Commodore's Corner
- April 2011
Oh the humanity!
Well I have started the spring season off with a bang,
literally. My poor formula board bore the brunt of a high
velocity catapult, which is the main reason that formula
boards don’t make good learning boards. The damage
wasn’t that visible on the top of the board and it
wasn’t until I heard a mysterious crack as I started
sailing again that the bottom let go. I actually feel kind
of bad, dinging the board this way. Some boards, by bad
design or poor construction are hellish beasts that deserve
to be mulched. Not this board. Once a state of the art racing
machine, it deserved a dignified retirement, like an old
thoroughbred put out to pasture. But then I got a hold of
it… Chris McMahon says he can fix it and I believe
him, but I don’t think Old Paint will ever trust me
again.
The Wind Ceremony was a great way to start the Spring Sailing
season. Swami and the Festoons once again brought the house
down, particularly the “back by popular demand”
encore of ‘Under the Beer Truck”. Mike and Laurie
did a great job of organizing the event and herding the
cats. The pot luck was one of the best we have had, thanks
to everyone who threw in (not up). Despite some siting issues
that were easily resolved, the bonfire lit up the night
thanks to Digger Dave. We even had syzygy-perigee of the
Moon to make the night even more special. The wind has even
been cooperating since the retying of the cosmic knot.
SPSC goes digular! That’s right, DJ Booby G has set
us up on Facebook, so we are like all the cool kids. Now
you have three ways to keep up with SPSC happenings. Obviously
there is the SPSC webpage, 20Knotsnob.com which has the
club calendar, message board, photos and more. Our yahoo
group is moderated by Rick Knerr and you can opt in (i.e.
join) this group and receive and send club related emails
and messages (Warning: Rick will savage you if you spam
the group). We are currently working on a windy replacement
that may allow us to take advantage of the inter tubes,
thanks to the hard work of Lee Chapin.
Next up is the Stephen C. Smith Memorial Regatta at the
end of April. Make your plans now and don’t miss one
of Shell Point’s biggest events! The weather will
be spectacular, the racing will be awesome, and the party
will raise the bar. Stan D. (hell no I won’t try to
spell that) reports some great donations for the auction,
so plan on bidding like you vote (early and often). So please
join us April 29th weekend as we raise awareness and a little
money for the ACS in their fight against a disease that
touches us all.
Respectfully submitted, W.D. Olson, Commodore
2011 Wind Ceremony by Mike Levine, This Year’s
Chair
Well, another memorable Wind Ceremony came and went! The weather
was perfect, the moon was full and bright, the bonfire cooperated
(after some coaxing) and the wide variety and quality of the
food was excellent! Swami and the Festoons sounded awesome
and performed like true professionals. Donna McMahon lead
a stirring rendition of “These Boots are Made for Walkin”
and the time tested favorite “Under the Beer Truck”
was demanded by the lively crowd and the band delivered! The
2011 Wind Ceremony was very well attended as usual with over
120 registered guests for the event. Swami’s long sleeve
tee shirt design proved wildly  popular
and the tees sold out almost completely with only (1) XXL
and (6) large tees still remaining for sale.
To spice things up this year we tried a different format
for the food and food judging contest. The food format was
“bring your best dish” and the judging was “by
the people”. Registrants had just one vote for best
overall dish (main dish, side dish or dessert). The intent
was to have the dishes clearly numbered. There were lots
of outstanding dishes including “Sex in a Bowl”
dessert which had to be experienced to be believed! There
was some controversy (this is the SPSC after all!) for 2nd
and 3rd places but first place was a runaway winner with
Frank Bastos of Hobbytown USA taking the prize for his crowd
favorite Brazilian dish with 18 votes. Second price went
to Tina Mazanek with six votes and third price to Judy Knerr
with four votes. Some improvements in the process could
be made such as ensuring that the numbers actually stay
attached to the dishes!
I want to again thank everyone who helped out with the
event including Ann and Laurie with beach registration and
keeping order on the food line. Dave Denmark for bringing
the firewood, Rick Knerr, DJ Bobby G, and Wright Finney
for keeping the band sounding awesome and supplying supporting
equipment and miles of wires. Special thanks to Deb “Sweetgroove”
Berlinger for an outstanding job in maintaining the website,
handling the on-line registrations, and taking care of PayPal.
