Crow’s Nest 04/24/25

Oooops, it seems as though a few members, including myself, forgot the auto-renew option was introduced last year… Social Members if you chose the auto-renewal option last year, you’ll be automatically charged on that same date this year. A notice is automatically sent to you 3 days prior to the charge, then snap, it’s done, no need to register online again this year.  If you didn’t choose to auto-renew then by all means, please go out to the website and register today!

The deadline is May 10th, please be sure to get your membership paid before then!

Don’t forget; this Saturday, April 26th is the Clean Up Day at the Club!  We’ll be starting at about 0900 under the direction of Margaret Oz; you know what that means…Be ready to work and have everything in it’s place and in tip-top shape for the season.  If you have any questions, please reach out to Margaret at inremoz@aol.com.

Burgees, burgees, burgees… We want yours if you’re willing! As a matter of tradition many members trade burgees while visiting other Clubs across the country and abroad. Sometimes they’re attending a regatta, other times they’re cruising the Caribbean, but many times flags are swapped.  We have many sitting at the Club building and are planning to make a display out of them; would you like to have yours included in that display?  Send Deb Tesar an email dtesar@cltel.net and we’ll make sure your favorite trades are displayed prominently.

As I’m sure you’ve heard, the ILYA E Invitational Regatta is here in Clear Lake this year.  40-50 E Boats should be here testing themselves against each other looking to take home hardware. The manic pace of 2024 won’t be felt for this event, but it’s still going to be a BIG deal; anytime the ILYA selects a venue for one of it’s events the pressure is on. The Regatta Committee has long been at work planning the event and soon will be asking for volunteers to assist in many different capacities.

Andi Tisor as Vice Commodore has the “privilege” of setting up for parties. Andi doesn’t know what it means to plan or co-plan an event half-way…I can assure you, she’ll go far beyond showing up with beverages. The social schedule is full this year and we have some amazing hosts again! In case you missed the previous Crows Nest and haven’t looked at the website for the social schedule, here it is again:

• Saturday, June 7th @ the CLYC
• Friday, June 13th @ the CLYC – “Melges – Wizard of Zenda”
  • Hosted by Stu and Julie Oltrogge
• Saturday, June 21st @ the CLYC
• Saturday, July 19th @ the Marcus and Julie Lundberg residence
• Saturday, August 9th @ the Outing Club
• Sunday, August 31st @ CLYC (Awards Dinner – Transfer of Flag)

Club racing begins Saturday, May 24th.  The Memorial Day Regatta officially kicks off the season as usual and we hope to see everyone out on the water!  The racing schedule is in our typical format again this year, however we’re hosting the ILYA E Scow Invitational right smack dab in the middle of the season, that’s July 10-13:

1st Series – May 24 – July 6 (Club regattas scored individually and within the series)

• Memorial Day Regatta – May 24th & 25th
• 4th of July Regatta – July 5th & 6th

2nd Series – July 19th – August 24th (Club regattas scored individually and within the series)

• Jack MacNider Memorial Regatta – July 19th and 20th

Labor Day Regatta – August 30th & 31st (does not count toward season scoring)

Don’t forget we have the Annual Russ Schurtz Memorial Dad/Mom/Lad/Lass Regatta!  Father’s Day – Sunday, June 15th at 1400 (that’s 2pm) is when the showdown happens.  Last year was decided by a matter of seconds right at the finish line!

Speaking of Club Racing and the new website… Please be sure to read the Sailing Instructions, which can be found under the “Racing tab.” Some minor changes have been made you should be aware of; here are some highlights:

• Added definitions
• Section 4 – USCG approved PFDs on each race boat
• Section 6 – Wind Limits/Conditions for Racing

There’s much more to talk about regarding the new Rules, however, we have plenty of time before the season starts to jump down that rabbit hole…

The Sailing Center is gearing up for another fantastic year…Registration is open on their revamped website; take a few minutes to check that out, www.clearlakesailingcenter.com.  Chloe Frank, the new Program Director is ready to take the helm and lead the Center, it’s great instructors and exuberant students into an exciting season.  4 Instructors are heading to Okoboji for USSailing Level 1 Instruction in the near future and will become better equipped to teach our next generation of sailors!  Very exciting times are ahead for the Center!

That’s all we have for this week; don’t forget about paying your membership, then please feel free to break your boats out of winter jail and get ready for a wonderful season!

Until next time friends…

Stay in the Clear Air,

Dan Allen
MC 2811 – Relentless
dsallen@cltel.net
www.clyciowa.com
www.clearlakesailingcenter.com