Team Russia Chinese Gybe (17/11/08) - VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2008/9

Happy Thanksgiving from the Vi's

It is U.S. Thanksgiving today. We are anchored (on a mooring ball) in Soper's Hole in the BVI's. It is a big day for our fellow U.S. friends. More like our Christmas celebrations to them. So on Nana Maria, we are cooking a turkey, stuffing and all the fixings. We have Captains Mark & Janel, crew Kelly, Howard, Rod & Marianne & Fozzie the dog. Pamela and her partner JP have joined us from St. Thomas. (Pamela has crewed on Nana Maria several times on past Carib 1500's.)

Since we finished the race to the Vi's, we have had a great time. We had several days at Village Cay Marina after we finished the race. Time to wash down the salt, do laundry and re-provision and of course trade stories with the rest of the racers. The fleet was taunted with nightly parties courtesy of Mount Gay Rum. The last night was the final dinner. Nana Maria placed 5th in our division which was great. We were all quite proud of our accomplishment.

After the awards dinner in Tortola last week it was time to get out of the marina and see some other things. On Wednesday we headed to Monkey Point to do some swimming and snorkeling. We anchored for the night at Trellis Bay right beside the airport. Trellis Bay works out great for crew arriving to or leaving from Beef Island. You can take them by dingy to shore and a short walk across a field gets you to the airport. We had a tour of shore and many unique shops with lunch at a beach bar.

The next day we headed to Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour. For the past few years, they have hosted the Phat Virgin party. A great party. The marina provided drinks and hors d' oeuvres for the party at the beach bar. Good music and lots of fun. Ask Mark about Kelly dragging him off a bar stool to take him home. . . Lots of rumors make for a much better story than the truth. The next day we stayed at the marina and had dinner that night at The Rock. A great restaurant on top of a hill. Our table is surrounded by huge rocks. Good food and good company and a beautiful setting.

The next day we left for Anegada which is a relatively unpopulated island compared to the others in the area. It is very shallow and surrounded by reefs. It is off limits to most of the charter boats and probably rightfully so. Not easy to get into.

Bill & Linda on Sapphire (Friends of Mark & Janels), suggested renting a vehicle to tour the island. So Bill arranged a truck with seat benches on the back. So 12 of us toured the island on the truck/taxi. Lots of fun. Bill drove and 10 of us sat in the back of the truck. The first stop was Cow Wreck beach. Lots of cow pies as we got out of the truck and Joy managed to step in one and took lots of abuse. Unfortunately the wind was howling and it wasn't a great day for swimming and snorkeling. But given given the right conditions - the snorkeling would have been phenomenal. The island is very flat and has miles and miles and beautiful beaches. You can walk for miles on the beach and never see another person or footstep in the sand. The anchorage at Anegenda is shallow. The first night we anchored the depth sounder showed 6.5 feet which is what Nana Maria draws and as the tide dropped we were aground. We did move the next day to a slightly deeper spot. That night we had a great dinner at Neptune's Treasure. The next night we had a pot luck dinner with a few neighbors on Nana Maria.

On Tuesday we went to Leverick Bay. We toured shore and then drinks on Joy for All - a Farr 50. Gill & Joy are lots of fun. On Wednesday we headed for Sophers Hole. A great sail with the bag of terror (new AKA Beauty & the Beast)

Our time is starting to run out. Tomorrow Kelly & Howard fly home. On Monday, we take Nana Maria to Nanny Key Marina. Mark & Janel have arranged to have the boat pulled and It will be painted Claret Red while they are gone. On Tuesday the four of us will fly to Washington DC. Then the drive home and back to reality. Oh well . . .

Take care. See you soon

Marianne & Rod Nuttall

Movie Morning Light Comming to Winnipeg

The Disney Movie ‘Morning Light’ will be screened in Winnipeg at the Globe Theatre December 12th at 8:00pm. The Globe is located at 393 Portage Avenue in Portage Place on the 3rd floor right across from the IMAX Theatre.

This is not a film about sailboat racing but rather a story about a group of young adults sailing across the ocean and the obstacles they encounter. Fifteen young sailors... six months of intense training... one chance at the brass ring. This exciting True-Life documentary tells the inspiring story of a group of intrepid and determined young men and women on the cusp of adulthood, as they embark on life’s first great adventure. Racing a high-performance 52-foot sloop in the TRANSPAC, the most revered of open-ocean sailing competitions, the crew of "Morning Light" matches wits and skills in a dramatic 2500 mile showdown against top professionals.

Nana Maria - We've Arrived!

Just a quick note to let you know we arrived Saturday. We crossed the finish line at 11:01. We spent the rest of the day desalting the boat, a dinner ashore and then to bed early.

We all slept very well since we were all very tired. The last 3 days were tough. Great sailing but the boat was healing at 15 to 25 degrees with lots of pitching back and forth. It was not condusive to sitting below and trying to type emails. That is why you did not hear from us at all.

There is WiFi at the marina but none of us can get on so far. Will write more once we get better access.

Marianne & Rod, Mark & Janel, Kelly & Howard & Fozzie

Update from Rod & Marianne & Janel & Mark

Hello All

It is now Wednesday 10:00 pm and Rod and I are on watch. Captain Mark isdozing in the cockpit, waiting for the watermaker to finish making a few more gallons of fresh water. The rest of the crew is hopefully sleeping as well but likely as last night no one will get a great sleep. It continues to blow 30 to 35 knots with gusts to 40 and the waves up to 10 feet. Last night was the same and the waves pounding the side of the hull and the constant bouncing made it very difficult to sleep. But we have a full moon and that made the sail last night quite pleasant beforethe winds kicked up again. We have seen very little other boat traffic over the past few days.

Tonights weather report wasn't what we were hoping for. The winds are expected to continue to increase even more along with squalls over the next few days. Then Friday the winds should drop a little but clock to South east which is the direction we are going (not good in sailing).
So it won't be as enjoyable as we may have hoped but Nana Maria has proven herself to be able to handle heavy winds. It just proves to be abit of a challenge to move around or do anything because of the healing and pitching of the boat. As was pointed out at one of the seminars before we left, majority of the accidents and injuries to people on the Caribbean 1500 happen below decks. And I can believe it. It is a big challenge to walk within the cabin, get something to drink etc. If you aren't hanging on when the boat pitches or rolss you can be tossed around.

See Janel's notes below.

If all goes well we should arive in Tortola this week-end, may be Saturday.

Time to go and finish my watch. Take care. Hoping our emails have been reaching you but not sure since we have heard little from anyone??

Marianne & Rod

. . . I am forwarding Janel's email below which she wrote earlier today.

