FROM THE EDITOR...
By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor
After the bomb cyclone that hit Chicago at the end of December, things have gone pretty quiet. It's too cold to work in the boatyard, and about all we can do is dream of new sailing adventures in 2023. A few of us lucky ones are off to more temperate climes where we can still sail. I'm one of them, heading to the British Virgin Islands for a bareboat excursion with my family.
Still, there are things to do right here in Chicago to keep us thinking about sailing. Please join other Sail Chicago members later in the month for a trip to the Chicago Maritime Museum (see below), or just curl up with a good sea-faring adventure like Moby Dick, the Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester, or the Aubrey-Martin series by Patrick O'Brian. If you've got other favorite titles, let me know and we'll share them in this newsletter.
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VISIT THE CHICAGO MARITIME MUSEUM ON JANUARY 21
By Deb & John Griffin, Social Coordinators
 Join us for socializing and learning about Chicago's great maritime history! Members and their families are invited.
We will have appetizers and beverages (water, soft drinks, beer, wine and seltzers) in the gathering area, but they are not allowed in the actual museum area. Docents will be available to answer questions.
Parking is free and should be ample, but depending on other events going on, it may be a bit crowded. Please visit their website for mass transportation information. The address for the museum is 1200 West 35th Street Chicago, IL 60609. Registration is required. To register, click here. Capacity is limited to 80 people, so if you plan to join us, please register soon.
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ANNUAL MEETING AND BOARD ELECTIONS
By Rachel Granneman, Board
Sail Chicago’s Annual Members Meeting will be held Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 7 PM. The current plan is for the meeting to be held virtually / online. The meeting will include a presentation from Board members and program leads updating members on last year’s season and plans for 2023. As always, an important element of the Annual Meeting is the election for board members!
This year we will be filling 5 Board seats. Four of the vacancies are the normal 3-year term, and 1 seat is filling a vacancy for a two-year term. The 4 candidates with the most votes will win the 3-year terms and the candidate with the 5th highest number of votes will win the 2-year term. As with any Board seat, the winner of the shorter term may seek re-election after their initial term is up.
Important dates and links:
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MONTE LEWIS ASSUMES ROLE OF LEAD INSTRUCTOR
 At the Fall Sail Chicago Instructor Meeting, Matt Stuczynski stepped down as lead instructor after serving eight years since 2014. Our new lead instructor is Monte Lewis, who has been teaching Crew, Skipper Prep and Cruising classes. Monte has been running the prep program for the instructors who wish to attend the US Sailing Basic Keelboat Instructor (BKI) and introduced the new Instructor Prep Class in the 2022 season. Monte says, "My goal is to continue to improve both quantity and quality of our instruction program, so that we are not only known as the best deal on the water, but also the best instruction program in the Chicago area”.
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INSTRUCTORS TAKE ONLINE SAFETY COURSE DURING WINTER
By Monte Lewis, Lead Instructor
A good sailor knows more than just the mechanics of sail trim and steering, and good seamanship is more than the ability to perform those tasks. Competent sailors know how to handle the boat and sails in a wide range of wind and sea conditions, skills that require practice and experience.
Safety also plays a vital role in good seamanship. Knowing how to handle dangerous situations on the water, even when you are not sailing, will save lives. Starting this season, Sail Chicago Instructors and program skippers (TT Skippers, MCO Skippers, and CCO Skippers) will have to pass US Sailing's Safety at Sea online course before they can continue in their role. The online class is four to five hours long and covers: Giving Assistance, Personal Safety Gear, Crew Overboard Rescue, Emergency Communication, Search and Rescue.
This course is for inland and coastal sailors and is designed to provide our instructors with essential safety information they can use immediately on the water. Of course, it is appropriate for anyone who sails, cruises or races on both inland and coastal waters. You can find the class on US Sailing's online learning portal www.firsttack.org
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WELCOME CRETIN HOP
By Gerry Stacy, Chairman
We're  ringing in the new year at Sail Chicago by welcoming a new addition to our fleet. Cretin Hop is a 2015 Colgate 26 that has been a part of the Chicago racing scene for a number of years. She won the Inshore Verve Cup in her division in both 2015 and 2019. Cretin Hop will provide us with a backup boat for classes and racing, hopefully taking some time pressure off of our summer maintenance team should one of our other boats need a substantial repair. Look for her in the harbor this summer!
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CHICAGO BOAT SHOW
By Laura Waas, Boat Show Coordinator
 Sail Chicago will no longer be participating in the Chicago Boat Show. Over the years the Sail portion of the show appeared to get smaller and smaller. With Covid restrictions it made it difficult to hold the shows and for some reason, probably cost and hassle, all the Sailboat manufacturers decided to no longer attend.
If you are thinking of purchasing tickets for the show, be sure to check the Exhibitor List that has finally been posted on the website, as you may be disappointed in what you see. Not even the RV’s are there anymore. Since there is such a large sailing community here in Chicago, it’s really a shame that there is nothing in this part of the country.
If you’d like to go to a Sail show you’ll either have to go to Annapolis (I highly recommend this great city. I went last year) or Miami, a very spread-out show in multiple locations. I guess it is the end of an era. Our sole purpose for these shows was to recruit members, but social media and internet searches have done that job for us. Wishing all our members a very Happy and Healthy 2023!
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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
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Missing Previous Issues of The Telltale?
You can always find the current issue and an archive of previous issues of The Telltale 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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Voting will open through the 
