The Telltale: August, 2022

Sail Chicago Newsletter for August, 2022
Sailing for All

THE TELLTALE
ISSUE #8/AUGUST, 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR...

By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor

There's starting to be a feeling of fall in the air, but don't worry, there's still plenty of sailing time left in the current season. Our programs are still going strong. Remaining classes are full, we've got some social activities coming up, the evening racing program is going full tilt, Tiller Times for students and Member Cruise Outings are in full swing. Best of all, our fleet seems to be in excellent shape. Thanks to our Caring for Colgates program for standardizing the way we put away our boats. While COVID cast a long shadow over the past couple of years, that shadow seems to have lifted, and Sail Chicago has recovered nicely.

Remember, however, we're still an all-volunteer organization. As members of Sail Chicago, we owe it to our fellow members to put in the time to keep our organization vibrant. Our maintenance team is always looking for volunteers (see article below). You may also want to explore a list of volunteer positions at my.sailchicago.org/Membership/Volunteer Positions. Not only are you keeping Sail Chicago flourishing, but your volunteer efforts can give you a great chance to meet future sailing buddies and meet new friends.

SEEKING 2023 MAINTENANCE VOLUNTEERS
By Don Burman

One of the aspects that makes Sail Chicago so great isre are many disciplines that work together to keep us going – finance, technology, instruction, tiller time, MCO’s, social, licensing and insurance, TellTale and communication, maintenance and more. All of these are needed to keep us going. 

As sailors we need boats to sail and boats need members to care for them. We have a great team of member volunteers who prepare the boats and keep them in great shape during the season. Reported issues are addressed very quickly because of their dedication to keeping them nice for us.

We have several volunteers that will be stepping back from the maintenance duties at the end of this season. They will need to be replaced to ensure we can continue to sail next season and enjoy the sport we all love. We’ll need new maintenance leadership and coordination as well as several boat team managers. The main job responsibilities are planning, coordination and communication. Team members can support leadership with the hands-on tasks – we really need new leaders to step forward.

Please consider volunteering for maintenance leadership or as boat manager for 2023. You will find it a very rewarding experience. To learn more about maintenance roles, please click here. 

If you have other questions, feel free to contact Don Burman or Pat Webster. Thank you all for serving as volunteers this season.

CREW OVERBOARD!!!
BY Ed Schroeder

The words that bring fear to sailors and a surge in adrenaline. Luckily we were only performing a mock drill on Priorities. It took the experienced skipper 6 minutes to bring the “victim” alongside with the Lifesling.

Six long minutes without the added panic of a loved one in the water because we were using a pillow “victim”.

The problem seemed to be the inability of the skipper to turn the boat so that the dragging Lifesling would pass next to the “victim”. We tacked many times.

In a recent issue of “Practical Sailor” magazine, there is an excellent, 2-part article describing a Crew Overboard Retrieval Symposium on San Francisco Bay, with 115 volunteers taking part in 400 tests.

The authors stated, “Among the many truths we discovered or rediscovered was this: most rescues are long, physically taxing (if not plain difficult), and require good equipment, fortitude, and (most important) good boat handling.”

Surprisingly, they found that the most difficult part of the recovery is getting the victim aboard, whether the victim was conscious or not.

Have other skippers, on other boats, checked the equipment and practiced actually retrieving a victim? Should Sail Chicago offer an advanced course where skippers could take the info learned back to their respective boats? How would you get a loved one back on board even on a low freeboard Rhodes? The life you save may be your own.

This summer, every day we’re on the water, it would behoove us all to practice COB at least once per outing.

FAREWELL TO ADAM WISNESKI 
CHANGES TO SAIL CHICAGO'S OFFICERS

By Gerald Moose Stacy

As you probably already know, Adam Wisneski, for many years the Chair of Sail Chicago, moved with his family to Rochester, NY at the end of June.  Adam has been a visionary leader who has had a major impact on our organization.  Under his leadership, the board increased its oversight of the organization through the creation of board liaison positions which provide clear routes of communication from our departments back to the board.  Building on this work, Adam then completely overhauled our volunteer program, introducing a great deal more rigor and tracking into this key process with the result that we have more volunteers participating in more ways than ever before!  And as if all this accomplishment weren't enough, Adam was also responsible for guiding our organization through the COVID-19 pandemic.  Thank you, Adam, for your remarkable leadership.  Best of luck in Rochester, and we hope you get to enjoy many days of sailing on Lake Ontario.

While Adam has chosen to serve out his term on the Sail Chicago board, he felt it was important that he step down as Chair.  Consequently, the board elected the following members to fill open officer positions at the May and June meetings: 

  • Gerald Moose Stacy - Chair
  • Adam Jabs - Secretary
Thanks to these members who have stepped forward to help guide Sail Chicago in the future. And thanks to our many other board members who contribute to our organization in so many ways.

SOCIAL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES--MARK YOUR CALENDARS
By Deb and John Griffin, Social Coordinators

Happy Hour Thursday, September 15, 5:30 pm. Based on member feedback, for our next happy hour we’re moving our venue outdoors to Island Party Hut at 355 Chicago Riverwalk!  Sail Chicago members are welcome to attend and bring one guest. Appetizers and one drink ticket will be provided for all attendees. If there is a rainout, the happy hour will be rescheduled. To register, click here.

End of Season Dinner, Thursday October 13, Columbia Yacht Club. This year's End of Season Dinner will again feature a silent auction! We plan to have all proceeds support the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Scholarship Program, which increases access to Sail Chicago's instruction program and encourages diverse membership.  More information to follow.

Chicago Maritime Museum visit, Saturday, Jan 21st, 2023. We are planning a get together at the Chicago Maritime Museum in Bridgeport!  Details to follow.

STAY IN TOUCH WITH SLACK
By Andy Devoto


While the monthly newsletter contains official updates and news for Sail Chicago members, Slack is a tool for casual convos, sharing pics of sails, finding sail-mates, or asking questions. It is a group messaging app used by many organizations.

Click here to join the Sail Chicago slack group. Then click the confirmation email and complete your sign up. You can download the Slack app for Android or iOS on your phone, or, on the web, use Slack online here: https://sailchicago.slack.com/.  Once you’re in, you can check out the different channels, post or reply to others, and reach out to members directly. 

If you have questions about using Slack, contact Andy Devoto at andy.devoto@sailchicago.org.

SHARE YOUR SAILING PHOTOS
By Quentin Poussard

The Sail Chicago Instagram account is starting to get more popular, and I would like to thank everyone for all the great pictures already sent through Slack, Instagram, email, etc. The easiest way to get your picture/video published on the Instagram account is to upload them via the following Google drive link:  
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wnn3sQ2dsABm2k8Iqxg2IFtZgjInCCEb

Feel free to rename the picture to give the context of when/where the picture was taken, and I will publish it as soon as possible. Thank you!

TAKE THE NIP OUT OF BITING FLIES


One of the most annoying features of sailing in the later season are the flies that constantly nip at our flesh and can even bite through clothing. Sail Chicago member Ed Schroeder found the following product profile in a recent issue of Practical Sailor Magazine:  "Biting flies will find you miles from shore, in a breeze, at any time of day. They'll stay with the boat, undeterred by DEET, and will bite right through your clothes.” The lead USDA entomologist recommends "Catnip oil is a powerful repellent against flies… Catnip is probably the best repellent identified including DEET and DNP for flies that bite." Before your next sail, go online and check out “catnip spray” on the internet.

CPR/FIRST AID CLASS COMING THIS OCTOBER
By Monte Lewis

Learn or review first aid skills in this four-hour course, Saturday morning, October 1st from 8:30 am-12:30 pm at Columbia Yacht Club in the Upper Salon. We will post an Eventbrite invitation in September that will include registration information. 

 

Learn how to administer CPR, how to administer a shock from an AED, and other basic first aid skills. These skills are invaluable because they allow you to help injured people until you can connect with an emergency medical services team. There is no charge for Instructors, and a $110 charge for Sail Chicago members who are not instructors. Re-certification of your US Sailing BKI requires CPR/First Aid every three years.

OUR LIVING ON-THE-WATER SKIPPER SKILLS ANDE STANDARDS
By Matt Stuczynski , Lead Instructor


What do Don Burman and all our recent maintenance managers along with Steve Colgate have in common?  They believe the bow cleats are sufficient for towing and anchoring the Colgate 26. Details below.  

 

More often than not, I have found that there is a well thought-out and logical reason for some of our sailing rules, regulations and protocols; frequently the outcome of some long-forgotten solution to a problem.  Nevertheless, just because we have always done something one way, does not always mean that it is the best practice or, even ever was the best.  Our "On the Water Skipper Skills" handbook comes to mind here.  This is a living document that has been around for decades outlining the best practices specific to our boats, our organization as well as the Monroe Harbor environment. If you have not read it in a while, I recommend checking it out in order to bone up on your sailing skills and best practices. It was also recently upgraded and enhanced beautifully by member Ethan Brown which has made it easier and more pleasant to peruse.  It can be found on the Sail Chicago member website under "membership/files/instruction".  

 

Regarding change, one update has been to the way we recommend the hopefully rare safety occasions for anchoring and towing the Colgate 26's.  Earlier this summer, maintenance guru Don Burman brought up these topics and how they are explained in our OTW Handbook and how we might improve and make these practices safer. 

 

For years it was written to use the winches to hold the load while Don thought the bow cleats (when backed) are sufficient and safer than trying to deal with leading back to the winches.  Thinking there must be some reason for the winch practice, I contacted at least three former maintenance leads and none knew the origin of this recommendation and all thought that the bow cleats would serve just fine. Just to be sure, I even contacted our old friend Steve Colgate down in Florida who kindly and assuredly concurred.  So for now, we will change the recommendation in the handbook, unless of course someone has good arguments not to do so. 

REMINDER: REPORTING BOAT ISSUES
By Gerry Stacy, Board Chairman


Did you know that Sail Chicago has two systems for reporting maintenance issues on our boats?  These systems are separate; they don't talk to each other; and each one has a specific purpose.

The primary way that skippers are able to report minor maintenance issues is through the Pre- and Post-Sail Checklists that are required to be completed before and after each sail.  Our boat teams look over these checklists about once a week as they plan their maintenance work.

However, if you encounter a maintenance issue that the next Skipper who sails the boat should be aware of, or that the boat manager should be immediately made aware of, this must be reported through the Report Boat Issue function on the my.sailchicago.org website.  You can find the Report Boat Issue form under the Reservation menu.  Completing this form attaches a helpful note to the boat that is visible to other skippers, so the next person reserving that boat is aware of any issues that could impact their sail.  Reporting a serious issue through this form will even take the boat out of service and alert the maintenance team.

The appropriate use of both of these systems are required by our Rules and Regulations.  Please make sure you're familiar with each of them, and don't be shy about reporting maintenance issues using them!  It helps keep our fleet well maintained and safe to sail.

SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS

 
Who to Contact
Need information on an area in Sail Chicago, but don't know who to contact? Just click here.
  
Join or Renew Your US Sailing Membership at a Discount Through MVP
Sail Chicago members can join or renew their US Sailing membership at a $10 discount through the US Sailing Member Value Partner program.

Sail Chicago Gear
Purchase gear with the Sail Chicago logo on it.  Caps, shirts, pants and other gear are available. To shop now, click here.
 
Like us on Facebook
You'll get updates, reminders, and other information on Sail Chicago events and activities. Click here. 

Missing Previous Issues of Between the Sheets?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of Between the Sheets at the first (and open to the public) page of the Sail Chicago website.Look under "News/Newsletter."

IMPORTANT INFORMATION


Click on the links below to find more information about Sail Chicago.
 
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The Telltale: July, 2022

Sail Chicago Newsletter for July, 2022
Sailing for All

THE TELLTALE
ISSUE #7/JULY, 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR...

By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor

It’s almost like COVID never happened! Our sailing season is in full swing. Our usual activities abound. But in our enthusiasm, let’s not forget our organization’s safety standards, both for ourselves and our fleet.

  • When onboard one of our boats, always wear a life jacket,
  • Know the sailing “Rules of the Road,”
  • For your own safety and those of others, make sure you cover all the items on the pre and post-sail checklists,
  • Before going out on the water, make sure you check the weather forecast,
  • Don’t overestimate the sailing skills of yourself or your crew,
  • Follow strictly the Wind and Wave Safety Standards set forth in the Rules and Regulations (see article below)

I’m sure you can think of many more. The point is, we want you, your crew and your guests to be safe when sailing with us!

NEWS FROM OUR SOCIAL COORDINATORS

By Deb and Jack Griffin

First Happy Hour of the Season July 14, 5:30 pm - We’ll be meeting at 2Twenty2 Tavern in the Loop (must be age 21+ due to venue requirements). Sail Chicago members are welcome to attend and bring one guest. Appetizers and one drink ticket will be provided for all attendees. If you’re a new member or recently completed a Sail Chicago course, we highly encourage you to come, meet other members and share your experiences!  Venue is near public transit with SpotHero locations nearby, listed in the registration link.

Save the Dates! 

  • Our Friends and Family Picnic is tentatively set for Saturday August 13th, pending permit approval from the Park District for Belmont Harbor.
  • The End of Season Dinner will be held on Thursday, October 13th  at the Columbia Yacht Club.

More information on both events will follow shortly.

SAIL CHICAGO WIND AND WAVE SAFETY STANDARDS

Sail Chicago recently revised its wind and wave safety standards. Although they may be found in Section 4.1.5 of the Sail Chicago Rules and Regulations, we thought that it might be worthwhile to publish them here.

The Sail Chicago Wind and Wave Safety Standards are as follows. Skippers should refer to the Current Weather and Weather Forecast information available on the my.sailchicago.org website Landing page for purposes of determining compliance with these Standards.

  1. Up to 15 knots (17 mph), acceptable conditions for all boats.
  2. 15 - 20 knots (17-23 mph), proceed with caution for more experienced skippers and crew.
  3. Greater than 20 knots (23 mph), don’t go out. If winds build to greater than 20 knots (23 mph) while out, return to the harbor in a reasonably prompt manner.
  4. No Sail Chicago boat can go out during the duration of a published Small Craft Advisory.
  5. The ultimate decision to sail or not to sail is the skipper's. Should a skipper not observe the above standards and an accident occurs, existing rules and regulations provide for possible Board responses. Every skipper should review Sail Chicago Rules and Regulations, Section 5.6, paragraph 2, for possible consequences.

NEW INSTRUCTOR PREP CLASS LAUNCHES

By Monte Lewis

Our brand new Instructor Prep class is underway and this season we will put seven Instructor Candidates (IC’s) through this rich and comprehensive coaching program. The objective of the program is to guide motivated skippers to become capable, safe teachers for our organization. The program covers not only advanced sailing topics, but also covers basic principles of teaching adults how to sail. It’s a unique program in the sailing community, as most other "how to teach sailing" programs focus on youth. Of course, the ultimate objective of the new Instructor Prep course is to reduce our year-to-year backlog of students trying to get into classes.

We are excited to apply all the learning we have gathered from this first season of this new course offering to add the most value to future IC's and the instruction program. IC’s should have a minimum of two years experience as a Sail Chicago Skipper, skipper a minimum of six Tiller Times and be a confident and competent sailor. If you are interested in the program or have questions, reach Monte Lewis at monte@lewisadvantage.com.

