September 2013 Official Publication of Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Volume 86 • Number 9 beach Kathy Robinson and party Stephanie Gwinn photos un, sand, surf and sangria were enjoyed by those who attended the ABYC Beach Party on June 28. The enticing Sweather encouraged over 30 members, old and new, to dig their feet into the sand and enjoy a day at the beach on beautiful Alamitos Bay. An endless game of volleyball was played, while Mary Salef and her canine companion “Hudson” took to the surf on their longboard. Competetive rounds of Kentucky Corn Toss and Smash Ball were tirelessly played, and Lisa Little served up some tasty homemade sangria! As usual, a core group stayed until dusk, enjoying pizza and chilled white wine, and everyone agreed that somehow things just seem to taste better while enjoying a sunset on the beach. A big thanks to Ed Spotskey and Heather Meyer and her gang for a great summer afternoon!

Jeff Merrill photo

inside sav e the date Commodore’s Compass ...... 2 Build Your Own Omelet ...... Sept 8 Manager’s Corner ...... 2 Olympic Classes Regatta ...... Sept 14-15 Vice Verses ...... 3-4 Annual General Meeting ...... Sept 20 Rear View ...... 4-5 Charity Regatta ...... Sept 22 Membership Report ...... 5 Commodore’s Appreciation Party ...... Sept 27 Junior ...... 6 Fall Invitational/North Series ...... Sept 28-29 Baseball & Fireworks ...... 7 Stag Cruise...... Oct 4-6 Pine Block Regatta...... 8-9 Ladies Day Regatta ...... Oct 6 Fleet News ...... 10-11 Long Beach Marathon ...... Oct 13 Slate & Voting Dates ...... 12 Commodore’s Installation ...... Oct 19 sou’wester • september 2013 • page 1 commodore’scompass

NDIAN LONG BEACH SUMMER (It’s like regular summer, but with less June gloom.) I Greetings friends. Now that the kids are back in school, and the invitational regattas are complete, we can spend a little time enjoying the great sailing we have here in Alamitos Bay. There are a few more twilights for some of us, and we have a few more weekends to enjoy the splinters on the docks before the big rebuild starts. Friday night happy hour is still in full swing, as well as R/C racing with the Nirvana II fleet. This is a great time to enjoy time with your family and sailing friends. Looking back on the summer, we had some great sailing and some great parties around the fire pit. We also had a very successful junior sailing program, with many younger sailors filling in for the “senior” juniors, many of whom have come back to sail with us and help with the junior program instruction. I wanted to thank Matthew Beck for his excellent work with the junior program this last year. Matt is continuing on to work in his field of training in Engineering. We wish him well. My thanks also go to Jennifer Golison, the juniors, parents, and members that have helped make our junior program so successful. It’s been a fantastic year, and trust you will join me in looking forward to a great end of summer and fall sailing. Cheers, Mike manager’scorner

topped by Lowe’s last night on the way home from the Club, Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations already out…must be end of summer. I say it every year, but where does the S time go? This is the time where I normally talk about how busy the club was this year, but I feel I’ve become redundant. The club IS always busy and that’s the beauty of our little gem. We hosted our usual array of fabulous Regatta’s, some really fun, unique Social events, a handful of weddings and receptions. Unfortunately, we had our share of memorial services as well. One of the most difficult things we juggle here at ABYC is the delicate balance of the calendar. The Board of Directors in conjunction with Race Committee and SAC fill in the calendar with all ABYC related activities, I then start booking the outside “non-member” events, weddings, receptions, reunions etc. These events generate substantial revenues for the club, but they also can wear and tear on the staff and facilities. It’s a delicate balance, and occasionally will wake me up at night, horrified that I may have inadvertently booked a wedding on top of a Regatta. It actually happened once several years ago, but with smoke and mirrors we pulled off both events. Thanks to our membership for your patience in “sharing” the club for these outside events, and understanding their importance in obtaining our financial responsibilities. One of our ongoing challenges at ABYC, is keeping the grounds and facility secure. We’ve tried to keep the pedestrian gate closed and locked, but during Regatta’s with many non- members around, it’s near impossible to keep the gate closed. Also, it’s easy for a non-member vehicle to Got Sails? follow a member into the yard once the gate opens. Keeping the club open to members and their guest is our mission. The Juniors are Please help us with making sure you bring your gate card or collecting old clicker with you to the club, and close all gates behind you. We have had some security breaches and minor theft sails to recycle recently, so please be diligent in helping us keep our club into duffle bags and other gear. safe and secure. Clean out your boat and garage! Kelly Whitlow Simply drop off your old sails in the designated collection bin in the junior room.

