FOOT, TACK & CLEW East Coast Sailing Association

P.O. Box 372054 • Satellite Beach, FL 32937-0054

http://www.ecsasail.com BOAT/US number GA81299B

April 2007

THE OFFICIAL LOG OF THE EAST COAST SAILING ASSOCIATION

Incoming

Board of Governors Flag Officers

Commodore

Donna Oyer 321 – 243 – 0088

Vice Commodore

Pam Vanderveer 321 – 432 – 0559

Rear Commodore

Jim Yates 321 – 777 – 2663

Secretary

Carol Wheatley 321 – 779 – 4483

Treasurer

Tom Schrader 321 – 917 – 6638

Elected Governors

Sherry Beckett 321 – 779 – 3024

Roland Norris 321 – 783 – 9736

Neil Hodgson 321 – 452 – 8252

Fleet Captains Cruising

Ken Windsor 321 – 459 – 2720

River Racing

Jim Yates 321 – 777 – 2663

Women’s Racing

Rhonda Delmater 321 – 783 – 2225

Newsletter Editor Brenda Merchberger 321 – 917 – 3698

Program Chairman

Susan Conrad 407 – 443 – 1943

Membership Chairman Brenda Merchberger 321 – 917 – 3698

Rating Chairman Jim Miller 321 – 777 – 7011

Advertising Karin Mann 321 – 773 – 4793

Hospitality Joanne Theriault 321 – 254 – 4624

Legislative Affairs Jack Snyder 321 – 868 – 3529

F o o t , T a c k & C l e w i s t h e o f f i c i a l n e w s l e t t e r o f t h e E a s t C o a s t S a i l i n g A s s o c i a t i o n a n d i s m a i l e d t o t h e m e m b e r s h i p e a c h m o n t h o r a v a i l a b l e a t h t t p : / / w w w . e c s a s a i l . c o m .

The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the East Coast Sailing Association.

General Membership Meeting

Wednesday ~ 11 April 2007 ~ 7:00 p.m.

Satellite Beach Civic Center (565 Cassia Blvd) Latitude 28º 09' North, Longitude 80º 36' West

PROGRAM:

XM Weather Radio Presented by: Charlie Mann

APRIL Calendar of EVENTS 1 MYC Spring Rum Race 1 IRYC Winter Series #6 6 MYC Spring Rum Race 8 MYC Small Boat Racing 14 - 16 MYC Spring Regatta Big Boat 14 - 15 ECSA Progressive Dinner 20 MYC Spring Rum Race 21 - 22 MYC Spring Regatta Small Boat 22 TSC Spring Series #5

U.S. Sailing Multihull Championships MYC Apr 24 - 29

MAY Calendar of EVENTS 4 MYC Summer Rum Race 5 - 6 ECSA The Jones’ Merritt Island BBQ Bash 5 - 6 PCYC Cinco De Mayo Regatta 6 MYC Small Boat Racing

9 ECSA Monthly Meeting 12 ECSA Spring Women’s #4

18 MYC Spring Rum Race 19 - 20 IRYC Brevard Challenge Regatta 24 ECSA Winter Series #4 20 MYC Small Boat Racing 26 ECSA Sumer Series #1 26 - 28 ECSA Memorial Day Cruise to Sebastian Inlet

