membership - Grand Traverse Yacht Club

GRAND TRAVERSE
YACHT CLUB
Waterlines
July 2009
FROM THE HELM
By Ken Stepnitz, Commodore
WATERLINES
Official Newsletter of the
Grand Traverse Yacht Club
13615 S. Bayshore Drive
Traverse City, MI
231.946.9779
www.gtyc.org
FLAG OFFICERS
COMMODORE
Ken Stepnitz
VICE COMMODORE
Steve Wyckoff
REAR COMMODORE
Katie Horvath
PAST COMMODORE
Mac Van Stratt
2009 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Than Dykstra ‘09
Scott Porter ‘09
Jay Kraft ‘10
Scott Reavely ’10 (1 yr replacement)
Bill Allgaier ‘11
Marc Nugent ‘11
TREASURER
David Skibowski
SECRETARY
Jim Sorbie
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Building/Grounds
Club Rentals
Cruising Club
Cheri Buchbinder
Ian Sterling
Karen Downing &
Lisa Wilmeth
Food/Beverage
Club Manager
Membership
Deb & Steve Wyckoff
Merchandise
Howard & Carol Cousineau
Moorings/Storage
Scott Reavely
Newsletter
Dannielle Higgins
Race
Scott Porter
Hound Dog Regatta
Jessica Gerber
& Dan Spyhalski
Clam Bake
Jay Kraft & David Skibowski
Melges 24 Fleet
Mike Dow
Interlake Fleet
Bob Sagan
& Jim Milliman
Laser Fleet
Jamie Stuursma &
Than Dykstra
Social
Dan Spyhalski
Website
Marc Nugent
SPECIAL COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Club History
Tom Cowell
Rebuilding
Doug Wipperman
What a month it has been. We have had three huge events
at the club. The “Welcome Back” party, the last game of the
Stanley Cup (which was not planned), and finally the Hound
Dog. On top of that the challenge of getting the club furnished,
stocked, and up and running was constantly in the background.
There are too many names to list but a huge thank you goes out to
all of the members that have stepped up to get done what needed
to be done. The crowning touch was getting the sod in front of the
building, what a truly beautiful facility we have.
We also owe Ian a huge thank you. His efforts went way
beyond what we had any right to expect from someone new to the
club. There is no way things would have come off as smoothly as
they did without him. Thank you Ian!
The “Welcome Back” party was a huge success. Having
1972 Commodore Gordon Cornwell help hoist the yacht club
burgee over the new club was a very special event. You could tell
that everyone had missed the club as well as each other.
Mother Nature came through with beautiful weather for
the Hound Dog Party but evidently she forgot that a regatta went
along with the party and did not send us any wind. Saturday we
were able to get some racing in but Sunday ended up being cancelled due to lack of wind. Scott Porter, Eric Lind, and Bill Van
Westen on “John Henry” did a great job in organizing the racing
end of the weekend. Dan Spyhalski and his crew did their usual
great job for the on shore festivities.
I want to remind the membership that the food services at
the club are limited. We have one cook. We do not have wait
staff or bus people. The club has been very busy and we are not
prepared to handle thirty or forty food orders in a short period.
Please be patient when ordering on a busy night. If the demand
remains high we can look into upgrading our food service but for
now our food service is just that, a service. We are lucky to break
even with food so we need to be sure we can support it before
adding more staff.
In July things calm down for GTYC sponsored party/
events but we do have the Leukemia Cup and the Interlake Nationals being hosted at the club.
Come down to use and enjoy our spectacular facility. We
are lucky to have one of the premier venues on the Great Lakes.
Greetings from GTYC Race Committee.
Our 2009 Race Season is well underway and it is shaping up to be a great summer. It
sure is nice having our Club up and running!
The Hound Dog Regatta was a great success, we had 3 very competitive fleets. The only thing
that could have made the event better would have been some more breeze. Congratulations to
Doug Wipperman, David Irish and Scott Porter for winning their respective fleets. The JAM
fleet, with 9 competitors was very close with only 3 points separating First from Fourth. David
Phelps did a tremendous job single handing The Liberty to a third place finish, just 1 point
behind first place. Scott Porter beat out Jim Sorbie on a tiebreaker to win the fleet. Spinnaker B
was also quite competitive. Brian Smith, and Ken Stepnitz gave Doug Wipperman a battle. Wes
Schultz on the Kokomo received second in the Spinnaker A fleet followed closely by Jim
Millikan on Driven2. Please visit our website for complete results. All in all, it was a great
weekend. Thank you Dan Spyhalski, Eric Lind and Bill and Betsy VanWestin for planning and
Race Committee.
