High Tidings February/March 2022
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oh dear. What is going on? Read to the end to find out!
Upcoming Events
Saturday February 25, 9:00 – Prep The Launch at NCYC
Wednesday March 1, 6:00 PM – Outer Light Classic Planning Meeting, Mycene Ale Co
Saturday March 11, 3:30 PM – Cruise Meeting at Acton Library
Saturday March 25 12:30 – Activities Meeting
Commodore Remarks
Arrrr……. Welcome to minus 4 degrees in Old Saybrook Saturday morning, February 4th. Think the groundhog turned around and went right back in the hole.
Lotsa ice!
The ice props were struggling against the cold and we had an issue with the dock power electric breaker tripping. Thanks to Dan Ferrier for answering the call and providing a heavy duty extension cord from the deck outlets to keep them running overnight, and for installing a new breaker.
Pretty amazing Hat Trick how Elio Betty, with help from his son, Carter, dismounted the launch from her trailer. (I give it a 9.9)
Elio found us a great deal on a single-axle roller trailer that will make it much easier to maintain the launch off season. Speaking of which, I hope many of you will be helping out with the Prep The Launch Party, given by Elio, to prepare our launch for a thorough and much-needed paint and varnish refresh. Read more about this further on.
NCYC Launch off the trailer and on blocks and stands
In other news, fun seeing many of you at the Stony Creek brewery gathering on Saturday. Great turn out! I’m hoping for some more snow in Vermont and New Hampshire for skiing. It’s been a tough season so far with the warm temps, but maybe March will deliver the snow. Soon we will be stripping covers and prepping boats for a great 2003 boating season!
NCYC still needs a volunteer to fill the vacant “House Operations” position. If you may be interested please contact Vice Commodore, Linda Tuzzio. The House Operations person ensures we have necessary supplies for the galley and restrooms, and directs the inside clubhouse work parties during the Spring Clean-up and fall shutdown. They are also the “go to” person for how the clubhouse interior is decorated, furnished, and maintained through the season. Thanks!
That’s all for now!
Lou Vinciguerra, Commodore
Vice Commodore Remarks
Reducing the use of plastic at NCYC
As many of you know, the club has switched from plastic or plastic-coated paper plates for club events to compostable plates made from plant based materials. A few years ago, when I made the switch for our Thursday night post-race dinners, I had to order compostable plates, bowls, and utensils online. Thankfully, the local grocery stores have started carrying the products.
If you have not already done so, please consider a reusable water bottle for beverages instead of single use plastic, glass, or cans. Mark your reusable bottle with your name in indelible ink and we will put in in the kitchen if left behind!
Thank you!
Linda Tuzzio, Vice Commodore
Love it or Launch it
Our launch’s sister boat at the Provincetown marina
It’s your launch; show it some love! We’re trying to make a great leap forward with the launch before May Day. Frankly, it looks dingy next to the dinghies and needs to be dolled up for the season. We all use it, and hopefully take a bit of pride that we have such a yar* launch in our club.
*“My, she was yar…easy to handle, quick to the helm. Fast, bright. Everything a boat should be.” Katharine Hepburn, The Philadelphia Story.
The launch is mechanically sound, although it will be getting a few upgrades. However, the whole thing needs paint and varnish. We can’t apply coatings until we get over 50 degree weather, but that will be here soon! We can, however, do the prep while it’s chilly. That means sanding and scraping and a bit of wire brushing. Not the most fun work, but much more fun when you’re not alone doing it. Lets get together as a group and blitz the prep in a morning. If we can get a good group of people, it will go quickly. Many hands make light work.
So, Saturday, Feb. 25, at 9:00AM we will have a work party for the launch. If it’s raining or too cold, we will punt to the next Saturday. But it’s been so mild, I’m hoping we will get good weather. Please sign up so we know who can help, and also communicate if we need an alternative date. Please bring, if you have: Random orbit or vibrating sanders, Sandpaper (120-180-220-320), Scrapers, Masks, Ear protection. If you don’t have any of these things, come anyway; there will be spare implements of destruction. I’ll bring a compressor so we can blow all the dust off the boat and ourselves.
This will go a long way towards getting the boat ready for the early start of the season. Those that prep may enjoy the fun part if they so desire; applying the paint and varnish later in March and April.
Just think of how good you’ll feel everytime you step on the launch this summer knowing you contributed to its sparkle. Thanks!
