Volume 69 • Issue 4 • October, 2019 - Atlanta Yacht Club · Tracy’s new favorite farm in Bluffton, GA, White Oak Pastures plus! 36 pounds of tater tots, 10 pounds of bacon for

Volume 69 • Issue 4 • October, 2019The Journal of the Atlanta Yacht Club

A publication of the Atlanta Yacht Club

7120 Yacht Club DriveAcworth, GA 30102

www.atlantayachtclub.org

Commodore Kirk [email protected]

Vice Commodore Steve [email protected]

Rear Commodore Tracy [email protected]

Secretary Nile [email protected]

Treasurer Doug [email protected]

Membership Robert [email protected]

AYC FLEET CONTACTS

[email protected]@atlantayachtclub.orgyflyercaptain@[email protected]

[email protected]@atlantayachtclub.org

[email protected]

SUBMIT ARTICLES AND PHOTOS TOSCUTTLEBUTT EDITOR

[email protected]

ATLANTA YACHT CLUB est. 1950Atlanta Yacht Club, north of Atlanta on Allatoona Lake, has been home to small-boat sailors of all ages since 1950. On weekends throughout the year, you will find our shores busy with one-design sailing craft heading out for competition or just the pleasure of being on the water.

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Kirk MaassenCommodore 2019

When you drive past the flagpole, you may have noticed some small, triangular flags flying off the yardarm. These are the flags of the flag officers and they are

flown when the representative is on the grounds. Blue – Commodore; Red – Vice Commodore; White – Rear Commodore. This is a tradition that we continue so you know who is on the grounds.

Labor Day was originally initiated to recognize the labor force of our country and provide a day of rest. Well, there was not much rest from our volunteer laborers over the first weekend in September at AYC. Rear Commodore Tracy Allardice, with the assistance of her family, pulled together a Lobster Bake for over 200 guests. What a feat and what a meal. I couldn’t count all the volunteers that were involved with putting this weekend on, including the burger bar on Saturday. We were fed well! And thank you to all of the volunteers who helped out and

made it successful. There were some fun stories where our recent past commodore let our younger members put the lobsters in the pan. He never had to put one in himself.

Labor Day turned into the Weekend of Champions. We elected to move the Junior Championship to Saturday of Labor Day to boost participation. Evie Blauvelt captured the title of Junior Champion. Then the next day, we hosted the Women’s Championship in Snipes that proved to be a very competitive series of races where Kate Rose captured the title.

The following weekend, we had the opportunity to host the High School Sailing program SAISA for a day of racing in our fleet of 420s. There were six teams that participated in the event. Our plan is to schedule this event for the same time next year. While all this was going on, AYC was also hosting the Learn to Sail class. Since the 420s were being used by the high schoolers, the Y-Flyer Fleet stepped in and had fifteen boats on the water. This gave first time sailors an opportunity to skipper a Y under the tutelage of an experienced Y sailor. The best part about all this was that we as club could accommodate two groups and put on a quality events.

If you haven’t noticed by now, we have freshly repaved roads. What started out as a quote process to plan for the forthcoming year turned into a funded project for this year. We were able to get the roads repaved well under our what was originally quoted. We were able to restore all of the paved roads that were damaged when the waterlines were replaced as well as the neglected sections over the years. This is the first

From theVice Commodore

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Steve GuebertVice Commodore 2019

maintenance of our road infrastructure since they were first put in close to seventy years ago. We definitely paid for the resurfacing with our annual depreciation costs. A shout out goes to Tracy and Winky for spearheading this maintenance project, thank you.

As you can tell, we have had a lot going on and still have a lot of sailing left to go this fall, starting with the Gilbert D. Beers Regatta for Y-Flyers, followed with the Halloween Regatta for Snipe, and then the No-More-Turkey Regatta for the Lasers. All of which will be tremendous events for each Fleet. We will culminate the year with the Annual Meeting on Saturday November 9, and then, our Christmas Party and Annual Awards Banquet is on December 14. Please mark your calendar to come recognize and cheer for the long list of 2019 accomplishments.

Respectfully Submitted Kirk Maassen

The principal purposes of the Club shall be: to promote sailing in all its branches; to help promote water safety and a code of ethics for the waterways; to form a social and activity nucleus for people in this area interested in sailing; to develop an active relationship with other sailing organizations; to promote racing and other sailing activities; and to foster a spirit of helpfulness and good fellowship.

