File - Otsego Sailing Club

GUSTS & PUFFS
The Newsletter of the Otsego Sailing Club
March 2015
Commodore’s Column
Ahoy All – Welcome to a new Sailing Season. If you have a
good imagination, visualize yourself sailing with warm breezes
on a bright sunshiny day.
We begin the 2015 season with ambitious goals. We anticipate
another busy year, with our normal priorities as well as the
Sailing School and the Opti Sailing Camp. Great undertakings
are only achieved when we set our goals high.
“The pessimist com-
This year’s major project is refurbishing the main dock. Thanks
to Jim Dulak for his design and the careful planning of the Dock
Committee, this project is moving along at a good pace.
plains about the wind;
The winter crew did an outstanding job under Butch Weir’s
direction. The Opti Sailing Camp program is off to a great start
with instructors Connie Herzig and Josie Rusk. Butch continues
to contribute enormous time and effort repairing the Optis.
to change; the realist
the optimist expects it
adjusts the sails.
- William Arthur Ward
Finally, I urge all members to come to the Spring Meeting and
get reacquainted after a very long winter. Our guest this year
will be John Lord, who will deliver a presentation regarding the
ongoing efforts to protect Otsego Lake from invasive species.
Please come and show the support of our great sailing club.
In This Issue
It’s almost that time again!

2014 Awards

From the
Harbormaster

Spring Meeting
Announcement

DEC InvasiveSpecies Regulations
From the
Harbormaster ...
Leeward run, Glimmerglass 2014
Photo by Gary Herzig
2014 Award Recipients:
Junior Sailor Award: Bryn Clark
Broken Oar Award: Paul Bischoff (for his dramatic dismasting)
John Sanik Award: Butch Weir, for his tireless work restoring the Opti prams
for the new sailing camp, as well as his “relentless” work on behalf of the Otsego Sailing Club.
RACING AWARDS:
Memorial Day Series: 3rd Jerry Phelan, 2nd John Ford, 1st Butch Weir
Spring Hawkeye Handicap Series: 3rd Jerry Phelan, 2nd John Ford, 1st Ron Streek
July 4th Series One-Design Class: 3rd Dan Patsos, 2nd Jerry Phelan, 1st Bryn Clark
Cruiser Class: 3rd Jeff Simon, 2nd Diane Nash, 1st Paul Bischoff
The winter is showing signs of
passing, the days are getting longer, and requests for mooring and
dock spaces are coming in. If you
have a mooring, you will keep it.
The same goes for space on the
docks. However, due to space and
safety concerns, some of you may
be shifted to different dock spaces.
I should have the docks all sorted
out by dock day. In the period of
time between dock day and launch
day, I hope to reposition some
moorings so the harbor is more
evenly spaced. I will try to keep the
relative positioning pretty much the
same. While I am pulling and moving the moorings I will examine the
chain and fittings, and if the equipment is worn out I will notify the
owner of what changes are recommended. I hope all works out well
for each of you and that no more
boats are “kissing” in the harbor
this year. Best to all and I look
forward to hearing from you as
needed.
Thanks, The Harbormaster.
Summer Handicap: 3rd Ron Streek, 2nd Butch Weir, 1st Bryn Clark
Big Boat Championship: 4th Sean Streek, 3rd Nate Fenno, 2nd Gary Herzig,
1st Wayne Coursin
Lawrence Cup: 4th Wolf Wilde, 3rd Paul Coughlin, 2nd Bryn Clark, 1st Jonas Kelly
Thistle Class Championship: 3rd Paul Coughlin, 2nd Bryn Clark, 1st Jonas Kelly
Grace and John Fenno Award: Butch Weir
Flying Scot Class Champ. at Glimmerglass: 2nd Waldo Johnston, 1st Ron Streek
Natty Bumpo Fall Handicap: 3rd Jim Dulak, 2nd Jerry Phelan, 1st Butch Weir
Hyde Bay One-Design North: 2nd Wayne Mellor, 1st Jerry Phelan
South: 2nd Dan Patsos, 1st Paul Coughlin
Overall: Butch Weir
Hyde Bay Cruisers North: 3rd Chris Kelly, 2nd Gary Herzig, 1st Patty Weyland
South: 3rd Kathy Stanton, 2nd Scott Hinrichs, 1st Wayne Coursin
Overall: Nate Fenno
If you have not yet paid 2015
dues, dock, and/or mooring
fees, please send payment
as soon as possible, including the 10% late penalty, to
avoid delay in membership
privileges. Send payments
to Otsego Sailing Club, P.O.
Box 816, Cooperstown, NY
13326. NEW OPTION: To pay
by credit card, email Tom at
treasurer@otsegosailingclub.com
for details.
Announcing the OSC Spring Meeting!
Registration for the
2015 instructional
sailing program is
open.
Opti Sailing Camp
An afternoon day camp
designed for kids ages
6-10 that emphasizes
sailing concepts, teamwork, and skills development while offering
other camp activities to
keep everyone having
fun.
at the Otesaga Hotel, 60 Lake Street, Cooperstown,
on Saturday, April 11, 2015.
Lunch will be in the Main Dining Room at Noon,
with meeting to follow at 1 pm.
Members pay $20 per person for lunch. Please make checks
payable to Otsego Sailing Club. Send advance payment to
Otsego Sailing Club, PO Box 816, Cooperstown, NY 13326.
Members may also pay at the day of the event (Kay Sperling will
collect money). Either way please RSVP by Monday, April 6 to
Gusts & Puffs to guarantee reservations. A further reminder will
be provided in a “Windshift,” but please save the date!
The meeting is free to attend, and because of Otsego Sailing
Club’s long history of watershed stewardship, we encourage all
members to attend the free meeting to show our support for protecting Otsego Lake from invasive species. Paul Lord of CRISP
(Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership) will provide valuable information regarding these important and on-going efforts.
Hello, I just wanted to say
thanks to all who participated
in building and installing the
bubbler system. I have had
the opportunity on several occasions to visit and check on
our work. The system works
very well, and I have some
wonderful pictures to share.
Junior Sailing:
A great opportunity for
children to learn and
practice small boat sailing skills.
Adult Sailing:
A great opportunity to
try sailing for the first
time or jump onboard
again.
Kathy Stanton
2015 Slate-of-Officers:
Commodore: Bob Sperling
For further information
and to register online,
please visit the OSC website at http://
www.otsegosailingclub.co
m/register-for-osc-sailingschool-2015.html
Vice-Commodore: Gary Herzig
Paymaster: Tom Rusk
Keeper of the Log: Dave Ainsworth
Trustees: Jerry Phelan and Ron
Streek
Important Dates:
April 18, Pre-dock Day #1
April 25, Pre-dock Day #2
May 2, Dock Day
(mandatory)
May 16, Launch Day
May 23, Racing Begins!
New York State DEC Adopts New Regulations
According to the New York State DEC, “As part of an aggressive effort to prevent invasive species from entering and damaging New York water bodies, the
State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)...adopted new regulations that require boaters to remove all visible plant and animal materials from
boats, trailers and associated equipment, and to drain boats prior to launching
at or leaving from DEC lands.” Though the OSC launch ramp is not monitored
by the DEC, we can and must do our part to help prevent the further incursion
of invasive species into the waters of Lake Otsego. Microscopic larval forms of
aquatic invasive species, such as zebra mussels and spiny waterflea, can live
in as little as a drop of water, so please take the following steps to ensure that
boats, trailers, and equipment are free of aquatic invasive species:





