Thank
you to all who contributed articles and content - Paul Chandler, Robert Koci, Kirk McGregor, Nigel Rigby, Suzanne Young, Tannis Baker and all who have donated photos -
to this issue of the Whisper Pole. Send
contributions, comment and suggestions to: news@sailtoronto.com
DOCKS IN APRIL 16!!
Commodore's Welcome
Hello everyone,
Our club, St James Town or just plain old J-Town is a very special place to many of us. Sailing is highly addictive for those that didn’t know, so if you are a returning white sailor, take Bronze 4 this year; the course is a blast, just sign up - starts in late July.
To everyone, as usual, I am going to ask you to take care of our club. J-Town means a great deal to me, and despite the fact that it’s just an old disused school portable, a bit of ram-shackle place at best, it is nonetheless a gem of a site so please keep it clean and tidy.
Beer theft – Yup! I am afraid so, we have a problem here and it’s getting worse. The past couple of years have seen more than a few bottles go astray and it’s a shame really because I don’t think it’s all intentional. I think people forget, or mean to pay later, but last year we lost over a thousand dollars, and that’s a lot of cash!
---------------------So I’m reading the riot act.---------------------
You MUST keep to the honor system. If the losses continue again this year then we will have to look to alternatives.
Lastly – We need volunteers. (What else is new?) Nigel Rigby has a few projects on the go - painting the entire clubhouse is one of them, and a new lakeside deck is another so just call him or me, and see what you can do to slot in a few hours of your time to help out. And Kirk, our fleet captain, always needs help.
Many thanks to all those members that continually volunteer to keep this club functioning and looking great.
Cheers
Paul Chandler
Commodore
Email: fridaystreet@bellnet.ca
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Message from the Membership Chair
Membership's priority this year is to focus on strategies for retaining more members (recognizing that there will always be a certain amount of turnover) by:
1. Reaching out to members who have not rejoined over the past couple of years, as well as existing members, through the creation and distribution of a 'zine in collaboration with Communications.
2. Coordinating Open Houses - Mark Pomerantz is in the process of recruiting volunteers to fill two hour time slots to cover the periods of 12-4 on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the months of April and May - volunteers provide information about the club, answer questions, and collect memberships
3. Communicating with and promoting the club to potential members who contact the club via web site, telephone, etc. in a timely manner
4. In cooperation with other Committees, increasing opportunities for developing connections amongst members and integrating new members through Social Sails, Paired Sailing, involvement in other social and volunteer activities. The Spring Fling was a new initiative this year and had a very promising turnout. Members were invited to reconnect with their sailing buddies and encouraged to bring a friend, as well as to pay early bird membership; incentive for early sign up was also introduced - a draw for Lobsterfest tickets.)
5. Incorporating recommendations from the results of the member survey into all portfolios and covering above plans. (The survey was also something new this last winter to increase communication between members and executive.)
Suzanne Young
Membership Chair
Email: membership@sailtoronto.com
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Message from the House Chair
It won't be long now before our attention will be turned towards docks in and early bird specials and things nautical.
If you were able to make it to the Spring Fling on Tuesday night, you would have had the opportunity to whet your appetite with the chance to renew old acquaintenships and establish some new ones. Some little tidbits to mull over with friends at such an occasion were the changes and improvements that have been undertaken around the clubhouse and grounds and some planned upgrades.
If you haven't been down to the club of late you will notice that the two Port-O-Lets have been tucked in behind the sail locker. Positioned between the locker and the northside fence, nicely out of sight. (A big thanx to Klinger who plans on some vegetative enhancements.)
Also on the north side of the clubhouse extending up to the fence where the Port-O Lets used to be you will find that the crushed rock has been grassed over all the way to the Westwood property line. This should make a nice aesthetic improvement. The Laser equipment locker will be resituated next to the boats for handier access.
On the drawingboard for this year is a 10' X 20' patio/deck at waters edge between the motorboat and sail docks. This will be over the rocky area between the two docks and will afford one a great view of incoming and outgoing sailboats. I think that sitting at a picnic table members will get a much better sense of wind and wave action. ( A Mike Abbot idea.) Also planned is an awning in the area of the Bar B Q to help out in inclement weather.