As the year ends, I'd like to thank all of you who promoted sailing through your service on race committee teams for both fleet races and regattas. This year, like most years, the club hosted 46 fleet race days. We ran 18 morning race days for 420s, Lasers, and Optis. We hosted 15 regattas,

including for the first time, 2 SAISA high school regattas. All these events require the support of volunteers on race committee teams. If you count them all up, this comes to almost 4,000 person hours of volunteering! On behalf of all the sailors, thank you!

This year, we experimented with a new approach to fleet race management with pairs of PROs and larger teams. The primary driver has been to ensure we can safely support the sailing. Different teams took different approaches, with some teams split into two sub-teams, while other teams remained as one large team. We are interested in your thoughts on how well this approach worked this year. Tracy Allardice and Charlie Clark are starting to plan the approach we will take in 2020, and I encourage you to share your thoughts and great ideas.

Another goal of the race management approach this year was to encourage additional members to become certified PROs. A number of individuals were designated as a “PROs in Training”, with the hope that they would be able to learn and practice as a PRO under the supervision of existing PROs. I, myself, fell into that category. I’d like to thank Bryce Dryden and Jim Womble for their mentoring and guidance while I was assigned the PRO role on 3 of our team’s 4 race days. On one day, we had the pleasure of dealing with the fickle winds in the heat of the summer. Our search for the best breeze led us to racing in the cove while we watched the wind shift 180 degrees from east to west and back to east again. I hope all the other PROs in Training also took advantage of the opportunity this year and have learned what it takes to be the PRO in charge of the team. I strongly encourage all existing and to-be PROs to obtain and maintain your US Sailing PRO certification. In addition to the insurance coverage provided by US Sailing, certification is a recognition that you as a PRO are providing a quality racing environment for our sailors. Thank you!

For the first time, we sailed the Junior Championship in 420s. We had a total of 10 teams competing on Saturday of Labor Day weekend. Based on the feedback from the Juniors and their parents, it is likely that we will again plan to run the Junior Championship on Saturday of Labor Day weekend.

Our club has outstanding facilities and resources to promote sailing, including the fleet of 420s and Optis, as well as the supporting motor/safety boats. The fleet of 420s has really been put to use this year… Adult Learn to Sail, Junior training, Junior Week, Junior championship, SAISA regattas, and more. I’d like to thank Aaron Smith who volunteered to lead the effort to maintain the boats this summer. Aaron put in many hours of work to repair broken and worn parts to keep these boats in great condition to support all the sailing events. Thank you, Aaron! Our safety boats, RC1, RC2, and RC3 now all have T-Tops in place of the Bimini tops. A big thanks to the members of the Snipe fleet for their donation of the T-top for RC3!

Now let’s go sail!

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From theRear Commodore

Tracy AllardiceRear Commodore 2019

Happy Fall Y’all! My update on all things “Land” from the last several months will focus on things that can be felt and seen.

Let’s start with safety. The feeling of safety is critical to our psyches. There are all kinds of activities that take place behind the scenes at AYC to keep our infrastructure as safe and sound as possible. Barry and Lane keep things running for us and a few examples of safety focused efforts over the last several months are:

• Fire extinguishers and system inspected and serviced (July) • New railing installed on the gravel steps down to the lower lounge (July)• Road paving on areas that were crumbling (September)• Ice machine and ice/water dispensers cleaned and served (October)

Upcoming project work will include some painting inside the club house, repair to the dormers on the roof, boat parking in the center island with the pull through spots and a new roof on Barry’s shed. Plenty to keep us busy, that is for sure.

Another critical feeling is one of connectedness. AYC is a community and family. The best way to feel connected to the community is to participate. Participation comes in many forms. The Labor Day weekend is traditionally one of the best attended events AYC hosts each year. Add a Lobster Bake, two championship regattas, the traditional events and a new “AYC’s Got Talent” event and wow, the numbers were over the moon. The weekend lent itself to some serious participation and opportunities for connection. The Lobster Bake is a massive effort and is a community builder – it took over 60 volunteers just to pull that meal off and actually, we could have used a few more hands. Here’s some fun stats on the Labor Day weekend:

