December 2008 Vol. 38 No. 12

In this Issue

Halloween Cruise Report	Social Chair Needed
Cruising Program	2009 Awards Banquet
2009 Cruise Planning Meeting
Social – Christmas Gathering
Calendar

Chris and Kate Miller Sequoia

Halloween Distance Cruise to Cambridge, October 24-26, 2008

Photos courtesy of Peter Carlson

October 24^th brought fantastic weather for the trip to Cambridge for the Halloween Distance Cruise. We had a nice reach up the bay for a while on Sequoia with winds 8-12 kts. We had friends Derek Rhymes and Sigrun Ormond aboard, so when the winds got shifty just south of the Diamonds, we used the extra crew for the chance to fly our cruising spinnaker for the last time of the season. Unfortunately that only lasted for a short while; then it was time for a little motoring, especially when the wind was on the nose entering the Choptank River. Just a typical day on the Chesapeake!

On our way up, we saw a schooner headed for their rendezvous in Cambridge and we recalled that the way the calendar worked out this year we were going to be there with them! We pulled into the Municipal Marina to find Carpincho, Peter and Pat Carlson, and Reflections, Patti Kimmel and friend Dottye Bunch, already there along with a nice fleet of traditional schooners.

Friday night was “dinner on your own” night- nothing a pan of lasagna can’t fix- others went out to local restaurants. We did gather on Sequoia (with the heat on!) for an informal happy hour while dinner was cooking. Saturday brought some stiff breezes and a couple of occasional rain showers, but overall it was a great day to go tour Cambridge and the visiting schooners. We started with a late breakfast at the Cambridge Grille – it’s a nicely renovated restaurant with great “diner” breakfasts and very reasonable prices so we recommend it to anyone visiting downtown Cambridge. After breakfast we stopped at several of the stores on Race Street, and then walked over to the bridge at Cambridge harbor before walking back to the marina.

Several of us toured the Schooners which included the Mystic Whaler and Amistad from Connecticut, the Virginia, and the Pride of Baltimore. By this time the winds were starting to pick up – one of the schooners recorded a gust to 37 knots – so all of the crew were busily taking down awnings, canvas, signs, etc. We were all happy to be onshore with our own boats securely tied up at the marina! The Mystic Whaler allowed tours below, including viewing the berths available for charter, and all of us were pleased that modern sailing vessels have improved the size and amenities of the accommodations. After the schooners, some of us chose to return to the boats for a leisurely afternoon with a book (or a nap!), while a couple people ventured to the local marine museum. While fairly small, the museum has interesting information on Cambridge’s crabbing, oyster, and maritime history.

Saturday evening started with happy hour aboard Carpincho, the Carlson’s new Beneteau 40, with plenty of space below for our group of 8. As is customary on SMSA cruises, there was plenty of food and drink, and we all had a great time at happy hour. We had made reservations for a “group dinner” at Canvasback restaurant, so we quickly put away the appetizers and departed for dinner. While the rain had held off most of the day, we made the mistake of not checking the radar prior to departing for dinner. While most had either a foul weather jacket on, or an umbrella, neither was any match for the downpour that came as we walked to dinner. We arrived at the restaurant looking like drenched sailors, and while we were a little chilled from being soaked, it just made the dinner conversation a little more fun! Dinner was pretty good, but we agreed that next time we’ll likely try one of the other local restaurants.

Sunday’s trip home was accompanied by a beautiful sunny day… with no wind to speak of. But we had a nice relaxing motor back to Solomons! We hope others can join us in 2009 for this fun annual excursion.

