SailorgramOctober 2007 Issue 6

CommodoreClif Robinson978-462-5396

Vice CommodoreEric Vasquez978-521-9017

Rear CommodoreBob Chadwick978-373-6106

SecretaryPaul Morin

978-462-6533

TreasurerPamela Mertinooke

978-388-4515

CollectorGary Thompson

978-388-3778

Membership CommitteeBarry Gluck603-382-8302

Mooring CommitteeGene Piermattei

978-374-7940

House CommitteeDavid Hewey978-373-6038

Regatta CommitteeBruce Brown978-521-6802

Entertainment CommitteeShannon Hewey

979-373-6038

Activities CommitteeRob Brun

978-462-1948

Sailing CampSue Manzi

603-474-9644

Steward/Club House978-465-9053

AYC HOUSE COMMITTEE REPORT

As the weather cools and the days get shorter, our thoughts turn tothe closing day work party.

Saturday, October 13, 8 am, is the preferred date. If closing needs to be postponeddue to weather, it will be held on October 20. Please watch your E-mails closely for thoseannouncements, or call 978-373-6038.As always, the AYC depends on volunteers for theopening and closing of the facilities, so please mark this date on your calendar, and join inon this very popular work party.

Closing day chores include:• Removal of all the floats to winter storage• Install window covers on all the clubhouse windows• Storage of trophies and pictures etc.. inside clubhouse• Removal of Gin pole• Yard cleanup and winterization

September / October 2007Respectfully submitted, David Hewey AYC House Committee Chairman

Mahayana Lady of the AYC. Read about her on page 4

Continued on page 2

Pizza Night:It’s hard to believe we can pack away so many pizzas!!On September 4th a lively crowd trucked in pizzas of allkinds, with homemade and pizzeria-style. It was particu-larly nice to see some new faces among the group.Everyone had a great time and there was, surprisingly,very little leftovers for the AYC fridge. Pizza night contin-ues its tradition of being one the AYC’s most popular pot-luck events.Thanks to everyone who helped set-up andclean up. George Switzer hosted

Chet Young Memorial Race and Dinner:This was the 35th Chester Young Memorial Regatta.Therace day, September 15, didn’t start out inspiring manysailors.A NW wind at 15-18 knots and a steady drizzlekept most participants in their raingear until about thestart of the race at 1:00 PM.There were several classes ofboats crossing the starting line and the 20 knot blow hadsome sailing reefed while others crammed on canvas.Everyone who participated seemed to have a good time,though some crew were heard to complain about thewet ride.The race results are posted elsewhere in theSailorgram. See page 9.

The dinner was very well-attended, though PamMertinooke had to go out on a limb with the caterer(Starboard Galley) because there were so many last-minute reservations. Nearly 100 or more people attendedfor the Asian chicken dinner. many people complimentedthe strawberry shortcake.

And try as he might to relinquish the “coveted” armchair-class trophy, Rob Brun won it for the second year in arow, in the Francis B.

The water system will remain on for a few weeks beyondclosing, so mooring committee can complete their work.The mooring committee will need lots of help in thecoming weeks, so please if you can help call GenePiermattei @ 978-374-7940

Some other items that will be discussed and hopefullyresolved include, replacement of the door on the club-house that faces the water, the locker house door, newcombination locks on both doors, improvements to thegalley, and the repair of the storm damaged bulkheadwall.

Once again, thanks for all the help everyone, Enjoy therest of the boating season.

October 2007 Issue 6

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HOUSE COMMITTEE continued from page 1 Dancing Under the Stars:Hosts Barbara Mintz and Gary Thompson presented anevening of Dancing Under the Stars on September 21.This event had been rescheduled twice, which is maybewhy it was lightly attended. Everyone enjoyed the warmsummer air on the deck and the music from the 40s-60s.Though the night was overcast, a few stars were spottedon Jim Grenier’s necktie. Gary’s champaign punch wasso good we ran out – twice!

Part of the night’s entertainment was provided by one ofour local schools – of striped bass. Because of the tide,coupled with our lights, partygoers were provided agreat view of hundreds of striped bass chasing a fewbaitfish on both sides of the float! A few ambitious mem-bers tied their luck with a long-handled dip-net, but eventhe laziest of fish are faster than a man with a net.

