February 2003

  The new board has had their second meeting. I can assure you again, the club is in good hands. Everyone is taking their job very seriously and working hard. It’s a pleasure to work with a group of people who care about the club and work hard for all the members of the club. The changes may seem subtle but they all take a lot of work. Our socials are better and more often, out junior program is growing, our RC and equipment will be better and everyone will enjoy the club more if they choose to participate. It’s a pleasure getting to know everyone on the board and getting to know the members better. I encourage you to get to the events and join in on the fun we are having. 

   I’m sorry to say Tom Walker our New Member Committee Chair-person will be leaving us over the spring or summer. I appreciate Roy Rysdon steeping in. Tom has done a great job recruiting new members and keeping the club in the public eye. We have all benefited from Tom’s work and he will be missed. If you didn’t get to meet Tom while he was here you missed meeting a special person. If you did meet Tom you know why he was so successful recruiting new members.

   On a sad note I attended George Smart’s service. I was pleased to see a good turnout of club members. It’s times like this that we can really pull together as a club to support members and members family. I hope to see all of you at upcoming events and look forward to growing the club in many ways.

John

Thistle 3725

Laser: Kahma-Door

Can you answer this confidently?

   Aardvark (windward) and Bare Bottom (leeward) are sitting virtually head to wind just aft of the RC boat on starboard tack. The start signal is made, and Aardvark, who had been clear ahead until Bare Bottom came up from astern about 10 seconds before the start, demands that Bare Bottom sail normal course and give room since the start signal has been made. Bare Bottom refuses to move, and Aardvark protests.

   If not you need to attend the Rules Seminar the club is holding March 29^th. It will be held at Meredith College. The time and directions will be posted on the website. Be sure to pre-register as seats are limited. If you do know the answer then you should still attend as this is an easy question and it’s always a good idea to have a review of the rules so you’re ready to go in the spring.

   The CSC Foundation was formed this past fall thanks to a generous contribution of time and money from George Smart.  The original members of the Foundation Board included George Smart, Michael Rees, Chistina Grobin, Jim Howard, and John Norton. Dave Batchelor has been appointed to replace George on the Board. As structured at this time, the CSC is the only member making up the Foundation, i. e. the CSC is the Foundation’s "sole member."

  The purposes of the Foundation are to educate the public about sailing and to support the sport of sailing in the Triangle.  In the first year the Foundation will work with CSC in running a youth sailing program.  Our goal is to acquire necessary equipment, including a power boat, and run an educational program at Kerr Lake and Lake Jordan during our regular CSC racing events.

  The Foundation can accept tax deductible contributions which support the Foundation activities.  These activities must be separate from CSC. Your dues to the club will not be tax deductible.  Any assets of the Foundation must be used for the purpose of the Foundation.  Our application is currently in the hands of the IRS. We anticipate a response from them sometime within the next two months. We are encouraging gifts/donations at this time in anticipation of the IRS approval. Those gifts/donations can be in the form of cash contributions and/or donations of boats. The Foundation plans for the time being to convert donated boats into cash for the purpose of buying Optimist prams, as for the near future, that is the boat that the Foundation will utilize for instructing youth. This new entity will be an incredible opportunity for the club in terms of future growth and visibility. We will keep you informed as we move forward with progress on confirmation of 501c3 status and with planned programs.

