Waterlines June 1999
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Waterlines June 1999 The new phone number for the Club, 941-4942 COMMODORE'S COMMENTS By Dan Spyhalski Summer is here and the rain has nourished our lawns and gardens. Now it is time to get down to the boat and The Club. The GTYChas undergone it's seasonal transformation and isready for our full-on use. That brings me to my next observation. While recreational boating and our Club activities change through the years one phenomenon seem to be lagging behind. I'm speaking of how our Club has divided into small cliques of boaters. I have noticed that at almost every social gathering our members mingle a bit with other members but soon the crowd settles into small groups of close friends. While that isjust fine, I would like to see some of these groups blend together. I think that if we try to get out of our comfort zone and strike up conversations with other members the cohesiveness of our club will grow. I would suggest that to change this behavior boat owners should invite a crew member or two from another boat to sail with them. Thiswould give these members some common ground for later socializing at The Club. Tom Robbins said it best referring to freedom vs. security in his book Even Cowgirls Get the Blues; Bantam 1976. ...to live fully, one must be free, but to live free one must give up security. That's why I encourage everyone to take chances, to court danger, to welcome anxiety, to flaunt insecurity, to rock every boat and always cut against the grain. By pushing it, goosing it along whenever possible, we may speed up the process, the process by which the need for playfulness and liberty become stronger than the need for comfort and security. Since the season isso young, and the dust from pre-season activity issettling, let's do our best to bridge the gaps among members. I truly think thiswill help to break down some of the personality barriersin our Club. In the end our Club members will be more understanding of each other and the quality of membership relations will rise. Attention Laser sailors The Laser1999Classwill begin competition Tuesday night, June 8th at 6:00 pm. Thoseinterested should contact Than Dykstra at 947-1855. Participation isstrongly encouraged as the fate of the TraverseCity LaserClassisat stake. Notice of Race The Star District4 and Great LakesChampionship will be held June, 17th-20th. Thisisthe firstof four regattas that will bring competitors from outside our area to GTYC. We are expecting about 25 boats and 75 - 100 people for this regatta. Launching and sailing will be headquartered at the Great LakesMaritime Academy. Social events will be held Fridayand Saturday at the GTYC. There will be two races, held back-ta-back on Fridayand Saturday and one race on Sunday. Thesewill be buoy races on West Bay with two nautical mile legs totaling ten miles. Starshave been an Olympic Classsince 1932and are very competitive and exciting to watch. If you are available during this regatta please contact Eric Lind @ 946-5615. We need help both on and off the water. Specifically, Race Committee, registration, selling of GTYCmerchandise, Saturday night dinner and more. We also need a few boats (power or sail) for spectators, press,and emergency use. The Star Group is friendly and fun to work with and this will prove to be an exciting event. In addition to the District and Great Lakes Championship, this will be a Worlds Qualifier. Don't worry if you don't have regatta experience, you can work with someone who isand it will be an excellent opportunity to learn. 2 Waterlines INTERLAKES VICE COMMODORE. Reed Frederick Welcome new Interlake members: Mac Van AND...the season is under way. What a great start, with record Stratt (#1094), and Kurt Schular (#920). numbers for our three spring seriesraces, and a fine turnout for Tuesday racing starts now. Once again the the Memorial Day Fun Regatta. Of course Mother Nature had Interlake Class has "Double Started." The quite a hand in providing a sensational month of May. As Eric Great White Northem Championships and the Lind and I relaxed in the committee boat on May 31 we noticed Founders Cup are worth double the points the 84 degree temperature displayed on the NBDbuilding and towards the seasons final score. Thisis sure to it was difficult to realize that was 49 degrees one year ago on bring out the big dogs. If you want to get the same day. involved on Tuesdaysor for the big event just Without counting our Friday Happy Hours, your club has stop in at the GTYCor call Bob Sagan at 929- scheduled 57 races and 73 social activities for 1999. I have tried 3555. to condense these events into a brochure that is available at TACS HS SAILING the Club. 