Moving from Low to High Season
by Lenox C. Grasso, FYC Commodore, 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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Fleet Captain's Report MdR
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ASA 104 Cruise Weekend
by Ping Alldredge, Fleet Captain MdR
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Fairwinders play a numbers game: a dozen students, eight instructors/skippers, and five boats to Two Harbors for the ASA 104 Cruise Class. (Photos by Ping Alldredge)
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It happened on the last weekend of April 20, 2022, and it wasn't all smooth sailing. First, we ran into so many logistical issues before setting sail for Two Harbors, Catalina, from losing Tardis and Mariah(due to issues with maintenance and damage), to securing additional boats. In the end, we even had to cut the trip short, because of a Small Craft Warning issued the day we were scheduled to return to Marina del Rey!
We ended up condensing the trip. Nevertheless, we were able to get through all the learning materials on ASA 104. What’s more, some of us had time to do some spear fishing and go paddle boarding. Everybody learned a lot and had great fun!
Congrats to the 12 new ASA 104 certification holders, and a huge shout out to all the amazing instructors who helped make this check-out trip a true success!
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Ping Alldredge has been a Member of FYC since Jul 2016 and a Large Boat Member since Apr 2017. She holds ASA Certifications 101, 103, 104,114 and is an FYC Level-2 ASA 201 Certified Instructor. Ping is the Fleet Captain for MdR.
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Fleet Captain's Report MdR
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Marine Weather Talk
by Ping Alldredge, Fleet Captain MdR
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John Jourdane gives a Marine Weather Talk on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at the Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club in Marina del Rey. I first approached John in April 2022, and he immediately agreed to the idea. (Photo by Ping Alldredge)
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We had a great turn out for John Jourdane's Marine Weather Talk. During his presentation, John covered weather basics, including: using clouds to predict weather, weather models, and weather routing. It was almost an information overload, but in the best way!
Thank you, John! We look forward to offering the training to more Fairwinders, soon!
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Ping Alldredge has been a Member of FYC since Jul 2016 and a Large Boat Member since Apr 2017. She holds ASA Certifications 101, 103, 104,114 and is an FYC Level-2 ASA 201 Certified Instructor. Ping is the Fleet Captain for MdR.
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Fleet Captain's Report MdR
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Dockside Spinnaker Class
by Ping Alldredge, Fleet Captain MdR
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Trainer Bettina Martin leads a Dockside Spinnaker Class in Marina del Rey on Sunday, May 1, 2022. An accomplished racer, Bettina participated in the 2021 Linda Elias Memorial Women's One Design Race. (Photos by various Fairwinders)
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After the well-attended Zoom Presentation on February 23, 2022, for all things Spinnaker, Bettina hosted the highly anticipated dockside component. it was the first Dockside Spinnaker Class for FYC members. and everyone learned a ton! Even Mochi, the black and white dog at the lower left, listened intently.
The goal was to give club members the basic tools, so everyone can stay safe and feel confident about flying the spinnaker while running with the wind. Thank you, Bettina, for your insight and hard work!
Bettina wrote about her experience racing in the 2021 Linda Elias Memorial Race in the November 2021, newsletter. Read it here. Other Fairwinders who competed with Bettina in that race were Mary Kullenberg and Marcy Rye.
Trainer Jake Willet will be hosting more dockside spinnaker classes, as well. Stay tuned!
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Ping Alldredge has been a Member of FYC since Jul 2016 and a Large Boat Member since Apr 2017. She holds ASA Certifications 101, 103, 104,114 and is an FYC Level-2 ASA 201 Certified Instructor. Ping is the Fleet Captain for MdR.
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Work/Race Day in Marina del Rey
by Aaron Price, Hobie Cat Boat Chief
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Six of FYC's Hobie Cats on Mother's Beach in Marina del Rey on Sunday, May 22, 2022. (Image by Aaron Price)
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We went through a lot of spare parts and figured out what was salvageable and what was garbage. Replaced some rigging on one of the final two Hobies that didn't get new rigging. Cleaned all the boats, pumped out water from hulls, tweaked some tillers with a better cotter pin setup, new hull pads, and probably a few other things I forgot.
