From the Commodore

Volume 53, Number 7, July 2020 Latitude: 30°32’29”N Longitude: 87°54’14”W

Please notice,with the passing of the ByLaw change, themeeting time on the first Wednesday night is now 7PM

Hello Everyone,I hope everyone and your

families are doing well. Lookslike we are seeing increase inCovid-19 cases so stay safe. The club has been hopping

the past couple of months.Great to see members usingthe club. We are in the processof starting to build a new bulk-head from the back of club bythe bridge to C pier. Pleasepardon our progress. It may attimes make it difficult to get tothe pool and island. But therewill be passage to the pool andisland. Just be careful.We had the GYA Annual

Meeting at FYC on SundayJune 28, 2020. It was very suc-cessful and a lot of informationand ideas were pasted back aforth. It is always nice to hostthese meetings at FYC.Have a great July 4th week-

end.Chris DabneyCommodore

The Mainsheet

A great big THANK YOU to theFYC Auxiliary for their quickresponse on the problem we havedeveloping with the geese on thegrounds at FYC! The Auxiliarydoes not normally meet duringthe summer but held an emer-gency meeting of their board andvoted to spend $1200 to immedi-ately purchase 3 Away with Geeselights to discourage roosting onour property. These lights have been placed and are at work already.

The Auxiliary is asking for donationsfrom the members to replace the moneyspent on these lights to help them havefunds available should we need to pur-chase additional lights or take other actionto help discourage these messy geese frommaking our beach and grounds impossiblefor us to use. Please contact Kate Gibson,251 209-4429, or Darlene Sirmon, 251 402-2673, if you would like to donate.

GYA Opening Meeting at FYCNineteen commodores attended, welcomed by our commodore,

Chris Dabney. To accommodate the differing mandates acrossthe 5 state span of the GYA, Fairhope was requested to hostthe GYA Opening Meeting (without an openingregatta). The meeting approved the reportsfrom several committees and set the course forthe rest of the year. The most outstanding deci-sion made was to cancel all the interclub regat-tas known as Capdevielle Regattas. Races heldby clubs will have to conform to the individualstate regulations. The Centennial events arepostponed until further notice.

This has been one of the oddest sum-mers with events being canceled andother uncertainties lurking around.However, sail camp has been a blast!I believe the campers are excited tobe out and doing, some have eventold me this summer has been toolong. I never thought I would hearthose words from such young chil-dren. We have hosted 2 sessions sofar and other than a couple of weath-er days it has run smoothly. Our

instructors and CITs have been doingan awesome job of making this campall about the campers! We tell thecampers we have 3 goals to meet foreach camp. One is to keep everyonesafe, two is for everyone to have funand the third is to teach them aboutthe wonderful sport of sailing. We

accomplish all three goals everydayof camp. We end our sessions with aboat parade inviting grandparents,parents and sibling out to see theskills they have learned over the two

week camp. Even with events being cancel ouradvance optis are out three after-noons a week practicing and theJunior Lipton Team has started prac-tice twice a week. We have our greenfleet practicing twice a week onTuesday and Wednesday evening.We look forward to day when we cango out and compete with our competi-tors from other areas. See you on the water soon!

The Mainsheet is publishedmonthly by the Fairhope

Yacht Club, a member ofthe Gulf Yachting Association and

United States Sailing Association.Circulation includes all Fairhope YachtClub members and GYA affiliatedclubs. The Mainsheet, Fairhope YachtClub, P.O. Box 1327, Fairhope, AL36533, or e-mail tomainsheet@fairhopeyachtclub.com bythe 20th of the month prior to publica-tion.