Hi All,

Today is Wednesday November 12 and the wind is blowing 25 to 30 knots,the waves are 12 feet and rising. The boat is heeled over 15 to 30degrees and the simpilest chores become gargantuan.. Picture your selvestanding up on a roller coaster, try to boil water in order to make coffee etc etc, I am sure you get the idea of what kind of effort it is. So dinner tonight might just be all the wraps and sandwiches that Marianne made or a whole lot of junk food. You can NOT put anthing down or it will become a missile flying thru the air. Ourselves included if not properly hanging on. The waves that are continuesly breaking over the bow are allowing us to find leaks that are new and to refresh our memories as to where the old ones are. We are keeping dry from the sea water because of the enclosure, but the temperature inside is like a very sunny sauna. All the sweating is good for the skin we are told... Poor Foz is not liking this too much but we do have a spray bottle in the cockpit filled withcold water so we can all try to keep cool. I guess I shouldn't complain to much, I could be knee deep in snow back home, instead of shorts and tank tops. Kelly was just moments ago exclaiming Holy Cow, look at thesize of that wave we just surfed down and from where I sit or rather from where I am perched, it looked much bigger than the ones before it. Nana Maria had her first and last (I hope) break down. Our aft head(aka bathroom) has become in operable.. A huge breakdown, as there are six of us on board sharing one tiny tiny bath. Mark and Howard spent yesterday trying to fix the problem, but alas it has eluded them. Asper usual with 5 or 6 somewhat bored adults, we did have to tease them, with phrases such as : You are such a Head Banger, Are you two Playing Head Games, Two Heads are better than one, Shi--y Job but someone has to do it, Mark is the big Shi- and Howard is the Little Shi-etc. etc . Marianne is now giving Kelly her Head Dressing recipe, in order to prevent any problems on her own boat Sunsets and as Kelly doesn't cook ( by her own admission I might add) she has been instructed NOT to use it for salads. At this point I will say that this is enough potty talk and I am getting tired of bracing myself against a wall in order to try and type. Thank goodness for spell check !!!Bye for now, as it is nap time and I am hoping not to be tossed out of my bunk this time.

Janel Mark Rod Marianne Howard Kelly and of course the Foz (aka thedog)

2008 Awards

Novice Sailor: Bill and Yvonne Thompson

Family Award: Peter and Anna Fuller

Racing Family: Wendy and Blair Magnus

Super Cruiser: Dave Christianson and Vera Steinberger

Volunteer of the Year: Rob Eby

Single Handed Sailor: David Luke

Tea Cup - May 31st 2008:
1st Black Pearl
2nd Borderline
3rd Deja Blue

Summer Solstice Pursuit Race - June 21st 2008:
1st Sloop Du Jour
2nd Black Pearl
3rd Sorcerer

Warroad Race - June 28th – July 2nd 2008:
1st Bird Bath
2nd Vixen
3rd Fogger

Commodore’s Cup Pursuit Race - July 19th 2008:
1st Black Pearl
2nd Sorcerer
3rd Raven

Rear Commodore’s Cup Pursuit Race - Aug 23rd 2008:
1st Raven
2nd Black Pearl
3rd Borderline

Club Championships 2008:
1st Black Pearl
2nd Borderline
3rd Sorcerer

Update from Nana Maria

Well, we're still out here, but I swear to you, we are the only ones. I haven't seen another boat in days. I'm exaggerating a little, because there was the odd light at night on the horizon every once in a while. But that's about it. In other years, we'd see a boat here and a boat there throughout the day and night. So I keep wondering, did we make a wrong turn somewhere? Where is everyone?

A couple of the boats in our fleet have had to divert to Bermuda because of damage to sails and rigging. Fortunately, it was not too far for them since most had headed towards Bermuda at the start in case they needed a place to hunker down if Paloma became a problem. Sunday we were able to sail most of the day. The winds were pretty light and behind us, so we got out Captain Mark's favorite sail-a flasher that he affectionately calls "The Whomper!! " (Janel refers to it as "His Bag of Terror!") The Whomper looks like a big kite flying on the front of the boat. It is just too big and powerful to be used safely in heavy winds, so Sunday was a good day to try it out while making progress towards Tortola at the same time.

Unfortunately, we have not seen any wildlife yet, other than a Tropic Bird, which is a white bird with a long tail that is common in Bermuda. On prior trips we've caught lovely fishmahi mahi, tuna, and white marlin. This time we haven't even had a strike. Fisago and Glass Slipper are reporting the same results.

Janel is determined to catch fish for dinner. She has resorted to her final trick-she is spraying the lure with a secret recipe of WD-40 and a secret ingredient. But just in case we're skunked again, she has started working on Plan B-she has pulled a homemade meatloaf dinner from the freezer Necessity is the mother of invention so we've found a new use for the engine. The Yanmar 160 Turbo now has secondary duty as food defroster as well. Janel is working on getting Mark to let her cook on it too.

Today, the engine is back on as we try get some "easting" done before the winds shift. The seas were still very rolly-polly on Sunday, but today they are smooth as glass. All day, we were surrounded by some very ominous looking large and dark clouds. Apparently it is some sort of Trof or Ridge that is being or will be fed by the remnants of Paloma. The sun is about to set and the cloud ridge is getting closer and uglier, so we've battened down everything and are about to have a hurried dinner in case we are up all night. To add to the excitement, we just saw a small pod of whales not too far off the starboard side of the boat. That was a nice treat. I guess we are NOT out here all by ourselves.

More Later.

Kelly & Howard

Life at Sea on Nana Maria

Our first day at sea was Friday. Winds were light and variable so almost all the boats spent the day motoring out of the Chesapeake Bay instead of sailing out of it. Norfolk is a very high traffic area for ships. Big tankers come into the are and wait for a pilot to escort them up the bay to their final destinations. There also plenty of tugs moving vessels as well as a huge fleet of Navy Warships and the like. As we were trying to leave the bay, one of these warships started down the channel. It was an aircraft carrier with a plane on its deck. It was being escorted by a helicopter. The helicopter kept buzzing the fleet to make sure we were not posing a threat. We waited for the warship to pass so Howard and Rodney could get a good look and some pics. It was HUGE.

In this race, you can run your engines, but there is a penalty. They add on 1 hour to your time for every hour you run your engine. So our rule of thumb is this: If one hour of engine time gets us further than 2 hours of sailing time, we run the engine. Up until Friday night, the fastest we could get the boat to sail was 3 knots so turned on the engine. By about 7pm, the wind picked up, we were singing along at 8-9knots in 17-20knots of wind. Not too shabby!

This race is “handicapped” also. Each boat has a certain number of hours that will be deducted from its time. The ratings come from the size and shape of the boat as well as the size and shape of the sails each ship is equipped with One of the fastest boats is called 1700Somewhere, a Macgregor 65 just like our Sunsets. 1700Somewhere will only have about 5 hours deducted from his final time. We will have about 23 hours deducted. Some of the smaller boats will have a much more than that deducted. This is how they even the playing field. Additionally, the Racing Fleet is broken up into 3 divisions. There is an overall winner as well as a winner for each division. We are in Division 2 and we are one of the fastest boats in that division. So if you are tracking our progress on www.Carib1500.com, keep in mind that the boats that are further south may have more engine hours or a smaller handicap so they still may not win for their divisions. (That’s my way of saying—No matter how bad it looks, we are not losing!!)

