from the masthead david a. dragonas commodore …from the masthead david a. dragonas commodore...

FROM THE MASTHEAD David A. Dragonas Commodore

January 2015 The American Yacht Club Newsletter Issue 1

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Over the past year I’ve sat down every month and composed an update from the previous month and projected the upcomingmonth’s activities and events at the AYC.

Nothing has been more difficult than sitting down, this time, to write this article. By the time you read it, I’ll be somewhere in eastnowhere, on the west side, trying to dodge the weather and get to Arkansas! If you will allow me, I would like to reiterate commentsI made in the September 2014 Sailorgram:

Fellow members of the AYC, Officers, committee heads, volunteers, spouses, and guests, I would like to take this opportunityto outline how proud I am to be “at the helm” of your club. We are a community, fraternity, sorority, etc… of some of thefinest people you will ever meet and friends you will ever know.

Believe me, these words couldn’t be any truer. I will miss the AYC and all that is associated with the Club but hope to come backand visit as often as I can.

Fair winds and following seas to all!

Respectfully,

David A Dragonas, Past Commodore

Farewell!

Vice Commodore Barry Gluck presents a photo ofthe American Yacht Club to Commodore David A.Dragonas in appreciation of Dave's many years ofservice to the Club. Dave stepped down asCommodore January 1, 2015, to start a job inArkansas. Photo by Joyce Stoehr.


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A few years after building my first boat, I was saving for areal sailboat when I found a beautiful boat for sale at a

reasonable price. Every few days I’d go down to the boatyard tosee it. The owner gave me a ride in it, but with little wind Ididn’t get a good demonstration. My father came down with meto see the boat several times. He knew the owner, ButsyEaton— I’m guessing at the spelling of what I assume was hisnickname. My father did some plumbing work for Butsy, andthey became good friends. Finally, after I had saved half theprice of the boat, I persuaded Dad to lend me the other half.

We went down to see Butsy, but he got embarrassed and said hecouldn’t sell it to us. He explained that the boat didn’t sail verywell, and now that we were friends, he couldn’t stick us with it.He said he’d help find a good one for me instead. While Butsyand Dad were swapping stories, Dad mentioned a man who’dbuilt a concrete wall across his cellar to support his saggingstore. He’d stored his canoe in that cellar, and then found outthat because of the door’s location and the new wall, he couldn’tget the canoe out of the cellar in one piece.

Butsy said, “Go over there and buy the canoe as cheap as youcan. Bring a saw with you, cut that canoe in half so you can getit out, take it home, and I’ll show you how to turn it into asailboat.”

We bought that canoe for five dollars, held our breath, andsawed it in half while the seller looked on, shaking his head inwonder. Back at home, Butsy showed us how to peel back thecanvas along both sides of the cut. Then we cut the planks at themiddle of a rib, one to the first rib and the next to the secondrib. We did the same on the other half so that a long one wasopposite a short one. Then we lined up the two halves to butt thegunwales and keel together. We joined the gunwales with atwo-foot splint bolted under the gunwale on each side.

Then we took off the keel off. We used peach-basket wood ofthe same thickness to replace the planking we had cut back. Wespread on a layer of marine glue, folded the original canvas overit, spread on another layer of marine glue, and wrapped a stripof canvas over the joint. Next, we filled the canvas with whitelead scrounged from old paint cans, sanded the edges to make asmooth transition, and painted the patch. We replaced the keelwith a wider, full-length one with a slot cut in it for a dagger-board. Butsy laid it out by eye. We cut a slot in the bottom ofthe canoe and built a centerboard trunk over it. We drilled ahole through the bottom near the stern and bolted a pipe flangeover it, screwed in a short piece of pipe, and supported the topof the pipe with a thwart. The rudderpost went through the pipe;the tiller went on the top and rudder on the bottom.

I had to fix some rot at the stern just aft of the highest point ofthe stem. So I peeled back the canvas on both sides and justsawed it off at an angle for a little rake. I fitted a piece of woodto fill the space and nailed the planks to it. Then I folded oneside of the canvas over my new transom and nailed it to thewood with roofing nails. I applied more marine glue and foldedthe old canvas over the transom and nailed it home. I trimmedthe excess very neatly because it would show.

While boating a year or more before, I’d found a wooden maststuck in the mud. It took me quite a while to pull it out, but Itied a rope to it and towed it back to the boathouse. Since it waswaterlogged, I hung it inside the garage, using rope tied to a nailat each stud to keep that the mast perfectly straight whiledrying. I’d originally hoped to build a boat for it. As ithappened, it was a perfect fit for the sailing canoe, except it wastwo feet too long. I had to mount the halyard down from the top.Butsy laid out the sail plan on the garage floor: a lateen rig withtwo booms. I bought two long dowels, made the sail fromunbleached muslin, and laced it to the booms.

