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Last Updated on:
March 31, 2009

Newsletter for APRIL, 2009

1	Commodore's Comments	Some Photos from this issue Click on the thumbail photos to view the full-sized versions - Photo by Francis Mickevich - Photo by Francis Mickevich
2	Days on the Water
3	Gulfport Anchor Away Weekend
4	A Day in Abaco
5	Membership Renewals
6	March 2009 General Meeting Notes
7	New Board Nominees
8	Proposed Amendments to the Bylaws
9	San Juan Islands Trip
10	Note about this newsletter page

Greetings Bay Sailors. By the time you read this, the throat-slitting BAY SAILOR “B.S.” CUP will be history. The winner will have taken home ROGER-ROGER and the bragging rights. Cigars will be smoked and brandy sipped for this celebration. Participation was at an all-time high, and competition was intense.

The next three months promise to be the best yet of this year, and will (quite happily) be my last three as Commodore. The nominating committee has taken the first of several steps to provide the club with next year's Board and committee chairs. Vice Commodore Allen Fiske, who has resumed his full participation in Bay Sailor affairs, is willing to serve as our leader next year. Welcome back, Allen! The other three officers will be introduced at our meeting. At that time any member may nominate someone from the floor.

Our next overnight trip (April 25 and 26) will be at the Gulfport waterfront. We will be joining with Seven Seas Cruising Association for this event.

Our Annual Bay Sailor Picnic is set for Sunday, May 3. Dallas Dawson will once again demonstrate his prowess on the grill. As a former Special Forces Officer, he knows 27 recipes for jungle snakes; at my request, he is leaving them at home.

After our May meeting, many skippers will head down the coast for our Dry Tortugas/Key West sail.

My LAST meeting in June will be followed by the End of the Year Party at Twin Dolphins Marina in Bradenton. After that, some of us will head for the cooler weather of the Pacific NW/San Juan Islands. Two boats are now booked, but there is still an opportunity to sign up if you act quickly.

We still need more volunteers for next year's Board and committee positions. This is YOUR club, and we need YOU to keep it going! I've felt honored to serve this year, and I want to thank everyone who made this year memorable. I'll see you at our upcoming events and also out on the water.

The Seven Seas Cruising Association has developed local metro area groups to have social get togethers, to speak with one voice for political action (no political decisions or positions are advocated by the SSCA), and to promote all things good about the cruising and sailing/boating lifestyle.

Not a secret to anyone, Gulfport has become a test-bed for boater rights issues. There have been many difficulties with the city council which have reverberated throughout the state. An incorrect supposition exists that cruisers don't add significantly to the local economy.

Clearly, we do. To display our impact and flex our economic muscle, SSCA has planned an "Anchor Away" weekend in Boca Ciega Bay at Gulfport. We intend to bring as much of a flotilla as we can to Gulfport and wear identifying buttons on our clothing as we spend some loot in the town.

The St. Pete Times said the Gulfport waterfront was very nice except riven with cigarette butts. If the city hasn't cleaned up the cigarette butts by then, SSCA plans to spend 2 hours on 4/25/09 picking them up ourselves as a boaters' gesture of good will to the city.

As part of the weekend, we plan to have a Saturday morning breakfast at one of the pavillions on the beach front and would very much like to have a cook-out and shared-dish dinner with the BCYC members at their facility, much as we did successfully in the past. We'd be honored if any of your members would join us for the breakfast or the quick beach clean-up.

The proposed night of the joint cookout would be April 25. The SSCA "Anchor Away" weekend would be April 23 to April 26. This promises to be a big event, as the Bay Sailors club is going to join us on that weekend. They feel they are common stakeholders in preserving the rights of Florida's boating public.

— Jeff Hazzard, SSCA Tampa Bay Metro Coordinator

Bay Sailors, this should be a fun time. See the Bay Sailors sailing calendar in this issue for our overnight sail plans. For more information, contact SSCA (or Ron Regan, Ed Talbot, or any Bay Sailors who are also SSCA members).

— Ron Regan

I won’t say this is a typical day. Just today.

