got some spring practice in at the Lake Harriet Regatta in April. And at least 4 of our MCs (Randy Kotz, Jeff Nicholas, Stuart Oltrogge and Eric Protzman) journeyed to Florida this spring for Mid-Winters.
MEMORIAL DAY REGATTA is, of course, this weekend, so all fleets (except the Cougars) should anticipate back-to-back races on Saturday. Remember that the Saturday morning races are at 9:30 a.m. and the Saturday afternoon races are at 1:30 p.m.
BOARD MEETING is this Saturday, May 29, 8:00a.m. at the CLYC Club House. Board members and officers should have already gotten an email notice with the agenda.
SAILING SCHOOL SCHEDULE, REGISTRATION FORMS AND T-SHIRT ORDER FORMS ARE ATTACHED…We’re late on getting this information mailed out to you this year. Since the first session begins June 14 don’t delay in signing up. The CLYC Web Site also has the schedule and registration form which you can print out and mail in if you wish. (Click here to print CLYCSS forms ). As most you probably know, the Sailing School will be in the capable hands of Kristin MacNider and her crew of instructors this year, so all you kids (and maybe even some adults) can have a great time learning some sailing skills this June and July.
CONTRIBUTIONS are especially helpful (and necessary) to keep our Sailing School operating year after year. We have never done a particularly good job of recognizing those who make cash (or property) contributions to the CLYCSS. So, we would like to change that in some small way this year by recognizing on a monthly basis those who have made contributions to the Sailing School during that month. And in the yearbook, we will recognize those who contributed during the past year…..No big deal…..but a nice gesture to those who care enough to keep the CLYCSS program thriving. You know who you are, but maybe it’s time others know who you are, too.
INTERLAKES REGATTA WILL BE A BIT DIFFERENT THIS YEAR…..At the annual Interlakes meeting held about a month ago, decisions were made (1) to drop the J-18s as a guest fleet and replace them with 420s, and (2) to split the regatta this year between Upper and Lower Lake Minnetonka. As for the first decision, it had become apparent that interest in J-18s never really spread much beyond White Bear Lake, and 420s have become more or less the racing sailboat of choice in the high school and college ranks. So, 420s may be sailed at Interlakes this summer by sailors who are older than 16 (the age restriction is to help ensure that the 420 fleet does not "cannibalize" the X fleet). As for the second decision, Upper Minnetonka’s bid to be more active in hosting Interlakes when the regatta is held once every 4 years on Minnetonka was accepted. It appears that X’s and MC’s will be sailing in the upper lake this year……and we’ll see how that works.
ON BOARD RADIOS seem to be the hot topic of discussion so far this season. The first issue is whether to allow radios at all on boats. Then, assuming the answer is yes, whether and how to limit the use…..for safety purposes only? For course change notification? For "over early" notification? For other race or regatta-related announcements? The key here will be figuring out what will be appropriate uses and how to ensure that on-board radios are being used only for those uses. I do know that a vote is currently in front of the entire MC Fleet (via the MC Newsletter) on whether to allow on-board radios solely for safety purposes.
E FLEET CAN’T WAIT TO PARTY !!!! Steve Paulsen, the E Fleet Captain is announcing a "Spring Fling" to start off the year. It’s Saturday, May 29, 6:30 p.m. at Mel and Anita Paulsen’s, 2105 South Lakeview Drive in Clear Lake. E-Fleeters bring your favorite hors d’oeuvres and Steve will provide the drinks. Make sure to invite crews. (Click here for our CLYC Calendar)
FIRST YACHT CLUB PARTY ADVANCE NOTICE…..Saturday, June 5, at Lyle and Pat Bergo’s, 901 South Shore Drive. Last I heard the Social Members have the hors d’oeuvres and bartending honors.
CLASSIFIEDS Johnson X boat (w/ 2 sets of sails) plus trailer, all in excellent condition. $875. Call Bob Krogh at 319.292.7742 or 319.232.0921. For More boats / lifts and trailers click here for our web site 4 sail.
Cougar sailboat with trailer. Sails and boat in excellent condition and ready to race. Call Bob Krogh at same numbers as above.
CYBER TACK OF THE WEEK……Try this web site: "The Voyage of the Snow Goose" which is found at http://www.angelfire.com/biz/vsg. There are pix, hundreds of links and you can choose which language you want to read the site in.
Later, OZ
***********************************************************************************************
I can’t believe it either. It always seems to happen in the wink of an eye. Hard water changes to soft water; snow drifts mutate to waves and beaches; snowboards and downhill skis give way to wakeboards and slalom skis. And iceboats decelerate to become…you guessed it….sailboats.
The Board of Directors met more than 2 weeks ago and is already gearing up for a full season under the watchful eye of Commodore Russ Schurtz. The Board discussed such things as 1) whether payment by credit card will be feasible in the future both for registrations and regattas (to be studied this year for possible implementation next year), 2) whether multiple email addresses for each household makes any sense, 3) the possibility of setting up a booth to sell T-Shirts from the CLYC clubhouse on the day the entire waterfront area near City Beach will be taken over by RAGBRAI riders…Tuesday, July 27.