Movie Night:Combining the great atmosphere of the AYC clubhouse,the aroma of hot buttered popcorn and steamed hotdogs, a great old Hollywood classic pirate swashbucklerand about 60 members and guests, it’s hard to go wrong!

On Friday evening the clubhousewas packed for the 1937 ErrolFlynn classic Captain Blood, inoriginal black and white.Attendeesgot free popcorn, soda andsnacks.The steamed hot dogs, at$1.00 apiece flew out of BobChadwick’s steamer.

Most people had never seen this movie,though it is credited as making Flynn astar. It was very interesting to see howfilms have changed since the “golden era” to today. Therewas more than a chuckle to be had at some of the old“special effects” using model boats. However, the shipbattles were quite impressive even by today’s standards.

During a short intermission, hosts Tom and KateLochhaas and Jim and Lyn Grenier held a trivia contestfor kids and one for adults.The winner of the kids game,all based on Pirates of Carribean, won a pirate eyepatch, earring and bandanna.The winner of the adultgame, based on real pirate facts, won a book.

The organizers would like to continue Movie Night inthe future, but are looking for any member who mayhave access to a digital projector so they can continue. Ifyou have a digital projector that can interface with a PC,please contact one of the hosts, or send an email to:sailorgram@americanyachtclub.org.

Continued on page 10

continued on page 4

Goslings Sunrise, photo by Homer Shannon

Having had a three day winter vacation and havingtaken a week off to crew with Kevin White in theMarblehead to Halifax Ocean Race, I only had

five days of vacation time left for a summer cruise thisyear.That pretty much ruled out Penobscot Bay andMartha’s Vineyard, but Casco Bay would be within reachand could supply more than enough good anchorages tofill a one-week cruise.

On Saturday,August 11th, Dee and I scurried around, get-ting in last minute shopping, provisioning the boat andmanaging to get under weigh at the crack of noon.Anoon departure from Newburyport is about as good aswe ever do, but it does allow us to reach Stage IslandHarbor by dinner time. Stage Island Harbor, for thosewho have not been there, is a lovely little hole in thewall, right on route northeast and about forty miles fromNewburyport; perfect for a long half-day sail.

Our first day was totally uneventful.The winds were lightfrom the southwest but a combination of motoring andsailing produced a steady 6 knots.A “Lilly” as they areknown around the club.After a quite evening in StageIsland Harbor, with about four other boats, we got underweigh in the morning, planning to reach Cliff Island orJewell Island in Casco Bay by late afternoon.A light

morning wind began to build and by ten o’clock wewere able to shut off the motor.We furled the jib andhoisted our asymmetrical spinnaker, an old, re-cut bloop-er, and sailed a course just east of the rhumb line toHussey Sound.As the wind built, it veered north requir-ing us to sail a more easterly course if we wanted tomaintain good boat speed. Our new course had us head-ed directly for the entrance to Quahog Bay, a destinationeight or so miles further than Cliff Island. Quahog Baywas on our list of places to go, so we decided to changeour plans a bit and made for Ragged Island at theentrance to Quahog Bay.

Quahog Bay is about as lovely a spot as you will find inCasco Bay, or anywhere else for that matter. It is a longinlet ringed by forested, undeveloped land that ends inwhat appears to be a large, salt water, tidal, lake.There isa good anchorage with eight to ten feet of water andexcellent holding. Being deep inland, the water tends tobe warmer than the ocean and swimming can be enjoy-able. But there is one negative aspect to Quahog Bay; youhave to get there. Getting there can be tricky.At highwater you cannot see all the ledges and rocks that linethe channel edges and at the end of several islands in thechannel itself.There is one government mark off shore,

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A Short Cruise to Maine, Part 1by Homer Shannon

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near Ragged Island, and another at the southern end ofPole Island in the main channel, but other than that, it’snavigation by looking at the rocks.

