|
Cat TalesMay 2003 |
Ray VanHorn, Commodore
The Flag Raising Brunch kicked off the
season. The nautical atmosphere of Koopers Tavern was an appropriate setting
for Tom Tursi's tips on offshore passage. Lot of his comments will help us as
we prepare for our Bay raft-ups.
We are pleased to welcome 18 new
members this year:
As you have the opportunity to meet them at upcoming events, take time
to update them on CCYC and share with them the sources of information we have
accumulated on caring for our Catalinas and enjoyable places to raft
up.
Captains are key to all our events. Diane Benyus and Rich Miller are
in charge of this month's Icebreaker raft-up and have planned some activities
you will want to attend. We are still have opportunities for Captains for the
Baltimore Raft-up September 13-14 and Crab Feast August 16-17. We encourage you
to host one of these events. It is a good way to help the club by assuring the
events are well planned and fun.
Have a great Sailing Season.
Diane Benyus, Ray and Lynne VanHorn, Scimitar
Come by Land
or by Sea! CCYC's 2003 Icebreaker will be held on Saturday May 17th at Quiet
Waters Park, on Harness Creek, just off the South River. We have reserved the
Dogwood Pavilion, which is conveniently located for boaters as well as
landlubbers.
The event will begin at 3:00 with Dave Astor from West
Marine who will hold an informal speaking and illustrative session. He will
talk to us about anchoring techniques, and will show us how to splice and make
our own dock lines. Bring a piece of line to practice with as he
talks.
Cocktails and munchies will start at 4:00, followed by a potluck
dinner at 5:30 PM. The Club will provide charcoal for grilling. Those attending
should bring a beverage of their choice, an hors d'oeuvre or potluck dish for
all to share. Please contact Diane Benyus via
email to let her
know what food you are bringing so we can coordinate the feast.
If you
are joining us by sea, head for the South River. Continue up the river for
about 2 ½ miles and just short of Red 10, you'll see the entrance to
Harness Creek on the north shore. After you enter the creek, you'll see Quiet
Waters Park to starboard. Look for Scimitar and hail us on VHF (Ch 72) or cell
phone (443-985-1416). We'll be standing by to assist you in joining the
raft-up. We will go ashore at 3:00 but you can still hail or call us if you
arrive after that. We will make special arrangements with the folks at the boat
rental dock to tie up a dinghy. We won't abuse the privilege, so we will use
dinghies to ferry folks and try to keep only one dinghy at a time at the
dock.
To get to Quiet Waters Park by land, take Exit 22 (Route 665/Aris
T. Allen Blvd) from US-50 in Annapolis. Stay on Rt. 665 as it merges with
Forest Drive for 2 miles. Turn right at the Exxon Station onto Hillsmere Drive.
The park entrance is 100 yards on the right hand side. Inside the park, stay on
the road until past the White Oak Pavilion and look for parking lot "I" and the
Dogwood Pavilion. Park in lot "I" and join everyone at the Dogwood
Pavilion.
The park is open from 7:00 AM to dusk and we have the pavilion
starting at noon, so you can use it if you want to enjoy the park before the
Icebreaker starts. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Rich and Clair Miller, Exploring the Blue
Rich and Claire
Miller will be heaving to in the Corsica River to host this year's Memorial Day
Weekend raft-up. The festivities will span the weekend beginning on Saturday,
May 24th, breaking up on Monday, May 26th. Since Memorial Day is traditionally
about all-American events, please bring your red, white and blue and your
favorite all-American foods for grilling, cooking and sharing as we have a
boat-to-boat dinner that evening. We will begin with happy hour on Saturday
around 4:00 PM and continue with dinner around 5:30 PM.
