2009 Event Recap
Dolphins on the Shrewsbury
With
the sun setting in the background note the inclusion of a Shrewsbury
river resident in the photo leaping with excitement. Thanks to
Howard Welch for providing this photo.
10 Sep - Annual Meeting and the Passing of the Flags
The Clubhouse - Last week marked another triumph for "yacht
club democracy" as now Past Commodore Leighton Waters, Jr.
quietly and with some noticeable anticipation passed the flag
of office to our new Commodore, Mike Lyttle. PC Waters thanked
the board of governors for their support, as well as his family
and the membership. Commodore Lyttle responded in kind, thanking
PC Waters for his contribution by presenting him with a lovely
replica of the family's Marshall Sanderling "Rub-a-Dub," originally
sailed by Past Commodore Waters' father who was also a Past Commodore
of SSYC. Congratulations to the officers and new board members
- we wish them well and a very successful year.
7 Sep - '09 Trophy Dinner Again a Shining Success
SSYC
- This year's trophy dinner was again a shining success. And
with all that silver, how could it have been anything less? Emcee
Commodore Leighton Waters did a fabulous job as he and the various
officers, fleet captains, Junior Chair and our Race Chair Lee
Ingram presented the perpetual awards, junior awards and 2009
Championship series trophies to dozens of talented and sharply
dressed Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club sailors - both junior
and senior alike.
As the sun set over the Shrewsbury, the night concluded with our special junior awards, followed up by the traditional photo of our lucky 2009 Championship Series skippers and crews. All of these folks (and more in many cases) turned out all summer to compete for the honor and we congratulate them on a job well done.
7 Sep - Commodore's Brunch and Activities Make for a Busy Day
As
pictured here, the real powers behind the office of Commodore
- the spouses - are seen posing for their annual group shot.
A fabulous brunch hosted by Commodore and Mrs. Leighton K. Waters,
Jr. was followed by the annual Past Masters Meeting, Past Commodore's
Race won by Talbott Ingram, Ladies Race won by Ilene Saporta
and Champion of Champions Race taken by Dave Poyner of the Laser
Fleet. Goodness knows with all this activity and just plain old
fun how we could top the day - unless it was at that evening's
trophy dinner! Read above!
6 Sep - Labor Day Regatta and Festivities Just Crab-u-lous
After
a great day of racing on the river, it was a beautiful day in
the neighborhood to simply sit, sip some wine and catch a bite
- unless you just happen to be a crab and it just so happens
that Sunday was the annual Boy's vs. Girl's Cab Catching Contest.
Well, this scribe's sources inform him that the lassies won - again - but that the ladies have vowed to return in 2010 with the most powerful tool to date - honey glazed chicken breast. Tasty. Oh well, au revoir my little clawed friends - c'est la vie.
10-13 August - The 2009 Junior Sweepstakes Regatta
Two
down, two to go. Seriously, how can one ever have more fun on
two rivers in just four short days? Even the Commodore harkens
back to those glorious days as a junior sailor - throwing jelly
fish at his sisters as he waited for the races to get underway!
If you still need the notice of race or an application check
out the Junior Sailing page. In the meantime here are the South
Shrewsbury Scores for races held on 10-11 August:
- C-420
- Laser Radial
- Opti - Red, Blue, White - By
Fleet - Combined and
Opti Green
25 July - '09 South Shrewsbury River Challenge
The
9th Annual SSYC/Rumson Team Race - the "South Shrewsbury
River Challenge" took place this past weekend just off the
clubhouse. After a false start due to threatening weather, both
teams returned to the river to go head-to-head in serious competition.
But after five close-fought battles, Team Shrewsbury was the
ultimate winner, retaining the coveted plaque for another year.
Apres' sail, a wonderful dinner was had by all - executed in
fine form by Kim "Martha Stewart" Clauss. Our best
to our sailing friends at Rumson Yacht Club and a hearty thanks
for the great racing and our hopes for many more fine days of
racing and competing with, and against, one another.
24 July - 2nd Annual Jr. Fundraiser a Success
Our
2nd Annual Junior Sailing Fundraiser took place on Friday, July
24th. Over 50 individuals turned out to support the program,
enjoy some camaraderie on the deck and try their hand at acquiring
some lovely baskets donated by members, sailing parents, local
establishments and just folks who love junior sailing. Whether
it was that Ping driver, spanking new Wii or the lovely Vera
Bradley tote that made your eyes light up, none of it would have
been possible without Chair Kelly Zweig and Coordinator Susan
Ricker. Along with a host of members, junior parents and young
juniors who served up some delicious treats, the almost three-thousand
dollars will go to additional equipment for the junior program
- which is fortunate, as it allows us to maintain a young, well
equipped fleet of boats that enable juniors to become acquainted
with our sport. Thanks everyone!