That canoe sailed very well and was a great boat for learning tosail. It sailed quite fast, but with its long, straight keel it washard to come about onto a new tack. Butsy taught me to “sailaround” when tacking (now called roll tacking). You deliber-ately heel the boat far over, let go of the tiller, and haul in thesheet. With the mast almost horizontal, the sail stays full untilyou are sailing almost directly into the wind, and then you shiftyour weight to the other side and roll the boat so the mast isalmost horizontal on the new tack. Then you fall off until theboat is close-hauled on the new tack. I became very skilled attacking as I sailed this boat for several years.

One very windy day I was getting ready to go sailing. All theother guys at the boathouse said there was too much wind andthey weren’t going out. I went out, even though the canoe wastippier than their boats. What was the worst that could happen?I'd just tip over and get wet.

I started out on a reach (wind from the side), then had to godirectly downwind under a railroad bridge. There the wind, nolonger blocked by a high bank, became much stronger. Just as Igot out of sight of the boathouse, a strong gust hit and broke themast off right at the thwart. The mast and sail were blown overthe bow and into the water, attached only by the halyard andsheet. The canoe stopped dead in the water, but it didn’t tip. Ipulled the sail, booms, and mast into the boat and paddled back.As I rounded the point and came into sight, the gang at the dockgave a big cheer

(Continued on page 3)

My Second SailboatSubmitted by Wolcott Downey


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AYC Annual Meeting

The 2014 AYC Annual Dinner and Awards Banquet washeld November 15th at DiBurro's function hall in Haverhill.

The attendance was light, about 54 people, but those thatattended had an enjoyable evening.

A surprise for the evening was the unexpected announcementby Commodore Dave Dragonas that he would be moving fromMassachusetts to Arkansas and would not be able to completehis second year in office. Dave had spoken with members of theExecutive Committee before the dinner, but his situation wasnot widely known to the membership.

The following awards were given out:

• Bartlett Cup Award, Jr. Steward Mike Roffo

• Flag Officers Award, Lee Lane

• Merrimack River Award, Nancy Cornell

• Harriett Popplewell Award, Claire Williams

• Commodore’s Award, P/C Clif Robinson

They were all amazed that I was still dry.It was a good thing that I'd never gotten around to cutting offthat extra two feet of mast. I moved the halyard up to the top ofthe mast, which was now just the right height.

When I bought my next boat, I sold the canoe to a friend whopromised to pay in installments over time. After the firstpayment, however, I saw no more money. I declared that onepayment as rent for a season and took back the boat. I sold it tomy older cousin for cash, and he and his kids sailed it for manyyears.

(Continued from page 2)

Second Sailboat

Announcement:

Save the Date!The 2015 AYC New MembersMeeting is scheduled forWednesday, March 25, at 7:00 PMat our usual venue at the PITA Hallon Plum Island. Come meet ournew members and enjoy a snack!

Photo by Dan Raycroft, taken at the Raycroft family Christmas inthe BVI. This beautiful rainbow appeared over the Soggy DollarBay in White Bay on Friday morning, December 27 .

I needed a wind vane to show the wind direction as I approachedthe dock. We have a lot of cross winds that can throw your bow offand get you into trouble pretty quick.What started out to be an AYCburgee on a stick evolved into a Bee wind vane.It is made of 1/8"marine plywood painted with Awlgrip and pivots on a brass andnylon bushing. Has held up to 30 knots so far.Submitted by Ted Coyman


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2014 Annual Dinner and Awards BanquetPhotos by Homer Shannon


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Dinner and Awards Banquet (Continued from page 4)


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About two years ago, the Coast Guard launced OperationPaddle Safe, an initiative to increase safety awareness for

users of kayaks, canoes, and rowboats. A key component of theprogram was the deployment of If Found stickers that should beaffixed to any unregistered boat. The bright orange stickersshould be labeled with the boat owner’s name and two contacttelephone numbers. The Coast Guard’s objective with thesestickers is to eliminate unnecessary search and rescue operationsshould an empty small boat be found drifting or washed ashore.

These stickers can help the AYC as well. There is a growingproblem with the population of kayaks and dinghies in the yard.Many of these vessels are not marked in any way, and there isno way for the club to know if they actually belong to clubmembers and if they’ve been properly registered with the yardcommittee. The If Found sticker will identify vessels to the club— and to the Coast Guard, should one float off on a high tide.The If Found sticker might even help you recover a lost boat.

