Northern Yacht Club

Proof - Life is Better on a Boat

2012-02-07T21:01:00.000-06:00

The Lowisa 47 committee is thrilled to announce that Rob Eby will be the Race Officer for Lowisa 47.

2012-01-31T10:35:00.001-06:00

The Lowisa 47 committee is thrilled to announce that Rob Eby will be the Race Officer for Lowisa 47.

Rob is a certified CYA Level 3 Race Officer, a certified Level 2 Judge and has been the Race Officer for more than ten Lowisa's.

Lowisa is very fortunate to have such a qualified Race Officer. Not only has Rob always ensured that the on the water aspect of the races are well organized, he is an excellent communicator with the fleet, so those less comfortable with traditional “flags and horn communication” need not worry – Rob does a great job of explaining all situations over the VHF.

Rob is also a fantastic off the water communicator and can be found meandering through the anchorage after each race handing out the printed daily race results and answering any questions from the competitors. (Although not required, some participants take a visit from Rob as an opportunity to provide him and his support team an appreciation rum – he prefers white rum).

Being the Race Officer is a significant job and Rob has always volunteered his time. This saves Lowisa thousands of dollars a year which allows us to keep registration fees low. Without Rob’s continued support, Lowisa would not be the event that is today.

It takes more than one person to run these races and Rob also organizes the Race Committee boats and his support team. Once we know who these people are for Lowisa 47, we will let you know so we can all be sure to give them a big thank-you during the Regatta.

More announcements to come!

About LOWISA 47:
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 2012 event will be held August 4th to 11th.

Not Sailing - but good video to pass time away till spring!

2012-01-12T22:24:00.002-06:00

Be sure to watch in HD.

Upcoming Cruising Courses

2012-01-11T10:13:00.001-06:00

BASIC CRUISING EVENINGS (6:30pm–9:30pm)
1. Wednesdays, January 25 – March 14
2. Thursdays, March 8 – April 26

Basic Cruising weekend (9am-5pm)
3. Saturdays, April 14, 21, 28 and May 5

Coastal Navigation Course (6: 30pm –9:30 pm )
4. Wednesdays, April 11 – May 30

Celestial Navigation
5. tba

VHF Seminar (6:30 pm –9:30 pm )
6. Wednesdays, March 7 and 14

All courses will be held at the Sport for Life Centre on 145 Pacific Ave. For more information or to register call the office at 925-5650 or send an email to sailing@sportmanitoba.ca

Additional VHF Courses at the Gimli YC
Saturdays, June 9 and 16
Saturdays August 11 and 25

2012 Mid-Canada Boat Show

2012-01-11T10:12:00.000-06:00

This year's boat show will take place from March 1-4, 2012 at the Convention Centre in Winnipeg . The show displays three floors of everything you need for summer fun - the newest boats and motors, camping, fishing and water sports equipment, from the top manufacturers and suppliers in the industry. More at www.midcanadaboatshow.com

Sailing Film Premier - O CANADA Project

2011-12-09T10:26:00.001-06:00

The O CANADA Project tells the story of New Zealand boat builder Alan West rebuilding the former Spirit of Canada boat, skippered by Canadian Derek Hatfield in the 2006 Vendee Globe singlehanded race, and training five Canadian high performance sailors - - Nikola Girke, Mike Leigh, Kevin Stittle, Rob Fox and Nathan Baron - - as they learn to sail the newly christened and highly demanding O CANADA in New Zealand.

Picture taken Saturday December 3rd at 5:30pm...

2011-12-09T10:23:00.002-06:00

How bad do you want your boat bottom sanded??? Guess who is under the tarp?

Sioux Narrows Bridge...

2011-11-29T17:45:00.001-06:00

How to get an 80' rig through the 65' bridges of the Intracoastal Waterway using two tons of water. The balls get swung out with an initial turn to port or stbd. The tendency then is for the roll to continue by itself, but is controlled by letting the bags out slowly with a line made off to each bag and running through necessary tackle to a cockpit winch.

Video onboard Kite, Lowisa 46 Day 4

2011-10-28T15:46:00.001-05:00

On A Boat With The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

2011-10-26T18:04:00.002-05:00

The Adventurer - Featuring Kenora's Dave Treadway

2011-10-18T16:27:00.002-05:00

Manitoba Keelboat Championships

2011-09-29T15:52:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Northern Yacht Club member Dave Nelson and crew for winning that Manitoba Keelboat Championships. It was a three way tie between Dave Nelson - Kite, Charlie Burns - Liquor Box and Fred Finlayson/Jim Fogg - Rhum Line up until the last race. Whomever won the last race won the regatta. 1st and 3rd place where separated by 41 seconds.

We can try this at the Sioux Narrow Bridge next summer

2011-09-19T16:02:00.000-05:00

Race Report - SGT DICK BOOTH MEMORIAL SAFETY PURSUIT RACE

2011-09-08T13:20:00.000-05:00

For the first time in many years, every club race this year enjoyed nice wind (save for the first half of the day 2 or warroad). For this race, however, the sun was replaced with clouds, cold air and rain. The forcast combined with a number of boats heading off down the lake Friday in an effort together down to the Whitefish for Frock night resulted in a disapointing turn out of only three boats. The course took us around Survey, past Strawberry, around the Elbow, past Bun with the finish around Steamboat Reef. Wind was w-s-w starting the day at 10-15, the building to 15-20 around noon, then peaking out at 20-25 around 1pm just as the race ended.

The boats were hard on the wind all the way to the Elbow, then downwind to Bun, then a short reach to steamboat. Grand Cru had caught up to Raven at the elbow, having passed the singlehanded Black Knight previously, and decided to run the gennaker instead of the chute- the though being it was easy and they should be able to hold even with Raven. Alas, it was not to be. Under chute, Raven passed Grand Cru and built a modest but unnerving and unexpected (for Grand Cru) lead of about 100 meters approaching Bun, setting up what looked to be a very tight finish. This race required a man over board drill which both Raven and Grand Cru had completed while approaching Strawberry. Black Knight, flying chute singlehanded in 20 knots had almost reeled in Grand Cru but still had to execute the man over board. Unfortunately for Raven their 100 meter lead disappeared as they got stuck behind Bun. Grand Cru slipped by them and beam reached the next mile to the finish. Raven being second followed by Black Night.

As this race is named after Sgt Dick Booth, Wendy and I spent some time remanissing about the fun times we had on our previous boat, Black Pearl, with Dick's son, the late Kevin Booth. Kevin used to join us on Black Pearl for all the club bouy races and the LOWISA layover day bouy races. He was a pleasure to have on board - always in great spirits and truly loved to be on the lake and to be in a sail boat. A creature of habit I suppose, everytime he came on board he brought two beer (Keith's if I recall) and a salmon sandwich wrappped in wax paper. We both miss the post race rums with him that we used to enjoy on the Black Pearl while returning to the Harbour after the races. We also miss his welcoming smile whenever we drop by Northern Harbour. This race was important to Kevin and Wendy and I are proud to have won the race bearing his dad's name in the year of Kevin's passing.

Blair Magnus

Sent from an Iphone.

Lets try this off the end of A Dock

2011-08-30T20:53:00.003-05:00

Somehow I suspect this new generation of 18 to 20 year old's is not going to be excited about slow keelboats in the future. Sell now....

Witch Bay Pursuit - Onboard Grand Cru

2011-08-24T10:09:00.000-05:00

Continuing what has been a remarkable year of wind and weather for the racing season we once again had beautiful wind between 10-15 knots from the western quadrant all day. After the start at the south end of Pine Portage Bay we had a beam reach down to Copper. Carrying a chute was a little tight and most boats elected not to launch except for Goliath. Either way there wasn't much in it. After rounding Copper it was a long port tack up to the north side of Survey. Rounding Survey the course then took us between Scotty and Middle.

The wind was starting to oscillate a little more with the shifts to the w-n-w becoming larger and longer for a while. As a result the fleet was faced with the decision weather to go to the east or west of Maizes. Some of the early boats chose the west, a few chose the east and a late shift back to the w-s-w made the decision for the later boats clear.

Borderline, Raven Black knight, Auberge and Goliath all looked to have the option with only Raven taking the west. Kite and Grand Cru, last to round Survey and coming into the w-s-w shift would have had to tack to get to the west so the east was the logical route. The west side paid. Post race the Raven team was coy about the reasoning behind their decision. All the non-spin boats took the west side.

Passing Strawberry the course then took us south west for water then east down Andrew Bay. Around this area a rain storm blew through. Winds pick up immediately. Within 15 seconds it was 25knots from the west. Sloop du Jour reported a max wind of 36.5 knots. Three boats had rounded and we heading east just before the storm hit. Raven reported 11+ kts boat speed with main (genoa was fully blanketed). Other boats on the down wind side of the storm were borderline and Goliath. The boats still going upwind had a tougher time. Genoas were dropped some mains were reefed. Misty's headsail pulled out of the track. Eventually the trailing fleet got past the turning bouy and could turn down wind and enjoy the ride. However time lost to the front boats would not be made up. The wind quickly returned to its previous state of 10-15knots. Chutes went up for the run down Andrew Bay for a very nice five mile sail to the finish.

Finishing order:
Raven
Goliath
Borderline
Kite
Grand cru
Black knight
Auberge
Knock-out
Swordfish
Oh boy
Misty (dnf)
Black Pearl (dnf)

Queen Island Pursuit Race - Results

2011-08-16T11:21:00.002-05:00

It was a great day to race. Wind from the south west 10-15 knots. There was a short spin run from Palisade to Whisky but it was a fun one as the wind had just peaked and was gusting to 20. It was a drag race from Whisky to the finish around Iriam with the top three boats finishing within 15 seconds of eachother.

Great battle between Raven and Black Knight as well up to the finish.

Kite
Borderline
Grand Cru
Goliath
Raven
Black Knight
Knock out
Auberge
D Boat
Fandango

Recap of LOWISA 46

2011-08-12T11:42:00.001-05:00

For a excellent recap of LOWISA 46 and some historical perspective from Brett Walker who raced on Haemony. Click on the following link http://ratkingsails.tumblr.com/

Sailing on Lake of The Woods.

2011-07-27T10:31:00.001-05:00

Sailing on Lake of the Woods from David Warrenchuk on Vimeo.

Oh my goodness, just when you thought your boat was fast

2011-07-25T09:35:00.000-05:00

A New Personal Watercraft

2011-07-12T18:48:00.003-05:00

Go Canada

2011-07-11T19:39:00.001-05:00

View slide show...

Kenora cruise ship sails on rough waters

2011-07-11T10:10:00.001-05:00

KENORA -- It has 14,500 islands. There are 105,000 kilometres of shoreline.

It is surrounded by 2.5 billion-year-old rock. The first white man to see Lake of the Woods was French explorer Jacques De Noyon in 1688.

What better way to learn about magnificent Lake of the Woods than skimming across its waters on the MS Kenora...

Kenora cruise ship sails on rough waters

Race Report - Warroad 2011

2011-07-07T11:12:00.003-05:00

Day 1: West-north-west wind around 15kts with gusts to 20kts in the open
water and, as usual, gusts to 25kts approaching the finish line at Warroad.
During the day the wind backed slightly to West. Beautiful 25 degree sunny
day. At the start, a few boats carried their chutes (it was tight) down to
Bare Island then dropped the chutes as they turned to head toward Gull Rock.
Rounding Bare, it looked like Goliath was simultaneously cleaning their
boat bottom with the chute, trying to catch shrimp, all while sailing
backwards for a while. Turns out this was a good plan as they went on to
win the day.

After Bare, it was a close reach to Gull Rock with boats at hull speed.
Rounding Gull, with the wind backing to the West, it was a beat to the
finish. Fleet was spread across the course with some to the extreme south
and some modestly north. Some stayed up the middle. While the wind was
oscillating nicely, there was no clear advantage to any side of the course.
The two Abbots (Raven and Black Night) had a good battle up this leg with
Black Night slipping by Raven on a shift about 2-3 miles from the finish.

Many boats had to pick their way through the channel (but eventually made it
to get into Warroad. Knock-Out and Grand Cru stayed outside at anchor for
the night.

Day 2: Golf?