BRIDGE Commodore - Chris Dabney Vice Commodore - Scott HartwellRear Commodore - Philip Durant Fleet Captain - Mark McCullins Fleet Surgeon - Dr. Robbie Rux Secretary - Tracy HirshTreasurer - Kay Robberson

BOARD OF GOVERnORSRandy Fitz-WainwrightMignon BishopJohn ClarksonKevin northrupJohn AdamsElizabeth McGriffJeff Valentine

COMMITTEE CHAIRSMemorial Pat Colvin Entertainment Angel Overton Building & Grounds Chad SmithFood & Bev Insurance/Marine Safety David BarrHarbor John Buziak Associates Membership Steve Savarese Offshore Don FairclothCruising Bob Knapp Sailing Director Holly MurrayAdult Sailing Holly MurrayRace & Regatta Philip DurantJunior Commodore Kip Buck Juniors Advisor Ann HartwellHistorians PC Barbara Brown

Sarah Johnston-Cox Guardian John AdamsGYA Coordinator Philip DurantMainsheet Editor nancy FitzpatrickLong Range Planning ICRC FYC Auxiliary Kate Gibson

Office: Mon-Fri 8:00am-12:00, 1:30-4:30pmPhone: 251-928-3276 Fax: 251-990-8602Email: office@fairhopeyachtclub.com

Club Office: 101 Volanta, Fairhope AL 36532Mailing Address: Box 1327, Fairhope AL

36533Web address: www.fairhopeyachtclub.com

The Layline ~ Sailing Director Holly Murry

Advanced Opti practice

Parents watching our boat parade

Boat parade

Capdevielle racing is over for 2020 but the Juniors still have hope for

the Junior Lipton Challenge

Junior Lipton practice has begun! Thank you toCoach Kevin Northrop, Coach Holly Murray andCoach Pete McGriff for preparing our juniors to com-pete at the Junior LiptonRegatta August 1 at GYC!We wish them luck!

June was a progressive monthfor the yacht club and all of itssailors. The sailing camp has beenvery successful teaching all of theyoung campers attending. All ofthe students and even the instruc-tors have had lots of fun gettingon the water teaching and learn-ing together. The jr Lipton team

has started practice for the sum-mer with the juniors sailing onmonday and a mixed team of jun-ior and senior sailors sailingtogether on Wednesday. AlthoughMeigs regatta has been cancelled,we are all still excited coming outand practicing on the Viper andbeing with the team. That's all I

have to report onfor this month soI hope all of y’allhave a wonderfulmonth and enjoyyour summer.

Kip Buck,FYC JuniorCommodore

From the Junior Commodore

A nice days adventure!

Snapper season opened at theend of May and some FYC mem-bers took advantage of openingday to hit their limit. Picturedleft to right are Jeff Valentine,Nathan Valentine, Liam Bishop,Gavin Valentine, WarrenWegener and Carl Wegener.

Jerry Weeks returns the favorWhen returning to my truck from

changing out my 6 house batteries,soaking wet with sweat, a young manoffered to load the bad batteries intomy truck for me. I insisted I neededno help but he loaded them anywayand would except no pay exceptthanks. His name is NathanValentine and he helps Holly teach-ing our next generation sailors byday then washes dishes in the club’skitchen at night and majoring inpremed at USA. I have neverencountered a more polite, consider-ate, inspiring youth and he showsthere may be a future for our countryafter all.

The morning instructor crew whohave been watching over ouryoungest sailors. Celebrating theend of the second session of sailingcamp, sailors pictured are KalindiMcCullins (waving) and HeatherMacNair.

5 6 7 8 9 10 11Meigs Regatta

FWYC

19PorchSocial6-8

20 21 22 23 24 25 Junior

Lipton RegattaGYC

26 27 28 29 30 31

12 SundayBrunch

13 Wine andCheeseSoirée

14 15Beer &Bingo6-8

16 17 18 Summer RegattaFish ClassRegatta

1 MembershipMtgs

6:00 JrYC7:00 Equity

2 3 4

11am-8pm 4-9pm(Bar) 4-9pm(Bar) 4pm-9pm 4pm-9pm 11am-10pm 11am-10pmSun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

Restaurant & Bar Hours Of Operation(251-928-8888 for Dinner Reservations)

July~2020Hurricane preparation guidelines

are available on the FYC website. Download your copy to be ready!