The weekend
features the Chestertown Tea Party, a weekend-long event celebrating colonial
resistance to British rule. The re-enactment of the dumping of British tea on
May 23, 1774, in the Chester River is scheduled for 2:00pm. Over 100 craft
experts -- from blacksmiths and candlemakers to weavers and woodworkers -- will
present their skills and wares. Food booths will offer a wide variety of
Eastern Shore delicacies such as Maryland crab cakes, barbeque, fish, clams,
hamburgers, hot dogs, funnel cakes, beer and gentler beverages. All Festival
events take place along the Chester River and in the historic district of
18th-century Chestertown. There is no admission charge to the Festival. We will
be coordinating a trip to Chestertown aboard one boat for those who wish to
visit the festival. More information about the Tea Party can be obtained at
http://www.chestertownteaparty.com.
The
Corsica is located approximately 7 miles north of the north end of the Kent
Narrows Channel in the Chester River. It is a quiet, rural setting surrounded
by trees and soy bean fields with a few houses dotting the shoreline. The
entrance is marked by a green-and-red nun "CR" in the middle of the Chester.
Pass it on either side and head directly for red nun "2" inside the Corsica.
You should have depths of 8 feet or more heading into the entrance, and 10 to
15 feet once inside. We have several options for anchoring locations depending
on the weather and wind conditions. Two of the most popular spots are Middle
Quarter Cove to starboard just beyond red nun "2" and Emory Creek/Wash Point
about 1/2 mile upriver. Once you are inside the river, hail Exploring the Blue
on channel 72, and we will provide you with instructions on how to join the
raft-up.
On Sunday morning, we will break up the raft and ahead back
down the Chester and across the bay toward the Magothy River. Our destination
will be Purdy Point at the top of Gibson Island. The entrance to the Magothy is
almost due west of the Baltimore Light, and it is marked by a green beacon on a
large set of wooden pilings. Navigate through the channel into the river, and
once inside the river past green can "5" turn to starboard. Head roughly
northward, keeping the western side of Gibson Island to starboard and
Dutchman's Island (where the party boats will be) to your port. At the top of
Gibson Island, follow green "3" and red "4" through the Magothy Narrows past
Holland Point on your starboard side. The next point to starboard is Purdy
Point. We will throw the hook over off Purdy Point before reaching the Gibson
Island Yacht Club. We look forward to seeing you there!
You don't want to get too close to any military vessel while out on the Bay. The Coast Guard has issued a 100-yard approach and 500 yard minimum speed warning applicable for all U.S. naval vessels. What this means is that you must not get within 100 yards without first contacting the vessel or its escort and then only if necessary to safely pass. Also, within 500 yards (about a quarter of a mile) of a military vessel, you must operate at minimum speeds. Don't make the men standing watch nervous by approaching too quickly or getting too close. Violating the protection zone is a felony and due to the earlier sinking of the Cole, as well as other recent events, it's a good idea not to intrude on the space of a heavily armed ship.
Do you have your CCYC burgee? It's a must to fly from your spreader halyard while at a raft-up. It's a quick and easy way to recognize fellow CCYC member boats when out on the Bay. Our treasurer, Diane Benyus, still has some available at $25 each. You can let her know you want yours at the next event or contact her by email or by phone at 443-482-9553.
Ed Note: I received this email and pass it
along:
I am writing to you from the Girl Scout Council of the
Nation's Capital. During the summer we operate three resident camps and we hire
over 100 seasonal staff. We have a very unique "teen scout" all-girl aquatic
based program where we offer sailing, kayaking, windsurfing and canoeing
programs.
As you might imagine it is sometimes difficult for us to hire
qualified sailing instructors to run our programs. Which brings me to the
purpose of this email. I realize this may be a bit of an unusual request but I
would greatly appreciate it if you could look at the web site
http://www.gscnc.org/camping/ resident/ and review the list of our employment
opportunities. Someone in your organization might be interested in summer
employment with our council.
Denise Viau
Camping Services
Manager
Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital
4301 Connecticut Ave
NW
Washington, DC 20008
202 237-1670/ 1 800 523-7898 ext 208
Fax 202
274-2161
dviau@gscnc.org