Day 3: From about 7am the wind was coming from the South-West at 12-15kts
setting up for what looked to be a beautiful downwind race all the way.
Fogger started at 10AM with their iconic pink chute charging for the rock.
5 minutes after their start, a massive persistent shift to the south east
came through. As the fleet watched, Fogger kept his chute up and was now
sailing North (were going the wrong way!). For what seemed like an
eternity, finally their chute came down and the boat turned to the west, but
still no headsail could be seen. Strangely, for the fist time in three
days, Fogger's laugh could not be heard. We would later learn that not only
was their headsail not ready to go, but the jib sheets were not run.
Anyway, the rest of the fleet now set-up their headsails and off everyone
went for this unexpected upwind leg. The wind was very patchy and the early
boats to leave had a chance to stay in the wind. Some of the early boats
had success, some were just out of range. The later boats sat parked up
just off the starting line for an hour or so. AI and Borderline made it
around Gull Rock and did a horizon job and the rest of the fleet. It was a
two boat race and AI just managed to hold off Borderline over the last 20
miles.

With pending severe storms, Grand Cru dropped out after 1 1/2 hours of
"racing" after realizing that they were only 1 mile from the start line and
had spent the last 30 mins going backwards. Good times. Fogger dropped out
as well. Remaining fleet stuck it out and the wind filled in at the end
with some boats having a great ride. Kite reported over 16kts of boat speed
before their asymmetric tack blew out.

Boats arrived back at Sportsman lodge just as the storms began to roll
through. Fortunately, no serious storms rolled over Oak Island.

Day 1
Goliath
Kyte
AI
Borderline
Grand Crew
Black Night
Raven
Knock out
Vixen
Sloops
Fogger

Day 2
AI
Borderline
Goliath
Sloops
Knock Out
Kyte
Vixen
Black Night
Raven
Fogger DNF
Grand Crew DNF

Winners
AI
Goliath
Borderline

Cruise Week 2011 - July 22 to July 29

2011-07-07T10:42:00.000-05:00

Friday July 22 – Dinner – Meet and greet on the deck of Northern Harbour Boat Club – pot luck hosted by Vera and Dave from Aftica

Saturday – Sail to Sanderson Beach for the Appetizers on the Beach Party – also called “Make room in the fridge right away!” – Anchorage – The Funnel or Newfoundland

Sunday – Sail to Timber Beach – Yes, I know it’s a long sail but you’ll love it! – Anchor on Timber Beach (weather permitting – if not, the backside of Timber or Annie Island)

Monday – back to Timber Beach for Bocce Ball and other activities – Anchorage – Big Bird Island

Tuesday – leave early for Sioux Narrows – anchor in the bay, dinghy to The Mine Shaft for a Cheeseburger in Paradise afternoon on the deck – Anchorage – Barney Narrows or Twin Island

Wednesday – Sail to Yellow Girl anchorage – Hot Dog’s over the fire (bring your own dogs, buns, etc)

Thursday – Sail through Sunset Channel – anchor at Deadbroke Island

Friday – Sail back to NH or stay on the Lake

Cavey's Crab Dip

2011-07-05T12:09:00.002-05:00

INGREDIENTS

24 Ounces Sour Cream
1 1.8 Ounce Package of Knorr Leek Soup Mix
8 Ounces Real Crabmeat

NOTE: This recipe can be made with regular onion soup mix and canned crabmeat. However, I highly recommend using Knorr Leek Soup and the real crabmeat found in the refrigerated section of your local supermarket (usually near the meat department). Costco also carries a great lump crabmeat in their refrigerated section. Additionally, though it doesn't really make this a "healthy dish", using the "Light" version of sour cream certainly cuts down on the caloric and fat content for those trying to watch their Caveish figure.
Cavey's Crab Dip Ingredients

Place sour cream and soup mix into medium sized mixing bowl and stir until fully blended.
Sour Cream & Knorr Leek Soup Mix

Now, place crabmeat into bowl and gently fold into sour cream/soup mixture.
HINT: I like to have small lumps of crabmeat in my dip. If you prefer it a little smoother, go ahead and add the crab meat when you initially put in the soup mix. The extra stirring will smooth it out.
Adding Crabmeat

Cover mixture and refrigerate for at least three hours ... and that's it! Just serve with your favorite dipping chip and be ready for the YUM!!
Cavey's Crab Dip

Prep Time = 3 Minutes
Cook Time = 3 Hous
Serves 10-20

Mosquitoes more attracted to beer drinkers: study

2011-06-30T08:02:00.002-05:00

It might be nice enough to enjoy a pint outside in your part of Canada, but news that mosquitoes are likely to target people with beer in their systems might make you re-think enjoying your favorite patio.

Or at least apply some bug repellent before you head out.

A study, conducted by scientists at the IRD Research Centre in France, shows that insects are 15 per cent more likely to fly toward humans after they have consumed a pint.

The researchers write in Plos One that one possible explanation is, "Mosquitoes may have evolved preferences for people who recently consumed beer - possibly due to reduced host defensive behaviours or highly-nutritious blood-meals." More... http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-buzz/mosquitoes-more-attracted-beer-drinkers-study-200654377.html

Homemade Ginger Beer and the Dark 'n' Stormy | The Paupered Chef

2011-06-21T10:19:00.001-05:00

Homemade Ginger Beer and the Dark 'n' Stormy | The Paupered Chef

Ginger, Lemon, Sugar, Yeast...and 24 hours.

Summer Solstice Race to 22 ft Bay - Results

2011-06-20T09:44:00.001-05:00

Competitive Fleet of 7. Winds ranging from 12 knots to 15 knots with a few gust reaching 20 knots. Lots of spinnaker work and some beating. It was a tight parade at the end. Not many seconds between each boat. Borderline dominated from the start. All of the other positions were in question a few times during the race.

1st Borderline
2nd Raven
3rd Kite
4th Black Knight
5th Oberge
6th Grand Cru
7th Fogger

Capsize

2011-06-20T09:41:00.001-05:00

Bud and Spud social fundraiser for Bob Wenzel

2011-05-09T09:34:00.000-05:00

This past winter fellow Northern Harbour sailor Bob Wenzel, of Sandwip, had an unfortunate accident in his home. While he expected to fully recover from his fractured neck, he is currently in a neck brace and unable to operate his salon. As a proud, self employed businessman this must be a very taxing time.
Some of his friends have organized a bud and spud fundraiser to assist Bob and his wife Janna during this difficult period.

Canad Inn Windsor Park
Stereo Room

Friday June 3, 5-8 PM
Cost is $20 Inc meal and a beer

We are asking for your support and generosity for any donations for the silent auction and to come out for a nice meal and a dance on your way out to the lake.

Please contact any of the following for tickets or info:
Cathy Sheppard 794 8281
Donna Dela 832 6550 h
Rick Thompson 8326550 h 204 803 9910 MTS cell rthompson78@shaw.ca
Alfie Gentle 612 1398
Dianne McDougall 299 5716

Registration is now open for LOWISA 46!

2011-05-02T09:55:00.003-05:00

Registration is now open for LOWISA 46! You can register online. We’re offering a Mount Gay Rum hat to all skippers who register online in advance. Once again due to the generous support of our sponsors we have been able to keep the registration low this year at $185 for Racing and $125 for Cruising. The registration fee includes two tickets to the Commodore’s Banquet, additional tickets are available at registration along with LOWISA Clothing and charts for purchase.

Saturday July 30th, on-site registration, race instructions and charts will be available at the Northern Harbour Boaters’ Club in Northern Harbour. Help with lifts in and out, will be provided by Gary Hall and his family at Northern Harbour. Be sure to buy your Morgan Fuels gas and diesel fuel and Arctic Glacier ice from Gary. Once again we will be offering a seminar which will provide local knowledge on navigating Lake of the Woods along with tips for having a successful week on the lake. The seminar will be held in the Northern Harbour Boaters’ Club on Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm. Those who are new to the lake will find it interesting and valuable. The Skippers’ meeting, Sailors Social, and dinner will follow starting at 6:00pm.

Day 1, Racing gets started on Sunday, July 31st, at 12:00 noon in Safety Bay, so the crowd at the Kenora Harbourfront can enjoy the excitement of the starts. We’re planning a course allowing for a couple of east-west laps on Safety Bay with a finish in the Vicinity of Keewatin Channel. This will be an interesting race with lots of tune-up opportunity. If the weather cooperates we’re hoping for around 15 miles of windward-leeward racing. Expect lots of cottage owners and Kenora residents out to watch the fleet duke it out on the water. The cruising fleet can take advantage of ever popular Scotty Beach and join up with the racers for the evening. The anchorage for Day 1 will be Strawberry Island.

Day 2, Monday, August 1st, start at the north end of Scotty’s Island and proceed through the Elbow to the unnamed bay south of Yellow Girl Point. In honour of their continuing support, we’ve designated this scenic spot as “Mount Gay Bay.” This is an excellent area for camping and there’s a terrific little island that’s great place for our first event of the week: the Mount Gay, Pepsi, and Arctic Glacier Wilderness Party. Pirate costumes are optional (be all you can be as Captain Sparrow – Savvy?), but at the very least be sure to wear your Mount Gay Rum hat and your best smiles for the photo ops.

Day 3, Tuesday, August 2nd, start at Yellow Girl Point and proceed through Sunset Channel to end the day at the west end of Deadbroke Channel. Sunset Channel represents much of what is the best of Lake of the Woods and promises to be one of the most scenic days of the week. For Cruisers, there is an opportunity to enjoy some early aboriginal rock paintings along the way and, if you are extraordinarily lucky, a petroglyph.

Day 4, Wednesday, August 3rd, start at the west end of Deadbroke Channel and proceed to Ash Rapid Camp. Cruisers may want to stop for a lunch break on the sandbar at S Island. Ash Rapids Camp is a full service wilderness lodge and well known for their hospitality. They offer great food, a rustic bar and sell fuel and ice. Nicely furnished cabins are available. See the LOWISA Website for their Internet link and to make reservations.

Day 5, Thursday, August 4th is a day of rest. After 4 days of racing and cruising most of us need a day to sleep late, fix gear, and socialize with other sailors. But for those with the urge to race, we’ll have an optional and stand-alone windward leeward series of races. The skippers meeting will be held at 10:00 AM at which time, we’ll describe the location and the round-the-cans race course choices for the layover day races. We have lots of kids activities planned on shore this day. Ptarmigan Bay is close by and is a great place for a leisurely day-cruise for those who want to get away. Dinner in the dining room is provided as part of your registration so be sure you have a ticket for each of your crew members. The Arctic Glacier Frozen T-Shirt Contest will be a part of the evening’s social events. The Commodore will hand pick the contestants and for those whom he picks, declining is not an option - there’s nowhere to hide!! Pump out and garbage disposal will be available during the layover day.

Day 6, Friday, August 5th, start near Ash Rapids Camp and race to 22 Foot Bay. We’ve used this anchorage many times in past regattas; it’s another great spot for wilderness anchoring and camping. If you wish, cabins are available at Crow Rock Lodge, which is just around the corner from where our anchorage. See the LOWISA Website for their Internet link and to make reservations. Crow Rock Lodge offers a full service bar and dinning. We’ll have the gas powered blender on shore for Margaritas after racing. Bring a bottle or two of Tequila; we’ll provide the mix. Throw it all in the blender and see what happens… no big Woop – or maybe a big Woop!!

Day 7, Saturday, August 6th marks our last day of racing. We’ll start near the Crow Rock Light and head back to Northern Harbor via the famed Manitou Reach. The LOWISA Commodore’s Banquet and the Awards Presentation will be hosted in the Northern Boaters’ Club, on this final day. Back by popular demand are Brent Parkin and the Schooners. This is truly a great band that’ll make you want to dance your socks off, so our closing festivities will carry on well into the evening.

There will be Children’s activities throughout the week with an emphasis on having the kids gather on the islands following the races for fantastic games activities and surprises galore!!!!

Amped Wireless' UA600EX adapter quadruples your laptop's WiFi range when you're on a boat

2011-04-29T11:16:00.001-05:00

from Engadget by Dana Wollman

For every gadget you can use on land, there has to be one you can use at sea, right? Just in time for yachting season, Amped Wireless released the weatherproof UA600EX High Power Wireless-N 600mW Pro USB Adapter, which promises to extend your notebook's WiFi range in areas where there are no hotspots to be mooched. That sounds ideal for boating, but thanks to some flexible mounting options and one heavy-duty 26.5-foot cable, it should also come in handy everywhere from offices to RVs. The single-band UA600EX runs on the 2.4GHz spectrum, and although the company stops short of saying just how many feet of leeway you can expect, it does claim to quadruple your computer's range -- whatever that happens to be. If you have a hankering to watch Deadliest Catch on your next fishing trip, you can nab one of these bad boys at the source link for a cool $110.