Janel is a wonderful chef and has prepared and frozen several lovely meals that we can eat on the crossing. Friday night, was her fabulous homemade Lasagna for dinner. The sails were set for the evening and it was a lovely dinner followed by a beautiful sunset. Howard and I covered the Midnight to 4M shift. It was very precarious because a thick fog settled in around 10pm. We could not see a thing. Thank goodness we have radar to keep an eye on things. The fog was fully lifted by the end of shift at 4am.

By daybreak we were well into the Gulfstream with its choppy waves, Saturday’s wind lasted all the way into the night and we spent the day plowing through the stream. Being in the Stream certainly makes things uncomfortable. The boat is tossed about and you have to hang on to do anything. The Stream runs up the coast of the US and then veers off to Europe. It carries very warm water with it. We watched water temperatures jump from 68 to 82 in a matter of a few hoursl By the end of Saturday, we were out of the Gulfstream, thank goodness. The confused and choppy seas not only contribute to seasickness but also make it hard to do the simplest tasks.

On Saturday. Marianne and I both came down with the 24hour flu that has been going around the fleet. Marianne felt it coming on all day Saturday and I joined her in her misery on Saturday night. We think Howard may have it too, or he has another bad case of seasickness. (We may not have found the right combination of drugs to keep his seasickness under control) With 3 crew members down and out, the “weak” cold front that the weather folks had been predicting blew through. It slammed with us with sustained winds at 30knots, gusts of 45knots, rain and 10’ seas. The winds were so strong that they sheared the foam off of the violently breaking waves. Sails were reefed in and out all night in an attempt to keep control of the boat. Unfortunately, Marianne and I were useless. I spent the evening tucked into the bottom berth with the lee cloth in place. (A lee cloth is a piece canvas that is strung up across the entrance to your bunk so you don’t get pitched out of bed. Believe me, it was a necessary piece of equipment last night.) Marianne wedged herself across the V-berth in an attempt to stay still. At times, I expect that she was airborne a couple times through the night as the boat lurched and slammed into the oncoming waves. When a wave crashes into the boat just right, it sounds like gunshots. Everyone was up all night and totally exhausted by daybreak. Even into the morning, we would watch the squalls gather on the radar screen as the proceeded to hammer us. Finally, the weather calmed down around 7am on Sunday.

Sunday looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day. Just don’t know if we’ll have wind.

Take care all.
Kelly & Howard on NanaMaria

Update from Rod & Marianne on Nana Maria

So it looks like it’s a go for departure on Friday morning. We had a weather briefing today at 4:00 pm and a final briefing is planned for Friday 8:00 am. Then a quick exit out of the marina to the start line for an 11:00 am start on the Chesapeake outside of Hampton & Norfolk Virginia.

Our crew Kelly says "Even though Tropical Storm/Hurricane Paloma will be brewing, all of the experienced weather folks say that the cold waters around Bahamas and Bermuda should keep it from developing into anything other than bad weather by the time we’re near. If it comes to it, we can always divert to Bermuda until it passes. (Bermuda is about 4 days out.) The lows that were off the Carolinas have worked their way up the coast and since Tuesday it has been “blowing like stink” (that’s a nautical term) here. The weather is supposed to move off today and tomorrow things should be a little calmer out there."

There has been a 24 hour flu going around the fleet. Captain Mark had it on Tuesday. Captain Janel has it today. Our biggest regret is that she may not be up to preparing the frittata that has become a tradition for breakfast on departure day. We’ll have to save that for arrival day in Tortola.

So today was our last trip for provisioning and a last trip to West Marine. Rod is now cooking us a Roast Pork dinner that we are all looking forward to.

The last major job is to start stowing gear so nothing can fly around while we are underway.

We just had the draw for our watch times. For those not familiar with crossings - Someone must be watching, navigating, steering the boat etc. 24 hours a day for the next 7 to 10 days - we drew the 8 to 12 watch (am & pm). So Rod & I will be on watch from 8 am to 12 pm and then again 8 pm to mid-night. I think we got the best watch!

Remember, you can track the fleet and get more info at www.carib1500.com. Our boat is Nana Maria. Kelly - one of our crew, has been sending updates to this web-site so watch it to hear more.

If you want to reach us, we will not have access to our email after early Friday am until we get to the BVI's but you can email us at Mark & Janel's email address: nanamaria@ocens.com. Please put your emails in “text” format, no pictures or attachments and keep them short and sweet. We are using a Sat Phone and it is SLOOOOOW and expensive. Also, if you respond back to one of our messages, please delete our original message.

Update from Rod and Marianne on Nana Maria for the Caribean 1500

I think that some of you did not receive our first update so I am resending the first part and have updated to date. Our emails have been delivered sporadically it seems.
We finally left Winnipeg on Tuesday morning and made it to Annapolis in 3 days. When we arrived the boat - Nana Maria was torn apart by fridge repairmen and the Satellite TV repairs guys. No room on the boat so we had a picnic lunch on the dock. Both repairmen left without finishing their jobs. Captain and admiral not happy!

Janel & Marianne were for busy for several days cooking and provisioning the boat. Rod and Mark were busy with other various boat projects. The weather has been quite cool (cold in fact) for most of time. Saturday night was a pot luck dinner & going away party for Mark & Janel on a 58 foot Hatteras motor vessel.

Tuesday morning we left Herrington Harbour (south of Annapolis) to sail down to Hampton. We were up early and ready to go at first light. The weather on Tuesday was really lousy. As we were leaving it was very cold and pouring rain. The tide was extremely low and we grounded going out the channel. Didn't look encouraging but we backed up and tried another spot and made it through with more light bumps. The weather forecast had been for winds of 25 gusting to 35 knots. But not so. It continued to build and we were seeing sustained winds of 45 with gusts to the 60's with following seas. The conditions were worse when we went across the mouth of the Potomac River which is 5 miles wide (10 to 12 foot swells). It really was an ugly day but Nana Maria handled it quite well. Our next concern was getting into the anchorage in those high winds but the winds dropped as we got close to land again and we were sheltered so it was uneventful and we had great dinner of steak and lobster.

Up early again the next day and headed to the marina at Hampton, Virginia. The winds weren't quite as high (35 - 45 knots) but it was cold again. Thank God Nana Maria has a full enclosure to keep us dry and a bit warmer.

Howard and Kelly, our other crew joined us on Thursday. The past few days have been spent attending a few seminars, boat checks, a bit more provisioning and social get tog ethers). Part of the rally events was a Women's Roundtable. Janel, Kelly & Marianne attended. They were quite interesting and would be very useful for many of the women who had not done any crossings before and/or had limited experience. Lots of good ideas and tips.

But, Friday, they announced that start of the race will be delayed from a Sunday start to Thursday (and now delayed until Friday). There is a nasty low that is building out at sea of Florida that would make heading out into the Gulf Stream not wise. (The Gulf Stream can be extremely rough when there is a north wind). A sailboat off Atlantic City, New Jersy had 40 -50 foot waves and winds and one person died and 2 were air lifted by the coast guard to safety.

The delay has caused a lot of unhappiness in boats that do not have flexibility in time. Many of the boats have (had) crew that had specific time lines and flights booked out of the Virgin Islands that they will not be able to meet. Apparently quite a few crew members have had to back out of their plans to crew, leaving boats scrambling to find new crewmembers or sail short handed.