BASIC KEELBOAT CERTIFICATION EXAM SET FOR JULY 16

By Alan Summers

The  U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat Certification Exam will be given at Pete’s Coffee, 686 E Ogden in Naperville at 9:00 am on Saturday, July 16. The exam consists of 70 multiple choice questions based on the U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat book and your training at Sail Chicago.  This exam is a separate offering from Sail Chicago and is NOT related to your Sail Chicago skipper requirements.   This certification connects you with U.S. Sailing, comes with 1 year membership in U.S. Sailing, and costs $50.  The certification is another measurement of your basic keelboat sailing skills.  It is a written test only and we encourage everyone to obtain the certification,but it is an optional exam.    If you wish to take the exam please notify Alan Summers at neuroal@att.net. 

CARING FOR OUR COLGATES - FINAL SESSIONS

By Pat Webster

Last season Sail Chicago developed a continuing education program for our Colgate skippers. The program focuses on correctly putting away our boats at the end of a sail. Keeping our boats in good shape ensures that we will have a healthy sailable fleet for a long time.

We are offering our Caring for our Colgates classes in July on Thursday
July 7,Tuesday July 12 and Sunday July 24. Sessions will be held at the
Columbia Yacht Club dock.

To reserve a spot in one of these sessions, please register here.
This class is required of all who were a Colgate skipper of record in
the 2020 season. In order to reserve a boat next season (2023), you
will have had to complete this class by the end of this season. (If you
checked out as a skipper in 2021, you are exempt because the class
material was covered in your classes.). Also, it is not recommended for
current students, who will be exposed to it in their classes. We don’t have
adequate dock and volunteer time to offer the class to the general
membership.

At this time we are not planning to offer additional sessions later this
season. Questions: please contact Pat Webster, webster-p@sbcglobal.net.

IDEAL ORIENTATIONS AVAILABLE


Would you like to be able to sail a small fast boat? Well, our Ideal 18s may be the “ideal” choice for you! Orientations on this enjoyable little boat are now being held. To arrange for an orientation, please contact Tim Sheehan at timothyfsheehan@gmail.com.

HAVE YOU SEEN THE SAIL CHICAGO BANNER?


Where’s Our Banner? - Our free-standing Sail Chicago banner has gone missing and we’d love to get it back to use at future events! If you have any clue as to its whereabouts please contact Jack Griffin at jpginsu@sbcglobal.net.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

By Norris Larson

Adilla (Adi) Menayang has wanted to sail as far back as he can remember. Sailing was an important part of the maritime history of Indonesia, the homeland of his family. Adi regrets that in recent times, sail has been superseded by power boats and ships. As a consequence there are few opportunities to sail there. Adi was born in Austin, Texas while his father was earning a Ph.D. When he was eight, the family returned to Indonesia.

Having been raised in the States, Adi says he felt more American than Indonesian and returned to the U.S., settling in Chicago. After ten years here he went back to school for two years at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York at the south end of Lake Cayuga. While earning his master’s degree, Adi joined the university sailing group and learned to sail dinghies, Sonars, and Rhodes in two six-week courses.

After returning to Chicago, Adi googled sailing opportunities and Sail Chicago was the top return.  He joined us in June 2021, was put on a waitlist for a First Mate class and after a week of diligent watching for openings, got into a class. He did more sailing and passed Skipper Prep in September. Soon after, as suggested by Daniel Hazlett, Adi joined the Sail Chicago DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Committee. He applied his IT skills to build an on-line learn-to-sail scholarship application form and a second form for judges to use in evaluating the applications. This spring he worked in the yard waxing and rigging boats, and joined crews to bring the boats down river to Monroe Harbor. He worked with Don Burman and joined the Poco Veliero maintenance team. When a boat manager could not be found, Adi stepped up to the job.

Adi does data analytics and builds databases for Lever for Change, a not-for-profit affiliate of the MacArthur Foundation. The information is used to evaluate the impact of programs and grants. Adi and his partner David (who is not keen on sailing) live on the 16th floor of a building near Chestnut and Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive. T hey have a great view of the lake and waterfront. Prior to the pandemic, Adi had been visiting his extended family in Indonesia yearly and plans to continue these trips.

SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS

 
Who to Contact
Need information on an area in Sail Chicago, but don't know who to contact? Just click here.
  
Join or Renew Your US Sailing Membership at a Discount Through MVP
Sail Chicago members can join or renew their US Sailing membership at a $10 discount through the US Sailing Member Value Partner program.

Sail Chicago Gear
Purchase gear with the Sail Chicago logo on it.  Caps, shirts, pants and other gear are available. To shop now, click here.
 
Like us on Facebook
You'll get updates, reminders, and other information on Sail Chicago events and activities. Click here. 

Missing Previous Issues of Between the Sheets?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of Between the Sheets at the first (and open to the public) page of the Sail Chicago website.Look under "News/Newsletter."

IMPORTANT INFORMATION


Click on the links below to find more information about Sail Chicago.
 
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Website
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The Telltale: June, 2022

Sail Chicago Newsletter for June, 2022
Sailing for All

THE TELLTALE
ISSUE #6/JUNE, 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR...

By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor

Our sailing season has definitely arrived. The weather has warmed up, and we’re looking forward to a summer of fun and safe sailing. We’ve had our first social event of the season, and program areas are in full swing. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is starting a couple of new programs this year, and it needs some help to get things underway (see article below). If you’ve got some spare time, please consider helping out in this area.

SEASON'S FIRST HAPPY HOUR, JULY 14

Come join in the fun at Sail Chicago’s first happy hour of the season. We’ll be meeting at 5:30 pm at 2Twenty2 Tavern in the Loop (must be age 21+ due to venue requirements). Sail Chicago members are welcome to attend and bring one guest. Appetizers and one drink ticket will be provided for all attendees. If you’re a new member or recently completed a Sail Chicago course, we highly encourage you to come, meet other members and share your experiences!  Venue is near public transit with SpotHero locations nearby, listed in the registration link. To learn more and to register, click here.

STEPS TO BECOMING A SAIL CHICAGO SKIPPER, PART II

By Matt Stuczynski, Lead Instructor

In the May issue of The Telltale we discussed the concrete steps to becoming a Sail Chicago Colgate 26 Skipper.  Now, we can think about other ideas to help you become the best skipper you can be and take advantage of all possible Sail Chicago learning opportunities.  

As a new Skipper, keep in mind that you must sail with another Sail Chicago Skipper and crew appropriate to your skill level and experience during your first twelve months as a Colgate 26 Skipper. More than anything, simply getting time on boats and then time on the tiller, getting practical hands-on experience is the best thing to do.  Of course, that goes hand-in-hand with more book-learning about sailing skills and best boat handling practices that you can learn on your own time whenever you can.

For boat time, please think about Sail Chicago programs such as Tiller Times, Share-a-Sail, Member Cruise Outings, help with Maintenance crews/deliveries and, of course, our Racing Program.  For book learning, try to become as familiar as you can with the Sail Chicago Rules and Regulations, on-the-water Skipper Skills Standards, the U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat text, videos and other material on the U.S. Sailing website, weather apps. etc.  When you sign the "Sail Chicago Keelboat Skipper Personal Statement", you agree to the idea that receiving Sail Chicago Colgate Skipper status does not guarantee that you are a great skipper, but rather, indicates that you are "trusted to continue learning while sailing the Colgate 26".  Sailing is a thinking-person's sport where the learning never ends, which I believe, is why so many of us love sailing so much and it makes us want to continue learning for a lifetime.  See you on the water, and I look forward to continuing learning with you.

CARING FOR OUR COLGATES

By Pat Webster

Last season Sail Chicago developed a continuing education program for our Colgate skippers.  The program focuses on correctly putting away our boats at the end of a sail. Keeping our boats in good shape ensures that we will have a healthy sailable fleet for a long time.  

We are offering our Caring for our Colgates classes again in June. They will be held at the Columbia Yacht Club dock on Monday June 6, Thursday June 16 and Tuesday June 28.
This class is required for everyone who was a Colgate skipper in the 2020 season or earlier, and is not available to current students.  In order to reserve a boat next season (2023), you will have had to complete this class by the end of this season.  (If you checked out as a skipper in 2021, you are exempt because the class material was covered in your classes.)

To reserve a spot in one of these sessions, please register here.

HAVE YOU SEEN THE SAIL CHICAGO BANNER?

The free-standing Sail Chicago banner, last seen at an event at the Columbia Yacht Club, has gone missing. If you know its location please contact Jack Griffin at jpginsu@sbcglobal.net.

NEW SAIL CHICAGO MEMBER RESOURCE

By Andy Devoto
 
You've signed up for a Sail Chicago membership, now what? A new resource can help you navigate the different benefits available to you. While signed into my.sailchicago.org, click the Membership dropdown and "Membership Overview" will be the first link. This page will help you get involved in Tiller Times, Share-a-Sail's and everything else at Sail Chicago.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION UPDATES
By Rachel Granneman

 

DEI Sails--We will be rolling out a new type of program sail this summer–-DEI Sails! These are sails designed to bring additional opportunities and a safe place to connect and build a network amongst individuals of underrepresented groups. We plan to start with Women’s Cruises and BIPOC Cruises (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), but are interested in member feedback on other potential focuses, such as LGBTQ+. These will be available on the reservation page as a new reservation category. PLEASE make sure to only sign up for DEI sails if you are the target audience! Also, this initiative will only work if we have volunteers to be Skipper and First Mate on these sails! If you are interested in hosting a DEI Sail and are a woman or person of color, please reach out to Rebecca at rebeccajsheehy@gmail.com.

Community Cruise Outings--We are beginning to schedule Community Cruise Outings for this summer! So far we have scheduled 5 CCOs to take members of Environmentalists of Color out for sailing outings in an effort to break down barriers and introduce more people to sailing. If you are interested in helping out with future CCOs, please contact Rachel at grannemr@umich.edu.

Scholarship Fund -  We are still about $375 shy of our fundraising goal to cover the costs of our scholarship program this season. If you would like to contribute, you can make a donation at https://www.sailchicago.org/donate and please shoot a quick email to Rachel at grannemr@umich.edu to flag that the money is for the scholarship fund.

UPDATE ON POCO VALIERO

Don Burman reports that Poco Velireo, one of our Colgate fleet, is now rigged the same as her sister ships. She has a Colgate mainsail with slugs. The warnings noted in the May issue of The Telltale have been overcome.

TILLER TIMES, 2022

By Geoffrey Skyles, Tiller Time Coordinator
 

Tiller Times are a great way for our students and new skippers to get additional hands-on sailing experience. They get to sail with some of our experienced skippers, building confidence and improve on what they've learned in class.

Tiller Times are in high demand, and sessions fill up quickly, so check often.  The best way to be informed of new tiller times is the #tillertime slack channel. You can sign up at "Seat Availability" under the reservations section on the my.sailchicago.org  website.

If you've been a skipper for at least two years and would like to "pay it forward" and help current students get in some sailing practice, then consider signing on as a Tiller Time skipper.   If you successfully complete five sessions as a Tiller Time skipper, this fulfills your annual service requirement.  

For more information or to register as a skipper, contact Geoff Skyles, our NEW Tiller Time Coordinator at tillertime@sailchicago.org. Geoff has been sailing with Sail Chicago since 2013 and recently completed his BKI certification. He has skippered on both the Colgates and the cruising vessels and has served as a Tiller Time skipper in years past. He's excited to take on this role to be more involved in Sail Chicago and meet more members.      
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
By Norris Larson

Lyn Harvie, a new member of Sail Chicago, has distinguished herself by jumping into an important new volunteer position. Lyn learned to sail in Florida as a racing crew with a fellow graduate student in 2006-07. After school she moved to Chicago. Though tempted by our inland sea, she found starting a career here left little time to consider sailing. In 2020, at the start of the pandemic, she found space to sail on a Catalina 30 until this year. Last season she completed basic keelboat certification with Columbia Yacht Club (CoYC). While there she learned about Sail Chicago and joined us this year. Unable to get into one of our First Mate courses

, she will complete the CoYC intermediate course and looks forward to taking our Skipper course later this season.

Lyn and Monte Lewis met at the 2022 Annual Meeting. He asked to her to join the team developing the Sail Chicago Instructor Prep course. She signed on, excited at the opportunity to learn more about the Sail Chicago community and to meet members. At our first team meeting she took good notes to capture the ideas generated during a team brain storming session. Her role is a new one that she will fill out well beyond her first work as recording secretary. She also wants to learn how to maintain boats and looks forward to joining a boat team.

Lyn lives on the Gold Coast in the vicinity of Burton Place and Clark. Lyn is a broker with Baird & Warner Real Estate handling residential and commercial transactions.

SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS

 
Who to Contact
Need information on an area in Sail Chicago, but don't know who to contact? Just click here.
  
Join or Renew Your US Sailing Membership at a Discount Through MVP
Sail Chicago members can join or renew their US Sailing membership at a $10 discount through the US Sailing Member Value Partner program.

Sail Chicago Gear
Purchase gear with the Sail Chicago logo on it.  Caps, shirts, pants and other gear are available. To shop now, click here.
 
Like us on Facebook
You'll get updates, reminders, and other information on Sail Chicago events and activities. Click here. 
 
Shop Amazon Smile and Donate to Sail Chicago
When you shop online at Amazon Smile, Sail Chicago will receive a donation of .5% of your eligible purchases. It's a great way to both give and receive. To get started, click here. 

Missing Previous Issues of Between the Sheets?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of Between the Sheets at the first (and open to the public) page of the Sail Chicago website.Look under "News/Newsletter."

IMPORTANT INFORMATION


Click on the links below to find more information about Sail Chicago.
 
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The Telltale: March, 2022

Sail Chicago Newsletter for March, 2022
Sailing for All

THE TELLTALE
ISSUE 3//MARCH, 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FROM THE EDITOR...

By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor 

 

While there’s still a bit of snow on the ground in patches, spring seems not far offI  By the end of this month activity in the boatyard should be picking up. We’ll need to get our boats in shape to launch around the first of May. After that, classes begin, and we’re off to another great sailing season, hopefully with no COVID restrictions this time. 

If you’re in your second year with Sail Chicago you need to start thinking about how you’re going to meet your service requirement for the following year’s sailing. Helping out in the boatyard is a great way to learn more about our boats and what it takes to keep them in the water during our busy sailing season. A list of all our volunteer positions may be found on the my.sailchicago.org website under membership/volunteer positions. And don’t forget to attend Sail Chicago’s upcoming virtual job fair (see article below).

If you’re looking to improve your navigation skills or wondering how you might become a Sail Chicago  Instructor, we’ve got even more information for you. Just keep reading.