            Jordan Winter Series Race 1/19/03

   Discussion about whether or not to hold the January 19^th Jordan Winter Series races began several days before the event. The weather forecast was ominous: temperatures 30 or below at mid-day and winds 15-20 mph. Even the hardiest of sailors had to give pause to consider the intelligence of shoving off perfectly dry land in such conditions. However, having lost half of the winter series weekends to Mother Nature already, there was talk that perhaps we should all arrive at the lake and make the decision there. After all, we were planning to end the day with a hot soup social. We were bolstered by our Vice Commodore’s announcement that she would arrive with plenty of warm clothing – not just for herself, but for others as well. But when our Kahma Dor announced that he would arrive in swimming suit, I don’t know about the others, but I had to show up just to see what kind of stuff this guy was made of. (As it turned out, this was just a ploy to lure the meek from their warm abodes. When questioned later, Kahma Dor explained that his winter "swimming suit" is actually a drysuit. Imagine my disappointment! In our usual timely fashion, Henry and I stumbled down to the lake about 15 minutes before the competitors’ meeting. No one had showed up to pick up the skiff, so we figured we were in plenty of time. As we drove into the parking lot, we noticed that the usually–full right side of the lot was empty. Everyone had moved into the sun on the left side, presumably to avoid frostbite. The weather forecast had been pretty accurate. There was quite a crowd gathering, and we were welcomed with waves, smiles and "thumbs-down" gestures. Hmm, mixed reviews, we suspected. We parked the boat, hurried to join the crowd, and were pleased to find that our fellow sailors had passed the intelligence test and had voted to stay ashore. But all was not lost. We had a gathering of sailing enthusiasts, and we had hot soup. Now we took action. The Vice Commodore commanded us to the picnic shelter, our Socials Chairman broke out his camp stove to warm the soup, a fire was built in the fireplace, snacks were set out, and three homemade soups materialized. A great time was had by all, as we sampled the gumbo, black bean, and/or split pea and barley offerings, traded tales of on-the-water days, and held on to the outdoor adventure as long as we could before the cold creeping into our fingers and toes could no longer be ignored. An invigorating day, even if a dry one, had by all. Next time we won’t need the Kahma Dor’s coaxing to get us out in Arctic-like weather for this sailing venue. We’ll come for the soup and the stories!

Avis Bridgers

Jordan Winter Series Race 2/02/03

http://www.carolinasailingclub.org/events/

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   Also, all PROs and RC members from last year are urged to check their pockets! We are missing a couple sets of keys – could they be collecting dust at your house? Contact Charlie Hitlin at hitlin@med.unc.edu or 367-0519 if you found some keys!!

  On February 20^th through the 23^rd the Carolina Club will have a booth at the Raleigh Power and Sail Boat Show at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. There will be a Thistle, a Lightning, a Laser and an Opti as well as two Isotopes. Several CSC Members have volunteered to work the crowds and answer questions about the Carolina Sailing Club. If you would like to volunteer or would like more information check the CSC website.

   Mid-Winters East is coming fast and we have heard from several in the fleet that there is interest in going. Please let Charlie know if you are planning on attending so we can make travel plans or other arrangements, including practice and fine-tuning.

   We will be sailing the last Jordan Lake Winter Series race and hope to get at least one more day of boat drills in before leaving for Florida.
The Hitlins and John McLaughlin are heading down on Friday, Feb. 28 and are attending the TCA Coach class that starts with a tuning party on Sat. afternoon. We are staying at the Ponce and will be there from Sat 3/1 and head back to the frozen north on 3/8 in the AM.

   Stay tuned for our MWE report next month – we hope to be tan, buff, and much improved upon our return!

- Fleet Party: Oyster Roast at the Bridgers', just south of Chapel Hill, on Saturday, Feb. 22. Bring the family and crew. Invitation below (and on the CSC web site). Please RSVP so we know how many oysters.... Any questions, contact Avis or Henry Bridgers (919-542-5547) chickenbridge@mindspring.com

- "Winter" racing: the 1/19 races were canceled at the lake, but we still had three Lightnings there ready to go (Bridgers, Michels, Pelosi). On 2/2 we had four boats (Bridgers, Michels, Phillips, and Pelosi), and would have had a fifth (Mason) if we had crew for it. Freank ended up crewing for John Pelosi. John Chaplinsky, a sixth Lightning skipper, was on the race committee. Weather gradually warmed to near 60; the sun was in and out. Wind ranged from about 7 to 0.5. Great racing. The Lightnings finished 1, 2, 7 and 8 of 12. Next date is 2/16; we’re hoping for 6 boats. For the winter Racing, the Lightning fleet consistently has more boats out than any other fleet. Is it the boat or the people?

