ASF Schedule Open for Registration Sat Jul 26th - 8:00am

Hello everyone!

I'm pleased to announce that our schedule has been coordinated and we are ready to accept your registrations for the fall. Registration will open at 8:00am on Sat Morning the 26th of July. You can go directly to the system by clicking this link:
https://thriva.activenetwork.com/Reg4/(S(w3qy1jriwwbm4mykulgjxa55))/Form.aspx?regkey=RpYOYPxE37%2ff2B%2fRFzqZoaUI%2fcGQAgWuHO%2b0zLn7HVc%3d

To get a look at the schedule, please go to our calendar at:
http://www.arizonayachtclub.org/TheCalendar/calendar_asf.shtml

The classes being offered this season are:

For Adults:
Introduction to Racing (two Sundays)
Start Sailing Right (All Day Saturdays - 2 different offerings A & B)
Sailing Skills Development (one offering later in the fall Sat morning from 8-12)

For Juniors:
Opti 1 & Opti 2 (6 Sunday Afternoons)
High School Sailboat Racing (Tuesday Afternoons after school)
Team DUST - Opti Racing (Sunday Raceday Afternoons)
Team DUST - 420 Racing (Practice Saturdays before Sunday Racedays - also sign up for fall race series)

I appreciate everyone's patience while we coordinated everything. I'm looking forward to a GREAT fall season!

Capt Rob

ISAF : Sixty Nations Prepare To Do Battle In The Bay Of Århus

This is a great story about the top end of youth Sailing...the 2008 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship.

ISAF : Sixty Nations Prepare To Do Battle In The Bay Of Århus

Serious Opti Competitors...

These Junior Sailors must have been born with saltwater in their veins...great photos of the Opti North American Championships!

SAILKARMA.COM - Sailing News, Videos and Photos!: Optimist North Americas 204 competitors!

ISAF : ISAF Sailing World Cup Set To Launch For 2008-2009

Ever want to see people that have a "sailing problem"? These folks are it...The International Sailing Federation is the body that governs international racing rules. These athletes are the best of the best..

ISAF : ISAF Sailing World Cup Set To Launch For 2008-2009

Figuring out what sailors already knew...

So,

The WSJ Online is reporting that more people are turning to sailing because of soaring fuel costs...hmmm...took 'em long enough!

Help Keep Quagga Muscle Out of Tempe Town Lake

If you aren't familiar, the Quagga Muscle is similar to the Zebra Muscle. It is about as big as an average person's thumbnail, and that is the problem. At maturity, they get into machinery and clog things like water intake valves, engine cooling water intake grates and other devices. Not to mention that if your boat is moored in a Quagga positive lake, they can adhere to the hull and decrease your fuel efficiency and slow your boat down. To make matters worse, Quagga larvae are microscopic, making a visual inspection for them insufficient. There is now concern that this invasive species will be transferred to Tempe Town Lake through portage of boats from Lake Pleasant.

If you are a boater that trailers your boat to the different lakes available to us here in the greater Phoenix metro area, please take some precautions to ensure that you don't have any unwanted passengers on board.

Clean your hull - spray it down at the lakeside before leaving if possible, or at a self serve high powered car wash on the way home.

Drain the water - Drain all the water from bilges, live-wells and between hull spaces.

Dry everything - Dry the hull and all you gear.

Wait 5 days - If possible, wait 5 dry days before launching your boat in another waterway.

Tempe Town Lake is a confined body of water and introduction of the Quagga Muscle could be disastrous to the water recirculation systems, dams and docks that make the lake fun and enjoyable for all of us. For more information, please visit the Arizona Game and Fish website at www.azgfd.gov. Please do your part!

Live Sail Die » When it all goes wrong

Got this from a great blog called - Live, Sail, Die. There are some pretty telling statistics about boat accidents. Moral of this story is, stay sober, stay alert!

Live Sail Die » When it all goes wrong

See you on the water!
Capt Rob

Quagga Muscle found in Lake Pleasant

Hi All,
The Quagga Muscle is invading the waterways of Arizona and has recently been found in Lake Pleasant and the CAP canal system. If you are using your boat in other waterways besides Town Lake please check this web site for pre-cautions when transferring your boat from one body of water to another:
http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/zebra_mussels.shtml
This invasive muscle has caused extensive damage in the Great Lakes water system, so it would do us well to follow the listed precautions if you use your boat in other local waterways. Thank you for making the extra effort to keep Town Lake quagga muscle free.

AYC Crowns Champions!!

By Mike Ferring

Mike Hester and crew John Mayall repeated as AYC Club Champions Saturday at Lake Pleasant. Mike was ahead by seven points after 8races and, in a gesture of sportsmanship, second place finisher Skip Kempff (seven-time club champ) chose to concede and let everyone head home.

Even though in the Championship Race there's only one prize--first--here are the other finishers: Rick Johnson, third; Jim Douglas, fourth; Dennis Martinelli/Pat Blumm, fifth; Steve Brown,sixth; Stacey Loula, seventh; Will Zornick, 8th; and Joe Motil 9th.

Fleet Captain David Rawstrom was the PRO and organizer for the event and C22 fleet captain Steve Brown turned out 9 C22s for the day of racing that began with rigging and skipper's meeting at 8 am and ended after 7 pm as the C22 owners finished getting their boats ready to tow back home.Racing got underway with just one shot to the north before the wind slacked and the competitors were left drifting until about 1pm,waiting for the wind to fill in from the south. From then on the breeze varied from a low of 3mph to a more typical 8, making for some close, hard-fought races. Rick Johnson took an early lead, but then fell back, as Skip and Mike kept it very close until the very end. Many thanks to the C22 fleet, to the large RC, and to the competitors for a great day on the water.

Sailing Tips for Everyone

Single Handed Docking and Sail Trim with Captain Jack Klang

This sounds like a great book...I couldn't get it on our recommended reading list so here is the link!


Capt Rob