FROM THE EDITOR...
By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor
Our sailing season has definitely arrived. The weather has warmed up, and we’re looking forward to a summer of fun and safe sailing. We’ve had our first social event of the season, and program areas are in full swing. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is starting a couple of new programs this year, and it needs some help to get things underway (see article below). If you’ve got some spare time, please consider helping out in this area.
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SEASON'S FIRST HAPPY HOUR, JULY 14
Come join in the fun at Sail Chicago’s first happy hour of the season. We’ll be meeting at 5:30 pm at 2Twenty2 Tavern in the Loop (must be age 21+ due to venue requirements). Sail Chicago members are welcome to attend and bring one guest. Appetizers and one drink ticket will be provided for all attendees. If you’re a new member or recently completed a Sail Chicago course, we highly encourage you to come, meet other members and share your experiences! Venue is near public transit with SpotHero locations nearby, listed in the registration link. To learn more and to register, click here.
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STEPS TO BECOMING A SAIL CHICAGO SKIPPER, PART II
By Matt Stuczynski, Lead Instructor
In the May issue of The Telltale we discussed the concrete steps to becoming a Sail Chicago Colgate 26 Skipper. Now, we can think about other ideas to help you become the best skipper you can be and take advantage of all possible Sail Chicago learning opportunities.
As a new Skipper, keep in mind that you must sail with another Sail Chicago Skipper and crew appropriate to your skill level and experience during your first twelve months as a Colgate 26 Skipper. More than anything, simply getting time on boats and then time on the tiller, getting practical hands-on experience is the best thing to do. Of course, that goes hand-in-hand with more book-learning about sailing skills and best boat handling practices that you can learn on your own time whenever you can.
For boat time, please think about Sail Chicago programs such as Tiller Times, Share-a-Sail, Member Cruise Outings, help with Maintenance crews/deliveries and, of course, our Racing Program. For book learning, try to become as familiar as you can with the Sail Chicago Rules and Regulations, on-the-water Skipper Skills Standards, the U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat text, videos and other material on the U.S. Sailing website, weather apps. etc. When you sign the "Sail Chicago Keelboat Skipper Personal Statement", you agree to the idea that receiving Sail Chicago Colgate Skipper status does not guarantee that you are a great skipper, but rather, indicates that you are "trusted to continue learning while sailing the Colgate 26". Sailing is a thinking-person's sport where the learning never ends, which I believe, is why so many of us love sailing so much and it makes us want to continue learning for a lifetime. See you on the water, and I look forward to continuing learning with you.
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CARING FOR OUR COLGATES
By Pat Webster
Last season Sail Chicago developed a continuing education program for our Colgate skippers. The program focuses on correctly putting away our boats at the end of a sail. Keeping our boats in good shape ensures that we will have a healthy sailable fleet for a long time.
We are offering our Caring for our Colgates classes again in June. They will be held at the Columbia Yacht Club dock on Monday June 6, Thursday June 16 and Tuesday June 28.
This class is required for everyone who was a Colgate skipper in the 2020 season or earlier, and is not available to current students. In order to reserve a boat next season (2023), you will have had to complete this class by the end of this season. (If you checked out as a skipper in 2021, you are exempt because the class material was covered in your classes.)
To reserve a spot in one of these sessions, please register here.
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HAVE YOU SEEN THE SAIL CHICAGO BANNER?
The free-standing Sail Chicago banner, last seen at an event at the Columbia Yacht Club, has gone missing. If you know its location please contact Jack Griffin at jpginsu@sbcglobal.net.