I’ve been to Quahog Bay twice before and have a prettygood idea what the entrance looks like.We had a veryfavorable wind and I was thinking that we might just beable to sail all the way to the anchorage, impressing thethrongs of spectators who line the shores to view intrep-id yachtsmen. (Not!) As we neared Ragged Island I real-ized two things: one the wind had increased quite a bit, itwas blowing in the high teens, and two, the governmentmark was not in the place shown on my decade-oldchart. I made the sad, but wise, decision to drop the spin-naker off shore and motor into the bay. Getting the spin-naker down turned out to be tricky as we had comeonto more of a run and an hour earlier I had droppedthe mainsail.Without the main there was no way to blan-ket the spinnaker and drop it neatly to the deck. But,even with a limited crew of two, Dee and I managed toget the chute down without putting it overboard, got theengine going and started motoring in.

As we went by the government buoy that marks RoundRock near Ragged Island, I got the sinking feeling that Iwasn’t identifying the rocks correctly. Shortly the depthmeter showed seventeen feet of water where thereshould have been forty.And then Dee pointed out break-ing rocks where the channel should be.Whoa!Something’s not right here.We did a quick 180 and wentback into safe deep water again to rethink our approach.Boy, was I glad I had dropped that chute! With the windnearing twenty knots, there would have been no way tomake a quick turn-around under a spinnaker, and contin-uing on definitely would have put us on the ledges.Afterstudying the chart more carefully and looking at theplaces where the rocks were breaking (it was near high-water, so many ledges were submerged) we figured outthe right course and proceeded up the long channel intothe bay itself.

The channel into Quahog Bay is split by Pole Island, ahalf-mile-long island that can be passed on either side.We’d always passed on western side so we went that wayagain.This is not advised.The lobster boat fleet at theentrance to Card Cove has gown both in population andin size of the boats so that it extends fully across thechannel.There is no clear way through.You have tododge and weave around and I got the distinct feelingthat this side of the island was reserved for fishermen;yachtsmen should use the eastern side of the island.

Once past the rocks that extend from the northern endof Pole Island, we passed below little Center Island andcame into the anchorage.There were several other boats,both on anchor and on moorings. Still, there was plentyof room for one more boat.We dropped anchor andsecured the boat for the evening.

On Monday we just relaxed and enjoyed the surround-ings.The weather continued to be excellent; hot enoughto swim, but not oppressive or too humid.We introducedourselves to the folks on a gorgeous neighboring boatnamed Troubadour. It was a boat so nice that you could-n’t help but wonder if the owners might be a bit aloof,but they were very sociable yachtsmen, who would havefelt right at home at any AYC function. Ed and NancyPerry were on their maiden cruise aboard a third-handTashiba 40. Previously they had owned smaller boats,which they sailed in the Thousand Islands area of LakeOntario.This was their first trip to the coast of Maineand they regaled us with stories of going aground in theErie Canal and other misadventures getting the big boatfrom the great lakes to the ocean.The Tashiba 40 is atruly rugged boat. It feels like an island when you walkabout on it and the stays, all eleven of them, are as thickas your little finger.There is enough teak below decks todeforest a jungle.Yet Ed and Nancy (who probably onlyweighs ninety pounds) said that they had no trouble sail-ing the boat at all and were very happy with it as theirpermanent home for the foreseeable future.

Short Cruise to Maine continued from page 3

continued on page 6

Bob Chadwick aboard Tranquility shot this photo of Rosebud chuggingalong under a single reef. Echoes of Winslow Homer!

Tuesday was just as nice as Monday, so we didn’t feel anyurgent need to move on from Quahog Bay.We took theboat up to Great Island Boat Yard to have the holdingtank pumped and to purchase diesel.The holding tankgot pumped, but the fuel dock was down for servicing.The storage tanks were being replaced and no fuel wasavailable but they said they would back in business with-in a week.

On Wednesday we finally pulled up anchor and set offfor a new destination. Because we had not been able topurchase fuel, we elected to go over to Cundy’s Harbor,where the Maine Cruising Guide said fuel was available.We chose a route down the east side of Pole Island,through Ripley Cove and into the New Meadows River.This looks a bit squirrely on the chart, but it is not so dif-ficult.The real problem was at Cundy’s Harbor.The gener-al store there has diesel, but the dock is equipped withan overhead hoist that prevents sailboats from dockingwhere the diesel fuel pump is located. Gasoline poweredsailboats can get gasoline at the lower, unobstructeddock, but we were out of luck. No problem.We had morethan enough fuel to reach Potts Harbor in Harpswell andwe would be going that way anyhow.