West Marine does run a shuttle service from the marina to their store. Rod has walked up and down each aisle several times. We decided to share a car rental with another cruiser so we could get around over the next few days. So yesterday we went shopping and Rod walked around West Marine again and then Boaters World. Last night we had a great pot luck dinner up in the tent organized by Janel. Tons of great food. The sip and socialize events continue to run every night at 5:30 however seem to be running low on rum and wine. A good chance to meet the other cruisers. Today is rainy and overcast. We have 3 computers on the boat and all are in use. Marianne bought a new wifi antennae/booster so can pick up free wifi access in the marina slip. I have managed to keep working. Did a few business card orders.

Many boat people seem to be happy that their elections are over and they have a new President with new changes to come. We are going up to the tent shortly for the morning weather meeting, communication strategy, crossing the gulf stream and the Gulf stream current which is a huge issue with to regards to moving south .

If you want to see a few photos, you can check the web-site http://www.carib1500.com You will find one of Rod, another of Janel and a third one with Mark, Marianne & Rod along with 2 others and another of Fozzie.

Take care.

Rod & Marianne

PS: I have also included Kelly's update since she has a great sense of humor. . .
As you can imagine, sailors are often faced with unknowns and challenges. Frequently we have to change sails, adjust course, or make decisions that ultimately can affect the comfort and well being of everyone on board. We are in just such a situation aboard Nana Maria. Our exciting adventure out to sea aboard Nana Maria has been delayed by weather. An ugly Low Pressure system has started working its way off the Carolina coast. If we were out there today, we’d be facing 20-30 knot winds on our nose and 12-15foot waves. Not a pleasant experience. So, we’re “hove-to” in Hampton until Friday!!!
To prepare ourselves for this harrowing part of our journey, we’ve reprovisioned so that we’re sure to have enough to eat and drink during this precarious time. We’ve found some wonderful homemade chips at a local grocery and we’ve restocked our supply of Jack Daniels for our captain and Diet Coke for Rodney and Howard and white wine for the girls. With those sorts of fundamental staples on hand, we should be okay for a while, I think.

Some of the boats are losing crew who cannot wait for the weather delay, As it turns out, my cousin Mary Jane’s husband, (Ed Giannattasio) has decided to drive down from Pennsylvania and crew aboard s/vFruition, a Palmer Johnson/Peterson 43 that is docked just behind Nana Maria. In fact, Fruition and Nana Maria are in the same racing class so there will be a bit of a competition going on in the Reed-extended family. Ed’s shipmates are Bill, Bill and Bill. I can’t wait to hear what happens when Ed yells, “Hey, Bill, it’s your watch!”

Many of the boats are finishing up on projects that they didn’t think they’d have time to complete. With the known delay, they’ve been able to have parts shipped in and have workers come aboard. The staff of West Marine organized daily shuttles back and forth from the Marina to their store so that the participants can get any last minute items that they may need.

On Friday (Halloween), we had our “Farewell Dinner” even though we’re not leaving for another week. There are a lot of kids coming on the trip and they were all decked out in their scariest outfits as they collected candy from the boaters. Since then, the Rally has been sponsoring nightly “Sip & Socials” for everyone. Last night, there was a great Pot Luck Dinner. All of the boaters brought up food to share. Roast beef, sausage & peppers, ham, scalloped potatoes, pasta salads, pear cobbler with lime whipped cream, spinach salad with pomegranate, cabbage slaw, General Tsos chicken, rice salads, steamed shrimp, stews, cakes, pyrogies, brownies, chile, cornbread, and on and on. It was great. There was too much food to taste everything, but it sure was fun looking at it all. There were at least 3 or 4 tables full of food. Tomorrow night, there is an Appetizer contest and Davis (one of the race organizers) will be judging the winner. Rodney will be making his famous honey-garlic meatballs.

Lots of folks have rented cars to take the opportunity to explore the area. A few went to Fort Monroe and the Mariner’s Museum with a local resident and had an exceptional experience. Another local rally participant was able to bring some fresh rosemary, basil and bay leaves from her home garden to share with everyone. Howard and Rodney are at the new Air & Space Museum in downtown Hampton.

Normally, without the weather delay, you spend all your time at this end rushing around finishing tasks, stowing gear and doing your final provisioning. One of the nice things about this delay is that you get the chance to really talk to people and get to know them before the race starts. And you learn so many interesting things from other boaters. One entertaining tidbit: Do not swallow your cherry pits if you live aboard your boat. They end up making a horrible rattling noise in your LectraSan for an indefinite period of time. (For those of you who don’t know, the LectraSan is the sewage treatment system found on many boats… sort of a cross between a pool chlorine generator system and a garbage disposal.) The conversation gave a whole new meaning to the phrase “That’s the pits!”

MSA Learn to Cruise Winter Schedule

The new winter learn to cruise schedule is out and the MSA is offering 11 courses from January – April 2009.

Contact Manitoba Sailing Association, 406-200 Main Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 4M2
Phone: (204) 925-5650 Fax: 925-5624
sailing@sport.mb.ca

Basic Cruising $180

1. Wednesdays, January 14 - March 4 6:30pm – 9:30pm George Bush

2. Saturdays, March 7, 14, 21 9:00am – 5:00pm Wolfe Smythe

3. Wednesdays, April 8 - May 27 6:30pm – 9:30pm Gary Hebert

4. Saturdays, April 11, 18, 25 9:00am – 5:00pm Jim Robinson

Coastal Navigation - $250

Wednesdays, January 14 - March 4 6:30pm – 9:30pm Davis Daycock

Celestial Navigation - $270

Wednesdays, March 18 - May 6 6:30pm – 9:30pm Davis Daycock

VHF - $80

1. Wednesdays, March 18 & 25 6:30pm – 9:30pm George Bush

2. Tuesdays, April 14 & 21 6:30pm – 9:30pm Jim Robinson

Weather - $80

Saturday, March 21 9:00am – 5:00pm Bob Modrcin

GPS - $80

Tuesdays, April 28, May 5 6:30pm – 9:30pm Wolfe Smythe

Maltese Falcon off Angel Island in San Francisco Bay last week when the island was on fire.

Cruise Week 2008

NYC Claims 3 of Top Four Spots at the Manitoba Keelboat Championships

Mini Pearl finished the weekend in a solid first place with 4 bullets. Blue Baiou finished tied for 2nd but ended up third based on tie breaker rules. Little Fogger finished in 4th place.

Frock Night 2008

Rear Commodores Pursuit Results

Raven 1st

Black Pearl 2^nd

Borderline 3^rd

X-Ta-Sea 4^th

Sorcerer 5^th

Aftica DNF

Airwave DNF

Bird Bath DNF

NYC Crews fight to the finish in Gimli

Going into last weeks final Wednesday night race, three NYC crews where battling for 2 – 4^th places. Blue Baiou in 2^nd with 21 points, with Mini Pearl and Little Fogger next tied with 23 points. At the end of the race Mini Pearl claimed 2^nd overall for the year with Blue Baiou and Little Fogger tied with Little Fogger finishing in front based on tie breaker rules.