ANNUAL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS PLANS FOR UPCOMING SAILING SEASON

Over 60 members and friends attended the Sail Chicago virtual Annual Meeting on Tuesday, March 1. Chairman Adam Wisneski reviewed activities in 2021. A total of 345 volunteer assignments were made through the new volunteer database. Last year, 2021, was a rebound year for Sail Chicago. Much effort was spent in formalizing processes, documentation, and organization. Class availability was limited due to the backlog from 2020. 
Chairs of our various committees highlighted their activities throughout the year and plans for 2022:

  • Finances Despite problems with COVID, we are in good financial shape. We are looking to expand our fleet over the next couple of years.
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Community Cruise outings will be continued, and a new scholarship program will be implemented. 
  • Volunteerism Tracking of volunteer activities will be highlighted in 2022 in order to make our volunteer processes easier. A new volunteer fair is planned for later in March.
  • Social Volunteers are needed to help plan social activities.
  • Instruction There were 30 new Colgate skippers in 2021 and 6 new BKI instructors. Classes will start in early May. A new Instructor Course will be available for members who want to become instructors.
  • Racing One of the best ways to improve your sailing skills is to participate in racing. In 2021, 58 racers signed up for the program. 
  • Cruising Cruising classes will be offered in a six course format on both of our cruising boats. A bareboat cruising course is planned for 2022. More member cruise outings will be scheduled.
  • Technology Several processes have been automated, making it much easier for members to sign up or get information regarding programs.
  • Maintenance Downtime for maintenance was greatly reduced in 2021 thanks to our Caring for Colgates program. Chainplates and bulkheads will be inspected before boats are put into the water this spring.

Members elected to the Sail Chicago Board are: Daniel Hazlet, Adam Jabs, Rachel Granneman, Gerald Stacy, Manny Conde, and Norris Larson.

VOLUNTEER JOB FAIR SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 22!

By Adam Wisneski

Sail Chicago will host a virtual job fair on Tuesday, March 22 at 7:00 pm. The volunteer team, board members and program coordinators will have the opportunity to meet with members who may be interested in certain volunteer roles. New members, or returning members who want to learn more about different volunteer positions can ask questions or meet volunteer leaders from different areas of Sail Chicago. Review volunteer roles at www.my.sailchicago.org/membership/volunteer positions.

Format: Via Zoom, with breakout rooms that participants can self-select to learn more about different volunteer roles at Sail Chicago. Click here to learn more and register!

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM - BOATING BUDDIES NEEDED!

By Ashleigh Luttery, DEI Committee

We’ve received significant interest in the pilot Scholarship Program for the 2022 season and will select recipients this month! In case you missed it, the Sail Chicago Scholarship Program is part of our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiative with the intent to provide access and encourage participation for those not traditionally well-represented within our organization. One thing we would like to offer the Sail Chicago Scholarship recipients is the opportunity to be paired with 1 or 2 Sail Chicago “boating buddies” who can show them the ropes (no pun intended!), help them navigate the organization, and perhaps even take them sailing. This is a great way to help support new sailors and share your experience and love of sailing! If you are interested in being a “boating buddy,” please contact Ashleigh Luttery at ashleylutterly@gmail.com.

LEARN BASIC NAVIGATION SKILLS THIS SPRING

By Dan Pilch

Sail Chicago will be hosting a two-day Basic Navigation course this year on Sundays, March 20th and 27th, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Columbia Yacht Club (note that you must attend both days in order to complete the course).  The course will be taught by Maureen Huston and Dan Pilch who last taught this course to a sold-out class in March of 2020!  

This course will teach sailors basic navigation skills and techniques that can be used within sight of land.  It is primarily focused on the use of paper charts.  Specifically, it will teach sailors how to read a chart and its symbols, convert between true and magnetic readings, plot course and position, calculate time/speed/distance, and take bearings and fixes.  In addition, there will be a brief review of some basic information on chartplotters.   Completion of this course is a prerequisite for Sail Chicago's Bareboat Cruising class.  

The cost for the course for Sail Chicago members is $160.  Proof of vaccination is required and the wearing of masks will be strongly encouraged.  If you are interested, then please email me at daniel.pilch@sbeglobal.net. The deadline for signing up is March 13th, so if you're interested, don't wait, email me today!

HOW TO BECOME A SAIL CHICAGO INSTRUCTOR

By Monte Lewis


Interested in joining the Instructor Team? The Instructor Prep class will get you ready to teach classes at Sail Chicago.  Instructor Candidates (IC’s) should have a minimum of two years experience as a skipper at Sail Chicago and be a confident and competent sailor. Classes are limited to four (4) students each. 

Instructor Prep class begins with the rigorous Instructor Exam which is based on the Sail Chicago  On-The-Water (OTW) Skills Standards for Colgate 26. From there, Instructor Candidates (IC’s) shadow a minimum of one Sail Chicago instructor and complete the Shadow Form. 

Next, attend two OTW classes with your Basic Keelboat Instructor certified Sail Cchicago Instructor Trainer (Sail Chicago-IT) on our Colgate 26 sailboats. In the first class, IT’s share a series of learning practices that make Sail Chicago’s classes safe and fun. In the second class, the IC’s demonstrate those learning practices. 

Finally, IC’s conduct two Tiller Time sails while being observed by Instructor Mentors (IM’s). The IM completes the IC Observation Form, gives solid feedback and makes recommendations on how to improve their teaching styleClasses open soon, and there is limited space for this new Instructor Prep class. Questions?  Reach Monte Lewis at monte@lewisadvantage.com.

SAIL CHICAGO BKI COACH MONTE LEWIS DECLARED U.S. SAILING VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

By Norris Larson

Monte Lewis won the U.S. Sailing Community Sailing Volunteer of the year award for 2021. He has coached nearly twenty Sail Chicago skippers through the demanding the US Sailing Basic Keelboat Instructor (BKI) Test, a rigorous three-day practicum. As part of Sail Chicago’s plan to increase diversity in its membership, Monte reached out to the Jacmbership. Monte’s infectious enthusiasm and energy for volunteerism and community sailing is a major asset to Sail Chicago.

 

Monte first went sailing with his family and friends at age ten and never stopped. He and his wife Kathy are graduates of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York. They went to sea on ships and sailed around the world. Today they reside in a condo unit in the South Loop area of Chicago.

The award ceremony, originally scheduled for Savannah, Georgia, was held by ZOOM. The clip for Monte begins at minute 36.

GREAT NEWS FOR THE GREAT LAKES

By Matt Stuczynski, Lead Instructor

In a series of recent Chicago Tribune articles (one here) the good news is abundant about the one billion dollars that has been allocated to cleaning up toxic waste sites around the Great Lakes. The funds are part of the infrastructure bill passed by the U.S. Congress last fall.  Before Congress passed the "Clean Water Act" of 1972, many industries routinely dumped and released toxic chemicals in and around the lakes; including PCBs, PAHs, mercury, cadmium and lead along with oil and grease which resulted in 43 "areas of concern" around the Great Lakes slated for eventual clean-up by the federal government.  Luckily, we only have one in Illinois at Waukegan Harbor; however, the nearby Grand Calumet river at the Indiana Dunes is one of the worst; an EPA administrator once called some of the waste in that area, "sediment from hell".  Let's hope that the one billion in clean-up funding is spent swiftly and well to help make this source of recreation and drinking water for 40 million people as clean as it can be.

SPOTLIGHT ON VOLUNTEERS
By Norris Larson

 

Art Witkiewicz joined Sail Chicago when it was still part of AYH Chicago and before we had Colgates, when our only training boats where Rhodes 19s without motors. Art took his first class in 1997 with three other students and this writer as instructor. He passed his on-the-water and written skipper tests the following year (1). Art sails on Colgates and Ideals, but remains a dedicated fan of the Rhodes 19. Art was introduced to the water on family fishing excursions and later made a canoe trip to Quetico Provincial Park, Ontario. After watching sailboats on our lake front, he took an introduction to sailing cruise with the Columbia Yacht Club and decided he wanted to learn to sail.
Art has made and continues to make significant contributions to the maintenance of our Rhodes fleet. In addition to routine maintenance—prepping boats to meet Coast Guard rules, stepping masts, launching, varnishing the cockpit sole and other wooden parts. Art also worked on two major projects: mounting motors on the Rhodes and buying a new mast for Two Fish. He worked with Frank Loftus, a past member of Sail Chicago, to mount the first motor and he completed the work over 2014-2015. The Rhodes has a high freeboard stern and is designed to carry a long drive shaft outboard motor. Sail Chicago decided that all outboards in our fleet should be of the same design and Colgates mount a motor with short drive shaft. Art redesigned the factory-issued mounting hardware, which required a custom-made part, to accommodate the standard motor to the Rhodes. He also contributed to the installation of the fuel tank and the run for the fuel lines to the motor. Then the yard broke Two Fish’s mast. Art chose a new mast and made sure that it had all the proper fittings for stays, shrouds, and flying a spinnaker.

Art is a retired chemist with additional work as an HVAC technician where he learned to rivet and braze* and use a variety of specialized tools. This background is not obviously relevant to boat maintenance, but what he brought to his work on our Rhodes were analytic skills he acquired in his professional and technical work—the ability to assess a problem and work through a solution, with carefully thought out trial-and-error and improvisation. Art now lives on the city’s southwest side near Midway airport and continues to be an active member of Sail Chicago. He is deputy boat manager of Two Fish and works with Tim Rice to manage our Rhodes fleet.

Author’s notes: When Art joined Sail Chicago/AYH there was a separate on-the-water test conducted by an examiner and not the class instructor. Unlike the Colgates, which are mostly fiberglass, reinforced plastic, there is a lot of wood on the Rhodes—hence the need for varnishing. *Brazing is a type of “welding” with non-ferrous metals.

SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS

 
Who to Contact
Need information on an area in Sail Chicago, but don't know who to contact? Just click here.
  
Join or Renew Your US Sailing Membership at a Discount Through MVP
Sail Chicago members can join or renew their US Sailing membership at a $10 discount through the US Sailing Member Value Partner program.

Sail Chicago Gear
Purchase gear with the Sail Chicago logo on it.  Caps, shirts, pants and other gear are available. To shop now, click here.
 
Like us on Facebook
You'll get updates, reminders, and other information on Sail Chicago events and activities. Click here. 
 
Shop Amazon Smile and Donate to Sail Chicago
When you shop online at Amazon Smile, Sail Chicago will receive a donation of .5% of your eligible purchases. It's a great way to both give and receive. To get started, click here. 

Missing Previous Issues of Between the Sheets?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of Between the Sheets at the first (and open to the public) page of the Sail Chicago website.Look under "News/Newsletter."

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 
Click on the links below to find more information about Sail Chicago.
 
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The Telltale: February, 2022

Sail Chicago Newsletter for February, 2022
Sailing for All

THE TELLTALE
ISSUE 2//FEBRUARY, 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FROM THE EDITOR...

By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor 

It is with some real sadness that I report that Adam Wisneski is stepping down as Board Chairman of Sail Chicago. He reminded me recently that I was the one who talked him into joining the Board in 2015. At the time he seemed like a bright young guy with a lot of enthusiasm who could bring some fresh ideas and much-needed change to the organization. Convincing him to join the Board was one of the best things I ever did for Sail Chicago. 

In his tenure on the Board Adam has been a virtual blizzard of activity. When there have been differences among Board members he has been a reconciler. When members have complained or needed to air their gripes, he has listened and responded. Where new ideas have surfaced, he’s been supportive. Particularly in the area of technology, he has been a real leader, offering insights and helping our technology team to develop systems that relieve our all-volunteer organization of many of the mundane chores that needlessly took up much of our members’ time. But most of all, it’s his enthusiasm, lively interest, and zest for all things Sail Chicago that have marked his time with us.

Adam, you will be sorely missed. Know, however, that your presence among us has made us a better, stronger, more resilient organization. Our very best wishes for a bright future in your move to Rochester, New York.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIRMAN
By Adam Wisneski

It’s truly bittersweet news, but I have to announce that my family and I are planning to move to Rochester, NY, this coming spring. We made the decision to move in order to be closer to family. It’s bittersweet because we have lived here in Chicago for 10 years, and it’s the longest both my wife and I have lived anywhere. We’re Chicagoans, and we will miss this place, and Sail Chicago, dearly. 

When I joined Sail Chicago in 2013, it was the only way I could afford to keep sailing and continue learning. I took Intermediate, Skipper Prep, Basic Cruising, Bareboat Cruising, and through the sea time I gained with Sail Chicago and other learning opportunities, I was able to charter a boat with friends in the BVI. Eventually, I was able to buy, refit and set out to sea on a vessel of my own. My wife and I completed an 8-month, 5,000 mile liveaboard trip from Rhode Island to the Caribbean and back on our 35’ Wauquiez Pretorien in 2018. The trip was transformational for us. Sail Chicago had provided a platform of learning and possibility for me that I can honestly say helped change the course of my life. 

In 2015, Steve Vandervoort asked if I’d like to join the Sail Chicago Board. I was eager, and Steve helped welcome me into the group and encouraged my enthusiasm. The board entertained some truly wild (and bad) ideas I had at the start. Steve and the other board members encouraged me to keep coming to the table with ways to improve our organization for everyone, and I was inspired by their example of service. 

Since 2020, serving as Chairman of Sail Chicago has been one of the true honors of my life. You’ve trusted me with this important position, and I have learned a lot. I’ve gotten to know many of you, and have had the opportunity to listen to your thoughts and ideas, and discover the parts of Sail Chicago that you’ve built and nurtured. I’ve learned there are few other sailing organizations that come close to what we’ve created here. It is special for the sheer fact that it is created out of thin air by the will and determination of those that choose to show up and help out. 

I felt, and still feel, an urge to contribute as much as I can to Sail Chicago to help others who are starting their sailing journey just like I was 8 years ago. There are many members who depend on Sail Chicago as their only access to sailing on Lake Michigan, like I did. And, there are those who find that Sail Chicago’s ethos aligns with their own values of inclusion, learning and the power of collective effort, like I do. Sail Chicago is proof that we can accomplish a lot together when we all pitch in.

For 2022, though I’ll be living elsewhere, I’ll still be serving on the Volunteerism team to help improve the systems and communication around volunteer roles, but I will be stepping down as Chairman. 

If you’re someone who has been helped or inspired by another member, if you’ve learned from someone, if you’ve had the opportunity to see the skyline from the cockpit of one of our boats, please consider making this season the one where you step up even more into the spirit of volunteerism and giving back. If you’re someone who’s been thinking about stepping into a leadership role, I encourage you to take the leap and lead a volunteer team, become a boat manager, become an instructor, or run for a board seat. We’ll need your ideas, your energy and your talents to make sure Sail Chicago thrives for years to come. 

SAIL CHICAGO INITIATES PILOT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

By Ashleigh Luttery, DEI Committee

This year we are piloting a scholarship program as part of Sail Chicago’s commitment to increase diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) among its members within the organization as well as in the sport of sailing.  The goal is to promote the sport of sailing to groups that have historically faced barriers to participation, such as people of color in the United States and people from low socioeconomic households.  These barriers have included racial segregation in/exclusion from boating clubs, actual or perceived lack of access or acceptance, and/or high costs of participation in the sport.  The application is open January 3 - March 4, 2022.  Recipients will participate in SC’s beginner Crew classes (including Pre-Sail Orientation and US Sailing Basic Keelboat online course fees) and have membership fees covered, along with priority access to class signup.
 
Sail Chicago existing members can support the scholarship program by directly donating at https://www.sailchicago.org/donate.  To do so when in the donation portal, simply choose “Add special instructions to the seller,” indicating donations are for the scholarship program. If members have donation question, please contact Rachel Granneman (grannemr@umich.edu) or Ashleigh Luttery (ashleighluttery@gmail.com).
 
If you know someone within your network who may be interested in applying, please share the application link here.  The application can also be found on Sail Chicago’s homepage banner at sailchicago.org.

