FROM THE EDITOR...
By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor
There's starting to be a feeling of fall in the air, but don't worry, there's still plenty of sailing time left in the current season. Our programs are still going strong. Remaining classes are full, we've got some social activities coming up, the evening racing program is going full tilt, Tiller Times for students and Member Cruise Outings are in full swing. Best of all, our fleet seems to be in excellent shape. Thanks to our Caring for Colgates program for standardizing the way we put away our boats. While COVID cast a long shadow over the past couple of years, that shadow seems to have lifted, and Sail Chicago has recovered nicely.
Remember, however, we're still an all-volunteer organization. As members of Sail Chicago, we owe it to our fellow members to put in the time to keep our organization vibrant. Our maintenance team is always looking for volunteers (see article below). You may also want to explore a list of volunteer positions at my.sailchicago.org/Membership/Volunteer Positions. Not only are you keeping Sail Chicago flourishing, but your volunteer efforts can give you a great chance to meet future sailing buddies and meet new friends.
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SEEKING 2023 MAINTENANCE VOLUNTEERS
By Don Burman
One of the aspects that makes Sail Chicago so great isre are many disciplines that work together to keep us going – finance, technology, instruction, tiller time, MCO’s, social, licensing and insurance, TellTale and communication, maintenance and more. All of these are needed to keep us going.
As sailors we need boats to sail and boats need members to care for them. We have a great team of member volunteers who prepare the boats and keep them in great shape during the season. Reported issues are addressed very quickly because of their dedication to keeping them nice for us.
We have several volunteers that will be stepping back from the maintenance duties at the end of this season. They will need to be replaced to ensure we can continue to sail next season and enjoy the sport we all love. We’ll need new maintenance leadership and coordination as well as several boat team managers. The main job responsibilities are planning, coordination and communication. Team members can support leadership with the hands-on tasks – we really need new leaders to step forward.
Please consider volunteering for maintenance leadership or as boat manager for 2023. You will find it a very rewarding experience. To learn more about maintenance roles, please click here.
If you have other questions, feel free to contact Don Burman or Pat Webster. Thank you all for serving as volunteers this season.
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CREW OVERBOARD!!!
BY Ed Schroeder
The words that bring fear to sailors and a surge in adrenaline. Luckily we were only performing a mock drill on Priorities. It took the experienced skipper 6 minutes to bring the “victim” alongside with the Lifesling.
Six long minutes without the added panic of a loved one in the water because we were using a pillow “victim”.
The problem seemed to be the inability of the skipper to turn the boat so that the dragging Lifesling would pass next to the “victim”. We tacked many times.
In a recent issue of “Practical Sailor” magazine, there is an excellent, 2-part article describing a Crew Overboard Retrieval Symposium on San Francisco Bay, with 115 volunteers taking part in 400 tests.
The authors stated, “Among the many truths we discovered or rediscovered was this: most rescues are long, physically taxing (if not plain difficult), and require good equipment, fortitude, and (most important) good boat handling.”
Surprisingly, they found that the most difficult part of the recovery is getting the victim aboard, whether the victim was conscious or not.
Have other skippers, on other boats, checked the equipment and practiced actually retrieving a victim? Should Sail Chicago offer an advanced course where skippers could take the info learned back to their respective boats? How would you get a loved one back on board even on a low freeboard Rhodes? The life you save may be your own.
This summer, every day we’re on the water, it would behoove us all to practice COB at least once per outing.
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FAREWELL TO ADAM WISNESKI
CHANGES TO SAIL CHICAGO'S OFFICERS
By Gerald Moose Stacy
As you probably already know, Adam Wisneski, for many years the Chair of Sail Chicago, moved with his family to Rochester, NY at the end of June. Adam has been a visionary leader who has had a major impact on our organization. Under his leadership, the board increased its oversight of the organization through the creation of board liaison positions which provide clear routes of communication from our departments back to the board. Building on this work, Adam then completely overhauled our volunteer program, introducing a great deal more rigor and tracking into this key process with the result that we have more volunteers participating in more ways than ever before! And as if all this accomplishment weren't enough, Adam was also responsible for guiding our organization through the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you, Adam, for your remarkable leadership. Best of luck in Rochester, and we hope you get to enjoy many days of sailing on Lake Ontario.
While Adam has chosen to serve out his term on the Sail Chicago board, he felt it was important that he step down as Chair. Consequently, the board elected the following members to fill open officer positions at the May and June meetings:
- Gerald Moose Stacy - Chair
- Adam Jabs - Secretary
Thanks to these members who have stepped forward to help guide Sail Chicago in the future. And thanks to our many other board members who contribute to our organization in so many ways.
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SOCIAL EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES--MARK YOUR CALENDARS
By Deb and John Griffin, Social Coordinators
Happy Hour Thursday, September 15, 5:30 pm. Based on member feedback, for our next happy hour we’re moving our venue outdoors to Island Party Hut at 355 Chicago Riverwalk! Sail Chicago members are welcome to attend and bring one guest. Appetizers and one drink ticket will be provided for all attendees. If there is a rainout, the happy hour will be rescheduled. To register, click here.
