February - North East River Yacht Club

At the Peak of the Chesapeake
North East River Yacht Club
Member Newsletter
www.neryc.com
FEBRUARY 2007
repairing the dinghy dock, etc. It’s obvious
that we will have to have a number of work days
At our last BOG meeting the dock
within the next couple of months in order to be
project team informed us that we
ready for business by April. I hope that the
are still on
Board officers can count on the
target
to
membership to assist in these
complete the docks by the
“C” DOCK
duties. The more people that
end of February. However, as
we have volunteer, the faster
I write this article there is a
the jobs get completed.
slight layer of ice on the river
and it’s snowing. I hope that
Since I have been Commodore,
our unusually warm winter will
I have been contacted almost
continue so that we don’t have
weekly by other yacht clubs
any interruptions with the
that would like to come and
docks during the next month.
visit us during the summer.
Commodore’s Report
The Board continues to try to move forward with
all of the different items that need to be in place
before our docks are ready in the Spring. Once
the contractors have finished with the dock
construction, Frank Wile and Nigel Veater have
a list of 15 tasks that need to be completed. The
items include spreading dirt and reseeding the
grounds, putting fenders around each slip,
Inside this issue….
From the Vice………………………...…………………...……..3
From the Rear……………………...………………………….....4
From the Fleet………………………………………………………….4
From the Sail Race Chair…..…………………………………5
From Membership…………………………………………………….7
From Princess Kelly………………………………………………..7
From the Dockmaster………………………………………….…8
Member Contribution………………………………………….….9
Member Notes………………………...…………………......14
Club Calendar…………………………...………………….....15
This past week a member of the Chesapeake
Sailing Club called me to ask if they could bring
15-18 boats to our club for a couple of days
towards the end of June. He said that his club
had visited NERYC a couple of years ago and
had such a good time that they wanted to
return.
In addition, he wanted to make
reservations to accommodate 80-100 people for
dinner. I immediately asked him to call John
Landan and Nigel Veater to get on our
calendar.
The word is quickly spreading around the bay
about our new facility. A couple of weeks ago
the Fleet Captain from a Solomon’s Island
yacht club called to make the same type of
accommodations for some of the members from
his club. Pretty soon we will have to start
Continued on Page 3
THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND REGATTA
COULD THIS BE THE TNC —- ON A
SATURDAY NIGHT?
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turning people away since we will not have
enough room to accommodate everyone. We
need to strive to have as many yacht clubs and
transients visit our club as we possibly can this
year. Besides the revenue that the additional
visitors will bring to the club, their visits will
increase the club’s visibility and what we have to
offer around the bay.
We still have 18 vacant slips which need to be
filled by the time the boating season begins. We
also have to stay focused on getting new
members into our club. Heather Higdon, our
Membership chair is already planning to attend a
number of boat shows in the spring. If anyone
is available to help with some of these shows I’m
sure she would appreciate it. If you are
interested please call Heather at (410) 4513084.
I’d like to close by saying:
ONLY 60 DAYS LEFT UNTIL WE START
USING OUR NEW DOCKS!!!
—Brenda Carlson, Commodore
From the Vice
Following in the vein of several
Vice Commodores before me, I
will write my article for this
upcoming Waterline featuring
the “nautical definition of the month’ for you to
be so enlightened. Some may ask why I have
chosen to write about this rather than report of
the goings on of the Vice Commodore. Well,
frankly this is a slow time of the year for VC
duties; with the Ball and auctions behind me as
well as all other responsibilities for the NERYC
social calendar, my duties now are to oversee
the House & Grounds and the Legal and Insurance
committees…not very meaty topics for Waterline
articles. Our insurance is in place. We recently
cleaned the basement and Doug Cain has kept us
out of legal troubles. Opening Weekend is still a
few months away so there is not much to report
on that as of yet, so here goes, the original of a
more frequently used expletive that I am sure
most of you never knew had nautical roots.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to
be transported by ship and it was also before the
invention of commercial fertilizers, so large
shipments of manure were common.
