Please remember that in order to participate in on-the-water activities with Sail Chicago this season you need to be current in each of the following areas:

1. Membership dues paid  
2. Scheduled for Summer Maintenance* (contact smp@sailchicago.org or call 312.409.9000)
3. Service time requirement met* (make sure that your team captain reports your completed service time)
4. Adequate funds in your Member Account to cover the cost of the activity.

Once these four items are complete, you will be able to rent boats, take classes, participate in tiller times, open racing, and member cruise outings.  If you don't complete them, you will be "left at the dock."

*New members are exempt from these requirements.

John Lemon
Frank Loftus 

Mike Parapetti

Chris Riegel

Launch into Spring

Joe Kucharski

 By Joe Kucharski, Winter Maintenance Director

We are in the final weeks of winter maintenance and will soon begin our preparations for launching our fleet.  Saturday April 16 is pre-commissioning.  On this day we will complete and final cleaning, load gear on the boats and secure them for the trip to Montrose harbor. On Saturday April 23 we will physically launch the boats at Montrose harbor and make the final adjustments to the rigging.  On Saturday April 30 (weather permitting) we will conduct our annual sail down.  We will be looking for participants for each of these events so save the dates.

Each of these events tends to be great time to socialize with your fellow sailors as well as get in the mood to start the sailing season . We start the day about 9:00 AM and with enough hands we can usually finish about noon. Pre-commissioning will be conducted completely at the boat yard.  Launch will require people at the boat yard as well as at Montrose harbor so if location is important to you please let us know.  The sail down requires sign up and up will be on a first come first served basis so watch for the sign up information when it is posted.

Once the boats are launched we will begin the preparation of moving out of our current maintenance facility.  We will be doing a significant amount of consolidation and purging any unnecessary material.  If you have not completed your service time and are looking for a project, this may be the one for you.  Contact Joe Kucharski.  Keep all these dates open and join us as we begin another season of great sailing.

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By Dean Hackenberg, Summer Maintenance Coordinator 

Waiting for the meeting to start The St. Vincent DePaul Center was the scene of this year's Sail Chicago Annual Meeting on Thursday, March 24, when well over seventy-five members gathered to inaugurate the 2011 sailing season.  Chairman Sam Veilleux kicked off the agenda with his annual report on the organization's activities for 2010 and plans for the 2011 sailing season.  Sam's report  was followed by a financial report from Treasurer Jay Owens.  He was delighted to report that in 2010, Sail Chicago took in approximately $12,000 more than it spent.  Next year's budget anticipates even greater savings, thus allowing us to continue with our program expansion and fleet renewal.  John Lemon, Sail Chicago's Lead Instructor, outlined our Basic Keelboat instruction programs for the summer (see more information elsewhere in "Between the Sheets").  Steve VanderVoort told members that Sail Chicago is currently pursuing the possibility of acquiring public charity status with the Internal Revenue Service.  This would allow for tax-deductible contributions of cash and boats to the organization.   Program directors were also given an opportunity to describe their offerings for the upcoming season.  The number and variety of sailing activities being offered by Sail Chicago this year is truly amazing!  For  more details, see the Annual Meeting Summary.    Of course, what's an Annual Meeting without an election.  Joe Kucharski, Frank Loftus, and Maureen Huston were re-elected for another term on the Board, and Chris Schuler was elected as a new Board member.  And this wasn't the only vote; members present also chose a name for the new Colgate 26 that Sail Chicago recently purchased.  The winning name, suggested by Safety Director Ed Schroeder, is Meridian.      Many thanks to Pat Webster, Sail Chicago's Social Director, for arranging the venue for the Annual Meeting.  It worked very well!  Of course, one of the best parts of the meeting was the opportunity to renew old friendships and plan new sailing adventures for the summer.  Once the formal part of the meeting finished, many Sail Chicago members journeyed across the street to Glascott's Pub in order to get an early start on planning for their participation in the 2011 sailing season.  Everyone agreed they had a great time and that they learned a lot about our wonderful sailing organization!   Click here for more pictures from the Annual Meeting.

