FROM THE EDITOR...
By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor
The end of our 2021 sailing season is almost here, so perhaps it’s time for a little retrospective. Sail Chicago has made a truly remarkable recovery from the prior year when the pandemic really and figuratively took the wind out of our sails. This year our classes were full, racing ran a fantastic program, and private boat use was way up. Improvements in our technology made it easier to navigate to areas where we had an interest and sign up for activities.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the dedication of so many members who went above and beyond the minimum necessary to qualify for on-the-water activities. I’d particularly like to give a shout-out to the members of our Sail Chicago Board who, in addition to the time devoted to Board activities, head up many of our most important programs. They are responsible for making the long-term decisions that will keep Sail Chicago alive and healthy well into the future. Having in the misty past spent two terms as a Board member myself, I know first hand both the rewards and frustrations of the position. People sometimes have different visions for the direction that Sail Chicago should take, and hashing those out and coming to a consensus can be difficult. Yet I know that our Board members hang in there because each one is committed to making Sail Chicago thrive and helping us live up to our mission. Frankly, I’ve found that the time I spent on the Board has given me some of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had in Sail Chicago. So, Board members, many thanks for your dedication and for all that you do. We are truly grateful!
Speaking of the Board, by the end of our current fiscal year it will have six vacant positions. Elections typically take place at our Annual Meeting in the winter. Please carefully consider whether placing your name on the ballot is right for you. If you think you’d like to make a contribution to keeping Sail Chicago alive and healthy over the long haul, then join the Board (see article below)!
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END-OF-THE-SEASON PARTY AND SILENT AUCTION: OCTOBER 8
 Sail Chicago will be welcoming back members and their guests to Columbia Yacht Club for our 2021 End of Season Dinner & Silent Auction!
Every year (except last year), Sail Chicago ends the sailing season with festivities, food, and drinks. Join us for a buffet dinner, cash bar, and a chance to celebrate a successful sailing season with fellow Sail Chicago members. This year, the event will include our fourth annual silent auction fundraiser!
For more details and to register, please click here!
PLEASE NOTE: All attendees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Proof of vaccination will be checked at the door. Advanced registration is required.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION: 2022
By Rachel Granneman
The 2022 Sail Chicago Board election will be big – we’ll have up to six spots to fill! On a “normal” year, Sail Chicago elects four directors, or one-third of the full twelve. Because a couple of people are leaving their spots early, we may use the elections to fill two additional vacancies. Serving on the Board is a great way to increase your involvement, advance new ideas, and leave your mark on this wonderful organization. In some previous years, the Board recruited a slate of new Board members, which was then approved by a vote of general membership. As part of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative, Sail Chicago is working to make its Board elections more open, accessible, and transparent. This means the Board will be taking a less active role in recruiting, and we are relying on our members to step up to run, and to encourage others to do so as well! Any current member can run for a seat on the Board – you do not need to be a Skipper or a long-time member, and we encourage those not traditionally well-represented on the Board to consider running. If you have questions about running or serving on the Board, please reach out to Rachel at grannemr@umich.edu or any other Board member.
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STAY IN TOUCH WITH SLACK
By Andy Devoto
While the monthly newsletter contains official updates and news for the club, Slack is a tool for casual convos, sharing pics of sails, finding sail-mates, or asking questions. It is a group messaging app used by many organizations.
Click here to join the Sail Chicago slack group. Then click the confirmation email and complete your sign up. You can download the Slack app for Android or iOS on your phone, or, on the web, use Slack online here: https://sailchicago.slack.com/.
Once you’re in, you can check out the different channels, post or reply to others, and reach out to members directly.
If you have questions about using Slack, contact Andy Devoto.
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RULES & REGS: 2021 UPDATE AND VIOLATION GUIDELINES COMMITTEE
By Rachel Granneman
The Board has two updates regarding Rules & Regulations. First, at its September meeting, the Board approved an update to the Rules & Regulations, which can be found here. A summary of major changes is available here.
Second, the Board has been faced several times this year with how to appropriately respond to incidents, accidents, and violations of Sail Chicago’s Rules & Regulations. The Rules & Regulations allow for a broad range of responses, including remedial training and testing, payment of fines/charges, additional service work, revocation of skipper privileges, revocation of membership, and others. The new committee’s charge will be to create guidelines for appropriate and consistent responses to various incidents, accidents, and violations, including poor judgment that leads to human risk or boat damage, failure to follow wind guidelines, failure to wear and require all crew to wear life vests, etc. This will help the Board increase its ability to make objective and fair decisions and create clarity for members about possible responses. The committee is inviting participation from non-Board members who wish to serve on the committee, and if there are numerous applicants, will select a subset to serve on the committee. If you are interested in joining the committee, please email board@sailchicago.org.
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SPOTLIGHT ON VOLUNTEERS
By Norris Larson
This month we focus the spotlight on two ambitious new sailors, Ashleigh Luttery and Stephanie Ho. Ashleigh joined Sail Chicago this year and Stephanie in 2019. In her first year, Ashleigh completed First Mate and Skipper Prep on-the-water Colgate classes and she needs only to take the written exam to earn her skipper’s ticket. Stephanie has completed all the on-the-water classes and is also an all-but-test skipper, but is a very active racer. Both work to organize social gatherings that further connections between Sail Chicago members.