THE 1999 CLYC SCHEDULE is attached. You’ll note we are hosting 3 regattas this summer. The A Invitational July 15-18; the Optimist No Tears West July 26 (the Monday following X Championships); and the Laser Regatta August 28-29 (a repeat of last year’s performance). And, since the governor has apparently worn out his welcome here in Clear Lake, you will find that Governor’s Day Regatta has been renamed Past Commodores’ Regatta.
THIS FIRST NEWSLETTER OF THE SEASON is going out not only to all our sailing and social members from last year, but also to at least 60 former sailing and social members who, for whatever reason, dropped their memberships. Please take this as a personal invitation to rejoin the fold. We’ve missed you, and hopefully you’ve found that you missed us more than you thought you would.
A 1999 CLYC REGISTRATION FORM is on line now (click here) It should look familiar. But pay attention to the not-so-fine print which shows a May 15 deadline for renewals. Any renewal registrations received past May 15 suffer a $10.00 late fee per boat. This is not supposed to be a moneymaker for the Yacht Club, so don’t allow it to become one. We’ve simply found that gentle reminders just haven’t worked, so we’ll see how attacking your piggy bank does.
PLANS ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY for this season’s CLYC Yearbook. Cheryl Schurtz (with assistance from John Hanson) is again in charge of the often thankless task of lining up advertisements. If you can see your way clear to advertise your business please let Cheryl or John know. And for those who read the ads when they open their yearbooks, make sure you patronize those who contributed to the Sailing School by purchasing ad space. All proceeds from the ads go to the CLYC Sailing School. By the way, I understand there may be a personal ad page in this year’s yearbook, where, for a token sum, you can place a personal message of your own.
UNFORTUNATELY, yearbook ads and sailing school registration fees fall short of keeping the sailing school with adequate equipment and supplies. The CLYC Sailing School (CLYCSS) plans to purchase 3 Optimists (the sturdier Clubracer variety) and one 420 this year. They want to start the ball rolling by selling 3 of the Optimists that are currently part of the fleet for the reasonable sum of $500 apiece (and if you’re at all interested, shoot me an email). Above all, what is really needed are donations to the CLYCSS. So, if you’re ever going to get the urge to make a tax deductible contribution, this would definitely be the year to do it. Drop your check with a note in the mail to CLYCSS, PO Box 29, Clear Lake, IA 50428.
JUST SO YOU KNOW, the annual Interlakes Regatta board meeting is coming up. Two items of interest are on the agenda. First, Minnetonka and Upper Minnetonka are staging plans to split the fleets between the two lakes. Second, it seems very likely that the J-18s will be replaced by 420s as the "guest fleet." Stay tuned for better information when I get back from the meeting.
IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER AND THE INTERNET, you really should be visiting the CLYC Web Page at www.pressenter.com/~clyciowa. It’s a great resource for all your sailing needs and is one of (if not the) best sailing website on the net. The site contains 12 main pages (Membership, Officers, Sailing School, Schedule, Regattas, Roster, Race Results, Crows Nest, Yachting Links, Photos and Boats/Lifts For Sale) plus over 200 links to key sailing sites. The Web Page is updated weekly throughout the summer (less often in winter…although you’ve missed some great pix if you didn’t stop by this past winter)…….if you have an idea, a photo, a site to link to , or something to sell (sailing related) send it to Harry Alcorn at Z2020@usa.net. He has been doing a great job of continually improving and refreshing CLYC’s site and your input will help him keep up the good work.
CLYC CYBER TACK OF THE WEEK: Each week we’ll try to cue you to a web site we think may be of interest. This week, it’s actually our own. Yes, new this year, CLYC MEMBERSHIP REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE ON-LINE. You don’t have to search through old mail piles to locate your registration form or waste a stamp by using snail mail. Simply go to the CLYC Web Page and click on CLYC Registration in the middle of the page (or click on Membership) and follow the directions.
I am actively looking for suggestions to spruce up the newsletter. One idea that has been mentioned to me is to do a better job of incorporating fleet reports. I agree. In fact, we had a good fleet reporting system when I did my first stint of writing the Crows Nest in the mid-80s. To make it work like that again I need 1 (maybe 2) volunteers who would be willing to call fleet captains on Sunday afternoon and get the scoop on the weekend races. Email, fax or call me if that sounds interesting to you, or if you have other thoughts on ways to keep the Crows Nest interesting and me out of a rut.
This year you can email me at home (inremoz@aol.com) or at work (brad.osmundson@opuscorp.com). If there is something you want placed in the newsletter, make sure the email reaches my home address by Monday night and my office address by Tuesday morning. I also have a new fax number: 612.656.4755.
Here’s to another great sailing season !!!!!
Later, OZ
Email (office) brad.osmundson@opuscorp.com Email (home) inremoz@aol.com Fax: 612.656.4755
[ Membership | Officers | Sailing School | Schedule | Regattas ] [ Roster | Race Results | Crows Nest | Yachting Links ] [ Picture Gallery | Four Sail | Clear Lake Iowa ] Ó 1997 Clear Lake Yacht Club |