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By John Lemon, Lead Instructor

Twenty-five of Sail Chicago's on-the-water instructors met March 7 to discuss plans for the upcoming

Instructors chart 2011 courses.

season.  We heard reports from the Shields program, Cruising program, Tiller Time, Basic Keelboat Instruction, and the Board. Chairman Sam Veilleux presented some useful information on cold weather survival and lifejacket types.  We also discussed our pending acquisition of a Colgate 26 and how that will be integrated into our Basic Keelboat instruction program. There was much discussion about building participation in the Cruising and Shields programs among Sail Chicago members, with enhanced course offerings and simplified course registration.  We welcomed new instructors Alfred Chan and Ilya Letuchy as well.

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Social Director Pat Webster has announced several dates for Sail Chicago's summer social events.  Saturday, June 4, beginning at 7:00 pm, is Sail Chicago's official welcome to our new members.  It's a barbeque, and will be held at 195 N Harbor Drive.  Please plan to be there to welcome our newest members and to let them know what a summer of sailing fun with Sail Chicago is all about.  More information will follow in future issues of "Between the Sheets." 

2010 Friends and Family go sailing.

Saturday, July 16 will see the first of two Friends & Family get-togethers.  This first one will be held beginning at 1:00 pm at Montrose Harbor.  Members are encouraged to bring along their friends and family who may be interested in exploring summer sailing opportunities with Sail Chicago.  Several of our smaller keelboats will be available to take folks out on sailing excursions, and there's a good possibility that our Shields and larger cruising boats will be there as well.  Don't hesitate to join in the fun!  A second Friends & Family picnic is planned for Saturday, August 18 at Monroe Harbor.  The format will be similar to the earlier one on July 16. 

The annual Sail Chicago Regatta is scheduled for Saturday, September 10 at Montrose Harbor.  This is always a fun-filled day, and a highlight of the sailing season.  Get the date into your calendar now!

And finally, preliminary plans are also under way for Sail Chicago's annual post-season party later in the fall.  Please be sure to look for more information in future issues of "Between the Sheets."

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John Lemon

By John Lemon, Lead Instructor 

Sail Chicago has a 50+ year record of excellence in sailing instruction.  All of us learned to sail from someone else; most of us learned from a Sail Chicago instructor. The success of our organization in carrying out our mission of sailing education depends on getting more of members participating in the rewarding and challenging process of passing on our collective sailing knowledge to a new generation of sailors.  In 2010, we added five instructors to our ranks.  Thanks to Laurel Johnson, Nick Petrovits, Mike McCormick, Robert Tepper, and Dan Flavin for volunteering for this important job.

The Basic Keelboat program seeks members to teach sailing to our new and returning members. If you are passionate about sailing and want to pass your knowledge and skills along to others, consider joining our team of instructors. We will give you the opportunity to work with an experienced instructor in a class and will provide hands-on training in basic teaching skills. You must have your skippercard and at least one season of experience as a small keelboat skipper, or possess equivalent sailing skills and a skippercard. You must also pass an Instructor's on-the-water check-out to verify your sailing skills. Classes are held weekday evenings and weekends and a few weekday afternoons, beginning in May.

You will start out teaching a four-week Basic Sailing class at Monroe Harbor, a fun introduction to sailing (see course description elsewhere in the BTS). It's a great way to meet new members, get out on the water, and enhance your own skills. Teaching a sailing class this season also satisfies your Annual Service Time requirement for 2012, and you receive $100 in sailing credits for this season. As you gain experience, you will have the opportunity to seek nationally recognized certification as a USSAILING Basic Keelboat Instructor, as many of our current instructors have.

Please contact Lead Sailing Instructor John Lemon at leadinstructor@sailchicago.org if you have questions and are interested in becoming a Sail Chicago instructor.

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Joe Kucharski

By Joe Kucharski, Vice-Chairman 

On March 19, 2011 Charlie  Carpenter and Joe Kucharski ventured to the frozen north of Michigan to complete the purchase of our new (to us) Colgate 26 and bring it back to the Canal Street boatyard. Since the boat was purchased from a Canadian owner the transfer of the boat back into the United States had to clear customs. What started as a simple transaction and transfer became complicated, and the threat that the transfer might not occur as planned became a possibility.  After 2 hours of phone calls and continuous discussions with custom officials the transfer of title took place thanks to a common sense customs official who determined we were not a threat to national security  and there was no attempt to circumvent tariffs.

Members of the Rudders & Tillers Team inspect our Colgate 26' rudder.