It was
shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot
less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it,
it not only became heavier, but the process of
fermentation began again, of which a by-product
is methane gas. As the stuff was stored below
decks in bundles you can see what could (and did)
happen. Methane began to build up below decks
and the first time someone went below at night
with a lantern, BOOOOM! Several ships were
destroyed in this manner before it was
determined just what was happening. After that,
the bundles of manure were always stamped with
the term "Ship High In Transit" on them, which
meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off
the lower decks so that any water that came into
the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and
start the production of methane. Thus evolved
the term "S.H.I.T " , (Ship High In Transit) which
has come down through the centuries and is in use
to this very day.
You probably didn’t know the true history of this
word — Neither did I, but now you do, too ;-D
Looking forward to our opening day gala.
—Lisa Mack, Vice Commodore
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FROM THE REAR
If you weren’t at the Three
Sheets to the Wind party this
past Saturday, you missed a very
entertaining event.
Who knew
that we had so many club members that are so
skilled at blowing through a straw, as a means of
propelling a little five inch sailboat? A job well
done goes out to the Roeckers, Fergusons and
Hamlins for organizing and running this event.
If the stars align properly in the cosmos,
Birthday night will have musical entertainment.
Show up, hang out, eat, drink and celebrate with
your friends at the Burgee Lounge on February 9,
2007. Music is expected to start at 7:00 PM.
The Murder Mystery event, coming up March 31st,
is getting a great sign-up response, so be sure
that your name gets on the list of attendees.
This is your chance to witness what a great group
of thespians can do. Not that anyone needs
reminding, you are always welcome to come early,
buy that special extra drink and take in the
majestic view of your new marina.
Coming up in April we have the annual Oyster
Roast and Silent Auction. This event is used for
purposes of generating funds to help subsidize
the upcoming Commodores Ball. If you have an
item that you would like to donate for this fund
raising spectacular, please send an e-mail to me at
[email protected]. Mark April 14th on you
calendar as that special day where the oysters do
their magic.
The Club calendar is still changing, great ideas,
great events, all attended by great people.
Yes, we do use this building year round and we will
do anything to increase restaurant revenues. This
is what is happening at your clubhouse in
February.
2/3 Power Squadron meeting
2/4 Outcast Yacht Club meeting
2/9 Birthday night
2/17 Wedding (private)
2/23 Board of Governors meeting
Don’t be left out in the cold, come on in and warm
up with your friends at the North East River
Yacht Club.
Alternately, it can also be the
perfect rendezvous location to be with your main
squeeze, hot tamale or significant other.
—Jon Fowler, Rear Commodore
FROM THE FLEET
We continue to get good news from
the waterfront project. Linda and
I are very excited about the
prospect of having an outstanding
waterfront to enhance the club.
Hopefully we will soon start to see the outline of
our longtime goal.
The fleet committee has met several times
to put together our 2007 cruises. Our team has
received a lot of input and several clubs and
marinas have been contacted about facilities for
18 plus boats. Our cruise agenda is close to being
finalized for the season. If you have a special
request for the 2007 season, please do not
hesitate to contact Robert Leigh, Bill Roos, or
myself as we are trying to accommodate as many
members as possible. Our team wants to thank
those who have given us ideas and input. Last
year I invited two non-members to attend the
frostbite cruise. I would encourage you to invite
prospective members to attend as both boaters I
invited are currently filling out applications for
membership.
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I am also asking for input for a winter event.
Some past participants and a travel agency have
been approached, as we are looking for something
different and exciting for the membership. If you
would like to participate and have any ideas that
would accommodate the membership, please let me
know.
E-mail:
[email protected]
—Roger Hughes, Fleet Captain
FROM THE SAIL RACE CHAIRMAN
I do believe global warming is a
fallacy and I have been criticized
for saying so, but every so often,
Old Man Winter comes to our shores
and shows us his fury for just long enough to
confirm my theory.
