High Tidings May 2024
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Upcoming Events
Saturday May 4, 3:00-7:00 – Kentucky Derby Event at the Club (BYOB and Appetizers)
Wednesday May 8, 6:30 – Outer Light Planning Meeting at Myrcene Brewery Old Saybrook
Saturday May 11, 4:00-6:00 – Annual Meeting and 55th Commissioning
Saturday May 25 – Monday May 27, Memorial Day Mini-Cruise
Friday May 31 6:00 – Friday Informal Social (BYOB and Appetizers)
Commodore Remarks
Greetings from the pilot house of NCYC. I’m forecasting fair winds and following seas for our 2024 season. We had a robust turnout of hands for the Spring club clean-up. Plantings and flower beds are looking great, whalers are ready for launching, and the Club interior is spic and span. The harbor master is launching moorings, so a reminder–if you have yellow paint on your mooring there is an issue that needs to be corrected prior to launching.
The Launch is being brought into an even higher state of bristol condition with fresh coats of varnish on the bright work (Thanks Deb Paulson) [Ed. note: Awwww, you’re welcome!] I lost count how many times I’ve see her down there applying coat number what?? [Ed. note: three-hundred and fifty seven. Just kidding.]
Also, fresh coats of paint on topsides and bootstripe by Elio Betty. I am amazed how he can achieve a finish like that without having the launch in a boat yard paint booth with spray equipment. I know there are others working on the launch as well (like Web Moore varnishing the bench seats ) thanks all for your efforts!
Throughout the year we will communicate more opportunities to help out, for example Junior Sailing duty officers and weed whacking, and I do hope you sign up.
We have plans for a dumpster area fencing replacement to extend around and hide the septic system concrete risers and also provide storage racks inside for the fuel used for the whalers and launch, as well as the propane cylinders for the gas grills.
Next contact on the horizon is our Activities committee Kentucky Derby Event on Saturday May 4th. Wear your hats and break out the Mint Julips while we cheer on the three-year-old Thoroughbreds!
It may have little to do with yachting but it’s fun !!!
After that we have the combined the Club Commissioning Event and Spring Meeting on May 11th. The Spring Meeting will be held first, at 1600. We expect it to last approximately 30 minutes, then have a recess as we assemble for the NCYC Commissioning Ceremony at 1700. Any non-member guest should be directed to walk around to the back of the club until we finish the Spring Meeting. We will post a sign at the front entrance while the meeting is in progress.
In this issue you will see an invite for our Club members to attend a fund raising event at Essex Yacht Club to support the Old Saybrook High School and Valley Regional High School crew teams. If you haven’t been, they have a very nice facility and I’m sure it will be a nice event.
That’s all the news that’s fit to report, I need to mind the Helm!
Best!
Lou Vinciguerra, Commodore
Vice Commodore Remarks
I'd like to thank all of you who helped open the clubhouse on cleanup day. It looks great and is ready for Commissioning. We welcome Craig Elliott as the NCYC House Manager this year.
I look forward to seeing you at the combined Commissioning and Annual Meeting. May the weather be fair and the skies blue!
Linda Tuzzio, Vice Commodore
Membership
The next membership event will be at the Commissioning. If you know of anyone interested in hearing about what NCYC has to offer, please invite them. Be sure to tell them that we welcome them to join us for the Commissioning which begins at 5 pm. Only members are allowed to attend the Spring Meeting. It is also nice to let them know that some of our members actually dress up for this event. I once forgot to let a potential member know and they said it was our form of hazing!
Caroline Miller, Membership
Posted 04/21/2024
Marykay and Don Fontaine
Mansfield, CT
Don: Retired sales manager
Marykay: Retired RN
Children: Over 26
Proposed by: Lisa and Craig Elliott
Support letters: Miller, Pavlos, Chan
Boat: Cutwater 29
Boating: They have many years of boating experience and have been in North Cove for over 25 years.
Skills/interests: The Fontaines are looking forward to the camaraderie of the club experience and meeting new people. As they get older, they look forward to the ease of getting back and forth to their boat. Don and Marykay are fun people and willing to pitch in to help when needed.