• 20 Juniors in ten 420s competed in the Junior Championship, thanks to Elliott Newnham and his team• Over 650 meals served throughout the weekend – thanks to everyone who helped, there were so many it would

fill the page to list all of you

◊ 115 Chick-Fil-A lunches◊ 165 lobsters◊ 40 kid meals◊ 20 veggie burgers, 35 organic chicken breasts and over 200 delicious grass-fed beef burgers from

Tracy’s new favorite farm in Bluffton, GA, White Oak Pastures plus! 36 pounds of tater tots, 10 pounds of bacon for the burger bar

◊ And …. hundreds and hundreds of pancakes

• 22 Ladies in 11 Snipes competed in the Ladies’ Championship, thanks to the Sherrys• Too-many-to-count creative boats participated in the Cardboard Boat Race, thanks to the Kaczynskis• 8 different displays of “Talents” from members young and old – magic tricks, piano, kazoos, guitars, singing,

story telling and the list goes on, thanks to Amy Kuznicki for leading this activity• Over 70 people got their juices flowing in the Allatoona Shuffle, thanks to the Folk family• A gazillion balloons were blown up and launched for the Balloon Bash, thanks to the Clark family and Juniors

In addition to the leads of the key events throughout the weekend, I would be remiss if I did not say a special thank you to my family for being the overarching hosts for this fun and memorable weekend: my husband Darryl, parents, Bill and Beth Tumlin, sister and bro-in-law Mike Garrett, my nieces Brynn and Addie and three of my best friends, Adrienne Warnken, Chris Leigh and Kelly Brock.

Looking forward to a fabulous Fall at AYC.

Yours in Service, Tracy Tumlin Allardice Rear Commodore

LABOR DAY2019

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2019 AYC CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPWe had a fun and competitive weekend on Sept 21-22 to determine the club’s 2019 champion. Eight boats competed in this year’s event, sailed in Thistles. To even the playing field, all competitors were required to beg/borrow (hopefully not steal) someone else’s boat. I can only imagine the strategizing, negotiating and cajoling that took place prior to the races to secure a boat! As an observer on the first day, it was great fun to watch the teams figuring out how to rig someone else’s boat, especially for those not totally familiar with the Thistle.

With a total of five races over two days there was plenty of great sailing. Our guest PRO, Bill Ross from Lake Norman Yacht Club, set a long and challenging leeward/windward course. Bill’s PRO partner Margaret Hughes, also from LNYC, tracked and graphed the wind before and throughout the races to help Bill set the marks in the most optimal position. The course, combined with the usual lake winds (“shifty, patchy and holy” according to Bryce Darden), resulted in numerous leader changes during each race, and throughout the weekend. By the end of day one (three races), there was a tie for first place between Bryce Darden and Clint Hodges. But with several boats close behind them, and two more races to go, the top three spots were still up for grabs. The first race on day two shifted some leader positions and did not result in anyone clinching any of the top places. And an exciting shortened course and very close finish in the fifth and final race left everyone on shore guessing. As a testament to the competition, there were 4 different first and second place finishers within the five races.

Finally, the results were tabulated, and Steve Guebert presented the awards to our top three competitors:

• Club Champion Bryce Darden, with his crew Steven Bauer• 2nd place -- Clint Hodges, with his crew of Amy Thompson

and Ellie Spearman• 3rd place -- Kate Rose, with her crew Anna Lee Bradley

Congratulations to the other competing skippers, Amanda Hodges, Dave Shively, Bob McCormack, Don Hackbarth and Carlin Hodges and their crews. Please see the AYC website for the race by race results.

In addition to sailing, there was lots of food and camaraderie, lively post-race conversation, snacks and drinks at the point, and

we even had three ultralight-powered parachutes buzzing overhead to catch the start of the first race on Sunday.

Thanks to everyone who came out and competed, to the fans who cheered them on, our guest PRO Bill Ross, judge Nancy Parson and the volunteer race committee.

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AYC JUNIORS HIT THE ROAD (AND SKIES) FOR SUMMER AND BACK TO SCHOOL SAILING FUN!If you didn’t see many familiar Junior faces at the lake this summer, it’s likely because their summer vacations found them on waters from California to Canada and Germany! AYC is very proud of how our young sailors have caught a love of the sport and are serving as wonderful ambassadors for the club across the country and globe. Here are a few updates we received from the road.

