The
Beacon 
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15 January 2006
Volume 5, Issue 1
P.O. Box 211, Glen Cove, NY 11542
www.GlenCoveYachtClub.org
Glen Cove Yacht Club Home Page
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The
Beacon
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15 January 2006 |
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Volume 5, Issue 1 |
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P.O. Box 211, Glen Cove, NY 11542 |
www.GlenCoveYachtClub.org |
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The Board of the GCYC recently adopted a trial policy for one year to charge a Workshare Fee for each boat owning member, refundable at the end of the year as long as the member puts in at least two workdays at the club. It's that simple. The reasons for this seem obvious, but let's make it clear to all. The Club runs on the energy and skills of the members. Without participation from all, we have less than we should in terms of well turned out facilities and regular services. Every member has a responsibility to assist in running the club and our new Workshare program is designed to reinforce the participation required to operate this club at its fullest potential for all of us. None of us has a lot of time these days. I personally prefer to sail my own boat rather than maintain or fix the club launch, empty the garbage pails in the rest rooms, or clean out the storeroom in the back of the building on a weekend. But maintenance is a necessary and an ongoing chore, on the launch, the ramp, floats, and building housing the clubhouse. The Board members and a small group of volunteers currently bear a disproportionate share of these tasks, and oftentimes this past year some key tasks did not get done or were done late. This sometimes caused an interruption in club services. We do not want to operate a club that does not deliver on its promises to the members. Launch services on a regular and announced schedule, safe and effective docks and ramps, a clean, attractive and secure clubhouse with operating shower and toilet facilities, and many more amenities are what the club promises the members. Your help and participation in making sure we all get the services we expect is critical. We will be organizing workday schedules, task lists, and buying materials in preparation for workdays and tasks. Many of these tasks can be done on days other than workdays if your schedule is flexible enough to do something on a different day. Preparing and painting the club dinghies, electrical work, painting the clubhouse, preparing and painting the bottom or finishing the teak on the launch are just some of the tasks that are open to assignment on other than work days. Let us know if you need an off-day assignment. If you would rather have a regular maintenance chore (cleaning the launch or maintaining the diesel engine on the launch, for instance), which you can do as your own schedule permits, just tell us. Your questions and concerns are welcomed by the Officers and Trustees. Drop us a note, send me an e-mail (jjdphd@aol.com), or just come down to a 1st Wednesday of every month Board meeting at 7:30 PM and give us your input. ~ Jim Dahl, Vice Commodore
It's late November and I've
had my boat in a little later than usual. I plan on
having my boat hauled on City Island. The morning I
am leaving there is a thick pea soup fog. Darn, I
hate fog, it makes the hairs on my neck stand up,
but this is the only day I have to move my boat
around due to other commitments, so I forge
ahead. Once onboard I turn on the
radar and set up a way point route on my GPS. Take
a quick look at the chart and I notice Execution
rocks and its description "Fl 10sec 62ft 16m Horn".
Good, I may not see Execution rocks but I will be
able to hear the horn. Fog is spooky and I kept
listening for the horn, I could see it on the radar
screen and my GPS had me on a good course. But not
a sound, the horn was as silent as the fog itself.
