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Welcome To The Commodore's Corner
Commodore’s Corner Many thanks and congratulations to all of you who actively participated to make this year a successful and memorable one. Despite the setbacks caused by violent weather, our creativity was energized, enabling us to engage in great off-the pattern events. Now is the time to look ahead with a new executive board. I wish them the very best in planning a sensational year par excellence. By the way, because we didn’t have a regular publication of “Windbreaker” in December, I want to thank Frank Putman for his slide show at the general meeting in November. Frank pointed out some informative and valuable information about boat buying and boat maintenance in the region of Puerto Vallarta. Also, I want to apologize for misspelling Frank’s name. It is PutMAN vice Putnam. And I want to remind the new board to continue to redefine their areas of function and responsibility for discussion at the bridge on Monday, February 1st. Sabra is very thankful for all the encouragement you have passed along to her. I’ll see you all at the Change of Command at the Viscount on Saturday, January 30th. The fun starts at 6. Bruce
Commodore’s Corner
It's no surprise that the Tucson
Sailing Club has provided Sabra and I overwhelming support at a time we
certainly needed it.
The well-wishing cards and elegant flowers bespeak your genuine concern, an emotion that is rare these days and characterizes the generous heart of our club. Our appreciation cannot be measured as Sabra recovers, albeit slowly, her physical and emotional stress. My stalwart staff is also the object of appreciation. They have held the course admirably. I understand from Matt that there was difficulties at O'Malley's regarding over scheduling. As far as I can gather it originated with the change in scheduling the regatta from October 31 to the following weekend. I personally talked to the bartender/manager in September about the change, and followed it up with two phone calls, one of which was on October 28. It all sounds as though an event judged more important than ours took precedent. Oh well, it sounds like a story I've experienced several times in my lifetime. On Matt's suggestion, I agree that we should look into other venues for our general meetings. At the Bridge on December 7th, I'm going to propose an ad hoc committee to search the horizon. Don't forget our meeting on Wednesday, November 18th at O'Malley's (O' please get it straight) when Frank Putnam will present "Buying a Sailboat in Mexico." With all the unexpected acts of Poseidon this year, I have found these few months some of the most stimulating since I joined TSC. The programs have been excellent thanks to Matt, Ed, Stu, and Pete with the additional safety seminar sponsored by Loretta, Scott, Stu, Wally, Maggie and Sue. Sabra and I had great starts in the May regatta, but fizzled at the end because? the wind evaporated. Nevertheless, Bill did a super job as usual in organizing those two days. Though circumstance beyond my control kept me from the Rally, scuttlebutt informed me that it was a great, unforgettable event. Also, our two picnics organized by Glenn were yummy and the races breathtaking. Have a luscious Thanksgiving.
Bruce
Commodore’s Corner
First of all, I want to thank
all the officers and staff for grabbing the helm in my absence at the last
general meeting. Whether you believe it or not, my "hooky" was unexpected
and unavoidable. I have a reliable back up team that didn't flinch or pull
the plug. Many thanks again, especially for keeping in-email contact. Also,
I want to thank Chris Smith for presenting at that meeting. I understand it
was excellent.
At the executive meeting on August 31st at
Cody's, the call went out again for a raffle committee chair. Remember, with
a little forethought and planning, it is not a complicated affair. We are
all consumers (of one thing or another), so ask that friendly retailer if he
or she would like to bring more business in by offering a discount or gift
card to be raffled. My opinion is that a "paper" contribution is better that
a large item. I say this, because before the last raffle, our car was
loaded with bagged gifts, and we were stopped three times for custom
inspections. Also, keep in in mind that the Mexican authorities can impound
your car on any suspicious activity. I understand the meals in a "juzgado"
are not like Rosa's Cantina. You may argue that it has never happened, but
don't be the first martyr. I know a display of many bagged gifts is
appealing at the banquet, but let's use a little caution.
Now back to my original request: Raffle
Chair, step forward!
The fall picnic and Top Gun competition was
as usual a great success thanks to so many participants. Let's congratulate
Judy Burgard for winning the short-but-sweet sabot races that kicked-off the
high spirits of the day at Columbus Park on Sunday, September 13th. Dick
Sebastian took the big trophy from some fierce competitors. What a sailor!
Hamburgers, chicken, sausage and favorite beers groaned on the table that
Glenn and Kate Brostedt set. And thanks to all those support groups who
provided luscious salads and yummy desserts. We all joined in wishing a
happy birthday to Ned Pos, Alan Burgard and Steve Renecker as we enjoyed
their cakes. There were memorable fair winds and a splendid, almost
autumn day to boot.
