Mother Nature looks like she’s going to cooperate and give us a pleasant night for sailing tonight. Forecast is for mostly sunny skies and WNW winds around 8 mph. If the forecast is correct, we will be sailing. Remember to dress warm since the water is still really chilly! We meet at Brewster’s afterwards. Even if you’re not ready to sail yet, come by Brewster’s and say hello and catch up with everyone!
All posts by Kathy Rubino
Spring Series Week 1 – May 7, 2019
Tonight is our first night of scheduled racing – first race start sequence is 6:30 pm. Rain is supposed to stop, and we’re looking at cloudy skies with temps in the low 50’s with ENE winds of 5-10 mph. Windchills will be possibly in the 40s and our latest water reading was 57 degrees at a dock.
Soooooo…..stay tuned to see if these forecasts are correct and a decision will be made after 5 pm as to whether we race or not. Sunshine might help – just sayin’. Remember to plan to wear your cold water gear – wetsuits and booties. Stay tuned to the ALCA Fleet 519 Facebook site or your e-mail Inbox for any news of cancellations.
Committee boat is the Dunlap/Rubino pontoon with Dave Dunlap race chair for the night, and myself as assistant, along with Keith and possibly Dixie. Our Principal Race Officer, Julie Lenczycki, will be watching the conditions carefully, and any questions should be directed to her as PRO. We meet at Brewster’s regardless if we race or not, and it’ll be a great opportunity to come out and join (if you haven’t already). Julie has race stickers for current fleet members if anyone needs one.
Additionally, as the weeks go on, I will be trimming the e-mail recipient list to current and 2018 members only; unless I hear from you that you would like to remain on our list, your name will be removed.
Spring Meeting Update
If you missed the fleet meeting on Saturday April 27th – here’s what you missed:
- Spring Series: May 7th – June 25th One portsmouth fleet (one start) unless there is sufficient B-Fleet attendance the first three weeks that are sailed
- Summer Series: July 9th – July 10th Two portsmouth fleets (one start)
- Gather at Brewster’s after racing or sooner if racing is cancelled
- Committee boat sign ups will be on Google Docs as well as hard copy each Tuesday night after racing. A link will be provided in the near future. We are set for the first 6 weeks for pontoon boats and for people at least the first 2 weeks (May 7th and May 14th). Thank you in advance to Keith Mortlock and Dixie Stiemsma for their help on committee boat! If there is a week without a pontoon to use for committee boat, racing will be cancelled.
- Saturday May 4th is the rescheduled date for the Tuning seminar. 10 am at the Austin Lake Public Access.
- A Hobie Worlds (Captiva Island, FLA) update was given by Lori Mohney – looks like an awesome event is taking shape, however the Youth Division may not happen due to lack of registrants.
- We discussed the possibility of designing rashguards (UV shirts) commemorating our 35th year of Fleet 519. Stay tuned.
- CRAM update: Michigan City (3 day regatta, June 21st, 22nd, 23rd) is also a Hobie Pts Regatta (Fleet 126)
- Hobie Fleet 126 also plans to host a series of 1 day sailing events: July 20th, August 17th, Sept 1st. at the same venue as MIchigan CIty regatta, stay tuned for further details. the following days after each have been saved as rain/weather dates.
With all this fun stuff going on and socializing, we did not get a change to hold our auction! We have lots of great prizes, so stay tuned for the officers plans – either a 35th Anniversary party or maybe a weekly drawing after racing.
Lastly, after the meeting was adjourned, we had a volunteer to fill the vacant Vice Commodore spot. In order to make this official (by-laws), we have to gather for a short meeting to agree as a fleet (or vote this person in, in the event there are others who are interested). This will occur Tuesday May 7th at Brewsters, either after racing or instead of racing if we are cancelled.
The Dunlap/Rubino pontoon will be our RC boat for the first two weeks, launching from Jeff Daane’s. Stay tuned to e-mails and Facebook in the event of an uncooperative Mother Nature.
Spring 2019 Kickoff Meeting & Boat tuning
The season-opening get together and Spring Fleet meeting with be held on Saturday, April 27th, at Brewster’s Fine Food and Spirits on Portage Road. Important dates and the exact format for racing this year will be decided by the fleet at this meeting – don’t miss it!