Potential Members – Posted 04/29/2024
Riley Anderson and Charlotte Freeland
Glastonbury, CT
Riley: Data Scientist
Charlotte: Research Scientist
Proposed by: Miller
Support letters: Frost, Pavlos, Murphy
Boat: C&C 38
Boating: They have five years experience cruising Long Island Sound
Skills/interests: They have known about the club for years and are friends with many members. They both have a wealth of knowledge about boats, cruising, and maintenance and can help maintain the NCYC fleet of boats. They look forward to actively participating in club events, especially the summer cruises!
Jr. Sailing
It's smooth sailing on the Junior Sailing front. The Opti classes for all three sessions are full and we have a healthy waitlist. Our 420 classes are close to full! Our senior instructors are hired with just a few junior instructor (volunteer) positions remaining. The committee is planning a fundraiser (stay tuned) and working to prep boats and supplies needed for another successful season. If you are interested in lending a hand to get the small boat fleet ready, please let me know (masonahoy@gmail.com) or contact Commodore Lou Vinciguerra.
The last thing to fill is our Duty Officer slots. For each and every Junior Sailing program day, we have a club member watching over the sailors from the comfort of the club house. Duty Officers are the go-to resource for nervous sailors or those not quite ready to get back on the water. The position requires no medical training (our instructors all hold first aid certifications) just a willingness to offer a comforting smile and chat with a young sailor. Simply kick back, keep an ear open for an instructor or sailor needing assistance, and enjoy the tranquility of North Cove on a weekday.
With gratitude,
Melissa Mason, Jr. Sailing Chair
Off Shore Racing
We had a successful skippers meeting and are looking forward to some racing this summer! Reminder to skippers to register BEFORE heading out to the race course. Boats can now register for the whole summer series, or per diem at: https://www.northcoveyc.com/clubracing
Want to join the Thursday fun?
We are looking for more volunteers to join the Race Committee! This is a great opportunity to get acquainted with sailboat racing, especially if you don't have a boat of your own. We are looking specifically for volunteers to record times and lift marks.
There are also ways to get onto a sailboat if you are looking for more action. Many of our experienced skippers would love to have an extra crew member. This is a great way to learn the rules of racing or to gain more experience sailing in Long Island Sound.
The first Thursday night race is June 6th. Arrive at the club house by 4:30 PM if you are looking to join and send an email to amyvinci94@gmail.comto let us know you're interested.
Outer Light Classic Update
The next planning meeting will be Wednesday May 8th. The committee is currently working on fundraising and sponsorships. If you would like to donate to our basket raffle held during the Commodore's Cookout, email amyvinci94@gmail.com. We are looking for fun items, gift cards, or empty baskets.
Look forward to the chance to win these lovely baskets on Saturday June 15th.
Activities
There was no time for fun and games in April as the serious work of opening the club was front and center of all activity!! Well, you know, all work and no play…
So we did have a LITTLE fun while everyone was scrubbing and dusting, doing heavy lifting and digging in the dirt!! But now that the club has been all fluffed and buffed, IT’S TIME TO PARTY!!!
MAY 4th is the first social event of the season!! Please join us for a fun night of food and friendship (and maybe a little wager?) at the Kentucky Derby Party! Please read through the sign up and volunteer!
See you all soon!!
Melissa Clark, Activities Chair
Cruising News
Launch Operations
Greetings & Salutations Fellow NCYC Members,
We held our annual launch operators meeting at NCYC on Saturday morning, April 27, 2024. The waterfront was a buzz of activity with our Harbormaster, Scott Mitchell and his crew hard at work laying out the North Cove mooring field.
Elio Betty and Deb Paulson were on hand to discuss the work done to the launch during the off-season. The launch looks spectacular, so special thanks is to Elio, Deb, and all those behind the scenes who spiffed up our old reliable North Cove gal. There are still a few more prep items for the launch along with the annual Coast Guard inspection which we anticipate will go swimmingly. -Pun intended. We’ll then be off and running for the season.