Now for less happier events. Much less
happier events. Wally Alexander, who visited San Carlos shortly after Jimena
had, brought back some terrifying photos of the entire area. Evidently, the
Seca was completely swamped with over forty-inches of rain, leaving many
damaged boats including some belonging to TSC members. The roads, highways,
and familiar landmarks were either missing or severely damaged. They say San
Francisco Bay was literally a sea of drowned animals. Que lastima! How
horrible!
For us, it is a question of the regatta in
November. My personal opinion based on the photos and those friends we have
in San Carlos whom I have communicated with is that it is going to be a long
time before the area will be put back together, using Mexican time, a very
long time. We must do some hard thinking about our planned events. I'll be
getting back to you.
At our September general meeting on the 23,
Frank Putnam will present well-needed information on "Purchasing a Sailboat
in Mexico." I think we all can benefit from that one. See you there.
Have a great month.
Bruce
Commodore’s Corner Well,
May into June was probably one of the most active periods for the Club. (Oops,
I’m repeating last month’s opening statement.) Garry Morris provided a superb
and stimulating The Captain’s Club in San
Carlos again did a “tasteful” cocktail party the night before the regatta. One
half-hour of the eight mariachis was an evening in heaven. The wind was up
for the regatta when nineteen boats of varying classes took part in two days of
racing, punctuated by a relaxing cocktail party on the second deck of the
Marina, hosted Speaking of
tasty stuff, the Plaza San Carlos on Playa Algodones provided one of the best
Mexican buffets going on Sunday evening. More than all you could eat and drink
while Mark McDade conducted a stimulating raffle with many laughs accompanying
the contents of the winners’ bags. According to the raffle committee over $700
was added to our treasury. Thank you committee, thank Special welcome to our new members Bruce Long and Judy Schick. We look forward to your company. Unfortunately,
Sabra and yours truly were unable to make the crossing to Santa Rosalia for the
Rally. We were ready to sail by ferry on Monday, but heard that the ferry was so
laden with We learned
afterwards that trouble brewed out in the middle of the Sea that wasn’t caused
by the usual culprit—the wind. The culprit was the tide. It so happens, and
usually between I was pained
hear about those who suffered injury and sickness caused by this natural
phenomenon. Just remember that such a situation can happen during this time of
the year any year. I wasn’t
pained to hear that 23 boats made the crossing and the accolades about the rest
of the Rally. Evidently, the night before was all forgotten as Santa Rosalia
came out in force to greet Remember our
general meeting on Wednesday, June 24th when Dean Zimmerman will
present a special film on the Sea of Cortez and what makes it flow. Also, there
will be a Bridge meeting at Bruce Salty Tidbit
“Minding your P’s and Q’s”
One of the explanations for this phrase regards the methods a sailor
uses to measure his favorite liquid nourishment—Pints and Quarts.
P.S. That’s how sailors got the nickname of “tar.” Bruce May 2009 Basic Piloting Since most of the navigation from San Carlos to Santa Rosalia will be by means of piloting and a period of GPS or dead reckoning reliance when no land or navigational aids will be present, the following are a few pointers on sharpening up the use of a magnetic compass.
First of all, we have to face the fact that the planet earth is not
perfect. It’s not round like a soccer ball and its magnetic properties are just
a little bit fickle. As it rotates it tends to expand at the middle (the
equator), as some of us do in old age, due to rotation (for one thing) and
flatten at the poles. This causes a fluctuation between what we call true north
and true south and what we call magnetic north and magnetic south. In other
words, the magnetic poles and true poles do not match up, AND the magnetic poles
are constantly shifting. Therefore, we must apply a correction to our rhomb line
or TRUE COURSE line that we mark off on our chart between our departure point or
waypoint at San Carlos and our arrival point or waypoint at Santa Rosalia, which
is 240 degrees. This correction is called VARIATION and can be found in degrees
and minutes on the compass rose of your chart. For the passage to Santa Rosalia
the variation is a little greater than 12 degrees EAST, which means we must
correct our TRUE course to MAGNETIC by subtracting 12 degrees from our true
course. An easy way of remembering how to convert a TRUE COURSE to a MAGNETIC COURSE is EAST VARIATION is LEAST (subtract) and WEST VARIATION is BEST (add).
