Seven Sailin’ Sisters have signed up to qualify for the American Sailing Association’s Instructor Qualification Course this coming weekend at Perry Yacht Club. Instructor Evaluator, Bruce Liese, will hold the clinic which starts Thursday evening and runs all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This is a rigorous course focusing on acquiring teaching techniques so we may become accomplished sailing instructors.
The reasons for taking the IQC are as varied as the backgrounds possessed by the women taking the course. Many want to improve their sailing skills, add to their sailing resume, up their game to the next level or simply to challenge themselves while having fun. And of course, all of us want to help others in their desire to sail better.
Of all the ASA courses I have seen so far, this will by far be the most challenging. Not only are single handing sailing skills expected, but also, being able to demonstrate sound teaching practices in the classroom and on the water are covered. And don’t forget the rigorous test covering, safety, seamanship and general sailing knowledge.
When you see the group of women concentrating at the club this weekend, give them your support and encouragement. Their desire to improve their sailing skills is a valuable asset not only to the Sailin’ Sisters program, but also to Perry Yacht Club and the entire sailing community as a whole. Please give us a thumbs up and wish us luck!
Come join your fellow PYC members for pancakes (with blueberries!) right before Club Opening. Sailin’ Sisters will be serving up some piping hot cakes off the griddle, sausage, coffee and juice so you can power through all those chores to get the clubhouse, docks and grounds ready for another fun sailing season!
We are serving this breakfast as a fundraiser for the Sailin’ Sisters program, and we’d greatly appreciate your generous donation.
Breakfast will be served from 8-9 on April 14th at the PYC clubhouse.
Our sweet little Santana 20 fin keel package of pure sailin’ joy will be used for the Sailin’ Sisters sail training and race program. Unfortunately, she was a diamond in the rough but with lots of elbow grease, fresh paint and YOUR HELP she is becoming a thing of sailin’ beauty!
So far seventeen women have devoted their energy to work on this project in their spare time. She is coming along nicely and thanks to Teresa and John Anderson, we have been able to work on her – no matter the weather - inside their automotive shop in Olathe.
We stripped her completely down, scrubbed her, sanded her, primed her, and are now painting her bottom, hull and deck. It has been a lot of work but also a lot of fun, and now she’s finally starting to look better.
Sailin’ Sisters needs the following items to help us have a safe, good looking and fun boat for the 2012 season. If you have any of the following items in serviceable condition and would like to donate to our cause, please bring them to club opening on April 14th or contact Joan Allen, Terri Tilford or Amy Wilson.
Safety Equipment
Throwable Personal Floatation Device (PFD)
Air horn
VHF Radio (Handheld)
Marine fire extinguisher
First Aid Kit
Life Jackets (PFDs)
Flashlight
Ladder for “Sister Overboard”
Bucket
Manual bilge pump
Dock lines
Anchor
Anchor Rode
Other Equipment
Small combination padlock
Fenders
Big sponge
Wheel chocks for trailer
Small windex
VC17 bottom paint
Rope/line
Winch handle
Sailing gloves (new or used)
Sand paper (80-120 grit)
Rust treatment for trailer
White paint for trailer
Even if you have only a little bottom paint, sand paper, etc., left over from a project, or an old anchor lying around, we’d love to help you clear out your garage and have it go to this worthwhile project.
Did I mention that this boat needs elbow grease??? Not sure you have the skills to help? No worries – we’ll show you how! A big part of this boat is “education” and that includes how to inspect and fix up a used boat. Watch for updates on what, when and where on the Sailin’ Sisters blog of the PYC website and let us know you’d be willing to get a little bit dirty. We work most weekends at Anderson Automotive. Remember the old adage, “Many hands make light work.”
Sisters, please call if you’d like to help. This is a big project. Not only will you have a chance to learn about sailboats, but you’ll also to get to know some of your fellow PYC members better. Come on and join us! You’ll have a good time getting’ dirty!
Questions, donations and offers to help? Please contact Joan Allen at allenhouse@sbcglobal.net or (913) 648-6028.
Who are the PYC Sailin’ Sisters and why should you join? Well, if you are a female member of Perry Yacht Club, then YOU are a member of Sailin’ Sisters! Sailin’ Sisters are a group of women who are simply interested in sailing and improving our skills together in a women’s only setting. There’s no yelling but there are usually lots of laughs.
Over the off-season we hold free educational seminars at Kansas City Sailing (www.KansasCitySailing.com) where the discussions are lead by ASA instructor Bruce Liese. A different topic is covered each time and is suitable for all levels of experience. Women from all over the region take part and it has been a fabulous way to get to know our area sailors.
During the sailing season we have several different activities such as our ladies only annual sail, a Sunfish class, and other classes and events as the mood strikes us. The aim of this group is to tailor our activities around what our members would like to learn and do – all while having fun together.