'Fhemonth of June will be the busiest of the season, The high school sailing has reached phase closing out with our Inaugural Basset Island Weekend and one ...jib and main boats and student athletes Hound Dog Regatta. You have heard much about this event. ready to sail. Now it's time to work on phase Nancy Hammond and her hard working crew are pulling the two, getting those kids into spinnakers. We stringsthat will make this one hell of a fun weekend. Needless need $2000 to finish outfitting all six TACS to say, volunteer hands will be needed for this 60 hour event. Interlakes with hardware and new lines. Your However, a priority is your immediate commitment to tax-deductible donation is urgently needed. participating. We already have more boats registered for this Please send donations to; event than our past GTYC Invitationals. I hope you are one of TACSHSSAILING them. The Hound Dog Regatta on June 26th will be the c/o Bob Sagan keystone of the weekend, but there will be some nice prizesfor 8214S.Watkins Ln. the fun race to the Island on Friday and back on Sunday. Jean TraverseCity, MI 49684 Marie Merchant will have organized and supervised children's activities available from 1 - 8 pm. If you can help with any of the details please contact Nancy Hammond at 599-3621 or GRAND TRAVERSE YACHT CLUB myself at either 943-4832or [email protected]. Lastly,if anyone attending the event has Emergency Medical Training please let 13165 W. Bay Shore Drive the Chairpersons know so they can be informed. PO Box 131 With the Suttons Bay Race scheduled for June 12-13,you might TraverseCity, MI 49686 want to keep an eye on the notice board at The GTYC. With (616)941-4942 the low water levels Suttons Bay Harbor is hurting for depth. This www.nmc.edu/-stepnik/GTYC 1999regatta may be postponed or relocated. Two up-coming events are the Annual Pig Out and Explode on GALLEY & BAR OPEN Saturday July 3rd and the Independence Day Regatta the TUESDAY- FRIDAY5-9 following day. Pleasejoin usfor the fun. SATURDAYNOON - 5 Congratulations to Bill Allgiaer, Jim Menzies and their great Board and crew for their successful TACSBenefit at the GTYC WATERLINES CONTRIBUTIONS last May 29th. Great food, great auction, and a super John Schumacher preparation job by Catherine Alchin. What a great organization 3631W. Trumbull Rd. f .. Maple City. MI 49664 (616)334-8074 E-mail:[email protected] ©John Schumacher 1999 All rights reserved. ( Xl I < I v--r c {,3-1!j-<' (J e - I'"'" ~ I Editors Logorrhea By John Schumacher Yup, all that planning that I have been talking about this winter and spring has seemed to payoff. Wednesday • CRAND T BAVERSE YACHT CLUB night, the first Summer Series,was a huge treat for our sailors. The wind came up and stayed, allowing our fleets FLAG OFFICERS to power around the course. Commodore Dan Spyhalski Especially gratifying for me was when seven Melges 24's Vice Commod(X:C Reed Frederick hit the starting line. Forty seconds before the starting gun Rear Commodore Ed Reynolds my heart was pounding with anxiety. Getting a good start Past Commodore Paul Davis in this fleet of seasoned veteran sailorsisdifficult enough. But, getting the best start is what my crew members are BOARD OF DIRECTORS looking for. Letting them down is far worse than letting 1999 Sandy Kraft and Tom Cowell myself down. These guys on Major Woody bring my 2000 Mike Dow and Gene Schmall competitiveness up to a level higher than I would ever 2001 Mully Foster and Dave Gerber have on my own. That night as Woody approached the weather mark I APPOINTMENTS said, "I would feel great if we could just get to the marl< Treasurer Bud Cline firston the firstSummerSeriesrace." Little did I know what Treasurer Assistant Dave Skibowski would transpire next. Secretary Carolyn Schmall Three boats reached the mark tightly packed. We Bookkeeper Lisa Hickey rounded first with Tom Babel and Mike Dow hot on our heels. We reached with nice speed down to the GTYC Staff Jessica Spyhalski & Penny Lautner marl<. The next leg was a screaming reach. I remember having Woody right on the edge. One lapse of STANDING COMMITTEES concentration and the rudder would cavitate, fill with air Advertising Mully Foster and WHAM,we would be down. I had to keep a watchful Bassett Island Weekend Nancy Hammond eye on Tom and Mike as they were lessthan a full boat Bldg. & Grounds Sandy Kraft & Sue McQuaid length behind. AsTom would get a blast of air he would Membership & Data Base Eric Lind have to decide weather he would run his carbon Moorings & Storage Tom Cowell spinnaker pole down our port or starboard side.