Schedule of events:
- 5:00 pm arrive, socialize, order beverages and turn in membership forms (appetizers will be served)
- 5:30-6:30 meeting
- dinner and auction (like last year – each person turning in memberships will be given ALCA Bucks to bid on various fun prizes)
- After the gathering at Brewster’s, we’ve been invited back to Julie & Andy Lenczycki’s house for a bonfire (weather permitting). BYOB and BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair). Their address is 9833 Woodlawn Dr, Portage (on Austin Lake).
Should be a fun time! A Facebook invite has also been sent.
Boat Tuning Saturday, April 27, 2019
There will also be a tune-up event the morning of that Saturday, April 27th. We have several seasoned sailors willing to share their expertise at the landing (or at your place, if your boat is on the lake). Event will begin at 10 AM at the Austin Lake Public Boat Access. A make-up date of May 4th (Otherwise known as Star Wars’ Day) is available if the weather turns ugly. Stay tuned! Please contact Dan Troup or Kathy Rubino if interested.
Watch this website or the ALCA Facebook page for the specifics, time and location for the Boat Tuning Seminar on 4/27/19.
Year End Awards Banquet – October 29, 2016
Hi Everyone!
Wanted to remind all of you of our upcoming party/dinner/meeting next week. We will be gathering in our own room at Comensoli’s in downtown Kalamazoo. We start with a cocktail hour with fleet provided appetizers, then move to dinner (family style salad also provided by fleet), then will have our annual officer elections/trophy awards. Please RSVP to Julie at crew480@yahoo.com with your dinner choice. The attached flyer will give you details of the menu. Also, I will be finding out what the weekly special is going to be very soon, so will send an update out with the specifics of that dish. I’m so looking forward to it, it’s going to be a great time!
Summer Series Week 10 – Sep 6, 2016
Tonight marks our last night of Tuesday night racing for the year – mother nature has given us a summer day with SW winds 10 – 15 mph. At racing time, it’s supposed to be 9 mph out of the west. Later we go to Brewster’s. Save the date for the year-end celebration, on Saturday Oct 29th, at a place TBD soon!
Summer Series Week 9 – August 30, 2016
Getting down to the wire here. Only two weeks left – IF mother nature is kind to us! Tuesday we’re looking at 83 degrees, party sunny, with a 40-60% chance of thunderstorms and WSW winds of 5 mph. Can you dig it? (LOL)
Anyway, we are planning to meet at Brewsters – don’t have the big room for tomorrow night, but have been assured that we will have space in the main dining room.
Year – end party is scheduled for Saturday Oct 29th.
Summer Series Week 8 – Aug 23, 2016
Hard to believe, it’s week 8 this Tuesday! We’re looking at a sunny evening with temps around 80 degrees, and winds out of the south at 5-10 mph. After sailing, we are meeting at Brewsters.
We are starting to plan our year end party, date has been set at Saturday Oct 29th, so save the date and stayed tuned.
If you haven’t already, please look at the directory I sent out last week and make sure your information is correct.
Summer Series Week 7 – 8/16/16
We are all set for racing Tuesday – with race chair Jesse Ward, Dave and Gail’s boat and with Gail and Keith running the races, so all we need now is for mother nature to cooperate. It does look promising, the rain is going to end, and they’re predicting that we’ll have partly sunny skies with WNW winds at around 7 mph at 6 pm. We meet at Brewster’s following the races.
Summer Series Week 6 – Aug 9, 2016
Attention 2016 members and friends of ALCA:
For the two Tuesdays following tomorrow (August 16th and 23rd) the Race Committee is in dire need of a boat from which to run the races. If we don’t have a boat, then RACING WILL BE CANCELLED until August 30th. We are all set for tomorrow, thank you Dave and Gail!
Tuesday night looks light and variable – again, maybe the weatherman will be wrong, let’s hope……. A big thanks going out to Andy and Julie for hosting the dinner after the float party! What a great time on the water AND off, and wonderful food! So much so that we are gathering there again after or instead of sailing for taco leftovers from our float party yesterday. Rumor has it that we’ll be watching Olympic sailing. BYOB. Address is : 9833 Woodlawn Drive.
See you Tuesday