BOY POWER: LEIF CARLSON AND JAMES FOLK MAKE WAVES ON THE CIRCUITNot to be outdone by the ladies, Leif and James hit the road as well for sailing (and some fishing). Leif Carlson competed in Opti Nationals in Grosse Pointe, Michigan where he braved the wind and water for some stellar finishes. Both Leif and James also competed in the Pensacola Junior Olympic Festival and Leif and his family travelled to Chattanooga, TN for another Junior Olympic Festival where Leif took home 1st place overall in Optis. The duo will next compete in the USODA Southeast Championship at Camp Seagull, NC.

U.S. JUNIOR WOMEN’S DOUBLEHANDED CHAMPIONSHIP IN SAN DIEGOThis summer, five Juniors formed an all-female travel c420 sailing team and their first stop was sunny San Diego, CA for the US Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship on July 19–24. Before the regatta, Evie Blauvelt, Emile Janzen, Josie Sherry, Ellie Spearman, and Lucy Spearman enjoyed some coaching from US Sailing Youth National Coach Richard Feeney, Tulane Varsity Sailing Coach Charlie Higgins as well as several Olympic Sailors.

HYANNIS YACHT CLUB REGATTA IN HYANNIS, MA (JULY 26-28)The girls flew from California to Massachusetts where their first port of call on the east coast was the Hyannis Yacht Club Regatta with 120 c420s on the starting line. Here, they met up with their good sailing friend, Isabel Smith, from Birmingham Sailing Club. Newport, RI was next for some high-performance practices with the Tufts University sailing coach. Ken Legler took the team through the paces at a great wind clinic.

Leif Carlson celebrates with a big smile on his first-place big win in his Opti at a JO event in Chattanooga, TN.

Ellie, Evie, Josie and Lucy at the US Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship in San Diego, CA

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BUZZARDS BAY C420 REGATTA IN DARTMOUTH, MA (AUGUST 2-4)Next up was the Buzzards Bay Regatta in Dartmouth, MA and where the girls saw 150 c420s on the starting line! While each girl learned much from their time on the water, they all report their favorite part of their travel sailing adventures was spending time with their friends.

ESCUDAROS TAKES TO THE SKIES FOR SUMMER SAILINGThe Escudaro family took to the air to get to the water for their summer sailing fun. They flew to the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Mississippi, California and New Jersey to name a few stops. Highlights included Daniel’s 2nd place honors in the 2019 Laser North Americans in Brant Beach, NJ and his sister Amaya’s 4th Female Finisher. Daniel qualified for the 2020 ILCA Laser Radial Youth World Championship in Poland. Daniel also earned a 1st Place and Amaya a 12th place at the Laser Gulf Coast Championship. While in the Netherlands, they raced in the Laser Europa Cup where both Escudero kids finished 12th in their respective fleets.

MADDIE JANZEN RACKS UP TRAVEL POINTS AND TROPHIESAYC Opti sailor Maddie Janzen had a busy summer and also earned some SkyMiles. She started the summer with seven weeks of intense practice with the travel sailing team LOOT (Lake Ontario Optimist Team). LOOT travels took her from Mississippi to Michigan to Canada (where she won 3rd place overall at Opti Nationals)! Maddie put her practice to use when she placed 3rd overall in Optis and 2nd in Blue Fleet at the Pensacola Junior Olympic Festival – where her sister Emilie came in 2nd in the c420 division at that regatta. Her success earned her a spot at the USA Opti North American Championship held in Nassau, Bahamas! Way to go, Maddie!

A RECORD 22 AYC JUNIORS AT BIRMINGHAM’S ROCK PAPER SCISSORS REGATTA The AYC Juniors closed off the summer season with a favorite annual regatta at Birmingham Sailing Club. A record 14 Boats total sailed representing our club. Here are highlights from the event:

• James Folk WON the tournament out of 55 kids• Elijah Hanson won 1st place in Opti Green Fleet, Carson Clark

3rd place, Kate Woods 8th place, Henley Mitchell 10th place, Andrew Hanson 11th place and Isla Mitchell 12th place out of 14 total Opti Green Fleeters from various clubs

• Maddie Janzen was 1st place Opti Blue fleet• Leif Carlson was 2nd place Blue Fleet• James Folk was 4th place Blue Fleet• Ji-Soo Bolles finished 3rd place in a Laser• Ellie and Lucy Spearman placed 3rd place in c420 trap and spin and Emilie Jansen placed 5th• Ben Woods and crew, Lauren Woods, placed 1st in 420s (non-trap and spin), Frances Hanson with

crew, Sarah Plants, finished 2nd and Dodson Bolles with crew, Dean Plants, finished 4th