Those of you who raced in the Hound Dog Regatta, you may have noticed the bright new
Race Committee flags. Unfortunately we got a really good look at the postponement and race
abandonment flags, but that is part of racing. Our new flags will be used in our Wednesday night
series and future weekend regattas.
Please put the Leukemia Cup on your racing schedule for July 4th. The proceeds of the regatta
all go to a great cause, so please show your support and get out there and have some fun. The
Notice of Race is on our web site. If you have any questions, please contact Laura or Jamie
Stuursma (231) 946-9368 or ljstuursma@chartermi.net.
Finally, I have several 2008 award flags that were unclaimed (or unavailable) at the
awards banquette last Fall. I will be handing those out at the GTYC on Wednesday nights.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or suggestions. Your
input is always appreciated.
Kind Regards, Scott Porter
2009 GTYC Race Chair
2009 Little Traverse Yacht Club Regatta.
Dates: August 1-2,2009. New this year are a cruising
fleet and fleets for smaller boats. Kevin Ferrell, LTYC
Commodore, stopped by the club after the Hound Dog
to extend a personal invitation to all GTYC boats. See
the LTYC web site for NOR and further information.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
The 49th LTYC Regatta
will be held
July 31 through August 2, 2009
Including the Melges 32
Great Lakes Gold Cup Series
You don’t want to miss it!
www.ltyc.org
Tuesday Night Laser racing
has been a blast so far this year
with a wide range of sailors
having fun. Bring your boat
down and don’t miss out on the
fun in July! Also Laser
Districts are being hosted by
the club on
August 8 &
9.
Its an exciting time for Interlaking over the next month. First is "The Great White Northern
Championship" which will be held Saturday afternoon, June 27 from 1-5 pm with a picnic to follow. Our
recently returned proticle son, Gene Schumal has already been impressed into service as our PRO for the
event...Thanks Gene!!! A month later is the Big Who-Ha. The Interlake National Championship Series
INTERLAKE NATIONALS (Ladies, Juniors, Masters, Gold & Silver Fleets)...end of July (25-28) designed as a
party for all. Even if you can't join us on the water, join us for great feasting with menus and preparation done by our
Slow roasted Herb
own cuisine guru: Jim Milliman. Check out the menus for Sun & Mon.SUNDAY NIGHT:
Chicken dinner, Boiled Corn with Basil Butter,Midwest Rice Medley Pilaf, Caesar Salad with Parmesan Dressing,
Carrot Cake, wine. MONDAY NIGHT LUAU PARTY (Party in Luau of Banquet) Whole Pig Roast with
choice of Spicy Ginger Dipping Sauce or Roasted Onion BBQ Sauce, Rice Pilaf with Almonds and
Vegetables, Spinach Salad with Ginger Dressing, Fresh Fruit Salad, Vegetable and Noodle Salad with
Peanut Lime Dressing, Island Rum Cake with Rum Pineapple Glaze, select wine. Meals will be sold in
advance...don't worry, we'll let you know when. The Luau looks to include a live band too! Everyone
working RC or Protest Committee eats free!!! PLUS, if you work multiple days there is swag for you and
dedicated soels get a free technical shirt. We'll also be taking advanced orders for the Techincal
shirts soon. Check out our logo...the basis of it is our GTYC logo, with the Interlake insignia plus a bit
of Luau.
Lets all help get the GTYC nominated for the St. Petersburg Trophy which is presented by US Sailing to the Club
running the best event. When we held this event is 2001 there were over 50 boats that crossed the starting line! Our
PRO, Eric Lind, is already doing his part for our club. Let me or Dave Phelps know if you can help. Thanx Bob Sagan.
In other words: "For a good time" contact Bob Sagan, bsagan1411@charter.net, ph. 929-3555.