Continue reading Amped Wireless' UA600EX adapter quadruples your laptop's WiFi range when you're on a boat.

Attached find an article also detailing what Bob was really up to in Florida

2011-04-27T10:07:00.003-05:00

Click picture to enlarge!

How to Change a Fan Belt

2011-04-27T09:10:00.001-05:00

Lets see who can do this on a Yanmar!

Whitey McDonald - Master of the sea - in a very close call

2011-04-26T20:41:00.005-05:00

Whilst in the Bahamas this winter, this monster made a sudden lunge for me, but alas, and to his eternal dismay, I was too quick with my trusty spear and dispatched the beast micro-seconds before he sunk his giant fangs into my throat ! And in another very close call I almost ran out of rum one day.

In other news - "Billy Bob" entertaining the crowd with saws at the Abaco Inn in Hopetown.

LOWISA's 6th annual Arctic Glacier Youth Ya Gotta Regatta

2011-04-26T13:55:00.003-05:00

For 2011 we’ve reinvented the Arctic Glacier Youth Ya Gotta Regatta!! It was meant to be fun. Then it got serious. Seriously fun and for 2011 - this is one Sic Youth Regatta. It’s been described as one part sailing, one part motocross, and one part snowboarding; it’s unorthodox, "Un-Regatta" format is designed to emphasize fun, over results.

The format is fast paced, and it does not totally follow the stuffy Rules of Racing. No need to do the foul purging 360; dip your mast in the water instead! In our “Un-Regatta” that’ll purge your foul. Instead of the traditional start line we’ve got a Grand Prix hot dock start. And there’s no finish line either. Rather, you’ll have to ring the finishers’ bell on the dock. But not so fast, because at both the start and finish, you’ll have to speed walk to and from your boats. Why, because the PRO says so!!

We’ve done away with the round-the-cans racing format for the Arctic Glacier Youth Ya Gotta Regatta. Instead, it’s a pursuit style race which will start at Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club and finish at Kenora’s Harbourfront Thistle Pavilion. The starts are timed so that the slowest boats or fleets will start first and the fastest boats and fleets, last. It’s timed so that the majority of the participants will arrive at the Harbourfront at approximately 1:00 PM – just in time for FREE lunch and FREE Pepsi product beverages. Did we mention that this is a FREE regatta, thanks to our title sponsor Arctic Glacier Inc. – there’s no entry fee. It’s a dinghy event open to all youth who are under the age of 18 as at July 29th, 2011.

Some of the participants will be seasoned sailors, while others are novices and although there will be excellent racing, removing the win-at-all-costs atmosphere will make it fun for parents, team leaders, and kids alike. Did we mention too, that on-the-water coaching for the novices and the mid-sailors is not only welcome, it’s encouraged. For some kids, the freestyle will be the most memorable part of the on the water events. (Freestyle tricks will allow participants to deduct up to a maximum of 10 minutes from their on-the-water time). For others it will be the pursuit style course or maybe just the camaraderie at a new venue, and the relaxed atmosphere.
But that’s not all, AND THIS PART IS TOP SECRET AND NEED TO KNOW STUFF, so keep it in your sail bags.

Special Harbourfront Event:

Confirmation will be made at the Skippers’ Meeting. The FLASHMOB is anticipated for 2:00 PM, July 29th, in the area of the Thistle Pavilion, water side.

FLASHMOB - a tribute to Michael Jackson’s contributions to dance and music –preformed to his hit single, Beat It. See what it’s all about and learn the moves from You Tube videos like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1KOcBYGjM. (Keep in mind that the FlashMob videos that are showcased are from megapolitans like Stockholm. Kenora is world class in every way, but there is a considerable population difference and the “mob” will be considerably less.)

REMEMBER: It’s extremely important that information relating to this FLASHMOB is held closely. Once you’ve viewed the YouTube link above, it will become clear that spontaneity and surprise are tantamount to its success. For maximum effect, information and details about the FLASHMOB should not be shared, but when sharing is necessary, information should be disseminated strictly, on a need to know basis.

There should be lots of other kids there and media coverage, too. Let’s make history together. What a blast it will be!!

Further Information: For further information please contact: saillowisa@gmail.com

2011 Calendar of Events

2011-04-26T12:57:00.002-05:00

May 21 Saturday, Ice Breaker Social with Highway 59, Kid’s Crafts Saturday Afternoon, hosted by Jen and Dee Hall

June 10 Friday, Beer & Wings
June 17 Friday, Northern Harbour 1st Day of Summer Party, hosted by Hall Family
June 18 Saturday Summer Solstice Race to 22 ft Bay

July 1 Friday, Canada Day Cruise to Sanderson’s Beach
July 1-5 Friday-Tuesday, Warroad Race
July 15 Friday, Fish Fry
July 16 Saturday, Queen Island Pursuit Race, Kid’s Queen Island Treasure hunt
July 22-29 Friday – Friday, Cruise Week

Jul 31-Aug 6 Sunday – Satturday, LOWISA 46
Aug 19 Friday, Dark & Stormy Night
Aug 20 Saturday, Witch Bay Pursuit Race

Sept 3 Saturday, Safety Race
Sept 3 Saturday, Frock Night - Theme: Royal Wedding

Nov 10 Thursday, Fall Lift & Awards

Auberge has some new North Sails from Bowline Yachts. Radial cut dacron Main and 135%, 3DL 155%. Count down to Race 1....

2011-04-19T10:12:00.003-05:00

Thank God Ski Season is Over!

2011-04-16T13:43:00.000-05:00

Highway 59 booked to play at Ice Breaker Social May 21st

2011-04-14T15:57:00.003-05:00

Dave Christianson will once again be playing with Highway 59 at the Ice Breaker Social this year, Saturday May 21st.

Highway 59 is a 5-piece rock and classic rock cover band, playing a wide range of song favourites from both yesterday and today - but mostly yesterday. Based out of Winnipeg MB, we deliver a collection of classics that keep audiences dancing and longing from the nostalgia of music from better days while avoiding the tunes that have been beaten to death for the past two decades.

FOR SALE Sorcerer C&C 34

2011-04-14T15:52:00.003-05:00

Sorcerer is a lovingly maintained C&C 34 built and launched in 1981. The current owners bought her in 2005 and have continued in the last owner’s footsteps of maintaining her in tip top shape. She is currently up for sale by owner with an asking price of $49,000 Cdn.

Interested parties please contact Stewart at 204-781-4601 or by e-mail stewart.anderson@manulifesecurities.ca .

July has 5 weekends this year

2011-04-14T15:43:00.002-05:00

This year, July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This is the first time in 823 years we have had 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, and 5 Sundays in the same month.

5 weekends (Saturday & Suanday only) happen between 5-10 years. The next years we will have 5 weekends in July are 2011, 2016, 2022, & 2033.

Sort of an extra weekend of summer...

Start planning for LOWISA 46!

2011-03-17T16:36:00.003-05:00

This year, based on 2010 survey feedback, we are returning to the traditional format of 6 days racing, with a layover day mid-week. Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey; you provided great feedback.

Registration will take place at Northern Harbour on Saturday July 30th. Once again we will be offering a seminar, which will provide information on local knowledge, and navigating, Lake of the Woods. We’ll run that seminar on Saturday afternoon, in the vicinity of the Northern Room, at Northern Harbour. Those who are new to the lake, will find it interesting and valuable. The Skippers’ meeting and Sailors Social will follow.

Racing gets started on Sunday, July 31st, and ends on Saturday, August 6th at Northern Harbour (Pine Portage Bay). Layover day will be midweek, at Ash Rapids Camp. We are confirming details but it looks like we will have a pump-put available at Ash Rapids on layover day. Dinner and the Awards Banquet, will take place on Saturday August 6th at Northern Harbour. We’ve got a band again this year, so our closing festivities will carry on well into the evening. We are in the process of finalizing the course and once its confirmed, the Website will be updated with details and links for advance registration. Our intention is to keep costs as low as possible, but we will be in better position to confirm the entry fees once we have total cost for pump out facilities which, we expect in the next few weeks.

There will be Children’s activities throughout the week with an emphasis on having the kids gather on the islands following the races for fantastic games activities and surprises galore!!!!

Final preparations are underway for the LOWISA Youth Regatta. The 5th annual Arctic Glacier Youth Ya Gotta Regatta will held at the Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club again this year - the date is Friday, July 29th. We’ll get the NOR, SIs and Registration Forms up on the LOWISA and RLWYC Websites soon. As since its inception, there is no entry fee – its free; free lunch and beverages, a well run regatta with keeper trophies for winner over all, and 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions in the Opti class, single and double handed entries. RLWYC has previously offered a use of 420s, on a limited basis, for the kids that don’t want to transport their own boats.

Red Bull Cold Rush Day 1 - Big Mountain event. Kenora's own Dave Treadway's winning line

2011-03-16T21:06:00.000-05:00

Blast Performance Sailing

2011-02-03T09:38:00.004-06:00

For those that are considering a trip to Vancouver, or wanting to charter a boat for the Van Isle 360 . A quick note about a performance sailing company being launched called Blast Performance Sailing located on Granville Island in downtown Vancouver. www.blastsailing.com

They will provide a CYA standard that builds on the Basic CYA learn to sail/cruise program with focus on performance sailing, sail trim and learning the fundamentals of keelboat racing versus learning to cruise.

• They will offer the CYA Basic Keelboat Racing standard as well as workshops for less experienced sailors who want to build their confidence, knowledge, and learn more about racing.
• They will also offer an Advanced CYA Keelboat Racing standard
• For serious racers, They offer match racing programs and competitive events that build high performance skills.
• They design charters for corporate clients who want to entertain their guests or colleagues through a relaxed day on the water, or who want to use sailing as a means to develop their teams.
• They are also the headquarters for the 2011 Van Isle 360 biennial race www.vanisle360.com The West Coast’s premiere Adventure race circumnavigating Vancouver Island. If you are interested, we can outfit you in a completely equipped Farr40 for the race.
http://blog.blastsailing.com/2011/01/18/how-about-a-fully-equipped-race-ready-farr-40-for-the-van-isle-360-with-a-support-trailer-to-carry--all-your-gear-for-only-18000.aspx

They are using two Farr 40 foot performance race boats, and for Blue Water Performance Cruising, a Baltic 51, highly qualified skippers and crew, and a range of performance products from Spinlock, Gill, Harken and PRO-tect tapes.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact them.

Racing Around the World Alone - CBC Premier and available on itunes

2011-01-20T10:43:00.003-06:00

Wind Athletes Canada, an organization that supports Canadian sailing and the campaigns of several Canadian high performance sailors as they prepare for the 2012 games, produced this thrilling documentary.

Racing Around the World is the story of the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe race. 30 skippers embark on a quest to be the fastest to sail 27,000 miles around the world, non-stop, without assistance and alone on 60 foot sailboats. This is one of the most extreme challenges a human being can face. The sailors are alone at sea for months and physical and emotional strength are essential. Growlers (icebergs), sea mammals, and massive waves are a constant danger. On any day the forces of nature can bring an end to the best sailor’s well made plans. They harness the wind, hope for safe passage over the sea and push hard to win. They are a testament to the audacity of the human spirit.

Racing Around the World Alone is their story.

Racing Around the World Alone is now available for download via iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewMovie?id=399723498&s=143441

RATWA will premiere on CBC’s documentary channel on January 31st at 21:00 ET and 22:00 PST

Our objective is to get the word out to everyone in sailing communities across Canada so they can view the film on CBC or purchase it from iTunes. Proceeds from distribution and iTunes sales assist Wind Athletes in supporting Canadian sailors. For more information about Wind Athletes Canada visit www.windathletes.ca

A Twisted Mind!

2011-01-20T10:39:00.005-06:00

French artist Julien Berthier has designed a fully functional boat to look as if it is sinking. The 6.5m (21ft) yacht was cut in half with a new keel and motor added so it remains in the sinking position while being fully functional. He describes it as "the permanent and mobile image of a wrecked ship that has become a functional and safe leisure object."