sou’wester • septembefr 2013 • page 2 viceverses

nother great month of sailing! ABYC hosted three class events during the month of August: Class Championship, A-Cat North American Championship and the AMercury 18 Class Championship. And, still found time to have some fun with BBQ Series. The Santana 20 Class Championship was a really nice event. It was a great group of competitors (that tolerated me winning several items in their impressive raffle)! Regatta Chair Bob Wright did a fantastic job adjusting the event to changing expectations. Participation was disappointing, but four competitors trailed their boats all the way from Eugene Yacht Club in Oregon. All seemed pleased with the sailing conditions in Long Beach. Several had expressed concerns with the legendary Long Beach afternoon winds (as they were lake sailors), but the wind never exceeded 12 knots and provided an even playing field. PRO Steve Kuritz had to postpone racing several days waiting for the wind to fill in. Winner of the event was Eric Knowacki, Andrew Kerr and Tom Jenkins of Mission Bay Yacht Club had straight bullets with a total score of 7 points. We had a problem with Patience not wanting to start. At the end of the day, it wouldn’t engage, so it was the “girls” to the rescue. Robin Townsend and I were running the line/gate boat whaler and were able to tow Patience up under the oil island with our mark set line. Meanwhile, the “men” Dave Rustigan and Dave Crockett Sr. devised a towing bridle and took over from the oil island to the basin. The A-Cat North Americans was the much anticipated event of the summer. Regatta Chair Todd Smith was also faced with adjusting the event to changing expectations. Final entry count was 19 boats. He did a stellar job of attracting several sponsors for the after sailing refreshment and snacks. Many thanks to Jerry Thompson for allowing the club to borrow his power boat for use as the rescue boat. We had a quirky scene at the start of one of the races. Todd Smith had noticed a swimmer getting close to the sailing area. Patience was anchored off the beach between the Belmont Pier and the Claremont launch ramp. There were two rows of ships up near the wall, so we were closer to the beach than usual to allow enough racing area for the A-Cats. Back to the swimmer…Todd put his boat Riot between the A-Cats preparing for their start and swimmer. He was concerned that the rudders would seriously hurt a swimmer. None of us on Patience had noticed as we were all on the upper deck in

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Sou’Wester DEADLINE Help us to Help you! Septbmber 21, 2013 is the deadline Please keep your e-mail address current with [email protected] to receive all for the October Sou’Wester. of the weekly news and events. Thank you.

2012/13 OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

Commodore Mike Baumann Treasurer Nicole Peoples [email protected] Vice Commodore Jennifer Kuritz Junior Commodores Kevin Baumann/Kevin Leddy [email protected] Fleet Surgeon Karen Rice Rear Commodore Chuck Clay [email protected] Judge Advocate Tom Ramsey Jr. Staff Commodore Jon Robinson [email protected] Fleet Chaplain Don Reiman Fleet Captain Latham Bell Port Captain Dave Myers [email protected] Secretary Jeff McDermaid Sou’wester Editor/Layout Sharon Pearson [email protected] [email protected] Directors Junior Program Dave Michaelis Weekly Reader Glenn Selvin [email protected] [email protected] Membership Chuck Tripp [email protected] ABYC Phone (562) 434-9955 Volunteers Paul Anctil Homepage www.abyc.org [email protected] Email [email protected]