Misc Ramblings PC40
What a great Hound Dog Regatta weekend ! ! ! We had 23 boats competing, including 5 from
out of town. We worked hard to get 3 races in on Saturday and finally gave up on Sunday after floating
for a couple of hours with the wind teasing us, but never allowing a race. It was great to see so many
people enjoying the Club and especially the new lawn. Thanks to Scott Porter, Dan Spyhalski, and
everyone else that pitched in to make it a great event and to Ian Sterling and the great staff he put
together for the weekend. And thanks to Bill VanWesten, Jean Risk, and George Kobernus for helping
with race committee. Even Ed Reynolds was out with us for a while on Saturday and pitched in.
Speaking of Race Committee (CAUTION ! ! ! arm twist coming) we’ve got a few regattas
ahead this summer that will require some assistance with mark setting and other RC duties. July 25 - 28
is the Interlake Nationals, August 8 - 9 is the Laser Districts, and August 22 - 23 is the Melges 24 Gold Cup. We are expecting
big turnouts for all 3 events so if you’re available and would like to help, sign up early and often. I will have some sign-up sheets
at the Club in the near future.
Kevin Ferrell, Commodore of the LTYC, and his wife Carolyn were at the Hound Dog awards ceremony and asked me to spread
the word about their 49th Annual Regatta, July 31 - August 2. This year they are introducing several new innovations including
either 2 or 3 day racing for PHRF and One-Design boats, as well as Saturday-only racing for a new cruising section (nonspinnaker). Please check their website, www.LTYC.org, or call their office, 231-526-7919, for more information.
I wrote some months ago about a new product, SPOT, the world’s first satellite messenger and tracker. You can now
get this unit FREE . . . if you sign a 2 year service agreement. (I’m guessing that they’ve been hanging around too many cell
phone stores.) The offer is good 6/1 - 8/3/09 with mail in rebate - www.teamemergencyresponse.com/products.html. A SPOT
Satellite Messenger can alert emergency responders to your GPS location, let contacts know where you are and that you're
okay, send and save your location, allow contacts to track your progress using Google maps, and request help from friends and
family at your GPS location. Sounds like a great unit. Much more versatile than an EPIRB, but not global coverage.
A boater drowned a couple of weeks ago on East Bay. I haven’t read the report yet, but it appears that he jumped in
without a PFD to save his grandchild who had fallen off the boat wearing a PFD. The grandchild was recovered, but he was
unable to get back on the boat and eventually lost his grip and drowned. Ten years ago when Ginni and I attended the Safety-At
-Sea Seminar at the Club, the question was asked, “if your mate fell off your boat, could you get that person back onboard
without their assistance?” Cold water will disable a person quickly and render them helpless even it they are wearing a PFD.
Following that seminar, we purchased quite a bit of new safety equipment and rethought our sailing procedures and habits.
Luckily, we never had to use any of it, but at least we had the peace of mind knowing that we had it and were ready to use it.
So . . . be prepared, and be safe.
On a brighter note, THANKS to all of you that came to the Ice Cream Social and Open House at the new TACS
boathouse, the Cornwell Family Sailing Center, on Boardman Lake and to the Centerpointe Marina Boat Show a couple of
weeks ago. It was great to see so many people out sailing and enjoying a great day. We even introduced our new accessible
sailboat that drew rave reviews. Between the two events, almost $1000 was raised for TACS sailing programs and we also
signed up some new sailors. If you haven’t had a chance to see TACS’ new facility yet, please stop by anytime we are open for
a tour.
Summary of the GTYC Board Meeting Minutes For June 2009
Treasurer’s Report [D. Skibowski] - Treasurer Skibowski reported that at the end of May we have nearly $100k in cash, partly
because of a draw against our line of credit. We are to the good of about $2,000 for the food/bar; however it is too early to give a
complete accounting. He noted that last Friday night (Red Wings game 7) there were as many people at the club as we have had on the
Clam Bake in the past. We had budgeted for a $74k surplus at this time, and we have a little over $100k in surplus to date. There have
been about $13k in donations for capital equipment. The Board approved the Treasurer’s report as submitted.
Membership [Deb and Steve Wyckoff] - The board approved 11 New Member Applications for June 2009 and extended their welcome
to the club. Deb reported that there are now 124 social members. In response to concerns members have voiced the board noted that:
 The Popcorn machine is on order
 There is no money for outside chairs, but donations of funds for such furniture are greatly appreciated.
 Work on the Kids room will start soon.
