Spring has finally sprung and it’s time to go sailing! Unfortunately, my maintenance procrastination remains in place as does the to-do list. I am waiting for the Maintenance Fairies to descend upon Luna Blu and spread their fairy dust around the boat. I am not 100% sure that they can pull off a new bottom paint job, but I am fervently hoping that by Yankee Station Series Race 1 they will have done their magic.
 
Speaking of magic, OPCYC paid our respects to King Neptune with a sacrifice of old socks on April 15th. In a well-attended event that was preceded by a boat part swap/sale, it was conducted with the utmost pomp and circumstance. Ken Walton, in appropriate attire, implored the good King to bestow fair winds, following seas and safe passage to all members and their vessels wherever they might be in his domain.  Following the ceremony, the members enjoyed a potluck feast that was fit for any king! Thanks are due to the Logistics Team for planning a great event. Referring to the previous paragraph, I am hoping that since I provided an especially nasty pair of old socks that the good King will prod his Maintenance Fairies to soon visit Luna Blu. However, the sacrifice seems to have little impact on our racing so far- out of three CCVR races in the Spring Series, Luna Blu has scored two TLEs and three race cancelations, not the best start for the fledgling season.  I am thinking one of my crew may have snuck a banana onboard… 

 

Jeff Rogers and Steve Snaidman took over PMU on April 22nd and held a racing training session for cruisers and race wannabe’s at Salt Pond Marina clubhouse in an effort to increase the number of boats participating in our Yankee Station Series that begins in May. Jeff provided an excellent lecture and through his effort, the club gained three new members and hopefully at least 5 boats to join our racing series. 

 

This was a two-part program. The second part classroom instruction and the on-water practical instruction is to be held on May 13th, where the participant boats will have an experienced racing Skipper onboard their boat to provide advice while going through a race sequence. If there are any boat owners that did not attend the lecture, but would like to participate, contact Jeff Rogers for more information.
 
We have more fun events coming up in May. Cruising Rear Commodore Chip Miller has been working on the 6 May Blessing of the Fleet and scheduling USCGA Safety Inspections. If you have not yet signed up, please contact Chip ASAP; and Ken and Adele have been working on the Kentucky Derby Party and it is going to be great fun. See more of that in Logistics . I understand that the Immediate Past Commodore Tim Etherington has gone out of his way in procuring one of the finest Kentucky bourbons and has been testing his julep concoction to ensure that the club is provided THE BEST Mint Juleps. I hope we will have a big crowd for this party! 

 

May 20th will be the last PMU lecture of the semester. Ha Koehler and her team from the HRBT Expansion Project will be at the clubhouse to provide an update on their progress and estimated completion date. Given that they have begun the drilling process, it should be an interesting lecture.
 
On the 27th of May Chip Miller has been planning the Cape Charles Cruise and more on that in Cruising. 

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See you on the water! 

Keith Midgette
OPCYC Commodore