May, 2010 Compass
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WE'RE COMING BACK!by Tom GaleThanks to all the members who are helping to recruit new folks to join SSYC. The Membership recruitment party we had was very successful and we handed out more than a dozen applications. As you can see by Chris Gribble's pictures, it was quite a party. At April's Board meeting, we inducted and welcomed three new members TIm Biro, Alan Schmidt, and James Zajdel. "Welcome Aboard Guys!" That puts us at 504 members, our present by-law limit is 550, so we still have room to grow, but we've got 5 people coming in May and applications are being requested almost daily. I expect we'll be at 525 by June. One of your new members is from the neighborhood and doesn't have a boat. But, about one third of our members don't own boats either. Remember to invite your none boating friends to consider joining as well. Speaking of friends, Sailing Skippers, how about giving your crew members an application? So don't delay, bring you friends down now and have them enjoy summer at SSYC. From the Helm I may sound like a broken record but the volunteer efforts of our membership never cease to amaze me. Whether it’s an individual or two doing some routine fixing or the hundred members that show up for our work parties. It’s what gives us all the sense of ownership we have in our Club. Nothing brought that fact home as much as seeing Slip Chairman Nello Copen’s volunteers the past several days braving the 40 degree temps and a fresh Northeast breeze to replace the decking on the North Walkway and “C” Dock. These hearty souls as well as all Club volunteers deserve our thanks. A new group of volunteers that’s making a difference is the Garden Committee headed up by Pat Rakowski. She, Fran Aring and Mary Richter have begun the task of tending the plantings that surround the Clubhouse. If you care to join that group contact Pat.The months March and April have been full of committee meetings as we all make plans to come out of hibernation. Well actually hibernation isn’t really the right word since we had a very successful winter season that was full of fun events. General Manager Pat Nora says the ‘numbers’ for the winter months are good, we’re reducing inventory and he’s working with Chef Peter and Restaurant Manager Karen for some new ideas for the summer. Watch for those announcements. Entertainment Chairman Luke Radomski says his committee has a summer full of events, old and new, to keep us all entertained. Read more about them in his Compass article. On a more serious note, we still need more members and you are our best recruiting tool. At the April Board meeting we welcomed three new members and in May we will probably add a half-dozen more but we’ve a ways to go to meet the goal we’ve set for ourselves and your help is needed to do it. Membership Chairman Tom Gale will be continuing to recruit at Milwaukee Community Sailing Center, McKinley Marina and from the boaters who have moorings in the North and South mooring field. We are also planning an Open House as part of the World-wide Sailstice celebration Saturday June 19. We also will welcome the public on Friday June 25 as part of television coverage of the Queen’s Cup Race. Both of these events will be an opportunity to show off SSYC to potential members. I have also been stressing Club membership to our neighbors who have been attending community events that we regularly host here. I’m very optimistic that we can easily reach our goal of a couple dozen more new members. O.K. that said let’s now get ready for the fun months ahead. While you’re working on your boat please be careful and if you’re out working at your slip please wear a life jacket. The water is still icy cold and there still aren’t too many others around to help should you get wet. Last but not least, stop by the office and wish Kristin Banks, Membership Services, well. She’ll be leaving us for a few weeks of maternity leave as she and husband Ryan become new parents. Manager's Reportby Pat NoraI have had the privilege over the last two weeks to witness a slip work party and a great crew search and boating season kick-off party. Both were very well attended and  I’m sure everyone had a great time. I continue to be amazed at the dedication you, as members, have to SSYC.
Speaking of dedication, the next time you see a member of the board thank them for their tireless efforts in promoting and guiding the club in these uncertain times. It is a sometime thankless job and they deserve a great deal of recognition for the work they do. When I came on board, one of my first duties was to evaluate the club’s food & beverage operations. To that end you will see some changes coming in these areas as we move into the boating season. Frequent menu changes and unique dinner specials, theme dinners, new Lakeside Lounge offerings, drink specials and a host of fun events are all in the works. While some of the changes may not be popular with everyone, we hope you’ll try them out and I know that you will be pleased with most. We’d appreciate your input, so please tell us what you think. It is our goal to continually improve operations at your club. Publications Reportby Bob AringAfter the first issue of the new electronic Compass, we had numerous responses. Most were favorable, but there were a few concerns. These we've addressed in this issue by making the width of the page slightly smaller for printing and we eliminated the blank space in the left margin. I want to remind you that this is still a work in progress and we welcome your input. Early discussion of the directory was to have it 'on-line.' However due to time constraints and the demands of the Compass, we are opting to print it again this year. In an effort to save a substantial amount of money we will be asking you to pick up your copy at the club rather than mailing it out. We will continue to mail it to our non-resident members.