I arrive safely at City
Island but I am left wonder about the lack of a
horn on Execution Rocks? What documents should I
have consulted before leaving that would have let
me know I was not going to hear a horn on this
trip? |
Dear Members, The Board and Trustees would like to wish you a Happy New Year and welcome to the 2006 season of the Glen Cove Yacht Club. Enclosed you will find your 2006 Membership Application. Please note that the Club's dues structure has changed for the up coming year. The discounts for the dues if you decide to join early are still intact but we have added a workday fee for the boat owning members which will be refunded as long as the requirements are met for the clubs workdays. This fee is being implemented as a trial for the year 2006. See the enclosed work share program details. Your completed application and payment should be returned to the following address:
Please retain last years key and we will mail out the new cards and stickers upon receipt of your application and payment. We would like to thank you for joining the club last year and hope that you will be back again this year. We are looking forward to seeing you at the Club's activities throughout the year. If you know of anyone who would be interested in becoming a member, you can direct them to our web site for an application or they can call Jim Dahl at 516-676-6097. Cordially, The Officers of The Glen Cove Yacht Club
To the members of the Glen Cove Yacht Club:
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As we do every year, we're putting out the word for anyone who is interested in serving as a launch operator at the Glen Cove Yacht Club for the 2006 season. The launch service begins in May and runs through the last weekend in October. Operating hours are Saturdays and Sundays throughout the season, with shifts on Fridays, Mondays, Wednesdays and perhaps Thursdays as well. Generally, this job is held by young people of high school or college age. Requirements? First and foremost, dependability. We're looking for responsiblepeople who want to work on the water running a boat and providing excellent service. Fulfilling this requirement is a lot harder than you would think. I'm emphasizing the words WANT TO WORK - not someone is being made to work but doesn't need the money, or has so many other activities that they really don't have time for a job. The pay is well in excess of the minimum wage and is probably far better than you can get standing over a greasy grill flipping hamburgers. This does not include the tips, which can be a great enhancement to his or her income, depending on the employee's attitude. The work is not hard and a young person can actually learn some very useful skills driving a boat, aside from the responsibility of providing an efficient and safe service in all weathers. Minimum age should be 16, but 15-year olds will be considered if they already have significant boating experience. Completion of the NYS Boating Course is a plus but not a requirement. The ability to row a boat and to swim is mandatory. Several operators are required to meet the demands of our ever-expanding operations schedule. If you know of someone who might fit the description of a reliable, enthusiastic, personable person, willing to learn and desiring to work, contact Dave Nieri. Any necessary training will be provided. You can reach Fleet Captain Dave Nieri at (516) 674-3626 or by email at DNieri@yahoo.com ~ Dave Nieri, Fleet Captain Workshare Program In order to provide an incentive for improved attendance at the GCYC workdays, the Board has proposed the following procedures and fees as a trial for the 2006 season. The trial will be fully executed and then assessed by the Board and the results will be reported to the members at the General Fall Meeting in 2006 for full ratification or discontinuation for the 2007 Season. 1. Mandatory workday (work share) fee of $100.00 per member will be adopted as a one year trial part of this year's (2006) application. This would be in addition to regular membership fees for boat owning members only. |
During the Volvo Open 70 Race, ABN AMRO One did a 546-mile day. That's an average speed of 22.75 knots, setting a new monohull speed record. At that speed you could sail from GCYC to Norfolk, VA and back again all within 24 hours.
The Mariner's Bookshelf Book Reviews by R.J. Reynolds, Club Historian Now that everyone's boat is safely ensconced on their cradles for the winter, our indoor activities sometimes turn to reading about our favorite pastime. There is little that compares to curling up in front of a roaring fire on cold winter evening with a good nautical read. Reviewed here are two recently published books that, while not strictly about sailing, will enhance the Long Island yachtsman's knowledge about both local lighthouse lore and finding just the right words for a toast for any nautical occasion. "Bottoms Up - Toasts, Tales, and Traditions of Drinking's Long History as a Nautical Pastime" by Robert McKenna, 2005, Flat Hammock Press, Mystic, CT, 112p. (available form Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers.) This delightful little book came to my attention recently, and is a worthwhile reference for anyone's nautical library. Robert McKenna, a Noank-based former Coast guard officer, maritime reporter, and columnist, spent several years researching and collecting hundreds of toasts, drinking phrases, and utterances - useful for all occasions whether in the Club, the Wardroom, or the cockpit. In this small volume, he distills them, mixes them with facts, and offers amusing anecdotes to celebrate a grand maritime tradition. In addition to being a rather complete compendium of nautical toasts, it includes proverbs, slogans, sayings, and quotes that can be worked into a gracious gesture suitable for any occasion. McKenna notes that "..a good toast should be a gift…appropriate for the occasion, positive, sincere, and ideally, memorable." He includes some real gems. Some of my favorites are: "May your departures equal your landfalls" "Long Island Lighthouses, Past and Present" by Robert G. Muller, 2004, Long Island Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society, PO Box 744, Patchogue, NY, 11772, 383p. This well researched volume written by the president of the Long Island Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society is a compendium of the histories of all of the lighthouses surrounding Long Island, both past and present. Profusely illustrated with archival photos, postcard views, maps, and construction diagrams, this highly-researched book details the history of each lighthouse, up to the present, and presents interesting stories and historical footnotes concerning each. For lighthouse aficionados familiar with Harlan Hamilton's "Lighthouses of Long Island Sound", this book makes an excellent companion volume as it includes South Shore lighthouses, lightships, and even minor aids to navigation like the Glen Cove breakwater light. Well indexed and complete with a lengthy bibliography. Soft cover. Available directly from the LI Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society at the above address, or at their website at: http://www.LILighthouseSociety.org
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This year we are in the planning stages for three cruises and several overnight trips by club members. These cruises are open to club members and friends with boats as well. We are going to try and do something a little different by having a couple of "guided cruises." What's a guided cruise? Some of you may have seen West Marine advertise its "flotilla cruises." This is much the same thing, with one boat and Captain being the "guide" and the group of boats sailing together to provide a more secure setting for less experienced boaters who may be unsure of their skills, the destination, the navigation required to make the trip. Several ingredients are important: First, there will be a "prep" meeting led by the Guide for a particular cruise, to lay out the basic navigation, length of trip, suggestions for provisions, contingency plans, etc. Second, people need to be cooperative and generally stay with the group, or this doesn't work. Third, enjoy the camaraderie and gain from the experience so that next time you can do the trip on your own if you didn't feel confident before. Tentative cruises include: Mystic Seaport, CT, Spring Music Festival (2nd Week in June); New York Harbor/Sandy Hook/Atlantic Highlands (dates open); Block Island, Rhode Island (dates open). Overnights include Oyster Bay (our own mooring), Ziegler's Cove (CT) and others.
2005 RACE RESULTS Shadowfax Weepecket Tanqueray Scout Snow Crash Breizh Izel Corybantic Inssail Nirvana Patience Fine-Alee Soraya Halcyon Course Distance Wind No. of
Boats ** Points for the series as follows: B: Average race position C: Average race points (ie. "A" divided by number of races raced) NOTE: Minimum of 2 races to qualify. See you next season On The Starting Line!
New Boats This coming season there will be a number of Glen Cove Yacht Club members who will be sailing on new (to them) boats. Jim & Olga Dahl have a 40' Beneteau they will be cruising in. Tony & Sonia Oliveira will be on their 43' Columbia. Mike and Veronica Goldberg have closed a deal on a 33' Ranger. Martin Cafferky realized a longstanding dream by purchasing "Diomedes", a 40' custom steel Nevins designed Yawl. Our fleet at the Club has just become so much better. Congratulations to our friends and new owners. |
Jim Ellis, the president of Boat US, came up with a list of some very appropriate resolutions for the upcoming year. I thought they were cool so I stole them for your delight. 1.- Lower fuel prices
Ship's Store Jim Dahl has ordered a number of new items to the inventory of the Glen Cove Yacht Club's Ship's Store.
The most specific answer is I should have consulted the US Coat Guards "Light List Vol. 1 Atlantic Coast". The description for Execution Rocks is as follows: (1) No. - 21440 (This is the US Light Number) HORN: 1 blast ev 15s (2s bl). Hmmm... After November 1st, nobody hears a horn on Execution Rocks until April 1st Charts only give a very brief description of navigational markers and hazards. In navigating by chart, information on the chart itself is only part of the equation. Some other important publications are: The Light List, The Local Notice To Mariner's and The Coast Pilot. All of these publications provide details not shown on the chart itself. A prudent mariner should become familiar with these publications and use them during the planning stage as well as while underway. These publications as well as many others are available online for download. The Local Notice To Mariners is only available online. Visit the "U. S. Coast Guard Nav Center" for the "Light List, Local Notice To Mariners and The Navigation rules" or visit the "NOAA Office of Coast Survey" for the "Coast Pilot" Both of these Web Sites are on the links page of the Yacht Clubs Site. These sites off more information then can be listed here and are well worth visiting and the publications are worth downloading. ~ Chris Brown |
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According to the US Coast Guard, the number of boating fatalities in 2004 was the lowest on record since 1960, when they first started keeping score. So, looks like folks are getting a little more careful out there. Hopefully, the 2005 figures will continue the trend. However, of the 484 boaters who drowned in 2004, 90% were not wearing a life jacket. Reprinted from Latitudes & Attitudes
Every place is within walking distance if you have the time.
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