Through the generosity of the PYC Board of Governors, PYC Sailin’ Sisters was able to purchase a Santana 20 to be used as a sail training and racing platform. We are taking her from the neglected shape she was in and transforming her into a thing of sailin’ beauty. She is scheduled to hit the water early this summer and we want to see her out on the lake every weekend! We want every woman PYC member to come learn and get checked out on the boat so you can take her out safely and have a good time while gaining experience. The whole idea is to improve our sailing skills and there is no better way to do that quickly than out on the racecourse. We will stress learning over competing so be bold! Come give it a try! We are all learning together so come join us from the very beginning. ALL levels of experience are encouraged.
This group is all about learning and doing what YOU want to so if you have a topic you’d like to see covered, or would like to take part in any of our activities, please contact Joan Allen at allenhouse4@sbcglobal.net or call (913) 648-6028.
Visit our blog to stay up to date on our activities. We’d love to have your input and feedback!
Perry Yacht Club’s Rear Commodore, Matt Gatewood, presented an Intro to Racing Seminar at Kansas City Sailing on March 10th to a group of sailors interested in giving racing a try.
Matt started off the discussion by asking what everyone was interested in learning then tailored the presentation to cover those topics. The program was well attended and left the audience wanting more!
It is impossible to cover everything about racing in less than two hours but Matt did a wonderful job answering our questions and presenting the basics.
There are many opportunities to give racing a try at PYC this summer in the form of fun races and in the more advanced series races. There are also ample opportunities to be involved with the race program by volunteering to be crew on someone else’s boat and running the committee boat. Racing is not only fun and exciting, but also a great way to sharpen your sailing skills.
Sailin’ Sisters is gearing up for the 2112 sailing season with lots of exciting events. We still have two more free seminars to go on March 10th and April 7th at Kansas City Sailing from 3 to 5 pm. A different topic is presented each time so come when you can. We meet up at The Slow Ride Roadhouse afterward with the significant others and sailors from other area marinas. It’s a great way to meet new sailors and swap sailin’ stories!
Sailin’ Sisters is teaming up with the PYC race committee to present a free beginning racing seminar at 1 pm, just before the March 10th Sisters’ Seminar at Kansas City Sailing. ALL PYC members are invited. Rear Commodore Matt Gatewood will present the basics on how to get started in sailboat racing. Please RSVP to Terri Tilford if you’d like to attend. Tilford81@aol.com Matt has Fun Races planned twice a month during the sailing season so there will be lots of opportunities to participate in the fun races as well as the more serious series races. Even if you’ve never considered racing, at least come and learn the rules to you can appreciate the tactics when watching a regatta. Give the fun races a try then move on to the series races as you master your understanding of the rules and tactics. Racing is a great way to quickly improve your sailing skills!
The Women’s Midwest Sailing Conference will be held May 19th in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The cost for a full day’s worth of workshops is $125. Space is limited so get your reservation in soon. See Terri Tilford for details and information on car-pooling.
Mark your calendars now for the women’s annual cruise, which is planned for Saturday, July 14th. “Pirates of Perry” is the theme, and we plan to have shirts again this year. We’d love to see every woman member out on the water for this fun event so please consider taking out your boat! There is no shortage of willing crew so if you’ve never skippered your boat before, this will be the perfect opportunity. There’s no yelling but there might be plenty of giggles!
We plan to hold a Sunfish class again this summer once the water warms up. The Sunfish are a perfect learning platform for basic sailing skills. They offer immediate feedback of when you are doing things right – and when you are doing something wrong (hence the need for warm water). They are a blast to sail and once you have been checked out on them, you may use them any time that the youth sailors don’t need them. They are a great benefit of PYC membership. Please use them!
As you have probably heard, the PYC board of governors generously approved the purchase of a boat to be used as a sail and race training platform for the women’s program. We bought a 1977 Santana 20 in Oklahoma City this winter and have been working on her ever since. We plan to use the boat for repair, maintenance, sail and race training and encourage all PYC women to come take part. Come join the work parties, which we’ve had just about every weekend at Anderson Automotive. Thanks to John and Teresa we have a wonderful place to work indoors. You’ll learn lots about boat repair and maintenance while you hang out with some pretty fun sailors. For details, contact Joan Allen or watch for the work schedule on the Sister’s Blog. (See the button at the right.)
Once she hits the water, we hope to train lots of women in all positions on the boat, so we can always have a interchangeable crew to participate in the fun and series races as well as regattas this year. We’re new at this. Come join in at the beginning so we can all learn and improve together! Sail training will be held most Saturday mornings at the club. See Amy, Terri or Joan if you are interested in any of these activities.
Please help support our programs by participating in the fundraisers to help pay for gear and improvements to the training boat.
For further information, go to the Sailin’ Sisters Blog. We’d love your feedback on improving the women’s program. And you can see the list of names that have been suggested so far the Santana 20. But only those who work on the boat get to vote on a name for her!
Come take part! We are all about encouraging each other to get out there and improve our skills and have fun while we’re at it!
