The Chowder Chatter Newsletter of the Caloosahatchee Marching & Chowder Society

A Premiere Sailing Club of Southwest Florida

Next Full Moon December 21 December 2010

COMMODORE’S MESSAGE

Ahoy Sailors!

The holiday season is upon us, and so is the best sailing of the year. What a great

time to share our beautiful waters with friends and family from up north. They

really appreciate our mild winters, and don’t even mind a quick dip in the pool to

cool off. Brr! The Thanksgiving Cruise will be history by the time this is pub-

lished. Last I heard 27 people had opted for the chefs at Cabbage Key to prepare

their turkey dinner. Many people have to travel great distances and pay lots of

money to enjoy the bounty of what is in our back yard. We have so much for

which to be thankful.

Speaking of gratitude, thank you to all the members who made a special

effort to bring food and cash donations to our November General Membership

meeting. You have made a difference in the lives of the needy in our commu-

nity. The need is not going away any time soon, so we will again be accepting

donations including non-perishable goods, toys and money during our annual

holiday party. Last year we needed a truck to haul all the goodies to the Cape Coral Caring Center.

The Ft. Myers boat show was livelier than last year, and our booth was visited by many potential members.

Thanks to former commodores Bill Misenheimer and Steve Romaine for an attractive set up. I heard someone

say the booth never looked better. Thanks to all of you who manned the booth, showed up on time and put

forward a good face on our club.

The nominating committee has come up with a great slate of officers for next year, which is published in-

side this edition. Finding willing candidates was particularly difficult this year, considering how many active

members we boast. Many legitimate excuses for not serving were understood, but apathy can kill a club even

as robust as ours is. One of the reasons we were able to move to the Cape Coral Yacht Club for our functions

was the closure of many once-active clubs in our community. So please please don’t take our continued suc-

cess for granted. Pitch in where you can, whether it is leading a cruise, hosting a membership meeting or serv-

ing as committee boat in our races. Make sure to commend those who have stepped up; if it were easy every-

one would be doing it!

The Commodore’s Cup Race and Dinner will be held on December 4th. The deadline to sign up for the din-

ner was November 30th, so if you missed it, by now it’s too late. There is a nautical flea market at the yacht

club on the same day from 8:00 until noon. Richard Chew is getting a booth so contact him if you would like

to share in the cost and the space. There’s the Funtastic Light the Way Boat Parade on Saturday, Dec. 11 th on

Captiva Island. Call 239-472-5300 for details. Information regarding the Ladies Bridge Club Christmas Party

on December 8th, the holiday party on December 14th, and the final cruise of the year will be forthcoming in

this issue as well. If you don’t have enough fun this month, it’s your own fault!

Happy 2011 to all of you,

Joan Perkett - 2010 CMCS Commodore

COMMODORE Joan Perkett

commodore@cmcs-sail.org

2

SUMMERSET 2010 STEVE ROMAINE – CHAIRMAN SROMAINE294@YAHOO.COM

267-2538

Less than 300 days left until the 46th Summerset Regatta, October 7th – 9th, 2011! Yes, same venue, Fort Myers Beach. Parties at Bonita Bills and the Pink Shell Resort.

All reports indicate that everyone had a good time at this year’s Summerset. A record number of sponsorships, and controlling costs, has enabled us to make our contribu-tion to Youth Marine Activities/Youth Sailing greater than last year. Your board has au-thorized $7,000 to be distributed to youth sailing programs up and down the coast. This is an increase of 30% over 2009, and includes our local Grant Fund contribution. This year fifteen children were able to learn sailing as a result of receiving grants. We hope to send more kids in 2011, so be thinking of needy children, grandchildren, or children of our members that may wish to participate in this program. Chuck Mil-brandt, our Grant Fund administrator, has all the details, so please contact him. Soo. . . . What can you do now to make the 2011 Summerset Regatta even better? 1. Reserve the date (October 7th – 9th) 2. Make suggestions for improvements to myself or one of the 14 committee mem-bers. 3. Attend an out of town regatta, ie: The Conquistador Cup, March 5th – 6th, 2011, in Punta Gorda. The PGSC not only sent us $250 as a regatta sponsor, but also sent 10 boats to compete! Lets reciprocate. Support our business sponsors. If we support these folks who generously support Summerset, it will make my job easier in 2011 when I ask them for bucks. Please! Thanks! Sponsors are listed in this issue of the Chowder Chatter. Logo sponsors have a link listed on our website, www.cmcs-sail.org.

