April - Lake Guntersville Sailing Club

APRIL 2010
www.lakeguntersvillesailingclub.com
Well the weather has finally warmed up and we are getting out on the lake again. Seems like there is wind
during the week and nothing for the races on the weekend. We were out twice last week and again this
week but the weekends were blah but warm. A lot of stuff going on this month. First and foremost is the
Guntersville Cup the 20th Annual! Even if you have never raced before come on and do it. Dick has a
novice class and everybody will make it as easy as possible. If you simply hate racing come have dinner
with us on Saturday night and enjoy the awards ceremony and excellent dinner. It’s always a great event.
And usually worth the Race Chairman’s sometimes rather amusing comments.
I heard from the Zannis and from George and Trish Brown who helped them bring their Pearson 365 ketch
from Charleston to Daytona Beach. Seventy two hours of wind on the nose. George said he now really
understands the word “beating” because they got pretty beat up facing the big waves and 12 to 20 knots on
the nose. The plan was for Melissa to take the boat on through the Canal to Naples and then bring it up to
Mobile around the first of May. I understand that plan may be on hold as they have a potential buyer for
the boat.
We had a pretty good turnout for the Pot Luck supper last Saturday. I couldn’t stay due to some commitments but I understand there were about 28 people. A lot more down at the marina. Amy was to have
presented a talk and illustrated powerpoint presentation on Sail Trim but the projector would never work
right. I opt to spend some of that money Keith is talking about for a really big screen TV. The new ones
allow really easy access to slide shows and presentations and of course movies.
Last week we were out with really nice winds and saw James Wescott and John Marsh out on Jame’s big
green Hans Christian. A pretty sight under sail. A few minor catastrophes last week. Two boats aground
over by the islands and one interesting rescue of sorts. Quill and Larry B took the Gulf pilothouse out to
tow a boat in that wouldn’t start only to have the engine fail due to a clogged fuel line. They had to sail the
Gulf back into the slip and Larry told me he now knows what a Dog House reach means.
And how about Clark and Beth Mason! They took their brand new Capri 22 out last weekend and really
did well in the two races Saturday and Sunday in very light winds. Congratulations and hold on tight when
the wind comes up.
I’ve had several interesting suggestions and lot’s of information from everybody. Keep them coming.
And I still want to hear your sailing biographies. Running out of Mutt of the month pictures.
One suggestion I got was from two new members who suggested a paperback exchange in the
Club house. I’m into that. I’ll contribute three of my own books to get it started. Keep them over in the
library section. For those of you who don’t know it we have a pretty interesting library of sailing books in
the clubhouse over in the rear South East corner. Behind the display with the map of the lake.
From Dick and Cindy Grimes, new residents in slip c-35
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APRIL 2010
www.lakeguntersvillesailingclub.com
We’re new owners & members (Hunter 320, slip C-35) and are enjoying every aspect
of the club, marina, and community.
An idea we had was for a ‘paperback exchange’ somewhere in the club house
where members can bring paperbacks they’ve read and exchange them for some
they haven’t. Since they’re all used paperbacks and have no great value, it won’t
need someone to organize or monitor it - just a place where they can be dropped off
so people can browse for title that interest them.
Cindy & Dick Grimes
Birmingham, AL
We also have some videos in the cabinet. I believe there is one of the Guntersville Cup 09, a great one of
Dan Plank’s trip up the Tom Bigbee with his Hunter and I think there’s a copy of Morning Light thanks
to Amy. I put a video of the Colgate 26, North U Spinnaker course, and a Steve Colgate Learn to Sail
video in the collection. They all seem to be “OUT” so please return them to the clubhouse when you are
finished.
Now I promised sort of I wouldn’t discuss Prismatic Coefficients any more. But I thought this rather
definitive statement by none other than Gentleman Bill Crealock, the designer of the great Pacific Seacraft
boats and many, many, other wonderful cruising boats, was worth quoting. It’s from an article on the perfect long range cruising boat.
