 WOW! What great weather we enjoyed in the month of November. The racers had great wind and the cruiser, at times, had more wind than they could handle. The North Cruise wrapped up and by all reports it was a rousing success. Thanks to the multiple cruise leaders who ensured that The North Cruise was a relaxing, exciting, safe, and enjoyable event.
The Hospice cup, which we assist the Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club, was, once again, very successful. Thanks to all who not only participated but volunteered their time to make this a great regatta.
I am sending this message a little early so The Second Annual French Picnic at Pelican Bay has not happened yet but will be taking place November 25th – 27th. Be sure to sign up on line and enjoy some more great food.
I don’t know about you, but I really enjoyed the presentation by Mike Savino at the November club meeting. For those of you who missed it, Mike gave a presentation on his recent sailing adventure to Cuba. Not only was the presentation interesting and informative but very entertaining.
December will see the wrap up of the Fall Series, the annual Rim Canal parade and of course it will be a time for all of us to gather with family and friends to celebrate the holidays. Diane and I wish each and every one of you a very joyous holiday season.
2016 has flown by for me (I think that is a sign of either getting older or senility…perhaps both). I have thoroughly enjoyed being the Commodore of Punta Gorda Sailing club for 2016. What has made it even more enjoyable is the great board with which I have had the pleasure of working. Each of them pitched in and helped tackle the many issues which the club faced not only at the beginning of the year but throughout 2016. Thank you fellow board members!
2016 saw the club revamp the racing series schedule and an uptick in new members who are interested in racing as well as the introduction of a fun race; Cruising had a number of very successful cruises including the South Cruise that went to The Florida Keys and The Dry Tortugas. Our vice commodore organized a number of great educational programs including a few concurrent sessions which covered areas we hoped would be appealing to the admirals in the group. For the first time since I have been in the club, monthly socials were a regular occurrence thanks to Sally Myers. Some of the more mundane, but import issues which were addressed were: Revision of the bylaws; revision of the Officers Manual; revision of our marketing pamphlet and its placement in West Marine, boat breakage offices, and Lashley Marine as well as other locations. We had a very successful Conquistador Cup Regatta with a record number of cruisers taking part. While our membership dropped to 170 at one point in the year, through the efforts of a number of our board members and members we experienced a great rebound to 195 by the end of the year. What a great and exciting year!
I look forward to seeing all of you at The Change of Watch Dinner. Because it is being held at The Isles Yacht Club we will be able to accommodate everyone who wishes to attend. In the past we have had to limit attendance due to space restrictions. That’s good news. But the even better news is that this year’s festivities promise to be better than ever: The venue is extremely classy, you can count on the entertainment being superb, the food will be outstanding, and of course, the conversation and comradery will be the highlight of the evening. So, gentlemen put on your top hat and tails (a coat and tie will work also) and ladies slip into your best party dress and join the rest of your fellow sailors on the dance floor at the Isles Yacht Club on December 3rd. (Contact Jim Nuzzo if you need tickets).
Happy Sailing & Happy Holidays
John Welsh
Commodore
Punta Gorda Sailing Club
|
|
|
|