Thank you, to each of you for your support this year. Cindy and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Happy Sailing, Steve

3

4

5

2011 Slate of Officers

The Nominating Committee has chosen the following slate of officers upon which we will

vote at the beginning of our December 14th General Membership meeting:

Commodore: Bob Duff

Vice Commodore: Glen Vetter

Vice Commodore/Summerset: Steve Romaine

Rear Commodore/Cruising: Ned Christensen

Fleet Yeoman: Kathleen Vance

Fleet Purser: Tim Stier

2011-2012 Directors:

Roger Horton

Rose Ann Hoffman

Dee Vaigl

Stephanie Webb

2011 Directors:

Judy Tomlins (to replace Bob Duff)

The remainder of the board is made up of the appointed 2010/2011 board members:

Jerry Pim

Tim Cheek

Pauline Wylie

Joan Perkett, as Immediate Past Commodore

Many thanks to our 2011 Nominating Committee members: Ned Christensen, Diane Fowler,

Steve Roake, Judy Tomlins and Pauline Wylie.

6

December's Cruising Report

Paula and I are off to spend Thanksgiving with family up in Missouri.

I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time – BUT – we will miss the the

CMCS Thanksgiving cruise to Cabbage Key and Useppa Island.

For this month's Chatter, we have reports about the scary goings-on

out on Danger Island at Halloween. We also have a report about a

really cool cruise to our own Matanzas Pass.

Finally – read below – and start making plans to join the Marching Society festivities up at Fisher-

man's Village to ring in the New Year!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Halloween Danger Island Cruise

October 29th thru 31st

Our cruise leader were Gary & Jean Blessing and Charles & Judy Tomlins

On Friday, October 29th, Shadowfax arrived to claim Danger Island for the CMCS Halloween Cruise.

Cotton kept a look out on the deck while Russell and Kathleen staked out the north end, fending off

would be pirates. Shortly, Win dropped anchor and the Blessings headed for shore in their dinghy. Air Boss, Air Supply, Wings, Freestyle, Blank Check, Gopher Baroque, Lazy Susan, Slo Dance, Jolly Mon, and

Windy City rounded out the crew for Friday night’s cocktails on the beach – it’s always five o’clock on

Danger Island! Grills were ignited for those choosing to cook ashore while others headed back to their

galleys for the evening repast.

Saturday dawned and promised to be another beautiful day. Sun drenched the beach and a cool breeze

kept cruisers comfortable and the bugs at bay. Trust Me!!!, Sunday Silence, Alborada, Windswept, Journey, Jolly Mon (power) and Hydeaway made landfall during the day to join in the festivities. Join-

ing the fun with power boats were Joe and Peggy Corey, Paul and Sue Corzatt, John and Aileene Hyatt,

Jim and Pauline Wylie, and Alysse Missall. At 12:45 PM, the annual CMCS Halloween (ladder) golf cham-

pionship began. Defending 2009 champions succumbed to this year’s champions: Susan Reekie and Rus-

sell Vance. The competition was fierce, with Russell becoming the overall champion. Some stayed to

enjoy the beach for the remainder of the afternoon. Some headed for their boats for a siesta, others

played in the water with their dogs, Annie and Breeze, while Cotton watched from afar.

REAR COMMODORES CRUISING

Glen & Paula Vetter cruising@cmcs-sail.org

7

Five O'clock cocktail hour began right on time, with scrumptious appetizers enjoyed by all. Grilling be-

gan and everyone ate their fill. New members, Graham Kortegast and family joined the party. Fire

marshal Russell Vance supervised starting the bonfire on the spit. As the sun set, it was time for the

highlight of the weekend – costume judging! As costumed members arrived, it became clear we had a

few popular categories, so, after a bit of conferring, the judges determined the following categories

and winners:

Most Original – Kathleen and Russell Vance;

Most Sacrilegious – Dianne and Ray Fowler;

Best Pirate – Steve Romaine.