The one issue with the If Found stickers is that it has beendifficult to find the blank stickers. The Coast Guard has statedthat they can be obtained through their regional offices and

several local marine operators have stated their intention tostock them, but in actuality, they have been unavailable. Theclub is working to obtain a stock of the stickers and is planningto make them available this spring. Check with the Steward’soffice and ask to borrow a Sharpie pen so that you can fill outthe sticker before affixing it to your small boat.

A number of members are still not in compliance with therules for leaving equipment in the AYC yard. Yard

Supervisor Paul Morin and Collector Homer Shannon, will beauditing the boats and sending invoices to all members withboats that have not been properly documented and paid.

The issue of undocumented boat was discussed at the GeneralMember Meeting on January 12th. The membership approved amotion to assess a $25 handling fee for all boats that do nothave yard documentation and require invoicing. Sendinginvoices is already a policy stated in the club yard rules, Article1. Furthermore, should a member fail to pay their invoice within30 days, the boat will be considered “dead storage”. Deadstorage is addressed in the yard rules, Article 9. The memberwill be brought before the Executive Committee and a fine of$300 will be assessed.

The process for filing yard forms is quite simple. Yard formsare available in the locker house. These should be filled out andleft in the Steward's office along with a check for payment. An

electronic version of the yard form is also available athttp://americanyachtclub.org/PDFs/AYC_yardform_2015.pdfand attached to the end of the Sailorgram.

This PDF document will calculate your costs and includes a linkto the AYC's Intuit payment system. You can pay your invoiceonline, and when the “submit” button on the form is clicked, acopy of the form is sent to the club collector.

Another issue is the number of kayaks that are not identified.All boats need to be identified. Using the Coast Guard “IfFound” labels is strongly encouraged. The club was not able toget these for the 2014 season but these will be in stock at theclub by opening day. Please use them or mark your boat with apermanent marker. Include you name and a telephone number.

A copy of the Club's House Rules on boat storage and a copy ofthe PDF version of the yard form are included in this issue ofthe Sailorgram. If you are going to be leaving a boat at the club,please take a minute to review the House Rules and use thepaper or .pdf form to submit your yard application and payment.

Yard RulesSubmitted by Homer Shannon

Coast Guard Operation Paddle SafeSubmitted by Homer Shannon

http://americanyachtclub.org/PDFs/AYC_yardform_2015.pdf

http://americanyachtclub.org/PDFs/AYC_yardform_2015.pdf


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ClassifiedsThe Sailorgram will publish your ads for free. Limit 5 submissions per member per month.

To run in successive issues you must either resubmit your ad or contact the Sailorgram with your request.

Harken Premium Bosun’s Chair high quality, usedonce. New $190, buy it $90. Call Bob Chadwick (978)697-4707

Jackline & tethers Never used. A must for offshore.Includes (2) 40 “ jack line (webbing); (2) quick-releasetethers; (1) Sailing harness New $400, buy it $200. CallBob Chadwick (978) 697-4707

9 Foot Quicksilver 270 lightweight air floor InflatableDesigned for lightness. High pressure air floor andinflatable vee hull.Good condition, no leaks, needsminor repair of seat strap. Includes Pelican Dollywheels for easy launching, no trailer needed; oars,pump, bilge pump and repair kit $300.Call Bob Chadwick (978) 697-4707

6:59 am 21 October 2014 Al Lavender and Mike Young watch thesun rise while sailing in Massachusetts Bay about half way fromScituate to Gloucester


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REVISED FEBRUARY 2012

American Yacht Club House RulesSubmitted by AYC House Committee

III YARD RULES

1. YARD STORAGE is limited to regular and life members of the AYC and refers to any personal property stored at the AYCexcept what is in the locker house lockers. It is the responsibility of each member to obtain and complete the AYC YardStorage Application and mail said form and check to the AYC: Yard Applications (see instructions on form). Members thatmust be billed will be charged a handling fee for sending the bill.

2. YARD STORAGE is limited to items listed on the AYC Yard Application and will be granted on space available. If there is aspace constraint, space will be awarded on seniority for applications received before deadline, and date of receipt for applicationsreceived after the deadline.

3. All boats and trailers kept in the AYC yard are required to be identified and have AYC stickers attached.

4. SUMMER STORAGE OR “DRY SAILING” period is from June 1st to October 31st. Dry sailing fee shall be a per foot fee asdefined in the yard storage application.

