Volume 54, Number 4, April 2021 Latitude: 30°32’29”N Longitude: 87°54’14”W
From the Commodore Starting with Gulf Coast Optimist Championship- Wow, what a ride! March is a tradi - tionally busy month for us but this The Mainsheet one really took it up a notch. We had a very successful work party week - end to kick off the month and it already feels like ages ago. We filled the rest of the month with a remark - able amount of sailing, culminating in the biggest party we've seen down here in a while at Dogwood! There are too many people to thank indi - vidually for their hard work, but I'd like to single out a few: Rear Commodore Mark McCullins and his Race & Regatta Committee, Bob A Bay full of little butterfly sails started Kayser and his Building & Grounds Committee, Junior Advisor Ann our March Marathon of Racing. Read about Hartwell & Waterfront Director the youngest juniors on page 2. Holly Murray and finally Vivian Moving to High School’s Wet’n Cool- Weaver, Kate Gibson and the FYC Auxiliary all for putting in the yeo - man's work to make our club an absolute treasure on the Bay. Thank you also to our PRO's who did such a great job running races; we couldn't do it without you! Now we can take a bit of a breather and enjoy ourselves. The Pool is now open; Ellis Ollinger and his Pool Committee have been hard at work With 3 high school teams in our stable, Coach Holly has devel - along with Building & Grounds oped our juniors as a force to be noticed! sprucing up the area and installing upgrades in and around the pool Finishing with Blessing our fleets at Dogwood! area. We hope you will be happy with what you see. Easter is coming up this weekend. We will host our Annual Easter Egg Hunt from 3 to 4 Sunday afternoon for both kids and adults. Come down, have brunch, and hunt for a prize! Otherwise, it's a great time of year to get outside, enjoy the club, and get on the water. Hope to see you there! Covering all bases we requested help for the safety of our sailors from priests Catholic, Episcopal and Methodist to bless Scott Hartwell our sailors and their boats. The Dogwood Trail Maids added Commodore color to our plain white sails!
This year marks the 10th anniversary of FYC’s relationship with Children’s of Alabama. Let’s make it the biggest and best ever by making this the year we hit $200,000 for Children’s. The Mainsheet is published The Layline ~ Sailing Director Holly Murry monthly by the Fairhope Yacht Club, a member of Dogwood Regatta. We had various the Gulf Yachting Association and fleets of youth sailors from the coast but most exciting to see were all the United States Sailing Association. green fleet sailors. We hosted 23 Circulation includes all Fairhope Yacht green sailors for a Saturday-only Club members and GYA affiliated event, sailing 6 races in some gusty clubs. The Mainsheet, Fairhope Yacht breezes. I had a blast working with Club, P.O. Box 1327, Fairhope, AL this group and seeing all the smiles. 36533, or e-mail to I do need to give a shout out to [email protected] by Robert Montgomery, Kip Buck and the 20th of the month prior to publica - This has been an incredible month Parker French for their outstanding tion. for sailing at our club. Our marathon effort in running this course. Our month started with USODA Gulf FYC green team had some great suc - BRIDGE Coast Championship hosting 80 cesses while sailing this event. Commodore - Scott Hartwell sailors from around the country. It Vice Commodore - Philip Durant was great to see so many of our Rear Commodore - Mark McCullins friends that we have missed this past Fleet Captain - John Buziak Fleet Surgeon - Dr. Robbie Rux Secretary - Tracy Hirsh Treasurer - Kay Robberson