Berthier has taken the boat (or should I say half-a-boat) across the English Channel to London and has toured it around Europe , getting plenty of offers of assistance from unwitting good Samaritans, who would presumably be either very annoyed or rather bemused by the contraption. The designer and artist designed and built the floating installation in 2007. He named his creation Love Love.

North U Racing Tactics Seminar

2011-01-07T17:54:00.001-06:00

North U Racing Tactics Seminar, which will be offered during the Boat Show on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at the Convention Centre. The seminar will run from 9:00am - 4:30pm with a 45 minutes lunch break. The instructor will be Ross MacDonald, Silver Medal winner in the Star at the Olympics in Athens.

The fee of $95 per person includes a book and a free pass for the boat show. A CD for $40 can be purchased at the door. To register call Jim Flood at 452-1227. Everyone is invited!

Coming to Northern Harbour This Summer....

2011-01-07T17:51:00.001-06:00

Those who follow the super-yacht scene know that these giant floating mansions have grown to incorporate all manner of amenities: helipads, bowling alleys, swimming pools, garages... anything and everything you might expect in a land-locked residence, only set out to sea. But this... this is something else altogether.

Called The Streets of Monaco, this design is modeled after a section of Monte Carlo - in more ways that one. The headline feature is an on-board karting track modeled after the famous grand prix circuit. But that's hardly the extent of it. As you can see, the design bridges the gap from naval architecture to actual architecture and on to city planning.

Instead of decks, it has buildings. Instead of a swim platform, a freakin' beach. It's also got submarines, helicopters, waterfalls, movie theater, spa and more, plus sleeping accommodations for 16 guests and the 70 crew it would require to keep this puppy going. All packed into 155 meters, length overall. (That's not a typo. We don't mean 155 feet. We mean 155 meters, equivalent to 508 feet.) That's about half the size of a modern super-tanker, cruise ship or Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. For better or worse - seaworthy or not - the design stays on paper for the time being.

Scary!

2010-12-14T17:46:00.000-06:00

TheStar Canadian sail team could challenge for America’s Cup

2010-12-01T15:29:00.000-06:00

TheStar Canadian sail team could challenge for America’s Cup

Caribbean 1500 - Sapphire - We arrived safely last Tuesday!

2010-11-22T13:52:00.001-06:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry we have been so out of touch! We lost our offshore email system
just as we were leaving and were unable to send email updates. This
is the first day I have been on email since we arrived. We are alive
and well and had a great trip.

We had winds behind us the whole way and Sapphire does not do as well
in those conditions. We left our spinnaker at home (because it takes
up a lot of room and we use it very little), so we did not make great
time. We did have a great time!! We caught 4 mahi-mahi and one that
was 63' long and weight approximately 55 pounds. Fred picked out the
lure, Jim caught it (took 45 minutes), Bill cleaned it and I took
pictures!! So it was a team effort. I will send out pictures in a
few days when I get a good signal, so you can see for yourself how big
he was!

We had dolphins visit twice, once they stayed a long time and we have
a picture and video.. not sure I can email that... it may be too big.
All in all it was our best trip ever! Thank you so much Jim and Fred,
you guys made it happen! They were outstanding crew members.

I will write more in a few days and hopefully include pictures! Just
wanted to get this out and let you know we are alive and well.

It was very sad that a boat was lost in the Bahamas. They were
advised not to go, but the owner's wife wanted off the boat so they
decided to divert to the Bahamas. The cuts going in can be very
dangerous with huge seas. A wave washed over the boat, taking the
dinghy and davits, the bimini and doger and mast, and everyone on
board. They crawled back on the boat and THEN put on their life vests
and deployed their emergency life raft. It was swamped and three of
them were washed up on the beach. One crew member was never found.
It was really a tragedy.

I will write more soon... just wanted to let all of you know we are
OK! Sorry you couldn't get the daily updates!!

The Crew of Sapphire,

Bill, Linda, Brie, Jim and Fred

Caribbean 1500 Day 6 - everyone (except Fogger, of course) wore their life vests & harnesses

2010-11-16T18:58:00.001-06:00

Overnight, the sea was filled with big swells. Sunsets handled them all very well. As the wind started to clock back towards the NW and W, we were able to set our sails and surf those swells with few changes throughout the night. There were a couple squalls with wind gusts in the 30s & 40s, but they were short lived. During those periods, Sunsets just FLEW down the rhumb line like a rocket ship. You could hear and feel the power from down below. Up in the cockpit, everyone (except Fogger, of course) wore their life vests & harnesses and latched onto the jacklines (the safety lines that run up and down the length of the boat), just in case.

With the pitching of the boat and the incredible speed (she is rarely below 10knots) as well as a few mishaps, making coffee has become a two-person job. One person holds the pot and the melita filter with the coffee and the other person pours the boiling water. You can't do both yourselves because you need one free hand to steady yourself. Even adding the cream and sugar to your coffee cup is a challenge. You can't set the cup down to tear open the sugar or open the cream; otherwise your cup will tip over and spill coffee everywhere. You can't hold the pot and pour the water into it or the filter full of web coffee grinds will go everywhere when you let go to balance yourself after a particularly big wave. (Both of these examples are from recent personal experience.) But we all know how important coffee is, so we accept the challenge boldly and without reservation. (NO COFFEE, WHAT? THERE'D BE MUTINY, I TELL YOU!!)

The rolly-polly waves always put me to sleep. I just love being in a bunk and feeling the boat move around me. Since we have been pitching side to side, Howard and I have taken to sleeping across the width of our bunk instead of head at the top. That way we can have our heads on the UP side of the slant and brace our bodies against the wall of the cabin. Unfortunately, as you fall asleep, you forget to do the bracing thing. I walked into the cabin to find Howard fast asleep and sliding back and forth across the mattress. The boat would pitch to the right, and he would slide to the right. The boat would pitch to the left, and he would slide to the left. Within a short time, all of the sheets and blankets were scrunched up into a pile in the corner of the bunk. I'm convinced that there's not point in remaking the bed until we get to Tortola.

The weather report says the winds are supposed to die off today and into the weekend. But right now, we are getting 20-30knt winds on our beam and we are SCREAMING down the rhumb line to the finish. Unfortunately, this wind is not expected to keep up, but for the last hour it has been a spectacular ride with an absolutely gorgeous blue sky dotted with beautiful puffy clouds. We just surfed down a wave and hit 15knots of speed!! YEE-HA!! You don't get that every day. Unless I wait around for a few minutes and HERE WE GO AGAIN!!! Whew this is great!!

My only complaint is that it's HOT down below. Guess I'll just have to go sit in the cockpit and enjoy the sun and breeze. Ahhhh.

Gotta go-- looks like George may have just snagged another Mahi Mahi!!!

Kelly
aboard s/v Sunsets
N23-16 / W66040

Caribbean 1500 Day 5 - As Fogger would say: Going overboard is stupid; just don't do wo it.

2010-11-16T18:44:00.006-06:00

Had the privilege of watching another beautiful sunset last night and an equally beautiful sunrise this morning. There is nothing quite as dramatic as watching the sun rise or set over water. Each and every time is special and unique. Of course, laying in the cockpit and looking up at the zillions of stars is pretty awesome too. The Milky Way is so thick and bright out here and shooting stars abound. Some of the stars are so bright we mistake them for ships.

We are about 700 miles from home and about 250 miles from the Bahamas rightnow. There are some large sea swells that have started to roll in as a result of weather out near Bermuda. They are beautiful (so far), but at 15-20feet high, they may not be that attractive after a couple of hours of UP and DOWN and LEFT and RIGHT and shouts of DUCK!! from our crewmates.

We try to set our sails pretty conservatively during the night so if a squall comes up, we won't have to try to raise or lower sails in the dark. Our boat is different from others this size-- the main sail has be raised and lowered from the mast on deck, not from the cockpit. To get out there, the crew ember takes the harness strap that is connected to his life preserver and attaches it to the boat at different points as he walks
forward. (As long as that crew member is not Fogger who is stubborn about wearing his harness. Tisk, tisk.) With the harness, if a big wave comes aboard and washes the crew member overboard, he may not go too far as long as he is tethered. As Fogger would say: Going overboard is stupid; just don't do it. So we won't.

We've had a couple intense squalls run up on us. Once or twice we weren't able to shorten sails. When that happens, it's a fast, fast ride (15kts at one point!!). It takes a lot of muscle power to keep the boat under control with 50knot winds!! The stressful part when it first hits probably only lasts less than 2 minutes, but it feels much, much longer. Once the bulk of the squall passes, it's amazing how fast Sunsets can actually progress.

Some of the fleet have reported seeing whales and dolphins. One boat had a seabird sit in the cockpit for a couple hours. Besides George's mahi-mahi yesterday, the only fauna we can report on is a stowaway stink bug!! We found him sitting on our ditch bag. Guess he wanted a guarantee that he'd get in the life raft if it was deployed. He's fish food now. [One less stink bug to chase out of your house, Anita!]

It's actually kind of lonely out here. Because we are a "fast" boat, the rest of the fleet is a bit behind us. We have seen NO ONE since we entered the Gulfstream. And we haven't heard anyone on the VHF radio either. In fact, we've only seen one freighter. That was late last night. Our AIS system alerted us that the freighter would be dangerously close to us if we stayed on our same course. Howard slowed the boat a little to let the freighter pass while I called them on the VHF radio to make them aware of our intentions. The last thing we needed was both of us slowing down to avoid the hit and then hitting each other. And, when we're going fast, it's surprisingly loud. The cockpit is blanketed by the sound of the water from our wake. You really have to speak up to hear each other. And down below, the occasional crashing as Sunsets cuts through the waves is both loud and disconcerting.

This afternoon, the big swells are here. Ed is hand steering under Fogger's watch. Steering through waves like this is as much an art as it is a science I think. You have to feel where the boat is going to go. You can feel her lift up on the swell, the wind catches her at the crest and spins her a bit and then she slides back down on the back of the swell. It takes strength
and talent to keep the sails full of wind so you can control the boat while all this is happening.

Swells make down-below living quite a challenge. Especially challenging is using the stove. The stove is on a "gimbal" so it pivots back and forth so that the food inside of it stays level. It's really challenging trying to get something in or out of the oven when it's wildly pitching. It really does take two people. See, cooking is NOT easy, I don't care what anyone says.

Gotta go. The sun is about to set and I don't want to miss it. And I have to get dinner going. I had planned for meatloaf tonight, but I simply cannot find the loaf in my freezer. [Janel--I think the scupper people took it.] So it's going to be chicken stir-fry of some sort and it's going to be served
in a bowl because it's way too rough to try to eat off a plate. Which reminds me, the foodies need a menu update:

Wednesday night: Jeff's pulled pork bbq and collard greens. hursday night: Janel's mock lasagna Today, for lunch: Pick your leftover (cause we had leftovers from every meal we served so far.)

More later.
Kelly aboard s/v Sunsets
N26-14 W68-18

Future Darwin Award Nominee

2010-11-16T18:20:00.002-06:00

Another view:

Letter to Northern Yacht Club Mens Helpline

2010-11-16T18:09:00.001-06:00

Hey Mate, really need your advice for a serious problem:

I have suspected for some time now that the missus has been cheating. The usual signs; phone rings, if I answer the caller hangs up; going out with the girls a lot. I try to stay awake to look out for her when she comes home but I usually fall asleep.

Anyway last night about midnight I hid in the shed behind the boat. When she came home she got out of someone's car buttoning her blouse, then she took her panties out of her purse and slipped them on.

It was at that moment crouched behind the boat I noticed... a "hairline crack" in the outboard mounting bracket.

Is that something I can weld or do I need to replace it?