However results have fallen into questions with accusations of blood tampering. It has been suggested that the crew of Mini Pearl had been donating large quantities of blood in the hours preceding each race in effort to lower weight. The major piece of evidence was Blair observed to be wearing a toque in every race due to low body temperature.

When contacting International Doping Official’s, they commented that they have never heard of blood letting being used as a performance enhancing practice. However they have always wondered why snowboarders wear their toques in the summer, coincidence we think not.

Frock Night 2008

Bond Night

Get out your martini glasses, Aston martins, golden guns, dinner jackets, commando gear, spy wear and Bond Girls that you all have stashed away in your boats for the Sanderson or firecracker beach party on the long week end. Weather forecast depending; it should be on Saturday evening at 5pm. Bring a bucket of gin and an olive to shake not stir. Canapes most appreciated but not chicken wings or stuff with bones in that gets thrown in the bush and eaten by hungry critters like Beenz or Sheldon Swann. Scantily clad bodies in bathing suits emerging from the water is expected as so many of our members look like Shaun Connery and Halle Berry. Looking for the Daniel Craig look a likes so that we can strap you to a chair naked and bash your privates until you disclose where the liquor is kept on your boat. High speed boat chases should start around 6 pm; helicopters arrive at 7 pm with approx 100 studly fellers landing on the beach.

Prepare to have fun or we may have to kill you…

In case you wanted to know more about Bond Girls for some ideas:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_girls

http://www.jamesbondmm.co.uk/bond-girls.php

http://www.bondmovies.com/girls.shtml

007.5

Highlights from Frock Night 2007

LOWISA 43 - Day 5

13 boats finish within 1 minute, it was a busy day at the finish. See http://www.lowisa.org/ for complete results.

Cruise Week Report

Cruise week was a great success with help from Kevin Booth, Marianne and Rodney Nuttall, Dave and Connie Moyse, Bob Webb, and Lisa Phillips. A total of 21 boats registered. The weather was good and there were no severe storms. We did not make it to Timber Beach this year because of a strong head wind, but there would not have been much beach showing anyway because of the high water.

The main events were:
Hot dog and Smokie dinner at Northern Harbour
Rum Punch and appetizer party at Sanderson’s Beach
Bingo games by VHF radio
Star raft at Twin Island
Cake-baking contest with nine entries
Birthday Party for four people at Hidden Bay with Champaign and cake from the contest
Children’s party at Totem Lodge
Awards Dinner (53 people) at Totem Lodge
Back to back rafts at Barney Narrows

LOWISA Tested Recipe of the Week from Little Fogger

Omelettes In A Bag



(1 serving for either Trevor or Keith Holmes)

2 Large Eggs
1 Tablespoon of Cheese
1 Tablespoon or so of any other ingredient you like in your omelette (like bacon or onion) - Optional
1 Small Ziploc Bag
1 J24, with single burner butane portable stove

Crack eggs right into the small Ziploc bag. Add the cheese and any option ingredients you like. Seal the bag, squish the ingredients to mix. "Burp" the air out.

Bring a medium-sized pan of water to a heavy boil.

Drop Ziploc baggie into the boiling water. Boil for 5 minuntes.

Carefully, remove baggie from the water. Open the bag and roll the Omelette onto a plate. YUM !

Gently pass the competed Omelette to Trevor or Keith Holmes, be sure to count fingers as they where very hungry. Everyone had a hot breakfast!

WARNING:
As of August 2006, the ZIPLOC company does NOT recommend using their bags to boil food. ZIPLOC brand Bags are made from polyethylene plastic with a softening point of approximately 195 degrees Fahrenheit. When exposed to boiling water, the plastic could begin to melt.

Internet Access at the Harbour

A few people have asked for information about Internet access at the harbour so I though I would post the following information.

Cards can be purchased at either the gas dock or from Jen at the office. Cheapest is $5 for 4 hours. Most expensive is $40 for 80 hours. You get a user name and password with each card. When you launch Internet explorer and it will open automatically to the site to log on with the user name and password provided on the card. You should disable any blocking of pop-ups, as you will need this to log off.

When done you must log off. Even if you shut your computer off, the usage clock is still ticking if you don't log off. If you have problems logging off, there is a web address and phone number to call for assistance located on the back of the card.

Wendesday Night Racing in Gimli

Wednesday night racing at Gimli Yacht Club, June 11, 2008. 20 knots of wind 5 foot waves.

Check out the progress of NYC members at http://www.gimliyachtclub.ca/RaceResults.html

LOWISA Anchorages

A generalized description of the week includes:

Day 1, Sunday, August 3rd
Racing starts at1000 hrs at Kenora Waterfront and Safety Bay. Anchorage and Keewatin Channel to Crescent Island total distance is 23 Miles. Anchorage – just north of Square Island.

Day 2, Monday, August 4th
Racing Starts at 1000 hrs. Anchorage – small bay on the north side of Queen Island. The star raft will be the site for a great on-the-water party. The Mt. Gay, Pepsi, Arctic Glacier Wilderness Adventure Party will get underway at 1700 hrs. At 1830 hrs, start your BBQs; we’ll be passing Dunn Rite wings to the fleet and some sumptuous Mt. Gay Rum Cake (Baba Rum Cake), for dessert. Don’t forget to wear your Mt. Gay t-shirts and hats that you probably got from Wilderness Adventures of the past.

Day 3, Tuesday, August 5th
Racing starts at 1000 hrs. Anchorage – Ash Rapids Camp. Dinner is available at the lodge; reservations are recommended. This dinner is a not a LOWISA event.
Pump outs will be available at the pump out barge which will be located in close proximity to the lodge. Pump outs will be paid for on a user pay basis directly to the service provider.

Day 4, Wednesday, August 6th
This is Layover day; commencing at 1000 hrs with the Skippers’ Meeting and 1100 hrs for racing, those who so choose, will race around the buoys. For those who choose not to sail today, breakfast in the Lodge is available (this breakfast is not a LOWISA event), and general relaxation will remind all that they are on vacation in a beautiful place. This is the night for the annual LOWISA Fish Fry buffet (tickets must be pre-purchased at the August 2nd registration), the Star Search Talent contest, and the Karaoke is sure to go late into the evening.

The anchorage will again be at Ash Rapids Camp where ice, lodge meals and beverages, and pump outs will be available. We will make an announcement as to the departure time of the pump out barge at 1800 hrs Tuesday and again on Wednesday morning at the Layover Day Regatta Skippers’ Meeting.

Day 5, Thursday, August 7th
The race start is set for 1100 hrs – anchorage Micrometer Bay The evening’s activities include a 1700 hr start for the Annual Canadian Tire Youth Fishing Derby. Weigh-in at 1900 hrs at the committee houseboat. (Don’t forget to check into the requirements for fishing licenses).

Day 6, Friday, August 8th
Racing starts at 1000 hrs – anchorage south end of Moore Bay. This is Pizza on the Lake evening. (Pizza orders only at August 2nd registration).