- Junior Sailing: As previously announced, the fleet will be holding a party for those in the fleet interested in CSC’s Junior Program. The party has now been set: it will be at Chuck Moore’s house on the afternoon of 2/15, from 4-6 pm. Chuck and family, who participated in the program last year, will be there with their Optimist pram. (Chuck helped run the program last year and will similarly help this year.) Chistina Grobin, who is in charge of the program this year, will also be there with family. The point of the party is to have a get-together with those in the fleet with Juniors (Moore, Francis, Lutz, Rhodes) so they can, with spouse and kids, socialize, meet the head of the Junior Program, ask questions, and get the kids pumped up about the idea. All those families plan to be there, and Worth Lutz is bringing two other families who are also interested. If you are interested and were not in the list given, contact Chuck Moore at 460-9280 or cmoorejd@bellsouth.net

- Boat Repair: two members (Frank Mason and Ken Hollis) have boats that needed significant repair work before they can be sailed or raced. We are running boat repair days at a well-equipped shop (Bridgers'), with 3 repair-experienced members (Bridgers, Michels, Pelosi), to get those boats fixed up and ready to go. Day one was 1/25. Although it was nippy outside, both boats fit easily into the well-equipped – and heated – shop. New mast steps have been crafted for both. The mast partners enlarged in one boat; the other boat has also been given a thorough cleaning – one could have thought goats were living in it…. Day 2 was 2/1, and focused just on Frank’s boat. It is now ready to go, and would have been raced the next day if we would have had crew for it. The remaining day is 2/15, for Ken.. Any questions: contact Henry Bridgers at 542-5547 or chickenbridge@mindspring.com

Ed Michels

Statements at a Memorial Service held on January 28, 2003

Raleigh Little Theater, Raleigh, North Carolina

To Celebrate the Memory of

George McCollum Smart

1931 – 2003

   I’m honored to have the opportunity to comment on a man with whom we have competed on the water, played on shore, and worked along side to promote sailing and sailboat racing.

   My memories of George Smart begin in the early 1980’s after I had made one of the smarter decisions of my life, to purchase a used Tanzer 16, a daysailor advertised as "fully race equipped." I had no intention to race; like George a decade earlier, I was a novice who planned only to sail leisurely with my family and friends. But, as also happened to George, I was seduced into attending a race and became hooked.

   My early perspectives of George came from a vantage point aboard my boat, "Spirit," which, after the start, was usually some considerable distance abaft the transom of his boat, "The Mary Ann." We were racing, after all, and he was always ahead. At that time, George was building a reputation in the Tanzer 16 class. He was a successful racing sailor, who, beginning in 1985, collected scores of trophies, and repeatedly won regattas that would include the N.C. State Championship, the Mid-Atlantic District Championship, and the Tanzer 16 Nationals. I knew of his lofty stature, his standing alongside names like Crowe, Coburn, Blanchard, Elmer, Elliot, Lamb, and Gilbert, many of whom, like George, had represented the Tanzer 16 by participating in the Championship of Champions, an esteemed regatta where the annual champions of one-design boats from all over the country competed against each other to determine amateur sailing’s equivalent of "Top Gun." I observed George’s intense passion for our sport, on the water and in the protest room. He insisted on the highest of standards, never, it seemed, allowing himself or others to deviate from a strict adherence to the rules that guide competitive sailing. By then, he had already served as the Class Association Commodore, and had organized some of the finest regattas that ever graced Tanzer sailing.

   Well, I guess I had done OK that year. One day, after completing a couple of races, George walked up to "Spirit," looking her over carefully. Before leaving, he commented, "your forestay turnbuckle isn’t regulation, and if you ever beat me, I’ll protest it." Although I saw no threat of my ever finishing ahead of George, I ordered an original equipment part from Canada the next day. I never forgot feeling flattered by this initial encounter with George.

   A few years later, having gained a bit on his transom, I was on a downwind leg in position to pass George from a good two boat lengths up to windward. He shouted out, "Ken, don’t go there!," but on I went, reveling in this most uncommon success. He warned me again, then, BANG, he headed up sharply into the wind, the bow of "The Mary Ann" T-boning the starboard side of "Spirit." To compound my shock at this unexpected occurrence, George then announced that he was protesting me for not keeping clear of him as he luffed up sharply to windward. I did my penalty turns, and careful examination of the rules later proved George to be entirely correct and well within his rights.