Elio Betty, Launch Maintenance
Membership Committee
As usual with this time of year, the Membership Committee is very busy.
In January we welcomed to Membership:
· Lois LeSieur and Bill Thomas
· Carol Quimby-Bonan
· RJ and Heather Lavallee
· Peter and Fay Bisson
And posted to Membership:
Joe Radojevic and Theresa Molisse
Wallingford, CT
Theresa: Physician
Joe: Physician
Children: Adriana (2012), Dante (2014), Blaise (2016) and Cassian (2018)
Proposed by: Caroline Miller
Support letters: Peters, Cheryl Miller, Chan
Boat: ’42 Motorboat Different Drummer
Boating: They have owned this boat since 2019. Joe has had a passion for being in and on the water since childhood when he spent his summers in Croatia. Most of his boating experience has been on kayaks and his friend’s boat.
Skills/interests: They would like to learn more about boating and sailing from members with more experience. Their family is eager to learn about being on the water. They will bring their enthusiasm and curiosity for boating and sailing. They look forward to participating in Club activities and socializing with other members while contributing to the care of the Club.
Caite Whitbeck and David Fisher
Old Lyme, CT
Caite: Chef/Caterer
David: Executive Producer
Children: Mae Fisher (2012), Burton Fisher (2014)
Proposed by: Miller
Support letters: Pavlos, Tuzzio, Mason
Other Yacht Clubs: Chicago Yacht Club
Boating: David has moderate sailing experience and knowledge. Caite is a beginner sailor.
Skills/interests: David grew up sailing with his family on Lake Michigan. They have always wanted their children to have an opportunity to leave the sport. The NCYC Junior sailing program seems like the perfect learning experience.
Jr. Sailing
NCYc sailing instructors
Summer 2023 is promising to be a great one for our junior sailors. In the next week, we are making offers to fill our open instructor positions. We were fortunate enough to have five strong candidates. Thank you to our interview committee: MaryJane Peterson, Kathy Reddington, Vice Commodore Linda Tuzzio and Amy Vinciguerra for their time and input throughout the interview process.
Our sessions are currently 65% full for the summer. If you haven't registered your child/grandchild, don't wait! We are filling up quickly.
Finally as you start to think of ways to get involved at NCYC, the junior sailing committee is always happy to have new members join the fun!
Melissa Mason
Jr. Sailing Chair
Racing News
The Outer Light Planning Committee is looking for you! The Outer Light Classic is North Cove Yacht Club’s premier race and Amy V. is looking for folks to work with her on making this the most successful race to date! Our first planning meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 1 at 6:00 PM at the Mycene Ale Co, 39 Ragged Rock Road, Old Saybrook. [Ed. note; yes, this is a brewery. Yes, there will be beer. No, not every single NCYC event is at a brewery. For example the BOG meetings (Board of Governors) are held in a quite respectable venue, much to the dismay of some BOG members…but I digress.]
Thursday Night Racing
We are very fortunate to have boats–and the NCYC as the center of our boating, or sailboat racing. Instead of being couped-up inhabitants lingering on the waterfront on a Thursday afternoon looking out longingly toward the sea in search of the ungraspable phantom of life, we can get on a boat and immediately be transformed to another world. As individuals trying to find our way through darkness, as citizens of a nation trying to live up to the ideals set forth in our constitution, we need, more than ever before–Thursday Night Racing.
Thursday Night Racing also introduces us to other venues. It is the skills that we develop on Thursday nights that we bring to weekend regattas such as the Outer Light Classic Regatta, the Essex Rum Challenge, and the Off Soundings Regatta. Or–even a two-week cruise to Nantucket Island.
Because of Thursday Night racing you may start to enjoy a sort of sea feeling where your bedroom seems a ship’s cabin. You may wake up nights and hear the wind shrieking and fancy that there is too much sail on the house and perhaps believe that you should go on the roof and reef in the chimney. Don’t do it–seek psychiatric help.
