SSYC Recruits New Members at the Milwaukee Boat Show In January we had a booth at the Milwaukee Boat Show. While at the show, the members volunteering in our booth spoke with many boat show attendees informing them of the benefits of membership at SSYC. This resulted in nearly 100 inquiry cards being filled out. We will be following up with these people to determine their level of interest in our club. These people will be invited down for an open house that we will host for potential members on February 19th between 2 and 4 PM.
If you have a friend who is interested in membership at SSYC, please invite them to the open house for potential members. Board members and boat show volunteers will be on hand to answer any questions that a potential new member may have. We will also have plenty of applications on hand. While it is not required, it would be helpful if you could drop an email to membership@ssyc.org letting us know if you plan to have a friend drop in at the open house.
I would also like to thank our many volunteers who helped put the booth together, transport and set it up at the boat show, and staff the booth during show hours. If you didn’t get a chance to see it live, here is a photo of booth at the show.
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From The Helm There’s light at the end of the tunnel, with all the snow it doesn’t seem like it but only 10 weeks until the first boat launch. Yea! Speaking of snow, thanks to Rear Commodore George Artka and kitchen helper Sam Pangallo we’ve had a clean parking lot and walkways to the Clubhouse.
The first item to address here is the Special Membership Meeting and the assessment that was approved. I want to thank all those who attended and for their support of the lift station pump replacement project. Even though we had little choice, it’s great to have uniform membership approval. It also goes without saying, the support we’re receiving from our Life and Life Surviving Spouse (LSS) membership has been overwhelming. Prior to the meeting on February 3rd we had received nearly two dozen checks and cash from Life and LSS members, many for amounts greater than the sixty dollar assessment. Membership support and dedication to this Club is what sets SSYC apart from others. With regard to the actual start of the work to replace the lift station pumps, we’re waiting for the last bids to be submitted and hope the work can start in the very near future.
We’ve had plenty of activities to keep our minds off the snow and cold since the first of the year. Probably first and foremost were the Packers Sundays. The crowds celebrating the Packers roll toward the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl party were spectacular. Both the NFC Championship and Super Bowl drew crowds of 200. The usual Taco Tuesdays, Wings Wednesdays, Themed Thursdays as well as the Chili Dump, Karaoke Night and Junior Spaghetti Night all are bringing life to our Wisconsin winter doldrums. The schedule for the rest of February, March and April are just as intense. Watch for schedules posted on our web site and email announcements. So get down here and enjoy your Club.
The committees are going full blast also; check the web site for those schedules. A new committee just created, the SSYC 100th Anniversary Committee, held its’ first meeting a couple of weeks ago. The turn-out was a little low but I expect more to attend in the future. Watch for that schedule and be part of planning for our 2013 Centennial Celebration.
Last week I attended the Wisconsin Marina Association (WMA) winter meeting held in Sheboygan. We are one of only four yacht clubs who are members of the WMA. The keynote topic was the Clean Marina Certification. At last year’s meeting I signed a pledge on behalf of South Shore Yacht Club that we would become a Certified Clean Marina and we have since adopted many of the requirements to achieve that designation. To that end, I’m going establish a taskforce to complete that process so that we can join our friends at Racine Yacht Club, the only Wisconsin yacht club currently with a Certified Clean Marina designation.
To wrap up, I want to give credit to all the volunteers who manned our booth at the Milwaukee Boat Show. It was our first effort and all agree we were well received with more than 100 ‘contact cards’ filled out. As part of that effort, an Open House is scheduled for February 19th with Club Officers and Membership Committee members present to greet potential members. You’re welcome to attend too. Growing our membership should be job #1 for all of us. For now, let’s start counting the days until the boat covers come off and the sound of sanders fill the air.
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Entertainment Committee News The Entertainment Committee met on February 9th to discuss the upcoming event season at the club. I want to say thank you to those members who took time on a bitterly cold evening to attend. The main focus of the meeting was a finalization of the 2011 event schedule. Mark your caledars for the following events.