BOARD OF GOVERnORS John Adams Our summer camp registration has Elizabeth McGriff opened! I can tell people are excited Jeff Valentine to see things return to normal when Carl Wegener Bay Buddy Camp was closed just 24 Don Faircloth year. Our staff and volunteers did a hours after registration opened! wonderful job both on and off the Summer camp is filling up as well Dan Beasley with only a few spots left for the Steve Sararese water. I heard nothing but comple - ments from sailors, parents and Optimist class in one session. If you coaches about their time in Fairhope. have an older child that would like to COMMITTEE CHAIRS Our FYC Opti team did a great show - learn to sail we have just a few spots Memorial Pat Colvin ing and each sailor had at least one open in some sessions. We are excit - Entertainment Jason Harrelson p e r s o n a l best race in the series. I am ed to have a busy summer and work - Building & Grounds Bob Kayser very proud of this team and their ing hard to ready for camp. Insurance/Marine Safety David Barr accomplishments after such a difficult We won’t spend April hosting regat - Harbor Tracy Hirsh year. tas but our teams will be traveling to Associates PC Gary Garner Winners included Gilman Hackel events around the coast. April 10, our high school teams will attend Membership David Roberts from Pensacola YC in Red Fleet, James Pine from SYC in Blue Fleet, Mississippi High School Offshore Don Faircloth Championship, while our Optimist Cruising Bob Knapp and Tilly Niemann from Lake Geneva YC in White Fleet. team will do a combined practice with Sailing Director Holly Murray Fairhope’s Joe Comer placed 6th Adult Sailing Holly Murray overall in Red Fleet - an excellent Race & Regatta Mark McCullina showing. We look forward to hosting Junior Commodore Robert Montgomery the 2022 Optimist Gulf Coast Juniors Advisor Ann Hartwell Championship next year. Historians PC Barbara Brown Wet n Cool High School Regatta was Sarah Johnston-Cox host to nine SESIA teams with about Guardian John Adams 35 sailors from the gulf coast area. While the sailing was competitive GYA Coordinator John Buziak SYC in NOLA. The Optimist team Mainsheet Editor nancy Fitzpatrick and close throughout the event, I have to say I enjoyed seeing the travels to USODA Team Trails in Long Range Planning sailors spend time together while the Houston Texas April 22–25. The ICRC TBD other division was sailing. Nothing sailors attending this event are Joe FYC Auxiliary Linda Fontenot like having sailing friends all along Comer, Layton Duggar, Isaac the coast. Sprayberry and Alec Ward. We wish We ended the marathon with them the best of luck!
Office : Mon-Fri 8:00am-12:00, 1:30-4:30pm At Half Mast Phone: 251-928-3276 Fax: 251-990-8602 March, 2021 Email : [email protected] Club Office: 101 Volanta, Fairhope AL 36532 Judge Emmet Cox-Senior Equity Member Mailing Address: Box 1327, Fairhope AL Dale Crittiden-Century Heritage Member 36533 James Jenkins-Senior Equity Member Web address: www.fairhopeyachtclub.com From the Junior Commodore March was a very busy month for Wet ‘n Cool regatta, Fairhope High Regatta. On April 10, our high the junior yacht club. The Fairhope School placed 1st and 3rd, St. school teams will travel to Gulfport Yacht Club hosted the 2021 Michael HighSchool placed 2nd, Yacht Club to compete in the Gulf Optimist Gulf Coast Championship, and Bayshore Christian placed 6th. Coast High School Champs regatta. Wet and Cool high school regatta, At the beginning of March, We look forward to a great month of and Dogwood Regatta this past St.Michael, Fairhope, and Bayshore sailing ahead. month, all of which were very suc - traveled to Mandeville, LA for the Robert Montgomery cessful with great turnouts. At the Northshore Cup High School FYC Junior Commodore Wet ‘n Cool High School Regatta the largest on-water races that we have hosted in several years. Fine weather and steady winds saw us run seven races over a two-day event, under the watch - ful eye of PRO Hal Smith.