Going over to Harpswell was uneventful and rather dull.The weather was overcast and cool with little or nowind.We tried sailing but gave up and just motored.Wecame into Potts Harbor via Merriconaeg Sound, passingeast of Haskell Island.There is a crazy channel that comesinto the harbor from this direction.The buoys are soclose together and double back in such a way that youreally have to study the chart and watch the numberscarefully to figure out exactly where the channel goes.Making matters worse, my old chart did not fully matchup and it had proved wrong on the buoys at CharityLedge as well as at Round Rock. More than once westopped and even turned around to verify that we werestill in the channel. Once at the marina in Potts Harborwe got our fuel and I asked about purchasing a newchart.That they did not have, other than the one framedon the wall of the restaurant, and I didn’t ask if theywould let me have that one!

From Potts Harbor we continued up Middle Bay, passingWhaleboat Island on our port hand side. Last year we hita ledge in this area due to moment a of navigational inat-tention.This time we kept a sharp watch on the chart.The buoys may have changed but the rocks are still right

October 2007 Issue 6

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Short Cruise to Maine continued from page 4 Little River, SCAnyone traveling through Little River SC? We are inCoquina harbor, about 5 miles south of the NC borderon the ICW. If anyone needs a lift to the store, westmarine, or a ride some place, our a good place forpizza,stay at Coquina yacht club, (discount for boats rus members), and give us a call and we will be able tohelp out. (843)-877-3238

Bob and Dale SV Blue Magic

AYC Sailing School ReportSue Manzi, AYC Sailing School Administrator

The AYC Sailing School program generated over $32,000income this year with 106 kids and 20 adults participat-ing.There were several attendees who returned for the2nd or 3rd year as well as 10 students participating inthe racing class who had graduated up in the program.

Much of the success of the entire program is attributedto the two instructors Winn Lambert and Andrew Spang.Winn has been with the AYC Sailing School program for7 years, serving the last three as head instructor.Andrewhas been with us for three years. Both are returning nextsummer as their final year prior to entering their seniorcollege term.They have been recognized by members asbeing a fine example of Ambassadors for the AYC.

We look forward to their return next summer and foranother successful sailing program.

See Sailing School photos on page 6

instructors Winn Lambert and Andrew Spang

continued on page 6

Grass Ledge Seals

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where they always were! We poked into the anchorageat Little Whaleboat Island but did not stop to anchor.Wecontinued on to the anchorage at the Goslings andpicked up a mooring.There are about fifty moorings inthe area now so there is little need to anchor.This is alovely spot with two public islands and a nice beach areaon the two bars between Lower Goose Island and thetwo gosling islands.Though it looks open to the ocean,the bars provide excellent protection from all directions.Nearby is Grass Ledge where about a hundred seals hangout.At high tide this ledge narrows to about fifteen byfifty feet with all hundred or so seals vying for the avail-able space. If you want to see seals, this is the place togo. Interestingly, in the morning I could hear the seals allbarking and growling.All at once about half of them slidoff the rocks and disappeared.A few moments later therest of the bunch left as a group and the island wasempty. It was like some kind of schedule.Who knows?

Short Cruise to Maine continued from page 6 Sailing School continued from page 6

continued in the next issue of the Sailorgram

A Stonehorse sloop flies 2 headsailson a windy September day

October 2007 Issue 6

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The 1979 Formosa YankeeClipper 41 that hangs onAYC mooring #315

directly opposite the “Ice Pick”as you pass Half Tide Rocks is a“looker”.That seems to be theconsensus. She turns heads inevery harbor or anchorage shevisits.And she stole my heartwhen I first laid eyes on her.

Some times we have to go withour heart.The Formosa is aWilliam Garden design with aclassic clipper bow, a cham-pagne glass transom, a spaciouscockpit, a “teak cave” belowdecks, and a look that hints ofpirate ships and classic sailingvessels. She caught my heartwhen I was researching mynext boat seven years ago and she holds it to this day.