 More problems with smoking have been reported (burn marks in the outdoor carpeting, smoking on the neighbors
property). Motion by Horvath to ban smoking on club grounds. There was no second. There was discussion about signage
to display the smoking policy. The Board requested that Ian to obtain a "Smoking Tree" for the smoking area (Launch Ramp
Area)
Final Rebuilding [Doug Wipperman] - There are a very few final issues to be completed (listed below). The final bill came in at
$16,112 over estimates from last September. Considering how the scope grew, this has been an amazing accomplishment. The Board
thanked Doug for his efforts.
Outstanding Issues:
1. Additional furnishings - tables, chairs, sofas, etc. Should order chairs now while fabric is still available.
2. Gate / chain / "Members Only" at south entrance.
3. Sealcoat striping
4. Cage around supplies in storage room.
5. Kids room AV and furnishings.
Manager’s Report [Ian Sterling]- There have been 5 Rental Agreements requests this month, 3 were approved by the Board at the
meeting and 2 were tabled pending further clarification. Ian reported that food service has been difficult; he has been overwhelmed by the
demand particularly the last two Fridays (Club Grand Opening and Stanley Cup). Ian will tell event organizers that we'll need GTYC
employees behind the bar. We need to remind people that when you run a tab on your credit card and DON’T cash out at the end of the
night there will be a 20% surcharge.
Merchandise [Howard Cousineau]- There is product in the cabinet and Ian is prepared to sell shirts. There are now long sleeve tees
and collared shirts available. Howard has sold about $500 worth of product this spring.
Buildings and grounds [Cheri Buchbinder]-TACS would like to accept the davits if they're to be removed. TACS is asking for three
spots for their Interlakes to be used for the Thursday night races. They will be removed anytime the board needs extra parking spaces
(e.g. Hound Dog Regatta), the Board agreed to this proposal.
Race [Scott Porter]- Hound Dog Regatta 21 boats are registered (20 are annual passes). Trophies are ordered, new race flags are
available. There is new equipment on the committee boats that will enhance starting sequences. There is a new buoy to replace YC
This Summary of the Board Meeting Minutes submitted by Secretary Sorbie
(This is a summary of the meeting minutes, not the actual document of record)
BUILDING & GROUNDS
By Cheri Buchbinder, Committee Chair
Dear GTYC Friends,
Many thanks to the volunteers who have helped with
the exterior projects at the Yacht Club. As Jean says, “It is a
process”. Bill Allgaier has made a few trips to acquire the RR
ties and also spent a very hot day rebuilding the roof of the
shed. Bev Stepnitz, Dianne Sutton, Deb Wycoff and Carolyn
Schmall shaped up what was left of the perennial boarder and
installed some plastic edging. George Kobernus, Eric Lind,
Jeff Harris, Richard Sutton, Bill Buchbinder, Scott Blair, Jamie
Stuursma worked so very hard for two days installing the
patio. greg Fischer has donated a lawn mower and Gene
Schmall cut the lawn for us. Dave and Jessica Gerber donated
a bike rack that is in frequent use. Bill Buchbinder has refinished the oak benches that were salvaged from the fire.
Steve Wycoff and Ian Sterling have hung shelves and installed towel racks and worked on so many other things.
This is an unusual year with more projects than normal. I am still looking for 3 more volunteers to build
the patio extension. We also need one or two people to install some plastic edging. Sincere thanks to all the volunteers. We will enjoy the benefits of their labors for many years to come.
CRUISING CLUB
By KAREN DOWNING
AND LISA WILMETH
Announcing the first annual summertime
CRUISING FLEET GEONAVIGATION EXERCISE. Our goal is to
have fun practicing navigation skills, win
prizes and trophies and provide a challenging summer activity - the culmination
of which will kick off our fall potluck season. Please watch for e-mails regarding
this event (you may have already seen
one) or contact Karen (947-2979) or Lisa
(lwilmeth@nmc.edu) for the clues or more
information.
MEMBERSHIP
By Deb & Steve Wyckoff
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
With our new club in full swing, we are adding new members to our ranks.
Please welcome the following social members:
Craig & Karen Ardery
Linda Batdorff-Dahl
Rod & Jessica Call
Peggy Goodwin
Gil & Diane Nugent (Marc's parents)
Judy King
Kevin & Trine Kelly
Denie "DD" Schmitt
Bill & Nnacy Siegmund
Dennis & Sandra Stockemem
Gordon & Janette Wiseman
Special thanks to Sandy Lockwood, Reed Fredricks, Gary Deluge and Sheri
Buckbinder for the pictures!