Mother's Day BuffetBy: Helen “Cookie” Mueller, PCJoin the South Shore Yacht Club Juniors as they honor Mom on Mother’s Day. On Sunday, May 9th the Juniors will beserving a Breakfast Buffet at SSYC. This is a major fundraiser for the SSYC Juniors. Honor Mom and help support the Junior Organization. Call for reservations today. Serving: 10 AM to 1 PM - reservations are required Adults $14 - Kids 12 and under $9
Menu: Carved Ham, Biscuits & Gravy, Scrambled Eggs, French Toast, Fresh Fruit, Sausage & Bacon, Smoked Fish, Beverages & Desserts! Entertainment Committee Reportby Luke RadomskiThe SSYC social season is kicking into high gear and we have had a couple of amazing evenings already. Both the “ Paddy into Spring” and “Ready, Set, Boat!” parties were wonderfully attended by members and guests alike. The success of these events is due to the hard work of the Entertainment Committee, Members and the staff of SSYC. With this continued coordination and hard work the summer social season is guaranteed to be a success! I also want to take a few lines in order to thank Goose Island Brewery. Their generous donation of two half barrels of 312 Ale for the “Crew Search” and “Ready, Set, Boat” parties helped keep the cost down and, I’m sure, contributed to the fun factor of both events. This philosophy of partnering with companies such as Goose Island and Capitol Brewery is something the committee looks forward to continuing in order to help keep costs low and in turn increase the number of events that we can have. The next Entertainment Committee event will be the annual “Review of the Fleet.” This year we moved the date back a weekend in the hopes of pleasing the weather gods! It will take place on June 12th 2010. All participating vessels will be asked to assemble before 3:30pm. The United States Navy will be holding their Air and Water show on this weekend so if you're planning on going out on the boat to watch the event it would be awesome if you could take a minute to participate in this event before heading on in. The Air Show is scheduled to end around the same time the “Review of the Fleet” begins so please take this opportunity to swing on by the reviewing stand and show the membership and assembled dignitaries your SSYC pride!
Race Committee Newsby Kenneth DziubekIt’s that time of year. Boats are being made ready and launched. Thoughts of sailing and racing are many. This is the time to register in one of the many sailing fleets. There is a Snipe Fleet (Fleet Captain Mike Blackwood); Milwaukee Bay Laser Fleet (Fleet Captain Bob Franke); South Shore Social Sailing Series (Fleet Captain Barbara Drake); Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (Fleet Captains Rick Trisco and Larry Mueller); T-10 Fleet (Fleet Captain Chris Moll); Double Handed Racing Fleet (Fleet Captains Commodore Bruce Nason and Caroline Nason) and the Milwaukee Bay Women’s Offshore Sailing Fleet (Fleet Captains Fran Aring and Phyllis McDonald). If you are interested in participating in any of these fleets, please contact the fleet captains for information. There are also special sail races at South Shore Yacht Club. Our famous Queens Cup Race, June 25th (organized and directed by Vice Commodore Dave Wehnes); Great P/S’er, Aug 14th (race committee member and club cannonier Michael Dziubek); Ladies Skipper Race, August 15th (Fleet Captain Barbara Drake); Mark Stever Memorial Single Handed Race, Aug 21st (race director Kenneth Dziubek); Spinnaker Drag Race, Aug 22nd (race director Kenneth Dziubek). Mark Stever was a single handed sailor at South shore. He enjoyed the atmosphere and camaraderie of our club. After his passing from his fight with cancer, the race committee organized a single handed race in his memory. The winner of the race is presented with the Mark Stever Traveling Trophy (a mounted boat shoe) and is required to purchase a pitcher of “Stingers” (to be consumed by all). This year his brother, Tom Stever, has asked that we read a sealed letter from Tom to Mark at the end of the race. So be there to feel and hear this special moment in time. Short Bightsby Bruce NasonA new fleet is forming at SSYC. Margaret Jaberg has taken the helm to organize a Cruising Fleet here at SSYC. She envisions both power and sail members having monthly trips to other clubs as well as other organized events such as  picnics, dinners, etc. Cruising fleets have been very successful at other yacht clubs on Lake Michigan. Watch for information regarding an informational meeting in May. Check out the new sweatshirts with a larger SSYC logo and new style jackets are now available. Additional summer wear will also soon be ordered. Junior Advisor Mike Blackwood is beginning to organize the 2010 SSYC Junior’s Kaszube Cup Regatta scheduled for July 5 -7. As in years past volunteers will be need for registration, feeding and housing the visiting junior sailors. Also needed are race committee volunteers, safety and spectator boats. If you’ve volunteered in the past or would like to volunteer for the first time contact Mike. This will be the 24th Kaszube Cup Regatta and it is rapidly becoming a premier junior sailing event on Lake Michigan