|
| |
|
The annual Catalina Cruise had a smaller than usual turnout, but still a good time was had. The Pirate's Cruise was land-based this year due to low water levels, but we had a good showing at the Lake Havasu Yacht Club's Thanksgiving Race. Brian Striedieck took over the helm for 1998. This year the Club had an all time high for members, with 102 families and single sailors on the roster. The Club joined the world wide web and began publishing a Club Webpage. Marie Merritt volunteered to create and publish the original web page. Water levels at the Lake began to rise again, and the Pancake Breakfast was moved back to Lake Pleasant. Another new record for the Club was set when 22 boats made the trip from the California coast to Catalina Island. So many boats were going, it was decided to split up and leave from three different departure points; San Diego, Dana Point and Marina del Rey. A new cruise was on the agenda this year. Joe & Joan Zuccala along with Bob and Trudy Connors skippered a two week cruise to Lake Tahoe. Several of our members again made the trip to Lake Havasu for the Thanksgiving Day Regatta, in what is becoming another tradition. 1999- was led by Phil Hunsley. The Club continued on a strong tack with all events being well-attended. The "last Cinco de Mayo of the century" was a great success and fun for kids of all ages. This year brought two camping trips, since the desert heat discourages most of us from sailing at Lake Pleasant. In 1999 the Sailboat shop opened a new location at Lake Pleasant, and the Tempe Town Lake also opened. The fall brought us the Pirate's Cruise and the Veteran's Day Cruise, both well attended by over fifteen boats. Rick & Kelley Fowke had the distinction of skippering the last cruise of the century, as well as the first cruise of the new millennium cruise. No Y2K problems were reported! 2000 - Upon the arrival of the new millennium, Y2K, Rich Wood took over the bridge as Commodore from Phil Hunsley. All members survived without the use of generators as power grids did not collapse and everyone's GPS continued to work! The club was subjected to a survey of club activities to determine what was needed to boost membership involvement and the outcome said: Stay the course, maybe add more cruises in the spring and fall. A comprehensive seminar on Stainless Steel selection and care was presented at one meeting, which many marveled over the information. The membership swelled to 108 member-ships in the spring, while the water in the lakes dwindled in the fall, with one lake leaving "Salsa" grounded. Financially the club thrived even with the new requirement of event insurance for the Christmas Party. 2001 with Joe Zuccala as commodore, brought LPSC a year of continued growth with 112 memberships and increased participation in all club events. The annual cruises to Catalina Island, Lake Mead and San Carlos, Mexico are still among the favorite destinations. This year's Catalina cruise had high winds and seas and kept everyone on their toes. Some boats made the trip in record time. The Lake Pleasant Sailing Club has a tradition of sailing cameraderie and good times, and this year continued these traits. 2002 -marked the Club's 25th Anniversary with Tom Hankins at the helm. In September a celebration was held reflecting on the past 25 years. In 2002 the Bylaws were revised to allow George Lauman to retire from the Board. A stormy spring caused the Sweetheart's Race to be re-scheduled and later completely cancelled. In spite of the third year of drought, the lake level did its usual rise & fall but the lake cruises were well attended and successful. More than 50 sailors chartered in the British Virgin Islands while both the Catalina and San Carlos cruises were fairly large with many new members. The Library was expanded and further organized and we continued to have a presence on the Web. The year ended with 106 memberships (200+ sailors), the largest Holiday Party ever and things fairly ship-shape. |
2003 -was another great year for the club with Rick Fowke as Commodore. This year proved to be a year of changes. Like the winds at LakePleasant many of the events during the year had changes in locations or changes in dates. The Cinco de Mayo Cruise ended up in the marina due to high winds, and safety being the first priority. The Ice-cream Social was moved to Kiwanis Park where the kids got to fish and the model boat race was held in the lake. Bob and Tatsyo Schultz donated a dinghy with carrying case, and a 2 hp-4 stroke motor, which were auctioned off as well as several other which items which were raffled off. This enabled the club to buy an LCD projector to use at club events. We went on a new cruise to the Channel Islands and Tom Hankins skippered a cruise event aboard the Lynx, an 80-ft. wooden clipper ship, where the members became crew and sailed to Catalina Island returning the next day. The year ended with 103 members and everyone looking forward to the 2004 cruising season. 2004-Commodore Ed Chamberlain steered the Club. We added a new position to the Board, the New Member Liason, to greet new members and help to make them feel welcome. We had our 25th Anniversary for the Catalina Island Cruise. We had the bittersweet experience of having Tom & PJ Hankins leave to go cruising, and we will miss their energy and enthusiasm. All in all, another great year with the LPSC. In 2005, Mark Kaufmann served as the club commodore. The year began with rain, followed by more rain, and after that, still more rain. The Sweethearts cruise was cancelled due to the inclement weather, as was the President's Day cruise. It was still stormy for the Mad Hatter Cruise, but by St. Patrick's Day, conditions took a turn for the better, and the record-high lake level enhanced the remainder of the spring cruises, including Cinco de Mayo. The video library was expanded, and the process of converting our old VHS tapes to DVDs was started. After nearly 20 years of service, the original fruitcake burgee was showing its age, so club member Shirley Brewer made a colorful replacement, and the original was retired in an exquisite display case created by Ed Ladd, to become a part of the club's heritage.
2006 brought the club its third woman commodore, Kelley Fowke. The Turkey Day Cruise at Lake Pleasant took the place of the London Bridge Regatta in Lake Havasu City. Santa Barbara Island Cruise was added to the Catalina Cruise. Dottie The Mid-Week Cruises proved to be very popular again. ership. We created the new embroidered logo with a waving LPSC burgee and it is available on various clothing items. . The Club gained new members and friends, and lost treasured ones. We traveled vicariously to far off places such as French Polynesia and Caribbean through presentations. We also learned about cruising with children in Mexico and of real-life pirates in the Caribbean. 2006 was an excellent year for Lake Pleasant Sailing Club.
|