The
Beacon 
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1 September 2005
Volume 4, Issue 5
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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1 September 2005 |
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Volume 4, Issue 5 |
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P.O. Box 211, Glen Cove, NY 11542 |
www.GlenCoveYachtClub.org |
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My dear friends, another summer is coming to an end, but the best month of sailing is still September for me. The weather is always very nice and if we are lucky, we will have an Indian Summer this year -- and nothing anywhere in the world can beat that. I would like to let you know what your Board has achieved this year. We have been busy! Just for your reference, our budget was about $34,000.00 this year, with about $70,000.00 in assets. Launch Service is now offered 5 days a week with the addition of Monday (8 hours). We also have Wednesday and Friday afternoon and evening, as well as full days on Saturday and Sunday. New Docks. We spent $12,000 to purchase and install the new docks which have made landings much easier for all of us. This new dock configuration can accommodate 19 dinghies, 3 more than what we could handle before. This capital improvement was made within our budget, not requiring the Club to borrow any money. Oyster Bay Mooring. For the second year we successfully maintained a mooring in Oyster Bay for the use of all members. Club House Maintenance. We have the Club House cleaned professionally 3 times a year (and it needs it, trust me). New Members. This year we welcomed 12 new members to our club. (Unfortunately we also lost 10 members.) Racing. We had great Club representation in local and national races: Tony Oliveira (Corybantic) in the Wednesday night races in Hempstead Harbor, Rich Royce (Patience) on Thursday in Larchmont's "Can 1" races, and as always, Doug Davies, a top national competitor whose J-27 "Amethyst" is on the cover of the latest brochure for Key West Race Week. In addition, our new member Chris Grubecki and his crew on Inessa II, a 44' Jeanneau sloop, competed in the Around Long Island Race and did well, as did Jim Dahl, our Vice Commodore, and fellow GCYC member, George Minkovsky serving as Tactician and Navigator respectively on "Zephyr," a Sweden 38 captained by co-owner Eugene Kharlamb of the North Minneford Yacht Club on City Island. What an achievement for the GCYC and the City of Glen Cove! |
Liaison with the City of Glen Cove. I would like to thank all the staff working for the city and in particular Mayor Holzkamp for the support she has given to our Club. When part of the pier gave way this Spring, she had to act quickly to make sure that the pier was repaired before the start of the season….and it was. We are grateful to her for her prompt and effective response. Also, with the Mayor's help we were able to better secure our grounds with the locking of the gate by the police at about dusk on most nights, making it much safer for us to leave our vehicles in the parking lot. They are getting used to providing this service, and I am sure that they will be fully "in the groove" by the end of the season. This year we provided launch service for any boat owner who wanted to come to Morgan Park to hear the summer concert series. There were not many who took us up on our offer this year, but I am sure there will be more as the word gets out. I personally wish to thank Mayor Holzkamp and Darcy Belyea, Director of Parks and Recreation for the City. We also had a great turnout from the community and our local politicians at our Commissioning Day, proving that they understand the importance of the Club to the community. We are still hosting meetings for both Flotilla 12/03 of the Coast Guard Auxiliary as well as the local Sea Scout troop. This will be my last communication until the next General Meeting on November 16, 2005 at 7 p.m.. I will ask you to re-elect the same board as this year and will be proud to continue as your Commodore if you re-elect me. I am sure you understand how important it is for you as a member of the Glen Cove Yacht Club to come and vote at this general meeting. The goals of the Board next year include taking measures to make the launch more reliable and the Club House more congenial. Once again we will count on our good relations with the City to help us to continue the success of the Club. And so until November 16th, be safe and enjoy the last breath of breeze until winter falls upon us. ~ Herve Riou, Commodore GCYC P.S. Remember that we will need the help of everyone to secure the docks on our Fall Work Day, to keep them safe so we can have another year of boating! I will let you know the date of the Fall Work Day as soon we have chosen it.