It’s normally then
that I reflect on
the days, when I
used to sail all year
round and we could
enjoy the Winter
winds for their
freshness
and
consistency. Here
on the Chesapeake
Bay we have the best protective clothing, the
comfort of well designed “dry” boats, yet for five
months of the year we only talk about it. I
sometimes get the opportunity to watch the Havre
de Grace Laser Fleet race during their Winter
Series. Once we had the good fortune to meet
them in a bar afterwards and I thoroughly enjoyed
every moment as they shared their experiences of
the day . Some of them still wet from a capsize,
but everyone excited and happy.
Why is it so much more fun listening to fairly
normal racing stories, when the elements make
it a touch less pleasant. Why is the
achievement so much more rewarding. Now
imagine a race between boats, not too unlike a
laser from an overall design perspective, also
single handed, but fifty feet in length. Even
better, the race is not just a Sunday jaunt
across the Susquehanna Flats, but all the way
around the World…. The wrong way. So you are
forced to sail the shortest distance, that
takes you into the iceberg territory. The good
thing about icebergs (to quote the crew of
Flyer – Whitbread Round the World winner),
they go away at night.
If you enjoy good stories about tough men and
their boats, then you have to sign up for our
Pre-Season Sailing Seminar. Brad van Liew will
be our key note speaker, sharing his
experiences during his race winning campaign
on Tommy Hilfiger – Freedom America. Brad
will be showing videos and
talk about the race. To
get you in the spirit, we
included this picture of
the “control center”,
where he captured most
of the notes for his
discussion.
When “Sailing Anarchy”
asked Brad how he
managed to afford such a
well executed campaign,
his response was:
“Well, there are two approaches to managing
an Around Alone campaign - one is based on
philanthropic donations and the other is to
deliver real marketing benefits to corporate
entities. I chose the latter and my wife
Meaghan has been a crucial element to our
success. We definitely understand how deep
one must dig to realize dreams. We launched
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this campaign in July 1999. We cherish this early belief in our efforts and the ability to build an
American dream. Tommy Hilfiger came onboard in April 2002 and they have been absolutely incredible
to work with and deserve recognition for making the bold move to become a sponsor in the sport we
love. Our goals matched their philosophy of "living the American dream" and priorities placed on
resourcefulness and ambition. Their logo was actually developed based on nautical flags.
I have and will always try to help anyone (especially Americans) to reach for the goal of competing in
this sport.”
This event is not just for sailors, anyone who owns a boat and enjoys the ocean should not miss it.
Please contact Sailing Secretary Bruce Taylor to sign up. See Information Below.
—PC Bill Roos, Sail Race Chair
Sign-Up Instructions
Advanced reservation and payment required for this event!
Space is limited! NO Walk-ins.
Contact Bruce Taylor: [email protected] with your reservation
Send checks payable to NERYC to:
NERYC Pre-Season Sailing Seminar
c/o Bruce Taylor
5 Jenkins Drive
Downingtown, PA 19335
PC Bill and Lyla Roos are proud to announce the arrival of their first grandbaby:
Raymond Ainsley Pennypacker
was born on Saturday January 6th @ 8:34pm & Weighed in at
7lbs 2ozs. Mommy, Daddy and Baby are doing exceptionally well
and Baby Ray is growing
like a little mushroom.
Welcomed by his Oupa,
Oumie, Aunt Nae & Aunt
Verne and Great Granny Bertha. We are looking forward to
sharing our Grandbaby
with you all in the
spring.
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From Membership
New Members
I would like to warmly welcome our
new members for this month. Don
Cruse was brought to us by Roger
& Linda Hughes. Don lives in North
East and will be joining our fleet in the spring.
Ray Bogert comes to us from West Chester, PA.
Ray likes to fish. I am sure we can accommodate
this pastime. Ray will also be joining our fleet.
