PYC Membership Blog

Safety on the Water Seminar has been postponed

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:28:00 +0000

Due to scheduling conflicts the May 1st Safety on the Water seminar has been postponed.
Please check back for the new date and time. Anyone that has signed up and would like a refund please feel free to request one. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We hope this event will be rescheduled for a time that will be better for all.

Safety on the Water Seminar

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:09:00 +0000

GMORA and Portland Yacht Club (PYC) have joined together to offer a Safety on the Water Seminar on Saturday, May 1, 2010, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The seminar will cover on-the-water safety and emergency procedures. Watch your email for an agenda and details. You can sign up at www.gmora.org. The fee is $10 for members and $20 for non-members.

PYC member participating in the Rolex Regatta St Thomas 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:15:00 +0000

PYC member Fernando Oliveira is participating in the Rolex Regatta aboard a friend's Summit 40. The regatta begins on March 26th so check back for updates from Fernando.
Good luck Fernando!

Junior Program Update

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:56:00 +0000

Kelly Franklin, PYC Junior Program Director, has been working hard lining up her staff for the 2010 Sailing Program. The instructors are:
Liz Wood, Assistant Director and 420/Cruising coach
Pete Pellegrini, 420 Race Coach
Mike Willet, Pram Coach
Margo Lalumiere, Beginner Opti
Olivia O’Reilly, Intermediate Opti
Ben Weigel, Advanced Opti
Greg Benson, RWB Opti Race Coach
Caroline Bowne, Apprentice

Also, member registration is available online at www.portlandyachtclub.com/pjyc/default.htm

On March 22 we open registration for non-members.

PYC Junior Sailing Registration Forms Are Available

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:36:00 +0000

All the necessary Junior Program forms are available for download online and members are encouraged to sign up before March 22nd. After March 22nd enrollment will be opened up to non-members.

Valet Dinghy Service Survey

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:40:00 +0000

PYC House and Waterfront Officers are thinking about offering valet dinghy service that would be available the day before you plan on using your dinghy. Please take a few moments to answer 5 easy questions at Survey Monkey.
They are looking for feedback before February 24th.

PYC Val Alstine Family Update: Meeting up with "Sweet Dreams" and "Breezing Up"

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:04:00 +0000

PYC member Peter Van Alstine, SV "Stolen Hour", emailed this week that they saw PYC members Maggie Salter and Al Hickey aboard SV "Sweet Dreams" in Soper's Hole, Tortola and Marigot Bay, St. Martin (1st photo). Peter said they have also seen Ann & Brad Willauer aboard SV "Breezing Up" in Trellis Bay, Beef Island. Thus, there at least 3 PYC burgees flying in the Carribean this winter!
The 2nd photo shows Stolen Hour sailing by Saba taken a few days ago and they currently are in St. Kitts.

America’s Cup Match on the 8 February

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 02:21:00 +0000

Wowie, Alinghi 5 heads out for a shake down sail.

U.S. to cut navigation system used by mariners

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 01:17:00 +0000

The advent of GPS leads to the decision to shut down Loran despite protests by Maine officials.

There’s no need to leave your four-legged crew behind when you leave the dock

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:51:00 +0000

Great story about sailing with our wonderful 4-legged friends.

PYC Members Dressed To The Nines for the Empire Reindeer Christmas Club Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:49:00 +0000

Shown in photo are PYC beautiful members: Wendy Yale, Hillary Jessen, Meg Coon and Annette Newberry.
The Empire Reindeer Christmas Club, which was established in 1897, held its annual soiree on Dec 5. The gala event has just one purpose: to raise money for Toys for Tots, so that every child in need will have a present under the tree on Christmas morning.
It is not a corporate event; it's an evening of old school merriment hosted by two old friends and cohorts, Kenneth T. Murphy and Nicolas Dambrie.
This year's event at the Portland Yacht Club raised more than $10,000 through the generosity of friends and colleagues of the organizers.
It was one of the larges contributions to Toys for Tots in the state this year, and the Maine Corps was on hand to accept the check.