Day 7, Saturday, August 9th
Starting at 10:00 hrs – finish in the vicinity of Wydeman’s Rock.

Theft at Northern Harbour

Gary and Jen would like to pass on that someone broke into the gas dock last night at approximately 3:30 a.m. and made off with approximately $12,000.00 in cash and credit card slips.

Gary would like to advise customers to monitor their credit card activity should they have purchased anything at the gas dock with their card in the last week.

Also, should anyone have any information please contact the Kenora OPP at 548-5534 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Gary is personally offering a $1,000.00 reward for any information leading to the conviction of the responsible person(s).

Please advise everyone to pass the word.

Club Championships Points Standings after 4 Races

Black Pearl - 8.5
Borderline - 16
Sorcerer - 17
Vixen - 22
Bird Bath - 22.75
Raven - 24
Fogger - 26
Sloop du Jour - 26.75
Ice Tee -27
C+C 33 (Holm) -29
Rebel -30
Knock Out -30
Deja Blue -31
Altered State -31
AFTICA -32
Scotts N Water -32
Airwave -33
Sloops Troops -33

July 19th Commodore’s Cup Results

Black Pearl - 3:28:54
Sorcerer - 3:28:59
Raven - 3:36:51
Borderline - 3:42:25
Rebel ll - 3:44:55
C+C 33 (Holm) - 3:45:49
Knock ) Out - unknown
Altered State -DNF

Morning Light

The Disney produced Morning Light movie is getting set for a general release in theaters Oct 17th 2008, and they have released the following cool trailer.

About the movie.

Morning Light, a real-life adventure feature film recorded as it happens, whatever happens, will be part of next year's 44th Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii in a project led by race veteran Roy E. Disney. Based on the premise of "the youngest crew ever to sail Transpac," the film will chronicle the recruitment, training and performance of sailors as young as 18 through the next race in July of 2007. On their own, they will sail a Transpac 52 called Morning Light---the working title of the film. None will be actors. There will be no script and no preconceived outcome. Disney said, "If we do our job right, I don't care as much whether they win or lose as how they come together as a group and wind up a team in the end. However they do is how they do. But we're giving them the equipment to win."

Fish Fry and First Weekend of Summer Party

Warroad 2008 Highlights

Boat Tested Recipe of the Week - From Rob on Intrepid

Directions

• Purchase Knorr Chicken alla Vodka and Farfalle from Safeway.
• Invite yourself over to Bob Webb or Al MacKay's boat for dinner.
  
• Pour contents of bag into a 12-inch (30 cm) non-stick skillet of your host's choice.
• Have your host cover and cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until sauce comes to a full boil for 1 minute.
  
• Make sure someone (other than you) stirs once halfway through, to separate pasta.
• Stir one more time and serve.

Recipe Tips

• Be sure to pretend to fall asleep after eating as to avoid washing dishes.
• Once everything is cleaned up I find that by entertaining your host with a few simple party tricks (taking ones underwear off without removing shorts or removing a cork from inside of an empty wine bottle with a plastic Safeway bag) will ensure that you are always a welcome and invited guest.
• If you are successfully able to follow the above directions (like me), you may find that you will never actually have to cook or wash dishes on you own boat for several years at a time.
  

Club Championships Points Standings after 3 Races

The race is on with two more pursuit races to come and the Fall Sea Fever...


Black Pearl 7.75
Borderline 12
Vixen 13
Bird Bath 13.75
Sorcerer 15
Fogger 17
Sloop du Jour 17.75
Ice Tee 18
Deja Blue 22
AFTICA 23
Scotts N Water 23
Airwave 24

Boat Tested Recipe of the Week - From Sheldon and Debbie on Antaeus

Grilled Flank Steak with Thai Marinade and Peanut Sauce

Thai Marinade
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp curry powder
3 cloves minced garlic
1 red chile seeded and minced or 1/2 tsp of red chili flakes

2 lbs flank steak

Bottled peanut sauce

Serves 6 - 8

Directions

• Whisk together all marinade ingredients
• Place steak in marinade, turn over and coat
• Cover and refrigerate for a min of 4 hours or overnight
• Deb says's make in the city Friday before you leave and bring to the lake ready for BBQ on Saturday
• Extra step if you want to prepare a baste - pour off marinade into sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil for 2 - 3 minutes, remove from heat and set aside to use as a baste
• Preheat grill
• Grill flank steak for about 8 - 10 min a side for medium rare, basting with marinade
• Remove from grill and let rest 5 - 7 minutes, slice across the grain into thin slices
• Serve the steak slices with noddles and lots of peanut sauce
  

Samurai Douse

A conversation overheard at Frank's Bar in Warroad? Perhaps?

Warroad 2008 Results

It was another great Warroad race for 2008. Winds were from the North on the first day, providing a spinniker run for the entire race. First to finish was Ice Tea (J-29) skippered by David Nelson! Second across the line was Birdbath(C+C 35 Jeff Bath and crew). Third was Raven Abbot 33, Ian Kelly and crew. Fourth was Vixen C+C 32 with the Vogans and crew 5th Black Pearl with Wendy and Blair and family, followed by 6th place Fogger C+C 26 Jim Fogg and crew. Then Sorcerer and Borderline. Scots n Water and Sloops Troops with motoring finishes. Day two was a very nice day of golf at Warroad Estates Golf Course with about twenty four golfers, followed by a party on the dock where we enjoyed snacks and refreshments and lots of fun!

Racing back to Oak Island on Tuesday was another spinnaker day with winds from the South West for almost the entire race. Results were Fogger 1st, Vixen 2nd, Birdbath 3rd, Boarderline4th, Black Pearl 5th, Ice Tea 6th, Scorcerer 7th, Scots n Water 8th, Raven 9th and Sloops Troops 10th.

The overall results are as follows: Birdbath 1st, Vixen 2nd, Fogger 3rd, Ice tea 4th, Black Pearl 5th, Borderline 6th, Raven 7th, Sorcerer 8th, Scots n Water 9th and Sloops Troops 10th.

Big Thank You to Hank and Jenny Henderson for helping with arrangements as well as Jim Kindrick and family for setting the finish line and getting a lot of great pictures of the boats and the party!

Also thanks to Chi Chi and the staff at Sportsman's Oak Island, Debbie the Water Taxi service lady was a big help with customs, Mary Johnston at the golf course, Kevin Booth and Charlie F for helping with transportation. Thanks to all the participants for making it another great race to Warroad.

Cruise Week 2008

Friday July 25th to Friday August 1st
with option to stay out to Monday August 4th for the long weekend

Ahoy Cruise Week Sailors,

Cruising with a group of boats is an ideal way to be introduced to Lake of the Woods sailing. Navigating, popular anchorages, and some of the lake’s amenities can all be learned from a group of people who have been sailing these waters for years.

The intent of Cruise Week is to be laid back and hassle free with lots of fun for the whole family. The two charts required to navigate Cruise Week 2008 are #6212 – Kenora to Aulneau Peninsula and #6213 – Whitefish Bay. Make sure you have an adequate supply of fuel. If the winds don’t cooperate, the “iron jenny” may be required in order for you to arrive at the designated anchorage in time for cocktail hour.