Kevin & Judy McCann are former members from
North East that are coming back to the Club.
Kevin & Judy we are so happy to have you back!
Please join me in welcoming our new members and
friends.
CONGRATULATIONS Frank & Lois Eiler. After
25 years of continuous membership in the Club,
Frank & Lois have been granted Lifetime
Membership. Your patronage has been greatly
appreciated.
Murder Mystery
Don’t forget the upcoming murder mystery, A
Backful of Bullets. This event takes place on
March 31, 2007. We will have limited space to
allow for the stage. This is a reservations only
event, so sign up NOW!! Contact Heather Higdon
at 410-451-3084 or [email protected].
Recruiting
Please keep in mind the New Membership Drive
Promotion! Sign up two (2) new members between
now and December 31, 2007 and win a NERYC
restaurant credit for $525. All members in good
standing are eligible to participate. The credit
may also be applied to club functions such as the
Commodore's Ball.
Specifications:
• Limit 1 award per membership.
• Award does not cover tax and gratuity.
• The 2 new memberships must first pay the
initiation fee and prorated dues before the
restaurant credit is authorized.
Credit for new memberships must be verified by
the Membership Chairperson. Please be sure
your 2 new members list your name on the
membership application as the sponsoring
member.
Unfortunately, we lose members every year for a
variety of reasons; however, we must maintain our
memberships to assure a solvent club. I ask you
all to help in this responsibility. With our new
docks and constant repairs to the clubhouse, we
must increase our membership to reduce dues
adjustments and assessments.
Please feel free to have any potential member
contact me at home (410) 451-3084 or
[email protected].
I am more than
willing to answer any questions they might have.
See you at the club!
—Heather Higdon, Membership Chair
From Princess Kelly
February is a month of change
for our wonderful club. A month
of change because our new docks
should be completed this month!
Soon, our members will be
brought even closer together by summer days and
nights spent on those docks. Now, our friendships
won’t have to be separated by our boats being in
different marinas. Sail racers will be able to come
right to the docks and start the party right away,
instead of waiting for friends to come back from
putting their boat away.
One of the greatest things about our new docks is
that we’ll have other clubs bring their boats in.
We’ll get to know other clubs better and be able
to show them our wonderful hospitality!
Only a couple more months, and we’ll be able to
use them!
Hang in there!
—Princess Kelly
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Members Paul & Mary Cranny and
Frank & Julie Wile caught up to
Doug Cain and Sherry on
“BAD BOY”:
an NERYC Bahama Renunion
January 15th
FROM DOCK MASTER
NIGEL VEATER
Our dock construction is well
underway to completion, and we
have been blessed by our mild winter. The in
water work (i.e. ; setting of anchors and driving of
piles) needs to be completed by February 15th and
we will meet that deadline. As of this writing, B
and C docks are finished and most of the wave
attenuator for D dock is installed. By the end of
January the 2/3 of the wave attenuator which
forms A dock will be installed. The finger piers
for A and D docks will be installed in early March
As of the end of January, all our moorings are
rented and we have about 17 slips still available,
but there continues to be much interest with
inquiries coming in frequently. If you have friends
who would like a slip at the best spot on the bay
have them call me at 410-392-9579 or email me
at [email protected]. A list of available slips is
on the web site as well as on the bulletin board of
the club and is updated as there are changes. We
have also reached out to area boat dealers letting
them know what we have available.
Our slips are drawing interest from all over the
bay and to date we already have 6 clubs booked
for cruises, the farthest coming from the
Solomons . Our transient slip capacity is about 1520 boats depending on the size of the boats and
we are hoping that as the word spreads North
East will become a favored destination.
For those of you who thought that the new dock
construction would mean no more work daysWrong! We have lots of projects with which we
will need your help including : repairing the walks
and stairs; re assembling the dingy rack; resetting
our moorings; making and installing line holders
for the pilings etc. Our first work day is
scheduled for February 3rd and there will be
others so watch your emails.
