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February 1, 2008 |
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Welcome to the new “Tarpon Coast Navigator” club newsletter.
Our new format while hopefully being esthetically pleasing is more importantly redesigned to showcase contributions from various club members. From this point on the newsletter will be a team effort. This first issue already includes articles from some club officers and even the blue Tarpon Coast Navigator emblem at the top of this page was a contribution designed by Cher Clark. Most of our club officers will be regular contributors and I will be seeking other members who would like to help with regular columns or occasional articles. There are many possibilities for expanding the scope of this newsletter. Some of the ladies have already suggested that they would be interested in coming up with a First Mates column. Other possibilities include fishing, members in the news and a classified section just to name a few. I welcome any ideas and feedback.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Diann Saunders for the superb job she has done keeping us informed with all past newsletters, memos and just general communications. I might also add that while I will be relying on a number of people to produce our newsletter, Diann accomplished it all without collaborators.
Thanks again Diann and thanks to those who have made initial contributions to this new project and to the many whom I believe will provide continued support.
Fred Buchas-Editor |
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Editor: Fred Buchas |
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“SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND – TCGWBC 2ND ANNIVERSARY DINNER PARTY” |
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If not paid by February 1st, you will become inactive. |
A Message From Fleet Captain-Dan Clark |
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Dan Clark FLEET CAPTAIN
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This past year has been an exciting and active one for our Club. We took a total of 12 trips and cruised over 1100 miles. The total accumulative Club miles if just 1 boat were to cruise would have been equivalent of a boat going from Charlotte Harbor to Italy or if you prefer, South thru the Panama Canal, around the Baja Peninsula, up to Los Angeles AND THEN BACK TO CHARLOTTE HARBOR AGAIN!
I know 2008 will be even more exciting. We are busy planning our destinations now and continue to ask you for your suggestions. One thing that many of you have asked for is more overnights. Our plans for our annual spring trip will most likely include 4 nights out and then we will plan on several 1 or 2 night trips to local destinations. Also, we still have our trip to Stuart planned. All we need is for another foot of water in Lake O.
The big news around the planning table is our First Annual Symposium. I told you about this at our October meeting and it looks like we are on our way to having our Club, in conjunction with Grady White, present a Grady Owners gathering. I don’t think this will happen in October as originally planned but mark your calendars for spring ’09 for this grand event. We are attempting to host this event at the new Civic Center in downtown Punta Gorda. This will include a full day of speakers and quest appearances and every Grady owner in Florida will be invited. You won’t want to miss this one and we will keep you informed of the progress as the time approaches.
I sure have enjoyed serving as your Fleet Captain this year and I appreciate all the support and cooperation that you have given to me. I have learned a great deal and developed many lasting friendships. I hope that we have offered you the cruises that you wanted. |
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“We took a total of 12 trips and cruised over 1100 miles.” |
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“every Grady owner in Florida will be invited“ |
A Report From Treasurer/Web MasterDan Eisenberg |
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Dan Eisenberg TREASURER/WEB MASTER |
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We ended the year with a balance of $0. That is the desired outcome for tax purposes. Your dues and other fund raising contributions were spent on the following (items with an * are reimbursed by individual club members and net out): Second Anniversary club dinner deposit Funds for the club operations come primarily from member dues. Additional income is obtained from the 50/50 raffles we hold at dinner meetings. To date (1/21/08) we have collected dues from 39 of 63 boats. I would expect more dues before the 2/1 cutoff date. Once the final dues are tallied I will update the roster to reflect the results. The club WEB site has been well attended. The home page has been accessed over 2600 times since its launch. The MEMBERS and LINKS pages are popular with around 1300 hits each. The objective of the WEB site is to be a user-friendly communication tool. I welcome questions and suggestions to make it better. If you haven’t visited the club photo gallery on Flicker you are missing a treat. Photos from all of our trips and outings are there. It can be accessed from the LINKS page or directly at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarpon_coast/sets/ You can upload photos yourselves or send them to me. On a personal note, I encourage you to take advantage of all our club has to offer. Juli and I have made many wonderful friends by meeting people on club outings and functions. We have had great times boating, fishing or just meeting for dinner at one of our favorite spots. Being an active club member has been a very rewarding experience for us! |
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“The home page has been accessed over 2600 times since its launch.” |
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“The latest addition to the site is the club recipe page “ |
The Safety Scene-Safety Officer Fred Buchas |
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Fred Buchas SAFETY OFFICER |
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“Docking-Your pulse races, your palms sweat” |
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lessen the “docking anxiety level” |
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“Reduce speed to the minimum required to maintain steerage.” |
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“Approach the dock slowly at a sharp angle “ |
Other Items |
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If the wind or current direction is away from the dock: 1. Approach the dock slowly at a sharp angle (about 40 degrees). 2. Use reverse to stop when close to the dock. Secure the bow line. Put the boat in forward gear briefly, and slowly turn the steering wheel hard away from the dock—this will swing in the stern. Secure the stern line.
