8 weeks removed from the feel of a carbon tiller extension and some sailors are already getting edgy and itchy; It’s not the dry air of the fall or the bugs during harvest, it’s most certainly the removal from Summer sailing in Clear Lake.  The lifts and docks are nearly all out and I won’t mention the names, but some are already putting ice boats together in preparation for early ice!

Chilly temperatures…….What chilly temperatures? The Sorensen’s must have quite the tolerance for cold weather and water…  Back in April, Jude was the first on the lake in his opti; fast forward to late October and Jake is the last in his MC! Enthusiasm abound in the Sorensen household!

A big thank you from Stu Oltrogge (and now the entire membership who love a good joke) to the anonymous person who sent him the t-shirt with diagrams of common sailing knots!  Not only a t-shirt to wear on occasion; a complete list with instructions in order to correct Stu’s blooper worthy shortfalls; now that’s a useful gift!

It’s never too early to start planning for a regatta the magnitude of the X and Opti Inland Championships.  Unless you’ve been under a rock or ignoring my references to it all year, you know the CLYC is hosting the 2022 ILYA X Championship and ILYA Optimist Championship back-to-back next year.  July 27th – 30th for the X boats and July 31st – August 2nd for the Optis.  If you thought the MC Nationals brought a lot of people; think again…  Sailors and coaches, their younger siblings, their parents, their grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, and more will be in town for the better part of a week.  Andi Tisor, Kristin Ebeling and Margaret Oz are the Co-Chairs and will be in need of many volunteers; since many of us plan vacations and other events well in advance, here’s your notice not to plan anything for this time!  Don’t do it.  Don’t think about it…. Think only one thing; what can I do for the regatta?  Ok, maybe you don’t need to go that far, but please be open to helping if at all possible.

Did you know the X boat kids are more than just our junior sailors?  They participate in a bunch of other things in the non-sailing season… Since I was late in this discovery and it amazes me, I thought I would include some interesting info about the kids!

Sam Ludwig; he’s a Sophomore at Columbus Catholic High School in Waterloo where his passion for Cross Country takes most of his time.  A fractured tibia however has put a damper on his pursuits, he’s now rehabbing and training for the Spring track season; of course that practice will come after his favorite Intro to Engineering class and helping Dad and Mom with the harvest.  Brady Amble is a 7th Grader right here in Clear Lake; he’s been busy this fall playing with the North Iowa Soccer Club and is currently getting ready for the start of basketball season… Brady is also an Excel Math student and on the Student Advisory Council.  Model UN, Marching Band, music lessons and studying keep Finley Nyhus busy these days!  As a Freshman here in Clear Lake he’s been introduced to the art of marching and playing his clarinet in front of large crowds at home football games in his super suit and plume.  Jude Sorensen; he trades in his boat for shoulder pads and helmet playing in YSF League here in Clear Lake.  Believe me folks, #96 is one tough kid on the field!

Just about every E boat is looking for crew, as are many MC sailors and the Sailing Center has X boats for the kids to use!  There’s no shortage of sailing opportunities awaiting you in 2022! Over the Fall and Winter is a great time to start the process and be prepared for next Spring and Summer! Everyone who wants to be involved in sailing at the club certainly should and can be! If you’ve thought about crewing but don’t know where to start; send me an email, dsallen@cltel.net, I’ll make a list and get it to all the skippers in the club.  This is an equal opportunity to get involved, young or young at heart, all sizes and abilities should contact me.  Parents or kids who wish to talk about the X boats, feel free to contact me or better yet, contact Mark Ebeling markebeling@hotmail.com or Andi Tisor andi_tisor@msn.com for that opportunity!

It’s nearly November and the winter regatta series are just starting to warm up in the South part of the country.  MC Fleet Champion Mark Tesar made his way down to Texas for the revival of the Black Tie Regatta.  4 races were completed with Mark winning the second race!  He finished 4th overall in the 34 boat fleet which included Olympians, World Champions and National Champions…!  Nice regatta Mark!  Coming soon is the MC Triple Crown Series in Florida. I’m not sure who’s attending yet, but I’m sure a few Lakers will be making their way down.  In addition to the MC sailors, a few will be making their way to their respective winter hideouts and probably getting some Melges 15 racing, E scow racing, even some big boat sailing down on the Gulf.

Whether it be sailing, skiing or any other favorite pastime of yours, enjoy the winter season.  The time will come soon enough for us all to enjoy sunny warm days on the lake!

Stay in the clear air,

Dan Allen
MC 2811 – Relentless
dsallen@cltel.net
www.clyciowa.com
www.clycss.com