December 23, 2015
Happy Holidays ABYC!


In This Issue
Upcoming ABYC Events
Contributors' Comments
VC Member Services - The Year in Review
Rear Commodore Paul Brennan
Casa Ballman End of Year...Work Party
Congratulations to Paul Brennan
Regalia for Christmas
Club Hours for Christmas
Friendly Reminders
Toonie Thursdays Series for 2016
Hours of Operation - Fall Hours

Upcoming ABYC Events

DECEMBER              
Friday - Fine Dining 
___________________________                                                                

25 -  Santa visits all good sailors
29 -  Casa Balman Work "Party"

JANUARY              
Friday - Fine Dining 
___________________________                                                                

01  -  Friday - New Year's Levee
14  -  Thursday - Toonie Thursday Guest Gord Laco
23  -  Saturday - Celtic Night (TBA)

Contributors' Comments

   VC-Member Services
   Mike Macdonald



Year in Review and Plans for the New Year

Well it certainly was an interesting year, but then again most of them are. The biggest concern I had at the beginning of the year was our water main. A burst main would have meant a shut-down of the clubhouse, no food and beverage and no fire suppression for an indeterminable amount of time. Luckily this did not happen and we enjoyed the season with no disruption in service. Thanksgiving and haul-out were however another matter, most of us would like to forget about that one. One unforeseen by-product of this was a large pile of the spoils from the excavation referred to as "Mount Dullerud" (sorry Erik, I couldn't resist that one) just inside the front gate. By the time you read this hopefully most of it will have been trucked away, the contractor is slated to start moving it on the 22nd.

Food and beverage handed us a few challenges this year mostly in staffing. Chef Paul left our employ in late May. This left us scrambling for a new chef in a very short period of time. I am not sure who was more concerned, myself or Bob Hedley, as the Commodore's Ball was only two weeks away. However the stars aligned. Chef Jan took the position and we enjoyed a stable food service for the rest of the season. Jan has managed to bring down our largest cost in the kitchen, our food cost. I look forward to working with Jan and the food and beverage committee to find more cost savings and deliver a more enjoyable service in the New Year.

In property (clubhouse and junior sailing school) we did a lot of "sprucing up" in both buildings. The major project was a redo of the washrooms in the sailing school. The men's got the most work with new walls and new floor, although both were badly needed. Due to a cost over-run, we were not able to do as much as we wanted in the women's. This will be finished in the coming year. The main floor looks much better with a fresh coat of paint and thanks to Lidia for a few new decorations.

Regalia enjoyed a good year. Linda and her crew brought in a few new pieces and managed to dwindle down some of our inventory. As a reminder, any of our garments can be embroidered with your boat name so, if this is an interest to you, please let Linda know. You can check out the styles in the Regalia section of the website. Linda's email is at the bottom of the page if you have any questions.

MarCom (marketing and communications) has had some activity late in the year. Two of our members who have a tremendous amount of digital marketing experience have been working on a re-fresh of our website. This is not building a new site, just a refresh of the look and better navigation of the site for the members and prospective members who may be "checking us out on the web". Two "designs" will be presented to the stakeholders mid January for input of content and hopefully will go live in early March. I will keep you updated in S2S on this project.

What can we look forward to in the New Year? A new menu in late January, early February. Our wine menu will change at the same time, with a new cost structure (menu price) that I am sure all our wine lovers will like. We WILL be using the patio this summer so you can enjoy outdoor service. We are looking at a BBQ in a box menu idea that will allow you to buy burgers etc. that you can cook yourself in any of our BBQ area's (with the exception of the main patio). We will also look at the possibility of a lunch program for the sailing school. For as long as I can remember, we have always had "Friday Fine Dining". Other than "theme" nights held on a Friday, attendance (or covers as we refer to them) has been steadily declining for the past few years. Considering the change in the demographics in our club, me thinks it's time we take a look at some changes that will induce more of the membership to use the service, not only on Friday, but year round. I will not get into my "closed membership population" sermon at this time, but we have to take a serious look at it.

This year our club will undertake one of our biggest and most expensive projects to date, the re-building of our sea-walls. This topic has taken up more time at board meetings than any other issue since I have been on this or previous boards. Impact to the membership in terms of disruption to the club and its cost have all been very carefully weighed and I know we are going down the right path. Regardless of all this, we still have a club to run, a racing and cruising program, regattas to host, sail training, and an active entertainment schedule. This is my 25th year at ABYC. I have visited and raced at most clubs in the Golden Horseshoe and have always enjoyed spending time at all of them but I think we have something special here. Our location, direct access to the lake, and our sense of community and spirit tell me I am at one of the best clubs on the lake.  

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a fantastic New Year. I look forward to seeing you all at the Levee.
 
Mike Macdonald
   Rear Commodore
   Paul Brennan



Update on the Opti 2016 Canadians

The final dates have been set for the event; registration will start on Thursday, August 18th, a practice race on Friday, and fleet and team racing Saturday through Wednesday August 24th.

How many of you were sailing in December this year?  Well, some of our Opti sailors were still practicing, and were filmed, as part of a promotional video for the regatta


The young sailors in the video represent ABYC and RCYC, who will both be heavily represented next summer.

