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Dear Sailors, Families of Sailors, and Friends of the Sturgeon Lake Sailing Club:

After an unrelenting winter, we are nearly ready to launch into the 59th season of sailing at SLSC!  This summer’s program will commence on Monday July 6th. 

Before getting into the details of the program for the summer ahead...

Announcements

"Thank You!"

A few ‘Thanks’ are in order:
  1. Our resident SLSC archivist is relinquishing this role.  We extend a heartfelt thank you to Jo Breyfogle for her tireless persistence in sorting and keeping the club’s historic records in order… and reminding us to hang on to things!  We have a short list of candidates interested in taking over this very important role in maintaining the history of our club– if you have any interest in being involved in assisting, please send us an email.  Similarly, if you have any materials relating to the history of the club, that you would like to donate, please let us know!
     
  2. Our long serving, passionate, welcoming, Monday morning, coffee-in-hand, rain-or-shine, face of the club Registrar is ‘retiring’… while I expect you will still see Leslie Thomas around the club from time to time, since she is virtually irreplaceable, we are working on replacing her virtually… about which, more later.  Thank you Leslie, for your tireless and always cheerful presence!
  1. Thank you to the Phipps family for the donation of their tin boat.  We have combined its elements with our own “Big Tin” creating one even more seaworthy crashboat.

In Memory of Janet Kennedy

In February the Kennedy family mourned the passing of Janet, who served as a director of the SLSC for a number of years in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  In the words of her daughter Liane, she “…was incredibly proud of all that the club accomplished and what it grew into”.  The Club is appreciative of all of the support Janet, and the Kennedys, have provided over the years. SLSC thanks those from whom we received donations in memory of Janet, as the family had suggested in her obituary
Your Support
We continue to make investments in the infrastructure at the club to allow us to maintain the quality, and safety standards, of our program, including last year’s purchase of two more Fevas, and another new coach boat, and this winter’s rehabilitation of Ahab, our ancient Boston Whaler, along with other restorative work on coach boats.  As a consequence, our capital reserve has been somewhat depleted.   Looking ahead, we will need to continue to invest in boat maintenance, facilities repair and renewal, and ensure we have reserves to address any infrastructure replacement or improvement that becomes necessary.
 
We are thankful for the ongoing generosity and support of our community.  As you know (and are reminded at least annually!) we rely heavily on your financial support to maintain and upgrade our facilities and sailing equipment.  You may donate online at any time via the link below, and receive a tax receipt immediately.  This link is also available on the club’s website.
Do You Have Any Surplus Tools?
 
The collection of tools at the club has been reduced over time to a motley assortment of rusty implements.  We are developing an updated and serviceable workshop. If you have any completely functional but redundant tools or workshop items that are taking up space in your own workroom(s), we would be delighted to hear from you! Please Email me at Commodore@SLSC.ca
Volunteers!
 
After many years of serving up delectable dinners at Civic Holiday’s post-regatta barbecue and prizegiving, it is time to offer some relief to the DesBrisay/Gilchrist/Langran crew.  The barbecue will continue to take place at Rosehill, but we are looking for volunteers to help with the organization and food.  If you would be prepared to be involved in this, we want to hear from you! Email: Volunteers@SLSC.ca

Also, this summer for the first time in several years, we have an instructor joining our team who is new to the community, and we will be reviving the tradition of having the instructor dinners, hosted by members of the community.  If you would like to host some of our instructors for dinner one evening this summer, please let us know Email: Volunteers@SLSC.ca   
 
Free Golf Clinic
at Neighbouring Sturgeon Point Golf Club!

 
The Sturgeon Point Golf Club is hosting a free clinic for kids aged 6 to 18.  Put on by the Golf Association of Canada, the “CN Future Links Mobile Clinic”, will be held May 17th at the Golf Club, from 9:30 to 12:00… A summer of sailing and golfing awaits!

For more details, contact Chris Van Lierop (SPGCJuniorClinic@GMail.com) or click this link: SPGC Future Links Golf Day

Also, on the subject of the Sturgeon Point Golf Club, it is worth pointing out that they are offering reduced rates for Junior Golfers if one or more parents join.  See the SPGC Flyer
 
Summer Schedule and Events

"Non-Gala Gala" ... or is it a "Gala"?
We received a good deal of….er… “feedback”… on our decision not to host an event last year after two consecutive years of jubilant frivolity and general merrymaking.  Taking this into consideration we have scheduled a return of the (non-gala?) Gala.  Mark July 18th in your calendars, and stay tuned for details. 
 