and deserves all of our support. Saturday May 15 the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center is hosting a banquet to celebrate and ‘christening’ of their new facility. There is a link to MCSC on the “links” tab on our webpage. June 19 is the day for Summer Sailstice, a world-wide event celebrating its 10th anniversary that encourages activities on the world’s oceans and lakes. This is the first time events are being organized here in Milwaukee and SSYC is part of local plans. We’ll have an open house that will be an excellent opportunity to show off our club and recruit new members. Weather permitting the outdoor grill will be operating for members and guests alike. MYC, MCSC and MAST are also planning events that will all be promoted (hopefully) in the media. Lastly, we received an offer from a Swiss realtor, offering South Shore Yacht Club the opportunity to purchase an island, Hotham Island, in McBean Channel in Lake Huron. It’s suggested that we can use the island for a base for our cruising members. The asking price is $1,275,000 Canadian. Power Boat Fleetby Russ Berg
We hope this time of year finds you hard at work on your boat, making certain that it floats and that the ice machines areworking. The Power Boaters just completed a great wine tasting party, so those that those who had money left after the gambling get-a-way probably spent it on wine from our friends at Avenue Liquor. Barry Goodstein and the Benscoters did a great job as hosts. Ben and Sue drove back from Key West the evening before just to make certain this event turned out  as planned. The food was superb and the Club staff helped make this event a success.  The up-coming events, include the Chili Dump and Flare Shoot scheduled for May 20 at 6:30 PM, hosted by Craig and Joan Lake, Dave and Judy Dorner, Tom and Cam McElwee and Keith Ponath. Bring your old fire extinguishers and we'll test them on a fire. We're hoping the weather warms up for this usually well attended event. Don't forget your out-dated flares and be prepared to have some good hands-on training. Also don't forget you'll need a quart of warm chili. The next Thursday night event is the Spaghetti Night on June 3 again at 6:30 PM. The hosts are Pete and Bonnie Merryfield, George and Janet Artka and Commodore Bruce and Carolyn Nason. We can't wait to see what all these guys know about "noodles" For this event we ask that you bring a quart of warm spaghetti sauce. Mark your calenders for these two events and we'll see you there. Auxiliary Newsby Jan-Marie Weiler
May 4th the Auxiliary will host the Life Members and Past Presidents Dinner. We will gather at 6 p.m. Reservations are  required and must be called into the club office. We will have pictures from the past to look at and identify for the historian's book. Entertainment will be a white elephant bingo so bring along a white elephant gift in a bag. June 1st is the Auxiliary picnic. Meet at 6 p.m. and bring a salad or dessert. There will be a short meeting and perhaps surprise entertainment. Remember to bring items for donation to Daystar and give them to Marilyn Bruesewitz or leave them in the office and she will pick them up. Traditionally the Queen's Cup merchandise is debuted at this meeting. This year will have some hot items, come and shop early. Carolyn Blackwood is our meeting hostess and thanks everyone for their contributions. She has the schedule set up for the rest of the year. Contact Carolyn if you have any questions about time of set-up or what items to bring. We have been enjoying these treats before the meeting starts. After our April 6th meeting, Karen Crowne, a soon to be retired high school art teacher showed us her hobby of glass bead and wire wrapping art. She explained how taking a class lead to a hobby. She does offer classes at your convenience and was very encouraging about following your passion. She had many interesting items on display and this may spark creative ideas in our members. We are looking forward to seeing more of our snow bird members at the next two meetings, around the club on work dates and at the many interesting activities going on as the weather warms up and the days become blissfully longer. We've missed you and have great times together. As always, we welcome new members to join our group. House Committee Newsby George ArtkaAre you looking for a place to hold your party? It could be for a high school, college graduation or maybe a birthday party. You could also hold a wedding or a retirement party. If you are looking for a great location with a million dollar view of Milwaukee, why not consider using our Yacht Club. Our club offers every member the opportunity to use our facility. Non members can also use our club when they are sponsored by a member. The Commodores Cove located on the second floor has a capacity of 125 people, and you will be able to choose from a list many food options. If you need to hold a small party, you can use the Lakeside Lounge and you can bring in your own food for the party. What better way to support your club then by booking a party. If you have any questions about scheduling an event contact the club office.
