September 2006

LIGHTHOUSES OF THE GREAT LAKES

Can you name these two Lake Michigan lighthouses? More than 80 lighthouses dot the shoreline of the Great Lakes. How many can you recognize or better yet, how many have you seen? Our September General Meeting will expand your knowledge of these beautiful guardians as photographer George Reuss shares his slides and knowledge of lighthouses. George, an amateur photographer has spent many delightful days traveling and photographing lighthouses around the world. He’ll show us great lighthouse slides while he recounts interesting facts and histories about each one.

The meeting is Tuesday, September 19, at the Burnham Park Yacht Club. The Yacht Club will again offer a limited menu of moderately priced items. Come early and have dinner. Call the Yacht Club at 312-427-4664 for reservations. Our meeting will begin at 8:00 p.m. Parking may be available in the old airport parking lot. As far as we can tell nothing is scheduled for Charter One Pavilion. For our August meeting we were able to park in the airport for free. No guarantees, but it is a good possibility.

And mark your calendars now for October 20 and our next general meeting. That meeting will feature two former Fleet members who , as the phrase goes, are living the dream. They sold everything and headed off for Key West and beyond in their Catalina sailboat. Sue and Scott Welty and their cat Gracie left Chicago in June 2005. Many of you have followed their adventures on their blog (there’s a link to it on our website at http://www.catfleet21.org.) Scott and Sue will be in Chicago this fall and have agreed to talk to the Fleet about their Big Adventure. Don’t miss this one! We’ll meet at Montrose Corinthian Yacht Club. More details next month, but the plan right now is to get together early for pizza followed by Scott & Sue’s presentation. Also at that meeting Fleet member Cheryl Kuba will be signing and selling her newest book during the cocktail and pizza hour of our October meeting. A donation of $5.00 for every book sold will be made to the Fleet's Mariners' Fund. Book price: $19.95.

Navigating the Journey of Aging Parents: What Care Receivers Want, is the first book about caregiving to consider the topic from the parents’ perspective. You'll also see some relatives of a few fleet members included in the book as well. Navigating the Journey discusses elder care issues including guilt, role reversal, changing family dynamics, financial stress, and caring for oneself while caring for another. Getting a parent to give up the car keys, personal care issues, and advance directives are just some of the issues caregivers face. This book draws on numerous interviews with aging people, and discusses common caregiver mishaps and misinterpretations; what a caregiver should expect when an aging parent moves in; and how to care for an aging parent from afar. This book is a must for anyone on the giving side of care. Cheryl will also be handing out free Senior Resource Guides

A MESSAGE FROM THE
COMMODORE

The signs have been everywhere, but I haven’t been acknowledging any of them. The longer and cooler nights, the Michigan City Labor Day outing, the change in the direction of our conversations at business meetings from planning events, towards November’s banquet, awards, next year’s slate of officers…..but none of these things has brought to mind the end of another sailing season so undeniably as the little packet I got from Canal Street Marina this week with the bridge schedule and haul out dates for this winter’s stay on the hard. Now my thoughts are finally starting to turn to what is becoming a long list of little things that XanZaMar needs before her winter rest.

I also found myself reflecting on this sailing season’s past events and how well so few worked so hard for so many us. I would like to especially acknowledge Lori Lauraitis, her team and the hosts of our outings for providing the venues that made it so enjoyable to get together with our sail minded friends. Brian Ruxton, with David DeAre’s help, put together some of the most interesting and widely attended meeting programs I have seen to date and Carolyn DeAre and Bob Kuba have done a great job keeping us informed of club events in the Fleet Sheet and on our website. I hope we are fortunate enough to have the same caliber of people putting together equally well-received events next season.

But wait, this season is not over yet. This month’s general meeting will include a program presented by George Reuss that Carolyn DeAre signed up for us. He will be presenting his works of classic lighthouse photos while giving us a little history on each one. The business part of the meeting will include the presentation of the slate of officers for 2007 from our nominating committee. We will all have the opportunity to comment and vote on their slate as well as any nominations from the floor at this meeting so please make sure you attend and participate.

October’s meeting brings us a chance to see and hear what Scott and Sue Welty have been doing since they sailed off into the horizon in June 2005. I have found their blog very enjoyable and of course at times it turns my thoughts to wondering (fantasizing ) what it would be like to make such a large turn in one’s life journey as they have. We will all get a chance to talk first hand to two past club members about a journey that started with a dream and a Catalina 30. This meeting will be on October 20th at the Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club and include an open cash bar and pizza to be delivered to the club (details to follow).

The Fleet 21 Banquet this year is going to be on November 11th at Chicago Yacht Club’s Belmont Station. This facility came highly recommended by our banquet committee early in the year and was approved shortly there after unanimously. Most recently a few of our members had an opportunity to meet and dine at the club and were most impressed with the facility, the staff, the quality of food and service and most of all the excellent lake views from the club’s new site location. This should be quite a venue to bid farewell to another sailing season and celebrate with friends while we eat, drink, dance and look at the lake we long to be on. I hope to see everyone there.