Race Results as Follows:
1. Rika/Aaron: 1#, 3, 2, 1 => 7
2. Steve/Miranda: 1#, 4, 1, 3 => 10
2. Nigel/Theresa: 4, 1, 3, 2 => 10
4. Qin/Jim: 3, 4, 5, 4 => 16
5. James/Alex: 6*, 2, 4, 5 => 17
6. Rochelle/Blake: 5, 6, 6, 6 => 23
* False start penalty
#Tie
Read Aaron's complete report here. See more photos/videos of this phenomenal workday here.
Thanks to all who came out and helped out with Hobie maintenance,
Aaron Price
Hobie Cat Boat Chief
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MdR Memorial Weekend Cruise Full
by Arlene de Anda, Cruise Chair MdR
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MDR cruising boats fill up fast! Skipper and crew Memorial Club Cruise spots were posted and filled last Saturday, May 7. Of course there is a waitlist for crew, but in recent memory it was rare to see skippers on the waitlist too.
How do you sign up for an MdR cruise? Members long to cruise to Catalina. Nabbing a spot is akin to winning the lottery. Since the spots disappear quickly, you may want to be prepared and look at the cruise schedule posted on the Fairwind website ahead of time. This way, you have potentially cleared your schedule with people in your life so you’re ready to sign up. You can find the FYC Club Cruises posted on Fairwind.org. From the top of the website landing page, click Activities, then from the drop-down choices, click Cruise.
MdR Club Cruises are posted 3 to 4 weeks in advance of departure. Keep an eye out for an email inviting you to sign up. It’s very important to click the online sign up form for either skipper or crew. Or, you may copy and paste the link into your web browser. Once you have typed in your answers, remember to click Submit and look for the automatic confirmation response. Since there are so many requests, this is the fairest and most efficient way to track the number of interested skippers and crew.
If you have questions about MdR cruises, contact me at:
FYC.mdr.cruisechair@gmail.com.
Looking forward to seeing you on the water!
Arlene de Anda
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Arlene de Anda is the FYC MdR Cruise Chair and Fairwind Mentor. As an educator, she organized family field trips since 2000, so hundreds of families could explore nature at the non-profit Emerald Bay Outdoor Academy where she serves on its advisory board. Arlene shared her love of sailing by forming several partnerships with university and non-profit sailing schools to provide lessons for elementary through high school students to engage in STEM learning on the water.
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My First CIH Cruise
by Stephanie Clarke Jackson
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This was my first Channel Islands cruise, so I was excited to see the anchorages and everything else that Channel Islands had to offer. (Media by Stephanie Clarke Jackson)
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I got to be 1st mate on Mistral, our 36ft Jeanneau, with other crew Sandy McLeod and Phoebe Yu. They're somewhat new to the club, moving here from Melbourne, Australia. They were familiar faces, since I met them on a club workday in MDR a few months back. Skipper Jim Greer was very experienced and especially easy to get along with. He brought an awesome selection of Classic Rock, that I enjoyed tremendously. Bob Mattson saw me shooting video at the dock and let me know he’s the drone guy up there, awesome! He was kind enough to share his latest footage with me of the fleet heading out that morning.
We had a pretty good swell on the way out of Channel Islands Harbor and an impressive set of dolphins to accompany us! Our first marker was the oil platform in the distance and it was great to get the local knowledge. We could see the Fairwind boats out in the distance, on slightly different paths. As we neared the island, the wind picked up and we were able to get some decent sailing in! We made it to Prisoner's harbor and settled in for the evening as the anchoring show continued with the arrival of the rest of our fleet.
I got out my SUP to go check out the shore, only to discover it was a steep incline of rocks, but that wasn’t my biggest problem... It was the many stingrays just below my board, no falling in here!! Sandy & Phoebe took the dingy out to explore and were advised to use the pier to access the land, I'll keep that in mind for next time
(read on)!
