Nautical Notes - Mariners of PGI

Nautical Notes
Vol. VII Number 11 A Publication of the Mariners of PGI November 2015
Mark MacMahon, Commodore
Well, it is already mid-November. And, it
seems like only yesterday I was on my
way to the 2015 Change of Watch to
begin my term as your Commodore.
Now we are getting ready for the 2016
Change of Watch. Where did the time
go? It sure went by quickly. I was just reflecting there is
only a little more than a month left in my term and that the
upcoming November general membership meeting will be
the last such meeting I will preside over. Of course, that
means there is only one more opportunity for me to forget
to get the minutes from the last meeting approved (and
only one more opportunity for Hank Bauman to point that
out to me from the floor).
All in all, it has been a great year. I have enjoyed serving as
your Commodore and feel privileged to have had the
opportunity to do so. I was fortunate to have had a great
Board that worked well together. And, the other Board
members are the folks who really did all the work. Some
members will be leaving the Board at the end of the year
and we should all thank them for their service.
I do want to single out the Social Committee, which went
through three Directors this year, for special mention for
special mention; two Directors had to resign for good and
sufficient reasons. With such changes in leadership, social
activities might have floundered, but they didn’t because
the committee members answered the bell and we never
missed a beat. My hat is off to each and every one of you!
Also, thanks to Betsy Pohle for stepping forward to serve
as Social Director through the end of the year.
As we approach the end of the year, I want to wish you
and yours a safe and joyous Holiday season.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
December Cruises (cont’d from right)
27
31
31
Last Sunday of the Month Sunset Lake Raft-Up
New Year’s Eve at Salty Sam's
New Year’s Eve at Pelican Bay
Richard Northrup, Cruise Director
October was a great month for
Cruising and it seems lots of
people took advantage of it. We had
scheduled eight cruises for the month
and five were carried out with 27
boats participating. This is the best
participation number that we have seen, other than the
Regatta, all year. This brings our completed cruises for
the year to 34, and a grand total of 199 boats (WOW!)
taking part for the year. Excellent participation and I am
certain this year will be one of the most active in recent
years. For those of you who need Cruise Credits, there
is still plenty of time to get them in. There are 11 cruises
on the calendar right now and if you have any ideas
please let me know and I can add it to the calendar.
October had two long distance cruises: one to the Dry
Tortugas and Key West, and the other made it to
Marco Island. There were two lunch cruises and the
Pohles did an awesome job hosting the Last Sunday of
the Month Raft-Up.
We have a number of upcoming cruises that really need
to be mentioned. In November there is a Pink Shell
Sand Sculpture Cruise. If you have never seen that, it is
very interesting. Also there is the 1st Annual "Show the
Colors and Pirate Party" November 18...a little bit of a
changeup on the Wednesday night social.
Unfortunately, the New Year’s Eve Cruise to Salty Sam’s
has filled up and is “wait listed”. However, you are
welcome to join the group for dinner at Salty Sam’s.
Remaining November Cruises
18
1st Annual "Show the Colors and Pirate Party”
21
Pink Shell Sand Sculpture Cruise (2 Nights)
24
Nav-A-Gator Lunch Cruise
29
Last Sunday of the Month Sunset Lake Raft-Up
December Cruises
3
Pink Elephant Lunch Cruise
7
Burnt Store Lunch Cruise
11
South Seas Resort Cruise (2 Nights)
17
Charlotte Harbor YC Lunch Cruise
Continued in column at left
NOVEMBER 2015
Page 2
Nautical Notes
Mariners of PGI Board of Directors
MARK MacMAHON, Commodore
[email protected]
DON KIDWELL, Vice Commodore
[email protected]
DEBBIE JONES, Treasurer
[email protected]
JULIE BLACK, Secretary
[email protected]
BETSY POHLE, Director of Social Activities
[email protected]
GAIL BUSCH, Director of Membership
[email protected]
RICHARD NORTHRUP, Director of Cruises
[email protected]
WAYNE SHARP, Director of Education
[email protected]
DENNIS CESARI, Past Commodore
[email protected]
______________________________________________
LYNNE MATTHEWS, Sunshine Committee
[email protected]
DON LEITCH, Webmaster
[email protected]
www.marinersofpgi.org
Meetings
General Membership
PGICA, 2001 Shreve St.