04/30/2011: Crew Search Party
06/11/2011: Review of the Fleet/Pig Roost
06/18/2011: Summer Sailstice and Open House
06/30/2011: Queen’s Cup Party
08/06/2011: Corn Roost
09/10/2011: Fish Boil
10/08/2011: Change of Watch
12/31/2011: New Years Eve (Go Figure!)
Last years attendance at these events was fantastic! A special recognition of member’s patience should also be acknowledged. Some of these events were being done for the first time and there were some obvious kinks that I can assure you will be addressed the second time around.
Please take note that there is Karaoke on February 19th and March 10th. I truly don’t know what to say about the first attempt to host a Karaoke party during last month's Chili Dump but it was interesting. So please come on down and bring your friends for an evening of fun and varying degrees of vocal aptitude!
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2011 Queen's Cup Race - July 1st Milwaukee to Muskegon Join the fleet for a terrific time and a grand adventure. Plan now to participate in the 73rd sailing of the Queen's CupSM Race.
The annual overnight sprint across Lake Michigan departs on July 1 st, with the finish being hosted by Muskegon Yacht Club. We anticipate more than 200 boats will participate, meaning that more than 1,400 other people will be on the open waters with you. And this year it's all happening on the 4 th of July weekend!
The Notice of Race and the Entry form are now posted on the www.ssyc.org website and online entry is now open! Select "Queen's Cup" from the main menu, and go on from there.
New for 2011
Cruise Over
This year for the first time, the Queen's Cup includes a jib-and-main cruising fleet. It will start several hours ahead of the other racers to provide a head start and added daylight sailing time. Participants must comply with all safety and insurance regulations and have a PHRF certificate.
Small-Boat-Friendly Fee Structure
Smaller boats will see a fee decrease this year as we switch over to an entry system based on LOA. This is intended to be revenue-neutral. The tipping point is 35 feet. It's a move on our part to make the fee schedule more equitable and increase participation in the small-boat sections.
Credit cards accepted
The on-line entry system has been enhanced to accept payment via credit card.
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Wind Point Lighthouse ProgramBy Helen “Cookie” Mueller, PC
The next Wednesday Evening Program is scheduled for February 23rd at 7:00 PM in the upstairs dining room at SSYC. Ken and Barb Wardius will do a presentation about the Wind Point Lighthouse located in Racine. For over 125 years the Wind Point Lighthouse has been faithfully standing guard over Lake Michigan. The lighthouse is one of the larger lighthouse complexes on the Great Lakes and is synonymous with the nautical history of Racine.
Ken and Barb Wardius will share their research involving this landmark lighthouse. The Wardius’ have authored several lighthouse books, including “Wisconsin Lighthouses”, “Cana Island Lighthouse” and “Wind Point Lighthouse.”
Join your fellow SSYC members on February 23rd for an informational and entertaining evening as we explore the Wind Point Lighthouse.
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Boating Safety Education – What are the requirements?By Gerry HussinWisconsin legislature has enacted a Boating Safety Education requirement on all boaters in Wisconsin. The regulation reads as follows: Boater education certification is required by law for anyone born after 01/01/1989 and 16 years old or older before they may operate a motorboat; 12 years old or older before operating a personal watercraft on Wisconsin’s waterways. Even if you’re not required to have a safety certification card, earning one can save you money on boat insurance and make you a safer boater. All Wisconsin DNR approved boating safety education courses are (National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) approved and recognized in all states and Canada.
For boater education classes being held in Wisconsin, go to the Wisconsin DNR Website: http://new.dnr.wi.gov/Home.aspx click on boater education and enter preferred county for all DNR proposed classes. The US Power Squadron and the U S Coast Guard Auxiliary also offer NASBLA approved boater education classes.