PYC Val Alstine Family Update: Sailing Through a Gale & 150 Miles to Go

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:18:00 +0000

Background: Peter, Christine, Hannah and Hayden set sail in August on their "great adventure" on their J42 "Stolen Hours". Below is a recent update.
The last 36 hours have been filled with high seas, big winds, lots of squalls, and plenty of drama. A low formed in the southern Atlantic and Stolen Hour & other Caribbean 1500 boats had the opportunity to experience its force. Plenty of 30-40 knot winds, and the squalls were so intense that it was like sailing through pea soup Maine fog the rain was driving so hard. The upside was that the heavy rain would briefly flatten the seas, so 30-40 knots of breeze was not so choppy during those interludes. During the gale we tried to roll in the jib, and although we tied to roll in both sheets, they flew off so we thought we had torn the clew from the sail. Several hours later we discovered that the clew was intact but we shredded one sheet. How both sheets became unshackled from the clew remains a Bermuda triangle mystery... It is now nearly 2am on 11/9 and we hope to have passed through our last squall before we arrive in Tortola late tomorrow. We will be sailing alongside Puerto Rico shortly. Dad is driving, Leo & Phil are resting, the half moon is shining, and we are charging through the Caribbean Sea at 9 knots. A truly beautiful night.

Two young girls embark on their quest to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:33:00 +0000

I've been reading about the two young girls who have started their quest to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. The youngest girl is 13-year-old, Laura Dekker, who wishes to sail around the world by herself, and she has been temporary stopped by a Dutch court who will make a ruling if she can or cannot sail her dream. The second young girl is 16-year-old, Jessica Watson, who set sail from Sydney yesterday, on a 23,000-nautical mile (42,596-kilometer) journey that will take her past Fiji, up to the equator, then on to Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope before she heads back to Australia. I've enjoyed reading about their spunk and desire and wish both of them Godspeed. What I don't like reading about is how the Dutch government has become involved with Laura's quest and is trying to legislate for common sense, which should be a decision between Laura and her parents. I sincerely hope Laura's parents recognize the very serious journey their daughter is about to take and if she is really ready to do this.

Great photo: BMW Oracle to loan USA-87 and USA-98 to LV Pacific Series

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:17:00 +0000

Debt Trips Up Hinckley, Venerable Yacht Maker

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:11:00 +0000

PYC member Jim Thomson emailed me this link along with his observation: "This is interesting reading for Maine Boaters. The financial and debt details are particularly interesting".

PYC Kitchen, DR and Upstairs Renovations

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:08:00 +0000

Greetings,
I just finished updating the PYC site with all the preliminary documents for the Renovation Gathering scheduled on 10-15 and I'm wondering what other members think about the project.

Selah and Enchantress on top of Merritt Mountain

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Another great sailing weekend in Maine. The crews from "Selah" and "Enchantress" spent Sunday afternoon hanging out at Sebasco Harbor enjoying the salt water pool, volley ball, tennis and eating ice cream. Sunday night we rendezvous in the Game Room for bowling, ping pong and air hockey. The evening ended with a dinghy ride back to the boats with the full moon lighting our way. Sunday morning we hiked to the top of Merritt Mountain and enjoyed views as far as Mount Washington. Finally, we enjoyed SW winds between 15 to 20 knots and sailed a broad reach back to PYC....wowie...it doesn't get any better than this.

Enchantress and Rita P sailing outside of Sequin during Hurricane Bill

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:01:00 +0000

We had to sail outside of Sequin Island because we didn't dare to go in less than 35 ft of water for fear of the breaking waves - not to mention the chop generated by the Kennebec River . We met up with Gail and Randy on "Rita P" a 30ft Pearson sailboat. The attached picture really doesn't do it justice because the swells were BIG. Some were breaking on outside rocks that I didn't know existed. "Rita P" and "Enchantress" were both at the bottom of a trough with a swell between us when the picture was taken.

Van Alstine Family Adventure Update

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:10:00 +0000

Update from the Van Alstine blog: "We arrived in Marblehead yesterday noon after a motorsail from Rockport. Still no fish on the line much to Hayden's chagrin. Stolen Hour's systems seem to be tuned and working well. The wifi amplifier I installed enables us to surf up to 5 miles from an access point (as I am doing currently). I still need to connect the Pactor modem and get that going. We have been fortunate to connect with the Sommer's at Richmond Island on our first night out, and then we had a fun dinner at the Costello's last night. This morning a couple of Marblehead buddies took me out flyfishing, and they each hooked a fish or two (see Gallery). Let's just say that my casting is a bit rusty... A few boat projects to tackle today while we re-explore this beautiful area and wait for northerly winds predicted for Sunday."

