Catalina Fleet 21 - Chicago
Region
FleetSheet Newsletter
January 2007
JANUARY 2007
POTLUCK LAUNCHES 2007
SAILING YEAR
Fleet 21’s year begins January 13, 2007, with our traditional Potluck Supper at
Corinthian Yacht Club in Montrose Harbor. Again this year the main entrée will
be catered by Jesse and includes Roast Beef carving station, baked chicken, and
lasagna . We’re asking Fleet members to bring an appetizer, salad, or dessert as
detailed in the flyer included with this newsletter. Drinks will be available
for a nominal fee at the bar.
The highlight of the night is the brown bag auction. Throw that Christmas
present you just don’t want, that nautical knickknack you’re not crazy about or
a goodie you just want to donate into a brown bag and staple it shut. On the bag
write a clue as to what’s inside and give an estimate of the value. You’ll be
amazed at what someone will pay for your unwanted item! Oh, be sure to bring
money for the brown bags you’ll want to buy!
The Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club is located at 601 W. Montrose Drive, Chicago
Il 60613. Parking is free.
STRICTLY SAIL
Next on the 2007 sailing calendar is the Chicago Strictly Sail Boat Show at Navy
Pier February 1 – 4. The boat show offers terrific seminars, a chance to view
the newest boating products, and of course, the latest Catalinas. Our owner’s
booth brings in new club members every year. We need volunteers to be at our
booth throughout the show. If you’d like to help out, contact Dave DeAre at
630-469-6117 or email deare30@sbcglobal.net.
After the show on Saturday night (8:00 p.m.) the Fleet will gather at the
Hampton Inn (at State and Illinois) for a Fleet 21/LMCA (Lake Michigan Catalina
Association) Winter Rendezvous. Meet in the large Hospitality Suite on the
second floor. We’ll have an open bar from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Please bring a
snack to share (it has to be store bought and in the original package). Then
we’ll enjoy pizza and salad for dinner. The cost is $7.00 and will be collected
at the door.
Many Fleet and LMCA members are staying at the Hampton Inn. The deadline for
making reservations (at a great rate!) is past, but call or email Madalyn Duerr.
She may still have rooms available. 708-429-0005 ; 312-923-8378 mduerr@jenner.com
An up-to-date schedule of events for Strictly Sail is online at
http://www.strictlysail.com/shows/chicago.asp?show=chicago
Mark your calendar!
Upcoming Fleet Events
February General Meeting February 24
Chicago Maritime Festival
http://www.chicagomaritimefestival.org/2007/
March
General Meeting March 24
Sailpalooza
Crowley’s Yacht Yard Lakeside
http://www.crowleys.com/
More details in the February Fleet Sheet
A MESSAGE FROM THE COMMODORE
Welcome to the start of a New Year. 2007 marks the 34th Anniversary of Catalina
Fleet 21. Many terrific plans are already in the works for us. But before we
move forward, I’d like to go back and thank our past Commodore Richard Roberts
and his hard working board and committee members for a terrific 2006. We had a
great time at our annual awards banquet. Awards went out to David Green (Baysic
Necessity) for Racer of the Year, Deborah and Brian Ruxton (Mabuhay) for Boat of
the Year, and Ray and Sylvia Kalinsky (Little Miss Magic) for Rookie of the
Year. The Commodores award went to a well deserving Linda Kleitz.
Congratulations to all of you.
This year will start off with the ever so popular Pot Luck/ Brown Bag Auction on
Saturday January 13th. Bundle up and venture out to the Corinthian Yacht Club
for an evening of friendship, warmth and laughter. Last year we found that our
best attended meetings were “field trips” so to speak so this year we have some
very exciting programs planned by Deborah Ruxton. In February our general
meeting will be held in conjunction with the Chicago Maritime Festival. Our
members will receive discounted admission and we will have a room for our
meeting. After the Festival we will retire to a local restaurant. We hope to
have a barbeque meeting this summer on an actual working Coast Guard cutter.
Deborah has some very functional outings planned for the rest of the year. We
will have seminars on teak and diesel maintenance and performance among others.
This year we are going to try something new at our outings. Realizing that the
state of the harbor system makes sailing to many destinations impractical and
also recognizing that with a limited number of sailing days many of us would
rather sail than drive somewhere, we are going to have a buddy boat system in
place this year. Before the social part of any outing starts we hope to have
three or four boats out of every host harbor taking out a group of sailors for a
three or four hour pre-outing sail.
It looks like we’ll be co-hosting the International Catalina 30 Association’s
regatta this summer. 30’s make up the largest component of our membership. This
will be a great opportunity to race, crew or just socialize with other Catalina
sailors from around the country. Who knows, maybe around the world.
2007 should be a very good year. As a club we’ll continue to grow and change
with each new adventure or idea that comes our way. A small group of people
can’t do everything. We will need help on our outings. I encourage all of you to
have a voice in our organization this year. Have Fun. Volunteer to help on a
committee, come to the meetings, offer out your ideas, enjoy the programs and
attend as many outings as you can. We have several openings for harbor captains.
If you’ve never been on the board this is a great way to start. I tell everybody
I meet who is not a member that the best thing about our club is that you can go
to virtually any harbor on Lake Michigan and know somebody. How wonderful is
that. This club is truly what we make it.
Our General Meetings will usually be on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. Given the
number of “field trips” we have planned this year it would be a good idea to be
diligent in checking the newsletter and website. Our board meetings will be on
the first Friday of the months of January – April and October and November. In
the summer months, May, June and August we will meet on the first Tuesday. Try
to attend.
MEMBERSHIP
Your 2007 membership renewal form is
included in this newsletter. Please fill it out completely even if your
information has not changed. Bring your completed form to the Potluck on January
13 or mail it to the membership chairmen.
BANQUET
Kudos to Barb and Terry Ries for putting together an exceptional Awards Banquet
on November 11. The views of the harbor and the city were exquisite from the
Chicago Yacht Club Belmont Station. Great food, plentiful drinks, a fabulous
band for dancing, and good sailing friends made for a wonderful evening. Thank
you, Terry and Barb, for a job well done!
Sailors in dress uniform!
Rookie of the Year Ray Kalinsky and First Mate Sylvia
Linda Kleitz, winner of the Commodore’s Award and Brian Ruxton winner of the
Boat of the Year
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, GlenEllyn, IL 60137 or fax to 630-668-8950 or email deare30@sbcglobal.net.
Phone: 630-469-6117. Ads will run for two issues unless requested otherwise