Mahayana Lady is the name given to her by the previousowner and it seemed like such a great fit we asked per-mission to keep it. Mahayana is a form of Buddhism and,while I am not very knowledgeable about the subject,Wikipedia provides the following:

The fundamental principles of Mahayana doctrine were based aroundthe possibility of universal liberation from suffering for all beings(hence "great vehicle").

The Formosa looks like a wooden boat, yet she has astrong, well laid up fiberglass hull. Formosa YankeeClippers are heavy, full keel (6.5’ draft), comfortable cruis-ers.They won’t be breaking any speed records – wecruise at 6 knots (hey, she weighs in at 30,000 pounds butwe shouldn’t talk about a lady’s weight now should we)and have had ours on a 9 knot reach. But a Formosa willreliably carry you to your destination while enjoying 6foot 4 inch interior headroom, a private Captain’s cabin, aseparate stall shower adjacent to the head, plenty of stor-age, and the warmth and beauty of teak finish work.

For coastal adventures and even off-shore cruises, she ismade to order. Formosa are popular live aboards and havebeen reported to have accomplished circumnavigations.

The previous owner of thisone was both a live aboard andwas planning to circumnavi-gate when “domestic issues”broke up a relationship andscuttled the plan.While I havesailed her solo many times,which is made easier by rollerfurling genoa and self-tailingmain winches, she is bestcrewed by two people. Our sail-ing destinations have beenlocal, bounded by Isle of Shoalsto the north and as far south asCape Cod and Buzzards Bay.

Although I cannot confirm itwas the Mahayana Lady andnot a sister ship, a boat thatlooks very much like the Ladyhad a cameo appearance in

Jaws II. Look for her to get a full screen “walk on” in themiddle of the movie as the kids sneak out early onemorning to race their boats to the lighthouse.As you maybe aware, Jaws II was filmed on Cape Cod near Cataumetand that is where the Mahayana Lady called homewhen we purchased her. No autographs please.

The interior is handsome, well-designed and well-crafted.And big enough toliveaboard.

Sailing By Heartby Doug King

A special series highlighting the many different boats of the AYC

continued on page 9

The Dolce Vita,The Classy Lady,The Francis B, all from AYC, andthe Clamwhammer & the FreeSpirit from up river all left theMerrimac at different times for along tack to Rockport, but we allarrived about the same time.

We anchored off shore from backbeach in Sandy Bay about 4pm onSaturday Evening August 22nd.The Inspiration arrived a coupleof drinks later.We watched agreat magenta sunset, and enjoyeda lot of good laughs in our end ofthe summer party hats.What agreat club!

We had breakfast the next morn-ing at the Greenery as wewatched the wind build.Then wewatched the wind die as wesailed home.Another great week-end with wonderful AYC folk.

Thanks for all the fun.Shan and Dave

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Fall Overnight at Sandy Bay

Angela’s Birthday at the Isles of ShoalsEric refused to tell me which birthday it was, so we’ll all just have to guess. Ericand Angie on the Dolce Vita, and Jim and Sue Gallagher on the Yankee Traveller.Both are Catalina 27s

Have you taken any nice photos of acruise, or even a daysail? Send them

to Sailorgram@americanyachtclub.organd we’ll try to use them. We need

material for the Winter months as well.Deadlines are the 30th of each month

for the following issue.

Angela at the helm Chapel on Star Island After the Storm

2007 PHRF Chet Young Regatta Results

Formosa boats have an interesting history that makeseach boat individual and carry its own personality.Thereare many variations and names that were developed fromthe same hull. For AYC members familiar with DonPeglow’s Zuider Zee III, you may have noticed the samehull with a totally different superstructure and interior.Zuider Zee III is a Sea Wolf Ketch, but upon close exami-nation (Don and I toured each other’s boats and comparednotes), the hull is a match. Both boats are powered byPerkins 4-108 diesels and both are ketch rigged, but therest of the design could not be more different. ZuiderZee III is a pilot house design with its own unique layoutand interior finish.

The Formosa yard overbuilt their hulls--resulting in a real-ly strong hull.These Taiwan boats numbering in the1,600’s (various sizes) were marketed as Sea Wolf,Yankee

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Clipper,Yankee Trader, Sea Witch, Overseas, CT, GardenKetch, and others but they are all pretty much sisters.