From the Wisconsin Boater Regulations and Handbook (available in the SSYC Lobby) – Operator Safety Education Requirements/Restrictions, individuals who are required to complete a boater safety course MUST carry the course certificate on board when operating a vessel. It is illegal for anyone to allow a child to operate a vessel in violation of the requirements.
SSYC will be offering a boater education class in June.
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House Committee On Christmas Eve, one of our sewage pumps failed which left us running on one pump. To explain, we are below the sewer line which runs up on Superior Street and so have to pump the Club waste up to the sewer line. There are two pumps, two check valves (keep waste from running back in the pit from the pipe to the sewer line) and two manual shut off valves. The pumps go down into the pit on two rails and are controlled by a controller that alternates them (one pumps then the next time the other one pumps, etc.).
The plumbers pulled the bad pump out to check to see if it was jammed. They had a hard time getting the pump out because of the badly corroded rails. After they got the pump out they found that both check valves were corroded. Also the manual valves were corroded open. They had to plug the pipe for the bad pump so the one that was operating could pump waste out to the sewer line.
The system was put in 15 years ago at a cost of $52,000 plus other expenses and has served us well over the years. However, the parts are now inoperable and the system has to be rebuilt for it to operate properly. Replacement parts will be stainless steel, epoxy and PVC. Also the pump that is still working needs to be replaced because parts of the impeller are corroded away and the motor is on its last legs.
The proposal from one plumbing co. is $28,000 plus the $2,800 that we've already spent. More bids were put out.
The plumbers also recommend that hour meters be installed so operating time for the two pumps can be checked to see if they are operating correctly. Cost is $1000.
At the special Membership Meeting a motion was made: “The House Committee moves that a maximum of $34,000.00 be spent to rebuild the Sewage Lift Station. To be paid for with a onetime assessment of $60.00 on the Active Members of South Shore Y. C.”. It was passed by the members attending the meeting.
The Packers’ parties have been very well attended this year and will help out with our overall financial picture for the year, plus members have a good time which is what our Club is about. I attended most of the parties and they were great.
The new grill has been installed in the bar area by Mike Giannini.
I want to thank the members that have been helping maintain the house. There are too many to name and I might miss a few. So thanks to all of you for helping keep our club in great shape. |
New Information Technology Committee Being FormedCommodore Nason has directed that an IT Committee be set up to look at the documentation and care of our computer systems. A meeting is being called at 7:00 PM on March 8th to explore the scope and tasks that this committee will address. You are invited to attend this meeting if you have an interest in this area. If you want to be on the committee, but cannot attend the meeting on this date, contact Bob Aring to have your name added to the committee roster. |
Short BightsBy Bruce Nason, Commodore Have you seen the coyotes parading back and forth on the ice in front of the Club? Rumor has it there are three of them, but I’ve only seen two at one time. While still wary of humans they seem to be more and more visible as the hunt and play along the lake shore. Click on the picture to go to more photos of the coyotes. Several fun events coming up that you’ll read about in more detail elsewhere in this issue, Karaoke Night Saturday February 19, Mexican Buffet February 26, Prime Rib and Karaoke Night March 12, Gambling Get-A-Way March 19 and Wine Tasting on March 26. Try and be a part of these events. 100th Anniversary Committee held its first meeting and the ground work was laid for a number of sub-committees to begin planning for the 2013 celebrations. Ideas put forth included having the 2013 Review of the Fleet the ‘inaugural event’, having a logo contest, a commemorative burgee, coordinating all usual club events with the 100 anniversary, an open house, anniversary merchandise and of course an anniversary booklet. Watch for the announcement of the next meeting and be a part of one or more of the committees.  In the Army and Marine Corps it's called "Latrine Duty", in the Navy, "Compartment Cleaning" and in the Air Force they probably just have civilians doing the work, but three hearty souls, Dennis Hendricks, House Chairman Jim Peterson and Commodore Bruce Nason, stripped the floors of both the Women's and Men's restrooms last month and applied a fresh coat of sealer. The floors should keep the shiny just cleaned look well into the summer months. Click on the picture for more photos. A quick word about an event not scheduled until May 26 but it’s an issue that should always be on our minds, FIRE SAFETY. In January there was a fire at a North Carolina marina, dozens of boats were destroyed and more importantly several persons were injured. Again this year the Powerboat Committee will be having a flare shoot and fire safety night. Mark the date on your calendar and plan to attend with your crew, the lessons learned could save lives, your boat and our Club. A link to the fire story and graphic photographs is: http://cruisersnet.net/hazmat-team-responding-to-fire-at-mccotters-marina/
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Waterfront Services That time of the year is coming again, the dreaded "Launch Time". Due to our crowded situation of stored boats we need to have a timely launch season. As you were advised at haul-out time, the launch will be a reverse of haul-out, last boat hauled-out will be first boat to launch and so on down the line. In the first weekend (April 30 & May 1, 2011) we will launching 20 or more boats (10+ Saturday and 10+ Sunday). You will be informed of your launch day and approximate time by the Waterfront Committee. The first weekend launch will be most critical.