Cliff Island Maine

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:42:00 +0000

Sailing in Maine doesn't get much better that this past weekend with warm 10 knots breeze and calm seas. "Enchantress" and "For Pete's Sake" spent Saturday night on the hook at Cliff Island, Maine. We had a dinner on the boats and enjoyed the shooting stars. Sunday morning we hiked on a path that overlooked Jewel Island and then went swimming. We'll remember this weekend during the long cold winter nights.

PYC Member Sara Fox Hopes To Qualify for US Sailing Team

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:42:00 +0000

Scott Fox recently emailed me about his daughter, Sara who is spending the summer in Europe Racing 470s trying to qualify for the U.S. Sailing Team and eventually the Olympics. Sara was training and racing in Kiel Germany and Lake Garda Italy and is now in Copenhagen Denmark for a month preparing for the 470 World Championships. Eventually she heads to Portland/Weymouth England to compete in the multi class Sail for the Gold Regatta being held at the site of the 2012 Olympics. And, if that wasn't enough she is taking online courses so she can graduate with her class of 2010 at Roger Williams University! You can follow Sara's travels and accomplishments and pictures.

Family Cruise to Sebasco

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:06:00 +0000

The Family Cruise to Sebasco was wonderful and we had a great turnout. Nine PYC boats gathered at Sebasco: Happy Ours, Catamount, In-Security, Cold Shots, Windy II, Epiphany, Breezing Up, Robin and Enchantress. Most of the boats arrived early afternoon and members enjoyed sitting pool side while the kids frolicked in the salt water swimming pool and the parents enjoyed adult beverages in the sun shine. We also enjoyed ice cream, dinner in the pub, singing around the campfire, bowling and ping pong in the Game Room Saturday night. Despite waking up to fog Sunday morning we gathered again and ate "world famous blueberry pancakes" at the Sunday morning buffet. While the sail home had "sloppy seas", once inside the Monument we enjoyed a wonderful sail home with a steady breeze around 10 to 15 knots.
Club member Ward Graffam said his oldest, Isabelle age 6, summed it up the best during the dingy ride to the boat Sunday morning, "Dad, these are the time I'm always going to remember".
And Isabelle is right....it is all about the memories.

5 Mini boats with GPS crossing the Atlantic

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:20:00 +0000

Five new mini-boats are participating in the 2009 Atlantic Passages. Boat names are: Bluefish, K-Kids Kruiser, Uber Sail, USS C.P.S., and Zenith.

You can track progress here.

Late Breaking News About PYC Cruisers and Suspicious Very-Fast-Sailing-Sloop 7-26 Update

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 21:44:00 +0000

Update at 5:48 PM EST from Club Member, David Gooch

"I am hearing scattered reports regarding the suspicious Very-Fast-Sailing-Sloop has been spotted in Burnt Coat Harbor Swan’s Island. Locals are reporting that the Captain who claims to be Dave the Innocent (see man with red hat on the left) has been making demands for low cost local seafood and forcing terrified resident to work at slave wages. Also included in the report is the Captain has forced the elderly women of the island pick fresh crab meat until their fingers bleed. If the locals do not agree the Captain is saying he will behave in a manner similar to the Northeast and Matinicus Island incidents. "

Another Startling Report About The Very-Fast-Sailing-Sloop Involving PYC Cruisers

noreply@blogger.com (Ann) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 12:06:00 +0000

Update at 8:10 AM EST from Club Member, David Gooch

"I have just received a current dispatch from Downeast Maine, it seems the marauding fleet has hold up in a dead end cove on the northeast side of Somes sound tied up to floating wharfs. The town people are reporting heavy drinking and story telling about some great race where the suspicious Very-Fast-Blue-Sloop snagged a line. If this had not happened it's said they would have won. My source also reported there were injured crew being force into deckhand work trying to overtake the other race boats. My source also reported there are groups commandeering some sort of motorized vehicles and forcing the drivers to drive inland and then offering the drivers worthless paper money (maybe green mold) and shinny coins for valuable objects of art, good and services. when this group returns to the Club house they must be forced to explain themselves in a tribunal!"