March 2005 Newletter (pdf file)
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         7 October, 2004                                                                                                       Commodore

 To the Membership,

It is with pleasure that I announce the Committee Chairman for 2005.

Our Rear Commodore David Page will be giving support to House and Race Ashore. Our Vice Commodore Chris Lane will help Thursday Night and Entertainment. I hope all our members will show their continued support of these committees.

When I look at the Calendar and see the long list of committee members, I realize it is the heart of our club. Everyone should have a picture of Sunday morning August 15 Race Ashore preparations. 20+ people running around the second floor making sandwiches, laying out dessert platters, where are those napkins? Then when sandwiches are done Linc is there with Bloody Mary's! This kind of effort not only keeps our costs down, it develops on going friendships.

This year we would like to strengthen House as we now have expanded programs for the late Fall and early Spring, and of course the Winter Brunch. In addition it is best to have lots of little jobs covered by two people. Remember the summer cruise and winter skiing.   We would also like retirees to volunteer to monitor our facilities off season. Please offer your services to Mike And Ken!

We have created a communication committee to bring a number of experts under one roof. Bob McKenna who prepares our news letter will consolidate the skills of the Web Master, Postcards, Calendar, and E-Mail. We need additional tech volunteers to back these folks up and make their lives easier.

Please note Club Rentals are now arranged by our Rental Coordinator, Vicki Field. Call her for your reservations.

Capital improvements for 2005 will be centered around the replacement of the north dock and additional waterfront repairs. At the same time a new subcommittee will be studying alternative renovations for our kitchen. Our objective is to make our kitchen easy to keep clean and organized. To make it function well for our parties with larger serving counters, improved lighting and ventilation. Of primary concern will be managing our budget. We hope to commence work during the winter of 2006.

Remember, you have one of the best sailing programs of any Yacht Club! This is based on the hard work of many and particularly Val, Vicki Cindy & Anne, and of course their husbands. Our sailing history will be celebrated this year at our 60 th RIYC Invitational Race. Mark your calendar!

Your Commodore,

Lew Foster

P.S. See you at the Seaport Rendezvous on the 16 th , Decommissioning Party on the 23 rd and Hauling of Floats the 30 th !

Hello to everyone,

            We continue to make progress on preparations for the coming warmer weather. Some of the actions are:

The Junior Sailing Program now has three new engines and a fourth patrol craft. We have had close scrutiny on getting the best buy on these new purchases. Thanks to all involved.

            We have been discussing (for quite a while) how best to modify the plumbing system so that we can turn the heat on and isolate the outside portion of plumbing system, from the inside. Craig Bush, Dave Remmert, Ed Dieckerhoff, Bruce Lockwood, and Bob Leeney, took on, and completed this task. We now have a modified plumbing system which is compatible with turning the heat on and off in cold weather. Thanks to the talented plumbers.

            Float launch schedule is 17 April. This is the day when we really do get the look of, "the season has started."

            As you may have noticed on the new calendar, we now have a Historian, Bowen Briggs. Thanks for volunteering Bo.

            The calendar was issued, less five of our members, Wheeler through Wolfskehl. Enclosed is the fix to that problem. We also did not indicate the passing of two of our Past Commodores, David A. Austin and John V. Leonard. Anne Wilkinson is our Junior ECSA representative, and Peter Bergendahl is our ECSA representative. (Peter is also the Commodore of ECSA) The RIYC Opti Regatta has been changed from 10 August to 16 August, due to a conflict with the Opti New England Championships in Newport RI. We did not include the date of the Quad Party, as that date had not been confirmed at the time we issued the calendar. We have recently received this date from the Watch Hill Yacht Club which is 31 July 2004.   Please mark your new calendars accordingly.

Two new family members were elected at the March Trustees' Meeting, they are:

Bruce and Juli Brown, with their daughter Sabrina (7). and son Nathan (4).

The Browns live at 990 Eastern Point Road, Groton.

            Mike Rafferty and Lee Stafford. Mike and Lee are familiar faces at the Club.

Mike and Lee live at 25 Pearl Street in Noank.

May I extend a very warm welcome to both new Family Members.

The following members have resigned:

                        Rodney and Lucia Johnstone

                        Web and Jeanne Roberts

                        Alan and Denise Burnett

The Board of Trustees agreed to support the upcoming celebration of Mystic's 350 years of existence. In light of that, Amy Bush (who is the Co Chairperson of the event) has accepted the task of coordinating Ram Island Yacht Club volunteers to be hosts for tours of local homes. This event will take place on 1 and 2 October 2004, from 10 AM, to 4 PM. each day. Any member interested in helping, please give Amy or Barbara Firebaugh, (who is the hostess coordinator, 572-4405) a call.