U.S. COAST GUARD SEARCH AND RESCUE


Let’s say that you’ve fallen overboard in a high sea and your shipmates on board can’t find you, so they call the Coast Guard search and rescue team. The team knows that they have to get to you as quickly as possible, but how do they go about it? They could criss-cross a large area in their rescue boat, but that takes a lot of time. Instead they perform a Vector Search (VS). To learn more, click here. Thanks to Sail Chicago member Ed Schroeder for sending us this enlightening presentation.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FULFILL SERVICE REQUIREMENTS


Our Sail Chicago Board has compiled a list of volunteer opportunities available to fulfill members’ annual service requirements. Most of these opportunities are essential to our organization’s mission. Here’s a list of available positions:
  • Boat Managers and Deputy Boat Managers
  • Boat Team members
  • Sails Manager
  • Essential Equipment Manager
  • Electrical Lead (Apprentice)
  • Rigging Lead (Apprentice)
  • Social Director
  • Deputy Treasurer

For a more detailed description of each position, please click here. Even if you think you may have met your service requirement, consider helping out in one of the listed areas. You’ll be doing yourself and your fellow sailors a great service.

SEMINAR ON SAIL TRIM, FEBRUARY 19   


Columbia Yacht Club is sponsoring a seminar on sail trim, February 19, 11:00 am. Quantum Sails experts Farley Fontenant and Todd Basch will be on hand to discuss all things sail trim with some of the best in the industry. To learn more and to register for the seminar, click here.

NEW SKIPPERS TO HELP LEAD PRE-SAIL ORIENTATION SESSIONS

By Dan Hazlett                 


We will soon begin holding our Pre-Sail Orientation (PSO) sessions for new members and students. As an exciting change this season, we are planning to have newly-minted skippers help lead these sessions. PSO sessions will be held remotely for 90 min on various days throughout the season (mostly in the early season, starting in late April). We are looking to hold training to lead the PSOs in early April.
 

This is a great way for new skippers to share their recent experience with future skippers while getting a refresher themselves on the key info about Sail Chicago. If you were skippered out in 2021 (or another recent year) and are interested in this unique volunteer opportunity, please reach out to volunteer coordinator Lois Vasquez for more information.

To stay informed on topics specific to new skippers like this one, join the #skipper-class-2021 channel on the Sail Chicago slack workspace.

SPOTLIGHT ON VOLUNTEERS
By Norris Larson


Jay Owens, our bookkeeper and past treasurer, joined (AYH) Sail Chicago in 1987. He had been sailing with a friend out of Chicago until his friend moved in 1986. He discovered Sail Chicago and went to join, but was told by Marg Benson that all classes were filled for the season. He tried again the next season and after taking classes with Oren Kipplinger, Jay checked out on the Rhodes, the cruiser ER, two pocket cruisers, and our Shields. His wife also took lessons and learned to sail after Jay agreed to marry her in church if she went sailing, too. Jay raced in Rhodes and the Shields. He has also sailed in the British Virgin Islands and the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior.
 

Jay taught classes on Rhodes and the cruising boat, Emotional Rescue, and took on the role of treasurer for Sail Chicago working with an AYH employee who kept the books. When Sail Chicago initiated its plan to separate from AYH, Jay worked on the committee and applied his financial acumen in negotiating the break. The major item was the transfer of ownership of boats to an independent Sail Chicago. Jay continued as treasurer well into the 2000’s when the role was taken over by several successors. Jay now confines his volunteering to bookkeeping and work on the routine maintenance needed to keep our boats in good shape and in the water.

Jay is a retired CPA. His work as treasurer, bookkeeper, and financial negotiator is an excellent example of how professional skills members bring to their volunteer work benefits Sail Chicago. Originally from Denver, Jay moved to Northbrook in 1970 and then to Chicago in 1985 and has lived here since then except for a two year hiatus in an overseas job. He and his wife have three adult children and live in a high rise on the near north side.

[Author’s note on Sail Chicago history.] AYH is the acronym for American Youth Hostels. Sail Chicago was one of several outdoor activity clubs that were a part of the Chicago chapter. Emotional Rescue was an Alberg 30 we lost in a storm and which was replaced by Priorities. During the storm Emotional Rescue broke loose from its mooring in Monroe Harbor and was smashed against the south harbor seawall. The Shields (which we no longer have) is a sleek 30-foot racing boat with a tight cockpit and no cabin. Think Maserati. At one time we had an active Rhodes racing group, racing locally and away, trailering a Rhodes to races around the lakes.

NAUTICAL HUMOR NEVER HURTS


Winter blues got you down? Tired of your COVID isolation? Well here’s something we hope will bring a little smile to your lips. You might even want to share these with your kids or grandkids.

SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS

 
Who to Contact
Need information on an area in Sail Chicago, but don't know who to contact? Just click here.
  
Join or Renew Your US Sailing Membership at a Discount Through MVP
Sail Chicago members can join or renew their US Sailing membership at a $10 discount through the US Sailing Member Value Partner program.

Sail Chicago Gear
Purchase gear with the Sail Chicago logo on it.  Caps, shirts, pants and other gear are available. To shop now, click here.
 
Like us on Facebook
You'll get updates, reminders, and other information on Sail Chicago events and activities. Click here. 
 
Shop Amazon Smile and Donate to Sail Chicago
When you shop online at Amazon Smile, Sail Chicago will receive a donation of .5% of your eligible purchases. It's a great way to both give and receive. To get started, click here. 

Missing Previous Issues of Between the Sheets?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of Between the Sheets at the first (and open to the public) page of the Sail Chicago website.Look under "News/Newsletter."

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 
Click on the links below to find more information about Sail Chicago.
 
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Facebook
Twitter
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The Telltale: January, 2022

Sail Chicago Newsletter for January, 2022
Sailing for All

THE TELLTALE
ISSUE #1/JANUARY, 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FROM THE EDITOR...

By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor 

Although we’re now in the dead of winter, it’s not too early to start preparing for our upcoming sailing season. You can do this in a number of ways. First you can lay out your sailing gear to see if anything needs replacing. Are those sailing gloves pretty tattered from last year’s wear and tear? Does the canister in your PFD need replacing? Do you have an emergency whistle attached to your PFD? Is your foul-weather gear adequate for early or late season sailing? Do you have a knife with a marlin spike that you carry with you when sailing? You never know when that can come in really handy.

Second, review the rules of the road for sailing, and remember the most important rule of all: never assume that the other boat is familiar with the rules of the road.

Third, review the Sail Chicago Rules and Regulations, and make sure that you understand the penalties for infractions.

Finally, report your volunteer service. If you don’t, you could be left “high-and-dry,” unable to participate in any on-the-water activities next summer.

ANNUAL MEETING AND BOARD ELECTIONS

By Rachel Grannemam, Board Secretary

Sail Chicago’s Annual Members Meeting will be held Tuesday, March 1, 2022 at 7 PM. The current plan is for the meeting to be held virtually / online. The meeting will include a presentation from Board members and program leads updating members on last year’s season and plans for 2022. As always, an important element of the Annual Meeting is the election for board members!  

This year we will be filling 6 Board seats. Four of the vacancies are the normal 3-year term, and 2 are filling vacancies – one of these will be for a 2-year term, and one is for a 1-year term. The 4 candidates with the most votes will win the 3-year terms, the candidate with the 5th highest number of votes will win the 2-year term, and the candidate with the 6th highest number of votes will win the 1-year term. As with any Board seat, the winners of the shorter terms may seek re-election after their initial terms are up. 

Important dates and links:

  • Current Board members will be hosting an informal meet-the-Board and Q&A about serving on the Board and the election process on Wednesday, January 26 at 7:30 PM using this link. 

  • Instructions for running for a Board seat are here. 

  • Board candidate information forms and nomination forms are due Tuesday, February 8.

  • Voting will open through the my.sailchicago.org portal on Tuesday, February 22 and close during the Annual Meeting on Tuesday, March 1.

SAIL CHICAGO INITIATES PILOT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

By Ashleigh Luttery, DEI Committee

ThisThis year we are piloting a scholarship program as part of Sail Chicago’s commitment to increase diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) among its members within the organization as well as in the sport of sailing. The goal is to promote the sport of sailing to groups that have historically faced barriers to participation, such as people of color in the United States and people from low socioeconomic households. These barriers have included racial segregation in/exclusion from boating clubs, actual or perceived lack of access or acceptance, and/or high costs of participation in the sport. The application is open January 3 - March 4, 2022. Recipients will participate in SC’s beginner Crew classes (including Pre-Sail Orientation and US Sailing Basic Keelboat online course fees) and have membership fees covered, along with priority access to class sign up.
 
Sail Chicago existing members can support the scholarship program by directly donating at https://www.sailchicago.org/donate. To do so when in the donation portal, simply choose “Add special instructions to the seller,” indicating donations are for the scholarship program. If members have donation question, please contact Rachel Granneman (grannemr@umich.edu) or Ashleigh Luttery (ashleighluttery@gmail.com).
 
If you know someone within your network who may be interested in applying, please share the application link here. The application can also be found on Sail Chicago’s homepage banner at sailchicago.org.

VOLUNTEERING IN 2022

By Gerry Stacy, Service Time Coordinator

As we all look forward to the start of the 2022 sailing season, the volunteerism team would like to remind you to start thinking about how you’re going to contribute to the life of our organization this year.  There are many opportunities to fulfill your service time requirement which can take advantage of the skills and abilities you already have, or perhaps teach you something new.  Here’s some additional information for you about volunteering in Sail Chicago:

  • First, we remind you that service time requirements were relaxed last season due to the way  the pandemic prevented many of us from participating in the organization in our usual way..  Please note service time requirements for all members will be in effect in 2022. 

  • If you’re considering joining Sail Chicago as a new member, remember that your service time requirement is waived for your first year.

  • Returning members, if you don’t think you’ll have time to meet your service time requirement in 2022, remember to select and pay for the Service Time Waiver when you renew your membership.  This will waive your need to volunteer during the current season.

  • Please note the following rule change:  If you fail to meet your service time requirement in 2022, either because you didn’t volunteer for a position or you failed to fulfill the responsibilities of the position you were assigned, you will be required to pay a service time waiver for the 2022 season before you can renew your membership in 2023.

There are plenty of volunteer opportunities available each season, and many of them can be carried out in just a few hours each month.  You can review a list of positions on our volunteering site.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION AT U.S. SAILING


At the November, 2021 U.S. Sailing Stakeholders Summit, a panel discussion was held on diversity , equity, and inclusion in the organization and among its affiliates. Members of the panel shared what U.S. Sailing and its affiliate members are doing to promote DEI among the nationwide sailing community. Sail Chicago is an affiliate member. In 2020 we formed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. To watch the video of the panel, click here.

CHICAGO TO HOST U.S. SAIL GRAND PRIX AT NAVY PIER

SailGP announced recently that Chicago has been selected to host the United States Sail Grand Prix at Navy Pier, June 18-19, 2022 as the league unveiled the first eight cities that will launch the global racing league's expanded Season 3 race calendar!

SailGP is one of the fastest emerging properties in world sports featuring exciting, up-close action as teams race identical F50 catamarans – a highly-technical, hydrofoiling race boat that boasts highway speeds – in an annual global championship held in some of the most iconic cities around the world.

Additional information including details on tickets and hospitality opportunities will be released in early 2022. Click here to receive updates about tickets and further U.S. Sail Grand Prix Chicago at Navy Pier announcements. We're looking forward to welcoming this incredible event to Chicago for Father's Day Weekend 2022!

SPOTLIGHT ON VOLUNTEERS
By Norris Larson

Adam Jabs joined Sail Chicago in 2012 and took a Beginner (now Crew) Class. He earned his Colgate skipper card in 2013 and his Cruising card in 2016. His interest in sailing began after he saw Charlie St. Cloud, a film featuring sailing in Minnesota. After he moved to Chicago, Adam decided he should learn to sail on our great inland sea and found our Sail Chicago website. He and friends have chartered boats in Bayfield, Wisconsin to cruise the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior; and in the British Virgin Islands. They plan to continue these excursions.

During his first two years with Sail Cchicago Adam worked on boat maintenance. In 2015 he started teaching Beginner and Intermediate (now First Mate) classes. In 2019 he took and passed the three day practical and written Basic Keelboat Instructor examinations. This last season he taught his first Skipper Prep Class as well as a First Mate Class. 

Adam is an experienced software engineer. He joined Sail Chicago to sail and sees teaching as his primary volunteer contribution to our community. For Adam, sailing is a break from his IT work and he did not want his work with Sail Chiocago to be a continuation of his day job. Yet he saw our need for IT support and he began this year to work with our principal IT volunteer, Bhargav Patel. Bhargav welcomes the aid from Adam and eventually, he will know our IT systems well enough to succeed Bhargav.

Adam lives with his two cats, Toast and Bagel, near Western and Division, between Wicker Park and Humboldt Park. He works for a professional services firm. Sail Chicago benefits from his contributions as an experienced sailor, instructor, and software architect.


[Author’s note:  What’s to like about maintaining a Sail Chicago boat—scraping bottom paint, working with smelly paints and solvents, getting into uncomfortable positions in order to work in tight spaces, …? The answer is that it’s the best preparation for the day you acquire your own boat.]

USING HAND-HELD FLARES

By Ed Schroeder

All of our boats are equipped with handheld flares. In an emergency, pyrotechnic signals remain one of the best ways to attract attention. Recently, however, a burning flare caused more problems than it solved. According to a recent article in “Practical Sailor” magazine, during a training course at the Annapolis School of Seamanship, a USCG-approved Orion handheld flare melted through its handle and began dripping hot slag on the trainee who was, luckily, wearing leather gloves. The hot slag had burned all the way to the plastic end cap and then melted its way through the cap itself.

Users need to recognize that they are literally holding fire in their hand and should be prepared to cope with a malfunctioning flare, including holding the burning flare at an angle, holding the flare over the water and wearing heavy leather gloves. It would be good practice, while on a pleasant sail, to read the directions on one of the flares. It might save your life.

SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS

 
Who to Contact
Need information on an area in Sail Chicago, but don't know who to contact? Just click here.
  
Join or Renew Your US Sailing Membership at a Discount Through MVP
Sail Chicago members can join or renew their US Sailing membership at a $10 discount through the US Sailing Member Value Partner program.

Sail Chicago Gear
Purchase gear with the Sail Chicago logo on it.  Caps, shirts, pants and other gear are available. To shop now, click here.
 
Like us on Facebook
You'll get updates, reminders, and other information on Sail Chicago events and activities. Click here. 
 
Shop Amazon Smile and Donate to Sail Chicago
When you shop online at Amazon Smile, Sail Chicago will receive a donation of .5% of your eligible purchases. It's a great way to both give and receive. To get started, click here. 

Missing Previous Issues of Between the Sheets?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of Between the Sheets at the first (and open to the public) page of the Sail Chicago website.Look under "News/Newsletter."

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 
Click on the links below to find more information about Sail Chicago.
 
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The Telltale: December, 2021

Sail Chicago Newsletter for December, 2021
Sailing for All

THE TELLTALE
ISSUE #12 /DECEMBER, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FROM THE EDITOR...

