Catalina Fleet 21 - Chicago Region
FleetSheet Newsletter

May 2005

SAILING SECURE
Do you remember those first few days after September 11? It was strangely quiet with no planes in the sky. It was hard to look at Chicago’s skyscrapers without imagining our city in chaos. Our May General Meeting on Thursday, May 19 is going to take on the important topic of homeland security and in particular how the lakefront and the Coast Guard has changed since that fateful day.
Leon Anderson, our Program Chairman, has arranged for two speakers from the Coast Guard Auxilliary to speak on Homeland Security and important roles we can play in assuring our coastal borders are safe. This presentation promises to be an interesting session. There will also be handouts for all our members attending our meeting. The Coast Guard is hoping to reach out to a lot of boaters this year, so let's all make a concerted effort to attend this meeting and support our Coast Guard's efforts. Come for dinner and the meeting or come later for the meeting only: but let's have a good turnout for this one!
This meeting is at the Columbia Yacht Club which is located in the ship between Monroe and DuSable Harbors. You can park in the Field Harbor Parking garage (map enclosed) or park in the underground Monroe lot. Enjoy dinner at Columbia beginning at 6:30 p.m. Make a reservation by calling 312-938-3625. Tell them you are with the Catalina group. By 8:00 make your way downstairs. We’re going to try a different (and hopefully quieter) meeting space this month. The new Fleet Membership Directory will be distributed at this meeting.
Is your calendar marked for upcoming General Meetings? We meet Tuesday, June 21 and Tuesday, July 19 at Burnham Park Yacht Club. Then back to Thursdays at Columbia in August and September (8/18 and 9/15).


A MESSAGE FROM THE
COMMODORE

Hail all Fleet 21 skippers and first mates! It has been a long winter and spring, but Sailing Season is finally upon us! By now many of you have "wet your keels" or at least are about to do so. We are a little behind schedule on commissioning our Parrot Eyes this year as the only water our boat has seen so far is from a garden hose and a scrub brush. But we are making headway and hope to be back in the harbor real soon.

I am excited as Fleet 21 should be very busy this summer with our many meetings and outings. This month is just the start with our General Meeting on the 19th, Fleet 21 Margarita Party 5/28 and the Bike the Drive Sunday 5/29. See the enclosed calendar of all our planned events.

Remember we have our General Meeting on THURSDAY 5/19 at Columbia Yacht Club. For our quieter meeting place this month, we will try the sail training room located on the deck level, just to the right when you enter the ship's deck. We will meet upstairs for dinner like in the past but reconvene downstairs for our meeting. Also, please remember to call Columbia in advance for your dinner reservations so their kitchen staff can plan ahead. Come for dinner and the meeting or come later for the meeting only: but let's have a good turnout for this one!

Well, I have to leave now, I have a date with some VC 19. Have a safe commissioning and launch, and hope to see everyone on the lake soon and at our events and meetings this month.

Your Commodore,
Terry Ries


OUTINGS
Meteorological summer begins June 1; on the calendar summer begins June 21, but to a Catalina sailor summer begins with our Margarita Party on Saturday, May 28! We hope you are planning to attend. Details are included on a flyer in this newsletter. This year we are also going to participate as a group in the Bike the Drive event which is Sunday, May 29. See the following article. A complete schedule of outings is included with this newsletter, but we can always add more. Contact the Outings Committee if there is something you want to pull together.

Chicago's 2005 Bike the Drive - Sunday May 29th
Do you want to work off a few of those calories from the Saturday Fleet 21 Margarita Party? Ever wondered what Lakeshore Drive would be like without any vehicle traffic? This is your chance. Join the Fleet 21 bicyclists (yes, some of us bike in addition to sailing) for this year's Bike the Drive bicycle ride. The Bike the Drive Festival will take place at the start/finish area in Grant Park from 8 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. The route has both 15 and 30 mile loops to match your riding abilities. You can celebrate your efforts after the ride for a great time with music, food, vendors and more in Grant Park!
We can meet at around 6:30 AM near H Dock at Burnham Harbor and ride to the official starting line in Grant Park as a group. To register on-line and learn more about the event, please visit the event Web site at www.BikeTheDrive.org. Once you have registered, drop Terry Ries or Dave DeAre a call or email so we can coordinate our group. Should be a lot of fun, see you there!

