FROM THE EDITOR...
By Steve VanderVoort, Telltale Editor
Here at last! Our sailing season on beautiful Lake Michigan has begun. Programs are underway, classes are full, racing is in full swing, social activities abound, and best of all, the weather looks great, at least for the next week or so. So let’s everyone get out there and sail! Just make sure that you remember our safety tips and guidelines. Always wear a lifejacket when you’re on a boat, faithfully complete the pre and post-sail checklists if you use a boat, and obey the Sail Chicago guidelines for wind and small craft warnings.
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NEW ONLINE TOOL FOR STUDENT PREREQUISITES
By Gerry Stacy, Board Chair
Instructors and Students, you'll find a new report on the Sail Chicago Data Hub this month. We now have a report that lists the students who have met the prerequisites for Sail Chicago classes. As a reminder, the Class Registration and Cancellation Policy requires that all students meet the following prerequisites before taking their first class, regardless of level:
Students, we are tracking your attendance at PSO classes. Once you have completed the online Basic Keelboat course, upload your course completion certificate here so we can verify it and mark this requirement as complete. Once you have completed both these prerequisites, your name will appear in this online listing.
And instructors, you can now look for your students' names in this same online report to verify that they have all met their prerequisites.
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NEWS FROM THE SOCIAL COMMITTEE
The Season Opener party, held on the rail deck of the Columbia Yacht Club on May 20, was a great way to start the season. New members had an opportunity to witness the strong sense of community that our organization fosters, and old members had a chance to renew acquaintances and plan on-the-water outings with friends. A couple of pictures show that a good time was had by all.
 
Our Happy Hour for the month of June will be held on Thursday, June 15th at Slightly Toasted, 22 N. Clinton, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Members and one guest can enjoy one free drink each and tasty appetizers. If you plan to attend, please register here.
Mark your calendar for the upcoming social events:
- 2023 Family & Friends Picnic Belmont Harbor August 12, 2023 10:00am-5:00pm
- 2023 End of Season Dinner October 12, 2023 Columbia Yacht Club 6:30pm-9:30pm
- July and September Happy Hours are also being planned with dates and locations to be announced later.
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 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 open to current Colgate skippers at no charge. We will be adding classes soon, so check the course catalog on my.sailchicago.org to signup.
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 SINGLE-HANDED SAILING CLASS FOR RHODES AND IDEALS
By Tim Rice
Sail Chicago is considering offering the Single-Handed Sailing class on either the Rhodes or Ideals later this season, most likely in August or September. The two-session class will provide sailors with a thorough overview of single-handing procedures on a Rhodes or Ideal, including emphasis on safety precautions, rigging the boat for single handing, performing basic sailing maneuvers without crew assistance, and solo training on critical tasks including departure from and returning to the mooring, reefing, in-irons recovery, heaving-to and anchoring. Ample practice time will be included in each on-the-water session.
Prerequisite:
Interested members must be a skipper on the boat to be single-handed and have recent experience sailing the boat during the current season. We are making this announcement now so that you will have time to gain some current season experience prior to the class. The class will be offered by Sail Chicago instructors who are experienced in single handing.
Interested members are asked to send an email to the Instruction mailbox (instruction@sailchicago.org) to confirm their qualifications and confirm their interest in attending an August and/or September session of the course. Classes will then be scheduled based on the number of interested members and the availability of instructors.
If you have any questions about the single-handing course, please send an email to Tim Rice at ricetj@gmail.com.
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 SAIL GRAND PRIX RETURNS TO CHICAGO
SailGP, the world’s most exciting racing on water, is back in Chicago for the Season 4 opening event Friday and Saturday, June 16-17, 2023. Nine national teams - including Jimmy Spithill’s USA team - will compete in high intensity sprint races just off Navy Pier, on next-level F50 catamarans that fly across the water at electrifying speeds.
If you’d like to get “up close and personal” to the race, you can bring a Sail Chicago boat and get access to the innermost edge of the public boating boundary close to the action. Book online to guarantee your place inside the racecourse exclusion zone. You will receive a souvenir flag providing exclusive access to the perfect position to enjoy both days of racing and VHF live race commentary. Boats without a flag will be held outside the US Coast Guard exclusion zone at least 200m behind flag bearing boats.
If you’d like to stay on land, you may also have access to the SailGP Stadium at the east end of Navy Pier, immediately adjacent to the racecourse with sweeping views of the racing and iconic Chicago skyline. For tickets, click here.
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BECOME A SAIL CHICAGO INSTRUCTOR
By Monte Lewis, Lead Instructor
Are you interested in becoming a Sail Chicago Instructor? Then check out the Instructor Prep Class. Last season we placed 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 with Sail Chicago. The program covers not only advanced sailing topics, but also basic principles of teaching adults how to sail. The program is unique 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.
Instructor Candidates should have a minimum of two years experience as a skipper at Sail Chicago, skipper a minimum of six Tiller Times and be a confident and competent sailor. If you are interested in the program or have any questions, you can reach Monte Lewis at leadinstructor@sailchicago.org.
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 BASIC KEELBOAT INSTRUCTOR (BKI) COURSE OFFERED
By Tom Hertel & Candace Kohli
Are you a Sail Chicago Skipper who is interested in taking your skills ‘to the next level’? If so, please read on!
This year, Sail Chicago is once again hosting the U.S. Sailing Basic Keelboat Instructor (BKI) evaluative course. This will take place over three days in early September. We will hold the course Sept. 8-10 at the Jackson Park Harbor Yacht Club. The BKI seeks to evaluate your skills as a sailor as well as a teacher. If you pass this course, you are granted US Sailing’s BKI teaching certification.
To help you prepare (this is the best part), we will be holding a series of on-the-water and off-the-water events over the two months prior to the course. This gives you a chance to learn how to single-hand a Colgate as well as take some additional on-line coursework to enrich your skills as an instructor. If you are an active Sail Chicago Instructor, we will reimburse you for the $425 registration fee, provided you pass the course. This year, we have a commitment from ‘Cappy Capper’ to run the course. Cappy is U.S. Sailing’s Head Instructor Trainer and the Head Coach of the University of Minnesota’s sailing team.
Recent graduates of the BKI course include: Daniel Hazlett, Selma Loesche, Geoff Skyles, Candace Kohli, Daniyar Nurgaliev, Manoel Conde, Iwona Awlasewicz and Scott Schaedel.
The BKI preparation and course activities are being coordinated by Tom Hertel and Candace Kohli. There will be a callout/orientation to provide further information on July 5 from 7-8:30pm via Zoom. Please contact Tom (hertel@purdue.edu) or Candace (kohlicl@gmail.com) if you are interested in participating.
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SAIL CHICAGO REMINDERS
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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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