Volume 40 Issue 8 – August 2021
Commodore’s Log
Diana Bliss
I’ve had a very busy July but haven’t had a lot of sailing this past month. I was hiking in Crested Butte for four days with great wildflowers. Then five of my six brothers and sisters came to Steamboat Springs to celebrate our family reunion. We had a great time. So, I’m doing little catch up. First, I want to thank Mark for running the July membership meeting in my absence. If you missed the 4th of July party at Gari’s house, you missed a good one. If I remember correctly, we had about 15-20 people there and Gari divided us into teams for different games to win prizes. Some were sailing related like “pin the tail on the correct boat part” while you were blindfolded. We had great food and socializing, then seeing the fireworks. Thanks, Gari, for setting up a great party this year.
We will be meeting at Seagulls Restaurant at Chatfield Marina 5:30PM on Thurs, August 12th for a short meeting, then sailing at 6:30PM (weather permitting). If you are planning to sail after the meeting, please call Gary Kieft at 858-752-8020 so he knows how many boats to line up. You would pay $10 members at the meeting. This sail is payable online in our Shop at https://www.saltydog.org/shop/
Other upcoming sails for August are the Dillon Weekend sail August 13th-15th, coordinated by Jim Watson. Call Jim at 720-466-9595 to see if there is still room and you can pay online. Also, there’s a full moon sail on August 20th at Chatfield organized by Shane and you can sign up at the August meeting or online. Lastly, we will have the New Members sail on Saturday August 28th to honor our new members with a free sail and potluck lunch. Mark will be running this event so see his article in newsletter. He will also be needing members to volunteer and help out with check in and boat sign ups, so please let Mark know by calling him at 720-979-6669. This will be a fun event!!
Shane, On the Water Coordinator, is still looking for two more coordinators for two day sails, one for Friday, August 20th- full moon sail at Chatfield, and the last sail on September 18th is open. Please let him know if you are willing to coordinate a day sail—no experience needed, comes with training and mentoring. It’s really not that hard. Thanks for everyone stepping up to volunteer!
Again, I want to thank our sail coordinators and boat owners who volunteer their time to keep this club running and having fun! For July, coordinators were Gary Kieft for meeting sail, Shane for the moonlight sail, and John Venema for the Dillon day sail. Also, our boat owners were Brooke and Larry Moreland, Mark Graas, Marilyn Allen, Zeke Z., and Dick and Kathy Hug. Please say a word of thanks and appreciation to them when you see them!
So, hope to see you at the next member meeting August 12th at Seagulls Restaurant at Chatfield Marina at 5:30PM. Invite a friend to join us and check us out with a quick sail!
Next Upcoming Event – Club Meeting August 12th, 5:30pm at Chatfield
Mark Graas – Vice Commodore
New Members Sail FREE – Chatfield Reservoir – Saturday 8/28/21
To all you New Members, you sail free Saturday August 28th. Meet 10:00 AM at Chatfield Reservoir South Boat Ramp to rig boats (Mark will need help with BBQ).
After boat rig, we’ll have a Burger Potluck Brunch, meet at tables left of restaurant (free burgers for all). Members: bring a side dish, salad, or dessert to add to the potluck brunch. After brunch, then we sail.
The cost is free for New Members ($15 deposit check returned on sail day), $15 for regular members, and $21 for signed up male/female guests, pay online at www.saltydog.org/shop. Email Coordinator, Mark vice.commodore@saltydog.org, for your commitment of Captain and Boat or Crew member. Cancellation Policy- Less than 48-hours, a fee of $15 is charged to all no shows including free New Members. Wearing masks is at the discretion of the boat owner but masks should be worn around the dock area. Sign-ups will open up at August 12th member meeting. It’ll be fun.
Shane Brouillette – Member/Coordinator
Full Moon Sail – Chatfield Reservoir – Friday 8/20/21
Meeting time is 6 pm and the meeting place is the gas pumps on the courtesy dock. Bring a light jacket in case it gets chilly. Also, a flashlight/headlamp might be useful. Suggested return time is 10-11pm but it’s really up to each boat captain. If you might want to return earlier than that, please let me know in advance to see if a Captain is willing to do an early drop-off.
$10 for members, $15 for guests. Pay online at www.saltydog.org or send me a check payable to Salty Dogs:
6500 E Alaska Dr Denver, CO 80224
Shane Brouillette 303-393-0555 shanebrulet@gmail.com
Jim Watson – Member/Coordinator
Lake Dillon Sail – Friday 8/13/21 – Sunday 8/15/21
Come sail the beautiful mountain waters of Lake Dillon where you can experience light winds and up to 20+ knots in the same afternoon. A true test of your sailing skills and views to take your breath away.
Boats will be available from Friday afternoon through Sunday. For those sailing from Friday to Sunday the rates are $40.00 for members and $60.00 for guests. For those only sailing Saturday and Sunday the rates will be $30.00 for members and $45.00 for guests. Or sail for one day (must specify what day) at $25.00 for members and $37.00 for guests. You can pay online at www.saltydog.org.
Plan to meet up at the white tent on the east side of the marina at 11:00 AM on Friday.