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A WINTER SPORT
“BASSETING”
When the boating season is over I plunge right
into my “winter” sport. I often wonder what
other boaters do in the winter to keep busy,
especially outdoors. A couple of years
ago, Steve wrote about his winter sport
of ice boating, but since we have not had
any ice in our area for going on two
years, I have talked him into joining me
in basseting.
What is basseting? I call basseting my
‘poor substitute for foxhunting’ but let
me explain the fun and the sport. In
foxhunting, a fox is pursued by a pack of
hounds and the “field” follows on
horseback.
In basseting the hounds
pursue the cottontail (rabbit) and the
“field” follows on foot. Basseting and
beagling are the same sports except for the
breed of the hounds. The sport is the “chase”
and it is quite rare to kill.
The hunt begins with the Master of Hounds
alerting the pack to the forthcoming excitement
with the first of many different bugling calls.
The hunting pack, consisting of about twelve
hounds are anxious to start but are held in check
by the whips.
The whips are experienced
basseters who know the hounds and their
individual traits and also are familiar with the
hunting area. The members and their guests
make up the “field” and they are led on the hunt
by the Fieldmaster.
The Master moves the pack into the hunting
territory, along the hedgerows, urging the hounds
to find a scent to follow. The whips spread out
around the perimeter of the hunting action far
enough away to avoid crossing possible scent trail,
but close enough to keep the hounds together.
Before long one or two of the hounds will begin
barking and racing in one direction.
They will be joined by the older hounds who will
put their noses down and chase the discovered
scent. The rest of the hounds may not pick up
the scent, but they quickly pick up the
excitement. The master will bugle the chase
and give a few ferocious hollers to get
the pack into a full run. The field
races along trying to keep up and
hoping for a view of Mister Cottontail.
When successful, the hounds will run
the rabbit to ground (into a rabbit
hole) and they will all gather around
the hole where the rabbit is safely
tucked away. The Master signals the
grounding of the game, and praises the
most deserving of the hounds.
Occasionally, the rabbit will break
from the hedgerow and set out across
an open field seeming to be almost teasing the
pack. This is great sport for the field. The
rabbit is bounding along in full view with the
hounds in hot pursuit, the Master trying to keep
up, and the field.
The hunt usually lasts about two hours. After
enjoying the countryside, the out-of-doors, the
invigorating “chase” (usually a walk, although
sometimes fast-paced) a tea follows.
Some
teas are tailgate teas; some are more formal in a
member’s home.
There is great fellowship and sport in basseting;
especially for those of us who love the outdoors,
nature, the countryside. If you would ever like
to join Steve and me in a basset hunt we hunt
every Sunday at 2:00 p.m., and we hunt with a
more informal pack on Mondays at 10:00 a.m.
Tally Ho!
Ginny Devaney Somers
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2007 Oyster Roast andthSilent Auction
Date: April 14 , 2007
North East River Yacht Club
An annual NERYC tradition, of matching talents, donations and food, in efforts to raise money for purposes of defraying some of
the extraneous costs associated with the Commodores Ball.
It is our membership that makes this event successful, for many of us who bid on items of interest, will have signed up and
donated other items for the auction. These are true members, who not only want to see this event succeed but also see their
money going to a worthy cause.
A call for donations is hereby being issued:
Not sure what you would like to donate? Below I have listed some ideas, some old, some new, some different. If you have an
idea or variation, please e-mail me at [email protected]. All offers will be accepted.
Do you have an RV to offer, where you might want to take an extra couple on an overnight trip? Or considered offering a day trip
or maybe tailgating at a football game?
Do you have tickets for a ballgame you want to auction?
Want to offer an airplane sightseeing trip for purposes of viewing the northern Chesapeake Bay?
Ever consider turning your water view house into a bed and breakfast?
Gift certificates to a nice restaurant in Cape May, Rehoboth Beach, North East or wherever always go over well.
