The Chowder Chatter Monthly Newsletter of the Caloosahatchee Marching and Chowder Society

Next Full Moon: March 14 March 2006

The good times are "rolling" already! January 21, we had both the Chili Cookoff Race and the actual Chili Cookoff at our Clubhouse. Both were well attended-- see articles that follow for all the details. Then, our February 11 Edison Gulf Regatta got moved to February 25 because of predicted high winds . On February 17-19, about 50 club members enjoyed the Edison Festival of Lights by cruising (motoring in no wind) up to Centennial Marina for an Oyster Fest, and the night parade featuring Baby V (yeah), and an excellent full-course breakfast Sunday morning. We had 85 degree weather-- the warmest spot in the USA! Thanks to ALL who made this event special. Last Tuesday, February 21, we had our Annual Member Appreciation Night. Approximately 30 guests visited and swapped stories with members over a FREE beer at the Clubhouse. Three couples joined immediately, and the rest took home applications! Welcome to them all! Business news: We have invested $16,000 of our reserves in a CD at 4.5% interest. Also, a FAB new website is "in the works". Allowing for more photos, more news & more advertisers. You will be able to download the Chowder Chatter AT YOUR CONVENIENCE. Curtis Tarvin has been instrumental in leading this committee. THANKS! Calendars: If you have not picked up yours-- call me 540-0016 OR be sure to come to the Shrimp dinner March 11. Looking ahead: a busy time! Be sure to watch the deadlines! This is a ZERO tolerance (for late stuff) group!

COMMODORE Diane Fowler 540-0016

HELP !!!! WANTED: WEB PRO NEEDED CMCS is searching for an individual who can re-program our website. An exciting, fresh and consistent looking series of pages have been already designed, linked to our homepage (www.cmcs-sail.org). Easy-to-navigate "burgees", who with 1-click will take you to a number of links/pages that will inform and keep you up-to-date with everything CMCS has to offer. The new website will give every CMCS Member the capability of clicking on a "Members Only" button that will put you into a secure sub-window that is password protected. Here you can view, download, and print the Chowder Chatter right from your desktop. No more e-mail attachments where we are restricted to the size of 8-pages or under. This manner of Chowder Chatter delivery is as easy as "surfing the web" when we log on to our computers. Once you know your password, and that info is yet

to come, you can get your Chowder Chatter from ANY computer ANYWHERE at ANYTIME! Now that you know some of the highlights and what's in store for our website, we need YOUR HELP! We are search-ing for an internet designer/programmer who can upload our existing artwork, link it to our already set-up pages, plus prepare a password protected link for members. This person, be it yourself or someone you may know, would also be part of a committee that is chaired by Curtis Tarvin and three other members. It would be necessary at the end of this project for the web designer to work with our Website Guru, Susan Burton making sure she has the tools to continue her job in keeping our website up-to-date. Please contact Curtis at 549-1875 for more information.

Vice Commodore Forrest Banks 936-0857

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Rear Commodore of Racing Tom Gore 334-0673

CMCS SWEEP The 90 NM Naples Yacht Club’s Offshore Race was held January 27. The twice postponed race, normally held in October, but delayed by hurricanes, was sailed in cold blustery northeast winds. Most of the competitors completed this overnight race in record time sailing from the Naples Pier to the San Carlos Light to the Boca Grande Buoy 2 back to the Naples Pier. Many, only jibbing once at the entrance to Charlotte Harbor, averaged speeds over 7 knots. Six CMCS yachts com-peted, all were awarded prizes and three received top honors in each of the three classes competing. ♦ Forest Banks and his crew of Midnite Rider -

Spinnaker Class ♦ Steve Romaine and his crew of Air Supply - Non-

Spinnaker ♦ Ned Christensen and his crew of Passion III -

Multi-Hull Also second place awards were presented at the Naples Yacht Club dinner to Tom Horner of Bentley, Non-Spinnaker and Doug French of Triumph—Multi-Hull. This is the first time, in recent memory, CMCS has had three class winners in an out of Lee County major racing event. Congratulations to all the participants!

RACE REPORTS The Chili Cookoff Regatta was held on January 21 with 15 boats racing. The wind was from the NE at about 5-6 knots for the 1st race and then abandoned us in the 2nd race. There were 4 classes with Bob Duff’s Chase the Clouds taking first place in CMCS. Ned Christensen on Passion III was awarded first in the Multihull Class, and in True Cruising, our Commodore, Diane Fowler on Windy City walked away with another first place. The Non-Spinnaker class offered more competition with Steve Romaine on Air Supply edging out David Naumann on Sand Dollar for the top spot. Hard won awards will be given these sailors at the Febru-ary 21 Membership Meeting. For the Chili Cookoff Skippers’ Meeting, Steve Ro-maine gave a talk on sailing the windward leg. He gave some very useful info. Even if you do not plan to race a particular race, you are more than welcome to attend these pre-skippers’ meeting talks. We will strive to make them both interesting and useful. Unfortunately, the Edison Gulf Regatta had to be postponed due to the weather and has been resched-uled for February 25. It seems to either blow too hard or not hard enough! UPCOMING MARCH CMCS RACE:

Shrimp Festival Race Saturday, March 11

Pre-Skippers Meeting “Talks on Racing” will be held on Thursday, March 9 at 1900 hours at the Cape Coral Power Squadron The Skipper/Crew Meeting starts at 1930 hours.

