High Tidings June 2024
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Upcoming Events
Wednesdays at 8:30 AM – Yoga with Cheryl Miller at the Club
On-going Wednesdays, 6:00 – Informal Grill Night. Join for a drink or dinner
Thursday June 6 and on-going Thursdays – Thursday Night Racing. Be at the dock by 4:30 if you want to join in
Friday June 14 – Full Launch Service Begins. Check the Club Calendar for hours
Saturday June 15, 4:00 – Commodores’ Cookout and Silent Auction
Monday June 17 - Friday June 21 – Junior Sailing Prep Week
Monday June 24 – Junior Sailing Sessions begin
Friday June 28, 6:00 – Luau Social at the Club
Commodore Remarks
Boating season is here!
I enjoyed seeing many of you at our first combined Spring Meeting/Club Commissioning event, which was a short meeting followed by the formal commissioning event and fun food and beverages afterward. I received a good amount of positive feedback that the format seemed to work well. We could make a couple more tweaks in the script for next year so the events don’t have any repetition–but that’s on me.
The sign-up genius for volunteers pitching in where needed to support the club seems to be working well. I encourage our Committee Chairpersons to identify tasks to be posted, because the next thing you know, someone signs up and gets it done! As we all know, weed whacking and lawn mowing are ongoing activites throughout the season. The more we accomplish with member volunteers means less contractors we need to hire and that helps our annual budget and Club dues.
Thanks to an enthusiastic team of members and our Clubhouse Chair, Craig Elliott, we have renovated outdoor shower. It looks great and will be a welcome upgrade for visiting transients that pay for use of our facilities as well as members staying on their boats for an extended period. And, thanks to Karl Frost, we have an outdoor deep sink installed on the north side of the clubhouse. Please use this sink versus the inside bathroom sinks when your boat or mooring tackle jobs cause you to have dirty paws. The parking lot was graded and potholes filled again this year by our Fleet Captain, David Chan and his tractors.
Remember to keep checking the club calendar on our website (see link above) for the current Launch Service schedule and for upcoming activities. Our next big event, on Saturday June 15, is the Commodores’ Cookout. In days of old, the three Commodores manned the grills to cook all the meat for the attendees, but I’m glad we transformed into a catered cookout. (Thanks Caroline Miller!)
It is wonderful that we have quite a few new members joining (thanks again to Caroline!) Please introduce yourselves at club events and make them feel welcome and part of our crew.
That’s all the news I’ve got. Back to minding the Helm!
Best!
Lou Vinciguerra, Commodore
Vice Commodore Remarks
Did the season creep up on us really fast? It's June and we are not ready for it!
There are lots of activities at the club this month when you are not out on the water. Many thanks to our activities chair, Melissa Clark. She does the behind-the-scenes work to make things happen. Please assist her by signing up for tasks such as set-up, serving, and cleanup.
Amy Vinciguerra will be running our silent auction in June at the Commodore's Cookout. I saw the items last night and I am impressed with the selection. Hope you can attend this fun event. The proceeds will support NCYC’s very own Saybrook Outer Light Classic Regatta, in July. Even if you don't race, buy a ticket and attend after party! There will be boats from other yacht clubs competing and you can meet racer/sailors from all around the area.
For those of us who are at the club to unwind, there are books and games at the club. Please feel free to take a book or two and donate whatever you may have.
Thursday night racing starts this week. You are welcome to join the race by racing, by coming out on the committee boat, or by attending the grill dinner afterwards.
I look forward to seeing all of you at the club,
Linda Tuzzio, Vice Commodore
Membership
The Membership Committee has been working hard this year! We have quite a few new members and still have more in the pipeline. The next event will be the May 31st Potluck and we will host at least three prospective members. Please be sure to take a minute and say hello.
Potential Members – Posted 05/25/2024
Leif Nilsson and Laura Reynolds
Chester, CT
Lief: Artist
Laura: Physical Therapist
Children: Meredith Reynolds (1999)
Proposed by: Caroline Miller
Support letters: Carrol, Pavlos, Chan
Boat: AC24 Sailboat and Dyer
Boating: Lief has been on the water his whole life: Sunfish, Hobie Cat, outboard motorboats, canoe, sailing dinghies. Not a lot of open ocean, mostly coastal and CT river.