The cost to register for Cruise Week 2008 is $110.00 (CDN) for NYC members, and $130.00 (CDN) for non-members. Included in your registration fee is:

- Hot Dog and Smokie dinner at Northern Harbour (July 25, 8:00 pm)
- Punch Party on Sanderson’s Beach (July 26
- 2 adult dinner tickets to the buffet at Totem Lodge (July 30)
- Lots of activities and prizes for kids of all ages

Cruise week is set up in a loosely structured format. Participants are welcome to join in any or all activities or just sit back and relax. A safety committee will decide on the anchorage and rafting style each night (star-raft, back-to-back or small-rafts) based on the weather. If you are uncomfortable with the decision please anchor where you want - the safety of your boat is your ultimate responsibility!!

This year Cruise week will offer two return date options. The first group will return on Friday August 1st to Northern Harbour to allow those participating in LOWISA race week time for re-provisioning. The second group will return on Monday August 4th to take advantage of the August long weekend. No events after the Totem dinner are prepaid so people can head back any time after that and no money is lost.

ITINERARY & ANCHORAGES:

Cruise Week 2008 officially begins with a Hot Dog and Smokie dinner and brief meeting in the Northern Harbour Boat Room at 8:00 pm on Friday July 25th.

The agenda for the week is as follows:

FRIDAY: Cruise week starts with dinner and a meeting at Northern Harbour at 8:00 pm, BYOB.

SATURDAY: We will depart Northern Harbour at approximately 11:00 a.m. bound for Sanderson’s Beach. On the beach we will have a “Get Acquainted Punch Party”. Please bring an hors d’oeuvre to share. Overnight anchorage will be “The Funnel”

SUNDAY: Bell Island is the destination.

MONDAY: On to Timber Island for a day of beach games including Bocce Ball. The overnight anchorage will be Annie Island. If you need more ice, it can be purchased at the Paradise Point RV camp, which is near by.

TUESDAY: Back to Timber Beach for a half day of lazing around in the sun. Some of you may wish to stay put and enjoy a quiet day in the anchorage. Overnight anchorage will be Hidden Bay.

WEDNESDAY: On to Totem Lodge. Lisa (On-a-Call) will host a children’s party on the beach in the afternoon.

Shuttle will be available to Sioux Narrows for shopping.

Nominations for Awards by 5:00

A buffet dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. Your registration fee includes 2 adult dinner tickets. Additional tickets are available at $37.50 CDN each. Children’s tickets (12 and under) are $15.00 CDN each.

An Awards Presentation hosted by Kevin Booth (Windseeker) will follow dinner.

Next day the fleet will split into two groups - those heading back early for LOWISA and those staying out for the long weekend.

Early Option
THURSDAY JULY 31st -Yellow Girl
FRIDAY AUG 1st - Northern Harbour

Long Weekend Option
THURSDAY JULY 31st - Twin Island
FRIDAY AUG 1st - Cross Inlet
SATURDAY AUG 2nd - Yellow Girl
SUNDAY AUG 3rd - Moore Bay
MONDAY AUG 4th - Northern Harbour

There may be alternate anchorages selected during the week due to inclement weather. Boats will be notified by word of mouth and VHF radio should this be necessary.

TOTEM LODGE:

Additional dinner tickets must be purchased in advance. As many of you know, Totem Lodge has always been very accommodating to our needs. They are providing us with a beautiful 5-star environment, so please patronize their services. All dogs must be either on a leash or on your boat.

The cost for a shuttle ride into Sioux Narrow is $5.00 per person round trip, ice is available at $5.00 per bag, and garbage disposal is $5.00 per bag. If anyone is interested, rooms are available at the Lodge at $135.00 per person per night.


Pumpout service is available at Lake of the Woods Houseboats at the end of Long Bay (about ½ an hour from Totem). You can do pumpout on Wednesday before docking at Totem or after you leave on Thursday.

One last note, which is very important to all participants is to ensure that you have appropriate anchor and rode for your boat. The chain should equal the boat length and the rope should be at least 200 feet.

Thanks to all of you who have already volunteered to help organize some of the activities. If anyone is interested in organizing an activity (i.e. crib tournament, Bingo, kids games, wine tasting, etc), or would like to donate prizes, let us know as soon as possible. Please advise if any of your crew will be celebrating a birthday during cruise week.

We hope you can join us. Please complete the attached registration form as soon as possible. You can register electronically, print off a hard copy, or drop by Oasis or Juantu 3 (C-Dock) to register in-person. Don’t wait until the last minute. We need time to organize the food and prizes.


For more information, contact:

Bill and Pam Whitehead (Oasis)
Phone: 237-7577
bwhitehe@mts.net

Lisa Phillips (On-a-Call)
Phone: 1-204-785-1573
sailinonacall@hotmail.com

Connie and David Moyse (Juantu 3)
Phone: 256-5953
davconmoyse@mts.net

Kevin Booth (Windseeker)
Phone: 339-7908
windckr@mts.net

Summer Solstice Pursuit Race Results

Here are the race results:

1st - Sloop du Jour - 2:42:20



2nd - Black Pearl - 2:43:03

3rd - Sorcerer - 2:43.50

4th - Borderline - 2:45:15

5th - Vixen - 2:52.15

6th - Aftica - 3:20:02

7th - Airwave - 3:21:15

Warroad Race History from Hank Henderson

A little history. This is the 31^st Warroad race. The first trip was in Dominion Day 1977. There were three boats. George Kent, Jim Kern, and Lyle Little and their wives. I think that there may have been a few others on board. They were all three sailing brand new O’Day 27 footers. They cruised down from Kenora to Oak Island. Ginny and I were in our Paceship West Wind 24 and we met them at Oak Island and lead them to our dock in Warroad. Great time.

Although that was no race any time that two sailboats are in sight of each other that is a race. However with the three new boats chasing our old charter boat Paceship we had to keep doubling back to them so that they would not lose sight of us. We did not escort them back to Oak Island.

In 1978 there were eleven boats (some reports claim twelve) and they cruised to Oak Island and then raced to Warroad. On lay day we set up a 27 mile triangle from Warroad to Gull Rock to Buffalo Point and back to the finish at Warroad. The third day they raced back to Oak Island and then cruised to Kenora. However some boats made a week of it.

Also the in 1978 we set up another race which we called the KWIT race. Kenora to Warroad International team race. Here we combined the time of the first boat with that of the last and so on down the line. The best overall time of the two boats won. There was a Mayor's trophy and several others.

For the KWIT race I made arrangements with US Customs that I would check in all of the boats at my dock and call in the numbers to the Warroad port. On the third day the Canada customs officer from Sprague came to my dock and checked all of the boats into Canada from here.

Of course at some point the government officials caught on to what we were up to and stopped that so that was the only straight through race we could have. That race was on Labor Day week end of 1978. There were I think 23 sail boats in that race and they were accompanied by several powerboats.

From 1979 on the race was always on Dominion Day. 1979 I think that we had 44 boats in all but there were a number of power boats which accompanied.