“Displacements and measurements by themselves mean little. I recall a friend who used to
boast that his girlfriend had the same displacement and leading dimensions as Marilyn Monroe.
And no doubt she had, but one had only to see them both under short canvas to realize that there
had been some subtle rearrangement of the prismatic and block coefficients.”
There are some other gems in this article as well. Such as you can’t put a camper body on a Ferrari and
expect to have a live aboard sport’s car. He also has a wonderful observation about the strength of ocean
going voyagers.
“Most boats will survive 99 percent of the hazards of the sea--for the boat usually outlasts the man.
But then if you fall from a tenth story window you’ll be in pretty good shape for 99 percent of the
way; it is that last 1 percent which may have you worried.”
And one last little tidbit when discussing hull shapes and sheer lines.
“I suspect that the reverse sheer is the most efficient for a cruiser, providing as it does freeboard
and space where it is most useful, in the shoulders, rather than the bow. But, then, a female
weight lifter with a degree in economics would probably make the most efficient wife. Perhaps
in some matters one must also let emotion rule and I chose the conventional sheer.”
Amen to that although I sort of like that notion of a weight lifter with a degree in economics.
APRIL 2010
www.lakeguntersvillesailingclub.com
AND THIS JUST IN!
Saturday’s race turned out to be quite a spectator event. We watched from the rear. It was supposed to be
out of the North, North East, at 8-10 and as we started it was from the North at 3.2 on my windspeed indicator. Pursuit format. So by the time Amy, Keith, and I started the wind was from the SOUTH at about 1.5.
The boats that started first were able to hold that position. BUT WAIT. The wind came up about half way up
to the mark and continued to build from the North to North East and by the time we finished it was blowing
a steady 16 with gusts to 21. Being the last boat Judith and I benefited from the increasing wind as it came
down the lake and got within about 20’ of Keith when they caught it and pulled away. We watched quite a
duel between Amy and Keith as she first tried to go up and pass him on a lift but Beverly was having none
of that so Amy tried to go down under them but didn’t have the boat speed to pull it off. They went at it for
a good half a mile and it was quite a show. Way up ahead the lead kept changing between John Marsh on
Quill’s 28.5 and Ed and Connie Miller on their 28.5. The last I saw was John Marsh passing Ed and Connie but with Rich and Val Mason on Escape putting the pressure on Ed and Connie. Don’t know the final
outcome. Bea and Allison sailed very well until they had some sort of problem with a jib sheet. Don’t know
what it was. But everybody in front of us sailed well. Rob Chamblee had his Cat 30 moving very well. It
was great to watch and just a whole lot of fun in real wind. Just wish we had been a little faster.
What is very encouraging is that the overall skill level in our little races has continued to improve. Nearly
everybody is sailing well and it makes for a lot of interesting comparisons out on the lake. We certainly
enjoyed watching the show in front of us. Sorry we didn’t have a camera.
Sunday’s race was sailed under perfect conditions. Crystal clear blue skies, white caps with the wind blowing about 12 to 15. The only problem was it also blew from all different directions. Just constant 10 to 30
degree shifts often on the gusts. Made for demanding sailing and you had to be on your toes. A really beautiful day.
Apparently quite a few people rafted up in Short Creek for the night on Saturday and had a pretty rock and
roll night. On the way back to the marina John and Linda Frost’s Cat 320, Kokomo, began taking on
water. The pump couldn’t keep up with it and it was pretty tense. The top of the seacock came off. John
was able to force it back down and tape it and slow the water down but they were very worried they might
not make the marina where Quill had the crane waiting. It’s extremely fortunate it happened while they were
on the boat and not at the dock while they were away. Not wanting to sound too alarmist I have to admit
I would not want a plastic seacock on a boat. When I went looking for the particular part to see if I could
maybe help out I found some disturbing information. First of all there are only two of the plastic seacocks
that have a UL marine listing. The RC made one and the Deland which is the one that failed on John’s boat.
