November 2025
November 2025
What a great Endless Summer!
This year’s Endless Summer event couldn’t have been better, thanks to all of the numerous members who pitched in to make everything run smoothly. Though I’ve been a member of the Club for a couple of years now it still amazes me how so many people cheerfully volunteer so much of their time and talent for the good of the Club, for the individual members, for the local Shell Point Beach community, and even for the well-being of the beach itself. I’m honored and privileged to be a part of this most excellent club. Well done, fellow members! Here’s a recap of the event:
Friday night saw an epic cooking production of 70 lbs. of chicken wings, loads of fries, and even some grouper chunks. The cooking team was headed by Ryne and Laura Least, to whom much gratitude is owed as everything tasted fantastic. Notably, Laura also made the beautiful trophies for the event at the cost of her kitchen’s dispose-all. She earned the Lug Nut award for that though so it all evened out.
Saturday morning revealed perfect weather for sailing, and several great races were held in the morning and afternoon. Grueling competition mixed with comical mishaps ruled the day but much fun was had by all. Lunch was well received despite the last minute switch by the mischievous cook from burgers to “land lobster” patties, aka armadillo meat. (Just kidding.) After resting in the shade, laughing and catching up with each other the day closed with a raucous dinner at the firehouse catered by Posey’s, which delivered excellent food as usual. A huge number of various door prizes were raffled away which added to the festive atmosphere.
Sunday started out with a bit of urgency as the radar apps showed a fast-moving squall line moving towards us from Apalachicola. Yet we managed to squeeze in one race, lunch, and partway into the thankfully covered awards ceremony before the deluge hit.
It was a great time, and again, thanks to all who helped, including those who worked behind the scenes and did so much in advance to get everything ready.
The final events of the year are the Club Christmas party on December 13th, and the following weekend, last but not least, Festivus! Hope to see you all there!
Ted Avellone
Commodore 2025
Shell Point Sailboard Club
Club Meeting - Tuesday, November 11, 2025 @ 7pm
District 850, 2662 Fleischman Way, Tallahassee, FL
Commodore's Comments
by Ted Avellone, Commodore 2025!
A Shell Point Regatta (Let's make it easier and better)
One thing that sets us apart from any other regatta is the leniency we have towards sail numbers. To begin with, we probably have the only novice fleet that has been run beautifully by Tina in which NONE of the sails have numbers, but Tina scores them accurately. In the other fleets, as scorer, I appreciate the effort the race committee puts into uniquely identifying each board, with one racer being identified as Orange, the color of the sail.
For those that care, you’re supposed to have the same number on BOTH sides of the sail with the starboard side numbers uppermost (yea, I had to look all this up). PLUS, they should be of a decent size to be legible, between 5.9”(150mm) and 11.8”(300mm).
For those wishing to make the race committees job easier, please consider going to https://westcoastsailing.net/parts/sail-numbers and purchasing a 10 pack of number 8s 9 inches in size. The number 8 they show can be made into any number and most letters with a few simple cuts.
Endless Summer Shell Point
REGATTA
Shell Point Sailboard Club (SPSC)
By Cypress J. Quinn
(age eleven)
From the moment we pulled up into the driveway of one of the beautiful mansions on Pebble Court (a courtesy of a kind gentleman and longtime resident), to the time we headed back to Safety Harbor, I knew this was going to be one of the best experiences of my life. The first evening we met the most marvelous night sky. Unfortunately, we did not spend hours like we would have wished to, staring at the amazing night sky because it was 10:30 p.m. by the time we got to Shell Point and 12:00 a.m. by the time we unpacked and went to bed.
The next morning, we discovered the sandy beach, the amazing windsurfing and the wonderful volunteer staff who were super friendly. We first had a wonderful brunch with the staff and other sailboarders. Then we spent the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon doing races and practicing with our wonderful coach Tina and many others. We had a nice lunch of hamburgers, then continued to race and get suntans on the soft, white, pleasantly warm, sand, with the sun beating down on our backs. That night we could watch the DJ, Bob, and see the happy people dancing under the starry night sky and enjoying the thirst quenching beer truck (it was my Dad’s idea to add that in).
