ISSUE 59-09 September 2017 In This Issue From the Helm p1 Rear Commodore p2 Membership p3 Board Candidates p4-5 Pictures p6 Wow! Social Committee p7-8 Misc. Ramblings p9 What month! Pictures p10-17 Grand Traverse Yacht club Invitational. Support TACS p18 Melges 24 Invitational. Other p19 Hobie 33 North Americans. Calendar p20 We did it! I would like to thank all the volunteers that made these events happen! Thank You! Submissions due by the And a special thanks to JO and Ian who put in way 4th Tuesday of the more time than expected to make all three regattas month prior to publication - 500 words a success! or less please We are part of a very special yacht club. I hope you are all as proud as I am! [email protected] Cheers! David Phelps (Driving The Hebat!) REAR COMMODORE PAGE Liz Zimmerman Melges 24 Invitational hits 20! Community Corner Liz Zimmerman Volunteers Make the Events Run! Twenty-one boats faced challenging August was a busy month at your club! It was competition, but beautiful weather on West GT fantastic to see so many competitors racing our Bay, for the 20th annual GTYC Melges 24 Annual “Hound Dog” Regatta. The next Invitational, August 19-20. The high skill weekend saw the Melges 24 Invitational, and amongst the fleet became quickly evident when then the Hobie 33 North Americans. It is also a the leaders were continually changing. Rarely time that many of our members are traveling, was a single boat out in front from start to boating, or have family in town. Even so, this finish, or even for 2 legs of a race. The strength club and our strong membership continually of the fleet was accurately shown in the results showed support by volunteering in the kitchen, where even the top boat had only two bullets visiting with guests, helping on race committee, for the weekend. Augie Hernandez’s USA533 making coffee or popcorn, among other tasks. High Voltage took the eight-race series with no So, here is to you all! For showing up, helping throw outs, winning the tiebreaker of a 45 point out, saying YES, and making our club great! tie w/ Fred Rozelle’s USA 530 Rustler. Local Please remember to check back to our favorite and race chairman, Mike Dow, took 3rd, Volunteer Sign-Up page from time to time to just 4 points back. GTYC was very pleased to see what is coming and what we need help welcome boats from as far as Idaho (Banshee- with. The page can be found at: 5th place), Toronto, Chicago, Goderich ONT, and http://signup.com/go/OHbAEzq Muskegon. Several of these competitors will next meet in Toronto for the Canadian Melges 24 Nationals. Also decided that same weekend, was the coveted title of “King In the North” title which combined the races results from The Hound Dog, the Wed night Sprint Series, and the Melges 24 Invite. Mike Dow was crowned (literally). MEMBERSHIP Rob Lovell, Membership Chair Russians Hack GTYC Elections?! I was at a gathering a few weeks ago when someone asked my dad, the rocket scientist, if there were really any unsolvable equations. Before he could answer I chimed in: certainly; how the heck did Trump get elected?! I'm sure more than just Hillary have yet to figure that one out. It must have been the Russians! Back here in Traverse City, we guarantee the Russians won't be able to hack our yacht club election this year. With the nomination of an uncontested slate of candidates, the Board has determined that this year's vote shall be taken in person via voice or roll call vote at the Fall Annual Business meeting, scheduled for Friday, September 29, 2017 at 6:30pm. The recently passed bylaws allow for this possibility via Board action, which occurred at the August regular Board meeting. This allows the Club to save the costs and time associated with printing, stuffing, licking, sticking, and mailing secret ballots to all 348 members eligible to vote (not to mention the begging, pleading and prodding to get you to return them so that they can be sorted and counted … for an uncontested slate). The Secretary will be mailing an official notice of meeting soon after Labor Day, in case the Russians hack the Club's email account and translate this month's Waterlines into Cyrillic. Watch your snail mail box for a GTYC postcard! And, just in case you decide the Rear Commodore nominee is an absolute screwball who shouldn't be allowed anywhere near flag officer status, members may vote for a write-in candidate, assign a proxy, or submit a vote for the slate of candidates to the Club Secretary. Any Member wishing to participate other than in person should send an email to the Secretary ([email protected]) either using or