2005 Commodore's Comments
Bill Brock

Welcome to the 2005 sailing season. It was a tough winter in New England. We had more snow than I remember in a long time. But the last lingering piles of frozen stuff have finally melted and all of a sudden, Spring is upon us with tulips, azaleas, apple blossoms and yes….Sailing. It’s just three weekends until our first rendezvous at Lake Winnepesaukee. If you haven’t started yet (like me), it’s time to get the cover off the boat and tend to the cleanup, painting, trailer servicing, and all the other outfitting we need to get underway.

Our club offers a wonderful forum to get together with other sailors, to share knowledge, solve problems and nurture long term friendships with folks who share our love of sailing. I always look forward to see all the new mods and clever ideas that people come up with to enhance their cruising experience.

I urge all those who can participate in the rendezvous to take advantage and come enjoy in the group fun. And it does not necessarily have to be one of the planned events. With the “Sail Together” posting on the web site, we have a great way to notify our fellow members of our plans and organize an impromptu rendezvous. This is especially useful for those who do limited trailering or who are constrained by travel distances. With over 70 boats and crews scattered all over the Northeast (and one member in Alaska), the odds are that we’ll find somebody close by with whom to hook up for a weekend or a day sail.

This season’s rendezvous schedule is coming together. There is still room on the calendar for some more events. Also, there’s a need for volunteers to help with coordination. There’s not a whole lot to do except be a point of contact for people interested in attending. So if there is an event going on in an area that you know well or sail often, contact the Cruise Captain, Barbara Garland, and she’ll let you know what’s required. And if you do have a special experience or encounter, please write about it and let the rest of us know about it.

Once again, I want to extend an extra special “Thank You” ad Job well done!” to our Webmasters, Rick Dieffenbach and Barbara Garland, who continue to do a splendid job of managing the web site. Rick has done an outstanding job of building a site that’s attractive, always inviting, and easy to use. Please continue to send in your stories, ideas, and photos to share with the group. Get it to the webmasters and they'll take it from there.
Here’s wishing all of you a great sailing season. We’ll see you on the water.

Bill