Bay Yacht Club • 555 S. Shoreline Blvd. • Corpus Christi • TX • 78401 Mailing Address: P. O. Box 404, Corpus Christi, TX 78403-0404 Phone: 361-356-7156

http://www.bayyachtclub.org/

View From The Quarterdeck

Walter Crawford, Commodore, 2016

All the sailors I have talked to are looking forward to August. I don’t think the wind on any weekend in July was less than 20kts – gads! The scheduled cruise, sunfish rodeo, and race were all cancelled or postponed due to the wind. Although you had to look fast to see the fireworks before they blew away, the Independence Day celebration and C-Dock hot dog social was another smashing hit. The education program “Texas Coastal Cruising” was well attended and a wealth of information, not to mention a few sea stories, shared. Of course the game nights every other Thursday and the scheduled dinners are well attended and provide plenty of indoor fun for members and guests. August will begin with the Navy Regatta registration party at BYC, Friday Aug 5 and the race to/from the Naval Air Station on Sat/Sun. The Regatta also

provides a great cruise for those that are not into racing. The following weekend, August 13, will be an International Festival social, hosted by our Social Gals. Dinner at the club is scheduled for Friday the 26th, and the BYC Race series on the 27th. Game night is every other Thursday. Once again, a huge special thanks to all the BYC committees making an enjoyable time for all members and guests. Don’t miss out on all the excitement. I hope to see everyone on the water, at the Club, and at each cruise destination. Cheers,

Walter

August 2016

Inside this Issue

1 Commodore’s Comments

2 Navy Regatta Party

2 BYC Racing

2 Upcoming Socials

2 Nominating Committee

3 Favorite Nautical Apps

3 Labor Day Holiday Cruise

4 BYC August Events

4 Bowsprit Advertisers

Bowsprit Editor:

Jim Robertson

bowsprit@bayyachtclub.com

The Bowsprit Bay Yacht Club, Corpus Christi, Texas

The Bowsprit, August 2016 Page 2

Navy Regatta Party

Friday August 5, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

BYC will host the 2016 Navy Regatta Crew Assignment Party on Friday, August 5 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. This is an opportunity to introduce our military community, potential members all, to BYC and also greet our CCYC neighbors.

Lori Stoner has requested members advise the Social Gals your menu choice so as to coordinate the food. All-members are requested to provide something for the buffet. Finger foods, quartered sandwiches, devilled eggs, cookies, fruit trays, veggies trays, queso, chips and dips are all excellent choices.

If you have never participated in this annual event then you’ve missed out on a very good time! We need all hands on deck to represent BYC at its very best. Please wear your BYC shirts.

BYC Racing on the Bay

Larry Frank, Race Committee Chair

What a great location for sailboat racing. Except for the two weeks during and after the July 4th holiday we have had wonderful weather so far this year. BYC Series Race 3 was held on July 16th. We had a breeze out of the SSE beginning around 10 knots and building to 15 by the end of the race. Skies were sunny. It looked as if we would have four

boats in the 150 Class but Margaritaville suffered a mechanical problem and could not sail. Chris Ruckman was able to join Neil Gallagher on Waypoint and participate in a 2nd place finish. Jim Robertson on Brigadoon took 1st. That left WindSwept with a solid 3rd.

The next race on the bay is the Navy Regatta the weekend of August 5-7. I hope to see you at the registration party Friday night at BYC, on the water and at the awards ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday.

The next BYC race is race number 4 of the series, which is scheduled for August 27th. Why not come out a join us? You are all racers at heart. Remember the answer to the time worn question “When was the first sailboat race held?...When the second sailboat was built.”

Upcoming Socials at BYC Kathy, Lori & Jacque, Social Committee

International Festival

August 13

Your Social Gals are doing it up again!

Come and be part of the international Festival at the BYC on August 13. Experience an array of delicious international culinary flavors at every station.

Food and Drink will be plenty!

We are “literally” cooking up something good this time !