2010 Awards

2010-11-16T12:03:00.002-06:00

2010 Novice Sailor: Mark, Monique St. Denis – X TA SEA

2010 Family Award: Lawrence, Heather Brownell – Rapture

2010 Racing Family: Keith, Carol, Aiden Holm – Auberg

2010 Super Cruiser: Wade Glew, Susan Angus, - Oh Boy

2010 Volunteer of the Year: Ann Peikoff – Deja Blue

2010 Single Handed Sailor: Paul Moorey – Swordfish

2010 Race Committee: Blair Magnus – Grand Cru

2010 Safety Race: Wendy, Blair, Peter, Ann Magnus - Grand Cru

2010 Summer Solstice Pursuit Race: Wendy, Blair, Peter, Ann Magnus - Grand Cru

2010 Warroad Race: Ian Kelly, Carol Ann Kjartanson - Raven

2010 Commodore's Cup Pursuit Race: Wendy, Blair, Peter, Ann Magnus - Grand Cru

2010 Rear Commodore's Cup Pursuit Race: Wendy, Blair, Peter, Ann Magnus - Grand Cru

2010 Silver Rear Commodore's Cup Pursuit Race: Lawrence, Heather Brownell - Rapture

2010 Club Championships: Wendy, Blair, Peter, Ann Magnus - Grand Cru

Now Thats Making Progress

2010-11-16T11:35:00.006-06:00

The Sonar Fleet at Gimli is up to 5 boats with the addition of the new boat now owned by Chris and Rod from A dock.

Caribbean 1500 Day 3 & 4 - Fogger Sushi Master

2010-11-13T15:48:00.004-06:00

Hello, all. It’s been quite a ride thus far. We’ve been having some great winds (25-30knots) but they’ve all been dead behind us. We were able to get quite a bit of “southing” done and now we are working on “easting.” This is all just in time for a big swell and winds coming from a low off of Bermuda. I can’t imagine the seas being any “swellier” than they are now. It’s a rollercoaster with a slant. Everything shifts from side to side as the boat surfs
down the waves. The mattress on our bunk has been sliding back and forth with us on it. Every time I open a cabinet, I have to make sure I’m prepared to tackle anything that comes tumbling out the cabinet. I have to time my steps with the lurches of the boat. These swelly waves are supposed to be with us for the next day or two, in fact they are supposed to get worse tomorrow when we expect 15-20ft seas. Oh, goody.

As I’ve mentioned before, the winds have not been helpful to us. They are pretty much right behind us out of the Northwest, so going Southeast is difficult. Since we don’t have a spinnaker sail, it’s difficult to keep the winds behind us and still make progress safely. So we go a little east then we go a little south. We’ll get there soon enough. (By the way, if I had to guess, I’d say late Sunday night or early Monday morning.)

Howard’s seasickness seemed a little better today, but at some point his patch fell off and he’s now feeling out of sorts again. It’s going to be a long night so everyone is getting shut-eye whenever they can. Everyone is getting a little tired. Even when we sleep, it’s not very restful. There are all sorts of sounds while you’re under way: the hangers rattling around in the closet; the ropes slapping against the hull; the wires in the mast clanging against the inside of the mast; the seas outside the hull slamming against the fiberglass or splashing up on deck; the spices in the spice drawer rattling against each other. The most worrisome sound is that of the safety harness being put on while someone goes to the front deck to change a sail plan. We are getting into a routine so we’ll be more likely to grab shut-eye when we can. But tonight there seems to be squalls surrounding us, so I’m certain will be awake more than we’d like.

Knock on wood, nothing seems to have broken, but we are only half-way through the trip. Which reminds me; we made our offering to Poseidon this afternoon. It’s a tradition (supposedly) that halfway through the trip you’re to take a shot of rum and thank Poseidon for keeping you safe thus far and until you make port. We each took our shot and then gave one to Poseidon overboard. (Sigh, what a waste of rum.) I guess the offering to Poseidon worked, because shortly after that, George landed a Mahi Mahi fish. It was both beautiful and delicious. (See pics) Fish Tacos and Sushi for lunch!

Gotta go. There’s a squall approaching us, according to the radar. Need all hands on deck to shorten the sails and batten things down. More later.

Caribbean 1500 Sunsets Day 1 & 2 - Fogger has been the sail tweeking machine

2010-11-13T15:38:00.002-06:00

Hello, all.

Well, it has been a busy couple of days. Right after the 8am Skipper's briefing on Monday, all the boats threw off their lines and headed out to sea. On the docks, you could feel everybody's pent-up anxiety and excitement. We all motored out to start line and then took off sailing, out of the bay and into the ocean. Within a couple hours, there were no boats around us. It's amazing how the fleet can spread out so fast. If it weren't for the SSB chats every morning and night, you could almost convince me that they had called the whole thing off and everyone went home.

We all went south so we could enter the infamous Gulf Stream at place where it would be narrower and hopefully less swelly and choppy than it is up near the coast of Virginia. Half of us aimed at a point near Cape Hatteras and the other half entered via point a little further south near Beaufort. The Gulfstream is a huge swatch of warmer water being pushed from beyond Florida all the way up the east coast where it hangs a right and then goes towards Europe. As you cross the stream, you can see the water temperature change from 45-50degrees to 75-80degrees in a matter of a couple hours. The stream will even develop its own weather systems as the warm water mixes with the cold air of the north. The Gulfstream is dreaded by most sailors because it can be so rough and can have such strong currents that are usually against you. For example, a gale off the coast of New England has been pushing swells of water down the coast. When the southerly flow from the storm meets the northerly flow of the Gulfstream, the walls of water collide you get very rough waters. Thus we chose to enter the stream further south in the hopes that all that energy would be used up by the time it reached us.

We aimed to enter the stream just off Cape Hatteras and by early Tuesday morning, we were full blown into the stream. We took a pounding. The waves were 8-10ft and came from every different direction. The boat spun left to right and surfed up and down the waves. It was more exciting than a roller coaster. It was next to impossible to do much of anything except hold on. Fogger has been the sail tweeking machine. We've all been learning a lot about how and why to do things. He's constantly pulling in something, letting out something, or thinking about pulling in or letting out something. He has had us trimmed and traveling 10+ knots throughout the day and night. There was no doubt about it... we were moving FAST, especially when we coasted down those waves. At one point, we saw 19knots while surfing down a wave!!

Howard, of course, spent the first two days being seasick. Right now, though, he seems over the hump (and the hurling). His "mal de mer' seem to be getting shorter the more times he does this. And I have spent my first two days at sea trying to remember where I stowed everything and obsessing about everything I've forgotten-- can't just run down to the corner store and pick up guacamole or a cucumber. The best I can find is the seagrass on George's fishing rod and a flying fish that landed in the cockpit last night, much to the surprise of Ed and Fogger.

So far, we have not had to run our engine yet. The wind has been strong, though out of the wrong direction. It's out of NW and we want to go SE, so it will be dead behind us. We don't sail well that way since we don't have a spinnaker. But we are making adjustments. But we are SPEEDING along at an average of 10knots. At one point, we saw 19knots as surfed down a huge wave, but that was only for a couple seconds.

The only big concern we have had so far is the 4 inches of water we found in
the salon late Monday night. Don't worry, we weren't drowning. A hose on one of our air-conditioning systems had sheared off. The a/c is water cooled so it pumps seawater through the unit and then discharges it through a port above the waterline. You've probably seen boats at dock just sort of peeing-- that's usually their heat/air system. When the pipe broke, water came in through the discharge port. As I said, this part is normally above water, but when you are heeling over at 45degrees, it's in the water. That water backed through the whole system and into the bottom of the boat (the bilge) which quickly filled up. It was a mess. We're going to just pull the carpeting out and stow it somewhere until we can get to port and properly clean it. (Janel-- any suggestion?)

By the way, boat-foodies:

--Monday morning as we started the race, we had the traditional sausage bake. (Nobody seemed to mind that it was made with hot dog rolls instead of bread.)
--Monday night, we ate the cheesy-chicken casserole that George's wife Paul prepared for us (Mmmmm).
--Last night we had a turkey, stuffing, green bean & gravy casserole

Gotta go. Need to make lunch for the crew. More later.

Kelly & Howard on Sunsets
from N31-34 / W72-22

2008-9 Vendee Globe race on CBC's documentary channel this month

2010-11-13T15:23:00.001-06:00

Caribbean 1500 - Update from Sunsets (Fogger)

2010-11-13T11:08:00.003-06:00

It occurs to me that I may not have properly introduced our crew to you.

We are quite lucky to have the same 3 men on board today that we had intended to have on 11/1, when the race was officially supposed to start. Quite a few boats had to find new crew members or go without since so many folks could not afford the extra week of vacation time. Our 3 crew members were generous enough with their time and patience to rebook their flights and wait it out with us.

Ed (aka Eddie) is my cousin Mary Jane’s husband. He is a quiet, very thoughtful man. He and Mary Jane live in rural Pennsylvania on a large wooded property. Ed has a framing and art shop. I frequently find him sitting sketching something that he has seen that has moved him.

George (aka George) is a new friend. He volunteered to risk his life with us after we sent out a crew solicitation through the Herrington Harbour Sailing Club. He and his Paula and their 3 kids (Paul, Isabel and Sara) live in Great Falls VA. He too is quiet man, as well as trusting—he actually let Paula make the trip from Herrington Harbour to Hampton with us-- apparently the one sail he had with us did not scare him enough to tell her otherwise.

Jim (aka Fogger) is a friend of Mark and Janel’s of Nana Maria. He is an enthusiastic racing-style sailor with a big bold laugh and a stubborn streak—he has yet to put on his harness.

All of these guys have been great. They’ve helped us get the boat as well equipped and well repaired as possible. They have been totally patient and positive and the delay and the trip itself. We are really, really lucky to have them onboard. And we’re just as grateful to their wives and significant others and business colleagues who have had to do without them and readjust their own schedules because of the delay. I hope they all enjoy the experience. I’ve attached a BEFORE picture of us all. We’ll see if we’re just a chipper in a few days when you get the AFTER picture.

We are currently just south of Virginia Beach, about 5 miles off shore.

More later.

Caribbean 1500

2010-11-08T10:51:00.004-06:00

Track Freds progress at http://www.carib1500.com/

Update Nov 8th.
Just to let you know, it is that time of the year again! We are currently in Hampton, VA waiting for the start of our passage. The fleet was scheduled to leave Hampton, VA for Tortola, BVI on November 1,but due to a late season Hurricane named Tomas and a low coming off the coast of Hatteras heading toward Bermuda, we are currently on a weather delay. Just like in the past, I will be sending out daily emails from aboard Sapphire on the leg to Tortola.

This year we have Jim Ross crewing with us for the first time. Jim is an accomplished sailor and will be a great addition to the crew. We are lucky to have him with us. We also have Fred Finlayson joining us for the first time. Fred is also an accomplished sailor and will be a great addition to the crew. Fred has made the passage many, many times on SV Nana Maria. He also brings with him expert fishing skills! We look forward to a great sail down this year.

We are just departing Blue Water Marina on our way to the start of the Caribbean 1500. This will be my last email from our AOL email account. I will send an email out later today from SkyMate!! Let's hope it is working. Don't forget to follow our progress on the Caribbean 1500 website.

It is currently 48 degrees and the wind is out of the NNW at 12 kts. We are expecting large choppy seas to begin with. Will let you know later!!

Wish us a safe voyage,

The Crew of Sapphire
Bill, Linda, Brie, Fred and Jim

Well the big day is just about here. And Sunsets and her crew are ready. After all the preparations and then a week weather delay here in Hampton, we are ready to get this show on the road. Monday should be the day. Just in time-- it is BITTER cold around here. We need to go where it's warm.

Most of you have already been getting updates from us but for the few of you who are new to the "Sailing Sunsets" list, Howard and Kelly are part of the Carib1500 sailboat rally from Virginia to Tortola. This is a fun race amongst almost 70 sailboats of varying sizes and styles. There are catamarans and monohauls, cruisers and racers, sloops and yawls. Sunsets is a 65' MacGregor cutter-rigged sailboat. She is only 11' wide and 6' deep, which is unusual for a boat of that size. Everyone says she is a "fast" boat so I expect that we will be in Tortola within 7 days.

Like most of the ralliers, we feel a great relief knowing that there are 70 other boats out there not too far away experiencing the same sea conditions and weather that we will. The organizers provide the participants with daily weather briefings, on land and during the crossing. Most of the boats will spend anywhere from 7-10 days at sea. Needless to say Hurricane Tomas has garnered a lot of attention from the fleet. We were supposed to leave on Monday 11/1, but the weather folks advised against sailing south into a storm of 80knot winds. NO THANK YOU. I can't see going out there and taking the chance that the storm will go a different direction than everyone is anticipating. Right now, they are anticipating that the Lo Pressure System that recently moved out to see will give us strong Northerly winds and pretty significant waves. Recommendations are to go south along the coast and then turn left. We haven't had a chance to really look at our routing-- we've been so busy with everything else. Like with most things, the more time you have, the more things you'll find to fill that time. We've filled it with repairs and provisioning and what have you. Time to actually start sailing!