Visually inspect the boat, trailer and other fishing and boating equipment
and remove all mud, plants and other organisms that might be clinging to
them. Materials should be disposed of in one of the Nuisance Invasive
Species Disposal Stations installed at many DEC boat launches, in the
trash or at an upland location away from the launch ramp.
Drain the boat's bilge and any other water holding compartments such as
live wells, water ballast, and bilge tanks. This does not apply to water associated with sanitary systems or drinking water supplies.
Drying boats and equipment is also highly recommended but not required
under the new regulations. Under normal summer conditions, plan for 5-7
days, more under humid conditions or with poor air circulation.
Boaters who are unable to dry their boats between uses should flush the
bilge and other water holding compartments with water, preferably at a
temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Soak all equipment in water at
least 140°F for 30 seconds. Most tap water is 120º - 130º F, so this will
require some additional heating. Bleach is also a very effective disinfectant
agent, but it is a caustic substance that can be corrosive to aluminum and
other sensitive fishing and boating equipment. Soak or spray equipment
for at least one minute with a 2% bleach solution (3 ounces of household
bleach mixed with 1 gallon of water). A bleach alternative, potassium chloride (KCL) is a very effective cleanser for boats and equipment used in
waters containing zebra or quagga mussels. It also does not have the corrosive side effects of some other cleaning agents. A 200 ppm solution is
recommended (one teaspoon of dry KCL salt crystals in 2 gallons of water). KCL salt substitutes can be found in most supermarkets and KCL salt
crystals can be special ordered at home improvement or hardware store
selling water conditioning products. Given the non-corrosive attributes of
KCL, it is particularly useful in cleaning engine cooling systems and other
corrosion prone areas.
If your boat has been used in water containing zebra mussels, run your
hand along the hull. If it feels like sandpaper, it likely has mussels attached. Zebra mussels can be difficult to remove from a boat hull. They
first need to be killed by exposure to water or steam at least 140 degrees F
and then removed by brush or pressure washer.
Additional information on can be found on the DEC website. Also, Paul Lord,
President/Director of Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP),
will be giving a presentation about invasive species at the Spring Meeting on
April 11. Please try to attend, both for the good food and camaraderie, but
also for a show of support and stewardship for the health of our Otsego Lake.
ALSO DISINFECT EQUIPMENT
Contact Us
Otsego Sailing Club
P.O. Box 816
Cooperstown, NY 13326
607-547-9743 clubhouse
607-744-6325 voicemail
General info: Communications
@otsegosailingclub.com
To submit articles and
offer polite feedback:
GustsandPuffs
@otsegosailingclub.com
Visit us on the web at
www.otsegosailingclub.com