AYC HS REGATTAEven though school has started again, our AYC sailors are still competing. AYC hosted the AYC SAISA High School Open Regatta on September 7. The all-star AYC Race Committee team called upon the Wind Gods and conducted 12 races. Congratulations to the Atlanta Classical Academy Team (made up with AYC members Lucy & Ellie Spearman and Ben & Lauren Woods) for coming in first place. The Woods siblings (including little sister, Kate) also honed their skills this summer at Sail Newport while visiting their grandparents! The Walker School (made up with AYC members Evie Blauvelt, Erika

Kaczynski and Grayson Berrier) came in 3rd place. Way to go AYC sailors!

CHARLESTON HS REGATTA September 24 saw AYC high school sailors from Atlanta Classical Academy and The Walker School compete in the SAISA Charleston Open Regatta. Atlanta Classical Academy came in first overall - congratulations to Lucy and Ellie Spearman and Ben and Lauren Woods - way to go! Lucy and Ben also came in first in A Division, followed by Evie Blauvelt and Grayson Berrier from The Walker School who came in 2nd in A Division. Congratulations to all of the sailors who represented Atlanta and AYC so well at this Regatta!

KATE ROSE SAILING WITH HER SISTER, TRIXY HANSON

WOMEN’S CLUB CHAMPION 2 YEARS IN A ROW!

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Kenneth Maassen grew up at AYC, was launched into our Junior Training program at an early age, and kept right on sailing. Younger son of Kirk and Anne Maassen and brother of Karl, Kenneth is primarily a Y-Flyer sailor, but has racked up tiller time in the Opti, Sunfish, Laser and 420. Sponsors Craig McLean and Tracy Allardice describe Kenneth as a full-in participant at the club, who is likable, helpful, and likely to be a human magnet to attract other 20-somethings. His love of tinkering with cars and boats is a good fit with his current pursuit of a Masters in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. We look forward to Kenneth’s participation in fleet races and regattas, as much and as often as his rigorous and time-consuming graduate program allows.

Anna McLean Haddon has been an active sailor since about age six. Daughter of Craig and Gayle McLean, Anna grew up in our Junior program, continuing to crew at home and away regattas, and has just now officially joined our ranks as a student member. Born into a Snipe family, she is a sailor through and through, equally at home on a Laser, Thistle or Y-Flyer. A regular regatta crew for Thistlers Buddy and Renée Wainwright and a winning teammate for Bryce Dryden (also her sponsor) in several Club Championships and the recent Y-Flyer MidwYnters, Anna is well known for her cheerful, fun-loving attitude and her willingness to lend a hand both on and off the water. She and her husband Clay, who were married at the club two years ago, are busy settling in to their new house, juggling Anna’s time as a full-time student at Kennesaw State and Clay’s job as a jeweler. Once school is behind her, we expect to see more of both of the Haddons at the lake, with sailing gloves in their future.

Joy McDonald, new associate member, found us by googling sailing clubs in Georgia. When Len Wert responded to her information request, it took him less than 24 hours to get Joy out on his Thistle and show her around the club. Smitten with the thrill of a new endeavor, she has been out in Snipes, Thistles, a Y-Flyer and a 420, most often mentored by Len. Add to that list a Sunfish, which she already owns and has sailed as a guest, and a Laser, which is now on her wish list. Suffice it to say that Joy is an enthusiastic learner, applying herself to the sailing learning curve with the goal of becoming competitive. A Woodstock resident, she graduated from KSU last year with a degree in Entrepreneurship and now owns her own furniture refinishing business called Our Joyful Creations. Wasting no time in contributing to the AYC community in a variety of ways, she has already served on Race Committee and volunteered to help with the Snipes’ Halloween. Eager, active and inquisitive, Joy is poised to jump right into the life of

our lake community, and we look forward to having her on board.