The club is busier than ever,which means it is very impor-tant to make reservations. Youmay not be granted a tablewithout reservations. All staffare to wear mask, but mem-bers can do as the choose.Sanitation is being taken veryserious by management, somembers should know that alltables, chairs, doors, and sur-faces have been thoroughlysanitized. We have alcoholwipes an hand sanitizer avail-able upon request. Only 25people are to be in the bar atone time-- we discourage largegroup gatherings at this time.No parties of 8 or more areallowed at a table.“Thank you for being so sup-

portive and understandingthrough these tough times,and we are hopeful that a new(and better, safer) future isnear.” All club meetings are back to

normal. Bingo is now down-stairs until further notice.

ALSO!We will be

starting aSupper Club inSeptember.The cost is $50a month and itis limited to 50people, firstcome firstserved. Whatthis entails ison the 2nd

Friday of every month theywill be served a 5 course mealwith 2 glasses of wine. As fornow, it will take place in thedining room; however, we willeventually grow it to where wecan also use the event rooms.Please see Chef or Jodi fordetails. Space is limited.

From the Galley for your pleasure!

30 31

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

16Porch Social6-8

17 18 19Beer &Bingo6-8

20 21 22

11am-8pm 4-9pm(Bar) 4-9pm(Bar) 4pm-9pm 4pm-9pm 11am-10pm 11am-10pmSun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

2 3 4 5 MembershipMtgs

6:00 JrYC7:00 Equity

6 7 8CandlerRegattaStABYC

9SundayBrunch

10 11 12 13 14 15Children’sCup Regatta

Restaurant & Bar Hours Of Operation(251-928-8888 for Dinner Reservations)

August~20201

SUNDAY RACING:Afternoon race starts at 2pmand sails 5 nautical miles onour compass course. Check inat the BarUntil further notice, bothBINGO and the PORCHSOCIAL will be underthe club, not upstairs!BEER & BINGO 3rdWednesday: Join your friendsunder the Club and get a shotat some fun and luck!SUNDAY BRUNCH 2ndSunday: Save the dishes andMom’s nerves!PORCH SOCIAL under theClub 3rd Sunday:

Returning in July! Notice: the Auxilliary willreturn to meetings onFriday, September 4, fortheir luncheon gathering.SPECIAL EVENTSSCHEDULE:WINE AND CHEESESOIRÉE:Wine and Cheesehas been scheduled forJuly 31! This promises tobe an interesting and edu-cational evening, learningto pair wines and cheesesfor the best flavor results!HAVANA NIGHTS andOYSTERS BY THE BAYare still TBD.

The CLUB LUAUCLUB LUAU is nowSeptember 12.Our staff is preparingevents that will make youwant to join the fun withyour friends.Check out the SupperClub notice!JULY 4TH! Picnic for afamily day on our beachand in our boats! 4-8pm,we will be serving RibsCrab Boil to go. We willalso have the Tiki Bargoing. Come enjoy food,drinks, and the best placeto enjoy our beach andbay!

WHAT’s Happening at the Club!

Until further notice, both BINGO and the PORCH SOCIAL will be under the club, not upstairs!

Just a gentlereminder that this isHurricane Season.Please make sure allyour lines are secureand preparations aremade. Do not wait

until the last minute.The FYC website has

Hurricane PrepProcedures that canbe downloaded toassist you with your

planning.Hurricanes will

come; be prepared!

