Every year on the Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend the US Coast Guard Auxiliary at Perry Lake conducts a Blessing of the Fleet Ceremony. This year’s PYC Ceremony will be held on Sunday May 27th at approximately 10:30 AM. Please consider being on your boat or the dock to take part in this ceremony. It is a great way to start off another fun and safe sailing season.
The blessing of the fleet is a time-honored tradition that goes back many centuries into the murky sea of legend and tradition. Some legends have the origins going back to early Greek fishermen. One story has it that the tradition of asking clergy to bless boats and their crews began in Sicily after some fishermen were saved from certain death in a storm. According to the legend, they had lost their way in a thick fog when they suddenly saw a glimmering light in the distance. Following the light, they were able to make their way back to shore. There, they discovered that the light came from a medallion of the Madonna del Lume (Mother of Light) set in a grotto high on a cliff.
The weekend is quickly approaching – only five weeks away!
Raise a sail with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Leukemia Cup Regatta hosted by Perry Yacht Club, and help raise funds to support life-saving cancer research.
The Leukemia Cup Regatta is joining forces with Perry Yacht Club for the first ever Kansas Leukemia Cup. We are thrilled to partner with local businesses, sailors, friends and family as we work together to raise funds for those battling cancer. The Kansas Leukemia Cup will be held June 15th – 17th, 2012.
Since 1993 participants in Leukemia Cup Regatta events throughout the country have raised over $38 million in funding for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Thanks to people like Gary Jobson, who not only is a lymphoma survivor, but the winner of the 1976 America’s Cup, an ESPN commentator and the chairperson of The Leukemia Cup campaign since its inception, the sailing community provides even more support year after year.
Not only will there be two full days of racing for all classes of boats but there will be sailing events for those who do not want to race – as well as many shore-side events.
There are several ways to raise funds for this event:
- You can enter a boat and pay the entry fee
- You and your crew can raise funds through pledges
- You can raise funds as an individual via pledges
- You can donate directly.
All funds raised during this weekend go directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. As an individual if you raise $8500 or more you will be invited to attend a Fantasy Sail with Gary Jobson in New Orleans.
As we raise funds and achieve certain levels, then major corporate sponsors will participate in our event. This could include: Mount Gay Rum, North Sails, Sailing World, The Moorings as well as several others recognizable companies.
During the weekend you will have a chance to not only raise a sail and raise some funds but you can:
- Learn the fine art of smoking meats from one of the Kansas City areas champion smokers and enjoy a meal prepared by his team.
- Dance the night away to the tunes of the No Cash Value Band.
- Learn all about Stand up Paddle Boarding and just go for a sailboat ride.
- Visit and shop with sailing related vendors.
The will be several kids’ events highlighted by the first-ever Kansas Raingutter Regatta.
How do you get involved?
Go to leukemiacup.org, find the register button and register. You will be provided a number of tools to help you fund raise. You will also be able to find the Kansas event and enter your boat for the races. So register, enter and start now.
Commodore’s Cup, 2012 is coming soon. Planning has begun and we need your help.
Join us on the first Monday of the each month at Kansas City Sailing, 6:30 p.m., to help plan the biggest and best regatta of the region. Shirley, Jeff, and Kim are cooking a wonderful banquet. Jeff , Sue, and the boys are flipping pancakes for the breakfast surprise.
As usual, we want sponsors. It’s a great opportunity to show your support for the club and specifically Junior Sailing See below for the different levels to choose from.
Sponsorship Levels:
Captain Sponsor – $500 – 2 available – 4 color full page advertisement on inside back or inside front cover of program
Commander – $200 – Full page advertisement
$100 – half page ad
$50 – 1/4 page ad
$25 1/8 page ad
Volunteers are always needed and suggestions, questions, ideas, are always welcome. Contact Matt Gatewood or Terri Tilford.
On Saturday, July 21st , artists from four organizations, “The Mid America Pastel Society”, “The Greater Kansas City Artist Association”, “Northland Art League”, and The Missouri River Valley Impressionist Society will be invited to gather and participate at PYC for a “Plein Air Session” (painting outdoors). They will be invited to photograph or paint on the PYC property from dawn to dusk. Approximately 15 artists have already signed up and will be painting in various mediums: pastel, watercolor, acrylic, oil and pen & ink. Many of the artists have expressed their excitement as this will be the first time they have attended a Plein Air session at a yacht club or marina.
The artists have been invited to offer their completed paintings, from the Plein Air Session, for sale during the Commodore’s Cup weekend with 20% of the sale going to the Youth Sailing Program. Last year we had 20 artists participate and the artwork purchased at the Commodore Cup Regatta raised over $400 dollars for the youth sailing program. And some members took home beautiful original art work and prints!!
The whole idea of the paint out is to get an artist’s viewpoint of the Perry Yacht Club and the environment, including the fellowship of the PYC members. More details will be forthcoming as we get closer to the paintout day. This could be a great public relations opportunity and even result in new members. Cheri & Fritz Kramer will be hosting and coordinating the event and can be contacted at 913-963-7927 or fkramer@kc.rr.com.
A big thanks to Patrick and Stacy Harper who have stepped forward to host the Cinco de Mayo party this Saturday. You don’t want to miss this party! Margaritas and beer for the adults, piñatas for adults and kids. Like most other PYC parties we will start at 6:00 p.m. Please use the comment section below to RSVP and let us know what tasty Mexican dish you plan to bring.
Mark your calendar: Commodore’s Cup meetings will be held May through August on the 1st Monday at 6:30 pm at Kansas City Sailing in Lawrence, KS. We need all the support and help anybody wants to offer for this year’s annual regatta. Opportunities include the following:
- Decorating and Cleaning prior to the event – Friday
- Registration/Merchandise – Fri/Sat/Sun
- Committee Boat – Sat/Sun
- General Clean up – Fri/Sat/Sun
- Cooking – Fri/Sat/Sun
- Fundraising
- Auction – Sat
- Photography – Fri/Sat/Sun
- Booklet Design
- Form Design
- Flag Raising
If you are unable to attend the meeting and want to volunteer or have any suggestions or ideas on how to make this event a success, then drop us a note at the following emails.
The club opening work day is an annual tradition, actually the first party of the year. We get chores done and celebrate the beginning of the sailing season. Work day will begin with a brief organizational meeting at 9:00 Saturday morning, April 14. Each project will have a crew chief. Members can pick their projects. We will work for about 4 hours, then lunch will be served at 1:00. Stick around after lunch for the official membership photo to be displayed around the world on the PYC web site. Stay tuned to your e-mail for more info.
The 2012 PYC Yearbook — the Windjammer — will be including small, close-up photos of members for the first time this year. We shot photos of many members at the winter meeting and intend to shoot more at the opening day work event April 14. Please join us at the post-work lunch at the clubhouse to have your photo taken. Or, if you can’t be there and want a photo in the yearbook, please send a good quality, close-up shot of you and/or your family electronically to Yearbook Editor Jean Dodd at dondod1996@gmail.com. Thanks!
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.
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