18 July - Round-the-Island Sail Leaves 'em Spinning
"Yah
man - how do you like your sail'n" - maybe with a bit o'
tie dye, a dose of salt with that lime and a bit of tropical
refreshment? Well, if so, salt, sailing, singing and suds were
all part of the Annual Sr. Around-the-Island Sail hosted by Special
Events Chair Phil Arnheiter and the power behind the man - Robin.
It was a great night, complete with DJ, bubble machine ala Don
Ho, and of course, the reggae stylings of Phil A himself. Thanks
to Mike and Kathryn Plosica for the pics, all the volunteers
I'm sure assisted Phil and, of course, the participants.
04 July - Independence Day Regatta - It was "Da Bomb"
A
nice west/north westerly breeze greeted our regatta participants
and in true "fluky river sailing style" everyone who
participated experienced the highs, the lows, the lifts and headers
that make river sailing - shall we say "challenging?" We
had a great fleet on the river - over 60 boats - and a wonderful
race staff. We even got to try out all versions of the "Ollie" signal
system, high, low and the infamous "Gruskos Option." Thanks
to all who sailed and stayed for dinner afterwards. It was a
fabulous day, wonderful night and another one for the record
books.
03 July - Rub a Dub Dub - Another Successful Club Tub (Regatta)
It was a brisk breeze that greeted our intrepid young sailors, their parents and unsuspecting friends at the annual "Club Tub" Regatta. So named for the sailing of our club and member fleet of Turnabouts/National 10's. Interest was so high that we had to race several exciting heats on a challenging windward/leeward course. But our day wouldn't have been complete without a couple of fine-looking capsizes and a little lost mast action - Good Times! Overall, the day was extremely fun, with our ultimate winners Paige and Dave Whittle, PC taking the gilded bath tub. Thanks to the over thirty folks who made the trek, bailed the boats and contributed to the general fun as coordinated by our co-PRO families, the Fingados and Lapps. Awesome job.
26 June - Jr. MiniCamp Blows Them Away
It was a tremendous week on the Shrewsbury - eighty intrepid young sailors experienced it all - rain, wind, warm sun and a mighty line squall on barbecue night - complete with a brilliant sunset and spectacular lighting show. Oh, and did we mention the dolphins? It's a rarity but a young mother and her calf were seen amongst the fleet on a lazy Friday afternoon. But the fun didn't end there, no, we had to have a tremendous squall, complete with a blood red sun surrounded by webs of fantastic lighting. It's OK, you don't need to thank us, we do that every year for MiniCamp. Seriously, a huge thanks from the Chair and Commodore to the Junior Committee, Mrs. Jr. Chair, the Coaches, Sailing Director and Jr. Instructors for a fantastic week of fun and sailing on the Shrewsbury. Oh, and thanks to the dolphins as well.
24 May - Memorial Day Regatta
The
Flying Scot Fleet captured on their downwind leg. The annual
SSYC Memorial Day Regatta had a very good turn out from all fleets
and PRO Stuart Van Winkle got three full races in. The weather
cooperated, albeit with the wind out of the west, producing very
shifty and puffy conditions. Congratulations to the winners.
Results to be posted shortly.
23 May - Opening Cocktail Party
Liz Gearon did it again....the 2009 Opening Cocktail Party was a huge success. 150 people were in attendance for a lovely night on the deck. The weather was not perfect, but the clubhouse provided shelter from a light south west wind. Everybody looked terrific too.
Commodore Leighton Waters and the Board of Governors assembled on the deck for opening remarks and the blessing of the fleet by Mac Barnes. Truly a lovely night on all points. The 2009 BOG and Fleet Captains displaying their fleet's color's on the deck.
10 May - Mother's Day on the Deck
Some families took the time to honor "Mom" on Mothers Day on the deck. Dinner, drinks, and good friends...it truly does not get any better than that! And what a beautiful day they had....
Pictured at left: Amy Milnes, Beth Koerwer, Sue Kosinksi, JoAnn Lapp & Kim Clauss
9 May - Spring Laser Regatta
The annual SSYC Laser Regatta had a great turnout, with 19 boats competing. Despite light air, all five races were sailed. Top honors went to Graham Mergenthaler (Open), John MacCausland (Master), and Max Lopez (Radial & Junior). Thanks to all who helped on the water and off make the day a success.
From left to right: Tom Kalaman, John MacCausland, Graham Mergenthaler, Dave Magno, Eric Reitenger and Sarah Mergenthaler.
9 May - Flying Scot Mast's Up !
Members of the Flying Scot Fleet assembled down the club to rig their boats and get ready for the season. Six masts went up and at last count, eighteen Flying Scots were on the black-top!
Pictured (L-R) L Steve Gaudette, Fleet Captain Dug Milnes, Jim Nelson, Fran Sulak, Patrick Maguire, Ron Sulak, Ira Friedman & Jeff Jacobi.