Club News

Hi there;

I think it would be nice to show something saying Happy New Year Fellow Sharkies as we do not see everyone in the winter time except for in our own clubs and it is nice to spread the cheer of the New Year with everyone. Sailing never dies in Hamilton in fact, we hope the bay freezes over this year so we can iceboat as we have a few eager sailors ready for that.

I know Wayne and I and others from The Royal Hamilton Yacht club are getting excited about sailing this year as our Frostbite starts in April when the ice clears. We have our winter Shark party coming up so lots of buzz about getting crews together for all the regatta's and we hope to see Jeremy in his own shark this year.

So there is hope for us in Hamilton and even though there are rumours that we are a wild and crazy bunch, we have fun.

Just to add more, it would be nice to hear what other club's or club member are doing this winter to keep out of the cold and just to keep up to date on like without sailing.

Cheers to all

Have a great winter.

Anna Fricker and Wayne Harrison
Rat 448

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An update form Dunkrik

From the south shore of Lake Erie - by Chet Bates US 1476.

With all the changes over the past three years it seems high time we update your information concerning the very active Shark fleet here at the Dunkirk Yacht Club. Our Shark fleet now numbers six boats with three more slated for launching in 2005.

We sail as a fleet twice a week most of the time with a few weekend races bringing that up to a three days of competitive racing on holidays. Seldom is a shark left at the dock for lack of skipper or crew. To help insure this, the welcome is always out for other club members to sail on our sharks, to feel the adrenalin rush of one design racing, or to just sharpen their sailing skills.

Without knowing it, we were duplicating the current trend of short windward leeward courses. Our emphasis has been on several very short races Thursday evenings, saving the longer races for Sunday afternoons.

Most of our boats are berthed in slips. That affords us the opportunity to sail from and back to them without need of the iron wind. Amazing what can be done with 24 foot boats and aggressive crews that truly believe a shark can do just about anything. We have also had some scheduled man-overboard practice and some real incidents that were not scheduled, but that’s another story. It pays to remember that the sea calls the tune and we only dance to it.

Four Sharks from our club crossed Lake Erie for the Sugarloaf Regatta held off Port Colborne. The Canadian boats bested us, but that was probably because our boats were not accustomed to Canadian water. We expect to return in 2005 with a bit more experience under our belts. I have already been asked how much farther is the Buffalo Canoe Club and if they have regattas? You can’t hold a good thing back.

Dunkirk harbor has a boatyard with a travel lift and the city operates a boat ramp for those able to launch from their trailers. Come sail the south shore of Lake Erie with us. Visiting Sharks from other Yacht Clubs are always welcome at the Dunkirk Yacht Club.

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Hi Bill,

At Dunkirk, we may be one of the few active Shark fleets on US soil. Last summer we had five Sharks out almost every Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon. We concentrated on building confidence and having fun. There were three starts each day. They all involved two short legs W/L. The events were not long enough to allow anyone to get too far behind and if you screwed up, there were two more chances to correct your mistakes. We had over 80 starts last summer. Each event was an opportunity to learn, have fun, and not be embarrassed.

My objective this year is to get all five skippers registered with the CSCA. The Ottawa project of having their members gain access to Shark Scan or e-mail specials may just be the type of incentive we need. We are looking at man overboard drills using a pick up pole to round out skills next summer. I also think we are ready for a Shark Championship series. This plus the free show from the municipal pier are putting Shark sailing up front in the waters off Dunkirk. Come sail with us some day. Crew swapping is one of the teaching tools we use.

-----Original Message-----
From: DougandJenn@cs.com [mailto:DougandJenn@cs.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 11:02 AM
To: Bill
Subject: Updated Info.

Sharks 574 and 1476 are now being raced at the Dunkirk Yacht Club, Dunkirk,
New York, USA. Sharks 902 and 476 are also at DYC. There is a 5th shark,
but I am not sure of the hull number. It may be 674.

We have been getting six races in a week; Three on Thursdays and another
three on Sundays. Typically we have 4-5 boats on the water with a lot of
enthusiasm! Many people in the DYC have taken notice and are talking about
possibly getting Sharks!