*Source: http://www.boat-ed.com/ |
A Letter From The Editor |
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND – TCGWBC 2ND ANNIVERSARY DINNER PARTY & ANNUAL MEETING FOR ELECTION OF NEW OFFICERS – will be held at The Isles Yacht Club in Punta Gorda. This event will start at 6:30 p.m. with cocktails (cash bar) and hors d’oeuvres. Dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. After dinner our Annual Meeting for the election of new board Officers and Directors will take place and then we will have our “special” raffle ticket giveaway (Sea Tow Membership) and door prizes. Dress attire for this gala event will be a collared shirt and jacket (no tie) for the men and the ladies can deck themselves out accordingly. As this will be an evening that you will not want to miss, RSVP no later than Wednesday, January 23rd, so we can have a final headcount for this event. Cost for this event will be $25.00 per couple, which check needs to be made payable to “Tarpon Coast Grady White Boat Club” and sent to Dan Eisenberg at 1618 New Point Comfort Road, Englewood, FL 34223, no later than January 30th, 2008. REMINDER – The Officers and Directors for the 2008 watch will be elected at the Club’s Annual Meeting on February 2, 2008. If you would like to become more active in directing the activities of your Club and are willing to serve as an officer or director, please submit your name to Frank Muller who is functioning as the nominating committee for this year’s election. Email to fgmuller@aol.com or call him at (941) 833-8359. 2008 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES – please make sure that your Annual Dues in the amount of $25.00 is paid by January 15th. These monies should be made payable to “Tarpon Coast Grady White Boat Club” and sent to our Treasurer, Dan Eisenberg at 1618 New Point Comfort Road, Englewood, FL 34223. If not paid by February 1st, you will become inactive. To reapply, it will cost a Boat Club Member $75.00 which will not include a new burgee or t-shirts.
DUE TO ANNUAL ANNIVERSARY PARTY, THERE WILL BE NO MONTHLY DINNER MEETING IN FEBRUARY.
SATURDAY, MARCH 29th - we will be holding our annual Vessel Safety Check. In the event of rain, it will be re-scheduled for Saturday, April 5th. It will be held at the new Laishley Park Municipal Marina at 11:00 a.m. More specific details are to be given at a later date. |
News From The Secretary-Diann Saunders |
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A Word From The Commodore |
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To All the Members of the TCGWBC:
This newsletter marks our second anniversary as a club. What a great time and experience we all have shared in the past 48 months....more importantly, what a great "team" we have become. What I think we all understand but have difficulty articulating to our friends is that boating carries with it a certain level of "risk" and frequently it is a journey into "unknown territory." The wonderful thing about our club is that in a subtle and unobtrusive way, we have all become a Team and by traveling the "waters" together, we mitigate many of those "risks" that just might cause many of us to just not go out alone. It is this unique "common comfort" that makes our club so valuable to each of us. Being a member of the TCGWBC has given us all a lot of new friends and at the same time has made us all much safer afloat and more proficient at a pastime that we all so dearly love.... Our lives are clearly enriched because of our club relationship.