LEUKEMIA CUP REGATTA, DINNER, SILENT AUCTION and FIREWORKS
JULY 3 & 4
Hello GTYC Members !
We are pleased once again that the GTYC will be hosting a Leukemia Cup Regatta this July 3rd and 4th.
Regatta - Friday, July 3
A good portion of West bay will be closed on July 4 for an air show, therefore, we will be racing on Friday
afternoon July 3rd. The race format will be similar to the 2007 event consisting of a JAM class, Spinnaker
class, and open class. The NOR is attached. After racing on Friday, we will have prizes and a Happy Hour
sponsored in part by Mt. Gay Rum. The entire race entry fee is a tax deductible donation to the Leukemia
and Lymphoma Society.
Dinner and Silent Auction - Saturday, July 4
Saturday evening , July 4th , dinner will be available at 7PM along with Silent Auction, and fireworks over
Grand Traverse Bay. Dinner will be priced around $15 for adults and $7.50 for kids to keep the event
affordable. This will be a special night for the family so please come down and join us. We have some
great Silent Auction items lined up from local businesses in addition to some great stuff provided by the
National Sponsors of the Leukemia Cup Regattas. All proceeds for this event go to the Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society and its dedication to fighting blood cancers : leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkins Disease,
and myeloma,
Please contact Jamie or Laura Stuursma with any questions e-mail ljstuursma@chartermi.net or phone 946.9368. For online regatta entry, you can use this
link: www.leukemiacup.org/mi
We are looking for donations of gently used toys for the playroom. If you have
some just bring the toys to the yacht club and place them in the playroom that
would be great. Thanks!
Looking for a chair on our gorgeous new
lawn? Interested in lounging on a couch on the
Mezzanine? Wishing we had art work hanging
on the walls, television in the Commodores' Room
or Children's Room, or other furnishings? We
would love to be able to further furnish the Club,
but need your financial support to do so.
Please consider becoming a Club Sponsor for $100
or Chair Sponsor for $150.
Thank you,
Katie Horvath and Tom Cowell
Greetings from Ruth...
I literally had a tear in my eye as I watched Past Commodore Gordon
Cornwell raise the GTYC burgee over the club to signify the completion of
our building and the start of the official welcome home party. Commodore
Ken was nattily attired in a blue blazer and white turtleneck and Rear
Commodore Katie had on the most wonderfully outrageous pair of deck
shoes I’ve ever seen. Numerous Past Commodores were assembled in the
background and I wasn’t sure if they look like a before picture for a Grecian
Formula ad, or a gathering of mafia bosses for their summer convention. It
was a great night. One thing I did notice as I took my place at the bar was that
we seem to have a rather large contingent of new bachelorettes. Now, I
don’t mind a little competition but it got me to thinking that we should
probably initiate some rules just like we have on the race course “for the
safety and enjoyment of all competitors.” These rules are not gender specific and apply to the bachelors as
well as the bachelorettes.
 Rule number one certainly has to be about the start. No Barging… if I am making my move toward
one of our bachelors and it’s the start of the evening. There should be no cutting in as long as I am on a
proper course making progress toward the finish.
 The Basic Right of Way Rule…If I am properly sitting at the bar facing the bachelor of my intention,
no approaching from the other side of the bar or from my intended’s blind side.
 Overtaking…If I seem to be going a little slow on my quest, overtaking should only occur when it is
obvious that my course is not making adequate movement toward the finish.
 The Finish…once a competitor has finished their bar banter and has a firm date for the evening, they
must clear the finish area so others have the opportunity to finish in clear air and without distraction.
 And then we have the whole problem of protests. I am sure that many of you are aware of the sailing
protest for Gross Misconduct, some of you having been so protested. What does that have to do in our
social conduct? I’m not sure, but I do know I want to be on the protest committee.
I have some thoughts on handicaps and rating rules that we will discuss at a later date. I am wrestling with
the whole concept that equipment must be original and in its designated position. I’ll keep you posted.
GRAND TRAVERSE YACHT CLUB
P.O. BOX 131
TRAVERSE CITY, MI 49685-0131
WWW.GTYC.ORG
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The Grand Traverse Yacht Club newsletter Waterlines is published monthly.