By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor 

It’s now winter, and things have pretty much shut down for Sail Chicago. For most of us it’s too cold to work in the boatyard. There are a few maintenance projects that folks can do at home, but that’s about it. Now’s a good time to curl up in front of the fire with a good sailing adventure yarn. I read one recently that I can heartily recommend. It’s the harrowing story of the first ship in the Age of Exploration to sail the Pacific Ocean from South America and return to the same port. Its title is Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery, by the noted historian Andrés Reséndez. It’s got everything an armchair voyager would want: politics, warfare, mutiny, adventure on the high seas, but unfortunately, very little romance. If you’ve got a good sea-going adventure story you can recommend, let me know and I’ll include it in next month’s issue of the Telltale.

This might also be a good time to think about how you’re going to fulfill your service requirement for the coming sailing season. You wouldn’t want to be caught “high and dry” next summer, would you? Check out the Volunteer Positions Sign Up page on the my.sailchicago.org website and see if there’s anything that interests you.

And finally, our very best wishes for a wonderful Holiday Season with you and yours, from all of us on the Telltale staff!

SPRING, 2022, BOARD ELECTIONS

By Rachel Grannemam, Board Secretary

It may be winter now, but it's not too early to start thinking about our 2022 Board elections! Serving on Sail Chicago's Board is a rewarding opportunity to step up and help run our all-volunteer organization! We will have several vacancies to fill at our Annual Meeting next spring. Information on Board structure and expectations can be found here, and a great way to get a sense for what serving on the Board is like is to attend a Board meeting. Board meetings are the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. (next meeting is December 14) and are currently "virtual" meetings online. Members are welcome at Board meetings and we'd love to see you there! The link is available in the "Announcements" section on the landing page of mysailchicago.org. We are also planning on hosting a Q&A session early next year for folks interested in running for a Board seat. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Rachel at grannemr@umich.edu or to the Board at board@sailchicago.org.

COLUMBIA YACHT CLUB SAILING SCHOOL HOSTS HOLIDAY PARTY

Columbia Sailing School will host their annual Holiday party on Dec. 18! Sail Chicago and Columbia have developed a fantastic partnership over the last few years, and many SC members are members of the Columbia Yacht Club as well. The fundraising event will feature games, a great opportunity to meet other sailors, and will help support the sailing school in 2022. All are welcome! For more details and how to register to attend click here. 

CHICAGO BOAT SHOW CANCELLED

The Chicago Boat Show, which normally opens for a week in mid-January at McCormick Place has been cancelled for the second year in a row. Sail Chicago has traditionally had a booth at the show which has welcomed many visitors over the years. NMMA, the show’s organizer, hopes the show will return in 2023.
NEW SKIPPER CLASS OF 2021

By Norris Larson                        

  
Forty-two Sail Chicago members completed the on-the-water (OTW) part of the Skipper Prep course in 2021. Skipper Prep is our most rigorous course and completing the OTW portion is the main test of whether or not a member can handle a boat on their own. Lead instructor Matt Stuczynski reminds those who have passed Skipper OTW that they need to take the written exam to complete their certification as a Sail Chicago Colgate skipper. Next season, as new skippers in training, they will be entitled to reserve Colgates for personal sails accompanied by an experienced skipper. Matt also reminds new and old skippers to take time over the winter to review Sail Chicago Rules and Regulations, OTW Skipper Skills, and US Sailing materials.
 

The “graduation” of the new class of skippers was celebrated with a very successful special happy hour put together by Daniel Hazlett and Ashleigh Luttery. We look forward to another such occasion at the end of the next season, perhaps with a semi-formal ceremony. Sail Chicago extends its congratulations to all of our new Colgate skippers!

MANY HANDS LIGHTEN THE LEARNING
By Matt Stuczynski, Lead Instructor

This is a great time of year to extend a hearty THANKS! to all those many volunteers that keep our instruction program running and help bring so many new skippers into the sport year after year. Of course, thanks to the maintenance program that keeps our boats shipshape and in Bristol fashion. Thanks next to Program Coordinator, Matt Smith, who arranges classes, registrations, schedules Instructors and deals with drops/adds all season long.  Thanks to Mary Ann Wilkens and Pete Hays who coordinate the Pre-Sail Orientations and, thereby, welcome new members to the organization.  Thanks to David Simoens and his team who administer, grade and provide feedback on the SC Written Skipper test.  Thanks to Marj Benson who patiently and diligently keeps track of student records and who eventually grants Skipper status. Thanks to Alan Summers who coordinates the US Sailing Basic Keelboat Certification. Thanks to Nicole Chen who sends out surveys to Instructors and keeps track of student progress and appropriate placement. Thanks to Vildana Celik and George Posner who have been administering and coordinating student surveys of their classes.  Thanks to Monte Lewis who coordinates our Basic Keelboat Instructor Certification and his team Aldo Caronia, Daneil Hazlett, Tom Hertel, Adam Jabs, Jim Monk and Tim Rice who have raised the bar of our Instructor training considerably over the last few years.  Of course, a very special thanks to our nearly 40 volunteer Instructors who are the heart of the program! 

Of special note; thanks to Nick Brait, Daniel Hazlett and Tim Rice who taught four classes each last season and thanks to Tim Keiderling and Michael Swisher who each taught three classes!  Also of note and thanks to Instructors Dan Stein and Melchior Dikkers who adeptly and professionally handled an equipment and medical emergency during one of their classes this season.  Finally, a warm thanks to Instructors Nick Brait, Daneil Hazlett and Mario Rolden who at a moment's notice volunteered to cover the classes of a fellow hospitalized Instructor.

The sense of duty and volunteerism of these last three Instructors exemplify the willingness to give and the passion for sailing amongst all in our group and this shining quality is what makes me so proud to be part of our Sail Chicago Instruction program.

SPOTLIGHT ON VOLUNTEERS
By Norris Larson

Richard Costello likes working on boats and has introduced a work order (WO) system which will transform how Sail Chicago manages the maintenance of its Colgate fleet. Rich joined Sail Chicago sometime in the past, before Colgates, when Rhodes 19s were the only small keelboat in our fleet. Rich grew up in Boston and Maine around boats. He learned to sail as a teenager one summer on a Lightning, a classic racing class boat, and sailed in summers that followed. After spending some time in New York, Rich moved to Chicago and made some friends who were Sail Chicago members. They all went sailing together.

What is a WO system? A WO is a digital document that tracks maintenance tasks, on a vehicle, equipment, property, or in our case a Colgate. Each boat is associated with a WO that shows what tasks are needed to get the boat ready for launch or repaired during the season. The beauty of the system is that all the tasks and their state of completion for each boat are in that boat's WO which supports the coordinator’s management of our fleet.

It is an understatement to say Rich enjoys working on boats. In addition to managing the WO project in its first year trial, Richard works closely with our Colgate maintenance manager, Don Burman, on other projects. This last season, Rich kept outboard motors running--diagnosing and fixing problems and replacing motors when needed--important work that keeps boats available throughout the season for classes, tiller times, and private sails. He also worked on rigging hardware, painted bottoms, and other pre-season tasks needed to ready boats to splash into the south branch of the Chicago River.

Rich is retired and was a maintenance project manager for a local community college where he managed preventative maintenance WOs and developed 5 and 10 year maintenance plans. He and his family live with two dogs and a cat in Roscoe Village on the city's north side, an easy trip down to Monroe Harbor. He looks forward to becoming a grandfather this spring.

[Author’s note:  What’s to like about maintaining a Sail Chicago boat—scraping bottom paint, working with smelly paints and solvents, getting into uncomfortable positions in order to work in tight spaces, …? The answer is that it’s the best preparation for the day you acquire your own boat.]

GET CREDIT FOR YOUR 2021 VOLUNTEER SERVICE

 

The Sail Chicago Volunteerism team would like your help in documenting all the work that you contribute to Sail Chicago. We’ve developed a helpful tool to gather information from members about what roles they fulfill, and what the jobs entail.

Some of you may have participated in the previous method of tracking volunteerism. This update to our process will help us manage and improve the monumental task of placing volunteers in positions that are both desired and critical to keep Sail Chicago going.

The process is as follows:

  1. Members fill out the form that indicates their volunteer role for the prior season and describes their basic jobs duties.
  2. Other members, volunteer leaders, or department coordinators confirm that service and add or embellish descriptions if needed.
  3. The Volunteerism team uses the data to create a record of who does what, how they do it and publish brief job descriptions for each role.
  4. Sail Chicago gains a clearer picture of how volunteers help make it successful.

Please help Sail Chicago get better volunteer data by submitting details of your volunteer role to our online system! Please access the form here and scroll down the page to report your volunteer service.

ANATOMY OF A BOAT COLLISION

Sail Chicago member John Lemon sent along an interesting article from a recent issue of Boat U.S. Magazine.  It hopes to answer the question “Who’s to Blame” from a legal perspective.  Bottom line: if the skippers of both boats had simply followed the sailing rules-of-the-road, the collision would never have happened in the first place. To read more, click here.

SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS

 
Who to Contact
Need information on an area in Sail Chicago, but don't know who to contact? Just click here.
  
Join or Renew Your US Sailing Membership at a Discount Through MVP
Sail Chicago members can join or renew their US Sailing membership at a $10 discount through the US Sailing Member Value Partner program.

Sail Chicago Gear
Purchase gear with the Sail Chicago logo on it.  Caps, shirts, pants and other gear are available. To shop now, click here.
 
Like us on Facebook
You'll get updates, reminders, and other information on Sail Chicago events and activities. Click here. 
 
Shop Amazon Smile and Donate to Sail Chicago
When you shop online at Amazon Smile, Sail Chicago will receive a donation of .5% of your eligible purchases. It's a great way to both give and receive. To get started, click here. 

Missing Previous Issues of Between the Sheets?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of Between the Sheets at the first (and open to the public) page of the Sail Chicago website.Look under "News/Newsletter."

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 
Click on the links below to find more information about Sail Chicago.
 
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The Telltale: November, 2021

Sail Chicago Newsletter for November, 2021
Sailing for All

THE TELLTALE
ISSUE #11 /NOVEMBER, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR...  

By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor 

 

The season is over. Our boats are tucked away in the Canal Street Marina. Now’s a time for sitting back and telling the tales from this past season. If you’ve got any stories you’d like to share, anything exciting or challenging that happened when you were on the water this past summer,  or just how much you loved being out on Lake Michigan, let me know and I’ll turn it into a story we can publish.

This is also a good time to start thinking about how you’re going to fulfill your annual service requirement for next year. A good place to start is to look over our the Volunteer Board on the my.sailchicago.org website to see what positions are available. If you’ve got questions about specific positions, it’s easy to contact the manager and ask for some clarification. In the meantime, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with friends

FIVE NEW BASIC KEELBOAT INSTRUCTORS (BKI)
By Monte Lewis

With Sail Chicago's commitment to providing the most qualified and well-trained instructors for all our 5 new BKI instructorscourses, we once again hosted a US Sailing Basic Keelboat Instructor Evaluative Course during the weekend of Sept 17-19, located at Jackson Park Yacht Club. This year we graduated five new BK Instructors: Geoffrey Skyles, Candace Kohli, Manoel Conde, Daniyar Nurgaliev and Selma Loesche (see photo).

This isn't your typical class, but rather an intensive three-day exam. Instructors are expected to come in knowing the majority of the material to be covered, rather than learning it during the course. One of the most challenging elements is the sailing skills evaluation which must be completed while single-handing one of our Colgates. In addition to the sailing skills evaluation, candidates must also be able to explain sailing topics concisely and clearly in a classroom setting. 

From the graduates . . . 

“The Basic Keelboat Instructor training and exam has been one of the most physically and mentally challenging things I’ve ever done with sailing, but it was an incredibly rewarding experience. I loved the opportunity to spend so much time on the water training and sailing with my Sail Chicago BKI cohort, experimenting with different strategies for single-handing the Colgates and celebrating each of our small achievements as we relearned OTW maneuvers and skills to single-hand the boats. Many laughs, cheers, frustrations, and bruises later, it was a very special experience to go through the intensive US Sailing certification with this crew and to see all of us push through our fears and succeed.”

“The BKI test (and preparation) was certainly a great experience that enhanced considerably my sailing skills. As expected, the level of difficulty depended a lot on the particular person evaluating us and also on the weather. Fortunately it seems that this September we - the five Sail Chicago candidates - were lucky with respect to both. Cappy Capper was a very reasonable examiner, offering constructive criticism and a lot of encouragement. The lake was a bit choppy on Saturday, but all three days had good wind, strong enough to sail nicely, but not too challenging.”

“Clearly all the support provided by Sail Chicago during our two month long preparation for the test was crucial. It would have been really much harder to succeed without the guidance provided to us by previous BKI candidates and the generous availability of boats offered to us by Sail Chicago. We sincerely thank Monte Lewis, Adam Jabs, Aldo Caronia, Jim Monk, Tim Rice, Tom Hertel, … for all the time they spent with us, providing lots of helpful hints and information, on land and on the water.”

“The US Sailing BKI certification was very intense and challenging. In preparation there were books to study, online courses to complete, as well as a swim test, CPR/first aid, and of course practice on the water. Lots of practice on the water. It all felt a bit overwhelming. US Sailing wants to make sure that you know your stuff as an instructor who earned their BKI certificate. I appreciate that and it helped me become a better sailor. And it made me happy that I completed this certification course with the support of Sail Chicago. Monte along with other Sail Chicago BKIs were very helpful this entire season in assisting us with emails of to do lists and with assistance to prepare our presentations. They were very accessible to us all for questions and for on the water practice. All of my fellow candidates were also very supportive of each other. We encouraged each other, gave feedback, and coached one another in the last couple of months as well as during the three day certification course. It was a great atmosphere and made this experience very positive. The US Sailing Instructor Trainer was very pleased with our level of preparation, understanding of the material, and skills on the water. In the end it all worked out and everyone passed. Congratulations to everyone and thank you again to the members of Sail Chicago who gave their time and energy to help us earn this certification!

NEW COMMITTEE TO CREATE CONSISTENT GUIDELINES FOR RESPONSES TO INCIDENTS, ACCIDENTS, AND VIOLATIONS

The Board is inviting participation from non-Board members on the new committee that will create guidelines for appropriate and consistent responses to various incidents, accidents, and violations (see article in October edition). If you are interested in joining the committee, please email board@sailchicago.org.

2021 UPDATE ON RULES, REGS, AND VIOLATION GUIDELINES

The Sail Chicago Rules & Regs and Violation Guidelines have recently been updated with some significant changes. Members should be familiar with their content.  Please review them here.

SPOTLIGHT ON VOLUNTEERS
By Norris Larson

Daniel Hazlett is a very active on-the-water volunteer counting some 52 days on the water during the 2021 season. Daniel came to Sail Chicago in 2018 with considerable experience. He grew up sailing on Lake Michigan with his father on his family’s cruising boat, day sailing out of Muskegon Lake, and making excursions up the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. He has fond memories of an extended cruise they made to the North Channel of Lake Huron.

Daniel started in the Intermediate course (now First Mate) in his first season with Sail Chicago and continued through Skipper. In his next season, 2019, and mentored by Monte Lewis, he led five Tiller Times. In 2020 he passed BKI, the rigorous U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat Instructor certification, a three day practical and written examination and checked out on our cruisers. This last season he taught one Crew, one First Mate, and two Skipper Prep courses. He also led cruiser tiller times and worked with Ed Schroeder’s team maintaining Priorities, our Hunter 34 cruiser based in Belmont Harbor.

