Newsletter
September 2004

From the Bridge…

...a word from the Commodore

It's officially fall, which usually marks the beginning of the end for many Lake Saint Louis boaters. For sailors, however, this can be some of the best sailing weather of the year. Cooler temperatures often combine with slightly stronger breezes to make for pleasant, and even sometimes exciting sailing.

Beside the normal recreational sailing that I hope you all find time to enjoy this fall, there are a couple of organized events that you may be interested in, whether you are a cabin boat or Sunfish sailor. I hope you'll be able to join us for either of these events which will be detailed in this month's newsletter.

I also hope that you'll take note of Friday, November 19. This is the date of our annual meeting/awards party. In addition to the election of the 2005 Board, there will be plenty to talk about and celebrate, so please add this to your "must-do" list.

Cabin Boat Regatta

Unfortunately, the large lake is scheduled to be lowered starting on October 15. For many of us with cabin boats, we'll need to get our boats out of the lake before the lake goes down or we may just have to wait until spring. This has forced us to move the date of the cabin boat regatta originally scheduled for Sunday, October 17. We will now attempt to race a week earlier on Sunday, October 10. A skippers meeting will take place at Windjammer Point at 1 :OOpm. Shortly thereafter the 30minute warning will sound for the fitst race. Following the racing I am encouraging the cabin boat racers to pull their boats out of the water. Since there will (I hope) be plenty of hands available. this could make the effort much easier for all involved.

While you are not required to RSVP for this event, we would love to get an idea as to how many boats we might expect to race. If you are considering joining us, please give Pearson a call (625-2154) or email (pearsonbuell@centurytel.net) so we can plan accordingly. This should be a fun race, so sailors of all skill levels are encouraged to participate. Additionally, if you don't have a boat but would like to crew, let Pearson know and he'll try to find you a spot. This includes you junior sailors, as you should really enjoy racing in these bigger boats for a change.

Sunfish Sailing

We have experienced a great year of Sunfish sailing in 2004, and there is still plenty of time to sail a little more before the season is officially over. Stop by the CA and take one of the boats out for a cruise on the little lake. As the trees begin to turn this is a great way to see the beauty that surrounds us.

Your last chance to sail the Sunfish will be on Sunday, October 24. Everyone is invited to come for one last sail starting at noon. Beginning at 2:30 we will start pulling the boats out of the lake and cleaning them before putting them away until spring. Come for a sail, a scrub, or both

If you have any doubts about the popularity of these boats in 2004, I have some interesting numbers to share from this season:

• Four Sunfish regattas
• Seventeen junior singles races
• Fourteen junior doubles races
• Four mixed doubles (juniors/adults) races
• Eight adult singles races
• Twenty-two junior racers
• Eight adult racers

Annual Meeting/Awards Party

As was mentioned earlier, the Sailing Club's annual meeting has been scheduled for Friday, November 19th at the Community Association Clubhouse. This is our final event of 2004, and will provide everyone an opportunity to share sailing stories, secrets and tips. We will also recognize our many racers from this season with awards, and we'll elect our new Board for the 2005 season. We hope that everyone will be able to attend.

We are looking for volunteers to help coordinate this event. If you are interested, please contact Lisa Buell (625-2154 or lisabuell@msn.com). A nominating committee has also been formed to identify possible board members for 2005. If you are interested in serving on the board next season, please contact Pearson (625-2154, pearsonbuell@centurytel.net). Serving on the board is a great way to get involved with the club and to help chart a successful course for the coming year.

Happy Sailing!

Pearson Buell
Commodore