High Tidings April 2023
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the new ipe deck!
Upcoming Events
Saturday April 15, 9:00 AM – Spring Clean Up at the Club
Saturday April 15, 3:30 PM – Cruising Club meeting at Club
Saturday April 15, 5:00 – Happy Hour, Penny Lane Pub, Old Saybrook
Saturday April 22, 8:00 – Marine Yard “Sail” with Power Squadron, Westbrook Outlets, Clinton
Saturday April 22, 4:00 – NCYC Annual Spring Meeting
Tuesday May 6, – Activities Meeting 6:00 at Club
Saturday May 6, 6:00 – Kentucky Derby Party at NCYC
Commodore Remarks
Hello from the Commodore’s cabin,
Hope you all got a kick out of the April 1st issue. That was the work of our creative genius NCYC magazine producer/editor Deb Paulson and the various contributors. [Ed. note: yes, Lou wrote this, and I saw no need to edit it :) ]
On a serious side, there is a lot happening at the club right now. Deck renovation has begun. We received a proposal that was within our approved budget set the project underway. Demolition is complete. Most of the existing joists were in fine condition but we replaced and doubled the end joists for more support to the railing posts and also replaced and sistered just a couple in the interior where needed. The Ipe decking is 90% complete. If the weather cooperates with us, the Ipe/Cable railing will be completed soon along with Azek facia trim on the Rim/Band joist. When you see it, it gives the waterfront side of the club a whole new vibe and it will be nice not having to annually repair and maintain the previous grey painted pressure treated deck.
Work for installing the new fiberglass flagpole has also begun. The old steel support sections were cut off and four 28” deep 7/8” dia. holes drilled for the threaded anchor bolt rods to be epoxied into the foundation that will anchor the baseplate for the new pole. Once the moorings are cleared; with a group of hands we can stand it up using its hinged base plate.
Major launch restoration going thanks to the tireless efforts of Elio Betty and his crew. More about that in this issue. Sorry to report it will not have the Tiki Bar version but we did receive a fair amount of interest in the concept…..
Next contact on the radar is the clubhouse and grounds clean-up day April 15th. Hope to see many of you there. There is a lot to do to get our NCYC shipshape for the season but with the typical turn-out we get each spring, I’m sure we can get it done. Sign-ups will be going out for specific outside grounds projects as well as inside the clubhouse. Please sign up or just show up with a rake to help pick up the sea straw that the storm tides deposited or to assist in moving boats and cleaning up the interior.
As a reminder to all members who are getting their moorings ready, please be sure to pick up any bits of seizing wire that you’ve cut off, or just any you see around, so that nobody (especially the Jr. Sailing students) steps on them. Thank you.
The Sea is calling and we must Go!
Lou Vinciguerra
Commodore
Vice Commodore Remarks
In preparation for the upcoming season, members Karl Frost and Chris Bazinet have reconfigured the bar area to incorporate the large refrigerator under the existing counter. This upgrade requires new cabinetry which our members are building as we speak.
Our application for a grant for a resuscitation device called an AED has been accepted. We are on a waitlist for the funds and hope to have the AED available soon.
We are looking forward to an early start this season, thanks to a mild winter, and will be seeking out volunteers for the club clean-up day on April 15. Many hands make light work!
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Tuzzio
Vice Commodore
Jr. Sailing
Spring has sprung for junior sailing and we're excited for the summer. Our instructor team is hired and 79 of 84 slots are already filled. Session 2 is completely full with several levels in Session 1 & 3 also full! If you haven't registered your child/grandchild/niece/nephew, don't wait!
We are also working on updating our fleet with some new-to-us boats including the beautiful Peggy Ann (generously donated by Pete Stump in memory of Peggy Stump) and four 420s from Pettipaug Yacht Club. We've got our eyes out for a few Opti replacements as well. To offset cost, we have some Dyer Dhows, Optis, and older 420’s for sale. If you or anyone you know is interested, reach out to Commodore Vinciguerra (aka the jr. sailing fleet guy.)
As always, the junior sailing committee is always happy to have new members and can use the extra hands to manage the fun!
Melissa Mason
Jr. Sailing Chair
Thursday Night Racing
Today on this cold, rainy, raw April day, I am reflecting on the importance of sailing. Everybody else in my home is in their warm bed, and I am in front of my fireplace with the raindrops that make it through the chimney and onto the fire exploding into steam. What else should I be thinking about?