THOUGHTS FROM

YOUR

COMMODORE…

Donna Hartley Oyer

Each year we ask for some new people to volunteer their time in various aspects of the club. Not necessarily new members but new to volunteering. From the Board, to fleet captains, to programs, advertising and hospitality we are fortunate enough to have new volunteers and what a great job they are doing. The programs thus far have been very informative and I for one look forward to the future programs that are planned. If you have a meeting night free, please join us for some interesting speakers that have a world of knowledge to go around. Each speaker has some good advice, a new idea or just experience and knowledge to share. No matter what your sailing level, you can always learn something new and valuable. Susan Conrad is our program chairperson this year and she is doing an awesome job. She and her husband Chris own a Caliber 40 named “La Le Lu”. Even though they live in Orlando, they stay very involved in the club volunteering and enjoying our monthly cruises. They are planning a trip to the Bahamas this spring. Wow, have you seen our newsletter lately with all of the new advertisements? I would like to give Karin Mann a standing ovation for her hard work. Last year we did not have an advertising chairperson. This year Karin Mann stepped up and volunteered to dig up some new advertisers and she has done just that. Advertising has increased 100% because Karin chose to get involved. As most of you know, Karin’s husband Charlie is the district manager for West Marine. Karin and Charlie sail a Cal 35 named “Wings”. These two positions are very important for our club. Each one of these women has volunteered her time to make our club interesting and to keep the club prospering. Thank you so much to everyone who volunteers their time and helps to keep our club running smoothly. Now that the weather is finally changing, I welcome the Florida weather back and the snowbirds a fine adieu! It is really nothing personal, but I wish the snowbirds (whoever they are) had never discovered our “little paradise”. They crowd our roads, our grocery stores and our restaurants. Living in Cape Canaveral, it is almost impossible to make our way along A1A south through Cocoa Beach without feeling the urge to make hand gestures. This feeling is not

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VIEW FROM THE

VICE… by

VICE COMMODORE

Pam Vanderveer

This month, your Vice Commodore had nothing to say (imagine that!). So her loving and faithful husband Ron bailed her out. However, Pam did approve this article in its entirety…. Changing the engine oil. Replacing the water pump impeller. Installing that new bilge pump. Changing the Racor filters. Replacing the masthead light via the bosun’s chair. And one of my favorites: upside down and backwards in the rear cockpit locker to check the rudder post clamps and lubricate the steering gear. These are routine and typical maintenance chores on any modern sailboat, and although most of us have learned the tips and tricks by now, only a few of the true handyman wackos amongst us actually enjoy doing this stuff. But do them we must, and certainly in the Florida summer, when conditions are not conducive to being in a small space of any kind without air conditioning, these tasks are often accompanied by copious amounts of swearing, sweating, and almost always some bleeding from somewhere. Nevertheless, I will never complain about working on my sailboat again. I have seen the dark side, ladies and gentlemen, and it is our house…. You see, Pam and I have been “boatless” for nearly a year now, and I haven’t had to do any work on a boat, except to run the dinghy motor in a trash can once in a while. Lucky dog, you say! What do you manage to do with all your spare time? What’s it like not to have every weekend of the year dedicated to boat maintenance or trips to the marine hardware store? Well, my dear friends, it sucks. You see, Pam and I still own a home, and lo and behold, the house has stepped right up and become the surrogate boat during this “hiatus” from vessel ownership. As it turns out the house is just as good, or better, at sucking up entire weekends, and even vacation days, from our lives in the name of maintenance projects and improvements. And the prices are not all that much lower either. We were initially surprised at how many tasks we had postponed around the house, because we were out sailing or cruising with the club. And since the boat had to be ready for the cruises, boat maintenance always took precedence during those rare weekends that we were available to do some work. And now that Pam is a realtor, the house cannot just be “normal”. Oh no, it has to look like a model home! So the list was written and the games began.

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EAST COAST SAILING ASSOCIATION General Membership Meeting Wednesday – March 14, 2007

Commodore Donna Hartley Oyer called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. Board of Governors present were Donna Hartley Oyer, Pam Vanderveer, Jim Yates and Carol Wheatley. Elected Governors present were Neil Hodgson. Not present were Sherry Beckett and Roland Norris. COMMODORE: Following introduction of the board members, fleet captains, committee chairmen, and past commodores, Donna welcomed all members, guests and new members attending for the first time: Barbara Mallory, a long-distance cruiser coming to Satellite Beach via Taiwan and Italy; and David Keane new to the area from Minnesota. Welcome! The Commodore also announced the following: ♦ Dania Flea Market- March 29-April 1 at Miami Dolphin Stadium ♦ Harbortown Flea Market - April 14-15 ♦ Blessing of the Fleet – April 21 ♦ Bahamas Planning Meeting after today’s general membership meeting ♦ Blankets are now on sale for $20. ♦ Lost and found items are on the table nearest the kitchen…claim yours! ♦ Satellite Beach Civic Center – March 15 – Party to celebrate 50th Anniversary ♦ ECSA Member Joe Luthman is undergoing extensive medical procedures…send prayers and good thoughts. New members Jim & Tammy Ennd’s boat caught fire at Harbortown; electrical origin; they are liveaboards, send prayers and good thoughts. ECSA has a Sunshine Fund for emergencies for our members…please donate tonight and the entire fund (about $400) will be donated to them to help replace their belongings. NEW MEMBERS: A motion was made, seconded and carried to approve the following applications into membership: ♦ Ronald Morris, 21’ New Port – Lazarus