Nigel Rigby
House Chair
Email: nigr2376@allstream.net
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Message from the Fleet Chair
Docks In officially launches the 2005 sailing season April the 16th.
Preparations are underway and this year's Executive has been busy looking for ways to improve the
upcoming season.
It was decided last fall to sell the two 505's. This
decision did not come lightly. Over the past few years the club has
tried to revitalize interest in these boats with little success. They have
both been sold for a handsome sum that will contribute to our
coffers. The upside of this is that the club has decided to purchase a
second Hobie Cat, a very spirited recreational boat, and new sails for
the existing Hobie.
The club has also committed to replacing the line in all the Albacore's
so that control lines are consistently coloured from boat to boat.
Messy lines and untidy boats were an issue that was brought to the
attention of the executive through a survey held last fall. Hopefully
this will aid with instruction and help people become more familiar
with adjusting the lines in the boat. Fleet would appreciate the cooperation of
all boat captains regarding this matter and if there are any
suggestions, please let us know.
Last year was a stellar year for the Laser fleet thanks to Ken Walton.
I'm sure the momentum and enthusiasm will continue this season. There
are plans to move the Laser locker to the grass adjacent to
the boats for better access and Robert Koci has volunteered to do an
inventory of the Lasers to establish further improvements to the
fleet. So, look out Water Rats!
On a final note - just a reminder that St. James Town invests a lot of
money and time in boats and on the club for it's members; we are a
cooperative based on volunteerism and the club is only as good as what we
each contribute.
Every year it is a concern to the club that sailors old and new have fun and challenge themselves on the water without risking their own safety or the well being of our boats. There are a few things that that club members can do to help keep themselves safe and our boats out of the repair shop. Use your judgement: know before you go out whether it is too windy for your capabilities, be up to scratch on your capsizing technique, err on the side of caution when docking and try to stay clear of other boats. White Sailors can keep in mind that their skills qualify them to sail in a 9 knot (17km/hr) wind in the Outer Harbour only and that sailing a dinghy with a friend who claims to be an experienced sailor can sometimes be a mistake.
So have a great sailing season and lots of fun.
Kirk McGregor
Fleet Chair
Email: kirk@kirkphotography.com
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Message from the Race Chair
We are lucky that Toronto offers dinghy sailors the opportunity to participate in so many well-run regattas and compete against so many really good Albacore racers. As many club members already know, racing is a terrific way to improve your general knowledge of sailing and hone your skills, but most of all it's a great way to have fun. The best, low-pressure way to get involved is our weekly race training nights starting in April once the docks are in. These sessions give you the opportunity to polish your starts as well as other aspects of racing and they provide an excellent training ground for those just starting to crew or helm. Please see the calendar for this yea's schedule and be sure to come out.
I'd also like to encourage all J-town members to or run or help out on at least one race event this summer. For racers, participation in a race event gives a new appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes and, for those who prefer social sailing, it is a fun and different way to get out on the water on a fine summers' day and get to know fellow members. So please volunteer by signing up on the Race Board in the clubhouse for any race event this summer.
And keep checking out the websites listed on our Links page for seminars and training offered by other clubs and the various sailing asssociations in the area.
Paul McHugh
Race Chair
Email: plmchg@aol.com
(905)455-3689
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Message from the Communications Chair
Look forward to a new joint endeavour by Communications and Membership - a four page 'zine containing helpful bits and pieces of info and a 4 month calendar for your fridge! And, spearheaded by Blaine Gervais, we are soon to have a Forum for our website - with the hope that it will facilitate communication among members, especially for those organizing a social event or looking for partners to sail with . We just hope it doesn't replace good old fashioned one-on-one deck palaver!
Check out the Join page for new membership information, the 2005 Membership form, a 2005 recruitment poster, an update on this year's education program and other news. The Resources page has links to all sorts of information about sailing including an updated Members Handbook.