Douglas Reid
Shark 574
DYC

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The Georgian Bay shark fleet held its annual regatta in Mid August & had a full turn out from all the local boats plus 2 boats from the North Shore fleet-Hedonist & Bug. The races were held in light to moderate conditions & a full schedule of 5 races were run. Lots of fun & good sailing was had by all. We dropped the distance race this year but at the request of most in attendance we will re-institute it for next year, albeit with a new direction that should keep us away from some of the local power boat traffic.

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From: Hoffman271@aol.com [mailto:Hoffman271@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 11:35 PM
To: billhenderson
Cc: chester.bates@froggernet.com; Drjcart@aol.com
Subject: Re: Region "Goings on"

Hi Bill,
We have had a very good racing season at the Buffalo Canoe Club. We averaged 8 Sharks for thurs. evenings. The fleet has become much more competetive. That is evidenced by the variety of winners we have had and the number of red flags that have been flown.The top boats have been Gutsea (Batson and Cart), Szerge(Bill Fraise) and Chester Bates.

Iwill be racing at Mimico this coming week-end on Sawbones. This will be my
second counter regatta this summer. I am really looking foward to it. Iwill
keep encouraging more of the fleet to come. Perhaps more will come To the
Homecomers at NLSC.

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From: Anne Sanderson [mailto:ams@attcanada.net]
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 1:27 AM
To: bill@shark24.org
Subject: The National Yacht Club - Shark Club

Hello Bill,

First and foremost, what a fantastic website! Definitely a job well done. The National Yacht Club (NYC) in recent years has developed a
growing and active Shark fleet. The following is a summary of NYC's association with the Shark.

NYC purchased a Shark (Hercules #933) in late 1998 with the purpose of developing a community sailing program within NYC. Known as the
Shark Club, it was developed to allow non-boat owning members to experience the responsibility of owning a boat before becoming a boat
owner. The Shark Club has its own fee structure within NYC and fleet size is based on 12 members per boat. Once 13 members have joined the
program, NYC has agreed to acquire another Shark. The Shark Club members (who are also NYC members) are responsible for maintaining the
boat and are required to complete a minimum of 8 hours of maintenance each year (including commissioning, launch and haulout preparation
and ongoing repairs and cleaning). In order to sign out the boat the Skipper must have completed CYA's Basic Cruising and there must be one
person on board who holds a VHF operators license. The program is presently chaired by Mark Bird, an NYC member who owns Boatman
Nautical Services.

At the end of the 1999 Sailing season, the Shark Club had a total of 6 members. Four of these 6 members returned for the 2000 Sailing season
and by the end of the summer the Shark Club membership totalled 15. A second boat has been acquired - Naiad (Sail # 47). The Shark Club is
rapidly evolving into a tight knit group of sailors who enjoy both racing and cruising.

NYC offers mid-week racing on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. There is a Shark fleet that races on Tuesday nights in their own
division. We have about 10 - 12 boats that come out on a regular basis.

This website address has been forwarded to all Shark Club members and they have been encouraged to view its contents on a regular basis.
As well the members are encouraged to attend the AGM being held in February.

I have a question. We would like to research the history of both of the Shark Club boats. Do you know of any resources or records available
that could be of some assistance. We do know that Naiad was George Hinterhoeller's boat but little else.

Our goal for the 2001 sailing season is to increase the Shark Club membership to 25 and add an additional boat to the fleet either through
donation or purchase.

Look forward to any comments that you may have.

Sincerely,

Anne Sanderson
NYC Shark Club member

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FYI. Late breaking racing news.
Sat Aug 2,200 The main event in the Montreal area is the Hudson YC
Reggata long distance race and this year attrached 116 starters. Shark
Kittiwake #588 skippered by Keith Rasmussen won the whitesail division
(26 boats).

The race was held in moderate to light winds and lasted about 4 hours.
The course ran from Lake of Two Mountains up the Ottawa river to Point
Aux Anglais and back to Hudson YC. This would normally have been a
tacking duel up the prevailing westerlies but an unusual wind from the
north turned it into a reaching duel with one jibe at the downwind mark
and zero tacks. The mountains in the area kept the winds shifting.

Most sailors found that fighting to keep up wind of the boat closest to
them led them up into the doldrums caused by the shadow of the windward
shore. Kittiwake was seen gul-winging at 90 degrees to the course at
one point to get back into some air on the lee shore.

Keith Rasmussen