As I write this article at a quarter past one o’clock a.m. of this 11th day of February, A.D. 2023 with the fire place going at full tilt, I am reminded of a natural occurrence that my crew Al and I experienced returning from an Off Soundings Race to Block Island. We left Block Island New Harbor at 6:00 a.m. and set a 2910 course from R2 bell to the Race. We had a favorable flood tide, and an 18 knot S.W. breeze which put us on a port tack going 8 knots or more towards the Race. As the boat’s huge 583.26 ft2 Dacron sail powered the whale-shaped hull through a steep chop like a butterknife through soft butter, a tropical bird suddenly appeared and sat on our boom, hitching a ride. The bird seemed to be fixated on us. He studied us, and seemed to be asking Al for a piece of his muffin. As I recall it, Al didn’t share his muffin with the emaciated little creature, but Al may have a different recollection. Meanwhile, channel 16 was blaring away about a dead whale floating somewhere between us and Montauk Point. Suddenly, the ocean became filled with dolphins–thousands of them–all around us for what seemed like miles. The dolphins, like the bird, became fixated on us. They were filling the atmosphere over the waters of Block Island Sound with the haze of their spouts sprinkling and mystifying the gardens of the deep. Did they think we were a whale? Maybe. They examined us with curiosity and swam under and around the boat. Maybe they were trying to figure out what our white sail drive is used for. For the better part of three hours the animals followed us and played with us and each other, until we arrived at the Race when they (the dolphins) all concentrated on fishing for lunch, and we concentrated on getting Madaketthrough the Race before the tide became an ebb with a five-knot current. Off to our starboard at the Race was a Virginia class submarine powering along much faster than us. It was at this time that the little bird decided to fly away from us toward either the submarine, or Fishers Island. Apparently, he had enough of us. I just wished that he cleaned up the boom after himself.
All of the above experiences probably wouldn’t have happened without Thursday Night Racing. Had we not been racing in Off Soundings we would have just been another cooped up inhabitant of the land peering out over the water wondering if the world was flat and where did the big waterfall begin. Or worse yet, sitting in an office getting berated for not achieving someone else’s goal. Thursday Night Racing starts around the end of May. Keep tuned for more information, and start planning to get your boats ready for launching early on.
Have a warm winter everyone, and happy President’s Day.
Joe Carroll
Women on the River
Women On The River is a collaboration between Essex, Pettipaugh, Corinthian, and North Cove Yacht Clubs, for women who enjoy sailing. We have been actively involved as a club for several years now. It’s been a big success and lots of fun for the women who have participated. We have started planning the 2023 season. Preliminary dates are orientation on May 24, sailing May 31, June 7, June 14 and June 24. We usually start at 5:00 PM and finish sailing at 7:00 PM. We enjoy wine, dinner, and lots of laughs after sailing. If you’re interested in being part of the fun this season please contact Cathy Murphy at cjhmurphy@gmail.com .
Activities
Meet the new Activities co-Chairs, Melissa Clark and Lucy Driggs-Armstrong
Hi Everyone! My name is Lucy Armstrong and I am so excited to be co-Chair of the Activities Committee along with Melissa Clark. We are so excited about the calendar of events we’ve put together! The events can be found on the NCYC calendar as well as here, so I hope to see you all at several events this season! A little about myself—I am a retired United Technologies Corporate Flight Attendant (22 yrs.) and live in the beautiful town of Old Saybrook with my husband Mike and rescue puppy, Joey. We have four grown children, three grandchildren and another on the way! We enjoy a lot of family time, biking, hiking, and easy beach living. I've always loved being involved in anything hospitality so here I am on the Activities Committee eagerly looking forward to meeting you!
Hello NCYC! My name is Melissa Clark and I am the new Events Co-Chair. Ann Chan and Cathy Murphy left such big shoes to fill! I became a member of the club just last year and jumped at the chance to do special events. I have always loved throwing themed parties! My kids’ birthdays were some of my biggest events! From the Glam Girl Disco Party in our dining room complete with a homemade giant lip cake, to the Harry Potter themed birthday where I staged “classes” and finished with a “shopping” trip in my basement where they could “buy” the 150 chocolate frogs I made. (If you’re a Potter fan you know the frogs!) I guess I missed my calling as a party planner, but now that I am co-chair with Lucy, another very creative person, I look forward to throwing some great events for you at the club!
LET THE GOOD TIMES BEGIN!!!
On the coldest day of the year so far, quite a few brave souls came out to our first gathering at the Stony Creek Brewery in Branford on Saturday evening, February 4th. The fire in the fireplace was roaring, and the beer and wine were flowing as well as a lot of lively conversation! The pizza truck is there year-round and is always good. And we got an extra perk of a live band! Fleetwood Mac covers and dancing! It was really good to see everyone and reconnect! If you have never been to Stony Creek, it’s on the Branford River and has a small dinghy dock, lots of outside seating and games like corn-hole in the summer. It’s worth the trip. Thanks to all who came out!