This event requires volunteer time and financial support to be the best we can make it.
 
If you'd like to volunteer your time to help with this event, there will be a general call for volunteers coming from our Regatta Chair, Laura Goddard, in early January.

If you'd like to offer financial support there are two options:
  • Sponsorship: a package will be available in early January, describing the options and publicity associated with each level.
  • Individual donations: Sail Canada has approved our accepting Charitable donations for the event. You can pick up a form at the ABYC office if you'd prefer to mail a cheque, or you can donate online and, if you do it quickly, benefit from the tax credit in a couple of months:
  • Sail Canada Online Donation: Select "Youth Support Program" under Funding Options, and put in "Optimist 2016 Canadians" in the Special Instructions.
Some of the competitors at the Opti 2016 Canadians will keep sailing as a lifetime hobby, and perhaps sail with us (or against us!) in dinghies or keel boats.  A few may take it much further, as some of our own Juniors have done: joining the Ontario, then the Canadian team, and we hope one day representing Canada (and ABYC) at the Olympics.

Let's make this regatta an amazing experience for these amazing young sailors.

Paul Brennan
Rear Commodore, ABYC   
CASA BALLMAN END OF YEAR
 
WORK PARTY PARTY 

Tuesday December 29 - 1pm to 4pm

A long serving tradition at ABYC is the gathering between Christmas and New Year's of members who contributed their time and skills to the variety of activities that support the continued operation and maintenance of our Club.  With the clubhouse closed for the Holidays, we convene in the warm and cozy confines of our work house, Casa Ballman. The stove is fired up, potluck foods are shared and seasonal beverages both hot and cold help to chase away the winter blahs.

This is an opportunity to pat our boats and to check that our shrink wrap and tarps have not blown off and followed Santa Claus to his workshop up north, and to celebrate that the days are starting to get longer. 

Catherine and Terry Fagan
Spirit of Adventure
Congratulations Paul

It gives me great pleasure to report that Paul Brennan has been certified by Sail Canada as a Regional Race Officer. Getting certified as an RRO (the third of four Sail Canada race officer certification levels) requires extensive experience on the water, onshore training, and reports from more senior RO reviewers.

According to my rough count, Paul spent more than 90 days on the water as a race officer and marklayer in the last three years (not counting many ABYC evening club races).  He's run races for numerous LORC events; has run the Optimist races at the PCYC Steerers and Four Sisters dinghy regattas for several years; and has volunteered at CORK and further afield. Most recently, he was a mark-layer at the Pan Am Games, including being in charge of the gate for the medal races; and ran the on-the-water operations for the 2015 J/24 Canadian Championships at our club.

Dave Steenbergen
Regalia for Christmas!


Just a few more days before the shop closes for the holidays!

Our dry fit shirts are still on sale!

Men's Stormtech Long Sleeve Dry Fit - now $37
Ladies New Balance Temp Long Sleeve - now $25
Men's and Ladies Stormtech Short Sleeve Dry Fit - now $32
Men's and Ladies Dry Fit Golfshirts - now $27
 

Limited sizes available on some items so don't delay. 
They are great layering options for sailing as well as winter sports!


Samples are on display in the regalia case in the club foyer and are 
also shown on our website in the Regalia section. Please contact me at 
[email protected] or go into the office during business hours for regalia purchases.


Linda DeRusha
Club Hours for Christmas


Dear Members,
                            
December is flying by and soon it will be Christmas. The last day for the Bar & Restaurant for the season is Sunday, December 20. The staff wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2016 and look forward to seeing you all at the Levee.
 

Rennie

Friendly Reminders

Toonie Thursdays Series for 2015/2016

January 14, 2016
Gord Laco - Marine Historian and Consultant to many Hollywood films - Rigging and Refitting Significant Yachts and Sailing Ships.

February 11, 2016
Past Commodore Rick Humphrey - Barge Cruising in Europe in 2014 - A Personal Adventure.

March 10, 2016
Ron Bianchi - Well known Weather Forecaster including the LO300 - Sailing the Weather.

April 14, 2016
Wendy Loat - Canadian National Judge Racing Rules and How to Stay Out of Trouble


Jim Allen and Petra Fischer
Co-Chairs
Toonie Thursdays
Hours Of Operation


BARKITCHENGAS DOCK
Monday
ClosedClosed
Closed
Tuesday
ClosedClosed
Closed
Wednesday
4pm - 11pm
4pm - 10pm
Closed
Thursday
4pm - 9pm
4pm - 8pm
Closed
Friday
Noon - 11pm
Noon - 10pm
Closed
Saturday
11am - 9pm
8am - 8pm
Closed
Sunday
11am - 7pm
11am - 6pm
Closed
 ABYC Office Hours:  8:30am - 5:00pm (Monday - Friday) 
For Dining Room Reservations call 416-698-4498 Ext 222 or email [email protected]  
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Ashbridge's Bay Yacht Club
30 Ashbridge's Bay Park Road, Toronto, Ontario M4L 3W6 
Tel. 416-698-4498   Fax 416-698-5760
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