Fleet Captain Reports

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Fleet Captain Report: July 2020

With two sails already under our hulls, twelve more sails are ambitiously planned for the remainder of the summer (see posted schedule on the website Sailing Schedule Preview). Weather has always been the common denominator that interferes with our best laid plans, so we’re hoping this year will be the aberration that allows us more of those “fair winds and following seas.”

In addition to weather, the success of the sails is dependent on our club members volunteering as cruise captains, because without cruise captains, we have no sails. So please consider volunteering. If you haven’t been a cruise captain before, any member of the Board can help walk you through the easy process. Thanks to the captains who accommodated our members and to our crew for participating in the club!

Please review the 2020 Sailing Schedule Preview and then link to the Events page to sign up as either a future captain or future crew member.

-Lorraine Klabunde, 2020 Fleet Captain

Fleet Captain Report: August 2020

So far this season, three of four scheduled sails have been completed successfully. Many thanks to Larry Makowski and George & Sally Andersson for volunteering as cruise captains for these sails. In advance, I'd like to thank Tom Steider (a new member of the club) and Larry Makowski for volunteering for the August 29 and Sept. 12 sails respectively.

Considering the Year of Covid, the turnout for our sails has been very positive and the response of both skippers and crew to both the sails and after-sail socializing, has likewise been very favorable. We still need two cruise captain volunteers for the Sept. 19 and Sept. 26 sails. Please sign up online if interested.

Please offer your suggestions for the location of the Sept. 26 sail, which is currently TBD. Although the Sept. 26 sail is our official final outing of the year, October is a beautiful time of the year for sailing. Most frequently Mr. Weather has the upper hand and these scheduled sails are generally cancelled. We'll keep our options open for perhaps one October sail.

In closing, due to Covid, we have quite a reduced fleet this year and so I cannot even begin to adequately thank our skippers who generously and repeatedly provide their yachts, time and energy for our members.

Fair skies and following seas,

-Lorraine Klabunde, 2020 Fleet Captain

Fleet Captain Report: June 2020

As Spring wears on, we are preparing for the Summer 2020 sailing outings to occur. Although everything is tentative due to COVID, a list is being compiled of skippers who will be launching their boats and who would be interested in participating in either a flotilla sail or, if conditions allow, taking out crew.

A flotilla (by our current definition) consists of boats sailing within close proximity, but with a minimum number of people on board. The question of more extensive crew on board will be determined by the skipper's level of comfort and by official restrictions.

There seems to be a consensus that members would still want to participate in socializing after the sail, with obvious restrictions if necessary. We are wait and see for both Illinois and Wisconsin restrictions. If we're able to have eight to ten sails this year, that would be a considerable success and a mark of our resilience, ingenuity and good planning.

So, support the club, participate in the Zoom general membership meetings, and think of fair winds and following seas.

-Lorraine Klabunde, 2020 Fleet Captain

Fleet Captain Report: May 2020

Since our futures are in flux at this time, “hope” is the operative word at this time. Hope that we will have a sailing season, hope that we can all get together in the near future, and hope that everyone is hanging in there -not going stir crazy- and thinking positive thoughts. What a great time to watch some of those sailing videos or read the sailing books that have been collecting dust over the years. Stay well!

-Lorraine Klabunde, 2020 Fleet Captain