Everybody in this rally has a passion for sailing and for learning. The Carib1500 sponsors seminars as well as safety inspections to ensure that we are fully prepared for our trip to the Virgin Islands. There are seminars on overcoming seasickness, on provisioning, on clearing customs, and even on what to do while you're stuck in Hampton. During the extra time here, we've had lots of chances to get to know folks and learn from each other. I learned that you can soak your lines in Downy and water to soften them up and make them easier to work with. I learned that putting a bayleaf in your baking flour will keep the weebles out. (Not that I would have baking flour since I don't know how to bake.) And I learned to keep reading glasses in your lifeboat bag so you can read the instructions if you have to set off the flares. (That is one bit of information I hope we never have to use.)

So tomorrow we put it all to use. I will write more tomorrow. It's late and tomorrow will be a long day. Take care and keep us in your thoughts and we'll be thinking of all of you-- especially those of you in the colder climates. We're off on our great adventure, very soon.

Kelly & Howard (and Crew) aboard Sunsets.

Nov 8th.

Well after a week of fixing things, planning things and waiting on things, we are finally out here in the Channel waiting for the official start at 11am. We've gotten out here about an hour early (not sure why, but this is what everyone does). We will run lazy circles until the start and then we will head out to sea. The penalty for crossing the start line early is buying a round of drinks for the entire fleet once you get to Tortola. The few minutes you gain by crossing early is definitely not worth it with about 70 boats in the fleet.

As we sit hear bobbing along, there are all sorts of container ships passing in and out of this channel. This is one of the busiest ports on the Eastern seaboard, with vessels bringing everything from cars to gravel to containers filled with dishwashers into the Chesapeake Bay to be unloaded in Baltimore and other areas. The big ships are boarded by pilots down here in the Norfolk area and they escort the boats up near Baltimore where they are boarded by a Northern Bay pilot to escort them into the harbour. The big boats stay in the main channel since they can be more than be more than 50+ feet deep. We will stay outside of that channel so we stay out of their way. You will frequently hear them on the VHF radio reminding smaller boats that they are coming into the channel. They won't demand that the small boats to get out of the channel, but they will remind them that they are 500' long and travelling at 25knots. The 30' yacht travelling at 6knots ususally gets the hint.

In addition to the container ships, there are all sorts of Navy Warships coming in and out. They annouce their intentions and then insist that we stay out of their way-- not hinting around there. We are to stay at least 500 feet from them. Right now, there is a submarine coming into the channel so there's a lot of reminders coming over the VHF to telling the fleet to stand clear. I haven't seen the submarine, but I guess I'm not supposed to see it, am I. I always find this the most unnverving part. Putting up the sails in 25knot winds, maneuvering around all the other boats, avoiding the shallows and speeding along a 7kts with just the main up. I'll be much better once we get out of this traffic area and once we are settled into a rhythm.

As soon as we cross out of the bay, we will set our clocks ahead and hour to be on Atlantic Standard time. So when we have our 8am and 7pm chats on the SSB radio, it will be 7am and 6pm back home. (Uncle Jack, if you want to listen, we will be on Channel 4042.0 USB.)

The winds are supposed to be fairly strong and out of the North and Northwest for the first part of the trip. There is a big swell building on the east side of the Gulfstream. So once we exit the bay, we are going to head south and travel down towards North Carolina. From there, we will head east and cross the Gulfstream so that once we get out there, we'll be a bit more comfortable. While heading south, the winds may be pretty far behind us. Our boat does not do as well with a following wind. (In fact, with 20-30knots of wind at 150degrees to our starboard, we are only travelling at 6.5 knots; when we had a beam reach, we were going almost 9 knots). So while the wind is behind us, the "boys" are setting up a rigging called a "preventer." This keeps the boom from swinging around to the other side of the boat by accident.

Despite all the congestion, it's really beautiful out here. I hope I can send you a few pictures. There are all sorts of boats flying all sorts of sails. There's a big beautiful green and white spinnaker WAAAAY up ahead. Might that be Madrugada???

Gotta go get the sausage bake frittata out of the oven. There's a hungry crew to feed. More later.

Nutall Family History

2010-11-08T09:48:00.002-06:00

Royal Canadian Navy veteran recalls Second World War Service aboard the HMCS Iroquois
Navy had plans for young recruit who dropped out of school to follow father’s lead into the electrical trades

Reg Clayton for the Enterprise

Posted November 6, 2010

Fred Nutall, was interviewed the other day by Reg Clayton, a writer for Kenora's Enterprise Newspaper, for their Veterans' Day recognition edition. Fred is well known for having participated in a great many LOWISA regattas over the years. You can see the article as posted.

http://www.lotwenterprise.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2833611#

One detail that wasn’t mentioned in the article that I believe that you will find interesting; Fred’s grandfather (on his mother’s side), Moses Gibson, immigrated to Canada in the early 1900s. He settled in Portage La Prairie where he worked as a farmhand on a horse ranch. When he had saved enough, he sent money for his wife and 16 year old daughter (my father’s mother), so they too, could immigrate to Canada. However, Fred’s mother refused to board the ship for their April 10th, 1912 voyage; she refused to board a ship that was about to make her maiden voyage – the Titanic sailed without them. Call it divine intervention, intuition or just plain luck; the world would never have known Fred.

Hmm looks like fun!

2010-11-06T12:10:00.001-05:00

LOWISA Story in the New York Times

2010-10-31T13:05:00.001-05:00

http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/travel/31lakeofthewoods-explorer.html?

Kenora putting on its best face - Winnipeg Free Press

2010-10-18T09:24:00.002-05:00

Anyone who has seen the Disney film Cars knows the sad story of the fictional town of Radiator Springs. The once-lively stop on Route 66 was effectively erased from the map when a new freeway was built bypassing the town. The economy crashed. The tire shop couldn't sell tires, the hotel couldn't rent rooms and the sleepy main drag fell into disrepair.

The city of Kenora, Ont., was faced with the possibility of this story becoming a reality when in 1990 the decision was made to build a bypass on the Trans-Canada Highway. This new road would divert 3,500 vehicles every day away from the city's picturesque main street. Coupled with the closing of the paper mill, the city's largest employer for 80 years, Kenora seemed destined to become a real life Radiator Springs....

Click for more Kenora putting on its best face - Winnipeg Free Press

Fall Lift Dinner, Nov 10th

2010-10-15T10:24:00.003-05:00

The Fall Lift Dinner and Awards will once again be at the Winnipeg Winter Club on November 10th Starting at 6:00pm. Tickets can be purchased online using paypal.

Menu is once again being prepared by Chef Craig of Urban Prairie Cuisine Catering.

Menu for the evening as follows:

6 pm Chef’s selection of Passed Hor D oeuvres’:

Dinner buffet: Carved Top sirloin of Beef served w/ wild mushroom Sauce
Dinner rolls and Butter

Maple BBQ salmon Potions with Dill chardonnay Sauce
Manitoba Baby Boiled Potatoes with Herbs & Butter
Orange ginger root veggies

Assorted Bothwell Cheese and Berry Platter with Crackers
Mediterranean Grilled veggie platter with feta cheese and truffle oil

Hand picked Organic greens with Strawberry roasted almonds, mandarin oranges with Raspberry dressing
Classic Caesar salad with Home made Croutons

Dessert Buffet: Dainties and Squares
Seasonal Sliced fruit with Berry’s
Coffee and tea served at table

New Boat to the Harbour

2010-10-08T10:54:00.007-05:00

Her are a few pics and comments on the newest boat to the harbour from Mark and Monique - prior boat EX-TA-SEA.

"The boat is great. There is so much room with a 10'-8" beam and 6' headroom. Mark and I had it delivered at the harbour on Wednesday morning. It was transported with the stern facing ahead on the trailer, so by the time it arrived, we had lots of bug guts to clean off. Mark managed to paint the bottom yesterday and now we plan to clean the interior this weekend. We want to replace the upholstery in the salon this winter. It was replaced in 2006 but the pattern choice is not to our liking. Here are a few pics of the boat.

The Abbott is up for sale right now. I have pics post on Kijiji Winnipeg, and the boat looks sharp."

Welcome and best of luck next year with the new boat.

Photos from the Manitoba Keel Boat Championships

2010-09-16T16:51:00.001-05:00

http://www.mermaidskissgallery.com/photos/sailing_champs10.html

Cool Windsurfing Video

2010-09-16T16:42:00.002-05:00

I used to Windsurf, and I am the Commodore... So I am going to make you watch this!!!

Cheers.

Windsurfing POV on SF Bay from Ian Boyd on Vimeo.

Frock Night 2010

2010-09-12T12:39:00.001-05:00

LOWISA 45 Survey

2010-09-10T13:49:00.001-05:00

LOWISA 45 is now history and for those of you lucky enough to have been there you’ll recall the Race Committee let you know that we wanted to do a post event survey aimed at the continuing improvement of this great tradition.

For those of you who weren’t able to attend we are interested in your opinions as well. To that end you’ll find two questionnaires.

Click here for those who were with us in 2010.

Click here for those who couldn’t make it this year.

Even if you never been on LOWISA we’d like your input.

Both are short and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Please take the time to respond. It’s very important to hear from every single person who has an interest in the regatta.

We plan to keep the survey open for responses until September 30th 2010.

Thanks for your input.

Club Championship Results

2010-09-08T17:35:00.001-05:00

Place	Boat	Total	Summer	Warroad	Warroad	Commodores	Witch? Bay	Sgt Dick
			Solstice	Race 1	Race 2	Cup		Booth
1	Grand Cru	6	0.75	3	(DNC)	0.75	0.75	0.75
2	Raven	11.75	(5)	0.75	4	2	3	2
3	Borderline	17	4	(6)	2	4	4	3
4	Vixen	25	3	7	3	6	(DNC)	6
5	Sorcerer	29	2	(DNC)	DNC	3	5	DNC
6	Auberg	33	9	(DNC)	DNC	5	6	4
7	Fogger	35.75	(DNC)	5	0.75	DNC	DNC	DNC
8	Kite	38	(DNC)	2	6	DNC	DNC	DNC
9	Goliath	41	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	2	DNC
10	Sloop Du Jour	43	6	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC
11	Bird Bath	43	(DNC)	4	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC
12	Sloops Troops	43	(DNC)	8	5	DNC	DNC	DNC
13	Knock-Out	43	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	5
14	Scots & Water	44	7	DNC	DNC	(DNC)	DNC	DNC
15	Rapture	44	12	DNC	DNC	(DNC)	7	7
16	SNAFU	44	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	7	DNC	DNC
17	Anteus	45	8	DNC	DNC	(DNC)	DNC	DNC
18	Blondie	45	10	DNC	DNC	8	DNC	(DNC)
19	Invictus	46	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	8	9
20	RamBunkShus	46	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	8
21	Oh Boy	47	11	DNC	DNC	9	DNC	DNC
22	AFTICA	47	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	10	DNC	DNC

For Sale - Anchor and Bow Roller

2010-09-07T14:10:00.004-05:00

North Star 27lbs “Bruce” anchor with 200’ of ½ line. $150.00.

Kingston BR9 anchor roller. It is similar but a little shorter than the one pictured. Purchased new for $150.00, asking $75.00.

See Fred Finlayson on A-Dock

Race Report - Sgt Dick Booth Memorial Safety Race

2010-09-07T13:27:00.002-05:00

Never trust the weather forecast. Saturday’s forecast on Thursday evening was predicting a high of 13, showers and no wind. Saturday actual weather was beautiful -sunny all day long with temps close to 20 and a 10-15 knot breeze out of the north. Nine boats took part in the Safety Race that included a $50 gift certificate from The Keg awarded to the winner. The race was 14 miles long: round Kipling, through Strawberry, round the Devils Elbow, Bun to stb with the finish at Steamboat reef. Boats were also required to execute a simulated man overboard exercise (by retrieving a lifejacket tossed overboard) at some point during the race.