SECRETARY’S

REPORT

By

Carol Wheatley

Page 3

♦ Grover & Natasha Gregory – 41’ Morgan OI – Windependence

♦ Al & Gail Larson – 41’ Nuerenberg – Gail Louise ♦ David & Nancy Keane – 37’ Tartan – Chivaree MINUTES/TREASURER’S REPORT: A motion was made, seconded and carried to approve the minutes of the February meeting and the Treasurer’s report as published in the February Foot, Tack & Clew. GENERAL REPORTS: VICE COMMODORE – Pam Vanderveer: ♦ The Marine Advisory Council meets the third Thursday at 6:00 pm just north of the Cocoa Library at 840 Forest Avenue. Anyone interested may attend. ♦ Name tags were printed up today; please re-use your tag. If you would like, you can leave your tag here, and we will store it for you.

REAR COMMODORE – Jim Yates: ♦ River Racing – The next race is Saturday, March 24 and is the last race of the Winter Series. The next women’s race is March 25. See Jim to get on a boat. A very happy announcement was made that Sherry Beckett and Dave McCampbell will be getting married

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TREASURER'S

REPORT by

Tom Schrader

Income Statement Fiscal YTD

REVENUE Mar - 07 Sep 06 - Feb 07

Activities Income 420.00 6,399.00

Advertising Income 180.00 594.00

Membership Dues 245.00 6,625.00

Merchandise Income 190.00 1,262.00

Misc & Sunshine Income 200.00 293.00

Total Revenue 1,235.00 15,173.00

EXPENSES

Activities Expense - 8,229.35

Bank Service Charge - 30.00

Insurance - 1,854.00

Miscellaneous 50.00 972.20

Postage/Delivery 138.84 590.94

Printing/Repro 76.37 1,033.69

Rent - 204.90

Sales Tax 23.21 80.02

Sunshine Fund 400.00 400.00

Total Expense 688.42 13,395.10

Net Income 546.58 1,777.90

Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2007

Assets

Checking 1,960.80

Restricted Cash (Lasowska Fund) 942.00

Security Deposit 100.00

Total Assets 3,002.80

Liabilities & Net Worth

Unrestricted Cash 6,432.86

Retained Earnings (5,207.96)

Net Income 1,777.90

Total Net Worth 3,002.80

Sunshine Fund Balance: 11.47

Welcome New Members

Grover & Natasha Gregory 1132 Brynmawr St Orlando, FL 32804 407-426-8050 Morgan OI 41’ Windependence

David & Nancy Keane 449 Penguin Dr Satellite Beach, FL 32937 612-481-6343 Tartan 37’ Chivaree

Al & Gail Larson 171 East 3rd Ct Chuluota, FL 32766 407-365-5989 Noerenberg 41’ Gail Louise

Ronald Morris 1127 Harry Sutton Rd Melbourne, FL 32901 321-409-1598 Newport 21” Lazarus

Note regarding Mardi Gras Cruise from Cruise Host Brenda Merchberger

In the FT&C article describing the event and detailing who attended, I inadvertently left out the most “Very Important Person” (VIP) in our club - our Commodore, Donna Hartley Oyer. She and her husband Jim did attend the event, on their S/V Believe. I sincerely apologize for the oversight. I had them on my list of atten-dees, but somehow they didn’t make it to the newsletter article! My apologies Jim & Donna.

