Solo Challenger
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Solo Challenger Newsletter of the Great Lakes Singlehanded Society Officers: Directors: President – Wayne Gould Mark Gutteridge Tari Smith Vice President/Race Chairmen: Tom Munson Jim McLaren Dave Rearick Treasurer: Jack Whyatt Rob Robins Michael Garcia Recording Secretary: Bob VanEck Wally McMinn Newsletter Editor: Patrick Nugent ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Spring 2001 additional responsibility of e-mail PRESIDENT'S Secretary. Your afterguard concludes with Directors, Mark Gutteridge, Jim MESSAGE McLaren, Robert Robins, Tari Smith, Wayne Gould, GLSS President Dave Rearick, Michael Garcia and Wally McMinn. As the true millennium began in 2001, so too the Great Lakes Singlehanded This year the Board will begin the Society is moving into the new preliminary planing for the 25th millennium. Every GLSS President's Anniversary of the Port Huron to first message has summarized the Mackinac Island Singlehanded coming events of the year with glowing Challenge in 2003. Details of the 25th enthusiasm and optimism. I certainly Challenge will be posted on the web as will not deviate from that fine tradition. they are completed. We are a closely knit society whose (continued page 2) members count many among them as their closest friends. Inside This Once again I am encouraged to be serving with Board Officers and Issue… directors who are dedicated, enthusiastic and very capable. Tom Munson has · President's Message graciously accepted the responsibility of Vice-President and Race Chairman for · 2001 AGM Summary 2001. Tom is well known for his charismatic work in our annual Open · 2001 Open House Report House. I will sleep easily knowing that Tom's steady hand is on the helm of · Chi-Mac Race Report 2000 your solo sailing program this year. Bob VanEck will be logging all the GLSS · Shorten Early! administrative details as Recording Secretary, while Jack Whyatt will · Excerpts: Summer Studies continue to guard the ships purse as Treasurer. Patrick Nugent has signed on again as Corresponding Secretary and · 2001 Solo Challenge Application Newsletter Editor, and accepted the - 1 - ending balance of $1876.00. Bill (continued from page 1) presented the slate of candidates to replace to outgoing Board members. The You will notice in this newsletter that we following candidates were unanimously are asking for your help in updating our approved by the members attending: mailing list to include receiving the Solo Michael Garcia Challenger and other correspondence via Wally McMinn the internet. Pat Nugent has already Dave Rearick formed a list of over 40 members who Bob VanEck want their correspondence delivered via Robert Robins e-mail. Take a minute and e-mail Pat ([email protected]) with your e- Bill Dembek then gave a re-cap of the mail address. 2000 events followed by brief reports from each of the Committee Chairmen. Our sailing schedule starts off on June Bill presented Bob VanEck with a 10 23 with the Port Huron/Chicago to year Plaque for his 10 successful Mackinac Island Singlehanded Challenges. Jim Otton was honoured Challenge. Don't miss this classic event. and awarded the Ralph Eilberg Award September will be our busiest month for his contribution and support to Phil with 3 events on 3 lakes. Lower Huron Rubright during the 2000 Europe 1 New Solo on September 8, Lake Michigan Man STAR Race. The Meeting Scramble on September 14, and the St. adjourned at 18:00 hours. Following Clair Solo on September 29. Don't Bayview's delicious buffet diner GLSS forget these dates on your calendar. members Jim Otton, Ray Mason and Phil Rubright were introduced as guest Finally, I would like to thank the GLSS speakers, each reporting on their Directors, Officers and members for adventures during the 2000 Europe placing their confidence in me to serve 1 New Man STAR Race (Trans-Atlantic as your President. There have been 20 Solo Race). Past Presidents who have guided the GLSS with vision through the last 22 When Bayview's Bar was finally closed years. I trust that our unique tradition at 02:00 hours on the 21st of January, will be carried into 2001. the usual GLSS members were seen leaving another entertaining AGM. 2001 AGM SUMMARY 2001 SPRING Wayne Gould, GLSS President OPEN HOUSE The 2001 Annual General Membership Meeting was held at Bayview Yacht REPORT Club on January 20,2001. Following a Tom Munson, Vice President & Race lively social hour Bill Dembek Chairman (President) called the meeting to order at 16:30 hours. The minutes from last The March 28, 2001 GLSS Open House years meeting were read by Bob had an