Monthly Board Meeting Monday August 13, 7-9pm, Tinton Falls Municipal Building, Tinton Ave

All are welcome as we discuss issues and plans. We meet in the Council Chambers, near the front door.

Monthly General Membership Meeting, Tuesday August 28th, Keyport Yacht Club

This month's presentation will be by SEAS member Wendy Huang, entitled "Navigate NY Waterways from your cell". Wendy will describe the planning she put into making her recent circumnavigation of Staten Island on the O'Day a success for everyone on board.

Mentoring Sessions Available - Change in Contact Person

As in past years, we are offering mentoring sessions on the Rhodes and the O'Day. These give members an opportunity to practice their skills in particular areas under the guidance of an experienced skipper. They are offered on Monday evenings, alternating between the O'Day (1st & 3rd Mondays) and the Rhodes (2nd & 4th Mondays).

Going forward the contact person to request arrangements for a mentoring session on either the Rhodes or the O’Day is Karen Ruckdeschel at kruckdes@verizon.net . The request should contain what the person would like to focus on and the boat requested.

It’s that time, time to buy new sails for the O'Day

The sails have been ordered. We ordered Newport Pro Radial sails from Precision. These sails will have a radial design and be made of woven Dacron sailcloth made specifically for radial designs. Radial sails, when trimmed properly, allow the boat to sail with less heeling. We expect the Pro Radials to provide a big improvement in boat handling and a long life. 

The next step in the process is to provide detailed measurements of the rigging to the sailmaker. They then will design the sails. After that we will review the design with the designer. When approved the design goes to the production team to be made. Delivery is expected in September.

 

Thank you to all who have donated to the sail fund. We have approximately $800 toward our goal. And our goal has been reduced to $3,000 because we were able to order the sails while on sale. If you have not already contributed to the sail fund please consider making a contribution.

Send your contributions to SEAS Monmouth, c/o Anthony Valentino, Treasurer, 65 Woodview Drive, Old Bridge, NJ 08857 . Please put ‘Sail fund’ in the memo. As always, remember that contributions to SEAS/Monmouth are tax deductible. No offer of goods or services is either expressed or implied by this invitation to contribute to the sail fund.

Crew Passes available

If you plan on going out on activity sails multiple times this season, it is worth your while to buy a crew pass and save 20%. Passes are available for both the Rhodes and the O'Day, and give you 5 sails for the price of 4. You can also use a pass multiple times on a single sail to pay for your guests.

The KBC recently clarified the use of crew passes on Special Activity sails, which may have a higher requested donation than regular activity sails (based on the length of time allotted to the sail). You can use the crew pass to its equivalent value and pay the balance in cash or check. For instance an O'Day crew pass has a value of $20 per punch, so if a special activity sail has a requested donation of $30, a crew pass plus $10 would pay for your sail. A Rhodes pass has a value of $15 per punch, and similar math would apply.

Click below to get the details and the application.

Annual Chesapeake Columbus Weekend Cruise and Course

October 5-8, 2018

Several people have already signed up, so please don't delay if you are thinking of taking the cruising course, or going on the cruise boat. Here are the details.

Interested in Sailing on Larger Boats?

Take the SEAS Monmouth Cruising Course and get the experience and training you need to confidently cruise on large boats! The Cruising Course provides you with the basic skills you need to enjoy life on cruising sailboats - boats that range in length from 32 to 55 feet, with living accommodations for from 4 to 8 people. These boats are available for charter in many of the great sailing locations in the world - from Chesapeake Bay to the Caribbean, from New England to the South Pacific. Think about it: SEAS members sailing boats in: Turkey, Greece, Italy, the Grenadines, The British Virgin Islands, The Spanish Virgin Islands, The Exumas, The Abacos, the Florida Keys, the Gulf of Mexico (Dry Tortugas), Newport Rhode Island, Maine, Lake Champlain, the Elizabeth Islands, Block Island, Belize, Sea of Cortez, San Juan Islands, Tahiti, New Zealand and Thailand - you could be one of them!

 

How's the Course Structured?

The course consists of four classroom sessions, each lasting about 2.5 hours, at which you learn about many aspects of cruising: navigation, course plotting, anchoring, using the radio, the plumbing on a boat ("the head"), safety, crew overboard response, clothing (what to bring and what not to bring), weather, using the engine, steering the boat, docking (how to use dock lines and fenders), sailing (what are all those "extra" control lines for?), living on a boat and much, much more. The classes are followed by a Columbus Day weekend (October 6-8) charter on the Chesapeake Bay originating from Rock Hall, MD aboard 40ft cruising boats. These cruising course charter boats will each have an experienced SEAS Monmouth skipper and first mate and up to four students, who will have the opportunity over the weekend to perform all the tasks aboard the sailboat under the watchful eyes of the two instructors.

 

What are the Registration Details?

The course costs $421, plus a refundable security deposit of $167, which includes a copy of The Annapolis Book of Seamanship, some basic navigation tools, and spending Columbus Day weekend on the boat (there are some extra expenses, such as food, boat fuel, etc.). Check the Classes and Training calendar for specific dates for the Columbus Day weekend cruise and the four classroom sessions (usually held in late September and early October at the Tinton Falls Municipal Center, near exit 105 on the GSP). Also, although the cruise begins on Saturday of Columbus Day weekend, we board the boats on Friday evening.

 

Because of the lead time needed to book the boats, early reservations are essential, and there are a limited number of openings available. A $150 deposit secures your place in the course. If you would like a better idea of what the course is about, please visit our course webpage and pictures from previous cruises , or contact Ray Kimber at raykimber@comcast.net . To sign up for this year's course, please refer to the Columbus Day Weekend Cruise and Cruising Course Application .

 

What About Just Cruising?

For experienced cruisers we have a limited opportunity for participating in the same weekend sailing itinerary as the cruising course, but without the classroom sessions. You can get a better idea of the cruise from the course webpage and pictures from previous cruises , or by contacting Ray Kimber at raykimber@comcast.net . To get costs and sign up for the cruise only, please refer to the Columbus Day Weekend Cruise and Cruising Course Application .

Consider Volunteering as a Board Member

We need to be thinking about who will be the officers and trustees for 2019. Elections are held in November. Current Commodore Karen Ruckdeschel has held that position for four years, and is ready for someone else to take over. Other officers and trustees have also served for a number of years. The continued success of any organization depends on new people, new energy, and new ideas on a regular basis, and SEAS is no different.

Please think seriously about stepping up to a board position and bringing your skills and energy to the club. Previous officers will be available to provide support and guidance (the Past Commodore serves on the board), so you aren't "dropped in the deep end" on your own.

If you are interested, or have any questions, please be in touch with Karen at kruckdes@verizon.net or 732-236-7816.