Welcome to a New Year of sailing and for that matter, a new Decade, Century and Millennium. That is such a large concept, I might just leave it there.
While thinking about our club and our goals for the future, I am drawn again and again to the concept of education. Perhaps there is a new way to look at a yacht club. We already have the traditional racing and cruising programs. And we have already innovated with a club owned fleet of boats. But why not become the first yacht club which places the education of its members as the highest priority? All of the other programs can continue as before, but I propose that we begin this year by redefining our club as an educational organization.
We have in fact been moving in this direction for some time. The Fleet Captain Program was the first step. Last winter came our Safety and Education Committees. And last summer, we developed the Mentoring Program and the Blue Water Society.
Another step will be the first Mid-Winter Retreat scheduled for February 5 & 6. I strongly encourage you to participate. The concept is that members will gather one weekend each winter at a location outside the city. At this gathering, there will be a series of educational seminars plus general discussions about the club. This year, the Mid-Winter Retreat will be held at the Inn at Mill Race Pond in Hope, NJ, a one hour drive from the city.
Photo: Hanging out at Foxy’s on New Year’s Eve were (l to r):
Bill Nightingale, his new fiancé Julie and Sharon and Michael Fortenbaugh. Bill &
Julie got engaged the night before.
Besides giving you the opportunity to meet and chat with other members, you will learn and have fun. The keynote presentation on Saturday evening will be a slide show about Miss Manhattan’s participation in the Caribbean 1500 Rally. There will also be important brain storming sessions about the overall concept of our club as an educational organization. We will try to put some flesh on this idea and sketch out some ways we can further the sailing skills and knowledge of members during the coming season.
Although some people think our sailing season has ended, it has only moved south. Our flagship Miss Manhattan is doing well in the British Virgin Islands. I have just returned from a 12 day sail before passing her off to Fred Lewis. Before me, Nick Musgrave and Jim Hedelston were on board. There are still three weeks left, January 29 to February 5, March 25 to April 1 and April 22 to 29.
The Millennium party at Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke was fantastic. Actually, the days leading up to the Millennium were as good or better than the final night because the most enthusiastic Foxy fans were already there. By luck, when Miss Manhattan arrived in Great Harbor, there was a boat just leaving a spot which was front and center. For the Millennium, Miss Manhattan ended up being the closest monohull to Foxy’s (there were a few shallow draft catamarans closer).
Photo: When you walk into the bar at the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin
Gorda, the Manhattan Sailing Club burgee is the first you will see. The barefoot Fortenbaugh
family smiles with Skipper grabbing the flag and Sonny in his mother’s arms.
A few boats from Miss Manhattan, was "Bermuda High," a Moorings catamaran chartered by Bill Nightingale. Bill had a fun group of friends onboard including several people who raced with his team on Wednesday evenings. But the real story was that on Jan. 30, Bill proposed to his girlfriend Julie, who accepted! Congratulations to the two. There are more stories about Foxy’s, including stage dancing, crowd pleasing displays, contests and the like, but these are best left to the imagination. Or perhaps this summer if you buy Bill a few beers at the bar….
It is time to begin gauging interest for the 2000 racing season. As per tradition, existing team captains have first right to their boats. Please sign up before February 15. After that, new teams will be offered any remaining boats. Two new teams have already expressed an interest and there may be several more. If you are part of a racing team, be sure your captain gets his or her reservation in soon. This can be done at our website at www.myc.org.
Winter is time for the annual Ice Skating Party generously organized by Pieter Brakman. This year, he has set the date for Tuesday, January 25. It will be held at Rockefeller Center with skating from 7 to 8 p.m. There is a $7.50 entry fee and skate rentals are $5. Recovery afterwards will be at the Commonwealth Brewing Company beginning at 8:15 p.m. If you wish to attend, please RSVP with Pieter Brakman at pbrakman@aol.com or (212) 206-8238.
Sincerely, Michael W. Fortenbaugh, Commodore