And of course everyone else who I failed to mention, for
without everyone’s help and contributions this event
would not be as successful as it is time and time again.
Well…until next year, see ya’ll on the water!
Mike Levine
2011 SPSC Wind Ceremony Chair
Club Minutes for March 8, 2011
by BobbyG
Club Minutes for March 8, 2011
Meeting gaveled to order at 7:31. His Excellency, Commodore
Bill, now has a gavel and has no patience for slackers. 20
members were present at the meeting.
Keys trip
Bill thanked Perry for the great job he did in acquiring
the site. A stirring round of applause and hurrahs were
heard from the crowd. Perry basked in the warmth of our
adoration. Dave killed the mood by mentioning the campground
had a special on the motel rooms they have.
Wind Ceremony
Mike said the band was ready to play when asked if a band
had been lined up. Surprise showed on the faces of band
members at the meeting. Dave volunteered his wood for the
bonfire.
Tina quietly made her entrance at around 7:44. The scribe
noticed. 21 members are now present at the meeting.
Mike Levine, chair of the Wind Ceremony, showed the new
shirt and passed it around. Deb mentioned the shirts were
moving well and PayPal is pulling in the virtual dollars.
Bob G. raised his hand to be recognized and was totally
ignored, so he just jumped right in to thank Deb for putting
PayPal up. Bob thanked her because not only does it help
those of us who forgot how to write a check, but I love
to see Deb blush as she always does when recognized for
good work.
Mike explained how the judging of the food was going to
take place this year. I still got lost. However, I believe
all dishes will have a number and folks will vote on the
1 dish they like best. I also believe that in every drop
of rain that falls, a flower grows.
Wright made his way into the room at 7:47. We now have
22 members present.
Major discussion took place on adults paying $5 for just
a meal without registering for the event. Adults HAVE to
register and kids can get a dinner ticket for $5. The discussion
was heated, tempers flared, people were rising out of their
seats, THEN, our beloved Swami stood up and said “Why
can’t we all just get along, it has always been thus”
and everyone settled, realizing they were rebuked by his
holiness. Bet you wish you were at the meeting now, dontcha?
Smith Regatta
The Smith Regatta Friday night dinner is a no go. This,
I find out, after I PAID the $10 to eat. At least the money
is going to a better cause than my stomach.
Scribes report
The Scribe thanked those who submitted articles for the
newsletter. Since Bob G. never paid attention at the other
meetings, he never realized that the minutes from the previous
meeting were never handed out there, something Bob G. did.
To all our chagrin, Mark V. noticed we had approved $3k
for the Wind Ceremony and was disappointed in such a large
amount. Great to have you back, Mark!! No more club minutes
will be handed out. They will always be published on the
web. Hopefully Mark doesn’t have an Internet connection
where he lives.
Pursers Report
“We have a little money” our Purser promised
us. Membership is at 46, which means about 71 bodies.
Lessons
Train the trainer will be after the Smith regatta but before
the first lesson in May. Bob A. thanked Linda and Bob G.
for their donations of training equipment and Wright and
others quickly jumped in to thank Bob A. for his donations.
People are already asking about lessons.
NIMBY
Wright asked about the date for the NIMBY and who was in
favor of moving it to father’s day weekend on the
17th and 18th. Being on my second gin and tonic by this
time, I believe 1 person did not wish to move it and 3 people
wished to move it. Everyone else was going no matter what
date it was on. No place has been decided yet.
In Closing
Bill asked if anyone else had anything to say. Deb had some
new business and mentioned that she was having a 16th birthday
bash at the Mockingbird café and all were invited.
Bob G., who, as scribe, seems to be talking more than writing,
asked if there was any way the website could indicate that
a new newsletter had just been posted. She said there is.
Next Board meeting is on April 5th at Bob Graves’
house.
Tina motioned to adjourn. Ann Seconded, all were in favor.
Bob G. asked who was opposed but the gavel came down from
his Excellency indicating all discussion was terminated.
Damn the gavel.
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