Cruise to Marker 21 by Joanne Theriault

The trip to Marker 21 was sunny, windy, and chilly. Don and I arrived about 12:30 in the afternoon, Saturday. All together there were eight boats. Joe and Karen Coleman were on Alibi, Jim & Donna Oyer on Believe, Chip & Louise on Chip Ahoy, Clay Bernichon was on Arial with friends Pat O'Brian, Chuck & Rhonda Delmater. Chris & Sue Conrad were with their daughter Park with friend Kristen Vanderveer on Lalelu. Paul and Carla Stew-art were on Again as Tom and Mary Ann O' Shea were on Southern Comfort. Friends from Melbourne Yacht Club were Carl & Susan Kiser, and Shawn & Lori Carr.

CRUISE QUARTERS

Page 5

The Jones’ Merritt Island Barbecue Bash May 5 - 6, 2007

Location: Cruise headquarters will be Bill and Carla’s house at 3255 South Tropical Trail, Merritt Island or due east of marker 85. Indian River Marker 85 is approximately 4.5 miles south of the Cocoa 520 Bridge on the east side of the Indian River.

Anchoring: There is plenty of good holding and deep water. Approach north of marker 85 on a course of about 105 degrees with respect to Starbird (anchored behind the house). Anchor according to draft but Starbird is anchored in 8-9 foot of water. Contact cruise headquarters by VHF on channel 68 when approaching if you have any questions. To arrive by car from the north go south on South Tropical Trail about 4.5 miles from SR 520. After passing Dusk View Drive, it is the first house on the right side (river side) 3255 South Tropical Trail. Coming from the south come up South Tropical Trail until the intersection of South Tropical Trail and South Courtney Drive. Turn left to remain on South Tropical Trail and go approximately 1.5 miles to house on left (river side). Parking is available either in the driveways or south of the house in the adjacent lot. Look for balloons in the yard.

Festivities: The party starts on Friday evening (TGIF) and goes through Sunday. There will be swimming, music, events and lots of time to relax and enjoy the cruise. Events will include pool games, kite flying, and canoe racing. There will be a cookout Saturday evening (around 5:00 p.m.) with entrée provided by the club. Attendees should bring a side dish or dessert for that meal. On Sunday morning, there will be a potluck breakfast by the pool starting at 08:30 a.m. Attendees should provide their own plates, utensils, and beverages for club meals.

Contact for Information: Bill and Carla Jones 452-1531 or 917-8680 cell. See you there!!

CRUISE QUARTERS April Cruise

Details

6th Annual Lake Shepard Progressive Dinner

15-16 April 2006 The folks on the north end of the Grand Canal will be host for this year’s Progressive Dinner. Make plans to join us for our 6th Annual Lake Shepard Progressive Dinner. Boaters will anchor in Lake Shepard and dinghy to four locations on Saturday evening and the 5th location Sunday morning. Lake Shepard is located just south of Tortoise Island Bridge on the east side of the Grand Canal in Satellite Beach. If you are unable to join us in our convoy of dinghies, you are welcome to come along - the area are the houses just west of South Patrick Drive. Those individuals with last names beginning with A-L, please bring appetizers or finger food to be shared at location #1. Those with last names beginning with M-Z, please bring dessert to be share at location #4. Please bring your own beverages and folding chairs to the venues. The Saturday event will end after dark, so bring lights and the required stuff for your dinghy. On Sunday at 8:30 a.m., we will dinghy to location #5 for breakfast. It’s potluck, so bring a dish to share. . Time Event Map Hosts 5 PM Happy Hour #1 Dave & Brenda Merchberger 415 Aruba Ct (The Moorings) 394-1297 / 917-3698