If your boat has open access to the derrick, you can launch during the week if you can round up possibly two or more boats also willing to launch (launching three or more boats at a time is more efficient than one at a time). Please try to work together and call for an appointment. This would be greatly appreciated for an earlier launch.
Spar setting will be same as 2010, No boats will be launched after 4pm Thursdays this is "Spar Night" excluding the first week of launching. Thank you for your cooperation.
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Annual Wine Tasting Party We’ve Celebrated a Super Bowl, now let’s INDULGE ourselves in the South Shore Yacht Club’s Annual Super Wine Tasting Party. The South Shore Power Boater’s Committee invites you and your friends to join us on March 26, 2011, from 4 pm to 8 pm. Your taste buds and palette will experience a world of new sensations with a wonderful variety of both red and white wines from the best wine making centers around the world. There will even be some great specialty beers to enjoy. Along with this, you will enjoy a very special, once a year only, Chef Pete's Grand Hors D’oeuvres Buffet! Reservations accepted beginning Tuesday, March 8, 2011 $30 PER PERSON YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS EVENT Your hosts: Barry Goodstein & Dave and Sue Benscoter |
Power Boaters
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 How about the Super Bowl Party and the Packers?? Thank you, thank you, thank you, to Doug and Pam Reading and Mike Giananni for running this event. They made it run smoothly, collected raffle items for the Juniors, and sponsored a wonderful event. There were many other volunteers helping and they are the ones who make these events work. I suspect there were almost 200 in attendance, both upstairs and downstairs. It was a great day!!
If there is anyone who would like to add or change the way this party is handled, they are more than welcomed to join the committee, and participate in making any changes.
At the time you read this, the planning event meeting will have occurred, and we are nailing our dates down for our upcoming summer events. Watch the Compass for dates. The first Powerboaters Thursday is set for May 26th with the Chili Dump and Flare Shoot. Craig and Joan Lake are, once again, chairing this educational evening. The next Thursday event is June 9th for our Spaghetti Night. We hear the Merryfields promise to return from Florida to head up this night.
In an effort to recruit new, young members, we decided to have some of our Thursday night events named "Friends and Family Nights". There are two on our roster for our "Grill Your Own" events set for June 23rd and July 28th.
Jim and Sally Mergener are in charge of the Powerboaters Breakfast, along with their long list of crew, including cooks, servers, and omelet makers. This is a Valentine's Day event, which includes champagne. We anticipate it should be just as good or better than last year's breakfast.
Many thanks to the Tucholkas and Dziubeks for taking charge of the upcoming Gambling Get Away for March 19th and 20th. The trip is sold out, and there is a waiting list.
The wine tasting is coming up, and if you have questions on this, contact Barry Goodstein, or the Benscotters. Dan and Donna Danowski will also be helping with the Wine Tasting, which is set for the 26th of March.