A few boats had to make more than one pass to pick up the lifejacket and this was under a planned scenario with everyone still aboard. Under real circumstances it is clear that this maneuver can take a lot of time under the best circumstances. This acted as a reminder that water triggered inflatable lifejackets are fairly comfortable and may save someone’s life one day. The race itself was pretty straightforward: a broad reach to Kipling and then downwind the rest of the way. The wind was oscillating a fair bit with 20 degree shifts. It was pretty puffy as well. Boats would go from a deep run to being on the edge of being able to carry the chute and then back to a deep run within seconds without a change in compass course. The downhaul, uphaul and guy saw a lot of action during this race. Grand Cru, who passed Raven around the Devils Elbow managed to hold off a charging Raven (who probably closed the gap by a ½ mile after rounding Bun) to take the victory.

Borderline is still chasing their elusive first bullet in a club race. They finished 6 and ½ minutes behind Grand Cru. A somewhat bitter pill since they were 8 minutes late to the start line.

Results:
1) Grand Cru (Beneteau 36.7) 12:48:30
2) Raven (Abbott 33) 12:50:30
3) Borderline (C&C 30 MkI) 12:55:00
4) Auberg (C&C33) 1:01:00
5) Knock Out (C&C 37)
6) Vixen (C&C32)
7) Rapture (C&C 32) 1:31:00
8) RamBunkShus (C&C30)
9) Invictus (Aloha 30)

Support Local Sailor Jordan Crowley

2010-09-01T14:14:00.003-05:00

Purchase a Prairie Pirate Demi-Toque in support of Jordan's Sailing!

Demi-Toques are now available for purchase at http://www.prairie-pirate.com/

Forllow news on Jordan at www.jordancrowley.blogspot.com/

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week
Hi Everyone!

I'm home from Hammo Week and I am exhausted! We did seven days of racing around the Whitsunday Islands- definitely an experience I will never forget! It's amazing how much the area reminds me of Lake of the Woods, except that the islands are taller and the water is salty, and there are whales everywhere! The proximity of the islands makes for some very tricky sailing and I didn't envy our tactician as he tried to sort through currents and tides.

Our team stayed in a rented condo on the island and had the good fortune of being able to cook for ourselves instead of going out every night. We bonded over discussions about 'tip vortex' and vectors and I think it really helped our on-water performance. We were just a short walk from the Hamilton Island Yacht Club (up hill- both ways!) which provided a good opportunity to get focused on our way to the boat.

We sailed very well as a team and we had pretty consistent results. The caliber of teams at this regatta was very high and the smallest mistake could cost you a race. We ended up 4th in our division by just 1 point, but were very pleased with the sailing that we did. The conditions over the week were quite varied but never seemed to click for the 40 footers. I am still at a loss as to how the handicapping system works (apparently the formula is guarded like the Coke secret) and it was incredibly frustrating to come in after what we thought was a great race, only to find out we'd placed 7th. Conversely, on day 5, we thought we'd had a horrible result and we were 3rd!

One of the best parts of the week was the whales. At the moment, humpback whale cows and calves are migrating south along the Queensland Coast. Every day we saw them around the race course and it never ceased to amaze me how big they were! The best whale moment was when an absolute giant breached high into the air 20 meters off our port bow. Incredible sight!

The regatta circuit with Two True is now over and it's back to weekend racing on Melbourne's Port Philip Bay. It has been an incredible learning experience with Two True and I am indebted to owner Andrew Saies, manager Brett Young and the entire team.for their coaching and leadership.

I'll let you know about the next step in the process as soon as I know!!

In other news, Prairie Pirate Demi-Toques are now available for purchase at http://www.prairie-pirate.com/ ! Check out the website and order them online for delivery. I'll be sending them home to Winnipeg and they will be distributed from there. 100% of the proceeds from the project will go towards my Ocean Racing Campaign, so please check them out! Prairie Pirate Demi-Toques make a great Christmas Gift- and you'll feel good knowing that you helped a prairie girl realize her dream of making it on the high seas ;)

Hope you're all well and I look forward to hearing from you about how the summer went! Thanks once again for all the emails you send me, they're great!!

Take care,
Jordan

Party Friday, September 3

2010-08-26T14:26:00.000-05:00

Next week is the long weekend, and as part of Gary Hall's celebration of 30 years at Northern Harbour, Gary is hosting a full on dance and party Friday, September 3, with a live band, Highway 59. www.highway59.ca The band features fellow boater Dave Christianson (AFTICA) on bass, and Juno-nominated Gary Golden on keyboards, guitar and vocals. BYOB with band to start playing around 8:30pm, or earlier if everybody is ready to dance. I think our Yacht Club is beginning to develop a dancing problem with all of the bands this year...

2010-08-25T10:01:00.001-05:00

LOWISA 45 results
Kenora Sports
Posted By By Emily Poschner
Aug 11, 2010

For the 45th year the annual Lake of the Woods International Sailing Association regatta sailed smoothly through Lake of the Woods waters for five days of racing and cruising.

This year the regatta shrank from a week-long tournament to five straight days of racing, due to competitors travelling from far distances.

"It usually runs from Sunday to Saturday but this year it just went from Monday to Friday with no day off in the middle," explained vice commodore Rob Eby.

For the most part Eby says they had good wind and sailing conditions Aug. 2-6. Problems arose halfway through the week when a storm brought in high winds on the lake, forcing some boats to return to shore and others to help out stranded vessels.

"Wednesday we had a bad storm blow through with 50 knots of wind and had to abandon the races," says Eby.

Boat numbers were up to 47, with 32 racing and 15 cruising during the regatta. Eby says this number is up about 15 boats from last year. He adds that next year they are really going to be promoting the cruise week that happens the week prior to LOWISA, hoping to get people out for both weeks of sailing.

LOWISA 2010 division winners were: Division 1- Bob Web, Division 2- Jim Fogg/Fred Finlayson, Division 3- Pat Kabris, Division 4- John Sexton, Three Day Race Series- Jim Richardson. This year the Challenge Cup between Canada and the U.S. was won by the United States. Last Chance Race Molson Trophy went to Blair Magnusa and LOWISA's Arctic Glacier Youth Regatta winner was Adam Clark.

Many other awards were given out including racing trophies and several spirit awards. Racing awards were handed out to exceptional Canadian and American boats and boats of different hulls: Province of Manitoba Cup (Canadian boat with lowest total corrected time) - Bob Webb, Minnesota Governor's Cup (American boat with lowest total corrected time) - Pat Kabris, Bergman International Multi-Hull Challenge Trophy- John Sexton, The Hank and Ginny Henderson Cup - Pat Kabris, The Jack Cully Trophy - Pat Kabris, The Evergreene Cup - John Sexton, The Earl Nelson Cup - John Sexton.

Race Report - Which Bay? Pursuit

2010-08-23T14:13:00.000-05:00

Eight boats ventured out in what was forecasted to be "light and variable" winds Saturday for the "Which Bay? Pursuit". The race was 15 miles in length (round Copper, round Survey, past Strawberry, round Railroad and down Andrew Bay). The race featured a few surprises. First was the second appearance of Invictus in a club race. They had a great time and plan on becoming more active in the racing scene. The second was the reemergence of the Wells brothers on Steve Wells' newly acquired Goliath (the former J29 Ice Tea).

The wind was pretty steady between 5-10 kts from the north- west. Chute run down to copper, short beat up to survey then the kites went back up and most boats carried them for the remaining 10 miles to the finish. It’s not that often you get to carry a chute for over 10 miles on LOTW. This gave the boats lots of time to focus/experiment on chute trim and do some speed testing with nearby boats.

Rounding survey, Raven, Goliath and Grand Cru were in the lead and within spitting distance of each other. All three met back up passing through Strawberry and they again went their divergent ways. All three met up once again (no more than a boat length between them) rounding Railroad for the third and final "restart". The remainder of the race was down wind on port for the 5 mile stretch down Andrew Bay. At times the chute was a tight carry and a few boats dropped to get higher up the course before resetting. It was a great sail and beautiful day. Kudos to Stewart Anderson who not only overcame some time consuming boat issues in order to get to the start line, he also single-handed the race while flying the chute.

Finishing order:
1) Grand Cru (Beneteau 36.7) 3:25
2) Goliath (J29) 3:28
3) Raven (Abbott 33) 3:35
4) Borderline (C&C 30 MkI) 3:45
5) Sorcerer (C&C 34) 3:52
6) Auberg (C&C 33) 4:54 (towing dinghy)
7) Rapture (C&C 32) (non spin)
8) Invictus (Aloha 30) (non spin)

Thanks to all who came out.

Sailing in Squamish

2010-08-10T12:21:00.002-05:00

Reminds me of the saying regarding flying the Spinnaker to Warroad "the crew puts it up... and God takes it down..."

Pontiac Sunbird racing lobster boat warps our fragile little minds — Autoblog

2010-07-29T17:28:00.000-05:00

Pontiac Sunbird racing lobster boat warps our fragile little minds — Autoblog

Finaly after two years, one nice weekend in July

2010-07-29T09:11:00.002-05:00

Fish Fry and Queen Island Treasure Hunt

Gald we don't have these on LOTW

2010-07-21T13:34:00.004-05:00

Before

After

Story here...

Commodores Cup Pursuit Race to Queen Island - Results

2010-07-20T10:22:00.000-05:00

1) Grand cru (4:20:30)
2) Raven (4:37:00)
3) Sorcerer (5:10:20)
4) Borderline (5:10:00)
5) Auberg (dnf)
6) Vixen (dnf)
7) Snafu (dnf)
8) Blondie (dnf)
9) Oh boy (dnf)
10)Africa (dns)

The Treasure hunt race was once again well attended with 10 boats registering for the race including the first (of what we hope to be many) appearance of Snafu on the racing scene.

The wind was in transition just as the first boat (Borderline) was set to start. Borderline approached the start line under spinnaker with a dying north wind that promptly tuned into a 5 kt south wind just as they drifted across the line. The south wind held for about 20 mins before it became light and variable.

After exiting Pine Portage Bay, Sorcerer Raven Vixen Blondie Auberg and Snafu headed south while Borderline and Grand cru stayed further north. The north side ended up favourable as an approaching undeveloped storm cloud that was coming in from the north west created a 5kt north wind that lasted for about ten minutes. The wind then turned south for a while around 5-10kts that was enjoyed by most boats as they rounded Scotty with Grand Cru being the first to round Scotty followed by Raven with Borderline close on their tail to head south to Gaherty.

As the initial part of the race was so slow the race had to be shortened to 10 miles so the Whisky and Birch rounding marks were removed…so after rounding Gaherty the fleet went straight to the finish around Iriam.

The wind had now established itself as south south east but was filled with holes that could last up to 10 mins so the last few miles were nerve wracking. Grand cru held onto their lead over Raven. There was a long hard battle for third place between Borderline and Sorcerer. Under spinnaker, Borderline eventually passed Sorcerer who was racing under white sails and beat sorcerer to the line by 20 seconds. Unfortunately for Borderline, since the race was shortened by four miles they needed to beat sorcerer across the line by 72 seconds.

Cruise Week Information: Provision and anchorage list

2010-07-19T17:41:00.002-05:00

Welcome "Cruise Around The World" Sailors!

Here is a list of what to provision to make your week full of fun and food!

Friday- Greek Island - Cruise Week provides - Dinner - Chicken-Pork Souvlaki/Greek Salad/Garlic Bread/Potatoes
Cruisers - Bring beverages of your choice and wear your 'formal' toga!

Saturday - Mexico - Cruise Week provides Strawberry Daiquiris (Starts at 4:30 on shore Yellowgirl)
Cruisers- Bring a Mexican H'or Derve to share!

Sunday - Italy - Cruise Week provides Italian Wine Tasting start at 5:00
Cruisers- Pasta Pot Luck Dinner - Cooks Choice.

Monday - International - Cruise Week- Radio Bingo Night
Cruisers - Clean out the Ice Box Night! Pick your own Country-make something to share

Tuesday - England - Totem Lodge Resort- Cruise Week provides Fish Fry Dinner-Fish, Chips, Coleslaw, Buns, Dessert
Cruisers- On your own for Cocktails and Bar Tab.

Wednesday - America - Cruise Week provides Breakfast Buffet at Totem Lodge
Cruise Week provides Bon Fire and Marshmallows
Cruisers bring Food for Bon Fire Wiener Roast!

Thursday - Birthday Mutiny Party! Bake a cake and we will celebrate "Winter" Birthdays this year! (Paige! this party is for us!!!)
Cruisers Bring a Cake to share and drinks. (hint-you can bake on a Bar-b-q!!)