As the embers died, revelers once more deserted the beach and headed for their bunks.

Clean up on the beach took very little

time Sunday morning and then anchors

were pulled and we headed for St.

James City. A short dinghy ride brought

everyone to the Ragged Ass, where we

were joined by Susan and Dennis

Aguillera, Bill and Mary Meisenheimer,

and Charles and Judy Tomlins who jour-

neyed by car. Food was served and eve-

ryone left to either go home, or spend

another night on the hook. If you missed

this year’s Halloween Cruise, you can al-

ways plan on next year!

Respectfully submitted,

Jean and Gary Blessing

Judy and Charles Tomlins

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Matanzas Pass Cruise

November 5th thru 7th

Our cruise leaders were Glen & Paula Vetter

The weekend turned out to be breezy and cool – at least by Southwest Florida standards. The sail from

Cape Coral down to Matanzas pass was quick. But due to the forecast of cool overnight temperatures,

we only had two brave boats cruise down for the weekend – Lazy Susan and Freestyle.

8

At 1700 we gathered on Freestyle for snacks, drinks, and telling stories. Later that evening we felt

quit secure on the mooring despite the 20-kt breezes.

Saturday – around noon – we headed over to the Fort Myers Beach Pier to watch CMCS's Festival of

the Islands race. Along the way we picked up land-cruisers Dennis & Suzanne Aguilera. Everyone out

on the Gulf appeared to have more wind than

they needed. At the end of the race, we called

the racers on our VHF to invite the racers to

lunch – but alas – they all declared they had had

enough for one day. Meanwhile, the six cruis-

ers enjoyed an excellent lunch at Nervous

Nelly's – located just West of the city dinghy

dock.

Saturday, around 4 PM, Freestyle – with her 2-

foot draft – took us on a backwater cruise on

the “inside” down towards Big Carlos Pass, then

back up for a tour of Hurricane Bay. That eve-

ning we held CMCS's 2010 “Farkle” Champion-

ship. After a short training session – and much

Farkling – we held the championship. The com-

petition was tight, but John Reekie prevailed as

this year's winner using a conservative strategy

in calculating his decisions.

Submitted by:

Glen & Paula Vetter

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thanksgiving Cruise

November 25th thru 28th

Our cruise leaders are Deedee & Tim Cheek

By the time of the Chatter deadline – November 23rd - , this cruise will be just about ready to start

start. So - look for Deedee's report in January's Chowder Chatter!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

9

Holiday Cruise

December 26th thru January 1st

This cruise is a little different than most. With Christmas being a major family holiday, cruisers tend

to head out on different days. In fact, many crew come only to the New Year celebration. Still others

make New Year's Eve a “land cruise”.

Typically, several boats will start the cruise by meeting in Pelican Bay on December 26th. For those un-

sure of the exact location – go to 26° 41.7' N 62° 14.6' W, at the North end of Cayo Costa, and look

for boats with the CMCS burgee. From there, the cruisers will head out to various locations at various

times.

The big event is the CMCS New Year's celebration at Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda. Carolyn

Wilson has also arranged with Fisherman's Village Marina for CMCSers to use the marina's hospitality

room on New Years’ Eve, December 31st, 2010 from 5PM – midnight. At 5:30 PM we have the tradi-

tional cocktail hour – bring your own beverage and a snack to share. At 8:30 PM there are two choices

this year:

Raimund Haunholter is coordinating the restaurant dinner for those who wish to go that route.

Seating is at 8:30 P.M. He needs to have reservations in by December 10. Please email or call

him with the number of people you would like to include.

rhaunho@embarqmail.com or 239-549-0719

The usual "bring a dish or snack to share" potluck event in the marina's hospitality room. No reser-

vation needed.

As I write this article, we have 23 boats with reservations! We were only guaranteed 20 slips, so if you

want to go to Fisherman's Village, you will need to call Randy at the marina asap at 941-575-3000.

Randy is in charge of coordinating club events, so if you speak with anyone else, be sure they get the

word to Randy so you can get your Club discount! Also inform Carolyn Wilson as she is following up with

Randy to ensure all the right people are getting the discount.