This event consists of two bouy races, conditions permitting, in the vicinity of Marker 2, entrance to San Carlos Bay, Ft. Myers Beach, FL Entry forms, Notices of Races (NORs) and Standing Sailing Instructions (SI’s) are found on the CMCS website.

SUMMERSET’S COMING

MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW

August 31 Skipper & Crew Meeting September 2-4 Summerset Regatta

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The 2006 EPOL Cruise was GREAT. Seventeen boats stayed at Centennial Marina. Friday night, we enjoyed cock-tails and pizza in The Upper Room? Saturday afternoon, most people ate so many oysters that they do not want to SEE an oyster until next year. Many, many thanks to our wonderful shucking crew, oyster grillers and cookers: Waite & Mary Alexander, Kim Brown, Jeff Butzer, Andy & Dorie Branik, Al

Eastman, Ray Gherardini, Cecil Hazen, Ron & Shirley Maddix, Chuck Milbrandt, Carol Pim and Ben & Carolyn Preston. Saturday night, we had a wonderful pot luck din-ner and then it was off to the EPOL Parade of Lights. The cruise ended Sunday morning with a delicious full course breakfast on the Centennial Marina grounds. Again, Chef Al Eastman led a talented crew of egg turners, coffee cake makers, pancake flippers and bacon/sausage sizzlers. MANY thanks to everyone who pitched in to make this a great cruise. Special thanks to Bobby Lee for delivering the chairs, tables, grills and oysters to Centennial Marina. You are THE BEST. Our next scheduled cruise is to Pelican Bay on March 3-5. Deedee Cheek told us that she hacked her way through the Tunnel of Love in December; so hopefully, we will try to dinghy to the Gulf. Taking the tram on Cayo Costa is also a possibility. We always have fun at Pelican Bay so come join us for this cruise. We will not be able to lead the cruise to the Florida Keys scheduled for the week of March 19. Anyone wanting to go, please contact me; and I will let others interested know who you are. See you on the water. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

IMPORTANT NOTE:

PLEASE, PLEASE change Ron & Shirley’s incor-rect telephone number in your 2006 CMCS Cal-endars now. The lady who has that number has received her full quota of calls from CMCS members.

CMCS’ Website: www.cmcs-sail.org—check it out

Rear Commodore of Cruising Ron Maddix 482-0281 (please change incorrect tele-phone number in your 2006 calendar)

WE ARE SO PROUD OF Cindy Naumann, CMCS Member and Outreach Coordinator for the Cape Coral Police Department was named their Employee of the Year! Cindy received this award for her extensive work for the community, including the popular DO THE RIGHT THING program, which honors children for doing good deeds. Cindy has also organized the Citizens Police Acad-emy—a free weekly class that lets Cape residents learn more about what it is like to be a police officer.

CONGRATULATIONS, CINDY!!

AND

CMCS Members Chuck & Doreen Milbrandt practiced abstinence at the CMCS Oyster Fest held on February 18 at Centennial Marina in order to par-ticipate in the 28th EPOL 5K Run. Forrest Banks, our Vice Commodore, also ran in the race. There were over 1300 runners! The results are posted by age group. Doreen finished 6th of 16 in her age group. Chuck finished 20 of 26, and Forrest fin-ished 25 of 34. The good news: Doreen wins a tro-phy, Chuck and Forrest finished without injury—sprinting to the end! We will run again!

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LADIES BRIDGE CLUB Tuesday March 7, 2006

1915 hrs (7:15 p.m.)

“ Sailing with the Stars”

Rose Ann Hoffman is hosting this very special Ladies Bridge Club gathering at the Calusa Na-ture Center and Planetarium, 3450 Ortiz Ave, Ft Myers. The program will be Celestial Navigation for the Southwest Florida Skies. CMCS Ladies of the Bridge: You may bring your spouse/spice if you wish - just one please, not both! If you plan to attend this starry evening event, please e-mail me at sreekie@aaasouth.com or call 540-5422. Directions to the Calusa Nature Center and Plane-tarium: From Cape Coral – Mid-Point Bridge, east on Colo-nial about 4 miles, make a left on to Ortiz Ave, en-trance is on the left about 100 yards. From I-75 - Exit 136 west on Colonial Blvd, right on Ortiz Ave. From Sanibel or Ft Myers Beach – take Summerlin Rd to Gladiolas Dr to 6 Mile Cypress Parkway. 6 Mile Cypress turns into Ortiz north of Colonial. Smooth Sailing Susan

Liberty Ashore Monica Smith 699-9678

Ladies Bridge Club Susan Reekie 540-5422

SHRIMP FESTIVAL SOCIAL

GOT SHRIMP????? CMCS GOT SHRIMP???????