5. All members planning to keep a boat in the AYC yard during the summer must apply to the Measurer in writing (Yard applica-tion) no later than OPENING DAY. The Measurer will allocate dry sailing spots.

6. Boats of lengths greater than 25 feet will not be accepted for dry sailing.

7. Any boat in the yard that is not registered for Dry sailing is considered Dead Storage as of July 1st.

8. All dry sailing boats must be launched at least once every season. Boats not used at least once during a season will be subject toDead Storage rules.

9. DEAD STORAGE of boats or any personal items is not permitted. Dry sailing boats that are not used will be considered deadstorage. Boats, trailers or equipment stored without an application or permission will be considered dead storage. The member willbe subject to a fine of $300.00 and the member will have their name brought before the Executive Committee. Refer to the AYCHouse Rules – Section: I GENERAL RULES #13 for additional action in regards to dead storage.

10. WINTER STORAGE period is from November 1st to May 31st. Winter storage fees shall be a per foot fee as defined in theyard storage application.

11. All members planning to keep a boat in the AYC yard over the winter must apply to the Measurer in writing (Yard Application)no later than CLOSING DAY. The Measurer will allocate winter storage spots.

12. Boats of length greater than 30 feet will not be accepted for winter storage.

13. Boats must be on a movable trailer. Jack stands are not permitted.

14. DINGHIES will be charged as defined in the Yard Application form and will be assigned a rack slot or a designated space bythe Measurer. The maximum length of a dingy is 12’.

15. DINGHIES and JET SKIES stored on SMALL conventional trailers will have to pay the boat storage rate (both winter andsummer) based on a flat rate of 15 feet, regardless of the length of the dinghy, and cannot be stored in the designated dinghy area.Small hand trailers that do not protrude more than 18 inches from the bow of the dinghy are exempt from this rule.

16. PARKING on Club property is restricted to parking designated areas and prohibited in the boat storage area.

17. Vehicles shall not park in a way that will block a boat, car, dumpster or the boat ramp.

18. COMMERCIAL HAULERS shall not use the Club ramp.

19. A BOAT UNDER REPAIR must be registered with the Steward and stored at the direction of the Steward for a period of nolonger than two weeks or it will be considered dead storage.

(Continued on page 10)


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Hazy Morning by Robert Brun. 6 x 8 inch pencil and white charcoal on toned paper.

AYC Sketchbook

Sailorgram UpdateSubmitted by Jim Grenier, Managing Editor

The Sailorgram is published on a nearly-monthly basis and isby, for, and about our membership. Our readers know we

publish a variety of articles, ranging from trivial good fun toserious and important. You never know what you might findwithin these pages.

This newsletter takes volunteer time and talent. I spent quite afew years tackling it as a solo voyage but ultimately got rescuedin rough waters by a great group of volunteers.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the current Sailorgramstaff. Dan Edson and Tom Lochhaas are our primary editors andturn our articles into something readable; Lory Douglas andHomer Shannon are page layout people, shoehorning copy andimages into place; Dennis Unger handles many of the Webuploads and Constant Contact announcements; Joe Buschini isour proofreader, keeping an eye on nearly everything, from longdashes to wrong fonts.

You’ll also recognize many of these names and my own, asregular Sailorgram contributors. Homer usually has at least onearticle per issue, and we often fill pages with his photography.

These people make the Sailorgram a great newsletter. As do allthe members who send in their reports, articles, stories andphotos. Not many yacht clubs our size can compare.

However, this year the Sailorgram faces a sea change: some ofus have increasing demands outside of the AYC and will not beable to contribute as much as we have, including myself.

So, I am reaching out to members, new and old, asking for afew more volunteers who will get involved and help keep theSailorgram on her course. None of the workload is difficult, butdoes take a little time. Our greatest need is for editorial anddesign support. So if you have any skill in either area, I’d like tohear from you.

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Please send all digital* Sailorgram submissions [email protected]

Send all physical** Sailorgram submissions to:Homer Shannon, 15 Autumn St., Windham, NH 03087

Due date is the first of each month. Sailorgram will only be publishedwhen there is enough material to warrant it.

* Copy submissions must be in .txt, .rtf, or .doc format; image formatsmust be .jpg, .gif, or .tif

** All written matter must be typewritten; images can be photos,drawings, or other flat artwork. Artwork can only be returned if providedwith a self-addressed and stamped envelope.