sou’wester • september 2013 • page 3 morevice commodore ...from page 3 the midst of our starting count-down. Off went the boats, and we settled in for lunch, only to hear a lot of loud yelling .”Patience, Patience save me.” We turned around to see three lifeguards and a lifeguard boat trying to get control of the swimmer. Finally, the lifeguards were able to subdue him and get him into their boat. By then, there were two lifeguard boats, a police boat, and several lifeguard trucks on the beach along with police cruisers. All this migrated to the pier where an ambulance took the swimmer away. But we had no idea what had happened (and knew it didn’t involve us). Later that afternoon, Latham Bell asked the lifeguards what had happened—apparently our aimless swimmer was a mental patient and was swimming in the nude. We’re very glad he didn’t make it to Patience! Thank you Long Beach Lifeguards for being on top of the situation. Racing conditions for the A-Cats were similar to the Santana 20 event, but with a later start time, we didn’t have to postpone. Two racing venues were used inside the harbor and off sunset beach. Wind built each day but not to its usual strength. Finally, on our last race, the “normal” Long Beach wind filled in. A great finish to five days of racing. Overall winner was Matt Struble from San Diego with a net score of 8 points. Steve Kuritz was substitute PRO as Mark Townsend got stuck on a work project (image work getting in the way of sailing)! Both Mark and Steve were able to go out on the last day of the event. We, again, had a problem starting Patience. But, this time we knew what to do to tow her back to the club. George Caddle investigated and we now have two new batteries and a new alternator. For those of you who drive Patience, there are new starting instructions! Mercury 18 Class Championship was another great event. Regatta Chair Eric Conn and PRO Jorge Suarez hosted a five race series for the Championship. Although I wasn’t out on the water, I did attend the wonderful trophy dinner (put together by Stacey Conn). There was a room full of extremely happy sailors. Chris Raab and Kenny Dair took the honors with 7 points followed in second by an exuberant Mike Burch. Mike said she’d had the time of his life. He sailed his boat from Cabrillo to ABYC with his dog, raced Friday with his son, Saturday with his daughter and was at the trophy dinner with his wife! Isn’t that was racing is all about? The last BBQ Series had a very light turn-out of Lidos, Lasers and Sabots. It was another beautiful day in paradise clear sunny skies and medium wind that resulted in a glorious day for two long races in the bay. RMC is evaluating BBQ Series due to the low attendance. Please talk to RMC or me of what we can do to make this Series of afternoon races more valuable for the members. The yard ogres and I have been playing musical boats in the keel boat yard. If you can’t find your boat.check with Sheila. We moved the active boats from the East Yard into the keel boat yard and move inactive boats into the East Yard. This should make managing the East Yard easier for Eric and Rick. We are also working on tagging all the trailers and make sure each boat has a readable ABYC identification sticker. This is very important as we move forward on the potential yard repaving project. Again, please come down and visit your boat and make sure the tires are inflated and that everything is stored on your trailer. Jennifer Kuritz rearview

une, July and now August have passed us by! It is truly amazing how fast time goes, and I will never forget my parents telling me how it only goes faster as you get older…wasn’t J that the truth! Last month was really busy with the Santana 20 Class Championship, the Pine Block Regatta on the beach, the first CLUB ABYC on the patio (which was a hit), the International A- Class North Americans Championship, Etchells Fleet racing along with the BBQ Series (it was spectacular as always!). We also had Ladies Night, Lido’s on Thursday, the Mercury 18’s Class Championship, and Labor Day to round out the month. WHEW that was a lot going on! The 2013 Catalina Cruise was a great event, and at the helm navigating us through all the fun was Pat McCormick making sure that everyone had a good time enjoying Catalina as we all do. Shout out goes to SC Tom Ramsey for hosting Happy Hour on his boat…I am sure you will see the pictures- great time, great food and great drinks, Thanks Tom! On the horizon we have more Happy Hours, and another CLUB ABYC planned that we are going to have back out on the patio with live music before the weather turns on us. The Yard and Basin projects continue to move forward towards the goal of upgrading the club and basin. If your boat is in the yard and you haven’t had time recently to come down to enjoy, it may be a good idea within the next couple of months to kick the tires (probably need air!), clear out anything that does not belong in your spot, and make sure that

...continued next page sou’wester • septembefr 2013 • page 4 morerear commodore ...from page 4 your boat can be easily moved. We want to plan WAY ahead so the project will have as little of an impact on you and the organizing committee as possible. Don’t forget to vote this month for your new Board of Directors! We have a really good slate of candidates, and please thank everyone who has volunteered their time to ABYC to continue the tradition, truly making ABYC the PLACE to BE. We have many exciting months ahead with lots of racing and social events, so when you see new members at the club, make sure to reach out and make them feel the ABYC hospitality to get them involved! Remember ABYC is THE Place to BE… Cheers, Chuck Clay membership report ll has been quiet on the membership front with the exception of adding new member Michael Lamb to our Roster!!! We are definitely entering the transition mode with the election of some new board members and establishing new Acommittees. The membership committee is definitely looking for new blood!!! Any new members care to join? It is a great way to meet other members and share your ideas as well as address new membership needs. It isn’t a large time requirement. At most, we meet once a month. If you would like to join just contact, Ed, Dan or myself and we will get you involved. The following new member was approved for membership at the August board meeting: New Member Sponsor Michael Lamb Judy Bliss Please extend a warm welcome to Mike. Thanks again for all your support. Chuck Tripp, Dan Milefchik, and Ed Spotskey