I remind myself of a quote by Hunter S. Thompson, Gonzo journalist and leader of the Freak Power movement and a proponent of making quote-worthy utterances when licking LSD stamps. Hunter once asked himself: “Who is the happier person? One who has braved the storm of life, and lived, or one who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed.”
There are many parallels in our everyday lives to sailing. Sailing a boat calls for quick action, a blending of feeling with the wind and water, as well as with the very heart and soul of the boat itself. Sailing teaches alertness, resourcefulness, and courage; and gives in return a joyousness and pleasure that but few sports afford.
There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is though everything is a miracle. I believe that sailors become fast believers in miracles. Their belief in miracles is formulated when they see the high winds of a storm settle down to make an easier passage, or the nonexistent wind of a Thursday Night Race suddenly accelerate to push their boat across the finish line out in front of the other boats. The Hail Mary wind. Or, the Hail Mary tide change. Or, the Hail Mary clearance of fog. Sailors are witnesses to the miracle of the environment. They see firsthand the mammals, birds, and fish of the sea and therefore they understand the importance of humans conserving and protecting our natural resources. The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For sailors, it is to know that and to wonder at it.
Young or old, short or tall, beginners or world champions, sailing will provide years of fun. That is why it is important that we NCYC members support our Junior Sailing program, and other sailing programs that introduce young and old to sailing and power boating.
President Kennedy once said that “we are tied to the ocean and when we go back to the sea whether it is to sail or to watch we are going back from whence we came.” So, it is with this quote in mind that I am off to pick up my new hand-stitched sail at the John Fries home-sail loft in Waterford. I can’t wait to hoist the new sail, and get out on the water. But first, the bottom needs sanding & painting, the seacock needs replacing, the topsides need polishing, the halyard needs replacing, and I could keep typing and typing up things that need to be done to my mistress named “Madaket”.
See you on the water! And don’t forget to participate in Thursday night racing!
Joe Carroll
Activities
Well, we feel bad for anyone that couldn't make it to the first Events Committee meeting!! The energy was high, the Mimosas fizzy, and the Dark & Stormy’s flowing. And the FOOOOOD!!! We have a really good feeling about this year! We have some great, family oriented (and a couple not-so-family oriented) events scheduled by a lot of creative, enthusiastic folks!
We are starting early with a new event on May 6th: the Run For the Roses Kentucky Derby Party which kicks off at 18:00. Root for your favorite pony! Ladies, create your best Derby hats, and gents, we wanna see your best too!! (Who knows! There may be a prize in it for you!) And what would the race be without Mint Juleps? We will be serving them at the bar for a small donation! Look for the email later to sign up for heavy hors d’oeuvres.
We have so much fun in store for you all this year that we can hardly wait for summer!! If you are interested in being part of the committee, we will be meeting at the club May 2nd at 18:00. We’d love to have you join us!!
Melissa Clark, Lucy Driggs-Armstrong,
Activities Co-chairs
Marine Yard “Sail”
Instead of holding the Yard “Sail” in the NCYC parking lot this year, I’m renting two spaces for NCYC at the Hartford Power Squadron Yard Sale at the Westbrook Outlets, April 22, 8:00 - 3:00. The spaces are 18’ x 9’, so there’s should be plenty of room for everyone’s stuff.
Try to think back to your collection of usable spares and parts gathering dust in the garage.
My collection of good stuff includes:
· A boarding ladder extension
· A bait or bilge pump
· Deck and hand rail parts and fittings
· A working VHF with antenna and remote handset
· A working propane grill
· A storage tub of stuff for someday
I’m sure there is more I need to sell, swap, or give away. You are likely in a similar situation. A member in the club probably needs some of your spares and hopefully mine. Come have fun, enjoy a swap party, and say hello as we start the boating season. Contact me if you have any questions.
Thanks!
Pete Stump
Cruising News
We had our very constructive first cruise meeting on March 11 at the Acton Library and a splendid happy hour at the Surfridge Brewery.
The tides are very favorable for an eastward sail from Saybrook to Stonington to begin our NCYC annual cruise on Saturday August 5. Our cruise itinerary for the first week has been formalized and includes Watch Hill, Block Island, Montauk, and ending at Coecles Harbor.