From Fleet Captain Mark McCullins

HARBOR REMINDER

June MembershipCommittee Report

Invited to AssociateMembership:

Shelby AllenAustin CaddenCory CrozierScott FriedmanDylan MaloneyFred NewmanCheryl ShippBeckham Wyrick

Accepted to EquityMembership:

Andres ChristensenJohn Cocke IVMiles CookTodd EdmistonTyler GarnerGregory GauriscoGeorge HuckabayDavid JohnsonCasey McIntoshMonty MontgomeryMaclin Smith Jr.Cynthia WallacePaul Watkins

Welcome AboardSteven SavareseMembership Chair

Family EventsThe family events com-

mittee remains suspendedas we continue to navigatethe COVID-19 situation.As you can appreciate, itis virtually impossible toplan events of this naturegiven the rapidly evolvingstate of lockdowns/re-opening. It is our hopethat we can meet laterthis summer to begin toconsider events in the fall.Rest assured, it has notbeen forgotten and we lookforward to planning ournext movie night when itis safe to do so!

Fleet CaptainThere are now two FlyingScots in the club slingsthat are available for mem-ber use; please contact ourwaterfront director (HollyMurray) if you need toarrange a checkout. Hollywill be very busy with sail-ing camp programs overthe next two months soplease be patient! Therefurbishment of theRhodes 19 has been sus-pended while we re-exam-ine the club’s needs andthe historical use of thisboat; more news will followon this front.

After a week off thanks to TropicalStorm Cristobal, Sunday was a per-fect day for sailing! The sun wasbright and the day beautiful. Windslooked like they were going to belight as the boats prepared for therace while still ashore. By the timeten boats were ready to start at theX-mark, the wind was pretty steadyat 10 out of the SW. The course wasset at X-SW-NW-NE-X. Boats crossedtacks and vied for position as theyrounded the marks.

Sunday, June 21, Father's Day,brought some beautiful weather forSunday racing and lots of dads got todo what they love best! Nine boatssigned up to race and winds cooper-ated with a steady 8.5 kts with a fewhigher gusts. With winds from theSW, the course was set at X-SW-SE-NE-X. A pretty close race followedwith lots of exciting cross tacking!

This was the final race in the SpringSeries (Series 1) and results will beannounced at the awards ceremonyas soon as it can be scheduled.Corona Cup prizes will also beawarded at the same ceremony. We will start Series 2 on Sunday,

July 5.Looking forward to seeing everyone

on Sunday!

Tropical storm Cristobal rolled in qui-etly in the night with winds toppingout around 45mph in our area andLOTS of rain. Our place on the eastside of the eye kept the water pushedinto the Bay and it slowly rose in ourmarina right along with the tide. The Junior pier took on water all the

way up to the upper deck. The walk-way out and all the lower piers werecompletely inaccessible.

As the water rose, finger piers beganto go under. The fingerpier on E com-pletely disappeared. Only a few pil-ings and the ladder were still visible.Piers C & D were still above water onSunday, but just barely!

Water flowed over the bulkhead at thehoist on Monday. The boardwalkaround the basin and A & B piers wereboth underwater as water filled thelaunch area.

The bay pounded the beach near thegazebo on Monday.Those checking ontheir boats waded through ankle deepwater on C pier!

Sunday Sailing ~ report & pictures from Tracy Hirsh

The Harbor Committee will soonbe rebuilding the Kayak rack onthe South side of FYC property.

Members storing their kayaksthere are supposed to be billed$10/month for the privilege butonly a few are. The new rack will

allow for kayaks to be stored 3high and slots will be numberedand tracked. Numbered stickerswill be issued for your kayaksand a slip/slot application willneed to be filled out.A work party is scheduled forthe weekend of July 11-12, andmembers are asked to removetheir kayaks before then to allowfor room to work. Kayaksreturned to the new rack willneed to have a sticker. The storage charge will go tothe Junior program after thecost of materials for the newrack is recouped.

From the Harbor Committee

ationAmerica orp real d M mbe SIPC kated, a reg ter brok

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W. Holt NaffFinancial AdvisorTHE HARTY CARPENTER GROUP

251.990.2391601 N. Section StFairhope, AL 36532holt.naff@ml.com

www.fa.ml.com/thehartyca pe ou

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