stagcruise ttention: The men of ABYC. Save the date! Not this weekend, not next weekend, but October 4th, 5th, and 6th is Stag Cruise! Countdown begins “T minus X months, X days and counting” Woo Hoo! Get pumped up, do some push-ups, A do some sit-ups and then rest until Stag Cruise! You deserve it! When: October 4th, 5th, and 6th, 2013 Where: Blue Water Cruising Club, Big Geiger Cove, Catalina Island (yes, you have to anchor and we are here to help, call or email) Who to bring: People that you like. (No kids or ladies, although we like them.) What to bring: Everything! Food, water, drink! Water sports equipment. A floppy hat, a pair of trunks, and a great attitude! We are going to have fun! How to get there: You know how. We have faith in you, but we are here to help. Start working it out with your buddies. How to sign up: Talk to me about it. go to the ABYC website and sign up for it on line. Do you want to be in charge of something? Do you want to start a new tradition? Let’s get going with it! Your final Assignment: Talk it up and plan your strategy. Try to keep your powder dry and ready for action. Cost: Nothing. Zero. Nada. It is all good. We have a great relationship with Blue Water. They use our facility for free and we use their facility for free. Thanks Blue Water! Respectfully yours, Merle Asper ([email protected]) Bob Bishop ([email protected]) Stag Cruise Officials These names are listed alphabetically, Bob is really in charge.

sou’wester • september 2013 • page 5 the bay clogger (junior sailing) junior perspective

Y BOAT BROKE DURING SABOT NATIONALS This was my first year attending the Sabot Nationals. It was also my first year M having my own boat. My dad told me just to try to learn as much as I could and to not worry about winning, but I still wanted to win. The day before we traveled to San Diego my dad and I worked on my boat and at my request we added a back- traveler. I packed up all my sailing gear and I was ready to go. I was excited and nervous the first day. There was so much going on it and it was all new to me. It was helpful to see people I knew from ABYC. We had an ABYC cookout that was a lot of fun. The second day was selection and my boat started to break during the second race. Coach Pete, my very first sailing coach from BCYC convinced me to get back out there and finish the race as best I could. I went back out there and then my mast partner broke beyond repair and was unusable. There wasn’t even anyone around to tow me back to shore. I was so discouraged and upset. We had just fixed my boat from the last regatta when another sailor ran into me and cracked the wood boat rail on both sides. I couldn’t believe that I was done with Nationals as soon as it started. I was deciding whether to just go home or use a loaner boat that MBYC had offered to me. I thought it was a really awful boat, but later I realized it wasn’t as bad as I thought. The tiller extension was a lot higher than I was used to, but Ginger convinced me to practice awhile before the race, and I got used it. It wasn’t my boat, but at least I still got to sail. I rigged it up and used it on the third and last day. Thanks to Bobby Little’s Dad who wet sanded my leeboard for me I actually did okay. I came in 5th place in the first race of the first day of race days. I ended up 11th overall. I didn’t do as well as I wanted to but I did better than I thought I was going to do after my boat broke. One thing I learned is that Nationals is not only about sailing, you get to spend time with your team and meet new people and overall it was a life lesson to never give up. I encourage everyone to go to Nationals. It doesn’t mater if you’re a C1 or C3, any one can do it, you just need to believe in yourself. (This is my first year as a junior member of ABYC. I want to thank everyone that has been so nice to me at ABYC.) Noah Greenberg (11 years old)

participated in the 2013 Junior Sabot Nationals in Mission Bay as a C2 sailor. There were a total of 148 competitors. On the first day, I had a little trouble with the flight selection races. I was racing against the really challenging sailors and also Iwasn’t used to wind shifts in Mission Bay. First day’s races determined which flight you quality for: Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron fleets. My goal was to make the Bronze fleet, but I ended up qualifying in the iron fleet. Needless to say, I was disappointed. But I quickly realized that since I was at the top of the Iron fleet, I had a good chance of making the top five. We sailed three races on the second day, and I thought I did pretty well. My best race of the day was the second race where I came in first. Although I got a hole in my boat that day, I was in third place overall. The final day of the Nationals was a little tough, but I managed to finish all three races. After the races, I had to deal with my very first protest I filed against another sailor I was a little nervous being in front of the judges to explain what had happened, but I stayed calm. I ended up winning the protest, and I was in third place in the Iron fleet! After a long raffle for some cool prized, finally it was time for the trophy presentation. My name was called for the third place in the Iron fleet, and I was very proud to go up to the stage to receive my very first Nationals trophy. Sean Ayale Sean, center, receives his trophy sou’wester • septembefr 2013 • page 6 baseball fireworks&