Perry Yacht Club is the proud owner of a 1977 Santana 20! This boat was purchased for the Sailin’ Sisters sail training and racing program benefiting all women members of PYC. As you can see in the photos, she will need some lovin’ to get her into good sailing condition but what could be more fun than working on a boat? OK, I admit it, sailing a boat is lots better but this will be fun too!
Terri Tilford, Charlene Howard, Pat Allen and I drove down to Oklahoma City Boat Club to look at the boat last weekend. There we met Vernon Green who is Vice President of the Santana 20 Class, organizer of the 2011 Nationals and one of the nicest, most helpful people you’ll ever meet. He and his girlfriend/foredeck crew Stephanie Nguyen and fellow OCBC member Dan Camp were also there giving advice and lending a hand to ready the boat and trailer for the trip home to Kansas. It was a rewarding experience meeting them, seeing their beautiful facilities and trailering the boat home with great friends.
The boat will need lots of elbow grease, paint and a bit of new rigging to make her safe and happy. On Sunday afternoon starting at 1 pm we plan to show her off and dig in to inspecting and cleaning her. Part of the “education” process for our program is learning some of the good, the bad and the ugly when surveying a boat. Anyone who is interested in the inspection tour or investing some time cleaning her is welcome to come get dirty on Sunday. Wear old clothes! At this point we plan to hold the work party at my house in Leawood, but that is subject to short notice change in case we are asked to remove the boat. In that case, we will likely haul it to PYC to work there. (Check back the this website for notice of a venue change or feel free to call me.)
Items on the to do list are:
inspection
scrape flaking paint, vacuum and wash the interior
remove decals from the hull
remove winches for cleaning at the next Sisters Seminar on Feb. 4th at Kansas City Sailing
remove both genoa tracks and temporarily seal the deck holes
remove the tiller
clean the scuppers
wash the hull if it’s not too cold
brainstorm possible names for her
Remember many hands make light work! Please bring small scrapers, rubber gloves, hand tools, etc., that you think would be helpful.
Please RSVP to me at (913) 648-6028 if you think you might be able to come so we have plenty of refreshments, and I can give you directions to my house.
Come on all you Sailin’ Sisters. Let’s get dirty on Sunday! It should be loads of fun!
Sailin’ Sisters met on Saturday, January 7, at Kansas City Sailing for the first of four FREE winter seminars. It was great catching up with several sisters who have faithfully attended in the past as well as meeting three new area sailors – one whom we have already talked into becoming a member of PYC!
Bruce Liese made the learning fun with a lively game of Sailing Jeopardy. Let’s just say that, with the competitive spirit displayed during the game, we should have no trouble finding women willing to give racing a try next summer! Earning the most points, Team “Wenches” lead by Amy Wilson won prizes of three Harken blocks donated by Kansas City Sailing. Great fun was had by all!
Afterward, several women – and a few husbands – joined back up at the Slow Ride Roadhouse to talk sailing. It was an opportunity to catch up with folks we’ve missed over the long winter and to make plans for the next sailing season.
The next Sailin’ Sisters seminar will be held on February 4th, followed by March 10th and April 7th. Classes run from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. with an optional knot lesson at 2:30 p.m. All women interested in learning more about sailing are welcome, regardless of your level of experience. Bring a friend! Each class covers a different topic so DON’T feel if you haven’t attended previous seminars that you will be lost. There is something for everyone to learn!
If you have questions or suggestions for a topic, please contact me at allenhouse4@sbcglobal.netor call (913) 648-6028. Also, please feel free to ask questions about Sisters or make comments in the box below. (If the box is not visible click on the “comments” link below this article.) C’mon Sisters, let’s get a lively discussion going!
Sailin' Sisters prove to be great learners and fierce competitors.
Charlene Howard and Becky Stone expertly launch their anchor.
Sailin’ Sisters held a very well attended, hands on class on Saturday, October 8th covering the important topic of how to stop your boat. TEN women filled the cockpit of Joan Allen’s Ericson 29 and sent Becky Stone scrambling to find more life jackets to keep us legal.
With Amy Wilson at the helm, we motored out to the cove near the bridge for a practical lesson on anchoring. Charlene Howard used her anchoring experience on the foredeck to coach deployment and retrieval while Amy led the lesson from the cockpit. Several women tried their hand at communicating with the helmsperson using verbal and visual signals, picking a suitable spot and lowering the anchor. Once the proper scope was let out and the anchor set, we covered how to take bearings to check for drift. Later we learned the correct way to retrieve it — even when very well stuck on Perry’s muddy bottom.
Once everyone had the opportunity to anchor, we set sail and learned how easy it is to maneuver the boat into the hove-to position and then how simple it is to begin sailing again. By this time it was getting late so we came back to the club and enjoyed a great barbeque dinner prepared on the club’s new smoker: A perfect ending to a perfect day out on the water with friends.
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