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Sail Mail
March, 2019
Our mission is to provide tuition-free sailing adventures to military personnel and their families, including veterans, Gold Star Teens, children of military families, Gold Star and Blue Star families, and spouse and child survivors.

Captain's Comments

Captain Bryan Smith
Even though there are still several feet of snow on the ground around Perception in her winter quarters, our thoughts are turning to spring. We have contacted many military organizations to recruit teens for our summer sailing programs. We are very grateful to new volunteer Mike Gillette, for assembling the addresses of over 200 veterans' organizations and service clubs to help get the word out to veterans and their families.
Heavy snows closed schools and surrounded Perception with over three feet of snow.
Volunteers keep busy all winter getting the word out to veterans and their families.
Our woodworkers are busy restoring the cabin doors by progressive sandings, varnishings, sandings, varnishings, sandings and varnishings. They are also inspecting every inch of the masts and spars for anything that needs attention.  Thank you, Denny Ray!
And master craftsman Larry Ward used his CAD program to design the flooring for the fore cabin. Notice the cleverly hidden access to the bilge.

Interested in Volunteering?

Email Captain Bryan at
captainbryansmith@gmail.com
Also on our minds is fundraising for the coming year. We thank Dave Pistor of Northern Michigan Digital for sending thousands of emails to boat owners who may be interested in donating a boat. This is a major fundraiser for Michigan Challenge.
Click Here to Donate Your Boat

Frustrated By The New Tax Laws That Discourage Charitable Giving?

By Jason P. Tank, CFA, Owner of Front Street Wealth Management, Traverse City, Michigan.
Reprinted from the Traverse City Record-Eagle.


There are ways to save money and still donate to your favorite charities or nonprofits.

Prior to the new tax law, about 30 percent of all tax filers itemized their deductible expenses. Today, fewer than 10 percent will itemize. The culprit? The new standard deduction essentially doubled. Your taxes got much, much simpler.
For single filers, the new, bigger standard deduction is about $12,000. For married filers, it jumped all the way up to about $24,000. Think of these as a hurdle.
If the combined total of your property taxes, your state income taxes, your out-of-pocket medical expenses, your mortgage interest, and your charitable donations doesn’t exceed the new, bigger standard deduction, you can now skip the tedious record-keeping.
But, remember, If you are no longer itemizing, your charitable donations won’t be tax deductible either. That is, unless you use one of these two tricks to preserve your deduction!

The first trick only works if you are over age 70 ½ and have an IRA. If you aren’t yet lucky enough to be over age 70½, the second trick is made for you.

If you are older than 70½, you can donate to a charity directly from your IRA. These are known as “qualified charitable distributions” and they work to satisfy, in part or in whole, your annual required minimum distribution (RMD) from your IRA. Even better, the money you give directly to charity from your IRA won’t count as taxable income. Since you are giving away money that’s never been taxed, it’s just like getting a tax deduction. . .Read More

Click Here to Sponsor a Teen

Thank You Brewery Terra Firma!

We are grateful to Brewery Terra Firma for sponsoring our fundraising party on February 23. We thank all you donors who dropped cash into our donation jar and scanned your credit cards. We especially thank Brewery Terra Firma for donating a portion of their sales to Michigan Challenge! We hope you enjoyed the wonderful selection of unique brews and helped yourself to some homemade chili!
https://www.breweryterrafirma.comTerra Firma is located at 2959 Hartman Road, Traverse City Michigan 94685

Why So Many Sail Configurations?

As you look over Grand Traverse Bay in the summer, you see many sailboats--mostly with triangular sails. This if very energy efficient--if you have enough crew.  The larger the sailboat, the larger the sail, the more wind pressure on the sail, and the more crew is needed to handle it.
A standard arrangement of a Marconi (triangular) mainsail and jib..
The larger the sailboat, the more muscle it takes to handle the sails. A clever way to manage this is to cut up the sails.  If you take that big mainsail and chop off a chunk at the top, you have a smaller sail that has already been "reefed" or shortened. The original sail has to be supported by a gaff--a wooden spar at the top to keep it up.  And the part that's been cut off becomes a topsail. Now the crew can use smaller sails as needed.  And if the remaining main sail is still too big for Great Lakes winds, it can be reefed further, using the "reef points."
To shorten the already-shortened sail, run a line through the reef points, pull it tight, and pull down a few more square feet of sail.  The sails are fine-tuned!
And what about that huge jib? It, too can be cut into parts--the jib, which is secured at the end of the bowsprit, a staysail, which is secured to the bow of the boat, and maybe even a jib-top (or JT). Now there are many options for adjusting the sail according to the wind.
 
