So I lied, I’m invading your Inbox this week afterall! It’s certainly not the first time a journalist has gone back on their word to present the news of the “utmost importance” to his readership!  Trust me folks (yes, after I just lied to you), it won’t be the last!  When important news presents itself, it MUST be shared!

Last Saturday’s party had great weather, great attendance, food and drink and the best thing; NEW PEOPLE and NEW MEMBERS!!! A HUGE thank you to all those sailing center parents, new members and inquisitive souls who came! Of course, thank you to the members for opening the invitation to those folks! The new taps on the shoulders and introductions can sometimes be overwhelming (at least for me), this time it wasn’t, it felt natural and I do believe we’ll have many new friends joining us in our love of summer lake activity for years to come!  During the party we had an interruption of a man with a microphone and of course a man who never needs a microphone; Commodore Mike Starbeck with the “calming assistance” of Charlie MacNider, welcomed everyone and encouraged the further welcoming of the aforementioned fresh faces.  He also mentioned the apparel shop, open for just a short time with all profits going to the Sailing Center to help cover the many expenses incurred during the summer! The CLYC Merchandise Store closes June 28th!  Get your swag now!

We’re down to just over a month… It’s crunch time!  The major portions are covered and the finer details are being buttoned up.  July 27th – August 2nd is the ILYA X and Optimist Championships… Some volunteers are still needed, please contact Julie Oltrogge at clyciowa@gmail.com.  Mark Tesar needs a few volunteers for RC duty during the Optimist racing, July 31-August 2nd, if you’re available and interested please contact Mark at mtesar@cltel.net.  While you’re thinking about volunteering, how about jumping out to the website setup for Regatta Merchandise.  Buy it up now, the online store closes July 6th!

The first two weeks of Sailing Center activity are done and they’ve moved into the crazy times!  A three day week, followed by a mini-racers clinic, followed by the 4th of July madness… Ah summer in Clear Lake!  The new equipment has made its way into use; 4 Sail Cubes were purchased to save on battering of Optis and two new coach boats have been launched and perform excellently! It’s not too late to get signed up for sessions, go to www.clycss.com and register today.  Don’t forget about the adult sailing classes as well, they’ve been hugely popular and would be a great knowledge builder for some parents!

We’re now officially in the Summer season and that means regattas, lots and lots of regattas!  This past week we’ve had two Z sailors participating across the globe.  Leif Lundberg made the trip over to Pine Lake Yacht Club in Wisconsin to compete in the TRAP (Training Regatta At Pine); he was the only sailor from the West portion of the ILYA in attendance and had a great regatta! 10 races in two days where he had 5 top 12 finishes en route to a very good 14th overall placing! That’s a lot of highly competitive racing in the heat and breeze, nice job Leif and Isaac!

Vice Commodore Brad Price competed in the Newport to Bermuda Race last week, racing the 635nm in a single shot aboard the OC86.  The OC86 is an 86 foot long Maxi Yacht, formerly known as “Windquest”, it was built by Roy Disney and was a winner of the famous Transpac Race.  Brad and team finished 5th in their class and 14th in their division, congratulations Brad on a great finish and fulfilling a dream!

Mark Tesar is back from his duties as PRO at the C Scow Nationals on Green Lake, WI.  For those who aren’t familiar, Green Lake is a gorgeous body of water and fantastic to sail on.  Mark did a bang up job getting in 5 races in varied conditions.  Thanks Mark for representing Clear Lake.

A large group of veteran sailors, 60+ teams, will get together at Gull Lake Yacht Club in Brainerd, MN this week… The MCSA Masters Nationals kicks off today for those sailors over 50; 7 planned races over 3 days with some of the toughest competition in the country. We have six MC sailors attending this regatta; Oz, Stu, Byron, Steve Dunbar, Mark and Todd Tesar. The hopes are high for these guys and of course we wish them all the best of luck!  Show them what Clear Lake sailors are made of!

More regattas are close on the horizon for both the kids and adults… The ILYA E Invitational in Pewaukee is July 7th – 10th, the ILYA MC Invitational is in White Bear the same weekend.  Just a day after the conclusion of those events is the start of the GLSS Dinghyfest for X boats and Optis; that’s the last big training event before the ILYA X and Opti Champs hosted right here in Clear Lake.

Two races a piece for the X and MC fleets last week; none for the E fleet…The wind came in close to the upper wind limits Saturday morning and PRO Charlie MacNider made the correct statement, saying “It may be the only racing we get all weekend.” Last year’s X fleet Champ Elle Ebeling broke through with her first win in race 1 on Saturday.  Danny Starbeck had a big win in race 2, also his first bullet of the year.  Well done to all the X sailors competing in the big breeze.  The MC fleet was shown once again how the Tesar brothers dominate in a big breeze; this time it was younger brother Todd taking both race wins. Eric Protzman and Brad Oz traded second and third in the two races. The first series wraps up next weekend with the 4th of July Regatta; the standings are tight in every class, come out the next two weekends to see how they shake out!!!

A special note; despite sailors being gone for regattas, the others still get to come and play if they wish!  The X and MC fleets will race Saturday and Sunday morning as usual; the E fleet will race both Saturday and Sunday this week, make sure your crews are ready to go both days! The C and Hobie fleets are on the schedule for Saturday afternoon if they so desire!

Very early notice for the next party…  It will be at Jeff Brakke’s residence on Saturday, July 16th. This party will be a little different than the previous two this year; be on the lookout for those details in the near future!

Next week will be full of regatta reports, preparation for the 4th of July and other news of significance.  Until then…

Stay in the Clear Air,

Dan Allen
MC 2811 – Relentless
E Scow – Z-11 Wild Side
dsallen@cltel.net
www.clyciowa.com
www.clycss.com