Presently I am looking for volunteers to:
- maintain the bulletin boards at the sailing club
- become our website photo editor
If a one of these positions interests you or if you wish to contribute articles, pictures, jokes, stories .. or whatever (!) to future Whisper Poles please feel free to forward them to news@sailtoronto.com.
Tannis Baker
Communications Chair
Email: news@sailtoronto.com
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What I learned in Clearwater Beach Florida at the Laser Masters and Laser Midwinter Open
By Robert Koci
1. Keep your nose down
Well, not your nose; the Laser's nose. The boat has far less lateral resistance than an Albacore and smaller fins that stall more easily, so the boat tends to go sideways when you stall the fins. If you are sailing upwind in a chop, don't think about direction. Keep the nose down, keep your speed. And, at any cost, don't stall the foils.
2. Adjust your hiking strap
It easy to assume the hiking strap is okay wherever it is. Wrong! The first day of the Open, I just couldn't keep the boat flat. I was overpowered, even though it wasn't blowing hard. On the second day, I mentioned my frustration to Chris Raab(he came in third in the Masters the weekend before). "Ifyou were overpowered yesterday, you belong in a Radial," he said. No way, I thought, so the next day I did some upwind practice. I began fiddling with the hiking strap, and sure enough, with a longer hiking strap, and a looser foot on the sail, and sheeting block to block, I was in total control. It was amazing.
3. Ease the outhaul, sheet block to block as soon as the wind comes up and use the vang.
Block to block sheeting flattens the top of the sail, which is where the most heeling moment comes from. Keeping the foot loose maintains power through the water.
4. Do not bury the bow.
For the all of the masters races and half of the open, I kept my body forward and luffed up in the gusts. It was choppy so every third wave, the bow would plough and the boat would stop and then go sideways. Just brutal. Solution? Slide back in the boat a little, steer over the waves, not though them and do everything you can to keep the bow up and out of the water. Very unlike Albacore steering.
5. In big fleets, don't worry about the line or the gun.
On the first day, I focused on starting on the line at the gun somewhere in the middle. I succeeded pretty well. The problem was, starting on the line on time meant being just behind the first line of boats, all of which were over just a little early. And that's not good, because in a big fleet, you don't necessarily get a general recall when a lot of boats are just a little over, and the guys the middle of the line don't get recalled because the race committee can't see them. So the race goes and you are eating dirt for the first half of the beat. If you are going to start in a big fleet in the middle of the line, just be in the first row. Don't worry about the line or the time at all. If the race goes, you are in front. If it get recalled, you haven't lost anything. On that first day, we had about seven general recalls, and on every one I hit the line perfectly ... and right behind the rest of the fleet. On the eighth try, everyone was over early again, and I was dutifully on time and buried. But this time I guess the race committee was fed up and there was no recall. And I am still buried. It didn't happen to me again.
6. Tacking and gybing a Laser in light winds is less like tacking and gybing and more like a controlled capsize.
I actually saw one guy roll tack his boat, then pop up on the new windward side just as the top of the mast touched the waterHe leaned over the gunwale to bring the boat back up, snapped the mainsheet once and then took off like his boat was shot out of a cannon. Lasers love a deep roll tack. If you don't wet about eight inches of the deck on the leeward side, you haven't flopped the boat deep enough. When you do it right, the sail fills, the centreboard actually kedges the boat to windward, and you get a nice burst of speed.
7. The front of the fleet is tough, tough, tough.
On the last day, I started at the windward end, went right and popped up 10th at the mark (the race was eventually cancelled for lack of wind). For the first time, I was racing with the best in North America. Man, do those guys play for keeps! In a dying breeze I rounded the mark and stayed closed hauled to take the windward side of course to the next mark. I was feeling pretty good and not looking around. Then my boat felt a little sluggish but I thought it was just a lull. Before I can react, I have three boats blowing past me about an foot and a half to windward. I stopped dead, and about six more boats go past before I can find clear air again. I took my eye off the ball for about five seconds, and lost nine or 10 boats. That was embarrassing.
There was plenty - more little things to improve my boat handling. I can't tell you how valuable it was, and how much I enjoyed the trip. Thanks, St. James Town, for giving me the opportunity to go.
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