It has been my profound pleasure to have a small hand in bringing this magnificent group together. We have accomplished more in the past two years than any of us ever expected. This fact of course, is a tribute to those of you who have given of your time and talent to serve as our bridge officers and board members. To each of or officers, we all extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for all that you have done to make this club the success that it is. AS you know, we are the envy of the all the other clubs .... That just didn't happen by chance, it is so because of energy and dedication of all of you collectively. Special thanks to Fred Buchas for putting this outstanding newsletter together. I look forward to the many great times and fun yet to come in the years ahead …
WE ARE the TCGWBC and while we may no longer be able to claim that we are a NEW club, our reputation is now well established and we can proudly boast that we are "one of the best" boating clubs in the entire East Coast of USA. Thanks to all of you for making that statement a reality. Safe boating to you all
Regards, Ben Knisely Commodore
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Ben Knisely COMMODORE
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Safe Docking Tips
Docking-Your pulse races, your palms sweat, or maybe that’s just me, still most boating mishaps happen at or near the dock! You don’t have to be a new boater to feel anxious about docking. Many of us simply don’t get enough practice docking at many different places and under varied weather and current conditions. The best way to lessen the “docking anxiety level” is to be prepared. A great practice method is to go to an out of the way place and put a couple of floating weighted markers in the water to create your very own “virtual dock”. Practice approaching from different sides and from different angles at varying speeds. This will give you a great opportunity to learn how your boat reacts to your control at different wind and current directions. The best part is that this can all be done far away from other boats and the audience that you usually have in a marina. Another point that has helped me is to remember that if your initial docking attempt is not working out, stop, pull out and start all over again. I find that this is often easier than to try to recover from the awkward position that I might have created for myself on my first attempt.
I have included some excerpts below from a web article on docking. (www.boat-ed.com). Follow the links to the boat docking animations.
If they won’t play on your computer you probably need the latest flash plug-in installed.
The directions that follow will be illustrated by diagrams and with Flash animations. (Most will already have Flash installed. If not, follow this link to install the Flash Player.)
*Before docking: · Reduce speed to the minimum required to maintain steerage. Use reverse gear to bring the boat to a stop well away from the dock. · Determine the wind and/or current direction while stopped by observing which way your boat drifts. If possible, make your approach into the wind or current, whichever is stronger. This will give you more control. · Have bow and stern lines ready, and put boat fenders in place. Never plan to stop a moving boat with your arms or legs. When the area is clear of traffic, continue your approach.
If there is no wind or current: 1. Approach the dock slowly at a narrow angle (about 20 degrees). 2. When close enough, have a passenger step on shore and secure the bow line. Swing the stern in with a line or boat hook, and secure it.
If the wind or current direction is toward the dock: 1. Approach slowly, parallel to the dock. 2. Let the wind or current carry your boat to the dock. Shift into gear briefly if you need to adjust position. 3. Secure the bow and stern lines. |
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“Mark your calendar, March 29th, Vessel Safety Check “ |
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Diann Saunders SECRETARY |
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Well that does it! The first issue of the new “Tarpon Coast Navigator”.
I hope you enjoyed it. I fully expect that it will continue to develop in both design and content.
Please let me know what you think. Most importantly I’m looking for support in the form of commitments for future contributions.
Fred Buchas fbuchas1@comcast.net |
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Copyright © 2008 Tarpon Coast Grady-White Boat Club All rights reserved |
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“what a great team we have become” |
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News From The Secretary |
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A Word From The Commodore |
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Fleet Captain’s Update |
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A Report From Our Treasurer/Web Master |
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The Safety Scene– Club Safety Officer |
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Other Items |
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