Established 1953 July 2016

N E W S L E T T E R

PO Box 46, New Castle, DE 19720 (302) 307-3060 Editor: Nancy Martin

Launching our newest Flying Scot

Commodore’s Corner

Bob Cann’s “Wanna ?” email list is getting a lot of use, and helping members get together, especially during the week. Whenever the weather looks favorable please reach out to members who you may not have sailed with for a while and encourage them to sail with you. We want to get everyone on the water! If you think you could sail on weeknight evenings, please contact Bob and get added to the distribution list.

New Castle Club’s annual Frank E. Nelson Memorial Charity Regatta was postponed due to lack of wind. Tilo is exploring options to reschedule. Watch for email notifications of the revised plan. NCSC has a long history with the Charity Regatta and has raised considerable funds for charity over its long and illustrious history.

Lots of work has been happening to repair the fleet. All volunteers are greatly appreciated but I want to specially recognize Jim Looloian and Phil Iannelli. Both have spent considerable time at the barn improving our damaged boats. Jim also spent time making sure our trailers are up to snuff. Thanks to all who supported Phil and Jim.

Lastly, WE NEED NEW MEMBERS. Laura Fontana has been leading the charge. We have several new and interesting members this year. I encourage all of you to get to know the new members. The best sales and marketing is our members, so please spread the word wherever you meet water people.

Patti Parziale Commodore Page 1 of 3

A letter to the membership from Dotti Brabson

Reflections on my first capsize of a Flying Scot

I am sorry for my part in the events of 6/5, which left Flying Scot 5035 severely damaged. We donned our PFDs before rowing out and reefed the main before leaving the mooring. We were watching the sky, but were not near the moorings when we saw evidence of the approaching front. I had the helm for most of the sail, but handed off the helm to Bob when we were nearly back to town. We were trying to get in a good position for a to the moorings. The knockdown blow was dealt by a small, intense squall from a completely different angle, and moving much faster than the storm front. A resident of the Strand saw us go over, called 911, and Goodwill responded and reached us quickly. Their prime responsibility is to people. They brought us ashore and went back out for the boat. We will never know how much damage was caused by the capsize/instantaneous turtle/knocking about on the waves, and how much by the recovery effort. The sheets were uncleated, but the vang was tight.

Thoughts regarding that day

If we had not sailed or returned sooner, there would have been no damage. Bob remembered to ask if I was OK. (I could see him, but had forgotten to ask.) Now I know the true value of that line across the transom of a Scot – it allows you to hold onto the boat in chop! Although we had signed out, we each live alone. There was no one waiting for either of us who would have called for help if we had not returned. We were fortunate to have been so close to a populated area when we went over and to have been seen . I rarely wear my PFD, especially in hot weather, but was glad to have it on and secured that day. A Scot can turtle much more quickly than I imagined – I was not yet off the sail and was barely out from under the when it settled upside-down. Our whistles and cell phones were in our bags, which were secured inside the boat. Pride goeth before a capsize. Check and recheck the weather from different sources. Believe meteorologists, despite their past inaccuracies – that one’s really hard, but I’ll try.

Advice received

Secure whistle to PFD, secure a knife to PFD, have flares on board, check the weather multiple times - including at the beach and possibly while sailing, have a plan B and act on it, drop and anchor when a storm approaches, and don’t go out when storms are forecast.

It turns out that there are things to do when one is not sailing. I suggest doing a web search for righting a capsized or turtled Flying Scot and reading a few articles/watching a few videos about recovery from a capsize/turtling event. Some clubs do capsize drills on Scots, but the ones online seemed to be on lakes. Some clubs have tried masthead floats to prevent turtling.

I hope to see you on the water soon.

Dotti Brabson

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Members’ Corner A Look Behind the Scenes

Please welcome the newest members to the Club:

Matt and Valerie Jermusyk: Welcome to Matt and Valerie, another couple who live in Historic New Castle. They found us via a web search, attended classes, and did some racing. Matt has sailing experience as he owned a and crewed on a Thistle. They nonchalantly said, “We sail a J22 when on summer vacation.” It appears that Valerie is happy that Matt found the club as it is keeping him busy. Welcome Aboard!

Newly keyed members Huge congratulations to Sean Duffy (the first of the season), Mike Hyzny, and Kostas Fintrilis for passing their on-the-water instruction and getting keyed. Great Job!

Mike Hyzny getting his key from Don Grant

Facebook: Please continue to SHARE and ask people to LIKE our Facebook Page - We are at 78 likes and I’d like to break 100 by September. If you take pictures, please send them to me with a blurb and I’ll post them to FB. Thanks for all your hard work!

Laura Fontana Nancy Martin Membership Director Secretary

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