Most boats use the Forespar models and apparently they are not listed. Now I realize that a plastic seacock is
about $50 and a bronze one is about $200.....BUT! When searching for information I came across a warning
on BOAT US about plastic seacocks and thruhulls. Then when I started to really dig I found a lot of survey
reports and insurance investigations that tied sinkings to the through hulls or seacocks.
CHECK YOUR’S. And if you leave your boat for a very long time it’s best to shut them off. If they are
frozen or won’t turn it’s time to do something about them. The way most of the bronze seacocks are made
it would be nearly impossible for the top to come off. This plastic one on John’s boat just popped right off.
Pretty scary. I don’t even have a knot meter on the Colgate because I can’t bear the idea of putting a hole
in the bottom and have to rely on the GPS which doesn’t give accurate through the water speed. But I also
don’t have to worry about it. This should be a good warning to CHECK YOUR SEA COCKS or in many
cases just a ball valve. Make sure the handles are on and they operate correctly. And double check the hoses
while you are at it.
APRIL 2010
www.lakeguntersvillesailingclub.com
Guntersville Cup Sponsors
These are the kind people who have contributed to the Guntersville Cup. You might not know it but quite a
majority of our funding comes from the CUP. We don’t have dues or fees. And all the club’s activities are
pretty much funded by this one big event. Please do shop our sponsors and be sure and tell them you appreciate their help. Otherwise they won’t even know. Sterling.
PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
Boat Docktors
MAJOR SPONSORS
Gander Mountain
Guntersville Chamber of Commerce
Hampton Cove Animal Hospital
Holiday Inn – Guntersville
Lake Guntersville B&B
Rooke Sails
Schurr Sails
Strickland Marine
OTHER SPONSORS
Applebee’s Restaurant
Crawmamma’s Restaurant
Dairy Queen
Ed Miller
Generations Footwear
Gunters Landing
Lakeside Pure Gas Station
Med Concepts, LLC
Mike Loggins
Nationwide Insurance
O’Charlie’s Restaurant
Papa Dubi’s
Rock House Eatery
Piggly Wiggly
Teresa’s Mexican Restaurant
Valley Auto
Vicki Hicks
Walmart
Waffle House
Wendy’s Restaurant
Werners Trading Company
West Marine
APRIL 2010
www.lakeguntersvillesailingclub.com
Commodore April 2010
Looks like spring has finally come! After all the rain and cool weather it is about time that Mother Nature
let us get out and enjoy our sport and our Lake! To me what is comical is that the weather stations are talking about how dry it has been!!! Are you kidding!! My yard is still a mush pit and the lake had remained
fairly high for as long as I can remember. The good news is high cloudy water means less weeds. That
will be a good thing.
Club activities age getting into full swing. The Guntersville Cup is our big kick off to a hopefully great
sailing season. Though May and June we have several raft ups, some moon light cruises, a fun race to the
State Park with dinner at the lodge and docking at the City Docks for the 4th. All that along with great
meals at the club house, some interesting sailing seminars and of course a very active “fun” racing program. Sterling covers it all in the Binnacle. Check the website for details.
On a more serious note. The principle function of the Board of Directors is to plan and execute the social
activities of the club. Fortunately, we have been reasonably successful in the past four to five years and in
the process have accumulated a comfortable bank account. Then comes the question of what to do with the
funds. In that discussion we have to remember that we have a unique club structure and relationship with
the Marina. Since the use of all facilities are “free” to all dock renters and they are all automatically members of the “club” we have no fixed expenses and no fixed income. Therefore, in any discussion of “what
to do with the money” we try to avoid committing the Club to fixed on going expenses. Hence, subscribing
to Direct TV, internet services, etc. obligates the club to an ongoing expense that we cannot guarantee the
income to support.
This also makes physical improvements to the facilities an interesting discussion. The Marina owns all
of the fixed assets so fixed improvements become a difficult proposition as well. We have purchased the
microwave oven, TV stand and miscellaneous items to support the racing program. These are portable or
saleable assets.