CMCS HAS SHRIMP FOR YOU!!!!!

Saturday, March 11 1800 hours

CMCS CLUB HOUSE (Cape Coral Power Squadron)

ALL YOU CAN EAT

SHRIMP OR CHICKEN KABOBS HUSHPUPPIES, COLE SLAW

DESSERT

Make check payable to CMCS and mail with com-pleted coupon to:

Monica Smith P.O. Box 100302

Cape Coral, FL 33910

Reservation must be made by Wednesday, March 8.

If you would like to help with this event, please give me a call at 699-9678. Thank you for a wonderful turn out and your help at the Member Appreciation Social/Open House and Membership Meeting on February 21. We will con-tinue to need and appreciate your support and volun-teer time at upcoming events in 2006. Don’t just be a member of CMCS—be part of it!

CMCS SHRIMP or CHICKEN FEAST

YES!! Include me/us for dinner

Name(s) Attending________________________________________________________ # of Shrimp Dinners__________________ # of Chicken Kabob Dinners_____________ Total Enclosed ($15.00 for each Shrimp Dinner / $10.00 for each Chicken Dinner) $________

Mail coupon and check payable to CMCS to Monica Smith, P.O. Box 100302, Cape Coral, FL 33910

DEADLINE is Wednesday, March 8 (Reservations are a MUST and NO tickets will be sold after Wednesday, March 8!)

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Fleet Recruiter Deedee Cheek 541-1106

Welcome to our new members:

Joel & Joann Andrews 1606 Pebble Lane Ft. Myers, FL 33912 239 433-4005 EJS5@earthlink.net Boat: “Desperado” Beneteau 34.5 Bruce & Margie Berget 4908 SW 11th Avenue Cape Coral, FL 33914 239 549-6445 Bbdocfl@aol.com Boat: “God-Speed” Hunter Legend 37’6” Susan C. Flynn 15605 Ocean Walk Circle #309 Ft. Myers, FL 33908 239 425-1442 Flynnsc@hotmail.com Dave McTighe (say “McTie”) 1217 E. Cape Coral Pkwy. #227 Cape Coral, FL 33904 239 540-9043 davefloridausa@aol.com Boat: “Songbird” Morgan 41” Patrick Olkowski 2932 York Road St. James City, FL 239 443-7532 patolkow@wmconnect.com Boat: “Rosebud” 40’Tekrow/Shuttleworth Corrections/Changes to CMCS Calendar: Bob & Beverly Duff telephone no. is 278-3733 Ned & Janette Christensen email address is nedchristensen@msn.com David & Cindy Naumann email address is dandcnaumann@netzero.com Skip Hyde & Carol Palumbo email address is sailinghydeaway@aol.com Russ & Kathleen Vance email address is vances105@earthlink.net Ruth Bone no longer uses email—just call her

For Sale Coolmate Airrrrr 10,000 BTU water cooled air

conditioner. Water pump, thermostat, fan control-ler, duct, grille, etc. Very compact installation.

$800

Creighton Smith, S/V 'A'-Train, (305) 304-4290 St James City

DOCK FOR RENT Fort Myers Beach sailboat/gulf access, tide re-stricted, as the canal is shallow in parts and a deep draft boat will not be able to get in except at high tide. $250.00 a month. Electric and water available. Call 463-8961 evenings. (2/06)

WATKINS 29’ - 1987 4’ Draft, fin keel, strong roomy cruiser on canal lift, diesel, wheel, auto pilot, RF, inverter, plotter, dodger, bimini, screened in cockpit, davits, dinghy & OB + MUCH MORE. $25,600 (239) 410-5413 (2/06)

For Sale Trophy Sailing Gloves, NEW, leather, size M, great for Ladies! Only $10. Call Jo Ann at 437-9499. (2/06)

WANTED Charts—East Coast Florida to New York. Info on Chesapeake. Call Steve/Cindy - 823-7854

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS FOR SALE

Sofa, brass floor lamp, wicker chair, copy ma-chine, dinette table (wood) with 4 chairs, wrought iron wine rack, two wicker chests, metal file cabi-nets, boat umbrella sunshade Call Steve and Cindy - 823-7854

(3/06)

(3/06)

FOR SALE: 1991 Catalina 28 Tall Rig Universal 3-cylinder 18 HP diesel engine, wing keel, draft 3’10”. Our beautiful sailing vessel, Shadowfax, is for sale. (We are moving up). This is the same Shadowfax pictured on the cover of the 2005 CMCS Calendar and on our CMCS brochure. This boat is in excellent condition.