Skills/interests: Everyone said get on the list for a mooring, so I did and now they are asking me to join the club and here I am! I seem to know quite a few members and am familiar with the cove. I am an artist and will be out there painting the cove and the world around it. Some people may get some joy from seeing me working.
David and Karen Madacsi
Old Saybrook, CT
David: Product Manager
Laura: TV Producer
Children: Max (2012)
Proposed by: Caroline Miller
Support letters: Carrol, Pavlos, Chan
Boat: BW 130 Sport
Boating: David grew up around boats and marinas. His family had many different boats over the years. This year is the first time he has owned my own boat. After being away from the coast for a long time I decided to start off small. Excited to get on the water.
Skills/interests: David really likes the ethos of this club and the fact that everyone pitches in. The event we attended was excellent and everyone was very friendly and interesting. They hope that they can contribute to making the club fun for everyone and pitch in where needed. One day maybe hold an office.
Jr. Sailing
The Junior Sailing team is so excited for the season to begin. Prep week starts soon (June 17) and Session 1 begins June 24th. Thank you in advance to everyone as we have 27 young sailors and 5 instructors around the club each week. A few reminders:
· Duty Officers: Sign-up for this fun volunteer activity is now open. Feel free to sign up for one or more sessions throughout the summer.
· Junior Sailing Pasta Dinner Fundraiser: Save the date for our Junior Sailing Pasta Dinner Fundraiser on July 12! This fundraiser is geared towards raising funds for a new, safe coach boat for our Junior Sailing program, as well as contributing to an expansion of our community scholarship program. More information coming soon!
· Slow speed: Please drive slowly especially if you are pulling around to the waterfront! This is for the safety of our sailors and instructors.
· Ed Godfrey Monday Night Junior Racing series: Begins June 24 and runs each Monday evening through July 29th. All returning 420 sailors and Junior Instructors are eligible. If any club Opti sailors are interested, please let Amy Vinciguerra or I know.
· Junior Race Team Practices: Beginning June 26, we will be holding practice for our junior race team on Wednesday evenings. This practice will team racing tactics and prepare our team for ECSA junior regattas across the shoreline and into Rhode Island.
Thanks to everyone in our club community for your support. If you want to join our team, please reach out!
Happy sailing,
Melissa Mason, Jr. Sailing Chair
Thursday Night Racing
You’ve heard the rumors. You’ve listened to the stories. You’ve felt that longing. And maybe a twinge of FOMO. Pine no more–Thursday Night Racing is back!
June 6th is the evening of the first Thursday Night Race!!! Seacant is not ready yet, but other vessels are! Hoping for calm seas and strong breeze for our first race.
Click the button link to sign up for this super fun activity. You can sign up for the full series or for a single day.
Please note that the per diem registration has no date attached. For example, register for three nights of racing and join us on any three Thursdays all summer long!
Once you’ve signed up, get yourself on Discord, our easy communication program that runs on phones, tablets, and personal computers. It’s where all the racing updates will be (will there be a race tonight, what’s the weather, who is racing that evening, etc.) under the “Thursday Night Racing” channel.
To join Discord, click on the button and you will be directed to the site and your log in. This link is good until June 9.
More ways to get involved in Thursday Night Racing
It’s easy! To crew on a boat, come to the club deck on any Thursday at 4:30pm. Many of our experienced skippers are happy to take on an extra hand. Or, learn the ropes and the rules of racing by volunteering for the Race Committee by showing up on any Thursday at 4:30pm. Or, help to feed the hungry sailors as they come off the water. Reach out to Linda Tuzzio if you are interested in hosting an after-race dinner. On that note, anyone is welcome to join our dinners for a suggested donation of $5 per person. Dinner times will vary depending on the length of race and wind conditions. Come and see and hear all the fun sea stories!
Saybrook Outer Light Classic
This year’s Saybrook Outer Light Classic Regatta will take place Sunday July 21st. You are hereby formally invited! Even if you’re not up to racing this year, you can still win the party! [Ed. note: winning the party is actually quite competitive…] Please come and enjoy a celebration of our maritime community.