Welcome!NEW AYC MEMBERS

Andrew Harris and his family have come to us through sponsors Kimberly and Jim Johnson and George Willis, who first became friends with Andrew through Boy Scouts. Andrew and his wife Jennifer are the parents of three children, Ben (18), Gracie (16) and Madeline (Maddie, 12), but it is Maddie who started the sailing ball rolling when she took the Learn to Sail class. A gymnast, Maddie seems to demonstrate a natural gift for balance and boat feel, plus she likes the thrill of competition. So, Andrew, who is an active outdoors enthusiast even though he has never sailed before this summer, has been following his daughter’s lead, actively sailing with several members and committing to become more involved in the sport. Bryce Dryden and Len Wert quickly engaged Andrew and Jennifer in the Thistle mentoring program, so it comes as no surprise that Thistle #225, a white woodie with a distinctly black bottom, recently emigrated from a barn in Cleveland, Ohio, and landed at AYC. The boat will require a bit of TLC in order to become race ready, but to the enthusiastic Harris family that will be part of the fun. We welcome them all and look forward to the day when #225 is out on the lake with us.

Bill BethThe Tumlins

Two born-and-bred sailors who met at our lake, saw stars, and tied the anchor line 50 years ago. These two have just returned from a week-long anniversary cruise with ten of their closest family members, including two more generations of familiar AYC faces. In 2020, they will join the ranks of our Emeritus Members with 50 years of continuous participation at AYC.

Claudia Bolles - Snipe Fleet CaptainSNIPE REPORTOn July 26, eight Snipes arrived at the Carolina Yacht Club for the annual open regatta. Of them, five boats were from AYC and two boats were of past AYC members. Friday evening, Chris and Lindsay Stang were kind enough to host a dinner at their beautiful home in Charleston. Lindsay was pregnant and past due, but very active and in good cheer. Saturday morning greeted the sailors with a stiff breeze and swift currents. The yard was a traffic jam of boats, but the CYC volunteers operated the trailers and hoist with efficiency. In

the wind and chop, the first race was on, and all eight boats were on the line. The sailors were challenged by the blowing wind and rocking waves, and the Seabrook and Bolles teams retired after sustaining injuries. David Muhlhausen won four of six races and secured first overall. Chris Stang won a couple of races himself and was a close second overall, followed by Trey Shipp in fourth place. Greg and William Kibler battled each other, assisted by their trusty crew Nam Suny and Ji-Soo Bolles. The sailors drove home with many bruises, and all were happy to learn that Lindsey gave birth to Amelia Grace immediately after the award ceremony. It was a beautiful conclusion to the fantastic regatta.

Marshmallow Intergalactic Championship

Invitations were sent to all the systems in the galaxy for the 2nd annual Marshmallow Intergalactic Regatta. Twenty earthlings responded to the signal and gathered in the gazebo on July 20. Claudia Bolles and Joy Finch handed out red shirts to the Hot Dogs and blue shirts to the Marshmallows and assigned teams. After an orientation sail-about, the sailors munched on hot dogs and homemade marshmallows. Thirteen boats were on the line for the fleet race. Aden Willis and Greg Kibler left the fleet behind as Aden proved to be an able crew. With many Marshmallows at the helm, Pablo and Diego Ochoa pulled out ahead, and the brothers traded for first place throughout the course. They were followed by their parents, Isabel and Mauricio, until their father capsized

heroically. He was not the only one to fall into the drink, as Daniel dove in to retrieve Dodson’s Snipe Hunter before it drifted away from the dock. Joy McDonald sailed a close 3rd place behind Aden and the Ochoa brothers, while Don Hackbarth showed her friend, Loan, the ropes. Newly graduated to Hot Dog status, Andy Finch coached Diane Neste. Nam Suny hosted a full boat with Addie Garrett and Andrew Hansen and Ji-Soo had her own hands full with

Francis Hansen and Brynn Garrett.

Snipe Halloween Regatta Oct. 26 – 27Yee Haw, Buckaroos! Get your boots and hats ready for a rip roarin’ time at the lake! We’ll be circling the wagons (boats) for a weekend to remember! Take a moment now to register to sail and for meals at the registration website and for activities through Sing-Up Genius.http://www.atlantayachtclub.org/Halloweenhttps://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094fa4ac23a3f58-aychalloween

TARASA WINS AGAIN!

Snipe Fans -- See all the photos here!https://www.flickr.com/photos/67013425@N02/collections/72157710576780407/

TARASA DAVIS, 2018 AND 2019 SNIPE WOMEN’S NATIONAL CHAMPION

Tarasa Davis holding the Snipe Women’s National Champion perpetual trophy clock, but her crew, Kim Calnon, got the yummy cake!