Mid-Ontario Regatta
As a result of the domino effect of various conflicts arising from the staging of the PanAm games in Toronto this summer, we have found it necessary to cancel this year’s Mid-Ontario Regatta.  It will be deferred to next summer, 2016.
 
Staying in Touch
 
We have been working to keep our email mailing list current, and in compliance with the new anti-spam legislation.  Through this process, some people may have dropped off the list.  We encourage you to forward this correspondence to your friends and family members in case they didn’t receive it directly.  If you are reading this, having had it forwarded to you, and wish to ensure you receive future correspondence from us directly, please sign up for our email mailing list.  Please be assured that you will not be inundated with email.

Even if you have signed up for the email list, please periodically check your profile, and keep it up to date.
 
Update Profile & Subscription Preferences
2015 Sailing Program

Instructor Team
This year’s roster of 7 instructors, led by Erik Nyhuus as Head Instructor, includes five returning coaches from last summer, and the addition of two new instructors.  We are delighted to welcome Adele DesBrisay, and Meagan Woodman, joining the returning: Michael Robson, Graeme Shea, Megan Thomas, and Jacob Webster.  Adele will take on the role of Wet Feet instructor, and Meagan will take advantage of her experience, both sailing and coaching, at Whitby Yacht Club, and Frenchman’s Bay Yacht Club, working with Erik as assistant head instructor, and working with our junior sailors in the afternoon race program, as well as coaching CanSail 3.  We know the SLSC community will welcome Meagan with its usual warmth.  More detailed bios of all of our instructors will be posted on the club’s website when available.
 
Program
Following the success of last year’s Afternoon Race Program, it will return this year for interested sailors in CANSail 2 or higher, who wish to gain more experience with racing.  Groups will again include our Opti sailors, Feva Sailors, and the senior race team in 420s.  Junior sailors in the Afternoon Race Program will enhance their skills, learn essential racing rules, and be introduced to basic racing strategies and tactics.  It is our objective that these junior race team sailors will have the opportunity to race in interclub activities we are endeavouring to organize, and/or one or more of the recognized Ontario regattas.  We are excited to learn that the growing fleet of Fevas in Ontario has encouraged a number of regatta organizers to include Feva classes in their events, and we are keen to see how many we can attend with our junior racing program members.  The program will run two afternoons per week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, for six weeks.  Participants must commit to a minimum of two weeks.  While participation in the afternoon race program is not mandatory, priority will be given to those who have enrolled in it, when participation in off-lake regattas is being determined.
 
Program Highlights
  • Wet Feet – Now in its fourth year, the Wet Feet program, designed to make our youngest sailors comfortable in and on the water in our Optimist dinghies, will be led by Adele DesBrisay. 
     
  • Racing – CanSail 4/5/6 – While we expect to see our senior race team’s numbers to again be small this season, we nonetheless anticipate an enthusiastic participation in the regatta circuit, and mentoring of our younger aspiring racers.  
     
  • Afternoon Race Program - Giving our senior race team members an opportunity to spend more time on the water, and opening up the world of racing to interested sailors in CANSail levels 2 to 4 as well, we are excited about continuing the Afternoon Race Program. Last year was the third year of our “Elite Opti Racing Squad”, created to give a group of our younger sailors an opportunity to get a taste of racing and, where possible, the regatta scene.  The “EORS” raced with great success (and enthusiasm) against Stoney Lake Yacht Club in our Bumper Boat Classic revival of an old cottage club rivalry.  We added one new Opti to the fleet last year, the Flora Jane, which was well received by this group.  This program seems to have kindled an interest in single handed sailing amongst some of the younger sailors.
     
  • “Extracurricular Activities” Tuesday night activities (which have included games, bonfires and movies, in previous years), and Friday night dances will continue, led by the senior sailors. More information about these evenings, activities, dance themes, and special events, will be communicated, as the plans are developed, on the club website, in regular instructor email newsletters, and via Twitter. 
     
  • Wednesday Night Races return! Please check the club web site for dates – we anticipate six nights of racing.  Race times and boats will be confirmed in the first week of club.
     
  • Pizza Lunch – Again included in Registration Fees and delivered to the club each Wednesday and served by Christina Hall, our new ‘Pizza Lady’!  
Registration
 
As noted above our stalwart registrar is moving on… Helping us to fill this void, we are moving to an entirely on-line registration process.  This online pre-registration will simplify the registration process for you, administration for us, and provides you the convenience of online credit card payment.  We ask that you pre-register online in advance to ensure accurate attendance and group lists can be generated for the instructors.  This will make for a smoother Monday-morning drop off for the instructors and parents, and allow for better lesson planning.