End of Season Dinner, Thursday October 13, Columbia Yacht Club. This year's End of Season Dinner will again feature a silent auction! We plan to have all proceeds support the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Scholarship Program, which increases access to Sail Chicago's instruction program and encourages diverse membership. More information to follow.
Chicago Maritime Museum visit, Saturday, Jan 21st, 2023. We are planning a get together at the Chicago Maritime Museum in Bridgeport! Details to follow.
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STAY IN TOUCH WITH SLACK
By Andy Devoto
 While the monthly newsletter contains official updates and news for Sail Chicago members, 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 at andy.devoto@sailchicago.org.
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SHARE YOUR SAILING PHOTOS
By Quentin Poussard
The Sail Chicago Instagram account is starting to get more popular, and I would like to thank everyone for all the great pictures already sent through Slack, Instagram, email, etc. The easiest way to get your picture/video published on the Instagram account is to upload them via the following Google drive link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wnn3sQ2dsABm2k8Iqxg2IFtZgjInCCEb
Feel free to rename the picture to give the context of when/where the picture was taken, and I will publish it as soon as possible. Thank you!
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TAKE THE NIP OUT OF BITING FLIES
 One of the most annoying features of sailing in the later season are the flies that constantly nip at our flesh and can even bite through clothing. Sail Chicago member Ed Schroeder found the following product profile in a recent issue of Practical Sailor Magazine: "Biting flies will find you miles from shore, in a breeze, at any time of day. They'll stay with the boat, undeterred by DEET, and will bite right through your clothes.” The lead USDA entomologist recommends "Catnip oil is a powerful repellent against flies… Catnip is probably the best repellent identified including DEET and DNP for flies that bite." Before your next sail, go online and check out “catnip spray” on the internet.
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CPR/FIRST AID CLASS COMING THIS OCTOBER
By Monte Lewis
L earn or review first aid skills in this four-hour course, Saturday morning, October 1st from 8:30 am-12:30 pm at Columbia Yacht Club in the Upper Salon. We will post an Eventbrite invitation in September that will include registration information.
Learn how to administer CPR, how to administer a shock from an AED, and other basic first aid skills. These skills are invaluable because they allow you to help injured people until you can connect with an emergency medical services team. There is no charge for Instructors, and a $110 charge for Sail Chicago members who are not instructors. Re-certification of your US Sailing BKI requires CPR/First Aid every three years.
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OUR LIVING ON-THE-WATER SKIPPER SKILLS ANDE STANDARDS
By Matt Stuczynski , Lead Instructor
What do Don Burman and all our recent maintenance managers along with Steve Colgate have in common? They believe the bow cleats are sufficient for towing and anchoring the Colgate 26. Details below.
More often than not, I have found that there is a well thought-out and logical reason for some of our sailing rules, regulations and protocols; frequently the outcome of some long-forgotten solution to a problem. Nevertheless, just because we have always done something one way, does not always mean that it is the best practice or, even ever was the best. Our "On the Water Skipper Skills" handbook comes to mind here. This is a living document that has been around for decades outlining the best practices specific to our boats, our organization as well as the Monroe Harbor environment. If you have not read it in a while, I recommend checking it out in order to bone up on your sailing skills and best practices. It was also recently upgraded and enhanced beautifully by member Ethan Brown which has made it easier and more pleasant to peruse. It can be found on the Sail Chicago member website under "membership/files/instruction".
Regarding change, one update has been to the way we recommend the hopefully rare safety occasions for anchoring and towing the Colgate 26's. Earlier this summer, maintenance guru Don Burman brought up these topics and how they are explained in our OTW Handbook and how we might improve and make these practices safer.
For years it was written to use the winches to hold the load while Don thought the bow cleats (when backed) are sufficient and safer than trying to deal with leading back to the winches. Thinking there must be some reason for the winch practice, I contacted at least three former maintenance leads and none knew the origin of this recommendation and all thought that the bow cleats would serve just fine. Just to be sure, I even contacted our old friend Steve Colgate down in Florida who kindly and assuredly concurred. So for now, we will change the recommendation in the handbook, unless of course someone has good arguments not to do so.
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REMINDER: REPORTING BOAT ISSUES
By Gerry Stacy, Board Chairman
Did you know that Sail Chicago has two systems for reporting maintenance issues on our boats? These systems are separate; they don't talk to each other; and each one has a specific purpose.
The primary way that skippers are able to report minor maintenance issues is through the Pre- and Post-Sail Checklists that are required to be completed before and after each sail. Our boat teams look over these checklists about once a week as they plan their maintenance work.
However, if you encounter a maintenance issue that the next Skipper who sails the boat should be aware of, or that the boat manager should be immediately made aware of, this must be reported through the Report Boat Issue function on the my.sailchicago.org website. You can find the Report Boat Issue form under the Reservation menu. Completing this form attaches a helpful note to the boat that is visible to other skippers, so the next person reserving that boat is aware of any issues that could impact their sail. Reporting a serious issue through this form will even take the boat out of service and alert the maintenance team.
The appropriate use of both of these systems are required by our Rules and Regulations. Please make sure you're familiar with each of them, and don't be shy about reporting maintenance issues using them! It helps keep our fleet well maintained and safe to sail.
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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.
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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