ThistleReport

THISTLE FLEET NEWS by Nancy Molitor

The Thistle Fleet has been flying on a lifted tack all summer long with our Rallies, the not-so-secret ingredient that is keeping participation and enthusiasm alive and well with each event and in between. At our kick-off summer Rally on July 6, we had 15 Thistles, 51 people sailing, and 85 Thistle-related attendees at the club-wide brunch, including eight guests! The next one on August 17 drew an even bigger crowd, and by the time you read this we will have wrapped up the Adult Sailing Class season by hosting them (plus 13 Scouts!) for a pre-Rally lunch on October 5. Meanwhile, the Mentoring Initiative is still going strong on Saturday mornings, and we are building the confidence of new people, one skipper at a time. For encouragement, skill development (and yes, sheer fun!) there is nothing to compare to one-on-one engagement, first-hand and on the water.

It is an unexpected perk to see how investing in newcomers is having the reverse effect of engaging more “oldcomers” and growing our numbers at both ends of the spectrum. Already with (as of this writing) an entire month of club sailing left to go, the numbers bear us out — with more courses sailed, more unique skippers, more max boats and more average boats-on-the-line than in both of the last two years. To wit, here are some of the people, new and old, contributing to the hum of activity this summer in all sorts of ways. Johnny and David Sinclair have been fixtures, always sailing Sunday afternoons, with Johnny a huge and consistent supporter of the mentoring program. Troy, Ashley and Jamie Davis are getting their Thistle active together as a family, rekindling interest and sampling the mentoring side. “Mr. Can-Do” George Willis is often at the lake during the week, sailing on his own when he can, even just going out with main only if necessary. Others actively mentoring and sailing afternoon courses are Elliot Newnham, Wes and Bonnie Mullinax, Reid and Anne Thompson, John Weiler and GT grad student/new member Conrad Roos in a loaner boat.

In the Hardware Department, Dale and Elliot Newnham got their pristine woodie out of the garage for the Old Goat, so we hope this is the bend in the road to get the Newnhams back in the fray. Speaking of woodies, brand new club members Andrew and Jennifer Harris and their kids Ben, Gracie and Maddie, recently acquired #225, that new white hull with the black bottom, from a barn in Cleveland, Ohio. AYC born-and-raised Alex Padgett drove to New York with Pete Gregory to retrieve an experienced boat from a boat house, so we’re trusting that Alex will be keeping his big toe in Lake Allatoona. Brett and Lisa Woods have been “cleaning out” their newly acquired 3800 this summer, and Steve and Gillian Bauer are actively seeking a Thistle which fits their budget. (Remember that Steve comes from a long-active Thistle family and was Bryce’s crew in the Club Championship this year.) Finally, Darryl and Tracy Allardice invested in a new rudder from Doug Laber and Great Midwest. We don’t know what that means, exactly, but I’m all for taking it as good news.

Congratulations to Bryce, once again King of the Pond in the AYC 2019 Club Championship! We had three competitors from our fleet — Dave and Diane Shively, in first place in our standings as of mid-summer, along with Bob McCormack and Bryce, who earned their slots in our “sail-off” held August 24-25. As for other hot contests on the line, the big enchilada at this moment is for the Most Courses Sailed, the honor that Len Wert has walked away with for years, until he actually did “walk away” last year and Keegan Musser moved into the winner’s circle. So with another month to go, the two of them are nearly neck-and-neck, with the Shivelys not far behind.

At home and on land, one of the most fun Thistle gatherings EVER was in August, when Len Wert treated the club to an account of his 2018 adventures through-hiking the 2191 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Replete with slides, statistics, colorful anecdotes, inspiration and even props, Len’s presentation had us all riveted to his great story and left us wanting more. We were also reminded how grateful we are about having this cool guy back with us on his Thistle. And it didn’t hurt to have s’mores going on outside.

See you on the water, on shore, and wherever good Thistling times are to be had!

A FLEET CAPTAIN’S THANK YOU Eddie Kuznicki

Fall is here and the lake waters are low, but Y-Flyer sailors are still enjoying the warm days and the sailing is still in full swing. It is amazing to be part of such a great group -- the friendships, fleet growth and sailing in the Y-Flyer fleet is second to none. I couldn’t be prouder of how well the fleet has come together and welcomed new members and boat owners, and want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who has helped hosting regattas, final mark gatherings, dinners, and parties so far this year. The dedication has created visibility and interest in the Y-Flyer and our fleet. We have folks taking a serious look at owning, sailing and racing a Y-Flyer. Kudos to all of you!