We’re encouraging community involvement this year and here’s how you can help. If you have a business, professional practice, or just anything you’d like to say, you can be featured as a sponsor in the SOLC Program. It’s a great way to signal your support of your club and community by highlighting your message amongst your friends and neighbors. Sponsorship includes tickets to the party and if past is prologue, you will not be disappointed.
Your message can be all about your business or just a simple statement of support. Feel free to include a picture of your dog if you want! [Ed. note: that’s what I’m going to do] We offer design help, or you can send us existing marketing materials, and we’ll format them for you. Just click the link to purchase, and we’ll take care of the rest. You'll be doing something useful, helpful, and fun!
As many of you already know, our club sponsors several scholarships to our junior sailing program for those who may not be able to attend otherwise. With the sale of SOLC sponsorships, we hope to add two positions to this scholarship program. Our junior program has become the premier sailing experience for kids in our area and something we can all be very proud of. Sailing instruction introduces a whole new generation to the passion we share and builds confidence and teamwork in young minds as well as boating skills and safety. Help us make that experience available to more kids by becoming a SOLC sponsor!
Spread the Word
We also ask that you reach out to anyone who might be interested in sponsoring. Maybe your dentist, transmission shop, or psychic? How about that realtor who keeps emailing you? Send them the flyer below or copy any of the language in your email to them–or print it out and drop it off in person. Thank you for being an NCYC ambassador.
Regardless of your level of support, please come to the party and help cheer on your fellow club members and meet some our sailing friends from other clubs on the Eastern Sound. See you there!
Activities
OFF TO THE RACES!!
We had an enthusiastic group for one of the most exciting and close Kentucky Derby finishes ever! I think the judges were counting whiskers to determine the outcome! The mint juleps were flowing (a little too sweet though for my taste and I made them! LOL) The appetizers were very appetizing as usual, but I think we may have to have a Deviled Egg contest to see who makes the best ones. I think people were eating them for a while at home after the party. To prevent duplicate items, although all slightly different and just as tasty, please note what you are bringing and check what others are bringing so we have a good variety and fewer leftover!
Our next BIG event is the Commodores Cookout June 15th at 1600. DON’T MISS THIS!! You are in for some really good cookout food! AND, thanks to the generous donations from members and local businesses, the activities committee is pleased to bring back the Basket Silent Auction at the Commodore’s Cookout. Fifteen beautiful baskets will be out for our silent auction. These baskets range from 30-200 dollar values and starting bids can start as low as 15 dollars (basket dependent). See some previews of the Martinis for Two basket, Dark and Stormy Basket, Fun and Games Basket, and Margarita Basket!
All proceeds go towards helping the club run and organize the Saybrook Outer Light Classic Regatta, which in turn is helping to raise money for our Junior Sailing Program.
On June 28th we are having a luau! Flowered shirts and some Hawaiian leis. Heavy apps, think pineapple and coconut? Maybe a signature drink at the bar? STAY TUNED!
Cruising News
From the Fleet Captain’s Desk:
2024 Hurricane season:
Multiple forecasting models indicate that the eastern seaboard is predicted to experience an increase in hurricane activity due to the return of La Nina and the exit of El Nino that produces the high altitude wind shear that takes the edge off the winds of Atlantic hurricanes. Furthermore, significantly warming waters off the west coast of Africa, the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf waters all point to a potentially record-breaking 2024 hurricane season. [Ed. note: you’re really selling the cruise this year, David ;)]
We continue to make incremental improvements in our sailing plans and will be paying close attention to any Hurricane Center announcements.
We had our May cruise meeting and found out that Falmouth doesn’t have adequate mooring facilities and therefore have made the necessary cruise destination changes. Of course, we will have our June and July cruise meetings to fine tune the itinerary and we welcome all suggestions.
Please joing us on June 12 and 1800 hours at the Club to further finetune our 2024 cruise itinerary.