Grounds Committee Reportby Jim PetersonWe are getting close to grounds clean-up day and the start of the boating season at SSYC. Regarding spilled or excess paint left behind, please keep in mind that the boat owner is responsible for cleaning up the paint. If it is not cleaned up and the Club has to bring in an outside vendor to clean it up, the boat owner will be charged the cost of the clean-up. During the May 23 - 30, we will be lowering the flag pole for maintenance. As a result, the parking lot will be somewhat restricted due to a work party performing maintenance on the flag pole. While the weather was warmer, a couple of us tipped the waste oil tank over and inspected it. We found it to still be in serviceable shape. We have also decided to continue using it until we are sure what kind of tank the DNR will approve as a replacement. With the start of the boating season, I would like to remind everyone that when removing garbage from your boat, please place your garbage in the large dumpster by the front gate. This will leave room in the smaller garbage containers for small bits of garbage from around the grounds. We are starting boating season a week earlier this year. This will enable us to enjoy a longer boating season. I hope everyone has a great year boating. Junior News  attended this social. During the event, the children searched in the rain for 144 colored eggs that were hidden in South Shore Park. Even the rain didn't stop the kids from searching and having a blast. When they came back inside, they enjoyed a delicious lunch of hot dogs, chips, pickles, and cake. Each child got a little goodie bag with various toys and candies inside. After everyone had finished eating, a Junior picked numbers from 1-144 from a bag. The number corresponded to a number on one of the eggs. When that number was called the child with that egg would receive a prize from the Easter Bunny. Overall, both the kids and the parents enjoyed the Easter Egg Hunt. Special thanks to the SSYC Auxiliary for donating money to the Juniors for this fundraiser. They help us keep the parties affordable for families. Thanks also to all the Juniors for helping with this fundraiser and for all the families who attended.
Double-Hand Fleetby Bruce NasonMark your calendars, the dates for the ‘funest’ (is that a word?) sail race events of our season have been set and this year we’ve added a fourth race in September. The Friday afternoon Double Hand race dates are June 18, July 30, August 20 and September 20. The start time (first warning 1555) hasn’t changed and the course will also be the same. However because of the additional race we’ve had to increase the entry fee to $40, still a bargain for all the fun we have. Last year we had 21 boats registered and expect that many or more this year, come on and join the fun. The NOR and SIs will be available soon at the Club office. MBWSO Fleet Newsby Rebecca Archibald and Phylis McDonald MBWSO started the 2010 racing season with their annual spring meeting April 13, 2010. The gathering included skippers and crew members of MBWSO as well as women interested in getting connected with a racing crew.
Announcements at the meeting included:
• Pancake breakfast at MCSC • Milwaukee Bay Challenge regatta • Sailboat rides, sailboat poker run and barbeque dinner will be hosted by MCSC, SSYC, MYC & Mid America Sail & Trail club • A food drive for Feeding America - Eastern Wisconsin sponsored by the Milwaukee Yacht Club with donation barrels at all 3 clubs. http://www.summersailstice.com/
An idea was presented to follow in the wake of a twenty-one year old Southern California Yachting Association event. The event uses a multi-workshop format presented by top women sailors. The MBWSO fleet was in favor of investigating the possibility of bringing the event to the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center’s new building. Access this link for more information: http://wsscya.scyaweb.org/ PHRF Fleet Newsby Rick TriscoPHRF racers, are you ready for the season? Hopefully by the time you read this your certificate has shown up in your mailbox and you are ready to drop your entry off at SSYC. If you do not have a notice of race or entry form then you may print one from the website or pick one up in the club office. If you haven’t applied for a PHRF certificate but would like to race this summer, you can still apply. Please visit the LMPHRF website at http://www.lmphrf.org and follow the instructions to "Obtain a Handicap". Please remember that a handicap certificate is required to complete your entry to the PHRF fleet.If you need crew for this season and did not have a chance to attend the crew search party then please ask for a copy of the potential crewmembers who attended the event. There seems to a lot of people that want to get out on the water so don’t let the lack of crew be a reason we don’t see you on the racecourse this summer Our website has this summers race schedule so you may want to start planning ahead and create a crew schedule for the summer. If you have questions because you are new to PHRF racing or would like to join the fleet, feel free to contact me (Rick Trisco) at any time. We would love to see you on the racecourse over the weekends and at the great parties that follow!!