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On Saturday, August 13th, the GCYC held a race and party to honor our Past Commodores. Although it was one of the hottest (and muggiest) days of the summer, a stiff 10-15 knot southwesterly blew all day, keeping things cool down at the Club and providing an exciting race for eight boats….and a little too exciting for some! Race Committee Chair Larry Ward got the fleet of eight boats got off on a 3:30 PM start and raced a windward-leeward-windward course that took them out of the Harbor and back. First to finish was Chis Grubecki in Inessa II, also winning on corrected time. The race was not without incidents, as Dave Nieri, single-handing Shadowfax, had to contend with a mainsail track car that came loose, while trying to maintain his lead over Larry Ward. Jim Dahl received a glancing blow to the forehead from Snow Crash's boom during a quick gybe. On Tom Hempton's Tanqueray, guest crewman Peter Finke was hit in the jaw with the boom during a sudden gybe, and was later taken to North Shore Hospital at Glen Cove for a check over and some stitches. Being the sailor that he is, he came right back to the Club after being let out of the Emergency Room to party with us late into the evening! After the race, Commodore Herve Riou and Club Historian Rich Reynolds announced the names of the 21 Past Commodores who have served the GCYC over the past 45 years and presented Past Commodore lapel pins to those Past Commodores in attendance. Fleet Captain (and Past Commodore) Dave Nieri rang the Club Bell to honor those Past Commodores who have passed on. Past Commodores in attendance were Stan Midura (1967-68), Tom Hempton (1979-81), Dave Nieri (1988-89), John Power (1990-91), Larry Ward (1995-2002), and Chris Brown (2003-04). With the ceremonies concluded, the Nina Bar was declared open, and a wonderful pot-luck dinner rounded out the evening. Thanks to all the Club Members who attended and brought their favorite dishes to share, and to Entertainment Committee chairs Sue Hempton and Betsy Gustafson for setting up such a classy affair. A good time was had by all. Reported by Rich Reynolds
The GCYC Guest Mooring is available for visiting boats for $25/night, which is inexpensive by L.I. Sound standards. Boats that wish to pick up the mooring during the day may do so for lunch or swimming, for a fee of $10. They must be off the mooring at sunset, unless they wish to rent the mooring for the night (at the $25 rate). If an extended stay is desired, the mooring is available for $25 per night, payable in advance and in cash. The Club does not accept checks or credit cards. The mooring is a 300# mushroom anchor, and is serviced annually by Stan Midura. Glen Cove Yacht Club members may use the Guest Mooring at no charge for limited stays. Longer stays on the Guest Mooring (such as when a member is waiting for his own mooring to be placed) must be approved in advance by the Board of Trustees. Clubs with which Glen Cove Yacht Club may have reciprocity, will still have to pay the non-member fee of $25 or $10 when using the Guest Mooring. Reciprocity entitles members of the other Club to come ashore, tie up their dinghy at our Club docks, and use our restrooms. Be assured that if you visit their Club they will not waive any Guest Mooring fees if you tell them 'we have reciprocity'. The Club also has a mooring in Oyster Bay harbor that can be used by Club members when cruising there. It is a 250# mushroom anchor and is designated "CB-22" in the mooring field. If you have a GPS, you can program it to find the approximate mooring position: Lat 40° 52.890' N Long 073° 30.956' W. There is no fee for Glen Cove Yacht Club members, but two or more boats arriving to use the mooring are encouraged to 'raft up'. ~ Dave Nieri, Fleet Captain |
On Wednesday , July 27 , I left my Manhattan office at 5:30 in the evening, and proceeded to meet three different people, change cars, twice, and then arrive in the fading light of evening at the North Minneford Yacht Club. It felt like CIA undercover work when I climbed aboard a Sweden 38 at a slip, in the darkness. We were leaving for the Around Long Island Race, a great tradition, and a terrible time for a race as the fickle winds of July and August would prove. Zepher, a Sweden 38 is a terrific boat, similar to Baltic and Swan boats, built for ocean racing and cruising, and Zephyr, captained by co-owner Eugene Kharlamb of the NMYC, proved to be worthy for the race. George