At this first meeting we also confirmed the dates and ports of call for the Wine Cruise, Labor Day Cruise, July 4th Cruise and the Fireworks Cruise to Three Mile Harbor.
There’s a lot more planning for the second week to the exciting ports between the Forks of Long Island. Please join us on April 15 at 3:30pm, at the club as we complete the annual cruise itinerary and learn more about these local ports from our very own club members. If you have some important details, we would love to hear from you. We will also be seeking out our very important and helpful Port Captains who make our destinations so entertaining and enjoyable.
We will convene at Penny Lane Pub after the April 15th cruise meeting for Happy Hour in which all club members are invited – cruisers, land cruisers, weekenders, day sailors, everyone! See you soon.
Sincerely,
David Chan
Grounds Clean Up
There is plenty to be done at the Club clean-up on April 15th! Below is a current list of things to be done and another list of things to bring (if you have them.) Hope you can join us! Please click the link to sign up—thank you!
Bob and Cathy Murphy
Outside House Chairs
Things to be done at the grounds clean up
Replace rails on split rail fence
Secure parking lot timber pile borders (Lou V leadng)
Rebuild concrete block planter walls (for planters near parking lot entrance and club entrance) - remove timbers and build new concrete wall in those locations (Bob Murphy leading)
Rake Grass Area and remove debris
Rake parking lot and remove debris
Rake waterfront and remove debris
Clear drainage trench
Straighten rope support poles in parking area
Dig out and realign brick between deck steps
Place 4 Concrete Flower Pots into place and paint (Cathy Murphy leading)
Things to bring (if you have them.)
Pick-up truck
Shovels, rakes and other implements of destruction
Chain saw
Shovels, rakes and other implements of destruction
Hand truck
Skill and endurance
Bengay
Launch Update
We had a very successful Launch Prep Party at the end of February. Eight hardy souls showed up in the twenty-degree weather to scrape and sand and a huge amount of progress was made. The launch is now under a canopy, which will make work on it much easier since the canvas cover doesn’t have to be removed and re-installed each time. The launch is going through a complete cosmetic overhaul and will have beautifully varnished teak, a newly prepped, primed, and painted hull and interior, and refreshed fenders, among other improvements. She will be totally yar when this spring’s work is completed.
At this point, there is still sanding to be done, so anyone who is interested in helping out, please reach out to me at ebetty@boatus.com. Thanks so much!
Elio Betty, Launch Maintenance
Women on the River
Come join in on the fun! WOR is starting the 2023 season. Our first meeting is on May 17th at Essex Corinthian Yacht Club. We are expanding to include the Hamburg Cove Yacht club along with Essex, Corinthian, Pettipaug and of course our own North Cove. Sailing dates include May 17 Kick off, May 31, June 7, 14, and 21.
Last year we had a fabulous time with eight of our members participating. The evenings included two hours of sailing on Essex Yacht Club’s Ideal 18’s. After, we enjoyed drinks and dinner at EYC. There is no cost to sail and dinner (if you wish to participate) is approximatly $25. No skills are necessary. You can captain a boat of three or four or you may decide to be crew. If your interested, please email me: cjhmurphy@gmail.com or call: 860-227-7122 by May 1.
Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
Cathy Murphy
Many thanks to Old Saybrook Historical Society and author Lamar LeMonte for permission to share this fascinating bit of North Cove history.
William Goodspeed and the Hartford to New York Steamers
by Lamar LeMonte, OSHS
The remains of the luxurious steamship Granite State lie in shallow water at the entrance to Old Saybrook’s North Cove. What’s left of the hull has been submerged in the shallow water of the Connecticut River for almost 140 years. The demise of the Granite State not only symbolized the end of William Henry Goodspeed’s life but also the age of the elegant Hartford to New York steamers.
The Granite State did not sink there. The wooden hull was towed to the location in 1884 after the steamer had burned upriver in East Haddam the year before. The burned hull was supposedly placed there as a North Cove breakwater.
Presumably the hull extended above the water at that time, but winter ice and rot has reduced it to an underwater fixture. It is also theorized that the hull was to help slow the silting of North Cove which had been a growing problem after the railroad had sealed off much of the cove from tidal currents to build the tracks to Saybrook Point and Fenwick.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue. If you have anything you’d like to put in the next issue, please contact me at 860-581-0713 or email using the link below.
Deb Paulson, NCYC magazine editor