What if you can't cut the sail up any more, and they're STILL too big to handle? Easy solution:  Add another mast in front of the main mast! Cut up the main and put a smaller sail in the front. Then you've got a SCHOONER!
Just as a craftsman fine tunes his tools, or a musician fine tunes his instrument, a sailor can fine tune his sails for maximum efficiency--and a good captain knows just how to do it.
Engine Update:
Our engine crew, led by Scott Ford, (thank you Scott!) has taken the conservative approach of doing an intensive inspection of the present engine, a Perkins inboard straight-6 diesel, for any problems.  An oil sample is being sent for analysis to see if possible metal shavings might forecast damaged parts leading to a breakdown during summer travels. 
Other parts will be similarly scrutinized. The hope is to have confidence that the engine will perform safely through the summer, while further research is done on a replacement engine. With the current engine in tip-top shape, it can be sold to help pay for the new engine.  Why not just keep the old engine? The main reason is that is was not manufactured in the U.S., and finding parts is time-consuming and costly. The engine was also designed for extended ocean travel, which Perception will not be doing. We thank the generosity of all the donors who have given so far. We still need about $5,000  to match the quote given to us by the Cummins representative.
Click Here to Donate to the Engine Fund

Connections!
Family of Perception's Builder Finds Us On Facebook

We were very excited to get a message via Facebook from the daughter of Perception's builder. We had tried connecting before by emailing the marina in Kerikeri, New Zealand, near where she was built, but received no response. And then, out of the blue a few weeks ago we received a message from Fiona, whose father, Mike Bentley, spent 8 years building Perception in Kerikeri. Fiona put us in touch with her mother and sister Megan, who sent us some wonderful photos of Perception being built, and sailing Down Under.
Perception's steel hull is constructed.
Perception's teak deck and cabin top are assembled.
We also noticed a strong similarity between Mike's experience and ours. His widow writes, "He was always telling us 'If you have ONE true desire and focus on that the universe will conspire to assist.' This he proved time and again through his solitary work on Perception as whenever an extra lift was needed out of the blue a friend or acquaintance would suddenly appear!" Our true desire is to make Perception the best she can be to help veterans and their families, to whom we owe so much. Whenever we needed a rigger, an engine mechanic, skilled crew, woodworkers, carpenters, social media help, or fundraising assistance they seemed to "suddenly appear." I'm sure Mike's spirit is with us!
Perception, center, takes part in a race in Australia.
A closeup of Perception slicing through Australian waters.
Mike's widow adds, "It has been extremely emotional for us to recognise each and every fitting, the cabinetwork, mast, spars, blocs etc that he made with his extraordinary hands. To see the care and attention she so deserves being given presently is so wonderful because as a family we each had input and enjoyed many years cruising.
We feel Mike's presence constantly with us and are absolutely sure his spirit will accompany every person lucky enough to share and experience your journeys." 
Perception undergoing maintenance on Mike's slipway.
Mike Bentley

Perception Participates in Two Tall Ships America Festivals

Every three years tall ships from all over the world visit the Great Lakes under the auspices of Tall Ships America. Although Perception has participated in Tall Ships Australia, this is the first year she will take part in the American Tall Ships Festivals. She will visit the Bay City Festival July 18-21, and the Erie Festival August 22-26.
We also plan to visit the Les Cheneaux Antique and Wooden Boat Show on August 10 in Hessel, Michigan.

Michigan Challenge Mourns the Loss of a Friend, Sailor, and Mentor

Many of our friends and crew were saddened to learn of the passing of Russ DeBolt. He was an active volunteer and reenactor when HMAS Welcome, owned by Maritime Heritage Alliance, made Discovery Pier her home. The crew wore period dress and participated in an event marking the beginning of the War of 1812 with the tall ship Niagara at St. Joseph's Island, Canada.
His Majesty's Armed Sloop Welcome
Russ in period dress waiting to fire one of Welcome's rail guns.
He was also mate, rigger, and gunner not only on Welcome, but also on the schooner Madeline. On another memorable voyage also commemorating the War of 1812 we battled the British at Wasaga Beach near Collingwood, Ontario.
Russ (left) relaxes before the Battle of Wasaga Beach.
The Madeline crew poses after their victory in a naval battle.
Russ was a patient mentor, and helped rigging climbers learn the ropes.  He was an expert rigger, and assisted in rigging Welcome, Madeline, Champion, and Perception. He helped paint Perception's cabin top and refurbished her boom crutch.  Russ was many things to the sailing community, and we will miss him dearly.

Left: Russ climbs the ratlines during spring rigging on Madeline .

Above: Russ with the refurbished boom crutch.
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