Next season, Daniel looks forward to teaching and volunteering on the water with Sail Chicago and hopes to inspire others to do the same. Eventually, he would love to have his own boat and lead cruises north to show others his favorite spots along the west coast of northern Michigan.

Daniel has a background in process and systems engineering. He brings to his sailing classes his work experience teaching continuous improvement and problem solving. Currently he contracts with the Chicago Department of Public Health helping to lead its COVID-19 Vaccine Operation. Daniel lives with his boyfriend Kyle in the Streeterville neighborhood just a short walk from Monroe Harbor.

SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS

 
Who to Contact
Need information on an area in Sail Chicago, but don't know who to contact? Just click here.
  
Join or Renew Your US Sailing Membership at a Discount Through MVP
Sail Chicago members can join or renew their US Sailing membership at a $10 discount through the US Sailing Member Value Partner program.

Sail Chicago Gear
Purchase gear with the Sail Chicago logo on it.  Caps, shirts, pants and other gear are available. To shop now, click here.
 
Like us on Facebook
You'll get updates, reminders, and other information on Sail Chicago events and activities. Click here. 
 
Shop Amazon Smile and Donate to Sail Chicago
When you shop online at Amazon Smile, Sail Chicago will receive a donation of .5% of your eligible purchases. It's a great way to both give and receive. To get started, click here. 

Missing Previous Issues of Between the Sheets?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of Between the Sheets at the first (and open to the public) page of the Sail Chicago website.Look under "News/Newsletter."

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 
Click on the links below to find more information about Sail Chicago.
 
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Website
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The Telltale: October, 2021

Sail Chicago Newsletter for October, 2021
Sailing for All

THE TELLTALE
ISSUE #10 / OCTOBER, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR...  

By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor 

The end of our 2021 sailing season is almost here, so perhaps it’s time for a little retrospective. Sail Chicago has made a truly remarkable recovery from the prior year when the pandemic really and figuratively took the wind out of our sails. This year our classes were full, racing ran a fantastic program, and private boat use was way up. Improvements in our technology made it easier to navigate to areas where we had an interest and sign up for activities. 

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the dedication of so many members who went above and beyond the minimum necessary to qualify for on-the-water activities. I’d particularly like to give a shout-out to the members of our Sail Chicago Board who, in addition to the time devoted to Board activities, head up many of our most important programs. They are responsible for making the long-term decisions that will keep Sail Chicago alive and healthy well into the future. Having in the misty past spent two terms as a Board member myself, I know first hand both the rewards and frustrations of the position. People sometimes  have different visions for the direction that Sail Chicago should take, and hashing those out and coming to a consensus can be difficult. Yet I know that our Board members hang in there because each one is committed  to making Sail Chicago thrive and helping us live up to our mission. Frankly, I’ve found  that the time I spent on the Board has given me some of the most fulfilling  experiences I’ve had in Sail Chicago. So, Board members, many thanks for your dedication and for all that you do. We are truly grateful!

Speaking of the Board, by the end of our current fiscal year it will have six vacant positions. Elections typically take place at our Annual Meeting in the winter. Please carefully consider whether placing your name on the ballot is right for you. If you think you’d like to make a contribution to keeping Sail Chicago alive and healthy over the long haul, then join the Board (see article below)!

END-OF-THE-SEASON PARTY AND SILENT AUCTION: OCTOBER 8

Sail Chicago will be welcoming back members and their guests to Columbia Yacht Club for our 2021 End of Season Dinner & Silent Auction!

Every year (except last year), Sail Chicago ends the sailing season with festivities, food, and drinks.  Join us for a buffet dinner, cash bar, and a chance to celebrate a successful sailing season with fellow Sail Chicago members.  This year, the event will include our fourth annual silent auction fundraiser!

For more details and to register, please click here! 

PLEASE NOTE: All attendees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Proof of vaccination will be checked at the door.  Advanced registration is required.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION: 2022
By Rachel Granneman

 

The 2022 Sail Chicago Board election will be big – we’ll have up to six spots to fill! On a “normal” year, Sail Chicago elects four directors, or one-third of the full twelve. Because a couple of people are leaving their spots early, we may use the elections to fill two additional vacancies. Serving on the Board is a great way to increase your involvement, advance new ideas, and leave your mark on this wonderful organization. In some previous years, the Board recruited a slate of new Board members, which was then approved by a vote of general membership. As part of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative, Sail Chicago is working to make its Board elections more open, accessible, and transparent. This means the Board will be taking a less active role in recruiting, and we are relying on our members to step up to run, and to encourage others to do so as well! Any current member can run for a seat on the Board – you do not need to be a Skipper or a long-time member, and we encourage those not traditionally well-represented on the Board to consider running. If you have questions about running or serving on the Board, please reach out to Rachel at grannemr@umich.edu or any other Board member.

STAY IN TOUCH WITH SLACK

By Andy Devoto

 

While the monthly newsletter contains official updates and news for the club, Slack is a tool for casual convos, sharing pics of sails, finding sail-mates, or asking questions.  It is a group messaging app used by many organizations.

Click here to join the Sail Chicago slack group.  Then click the confirmation email and complete your sign up.  You can download the Slack app for Android or iOS on your phone, or, on the web, use Slack online here: https://sailchicago.slack.com/. 

Once you’re in, you can check out the different channels, post or reply to others, and reach out to members directly. 

If you have questions about using Slack, contact Andy Devoto.

RULES & REGS: 2021 UPDATE AND VIOLATION GUIDELINES COMMITTEE 

By Rachel Granneman

 

The Board has two updates regarding Rules & Regulations. First, at its September meeting, the Board approved an update to the Rules & Regulations, which can be found here. A summary of major changes is available here.

Second, the Board has been faced several times this year with how to appropriately respond to incidents, accidents, and violations of Sail Chicago’s Rules & Regulations. The Rules & Regulations allow for a broad range of responses, including remedial training and testing, payment of fines/charges, additional service work, revocation of skipper privileges, revocation of membership, and others. The new committee’s charge will be to create guidelines for appropriate and consistent responses to various incidents, accidents, and violations, including poor judgment that leads to human risk or boat damage, failure to follow wind guidelines, failure to wear and require all crew to wear life vests, etc. This will help the Board increase its ability to make objective and fair decisions and create clarity for members about possible responses. The committee is inviting participation from non-Board members who wish to serve on the committee, and if there are numerous applicants, will select a subset to serve on the committee. If you are interested in joining the committee, please email board@sailchicago.org.

SPOTLIGHT ON VOLUNTEERS
By Norris Larson

This month we focus the spotlight on two ambitious new sailors, Ashleigh Luttery and Stephanie Ho.  Ashleigh joined Sail Chicago this year and Stephanie in 2019.  In her first year, Ashleigh completed First Mate and Skipper Prep on-the-water Colgate classes and she needs only to take the written exam to earn her skipper’s ticket.  Stephanie has completed all the on-the-water classes and is also an all-but-test skipper, but is a very active racer.  Both work to organize social gatherings that further connections between Sail Chicago members.

Ashleigh moved to Chicago from Seattle where she was first drawn to the sea and sailboats.  She would sit dockside and watch boats go by wondering how she might get an opportunity to sail.  Ashleigh dreams of one day going on a voyage on her own boat, participating in the live-aboard lifestyle.  When she moved to East Lakeview next to our inland sea she went online to look for sailing opportunities and found Sail Chicago, quickly noticing the benefits of Sail Chicago and the value she could provide to the organization.  In addition to a busy year moving toward Skipper in one season, she served as first mate on two Community Cruise Outings (CCO), a new program directed at increasing diversity in our membership.  After gaining more experience, she looks forward to helping fill an important gap in our Sail Chicago programs, leading tiller times and MCOs.

Ashleigh worked with David Hazlett to organize what should become a new and important social event for Sail Chicago—a special happy hour where newly minted skippers meet each other and the more experienced sailors they will need to sail with in the next season.  She also helped step masts during the spring launch period and is a member of the engine team which works through the season maintaining outboards on our Colgates.

Ashleigh shares her apartment with Manna, an oatmeal colored Husky-German shepherd she had the privilege to adopt.  She has a Masters degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and works in Human Resources Risk Management.  Active in her church, she serves on its hospitality team and leads weekly small group gatherings.

Stephanie grew up in Chicago and recalls being long fascinated by the Mac race. She would go to Monroe Harbor to watch race starts and imagined what it would be like to crew on one of the boats to Mackinac.  As the 2019 season approached she and her friend Nick Chrzanowski decided it was time to learn to sail.  They googled sailing lessons in Chicago and found the Sail Chicago website.

Stephanie raced on Colgates almost every Wednesday this season.  An avid racer she also crews weekends on a 10 meter Tartan and crewed on the Chicago to Michigan City race, standing watch at night on the 18 hour round trip.  Early in the season she helped to train new Sail Chicago racers to deploy spinnakers, an essential sail for racing in lighter winds.  She also went on several maintenance sails during the season, an important chore that contributes to keeping our boats in service.

Stephanie lives in Wrigleyville and organizes social events for racing crews.  Working with the e-mail list of Sail Chicago Colgate racers, she sets up happy hours at restaurants and bars on weekends and sometimes after races.  The high point of her efforts is a pre-Verve dinner she hosts at her apartment the eve of the race. [ed.  The Verve is a Colgate class race that draws participants from all over the country to Belmont Harbor.]

An English major with a tech background, Stephanie is a product manager for a firm that focuses on sustainability and environmental issues.  Off season she skates and plays hockey.  Stephanie also holds a wine certification and hosts wine tastings and classes on wines.

BOATS HEAD FOR WINTER QUARTERS


Many boats in our fleet have been sent down the river to our winter storage facility at the Canal Street Boatyard.  Before that journey took place, however, they had to be prepped for the trip.  The motto “Many hands make light work,” was certainly true in this case. On hand to help with unstepping the masts were Joe Cannon, Pete Heflin, Rich Costello, Don Burman, Rich Andersen, Tom Prucher, and Ethan Brown,  Matt Bone, Pat Webster, Marilyn Shipley, Tim Rice, Art Witkiewicz, and Howard Ballard.  Thanks to all of you for the work you do to help Sail Chicago keep our fleet in such good shape.

VOLUNTEER TO PUT OUR RHODES 19s TO BED FOR THE WINTER


Seeking volunteers for the Rhodes trip down the river to the Canal Street Marina on Tuesday, Oct 5th. We’ll meet at the Monroe Harbor tender dock at 10am and plan to be at the Marina by early afternoon. It promises to be a fun trip. Those interested and available should please contact Tim Rice. 

EXCITING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
By Marilyn Shipley & Pat Webster

Looking for a volunteer job to fulfill your service requirement?  Interested in something that doesn’t require a great deal of boat/nautical knowledge or skill? 

Come out to the Canal Street Marina on Saturday October 16, rain date October 17 to learn about and help organize essential equipment on our Colgates. 

One of the best ways to get to know more sailors in Sail Chicago is by volunteering.  It can be a great way to develop a group of sailing buddies. If you continue to work with essential equipment in the spring, participating in this October activity will fulfill your service requirement for 2022. Contact Marilyn Shipley or Pat Webster with questions or to sign up.

SERVICE TIME TRACKING IS MOVING ON LINE
By Gerry Stacey


As the sailing season comes to a close, the volunteer team is picking back up on work to move our volunteering and service time tracking process fully online.   You’ve already seen the first part of this work with the new volunteer signup site.   This fall, we will launch a new form that will allow Sail Chicago volunteers to tell us what they did for the organization this summer, and estimate the number of hours they spent doing these volunteer jobs.  This will help us to more accurately track and record everyone’s service hours, help us learn about all the ways our members contribute, and improve job postings for the future.  Our goal is to make membership renewals in 2022 even smoother.
 

Be on the lookout for more information about this process in the November Telltale, and THANK YOU for all your volunteer contributions to Sail Chicago this summer!

SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS

 
Who to Contact
Need information on an area in Sail Chicago, but don't know who to contact? Just click here.
  
Join or Renew Your US Sailing Membership at a Discount Through MVP
Sail Chicago members can join or renew their US Sailing membership at a $10 discount through the US Sailing Member Value Partner program.

Sail Chicago Gear
Purchase gear with the Sail Chicago logo on it.  Caps, shirts, pants and other gear are available. To shop now, click here.
 
Like us on Facebook
You'll get updates, reminders, and other information on Sail Chicago events and activities. Click here. 
 
Shop Amazon Smile and Donate to Sail Chicago
When you shop online at Amazon Smile, Sail Chicago will receive a donation of .5% of your eligible purchases. It's a great way to both give and receive. To get started, click here. 

Missing Previous Issues of Between the Sheets?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of Between the Sheets at the first (and open to the public) page of the Sail Chicago website.Look under "News/Newsletter."

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 
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The Telltale: September, 2021

Sail Chicago Newsletter for August, 2021
Sailing for All

THE TELLTALE
ISSUE #9 / SEPTEMBER, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR...  

By Steve VanderVoort, Tiller Time Editor 


August was really a hot one, wasn't it?  For those of you who've been out on the lake frequently this past month, the weather has seemed a little strange at times, beautiful sunny days followed by heat waves that at times seemed intolerable, and then the thunder storms that raced through the city and over the lake.  While these quickly changing conditions created some occasional challenges for us sailors, we seem to have managed them well, without any serious damage to our fleet.

The days are getting shorter, though, and that means fall is approaching.  Let's take advantage of what's left of the the season where, hopefully the weather conditions will moderate and we can close out the year with some good memories of the fun times on the water. 

NEW WEATHER BUOY BENEFITS CHICAGO SAILORS

By John Lemon

The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) has recently installed a new weather buoy about 1.5 miles due east of Navy Pier.  This buoy fills in a critical gap in our weather knowledge along the lakefront, as it provides real time readings of wind speed and direction, as well as wave height, wave period, and wave direction, close to shore.  The wind sensor is 5.5' off the water surface, compared to the sensor at the Harrison-Dever crib, which is 85' above the water surface.

The buoy is listed in the NOAA National Data Buoy Center as "Station 45198 - Chicago Buoy" (www.NDBC.noaa.gov), so the data is available to anyone with a smart phone or tablet.

This means that sailors can get accurate information about not only wind speed at the surface, but also wave height and direction, just before departure.  Taken together with the crib information and the IISG buoy at Wilmette, skippers will have accurate information of weather conditions at the time of departure.  We recommend that skippers use this data when filling out the pre-sail checklist.

The link to the buoy will be added to the Sail Chicago landing page to make it easier to find.

 IISG archives buoy data for the past 45 days, so this should help in incident investigations.

Here is the link: NDBC - Station 45198 Recent Data

SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY CRUISE OUTINGS
By Rachel Granneman

We held our first two sets of Community Cruise Outings (CCOs) in August as part of Sail Chicago's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiative.  One set of CCOs was for families from the Jackson Park Yacht Club Foundation youth sailing program, and the other was for members of Sending in Color, a group focused on increasing DEI in rock climbing.  Both sails were a great success!  We took out a total of 30 people on two Saturdays, introducing a diverse group to the wonderful world of sailing!  A huge thanks to the 14 Sail Chicago volunteers who made this community outreach possible!