Few boats get the kind of looks that these beauties do,and the interior woodwork is exquisite.There is an oldadage that states:

“When purchasing a boat, buy what you would want tobe seen arriving in.”

In a world that is often so analytical and filled with data,sailing is still one of those activities that can provide realjoy by sailing by heart.

Writers Note: Despite my heart being tied to this boat, my first matedoes not share my passion for sailing and, after six years of putting upwith my heart’s dream, would like us to move to a cruising power boat.So this Formosa is for sale so she can provide joy for someone else’sheart.

Sailing by Heart continued from page 7

Division Sail # Rating HR Min Sec Total Sec Corrected TimeRacing 11 Banzai 1 - 81 14 27 18 4638 4777.72 Etude 1 - 120 14 35 38 5138 4984.63 Kalani 1 - 120 14 39 01 5341 5228.4

Racing 21 Ayacucho 2 - 186 14 35 57 5157 4554.42 Prime Time 2 - 219 14 44 30 5670 4792.6

Cruising 11 Swamp Fox 1 - 183 14 42 26 4946 4385.92 Topanga 1 - 162 14 44 19 5059 4618.53 What a Pleasure 1 - 129 14 43 26 5006 4792.24 Terrapin 1 - 138 14 51 01 5461 5159.4

Cruising 21 Breezing Up 2 - 264 14 54 19 5659 4518.92 Peregrine 2 - 207 14 51 20 5480 4705.43 Shoo Fly 2 - 225 15 01 15 6075 5095.2

Arm Chair Class1 Francis B. AC - 276 14 29 13 3553 2795.92 Kristine AC - 255 14 32 32 3752 3029.63 Rosebud AC - 372 14 44 02 4442 3131.6

Caramel Apple Pie Recipe courtesy Marles RiesslandDifficulty: MediumPrep Time: 30 minutesCook Time: 1 hour 8 minutesYield: 8 servings

Pie Crust:3 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon sugar1 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter flavored shortening, chilled1/3 cup ice water1 tablespoon vinegar1 egg, beaten

Filling:6 cups apples (Jonathan or Granny Smith)1/2 cup packed light brown sugar1/2 cup sugar1/4 cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon nutmeg1/4 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon lemon juice1 teaspoon vanilla4 tablespoons heavy cream4 tablespoons butter

Streusel Topping:1/2 cup all-purpose flour3 tablespoons sugar1 tablespoon butter2 toffee bars or 3 ounces chocolate covered peanut orpecan brittle, crushed

Pie Crust:Chill all ingredients, including the flour and vinegar.Combine the flour, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening witha pastry blender until the mixture resembles cornmeal.In another bowl, mix water and vinegar with the beatenegg.Add the liquid mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, to theflour mixture, tossing with a fork to form a soft dough.

Filling:Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Peel and slice apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice.Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and add apples.Toss to mix.Add vanilla and cream. Melt butter in heavyskillet.Add apple mixture and cook approximately 8 min-utes, to soften apples.Turn into pie shell.

Streusel Topping:Combine the flour and sugar. Mix in butter with forkuntil coarse crumbs. stir in the crushed toffee bars.Sprinkle over pie.Add top crust. Seal, flute edge and venttop. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle withsugar. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees Fand bake 45 minutes longer.

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AYC Chilifest and Apple Pie Bake-off

The final AYC activity of the 2007 season was heldWednesday, October 3. 9 chili dishes competed for tophonors via popular vote from attending members andguests.The top 5 winners became the judges for a fieldof 8 apple pies. Prizes were awarded to the top two win-ners in each category.

About 60 people hovered over the chili's and pies untilthere was hardly anything left. Many compliments to allof the cooks who participated:

continued from page 2

Chili entrants:Karen Pollastrino, 1stBarbara Mintz, 2ndGail Sears, 3rdMichelle Gynan, 4th (tie)Lyn Grenier, 4th (tie)Peter FlynnLisa HansburyGordon BaileyShannon Hewey

Pie entrants:Mike and Kathy Donahue, 1stShannon Hewey, 2ndDave Hewey, 3rdRick and Mary Wilson, 4thDebbie BaileyDeb BarrierRoberta Knight

The winning pie recipe used by Mike and Kathy isreprinted on this page.The pie was, by all accounts,absolutely delicious. Mike says you are welcome to it, buthe’s got something else up his sleeve for next year.