Launch operations will begin on Saturday, May 11, 2024. We are excited to announce the return of our crew of familiar faces: Tanya Anderson, Stefan Golicz, and Jack Cardello. You will also be seeing NCYC members filling in occasionally. All of whom hold a US Coast Guard endorsement of varying degrees to operate an inspected vessel with passengers. Thank you to Len van Vliet, Dave Miller, Dave Chan, Walter Gayeski, Tom Tydeman, and RJ Lavallee for taking-on a few shifts this season.
If you have not visited the North Cove website lately, I encourage you to take a look. Melissa and John Mason keep our launch hours posted on the club website. This allows members to check hours of operation for the launch right from their cell phone, tablet, or computer. Check out the calendar section.
Here’s my usual cheap recruitment pitch… We always plan to fill the schedule to the end of the marine season, however, there are always a few open dates and unanticipated crew-member absences. If there are any club members or if you know someone outside our club who holds a current and valid US Coast Guard Captains or Launch License and seeking part-time work, please give me a call.
On behalf of all the Launch Captains, welcome back, we’re looking forward to seeing you at the club and on the water. I wish you all clear skies, fair winds, and following seas wherever you may travel this year. Know that when you depart and return to North Cove our launch crew will be at the ready on 78A to get you to and from your boat. Have a safe and enjoyable season!
Sincerely,
Bill Porter, Launch Operations
New NCYC Severe Weather Policy
Our NCYC Launch will endeavor to run during scheduled time frames, however on a few occasions severe weather may threaten North Cove. For the safety of our launch crew, members, and guests we have adopted the following severe weather policy.
Launch Operations will be suspended when severe weather is threatening North Cove. Severe weather is not limited to but is inclusive of high winds of 25kts or winds gusting to 30kts in the North Cove, thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy rain.
Potential severe weather will be monitored with all available means by the launch operator such as radar, lightning strike data, and NOAA weather warnings. Lightning producing storms that are approaching North Cove must be closely monitored and considered dangerous. During these conditions launch services will be suspended until the conditions are deemed safe by the launch operator.
We will be using the current NCYC Discord app to keep members informed of any launch service interruptions. If you don’t have the app yet, reach out to me or Bill Porter and we can help you set it up on your cell phone or tablet.
Len van Vliet, Rear Commodore
A Nantucket Sailing Childhood
by Joe Carroll
This morning I went to the boatyard and took the cover off my boat. The atmosphere was spitting rain drops, and the boat’s deck surfaces were wet. However, I carried on since there are only so many days that boat preparations can be carried out, and then it is summer. Climbing the ladder onto the boat was a little difficult since my new hip joints were being flexed in ways that my physical therapist hadn’t anticipated in my exercises, but none-the-less I got the job done.
Nearby, there was a guy working on his fishing boat, and he showed me where I can plug in my extension cord in case I needed electricity. We got to talking, he saw that I had my North Cove Yacht Club hat on and he mentioned that his son had learned to sail at NCYC, and that Amy Vinciguerra and Matt Faneli were his sailing instructors. His son was having a great time sailing, and he was very happy with his sailing ability.
After the conversation, I continued removing my boat’s cover, which was a challenge since it was affixed to the boat in many places. Despite the boat being thoroughly covered I noticed that the bilge was filled with water. Back in late August 2023 when I put the boat up for the winter I pumped the bilge dry, and soon afterwards the cover was installed. So, now I have to figure out where the water came from that filled the bilge during a period when the whole boat was covered and sealed.
While contemplating the above, I also got to thinking about my childhood Nantucket sailing instructors, and how different they are from our NCYC instructors and the boats that Nantucket children learned to sail in. Below is a picture of my intermediate sailing instructor “Brownie.” Brownie, who was born in an 1888 blizzard, was the grandson of Owen Chase, a Nantucket whaleman whose whale ship was stoved-in and sunk by a whale. However, the crew got into three whaleboats in order to save their lives, and tried to sail a course to the nearest land. The whaleboats separated, and while sailing some 3,300 miles toward Chile, Owen, who captained one of the whale boat-turned-life-boats, killed and devoured his cousin, who was also in the whale boat with several other crewmen. What can I say? The corpulent victim drew the short straw, and everybody else was thirsty and hungry.