Minkovsky, who sails his Dragonfly trimaran, Bekitser, out of the Glen Cove Yacht Club was aboard as Navigator and Co-Tactician, while I was serving as pilot for the downriver delivery and trimmer-tactician for the ALIR. Vitaly Shor, who sailed on Zephyr in her last year's start with the ALIR, and Mike Alperovich were the rest of the crew. First we had to get down the East River, to the mouth of NY Harbor, and over to Sheepshead Bay just past Coney Island. The race was to start at 2 PM in the ocean waters off Rockaway. It took us 6 ½ hours, beginning at 3 am Thursday, to get to Sheepshead Bay. We only had one encounter, around 4 am, on the way down the river, with a large double-wide ocean going tug who claimed both sides of the winding channel going upriver to LI Sound around Big Brother Island. When he put us in his spotlight I thought we would be cremated! But he knew what he was doing and I let him have all of the channel he wanted. We then got to negotiate Hell's Gate in the early ebb stages, a relatively easy and less dangerous job. Getting into Sheepshead Bay was a challenge, and with a 6 foot keel boat you need to carefully follow the channel on the Rockaway side going into the Bay. We bounced across the sandy bottom a couple of times on our wing-keel when I got us out of the channel. At the Sheepshead Bay Yacht Club we took on more crew, got coffee, and then headed out into the ocean about 12 noon. We were in Division 1, PHRF boats, non-spinnaker, which was 22 boats at the start. A crowded start in about 5-10 knots of NW wind got us into the pace of sailing along the beach coast to Montauk. Light winds set in late afternoon, with nearly nothing overnight. During the day we were passed by the 80 foot maxi-yacht Hercules, operated by Kings Point MMA. It was like standing on a train platform and getting passed by a non-stop train. He had to be doing 10-12 knots in the light wind - with about 15 pieces of "rail meat" lined up on his starboard rail. Strategy was to stick to the coast to get any thermals we could. About half-way to Montauk we were passed by Inessa II, Chris Grubecki's 44' Jeanneau sloop from the Glen Cove Yacht Club. He was in Division 5 of the Spinnaker Class, and was flying a big and full chute when he passed us just offshore - crew all smiling and waving in his big cockpit under a bimini. Others went further out to sea, but didn't fare well in the search for a breeze. We didn't get to Montauk until Friday evening and rounded about 6 PM. We were getting frustrated, but were convinced that half the fleet or more were behind us. Then as we rounded, the wind picked up to 18 knots and we had a great ride right through the "Gut" into LI Sound, now in complete darkness. After tacking our way around the Long Shoal on the Connecticut side, with George navigating a careful path around it, and Captain Gene steering us away from the shoal, we proceeded to tack our way up the Sound in light Easterly winds. A long night and then fluky light air all of Saturday. When we finally got within reach of Matinecock Point, at about 10 PM, the wind completely died and we got in on puffs to cross the finish at 1 am on Sunday. Our finish time was Day 3, 0 hours 59 minutes and 33 seconds (just under 1 am). We placed 5th out of 22 boats in the class, with only 7 finishing in the class. Last year this boat finished 10th of 20 boats, so this year was an improvement - Wait till next year! Chris Grubecki's Inessa II finished the race on Day 2, 19 hours and 9 minutes, 19 seconds, a full 6 hours ahead of Zephyr (33/46 boats) - well done Chris! However, Chris later reported that his boat went the entire race with the folding prop open, depriving him of a knot or two advantage that would have made a significant difference. He has since won several races, on Sheepshead Bay, and the Commodore's Race at Glen Cove Yacht Club, with his now folded prop for improved performance. He and his crew are headed for the Bermuda Race this next year. Jim Dahl |
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Sail America, producer with the NMMA of the Strictly Sail boat shows, has announced date changes for it's Philadelphia venue which premiered in January 2005. Due to a date conflict in 2006, show organizers determined the best choice was to move the show back one year, to January 18-21, 2007. What a crock! Philly was a bad choice of venue and they didn't make any money in 2005, so they cancelled 2006. Too bad they won't bring back the Atlantic City show.