While this initiative will increase our administrative costs, we are maintaining registration fees at their 2013 levels again this year… though we would welcome donations to help cover this additional cost, and have helpfully added an option for you to do just that on the online registration site!

The online registration can be accessed from the club’s website:  www.SLSC.Ca  If you have any questions or difficulties, please contact the Registrar by email at: Registration@SLSC.ca.  One of the Club’s board members will be present at the Club each Monday morning at 8:30 to assist with any registration issues, or answer any questions.

 
Program Fees
As noted, program fees remain unchanged (still at their 2013 levels). The weekly fee is $195 per sailor (other than the short four day week following Civic Holiday Monday (commencing August 5th) with registration being $160 that week).  In addition each student is required to pay a one-time fee of $15 to defray costs payable by the club to register each sailor with Sail Canada’s CanSail registry. This fee will be added to the fee for the first week of each sailor’s participation in the program.

As always, no one will be turned away because of financial challenges.  There are a limited number of bursaries available that Leslie Thomas will continue to administer.  If you require assistance with fees, please speak with Leslie Thomas at (416) 234-5506 (Toronto) or at (705) 887-2821 (Sturgeon Point) or email her in confidence at Confidential@SLSC.ca
Register and Pay Online Now!
What to Bring
All sailors are reminded to bring the following to the club each day: Life Jacket (PFD), water shoes (no open-toed shoes), bathing suit and towel, hat, change of clothes, waterproof sunscreen, and a reusable/refillable bottle of water and a light snack.  Participants in the Afternoon Race Program must bring lunch on those days.
Club Racing
 
Sunday Afternoon Race Series
Dates to be determined – please check club website 

We expect the same format as previous summers with sailing in 420s, and Fevas.  Show up at the club at 12:30, with or without a crew. First race will start at 1:30 p.m.  You will be assigned a boat.  Sailing will be without spinnaker or trapeze.  Individuals will carry their points from one Sunday to the next, regardless of who they sail with.  At the end of the season the individual with the most accumulated points under our scoring system will be crowned the Sunday Afternoon Races Champion, and be suitably recognized at Prizegiving!  Prizes will also be awarded for other categories, to be determined.

All sailors are encouraged to come and participate, regardless of experience.  We will match more experienced sailors with less experienced sailors to ensure everyone gets safely around the race course.  The emphasis in these races is on learning, and very friendly competition.  Adults and Juniors alike are welcome.  We encourage parents to come out and join their children on the water!  
 
Civic Regatta: Saturday August 1
Juniors and Adults are encouraged to participate in this annual SLSC regatta.  Priority for boat assignments goes to sailors in the junior club program.  Boats not being sailed by Juniors may be borrowed.  A $50 rental fee per boat will be charged for those who do not have an immediate family member in the Junior Club Program.
Summer Schedule
 
Some important summer dates:
July 6, 2015 First day of club
July 18, 2015 (Non-Gala?) Gala
August 1
August 2
Civic Holiday Regatta
Civic Holiday Regatta, Barbecue, and Prizegiving
August 28, 2015 Last Day of Club; Prize-giving, and AGM
Support for Race Team
 
We are anticipating another busy summer of Racing - for both our Senior Race Team, and the other participants in our Afternoon Race Program.  This will involve travel to a number of regattas in Ontario.  We will, as always, need the support of race team parents to make this possible.  You are encouraged to get in touch with Jacob, Meagan, and/or Erik (before they contact you!) to co-ordinate how and when you are able to assist with transport of sailors and/or boats, accommodation, or general “chaperoning”, as necessary.

Events of Interest to the Race Team

Steerers’ Regatta (PCYC) July 17-18
Four Sisters Regatta (PCYC) July 19-20
Cottage Club Regatta (Stony Lake) Aug 7-8
CORK (Kingston) Aug 10-14
EYC Youth Training Regatta (Etobicoke) Aug 20-21
 
More details are available on the Ontario Sailing Website
 
We are working to ensure that our website, www.SLSC.Ca, is kept up to date – please check regularly for updates, and information about upcoming activities and events.  I look forward to seeing many new and familiar faces on the water, and around the club, as another year of indelible summer memories is created.

Yours very truly,

Commodore, SLSC
Email the Commodore
Email the Commodore
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