Carolyn Wilson's contact information:

Phone: 239-283-1138

Email: treefinder@bridgeotoole.com

CMCS ANNUAL CHANGE OF WATCH DINNER

Yes, it is that time again! Time to thank outgoing Officers and Board members and welcome

the 2010 team.

So, mark your calendar for Saturday, January 9, 2010. The festivities will be held at the Pink

Shell Beach Resort and Spa on Fort Myers Beach at 6:00 p.m. in the Captiva Room. This is

the same room where we held the awards dinner for Summerset.

Wear your festive attire (including shoes and socks), and be ready to enjoy cocktails and a de-

licious buffet dinner, and dancing to the music of FAZZ. Cocktails begin at 6:00 p.m. with

buffet at 7:00 p.m. Awards will take place during dessert.

The deadline for reservations is Wednesday January 6, 2010 with NO exceptions.

*************************************************************

ANNUAL CHANGE OF WATCH DINNER DANCE

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2010

Pink Shell Beach Resort and Spa

275 Estero Boulevard

Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

Name of Person(s) Attending________________________________

________________________________

________________________________

Total Amount Enclosed ($35.00 per person) $___________________

With Cash Bar

Make checks payable to CMCS and mail to:

Elise Missall, 13163 Tall Pine Circle, Fort Myers FL 33907

The deadline for reservations is Wednesday January 6, 2010 with NO exceptions

10

Racing News

On the coldest day, November 6, since last March we had the Festi-

val of the Islands Race. 8 boats signed up to race but we lost 2 the

day before the race to the weather forecast. Paul Perisho’s Aquilla

broke a halyard before the race started and had to head home. That

left 5 boats to brave the cold. With winds in the 15 knot range the

wind chill was definitely a factor. We had 3 buoy races on a chal-

lenging course before everyone headed home to warm up. The cruisers called on the radio

with an offer to join them at Nervous Nellie’s but the racers had warmer ideas at home in

mind. Thanks to the cruisers for thinking of us though.

Results were: Multihull – 1st – Passion III, Ned Christensen; Non spinnaker – 1st – Air Sup-

ply, Steve Romaine; True Cruising – 1st – Jolly Mon, David Naumann.

Thanks go to Steve Roake for committee boat and his wife Teresa for letting him help us on

her birthday. Also, thanks to my wife Debbie for her assistance on the committee boat.

The next race is the Commodore’s Cup on December 4. 3 Buoy races are planned with a

1000 start near “SC”. We will probably have a visit from the Commodore on the race course

and then at the dinner that evening.

Dan Merriman

Rear Commodore of Racing

LBC Christmas Party, Wednesday, December 8th at 7PM at Joan Perkett's

house.– 1411 SW 53rd. Lane, Cape Coral

BYOB and Hors d'Oeuvres to share!

Pirate Swipe - Please bring a $25.00 value

gift wrapped to put under

the tree

RSVP to RoseAnn Hoffman 239-540-1911 or rasails@ aol.com

At the Boat Show

11

C.M.C.S . CHANDLERY Buy, sell, trade

Members, to advertise your boating-related items free in the CMCS Chandlery, e-mail

Peggy Stafford, Chowder Chatter Editor at chowderchatter@cmcs-sail.org or use your roster for telephone information.

Your ad will be listed for 3 months unless you notify me to take your listing out sooner.

Non-members are welcome to advertise their items at a price of $30.00 for 3 months. Business cards or business related listings sent in digital format only :

Members: 3 months, $25.00 Non-members: 3 months, $50.00

Send a check made out to C.M.C.S. to : Chowder Chatter Editor, 2230 Everest Pkwy, Cape Coral, FL 33904

12

SAILBOAT GEAR FOR SALE

2-Harken Deck Organizers #1501 (3-sheave) used one season, 2@$50.00; 1-pair Harken Traveler Control

Blocks, #1935 (3-sheave) (use on Harken cars),$50.00; 1-Harken 3" double block (new) w/o shackle, $35.00;

1-Harken #028 3"/1-3/4" fiddle block (used) w/o shackle,$35.00; 2-Harken #132 1-1/2" Big Bullet Cheek

Blocks (new) 2@ $10.00; 2-Spinlock XT08-14 double rope clutches (used), 2@ $90.00; 2-Sparcraft press-

lock jib sheet shackles (up to 1/2" line), $75.00; 1-Lewmar 10" chrome double grip locking winch handle,

