FROM THE HELM
Last month I wrote that the early feedback from Junior Sailing was great. As this year’s camps wind up - the story remains the same. Campers have had a superb time and repeatedly seem to feel that our camp is more enjoyable than other ones in the region. The instructors and leadership have done a superb job on fostering that very positive attitude. Many thanks to all of them.
Many of you may not know that there was an abrupt failure of the septic system during the first week of Junior Sailing. I can’t say enough about my appreciation for the prompt effective way this was dealt with by Jim Woodward. With the rest of Junior Sailing to go and the Gov Cup to follow - there was no question that his had to be solved - and it was!!!
Thanks again to those who have worked so hard to organize that Gov. Cup. Coming up shortly - I hope the intense heat won’t rear its ugly head. Please come to the Saturday dinner - menu looks great. With the help of Keith Hodges I had invited Gov Youngkin to come and preside over the awards ceremony. Unfortunately this isn’t happening. Looking forward to a fun weekend.
After Gov. Cup will come the Labor Day weekend. Cordon and Pat Davis with Bill and Ruth Fenstermacher have stepped up to host the Social on Sunday 9/3. The meal will be catered from Nick’s Spaghetti and Steak House. I’ve had the privilege of tasting the food to be presented and it will be a fine meal. A separate email will be sent out for info and sign up. Hopefully all who expressed dismay at the lack of an event on July 4 will be able to attend this event.
FIRST of SIX: I’ll repeat this message 6 times in the Telltale: Please plan to attend the annual meeting in January. There are significant facility and budgetary issues to be addressed in addition to changes in the Bylaws.
Quiz of the month - who said - '‘Just because you’ve seen ‘My Cousin Vinny’ doesn’t qualify you to be a federal judge.”
Bob Davis, Commodore
The Latest Fleet Scuttlebutt ...................
Hard to believe we’re staring at AUGUST already. It’s been a fairly active sailing season with good turnout for our adult sailing classes and we have a couple of months left for folks to participate.
Of course, August means Governors Cup Regatta and the end of Junior Sailing for the season. If your new to Ware River YC, the Governor’s Cup is our flagship sailing event and this year we celebrate its 59th year. Even if you aren’t a sailor, it’s great to come out and watch the event. The Saturday dinner is open to all members (for a fee), and I hope you’ll consider coming out.
And now for the nautical phrase of the month…………Toe the Line
To conform to the policies of a group.
Members of the British Royal Navy were required to stand barefoot and at attention for inspection. While at attention they lined up along the seams of the planks of the deck with their toes touching the line. This became known as "toeing" the line.
Now you know!
Fair winds and steady seas,
Jim Garrett - Fleet
Upcoming Events
September 3, Sunday Labor Day Social
October 7, Saturday Oktoberfest
November 11, Saturday Oyster Roast
Don’t be like Punt or Condiments!
What lesson can an Ancient Egyptian ally and a Georgian / Regency -era condiment set to teach the Ware River Yacht Club?
The Ancient Egyptians greatest ally and trade partner was a land called Punt. Egyptians wrote many things down about Punt, including what their houses looked like, what they liked to do for fun, and what kind of things were traded. They wrote down almost everything…except one crucial detail: where Punt actually was located. To this day, historians have no real evidence about where it was.
During the latter half of the 18th and into the 19th century, there were condiment stands mass-produced for use at home. These sets ranged from fairly basic to very ornate. No matter how fancy they were, they all had cruets—one for oil and one for vinegar—a container for salt, one for pepper, and one for… well no one actually knows what the third was for, possibly mustard but, no one can be sure.
What both of those statements have in common is that everyone thought “Who would be dumb enough to not know where Punt is, or what that third container is for?” meaning that no one wrote it down. Let this not be applied to WRYC!
Compiling a history of the club so that those that come behind us can know what it was all about is important, and YOU are the source! If you have any stories, photographs, or (specifically) any information about the items on the wall that you would like to share, please write it down (spelling is optional, we will figure it out). Remember—whether it is a story from 1971 or 2023, it is all important!
If you would like to share your story, you can email Harry Taylor at hjtaylor3@gmail.com, or call at 757-903-8101. I genuinely hope to hear from you!
FROM THE HELM
As June winds down we have been thankful for temperatures much lower than a year ago. Hopefully we won’t pay for this with high temps and storms during the rest of the summer. Other parts of the country have had more than enough heat.
The early story is that the Junior Sailing Program is again off and running in fine fashion. Fully enrolled - all participants having a great time. Many thanks again to Bill Brown for his efforts in organization and to Jim Garrett and sailors for all of the efforts in fleet maintenance. Great job.
Adult sailing is also looking at a successful season. A large number of people have signed up to participate. Excellent reviews from last year. A number of people have volunteered a huge amount to get this going - in maintenance and in time spent instructing. Thanks to all of them. This program has become a strong drawing point.
Thanks again to Scott Titus for spearheading the Governor’s Cup event. It takes time and talent to be able to pull this event off. He needs support from many Club members in all different capacities - so sign up to help! Hopefully this will continue to grow from the Covid years.
The negative at this point is our inability to pull off the July 4th social event. This is particularly sad because of the fantastic event that was held last year. The Board will continue to work towards making these events feasible. As in the past - suggestions are quite welcome.
Quiz of the month - remaining in a sports mode: who said: “All right everyone, line up alphabetically according to your height.” and “Never make predictions, especially about the future.”
Bob Davis, Commodore
The Latest Fleet Scuttlebutt ...................
It’s Sailing Camp Time. We had a terrific start to this year’s Sailing Camp and once again we have 3 full sessions! Our loft and sailboats were ready for duty and thanks to the efforts we made on our Spring-Cleaning Day, we were well organized for our opening session. Many thanks to Bill Brown and new member Bernadette Tipton for their support this year.
Adult sailing is also in full swing, and we have a number of folks taking advantage of the program and learning about keel boat sailing and maneuvering. Want to get checked out to be able to use a club boat? Come join us. This year we are alternating between keel boats and albacore dinghies every other Sunday from noon to 4pm. Please drop me a line if interested.
Speaking of keel boats, if anyone is interested in owning a nice sized keel boat two of our members, Cordon Davis and his son, are selling their 1988 Ericson 28’ Sloop. Its currently at Mobjack Bay Marina in North, VA. getting the bottom done. If you're interested, please contact Cordon directly at (804)-693-2901.
And of course, I can’t forget this month’s nautical origins phrase…………….” To Show One's True Colors”. We know this term to mean showing who one really is, to reveal one's character (usually used in a negative way). I was surprised to learn its origin is rooted in nautical exploits. It was once common practice for ships to hoist their national flags before commencing battle. Some ships would carry flags from many countries and hoist "false flags" to confuse or mislead their enemies at sea, a practice that was especially common among Spanish ships in the 17th century. This practice also introduced the term "bamboozle" into our language. We’ll save that one!.
Lastly, PLEASE be on the lookout for opportunities to serve the club, whether through hosting Socials, getting involved in our upcoming Governor’s Cup Regatta August 4,5,6, supporting our building and grounds chairman or utilizing our updated pickleball courts to host tournaments and bring on new members. Every club member was asked the question about where they would like to serve when they joined, so if you’re a newer member and haven’t gotten plugged in, or don’t know how please reach out to any member of the board…………we’ll get you connected.
Fair winds and steady seas,
Jim Garrett - Fleet