David Chan, Fleet Captain
And here’s a bit more info about the hurricane season from Phil Klotzbach, Senior Research Scientist, Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University
“We’re very confident this year we’re going to see well above normal hurricane activity,” Klotzbach said. “It’s not just the temperatures on the surface of the ocean that are rising. New data show that even deep down, the heat content of waters is rising–and rising faster than in previous years,” he noted.
“We’re going to have one of the warmest years on record in the Atlantic,” he said. “Basically, the die is already cast. We’re so far ahead of schedule.”
Klotzbach said that some data now posits a 62% chance of a major hurricane on the East Coast in the next few months. For eastern Florica, the probability is up to 75%.
For insurance, the dice are loaded for a big impact this year,” he said.
From the House Chair
And if, after reading the Cruising report you’ve decided to stay on your boat in the cove for summer, we have this in from the House Chair, Craig Elliot:
The Shower Shed has a new look and is open for the season. Please check it out. I want to thank Chris Bazinet for consulting with Dan Ferrier and me regarding the electrical work. Dan completed the electrical updates to the shower and tool shed. I adjusted the shower head with a new extension to prevent the water from shooting out onto the floor. I also hung a full-length mirror to the right of the door after I completed painting the shower shed. I want to thank my wife, Lisa, for selecting the paint colors to coordinate with the sink and shower skirts that Deb Paulson made. Also, a big thank you to Linda Tuzzio, our Vice Commodore, for decorating the shower area with a new shower curtain, a bench and table, a mirror over the sink, and a couple of hanging pictures. I mean, I think we are finally in competition with the New York Yacht Club…lol.
And please double-check when leaving the shower shed that you have all your personal gear and shower items when you are finished.
Craig Elliott, House Chair
From the Chandlery
Check it out! We have a new Chandlery page on the NCYC website.
We’ve product photos of current items available at the club and we are working on the ability to purchase items directly from our website. Also, new NCYC Low Profile Baseball Hats are coming soon in a variety of colors including navy, light pink, nautical red and more.
We hope to have products available for sale at most of our events. Outside of events, please ask the steward on duty or contact us directly if you’d like to purchase any items.
Everyone loves a sale! We have several products that are being phased out or there are only a few available which we will be offering at a discount.
Please let us know if there is anything specific you would like us to add to the Chandlery, we would love your input!
Your new Chandlery Chairpersons,
Tom & Julie Tydeman
Tom - 860-877-3343
Julie - 860-877-3344
Fourth of July Boat Parade Opportunity Fun
Dear North Cove Yacht Club members,
Previously organized by Essex Corinthian Yacht Club for the past 10+ years, the 4th of July boat parade will be organized by CT River Museum this year for the first time with aspirations of drawing even bigger turnout both by land (parade goers) and sea (participating boats). We'd love for members of North Cove Yacht Club to be among those joining us on the water!
Here's high-level info about the 4th of July boat parade (note that this will be a daytime parade):
+ Date and Time: Thursday, July 4th (Arrive @ 1:30 PM in Essex Harbor; Parade Starts @ 2:00 PM)
+ Duration: ~30-40 minutes
+ Location: Essex Harbor in a clockwise loop passing in front of the CT River Museum
Please feel free to let interested members know that they can e-mail me, Bradford Galiette, bgaliette@gmail.com or our july4thboats@gmail.com alias to RSVP. For those who decide to join, we'll share details about how to get a boat ready for parade day, including tips for how to get a boat ready to impress with as little as two hours prep time, and for how to quickly return a boat to its original condition after the parade to enjoy boating the rest of the Independence Day long weekend. Ultimately, we're striving to make this a fun and fairly low-lift way for boaters and residents of our towns alike to celebrate the 4th of July together with their families.
Thank you! Capt. Brad,
Aurora – Essex, CT
A NEW WAY TO GET ASHORE FROM THE MOORING?
We all have our favorite means of getting from our moored and anchored boats to nearby docks and beaches – usually a dinghy (of many varied types and sizes) but sometimes it can be a kayak or paddle board too. If you're anchored in close and heading to the beach anyway, sometimes just swimming in is also an option. But French company SeaStar's Seabike Pro is presenting another possible “going ashore” option – biking!!