Conversely, you can convert a magnetic course or hand compass
bearing on a navigational object to a true bearing that can be drawn on your
chart with parallel rules by ADDING EAST VARIATION. Next month we’ll take a look at another correction to your magnetic compass called DEVIATION, caused by magnetic interference with metal objects on your boat and is usually far less than the correction for VARIATION. Bruce Salty Tidbit
A short one this time. What does that word skipper we so
often use for the person in command of your vessel mean? Is it a person who
skips over the decks, so full of himself, his brass buttons pop? Or is it the
one who first skips off the gunwale as the boat is sinking? Bruce
Commodores Corner April 2009 Stu Willoughby
presented a highly informative “lecture” on charging and maintaining electrical
systems on board all types of sailing vessels. His thorough knowledge of
electrical systems was both impressive and instructive, especially to those of
us who assume a battery, wires and switches are all you need to operate safely
and efficiently the increasing number of parts and instruments that require
electrical current. Most valuable was Stu’s reminder that the corrosive effects
of electrical current and salt air require the constant maintenance of the
systems. Thank you Stu for sharing your experiences and knowledge. Lanae McDade has moved forward with leaps and bounds with the regatta raffle scheduled for Sunday, May 24th at the Plaza San Carlos. She has prepared an informative letter and attractive calling card to present to any prospective donor. This year donations in the form of gift cards and small articles are preferable so as to eliminate transporting large and bulky items to San Carlos. Already her team has received several donations such as airline tickets and slips at the Marina. For further information and to download the letter contact lanaemcdade@hotmail.com. Letters and calling cards will be available at the general meeting on April 22nd. A reminder that the cruising safety presentation will be held at El Parador Restaurant, 2744 East Broadway on Saturday, April 18th at 11 a.m. Reservations must be made by April 15th. The Top Gun Lazer Races and Picnic is scheduled at 11 o’clock on Sunday, April 19th at Columbus Park. Entrees of chicken, hamburgers and sausages as well as all kinds of beverages will be provided by the club. Please bring a covered dish, salad or dessert to fill in the chinks. Please review the deadlines for making reservations for the ferry, hotel, and Rally festivities at Santa Rosalia. Loretta and the committee have provided every detail in their brochures about the venture. Check them out! April’s general meeting will be at O’Malley’s on Fourth Avenue at 7:30. Bob Milligan, a local boat builder, will present an exciting and unusual topic: planning, building and financing the construction of an all aluminum sailboat (salt water hates it). Don’t miss this unusual event. And the next Bridge will be at Cody’s Beef and Beans on Monday, May 4th at 7 o’clock (we missed Cinco by one day, darn it, but we’ll drink to it anyway). Remember
to apply for your passports! Basic Rules of the Road Vessels Under Sail • When two sailing vessels approach each other, the vessel that is on a port tack must give way to the other vessel. In other words, the other vessel that is on a starboard tack has the right of way. One method of remembering that a vessel on the starboard tack has the right of way is to also remember that starboard is the right side of your vessel when you are facing the bow. Right-starboard-right-with-a-green-light! • If two sailing vessels are on the same tack, that is, both are on either a port or a starboard tack, the one to windward must give way. In other words, the vessel that is closer to the direction from which the wind is blowing must give way to the other vessel because the vessel to windward has greater maneuverability and can come about to avoid collision. Also, the vessel to windward can “steal” the wind, rendering the vessel to leeward a great disadvantage. • When one sailing vessel is overtaking another sailing vessel, it must give way to the other vessel. In other words, it stands to reason that the vessel overtaking the other has better visibility and maneuverability than the one being overtaken. • A vessel in the process of coming about or jibing must give way to the other vessel. In other words, it stands to reason that if a vessel is changing tack into or away from the wind, its intentions from the other vessel’s point of view cannot be certain; therefore, the vessel in the process of maneuvering must give way to the other vessel. • A vessel that must give way to another vessel must also pass astern of the other vessel. In other words, as in the overtaking situation, the vessel that must give way has better visibility and maneuverability than the vessel that is ahead of it. • A vessel on a run that is approaching a close-hauled vessel on the same tack must give way to the other vessel. In other words, a vessel that is running on a starboard tack has more maneuverability than a close-hauled vessel on the same tack. Rules of the Road One Sailing Vessel and One Powered Vessel • A sailing vessel must give way only (1) when overtaking a powered vessel, (2) when the powered vessel is fishing, (3) when the powered vessel is out of command or disabled, (4) and when the powered vessel is maneuvering in a channel. Rules of the Road Other Matters Also bear in mind that when departing or entering an enclosed harbor or shelter such as the San Carlos Marina, you must obey the rules for a powered vessel since most marinas require that motor propulsion be used in such congested areas. Therefore, as