At the moment we received clearance to complete the transfer the rush was on to clear the customs holding area and put the border crossing in the rear view mirror.  Soon we were on our way, crossing the frozen waters of upper Lake Michigan on the famous Mackinac Bridge, and the balmy 22 degree temperature that reminded us that winter has not yet over.  Within a few hours the visions of spring returned as the temperature climbed to above freezing and the thoughts of getting the Colgate back to Chicago and in the water took over. 

By late evening our new boat was safely delivered to the boatyard in anticipation of its launch in late April. Once we get a coat of bottom paint on, it should be ready to set sail and bring many hours of great sailing to all of us. Stop by the boatyard and take a look at this great addition to our fleet.

 
Many thanks to Charlie  Carpenter for his time and the use of his vehicle in transporting this boat from the greater north of Michigan  to Chicago.

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By Tom & Hewly Prucher, Open Racing Coordinators

Tom & Hewly Prucher

 Calling all racers - experienced, not so experienced and new to the sport! Join us most Saturday mornings at Montrose Harbor for Open Racing!  You will improve your sailing skills (it is immediately obvious how well you are sailing!), learn a new vocabulary (room at the mark, protest, heading up, timed start), get to know wonderful people (no explanation needed), and have a great time in the process.

We have several short races so that anyone who is interested has a chance to steer a race.  Other jobs are rotated around the boat so everyone has a chance to time the start, work the traveler, trim the jib and watch out for the other boats.  You do not need to find crew; we make the boat assignments, putting experienced and inexperienced sailors in each boat. 

Putting the boats away after a great race day.

 Sailing dates are:

          June 4, 11, 18, 25

          July 9, 16, 23, 30

          August 6, 13, 20, 28.

We meet at Montrose Harbor at 8:00 AM and finish about 1:00 PM.  To register, sign up on-line at the Sail Chicago website.  Sign on with your password, click on "Reserve Program Seats," choose "Open Racing," click on "Find Seats," pick a date, pick a boat, reserve a seat.  The cost for this great experience (deducted from your account) is only $25 per racing day.  For information e-mail us at: openracing@sailchicago.org.

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John Lemon

By John Lemon, Lead Instructor 

 I'm sure you're all anxious to find out how you can become qualified to skipper our new Colgate 26, Meridian.  Many of you have expressed excitement about the newest addition to our fleet and are eager to put her through her paces.  Meridian will be part of our Basic Keelboat instruction fleet, and that program will coordinate the qualification process.
 
Our goal this season is to get as many skippers checked out as quickly as possible.  We are working on plans to launch the boat in mid-April and place her temporarily on Emotional Rescue's dock in DuSable Harbor.  Having the boat on a dock will make it easier to get people on and off the boat.  We will attempt to schedule as many orientation and qualification sails early in the season as we can.  In May she will be moved to mooring SZ-11.
  

Colgate 26

A free, 2 to 3 hour orientation course will be offered to current Basic Keelboat, Shields, and ER instructors, as well as current ER, Isis, and Shields skippers.  Any skipper with experience sailing larger boats with an outboard motor may also request a free orientation.
 
A two-session qualification course will be offered to skippercard holders whose experience has been limited to small boats such as our Rhodes 19s, Ideal 18s, or sailing dinghies.  The course will be available either as a full day on Saturday or Sunday or two evenings.  This course will ensure that skippers are familiar with the sailing characteristics of a larger boat, reefing and roller furling systems, self-tailing winches, outboard motor, and will include practice motoring to the mooring can and the dock.  The course fee is $100; you may register using the online registration form on the Sail Chicago website.
 
Watch for email announcements for dates and times of orientation sessions and qualification courses. 

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Chris Riegel

By Chris Riegel, Motor Cruiser Coordinator 

For a number of reasons, getting involved in the Motor Cruiser Program is now easier than ever.

The cruising courses now occur in a more compact schedule and can be completed in approximately one month. 

• We are starting earlier this year, launching Emotional Rescue on May 15.  The first class begins the first weekend of June.   
• The Introduction to Cruising Course is now open to anyone who has completed any Sail Chicago course. 
• Courses are open to and intended for all people interested in learning to sail a cruising boat as skipper or crew. 
• Tiller Time and Member Cruiser Outing will remain free of charge for those interested in additional hands-on experience. 