attendance of 40 people VanEck. Jack Whyatt reported on the comprised of 13 members and 27 guests. financial status of the Society with a Two guests traveled from East Aurora, year NY, and another from Chicago, IL. It’s - 2 - encouraging that word of the GLSS is The race committee voice crackled from spreading and sparking interest beyond the handheld VHF, “Whoa Nellie, the shorelines of Lake Huron and Lake welcome to Mackinac Island!” The race Michigan. over, I headed up into a stiff 22 knot SE wind, furled the 130, and dropped the Two new members who did their first main behind the relative shelter of Big Mac in June 2000 spoke about their Round Island. After rigging dock lines experience. Wally McMinn, who had and getting a slip assignment, the first of cruised on his boat for several years what I hope to be many Chi-Mac solos prior to sailing the Solo Challenge, ended with a burst of reverse in the slip expressed the importance of being to check down a boat that didn’t want to mentally prepared. Mike Mahar, who stop moving. A bottle of bubbly from had purchased his boat 8 months prior to my bride and an 8-year-old bottle of the Challenge, spoke about the necessity Bacardi’s finest, was icing on the cake to of having the boat well prepared and the a dream that had occupied most of my problems encountered with his auto conscious moments since deciding to pilot. Both skippers agreed the Solo compete in a single-handed challenge. Challenge was an outstanding learning experience and they are better sailors Backtracking a bit, I’d been intrigued because of it. Both skippers also plan to with the thought of competing in a do the race again. single-handed challenge for most of my sailing life. Taking the boat out alone or An excellent question and answer period standing an early morning watch in mid followed covering all aspects of the Solo lake with a crew sleeping soundly, Challenge. “How do you sleep?” as cemented the notion that I could always, was one of the first questions. compete in a race with other like-minded Of course, a few of the “old timers” sailors. Surfing the web lead me to the entertained the group with some of their GLSS site and after exchanging a few e- sailing adventures. mails with Blair Arden, Rob Robins and Dave Rearick I wound up sitting in on All in all, the Open House was a the March 2000 AGM. That night, successful beginning to the GLSS 2001 listening to the escapades of the race season. aforementioned sailors whose tales grew taller as the level in the keg decreased, Our goal is to have a total of 50 boats plus those of the likes of Alan Veenstra, sail across the start lines at Port Huron Jim McLaren, and Bob VanEck had me and Chicago on June 23, 2001. To counting down the days until the start of achieve this goal, it is essential for GLSS the 4th Chicago-Mackinac Singlehanded members to spread the word about the Challenge. Solo Challenge among their sailing friends and the sailing community. It is said that getting to the starting line is the toughest part of a race; it was certainly true in my case. Outfitting the boat and completing a solo qualifier Chicago-Mackinac from Holland to Manitowoc and back in early May (with multiple layers of Race 2000 clothing and still cold…) filled most of Tony Driza my days off, culminating with the June 16th, 2000 start of the race. I had hoped to get the boat over to Chicago at least a - 3 - couple of days before the race started to from the depths of my pressure cooker give me time for any last minute came a delightful jambalaya, with a malfunctions to be corrected, but work slosh or two of merlot to wash it all constraints and major preparations on down. Check-ins with the rest of the board pushed me a day or so behind. I fleet were routine, and despite the beat in left Holland for Chicago at 2300, less 3-5 footers, spirits were high as we all than a day and a half prior to the start, hoped for winds going southerly, and hoping for an uneventful crossing. With being able to set out chutes. I was all sails flying on the cutter rigged Island amongst a few boats that felt winds Packet 40, I made great time towards would hold up nearer to shore and ran in Chicago and from 45 miles out, I could to just off South Haven before tacking. make out the top of the Sears Tower. The others favored a more offshore Winds and sea state worsened during the approach and had tacked to maintain a wee hours of Friday and I opted to better line towards the Sable Points and shorten sail in order to get a more Point Betsie. In retrospect, I wish I had comfortable ride, with little loss of done the same, for in the mid morning speed.