Newsletter
July 2005

From the Bridge…
…a word from the Commodore

I hope all you sailors are enjoying the summer season so far. With any luck you've had a chance to get some sailing in on one of those days when the temperatures were moderate and the breezes fair.

I want to send a huge thanks to Ray Grossmann for putting on another great On-the-Water Boat Show this year. The weather was about as bad as it gets on Saturday of the show, but Sunday rebounded nicely and there was plenty of foot traffic to keep the boat dealers very busy. As usual, Ray did an outstanding job getting the show organized and keeping the dealers happy. Thanks also to those of you that helped with concessions.

I hope you'll take the time to read all the articles in this month's newsletter. You'll find important information about our upcoming schedule, using the Sunfish, and our young sailors.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. Now, everybody go sailing!

Pearson Buell
Commodore

From the Poop Deck…
…a word from the Junior Commodore

Hey fellow Junior Sailors! By the time you read this I'll probably be on my way to Lewes, Delaware to race in the North American Sunfish Championships. While I know that I'll probably bring up the rear of the fleet, I figure I can't get any better if I don't sail against the best. For those of you that have raced before, keep this philosophy in mind when the next out-of-town regatta comes along. It's a lot of fun to race against good sailors, even when you don't win. For those of you that have never raced, what are you waiting for? Your sailing will really improve if you race. Don't worry about how you finish, just try to get better. As for my trip to the North Americans, I'm more worried about sharks than I am about losing.

We are planning a Pirate Party on August 13, beginning at noon. Get a parrot, varnish your peg leg, and get ready to search the little lake for pirate treasure. More details will follow, but it looks like there will be a nominal cost per child to offset some of the cost of t-shirts for the event (yes, everyone will get a Pirate Party t-shirt!). You'll need to register in advance to get a shirt, so look for the registration form coming soon.

On a more serious note, I just want to remind everyone to take good care of our Sunfish. They are expensive to repair or replace, so we all need to treat the boats as if they were our own (and they are!). Try to avoid hitting anything (like docks, other boats, etc.), and try to get the daggerboard up BEFORE it runs aground. The boats will last a long time if we take care of them.

We are still planning on naming the boats. Now that some of our moms have rearranged all the sails to make the boats more color coordinated, we'll try to take some pictures that we can post on the website so you can start submitting your suggestions. Look for the pictures to be online soon.

Hope you're all having a great summer! See you on the water.

Josh Buell
Junior Commodore

2005 USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival-Midwest

If you've been paying attention to Newstime, you may have read about some of our Junior sailors' efforts at the Junior Olympic Sailing Festival in Springfield, IL. You should all be very proud of these young mariners, as they all sailed well, and behaved in a manner that reflected very well on Lake Saint Louis and the Sailing Club. We are most proud of Kelly Oman, who earned the sportsmanship trophy in the Sunfish Class. Kelly's positive attitude was obvious to the race committee, and was typical of all of the Lake Saint Louis team.

The team's positive attitude was needed, as they were up against some very talented sailors from Chicago and northern Indiana, most of whom brought Sunfish rigged and tuned for racing. These boats provided a real advantage over our recreational Sunfish, but our kids made the most of what they had and finished well.

Josh Buell was the top sailor from Lake Saint Louis, finishing 6th in the Sunfish fleet. Kris Oman took 7th, followed by Alex Williams in 8th and Kelly Oman in 9th. Our hosts at the Island Bay Yacht Club could not have been nicer, so we are looking forward to returning for another regatta this fall. We also hope to encourage their young sailors to compete in Lake Saint Louis some time in the near future.

Using the Sunfish

The Sunfish fleet continues to grow, thanks to generous boat donations from people like John Beard, John Brown, and Tom Neveau. We are still in dire need of more boats and parts, however, so if you know someone with a Sunfish that is not being used, encourage them to make a donation to the club. The boats will be sailed regularly, as they should be, and the donors can still have full access to the boats by simply joining the club.

As for our existing fleet, there are a couple of important rules we need to share to ensure everyone has a safe sailing summer and to extend the life of the boats for as long as we can.