Adjust the length, strap the belt around your waist, start petaling and whooooosh – now you're “swimming” at warp speed!
According to SeaStar's website, the bike weighs about 5 lbs. and is easy enough for a child to assemble. The adjustment bolts are captive so no worry of losing one along the way, and the prop has a quick disconnect which helps make bike storage more convenient too More information is available at https://movesea.us/products/water-bike-pro-seabike.
From the Chaplain’s Quiet Corner of the Cove
“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days”
Psalm 90:14
Be inspired to make the most of these long days and shine like the sun!
Canoeing the Connecticut River From Canada to North Cove
by Emily Benning
[Editor’s note: On a stormy evening this past May as the Cruising Club was meeting in the cozy clubhouse, a laden canoe pulled up to the dock and two wet and exhausted people got out. I asked Emily if she would write up a piece for our magazine, and she generously complied with this fabulous account.
Our families tell us on a regular basis that we're wired wrong for thinking a month in a canoe sounds like a jolly holiday, especially in the early spring when we're treated to intermittent snow and a hearty black fly population simultaneously. They've slowly warmed up to the idea, but I suspect it's primarily because five source-to-sea paddling trips later they now have folks up and down the eastern seaboard who share their opinion that we're both a little nuts. As we dragged ourselves and our canoe up onto the dock of the North Cove Yacht Club in a heavy downpour, battered by wind and looking more than a little bedraggled after fighting the weather and the tides for nearly forty miles, I can only imagine that one or two of your members watching through the window would have agreed with our parents.
My partner Steven and I met while we were both working for Stowe Mountain Resort, and our first "date" was a 30-day canoe trip down the length of the Delaware River. Since ski resorts don't tend to have a lot going on in May, it was the only time of year our bosses would approve a multi-week absence. Overall, the trip was delightful. There was some mild flooding, a freak snowstorm, and an incident with an incredibly confused Coast Guard vessel after we crossed into the Chesapeake Bay via the D&C Canal and accidentally slipped inside a safety perimeter during a live ammunition test at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. There were also a few genuinely beautiful sunny days where we did very little actual paddling and mostly sat in the boat drinking cold beverages drifting sideways down the river, but those stories aren't as interesting.
We've both moved on (sort of) from the ski bum life, but as the demands of my job as a paramedic in Stowe fluctuate with the tourist population our best bet is still vacationing during the slow days of "stick season". Since previous trips have involved a flood that evacuated most of a Canadian province and forced us to camp in a snowbank for two weeks waiting for the water to go down (St John River 2018), a near-miss with a hurricane that trapped us in the National Air and Space Museum during a hailstorm and made us pull off the river four days early (Potomac River 2019), the aforementioned explosives, and tornadoes encroaching on the Chesapeake Bay as we attempted to hit our Baltimore Harbor target resulting in an emergency landing on the same Sparrows Point lawn on two separate trips (Delaware River 2017 and Susquehanna 2022 respectively), we opted for an adventure a little closer to home this year. Since our home base is in northern Vermont, the Connecticut River seemed like an achievable goal.
The river itself clocks in at a little over 400 miles from headwaters to the Atlantic and starts in a swamp on the Canadian border known as Fourth Connecticut Lake. For roughly the first 20 miles, it's an ankle-deep stream running between a series of dammed lakes (Third, Second, and First Connecticut Lakes followed by Lake Francis). For another ten miles beyond that, it's an intermittently navigable boulder field that vaguely resembles a river when the water level is high enough. Reasonable people generally start a through paddle in Canaan, Vermont around river mile 370. Aware that we are not, in fact, reasonable people, Steven and I decided that this would be cheating and figured that the multi-mile portages between lakes would be good training for the dozen or so dam portages we'd need to undertake further down the river. The weather cooperated and generously alternated between pouring rain and light snowfall to ensure we didn't overheat while lake hopping. Disappointingly, the total rainfall wasn't quite enough to bring the water up over the rocks, so after a bumpy attempt at a Pittsburg launch we were forced to take the canoe for a ten-mile road walk down to the Canaan access to launch like the respectable paddlers we aren't.