Finally, the discussion turns to purchasing small sail boats for club members to use or a pontoon boat for
use buy the race program. Again, we find difficulty in that we are not an “official” entity that can register
boats or insure them for general use.
My point here is that we have a bit of a dilemma. We feel we have money to spend but not many good
ideas on what to do with it. An obvious move is to do nothing, saving it for a time when fund raising
diminishes and the funds are used to just support some of our break even to loosing social functions and
general club operating expenses. But that depends on the membership. If we have the confidence that we
will remain strong and continue to be able to raise funds we should find some worthy investments to make
coming to the lake more fun. We are looking for ideas. So if you have some please let us know!!
Club Burgee Available. Show your colors. Very nicely
made. $25
See Beverly Kuhlman
APRIL 2010
www.lakeguntersvillesailingclub.com
The weather still hasn't been very cooperative for our racing events. But this past weekend we managed to
get out on both Saturday and Sunday and enjoy the great weather and light winds. Fleet Captain Dick Potter,
with spouse Sylvia's assistance, ran an awesome buoy race on Saturday, April 10th. About seven boats raced
up river this time and did two laps. Fleet Willoughby and his motorcycle crew finished first in that race with
a fantastic showing in Kamikaze. Clark and Beth Mason had a great weekend in their new (to them) Capri
22. They finished 2nd in Saturday's buoy race and 1st in Sunday's Fun Race. For those of you that couldn't
make the race on Sunday, you're in luck. You still have a chance to participate in the World Famous LGSC
Team Racing Challenge. Since the winds last Sunday were so light, the Fleet Captain decided to postpone the
Team Race. Instead, we had a nice, leisurely pursuit race up the slough, starting just East of the marina and
sailing almost to Siebold Light and back. Once again, Clark and Beth trounced everyone in their Capri 22.
Once again, I encourage everybody who's interested to come out for a race. You DON'T need experience.
We'll point you in the right direction! If you don't want to take your own boat out, show up at the Skipper's
Meeting. The meetings always start at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday of any race day. Usually there are
skippers that need crew or that would be more than happy to have additional crew, so come on out!
AMY
From the Fleet Captain, Racing
The weather just won’t seem to concentrate. Last Sunday, we had planned a Team Race but the wind just didn’t
want to blow so we substituted an Additional Pursuit Race in the inlet. It took the winner (Clark Mason in his
new Capri 22 Tall) 1 hour 30 minutes to get from the first set of Channel buoys just outside the Marina to the
Seibold Light Green Channel Buoy and back. The last boat in, your truly in Pabt Two, my Compac Eclipse,
2 hour and 3 minutes, even though I avoided the dead area (and I mean dead given the wind never got above
2 mph) off the tip of Buck Island. The Team Race will be scheduled for later in June on one of the Make-Up
days provided in the Calendar. And by then, I hope to have a suitable trophy set up for what may become a
continuing Fun Race.
By the way, for all those who may wonder about my boat’s name – “Pabt Two” is an abbreviation for “Pottering
About, Two” this being the second boat we have owned with this name and it had to be shortened as it would be
much too long to put on the side of a 20-ft hull.
Next weekend, April 23/24 sees the Guntersville Cup and, as of writing, I have 20 entries with several others
promised. The Non-Spinnaker Boats will be divided into two fleets – the first for the Hotshots and the second
for the Novices and less experienced skippers. Prizes will be awarded in all three fleets. It promises to be a
great even so lets see you all out and at the dinner and festivities afterwards on Saturday evening.
After that we continue with the regular Saturday Buoy Racing and Sunday Pursuit Racing. Two special events
coming up later this Spring (Summer) are The Race to the State Park with Dinner afterwards at the Lodge and a
Moonlight Regatta on June 26 when we will start in the light and finish by the Fill Moon’s light.