• Junior sailors should ALWAYS wear life jackets when sailing the Sailing Club or CA boats. While this is really true for all of us, we must insist that sailors under 16 never use the boats without their lifejackets on and secured.
• Junior sailors (under 16) must be supervised whenever they use the Club or CA boats. This means that an adult must be present (either on shore or onboard) when the boats are being sailed. Parents should be aware that no one on shore is responsible for watching the sailors, so some adult must take that responsibility. The lifeguards on the beach are only concerned with the roped-off swim area, so they should not be expected to notice if a sailor is in trouble, and they will not be able to assist in a rescue since they are required to watch the swimmers in the swim area.
• From time to time we find that the sails have been "adjusted" to give more headroom between the boom and the deck. This is done by moving the point at which the halyard connects to the sail. While this may eliminate the need to duck as the boom passes over the deck, it is very bad for the boats, and is unsafe. By raising the height of the sail, extreme loads are placed on the mast, which has already caused one mast to break this season. These loads are especially heavy under moderate to strong winds, or if the boat capsizes. Having the sail so high also decreases the stability of the boat, increasing the likelihood of capsizing. Please do not adjust the height of the sails, as we are working to rig the boats in the safest and strongest manner possible.
• Any young sailor will tell you that capsizing can be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it is also very hard on the boats and rigging. While any of us can make a mistake that dumps us into the lake and turns the boats over, we ask that tipping the boats over on purpose be avoided.

All that being said, we still encourage all our members to get out and use the Sunfish. They are fun and easy to sail, and Club members can use the boats at no cost.

July Sunfish Regatta/Party

The June Sunfish Regatta was cancelled due to a lack of wind. As is always the case when sailing, as soon as the regatta was cancelled the wind freshened and several of us took the boats for a cruise around the little lake. We regret that the regatta did not take place, but we had a great time sailing just the same.

The July Sunfish Regatta is scheduled for July 17 on the little lake. As usual, the racing will begin at 1:00, starting with the Junior Singles. The Junior Doubles will race next, followed by the Adults (singles and doubles will race in the same fleet). Whether you are a seasoned racer or a novice, come on down to the Clubhouse beach on July 17 to test your sailing skills against your fellow club members. Besides being a lot of fun, racing is the best way to hone your sailing skills, which will ultimately make recreational sailing easier and much more enjoyable. If you have your own Sunfish, bring it. If you don't have your own boat you can use one of the Sailing Club or CA boats.

Racers and non-racers are also invited to take part in a post-regatta cookout starting around 4:00 in the area under the clubhouse deck (between the clubhouse and the pool). Bring something to grill, and a dish to share. The club will provide soft drinks. We'll celebrate the regatta winners and challengers, as well as our love of sailing. You don't have to RSVP to attend, but we'd love to get an idea as to how many of you may show up. If you know you are coming, please let Lisa Buell know (lisabuell@msn.com or 625-2154).

Calendar

July
2, 23 - Sailing Lessons - Little Lake - 9:00am - Learn to sail, or help teach.
7, 14, 21, 28 - Open Sail Night - Little Lake - 6:30pm - Club members will be on hand to help with Sunfish sailing.
17 - Sunfish Regatta - Little Lake - 1:00pm - The season is well underway, so why not race?!?
20 - Board Meeting - CA Sunfish Room - 7:00pm
August
4, 11, 18 - Open Sail Night - Little Lake - 6:30pm - Club members will be on hand to help with Sunfish sailing.
13, 20 - Sailing Lessons - Little Lake - 9:00am - Learn to sail, or help teach.
13 - Pirate Party - Little Lake - Noon - ARRRGGH! Try to find me treasure, will ya? Our junior sailors will chart a course around the little lake, following their treasure maps, with the ultimate goal of finding the hidden treasure!
14 - Sunfish Regatta - Little Lake - 1:00pm - The summer season is winding down, so why not race?!?
17 - Board Meeting - CA Sunfish Room - 7:00pm
September
4 - Sunfish Regatta - Little Lake - 1:00pm - It's getting cooler, the winds are picking up. Now is the time to race!
21 - Board Meeting - CA Sunfish Room - 7:00pm
October
9 - Sunfish Regatta - Little Lake - 1:00pm - Last call to race the Sunfish!
19 - Board Meeting - CA Sunfish Room - 7:00pm
November
11 - Awards Party - CA Clubhouse - 7:00pm - Let's end the season with a bang!
16 - Board Meeting - CA Sunfish Room - 7:00pm

Membership

We have attached a membership list as of July 5. If your name is not on it, then we have not received your registration and dues for 2005. Why not?!? You'll need to be registered to take advantage of all the fun we have scheduled for the season, and to use the Sunfish. You'll find the registration form on the website, so complete it and mail it today! If you were a member previously, just send us a check for $20. For those of you already registered, please check your information and let us know if anything needs to be updated. Also, please think about introducing a friend to the club.