After several years the Golfers started to dominate the fleet and the 27 mile lay day race was changed to an Olympic race just off shore at Warroad. It got down to only two boats for that race and we then started just having the Golf day.

There have been some really drifters through the years with shortened courses and there have been come real howling gales. Some years there was damage to several boats and ripped sails from the heavy weather but they still just keep on coming.

Now it is sort of settled down to just about the same boats and crews every year and most are golfers. Great bunch and great event and Ginny and I have enjoyed the whole thirty one years of hosting such a great bunch of people. As long as we can we will be here to help out. We have recruited and trained Stuart Michelson and he is doing a good job on it. Unfortunately his job has him scheduled out of town this year but he still got things all organized including the coast guard auxiliary will be out there in case of need. Stuart has taught them how to recover grounded keel boats.

There are a lot of stories about this event.

NYC Pizza Night 2008

Summer is finally here!

NYC Raises $375 for LOWISA

At this weekends Pizza night we held a raffle in support of LOWISA. Many thanks to Bob Webb who donated the prize and organized the raffle. Doug Skoog was the lucky winner of a Texas Mickey of Appleton’s Rum.

For those new boaters at the harbour LOWISA is an annual week long sailing regatta held on the Lake of the Woods in Ontario and Minnesota, usually occurring over the first Monday of August.

The Lake of the Woods International Sailing Association invites you to expand your sailing horizons on one of the most astounding sailing adventure vacations available. Come alive to the appeal of sailing through the amazingly breathtaking waters of Lake of the Woods. Indulge in the sights and sounds of the great Canadian/American wilderness.

The week long regatta is staged by an association of Canadian and American sailors on beautiful Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada. LOWISA is a non-profit organization of volunteer sailors.

When you attend LOWISA, you will join a fraternity of participants from various states and provinces who have enjoyed and contributed to what has now become an unparalleled annual sailing event.

LOWISA is what you want it to be. There are classes for virtually every type of sailing craft and level of ability. There are divisions for competitive racers on state of the art boats. There is also provision for those who sail on modest less competitive designs who desire only an initiation to racing. LOWISA even allows sailors to opt for a division with pursuit style starts in order to avoid the stress of Olympic style starts.

For those who don't wish to race at all, there is a cruising fleet to allow for sailors who want only the beauty of the lake and camaraderie of other sailors. This provides an avenue for family cruisers to participate in a non threatening atmosphere.

Visit www.lowisa.org for information on this year’s event.

Congrats 6 Pack Bob on your Retirement

First Weekend of Summer Party – Hosted by Gary Hall

Date has changed from June 20 to Friday June 27th.

Meal will be served at 7:00 p.m. band scheduled to start at 8:30 or 9:00. The meal is free, BYOB and we will again be collecting for Cancer Care Manitoba.

The band is a Winnipeg based blues band that goes by Deano Dean and Mix Soul. Video link below:

Cabin Door Handle Protection Device

NYC member Fred was horribly disfigured a few weeks ago when one of his cabin door handles mysteriously leaped up and hit him in the face. We at NYC are concerned and ask that all members put in place new safety practices before going to bed. Good seamanship dictates that all cabin door handles be removed before going to bed. If you are not able to remove the cabin door handles then as an alternative we suggest investing in a Cabin Door Handle Protection Device as pictured being awarded to Fred this weekend. We wish Fred and everyone safe and happy sailing for the rest of the summer.

2008 Tea Cup Results

Third Place Deja Blue Crew

Results:

1st Black Pearl

2nd Borderline

3rd Deja Blue
4th Sorcerer
5th Bird Bath

The highlight of race three was when Bird Bath sailed the entire downwind leg with the spinnaker launched sideways. As it turns out it seemed to be quite fast.

Kenora Downtown Construction this Summer

Project Start Date: early May 2008

2008 Construction Timing
• Project is expected to span approx six months from spring to fall
• Project works will be staged starting at the subway intersection
• Sewer and water works must be completed this building season

Traffic Flow
• Subway intersection will become a four way stop during construction
• Traffic will be directed onto Bernier and Matheson during construction

Main Street 2008
• Underground works on Main Street will begin mid-late June
• Main Street will be open for business throughout construction
• All businesses will be sidewalk accessible throughout construction
• The foot of Main Street will remain open for traffic and parking

Parking
• Parking will be available throughout the City, except on Main Street
• Signage will direct customers to alternate parking

Information Kiosks
• Staffed information kiosks will direct customers and visitors through the
downtown and provide information to them about the project and the community

2008 Events
• Farmer’s Market, KBI, Harbourfest and other events will be held at the
Harbourfront

2008 CYA Membership Cards are now available

For competitive sailors, Rule 75 of the 2005-2008 ISAF Racing Rule of Sailing requires that all competitors, skippers and crew, be members in good standing of a yacht club and of the CYA. For those competitive sailors that plan to attend CYA/MSA sanctioned events outside of our club and would like a CYA membership card, please see Rob Eby on A Dock.

2008 Manitoba Summer Games

The MSA is currently recruiting sailors to compete in the 2008 Manitoba Summer Games at Lake Stephenfield, located near Carmen, from August 14-17. The Games are geared toward sailors who have some experience in the sport, but have not yet seen success at the racing level.

The goal of the Games is to introduce sailors to competition, build relationships within the sailing community and give sailors an opportunity to experience a games-style atmosphere.

Games information available on the website

www.sailmanitoba.com

If the Games are something you and your sailor are interested in, please contact, Jordan Crowley at 925-5648 or sailingadmin@sport.mb.ca

The Games are Manitoba’s largest ongoing multi-sport program bringing together participants from across the province. The Games are held every two years and alternate between summer and winter sports events. Each set of Games involve upwards of 10,000 athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers.

Manitoba is divided in seven regions: Interlake, Eastman, Westman, Central, Parkland Norman and Winnipeg. For the sailing event each region in Manitoba will send a team of two boys and two girls as well as a coach and a manager, of whom one of them has to be female. The host region (Central) will have an additional team competing. In total sailing will have 48 participants at the Games.

The sailing event in this multi sport competition is held at Lake Stephenfield, which is located 20 km west of Carmen in the Stephenfield Provincial Park. The event will be sailed in Vanguard prams. Eligible are young sailors between the age of 10-15 this year. This competition is not a high performance event and the regions are asked to send sailors who are ready to race in the green fleet. Kids who have already raced in age class events should not be sent to this competition.

NYC 2008 Icebreaker Social

Tea Cup Notice of Race

Due to the late start to the season and many boats not being ready we are moving the Tea Cup Race from this weekend to Saturday May 31st.

Skippers meeting will be at 9:00am on Saturday the 31st with a planned 10:30am start. Weather permitting we would like to have 1 - 3 races ending around 1:30pm with both working and flying sails classes. Racing will take place in Pine Portage Bay and will be a Windward Leeward format. It has been suggested Moore Bay as a anchorage after the race those who are interested in leaving the harbour overnight.

Race Instructions will be available at the skippers meeting and in advance by email request to northernyachtclub@gmail.com.