The Latest Fleet Scuttlebutt ...................

I guess you could say we dodged a bullet this month with Tropical depression “Ophelia” landing on top of us (almost). Both club keel boats and the fleet, in general, was spared any serious damage despite wind and extremely high tides. Not much to report this month regarding the fleet and sailing, as it’s been fairly quiet on the waterfront. We did have a couple of very nice Sunday adult sailing sessions in both keel boats and Albacores and will be wrapping those up in October.

For all those members that have boats stored on the property, please take time to secure and protect them as we begin to approach the winter months. If you have questions about that let me know. Also, we have had a couple of inquiries from the general public looking to buy a boat and have asked if we have any for sale. If you’re considering selling your boat, send me an email and I’ll pass it on to any interested parties.

Now for the nautical phrase of the month, “Slush Fund”. Most people think this term originated in the smoke-filled boardrooms of corporate America. Surprisingly, however, it can be traced back to some clever merchant ship cooks who saved the slushy mix of fat and grease that was left over after every meal. The slush would be stowed away in a secret hiding place until the ship returned to port. The cooks would then sell the fat to candle makers and other merchants, earning themselves a tidy sum in the process. Thus, the term "slush fund" refers to a cash reserve obtained in a less than above board way. I think my wife may have one! Until next time…….

Fair winds and steady seas, Jim Garrett - Fleet

The Latest Fleet Scuttlebutt............

It’s a wrap! The 59th Annual Governors Cup Regatta was a great success once again thanks to so many Club member volunteers who ALWAYS step up when it counts. I would love to mention all the folks that provided their personal support and expertise, from shirt design, racecourse management, food prep, trophies, logistics, safety and mark boats etc. but there isn’t enough room on this page. This year’s Chair, Scott Titus, will provide a separate write up, I’m sure. Congratulations to the Hampton One Design Class for taking home the Cup this year, and thanks to all who participated. I’m also happy to report that Ware River had quite a few participants in the Laser, Opti and Albacore Class this year!!

Adult sailing continues to show strong participation and we consistently have a number of new(er) sailors joining us each Sunday we have class. We’ve had several new inquiries from folks looking for instruction again this month and these more often than not tun into new members! A special shout out to John Dudley who has moved from student to assistant instructor! John has taken out a few groups on Wagtail and has gotten quite adept at handling her. We will continue to offer these classes through October.

And of course, what would the Scuttlebutt report be without the nautical phrase of the month. This month’s phrase is “Pipe down”. Of course, we know it to mean to be quiet or stop talking. The phrase originates from 18th century when the ships Boatswain mate’s whistle or pipe, was used to summon the crew or relay orders. A crew would be "piped" to a meal, for example. To dismiss a crew, the boatswain's pipe is sounded and the command “pipe down” is given. Because it got much quieter after the dismissal, the command became associated with quieting down or making less noise. Until next time!

Fair winds and trailing seas,

Jim Garrett - Fleet

The Latest Fleet Scuttlebutt ...................

First, I have this edition of Nautical Term of the month. Ever wonder where the expression “By and Large” comes from? Well, me too! By means into the wind, while large means with the wind. "By and large" is therefore used to indicate all possible sailing situations, e.g. "the ship handles well both by and large". Now you know.

As I mentioned in the previous Telltale, we had a good turnout for our spring fleet spruce up day April 1st, and during the month we managed to get the keel boat bottoms soda blasted, sanded, and fresh bottom paint applied. The boats will get launched sometime the first of May so they are ready for the season.

Now, its just a matter of waiting for the arrival of good weather to start the season. We are still planning on Adult sailing instruction as soon as we can get our instructors pulled together to organize a schedule, but the plan is to continue with our June start date for that program.

Thats it for this month. Until next time…………..

Fair winds and steady seas,

Jim Garrett - Fleet

The Latest Fleet Scuttlebutt ...................

The kickoff meeting to our upcoming sailing season was held March 25th and our turnout ended up being fantastic. By my count we had 20 folks and a potential new member / sailor attend! Thanks to Scott and Veta Titus for helping to organize the event (along with Veta’s chicken chili), Layne Brown for her assistance, and Carolyn August and Bernie Tipton for the yummy desserts. Forgive me if I left anyone out. Everyone had such a great time socializing we forgot to watch the movie! Oh well, maybe next time!!

Next, I’m starting a new monthly Fleet Telltale tradition….” Glossary of Nautical Terms” word of the month. This month’s word is Afterbrow - On larger ships, it’s a secondary gangway rigged in the area aft of midship. On some military vessels, such as U.S. naval vessels, enlisted personnel below E-7 board the ship at the afterbrow; officers and CPO/SCPO/MCPO board the ship at the brow. Now you know!

Our all club workday and Fleet prep was held April 1st but the Fleet group still has more work to do on the Keel boats and moorings. I am targeting the end of April to complete the work so both keel boats are ready to splash the first of May in time for our Flag raising May 6th. Please let me know if you are interested / able to assist.

Lastly, the club was able to purchase a new (to us) Laser including (2) new sails, trailer, dolly and covers. This addition coupled with the new sails I’m having made and blade bags will really freshen up the Laser Fleet for our Junior sailing program. We will continue to upgrade this fleet of boats over the next few years as well.

Fair winds and steady seas,

Jim Garrett, Fleet

The Latest Fleet Scuttlebutt ...................

This month, for a change, I wanted to share with you some of the resources we as Club members of WRYC have access to. Besides the great clubhouse and facilities, a few dinghies and our 2 keelboats, we are members of both US Sailing Association and CBRYA (Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association)

Through the clubs US Sailing Assoc. membership, you have access to resources such as Sail flow @ SailFlow which is a great source for live wind and weather info. You can also access their extensive library of Resources and Tools for everything from Jr Sailing training thru their Skillup app, to sailing instruction or becoming a certified Race Committee Officer, and much more. To learn more, go to www.ussailing.org, Organizations - US Sailing.

CBYRA is another more regional association that really caters to sailing/racing on the Chesapeake Bay. They break the Chesapeake down by regions and we are in region 4S (Southern Bay). Again, here you can access videos, get a list of other member clubs, or download a calendar of events. They also have areas where you can sign up as crew for racing keel boats on the bay or for educational training. If you're interested in learning more about sailing in and around the Chesapeake, you can probably find what you're looking for here.

For more information about this group and the resources available go to CBYRA – Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association

Fair winds and flat seas,

Jim Garrett, Fleet Capt.

The Latest Fleet Scuttlebutt ...................

This is the time of year when there’s not much happening with the Fleet group and sailing, at least in this hemisphere! And if we continue with the incredibly cold weather we’ve had we won’t thaw out until April. That said, we do have things to do but will wait until some warmer weather arrives. I’ll use the time inside to put together a detailed list of tasks!

I do expect to have our annual organizational meeting sometime in January to prepare for our upcoming sailing season. Please be on the lookout for an announcement in an email!

Otherwise, have a terrific New Years!

Jim Garrett Fleet Captain