Locations #2 - #4 are in North Waterway Estates 6 PM Salad Bar #2 Nat & Sonja Villaire 438 Sandpiper Dr 777-8010 7 PM Dinner #3 Joann Jacobs 410 Thrush Dr 777-3551 8 PM Dessert #4 Don & Rhoda Bosley 413 Sparrow Dr 777-1713 8:30 AM Sun Brkfast #5 Dave & Brenda Merchberger 415 Aruba Ct 394-1297 / 917-3698

before they go cruising…congratulations and best wishes! Cruising – Brenda Merchberger recapped the trip to the Miami Boat Show, the Mardi Gras cruise and the upcoming Progressive Dinner. Joanne Theriault announced the cruise to Marker 21; Ken Windsor announced his informal cruise to Ft. Pierce; Neil Hodgson announced the upcoming cruise to St. Augustine and the Abacos cruise in May. OLD/NEW BUSINESS: None. With there being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:30. Respectfully submitted, Carol Wheatley Secretary ECSA

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Page 6

Secretary’s

Report - cont’d…

Hospitality

Volunteers to bring goodies and help assist in the galley for our April

Membership Meeting are:

♦ Eileen Kiesel

♦ Simon Koumjian Thank you!

Page 7

becoming but at times the “road rage” wants to “kick in”. This also applies to tourists and spring breakers too. Where are all of these people coming from? Speaking of the “winter” weather; why is it when it gets cold outside, some Floridians say “Gee this cold weather feels great”? No it doesn’t! If it feels great to you, then you need to move back up north! We like our hot and humid weather; otherwise we would be living with the snowbirds 24/7. Okay, I feel better now…. On behalf of ECSA, I would like to extend sincere congratulations to Sherry Beckett and Dave McCampbell. Sherry and Dave met and decided to sail around the world together. They are starting on their journey in April. With all of the planning, provisioning, boat projects, etc that it takes to prepare for such an adventure, they decided to throw a wedding into the mix. They were married on March 24 and we wish them a long, healthy and happy journey through their lives together. Happy Sails to You, Donna

(Continued from page 2)

Commodore’s Report

- cont’d…

It started with sprinkler work to compliment the new flower bed layout. Then I spent about 10 man days putting down stone edging and river rocks in our flower bed areas (mulch is so ‘unclean’). Next was the replacement of the pool cage hardware. Then I spent 3 days crawling around in the attic to install new light fixtures in our bathroom. Unfortunately, that project was successful, so I ended up spending another 4 days installing matching new fixtures around the rest of the house! Of course, the new fixtures would look horrible against the old paint, so several rooms had to be painted. We repainted the outside trim on one long weekend. More sprinkler work, some grass plugs, fertilizer. And the grand finale: pressure washing and repainting the entire pool deck, preceded of course by cleaning of the aluminum beams and supports of the screen cage. Four days, six gallons of paint, four gallons of gasoline, and lots of Ibuprofen later, it’s all done. I think we’ve finally reached the end of the “cheap” projects. From now on, we have only the “professional required” repairs to do that don’t involve anything more than a phone call and a bunch of money! I should mention that Pam did her share too, and the house looks great, it truly does. But I seek not your pity. Rather, I pass this knowledge along to remind you that it could be worse. I, for one, will never complain again about working on the boat, whenever we manage to buy the next one. Sure, upside down in the rear cockpit locker in July heat is not very fun. But when it is eventually done, and you are comfortable in the knowledge that the rudder post clamps will not fall off in the middle of the next trip, you can throw off the lines and sail away into the sunset. I have yet to figure out how to get my house to do that!

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Vice Commodore’s Report

- cont’d…

Page 8

Tuesday, May 1st, 2007

10:00 a.m.

At the A.G. Edwards office at 1499 S. Harbor City Blvd in Melbourne (on the river, at the intersection of Hibiscus and US 1)

“Survivors Guide for Estate Planning &

Tax Reduction Strategies”

At this workshop, we will discuss:

♦ Why a will may not be enough

♦ How to reduce the time delays and dollar costs of probate

♦ Estate tax consideration

♦ How a living trust can solve many of these problems

♦ Distributing assets to beneficiaries

♦ Benefiting a charity

♦ Successor trustees

Take control of your financial future.

Seating is limited and reservations are required, so reply today.

To assure your place, just call the number below.