                                                                                    Tom Weeks,

                                                                                    Commodore

Hello to everyone,

            Our Club continues it's normal off-season activities, which is mostly with the Board of Trustees being assigned to the various committees, and organizing within these committees. Committee Chair people have been assigned as follows: I strongly recommend you get involved with one of more of these committees. The camaraderie is like none other.

            Calendar/Communications - Mark Entwistle

            Entertainment - Mary Hotchkiss/Ken Bidding/David Page

            Facilities Improvement - Bruce Lockwood

            House Operations - Craig Bush/Mike Francis

            Junior Sailing - Cindy Nickerson

            Long Range Planning - Bruce Lockwood

            Race Afloat - Bill Rambow/Wendy Schnur

            Race Ashore - Lew Foster/Steve Allen

            Thursday Nights - Chris Lane

            Waterfront - Mark Turner/Scott Berry

            Dockmaster - David Page

            House Master - *

            Web Master - Chris Field

            Fleet Captains - Allen & Lisa Smith, Don & Anne Wilkinson

            Fleet Surgeon - Dr. Clifford Wilson

            Historian - *

                                                *Looking for volunteers

             At this time of the season our Club is normally closed for the off-season. With the installation and operation of a new heating system, the Trustees have decided to leave the Club open for membership's use until the end of January 2004. This does not change our rental policy, which terminated rentals in mid November 2003 and will resume in mid March 2004.The one caveat that goes with this decision is the cost of keeping the Club House heated. The heating system was completed in April of this year, and therefore we do not have any meaningful history of heating cost. The Trustees will evaluate this heating cost after the propane tanks are filled, hopefully in the first week in December 2003. If the cost is within our budget constraints, we will leave the Club open through the end of January 2004, if not, it will be closed after the December Board Meeting.          

            The floats were removed on 1 November with a substantial number of volunteers, under ideal weather conditions. The waterfront committee will work through the winter repairing and building new floats. Thanks to Mark Turner and his able committee.

            The entertainment committee has been discussing possible additional social activities while the Club is open. The entertainment committee has provided you with this schedule within this Newsletter. Thanks to Mary Hotchkiss, David Page and Ken Bitting and their committee members.

The Board has authorized expenditure from the general treasury, replacement of the existing outboards on our Junior Sailing support crafts Salle and Rambunctious. They are no longer reliable. The Board has also authorized looking for a fourth support craft for the Junior Sailing Program.

We are grateful to Chris Field who has agreed to stay on as our Web Master.

We have had weekend and holiday Club Host volunteers over the past several years, which has been an asset to the Club's summertime operations. We need more volunteers! So if you would like to sit on the Club porch for a few hours, and observe the waterfront activities, please give Dick Cook or our Secretary a call and sign up for the 2004 season.

            Parking in our lot has been a problem on occasion this past season. We ask that if you go on extended cruises, you not leave your vehicles in the parking lot. If you go on short cruises, we ask that you minimize the number of vehicles you leave in the lot, and park them out of the way as much as possible.

            We will issue the Calendar of Club activities in a timely manner again this year, thanks to the continued efforts of Mark Entwistle.

            I look forward to another active and enjoyable season with everyone.

                                                                        Tom Weeks,

                                                                        Commodore

Greetings:
Another successful season has passed, and the Club has been closed except for ongoing work. I apologize for the gap in newsletters, but this has been a very hectic period for both Linda and myself. I am delinquent thanking a lot of you for your efforts this year:
The dedication and talents of Val Fast and other contributors resulted in the Junior Sailing program being another huge success. Cindy Nickerson has a very hard act to follow!