“On Board” - Boating Safety TipsBy Gerald Hussin Proper Ventilation Anyone who has spent a few nights aboard their boat, or who has left it unattended for any length of time, understands the value of proper ventilation. Whatever the season, a well ventilated boat can keep you comfortable by staying warm (or cool) longer, control odors and eliminate condensation which will keep other problems from plaguing your boat. Proper ventilation requires some effort in the galley, bilges, head and storage lockers. With the start of the season and unwrapping boats, this is an excellent Fenders When not positioned properly, damage will occur if you don’t pay attention. Fenders are usually secured vertically to the boat at the widest part of the hull or at the beam. There are times when a horizontal placement is desirable along the hull. Prior to placement, review the wind, tide, the current and every part of the dock that can touch the hull and then decide the fender placement. In certain circumstances, a fender is more useful when tied to a piling rather than the boat, but don’t forget it when you leave the dock. Fender boards are commonly used since they are easy to make, can be taken apart and stowed easily. Be sure to have the proper diameter line to secure the fender: too small and the friction through the hole may sever the line. Fender manufacturers recommend that the fender line should be at least half the diameter of the fender eye. Being easy to slip and adjust, a good knot to use on fenders is the clove hitch. Helping Handsby Carolyn NasonAh, boating season is almost here. Remember to put some dryer sheets in a couple places on your boat. You’ll get rid of that musty smell in no time. Speaking of musty smells, here’s another great tip for your boat. Carol Schloemer ">See Haus received this one from some camping friends. Plug in an electric blanket between the mattress and the top cover. Before you get in remove the blanket and you’ll get into a warm and “musty-free” bed. Great idea, thanks Carol. Want an inexpensive dock line chafing fix? Slip old inner tubes from bicycle tires over your dock lines. Looking for some inexpensive and quirky photos? Try 20x200.com. This site offers new and original art starting at $20 each. Bid quickly, they go fast! Quirky photos. With all the gadgets on our boats we know how important batteries are. Ken Dziubek (Summertime) found a great video on how to save money on batteries. It involves the purchase and dismantling of a 6- volt lantern battery. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGEbeMY7J3o&feature=sub. Very cool, Uncle Kenny. Ah, it’s spring cleaning time. Keep a donation hamper in your closet. Every two weeks select an item you haven’t worn in the past six months and toss it in. When the hamper is full, take everything to Goodwill. Shoo fly! Emily Burrows offers this excellent idea. Have you ever seen Zip-lock baggies, pinned to a post or a wall, half-filled with water, containing 4-6 pennies? This little ingenious device really keeps the flies away. One source said the flies see their reflection while another said they mistake the bag for an insect nest and are threatened. Yet another guy said the prism effect of the water molecules acts like a disco ball in the eyes of a fly. Whatever it is, it works! Let’s all try Speaking of pennies, toss a pre-1982 penny in a birdbath to prevent algae. The high copper content retards growth. Spray your burgee before raising it. A product called McLube (a dry lubricant) recommends that you spray it on your burgee before you hoist it. The burgee will last a lot longer and stay cleaner. Try it on your fenders too-they’ll stay cleaner longer. Don’t forget to catch up on your summer reading. Check out trader.com and swaptree.com. You can exchange books, DVDs and CDs with others. Another great site is goodreads.com As always, keep your hints coming. Antigua Race Eventsby Bob Aring'Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do then by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.' - Mark Twain Antigua Race Events Check out our blog at Sailacious.com for more pictures of Antigua and the incredible array of boats. |
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We are continuing to grow and some of the existing skippers are coming back with bigger boats. Whitney Kent is running the show on a J-30 and Phyllis McDonald has moved into a Cayenne 41. A few new boats this season include a J-35, “Nemesis,” skippered by Dana Felton; a Catalina 27 “Irie,” crewed by last year’s “Wild Goose” team now skippered by Nicki Reinardy and a Soling helmed by Ashley Henderson. While the MBWSO fleet is always looking for more boats to join the fleet, we also have a few owners who are looking for a skipper / crew boss to run their program. Contact Phyllis or Fran for more information. 
time to address possible ventilation problems.
this out on the lake when the flies appear. Thanks Emily!
for her later adventures.I commend her site to you: 
main channel and could watch much of the activity from our cockpit. Boats in the harbor were flying flags from many countries. The boats ranged from 24 foot all wooden sloops, to big 124 foot J Boats, all the way to 'Athena' a 296 foot tri-masted schooner. The oldest boat in the race was a 67 foot Nygren M Yawl built in 1899. The sight of these classic boats under sail is a sight to behold. The high tech oceans racers arrived for Antigua Race Week in English Harbor next door. A picturesque setting that was once AdmiralNelson's headquarters, the historic buildings are still being used today.
