Halfway Through 2020-21 Season
by Lenox C. Grasso, FYC Commodore, FYC Port Captain MdR
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Lenox Grasso is the FYC Commodore and MdRH Port Captain. He joined FYC MdRH in 2010 after many years of sailing the Eastern Seaboard, Great Lakes, Bahamas, Caribbean, to Cuba, Panama, Bermuda, and Spain. Educated at Yale and Harvard, Lenox worked in federal defense and in expert systems with IBM, Naval Intelligence, NY Hospital, and at Harvard University. Lenox is a USCG 100-Ton Master and now works at ASA (Certs 107-108, 200-206, 211-218).
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The View from the Rear CIH
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by Alan MacGovern, CIH Rear Commodore
It’s traditional for the rear commodore to provide details each month of the work that’s been done on the fleet during the month gone by. This has the danger of becoming a boring litany of information that few other than boat chiefs care about. I do think it’s appropriate to note major things and if a boat or boats is out of service for more than a day or two. It’s also, I think, appropriate to inform the members of any new hardware or systems that they need to become familiar with, or to be particularly attentive to. In that spirit, my report on the boats shall be short. As of this writing, all boats at CIH are in service. Sorella did have an issue with the failure of a shroud attachment to the deck due to what is called “crevice corrosion” but this is now fixed. We have in hand a brand new Aqualift to be installed in a week or so on Sorella but this is not preventing use. Wojo has a nice new outboard, a Honda 4hp, a departure from our usual purchase of Tohatsu. Angelsea has a repaired aqualift, a new bilge pump and seems to be doing well.
One area that I will begin to report on that might be of interest is how we are doing on the maintenance budget. As most members know by now 80% of Club income goes to the operating fund and 20% to the floating fund. The operating fund logically enough pays for operating expenses made up mostly of slip fees, insurance, taxes, miscellaneous expenses, and maintenance. The floating fund takes care of buying new boats when we need them
(I don’t think that’s why it’s called the “floating” fund!). After all the other operating costs are taken care of the monthly budget for maintenance is a little less than $5,000, so this is the budget that I have to keep the fleet afloat and in good operating condition. If it wasn’t for the amazing contributions of our members we would never be able to do this and fees would have to be significantly higher. So thanks to all the volunteers that give of their time to disassemble engines, rewire systems, assemble and remount masts, sand and varnish woodwork, repair worn canvas, maintain our outboards, unclog macerators, replace aqualifts, and countless other tasks.
For this fiscal year to date, our maintenance bill has averaged $4800 per month so we are just sticking to our budget. No promises that we will achieve this for the whole year but we’ll do our best. There is always the ongoing question: when should we stop fixing old boats but instead replace them with newer more reliable ones? Answering this is beyond my pay grade so for now, I’ll just concentrate on fixing the old ones.
Safe sailing and remember:
“Leave the boat better than you found it”
Alan MacGovern
FYC CIH Rear Commodore
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Born and raised in Ireland, Alan MacGovern began sailing dinghies as a teenager. He was an active member of Dublin University's sailing team, and after emigrating to Massachusetts in 1966, began racing a Sunfish with the Cochituate YC. After moving to California he joined FYC in 2010 and moved up to larger craft. Alan is a retired aerospace engineer and lives with his wife in Thousand Oaks.
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The View from the Rear MdR
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by Stephen Fenster, MdR Rear Commodore
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Hello, fellow Fairwinders,
Updates on the MdR fleet include:
1) Osprey - New jib installed
2) Challenger - New rope clutches installed
3) Chaos - New sail cover is on order
4) Calypso - Rudder fixed and fuel leak repair will be completed this month
5) Frequency - Fuel leak repair will be completed this month
When returning from sailing, please be mindful of the A/C power cords and do the following:
1) Plug the cord into the boat connector and the power outlet on the dock.
2) Turn the cord counter-clockwise (at both ends) until the cord locks in.
3) Turn the power off at the dock for 5 seconds, and then turn the power back on.
4) Make sure the green dock box light is on. If it's red, the plug is attached incorrectly.
Hoping that everyone remains safe and healthy,
Stephen Fenster
FYC MdR Rear Commodore
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Stephen Fenster is the Rear Commodore for FYC MDR. He holds a BA in Education and has spent his professional life in the marine and automotive aftermarket. He serves on the Fairwind Board, the Harbor Committee, and the Boat Selection Committee, and is responsible for all outboards. He has been married for 39 years and has one child.