We started out at Matt Lowe Cay just outside, but a world away from, Marsh Harbor. Went out to Johnny’s Cay, (a mile and a half), where there was supposed to be good diving. Decided there was too much current and waves over the reef to use the Brownie, so turned around. God, I hate getting old and cautious.

Next went toward Sandy Cay, one of a hundred with that name. This one supposedly had mooring buoys. It doesn’t. (Whoops, it was the wrong Sandy Cay). Dolphins beside me, but they’re too busy hunting to play. Went around inside (outside Man-o-War harbor) and anchored. It was about lunchtime. Finished the last of the baloney I’d bought in Fox Town because that was all they had. Waited a while for the baloney to settle, then snorkeled out to the reef/rocks. Mostly because there was no wind and I was hot. Saw all the usual fish and critters, plus a lobster and two mutton snapper. Decided it wasn’t worth setting up the u/w video, but to come back later, with my untried spear.

A sailboat had come in with one guy and seven boys aboard. The boat was a double ender (no room except in the middle) less than 30 feet long. They snorkel for a while, then leave. A day charter out of Marsh Harbor. While I was heaving a sigh of relief, another sail comes in, this one flying a huge Texas flag. I recover from the earlier swim enough to go back snorkeling, this time with the spear. It takes four shots (that lobster carapace is tough!) Get it back to the boat (against the current), wring it and put the tail in the fridge.

Then I see five charter cats go into Man-o-War Harbor. They turn around before the last one gets inside (it’s a small harbor) and come over next to me and raft up. All five of them. The Texas boat is smart and leaves. I’ve had too much wine and have no place better to go, so I stay put. Besides, they’re downwind of me.

I fix a salad with all the goodies I picked up in Marsh Harbor, pour a bit of tequila marinade on the lobster tail and put it on the grill. Didn’t burn the shell this time. After all that, I only ate half (it was a large lobster), so the rest went into a baggie for another day.

They’re still partying on the raft, so I take my glass of wine up on the bow. Watch the Hopetown lighthouse, remembering when our sailing club partied hard enough to shut it down. Wonder how long it has had its characteristics. Even with the anchor light, there are lots of stars. Almost the same stars Columbus saw (he was south of here). See a meteor. Too much wine and the raft party is over, so I go to bed.

The raft breaks up about 11:00. Five boats wandering around in the dark. Actually three; two stayed rafted on the original anchor. One anchors fairly close to me. I let him and Moorings worry about that and go back to bed.

Note: I wrote this the day after, still glowing with good feelings from the wine, lobster, fresh salad, snorkeling and getting out of Marsh Harbor. I did edit it for mistakes, but that’s all. This is the way it can (should) be.

Membership Renewals July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010

Renewal applications are in the mail!

Please fill in the form completely. We cannot process your application if it is not complete, and you will not be able to sign up for the July sails.

Use the envelope provided to return your check and renewal form before June 30.

— Carol Callier, Membership Coordinator

Commodore Ed Talbot called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests. It was another great turnout.

Vice-Commodore, Allen Fiske, is finally out of Rehab and we’re hoping to have him with us again soon.

Ron Regan told of his sailing tales. He and Joyce Runion joined John Burns in Cartagena and sailed from there to the San Blas Islands in Panama. They were also able to visit Colon and Panama City while down there. As Ron said, this was an opportunity that came up just by meeting someone in the club. We do have members who take off cruising and need crew--sometimes for weeks and sometimes for months, so you never know where you might end up.

Anita Cafferty had her first overnight on Irv Weinstock’s boat this past month and loved it. We always have fun (even without wind), and there’s always dinner somewhere. It’s a wonderful opportunity to spend time with fellow Bay Sailors and meet a lot of new people.

John Walker spoke of the trip to Cortez. He was the first boat into the marina and scoped the place out. A little shallow there, and we had to wait until the tide started to come in before leaving.

Carol Callier introduced our guests. We have three new members this month: Angela Shelton, Gina Broughton, and Janet Poitras. Welcome to you all! We hope you’ll get out on the boats soon.