The parties for the summer were wonderful. A special thank you to all involved.
Past Commodore’s, Founders, and New Members
Maryann & John Read, Hosts
Dottie & Doug Brown
Lauren & John Watson
Marilyn & Mike Francis
Joanna & Jim Arnold
Dress Ship Party
Phyllis & Peter Littlefield, Co-hosts
Carol & Peter King, Co-hosts
Rose-Marie & Don Farringston
Patsy Fritzsche
Martha & Mike Smiles
Clam Bar
John & Eunice Sutphen, Hosts
Laurel Butler & Chris Daniels
Valerie & Roy Grimm
Jennifer & Chris Lane
Roger Sherman
Annual Meeting
Cindy & Dave Nickerson, Co- hosts
Tina & Dana Seniff, Co-hosts
Judy & Greg Leonard
Anne & Prescott Littlefield
Nancy Nickerson
Decommissioning
Anne & Don Wilkinson, Hosts
Ann & Woody Bergendahl
Peb Bergendahl
Lisa & Matt Champney
Frank Murphy & Emily Holly
Debbie & Hugh O’Brien

The Chef Ed dinners were a continuing success thanks to the leadership and efforts of Lee Weeks.
Thanks also to Lee Weeks, Ruth Webster, Kay Hill and Marsha Spakowski for the fall Ladies Bridge/ Luncheon.

This was our year for the Quad Club party. I had never been directly involved before, and had no appreciation for the enormity of the task. The preparations started in January and the committee was still straining to make the extravaganza happen in August. My wife Linda and I and Mark and Tina Entwistle were Co-hosts. Mark and Tina ended up picking up the majority of the responsibility due to our family problems in Maine, and did a great job. The party was a huge success, except for those attendees expecting to go out on the “Cruise Ship.” Congratulations on a super effort:
Mark & Tina Entwistle
Linda Rambow
Mary Pullan & Art Hotchkiss
Carol Connor
Linda Lockwood (we “borrowed” her grasses)
Val & Carl Fast
Robin & Jeff Hall
Bob & Mary Evelyn
Ruth Ordway & Greg Lukowski
Greg & Jackie Stoltz
Ann & Woody Bergendahl
Dave Page & Nancy Hillery
Roger Sherman
Carol & Mike McBee
Charlie & Eleanor Wenderoth
Lew & Marilyn Foster
Pat Leuthner
Dan Spear
Chuck Chorlton
Bill Loweth
Bert & Mark Turner

Joe Hinchey continued with his efforts for the Ames Fund. The conclusion was that the on-going effort to further formalize the 501.3c status was not needed due to the fund size. Because of the amount of work and expense to maintain it, we have elected to leave the fund as-is. All donations remain fully deductable. Thank you Joe.
Thank you also to Jane and Danny Spear for the great Thursday night picnics.
The effort to finish the heat for the club continued through the summer and fall. Bill Loweth and Jim Rymash have headed the effort, with Jim completing the final punch list. The system is in and ready to be tested. The Board is developing guidelines and should be in a position to extend the season next year.
The Mark Turner steps were also completed. I am sure everyone will concur with me when I say it is a significant improvement in the presentation of the club. Thank you Mark.
The Ram Island Race was a huge success, with more entries than we have had in the recent past. Adrianne Loweth found some really unique trophies that were enjoyed by the winners. But the real prizes were the infamous Red Hats provided by Mount Gay. Charlie Wenderoth and Chris Daniels worked long and hard on the sponsorship, and it was a big hit with everyone. A special thanks to Chuck Chorlton for making a great call ending the event at the MOA, which resulted in a race for all classes. Chuck was also the prime mover in implementing the use of the automatic starting sequencer; what a wonderful tool. Bill Ames was sorely missed, starting with assembly of the scratch sheets on Saturday morning. It just wasn’t the same. I also found out first hand what a challenge it is manually taking finish times is! It’s a function Bill had performed successfully for years.
Thanks to the committees:
Race Ashore
Lynda & Mike Hewitt, Co-Chairs
Eleanor & Charles Wenderoth, Co-Chairs
Joanna & Jim Arnold
Kathleen & Vic Burdick
Denni Burnett
Laurel Butler & Chris Daniels
Terri & Dan Crowley
Juanita Haines
Kay Hill
Cornelia & Porter Hoagland
Elsie & Curtis Johnson
Joyce & Link Lippencott
Cookie & Doug Repp
Nancy & Nick Salerno
Eunice & John Sutphen
Race Afloat
Linda & Bill Rambow, Co-Chairs
Elisabeth & Frank Bohlen
Chuck Chorlton
Lew Foster
Robin Lockwood Hall
Larry Jacobsen
Adrianne Loweth
Marge Moore
Neal O’Connell
Wendy Schnur
Jackie Stoltz
Ruth Ordway
Greg Lukowski
Prescott Littlefield

I hope to see you all at the mid-winter Brunch January 26, 2003!

Linda and I wish you all a safe and wonderful Holiday Season.