There's This Place... There's a nice anchorage in Byram, CT, just west of Greenwich. When there is no east in the wind, this is a safe and comfortable place to drop the hook for lunch, an afternoon or an overnight. Located just off Byram Harbor, it is surrounded by the Calf Islands and Bowers Island. The best chart to use is Small Craft Chart #12364, page D, inset 8. To navigate from Glen Cove, set a course of 029 degrees magnetic from can "1" off Weeks Point. After a distance of 6.6 nautical miles you will be off the western end of Great Captain's Island. Put nun "2" to starboard. Daymark "3", Jones Rocks, is to port and Nun "4" to starboard. Head for a large beige house on Field Point (don't worry you can't miss it) passing Bowers Island to Starboard. Once beyond Bowers Island, the red and green entrance buoys that mark the entrance to the Cove will be to port. Continue on towards Field Point until the green roofed tower on Little Calf Island is in line between entrance buoys "1" and "2". Turn to port and follow a line to the tower into the cove. If you are coming or going in the dark, Jones Rocks Daymark is a flashing green 4 seconds and red buoy "2" at the entrance is a flashing red 4 seconds. Once inside the cove you'll find numerous private moorings just off Little Calf Island. If the owner of the mooring isn't there you can pick it up and use it. If no moorings are available, or you don't want to use an unknown mooring, there is plenty of room to anchor. The holding is very good. The larger Calf Island used to be owned by the Boy Scouts but is now a wildlife refuge. It is unknown if you are allowed to land. Little Calf Island has a beach and walking paths that you can dink into. Bowers Island is totally controlled by cormorants and seagulls. The surrounding mainland is all private and is dotted with many beautiful homes. Taking a dinghy tour of the cove is most enjoyable. There are no services available in the area. There are two important things to remember for cruising to Byram cove. First is that if there is any east in the wind or if it has been blowing from the east recently, the cove can be uncomfortable. Second is that there is no passage for any size boat between the two Calf Islands. At low tide you can almost walk from one to he other. Bonnie & Jim Cleary 66 Years and Still Growing The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary celebrated 66 years of service to the boating community in June. It was established in 1939 as the Coast Guard Reserve and renamed in 1941. Membership has grown to 30,000 with a post 9/11 focus on security of our maritime environment, shipyards and marinas. Other activities include vessel safety checks, regatta patrols, safety patrols, aids to navigation checks, and sponsoring boating education classes. And... always wearing bright orange life vests! Just kidding. Keep up the great work folks! |
Atlantic's 100-year old transatlantic crossing record was broken in Rolex Transatlantic Challenge. On the morning of June 1st, 2005 in thick English channel fog, Robert Miller's 140-foot Mari-Cha IV passed through the four-mile-long gate off the Lizard in the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge to break the 100-year-old record set by Charlie Barr on board Wilson Marshall's 185-foot schooner Atlantic. Miller's giant state-of-the-art racing schooner completed the 2,925-nautical mile passage, east across the North Atlantic between New York and the Lizard, in a time of 9 days, 15 hours, 55 minutes and 23 seconds-a full 2 days, 12 hours, 6 minutes and 56 seconds faster than Atlantic's record-breaking voyage 100 years ago. The Atlantic was built in 1903 at Townsend and Downsey in New York to a design by William Gardner of Gardner & Cox. Atlantic had a classic shape, with long overhangs at the bow and stern--then considered radical for an ocean-going yacht. Below the waterline, she had a long keel culminating in her rudder, but unlike similar yachts of her time, her internal ballast had been removed and replaced by a lead keel. Most importantly, her hull was built of steel and she carried 18, 500 square feet of sail. The Atlantic was a familiar sight in Hempstead Harbor in the 1920's when she was owned by Gerard B. Lambert, a NYYC member, and was often moored just off NYYC Station 10. In the 19th Century, the rich and powerful on both sides of the Atlantic enjoyed the sport of yacht racing as their summer social event of choice, much to the delight of spectators on shore. One such regular participant was Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. His schooner Meteor having been soundly beaten on a number of occasions by Britannia, owned by his uncle King Edward VII, Wilhelm II sought to improve his standing among the international yachting fraternity by reinstating transatlantic racing. Kaiser Wilhelm's 1905 Ocean Cup was open to all cruising yachts of at least 80 tons net Custom House Measurement. The yachts would race boat-for-boat from Sandy Hook to The Lizard, where the Imperial German cruiser Pfiel would be on station, the winner to receive a golden cup from the emperor. In addition to Atlantic, the fleet included seven schooners, one yawl, and two square-rigged barques. Fog delayed the race until the afternoon of May 17, 1905 when the fleet was towed to the starting line. The yachts received a rousing send-off, particularly from younger members of the Yacht Club who had chartered a tug and, with a band on board, followed the racers down the course. Soon the lighter boats were racing fast in the stiffening breeze. The square riggers sailed off to the south while Fleur de Lys and others rushed close-hauled towards Newfoundland. The logs revealed a trend of increasing wind speeds and shortening sail over the next few days as the yawl Ailsa, Atlantic, and the 143-ton