Hello from Marsh Harbor We talked with several people over here and they say this has been the worst winter they ever remember and since we have been here the weather has not improved. With that being said today is great, 80 and sunny but Sunday it goes back to rain in the forecast. We may of had our foul weather clothes one or two times last year and this year we have had to wear them all but two days. It still has been a great trip and we are having a great time, we have had some great sailing, we may not of been the warmest sailors but we have had great sailing. We left West End on Tuesday. We did buy some more lobsters before leaving. George’s boat, Celebration has a freezer which is great. We stocked up with chicken,ham steaks, and steak before leaving. We were able to make it to Great Sail Cay on Tuesday. We were hoping to do some exploring but arrived too late.After setting the anchor, we had steak and lobster for dinner. You know if I had been home I might of had a Healthy Choice dinner, life is good. Tuesday night we had winds of 30mph the anchor held and the crew slept great. We slept in the next morning and got under sail at about 10. Our next land fall was Powell Cay. We were able to go ashore and explore. We didn’t get back to the boat until after dark. For dinner we had Pecan Crusted Salmon, one of George’s creation. We had one or two bottles of wine as well. Life is Good. One thing that is kind of neat is, that we have been sailing on the little Bahama Banks since leaving West End. This body of water is big several hundred square miles and the depth of the water averages 10 to 15 feet. We are trying to sail all the time we can for two reasons. One it is a sail boat and two we have developed engine trouble. The engine will overheat after about 1 hour of running. That is the reason we are now at Marsh Harbor. Marsh Harbor is one largest of the town in the Abacos and they have several marine mechanics, in fact one is on the boat now as I am writing this. Depending on what is wrong with the motor will determine where we will go next. Being stuck in Marsh Harbor for a couple of days will be hard, but we will adjust, I am sure. If the trouble with the motor is minor we will try to go down to the Exumas after leaving Marsh Harbor. The Exumas are another chain of Bahamian Islands. From the crew of SV Celebration

There is going to be a St. Patrick Day dinner served at the Club this Saturday. I plan to cook Corned Beef with cabbage and carrots, Sheppard Pie and New Potatoes (Hot dogs for any children). Appetizers and dessert would be greatly appreciated. Cost of the meal will be somewhere between 5 and 10 dollars per person. Happy Hour will start somewhere around 4:00 and the meal will be served around 6:30. Please RSVP to Ken at kennifer@windstream.net or call at 478.804.1139. Volunteers for set up and cooking will be gladly accepted.

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