News From Arizona Yacht Club

Registration is now open for the fall race series. Sign up now for the Tempe Town Lake series that begins Sunday, Sept. 21 or the Lake Pleasant series, which begins on Saturday, Oct. 6.

And registration is open for the Arizona Sailing Foundation (ASF) fall classes, including beginning sailing, Opti, junior performance sailing, Sailing Skills Development, and Introduction to Sailboat Racing.

Busy, right? Fun? Definitely!

Cheers,

Mike Ferring

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ASF Instructor Qualification

The American Sailing Sailing Association will hold an Instructor Qualification Clinic in conjunction with Sailboat Shop at Lake Pleasant on Friday evening, Sept. 27, and all day Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28, & 29.

Qualified applicants can receive their Basic Keelboat Sailing Instructor Certification (ASA 201) at this clinic. Monday, Sept. 30 an Instructor Qualification Clinic for Coastal Cruising Sailing Instructor (ASA 203) and Coastal Navigation (ASA 205) will be held.

The biggest part of the entire weekend is writing the ASA Instructors exam. Students have to get 90 percent on the rules of the road.

Friday will be three hours in the evening; Saturday will go from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Pre registration is required for this clinic. Contact the Sailboat Shop to register

Successful graduates of these clinics will be qualified to teach sailing at ASA affiliated schools with a current ASA Instructor Membership. Registration is also available at the American Sailing Association website, http://www.asa.com

Happy Sails to You,

Tom Errickson

Sailboat Shop

Lake Pleasant, AZ

(928)-501-7245

http://www.SailAZ.com

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Let The Racing Begin

Hi Sailors,

Tempe Town Lake racing’s first gun is at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21. And, Lake Pleasant racing will be here before you know it. Opening day is Saturday, Oct. 5.

Here's the rundown: Registration is now open for the fall series at both lakes; race documents are on the AYC Web site. Also, mark your calendar for a practice day on Saturday, September 28, starting at 9am.

We're looking for an even better turnout this fall than last year and we're expecting some significant fleet-building, starting with my own Santana 20 fleet. We'll also be using a new, more-capable mark boat this fall, a 22-foot Boston Whaler Outrage — much more seaworthy and comfortable than the old runabout, with much more room for marks and equipment.

When you sign up, you'll notice that we've bumped the entry fees a bit to cover more of our costs (LP racing always runs at a loss). The fleet captains want to encourage entrants to join the club to support all our activities, so this year nonmembers will pay a bigger premium.

And, the fleet captains are making it clear that the Club Championship Regatta is a "members only" event — another good reason to join. We're also asking you to acknowledge that you and your crew will will help on Race Committee, so that everyone pitches in with the effort to put on our races.

Worth mentioning: Make sure that when you sign up for a race series that the entrant of record (the skipper) is the person on the form. Someone other than the entrant can submit the credit card payment, but the entrant's name is the one that goes on the score sheet.

And, if you're a member and win your fleet, the member entrant is the one who will sail in the Club Championship Regatta next May.

See you on the water!

Greg Woodcock

AYC Racing Fleet Captain

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Looking For Crew?

If you're looking for crew for the coming fall series, please consider the people on the crew list. We have purged the entire list and asked interested folks to sign up again, so the names, contact information, and interests are all poppin' fresh.

A number of these people are new to the club or new to the area and it's vital that we give them an opportunity to sail with us. If I can help you find someone suited to you and your needs, please contact me. I'm happy to help.

Here's the bottom line: We have people who don't compete because they can't find crew and we have people who don't compete because they can't find a ride. That's nuts. Let's put these two together to benefit everyone!

Cheers,

Mike Ferring

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Getting A Non-Sailor To Sail

Hi everyone,

We've hovered around 200 member families in our club for as long as I've been a member (about nine years). Why is that? Many reasons, but I believe the best way to encourage participation is to create more opportunities for the non-sailor to go sailing.

One of the ways we do that is to offer quality sailing instruction to the public. But, we can't do that without your help!

People who sign up for the Adult Beginning Sailing (formerly "Start Sailing Right") class are motivated and are genuinely interested in learning how to sail. We need people who are willing to share their experience with others to help us grow our sport — whether your interest is sailing or cruising, we need you to come go for a sail!

Thanks in advance for your support,

Rob Gibbs