othing says summ’ah time like a tailgate party, baseball game and fireworks. On August 2nd, the Angels took on NToronto, and ABYC took on Anaheim Stadium. The ABYC “team” met in the parking lot for some pre-game tailgating. Ed Spotskey and Chuck Clay competed in a game of “Who Can Hang the ABYC Burgee from Their Tailgate the Highest?” (Chuck won by a drainpipe). Peanuts, hotdogs, and pretzels were downed with cold suds, and the stadium welcomed ABYC by highlighting it on the giant trinitron! Paul Makielski and Mark Ryan heckled the opposing team well into the sixth inning, but security quickly silenced the dynamic duo (the names have not been changed to protect the innocent). A fireworks finale complimented the evening as we celebrated a home team win! The ABYC “team” had no RBI’s (Really Bad Incidents) but high-five’s were given in friendly camaraderie at the end of the game. Go ABYC! Lori VanSkyhock

sou’wester • september 2013 • page 7 pine blockregatta

ade too much FUN! The umpteenthieth Annual Pineblock W Regatta was another all-time great gathering for sailors of all ages. There are only (55) PB12’s in existence*, and though the fleet has tried to locate all of the hulls, there are plenty of mysteries that may remain unsolved – making fleet membership both illusive and exclusive. This year was the second running of the Bob Chubb Perpetual – a four sided “block” of wood (one side for each champion) that has a slot in the top to slip in the winning boat – which is then proudly displayed in ABYC’s trophy case. Rick Rose helped with beach preparation (yes, this is a play in the sand, walk along the shore beach event that involves “let it go” sailing – reminds me of what it is like to watch my kids race – you send ‘em out and hope for the best), we got the ABYC tent, tables and chairs all set up out on the beach – ABYC’s beach, right out past Cat row beyond the west end of the yard. The tide was receding, the wind was soft, and by 4:00 just about everyone had arrived to check in, pay dues to Mandi DuFort and sign up for the races. We kicked things off with a skippers’ meeting to explain the course, how things were going to work and with the “provision” that we could make things up as we went along to insure a fun, fair competition for nearly twenty participants. The first competition was for the Juniors – under 18 year olds – and we had six entries. We ran three races back to back and our new champion, someone who has one many championships before, but never a Pineblock – is Riley Gibbs, a first time competitor with a fast hull #50. The Junior top three for 2013 are: 1. Riley Gibbs - 5 points 2. Jonn Merrill – 7 points 3. Robert Rice – 9 points Next up we had our women’s championship with nine ladies participating. Another three race series with good solid competition, and a few poorly timed tacks and beaching that changed the fortunes of some top contenders. Our new Women’s Champion is Christine Rice, sailing her dads’ #43 (last year’s overall champion). Christine originally did not compete in the Juniors because she didn’t want to get her pants wet…the sacrifice to be a top Pineblock sailor are many. The top three finishers in 2013 are: 1. Christine Rice – 7 points 2. Kathy Robinson – 11 points 3. Becky Reid – 11 points (ties are broken by who does better in the last race) The venerable Grand Masters championship featured four crafty veterans – all men this year – and all with decades of experience navigating the tricky shoals of Alamitos Bay – hey wade a minute, Mr. Pineblock himself (Bob Chubb) paddles up to the start line in his kayak (Bob along with Pam Merrill on a SUP were busy retrieving boats at the end of each race – and sometimes during). Race starter, Rear Commodore Chuck Clay, made sure all participants were behind the start line before beginning his count down. The first Grand Masters race was abandoned – none of the boats were headed towards the finish line, they were randomly scattered in every direction…so we cancelled the race (we don’t have to follow the RRS, we do what seems right and change things on the spot) and lined ‘em all back up for a two race series. Staff Commodore Al Nelson, sailing hull #27 rocked the fleet with two bullets to take the honors. Grand Masters top three are: 1. Al Nelson – 2 points 2. Bob Chubb – 4 points 3. John Ellis – 6 points

