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October 1, 2008 |
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Editor: Fred Buchas |
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“Please note the time change to 6:00pm from the traditional 7:00pm. ” |
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Some Tidbits From Your Fleet Captains Steve & Diann Saunders |
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Steve & Diann Saunders FLEET CAPTAINS |
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Hi Everyone:
Well, here it is October already and where did September go??? The humidity is disappearing and the mornings are cooling down…just a bit but not enough, yet!
Last month, some of us in the Club ventured up to Sarasota for a beautiful evening under the stars at the Van Wenzel Music Festival on The Bay to hear a southern country group called “Big Fish”. We brought our lawn chairs and blankets and enjoyed the great sounds and beautiful sunset. There were lots of vendors there, so food and drink were plentiful. It was such an enjoyable evening that we all decided that it would be well worth putting on our event calendar for next year.
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“a beautiful evening under the stars at the Van Wenzel Music Festival “ |
A Report From Treasurer/Web MasterDan Eisenberg |
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Dan Eisenberg TREASURER/WEB MASTER |
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“As of today we have a total of 52 boats in the roster.” |
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“Check out the club photo gallery on Flicker”. |
The Safety SceneSafety Officer/Newsletter Editor-Fred Buchas |
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Fred Buchas SAFETY OFFICER |
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“Safe night time boating requires more concentration and better navigational skills. ” |
Other Items & Member News |
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A Word From The Commodore-Dan Clark |
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News from the Secretary – John Semple
Mark Your Calendar for our Monthly Meeting - Oct 15, 6:00pm
Please note the time change to 6:00pm from the traditional 7:00pm. The board voted to move to an earlier time for the convenience of the members.
Scott Parker, the delivery captain from Ingman Marine will be our guest speaker at the October meeting.
The October and November monthly dinner meetings will be held in the party room at Visani Restaurant in Port Charlotte (It’s always the third Wednesday of the month). They have a dynamite website (www.visani.net) which has the menu and upcoming comedy acts.
The Board will convene at 5:30pm for its meeting and you all can saunter in by 6:00pm. We can then have our meeting and order dinner. Don’t forget that we will have a 50/50 raffle with half going to the Club and the rest going to the lucky winner.
Remember, it is important to check your e-mail and our Website on a regular basis so that you know what is going on with the Club.
Please let me know if you are bringing guests. |
News From The Secretary-John Semple |
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Dan Clark COMMODORE |
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NIGHT TIME BOATING
Fall is now upon us and with each passing day we have less daylight hours for boating. Many of us will venture out to see Christmas lights and boat parades in just a couple of months.
I’ve always been amazed at just how different the landscape looks at night no matter how familiar you are with it in the daylight.
Safe night time boating requires more concentration and better navigational skills. Make sure that all of your navigation lights are on and working. I have found that my rooftop “at anchor” light often doesn’t work when I haven’t used it for awhile. I have to climb up and clean the contacts and I’m back in business. I also carry extra bulbs.
Make sure you have a working spotlight for highlighting the reflective numbers on markers. Just remember to use it intermittently so as not to blind other boaters.
Modern GPS chart plotters allow relatively inexperienced boaters to navigate with precision day or night. Just remember that you are viewing the equivalent of a paper chart and markers may have been moved or may be missing.
I have personally found that the combination of GPS and radar can provide a much higher comfort level for night time travel. The radar delivers real-time information that the GPS can’t, most notably nearby vessels and some weather threats.
Even with the GPS and radar there are still some potential dangers. Crab trap markers and other floating debris can’t be reliably spotted with radar and they certainly don’t show up on a GPS chart.
I don’t often find myself both leaving and returning in the dark. Often it’s light when I leave. If I’m going to return by the same route I just watch carefully for crab traps and other hazards during the daylight while allowing my GPS to plot a track of my course. Then on my return trip after dark I can follow my track back with much higher confidence that hazards that my radar can’t see won’t be there.
Also make sure that you know how to dim the screens on all of your electronics. Looking into a bright screen at night may cause some degree of night blindness.
Take your time and enjoy the experience. The nights are often calmer, cooler and there are usually far fewer other boats to contend with and often times the night sky on the water alone may be worth the trip.
Stay Safe-Fred Buchas |
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John Semple SECRETARY |
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Copyright © 2008 Tarpon Coast Grady-White Boat Club All rights reserved |
Our Vice Commodore-Burt Wahlburg |
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Burt Wahlburg VICE COMMODORE |
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I continue to look for member contributions. It could be almost anything that would be of interest to the membership. It could include your personal fishing or cruising stories or just information about hot fishing spots, dining or cruising destinations etc.