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Stephanie Clarke Jackson is a SoCal native and works as a video editor for NBC/Universal. She is married and has two young sons. She joined Fairwind in 2004 with no prior sailing experience but a love of boats and has completed ASA 101, 103, 104, 105 & 114. Her other interests include rollerblading, standup paddleboarding and traveling.
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Slow and in Control is Sexy
by Bettina Martin
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Sunrise in Two Harbors. (Image by Bettina Martin)
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I want to start off by saying how much I appreciate the opportunities given to us within the club to get educated and become better sailors and cruisers (and with luck in the future, better racers, as well).
I was one of the students that had the benefit of completing the ASA 104 on April 22-24 through our Fairwind club. All students had to pass the written exam prior to the cruise to Two Harbors. Due to gayle warnings we had to start our trip late. Initially planning to depart on Friday and return on Sunday, we ended up getting the boats ready on Friday and stayed on the dock overnight with an early Saturday departure to Catalina. It was a weekend filled with drills and practice and most importantly it was done in a positive, fun and supportive way. I have heard of certification cruises that can be cut and dry. Our instructors provided a joyful and positive environment for us by making sure we are engaged and enjoying the trip while following the checkout guidelines of the American Sailing Association to the fullest. And that is what I embrace most in our club. Do it right, but do it the fun way!
We started by practicing anchoring and soon after set course to Catalina. My instructor Drew Baldwin covered everything on the checklist, we all got time to practice our skipper skills. Drew made sure that every detail was covered, hailing Harbor patrol correctly prior to arrival, adjusting the boats heading to follow our course during sail, prepping the boat for the ‘crossing’, docking and undocking a ‘bigger cruising boat’, successfully communicating and leading as the skipper, discussing all aspects of overall boat and engine handling, completing safety checklists, knot practice, engine maintenance and much more. There was a lot to cover in a short period of time, following the ASA 104 checkout list (read on).
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Fairwinders Michelle Ching, Richard Windebank, Fran Weber, and Kate Bradbury have been making preparations for the Boys & Girls Clubs sailing program. If you'd like to get involved, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities!
Here's the sign-up sheet: BGC sailing sign-up
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California Boater Card
by Patricia Nazario, FYC Newsletter Editor
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In California, each year a new age group is added to boaters who are required to have a valid card. For 2021, the law requires everyone 40 years old or younger to have a card. By 2025, everybody on the water will be required to have one. Once issued, the card remains valid for life.
Take the BoatUS Foundation's free online course.
Apply for your boater's card.
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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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Training, Volunteer Sign-Up, Credits, and Guidelines
by Patricia Nazario, FYC Newsletter Editor
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MdR Harbor Orientation:
FYC Level-2 ASA Instructor Alex Van Name put together this 10-page document to help people find their way around MdR.
Volunteer Spreadsheet:
FYC Level-2 ASA Instructor Alex Van Name created this sign-up sheet where members can post their skills and availability, so that others may reach out when there's a match. This resource will remain an active part of our monthly newsletter.
Sailing Skills Class, Tuesday Nights, 7-9pm (June 14 - July 26, 2022):
The Coast Guard Auxiliary is teaching this course over seven consecutive Tuesday evenings at the Del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey. Class starts June 14, 2022. To sign up, download the flyer here.
Join The Newsletter Editorial Team:
If you'd like to write, research, and/or take/edit pictures, now's the time to put your fabulous talents to work for our amazing club. The FYC Editorial Team is expanding and looking to tap our creative members to contribute to the monthly newsletter. For more info, please contact Newsletter Editor Patricia Nazario at newsletter@fairwind.org.
Newsletter Submission Guidelines:
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 so enjoy. 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.
1) We publish the second Saturday of the month to coincide with FYC Open House
2) Longer articles may be split into sequential parts for brevity.
3) The submission deadline is the end of the month (for the following month's issue).
4) Accompany your story/article with photos/illustrations.
5) Include a 125x125 self-portrait and a 60-word mini-bio.
Please submit story ideas and only your original photos for the header and/or the Fairwind Feature Photo section at fyc.newsletter.123@gmail.com.
Questions and/or comments can go there, too.
Thank you!
Patricia Nazario
FYC Newsletter 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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