   That night, I penned a letter from my boat, "Spirit" to George’s boat, "The Mary Ann," asking in puzzlement and dismay about such an incident, in what seemed to me ‘only a game.’ "The Mary Ann" responded, and as skippers, George and I reached an understanding on the importance of mutual respect, rules, and a not so subtle message that any victory would be hard fought. It was evidence of impassioned competitiveness, perhaps, but also the beginning of a series of letters that, over time, came to cement a friendship that, among other things, brought him to my daughter’s wedding, even though it was scheduled on a CSC Championship Series weekend. Good thing, he might have been one of the few persons there who understood the sailing metaphors in my wedding toast. Over the years that followed, "Spirit" and "The Mary Ann" corresponded often, and George and I developed an air of friendly competition, although neither of us ever relished a loss as much as a win.

   Over time George became a benchmark for successful Tanzer 16 sailing. It is my understanding that his last regatta was the June 2002 Governor’s Cup. I am told that the conditions were challenging and only 6 of 16 Tanzers managed to complete all five of the races. George, as was his fashion, not only finished, but also won each of them, in what was to be his swan song as a racing skipper.

   He quietly enjoyed and took pride in his success. I believe that the newspaper’s rendition of George’s satisfied smile and the characteristic twinkle in his eyes, is cropped from a photo taken of him surrounded by all three of the major Tanzer 16 trophies, in the year when he won them all—a grand slam not often achieved in a career, much less a single year.

   George Smart was a tough competitor and serious racing sailor. But I also came to know and appreciate the many other facets of George M. Smart. He was always, after the race, a warm, personable, humorous, lighthearted, and genuinely fun to be around human being, a gentleman in the finest sense of the word. To his credit, he also was a planner, organizer, and builder of groups whose boundless energy and catalytic efforts brought out the best in others. If it needed to be done, George could make it happen. Along the way, he was instrumental in building and maintaining a class, a boat, an organization, an infrastructure, not to mention filling our closets with t-shirts, each printed with designs created by George to celebrate key sailing events!

   He was not content to organize and win regattas. He often sought to share his love of sailing. He worked tirelessly to maintain and increase the cadre of active Tanzer 16 sailors. And, he was always introducing new folks to Tanzer 16 sailing, either demonstrating the boat, or signing them up as crew. Despite his will to win, George has frequently brought on promising sailors as his crew, building their skills, and then, just when they were likely to be of the most value to him, encouraging them to skipper their own Tanzers. If necessary, he would find them each a boat to skipper the following season. To me, he often said, as I missed events due to other commitments, "Ken, whenever you think that you don’t have time to sail is when you need to go the most!," a simple statement that contributed significantly to my mental health over the past 20 years.

   And as much as sailing, he loved the Tanzer 16. When the original company went bankrupt, George spearheaded an arrangement for us to purchase the Tanzer 16 molds, retrieving them from Canada, and then contracting no fewer than three times to have the boat manufactured in the United States, in the process improving the deck design, comfort, and safety features.

   George was always willing to do on his own anything he could not obtain support for from others. Either way, George got the job done! He believed that he could do most anything on his own. But I also recall that he allowed himself to be comforted, one time on a three day respite to Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia after the death of his wife, Ann, where he and I sailed, talked, ate, and at times just sat quietly on the porch. He was fine company, tolerating my wish to explore his thoughts on how sailing is a metaphor for life, and even talking about how to deal with death, a topic we revisited this past fall.

   A couple of months ago, as he increasingly began to decline visitation, I reminded George of an image that is indelibly imbedded in my mind, of him, sailing downwind after having relegated a hapless crew to a role as ballast. He had taken the mainsheet in his teeth, controlling the tiller between his knees, and was trimming the spinnaker sheet and guy with each hand, effectively managing all of the roles on the boat. I felt that now, unlike that picture, he didn’t have to battle his cancer or die on his own. And of course he didn’t, for he surrounded himself with a small but loyal and dedicated group of caring family and friends, each of whom he described with great pride and gratitude. He seemed so much to appreciate Mac’s loving involvement, as well as the mutual promise made with Carol to always care for one another!

