DOG TALES

Volume 39, Issue 8                              August 2020

 

 

Commodore’s Log                                        Marilyn Allen

July was a busy month for the Salty Dogs. We were definitely having fun! July 4th was Gari Weskott’s party which was engineered with complete Covid guidelines in place. We had party games as only Gari could design as well as great food and company. There even were some fireworks to see from the hill above Gari’s home.  Thanks so much Gari.   You give the BEST parties.

July 6 was the Moonlight Sail with Shane and Marilyn talking out Why Buy boats and several newer members joining us. The weather started off beautifully, but being Colorado, ya never know what’s going to happen. Thanks to Cindi Schmitt’s excellent weather skills, the crew on Marilyn’s boat got reefed and the jib almost in before the squall hit. I understand Shane had water coming INTO the boat. We had 3 new members on his boat, and they were very complimentary of his cool head during the blow. We got absolutely soaked but a good and memorable time was had.

John Venema organized his annual Lake Dillon 2- day sail July 12 and 13. Day 1, we got hit with 22-24 knot winds twice that lasted almost an hour each time. Pretty wild and tested every one’s sailing skills, but that’s what Dillon does!  We’ll be back there on Labor Day weekend. See the article elsewhere for information and sign up opportunities.

The BIG lessons from all of these events is REEF EARLY!  It’s a lot easier to take a reef out than it is to get one in when you’re being hit with 20 knot winds !!!!!

I’m sure you’ll be hearing about the Lake Mac trip that was organized by Diana Bliss. Meanwhile, the “wandering dogs” were enjoying the Atlantic.

Cliff Randall participated in a delivery from the Bahamas to New England and Marilyn and Molly Miller crewed for 6 days on Peter Baumgarten’s 38’ Catamaran the Charles Edward as he moved it from Norfolk Va to Newport/Jamestown RI. Our departure from Norfolk was smooth and uneventful until two Navy patrol boats came roaring up to us, guns drawn, sirens going and lights flashing. The loudspeaker was blaring as they told us to get out of the channel. Then we saw the VERY LARGE SUBMARINE we had approached too closely. These guys definitely meant business and scared the daylights out of us!

A day later, as we passed Atlantic City, we encountered a pod of nearly 100 dolphins that played alongside of us as they headed south.

Courtesy of Peter’s fishing skills, we had fresh tuna for several meals and enjoyed anchoring out at both Block Island and Jamestown. Two all night crossings were a little hard on us but a great new experience. I had clear skies with stars everywhere. When my watch was over at 2AM, the fog rolled in and apparently, Molly and Peter could barely see.  I slept through it!

Be sure to sign up for the Dillon Sail on September 5 and 6 (Labor Day is late this year). Marilyn Allen is coordinating. See information on page 5 in this newsletter. This is always a popular sail so sign up soon.

Happy Sails,

Your Commodore, Marilyn Allen

Membership Report                                 Ronni Willcox

Salty Dog Sailing Club sends out a warm August welcome back to Chris F, Cindy and Keith S, and Brian and Stephanie T, all former members who have renewed! This brings our current club membership to 51.

Even though the sailing season is half over, the Salty Dog Meetup Group has recently seen several interested sailors sign up on the Meetup website.

The current COVID situation is challenging but the club is figuring out ways to welcome new members and sail safely together while observing social distancing regulations. And still have fun too !!

If you haven’t already joined or renewed, please do so soon at our On-Line Payment link: https://www.saltydog.org/membership/

Or, if you prefer, you can send a check along with your membership application to: Ronni Willcox

Have any questions about membership? Send them to membership@saltydog.org

                           ******   Please   ******  Renew Your Membership for Calendar 2020 –

Use our On–Line Payment Link At :  https://www.saltydog.org/membership/

 

The pessimist complains about the wind,

      The optimist expects it to change,

           The realist adjusts the sails

Jamestown, RI

Reefing  – Part 1 – Tip                            Shane Brouillette

There are 2 kinds of sailors.  Sailors that admit they have forgotten to replace the thumbscrew that holds the sail slugs in the mast and sailors that lie.

If you want to avoid the embarrassment that comes when you drop the mainsail and the entire sail falls into the cockpit, here’s a neat trick to end that problem.

This problem usually follows a reefing where the stopper was not replaced. So…let’s say the bottom 2 slugs have to drop out of the mast to allow the reefing to work out right.  WhyBuy boats, and many others, have 2 halyards for the foredeck; one for the jib and one for the spinnaker. If the spinnaker halyard is not going to be used, you can take it and insert it between the 2nd and 3rd slug from the bottom of the sail. Take the shackle back up and clip it onto the mast ring that it was on to start with.  Adjust the halyard so that the third slug can’t quite fall out of the mast slot. That’s it.

Now you can leave the thumbscrew keeper out. The halyard keeps the remaining slugs from falling out but allows the removed slugs to be replaced (when you want to take the reef out) and the sail to be hoisted to its normal position.

Reefing – Part 2 – Lake Dillon Sail     John Venema

Good Grief!  Enough already!