Have a hunting cabin in the Pocono’s to offer? Or a time share?
Would you like to host a private deck cocktail party? You can even have a party to offer to the top five couples bidding.
Do you have seashore condominium you may want to offer for a week or weekend?
Want to hold a dock party? Just name the place, the maximum amount of bidders you’ll accept.
Sailing lesson(s) from one of the NERYC top sail racers? A chance to get to know the top one or two bidders. You can make a
friend for life!
Boat haul out, washing or boat waxing gift certificate?
A sunset cocktail cruise.
A sunset backyard Bar-B-Q?
Picnic on the Susquehanna Flats?
Donate nautical items for sale
Chesapeake Bay pictures or artwork
A kayaking or dinghy trip, visiting the coves of North East
Did you know that VHF radios and anything else make excellent donations?
Have any tote bags, grills, log books, seamanship books?
Gift items, Happy Hour burgees, beer tapper, coolers etc.
Gifts and or Gift certificates can come with or without a minimum bid. Please remember, not all donations have to be expensive,
so let’s see if we can get even more creative with our offerings. Thanks.
R/C Jon
PS: I have emptied my e-mail account for purposes of handling the expected large influx of messages. [email protected]
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Junior Sailing Camp
It’s not too early for the kids to start planning for the 2007 junior sailing camp.
The dates this year are June 27th through the 30th. We expect a large turnout
this year and so we may schedule a second camp if needed. Please get your
reservations in early and pass the word about the camp to friends and relatives.
The full 2007 junior sailing program will be out in the next month or two. This season we will hold a
NERYC junior sailing championship regatta for racers of all
skill levels. We will also head south on the bay and compete
in a few Junior CBYRA sanctioned events.
Please feel free to contact me for more information on the
junior sale race program.
Rick Hanson
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FEBRUARY 2007 MEMBER NOTES
Member's Birthdays
Frank Fulham
February
1
Barbara Mc Intyre
February
13
Linda Silowka
February
1
Dale Boyer
February
16
Chrissie Gillespie
February
2
Ron Edwards
February
19
Bob Caufman
February
4
Ken Klingberg
February
19
Diane Gay
February
7
Trish Whittington
February
20
Cliff Shaw
February
11
Celia Battaglini
February
22
Steve Hogan
February
12
Ira Black
February
22
Tim DeHaan
February
13
Charles Paris
February
24
Chris Gorski
February
13
Sharan Uhrin
February
25
Suzie Krapf
February
13
Bill Murray
February
26
Ruthie Fuchs
February
27
Wedding Anniversaries
Ron & Lee Magidson
8
Marty & Carol Gerhart
12
Steve & Jeannie Madreperla
18
Ed & Joyce Stapleton
27
10
New Members
Don Cruse
Ray Bogert
Kevin & Judy McCann
North East, MD
West Chester, PA.
North East, MD
BIRTHDAY / ANNIVERSARY / NEW MEMBER NIGHT
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH
Enjoy a cocktail, compliments of the Club, to celebrate your
Birthday, Anniversary or New Membership!
You must be present on this night to receive your free drink.
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Mon
5
25
Call (410) 287-6333
For reservations
18
26
19
*Dinner will be served until 10
p.m. on Birthday/Anniversary
Night
Sundays
11
12
2 PM - 8 PM Dining Room
2 PM - 8 PM Bar
Fridays* & Saturdays
5- 9 PM
Dining Room
5-12 PM
Bar
4
Thursdays
5- 9 PM Dining Room
5-10 PM Bar
Operating Hours
Sun
3/11
3/24
3/31
Thu
27
20
13
28
21
14
US Sailing Race/Mgmt Day Seminar
Murder Mystery Dinner
Wed
6Sailing Seminar (lunch7& Speaker)
Coming in March:
Tue
FEBRUARY 2007
22
15
8
1
9
2
23
BOG Meeting
1930hrs
16
Birthday
Night
1930hrs
Fri
Sat
24
17
10
3