We left Brunswick last Wednesday and had to take the ICW to Daytona, this took us three days. We were finally able to go outside on Saturday and sailed for the next 54 hours to West End, Bahamas. The reason for the ICW was weather related, it was raining, high winds and cold. The ICW is a inland waterway going up the East Coast of the US. The trip across the Gulf Stream was quick, for sailboat standards, about 12 hours. We sailed across with a triple reefed main alone and with a west 25-30 it was really an easy sail. However we arrived at West End at about 2 AM and had to sail down the coast and then back, this ended up taking us about as long as the rip over the Gulf Stream. The reason for the side trip down the coast was because it is not a good idea to sail into a strange port at night with gusting winds to 37. The boat we are sailing on is a 42 foot Tanya, which George just bought back in November of last year. The crew consists of George Bloodworth, his son Scott, Jack Sterrett, and myself. We are planning on being gone another 5 five weeks. The weather appears to be improving and we are heading down the Abacos tomorrow. The Abacos are just one chain of the Bahamas. Yesterday we bought four lobsters from a guy diving for $20, this will be our dinner for tonight. I hate to pay for lobsters when we having our diving gear with us, but the water is really cold. Well I have to go take my cloths out of the washer and put them in the dryer. More to come Crew of the SV Celebration

{{Racing Saturday}}: It was a little chilly. Never the less, we had 8 boats racing. Wind was about 10 mph and the sun was out at the beginning of the first race and with the sun it was not too cold. By the end of the second race, the race committee, me, was getting cold. Results have been posted on the Web site on the [Race Results Page->http://osyc.net/SPIP/article.php3?id_article=221]. {{Sunday}}: Weather was better but only one boat showed up so the race was canceled. New Member Candidates: Barry and Suzanna Kirkland. Barry and Suzanna met with the membership committee on Saturday morning. They are from Sylvania Georgia. Their boat is a Hunter 23 and is currently berthed at Little River Park. Their application is in the process and they have been invited to attend any and all club functions while we are processing their application. If you see them at the club, introduce yourself and make them welcome. Jimmy Harrell

We had a Frostbite race on Saturday and a NCR race on Sunday. The same three boats raced both days. It was cold, in the lower 40’s on Saturday and in the lower 50’s on Sunday, but the sun was shining and everyone had on several layers of clothes. Surprisingly, not one racer reported being cold on the lake. In fact a few had to shed the outer layer. On Saturday, the wind was 12 to 20 mph and much of the time a rail was in the water; very exciting. On Sunday, it was warmer and wind was less than 8 and at times was zero. It was good to be out on the water. Most had reservations about going out because it was so cold, but it had been a while since we have had decent weather so we decided to go out and if it was too uncomfortable, we could come in. Saturday night, we had a club burn with sides of mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and an excellent cauliflower dish prepared by Susan Morris. Donna Poth and Susan also brought appetizers. The club burn is a bring your own meat event and some brought steaks, some hamburgers, and Bob Horan opened a can of chicken. Bob passed around some left over Halloween candy for dessert; something called eyeballs which were chocolate with some kind of soft center and they were quite tasty. It was very cold Saturday night, but we had a combination of electric heaters and a propane heater which warmed up the place nicely. We closed off the kitchen area and crowded in there for the meal. Good food and good conversation. Those attending the club burn were: Tom and Donna Poth, Jimmy and Charlotte Harrell, Ken and Jennifer Griffin, Bob Horan, Bill and Will Lewis, and Bill and Susan Morris Watch the club web site [home page->http://osyc.net/SPIP/] and the [club calendar->http://osyc.net/SPIP/article.php3?id_article=187] for upcoming events. Our next race is February 27 and the next party/dinner is March 20, a St Patrick’s theme event. Last year was a big hit. Jimmy

Well it looks like Ken may have the weather right for racing this Saturday. Long term prediction is 50 degrees and 11 MPH wind at 1:00 PM. Of course there are a few days between now and then for changes. Ronnie Hartley has agreed to do the race committee for the race so we have the race official lined up, we just need the racers to show up. Bill

I have a few ideas I would like to toss out for thought. I would like to see more participation in our racing program. Several problems I have seen in the past is (1) most members live more than 40 miles from the club (2) we have our scheduled club series races on Sat and Sun. (3) not enough participation to have buoy racing (4) mother nature not cooperating with our schedule. What I would like to propose is we have two types of racing. Saturdays will be club series, such as our Frostbite, Spring and Fall. Sunday will be what I will call, for the lack of a better name, NCR races ( No Committee Required). Now my reasons: Club Series Races: Would be buoy races only. This gives us the thrill of the start line and buoy rounding. These races would be scored using the Portsmouth handicapping system and our rules laid out in OSYC Sailing Instructions. I would like for these races to be a competitive SERIES, therefore it would be easier for most sailors if they did not have to make arrangements to be at the club on Sat and Sun. We should have enough races in each series to allow a throw out race, this would give sailors a better chance of staying competitive in the series if their schedule does not permit them to attend a race. Also, we might consider going to a high point scoring system, which would be more forgiving if someone were to miss a race. As I mentioned earlier these would be buoy races only, with a race committee, if for any reason the race is called off, the race will be canceled I think that participation will increase with the schedule being less demanding. As far as mother nature goes we need to remember (1)even in light wind someone will come in first and (2)clothes will dry and skin is waterproof. NCR Races: (No Committee Required) These races will consist of self timed distant raced, self timed fixed course races and reverse start fixed course and distant races. We should use Portsmouth handicapping for self timed and modified PHRF for reverse starts. I would like to have 2 or3 series of NCR races. These races would be more comfortable to the less experienced racer and lots of fun for all. With a larger number of races per series it would allow for sailors to be able to miss several races and still be competitive. This series will also allow for all to sail since there will not be a committee. I would also suggest a high point scoring system for these series. All of the above will have no effect on our Regattas. {{Suggested January schedule:}} Sat 1/02/10 a day of sailing Chili Dinner ($5 per person) $2 discount for any one that sails that day Sat 1/09/10 Board Meeting (a long one) Sat 1/16/10 Frostbite 1 Sun 1/17/10 NCR Sat 1/23/10 Workday Sat 1/30/10 Frostbite 2 Sun 1/31/10 NCR