Sailing on Lake Dillon is usually an exciting event but gusts of over 40 miles per hour is almost too much excitement!.

On day one I was with the Ingels on a “Why Buy J22” when the storm came through.  We had anticipated the storm, were double reefed and heading into Frisco bay for protection.  The wind was fierce.  This is the only time I have seen foam rushing across the water on Lake Dillon.  We headed for a vacant mooring ball and, fortunately, Charles Ingel was able to thread the ring on the first attempt.  We rode out the storm while tethered to the mooring ball and then readied the boat for the sail back to the Dillon marina.  At the Dillon marina we learned that one of the large docks at the marina had torn loose during the storm.

On day two I was sailing with Cliff Randall when another storm came in.  We headed for the snake river inlet to get away from the southwesterly wind but the wind clocked to the west giving us a challenge.

Reminder:  Pay careful attention to the weather when sailing in the mountains.

And, reef early.

Dry Land Activities                                 Andrea Lewis

Thankfully we are back on the water – so no more Dry Land until October 2020

Ideas, suggestions, please let Andrea Lewis know

Andrea – Dry Land Coordinator   dryland@saltydog.org

Sailing Schedule 2020                           Gary Kieft

August 2020

August 5 – Mid Week Sail – Chatfield

Ahoy!  Please join your fellow Salty Dog sailors at our Wednesday, August 5th sail at Chatfield Lake.

We will gather at 4:00 along the docks to greet one another and organize ourselves into boat groups.

Feel free to bring a dinner or visit the Marina to grab a quick bite to eat before we set sail.

Contact Heather Igel, if you are able to provide a boat for this excursion.

Use our on – line sign up at  https://www.saltydog.org/on-the-water-events/

August 13 – Monthly Meeting / Sail – Chatfield

Sign up at  https://www.saltydog.org/on-the-water-events/

August 21 – TGIF Sail  – TBD

Sign up at  https://www.saltydog.org/on-the-water-events/

September  2020

Join us in Dillon, September 5 and 6th – Labor Day weekend.

This is always a fun 2-day sail and Lake Dillon consistently challenges the best of sailors. Several of us are planning to stay in Dillon over the the 3-day weekend, and looking on VRBO, there is great availability starting at around $220/night for a place that sleeps 4. If you’d like to make it a long weekend in the mountains, contact Marilyn for more info. We may have room in our place, and if not, I can help direct you. I’ve coordinated this sail multiple years so I know the lodging situation pretty well.

About the actual sailing event –

We’ll sail both Sat and Sun from late morning until the skippers want to come in. We’ll get together for a potluck dinner on Saturday night. Sunday night, we usually have so many leftovers that we can eat in again, but we’ll play it by ear. Cost will be $15 for 1 day, $30 for 2 days. Cancellations prior to 8/25 will receive and 80% refund, after that you forfeit unless we fill your spot. We have a limited number of boats on Dillon, so make your reservation early.

Sign up and pay on line to reserve your spots and be sure to indicate which days you’d like to sail.

The link for members is: https://www.saltydog.org/product/labor-day-sail/

The link for guests is: https://www.saltydog.org/product/dillon-labor-day-guest/

Besides sailing, there is great biking, hiking, shopping and exploring. It’s just a beautiful place to be and there usually are concerts and other events over the weekend.

******    Like to Coordinate a Sail ?    Contact Gary Kieft – onthewater@saltydog.org     ******

 

Recap of Big Mac Trip – July 2020               Diana Bliss    

Sixteen sailors and four boats made it up to Lake McConaughy this year. Brian, Stephanie, and myself tried to launch on Thursday from a nearby dock but the waves and winds were too much. The water level was 12 feet down, so we had to refigure where to launch the boats for the weekend sail safely.

We had to go to Spillway Ramp by the dam, so we left early to bring the boats around to that boat ramp which was deeper and more protected.  But by the time we got the boats rigged and ready to launch we had to wait in line.

Once we got out we had a great sailing day with lots of wind on Friday. Saturday we decided to go early again but our boats were already rigged and ready to go so we got in at boat launch much earlier.  We had a full day of sun, swimming, and light to medium wind in afternoon for sailing — a great day.

We came back to the resort for our potluck dinner which had to be postponed while a storm blew through. There was a slight break in the weather so I had everyone come out and eat and clean up fast cause it was going to rain again.

After dinner we all crowded in one of the cabins and told stories of our best sailing experiences.

Sunday was looking cloudy and not so good for sailing, so we helped pack up the boats and our campers and headed home.  We discussed the possibilities of next year’s sail here and decided it would be best to go in early June for deeper water and better weather – less storms.  We even thought of coming up during the week instead of a weekend.

I think everyone had a great time.  I want to thank all the boat owners for bringing their boats and participating, and want to thank all the people who helped rigging and de-rigging the boats, especially with changing the boat launch area.

I’d say we had another successful and fun sailing weekend.

 

       ***   Faire Windes, Safe Harbour   ***
Articles for next issue are due on the 25th.
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