$60.00; 1-Charles 30A 50' shore power cord, like new, $60.00; 1-Navtec hydraulic cylinder (no pump), $1.00;

1-Flex-O-Fold 17x8 two-blade folding prop (1-1/8" shaft) used one season, $500.00; 1-ss reefing/cunningham

hook, $15.00; 2-(1 pair) 1-1/2"x8-1/2"x1/8" ss tangs (link plates) w/5/8" dia holes, $40.00; 1-spring type hatch

holder-9" (new), $8.00; 1-Whale Flipper SK0405 pump service kit for Mk 3-4 pumps (new), $5.00; 1-Yanmar

55A Alternator (Hitachi 155-20) used 73 hours (2 weeks!), $400.00; 1-Yanmar drive belt (REMF 6450)

1/2"x46", new, never used, $10.00; 1-Jim Buoy MOB Pole bracket (new), $20.00; 1-Tempo rubber OB motor

bracket pad (new), $10.00; 1-1/2"x140' low-stretch main halyard w/shackle (used 4 months), $100.00; 2-

1/2"x138' low-stretch jib halyards w/ Wichard snap shackles (used 4 months),2@ $140.00; 1-1/2"x64' green

double braid (used), $15.00; 1-1/2"x48' white double braid (used), $10.00; 2-5/16"x46' red double braid w/eye

splices 2@ $15.00; 2-10mm x 64' T900 extra low stretch 2@ $35.00; 1-7/16"x95' white double braid (used 4

months), $40.00; 1-5/16"x55' double-braid (used), $15.00; 4-assorted sail bags (used/clean), offers

For further information contact: Steve Roake (239)549-2434 or steve@theroakes.com

SUNSHINE REPORT Cards went out the Kathy Wellens, and Linda Easterly. Linda had transplants done on both lungs and is up in the Tampa area recuperating.

MINUTE MAN MARINE CO.

Air Conditioning Electrical

Refrigeration Systems

Quality Yacht Maintenance since 1974

1413 SW 52nd Terrace

Cape Coral, FL 33914

(239)542-8791 Jim Wylie

(239)848-6658 (Mobile) Service Mgr.

13

"Nautical Flea Market, Saturday, Dec. 4th, 8 a.m.-noon, at the Yacht Club Beach Pavillion. Admission Free. Vendor table space $20 plus tax. Call 239-574-0806 for more information." The event

is sponsored by the City of Cape Coral Parks and Recreation.

For Sale. 25# CQR anchor. Excellent condi-

tion. $145. Call Jim Vaigl 945-6146.

Teva Wraptor men's sandals (with toe pro-tector) - size 12, worn barely once. Paid $120 - will sell for 1/2 price of $60 OBO. Anchor line and chain (approx. 200' rope and 20' chain). Also LIKE NEW! $50 ? OBO call Ray at 850-3027 to see!

NAUTICAL FLEA MARKET AT THE

CAPE CORAL YACHT CLUB

Richard Chew has reserved a table at the an-

nual Cape Coral Flea Market being held from

8am to Noon, Dec. 4th at The Yacht Club

Beach Pavilion. Share in the $20.00 cost for

the table and bring those unwanted nautical

items that are taking up space in the garage or

stowed in the bottom corner of your vee-

berth. There is also plenty of space around the

table to place larger items such as anchors.

Come, sell and “shop” the other tables for a

treasure you just can’t live without! Call or e-

mail Richard to reserve a space. (Directions:

Cape Coral Pkwy. west to Coronado. Turn

South on Coronado. After the 1st stop sign,

continue through and around the “dog-leg” to

the River.)

CMCS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

DECEMBER 2010

Dec. 4 Commodore’s Cup Race Dec. 4 1800 hours Commodore’s Cup Dinner Dec. 8 Ladies Bridge Club Dec. 14 1830 hours Christmas Party Dec. 17 1930 hours Election of Officers Dec. 26-Jan 1 Holiday Cruise

WWW.SAIL-CMCS.ORG

CMCS Chowder Chatter c/o Peggy Stafford, Editor 2230 Everest Pkwy Cape Coral, FL 33904 chowderchatter@cmcs-sail.org