(321) 676-0300, ext 243

In serving you, we generally act as a broker-dealer but may act as an investment advisor for certain accounts for which we are appointed as

investment advisor, and our obligations will vary with the role we play. Unless we otherwise specifically indicate in writing, we are acting

only as a broker-dealer. Please consult “Important Information About Your Relationship with A.G. Edwards” on agedwards.com/

disclosures for a discussion of the differences between our brokerage and advisory services.

A.G. Edwards is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or tax preparation services. If tax or legal advice is re-

quired, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

ESTATE PLANNING WORKSHOP

Hosted by Clint Braswell, Financial Consultant

Presented by Ron Cecilione, Vice President

Wealth Management, A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc.

Member SIPC

Page 9

and share…. St. Augustine 7-day cruise leaves Saturday, May 12 returning May 19 or 20. If you are inter-ested in joining us, please contact Neil Hodgson at 302-0576 or Dave Cordial at 258-8347. Sign-up sheets will also be available at the ECSA meetings. West Marine - US 1 north of Eau Gallie: ♦ Flea Market on April 28th from 7am to 8 pm ♦ Seminar with Capt Bob Noak on April 25th

from 7-8 pm on Navigation, Operation, and Communications

Cruise the Abaco Islands with ECSA Member

Clay Bernichon and Pat O’Brien will take Ariel on the ECSA cruise in May and June to the Ba-hamas. They are looking for a couple (or other-wise) to share this experience on a true Baha-mas boat. Ariel, a 41 foot cruising catamaran, is equipped with all the amenities, including two queen size staterooms, a/c and a hard-top bimini. They plan to depart Melbourne on May 24th with the fleet and return by June 15th. There is no perfect crew member! The best crew member would have some sailing experi-ence and be compatible with Clay and Pat - leave your own boat at home. A prior trip to the Bahamas would be a plus. A desire to have a good time in important. O’ yes a passport is a must these days. If you might be interested give Clay a call soon. His phones are (h) 631-4557 or (c) 626-7842.

Items to Share… . Additional Bahamas Information from Graham & Pam Coffee after their March Meeting Presen-tation

♦ Wifi service available in the Abacos. The link is: http://www.abacoinet.com/ On the wifi an-tenna: the Out Island Internet site explains the options pretty well under Tech Support, Wire-less FAQ, “Weak Signal”. I actually had fairly good reception using my built in antenna, but I have a very good wifi card. I do recommend getting a USB extension at a minimum.

♦ For cruisers with a laptop, telephone access is available via Skype with a microphone plugged into the mic jack. You can download Skype for free and the ‘calls’ you make to other com-puters are free. You can also sign up for a ser-vice through Skype where you can call actual phone numbers. More info at www.skype.com

♦ Also used SkypeOut paid service (call anyone, anywhere on a land line, cell or computer), and found it to be VERY cheap and reliable way to make phone calls. Software can be downloaded from the web site, and a minimal of $10 placed on the account/ The only hard-ware that is required is a simple headset (microphone and earphones) that can be pur-chased from many stores like Radio Shack, etc.

♦ The HIGHLY recommended cruising guide is: “2007 Cruising Guide To The Abacos” by Steve Dodge. If you can’t find it locally it may be or-dered online: http://www.go-abacos.com/cruiseguide/cg_buy.html

EAST COAST SAILING ASSOCIATION

PO Box 372054

Satellite Beach FL 32937-0054

ECSA 2007 Race & Cruise Schedule

Date Event Contact

Apr 14 - 15 Progressive Dinner Merchberger

May 5 - 6 Merritt Island BBQ Bash Jones

May 12 Spring Women’s #4 Delmater

May 26 Summer Series #1 Yates

May 26 - 28 Memorial Day Cruise to Sebastian Inlet Vanderveer

June 9 Summer Series #2 Yates

June 9 - 10 Rendezvous Cruise No host event

June 16 Spring Women’s #5 Delmater

Check out http://www.sail-race.com/ecsa for the most up-to-date information on

the ECSA race schedule & race winners.