If there is interest in getting together for dinner on Friday night, we can arrange a group dinner at the Dillon Dam Brewery. Just let me know ASAP so l can make reservations. A potluck dinner is scheduled at our townhouse in Dillon on Saturday night starting around 6:30 PM. Please plan to carpool since there is limited parking available. BYOD
If you have questions l can be reached at 720-466-9595 or at jgwbreck@gmail.com.
Marilyn Allen – Past Commodore/Coordinator
Lake Dillon Sail – Friday 9/3/21 – Monday 9/6/21 – CANCELLED
Unfortunately, due to unavailability of club boats that weekend, we are canceling this sail for this year. However, we still have room for the Dillon sail on August 13th-15th (see above).
Recent Sails – Recaps
Mark Graas – Vice Commodore/Coordinator
Men’s Day Sail – Chatfield Reservoir – Saturday 7/10/21
It was a great “MENS DAY SAIL” with Marilyn and Nick as captains. A great brunch, Nick/Marty Condos on “Little Breese” as hosts. Amazing PB&J/tuna fish sandwiches, exotic fruit, salad, and organic chips to die for. Sailing was like we owned the lake! Laughing about “Being High on Life”. See pictures…Who is that movie star?
Marilyn Allen – Past Commodore/Member
Full Moon Sail – Cherry Creek Reservoir – Tuesday 7/21/21
We had a nice dinner and snacks on the dock with the Santana tribute band playing in the background as we waited for the rain clouds to clear. We left with a beautiful rainbow and had a great evening sail getting in about 9:45pm.
Other Club News
Shane Brouillette – Member/Coordinator
How to get on a small boat (like Why-Buy) from the water:
- Get a rope about 10’ long and tie the ends together.
- Tip the motor out one click – this exposes a steel rod.
- Attach the loop of rope to the rod using a lark’s head knot.
- Loop the other end of the rope around the hump on top of the rudder.
- You now have a rope step that’s away from the boat so it won’t swing under the boat when you step onto it.
Marilyn Allen – Past Commodore/Member
You know you’ve always wanted to….
Try Scuba Diving!
Marilyn Allen, who has been a certified diver since 1981 and is both a PADI Divemaster and an SSI Divemaster, has arranged with A-1 Scuba, one of the largest dive centers in the country, to do a private Try Scuba event just for Salty Doggers and their guests. Minimum age is 12. All equipment and training will be provided by A-1. You need not be a Salty Dog member to participate but there will be a $10 surcharge for non-members.
Dates are anticipated to be during the week of October 3rd pending confirmation with A-1. Weekdays offer better availability, but they will try to accommodate us so everyone who wishes to participate can.
There will be two options – experience diving in A-1’s roomy pool, under the close instruction and supervision of an A-1 licensed instructor OR dive in the Denver Aquarium, with its myriad of fishes and invertebrates – again with the same close attention of an instructor. Marilyn’s suggestion: if this is a “bucket list” item, do the aquarium. If you want to experience scuba, thinking you might want to eventually get certified, do the A-1 pool.
At either location, you will get instruction on use of the equipment and experience breathing through scuba equipment, which actually is more comfortable than breathing through a snorkel. You will learn how to CLEAR YOUR EARS so you don’t experience pain as you descend. The pain some people experience in their ears while free diving or snorkeling is because they don’t equalize the pressure and go down too quickly. Being weightless in the water and getting up-close with fishes you’ve only seen in magazines is truly magical. There’s no sense of claustrophobia because you can see almost as well as you can above the water. This is true for many exotic sites as well, as visibility is often 60-100’.
Prices will adjust depending on the number of participants and I’m hoping to get us a Salty Dog discount. Costs PRIOR to discounts are: Pool- 2-4 people $85/pp. Aquarium- $265/pp. This includes all equipment, instruction, and a full day’s admission to the aquarium.
To participate, contact Marilyn at: HomesByMa@gmail.com before August 10th to express interest and indicate weekdays, weekends, and whether you prefer pool or aquarium. Once I have numbers and preferred days, I will confirm prices and dates with A-1 and get back to you. When dates and prices are confirmed, a deposit of $40 will hold your spot. BE SURE TO CONTACT MARILYN ASAP so we can proceed with booking. This will be a great opportunity to try something easily and comfortably that most people have just dreamed of doing.
Classifieds:
For sale: 25-foot Catalina and trailer, 1988 tall rig, universal 10-horse diesel. Very easy on fuel. I used 5 gallons of fuel over a five-month period.
– Tall rig main sail and two jibs, 130 jib and 150 jib.
– Depth of boat in water 2’10”, wing keel
– Interior modifications: new head 2016; new holding tank 2005; SHOWER in 2005.
– Roller furling
– Lee cloths on both salon benches.
– Trailer has new brakes and surge brake unit on tongue, with new hydraulic system 2016. New trailer lights 2019. Good tires with spare.
Cabin has several modifications since owned by me. VHS radio and handheld V14S radio. Depth, speed and wind direction. AM/FM with speakers, CD player, clock and barometer, first aid kit, movable convenience seat.
– Inflatable dingy,
– Bimini over cockpit,
– Shower in head.
– Boat covers. Mast raising system if no raising system available. Stainless steel cockpit grill.
$14,000 Boat and Trailer – Contact Tom Prebynski, 303-988-5845
P.S. Several great extras – come see and make an offer on accessories.