...continued next page sou’wester • septembefr 2013 • page 8 more pine block ...from page 8 regatta Jeff Merrill photos

The final competition was for “all of the marbles” and every dues paying block head could participate. We loosely divided the group into two flights. The first flight sailed three races with the top 5 advancing to the Open Final. Same with the second flight to then funnel the fleet down to 10 competitors – of all ages – to sail the best of three Open Final. I should add that Staysail Gibb’s was doing scoring and though the results are final and believed to be accurate it was clearly noted that small sail numbers drifting across a finish line 30 yards from shore are difficult to read. Long time fleet member, Ron Long (sorry, couldn’t help it) is our new champion! The top three racers were: 1. Ron Long - 5 points 2. Robert Rice - 6 points 3. Jeff Merrill - 8 points Soggy, sandy and saturated with joy, we packed up the beach and went to the Quarter Deck for chips, salsa and salad. Fired up the BBQ for a cook your own (if you brought it) and despite lacking utensils (hey, we can’t think of everything!) most of us got something to eat. The Annual meeting was held, all officers remain the same and then we got onto the trophy presentation. You know the results from reading above. We laughed, vowed to return next year and even discussed a road trip regatta to the Colorado Lagoon. The newly re- commissioned fire pit in the patio was the central source of light for the group as the sun set and we all reluctantly drove home at the end of the day. Thank you to Kelly Whitlow and staff (especially Rick Rose) for their help with the set up and organization and to all of our volunteers, spectators and competitors. If you have a Pineblock 12 at home and are not racing it (we know who you are) please consider donating it back to the fleet so it can be recycled (much more attractive than having your PB12 repossessed by our secret witness protection recovery platoon). We have a waiting list of sailors who would like to join the fleet and race – if you would like to add your name to that list please email PB fleet captain (and blockhead) Jeff Merrill – [email protected]. See you all next time! Jeff Merrill

sou’wester • september 2013 • page 9 ladies day regatta ctober 6th is a special day for the Ladies! ABYC’s Ladies’ Day is one of five regattas that make up the Southern California Women’s Sailing Association O(SCWSA) series in Naples Sabots at yacht clubs from Alamitos Bay to San Diego. Racing is conducted in six disciplines; Ladies A, Ladies B, Men’s A, Men’s B, Open Novices, Men’s Heavy Weight. The NOR is posted in the calendar. Early sign up with regatta nework. Dinner to follow racing. Look for updates in the weekly reader. hails fromthe fleets

013 National Class Championships were hosted by 2 Del Rey YC and South Coast Corinthian YC in the waters off Marina Del Rey. The qualifing round was held on Tuesday, August 13 followed by 5 championship races held Wednesday and Thursday in the outer waters. After the first day of championship racing seven time Class Champion Stu Robertson held a four point lead over Christophe Killian, Kevin Thomas , and Steve Klotz. Kim McCrae loomed one point back creating a virutal four way tie for second place. On Thursday the wind never fully established itself and stayed in the eight to nine knot range with some occasional puffs favoring the light teams. When the dust settled at the end of the day team Christophe Killian and Greg Dair won the 2013 National Class Championship, Stephen and Olivia Klotz 2nd and Stu Roberson and crew Sammy Elsharhawy finished 3rd in the Gold Fleet. Terry Johnson of Long Beach won the Silver Fleet winning the tie-breaker over Steve Vincent of Marina del Rey’s Kathy and Cindy win the pink! fleet 2. Team Adam and Nora Elsharhawy finsihed an impressisve third place in the Silver Fleet. Women’s Class champs were held on Friday, with stiff competition. Boat speed and clean air seemed to be the key as Kathy Reed and Cindy Heavrin of Team Nemo sailed to four first place finishes and one second. Close finishes were the order of the day as the fleet sailed in a tight pack in every race, and Kathy Reed prevailed taking home the coveted “Pink L”. Junior Class champs were Saturday and Adam and Nora Elsharwahy were always a threat, and finished a close 2nd behind Frankie Dair and crew Gavin Abraham. Full results and stories can be found on the Class association web page http://www.lido14.com Twilight racing is still going strong, with D. Martyn Bookwalter sending the fleet around the newly painted (thank you Martyn) bright yellow, perfectly placed marks (thank you Rob and Pixie Hartman). Racing will continue through the end of September.

