Henk's surprise Birthday Party, Friday March 26, 2010

Dear Friends,

I thank you so much, and my wife Wenona in particular for all the work she did and white lies she and you all had to tell me, for being there and all the gifts I received.

I hope to see you soon at the lake.

Henk.

Calhoun Yacht Club Annual Spring Brunch

Calhoun Yacht Club
Annual Spring Brunch April 25, 2010

CELEBRATE THE NEW SAILING SEASON
SPRING HANDOUT AND RACING SCHEDULE!

Place: Loop Bar and Restaurant Downtown
606 Washington Ave North
Minneapolis, MN 55401

Date: Sunday April 25, 2010

Time: Breakfast Buffet 10:30am
Cost: $12.95 per person plus beverages and tip


Please RSVP by April 20, 2010 to Kathy Drozd 612-825-0312,
k-droz@umn.edu

Dear Lake Calhoun Keelboaters

With the rain and unusually warm weather it won't be long before the ice on Calhoun will bid a fond farewell and get sailors thinking about warm summer days on the lake.
We feel that the addition of the keel boaters was a great boost for the Calhoun Yacht Club and we thank you for your participation--we hope you had fun.

We were happy to see the number of boats that turned out for racing on Saturday mornings and we would love to see your ranks grow this summer.

We have scheduled three race series for keel boats that will run throughout the summer, each of which will include a traveling trophy. We've titled them the "Leadbelly," the “Partyboat,” and the “Calhoun Handicap” series. In addition, we plan to expand the number of social activities that will make you feel more attached to the club.

You are all invited to the CYC spring brunch on April 25 (more information to follow) where we will distribute the 2010 yearbook containing the 2010 race schedule. Hope to see you then!

Saving Sailing

Sailing is in trouble. The number of people sailing is down over 70% from its high in the late 1970s, and down 40% from 1997. A new book written by a midwest sailor to address this issue has taken the sailing community by storm. See a review of Saving Sailing over on CruisingLakeHarriet

Sailing in the Bahamas

Two members of the CYC (Brian Bourn and myself) just got back from an exciting sailing adventure. We spent a week in the Bahamas (New Providence, Paradise Island, Rose Island, Eleuthera) on Quintessent, a 45' yacht owned by Minnesotan Capt. Jay Luck.
We landed in Nassau on March 4th. and spent the first two nights there. We visited Paradise Island and the amazing aquarium located inside the Atlantis Hotel, had some great Bahamian food at a local restaurant, had a yoga class and an amazing vegetarian meal at the Yoga center on Paradise Island. At night we anchored Quintessent in the channel between New Providence and Paradise islands. We finally left Nassau on Saturday morning and reached Rose Island where we went snorkeling (there is a magnificent reef there), then we explored the island. Brian, Lori (the Captain's wife) and I found some coconuts and spent quite some time trying to figure out how to 'peel' them (get rid of the outer layer) - we managed to bring a few back to the boat, they were delicious! The next day we set sails to reach our first destination: Glass Window on Eleuthera - approximately 30 miles NE of Nassau. We sailed for about 3 hours with winds on the nose, tacking every half hour. We then decided to motor the rest, in order to arrive to Glass Window before dark. The next day we sailed all the way to Governor's Harbour - Eleuthera largest town. 20 miles of comfortable sailing, with winds of 10-15 knots. At some point we saw a school of dolphins and decided to get closer to them to possibly take some pictures - the gentle animals were very cooperative and decided to play under our bow for about 15 minutes: absolutely amazing! We spent the last couple of days between Governor's Harbour and Hatchet Bay that we reached after an exhilarating leg downwind. On Thursday (March 11th) we got a ride from Hatchet Bay to Eleuthera North airport where we tried the famous 'conch salad', a Bahamian specialty made with sliced raw conch marinated in pinapple and lime juice - delicious! just before catching our flight back.

Spring Buoy Drawing April 13th 2010

New Buoy Applicants / Non-Minneapolis residents
By all means, do it as soon as possible. The city uses your date of application to grant you place in your selection pool. What pool you are in mostly depends on if you are a Minneapolis resident. See the menu bar on the left for the actual link. Note that the city will charge your credit card for the full buoy price upon receipt of your application. In the event that you do not get a buoy, they will refund the same amount to your card.


Returning Minneapolis Buoy Applicants
For returning buoy holders, things are not so rushed. Just as long as you get in by April 8th, you will go into the priority pool for your lake, where actual buoy assignments are drawn by lot. That part is random, but you are assured of a buoy. One of the factors that may play into your thinking is that the city will charge your credit card as soon as you apply. Me, I'd rather keep that money in my account until April.

Safety moored on your buoy

Sorry for the shocking picture. It was chosen to drive home a point. Security is an issue on the Minneapolis lake buoys. Unlike a proper marina with gated access to the docks, our boats are moored on open water. Now that may seem very safe, but there is a parade of traffic that passes by and through them 24 hours a day. Canoes, kayaks, fishing boats, other sailboats, and even swimmers make up the mix.

This post is not designed to scare anyone off from sailing on the Minneapolis lakes. I feel that they are a wonderful, safe, and enjoyable place to keep your boat. Think about it like this: It’s the same as parking your car on a street overnight in Minneapolis. You are subject to the same risks, and you need to take the same precautions.
Leave NOTHING of value out or unlocked. This includes your trolling motor. One per year is stolen on Harriet. Really.

Lock your companionway and cockpit lockers with real locks.
If you have cockpit electronics, cover them with their plastic faceplates when leaving the boat.
Minimize valuables in your boat, or at least stow them so they cannot be seen thru your windows.
Keep lighters and matches well hidden. An easily-found lighter cost me a boat.
Consider getting an alarm. I have one.
Insure your boat. Not just for full loss, but for damage.

Most of the break-ins happen at night, or in the dawn and twilight hours. Now I know this would seem to implicate the fishermen, but that’s not my point. You just cannot expect your boat to be secure without taking some precautions. Spending time on the boat during these hours lessens the risk as well, and has other great positive side effects. Like watching the sun set!Regarding alarms, I found this unit on Amazon. It is battery powered, and has IR motion detection. The alarm sound is 130db, so it will shock anyone that comes on boat, and alert anyone nearby. I mounted mine on the front bulkhead facing the companionway. It starts to 'chirp' the moment someone steps inside the boat. It is not a perfect solution, but it should help scare off a casual break-in. I put stickers near my companionway to let potential thieves know of it's existence.

Trolling motors are a real target. If you do not lock yours down, you MUST stow it in a locked locker. Ignore this advice and your motor will be gone in a week. If your troller is a Minn-Kota you are in luck, they make a slick lock-box that covers and secures the wing-bolts that attach the motor to the mount. Small, very secure, and less than 20 bucks.

Regarding the burned boat, that is a picture of the sad remains of True Companion, the S2 7.0 meter that Sheree and I bought as a ‘good old boat’ and refitted. She was burned on her buoy on Lake Harriet in August of 2009.

The three teenage boys who swam out to her to commit the crime have never been caught. A $2500 reward is still offered for information that leads to their arrest. The image below shows their bikes in some detail. Eye witnesses said they boys were white and between 13 and 15. One of them can actually be seen on shore in the picture. If you have any information, call the Minneapolis Arson Squad at 612-673-3389. They believe the bike to be a 2007 or 2008 Raleigh brand “Retro cruiser-I” model. Note the distinctive handle bars and the green colored carrier attached to the rear seat.