Trying to dry out at dinner

Carpincho and Sequoia at the Municipal Marina

Top

Chris Miller 2008 Cruising Chairperson

Cruising Program, December 2008 Another calendar year is at an end and thus another sailing season ends as well. 2008 was another successful year for the SMSA Cruising Program. We had 46 boats participating in cruising events, several boats reaching the 35 cruising points mark, a new set of seminars in the spring, successful cruises around Delmarva and to Philadelphia, and a great calendar of cruise options from overnighters to weeklong and longer cruises with destinations near and far, a new monthly Saturday gathering, and a great mixture of new and familiar faces. I’d like to thank the SMSA membership and leadership for their great support of and participation in the SMSA Cruising Program again this year. 2008 marked my second year of being the chairperson for the Cruising Program- and it was a joy. We have so many wonderful members participating that have made it fun to volunteer and to participate. With that said, my time as Cruising Chairperson will be coming to an end this year- but we already have a volunteer that is planning for next year! Rich Freeman has graciously volunteered to be the new Cruising Chairperson. He and Patty Kimmel sail with SMSA regularly on Reflections and did a fantastic job of leading and organizing the Delmarva circumnavigation this past summer. Please help me in welcoming Rich- I’m sure we’ll all see him at the Cruise Planning Meeting that he has planned for 10am the morning of the 24^th of January, 2009! I’d like to take a quick moment to thank the SMSA Officers, BOD, Leadership and Membership for their unwavering support of the SMSA Cruising Program for the past couple of years- you’ve all made the program great. I’d also like to thank all the people who volunteered to lead cruises, Saturday raft-ups, and other essentials to make the program run smoothly, SMSA is a volunteer organization and we’ve got some great volunteers. I’d like to extend special thanks to my wife, Kate, for all her support and also Wayne Wilson for the unbelievable work he does with the SMSA.com cruising page. Last, but not least, please plan to join Kate and I and many other members at the annual SMSA Awards Banquet on January 31^st. Carole Smith has another great evening planned for us at the Dougherty Center which is a fantastic venue for a great evening which includes awards given by all the programs of SMSA and Member of the year. Besides, how often do you get to see me dressed in finery?!? We’ll see you there!

Rich Freeman 2009 Cruising Chairperson

2009 Cruise Planning Meeting - January 24, 2009

2009 Cruising Program Chairperson, Rich Freeman, will be holding the 2009 SMSA Cruise Program planning meeting 1-24-2009 at 10AM at the SMSA Clubhouse. Please bring your 2009 calendar and join us to help plan another great sailing season! Coffee and snacks provided.

Top

Carole Smith Social Chairperson

Social – Christmas Gathering December 6, 2008 at 6:00 PM

Come on out! Join us watching the boat parade from the front of the club house and kick off the season with friends and family.  Members are requested to bring a dish to share with all. Sides, hors d'oeuvres, desserts or your special holiday recipe would be greatly appreciated. Non-Alcoholic beverages will be provided by the club.  The Bar will be in operation.

I would like to thank all for the great showing at the chili cook off, we had lots of great chili this year.  Well the year is winding to a close and the holidays are upon us.  The last two events I will be putting together for you are the Christmas Gathering and the Awards Banquet.  For the Awards Banquet information, please see the flyer in this clew and you should be seeing the invitations in the mail.   I need volunteers to help pull of these last 2 events, please contact me if you can lend a hand, thanks.

Social Chair Needed for 2009

For some of you who may be thinking about filling the soon-to-be-vacant Social Chair position, I wanted to provide some information for your consideration. 

 The Social Program is responsible for orchestrating a total of nine club events, which are: Opening Day, Cinco de Mayo Party, Luau @ Zahniser’s, Vice Commodore’s Rendezvous, Fireworks Party, Crab Feast, Chili Party & Oyster Scald, Christmas Gathering, and Awards Banquet. 

 Thanks to the dedication and hard work of the past Social Chairs and Governors, this program is well-organized and streamlined.  There are decorations for a variety of events located in the clubhouse storage area (upstairs) for your use. 

 Running this program can be smooth and painless if you seek out volunteers who are willing and able to lend you a hand.  You can add your own personal touches to these events and attract greater member participation.  One last item of note is that each event has a separate budget, so it makes it relatively easy to plan and stick to your program budget.

 Please give some thought to heading up this all-important club program!  Interested members should contact me at social@smsa.com or contact the Rear Commodore @ rearcommodore@smsa.com.

Top

Southern Maryland Sailing Association

2008 Season Awards Banquet

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Daugherty Conference Center

Lexington Park, Maryland

Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres - 6:00 P.M.

Dinner - 7:00 P.M.

Awards Presentation and Entertainment to follow

$50.00 PER PERSON

RSVP required by January 18, 2009

Call 301-863-8285

or

email: csmith@dtiweb.net

Make your check payable to SMSA and mail to:

Carol Smith, 20474 Renaissance Court, Lexington Park, MD 20653

Kindly provide the full names of those attending with your reply

Calendar

December 2008 5 (Fri) Membership Social & Christmas Walk Open House 6 (Sat) SMSA Christmas Gathering & Solomons Boat Parade 12 (Fri) Membership Social 13 (Sat) CANCELLED: Second Saturday Cruiser’s Raft 19 (Fri) Membership Social 26 (Fri) Membership Social	January 2009 2 (Fri) Membership Social 9 (Fri) Membership Social 10 (Sat) Second Saturday Cruiser’s Raft 16 (Fri) Membership Social 23 (Fri) Membership Social 24 (Sat) 2009 Cruise Planning Meeting 30 (Fri) Membership Social 31 (Sat) 2008 Awards Banquet
Top