The second day I woke up very early and was able to see the fluorescent sunrise and have another exquisite breakfast. We headed down to the beach to begin a phenomenal day of windsurfing. First, we set up our vibrant sails, next we raced a few times with our instructors until noon. We had a scrumptious lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs served by our terrific volunteer staff. After lunch, we attended the award ceremony and every one of my family got trophies (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th). We began to pack up but unfortunately, it was raining hard. Other than the treacherous wind and rain, the drive back to Safety Harbor was pleasant with memories of our fabulous windsurfing adventure still fresh in my mind.
(Artwork by Cypress J. Quinn)
haiku
Dynastic Japanese origin; short, unrhymed three-line poems with 5-7-5 syllable pattern, usually aiming to capture a moment in nature or evoke an emotional response.
The Grill
Black workhorse arise!
vittles must pass ‘cross your maw
sailors need to eat
The Cook
Sizzle pop and hiss
burgers and dogs grilling now
next year I will race!
Sunday
Crapulous morning
Rain on way - we must make haste
weary eyes lift up
Fall
Tides high and days short
cool mornings, the birds have flown
October is here
Casualties
Marker-torn sail
broken mast, forgotten gear
part of sailing life
Endless Summer
It’s that time again
pilgrimage from near and far
come to laugh and race
Door Prize
Eagerly waiting
I never win anything-
my number is called!
Sickening Sound
What was that loud crash?
doth some heavy object fall?
‘twas a breaking mast!
The Channel Marker Sign Designers
Let’s make sharp corners
to rip and tear fine sails
of those that draw near
Day’s End
At the Firehouse
scent of hot cooking oil
shouting out numbers
The Club Tree
They gather round me
old friends, new acquaintances
at my feet they laugh
Lunchtime
Burgers off the grill
sides and condiments laid out
sailors refueling
---------------------------------------------------------
(A regular non-haiku poem)
View from the Grill
The calamity of the start –
sails rising, racers jockeying.
The horn sounds! Mass of colorful triangles depart,
stragglers lagging; a cacophony of “starboard!” cries
Crumpling falls; tangled booms.
Finally, all are off, loose gaggle on common course lies.
Soon, sails diverting; order lost; all on track unknown.
Then, a lone sailor draws near; another; now three.
Order returning; a pack of lemmings heading home.
One by one, crashing onto the beach, satisfied.
- Ted Avellone
SPSC Club Minutes, Tuesday, 10/14/2025
Place: District 850
The meeting was called to order at 7:01 pm with 20 present.
Minutes approved at 7:02
Commodore: Thanked everyone for their help in getting ready for the Endless Summer and said the weather is looking good.
Vice Commodore: Hasn’t helped yet with the Endless Summer but said he had a great time at the Atlanta Fall Classic.
Scribe: IGN
Purser: Need to figure out how the new system reports money as to how much was paid and for what, i.e. membership, registration, extra dinner, etc. We ended last year with 102 members. Showed the burgee that will be sold for $30. People will need to sign up and pay so we know how many to make.
Past Commodore: IGN
Board Member Vaughan: Showed the cap and to get them the board indicated you could pre—order at the regatta and based on how many were wanted, an order would be put in. The caps are $20 and the burgees $30
Board Member Baab: Told a short story about thinking people thought he was dad. It was humorous. Received lots of handwritten information from John Gilbert on setup at the beach. He went with Wright to get permits and licenses and is writing it up.
Discussion items
Endless Summer: 80 registrations so far and the registration bags will be packed on Wednesday. Laura said they are getting 70 pounds of wings and 20 pounds of fries for the Friday night chow down.
Program: Laura showed a great video of their boat made of recycleable material and how the event.
Adjourned when all was said and done at 7:44
Upcoming Events
-
Endless Summer Sailboard Classic, October 17, Chair: Ted Avellone
-
Presnell’s Bayside Marina, November 9-16, Chair: None
-
Christmas Party, December 13, Chair: Rick Upson
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Festivus, December 21 Chair: Vaughan Williams