77 Years And Sailing Strong Commodore Tom's Comments Thank you to everybody that was able to attend our General Membership Meeting on March 27th. Our board members presented their plans for 2015, and we voted on, and approved, our budget. Once again, we were able to avoid raising our dues. Thanks to our members that work hard to keep our costs down that made this possible. The meeting's presentation can be found on our website. We have already had our first work party, which was well attended. We were able to get our docks assembled, the canopy installed, some early season cleanup completed, some new planter boxes built to replace the flower pots under the canopy, and the entrance ramp to the clubhouse was rebuilt. Thank you to all that were able to help. Please be sure to fill out the sheet in the clubhouse to track your time when you are volunteering for the club. We want to ensure everybody gets the credit for their time worked. May 2015 Calendar Highlights: Saturday May 2nd 6 PM, New Member's Party at the Clubhouse th Saturday May 9 9 AM, boat launching Thursday May 14th 6:30 PM Fleet meeting / race clinic Saturday May 16th 9 AM Work party #2 Sunday May 17th 1 PM Spring Race #1 & 2 Sunday May 24th 1 PM Spring Race #3 &4 Monday May 25th 12 noon, Memorial Day Picnic! For updates: http://www.cycsail.org/calendar/calendar.html Also Page 2: Race Committee Update, Treasurer News Page 3: New Members, Garden Club, Sea-Legs Page 4: New Members Party, Lobster Fest Page 5: Work Party Photos Page 6: Memorial Day Picnic Flier Page 7: Introduction To Sailing Program End Page: Heavy Dock Work I attended the CLA's "State of the Lake" meeting last month. One of the main topics of discussion was the introduction of sterile Triploid Grass Carp to the lake. They have cleared the legal hurdles and are hoping to beging stocking the lake some time in May. The DEEP is holding a meeting on this topic on April 29th at 7:00 pm at WCSU. They are planning on adding 4,000 fish throughout the lake. One of the possible stocking locations is in Turtle Bay. Other locations that have used these fish have had very positive results. Our New Member's Party on May 2nd. One week later on May 9th, we will hold our annual boat launching party. May 16th is our second work party, and on the 25th is our Memorial Day picnic. There are also 3 race dates scheduled for May, plus a race clinic which is a great way to get more information on how our racing works. Bob McCorkle scores the first sail of the season News from your Race Committee: It’s starting to finally feel like spring is finally coming! The clocks have changed, last of the snow is just about gone, longer days of sunlight and the docks are in the water. This adds up to sailing season is just around the bend! If you’re like me, you’re itching to get that boat unwrapped, prepped and in the water and go sailing!! Preparation and going through your boat is important before launching. Check your rigging, especially your standing rigging. Nothing is worse to come to the club one sunny afternoon to go for a sail and find your mast in the water due to a broken or worn fitting. A few minutes to check goes a long way for a great sailing season. This also applies to your trailer. Check those tires for dry rot and when was the last time you changed and/or greased those bearings. Imagine being on the side of the road trying to fix it. No fun at all! Also check all your safety gear, i.e. life jackets, whistles/horns, navigational lights, anchor, etc. While you’re at it, check your sails, running rigging too! Now that it is all done, check the calendar at the CYC website for events to go out and sail/race. We’ve have a full calendar of events for you this season. It covers everything from youth sailing to major events such as the Flying Scot Greater New York Districts in conjunction with Punzi Memorial in late August! This year we have brought back Moonlight Sails. The three Friday evenings which are nearest to a full moon have been selected. There is the Wednesday Night race series too. One more thing to remember! If you are racing this season and want to qualify, you need to do at least one afternoon/evening on Race Committee. Without someone doing Race Committee, we can’t have races. The Race Committee Schedule/sign ups are up online. Already know dates that you want, email me at race@cycsail.org and let me know. Serving as RC gives you points towards the required points you need each year. Please have at least one other person on RC with you and that you have the CT Safe Boating Certificate. Without it, you cannot operate the Committee Boat and we will need to have one steward on the RC boat with you. Don’t have your certificate, go online and find a course! They’re out there and sign up We saw the following on the Flying Scot Forum and want to share it with you. Scott Mauney, a Flying Scot sailor in Texas wrote: “Fast Boats vs Slow Boats: An A kite is not always faster than a symmetrical chute - overall, weight is the most important factor. All else equal the lighter the boat the faster it will go, and the faster it will depreciate and be subject to damage under normal wear and tear. The best sailors in the world sail slower boats on a regular basis: Ben Ainslie - Lasers and Finns. Paul Foerster - Sunfish, Jeff and Amy Linton - a Flying Scot. I have nothing against high dollar carbon fiber boats: However, the type of boat you sail will not make you a better sailor. Sailing an affordable long lasting boat against great sailors will win this race.” I think it hit the nail on the head! Most of us fall in the category of “slow” boats. Point being is that just getting out on the water and sail should be exciting and rewarding. I always emphasize on one three letter word: FUN! If you are not having fun, change something. Whether it’s an attitude adjustment, stop worrying about the other guy and sail your own boat. If that doesn’t work, talk with others and see what they’re doing. Most importantly, get out and sail! Whether you’re a racer or a recreational sailor, experience the sense of being in another world free from the daily hectic routine of life! See y’all soon on the water! Mark Riefenhauser A Message from your Treasurer... On Jan 31, 2015, everyone was sent via USPS an invoice for his or her annual membership fees. If you did not receive yours or want a replacement, please send me a note to treasurer@cycsail.org. Half of your total fees are due by April 30th. Please help us volunteers, if you haven't already, by sending in your check the address on your invoice. The balance is due no later than June 30th. Many members have already paid in full. If you want to change your status, or even just considering it, please send a note to membership@cycsail.com. Jeff Ginsburg, CYC Treasurer, ph. 860-354-4106 New Members Fred and Susan King have just been voted in as new members. They live in Brewster, NY. The family includes 4 adult children: Adriene, Julia, Joshua, and Emily. The Kings sail a 1980 O'Day 22. The New Member's party is at the clubhouse on Saturday evening, May 2nd at 6 PM. This would be an excellent time to meet the new members as well as mingle with old friends. Other opportunities to meet the new members are the work parties and launch day on Saturday May 9th. Garden Committee We have established a committee to plant and maintain the garden beds and flower pots on the CYC property. Our first meeting was the day of the last work party. Present were Diane Kopta, Carol Beerbaum, Vikki Shantz, Fran Kirk, Rosalie Seidt and Barbara Lobeck. Clearing of all the beds and raking the lawn were completed, down to the area of the stored boats. Once the lawn is free, we’ll complete the clean up. We also had a meeting to discuss planting bushes, plants and flowers in the two beds along the clubhouse (East and South sides) and the 7 flower pots along the picnic tables. This will involve first amending the soil, planting and then continued weeding and watering throughout the season to maintain the health and beauty of all. We decided to restart the “Adopt a Pot” program which was established years ago. We’re asking for 7 volunteers, who would each like to adopt one pot and plant it with colorful annuals. The “new” pots, with wooden boxes constructed for support and appearance, are already cleaned of last year’s plantings (thanks Denise) and will already be prepared with healthy soil prior to your planting. There will be a contest and the first place winner will receive an amazing prize! We welcome any suggestions about our gardens, and plan regular newsletter updates. - Barbara Lobeck Sea -Legs Event Vikki has told us about this event and the organization that is sponsoring it: “This is the non-profit sailing organization that I bought my boat from a few years ago. Their purpose is to expose boys, girls and young adults to the maritime experience through different programs. Donations of boats and sailing equipment help fund the organization. They are also having an event coming up soon that CYC members might be interested in attending.” Please visit www.sea-legs.org and buy a ticket or two for our annual event: Celebrity Night. This is the only notice you'll be getting, and the event is on Thursday, April 30. We will he honoring Rod Johnstone, this year's celebrity guest. Rod will discuss boat design CYC Memorial Day Picnic Monday May 25th 12 Noon til 5 PM At the Club Hot dogs, Hamburgers, Chicken & Steak will be grilled by our chefs extraordinaire Your requirement, other than paying, is to bring a side dish as well as An appetizer (A-L) or A Dessert (M-Z) Cost: We have a new fee structure for our picnics this year. Children 5 and under are free $6.00 for ages 6-12. $12.00 for children over 12 and adults that will not be drinking alcohol $17.00 for those adults that will be enjoying our libations Beef from Argentina? Candlewood Yacht Club 1 Brush Hill Rd., Suite 202 New Fairfield, CT 06812 Website: www.cycsail.org Sail Loft Telephone: 203-746-9303 Flying Scot Fleet 0024 COMMODORE VICE COMMODORE Tom Mullen 860-354-0467 Greg Northrop 845-528-4528 REAR COMMODORE TREASURER Andrew Edwards 914-864-1263 Jeff Ginsburg 860-354-4106 SECRETARY PAST COMMODORE Suzie Blanch 719-660-5437 John Pawlowski 845-279-0901 PROPERTY CHAIRMAN Joe McCarthy 203-775-6975 Don O'Keefe 203-775-542 MEMBERSHIP Jeff & Fran Kirk 860-355-1367 RACE CHAIRMAN SOCIAL COMMITTE Mark Reifenhauser 203-267-5371 Jen, Nino Corbo 203-798-0110 Dave Irving 203-304-8017 James DeRosa / Stewart Anderson 860-354-6321 Heavy Dock Work Eb Lobeck photo