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Cut-Off Switches Required
by Jim Oliver, Sandpiper Assistant Boat Chief
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Making rounds in a dinghy, the Easter Bunny hands out mini baskets filled with colorful eggs and bite-sized chocolates at Two-Harbors in Catalina Island. (April 4, 2021/Francesca Corrado)
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April Fool's jokes aside, the first of the month ushered in a new engine cut-off law for vessels up to 26 feet, including tenders and coach boats. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, small boats are now require to use an engine cut-off switch (ECOS) and associated ECOS link (ECOSL), and it must be attached to the operator. The goal is to prevent runaway vessels and the threat they pose.
Most of us have learned, or been trained, to attach the engine cutoff switch (aka red lanyard) to something on the boat, so we don’t lose it. Or, inadvertently kill the engine. This engine cut-off switch lanyard is designed to turn off the engine should the operator fall overboard. Maybe the boat doesn't run over you and stays close by, so you can get back on board. A quick search of Youtube will return many videos of boats running in circles nearly hitting some poor soul who fell overboard.
I can hear you saying this doesn’t apply, sailboats don’t get up on plane. This is true for most of our fleet, but what about the dinghies? Besides now being the law with a $100 fine, attaching the lanyard to yourself is just plain good safety practice.
Read the Coast Guard's Announcement
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Jim earned a B.S. in electronics and built a 20-year career repairing hospital medical equipment. A nature lover, Jim has worked at a campground since 2002. In 2017, he took up keelboat sailing near Dana Point and joined Fairwind Yacht Club in April 2019. Jim has been married for 30 years, has two children in college, and dreams of retirement. He holds his ASA 101, 103, and 104, and is the assistant boat chief on Sandpiper.
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by Lenox C. Grasso, FYC Commodore, FYC Port Captain MdR
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Lenox Grasso is the FYC Commodore and MdRH Port Captain. He joined FYC MdRH in 2010 after many years of sailing the Eastern Seaboard, Great Lakes, Bahamas, Caribbean, to Cuba, Panama, Bermuda, and Spain. Educated at Yale and Harvard, Lenox worked in federal defense and in expert systems with IBM, Naval Intelligence, NY Hospital, and at Harvard University. Lenox is a USCG 100-Ton Master and now works at ASA (Certs 107-108, 200-206, 211-218).
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Mariah's Griddle Thermometer
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Looking for a James Beard Award/Challenge? Now, with Mariah's griddle cover equipped with an easy-insert thermometer, be the first to bake up some sweets in its temperature-controlled oven -of sorts - for those bragging rights! Photos required!
Steve Fenster installed the removable device on March 23, 2021. A few days earlier, the griddle scorched my grill-top thermometer while I was preparing to grill bison burgers on an overnight anchoring training at King Harbor in Redondo Beach. (March 23, 2021/Ron Sasiela)
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Ron Sasiela has been a sailing instructor since 1973 and is one of the first ASA 201/203 certified within a year of ASA’s 1983 founding. He and his wife, Carole, just celebrated their “double nickel” anniversary and have two daughters. He’s not missing his Hunter ’34 that he enjoyed sailing along the East Coast since coming to LA in 2013.
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MdR Resources 2021-2022
The big news is racing season is back! Here are some helpful resources:
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Guidelines, Links, and Credits
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Hello Fairwinders,
Our newsletter is a safe space for our community to share ideas, thoughts, information, and experiences. The content we generate is intended to inform, inspire and encourage us, all, to become better sailors, and better dial into the lifestyle we cherish. Articles should be topical, teach lessons/skills, or keep members up to date on current events. If you've had an amusing experience, or have done something unusual related to sailing, we'd love to share it! Here's how it works.
Submission Guidelines:
1) The first 500 words will be published.
2) Longer articles will link off to a .pdf where members can finish reading the story.
3) Submission deadline is the end of the month (for the following month's issue).
4) Include photos/illustrations to go with your article.
5) Include a portrait photo of yourself and a 60-word mini-bio.
Please submit only your original photos for the newsletter header and the Fairwind Feature Photo section to: photos@fairwind.org
Please submit story ideas, questions, and/or comments to:
newsletter@fairwind.org
Lastly, due to COVID-19, all club cruises continue to be suspended until further notice.
Thank you!
Patricia Nazario
FYC Editor
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Patricia Nazario is the FYC Newsletter Editor. She discovered sailing in the summer of 2019 and joined FYC in 2020. Educated at UCLA and Columbia University in NYC, Patricia is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist. Patricia began her career as a reporter on local TV news and on National Public Radio (NPR). She learned Spanish in Buenos Aires, Argentina and has traveled across most of Central/South America. Patricia holds an ASA 101 certification.
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