Fred Buchas fbuchas1@comcast.net |
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“maybe a Poker Run in Charlotte Harbor? “ |
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“if we are not planning something that you wish that we were, please let us know“ |
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Looks like another summer has passed on by. Only put up the hurricane shutters once so it was a good season. It was also a good season for our club. We enjoyed some great cruising with a high point being our 4 day trip to Islamorada and some great lunch cruising to places like Barnacle Phil’s and Don Pedro and a very special outing to Charlotte Harbor for a raft up to enjoy some great company, food and a spectacular fire works display.
We had some terrific dinner meetings and socials each month even though we skipped the August meeting but we are all anxious to see our “part time” members back. For those of you that “can’t stand the heat and get out of the kitchen” so to speak, we are really looking forward to seeing you at the upcoming cruises and meetings. Diann and Steve have the rest of the year planned out and there is still time to get your boat back on the water and join up with your old friends.
I know I can speak for the rest of the board when I say we all try real hard to plan and organize events, meetings and cruises that will appeal to everyone. It takes a lot of work and we are happy to do it but we really need your help in letting us know when we’re missing something. The attendance at the summer events is rather small and usually the same group shows up but our goal is to provide a membership experience to you that you enjoy and participate in. So, again, if we are not planning something that you wish that we were, please let us know. For the October meeting we will be trying something new. We will start the meeting at 6:00 rather than 7:00 as we have had some comments that we are eating too late. We hope that will bolster attendance at the meetings. We’ve got a great club and Cher and I are grateful for all the friendships that we share as a result of being members.
In the mean time, we hope to see you all at the October meeting where Scott Parker will discuss ownership issues and we hope to see you on the water.
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This month, we have on our agenda a lunch trip to Tarpon Lodge Restaurant on Pine Island. We have about 25 club members going on this excursion and hope we don’t test out the bottoms of our boats too much, as we are told that the tide is very low going through the channels to get there. But being the great boaters that we all are and challenging as it may be, we are sure that we will arrive safe and sound without any scratches or dings. Be that the case, at lunch we will all have to have a drink and toast …“We have safely arrived”!
Also, at the end of this month, we will be doing a raft-up at Cayo Costa for a Sunday afternoon lunch and fun. Since it will be Halloween week, there will be a contest to see who makes and brings the “best” Halloween dessert.
Next month, we have planned an overnight stay in Lake Okeechobee at Roland & Mary Ann Martins Marina & Resort. Some club members will be going via boat, while others will be going via car or via RV. For something different, we have scheduled air boat rides which will take us to places “unknown” to Grady White boaters to see lots of close-ups of aquatic and animal life – big and small (i.e. fish, alligators and ????)
Hopefully, in the upcoming months with our northern friends coming back to the warmth, we will have more participation on our upcoming trips. Our motto has always been …”the more the merrier”!
Hope to see you real soon,
Your Fleet Captains, Steve & Diann |
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An evening at the Van Wezel |
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As of today we have a total of 52 boats in the roster. WEB Site:
LINKS TAB:
Below those are links to lessons learned and safety information. Below those is a table with links to external sites on a number of topics including weather, fishing, safety, other boat clubs, etc. One recent addition is the Yamaha bulletin on Ethanol use. The LINKS page is at http://tarponcoastgwbc.com/links/links.html
NEWSLETTERS TAB:
Dan |
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With the upcoming trip to Roland Martin's in November I thought that a few recommendations with regards to safety navigating thru the locks may be in order:
1. Prior to entering the lock call the lockmaster on the designated VHF channel, which is usually posted, to receive instructions.
2. Always remember that pleasure boaters are the lowest in priority, but may be locked thru at the lockmaster's option with vessels carrying a higher priority.
3. One of the past things that Eileen and I have learned is to carry an old set of fenders and lines, saving your good gear from being damaged by the rough and dirty walls of the locks. Eileen finds it useful to carry an old pair of leather work gloves to protect her hands.
4. Typically the lockmasters in Florida will insist upon your using the lines hanging from the walkways. Usually you can use a bow and stem cleat to help control your boat, but remember that a single wrap is all that is required so that you can let out or take in line as the situation presents itself- Never, under any circumstances, make fast a line.
5. When exiting or approaching a lock always maintain idle speed and pay strict attention to the directions being given by the lockmaster. On an additional note, the Board members are open to any suggestions from the members to what activities, or events, both on the water or socially that you would like to participate in, maybe a Poker Run in Charlotte Harbor?
Your thoughts and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. |