Our first Activities Committee meeting will be a pot-luck brunch held at my home 149 Squires Road, Madison, on March 25th at 12:30. Please RSVP using the link button. Also, there was some interest in having a St Patrick’s Day gathering but nothing formal yet. More to come soon.
Lucy and I have come up with some fun and different events that we are really excited about this year! For example, Kentucky Derby Party (OH YES! We expect BIG hats!) Christmas in July Yankee Swap and a Friendsgiving Dinner. Of course, we are also looking forward to planning our traditional events, such as Commodore’s Cookout, Fajita Night and Octoberfest with maybe a little extra twist.
Looking forward to warm breezes and sunny fun filled day at NCYC!
Cruising News
From the Fleet Captain’s desk:
It is February and here’s to a mild second half of our 2022/2023 winter season. Warmer spring weather must be around the corner. [Ed. note: Don’t tell Lou]
We look forward to having our March 11th Cruise Meeting at the Acton Public Library in Old Saybrook from 3:30pm to 4:45pm. We will be planning the respective cruises for the upcoming sailing season. We do know that the Labor Day cruise will have the fleet docking at our favorite port – Mystic Seaport & Museum. Peter Stump, our Mystic Seaport & Museum Port Captain, has informed us that we can start making our refundable reservations now as the Seaport does fill up quickly for the Labor Day weekend. Please indicate that you are with NCYC when making reservations – this will help keep the fleet together.
We will resume the second half of our March 11 Cruise Meeting at Surfridge Brewing Company East located at 6 Main Street Building 3, Suite 333, Centerbrook. The Acton Library closes at 5pm.
Stay warm & we look forward to catching up.
David Chan, Fleet Captain
NCYC Facebook Members Forum
Have you ever needed to contact members of our yacht club quickly? Maybe you have marine equipment you’d like to sell or give away, need help with a repair, looking for a specific tool or would like to share a project or information?
Now there is a way for you to connect…the NCYC Members Forum!
If you have a Facebook account you can join easily by selecting Menu, then Groups, do a search for North Cove Yacht Club Members then Join Group. Once you have been verified as a current member you will be able to post. The forum page was set up by Jon Mason complete with our club burgee and a link to the latest High Tidings. You can also access the forum from this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/674559057251079 or by clicking on the button below.
The rules for the forum are pretty simple:
1) You must be a current NCYC member
2) Your posts must be related to the NCYC and/or boating
We hope you find this forum useful as an easy and quick way to connect with your fellow boaters. See you on the water!
Tom Tydeman
NCYC Weather Station
A weather station has been installed at the club. The data collection unit is currently mounted on a piling at the north ramp dock. This collects information and sends it to a console on the desk in the steward’s office, which connects via WiFi to the Weather Underground website.
Users of the Weather Underground app or those using the WU website can find our station, which is called NCYC KCTOLDSA58.
Note that we do have an issue with rainfall rate and total accumulation. It seems that in the wind with wave action the piling rocks slightly– enough to activate the rain collection mechanism which makes the unit think it is raining, even when it isn’t. This happens more in very windy conditions. So be aware that rainfall reports right now are not accurate. We may move the station to the clubhouse, however this may subject the temperature reading to heat from the building–and it will be more difficult to change the batteries each year.
Chris Bazinet
From the Chaplain’s Quiet Corner
Wild Elemental One,
bless us through your gifts of wind, fire, water, and earth.
May we awaken to new life each dawn
and feel your holy breath sustaining us.
Let the breezes whisper their secrets
and the winds strip away what is no longer needed.
May we bless the sky with our reaching,
the clouds a witness to our becoming.
May we feel the living flame of love
burning in our hearts.
Let the sun warm and illumine us
and may the ash that remains
from the fire bring us new clarity.
May we bless the fire with our passion
letting all that sparks and kindles within
warm this world.
May we know the sea as our holy source
and the rivers and lakes carry us
toward our own unfolding.
Let the holy water of the wells
heal our broken places,
bringing us back to wholeness again.
May we bless the water of life,
yielding to its current, carrying us home.
May we bless Earth with our gratitude,
for the sweetness of every sip and bite.
Let the trees root us, let the mountains lift us.
May we endure like stone,
may we nourish like bread.