HIGHER WINDS ARE ABLOWIN'  

By Matt Stuczynski, Lead Instructor 


Now that the usually higher winds of Fall in Chicago are nearly upon us, here is a reminder that our Sail Chicago wind guidelines strongly recommend that the engine be running and ready to be IMMEDIATELY engaged, if needed, within the harbor while departing and returning to the can.  Although we maintain our ideal that all sailors should be able to sail on and off the can when needed (e.g. if the engine fails), the boat's engine should be used to avoid collision and anytime, in the skipper's judgment, that conditions do not permit safe sailing on and off the can and within the inner harbor.  As a reminder, here are the guidelines below.
  • Up to 15 knots, acceptable conditions for all boats.  (15 knots MAX for single-handling).
  • 15 - 20 knots, proceed with caution for more experienced skippers.
  • Greater than 20 knots, don't go out or return to harbor once that wind level is reached.
  • It is strongly recommended that the engines on the Colgates and Rhodes be running anytime the boat is between the mooring can and the inner-harbor mouth.  A trained member of the crew should be at the engine and be ready to engage it immediately if needed.
  • The ultimate decision to sail or not to sail is the skipper's.  Should a skipper not observe the above guidelines and an accident occurs, existing rules and regulations provide for possible Board responses.  Every skipper should review Sail Chicago Rules and Regulations, Section 5,  paragraph 5, section 2 for possible consequences.

SPOTLIGHT ON VOLUNTEERS
By Norris Larson

This month we focus the spotlight on another emergency at sea deftly handled by long time SC member Dan Stein.  On a Sunday afternoon in early June Dan was teaching a First Mate Class on Meridian when she was dismasted due to the failure of the port chain plate.  They were approaching the outer harbor from further out on the lake on a port tack when the mast went over the starboard side.  No one was injured and Dan put out a “pan-pan” indicating serious difficulty in a situation where there was no immediate danger to life or the vessel.  (If anyone had been seriously injured or Meridian were sinking, the proper call would have been “mayday-mayday.”)

Dan recalls hearing a loud “pop.” No one had any idea of what caused the noise. Half-a-minute or so later they heard a second more metallic sound, followed by a “swoosh,” and then the rig was in the water.  Dan said (expletive). He immediately deployed the anchor and issued the pan-pan. Both crew, students Natalia Povarova and Jeffrey Rinkenberger, responded well to the crises and are to be commended for providing effective assistance to Dan.

The Coast Guard and the Chicago police water patrol both responded to the distress call.  The crew and Dan and the boat were safely returned to the pump out dock in Monroe Harbor. (Docking at the tender dock is generally not allowed.)  The Coast Guard issued a "No Violation" report resulting in no fines after affirming there were current flares and a horn on board.

Dan first joined Sail Chicago in 1989 when it was still a subsidiary of American Youth Hostels (AYH), Chicago chapter.  He had learned to sail as a child and earned his skipper card his first season.  He ran the tiller time program for the next two years.  To facilitate student access to the program he set up the “Tiller Phone Line” using the answering service Sail Chicago relied on back then before we went digital.  Dan then started teaching in his third year with Sail Chicago and has continued to teach at least one course a season since then except during four seasons when he trained and crewed on Mac races.

Dan earned his Basic Keelboat Instructor certificate in 2003 as part of the second group to take the three-day U.S. Sailing exam.  He was named instructor of year in 2004 for his Pew-Sail Orientation demonstration of how sailboats work using a fan and boat model among other props.  In 2019 he was honored as the volunteer of the year.

Dan lives in an East Rogers Park apartment on the lake front.  He is an avid paddle boarder and kayaker and launches his crafts from the beach at the end of Touhy Avenue.  The beach there, at the north end of Loyola Park, is one of several stops on the Lake Michigan Water Trail.

TENDER ETIQUETTE
By Rachel Granneman

We want to remind our members about proper etiquette aboard the tenders at Monroe Harbor.  The tender drivers’ job of holding the tender in place next to a moored vessel can be difficult, especially during high winds or heavy chop.  Failure to follow these rules can not only frustrate the tender drivers but can also create safety issues, and can force the tender to do additional passes to pick up all passengers. 

Please always comply with the following:

  1. As soon as the tender pulls up next to your boat, be ready to promptly move from the tender to your boat, or from your boat to the tender.  

  2.  When you are on the tender and the tender is pulled up next to a boat, do not try to assist by holding onto the other boat.  This is not helpful and you likely are actually pulling against the tender driver.  The tender driver is making sure the bows of the boats are together to allow people to transfer. Pulling the boats together farther aft often pulls the bows apart.

  3. If you are the skipper, make sure everyone on your boat understands rules #1 and #2.

SAIL MORE OFTEN WITH SHARE-A-SAIL
By Andy Devoto, Share-a-Sail Coordinator

If you're a skipper looking for crew (or are just willing to share an otherwise open seat) or if you're not yet a skipper and are looking for more time on the water, you can reach out to other sailors via Share-a-Sail. Join the Sail Chicago Slack Group and chat your requests in the #share-a-sail channel. Slack is a group messaging app that Sail Chicago uses for general communications, maintenance and other groups, and we're excited to include a Share-a-Sail channel as well.

Then you're free to list requests or reply to others.
As we've used in the past, you can also join the Share-a-Sail google group and communicate over email.
  • Go to the Sail Chicago Share-a-Sail Google Group page: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/shareasail
  • Click "Subscribe to this group"
  • As a group-member, email shareasail@googlegroups.com with the details of your request (your name, date and time of sail, boat size).
  • All members of the google group will receive every email sent to the group email address. Replies will only go to the original sender.

SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS

 
Who to Contact
Need information on an area in Sail Chicago, but don't know who to contact? Just click here.
  
Join or Renew Your US Sailing Membership at a Discount Through MVP
Sail Chicago members can join or renew their US Sailing membership at a $10 discount through the US Sailing Member Value Partner program.

Sail Chicago Gear
Purchase gear with the Sail Chicago logo on it.  Caps, shirts, pants and other gear are available. To shop now, click here.
 
Like us on Facebook
You'll get updates, reminders, and other information on Sail Chicago events and activities. Click here. 
 
Shop Amazon Smile and Donate to Sail Chicago
When you shop online at Amazon Smile, Sail Chicago will receive a donation of .5% of your eligible purchases. It's a great way to both give and receive. To get started, click here. 

Missing Previous Issues of Between the Sheets?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of Between the Sheets at the first (and open to the public) page of the Sail Chicago website.Look under "News/Newsletter."

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 
Click on the links below to find more information about Sail Chicago.
 
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The Telltale: August, 2021

Sail Chicago Newsletter for August, 2021
Sailing for All

THE TELLTALE
ISSUE #8 / AUGUST, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR...  

By Steve VanderVoort, Tiller Time Editor 


So far it’s been a good summer for Sail Chicago. Classes are full, membership is now above three-hundred, thanks in part to the new rule that students must also be members. Tiller Times and MCOs are back on track. The racers I talk with seem to be having a great time. Social events allow us to meet new friends and fellow sailors. Our new technology efforts seem to be paying off in terms of ease of contact and promoting volunteerism among our members. Best of all, our fleet is in great shape with few incidents reported. I believe this was due at least in part to the informal instruction on “Caring for our Colgates,” initiated by members of our Board. This instruction will become mandatory in a couple of years for skippers who wish to reserve boats for private use.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the efforts of our many volunteers. Remember, Sail Chicago boasts a community of sailors who step up to do whatever needs to be done. This is one of the many reasons I love this organization.

STEPS TO BECOMING A SAIL CHICAGO SKIPPER, PART II

By Matt Stuczynski, Lead Instructor

In the July issue of The Telltale we discussed the concrete steps to becoming a Sail Chicago Colgate 26 Skipper.  Now, we can think about other ideas to help you become the best skipper you can be and take advantage of all possible Sail Chicago  learning opportunities.  

As a new Skipper, keep in mind that you must sail with another Sail Chicago Skipper and crew appropriate to your skill level and experience during your first twelve months as a Colgate 26 Skipper. More than anything, simply getting time on boats and then time on the tiller, getting practical hand-on experience is the best thing to do.  Of course, that goes hand-in-hand with more book-learning about sailing skills and best boat handling practices that you can learn on your own time whenever you can.

For boat time, please think about Sail Chicago programs such as Tiller Times, Share-a-Sail, Member Cruise Outings, help with Maintenance crews/deliveries and, of course, our Racing Program.  For book learning, try to become as familiar as you can with the Sail Chicago Rules and Regulations, on-the-water Skipper Skills Standards, the U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat text, videos and other material on the U.S. Sailing website, weather apps. etc.  When you sign the "Sail Chicago Keelboat Skipper Personal Statement", you agree to the idea that receiving Sail Chicago Colgate Skipper status does not guarantee that you are a great skipper, but rather, indicates that you are "trusted to continue learning while sailing the Colgate 26".  Sailing is a thinking-person's sport where the learning never ends, which I believe, is why so many of us love the sport so much and makes us want to continue learning for a lifetime.  See you on the water, and I look forward to continuing learning with you!

DATES FOR BASIC KEELBOAT CERTIFICATION EXAM

By Alan Summers

The  U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat Certification Exam will be given at Pete’s Coffee, 686 E Ogden in Naperville at 9 am on the following dates:

  • August 14

  • August 28

  • September 11

The exam consists of 70 multiple choice questions based on the U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat book and your training at Sail Chicago.  This exam is a separate offering from Sail Chicago and is NOT related to your Sail Chicago skipper requirements.   This certification connects you with U.S. Sailing, comes with 1 year membership in U.S. Sailing, and costs $50.  The certification is another measurement of your basic keelboat sailing skills.  It is a written test only and we encourage everyone to obtain the certification,but it is an optional exam.    If you wish to take the exam please notify Alan Summers. 

UPDATE: END OF SEASON DINNER & SILENT AUCTION
By Rachel Granneman
 

We are hoping to be able to hold our annual End of Season Dinner this year, and have booked space at Columbia Yacht Club for the evening of Friday, October 8! However, it is possible we may not be able to hold a large in-person event due to the COVID-19 variants -- in which case the Dinner will be cancelled, but the Silent Auction will be transitioned to an online platform. Several companies have already committed to donating to the Silent Auction, including Ronstan, Spinlock, Rooster, Boating Closeout, and Quantum Sails!

MONROE PARKING PASSES


On several occasions throughout the summer parking passes have gone missing or have not been returned to the Monroe Harbor lockbox on a timely basis. Please remember, if you use a parking pass, return it immediately after your sail is finished. As a community of sailors we depend upon one another to act in a caring way to other members. One way to do this is to return your parking pass quickly so that someone else can benefit from its use. If we all do this, no one will be inconvenienced. 

SPOTLIGHT ON VOLUNTEERS
By Norris Larson


This week we focus the spotlight on Melchior Dikkers, one of Sail Chicago’s most active and capable instructors. We begin by commending Melchior for his handling of a medical situation on a recent Colgate sail.

A crew member announced he was feeling ill and started to lean back. Melchior went over to him and removed his sunglasses so he could see his eyes. Shortly thereafter his eyes rolled back and he became unresponsive. Drawing on the first aid/medical training he received as an advanced sailing instructor in France, he saw what seemed to be a heat related condition and proceeded to cool him by opening his life vest and pouring water from water bottles over his head and chest to cool him. Soon, he regained consciousness.
 
The boat was just south-east of the harbor entrance. Melchior decided it would be quickest to sail back to the mooring can. He asked the harbor master to send a tender as soon as possible because he had a medical emergency. The ailing crew was taken ashore by another crew, a resident at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Melchior later called his spouse, using the emergency contact information provided by the crew.

Melchior, who grew up in France, was a member of a volunteer sailing organization there much like Sail Chicago. He learned to teach sailing and worked his way up to offshore instructor, teaching 14-day live-aboard courses. When he came to Chicago a friend said he should find a way to sail on our inland sea. Melchior went online and discovered Sail Chicago. After a few emails and phone calls he chatted with Ray Beikzadeh and Bob Lapin about Sail Chicago and joined in time for the 2017 season.

Since joining Sail Chicago, Melchior has earned his BKI and several other US Sailing instructor certifications including coastal navigation, performance sailing, and spinnaker. He has taught numerous Crew and First Mate Courses on Colgates. In 2019 he taught Sail Chicago’s navigation/chart reading class. He also worked with Vildana Celik to create a questionnaire to survey our students about their experiences with Sail Chicago training. Melchior has several ideas about how Sail Chicago can upgrade its program by offering courses in performance sailing and spinnaker flying, sail trim for racing, and racing rules and strategy.
.
Melchior and his girlfriend live in Hyde Park. He is a business consultant and also teaches sailing in Corsica and Martinique, which he can arrange as he carries a French passport and French certifications.

BOAT DAMAGED ON PRIVATE SAIL
By Norris Larson

Recently a member single handing a boat on a private sail had an accident that damaged the boat. Upon thorough review of the event by the Safety Director and the Board it was decided that although the member is a skilled sailor, poor judgement had been exercised regarding keeping watch and respecting wind guidelines. The member was practicing heaving-to and lost track of the proximity of a lee shore, was blown onto it, and required assistance from a passing powered vessel. The member sailed the boat back to its mooring.

The member took responsibility for the accident in a way we hope and expect all members would and agreed to abide by the Rules and Regs that state that up to $250 should be contributed toward the cost of repair. Members should know that while SailChicago is focused on learning and providing resources to experiment and get better at sailing, there are boundaries that require everyone to care for our shared resources for the good of the group.

SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS

 
Who to Contact
Need information on an area in Sail Chicago, but don't know who to contact? Just click here.
  
Join or Renew Your US Sailing Membership at a Discount Through MVP
Sail Chicago members can join or renew their US Sailing membership at a $10 discount through the US Sailing Member Value Partner program.

Sail Chicago Gear
Purchase gear with the Sail Chicago logo on it.  Caps, shirts, pants and other gear are available. To shop now, click here.
 
Like us on Facebook
You'll get updates, reminders, and other information on Sail Chicago events and activities. Click here. 
 
Shop Amazon Smile and Donate to Sail Chicago
When you shop online at Amazon Smile, Sail Chicago will receive a donation of .5% of your eligible purchases. It's a great way to both give and receive. To get started, click here. 

Missing Previous Issues of Between the Sheets?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of Between the Sheets at the first (and open to the public) page of the Sail Chicago website.Look under "News/Newsletter."

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 
Click on the links below to find more information about Sail Chicago.
 
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The Telltale: July, 2021

Sail Chicago Newsletter for July 2021
View this email in your browser
Sailing for All

THE TELLTALE
ISSUE #7 / JULY, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS

FROM THE EDITOR...  

By Steve VanderVoort, Tiller Time Editor 

 

Maybe it’s just that feeling of “bounce back” after last year, but how great is it to go sailing on Lake Michigan, to enjoy the camaraderie that can only be found among fellow sailors, to reconnect with old friends on the Monroe tender dock or at our social gatherings, to make new friends (I’ve enjoyed sailing with a bunch of our student sailors in Tiller Times and loved every minute of it), to see our instruction, racing, and cruising programs in full swing. It does my old heart good to see all this activity once more.
 