Ashleigh moved to Chicago from Seattle where she was first drawn to the sea and sailboats. She would sit dockside and watch boats go by wondering how she might get an opportunity to sail. Ashleigh dreams of one day going on a voyage on her own boat, participating in the live-aboard lifestyle. When she moved to East Lakeview next to our inland sea she went online to look for sailing opportunities and found Sail Chicago, quickly noticing the benefits of Sail Chicago and the value she could provide to the organization. In addition to a busy year moving toward Skipper in one season, she served as first mate on two Community Cruise Outings (CCO), a new program directed at increasing diversity in our membership. After gaining more experience, she looks forward to helping fill an important gap in our Sail Chicago programs, leading tiller times and MCOs.
Ashleigh worked with David Hazlett to organize what should become a new and important social event for Sail Chicago—a special happy hour where newly minted skippers meet each other and the more experienced sailors they will need to sail with in the next season. She also helped step masts during the spring launch period and is a member of the engine team which works through the season maintaining outboards on our Colgates.
Ashleigh shares her apartment with Manna, an oatmeal colored Husky-German shepherd she had the privilege to adopt. She has a Masters degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and works in Human Resources Risk Management. Active in her church, she serves on its hospitality team and leads weekly small group gatherings.
Stephanie grew up in Chicago and recalls being long fascinated by the Mac race. She would go to Monroe Harbor to watch race starts and imagined what it would be like to crew on one of the boats to Mackinac. As the 2019 season approached she and her friend Nick Chrzanowski decided it was time to learn to sail. They googled sailing lessons in Chicago and found the Sail Chicago website.
Stephanie raced on Colgates almost every Wednesday this season. An avid racer she also crews weekends on a 10 meter Tartan and crewed on the Chicago to Michigan City race, standing watch at night on the 18 hour round trip. Early in the season she helped to train new Sail Chicago racers to deploy spinnakers, an essential sail for racing in lighter winds. She also went on several maintenance sails during the season, an important chore that contributes to keeping our boats in service.
Stephanie lives in Wrigleyville and organizes social events for racing crews. Working with the e-mail list of Sail Chicago Colgate racers, she sets up happy hours at restaurants and bars on weekends and sometimes after races. The high point of her efforts is a pre-Verve dinner she hosts at her apartment the eve of the race. [ed. The Verve is a Colgate class race that draws participants from all over the country to Belmont Harbor.]
An English major with a tech background, Stephanie is a product manager for a firm that focuses on sustainability and environmental issues. Off season she skates and plays hockey. Stephanie also holds a wine certification and hosts wine tastings and classes on wines.
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BOATS HEAD FOR WINTER QUARTERS
 Many boats in our fleet have been sent down the river to our winter storage facility at the Canal Street Boatyard. Before that journey took place, however, they had to be prepped for the trip. The motto “Many hands make light work,” was certainly true in this case. On hand to help with unstepping the masts were Joe Cannon, Pete Heflin, Rich Costello, Don Burman, Rich Andersen, Tom Prucher, and Ethan Brown, Matt Bone, Pat Webster, Marilyn Shipley, Tim Rice, Art Witkiewicz, and Howard Ballard. Thanks to all of you for the work you do to help Sail Chicago keep our fleet in such good shape.
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VOLUNTEER TO PUT OUR RHODES 19s TO BED FOR THE WINTER
Seeking volunteers for the Rhodes trip down the river to the Canal Street Marina on Tuesday, Oct 5th. We’ll meet at the Monroe Harbor tender dock at 10am and plan to be at the Marina by early afternoon. It promises to be a fun trip. Those interested and available should please contact Tim Rice.
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EXCITING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
By Marilyn Shipley & Pat Webster
Looking for a volunteer job to fulfill your service requirement? Interested in something that doesn’t require a great deal of boat/nautical knowledge or skill?
Come out to the Canal Street Marina on Saturday October 16, rain date October 17 to learn about and help organize essential equipment on our Colgates.
One of the best ways to get to know more sailors in Sail Chicago is by volunteering. It can be a great way to develop a group of sailing buddies. If you continue to work with essential equipment in the spring, participating in this October activity will fulfill your service requirement for 2022. Contact Marilyn Shipley or Pat Webster with questions or to sign up.
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SERVICE TIME TRACKING IS MOVING ON LINE
By Gerry Stacey
As the sailing season comes to a close, the volunteer team is picking back up on work to move our volunteering and service time tracking process fully online. You’ve already seen the first part of this work with the new volunteer signup site. This fall, we will launch a new form that will allow Sail Chicago volunteers to tell us what they did for the organization this summer, and estimate the number of hours they spent doing these volunteer jobs. This will help us to more accurately track and record everyone’s service hours, help us learn about all the ways our members contribute, and improve job postings for the future. Our goal is to make membership renewals in 2022 even smoother.
Be on the lookout for more information about this process in the November Telltale, and THANK YOU for all your volunteer contributions to Sail Chicago this summer!
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SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS
Who to Contact
Need information on an area in Sail Chicago, but don't know who to contact? Just click here.
Join or Renew Your US Sailing Membership at a Discount Through MVP
Sail Chicago members can join or renew their US Sailing membership at a $10 discount through the US Sailing Member Value Partner program.
Sail Chicago Gear
Purchase gear with the Sail Chicago logo on it. Caps, shirts, pants and other gear are available. To shop now, click here.
Like us on Facebook
You'll get updates, reminders, and other information on Sail Chicago events and activities. Click here.
Shop Amazon Smile and Donate to Sail Chicago
When you shop online at Amazon Smile, Sail Chicago will receive a donation of .5% of your eligible purchases. It's a great way to both give and receive. To get started, click here.
Missing Previous Issues of Between the Sheets?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of Between the Sheets at the first (and open to the public) page of the Sail Chicago website.Look under "News/Newsletter."
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Click on the links below to find more information about Sail Chicago.
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