COCONUT GROVE SAILING CLUB channelthe serving the community since 1945 OCTOBER 2008 Another Successful Summer by Nick Mansbach t’s been so long since I’ve written but the clubs to spend a fun filled day on the bay. At about sailing world has been busy, busy, busy! I’ll start 10am we loaded all the parents and all the kids by telling you about this year’s summer camp, on all different kinds of club boats; we had Prams, I Opti’s and Sunfish along with which was a tremendous success. This year we all our powerboats (including had a whopping 213 kids our good ‘ol Pontoon boat) and attending! The reason for headed out to the Dinner Key this dramatic increase was sandbar. If you’ve never seen a our staff; they were by Grandmother sailing in a Pram far the best I’ve ever had with their Granddaughter, let the opportunity to work me tell you it’s quite the sight! with, so thank you to all Once we arrived at the Sandbar the instructors and CIT’s everyone got an opportunity to (counselors in training) sail on all the different boats with who made this possible. their brothers, sisters, moms and We also had our second dads and instructors and CIT’s annual “Parent & kids fun day” which also turned as well. out to be a big hit. We started that morning with During our first hour there we were all treated to approximately 25 parents and about 40 kids looking something pretty cool, the Geico Racing Teams continued on page 8 COMMODORE’S REPORT opefully, by the time you get to read this, autumn will be starting to take hold, and the Hlong hot summer will just about be history. We currently sit in a good, albeit stagnant condition with our lease discussions with the city. We have 2008 - 2009 complied with minor issues to make sure the public Flag Officers Commodore ...............................Charlie Rahn knows they are welcome to become members of our Vice Commodore .........Dr. Nicolaus Martens fine organization. Items like running an advertisement Rear Commodore .........................Alyn Pruett in the Miami Herald, and minor changes to the Secretary ..........................Stefan Krumbiegel verbiage of our mission statement. Treasurer ............................Antonio Bejarano We are at the point where city regulations require an appraisal by two Fleet Captain ................................Alyn Pruett Fleet Chaplain ...............Bishop C. Schofield approved companies prior to a lease agreement. At 5:02pm on July 30th, Fleet Surgeon .............Dr. Nicolaus Martens I received an email asking if CGSC would pay the $12,400 appraisal fee because the city did not have the money in this year’s budget. Oh by the Board of Directors way did I mention that they said the PO had to be issued the next day. Jim Bigham (10) David Holland (11) Owen Brown (11) Philip Messier (11) My first reaction was “oh sh— I’m going to be holding up the lease Marc Buller, PC (09) Jaime Ramon (09) process here, because I’ve got to think about this one. My second thought Richard Crisler (09) Ray Schnell (10) was that not only can’t I approve such an expense, but even the board of Jack Hamm (10) directors cannot approve an “unbudgeted” expense greater than $5,000. Committee Chairpersons A special meeting would be required, with two-thirds of the membership Adult Sailing .........................Richard Crisler present voting to approve the expense. Now that wasn’t going to happen BBYRA Rep............................... David Kurtz overnight! By-Laws ............................... David Goldberg C-Gulls .........Anita Hansen, Krisan Lamberti My next thought was that we have been advised that CGSC can’t get a Chamber of Commerce.. ..............Alyn Pruett lease with the City until the submerged land issue with the State is finalized. Channel Editor .....................Cherie Branning At the time, our coming before the State Board of Trustees in Tallahassee Cruising&Rendezvous........... ... Janice Pruett had been postponed until at least the August meeting, and I was informed Entertainment .............................Doug Hanks Executive ...................................Charlie Rahn that the new fiscal year for the city starts in October. Finance........... ....................Antonio Bejarano My path was then quite clear. My reply was to the effect that $12,400 Flying Scot Racing ................. Larry Whipple was more than 1% of our annual budget and it was not in the 2008 - 2009 Future Development ....................Marc Buller House ....................................... Nick Martens budget for the club. I attached a copy of Article VII Section 1 of our by- IT Committee ............................... Jack David laws and tongue in cheek asked if the city was testing us, to see if we were Laser Racing ..........................Peter Branning abiding by our by-laws. Marine Council ............................Rick Rahm I said we could wait until the new city budget came into effect and they Marine Science Acad. ..................Alyn Pruett th Membership ........................ Penny Aronsohn had the funds to pay for the required appraisals. As of today (Sept. 10 ), Moorings.....................................Bill Beavers the state website for the September Cabinet meeting does not have the Opti Racing ........................Antonio Bejarano city of Miami submerged lands issue on the agenda, so it doesn’t look like Orange Bowl Regatta .............. Art Auwaerter anything was delayed by my decision. Pier 7 Rep .........Bill Braddon, Rob Quinlivan Property ................................... Nick Martens On August 31, I received a letter from City Manager Pedro Hernandez Protocol .................................. Larry Whipple stating that I have been appointed as a member of the “Implementation Public Relations ...........................Alyn Pruett Committee for the Coconut Grove Waterfront Master Plan”. The first meeting Race ......................................... Ron Rostorfer is yet to be scheduled, but I certainly look forward to the opportunity to be Safety & Security ........................Marc Buller Snipe Racing ......................Gonzalo Diaz, Sr. involved. I’m having a little trouble imagining the process for a $200 million Strip ................................................ Bud Price dollar plan taking place over an expected 20 years. The ship project I am UM Sailing Coordinator ......... Charles Rahn working on today is a $75 million dollar conversion, which we will complete Webmaster .............................. Hugh Stallings in 41 days in dry-dock. Sailing Director..................... Nick Mansbach Club Manager ......................... Hugh Stallings Government is certainly a slow moving machine. Submit all articles and photos by the 10th of each month to cebranning@ bellsouth.net. Charles A. Rahn, Commodore Cover Photo of Coconut Grove Sailing Club at sunrise taken by Tom Reese. Volume 64 Issue 4 2 VICE COMMODORE’S REPORT he hurricane season has been active and as I write this The work weekend is scheduled Tarticle, Hurricane Ike is over Cuba. Currently we are for the weekend BEFORE feeling the outer bands of the hurricane with rain and gusts Thanksgiving. Hugh has a list of over 40mph. About half of the anchorage has relocated and projects to choose from. Please most of the boats remaining have taken off sails and biminis sign up beforehand so that the to decrease windage. staff can have the materials available for each specific project. There always are a small percentage of boats for one reason or another that has elected to not prepare for the weather. The Enjoy your boats, family and friends sailing club will impose a $250.00 fee if the dock master has and Go Sailing! I will see you at to take down sails or biminis on boats that are deemed a our oasis on the bay, the Coconut hazard to the rest of the boats in the anchorage. Wind gusts Grove Sailing Club can unfurl and damage roller furled sails that will create Nick Martens, Vice Commodore a problem in the anchorage to the rest of the boats. Please use prudence and decrease your boats windage so as not to cause a hazard to your fellow sailors. Duane and the crew are doing a fine job of taking care of the Welcome New Members grounds and are collecting the materials to do a major refit Andres DeSolminihac of the dingy dock as soon as the weather calms down. The back entrance project has been completed and Tom has done Enrique Gouie a very nice job in upgrading the ramp and the back entrance Victor Restrepo which now includes a dumpster enclosure. Luis Reyes David Urscheler REAR COMMODORE’S REPORT y the time you read this article we will (hopefully) be well Commodore Cup regatta. This should be a fun day at the Bon our way safely out of hurricane season! It was a great club and an easy opportunity to see what the opti program disappointment to all of us that we had to cancel the start of is all about. On October 25/26 our optis will travel up the bay our fall opti season, which was scheduled to begin Saturday to the Miami Yacht Club for their September 6. With the prospect of category 3 or 4 hurricane Fall Harvest Regatta. Then on Ike bearing down on us, the sailing program leadership decided November 8/9 they will travel across it was best to err on the side of caution and shift the opening the state to the Naples Cup Regatta. to the following weekend. I strongly support a conservative I am particularly looking forward to attitude when it comes to hurricanes. If you have concerns traveling with the group to Naples, about our response to storms in the future please contact me where I have heard the regatta is – I will be happy to discuss options with you. a really great experience. In the same breath however I am proud to say that the kids in By the time you read this we should the opti program and their parents really pulled us through a have a modified web page that tough time. On Saturday September 6th – the day we were to provides more information on our start the program, kids and parents showed up to help Nick “member - boat use program”.