May the elements guide us on the way
to live more fully, to breathe deeply,
to ignite our longings, to follow the flow,
to create something which persists.
Christine Valters Paintner
The Art Gallery
What do NCYC members do in the off-season? Well, some dive into art and crafts.
Suzanne Miller (NCYC Fleet Surgeon) likes to sew. But not the sort of sewing you may think.
“I’ve been sewing since I was a kid. I took a long hiatus as I managed a busy career as an obstetrician/gynecologist and raised a family. I have a newfound interest in sewing and my latest passion is working with leather. I have four sewing machines at my house and three of them can handle leather. I look forward to creating more intricate projects as I learn new skills.”
Suzanne’s sneakers!
Hugh Hunsinger paints. Here’s how he got there.
”In 1965, I wanted to personalize my dentist office. Paintings were always my first choice and original oil paintings were the best. Only one problem. Money. So I decided to create my own. Another problem–I had no idea how. I had no art training past crayon doodling. So, I signed up for classes at the local gallery. To my great good fortune, the gallery owner was John Gould, the acclaimed illustrator/artist/painter. I was 28 years old. My first painting took me ages and lots of coaching. At that time I only painted when I was at the gallery. It was my refuge—my escape from the real world.
People coming to the dental office asked to buy. I couldn’t until I had all the walls covered in the house and office, and had fulfilled family requests! It was therapy for me so I avoided a therapist with it–and later discovered sailing.
Deb Paulson paints too.
“I have been painting in watercolor since I was a child. I went to UConn for art–but majored in non-silver photography, not painting. A few years ago, I wanted to see if I could paint waves in watercolor-not the easiest thing to do, since there’s not a lot of wiggle room with watercolor. I learned from books and trial and error. I would stare at waves on the beach, trying to memorize their patterns. When I start to paint, it’s always nerve-wracking. One wrong brush stroke and the whole painting is a goner. But when it works, there’s no feeling like it. (I also paint sheep, which seems to be a popular thing for people, why I don’t know. And sometimes fruit.)”
Jim Lawless also paints.
Jim pursued a career as a veterinarian, but art was always a love. He experimented with various media, eventually settling on oil painting. Primarily self-taught, he also studied under renowned marine painter Don Demers and contemporary realist Dominique Rickhard. He spent two years living on Martha’s Vineyard, concentrating on painting. In 2001, he was awarded Signature Artist Member status by the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA.)
Old Saybrook’s Finest Turn a Shade of Red
A Bluetits Adventure™
It was a fairly balmy day, 48 degrees and sunny and the indomitable Bluetits were meeting at the club to take their weekly plunge into the cove. The water temperature? A chilly 34 degrees with ice. Stripping down to their bathing suits, the gals (why no guys? C’mon guys) chittered like their namesake. Most of the chatter was about how freaking cold and icy the water was. Laurie and Jocelyn were encouraging each other in their positive way. Ann was on the phone. Deb and Caroline were commiserating (“WHY do we do this??”)
Ann shushed us. “I’m on the phone with emergency dispatch!”
We shushed.
“No,” Ann said into the phone. “I dropped my phone by accident and it hit the emergency 911 button. We don’t need anyone out here. There’s no emergency.”
Ann listened for a few minutes, then hung up. She turned to the rest of us as we waited shushily. “They said they have to send someone out.”
Oh, they won’t, we all said together and trooped outside to the dock in our bathrobes.
And then…a hunky guy in official blue walked up. He looked both confused and bemused as he was greeted by five women hooting with laughter in wet bathing suits and bathrobes. Ann introduced herself and explained. I asked him if he could arrest her so I could get a photo. He declined. Wishing us a good day, he left.
“BYE!” we called. “Join us next time!”
Overhead we heard the rumble of an engine. “Now what?” we thought. A large helicopter flew directly overhead. Rescue services? We waited on the dock to see if another hunky man would appear at the end of a rope lowered from the chopper, but alas, no go.
Time for tea and cookies on the deck!
Après plunge with the bluetits
Thank you to everyone who contributed photos and videos to this newsletter: Elio Betty, Ann (bail me out!) Chan, Jean Golicz, Hugh Hunsinger, Jim Lawless, David Miller, Suzanne Miller, Deb Paulson, Lou Vinciguerra.
If you have anything you’d like to put in the next issue of NCYC magazine, please email me or text me at 860-581-0713
Thanks so much!
Deb Paulson