Our guest speaker this month was Keith Donaldson from Advanced Sails. We learned about sail shapes and what effect they have on the wind. Most of the information was probably a little too technical for the new people and some of the rest of us. Next time you’re out sailing, spend some time talking with your skipper about how the sails work. It will make much more sense when you see everything right there in front of you. Also, remember the saying “when in doubt, ease it out”.

Christine Galanopoulos has arranged for us to get together for dinner after the B.S. Cup Race at the Reef & Grill Restaurant at the Regatta Point Marina. We’re hoping for lots of racers, good weather, and good fellowship afterwards.

Bobbie Vanasco said there are still a few openings on the trip to the San Juan Islands July 3-10. It promises to be an interesting trip. There are several quaint island towns, beautiful parks on the islands, the possibility of seeing Orcas and, of course, great seafood.

John Gaier reported he’s working on getting some new boats in the fleet. [Note: We now have a new captain—Mark Berger—skipper of Red Baron.]

Our nominating committee (Judy Speed, John Walker, Marie-Claude Bley, and Carol Callier) is working on the nominees for positions on the 2009-2010 board. There will be several open positions as well as committee member positions. If you’re new to the club, this is a great opportunity to see how the club works and to get to know the people on the board; and from there, you sail more and get to know even more people. When I joined the club, I didn’t know a soul. The second meeting they were looking for someone to take over the Secretary job and I volunteered. It was one of the best things I ever did.

Our Commodore, Ed Talbot, was the winner of the 50-50 drawing.

Happy Sailing!

Following are nominees for officers of the Bay Sailors Board for the coming year (July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010). At the April 1 general meeting, any member may nominate any other member for any of these positions. If no one is nominated from the floor, these four people will become our officers on July 1:

Commodore: Allen Fiske
Vice Commodore: John Walker
Treasurer: Candy Ryan
Secretary: Diane Sullivan

If someone IS nominated, ballots will be printed and mailed to members. They must be returned by the May general meeting. Either way, the new Board officers will be announced in June and will begin their roles in July.

Please review the following. The vote to accept or reject the amendment will take place at the Bay Sailors May general meeting.

ARTICLE XVI: REMOVAL FOR CAUSE DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS

Section 1: A member whose behavior is judged by a majority of the board to be endangering a member or guest or his/her property, using an illegal substance during a corporate activity, or behaving in a manner contrary to accepted standards of gentlemanly or ladylike behavior, will be counseled in writing by the Commodore. He or she may, without recourse, be barred from corporate activities, temporarily or permanently, by vote of two-thirds of the Board in executive session.

In addition to the paragraph above, a Board member or general member may recommend to the Board that a member be disciplined or removed from membership for just cause, and the Board shall consider the matter in executive session. Notice of pending action shall be furnished in writing by the Commodore to the member for comment or rebuttal as appropriate. The member shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard by the Board in executive session. The member shall then leave the executive session and a two-thirds vote shall be required for discipline or removal of the member.

Section 1 be deleted in its entirety and replaced by:

Section 1: Any member may recommend to the Board that a member be disciplined, and the Board shall consider the matter in executive session. Notice of pending action shall be furnished in writing by the Commodore to the member for comment or rebuttal as appropriate. The member shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard by the Board in executive session and to call witnesses. The member shall then leave the executive session. A two-thirds vote shall be required to discipline the member.

Disciplinary actions include counseling in writing, temporary suspension, removal from membership, or such other action as the Board may find appropriate. A member suspended shall be barred from all Club activities for the period of suspension. Any disciplinary action taken by the Board shall be without recourse or appeal by the member.

Section 2: A Board member may be removed from the Board for just cause after opportunity to be heard by the Board in executive session. Notice of pending removal from the Board shall be furnished in writing by the Commodore to the Board member for comment or rebuttal as appropriate. The Board member shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard by the Board in executive session and to call witnesses. The Board member shall then leave the executive session. A two-thirds vote shall be required to remove the member. Removal from the Board shall not constitute removal from membership.

Section 3: A Committee Chair may be removed from that position for just cause by the Commodore with the approval of a majority of the Board in executive session. The Committee Chair shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard by the Board in executive session and to call witnesses. Removal as a Committee Chair shall not constitute removal from membership nor from the Board if that person is also a member of the Board.