4th Monday at 7 p.m. (except December)
Board
PGICA, 2001 Shreve Street
4th Monday at 9 a.m. All members are welcome.
Newsletter
DON KIDWELL, Supervising Board Member
[email protected]
JOYCE McCANDLESS, Editor
[email protected]
Editor’s Note: I will confirm, via e-mail, receipt of each
NN submission. If you do not receive
confirmation, PLEASE contact me.
PEGGY NORTHRUP, Proofreader
DIANE MABEY, Circulation and Labels
Editor’s Note: direct contact information for all Mariners
is located on the website.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Click here to view the Cruise Schedule and
Sign-Up!
Click here to view the Social Calendar and
Sign-Up!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
December Birthdays
3 Beverly MacMahon
4 John Dauster
4 Vit Lanka
4 Russ Hills
7 Hank Berlon
7 Ann Woodward
9 Jack Eggers
11 Jon Shattuck
13 John Hoder
16 Fred Counter
16 Mitchell Miller
20 Karin Reilly
21 Jan Roemler
24 Karen Siegel
24 Carolyn Freeland
24 Travis Jones
26 Lois Modrow
28 Ruth Sines
29 Cathy Mayer
29 Susan Hill
29 Helen Paul
30 Bob Huetteman
31 Lynne Matthews
NOVEMBER
2015
JANUARY 2013
Page
Page33
Nautical Notes
Tidbits from Social
Betsy Pohle
A HUGE thank you to Pat and Bob Bustard for organizing the Fat Point Brewery Tour, to Chris and
Ginny Caldwell and “referee” Hank Bauman for giving us Bocce Ball lessons, and to Ramona Lanka
for hosting the Breakfast with the Gals this month. GREAT turnouts for all of these events! (See
articles on Fat Point and Bocce, below, to get the scoop.)
Fun stuff to look forward to in December: Gals breakfast (you must bring an elephant?),
“Christmas in the Caribbean” party, and a casual gathering for Sunset at Ponce Park.
A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all of you. Enjoy your turkey day, and count your many
blessings. The friendships we have created through the Mariners are definitely one of them!
Social Sign-Up; Just click on the event below to access the Sign-Up page
December
19 Breakfast with the Gals
14 Christmas in the Caribbean
17 Sunset at Ponce Park
Tropical Bocce Ball
January
23 Change of Watch
Ginny Caldwell
When Hank
Bauman
arrived for the
Mariners Bocce
Ball party at
the Isles Yacht
Club, he
brought the
total of
experienced players to one. Between Hank's coaching and the Caldwell's cheat sheets, the 11 Mariners players were
soon ready to take on the sport. Everyone had some great shots and we would have played more than two games but
it was 90 degrees and Wednesday night happy hour beckoned. Participating in the inaugural event were Hank
Bauman, Val and Tom O'Keefe, Carlo San Giorgio, Chuck and Betsy Pohle, Debbie Jones, Marlene and Bert Jones, and
chairs, Ginny and Chris Caldwell.
Bocce Ball and Mariners were a great mix and there will be more games when the weather cools down.
Fat Point Brewery Tour
On the unseasonably hot Saturday afternoon of November 7, 27
Mariners found a way to beat the heat, support a local business, and
have a great time. We met at 2:00 p.m. at Fat Point Brewery to take a
tour and learn how they make their craft beer. After completing the
tour, we all gathered in the Tap Room to socialize and enjoy the finished
product.
Editor’s Notes: click here to view more event photos and click here to
learn more about Fat Point Brewery.
Pat Bustard
NOVEMBER 2015
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Nautical Notes
New Members
Gail Busch
In October we welcomed Mike and Debby Lubell into our membership.
They are originally from New York City. The last 10 years they lived in
Raleigh, NC. Debby recently retired. She was one of the best women’s
knitwear designers for 40 years. She loves Yoga and takes class every
morning since they moved to Punta Gorda in July. They were very
fortunate to find a house three doors from Mike’s cousin, Mitch Miller.