March 2021 will go down as one PRO was FYC PC Randy Fitz- of the biggest sailing racing Wainwright ably assisted by the months that FYC has had in Race and Regatta Committee’s many years! For three weekends support staff over the course of in a row we have had racing on two days of intense racing. Light Mobile Bay, and some of it has and shifty winds from the north - been truly epic. After a quiet east made for a challenging mix 2020 due to COVID, we have of conditions on Saturday, and started 2021 with a series of The following weekend saw us Sunday races saw an almost 180 three regattas that have allowed host a scaled down Wet ‘n Cool degree wind shift throughout the many of our sailors and guests to Regatta that featured the 420 day. Fairhope High School took Class racing under the top honors for the event which Interscholastic Sailing was attended by six local and Association’s (ISSA) rules. The regional schools.
dust off after a long and confining winter, and to get out on the Fairhope Gold Team L-R Elijah Healy, Fairhope Blue Team L-R water once again. While the Gavin Valentine, Chandler Taloney Layton Duggar, Kip Buck, Adler Rux & regattas were held under a modi - (Not pictured Coleman Kennedy) Parker French fied COVID protocol, with limited or no on-shore activities as part of the programmed activities, we Many thanks must go out to the dedicated Race and Regatta com - saw the club and region starting mittee members who worked tirelessly throughout the month to to get back to the true essence of ensure that these Regattas ran smoothly and successfully; we now a yacht club: excellence in sail - have a few weeks of downtime before the next one! Please keep boat racing. your eyes out for email information on upcoming regattas - these We started on May 13 and 14 events can only run with the support of our members. Race and with the Optimist Gulf Coast Regatta meetings are open to all, so please join us to help make Championships. Almost 80 boats the rest of 2021 a racing season to remember. and sailors came from throughout Mark McCullars the region to take part in one of Rear Commodore Restaurant & Bar Hours Of Operation (251-928-8888 for Dinner Reservations) Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 11am-8pm Closed Closed 4pm-9pm 4pm-9pm 11am-10pm 11am-10pm April~2021 1 2 3 Chef Matthew is planning regular and often surprise spe - cials announced by e-blasts. Get on the list by going to Shrimp the bottom of the web page and click the box! Boil
4 Easter 567 Membership 8 9 10 Egg Hunt Meetings Girls Night Auxiliary 3-4 6:00 JrYC Out 7:00 Equity Luncheon 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Membership SUPPER Committee CLUB 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Bingo Shrimp 6:30-8:30 Boil
2O5 ysters by the 26 27 28 29 30 GYA Bay trivia! Opening Harbor StABYC Committee Working and cleaningup for the regattas! #1-making the ramp safe! looked great for the opening of impressive is the replacement of regatta season! turf following completion of the #2-making the playground bulkhead project. It looks great, safe! The playground mulch and sidewalks are scheduled to washed away by Sally was be replaced as contractors replaced and the retaining tim - become available. bers repositioned.
We thought you should see the great job Chuck Codding did on the bath house handicapped ramp. The entire first section including the newell post was As we look forward to swim - rotten and broken. He dug out ming season, Members will find the concrete post, and rebuilt the a new tiki bar offering beverages whole thing by himself! He is a and other goodies created by our real craftsman, and deserves a #3-fixing the chairs! Chef and General Manager, lit of credit. We are lucky to have The dining tables and chairs on Matthew. members like him! the porch have been tightened. A BIG thank you to everyone Thanks to the hard work of The beach is finally clean and who donated time, talent, mate - more than 30 volunteers over the without the derelict boat and rials, and expertise to make all course of several weeks, the Club storm flotsam. Perhaps most these improvements possible! Restaurant & Bar Hours Of Operation (251-928-8888 for Dinner Reservations) Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 11am-8pm Closed Closed 4pm-9pm 4pm-9pm 11am-10pm 11am-10pm May~2021 1 GYA Opening StABYC
