Englewood Sailing Association | |
Building Confidence, Character and Community through Sailing | |
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LOTS TO SEE IN THIS NEWSLETTER
20th Anniversary Celebration
2 Adult Learn to Sail Classes
"First Flight" on Shakedown Cruise
Member Meeting this Saturday
Saturday Family Sailing After Meeting
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20th Anniversary GREAT Success
by Mike Basch
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An incredible team, Hugh Moore, Sue Rosen, John Bass and Miriam Staveley worked the better part of 2022 putting the celebration together.
Over 100 people attended, several of whom were part of the early days.
Hugh Moore was the master of ceremonies introducing the celebration committee, our current board members, some of the ESA kids who helped put it all together and several distinguished guests. CH Ritt, our current president and John Riehl, our immediate past president, gave brief presentations.
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Committee Members R to L: Miriam Staveley, John Bass, Hugh Moore and Sue Rosen | |
People were able to see a picture display of ESA's past | |
Steve and Sue Rosen honor those who have passed and were the building blocks of Englewood Sailing Association. | |
Some of the ESA Kids helped put it all together | |
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"Slow Flight" on Shakedown Cruise
by John Riehl
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On March 22, Marie Naisby and John Riehl took ESA’s keelboat “Slow Flight” on a shakedown cruise prior to the start of the spring Coastal Cruising class.
All the work that Steve Rosen, CH Ritt, Craig Borton, Hugh Moore, and others put in really showed, as she was anything but slow on all points of sail in a nice 8 knot breeze.
There are pictures on the ESA website taken by Hugh Moore and Rob VanWyck from Hugh’s boat “Destiny” (link here). “Slow Flight” is available for ESA members to use for daysailing or local overnight trips when she is not scheduled for classes.
Our website will have a special way for qualified members to sign up for and take Slow Flight for a cruise or for others to sign up as crew.
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John Riehl and Marie Naisby out in the Gulf | |
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Adult Learn to Sail
February and March
by Mike Basch
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Above: CH Ritt, and the graduating class of the March Adult Learn to Sail program.
The February program is on two weekends in order to enable working people to learn: February 4th and 5th and 11th and 12th from 10 AM to 2 PM.
The March program is Monday through Thursday, starting on March 6th with the same times.
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Unfortunately we don't have pictures of the February class. | |
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Coastal Cruising Program
by John Riehl
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Kolton Drum, Vivian Konrardy, Nolan LaBeau and CW Lynch will be the first ESA youth sailors to take part in our new cruising program.
They're going to learn what they need to know to safely sail a larger boat (up to 40 feet) along the coast over a multi-day/night voyage. The program will consist of two parts:
Saturdays (4/1, 4/15, 4/22, 4/29, 5/6, 5/13, 5/20, 5/27, 6/3):
Instead of coming to Indian Mound Park, students will meet where our new kealboat, Slow Flight is docked at member Mike Basch's dock at 1525 Gulf Blvd, on Manasota Key in Englewood.
Sessions will run 9 AM to 3 PM and will include sailing both in Lemon Bay and in the Gulf. Instruction over the nine sessions will include:
- Emergencies and safety (radio usage, signaling, first aid, etc)
- Charts and navigation (reading a chart, plotting a course to a destination, using GPS, etc)
- Anchoring (how to safely handle a larger anchor, making sure it’s holding, etc)
- Docking (under power and under sail)
- Systems (electrical, lights, motor, maintenance, etc)
- Big boat sailing (using winches, travelers, jib leads, etc)
- Trip planning (provisioning, selecting destinations, weather, etc)
Graduation cruise:
The week of June 5th we’ll charter a large sailboat for a three-day, two-night trip. The students will be responsible for planning and executing the trip, including selecting destinations, planning and preparing meals, etc. We’ll sail during the day and anchor or dock at night. Marie Naisby (who has many years’ experience instructing coastal and offshore cruising) and John Riehl will supervise all the planning and be aboard for the trip.
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Saturday Family Sailing Available
by Pat Beffel
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Come join the fun from 2:30 - 5:30 pm starting on Saturday, March 25, after the member meeting and, through all of April and May (except Easter weekend).
Qualified adult sailors are welcome to a boat of their choice; under 18 must have an adult in tow to participate.
Saturday Adult & Family Sailing is being offered especially for those members whom have weekday commitments and are unable to participate in Wednesday morning's open sailing. Interested members will meet from 2:30 to 5:30 unless cancelled due to weather (such as Ian). If cancelled, it will show up as cancelled on our website.
If you have not registered for Adult & Family sailing, you may do so by clicking here. You must be a member to participate:
https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTc0MDk2
While we have a good core of volunteers to make it possible for the sailing to take place, we could use some additional volunteers who might act as safety boat crew or be on shore at home base - no sailing experience
required!
If you are interested in volunteering, or if you have any questions regarding Saturday sailing, contact:
Bob Childers (941) 250-5602 - rchilders@rocketmail.com
or
Pat Beffel (517) 262-8313 - pat.beffel@tds.net
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Come on out, pick a boat, rig it and sail it | |
You might even see one of these critters that allow us to share Lemon Bay with them
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Special Award for Active Volunteers
by Mike Basch
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At the Saturday Member Meeting, President CH Ritt will award active volunteers for their work in helping kids build confidence, character and community through sailing.
28 currently active volunteers will receive this award at the Saturday Member Meeting.
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Membership Meeting Saturday, March 25th
Meeting Starts at 1 PM at the Indian Mound Park Pavilion
Followed by Family Sailing at Sailing Center at 2:30
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Membership and Sailing Activities | |
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Membership and Sailing Activities
If you haven't renewed or signed up for your 2023 membership, you can do it here.
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2023 Calendar is Official | |
You can see our calendar here or on our website. | |
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ChatGPT Article
Inquiry by Mike Basch
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If you're a techie like I am, I believe you'll enjoy ChatGPT which is artificial intelligence. You can ask any question and get a response.
I just asked it: "Why should children learn to sail?"
A few seconds later, I received this:
"Sailing can be a valuable skill for children to learn for a number of reasons. It can teach them responsibility, as they are responsible for the safety of themselves and others on the boat. It can also teach them teamwork, as sailing requires coordination and communication between crew members. Additionally, sailing can foster a love for the outdoors and an appreciation for the natural environment. It can also help children develop physical fitness and improve their coordination and balance. Furthermore, sailing can also be a fun and challenging sport that can provide children with a sense of accomplishment and self-confidence."
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Most Activites can be found on the ESA website under "Home", "Calendar"
January Activities
February Activity
- Adult Learn to Sail
- 20th Anniversary Celebration
- ESA Board Meeting via Zoom
March Activity
- Adult Learn to Sail
- General Member Meeting
- Begin Saturday Sailing
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Jan-Mar Board Meeting Highlights
(Your board typically meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month.) All members are invited.
Board HIghlights:
- Discussed Catalina 27 plan
- Reviewed the 2022 WCIND Grant which includes about $10,000 of grant funding for our sailboat fleet
- Reviewed the 2024 WCIND Grant application
- Reviewed officer and director nominations
- Board approved a $1,000 donation to Edison Sailing to help them out after tough Ian losses
- At the March board meeting, we faced a cash flow issue where we need to pay for our grant financed boats before we receive the grant
- Pat Befffel and Bob Childers presented their Saturday family sailing plan
- A letter from founder Any Paine was read celebrating the success of the 20th Anniversary Celebration
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