  Emothonal Rescue, Sail Chicago's Cruising Boat

Introduction to Cruising
This introductory course is designed to teach the basics of operating a larger sailboat with an inboard motor.  In addition to a review of sailing skills, students will be introduced to sail selection and reefing, docking, motoring, anchoring, inboard diesel operation, VHF radio, nautical charts (maps), and crew coordination.  The curriculum is intended to offer fundamental skills to those interested in learning the roles of skipper, crew, or those who feel their skills are somewhere in between, and not yet sure if they are ready to skipper.

 
Classes meet twice each week, Saturday morning and Tuesday evening.  Sign up now to reserve your space.  Specific dates are:  

•  Session 1   June 4th   - June 21st
•  Session 2   June 25th  - June July 16th
•  Session 3   July 19th    - Aug 6th
•  Session 4   Aug 9th    - Aug 30th

Each Session includes  6 classes.  the only prerequisite is prior completion of any Sail Chicago on-the-water sailing course.

Port-to-Port Cruises
Spend a day at sea learning the fundamentals of passage making, including navigation (GPS and charts), dead reckoning, port entry,  and general cruising seamanship.  Location of the destination port is weather dependent.  Tentative dates include:  Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, August 7.

Introduction to Coastal Navigation
This course is a shore course and is free. It's designed to introduce the many navigational skills that enable a boater to safely explore the coast of any large body of water, particularly nearby Lake Michigan.  There's an overview of manual and electronic navigational techniques, an introduction to reading and understanding charts, and some consideration of the resources that help a boater deal with the hazards of this kind of environment.  A list of good sources for more information will also be provided.  For more information be sure to see the May issue of "Between the Sheets.  

Weekend Live-Aboard Cruise
This course is intended to illustrate the experience of living aboard a cruising boat and visiting a new harbor.  The class will board ER on Friday evening and, weather permitting, depart for another port Saturday morning and spend the night there, and then return to DuSable Harbor on Sunday afternoon.  There will be sails on both Saturday and Sunday and two nights on the boat.  This course is intended to build extended cruising skills including provisioning, navigation, weather preparation, and boat acclimation.  to qualify for this course you must be enrolled in or have completed the Introduction to Cruising Course.

For more details about any these programs please contact Chris Riegel at cb@sailchicago.org.

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By Jacob Worley-Hood, Shields Program Coordinator

"Erica," Sail Chicago's Shields

Welcome to Shields sailing, where many of Sail Chicago's friendliest and most active members are found.  Our boat, 'Erica,' is ideally suited to enhance and develop your skills as a sailor. She has the classic, elegant lines of a 12 Meter America's Cup racing yacht, all within her length of 30 feet. You'll like the feel and stability of a big boat, with a big rig and sail plan. Yet 'Erica' is still a pure sailboat, ("Look Ma, no motor!"), with a large open cockpit.  You'll recognize the sail controls and the simplicity of a smaller boat, while enjoying the fun and excitement of a big boat.'Erica' is moored in beautiful and cozy Belmont Harbor.  The harbor features inexpensive parking as well as convenient restrooms and a small and quaint harbor dominated by "one design" sailboats.

Don't forget to sign up for Shields classes this summer.  We offer a skipper/crew class each month starting in May and the new Advanced Sailing Techniques class for two Sundays in June.  Check the website or contact me for more information.

Our Shields Program Offers: 

• Lake Front Cruise Outings (social sails) for members and their guests,
• Shields Skipper and Crew classes starting each month (May, June, July, August)
• Private rentals for Shields skippers,
• NEW Advanced Sailing Techniques now open to all Rhodes skippers and non-skippers that have taken a previous Shields class

Once you've sailed a Shields, you'll want to come back for more exciting sailing!  Questions? shields@sailchicago.org.

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By Dean Hackenberg, Summer Maintenance Coordinator 

Before going to the harbor, please make it a habit to check the "Boat Status Page" on the Sail Chicago website for any problems that might affect your sail. (Even in summer, maintenance problems do happen!)  If you have a problem with a boat that the next person to rent should be aware of, please report it to the Maintenance Hotline (312-409-9000) or to smp@sailchicago.org, then go to the "Boat Status" page on the Sail Chicago website, and do the following:

1. Click on the circle for the boat with the problem.
2. Enter the information in the box at the bottom of the page.
3. Click on "Add Boat Status Note" (Option 1) or "Put Boat Out of Service" (Option 2 - use only if you believe the boat is unsafe to sail).*

*A boat put out of service by a skipper is only removed from service through the following day.  Boat Managers have authority to remove a boat for longer time periods as necessary.

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