American Yacht ClubP.O. Box 1360

Newburyport MA 01950Organized 1885, Incorporated 1890

Commodore Barry Gluck 603-382-8302

Vice Commodore Joe Puleo Jr. 603-876-4012

Rear Commodore Dann Pratt 978-388-3401

Secretary Joyce Stoehr 978-462-9083

Treasurer Len Johnson 978-388-0501

Collector Homer Shannon 603-880-4328

Measurer William Caron 603-437-3902

Membership Committee Tom Lochhaas 978-462-6311

Mooring Committee Don Sestini 978-682-1624

House Committee Dave Hewey 978-373-6038

Yard Committee Paul Morin 978-462-6533

Landscape Committee Nancy & Doug Cornell 978-474-4323

Regatta Committee Dan Pratt 978-388-3041

Entertainment /Activities Lon Sherman 978 388-3434

Sailorgram Jim Grenier 978-388-4445

Sailing School Jackie Morin 978-462-6533

Steward/Club House 978-465-9053

20. NO STORAGE OF EMPTY TRAILERS, summer or winter will be permitted. The only exception to this rule will be Clubtrailers stored in a designated area for emergency access.

21. KAYAKS AND CANOES must be stored in the rack and will be charged a $15.00 flat rate, all other boats including lasers willbe charged the per foot storage fee for the appropriate season

22. The AYC RAMP is for use by members only (this may include guests of members with the member present). Members shouldplan their launch and recovery activities to be accomplished in a 30 minute time frame. Members should NOT park a boat in theramp and wait hours for the tide to come up.

23. CLEANING, MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS are permitted in the yard by members; however, members must takeprecautions to avoid damaging and getting debris on neighboring boats.

24. Any member that uses hoses or electrical cords must return them to the appropriate storage location and shut the water off beforeleaving the Club.

25. MAST STORAGE 38 feet or less may be stored in the mast rack. Prior to storing a mast, the member must complete andsubmit a yard application and pack the mast for storage. To pack the mast, the owner must at least remove and secure all spreaders,remove all radar, communications, and wind sensing equipment or components, and then wrap and secure to the mast all standingand running rigging that is to remain attached to the mast so as to limit any chance of tangling with any other mast in the rack.

26. All PERSONAL ITEMS must be stored on the boat or trailer, not on the ground, to allow for ease of yard cleanups.

27. EXTENDED PARKING of vehicles will be limited to 14 days or as approved by the YC or a Flag Officer with an application.Owners must also leave a set of keys with the Steward.

28. HAZARDOUS MATERIAL dumping or disposal is not permitted on the property, in the river, or in the dumpster.

29. FUEL STORAGE anywhere at the AYC is PROHIBITED with the exception of Club fuel (to be stored in the fuel locker) andfuel stored on the boats themselves.

(Continued from page 8)

Yard Rules

mailto:[email protected]



1. Print and submit with check - Fill out the form and print it by clicking this buttonMail the form with your check to the club or drop the form and check off at the steward’s office.

2. Pay and submit electronically - Fill out the form electronically, click this line to open an on-line payment window. Make your pay-ment and note the tracking link number. Close the payment page. Enter the tracking link number hereNow click to submit the form and payment record. The form will close when you click on the submit button.

American Yacht ClubP.O. Box 1360, Newburyport, MA 01950

AYC Yard Application

Member Name

Zip CodeStateCity

Address

Email AddressHome Phone

Alt Phone

Member Information

Note: No empty trailers may be left in the yard.

Trailer

Registration No.

Color

Boat Name

Make of Boat

Boat Type

Item Information

Payment Options

Power Boats

Sail Boats

Kayak / Canoe

Dinghy (12’ or less)

Mast Storage

Other (consult w/YC)

Dinghy / Jet Ski on Trailer

Extended Parking (consult w/YC)

LengthLength

Length

Flat FeeFlat Fee

Flat Fee

Summer Winter

Total Summer Charges Total Winter ChargesTotal Amount

ACY Yard Form v2015-1

https://ipn.intuit.com/pay/AYC

Instructions for On-Line Payments:

When you click on the click this line in the form, your computer will open a browser and take you to the web page,https://ipn.intuit.com/pay/AYC.1

You do not need an account touse this payment page. Simplyclick on the “Make payment with-out creating an account” link.

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3 Fill out the requested information.If you are paying a yard fee, put“yard” in the “Invoice/Reference #”field. If you are paying an invoice,put the invoice number in this field.

Note that you must enter yourbank account number twice.

You can add a note in the memofield if you like.

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Right-Click on the “Tracking Link”field and copy it. Paste this into thebox in the lower right hand side ofthe yard form.

After submitting your payment you willget this receipt page.

Click on “Send Payment” to enteryour payment.

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https://ipn.intuit.com/pay/AYC

from the masthead david a. dragonas commodore …from the masthead david a. dragonas commodore...

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