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NEW SAIL CHICAGO MEMBER RESOURCE
By Andy Devoto
You've signed up for a Sail Chicago membership, now what? A new resource can help you navigate the different benefits available to you. While signed into my.sailchicago.org, click the Membership dropdown and "Membership Overview" will be the first link. This page will help you get involved in Tiller Times, Share-a-Sail's and everything else at Sail Chicago. |
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DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION UPDATES
By Rachel Granneman
 DEI Sails--We will be rolling out a new type of program sail this summer–-DEI Sails! These are sails designed to bring additional opportunities and a safe place to connect and build a network amongst individuals of underrepresented groups. We plan to start with Women’s Cruises and BIPOC Cruises (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), but are interested in member feedback on other potential focuses, such as LGBTQ+. These will be available on the reservation page as a new reservation category. PLEASE make sure to only sign up for DEI sails if you are the target audience! Also, this initiative will only work if we have volunteers to be Skipper and First Mate on these sails! If you are interested in hosting a DEI Sail and are a woman or person of color, please reach out to Rebecca at rebeccajsheehy@gmail.com.
Community Cruise Outings--We are beginning to schedule Community Cruise Outings for this summer! So far we have scheduled 5 CCOs to take members of Environmentalists of Color out for sailing outings in an effort to break down barriers and introduce more people to sailing. If you are interested in helping out with future CCOs, please contact Rachel at grannemr@umich.edu.
Scholarship Fund - We are still about $375 shy of our fundraising goal to cover the costs of our scholarship program this season. If you would like to contribute, you can make a donation at https://www.sailchicago.org/donate and please shoot a quick email to Rachel at grannemr@umich.edu to flag that the money is for the scholarship fund.
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UPDATE ON POCO VALIERO
Don Burman reports that Poco Velireo, one of our Colgate fleet, is now rigged the same as her sister ships. She has a Colgate mainsail with slugs. The warnings noted in the May issue of The Telltale have been overcome.
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TILLER TIMES, 2022
By Geoffrey Skyles, Tiller Time Coordinator
 Tiller Times are a great way for our students and new skippers to get additional hands-on sailing experience. They get to sail with some of our experienced skippers, building confidence and improve on what they've learned in class.
Tiller Times are in high demand, and sessions fill up quickly, so check often. The best way to be informed of new tiller times is the #tillertime slack channel. You can sign up at "Seat Availability" under the reservations section on the my.sailchicago.org website.
If you've been a skipper for at least two years and would like to "pay it forward" and help current students get in some sailing practice, then consider signing on as a Tiller Time skipper. If you successfully complete five sessions as a Tiller Time skipper, this fulfills your annual service requirement.
For more information or to register as a skipper, contact Geoff Skyles, our NEW Tiller Time Coordinator at tillertime@sailchicago.org. Geoff has been sailing with Sail Chicago since 2013 and recently completed his BKI certification. He has skippered on both the Colgates and the cruising vessels and has served as a Tiller Time skipper in years past. He's excited to take on this role to be more involved in Sail Chicago and meet more members.
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
By Norris Larson
 Lyn Harvie, a new member of Sail Chicago, has distinguished herself by jumping into an important new volunteer position. Lyn learned to sail in Florida as a racing crew with a fellow graduate student in 2006-07. After school she moved to Chicago. Though tempted by our inland sea, she found starting a career here left little time to consider sailing. In 2020, at the start of the pandemic, she found space to sail on a Catalina 30 until this year. Last season she completed basic keelboat certification with Columbia Yacht Club (CoYC). While there she learned about Sail Chicago and joined us this year. Unable to get into one of our First Mate courses
, she will complete the CoYC intermediate course and looks forward to taking our Skipper course later this season.
Lyn and Monte Lewis met at the 2022 Annual Meeting. He asked to her to join the team developing the Sail Chicago Instructor Prep course. She signed on, excited at the opportunity to learn more about the Sail Chicago community and to meet members. At our first team meeting she took good notes to capture the ideas generated during a team brain storming session. Her role is a new one that she will fill out well beyond her first work as recording secretary. She also wants to learn how to maintain boats and looks forward to joining a boat team.
Lyn lives on the Gold Coast in the vicinity of Burton Place and Clark. Lyn is a broker with Baird & Warner Real Estate handling residential and commercial transactions.
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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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