As is our custom each year, the club pretty much goes on break for the month of December. No exception this year. The board’s planning meeting is scheduled for January 9th and we will have a 2010 calendar after that. So until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

OSYC Members, Saturday is a busy day at the club. {{First}}: We have a workday on the calendar for Saturday, November 14, to clean up the place for the meeting. Lunch will be provided. Let’s start about 9 AM. {{Second}}: Chef Ken and his team will prepare a meal to be served at about 6 PM. {{Third}}: The annual fall meeting will be held after the meal. We will have committee reports, presentation of trophies and awards, and election of officers. This is an important meeting. Come and participate in the running of your club. PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL to Jimmy@riverside.net OR BY PHONE IF YOU THINK YOU WILL COME. WE NEED A COUNT IN ORDER TO BUY THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF FOOD. Jimmy Harrell 404 234 8463

|Racing|Portsmouth Handicapping. Bring whatever boat you have.| |Dinner|Contact Commodore Jimmy Harrell at jimmy.harrell@riverside.net for reservations $6 for adults and $3 for children (Profit will be donated bathroom tile project.) Our own Ken Griffin will fire up the grill for supper Saturday night-hot dogs, hamburgers, Italian sausage, baked beans, slaw and chips. Please bring any side dishes you like, desserts, and appetizers. Also please bring any beverages you might desire except for soft drinks, tea and water. | |Costume Party and Contest| Anyone not dressed for the occasion will be fined one ticket. For some of us it will be hard to tell if we are in costume or not so fines will be voluntary. Prizes will be awarded for several categories including best family group, individual, sailing theme etc. Prizes will also be awarded for winners of games.| |Fund raiser and Raffle|One Sailor’s Trash is Another Sailor’s Treasure If you have a card table that we can borrow to display the items, please bring it.| The club would like to improve the two indoor showers by tiling them. Please bring donations for the raffle. Look high and low in your home, boat, attic, garage, closets, and office for items that could be used for our ticket raffle. Items can be new, used, former Christmas presents, projects never finished, tapes, books, jewelry, clothes, skills you can offer, art, or items you don’t use any more. Bring lots of things. You can store items in the basement until needed for the raffle. You can buy as many tickets as you want for $1.00 or $.50. Some items will be a $1 bid and some will be a $.50 bid. You bid as many tickets as you want for any item. Winning bidder will be drawn. The more tickets you put into the basket, the greater your chances of winning. {{ {{{Schedule}}} }} {{Friday, Oct 23}} |If you plan to arrive Friday and are not a club member contact Jimmy Harrell at 706-484-1405 (H) or 404-234-8463 (C) and someone will open the gate and clubhouse.| {{Saturday, OCT 24}} |12:00|Skippers Meeting| |1:00|Racing Begins| |6:00|Dinner| |Later|Costume Contest, Raffle, Games and Prizes| {{Sunday, OCT 25}} |12:00|Skippers Meeting| |1:00|Racing Begins| |~ 4:00|Awards| If you would like to help out, here are the contacts: -{Racing}: Greg Phillips (478) 552-9334 -{Costume Party, Decorations and Raffle}: Grayson Smith at (478) 474-7695 or graysonsmith10@hotmail.com -{Food preparation ,serving, clean up}: Ken Griffin (478) 454-1255 For more information, contact: jimmy.harrell@riverside.net

The OSYC “Calendar of Events” has listed a “Distance Day Sail/Fun Race/Reverse Start” for Oct 17. {{{Here is a Plan for October 17 and 18, 2009}}} {Distance sail from OSYC to Crooked Creek Restaurant and return.} {{SATURDAY:}} {11:00 AM Skippers meeting}. Decide where and how far to travel before rafting up for mid-afternoon snack/lunch. Decide if we want to race and where to. {12:00} Noon – Leave OSYC by sail or motor. {03:00} Stop for lunch or snack. {07:00 Meal at Bone Island Grill at Crooked Creek}. If a boat arrives early enough, continue on pass Crooked Creek and turn around to get back by 7 o’clock. Spend Saturday night tied up at the docks or sneak off to a private cove and anchor. {{SUNDAY:}} BRUNCH AT RESTAURANT AND SAIL OR MOTOR BACK TO OSYC AT YOUR LEISURE. (Notes: This will be a good event for those who have never cruised before. There will be others there to help if there are any problems. The docks at CC are nice and there is plenty of room to tie up for the night. Flush toilets are located at the marina. We will verify with the restaurant that it is OK for us to tie up and be sure that the rest rooms are open. The food is excellent. Another Note: You can sail with us as far as you want and return to OSYC if that is your preference) Contact Bill Lewis for more info and to let him know if you are interested in attending the event. Phone: (615 383-6924) – Email: wlewis12@charter.net