Away regattas included a Labor Day event in Kentucky – Bluegrass, Bourbon and Boats. Nile Hatcher placed 3rd out of 15, but Shelby stole his trophy bottle of Bourbon (I guess she is now old enough to get away with that).

Have you ever tried to remember who placed where at Nationals in 1967? Want to verify the tall tales of yore being told at gatherings? Want to understand the history of the class and what boat measurements and equipment changed since 1952? Want to remember the olden days when your parents/grandparents were active sailors?

But alas you don't have an historical resource. Well, you do now!

I am happy to announce that except for 1961 and 1962, all editions of the Y-Flyer, Y-Flashes, Y-flyer Flashes and The Flyer have been scanned and digitized. Simply enter a search term in the .PDF files and the class history search results appear at your fingertips. Technology is amazing. Even the type written pages from the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s are searchable.

So now you’re thinking, “how can I get a copy?” Simply text or email Nile Hatcher and he will arrange it. Special thanks to the Kopin, Dutton and Callen families for providing the necessary hard copies as well as Paul White and Doug Kinzer for being pack rats, and to Nile for sitting for days and days scanning every single page for us.

page 16 AtlantaYachtClub.org

EC 12 METER FLEETJohn Muhlhausen, Fleet Reporter

On a hot steamy “William Faulkner” type of Saturday evening in August with nary a breeze, our esteemed fleet hosted the club-wide cookout at the BBQ Pavilion and the first annual, radio-controlled two-boat team relay race. After tummies were filled, the sun kissed the horizon and the earlier zephyrs had vanished to nano-puffs, 12 or so hearty skippers stepped forward and joined the Red Bull Team, captained by Bill Tumlin and the Yellow Jacket Team, led by George Willis. If memory serves me correctly, the Red Bull were represented by Buzz Benzur, Anna Hayden, Winky Williams, a hot-shot wearing an impressive purple Chicago Sailing shirt, Dianne Vandeputte and anchored by BT (Bill Tumlin); the Yellow Jackets were represented by the infamous duo of Bryce Dryden and Bob McCormack, Gabe Berris, Aaron Smith, Dave Shively and a youngster in a bright

green shirt, Grant Smith. After a ceremonial wade through the algae bloom, Yellow Jacket skipper Dryden and Red Bull skipper Benzur launched their 12 Meters and started the relay race reaching to their respective yellow and red marks. The race and lake-side chatter began. The event was immediately subject to redress as Dryden complained that his team’s yellow mark was anchored much farther away

than the red mark of his competition. Fleet vice-captain Vernon, who fortunately remained on the water, took laser readings of the mark placements and confirmed Dryden’s observation and made the requested 7’- 8” adjustment. The race continued without further complaints and ended in happy chaos. Both teams were declared winners as darkness settled over the course. Thanks to Bill Tumlin, Robert Mitchell, George Willis and John Muhlhausen who lent their boats for this event.

The Summer Series recently concluded. We sailed a total of 45 races over a period of 5 race days. Rising to the top was our fleet captain, Robert Mitchell, followed by Scott Vernon in second, and Spring Series champ, Bill Tumlin, rounding out the top three. I am not sure who won the season trophy, but suspect it was either Robert, Scott or Bill. Our Fall/Winter Series now shifts to Murphey-Candler Park on a delightful pond where the water level remains consistently high and the only water turbulence is caused by wind or a large raft of paddling ducks. Sailing begins Sunday morning at 11am, November 3 and continues on alternating Sunday mornings concluding on Sunday, March 15. We welcome guest skippers to join us. If interested, contact an EC 12 Fleet member and we can arrange to have a loner boat for you.

Former fleet member, Don Hackbarth, recently donated his boat to Gabe Berris. After several days of practice sailing, Gabe sailed with us on our final Sunday of the Summer Series. Welcome aboard, Gabe, and thank you, Don.

Benzur races McCormack to start Relay race

Dryden waits for McCormack to finish

Vernon races to adjust Yellow mark placement; redress is adverted

Willis coaches team-mate

From the front cover: Josie Sherry and Darby Dryden compete in the Junior Championship regatta over Labor Day Weekend. Photo credit: Diane Vandeputte