Dick Potter
Hey everybody. Dick Potter is Fleet Captain, Racing and Amy is Vice Commodore Sailing. Sorry about that
and I’ll get the graphics corrected next month. Sterling
APRIL 2010
www.lakeguntersvillesailingclub.com
I thought it might be helpful to everybody who is from out of town to list some of the places locally you
can obtain supplies and odds and ends.
Diesel Fuel
Lakeside Pure (about a mile north) They sell a lot of diesel so it should be fresh
Alreds Marina
Honeycomb BP
Stainless Fasteners
Bragg Ace Hardware (up to 5/16”) On Blount Avenue
Lowes Hwy 431 Top of the Mountain
Fastenal Next to Lowes
Stainless and 6061 T aluminum
Fastenal (They carry small sizes of both up to 1/4” in various flat sizes)
Engine and electrical
Valley Auto Electric (On Hwy 69 between Sunset and 431)
They carry a complete line of Marine Batteries including gel type, all manner of
engine parts (they can order about anything) pumps, pump impellers, etc. They
also know where to get stuff they don’t have.)
Guntersville Boat Mart Hwy 69
They have a lot of Mercury and Yamaha parts including fuel lines and this
and that. Open until noon on Saturday
Bragg’s Ace Hardware (electrical wire, crimp fittings, No Marine wire)
Boating accessories
Wal Mart Hwy 431 (not too much. Life jackets, fuel tanks, odds and ends
Alred’s Marina. A ship’s store with various stuff, very expensive
Lowes They have some shackles both SS and Galvanized some various
snaps and stuff and a very low grade Polyester braid and some nylon cordage.
Guntersville Boat Mart. (a very rudimentary ships store)
Bragg’s Ace Hardware (very minimal boating section)
Paint, Varnish, brushes, abrasives
Valley Auto Electric for abrasives
Lowes has abrasives, brushes (including some very good brushes) some Marine
enamels, varnish, stains, etc.
Bragg’s Ace Hardware Brushes, Varnish, abrasives, and many hard to find things
like oxalic accid, outdoor bleach, Softscrub, and pesticides
Lumber and Plywood
Scottsboro Hardwoods Scottsboro (about the only place to get anything decent even Fir
plywood is not available around here. Teak, maghogny, plywoods, and other hardwoods.
APRIL 2010
www.lakeguntersvillesailingclub.com
DOGS OF THE MONTH
These are real sea going dogs. They
cruised with Randy and Jaquelyn Williams on their lovely Island Packet
Tenacious all over the Gulf and Carribean. Not sure what the three are
watching on the left. I know the
smooth haired DOXIE is LORD NELSON
and I believe one of the others is ORPHAN ANNIE But not sure of the third.
Sorry about that. I’m sure Randy will
let me know.
Randy says
this picture
is of Dinner
being prepared.
APRIL 2010
www.lakeguntersvillesailingclub.com
High Tech Stuff. This is a link to a really good KQED TV presentation on the PHYSICS OF SAILING.
Worth watching.
http://www.kqed.org/quest/television/the-physics-of-sailing
Some Moments from the 2009 Guntersville CUp.
Top left Charlie and Deanna as the wind carried
them to a Podium Finish in A Fleet.
Milling about before the start in NO WIND.
Bottom Toni Martin Showing off his tiller.
Below John Marsh and Comprador
Bottom Right Wayne Blaxton and his Hunter 34
APRIL 2010
www.lakeguntersvillesailingclub.com
Dock Master
Quill Briggs
256-652-0916
Call Quill with Billing
Issues and any facilities
issues.
Quill’s Dock Boys eagerly await to help with your every need.
Dock Boy. Thanks to John for the picture
BOATDOCKTORS
Bottom Painting
Blister Repair
Haul Outs Rigging
Brokerage
Call Quill Briggs To BUY or SELL a boat
256-652-0916
Alabama Marine Police
256-582-1099
vhf channel 16
Please MAke payments to
LAKE GUNTERSVILLE RESORTS
105-A locust street
Gadsden alabama 35901