VIEW FROM THE HELM
As I write this article, I’m getting ready to head out for the Tri-State Boating Safety Fair at Lake Havasu, where past Club Commodore Kelley Fowke and I will be working with others from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Nevada Department of Wildlife and California Department of Boating and Waterways to help educate boaters on safe boating practices. Meanwhile, you all are having fun getting ready for the Club’s annual Cinco de Mayo raft-up. With all the preparation I’ve seen and heard about from Karon and Phil Hunsley, I’ve no doubt that another great sailing event of the season is about to enter the club’s annals. What a great opportunity for everyone to get together, meet, greet and get to know new members and visit with old friends. The added opportunity to check out various and different kinds and types of boats is a great side benefit of the raft-up. Yes, all kinds of education will be had this Cinco de Mayo weekend. Kelley and I will be working on boating safety at Lake Havasu, and the club will be having a great time educating each other on how to have fun (safety included) at a raft-up on the lake! Education, learning opportunities: a time to share with one another and experience learning opportunities. I
It's also the time of year youngsters (and their parents) are beginning to think about a summer quickly approaching and the fact that school will be coming to a close for the next few months. For students, it’s a pause to enjoy the hot weather, time out of class and all the trappings of summer combined for a welcomed celebration. For some parents the summer vacation is a time to get to know their children again. And for some kids and parents alike, the next few months will be a time that reveals that perhaps school is a good place for kids to be for several hours a day after all!
The Club has another opportunity to get a bit more serious about boating and sailing education as well. As you know, the reasons the Club was formed (and as noted specifically in the By-Laws) is to promote recreational and social programs, promote seamanship and water safety, encourage and establish liaisons with other yacht clubs and sailing associations, and to organize opportunities for members to take part in all forms of yachting and boating, and to furnish members with advice, information and assistance. Whether we’re talking about how to change the wheel bearings on a boat trailer, radio procedures, getting ready to cruise Mexico, Catalina or the Caribbean,or things to be wary of before buying a boat, we have a lot of talent in the club and in the greater sailing community at our access. I’m thinking the time has come to follow the lead of the Southern California Yachting Association’s Annual Women’s Sailing Conference. The Lake Pleasant Sailing Club should have it's own annual conference and it is my intention to explore the possibilities of just that - a “Day At The Lake” that offers a range of specialty classes and courses ranging from basic trailer repair and maintenance, to dead reckoning and chart plotting, to setting a spinnaker and basic sail selection, weather, first aid and CPR, Life Jacket 101, outboard motor maintenance and docking, to name but a few. Between our Club and others in the area, the Tucson Sailing Club , not to mention, the U.S. Power and Sail Squadron, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Pleasant Harbor Marina, the Sail Boat Shop, Peoria Fire Department and others, we have access to a wide variety of potential course offerings to help educate and provide updated, current and useful information to any new—and even accomplished sailors.
This event will be your chance to share your knowledge, skills and experiences with those of us that can benefit from your help and mentoring. I believe that we all continue to evolve in our personal skills set and improve as time and experience march on in our sailing. Our ability and level of knowledge and seamanship is constantly advancing, each of us improving, and together sharing experiences or at the very least impressions, of “how we think it should be done.”
As summer approaches, and we start heading off in our separate ways on various family and personal adventures, give the notion of a series of semi-formal discussions offered by fellow sailors, both in our club and other organizations, some thought. Let me know if there is a particular area of interest or knowledge that you’d like to get some training on so that you can improve your skill set and knowledge base. Even better, let me know if you’d like to put together a lesson plan for the board to review, and teach a session or seminar that others could benefit from. I’m looking at next February’ish to have the event. Still looking at various venue options and more importantly, the level of interest for participation.
The board will be sending out an email survey seeking member responses soon. We’d appreciate your candid and honest opinions on the classes. If we have the interest, the time, boats and other necessary resources to be successful, we’ll be starting a whole new level of on the water activity for the membership.
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"Attitude . . . the difference between ordeal and adventure" (Lats & Atts)
Ed Huntsman
ehuntsman@fastq.com