2 GYA 3 4 5 Membership 6 7 8 Opening Meetings 6:00 JrYC A StABYC 7:00 Equity Wedding Children’s to Die For! Cup Regatta 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Membership Committee
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Bingo Viper 640 6:30-8:30 Gulf Coast Championship 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Viper 640 Harbor Supper Gulf Coast Committee Club! Championship 30 31
March Membership Water Safety and you! Committee Report DRESS FOR THE 2. File a float plan to tell your friends and WEATHER! family where you were going and when Invited to Associate you plan to return. Hypothermia does not only occur in Membership: 3. Always wear a life jacket while boating. Jonathan Kessler extremely cold water. In fact, it is not just 4. If you wind up in the water, try not to a winter danger. It can, and does, occur panic. Remain in a curled up, heat-retain - Christopher Jones even in the warmer waters of Mobile Bay ing position. Evan Allen in the spring, summer and fall! 5. Stick with your capsized boat and try to John Chapman With temperatures well into the 80s, get as much of your body out of the water Gustavo Muller hardly anyone gives a thought to as possible. hypothermia while cruising our back bays Joseph Thetford 6. Avoid consuming alcoholic beverages John Ladd and rivers, or heading out on a day trip to while boating. They allow heat to escape the deeper waters of the Gulf. The fact is, from the body more quickly because alco - Marshall Cunningham water temperatures could be well below hol dilates blood vessels. Accepted to Equity the air temperature and an unexpected Bill Fallin, FSO-Marine Safety Membership: wake or loss of balance while setting a U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary spinnaker pole or fishing line can land Kevin Hays you in that colder water with disastrous Robin Hulse results. Susan Godwin To guard against hypothermia as a Julie Comer result of a summertime boating accident, Max Hansen the U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary suggest: 1. Know the weather conditions before Welcome Aboard you set out. Don’t leave your port or dock David Roberts if the weather may turn rough. Membership Chair FYC Auxiliary Report The FYC Auxiliary March luncheon was held on March 5. What a great time everyone had!! Cecil Cristenberry was our guest speaker. As always, Cecil was fantastic. Everyone came away with new ideas on their spring planting. The plant swap was a lot of fun. Everyone brought a plant to swap. Vivian Weaver spoke about the Anne Nix foundation and ask the auxiliary to spon - sor this event. Anne was an incredible lady. She was a great supporter of the aux - and treasures. The 50/50 split had a sur - iliary and also the club. Kate Gibson put prising $60 for the lucky winner and the together a beautiful basket to be raffled off big treasure raffle contained French at the yard sale on March 27. Kate and Champagne! Vivian were co-chairs for the Dogwood The purpose for the yard sale and event Regatta Yard Sale!! The April luncheon was to help fund the Scholarship the will be held the second Friday, April 9. Auxiliary awards to the graduating senior The first Friday is Good Friday. child of a member or staff of FYC. This The Yard sale collected a great variety of year the award will be $1000. If you have a objects for sale; nautical, tasty, oddments candidate for this award, please submit their name to the Auxiliary. Girls Night Out Thursday, April 8, 6:00 F.Y.C. Ballroom, Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and champagne Wear your little black outfit Dress like Audrey Laugh like Lucy
10th Anniversary of Children’s Cup Regatta, May 8, at FYC Past Commodore Cathy Cromartie was members Joe and Kirksy McIntosh. Al has in her first year as Commodore of FYC in been a patient at Children’s since he was 2 2011 when she got a random email from hours old, having had over 23 surgeries Kerrie Benson asking if FYC would con - and procedures since 2001. In 2012 a sider hosting a charity regatta benefit - Mystery Theater Dinner was added to the ting Children’s Hospital (now event. This year's dinner will be held Children’s of Alabama) in on Friday, May 7 in the FYC dining Birmingham. Kerrie, who knew room. nothing about sailing, indicated Last year alone more than 1800 in her email that the late Dr. Jim patients from Baldwin and Mobile Dearth, a former CEO of counties were treated at Children’s. Children’s, was an avid sailor and a FYC