If there is anyone who wishes to chair a Powerboaters event, please contact me. We have events which we desire to occur, and need help with the planning. There are also some "moth balled" events which would be fun to bring out again.
It is almost time to begin working on our boats, and we are planning a great summer at South Shore.
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Auxiliary News by Jan-Marie WeilerThe holidays are behind us, we’ve had our big snowstorm, the football season is over so what do we have to look forward to? Countdown to launch day! We’ve had enough excitement for awhile. The Auxiliary is looking forward to meeting March 1 st at 7 pm. We will have a short business meeting and then will be entertained by Jessica Michna who will bring to us an impersonation of Eleanor Roosevelt. Entertainment Chair Sue Ring-Wagner has been lining up the year’s activities. She will talk about this more at the March 1st meeting but so far we can look forward to the music of the Elderberries in April, our Life Members/Past Presidents Dinner in May and June is our picnic. We discussed having a white elephant exchange and raffle at the June picnic.
 The Queen’s Cup will be July 1st with the LMYA weekend right after it. This will be a busy time for all club members and especially Auxiliary members with our major fundraiser at this time. Let’s look for a big presence at selling Queen’s Cup merchandise this year. It’s a good time for members to spend time together for a worthwhile cause.
Speaking of worthwhile causes, Marilyn Bruesewitz continues to take our toiletries and other donations to Daystar and Joy House. Bring them to any meeting or drop them off in the club office when you are at the club. This is another way that the Auxiliary continues our outreach to our broader community. We are planning for a sunshine collection to Feeding America formerly Second Harvest, traditionally one of our December donations but this year we postponed this donation until early in 2011.
Please extend an invitation to anyone interested in becoming members of the Auxiliary. We are a friendly group committed to helping the club at large with projects benefitting SSYC. We continue outreach activities to benefit the wider Milwaukee community. We look forward to seeing those members who stay in Wisconsin year round and welcoming back our snowbird members. Hang in there everyone, just a few weeks to Spring!
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Helping Handsby Carolyn Nason
Hey everyone, good news! Less than 10 weeks and the boats start going in the water! In the meantime, here’s a little help to get us through this winter: Keep your headlights clear with car wax. Just wipe ordinary car wax on your headlights. It contains special water repellents that will prevent that messy mixture from accumulating on your lights – it’ll last about six weeks.
Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol. Wipe your windshield wipers with a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia. This trick can make badly streaking and squeaking wipers a thing of the past.
Ice-proof your windows with vinegar. Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water and spritz it on all your windows at night. In the morning, they'll be clear of icy mess. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water and prevents water from freezing.
Stop frozen car doors with cooking spray. Spritz a little on the rubber seals around car doors and rub it in with a paper towel. The cooking spray prevents water from seeping into the rubber.
Fog-proof your windshield with shaving cream. Spray some shaving cream on the inside of your windshield & wipe it off with paper towels. Shaving cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers.
De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer. Just put some of the gel on the key and your problem is solved!
Spring cleaning is just around the corner. Did you know Goodwill now accepts computers, monitors, printers and other accessories. Don’t forget to erase your info. If you’re using windows, try http://eraser.heidi.ie/. It’s free!
When you get all your spring cleaning done, waste a couple hours on this amazing site. http://broadband.ciconline.org/windward/default.aspx. This free, online nautical challenge, Windward, offers players a chance to take the helm and battle the elements as you plot the fastest course around the world. It’s addictive!! The sound effects, alone, are enough to make you feel like you’re sailing!