B Fleet - Jacob Makeilski photo

...continued next page sou’wester • septembefr 2013 • page 10 hails fromthe fleets ...from page 10

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS! September 20-22. The 2nd annual Lido Fest on Catalina Island. Sail your big boat to Catalina, or beg/borrow or steal a sailing vessel capable of making the crossing to Howland’s Landing and join your Lido friends for fun and games. Sam and Dana Bell will host the fleet at LAYC shore facilities. More details to come. Contact Cindy or Dana for advance information. October 26, Lido de Luna. Always a fun afternoon and evening of sailing, and riddles. This year the event coincides with the ABYC Halloween party, and these two events will be combined. Look for more information via emails. October 27 Halloween Regatta at ABYC. Compete racing and compete in the costume contest. Last year competitors opted to do “Flip Flops” which means crew drives and skippers crew. Each boat has the option, but most found it very fun with very competitive crew! Fleet 6 Lido-14 Charter Boats. For any Lido sailing at ABYC, Fleet 6 has 3 ’s available for charter. These boats are available on first come basis for a fee of $25.00, (free for Juniors). If interested in a boat for a day, or sailing an ABYC race/regatta, make your request with Fleet 6 via e-mail at [email protected] By various contributors.

KEEL BOAT FLEET ON WATCH

ith a heavy heart I am sorry to tell the Keel Boat Fleet Members of the passing of one of our oldest and dearest members, Eleanor Beland. Eleanor, or Ellie to many, was W a very quiet person who accomplished so many wonderful things in her life in her own way. Wife, mother, shipmate and best friend of husband Mickey, who together sailed their New Zealand 37 around the world during their wonderful lifetime. Maggie and I went to Eleanor’s Memorial Service at All Souls Cemetery and after the Priest finished, several of the young adult grandchildren told of the fun visiting ‘Grandmother’. It was a beautiful sunny day, a fine service and great tributes to a grand lady. Just a quick reminder that our first meeting of the Keel Boat Fleet for the 2013/2014 calendar year is Friday,September 13. This will be a barbecue on the quarter deck and you should bring your entrée for the barbecue,your booze and a small hors d’oeuvre to share. The fleet will provide potato and green salads plus paper plates, cups etc. Cocktail hour will be 5:30 to 6:30 with the barbecue hot at 6:30 and the meeting will start after dinner. As this is the first meeting of our new calendar year, we will be talking about the coming year’s schedule such as the Christmas party. Dues will be due in the amount of $10 for the year. Bring cash or check, (made out to ‘Keel Boat Fleet’), or send check to Maggie at 340 Pomona Ave., Long Beach, CA 90803. How do you avoid bad luck? Since this Friday is the 13th we will be looking for the best way with a bottle of wine as the prize. We are judging verbal explanations only! Please, no garlic or other displays. See you there, George

uly’s Sabot Sunday was well attended with 11 Senior Sabots enjoying a J beautiful warm day with fairly steady winds. Our winner was Fred Stevens with 7 points, followed by Tom Newton with 9 points, and Mary Riddick with 11 points. Thank you to Jerry McNaboe for driving the whaler and to John Hauck and Don Wilson for running the barge. Also thank you to Jesus who prepared yummy enchiladas for our dinner. Upcoming Senior Sabot events: Twilights will be held through August only, hurry last chance! Thursday evenings. 6 pm start. Sabot Sunday will be on August 25th. Remember, it’s just $5 to race; followed by happy hour on the upper deck with $1 glasses of wine and a great dinner prepared by Jesus. Jane McNaboe Senior Sabot start August 25th

sou’wester • september 2013 • page 11 PRSRT STD U. S. Postage ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED PAID Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Long Beach, CA 7201 East Ocean Boulevard Permit No. 685 Long Beach, California 90803 Drink of the Month The Ramsey Fizz

Charity Regatta September 22rd

Watch the Weekly Reader for Details 1/2 blender ice cubes 5 ounces Gordon’s gin 4 ounces Sweet and Sour Mix 6 ounces orange juice 3 tablespoons coconut syrup 3 tablespoons sugar 3 ounces half and half Watch for a Catalina Cruise article and lots of great photos next month!!

2013 slatevoting dates Slate for Board of Directors: The candidates for trustee are: Voting Dates: Chuck Clay Jim Bateman September 6 1730 to 1930 hours Steve Smith Chas Merrill Kevin Brown September 14 0900 to 1100 hours

Cindy Heaverin September 20 1200 to 2000 hours Steve George Mike Whalen sou’wester • septembefr 2013 • page 12