Success Story

"...Afraid of the wind and the waves and being alone on the water, at 8 years old in a boat just under eight feet long called an Optimist [she] cried and begged and used every creative excuse she could summon to avoid going to her weekend sailing lessons at the Lauderdale Yacht Club in her hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Fla."

Now, not so much (click here).  Inspiration for kids and parents alike.  Good job, Sharon & Fred.  

It Comes Back

New LYC member George Uznis heard about our team heading to his hometown of Grosse Point and made the offer below.  Anyone interested in taking advantage of this great housing opportunity, please e-mail me at bob3@supersailmakers.com and I'll forward the first replies to George (so he doesn't get several).  I'm following up on the boat(s) and will have more info for the group soon.  Maybe more important, please read and understand this is what our sailing culture produces.  Let's follow his example in the future and always ask what we can do to help others coming to LYC.  This is what we do.

_____________________________________

Bob,

Good to hear from you.

You know the GPYC is not located in proximity of the hotels or motels and I can easily accommodate a family. My house is on the lake 2 1/2 miles from GPYC.

 It was 20 years ago but my son Mike was on the world team for 2 years and I was USODA trustee. I know the drill. I will send you a photo or the 21" Shearwater that I can make available.  I also have a 21" Mako that I will be out in and can take some people.

In 1988 my kids had never seen an Optimist and we came to LYC  for the Boomerang Regatta and Clyde set us up in boats and it "took", something parents don't forget.

Pleased to help,

George

ATTN: ADVANCED/INTERMEDIATE SAILORS!

Anyone interested in participating in this summer's USODA New England Championships?  Please sign up on the program documents "upcoming regatta" spreadsheet. We participated in this event last year and had an outstanding time.

Summer racing in New England serves up excellent (March-like) conditions. With this year's venue in Portland, Maine the scenery should be delightfully picturesque.This regatta will host a challenging, competitive fleet lead by a sound race committee.

This is a 2014 Team Trials Qualifying regatta! Here's the link to the website.
http://www.sailmaine.org/optinewenglands/Regatta_Info/Register.html

WARNING: Summer Session Starting

The LYC Summer Sessions are starting.  While this means the joy of sailing will be spread to even more young ones, it also means some of these young ones, in the innocence and ignorance of youth, may -- despite our coaches' best efforts -- wreak utter and complete devastation on any personal gear left in the garage.  All Opti families are reminded of the unfortunate reality that any gear left in the garage may get used and abused by people who do not know any better in these first few weeks of summer camp.  Sorry, while it's not right, it may happen, so collect and protect anything you want to keep very safe.  Yes, we can segregate and label our stuff, and yes, coaches will work to prevent it, but also, yes, each year, at least one Opti sailor shows up at the club to see a summer sailor dragging his or her $600 sail across a piling in the canal.  Fair warning.  Remember, we were all newbies once, and didn't know.  And when they do, they'll make us all better.

Intermediate/Advanced Parent Meeting Summary

Intermediate/Advanced Opti Parent Meeting Summary

A discussion of the upcoming National Championship dominated the meeting.  For those not attending Nationals, a summary of the other topics discussed precedes the Nationals update.

Next Parents' Meetings

• An Opti Parents Meeting for Midshipmen and Commodores Parents returning to or considering the Fall racing season will be held in August, date TBD.
• A parents meeting for Intermediate and Advanced sailor parents will be held following nationals, date TBD.

Checklists

Phil and Juan will begin a new checklist system to aggressively instill necessary habits in LYC sailors.  The newest racers will have a short checklist that teaches them to check key safety equipment before they leave the dock every time they go sailing.  Intermediate and Advanced sailors list will expand to include key Opti Class requirements.  These new procedures will enhance safety, and prevent nonconformity with class rules which has proven costly in penalties in past regattas.  More important, it will build responsible, self-reliant habits in our sailors.

Fall Season

The Fall Season will begin with a work day and cookout for all fleets on August 24 & 25.  Come join old friends and new as we get our fleet ready for the Fall and flip some burgers at the Sailing Center.  Info sheet to follow.  Regular practice starts after Labor Day on September 7.

Major Fall Long-Distance Regattas: start deciding!

• Southeast Championships, Pensacola, FL - Sept 21-22
• Atlantic Coast Championships, Oyster Bay, NY - Sept 27-29
• West Coast Championships, San Pedro, CA - October 12-14

LYC will be supporting the SE Champs and West Coast Champs.

We will work to secure a shorter URL for the lycoptis.blogspot.com web page.

HURRICANE PROTOCOL - HAPPY JULY!

As TS Andrea moves over north western Florida we are reminded of the fact that the 2013 Hurricane Season is officially upon us. Please review the LYC Hurricane Protocol for all sailing fleets.

In general, all families not participating in any summer clinics or club supported events are encouraged to remove all private boats and equipment from LYC's Sailing Center.

In the event of a Tropical Storm or Hurricane please follow the steps below...


At the hoisting of a ‘Hurricane Watch’ all boats in and dry storage areas and all equipment on the premises of Lauderdale Yacht Club are requested to be removed.

Sailing Director will announce the ETA for Hurricane watch & warning & advise local families to watch the news.

LYC requests that all members remove loose items from the Sailing Center

The Club will not tow any privately owned boats.

Any owner of a boat left at the facilities during a hurricane will be financially responsible for any and all damages to Club facilities, other property or persons caused by said boat, and will indemnify and hold the Club harmless for all expenses and fees of any type incurred by the Club regarding said boat or damages caused by it.

No dinghies or equipment will be stored in the Clubhouse on Club grounds or in Club buildings.

If an owner is out of town or unable to move his boat prior to a storm or hurricane, he will be responsible for someone other than the Marina Director or Sailmaster to do it for him.

Thanks for your help. I look forward to an "uneventful" summer, in this regard. 

Nationals Team Race Teams Announced

Juan and Phil have considered how LYC should best be represented at the Team Race Nationals and developed the following two teams based on their knowledge of our kids' skill levels and compatibility.  Go LYC!

Team Red

Murphy, Connor 

Sabadash, Chase

Streater, Stephen

Welker, Luke

Team Blue

Casaretto, Bella

Clark, Kelly

Dixon, Garrett

McManus, Sinead

Weber, Caroline

Please respect the coaches' placements and direct any questions to bob3@supersailmakers.com.