referencing the email account under which your Club Membership is registered (i.e. the email address you use to log in to your member profile.). Any email communications to the secretary must be received no later than 6:30pm EST on Friday, September 29, 2017. Keep reading Waterlines to find bios of those nominated to lead our club. We thank all those who volunteer, either in an official capacity or just doing the little things that keep our club functioning. Remember, this election is your opportunity to have a say in our club's leadership. Just remember what Police Chief Link Mattocks said in "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming", " I thought all the nuts went home on Labor Day". From one nut to another, see you at the Club! Doc Rob GTYC Board Candidates GTYC Board Candidates Commodore Candidate - Bob Clark Yacht Club member since 1998, served on the Board of Directors from 2000 - 2006, married 26 years to Heather Anne Lockwood, and proud father to Katie and Finley Clark. Now that the kids are off to college, I find myself with more time to help at GTYC. I consider myself a seasoned veteran of the boating world, spending most of my boating time on small sail and power boats. My core belief about the GTYC is that the membership as a whole is our most important asset, protecting the rights and privileges of the membership is the highest duty for the Board and Flag Officers. Vice Commodore Candidate - Liz Chambers Zimmerman I have been associated with GTYC since about 1971 when my dad and uncles owned The Chandelle. One of my best sailing memories was participating on a J24 in a “cabin boy” race in which the junior sailor had to actually help sail the boat. My family and I still love spending time sailing our cruising boat, our Interlake, and our Melges 24. I have been on the Leland Yacht Club Board for 4 years, and have helped with Race Committee. My husband, Scot, and I have 2 awesome daughters, Katy and Maddy, who both have sailed all their lives. We have been members of GTYC since 2003 when Katy declared GTYC had the best Christmas Party ever! I look forward to continuing club traditions and working with the board and membership. Rear Commodore Candidate - Rob Lovell This coming year will be my 30th year of membership and racing with our club. Through the years I have raced Lasers, Lightnings, Interlakes, J-Boats, Melges, and a few Mackinac boats. I now share ownership in the “Girls’ Boat,” Knockout where I really enjoy being Shore Crew. I started sailing as a cruiser and saw first-hand, as a member of the Vermilion Boat Club, that successful yacht clubs not only depend on a great sense of family, community, and volunteerism, but also thrive with active racing and cruising fleets. I am honored to ask for your support in the continued service of our club as the 2018 Rear Commodore. GTYC Board Candidates (continued) Director Candidate - Mark Clark Thank you for your consideration as a Director for GTYC. I have been a sailboater since I can remember and a veteran of many seasons of sailboat racing in various parts of Michigan and numerous Mackinac races on both sides. I moved to Traverse City in 2007 with my family; Tracey and three sons, Brad, Charlie, and Mitch, all of whom participated in TACS and the high school sailing programs. I was a board member at the Port Huron Yacht Club as well as a Fleet Captain in charge of their racing program. Additionally, I was nominated as a flag officer at the time I relocated to Traverse City where I am an attorney at Traverse Legal. I look forward to serving the club as a board member and hope you will consider me when you vote. Director Candidate - Petra Kuehnis I unexpectedly fell into sailing and sailboat racing while living in Chicago after college. I was hooked after my first race and have been an enthusiastic participant ever since. I love the mechanics of the boats, the dynamics of a crew, constantly adjusting tactics to current and anticipated conditions, and the connection to the natural environment ... wind, water, and weather. The sailing community is a special kind of fantastic people. I’ve been a member of GTYC for the past 13 years. I’ve had the good fortune to sail with a lot of GTYC crews over the years, and am currently part of team Knockout (the ladies boat). I look forward to the opportunity to take a more active role at the Club. Thank you. Uncle Homer’s Picture Show SOCIAL COMMITTEE Jed Mooney - Social Chair Summer 2017 - and August, in particular - has been hopping around our Yacht Club, from Fourth of July & fireworks, through Cherry Festival and the air shows .