Richard “Rick” Roberts
Commodore

Six boats and 18 Fleet members participated in the Leukemia Cup Regatta on Saturday, August 26. It was great to have our own start of just Catalina boats: one 30’, one 320, one 34’, and three 36’.

Pictured above are the winners of the Catalina section with their brag flags: 1st Place Pat Reynolds and Linda Sadlowski, Karizmaddie; 2nd Place David and Robin Green, Baysic Necessity and 3rd Place Ray and Sylvia Kalinsky, Little Miss Magic. Other boats that participated were Wally and Dorothy Hartmann on Seahorse with Millie Fritschle and Nick Thies; Carolyn and Dave DeAre on Overdue with Ron and Pat Shereyk and John and Lori Lauraitis, and Ed and Lucy Jakubas on Valhalla.

After the race, boats tied up in front of the Chicago Yacht Club for a bar-b-que, awards, and dancing. A Friday night pre-race party at the Chicago Yacht Club Belmont Station featured great food, free rum drinks, and a preview of the locale of the Fleet banquet. It is great!

All participants agreed it was a fun race and a good time. All we need next year is more of you to join in!

Outings Recap

Michigan City Outing
Sept. 2 & 3 sponsored by Branson & Danita Stone

On Saturday the fleet met in the harbor pavilion for an old fashion Ice Cream Social. Everyone enjoyed making their own ice cream sundae. Later that evening the group went to the Michigan City Yacht Club for dinner.

On Sunday the fleet began the day with Plastic Bag Omelets, bagels, coffee and juice.

Allegro and Quiet Island sailed over. Others attending were: Baroness, Baysic Necessity, Bleed’n Green, C-Rose, C’scape, Finesse, O’Henry, Rjoy, Overdue, Team Effort, and Weak Moment.

Branson & Danita’s Bag Omelets

The omelets are simple and easy to make. Take a zip-lock sandwich bag, add two eggs and what ever other ingredients you desire. We offered mushrooms, cheese, green pepper, tomato, and ham. Close the bag and mix up all of the items, then open a corner and squeeze out all of the air, re-seal the bag. Put in a pot of boiling water for 13 minutes. If you are doing several at a time, use a permanent maker for initials.

BANQUET FAQs

Our Annual Fleet Banquet is always the highlight of the sailing season. This year it is scheduled for November 11 at the Belmont Station of the Chicago Yacht Club. If you have never attended this event, this should be the year you do! To get you making plans here are some frequently asked questions about the event:

• What do I wear?
This is a dress-up event. Guys wear suits or even tuxedos (if they own one). Gals wear short or long dressy dresses.
Not crazy about dressing up? Then don’t. Wear what’s comfortable.
• What do you do at the banquet?
We start off with appetizers and drinks and everyone mingles. There’s lots of rehashing of the summer sailing and talk of new boats.
We sit down for a served dinner (the food this year should be great!). After dinner the Commodore presents the year’s awards for
Club Rookie of the Year (the most active new member), the Racer of the Year, the Boat of the Year and the Commodore’s Award. The new board of officers is introduced and they receive their officer’s flags. After the awards, the dancing begins.
• What kind of music do you have?
For the 3rd year in a row we’ll have the live band Music Plus. Everyone who has attended in the past agrees that they play great dance music.
From old standards to new hits, they take requests
and make the evening special. And they are not too loud!
• Why did the location change this year?
For the past several years we have held the banquet at the William Tell in Countryside.
While this was a great venue, many in the club asked us to search for a location on the lake.
Chicago Yacht Club Belmont Station has a fabulous view of Belmont Harbor and the city.
• What if I’m new to the club and don’t know anyone?
We’re making a special effort this year to welcome new members. We’ll have new member reserved seats at each of the tables so you can meet other sailors. You’ll be greeted at the door and introduced to others. We want you to come!

What other questions do you have? Email the Fleet Sheet at deare30@sbcglobal.net or send them to Fleetsheet Editor, 306 Linden Street, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137. We’ll answer them in the October Fleet Sheet.

Barb and Terry Ries are working hard to make this event what you want. Give them your support by attending! . Do you have something you would like to donate to be used as a door prize or possible raffle item? Donations in the past have included a folding bike and nautical framed art. Please call Terry or Barb at 630-879-2619 if you do.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The nominating committee has been busy filling a slate of officers for 2007. The nominees are to be announced at the September General Meeting.
While most of the positions have been filled, they are still searching for a Treasurer. If you are interested, please call Dave DeAre at 630-469-6117 or email deare30@sbcglobal.net. The main qualification for Treasurer is that you are able to attend most of the meetings: a board meeting on the first Tuesday or Friday of the month and the General Meeting each month. Get involved in our club, volunteer!

Dear Fleet 21

Thank you so much for the beautiful plant, all the calls, cards, thoughts, and prayers. They are very much appreciated.

It’s comforting to be part of the Fleet 21 family.
Madalyn

Following in God’s footsteps,
Pete has gone home
Over strand and sea and foam
The course of life is kept

Join Us!

September 19     General Meeting Burnham Park Yacht Club      Lighthouses of the Great Lakes

October 20         General Meeting Corinthian Yacht Club            Scott and Sue Welty

November 11      Awards Banquet                                             Chicago Yacht Club Belmont Station