   How do you say goodbye to someone who has been the heart and soul of an organization, or a family, or a relationship? I don’t know, but I am certain that George Smart was the carbon fiber of our organizational mainsail. George represents the essence of sailing—competition, camaraderie, friendship, devotion, and passion. He was the power in our sails, allowing us, as individuals and organizations to accomplish tasks akin to sailing against the wind. He was the genoa that made our mainsails more efficient, a spinnaker capable of inducing a screaming reach, planning from wave top to wave top, with spray arching back over us like a rainbow. Like a masthead fly or his custom designed compass, he pointed the way, guiding us as might a tiller responding to his light touch. Throughout, he was a steadying keel to our sport, our boat, and to each of us, as he was to his family, colleagues, and other friends.

   It was in appreciation of his value that in September the Tanzer Class Association presented the first annual SMART SPIRIT AWARD to George M. Smart for, "Lifetime achievements and meritorious contributions to the Tanzer 16 Class Association and sailboat racing by promoting the building, reconditioning, and marketing, as well as championship sailing and racing of the Tanzer 16 through tireless efforts and contagious enthusiasm in an aggressive but charming and gentlemanly manner."

   I wonder what it will be like to sail without George, but then I realize that I will never step aboard "Spirit" without my fond memories of him, and a keen appreciation of how he enriched my life—on and off the water. We each take away something special from knowing George Smart. From the beginning, it would seem, he challenged me to compete at his level and offered to me the satisfactions of the thrill of the chase, victory (as well as character-building defeats), and a special opportunity learn about what was behind his wry little smile. He embraced me, us, and our families, warmly, with humor, grace, and, always, a touch of respect.

   George Smart has shared with us his love of our sport, feelings that we hold dear close along side our memories of our times with him. He represented the beauty that is sailing, the challenge of making way against the wind, the intellectual rigor of tactics and strategy, and the caring bond that grows among sailors who navigate common waters, currents, waves, and weather. George, we love you and we will miss you, but I suspect you have inspired each of us to sail on, to remain in the groove, and, borrowing a phrase from the U.S. Navy, to "Carry on Smartly."

J. Kenneth Whitt

From the helm of "Spirit"

Welcome New Members

   Hi, my name is Steve Gostling, we moved to the Raleigh area about 18 months ago, and I’m looking forward to some great sailing this year. I’m a native of England but lived in Dallas for 14 years prior to coming to Raleigh. My wife and I sailed regularly before we had our three children (ages 7, 5 and 3), we sailed a Hobie Cat for a short while and then owned a Boston Whaler Harpoon for about six years. I’ve never raced before but am looking to crewing on a boat and finding out all about it.

Answer True or False

(Answers at end of Newsletter)

1. Port tack boats must stay clear of Starboard tack boats.

2. Leeward boats must stay clear of Windward boats.

3. On the same tack, a boat clear astern must stay clear of a boat clear ahead.

4. If you tack near another boat and it causes them to change course to avoid a collision, it is not a foul, although you should apologize later.

5. If you have the right of way and you come into contact with another boat and it causes damage, you will be penalized.

6. When you do something that causes you to become the right-of-way boat you do not have to give the other boat a chance to get out of your way when you first become the right-of-way boat.

7. When you change course you must give the other boat a chance to keep clear.

8. If you are clear astern and to leeward, and then you overlap the boat to windward, you can sail above your proper course and "luff them up".

9. If you are on opposite tacks going to windward you have to give the other boat room at an obstruction.

10. You have to give the boat on the inside room at a mark or an obstruction at the start.

11. When 2 boats are on the same tack and they come to an obstruction, the windward boat decides which way they should pas it and the windward boat has right-of-way.

12. If you break a rule other than hitting a mark or over at the start, you must do a 360 degree turn while avoiding other boats.

13. If you start too soon you have to stay clear of other boats until you have started again.

The Carolina Sailing Club website – www.carolinasailingclub.org 

has updated news information such as Race Series Calendars,

Race Series Locations and Directions, Social Calendars, Sailing Photos, Seminars,

Boat Shows, CSC Board Meeting Reports and links to other Sailing web sites.

EDITOR’S NOTE

If you have any questions, or suggestions about the newsletter please contact

George McKim at gmckim@bellsouth.net or call me at 782-3029.

Answers to Basic Rules Quiz: