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Fleet and Facility
Over the last few weeks volunteers and members of Baltimore's Downtown Sailing Center have, week after week, done an extraordinary job of preparing the day sailing fleet and our facilities for a successful season.
While plenty of work remains, the overwhelming effort by more than 80 volunteers has put the DSC in position for a great season.
Volunteers have sanded and painted the bottoms of our J/22 and Sonar fleet, affected fiberglass repairs, cleaned interiors and more. Volunteers conducted triage on hulls, sails, rigs (mast and booms) and with this information we have started constructing long term plans for addressing the maintenance issues for every boat.
Volunteers also conducted a campus beautification effort that has the campus of the Baltimore Museum of Industry looking great. Volunteers helped to move our shipping containers and clean the assorted flotsam and jetsam from the area between containers.
Volunteers have worked in the office helping to digitize our filing system, update our website and database and organize events like the Skipper Orientation and the Spring Kick-Off Pot Luck.
This spring YOU have done a truly remarkable job of supporting the Downtown Sailing Center's efforts to fulfill our mission. You have proven that we are volunteer driven. Thank you.
To read more about the state of the fleet and ongoing fleet and facility volunteer opportunities go to the blog...
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Education Notes
Sign up now for the U.S. Sailing Safe Power Boating course. This 16 hour hands-on, on-the-water course is for anyone who wants to operate a small motorboat and improve their boat-handling skills.
The course will be conducted from 5:30 P.M. until 9:30 P.M. on four consecutive Wednesday evenings, beginning May 4, 2011.
Learning how to safely operate a powerboat is great way to expand you boating knowledge. Space is limited - so register today!
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Training
Did you know that about 92 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital, but statistics prove that if more people knew CPR, more lives could be saved?
Immediate CPR can double, or even triple, a victim's chances of survival. We should all know how to recognize the signs and provide assistance in the event someone shows symptoms of a cardiac event.
The American Heart Association's CPR and AED learning programs help increase survival rates by training people just like you to respond quickly. We want the DSC to be not only the best place to go sailing in the area - but the safest. One of the ways in which we are working to make the DSC a better place is by offering our members, volunteers and staff the opportunities to gain important skills.
Please register to join us this Sunday, April 3, 2011 for the first offering of the American Heart Association's First Aid, CPR with AED course. The course fee, which includes certification, is just $35. By joining us; you can make the DSC a safer place to sail.
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Cruising
Have you checked out the cruising calendar lately? Many of the 2011 cruising events through the June Summer Solstice Cruise have been loaded to the calendar - and more are on the way! Cruising Skipper registrations are open and registration will be available for cruising crew two weeks prior to the event. Stay tuned to the calendar for more dates and events.
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Racing News
"Starboard!" "Protest!"
The racing rules; love or hate them, are an important part of the sport of sailboat racing. A strong understanding of the racing rules can be an important tool for your on the course decision making, and a solid shield in your effort to safely and swiftly sail your strategy.
DSC Racing skippers are required to take and pass the DSC Racing Rules test. The 50 question, multiple choice and true/false online test will challenge your knowledge of the 2009-2012 Racing Rules of Sailing and DSC racing policies.
Go to the racer's forum to get the link to the test and learn more. If you missed last week's racing rules meeting - register and join us this Thursday from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. for another exciting night discussing the Racing Rules of Sailing.
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Access-Ability Sailing
Saturday, April 9, 2011 is the first scheduled Access-Ability Saturday sail. With more than a dozen participants already registered, this is going to be a great event. The Access-Ability program is made possible by the hard work and dedication of DSC volunteers. With such a strong interest in the April 9 event, we need more volunteers to help with rigging our fleet of access dinghies, acting as greeters and helping participants get registered and organized as well as sailing buddies and transfer volunteers.
Please contact Lynn Handy, outreach manager, if you can volunteer or would like to learn more.
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Around the Office and On the Web
There are lots of ways to learn get information from the Downtown Sailing Center. We are active with social media, have an active blog, provide member forums, and more. If you've been to the DSC website recently, you may have noticed a new page has been added to the site - the DSC Resources Page.
This page will host DSC documents for recreational sailors, cruisers, racers and non-members alike. You'll soon be able to find education materials, cruising documents, best practices, race results and more. If there is something you would like to see on our resources page - please contact the office.
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