You know how locals sometimes take for granted what tourists find so interesting and entertaining?  After 2020 our appreciation for things that we may have taken for granted before have a renewed poignance and relevance. That’s certainly true for Sail Chicago. Our history in Chicago stretches back a long way through the time when we were once affiliated with American Youth Hostels, to our becoming an independent organization in 2004, to our present-day multifaceted program. And all this has been done through volunteer effort. Sail Chicago members have always, in good times and in bad, stepped up to do what needed to be done in order to keep us alive and healthy.
It’s that volunteer spirit that has sustained and enhanced us. So let’s remember to appreciate and celebrate our history and to be grateful for those many volunteers who throughout the years have contributed so much of their time, energy, creativity, and just plain hard work to our program.

STEPS TO BECOMING A SAIL CHICAGO COLGATE SKIPPER

By Matt Stuczynski, Lead Instructor

For all those wondering how to become a Colgate Skipper...here are the steps needed to achieve that goal:

  1. First attend a Pre Sail Orientation (PSO) which is virtual this year.
  2. Next, sign-up and learn all about sailing through the online US Sailing Basic Keelboat course which we ask that you finish before your first On-the-Water class.
  3. Students must pass the Sail Chicago On-The-Water Skipper Skills requirements through the Skipper Prep class.
  4. After this, a student must take the online SC Written Test. SC Written Test Coordinator, David Simoens, and his team, go over w/ the student.
  5. Record Keeper Marj Benson grants SC Skipper status on the webpage.

This process is indeed thorough and can take at least a season or two for a complete beginner.  Since we have no full-time or paid staff on call or, at the harbor, to answer questions, or even go out to help (like the yacht clubs do) our Skippers need to be completely competent to safely take out a boat and manage a crew totally on their own; which is why we have the various steps involved and also why we are so thorough.  Rest assured, gaining SC Skipper status gives a student plenty of opportunities to learn and become the best sailor they can be.

BASIC KEELBOAT CERTIFICATION EXAM SET FOR JULY 10

By Alan Summers


Saturday July 10, there will be a US Basic Keelboat Certification Exam given at Pete’s Coffee, 686 East Ogden, Naperville, at 9 a.m.  The exam consists of 70 multiple choice questions based on the US Sailing Basic Keelboat book and your training at Sail Chicago.  This exam is a separate offering from Sail Chicago and is NOT related to your Sail Chicago skipper requirements.  This certification connects you with US Sailing, comes with 1 year membership in US Sailing, and costs $50.  The certification is another measurement of your basic keelboat sailing skills.  It is a written test only and we encourage everyone to obtain the certification,but it is an optional exam.  There  will be additional exam offerings during the summer.  If you wish to take the exam please notify Alan Summers at neuroal@att.net.

COME JOIN THE FUN: HAPPY HOUR, JULY 22

By Pat Webster

 

Columbia Yacht Club will once again open its doors to Sail Chicago members onHappy Hour Logo Thursday July 22nd from 5:30-8:00.  Experience the fantastic view from the upper deck!  Sail Chicago will provide some appetizers and drinks. Watch for email announcements for more information and to register.

Besides food, drink and connecting with Sail Chicago members, we will also have an opportunity to view a remote controlled sailboat in the harbor. Click here to learn more.

And make the most of your trip to the Yacht Club.  We will be running Caring for our Colgates trainings at Columbia at 4 and 5pm on that day.  It will be an easy way for skippers to fulfill this continuing education  requirement.  Get more information about this in this issue. 

Save the date!

CARING FOR OUR COLGATES - LAST CHANCE THIS SEASON

By Pat Webster


On Thursday July 22nd, in conjunction with the Happy Hour at Columbia Yacht Club, we will be holding the final sessions of the Caring for Our Colgates program for this season.  They will be held at 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. at the Columbia Yacht Club dock. In case of rain, an alternate date is Monday July 26th.

This continuing education program will provide you with information and the opportunity for some hands-on experience with best practice procedures to put away a boat at the end of a sail.  Maintenance teams have already noticed that more boats are being left in good shape at the end of a sail.  Thanks to all of those who have already participated in the training.

Completion of this training program prior to the 2023 season will be needed in order to reserve a Colgate in that season and going forward.  

To register for a July 22nd training, please click here or go to the link on the my.sailchicago.org website.

If anyone is interested in completing the training this season and is not available on the 22nd, please email pat.webster@sailchicago.org to join a waitlist.

BASIC KEELBOAT INSTRUCTOR EVALUATIVE COURSE (9/17 - 9/19)

By Adam Jabs 

With Sail Chicago's commitment to providing the most qualified and US Sailing Logowell-trained instructors for all our courses, we are once again hosting a US Sailing Basic Keelboat Instructor Evaluative Course this fall with the help of Jackson Park Yacht Club. 

This isn't your typical class, but rather an intensive three-day exam. Instructors are expected to come in knowing the majority of the material to be covered, rather than learning it during the course. One of the most challenging elements is the sailing skills evaluation which must be completed while single-handling one of our Colgates. In addition to the sailing skills evaluation, candidates must also be able to explain sailing topics concisely and clearly in a classroom setting. 

Sail Chicago will provide financial support as well as prep classes presented by our own current BKIs. We will cover presentation formats and topics, teaching methods, knots, and the sailing skills you will be tested on. Our goal is to make sure you go into the exam full of confidence and completely prepared! 

If you are a current instructor ready to put your skills to the test or looking for more information, we'll be holding an informational orientation webinar on July 24, Saturday at 9:30 am. Interested in attending? Please contact Adam by email at Adam.jabs@gmail.com.

2021 NATIONAL WOMEN’S SAILING CONFERENCE

By Rachel Granneman


This year’s National Women’s Sailing Association Conference is being held National Women's Sailing Associationright here in Chicago! The Conference will take place on September 11, 2021 and is hosted by the Jackson Park Yacht Club. Sessions and workshops will be held in person, but many will also be available streaming online. Check out the schedule here – topics include nautical charts, diesel engine basics, knots, sail trim, foul weather, and much more. This year’s theme is Sharing Sailing, and “...all women sailors attending the September 11th educational event will find new opportunities to connect with friends, meet new shipmates, perhaps discover a new place to sail, and of course, learn new skills.” Tickets will go live in July, and some sessions may fill up fast. If you plan to attend and want to connect with other Sail Chicago member attendees, email Rachel Granneman (DEI Committee Co-Chair) at grannemr@umich.edu.

NEW DEI INITIATIVE AT SAIL CHICAGO: COMMUNITY CRUISE OUTINGS 

By Monte Lewis, BKI Certification Coordinator & Rachel Granneman, DEI Committee Co-Chair

The Sail Chicago Board of Directors has approved a pilot Community Cruise Outings program, where we reach out to community groups with membership traditionally not well-represented in sailing and offer to take some of their members on a free sailing outing. This gives Sail Chicago members an opportunity to engage with diverse local community groups and gives those individuals a chance to experience sailing on Lake Michigan and Sail Chicago.

This year the Jackson Park Yacht Club, located on the south side, has generously offered to host our annual Sail Chicago instructor evaluation three-day event, the US Sailing Basic Keelboat Instructor (BKI) Evaluation. Jackson Park Yacht Club also sponsors the Open Horizons Youth Sailing Program--a Summer sailing program that targets low-income, minority, and at-risk children and youth. They teach leadership, teamwork and conflict resolution skills through sailing. 

In order to thank JPYC and continue to build a relationship, we have offered to provide a Community Cruise Outing for the parents of the Open Horizons Youth Sailing Program, and hope to take out up to 20 participants. The JPYC Parents Cruise will take place on Saturday, August 21st in the afternoon. We need 5 Skippers and 5 First Mate volunteers to help out with the Parent Cruise Outing. If you are interested in participating, please contact Rachel Granneman at grannemr@umich.edu.

SPOTLIGHT ON VOLUNTEERS

By Norris Larson

This month we focus on a couple, Ethan Brown and Matt Bone. They joined Sail Chicago three years ago and worked their way up to skipper in their first year. Both are on the maintenance team for the Colgate 26 Naked Dance and helped prepare her for launch this season. They also helped move her up and down the river and participated in un-stepping and stepping the masts on her and several other Colgates. They enjoyed working on Naked Dance and relate that they learned a lot from her boat manager Don Burman.

Matt and Ethan went sailing in San Francisco Bay on a friend’s boat. They enjoyed it so much that when they returned to Chicago they looked for a way to sail here and discovered Sail Chicago. Ethan said that Sail Chicago presented an opportunity he thought he could never afford thinking that to sail he would need to buy a boat.

Ethan is a graphic designer at University of Illinois Chicago and formerly at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He reviewed the spreadsheet lesson grids that comprise our Colgate lesson plans and suggested to lead instructor Matt Stuczynski the grids would benefit from a better format. Ethan worked with Matt and created the elegant OTW Skipper Skills Standards, first published in 2020. Matt Stuczynski has stated that this new manual “augments the skills taught in the Sail Chicago PSO materials, the Sail Chicago Lesson Grids and the US Sailing Basic Keelboat text.”

Matt Bone is a software engineer and has met with our IT team and Bhargav Patel to offer his help. As Sail Chicago grows and changes it’s good to know we have members with needed skills beyond sailing and boat maintenance. Matt is not entirely new to water sports and has memories of canoeing down the Merrimack River in Missouri to the Mississippi. His first sailing experience was on Lake Michigan in a co-worker’s boat. He found it scary, with big swells and heeling, fearing it would tip over.

Matt and Ethan own a two flat near Armitage and Milwaukee. They appreciate the transparency of Sail Chicago and enjoy Happy Hours and other social gatherings.

 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

By Adam Wisneski, Chairman

 

Here are some positions for which we need volunteers. If you're a member this year and are looking for a volunteer position, head to this link to find out more and indicate your interest! 

Deputy Skipper Test Admins: Helps review the skipper test with prospective new Colgate Skippers. Ideal candidates are current Colgate Skippers/Instructors that are at the least very familiar with SC Rules/Regulations, the OTW Skipper Skills Standards, etc. Indicate your interest on the volunteer board linked above. 

Skipper Continuing Education Volunteers (Caring for Colgates): Supports the Skipper Continuing Education Lead by helping administer and train skippers on our Caring for Colgates procedures. Ideal candidate is an experienced skipper with a passion for helping others understand proper upkeep of our Colgates! Indicate your interest on the volunteer board linked above.

MEMBER CRUISE OUTINGS (MCOs): FUN AND FREE SOCIAL SAILS

 

Are you a skipper looking for a fun way to get out on the water and meet new people? Consider hosting an MCO! (And if you host 5, that meets your service time requirement.)

Most members know about Tiller Times, but many are not familiar with a similar program we offer: Member Cruise Outings, also known as MCOs. Like Tiller Times, they offer a free opportunity for members to get out on the water with other Sail Chicago members. But they’re available to any and all members (not just students), and the focus is on providing an opportunity for members to socialize and enjoy being on the water. As an MCO Skipper, you choose when to schedule your cruises, and you can also bring your own First Mate. Women skippers can choose to host a regular MCO or a Women's MCO. Members can sign up to go out on an MCO by reserving a seat through the online reservation website.

Jason Wirth, who satisfies his service time each year by hosting MCOs, explains:

“Running MCOs is a lot of fun to me because it is a casual sail, and I typically encourage sailors to bring snacks to share along with a laid back attitude. As a result, many of those who crewed for my MCOs have reported that our outing was their most enjoyable sailing experience of the summer.”

For more information and to sign up, contact Brandon Sanders at MCO@sailchicago.org

SAIL MORE OFTEN WITH SHARE-A-SAIL

By Andy DeVoto

If you're a skipper looking for crew (or are just willing to share an otherwise open seat) or if you're not yet a skipper and are looking for more time on the water, you can reach out to other sailors via Share-a-Sail. Join the Sail Chicago Slack Group and chat your requests in the #share-a-sail channel. Slack is a group messaging app that Sail Chicago uses for general communications, maintenance and other groups, and we're excited to include a Share-a-Sail channel as well. Then you're free to list requests or reply to others.
As we've used in the past, you can also join the Share-a-Sail google group and communicate over email.
  • Go to the Sail Chicago Share-a-Sail Google Group page: https://groups.google.com/g/shareasail 
  • Click "Subscribe to this group"
  • As a group-member, email shareasail@googlegroups.com with the details of your request (your name, date and time of sail, boat size).
  • All members of the google group will receive every email sent to the group email address. Replies will only go to the original sender.

MERIDIAN DISMASTING

By Adam Wisneski, Chairman

 

One of Sail Chicago's Colgates, Meridian, was dismasted in an incident during a class on June 6. From our observation and the report from those onboard, the port chainplate was pulled up through the deck, leaving a big hole in the deck above the waterline. Instructor Dan Stein was able to assess the situation, issue a PAN PAN, and get help from authorities in getting the boat back to safety. Member safety is a number one priority for us, and we're glad to report no one was injured during the incident. Sail Chicago commends Dan for handling the situation well. 

The maintenance team rallied a late evening response to help relieve Dan and the students aboard and tuck Meridian back in on her mooring for the next few days. Then, volunteers from the Albatross maintenance team transported Meridian back to the boatyard where she now sits on the hard. 

While an insurance claim is underway to help Sail Chicago recover the loss and get Meridian back in service soon, some immediate steps were taken to understand the rigging failure and make sure the rest of our fleet is safe. We've contacted other organizations that use Colgates to report the issue and see if they've had anything similar, we've double checked and adjusted rigging tension to make sure our fleet falls within the recommended numbers, maintenance volunteers inspected other Colgates' bulkheads to look for signs of weakened chainplates, and we've begun outreach to hire a marine surveyor or engineer to do a further assessment of the fleet.  

While we'll continue to get expert advice on possible risks to our fleet, we believe that the rest of the fleet is sound and that the incident that dismasted Meridian is a one-time event rather than a systemic issue. 

The Board will work to keep membership informed and, as always, will prioritize member, student and instructor safety above all else. 

Thanks to all those that helped address Meridian's dismasting. It was a true team effort.

CREW OVERBOARD!!

By Ed Schroeder

 

The words that bring fear to sailors and a surge in adrenaline. Luckily we were only performing a mock drill on “Priorities”. It took the experienced skipper six minutes to bring the “victim” alongside with the Lifesling. Six long minutes without the added panic of a loved one in the water because we were using a pillow “victim.”  The problem seemed to be the inability of the skipper to turn the boat so that the dragging Lifesling would pass next to the “victim”. We tacked many times.
 

In a recent issue of “Practical Sailor” magazine, there is an excellent, 2-part article describing a Crew Overboard Retrieval Symposium on San Francisco Bay, with 115 volunteers taking part in 400 tests. The authors stated: “Among the many truths we discovered or rediscovered was this: most rescues are long, physically taxing (if not plain difficult), and require good equipment, fortitude, and (most important) good boat handling.” Surprisingly, they found that the most difficult part of the recovery is getting the victim aboard, whether the victim was conscious or not. 


Have other skippers, on other boats, checked the equipment and practiced actually retrieving a victim? Should Sail Chicago offer an advanced course where skippers could take the info learned back to their respective boats? How would you get a loved one back on board even on a low freeboard Rhodes? The life you save may be your own.

 

This summer, every day we’re on the water, it would behoove us all to practice COB at least once per outing.

COAST GUARD ISSUES NEW LIFE JACKET LABELS


Sail Chicago member Mario Roldan reports that the U.S. Coast Guard has issued new labeling for life jackets that indicate the jacket’s appropriate use. Please review the new labeling guidelines here to make sure that any new life jacket you purchase is appropriate for the conditions in which you will be sailing.

SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS

 
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