members and Fairhope and the champion to children everywhere, and surrounding communities have helped had always wanted a regatta as a raise over $175,000 for Children’s through fundraiser for the hospital. PC Cromartie the regatta and Mystery Theater Dinner. took the request to the Board of Governors How you can help … Sponsor opportuni - and got approval to meet with Kerrie to ties range from Raingutter Regatta discuss the possibility. The two met a Sponsor at $100 to Guardian Sponsorship week later and began planning the first at $5,000. Registration for racing is $25 for Children’s Cup. The event would include youth boats and $50 for adult boats. racing for both PHRF and youth, a silent Donations for the Silent Auction are also a auction, and a children’s activity area. The great way to help, and of course you can adult racing would be the Children’s Cup, simply make a donation. All donations, but the youth event would be called regatta entry fees and sponsorships are Katie’s Cup in honor of Katie Hamlin, tax deductible. Brochures for the daughter of PC Bob Hamlin and his wife Children’s Cup can be picked up at the Susie. Katie, at age 16, spent many FYC office or you can visit give.children - months at Children’s when she was sud - sal.org/regatta2021 denly stricken with Acute Respiratory Seating for the Mystery Theater Dinner Distress Syndrome. The children’s activity is limited so make your reservations early area, known as Al’s Activity Area, is in by contacting Kerrie Benson at 251-610- honor of Al Guarisco, grandson of FYC 4969 Dogwood Regatta at last!
This regatta featured a got another two races in to PHRF/Viper course with FYC complete another action filled PC Cathy Cromartie as the winners were Dave Strickland weekend. FYC’s Joe Comer PRO, an Optimist/420/Laser on Tigress in PHRF Spinnaker, took top spot in the Optimist course with John Buziak as Ed Manes on Alouette in PHRF Fleet, with Cruz Dabney tak - PRO, and an Optimist Green Non-spinnaker, and Jack ing the honours in the 420 Fleet Clinic that was run by Ardrey on Gypsy Wind in Class. Ricky Miller from Holly Murray and her staff of Portsmouth. As first overall in Jackson Yacht Club blocked an youth coaches. the PHRF non-spinnaker class, FYC sweep by winning the Following a blessing of the Ed Manes and crew were also Laser Class. fleet ceremony presided over by local clergy, our first Portsmouth class in recent memory sailed alongside a PHRF fleet that completed a 19nm course in a little over two hours! The strong and
the winners of the Henry Hoover Memorial Trophy. The Viper 640 class began racing at 12:30. Winds were still out of the southeast at 12- 14kts with higher gusts. A .8nm upwind leg was set for their W2 course. It was inspir - Sunday racing ing to watch this class that 3/7 ELEVEN steady winds that produced included two boats from boats and their these results also gave us some Gulfport YC driven and crewed skippers and exciting Viper races, with the by mostly novice youth sailors. crews thought so fleet completing five races on The Vipers got in five races, too! A consistent breeze out of the the Saturday. with the last race shorted to NW at about 12 Despite an overcast, gusty .5nm and only a W1.5. Eddie knots allowed for day, twelve PHRF and Adams of Pensacola YC was a course of X-NW- Portsmouth boats raced on first overall. S-X-E. We welcomed some new com - Mobile Bay for the Dogwood petitors on the course and look for - ward to seeing them back out with Regatta. As was predicted for everyone else! most of the week, winds were 3/21 Another perfect day! Winds out out of the southeast and of the NW started out at a steady remained southeast through - 10-15 and stayed that way for most out the race. Starting at of the race, only tapering off to the 8-10 range for the last leg and then 10:30am, PHRF boats had an dying off toward the late afternoon. 18 nautical mile course that It was an exciting day with lots of utilized a number of marks in crossed tacks the compass rose, with one dis - and the majori - tance mark at MSC 60. While Sunday’s weather did ty of the boats finishing with - Portsmouth boats had a not allow the Vipers to extend in the same 1 slightly shorter course of 8.5 their five-race series, the minute win - nautical miles. First overall Optimists, Lasers, and 420s dow! Please support the Members whose Ads support the Mainsheet
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