After our dabble in boat-based backpacking, the middle section of the trip could only be described as "quite lovely". The river meandered through farmland and small towns in between an endless series of dams. The campsites maintained along the river by organizations like the AMC, SCA, and various River Conservancies offered a curated selection of sites with picnic tables, fire rings, and a fascinating variety of backcountry waste management options. (My personal favorite was a "chum", or "outhouse without the house", that consisted of a toilet seat bolted onto a 50 gallon recycling bin with granite steps leading up to the throne and a spectacular 360 degree view.)
After taking a zero day to wait out a thunderstorm and a mild flood we were treated to high water levels and a swift current that allowed us to make up the time lost during our hike to Canaan by averaging 30 or more miles per day. Some dam portages were clearly marked and easy to navigate (Moore Dam) and others were nightmares with a spectacular view (Comerford Dam). We saw moose, bear, innumerable birds, and met countless interested (and interesting) humans along the way who offered directions, suggestions for diner food, rides, and permission to portage across their land so we didn't get sucked into rapids swollen with storm runoff. On the northern portion of the trip we were close enough to home that most folks we crossed paths with only had one or two degrees of social separation and thus regarded us with the friendly skepticism reserved for oddball neighbors. It was reassuring to find that even in today's tumultuous sociopolitical climate, this was still the case as we continued south out of familiar territory. Teenagers fishing under a bridge flagged us down to direct us to a better takeout for a portage. Construction workers helped heave the boat across the gap left by a missing bridge section while going around a dam. A bicyclist nursing a tall boy of PBR on a boat ramp offered excellent advice both on how to navigate around an old wing dam and a cheerful warning that local law enforcement was combing the river for a corpse that was likely traveling downriver at roughly the same rate Steven and I were. There seems to be something about an attitude of "this looks objectively terrible but we are clearly having a good time" that brings out the good in people.
We had initially hoped to paddle out into open(ish) waters in the Sound at Old Saybrook on May 16th, and planned to spend the previous evening camping upriver at Selden Neck State Park after a relatively short 25 mile day. Unfortunately, a constant eye on the weather report revealed that the winds, waves, and general unpleasantness factor would all be increasing through the night and into the following day and threatened to leave us stranded- missing our ride back to Vermont. We made a midafternoon decision to continue on into Old Saybrook that same day and spend our final night in the Saybrook Point Resort instead of the tent. Fighting the incoming tide for the next ten miles in the pouring rain and growing headwind seemed like a fair trade for a hot shower and a dry bed, and there was a chance we'd be able to paddle straight into their marina before the storm hit.
The wind had other plans, however, and as we fought our way through building waves along the edges of the marsh bordering the harbor it became clear that crossing the mouth of North Cove and turning out around the point in an open boat would be a questionable decision at best. Rather than giving local news channels a headline about the Coast Guard rescuing two paddlers from a swamped canoe, we turned into North Cove and sought out your yacht club as a (literal) safe harbor. The river map describes NCYC as "friendly to paddlers" and we figured we might be able to talk you into letting us land so we could portage the rest of the way to our final destination. You did us even better, and generously offered not just a safe place to leave the canoe overnight but a ride to our hotel. Your kindness (and utter nonchalance at two soggy river rats climbing into the back of a very clean, very white SUV–(thank you Kathy Reddington!) was unbelievable, and if the rest of your membership is as welcoming as the few with whom we crossed paths you are quite the lucky bunch to be part of such a community.
Steven and I thank you again for the small acts of kindness that made a huge impact on the end of our vacation, and if we ever decide to upgrade from the canoe (and move to Connecticut) we certainly know where to start looking for friends. Neither of us has ever actually been sailing, but we've clearly had dumber ideas about what constitutes a good time.
From the Editor
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this (rather large) issue. I’d especially like to thank Jon Mason for all the help (usually texted to him in a panic) he calmly provides me whiile I’m putting these issues together. Photo credits go to: Emily Benning, Craig Elliot, Jean Golitz, Deb Paulson,Joe Radojevic, Julie and Tom Tydeman, Amy Vinciguerra.
If you have anything you’d like to put in High Tidings for next month, please email me at debrasachs247@gmail.com