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Cat TalesApril 2004 |
Rich Miller, Commodore
Every spring, Claire and I talk about what
we want to accomplish with our sailing season. We try to identify a number of
goals that we can look back on at the end of the year to measure how far we
have come. When we were first getting started, our goals were simple and
realistic for the amount of experience we had: anchor out overnight, take a
long weekend trip, do more of our own maintenance work or an enhancement
project. Each year brought a new set of goals, and we began to extend our range
and build a history. Even though we have been sailing for about ten years now,
I feel like we still have a long way to go before we can feel truly
"experienced."
Taking part in the conversations and listening to the
discussion with the speaker at this year's Flag Raising brunch, I began to
really understand what a great diversity of experience and knowledge we have in
our club and what an asset we can be to each other. Some of you may be moving
into your first boats and are looking for guidance from more experienced hands.
Others of you may have been sailing for years, but you may be looking for new
goals of your own. As we move through this sailing season together, I would
encourage all of you to use some of the time we have together at our events to
share your knowledge and your sailing adventures with your raft mates. Let's
try to incorporate a formal learning experience into each of our raft-up events
in addition to the social time. Aside from being on the water and learning by
doing, it is our best opportunity to grow as sailors and take advantage of one
of the great assets of being a club. Speaking of the Flag Raising, hats off to
everyone who made the day a success: Al Lohman for pulling a great event
together and coming up with the innovative meal-ordering system (patent
pending), Mike Davis for his entertaining and informative multimedia slide show
("DJ Mike" is rumored to be putting together a CD of CCYC web site music), and
all of you who found your way to Pirate's Cove to join us.
Some
interesting ideas came to light at the brunch. Sue and Walt Dennison have
suggested that we rename the Flag Raising brunch to something more appropriate
since we don't really raise a flag at the event. Their suggestion was to follow
an old Eastport tradition and have the "Burning of the Socks." Apparently real
sailors take their socks off in the spring and have no other use for them until
the following winter! I think I have some socks that Claire would happily let
me burn, but please let us know what you think of the idea as we plan for next
year. You can always call or send any of the officers an e-mail or use the
survey form that Al made. A copy is included in this newsletter.
That's
all for now. We'll see you at the Ice Breaker. Smooth sailing!
Bernard and Jennifer Poppert, Aire~Borne
Come by Land or
by Sea! CCYC's 2004 Icebreaker will be held on Saturday May 1st 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.
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, and hors d'oeuvre or potluck
dish for all to share. Please contact Bernard Poppert via email
(blpjr20772@yahoo.com) to let him 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 Aire~Borne
and hail us on VHF (Ch 72) or cell phone (202-253-3459). 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!
CCYC has registered its logo with the Lands' End Company, so now you can
order shirts, shorts, sweaters, jackets, towels, bags, caps,...lots of nice
things... and show your club pride. The logo fee per item is $11.50. However,
if the order is for six items of the same product category, then the logo fee
is only $5.50 per item!
Of course, you can order on your own at any
time, but CCYC has set up a process so we can combine individual orders and
save you money!
Log on to our web site and go to the Reference page.
There you will see a selection for "Lands' End" and that will take you to the
instructions on how to choose what you want and how to request it.
When
there are at least six (6) requests in a product category, the club will
confirm everyone's request, place the order and remove the articles from the
list. When the order arrives (it takes about 2 weeks), you will be notified and
arrangements made to pick-up and pay for your part.