schooner Hamburg -- thought to be the yacht to beat -- established themselves in the lead. Atlantic was pressed every inch by Charlie Barr, her hired skipper, who also drove Columbia and Reliance to America's Cup victories. According to legend, Atlantic's owner, Wilson Marshall, who had invited a number of guests along for the ride and, fearing a dismasting, ventured on deck at the height of a storm to ask Barr to shorten sail. The robust Scotsman would have nothing of it. "You hired me, sir, to win this race, and, by God, that's what I am going to do," shouted Barr before ordering Wilson Marshall below. In one 24-hour run Atlantic clocked 341 nautical miles. Marshall and his guests were, indeed, experiencing the ride of their lives. Barr stood his ground through two gales and would have posted an even better time had not the wind failed during the last miles to the finish. The German entry Hamburg finished second in 13 days, two hours and six minutes. ~ Rich Reynolds, Club Historian 
Winston
Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a
dance. |
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A good friend of mine, Jorgen, lives and sails out of the town of Ronneby, Sweden. Recently while on a charter boat vacation, he and his family experienced an event that will bring nightmares to parents around the world. The following is Jorgen's letter to me describing the event. "We have had a terrible experience, we rented our Beneteu37. We had rain, terrible weather but still nice relaxing time together. We went off wednesday morning sailing out in the archipleago, all was fine but friday morning it happened. We were moored in a beutyfuI guest harbour. I was up on deck and Leona and Philip and Gustaf was below. Suddenly she was screaming and holding our baby boy 14 months (Gustaf) in her arms. He fell over and hit his head somehow and he stoped breathing and turned blue. I was trying to see if he had swallowed something, but couldnt find anything. But I got his tounge up and started mouth to mouth. He didnt response and then I got a may day out to Sweden Rescue. We were hours away from hospital. But I have exercised a lot with the rescue helicopters and have friends working on them. So I ordered the rescue center to get me a helo medivac. Done it before in the navy but never live and for my son!! Im soo glad I have got soo much pratice in the navy. "I got the helicopter down on the island we were moored to by the helicopter landing course I got in -92..... waved it down on a small muddy field. 26 minutes and they was on their way to hospital and during that time they picked up a nurse too. Soo we had professional medical care in the archipelago. We spent 2 days on hospital and have just done a brain test on Gustaf. It looks great and he is the wild kid again!! "I had 5 hours sailing the boat back to harbour again, felt like days before I saw him in the hospital. Im soo happy I have both my kids here with me. "The lessons learnt is to always have the VHF ready and practise a lot and use it!!! Never trust mobile phones, you cant speak with choppers trough them. "So much for that vacation..... but we got another 4 days in early september as a compensation. I will use it otherwise Philip maybe will be scared of boats. But we will take it VERY careful". Thankfully, little Gustaf is perfectly fine after his ordeal. Jorgen and Leona can sleep well at night although I'm sure they will have nightmares. The lesson to be learned here, in addition to having and knowing how to use the VHF radio, is to have your boat and yourself prepared and ready to handle the unexpected. When we cruise to places off the beaten track, we need to be able to answer the question; "What will I do if something goes wrong?" Jim Cleary, Beacon Editor |
Jim Dahl has ordered a number of new items to the inventory of the Glen Cove Yacht Club's Ship's Store. Fleece Pullovers ($30), Windshirts ($45), Wind Vests ($25), Log on to the Club's website to view
photos and contact Jim Dahl at
GREEK
ANTIPASTO 1 (4oz)
pkg Athenos crumbled feta cheese with lemon,
garlic & oregano ½
cup chopped Kalamata olives ½
cup chopped red onion ½
cup chopped roasted red pepper ½
cup Kraft special collection Greek vinaigrette
dressing 2 tbs grated lemon peel 2 tbs
chopped Italian parsley French
bread Combine
feta, olives,onions and peppers in bowl add
dressing and lemon peel. Cover refrigerate 1 hr or
up to 24 hrs Broil cut
French bread 1 to 1 ½ min on both sides until
toasted. Add
parsley to feta mixture. Spoon 1 tbs onto each
toast slice. |
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As this is the last issue of the Beacon for the season, I would like to thank all the people who took the time and effort to contribute. The purpose of the Newsletter is to inform, share and entertain. With the help of those who have submitted an article, or two, or more, we have fulfilled that goal and consistently put out a good Newsletter. A special thanks goes to Mike Goldberg and his assistant, Ilene, who have done the printing for each issue. I would like to remind everyone that next year's Newsletter begins with the mid winter issue in January. Start planning now for your future articles. All submissions will be gratefully accepted. Thanks again to all and have a safe off-season. Jim Cleary, Beacon Editor
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A special congratulations and well wishes from the Glen Cove Yacht Club goes out to Nicole and Peter Cleary. They were married on July 16th. The wedding was at St Gregory's Church in Bellerose with the reception at the Harbor Club in Huntington. The couple then went on to honeymoon in Bora Bora (by plane, not by boat).
"Imagination
is more important than knowledge." Albert
Einstein |
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