BUY/TRADE/SELL
Fleet members may list items they want to sell, trade, or buy in this column without any charge.
Send listings to Fleet Sheet Editor, 306 Linden Street, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 Fax 630-668-8950 email: deare30@sbcglobal. net. Phone: 630-469-6117

FOR SALE: Yanmmar YSE12. Good running condition. Repowered my Catalina 30. $450.
8 foot Eli Laminatic dingy. $100.00
2.5 hp Cruise & Carry motor. Like new, hardly used. $300.
Call Joseph Richart 815-943-5696

FOR SALE: DRS multi color light weight sail for a Catalina 30. Flown like an asymmetrical spinnaker. $500.
5hp Nissan outboard purchased 2001. Very low hours and 9’6” West Marine inflatable. Roll up with aluminum floor. 1994. Plus cover. $1300 or best offer. 40” Edson SS Destroyer wheel $250 or best offer. Call Ron at 312-664-3648 or email at saleboater2aolcom

FOR SALE: 1981 Catalina 25. Adios .Cruising accommodations for six people with the standard Catalina 25 layout. Lots of extra headroom, light and ventilation with the Pop Top companionway. New 2001 Johnson electric start 7.5 HP outboard engine (used only in 2002 and 2003 seasons). Relax with the Autohelm ST 1000 Tiller Pilot. Listen to the Blaupunkt stereo. All original manuals are still available. $8,800. Please contact Bruce Rosenzweig or George Gaw at 312- 225-2046 or Ray Cesca at 630-789-3717. Email: bruce@sailboatsalesco.com.

Congratulations to Cheryl Kuba on being named Humanitarian of the Year by the National Speaker’s Association-Illinois Chapter. Cheryl was instrumental in establishing our Mariner’s Fund and participates in many service organizations and events.
 

MARINER’S FUND
Many of you asked for details on the Mariner’s Fund. It was established as follows:
Catalina Fleet 21 - Chicago Region established the "Catalina Fleet 21 Mariner's Service Fund" in the spirit of giving to contribute monies once annually to a sailing or boating cause or program that will benefit from such a donation. These could include, but are not limited to, sailing scholarships, boating safety educational programs, youth sailing programs, community based sailing programs, individual program sponsorship, or emergency or benevolent causes. All beneficiaries should in some way be linked to the promotion of boating. Individual yacht club sailing programs are not eligible.
"Catalina Fleet 21 Mariner's Service Fund" is funded in two ways. 1) Catalina Fleet 21 - may donate a said amount into the "Catalina Fleet 21 Mariner's Service Fund" one time each year. The amount donated by the Fleet from the general treasury can fluctuate each year. 2) Separately from the Fleet's donation, individuals or organizations may contribute to the "Catalina Fleet 21 Mariner's Service Fund" as, but not limited to, a memorial contribution, or in honor of an individual, date or special occasion. Any interested potential beneficiaries should send their grant, scholarship, or donation criteria to the "Catalina Fleet 21 Mariner's Service Fund" chairperson or any Catalina Fleet 21 - Chicago Region board member. Also, requests for possible recipients will be periodically solicited in the Catalina Fleet 21 - Fleet Sheet. The Catalina Fleet 21 Board of Directors shall vote on the recipients from recommendations by the "Catalina Fleet 21 Mariner's Service Fund" committee. This year we approved the founding of four students from the Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network to take swimming lessons and then participate in the Chicago Park District sailing program for youth.

 

Condolences to Rick Bowald on the recent death of his mother.

Condolences to Brian Ruxton on the recent death of his father.
 

MEMBERSHIP
Long time members will remember our friend (and still member) Nancy Bartlett. Here’s a recent email from her.
Since I have been in NJ I have not had any experience close to being with the fleet. Our small harbor of just sailboats was back in a corner of a back bay where the tides of 4 to 5 feet only allowed about 4+hours of sailing at any one time. To get to the ocean meant at least an hour +++ with 3 bridges to wait to open and a very dangerous channel with lots of fast and large power boats. Not a trip you do each weekend. So now that the area around our harbor has been developed with condominiums which will have first dibs on moorings in the new harbor, I sold Nancy's. I do have friends with small boats and possibly i will get one of my own to trailer and scoot around the area back bays and rivers. My plans to come back to Illinois are hanging on my Mother's health. She turned 97 in February and although she doesn't have any really serious health issues, do have aides here during the day while I am at work. My job managing a mortgage office allows me to have a change of pace as well as augment the financial picture. I got to go sail around the southern coast of Ireland including FASTNET Rock last summer. Am going on a three day sail around the Chesapeake this Memorial Day and will go to Boston in June to see a friend from Chicago join the crew of a yacht in the BP Global Challenge race on the leg back to England. Yes now that it is spring I miss working on the boat but life goes on. I am so glad several of you in the fleet stay in touch and you can bet when I do have a chance to get back I will definitely be at the next meeting!!!!!!! Have a wonderful sailing summer.
Your sailor in spirit always Nancy B