FROM THE EDITOR...

By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor

It’s almost like COVID never happened! Our sailing season is in full swing. Our usual activities abound. But in our enthusiasm, let’s not forget our organization’s safety standards, both for ourselves and our fleet.

When onboard one of our boats, always wear a life jacket,
Know the sailing “Rules of the Road,”
For your own safety and those of others, make sure you cover all the items on the pre and post-sail checklists,
Before going out on the water, make sure you check the weather forecast,
Don’t overestimate the sailing skills of yourself or your crew,
Follow strictly the Wind and Wave Safety Standards set forth in the Rules and Regulations (see article below)

I’m sure you can think of many more. The point is, we want you, your crew and your guests to be safe when sailing with us!

NEWS FROM OUR SOCIAL COORDINATORS

By Deb and Jack Griffin

First Happy Hour of the Season July 14, 5:30 pm - We’ll be meeting 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.

Save the Dates!

Our Friends and Family Picnic is tentatively set for Saturday August 13th, pending permit approval from the Park District for Belmont Harbor.
The End of Season Dinner will be held on Thursday, October 13th at the Columbia Yacht Club.

More information on both events will follow shortly.

SAIL CHICAGO WIND AND WAVE SAFETY STANDARDS

Sail Chicago recently revised its wind and wave safety standards. Although they may be found in Section 4.1.5 of the Sail Chicago Rules and Regulations, we thought that it might be worthwhile to publish them here.

The Sail Chicago Wind and Wave Safety Standards are as follows. Skippers should refer to the Current Weather and Weather Forecast information available on the my.sailchicago.org website Landing page for purposes of determining compliance with these Standards.

Up to 15 knots (17 mph), acceptable conditions for all boats.
15 - 20 knots (17-23 mph), proceed with caution for more experienced skippers and crew.
Greater than 20 knots (23 mph), don’t go out. If winds build to greater than 20 knots (23 mph) while out, return to the harbor in a reasonably prompt manner.
No Sail Chicago boat can go out during the duration of a published Small Craft Advisory.
The ultimate decision to sail or not to sail is the skipper's. Should a skipper not observe the above standards and an accident occurs, existing rules and regulations provide for possible Board responses. Every skipper should review Sail Chicago Rules and Regulations, Section 5.6, paragraph 2, for possible consequences.

NEW INSTRUCTOR PREP CLASS LAUNCHES

By Monte Lewis

Our brand new Instructor Prep class is underway and this season we will put seven Instructor Candidates (IC’s) through this rich and comprehensive coaching program. The objective of the program is to guide motivated skippers to become capable, safe teachers for our organization. The program covers not only advanced sailing topics, but also covers basic principles of teaching adults how to sail. It’s a unique program in the sailing community, as most other "how to teach sailing" programs focus on youth. Of course, the ultimate objective of the new Instructor Prep course is to reduce our year-to-year backlog of students trying to get into classes.

We are excited to apply all the learning we have gathered from this first season of this new course offering to add the most value to future IC's and the instruction program. IC’s should have a minimum of two years experience as a Sail Chicago Skipper, skipper a minimum of six Tiller Times and be a confident and competent sailor. If you are interested in the program or have questions, reach Monte Lewis at monte@lewisadvantage.com.

BASIC KEELBOAT CERTIFICATION EXAM SET FOR JULY 16

By Alan Summers

The U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat Certification Exam will be given at Pete’s Coffee, 686 E Ogden in Naperville at 9:00 am on Saturday, July 16. The exam consists of 70 multiple choice questions based on the U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat book and your training at Sail Chicago. This exam is a separate offering from Sail Chicago and is NOT related to your Sail Chicago skipper requirements. This certification connects you with U.S. Sailing, comes with 1 year membership in U.S. Sailing, and costs $50. The certification is another measurement of your basic keelboat sailing skills. It is a written test only and we encourage everyone to obtain the certification,but it is an optional exam. If you wish to take the exam please notify Alan Summers at neuroal@att.net.

CARING FOR OUR COLGATES - FINAL SESSIONS

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 in July on Thursday
July 7,Tuesday July 12 and Sunday July 24. Sessions will be held at the
Columbia Yacht Club dock.

To reserve a spot in one of these sessions, please register here.
This class is required of all who were a Colgate skipper of record in
the 2020 season. 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.). Also, it is not recommended for
current students, who will be exposed to it in their classes. We don’t have
adequate dock and volunteer time to offer the class to the general
membership.

At this time we are not planning to offer additional sessions later this
season. Questions: please contact Pat Webster, webster-p@sbcglobal.net.

IDEAL ORIENTATIONS AVAILABLE

Would you like to be able to sail a small fast boat? Well, our Ideal 18s may be the “ideal” choice for you! Orientations on this enjoyable little boat are now being held. To arrange for an orientation, please contact Tim Sheehan at timothyfsheehan@gmail.com.

HAVE YOU SEEN THE SAIL CHICAGO BANNER?

Where’s Our Banner? - Our free-standing Sail Chicago banner has gone missing and we’d love to get it back to use at future events! If you have any clue as to its whereabouts please contact Jack Griffin at jpginsu@sbcglobal.net.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

By Norris Larson

Adilla (Adi) Menayang has wanted to sail as far back as he can remember. Sailing was an important part of the maritime history of Indonesia, the homeland of his family. Adi regrets that in recent times, sail has been superseded by power boats and ships. As a consequence there are few opportunities to sail there. Adi was born in Austin, Texas while his father was earning a Ph.D. When he was eight, the family returned to Indonesia.

Having been raised in the States, Adi says he felt more American than Indonesian and returned to the U.S., settling in Chicago. After ten years here he went back to school for two years at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York at the south end of Lake Cayuga. While earning his master’s degree, Adi joined the university sailing group and learned to sail dinghies, Sonars, and Rhodes in two six-week courses.

After returning to Chicago, Adi googled sailing opportunities and Sail Chicago was the top return. He joined us in June 2021, was put on a waitlist for a First Mate class and after a week of diligent watching for openings, got into a class. He did more sailing and passed Skipper Prep in September. Soon after, as suggested by Daniel Hazlett, Adi joined the Sail Chicago DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Committee. He applied his IT skills to build an on-line learn-to-sail scholarship application form and a second form for judges to use in evaluating the applications. This spring he worked in the yard waxing and rigging boats, and joined crews to bring the boats down river to Monroe Harbor. He worked with Don Burman and joined the Poco Veliero maintenance team. When a boat manager could not be found, Adi stepped up to the job.

Adi does data analytics and builds databases for Lever for Change, a not-for-profit affiliate of the MacArthur Foundation. The information is used to evaluate the impact of programs and grants. Adi and his partner David (who is not keen on sailing) live on the 16th floor of a building near Chestnut and Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive. T hey have a great view of the lake and waterfront. Prior to the pandemic, Adi had been visiting his extended family in Indonesia yearly and plans to continue these trips.

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.

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."