Contest Warning!The organizers of the Chilifest and Apple Pie Bake-off want to warn against using this recipe in nextyear’s competition. Anyone (other than Mike andKathy) who enter this recipe will forfeit their pie tothe organizers, who will heartily devour it in the confines of the AYC kitchen.

After such a successful season, it is hard to believe that 2007 started with a epic storm that flooded and trashed theyard. Even though the memory is now fading, I would hope we all learn from the past and prepare for the future.Aftersome hard debate the Executive Committee and the House Committee chose to close on October 13. History hastaught us that October can dish up some nasty storms, and we thought it prudent not to extend the season.The greatrun of fall weather has caused a fair amount of second guessing.As sad as it may be, I think closing on October 13 andbeing prepared is the best course.

As we close down the operations for the season, a lot of the work is to prepare for events like the inevitable storms.Everyone can help with the preparation. I hope you all can participate in closing day, and trust you will all help bycomplying with requests from the mooring committee, the house committee, the yard committee, and the executivecommittee. Generally speaking the rules at the club are derived from practical need. Items like removing your mooringballs insure that we don't loose ball over the winter due to flooding or even theft. Boats on workable trailers insurethat we have the ability to move boats in case of emergency. Please help out by proactively taking care of your person-al property and chipping in with the closing day at the club.

The 2007 summer is officially over and the activities are all but over at the club. It has been a wonderful summer atthe AYC, with plenty of great activities to reflect on and sustain us through the winter. I want to thank all of the mem-bers who made it a great season.As Commodore, one of the more difficult tasks at the club is recognizing all the peo-ple that contribute and make the club operate.The problem is that most everyone that contributes does in quiet andhumble ways. I am always amazed at myriad of little tasks magically get done. I will not be able to recognize everycontributor, but would like to extend a thanks to all of you that made this another successful year.

Best regards,

Commodore Clif Robinson

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FROM THE MASTHEADBy Commodore Clif Robinson

Errata and OmissionsThe Sailorgram apologizes in advance for any mistakes in spelling, grammar, punctuation, or theaccuracy of person or boat identifications. Thecontent of Sailorgram articles is the sole responsi-bility of its author, including stated facts, opinions,commentary and humor. The Sailorgram takesresponsibility for hardly anything.

Items For SaleThere are no items for sale in this issue because none

were submitted.The new Sailorgram policy will be thatwe will advertise any items submitted for sale for oneissue and will repeat those ads only upon the request of the person placing it.There is no charge for listings.

We’d like to ask that contact us by email if you’d like to have your items for sale

listed in the next issue of the Sailorgram.

Rubber dub dub. These three familiar AYC faces were found floatingoffshore somewhere between the Merrimac Coast Guard Station andJefferies Ledge. The raft inflated, and all hands rescued by other AYCmembers who were alert and at the ready. These guys show that evenan emergency at the AYC can be a fun time. This was, perhaps, the2007 season’s most memorable launching.

THe American Yacht ClubP.O. Box 1360

Newburyport, MA 01950

AYC Items For SaleHats $ 13.00Decals $ 2.00Burgee – Small $ 20.00Burgee – Large $ 25.00Heavy Knit Shirts $ 35.00

- Collared AYC ShirtNavy with Red & White Trim M,L,XL,XXL

Pique Shirts $ 25.00Collared AYC Shirt Slate BlueCollar with Navy Trim S,M

Please notify Pam Mertinooke if you are interested in any of these items. 978-388-4515

American Yacht Club

P.O. Box 1360

Newburyport MA 01950

Organized 1885, Incorporated 1890

Please send all digital* Sailorgram submissions tosailorgram@americanyachtclub.org

Send all physical** Sailorgram submissions to:Jim Grenier

5 Folly Mill RoadSalisbury, MA 01952

Due date is the 27th of each month. Sailorgram will only be publishedwhen there is enough material to warrant it.

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October 2007 Issue 6