Contact Russell & Kathleen Vance via email at vances105@earthlink.net or (239) 574-4704, if you are interested. We have four pages of information on upgraded features

(3/06)

Looking for a boat? What about gear? Great deals on used and barely used equipment. Want to sell your unneeded boating equipment, e-mail The Chowder Chatter, marylou@swfla.rr.com or call Mary Lou at 541-2479

- THE SAIL BAG - Classified Ads

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On Sunday, Feb. 5, 13 racers turned out for a chal-lenging day of sailing. Congrats to John Kremski, first; Fred Hutchinson, second; and Jack Scragg, third. The first two races were drifters, race 3 saw the winds pick up to well beyond what NOAA had promised. The last 2 races were in survival mode, with strong winds making it difficult to sail. Only seven boats hung in there for the last race! Our next race will be March 5, with a 1200 hours Skipper Meeting and a 1300 hours Start. $10 entry fee, $10 for a club boat. Please let me know by email if you want a boat - they are booking up early. There are a LOT of area races coming up: March 10-12: 2006 International Sunfish Master’s Championship (WORLD QUALIFIER) at Davis Is-land Yacht Club, Tampa, FL March 16-19: 2006 Midwinter Championships (WORLD QUALIFIER), Melbourne Yacht Club March 25-26: Florida Sunfish State Championship, Davis Island Yacht Club, Tampa, FL

John Kremski Sunfish Guru 277-9352

NEW ITEM AT THE SHIP’S STORE FOR

LADIES OF THE BRIDGE Check out the NEW hot pink tee shirts with the exclu-sive Ladies Bridge Club logo at the next Membership Meeting on March 21. Only $10.00 each. We are still taking orders for the spiffy collared sport shirts in your choice of color with the new CMCS sailing logo for $25.00, prepaid. Come and see the Ship’s Store before or after the March 21 Membership Meeting. There are many items available for you, your boat, and your car to promote CMCS wherever you go.

Advertising

The Chowder Chatter offers advertising to CMCS members and commercial establishments. Commercial establishments: Copy scanner ready would be ap-preciated and be prepaid. Make checks payable to CMCS and mail to JoAnn Nucifora, CMCS Fleet Purser at 4234 SW 19th Place, Cape Coral, FL 33914. CMCS Members business card size ads are welcome. Rates: $50 — 6 months $100 — 12 months Larger size ad rates and various time spans now available. Con-tact Mary Lou Mullins at 239 541-2479 or marylou@swfla.rr.com

FOR YOUR INFORMATION: It is time to make plans for the 2006 Naples to Key West and the Key West to Naples Rendezvous. The Galleon Resort in Key West Bight, May 18-23, is the place to be. Contact Joe Barrett, GCSC, Naples to Key West Facilitator. (239) 597-2266 or email joe@dolphinortgage.com

Doreen Milbrandt Ship’s Storekeeper 541-0614

New Ladies Bridge Club Logo

AN IRISH FRIENDSHIP WISH

May there always be work for your hands to do;

May your purse always hold a coin or two;

May the sun always shine on your windowpane;

May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;

May the hand of a friend always be near you;

May goodness fill your heart with gladness to

cheer YOU!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY

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POWER & SAIL Hunter, Catalina, Albin, Shannon New & Brokerage 2043 West First Street (Across from Centennial Harbor) Ft. Myers, FL 33901 239-334-3674 800-763-3157

www.masseyyacht.com 9/06

WELCOME OUR NEW ADVERTISER: Banks Sails

2/07

CMCS Chowder Chatter c/o Mary Lou Mullins 5010 SW 11th Avenue Cape Coral, FL 33914 541-2479 marylou@swfla.rr.com

CMCS Schedule of Events For March 2006

March 3-5 Cruise to Pelican Bay March 5 1200 hours Sunfish Races March 7 1900 hours Ladies Bridge Club March 8 1900 hours Board Meeting Power Squadron March 8 Shrimp Festival Social Reservation Deadline March 9 1900 hours Pre-Skippers Meeting “Talks on Racing” Power Squadron March 9 1930 hours Skipper/Crew Meeting Power Squadron March 11 Shrimp Festival Race March 11 1800 hours Shrimp Festival Social Power Squadron March 17 St. Patrick’s Day March 19-26 Florida Keys Cruise March 21 1930 hours Membership Meeting Power Squadron March 25 1200 hours Chowder Chatter Deadline March 31-April 2 GCSC Charity Regatta & Cruise to Naples