Debby’s 88 year old mother lives with them. Mike also started his career
in the apparel industry, which is how they met, on a plane to Tokyo, 39
years ago. Mike left the apparel industry and started building personal computers in 1982.
He spent 20 years in the business and retired in 2002. In 2007, he became interested in the
sport of Cowboy Mounted Shooting and formed a club in Raleigh with a close friend and horse trainer. They built the
club to one of the largest and best run in the USA. Mike couldn’t find equipment for the sport, of a quality and price he
liked, so he started making custom leather products for the sport. Today Manta Leather ships to 30 states and 13
countries. So much for retirement.
They bought a 23ft Sea Fox walk around, and named her Never Say Never, because Mike swore he would never own a
boat and never move to Florida.
Welcome Mike and Debby Lubell.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________
****MARINERS OF P.G.I. 2016 DUES NOTICE****
Names_________________________________________________________________
TO UPDATE OUR ROSTER, ARE THERE ANY CHANGES IN YOUR:
Address_________________________ Phone_______________________
Email___________________________ Boat Info_____________________
CHECK ANY COMMITTEES THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO SERVE ON:
Cruise_____ Social_____ Education_____ Newsletter_____ Membership_____
Please return this notice along with your check for $25 per household (payable to ‘Mariners of PGI’) before the
January 25 meeting to:
Gail Busch, 2435 Flora Lane, Punta Gorda, FL 33950
Also, be sure to renew your membership with the Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association for 2016!
NOVEMBER 2015
Page 5
Nautical Notes
Last Sunday of the Month Raft-Up at Sunset Lake
Chuck and Betsy Pohle
With a gorgeous day on the water, 13 boats found their way to Sunset Lake October 25 for a fun afternoon of yummy
eats and our usual last Sunday of the month “Happy Hour” with special friends. A HUGE thank you to Lavern and Lois
Modrow for being our “anchor” boat! With them were Hills, Gordons and Caldwells. T-Crafts had Browns and Heids
aboard.
Others joining in: Davidsons on Green Highlander, Burkins on Coba, Bert and Marlene Jones on My Boat, Franzinos on
Headhunter, Buckleys on TuTu, Millers on Thissilldo, Pohles on Sea For Two, Albers on Our Dream, Reeds on Quixote
Princess, Lubells on Never Say Never, and then along comes Don Kidwell on Not Yet, who became our photographer of
the day. We also had Hank and Cheryl Berlon as our on-shore photographers and cheering section. Many thanks to all
for joining in. Hope to see new faces on the water in November!
Click here to view
more photos
Photos from the Dry Tortugas/Key West Cruise—Article on p. 6
NOVEMBER 2015
Page 6
Nautical Notes
Mariner Cruise to the Dry Tortugas/Key West October 25-November 6
Richard Northrup
Awesome Venture! Awesome Venture! Though this
was our common call for the cruise, it was also a good
description of our overall experience! Notice that I said
“overall”! Five boats (Home Again, Aurora, Lena Bea,
Truly Amazing and Wild Oats) spent the first night at
anchor in Pelican Bay and had a great pot luck dinner
hosted by Wild Oats. The next morning (October 25) we
all slipped anchor early and headed for our 24-hour
overnight cruise to the Dry Tortugas. The first 12 hours
were most excellent, with great winds and friendly seas.
Unfortunately, after that, the winds continued to pick up
and the waves increased their size and were hitting the
fleet abeam, which made for a very, very uncomfortable
and pitchy ride. The waves were large (6-10’) enough to pitch Wild Oats over far enough for water to wash over the
gunwales. Needless to say, there was no sleep and just walking around the boat was difficult. The Admirals were not
happy and they voiced their opinions. The arrival at the Tortugas was early and the fleet ended up dodging shrimp
and fishing boats. The anchorage at the DTs is small, and some of us had a difficult time finding a comfortable spot.
The wind picked up, and a storm rolled through that evening; one boat in the anchorage (not a Mariner) ended up
washed ashore. The weather did not improve from there and it was pretty much a bust until we weighed anchor and
left for the Boca Grande Key. This is a nice little island just east of the Marquesas Here, we anchored off the beach
and dinghied ashore. Though there was lots of current when we first arrived, the tide and morning were very
favorable...a beautiful morning for coffee in the cockpit! From there we headed to Key West and our slips at the Stock
Island Marina and FantasyFest! A good time was had by all and, as the saying goes “what happens at FantasyFest
stays at FantasyFest”. Needless to say, we had a good time and enjoyed the scenery. After three days we left Key
West to make the crossing to the Romano Shoals. Since the wind was from the east, we anchored well offshore
(eight miles) and enjoyed a nice quiet night. After that, we made good time to Naples, where we stayed for two
nights. We had a great time exploring the area and had a great dinner at the City Pier. At this point, the group
splintered, with Aurora going straight to PGI, Home Again going to Pink Shell, Lena Bea to anchor off Cayo Costa and
Wild Oats and Truly Amazing spending a restful evening and morning at the Boca Grande Marina. We all made it back
to PGI November 6, with lots of memories and shared experiences! “Awesome Venture!
Awesome Venture!” indeed!
The Intrepid Group in this Awesome Venture were: Truly Amazing-Joe and Lisa Wienecke, Home Again-Bill and Rosie
Rissel, Aurora-Dennis and Shirla Cesari, Lena Bea-Wayne and Michele Sharp, and Wild Oats-Richard and Peggy
Northrup.
Editor’s Note: Click here to view more photos of this cruise.
NOVEMBER 2015
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Nautical Notes
Education
Wayne Sharp
Most of us now have DSC VHF radios on our vessels, and we are probably aware that they can send
a distress signal in an emergency. In order for them to work properly, it is necessary to obtain an
MMSI number and register so that the Coast Guard knows who is in distress and how to contact
you. If you plan to travel out of the U.S., be sure to have an international MMSI number. For
domestic use only, you can obtain a free MMSI number from BoatUS; click here to access.
The second thing that is essential is to have your radio connected to your GPS, unless it has a built-in GPS. Otherwise,
the distress message will not include your position.
In addition to the distress capabilities, there are other useful features on DSC radios. By knowing the MMSI number of
fellow boaters, you can call them directly instead of the usual hail and switch to a working channel. You can also
request their position and receive a message with their location. Of course, you must be in VHF range for these to
work.
Another useful feature is the ability to have a group MMSI number. If you are traveling with a group, all boats can be
called at the same time if they are monitoring the group number. For example, some boaters from PGI use
036733950, which is compliant with the required format.
Check your VHF radio for specific instructions, and then take advantage of these great capabilities.
Don Gordon will give a presentation on Active Captain at our November meeting. Don has a lot of experience with
Active Captain and I am sure we will all benefit from his presentation.
Let’s have fun and be safe on the water.
Barnacle Phil’s Lunch Cruise
Well all you Lunch Cruise Land Lubbers, you missed a beautiful day on the water; and
what a shame. The wind was light and the water was flat (both ways). The Deborah
Drive Gang: Jim and Cyndee Grifo, Mike Lubell, and Mitch and Diana Miller, finally
got to complete a trip down to Barnacle Phil's. Upon reaching our destination, we
found that it is now Barnacle’s Island Resort. They have added all new docks, up to 40
slips, and are capable of accepting larger boats. The food was great and the
experience relaxed and comfortable. Now, with the new docks, you guys with the
larger boats can add this stop to your cruising destinations.
Click here to check out their website; it has great photos of the facilities. Try it, you’ll
like it!
Mitch Miller
NOVEMBER 2015
Page 8
Nautical Notes
If you or anyone
you know is ill
or in need of some
Sunshine,
please contact
Lynne Matthews
[email protected]
Nautical Notes, Mariners of PGI
c/o Diane Mabey
3317 Grenada Court
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
Members can have items
personalized at
Hamilton's Uniforms
3762H Tamiami Trail
Port Charlotte — 629.6868