Friday - China - Cruise Week provides buffet Chinese Dinner
Cruisers bring beverages of choice.

The Anchorages are as follows:

Friday- Northern Harbour
Saturday- Yellowgirl
Sunday- Timber
Monday- Twin/Hidden
Tuesday- Totem Lodge
Wednesday-Newfoundland
Thursday- Queen Island
Friday- Northern Harbour

Bob Webb (Blondie) is our Safety Officer for the week. However, it is the responsibilty of each 'Skipper' to be responsible for having the proper equipment, charts, lifejacket etc. on board and operate their vessels in the interest of safety for all Cruisers.

The Childrens Cruiser Event will begin at 1:00 pm on the Beach at Totem Lodge. We will have a Hot Dog Lunch and lots of activities/crafts. This is a supervised event to allow you to go to town, sleep, relax without your children. It is required that you bring them to the beach and 'sign' them over to me (Lisa- ON A CALL) for the afternoon- till 4:30 pm. Your children are NOT allowed to come and go without a parent. Children must have their life jackets and a towel- water games. At 4:30 pm please come and 'sign' them out - because I'm sure I'll be worn out by then! LOL

Remember this is a Lake Folklorama International Sailing, and dressing up will add to the experience. Prizes awarded for the best dressed each day!

If you have any questions don't hesitate to email me before Thursday, or call me at home 204-785-1573.

Looking forward to great times,

Lisa

Join the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation

2010-07-13T18:31:00.003-05:00

What can you do to help?

Sign up, join with us, and stay informed at www.lowwsf.com

Since the Foundation launched its new website in mid summer, several hundred of you have signed up at www.lowwsf.com to show your support and given us your email to stay informed about the progress we are making.

In the coming year, the Foundation will be taking the message about Lake of the Woods to a broader audience to “build the parade” in support of action to sustain Lake of the Woods water quality. As Foundation Director Don Konantz noted: “Three years ago we started a parade taking the Lake to decision makers in Toronto, Ottawa, St. Paul and Washington – It’s time now for everyone who cares about the Lake to join the parade – all you have to do is sign up to join with us and stay informed at
www.lowwsf.com ”

Last year was a busy summer for the Foundation, getting the message out about our research progress and also the need to bring in the International Joint Commission to coordinate water quality research, monitoring, and development of water quality objectives and management plans across all jurisdictions of this bi-national lake and watershed.

The Foundation presented to a broad audience including at the Lake of the Woods District Property Owners Association summer meeting, the Royal Lake of the Woods Yacht Club, the Zig Zag Yacht Club, several private gatherings, municipal / county governments in Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls Ontario and Koochiching and Lake of the Woods Counties in Minnesota.

For Sale

2010-07-13T16:31:00.001-05:00

Force 10 Stainless Marine Stow ‘n Go BBQ – cheap!! Call Senor Vodge at 981 1069 or e-mail at evogan@qualico.com

Features:

* 13,000 BTU
* 145 sq. in. cooking surface
* 100% stainless steel construction
* Locking lid
* Wind-proof Design
* Fold away integral legs
* Removable grease tray

NYC Canada Day Cruise

2010-07-11T22:51:00.001-05:00

2010 Warroad Race Results

2010-07-07T16:50:00.001-05:00

BOAT NAME	PHRF	Race 1 Elapsed Time	Race 1 Score	Race 2 Elapsed Time	Race 2 Corrected Time	Race 2 Score	Total Score
RAVEN	126	03:14:00	0.75	03:58:19	04:15:04	4.00	4.75
FOGGER	204	03:33:00	5.00	04:07:46	03:56:24	0.75	5.75
BORDER LINE	174	03:39:00	6.00	04:01:33	04:00:29	2.00	8.00
KITE	81	03:21:00	2.00	03:55:46	04:31:25	6.00	8.00
VIXEN	153	03:48:00	7.00	04:06:04	04:12:43	3.00	10.00
GRAND CRU	99	03:24:00	3.00			7	10.00
BIRD BATH	111	03:25:00	4.00			7	11.00
SLOOPS TROOPS	153	04:10:00	8.00	04:16:09	04:23:04	5.00	13.00

Comments from Grand Cru on Race 1: Friday's race was quite enjoyable. The day started with winds from the south south east around 15kts sailing at roughly 50-60 degrees true in a straight line to the rock. As the fleet started to approach/round the rock in anticipation for a very quick broad/beam reach to Warroad, the wind moved a little to the west and picked up by about 5kts and settled in at 20kts so we were again sailing at 50-60 true. Given the wind direction, tactics were very limited. Approaching the finish line, some gusts were hitting the low 30's – with the water as flat as it was, the sailing was great.

The strong south wind that started late the night before and build to a consistent 20-25kts probably dropped the water level by a foot at the entrance. We tried to plough through the mud but had no luck and had to be pulled off by a passing boat. Grand Cru and Birdbath then sailed back downwind to Oak Island arriving around 11pm. Fortunately, the sailing conditions were picture perfect for the evening sail. We were planning on heading back to Warroad for the start of Sunday's race (by leaving Oak at 4am) but the weather was very unstable with tornado warnings and watches still in effect so we abandoned that idea.

Beguiling boat names a catch at Northern Harbour - Winnipeg Free Press

2010-07-07T16:34:00.000-05:00

Beguiling boat names a catch at Northern Harbour - Winnipeg Free Press

Know the signs of drowning

2010-06-30T15:16:00.002-05:00

The new captain jumped from the cockpit, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the owners who were swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. “We’re fine, what is he doing?” she asked, a little annoyed. “We’re fine!” the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard. ”Move!” he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not ten feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, “Daddy!”

How did this captain know, from fifty feet away, what the father couldn’t recognize from just ten? Drowning is not the violent, splashing, call for help that most people expect. The captain was trained to recognize drowning by experts and years of experience. The father, on the other hand, had learned what drowning looks like by watching television. If you spend time on or near the water (hint: that’s all of us) then you should make sure that you and your crew knows what to look for whenever people enter the water. Until she cried a tearful, “Daddy,” she hadn’t made a sound. As a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, I wasn’t surprised at all by this story. Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing, and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for, is rarely seen in real life.

The Instinctive Drowning Response – so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the number two cause of accidental death in children, age 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents) – of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC). Drowning does not look like drowning – Dr. Pia, in an article in the Coast Guard’s On Scene Magazine, described the instinctive drowning response like this:

1.Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled, before speech occurs.

2.Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning people’s mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.

3.Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water, permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.

4.Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.

5.From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.

In case you wanted to know where we get our Lobsters from!

2010-06-28T09:31:00.003-05:00

Your intrepid “Chief Lobster Guy” about to head out in a Lobster boat to brave the chilly waters of the Atlantic!

Wow, this year is shaping up to be the best Lobster Festival season on record!

We are just back from Halifax and we are shipping the bounty around sunny Canada. We have had a fantastic spring as we have supported a record number of Lobsterfests. The warm weather and a festive attitude are resulting in more people wanting to attend their local Lobsterfest than ever. We want to put your order in now in anticipation of a record summer for community fundraising and fun to be had by all. We have the best prices available anywhere for lobster for Community Service organizations and our East coast lobsters are the finest available.

Pls. contact our friendly staff now to reserve your catch for your Lobster Festival for the summer!

Ken Paterson
Chief Lobster Guy
sales@freshlobstersales.com
www.freshlobstersales.com
705-323-6866

Sure its fun to sail downwind in 20+ knots of wind...

2010-06-24T13:42:00.001-05:00

in the Columbia River Gorge... but how do you get home???

Race Report - Summer, Summer Solstice Race to 22 ft Bay

2010-06-23T09:50:00.001-05:00

1) Grand Cru (Spin)
2) Sorcerer
3) Vixen
4) Borderline (Spin)
5) Raven (Spin)
6) Sloop
7) Scots
8) Anteus
9) Auberg (Spin)
10) Blondie
11) Oh Boy
12) Rapture

Places 1 to 5 are certain. Wind dropped off for a while and a number of boats packed it in early. So the remaining five boats agreed to a finishing order based on their PHRF and location on the course.

Wind started out north at 10 kts and dropped to very light and variable when the fleet started rounding Scotty Island. The fleet then spent the next few hours sailing on thermals and counting algae, save for Vixen, where it’s reported Eric was busy reading a book (believed to be “Twilight”). Eric felt justified in his actions as the book was due for return at the library this Tuesday. Evening activities including a retro music party onboard Anteus that promptly ended once Sheldon put on AC/DC and started playing air guitar in his underwear.

This is why we all love to sail! Taken from Lowry Bay June 14th 2010

2010-06-18T13:19:00.001-05:00

Single Serve Wine Glass - Ready for any on the Dock occasion!

2010-06-18T13:15:00.002-05:00

Here’s an easy way for you to learn the way solar panels work

2010-06-17T10:19:00.002-05:00

What exactly is solar energy ?

Solar power is radiant energy that's produced by the sun. Daily the sun radiates, or sends out, an immense quantity of energy. The sun radiates more energy in one second than people have used since the beginning of time!

The energy of the Sun derives from within the sun itself. Like other stars, the sun is really a big ball of gases––mostly hydrogen and helium atoms.

The hydrogen atoms in the sun’s core combine to create helium and generate energy in a process called nuclear fusion.

During nuclear fusion, the sun’s extremely high pressure and temperature cause hydrogen atoms to come apart and their nuclei (the central cores of the atoms) to fuse or combine. Four hydrogen nuclei fuse to become one helium atom. But the helium atom contains less mass compared to four hydrogen atoms that fused. Some matter is lost during nuclear fusion. The lost matter is emitted into space as radiant energy.

It takes many years for the energy in the sun’s core to make its way to the solar surface, and slightly over eight minutes to travel the 93 million miles to earth. The solar energy travels to the earth at a speed of 186,000 miles per second, the speed of light.

Simply a small part of the energy radiated from the sun into space strikes our planet, one part in two billion. Yet this amount of energy is enormous. Daily enough energy strikes the united states to supply the nation’s energy needs for one and a half years!

Download the complete article...

LOWISA News

2010-06-17T09:42:00.002-05:00

LOWISA 45 Advance Registration is now open on the website till July 1st via PayPal. Registration goes up by $25 after the deadline. Every boat registering online get a free Mount Gay Hat or Shirt. www.lowisa.org will provide you with all the information you need. Sailing instructions, courses, event schedules, photographs of past events, and links to sites of interest can be found there. If you do not want to use PayPal, email us at sailowisa@gmail.com and we can provide you with details on paying by check.

LOWISA Refer a Friend Contest. Convince a friend who has not participated in the past three years, to join LOWISA as a Racer or Cruiser and we will enter your name in a draw for free registration. Email us at saillowisa@gmail.com with your boat name and the boat name of your new recruit. Good luck!

LOWISA Youth Program. We would like to thank a new sponsor, Magnus & Buffie Charted Accountants, for their help in establishing the new LOWISA Youth Program. As part of this exciting program, boats skippered and crewed by sailors 18 years and younger will have their LOWISA registration reduced to $100. Email us at saillowisa@gmail.com to register.

The LOWISA Arctic Glacier Youth Dinghy Regatta will be hosted out of RLWYC on Sunday, August 1st. RLWYC has generously offered Optis and 420s for participants that don’t want to transport their own boats. It’s free to enter, great food and beverages will be provided at no cost, and the racing and camaraderie promise to be terrific. Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions will be posted on www.lowisa.org.

Cruise Week For those traveling to Lake of the Woods for LOWISA and want to extend their time on the lake, Cruise Week will be taking place from July 23rd to July 30th. Historically this event has been organized by LOWISA, but for the past few years Northern Yacht Club has taken responsibility for hosting this wonderful week on the lake. Stay tuned, we will email out updates as we have more details. Registration and information will be available on the Northern Yacht Club website in June. Click for a slide show of last year’s Cruise week, and imagine the fun you will have…

Trophies Those with trophies from last year, please remember to bring them back and drop them off at registration. If you are not able bring them, please email us at saillowisa@gmail.com and we will make arrangements to get them prior to registration. We need your help. We’re still missing a few trophies. If you know the whereabouts of one, or have one, please let us know.

Visit us at www.lowisa.org, find us on Facebook "saillowisa", email at saillowisa@gmail.com.