Bill Rambow

Skating Party

The club has reserved the Connecticut College ice rink for two hours of skating beginning at 4:15 on Sunday, January 12, 2003. The charge will be $4 per person and is open to club members as well as their families, friends and guests.

Classifieds
For Sale, (not sail). 2000 Eastern 19' lobster skiff. dark blue hull with Honda 90 hp four stroke. dodger, trailer, porta-potti, VHF, depth/ speed/ fishfinder, lots of goodies, low hours and in great shape. Call Mark Entwistle at 536-3155 for a good price, call Tina if you like to negotiate.

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Another successful dock removal project was led by the Waterfront Committee headed by Past Commodore Jim McGuire and Rear Commodore Tom Weeks. 

Tim Porter removing the windvane for winter storage

Social Committee Julia Lane, Sarah Wilkinson and Caroline Entwistle keep tabs on the grown-ups at the fall gathering

Pumpkin carved by Danny Spear

Vicki and Lew announced that all of the party chairpersons had volunteered.  When the call to help knocks on your door, I encourage all of you to respond positively to chairpersons’ requests.  Ram Island’s tradition of sweat-equity not only keeps the facility operating and looking ship shape, but also develops long lasting friendships among the members.

Our "new boat" committee has purchased a center console Whaler 17'.  The boat is in storage in Norwich, and will be picked up and commissioned in the spring.  Many thanks to Vicki, Val, and Tom Weeks. With the Board's concurrence, Vicki Field took the initiative and sold the Laser II, donated by Meg Gaillard, and the Zuma, donated by Craig Leuthner.  The funds that were raised will go to the general fund.

There are several upcoming events everyone is encouraged to attend:

The 5^th annual Mason's Island Yacht Club Frostbite Regatta will be held New Year's Day 2002.  The skippers’ meeting is at 11AM, with racing to follow at 11:30.  Racing will be in Dyer Dhows, compliments of Mystic Seaport.  The way the winter is going, shorts will be the call for the day!  Contact Linda or Jay Kiszkiel for additional information.

Val Fast has arranged for the skating rink at Connecticut College on Sunday, January 6^th.  Skating will be from 2:15 to 3:45 for Ram Island Members and Guests.  Cost is $3.50 per person.  Questions can be directed to Val @ 572-9887.

The Mid-winter Brunch will be held at the Lighthouse Inn in New London on January 27th.  The Inn is under new management, and it sounds as though a lot of improvements have been made.  Lew and Marilyn Foster are taking care of the Brunch and promise more details will follow.

Calendar information
‘Tis the season… to update our membership database! In an effort to make it easier for you and, more importantly, easier for us, a member information form is provided herein. Pull out this year’s calendar and review your family’s information. If you find an error please use the form to report the correct information to the Secretary. The ages of the children are changed automatically and therefore do not need to be reported --unless of course, they are incorrect to start with. Also check the back page to update your fleet. If you have corrections to make it is your reponsibility to return (or email) the form to the secretary no later than January 15th, for incorporation into the calendar.

Ames Fund
When preparing your year-end charitable contributions, let us not forget the Ames Fund. Since its inception, the fund has furthered the sailing efforts of numerous Ram Island sponsored sailors and teams. The Ames Fund is tax deductible according to the IRS code Section 501 (c) (3).
The following is the description of the Ames Fund:
The Ames Fund, established last year in recognition of Bill Ames, consists of voluntary contributions from RIYC members or people in the community. The funds are kept in a separate account and not mingled in any way with yacht club funds. Any participant in the RIYC sailing program or member of a yacht club family may request from the fund financial support to cover entry fees or other expenses of competing in an amateur sailing event. Expenditures on equipment or facilities are not eligible. Jim McGuire, Past Commodore, has been designated to administrate the fund. All awards must be approved by the Trustees. A dialog with the Internal Revenue Service has led to a determination that contributions to the Ames Fund qualify under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code as a charitable deduction on the individual’s personal income tax return.

We all had a wonderful time at the Fall Rendezvous at the Seaport. About twenty-five people enjoyed the great weather. The hors d'oeuvres were wondeful, not to mention the excellent pumpkin carving job done by our host Mr. Spear!  Thanks to Danny and the Seaport for their hospitality.

Junior Sailing – For the complete story on this past season’s outstanding acheivements, refer to the enclosed flyer.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and hope to see you at the Brunch!

Bill Rambow
Commodore

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