As we continue to have issues of geography here in Southeast Florida, this article continues to be a “pen-pal” relationship for the fleet. Bruce and Carol Hagreen, Symphony, #248, continue to be our far ranging cruisers. They will cruise south during the winter and they venture north as far as Maine when the weather turns warmer.

Pat and I, along with fellow LLC members Christeen and Franco continue to day-sail Esprit du Vent. When your boat is as old as ours, you are continuously upgrading and repairing. Franco has been replacing corroded wire connectors such that circuits get back to normal voltages. I recently replaced the two jib sheet track cars. The boat sports new hatch covers. We designed our own cover for the forward hatch after hearing that no one sells a cover that fits.

“Cheerios” enjoys a Christmas Sail

Paul Chasse, Cheerios #1282, sent along his Christmas card shown here. While Christmas has long past as you read this article, the idea of printing note paper with an image of your boat can be a nice touch for you old-timers who still use the USPS. Paul notes that even though the Mk II is fairly young, it too has entered into the period of constant maintenance. In addition to repairs, Cheerios now sports a brand new dodger.

Marc Wosar, Epione #1537, has been doing some thinking about making the fleet useful. He suggests that we can perform a benefit for C34 owners by assembling local knowledge and sharing it. For example he states: “I know most every nook and cranny of upper Biscayne Bay, but don’t know anything about sailing up the coast or across to the Bahamas. There are plenty of cruising guides out there, but none tailored to the characteristics of the C34, like draft limitations, speed, etc. I suggest each member put down some of their ‘local knowledge’ and distribute it, forming a C34-specific cruising guide.”

As always, if any of you get down to Southeast Florida, be sure to look us up.
Robert Schuldenfrei, Esprit du Vent #422

Editor Note: This is the May 2015 article that was not published in Mainsheet

Will this winter ever end? The cold roared in in early November, and although today is a one-day wonder of warmth, the ice and 20’s return tomorrow. How are we surviving? Several of our members have their boats on a coast in a warmer clime, and they have extended gracious invitations to the rest of us to join them as they tour the Bahamas and enjoy the traditions on the various islands. The Wilsons and the Whytes are the generous hosts who have made it possible for others to escape the cold and to explore the islands, as most of us have dreamed we would someday do. This experience has motivated at least one of our group to sell his boat and buy a bigger one for use on similar adventures.
As you can see, this is a sailing fleet not bound by land boundaries, dams, and bridges on our lake!

Andy and Angelia Wilson install a sign giving distance to Lake Lanier from Georgetown, Bahamas

Fleet 13 and other boating friends enjoy Fleet Captain Dottie Tony’s Wedding in October

Our Christmas party was a smashing success, hosted again by the Robichauxs, the Whytes, and the Mitchells. The Ugly Sweater theme brought out the creativity of the partiers, and the food, as always, was extraordinary. Favors for those attending were sturdy wine glasses etched with “Fleet 13.” A slide show of our past years’ activities, created by Bruce Whyte, ran constantly, projected onto a sheet outside and visible from rooms on the back of the Robichauxs’ house. Our January soup/stew party, hosted by the Burroughs and the Penzs, was a big hit. More than 20 of us cozied up to the fire and devoured delicious soups, salads, and stews. We got to actually talk with each other and enjoy the company of our fleet members who are more than just other boaters. We are close friends who support each other in our lives on and off the water.

As warm weather returns, as surely it will, we will enjoy a Cajun dinner on the marina deck on May 2, and we will have our annual business meeting and brunch on Memorial Day. This very important meeting is the one time we determine what activities we can look forward to in the coming year. Every member participates at some level in a fleet activity. This is the key to our success.

I was thrilled last week to receive an email from someone who is moving to the Lake Lanier area. He is eager to meet our fleet and is looking for a Catalina 34! Wow! The power of this means of communication! Thanks go to all who help create this magazine, especially Jack Hutteball and Stu Jackson.

Dottie Toney, Scarlets Way #1614

Editor note: This is the May 2015 article that was not published in Mainsheet

The 2015 Annual Dinner at Paragon Restaurant was the perfect stop to celebrate the winner of the Cruiser and Racer of the Year awards. The 30 members and friends swapped stories of the 2014 sailing season and ideas for boat projects we would like to complete, before the 2015 season gets underway.

Rick Allen presented the Cruiser of the Year trophy to Scott and Christine of Seascript in recognition of their work in organizing the Cruising program for the last several years.

Scott and Christine – Seascript – celebrate receiving the COTY award, or maybe it was their recent engagement

Chris Owen went over the Racing schedule for 2015 and invited others to join the racing fun. He announced that David Sanner of Queimada was the winner of the Racer of the Year for 2014.

Cory Jackson, our Treasurer, gave the financial update – we have enough money to pay for this dinner, let’s move on.

The major event of the evening was the announcement of Scott and Christine’s engagement – we congratulate them and wish them every happiness.

We thank those who supported the Fleet activities in 2014 and hope to see new and more faces during 2015.

Thanks to Rick, Chris and Cory for their efforts in making Fleet 1 a success

We thank Lynn of Rollover for organizing the dinner again in 2015.

Best wishes for the 2015 sailing Season
Racing:

The winter series was not decided until the last legs of the last race where Mottley managed to finish ahead of Queimada to take the series with a1 point advantage.

The final standings were; Mottley (6 points), Queimada (7 points), All Hall (9 points), Amandla (13 points), and Sea Spirit (19 points)

Complete details can be found at: www.jibeset.net/ourregatta.php?A00=yes&A11=yes&CLUB=GGYC
Cruising:

The first cruise for 2015 is a return trip to Petaluma on May 15-17, where we have had fun times before. This year we will be docked down town for the weekend celebration of American Graffiti Salute – www.americangraffiti.net

Ray Irvine, Crew’s Nest #1383

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