Brownie
In any case, back in the early 1960’s Brownie still lived in grandfather Owen’s Nantucket house with his sister, Lucrecia. Brownie used to drink–drink a lot as a matter of fact. He carried a flask of this favorite booze and he used to light it on fire to show his students how inflammable it was. Brownie was like that, mixing sailing with his Professor Science act. Brownie also had an odor about him. His scent could best be described as “sulfurous sea scent”. In any case, Brownie used to row around in a double ended dory with a little brown nosed guy named “Star” which was short for “Starbuck”. Star had a megaphone which he used to yell commands/instructions at the sailing students. Star considered himself a member of the quahog aristocracy–which through extensive inbreeding creates an individual with royal Nantucket Island blood. Kind of like English royalty. Not sure whatever happened to Star. I haven’t seen him in fifty years or so. Maybe Brownie devoured him.
Brownie taught sailing using Beetle Catboats. My twin brother and I used the same boat that Brownie taught my father to sail in back in Nineteen-aught-nine.
nantucket bettle catboats
I can still remember our sailing instructions. Brownie would say:
· “The windward side gives you the clearest view of where you are heading and what is happening on your boat”. Or, Brownie would teach that
· “A sail acts much like the wing of an airplane. As air flows over the two surfaces of the sail, lift develops, just like the lift on an airplane’s wing. This lift pulls the sail forward and with it the boat”.
· “The sail needs to be properly trimmed. As long as the sail’s angle relative to the wind is correct smooth airflow over the sail will be maintained and a strong lift will result. If for some reason the sail is pointing too close to the wind or too far away from it, the flow of air on the sail will be turbulent, destroying the lift effect.” “Pull the sail to the point where it stops luffing” Brownie would command. Also, Brownie taught us weather forecasting such as:
· “Dew in the morning means an early strong southerly wind…”
· “Cob webs in the rigging means a northwester in the near future”
· “ Wind from the northeast generally brings rain to Nantucket”,
· “Wind before rain, set sail again”..”Rain before wind, take her in…”
Also, Brownie taught sailing rules of the road:
· “Windward boat stay clear of the leeward boat on same tack”
· “Boat on port tack stay clear of boat on starboard tack”.
Brownie used to work out of a shed, and his main source of income was OTB, cleaning fish, scallops, & clams. If it was too windy to sail, Brownie would put his students to work cleaning fish to help pay for their tuition. One could work for 50 cents a day for Brownie. Maybe, he’d show you how to plot a course or read a compass.
brownie’s shed
Occasionally, Brownie’s bewhiskered, girlfriend Madaket Millie would stop by the shed and bring seaweed laced brownies for the children. A lot has changed since then, and guys like Brownie, and gals like Madaket Millie are not around anymore–at least not on Nantucket.
Wishing you all a great May, and see you on the water..
Joe Carroll, High Tidings Correspondent
From the Chaplain’s Quiet Corner of the Cove
Dear friends,
Take time this season to sit on the deck, to watch the moon rise, and “to ponder heaven”…
pink flower full moon,
“It's full tonight. So we go and the moon rises, so beautiful it makes me shudder, makes me think about time and space, makes me take measure of myself: one iota pondering heaven. Thus we sit, myself thinking how grateful I am for the moon's perfect beauty and also, oh! how rich it is to love the world.”
Mary Oliver
From the Editor
Thanks to everyone for their contributions to this issue of High Tidings. If you have any information you’d like to include in the June High Tidings, please email me at debrasachs247@gmail.com. Photos thanks to: Joe Carroll, Walt (“Mud”) Gayeski, Kathleen LeGeyt, Deb Paulson, Laurie Pavlos, Linda Tuzzio, Amy Vinciguerra, Lou Vinciguerra.