on our highways, you should stay on the right side of the channel until you clear the “no-wake” entrance, which unfortunately, for the sake of a thrill, most fishing craft disregard. Additionally, most harbors and shelters exhibit a black can buoy and a green flashing light at night on the right side of the entrance when you are departing. On returning remember that the black can buoy and green flashing light will be on your left and that the red nun buoy and red flashing light will be on the right, thus red-right-returning. When clear of the channel and on the unobstructed sea, also remember that it takes two to tango. Never assume that the other vessel, be it under sail or motor powered, adheres to the rules of the road. It is your responsibility to avoid collision by any means available. When you sight a vessel on your starboard or port side on a course that will eventually cross your bow take periodic relative bearings on the vessel to determine whether you are on a collision course. If the relative bearing of the other vessel does not change, you can be sure a collision is imminent. For example, at 9 a.m. another vessel is sighted 45˚ off your starboard bow (45˚ from your bow centerline). At 9:05 the other vessel is sighted still at a 45˚ angle off your starboard bow. At 9:07 the angle has not changed. You are on a collision course if your vessel and the other remain on course and speed. Don’t wait until there is only the thickness of your hull paint between you. After checking for any other obstacles such as shoals and other vessels, change your course so that you will pass astern of the other vessel. Next month I’ll deal with converting compass courses and bearings to true. Until then, try to avoid collisions at sea. They are truly wet and nasty. Bruce
Slush Fund Bruce
Commodores Corner March 2009 Captain Bruce
Wuele, USCG, presented a stunning and chilling slide show from his experiences
in Antarctica while he was on active duty. One memorable item from the show
was the foodstuffs well over a hundred years old still intact. Saves on those
electric bills. Captain Wuele has offered to do an encore from his other
experiences later this year. Thank you! Sailing Checklist Cabin 1. Prepare life jackets, harnesses, tethers, whistles, flashlights, knives, hats, and gloves. 2. Turn on transducer or sounding device. 3. Turn on VHF. Channel 16, standby mode. 4. Turn on GPS and auto tiller, standby mode. 5. Visually check running and compass lights. 6. Secure all gear and hatches. On Deck 1. Remove sail cover, bungees and stow. 2. Standby boat hook on deck. 3. Check outhaul, downhaul, vang and topping lift. 4. Free main and jib halyards. 5. Fly flags. 6. Debag jib (non-auto furlers), secure halyard to head, and hank jib to forestay. 7. Haul jib one foot and tie off. Secure to pulpit if necessary. 8. Lead jib sheets aft through fairleads and take two turns clockwise on winches. 9. Haul main to start slugs in luff groove. Secure. 10. Start engine. 11. Standby dock lines, man boat hook and cast off. 12. Coil lines. 13. Haul fenders on board and secure. 14. Secure life-line pelican hooks. 15. Release topping lift and cleat mainsheet. 16. When heading into wind, haul main while feeding slugs into luff groove. 17. Secure main halyard. 18. Release jib from pulpit and haul. 19. Secure jib halyard and man leeward sheet. 20. Coil halyards on pins or on deck. Secure boat hook. 21. When engine no longer required, tilt it up. Returning Checklist On Deck 1. Lower engine shaft. Start engine. 2. Lower jib. Secure to pulpit if necessary. Secure jib halyard. 3. Standby boat hook. 4. Secure boom to topping lift and cleat mainsheet. 5. Lower and flake/roll mainsail on boom. Bungee. 6. Secure main halyard. 7. Lower dockside fenders. Release lifeline pelican hooks. 8. Standby fore and aft dock lines. 9. Secure bow, spring, and stern lines. 10. Secure and tilt engine up. 11. Cover mainsail. 12. Bag jib and sheets. 13. Lower off-dock fenders. Secure boat hook. Cabin 1. Open hatches. 2. Secure auto pilot, GPS, VHF, transducer or sounding device. 3. Secure running lights if needed 4. Stow life jackets, harnesses, tethers, whistles, knives, flashlights, hats and gloves. The foregoing, of course, applies during optimum weather conditions, will have to be customized to your particular boat, and is intended to give a general list of what you need to have and do when sailing and when returning. Have a good sail! See you next month with rules of the road and basic piloting. Bruce Bruce Zortman Commodores Corner February 2009 This was the third
Change of Command banquet that Sabra and I attended. We both are in total
agreement that it was the greatest of greats. Now that’s not because I assumed
the office of Commodore but totally because the planning and execution were
superb. Please join me in congratulating Judy and Bob for the flawless
negotiations, Ned and Deana for the very attractive table decorations, and
Loretta, John B. and John L. for the giggle-a-second presentations of the
awards. Hey, that dinner could have been served at the Waldorf!
Salty Tidbit Bruce Zortman
Commodores Corner January 2009 A very happy and
healthy new year to all. And from the look of the projects planned it is going
to be one of TSC’s most energized and exciting ones. Thanks to our dedicated
membership there are already in the mill far reaching and innovative cruises and
informative programs for our monthly meetings. “Honorable Sir: (signed) Well it’s out, and
I’m relieved. Please note in your deliberations that I have one other weakness.
I’m unable to see Russia from my kitchen window. We wish
everyone well to make this a great year. Bruce
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