As always, keep your hints coming. |
Cheri Kent to Coordinate Crew Search Cheri Kent will coordinate the Crew Search Party that will be held on April 15 th. The purpose of the Crew Search is to match up people that want to sail/race with skippers that want crew. Cheri will be replacing Cookie Mueller, who has enjoyed the undertaking for the last 15 years. See Cheri if you want to be part of the fun. |
New Race/Protest Committee Chairman Thomas Salkowski (Sly) has accepted the position of Race/Protest Committee Chairman. He will be replacing John Archibald who has held the position for the last twenty years. John Archibald and Pat Randa will mentor Sly as he assumes the responsibilities of his new duties. Sly has been a member of SSYC since 1986 and has worked on Race Committee duties for about the same number of years. Sly is shown in the picture positioning race marks in the Spring. Jerry Kedziora is driving the Lilly-E to the correct latitude and longitude position. Dan Housfeld, who you can barely see, is preparing ground tackle. This is part of the great fun that is enjoyed by Race Committee Members.
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T-10 Fleet NewsBy Christopher Moll, Fleet Captain
 Our T-10 fleet members continue to stay active and busy over this long and snow covered winter. In January, several of our local T-10 sailors were presented awards at the MYC awards banquet. Our North American Championship (NAC) committee also met in January to continue our planning for this major event. As a reminder, the NAC regatta will be held August 11-14, 2011 and we plan to have 30+ boats here at SSYC competing for this exciting national championship.
Our NAC regatta committees are busy planning and creating the race management team, preparing the sailing instructions, creating and maintaining a website, planning the food, beverage, entertainment, trophies, and much more. The Notice of Race is posted at the NAC link that can now be found on our SSYC.org web site. I would be happy to help interested parties get involved in this event either as crew or skipper of a boat. We would love to have you join us. (BluemoonT10@aol.com).
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Milwaukee Public Library Digital Waterways CollectionIt won’t be long before the yard is filled with scenes like this one. The Ivanhoe was launched for the 1950 season at the Milwaukee Open Dock Terminal.
There are more photos at the Milwaukee Public Library’s digital collection( http://www.mpl.org/file/digital_index.htm )
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Cruising Club Updateby Don Doggett, Fleet co-Captain
Hey Cruisers! It’s been a while since we wrapped up the cruising season. In late October, we gathered upstairs at SSYC, had pizza and beer while Jim Gribble and Pete Engle announced and discussed the new “cruising fleet” that will be part of the 2011 Queen’s Cup. There was a lot of interest in participating in this new fleet. While a PHRF rating is required for this event, if anyone is struggling to complete the rating forms, please contact myself or Margaret. Other than planning our spring boat projects, we’ve been thinking about this year’s kick-off picnic gathering occurring some time in May where we can share snacks, stories and summer cruising plans. We’re looking for other ideas on the kick-off picnic and potential cruising destinations for 2011, like Sheboygan. Additionally, we are looking forward to another repeat cruise to Racine, commemorating our 2nd annual voyage. We would like to plan more cruising destinations, so we’re looking for suggestions for other ports of call. Please send your thoughts to myself or Margaret. |
Manager's Message Well here we are approaching the middle of February and believe it or not the boating season is just around the corner.
Thanks to our “World Champion Green Bay Packers” the bitter winter has been a little warmer and a lot more fun.
Thanks to all who enjoyed their great playoff run here at the club. I don’t know if we can equal the fun and excitement but look at the upcoming events we have planned for the next few weeks.
Thursday 2-17 - Pasta Night
Saturday 2-19 – Karaoke and Drink Specials
Wednesday 2-23 – Wednesday Night Program (History of Racine’s Wind Point Lighthouse)
Thursday 2-24 - ½ Price Burgers
Saturday 2-26 – Mexican Buffet and Margarita Night
Saturday 3-12 – Prime Rib and Karaoke Night
Don’t forget Taco Tuesday or Wing Wednesday.
More info on these events will be forthcoming.
I know it’s a little late but how about two more important resolutions for our members in 2011.
1. Introduce a friend to SSYC and invite them to join our family.
2. Resolve to dine more often at your club!
Remember!
The entire staff at SSYC is here to serve you.
See you at the club!
Click on the photo to see more Super Bowl Party pictures.
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