(continued on page 3)

2017 Executive Board Nominating Committee The 2017 Executive Board Nominating Committee members are:

Walt Oler (Chair)

Larry Haas

Jason Labbe

Jacque Potts

Past Commodore Jim Whitworth.

This committee has the critical responsibility of recommending to the general membership those BYC members best qualified to serve as the leadership and management of our club in 2017. Club members are invited to submit to this committee names of BYC members they recommend for service in the following positions: Commodore, Vice Commodore, Rear Commodore, Secretary, Treasurer and two Directors to replace Christine Salch and Larry Frank. Each nominee must meet the following minimum criteria: Hold an Active Membership in good standing for a minimum of one year; Have been active in Club affairs during the prior year; Not be nominated for more than one office; Be willing to serve in the office to which nominated and provide a statement of qualifications for publication in the September Bowsprit.

Before making a recommendation to the Committee, please consult with your nominee to ensure they consent to the nomination, are willing to serve in the position and are agreeable to providing a written statement of qualifications.

The Bowsprit, August 2016 Page 3

My Favorite Nautical Apps

Chris Edwards, Vice Commodore

The geek in me, cries out for apps, apps, and more apps. In learning about sailing I've discovered a few apps that help me in that quest for knowledge.

iNavX is a great tool for interfacing the sensors on our boat Living and Loving Life as described in my Bowsprit article last month. For racing we discovered iRegatta. This app shows AIS targets on the race course. It sets up the start and any points or race marks on the course. We found it can help with tacking suggestions by using the polars of your particular sailboat. The boat’s polars show target speed for any relative wind direction and velocity. Of course, there's an app for that called iPolar. We use primarily the main and jib but could add an asymmetrical or symmetrical spinnaker to the sail mix.

What's on my Boat helps us remember when to clean the strainers as well as how much vanilla syrup we use so we can stock for cruising. Boat Battery helped us determine how much electricity was being used for the lights, which justified upgrading to LED's, and tells us how many days we can go without charging the batteries.

Sonar Phone and Navionics give a great look at the bottom and fish.

Marine Weather by AccuWeather has become my favorite weather with its forecast zones.

What Knot To Do, Signal Flags, Anchor, and DragQueen are all

great tools. Skyview & Skyguide for astronomical bodies. We have used AstroNav for a computerized sextant. I'm hoping we don't ever need the BoatUS app to send our coordinates to Tow Boat US but it’s available should we ever need a tow. The Sailing app has lots of information to help us with definitions.

Now for your TSA money (hmmm), the TSA designed an app called SCAIS which is an interesting chart plotting tool that allows your position to be converted to a virtual AIS, which is interfaced via cell service and looking through your camera, for augmented reality to identify the buoy next to you or that ship coming at you.

The most interesting web site I've found is FastSeas.com. I asked them to accept iPolar and now I can plot from here to St Pete, using predicted winds, waves and currents. Yes, I said currents. I then load these points into iNavX for the quickest route across the Gulf of Mexico and the graphics are incredible! Move over Passage Weather...... If you have favorites not listed here, let me know. We’ll check them out. What are yours?

Labor Day Cruise

Nick Chaney, Cruise Chair

Prepare now for the Labor Day cruise to Mud Island and Sanctuary. Anchor behind Mud Island Saturday, September 3. On

Sunday cruise the ICW to Sanctuary Marina near Port O’Connor. Return to Port Aransas on Monday or stay a few days, gunk hole around the Port O’Connor area and enjoy the pool at Sanctuary before returning home.

Socials (continued) Casting Call for September 10 Murder Mystery Dinner Show

Ever want to be someone else? Just for a few hours? Here’s your chance! The BYC social committee is planning a murder mystery dinner show for Saturday, September 10. The Social Gals need three to four male and three female actors. No actual acting experience is needed; in fact, the laughter increases if you don’t have any!

If you would like to display your theatrical talents please send an email to social@bayyachtclub.org by Monday, August 8.

Those who remember our last murder mystery, know what a fun evening this will be.

See you there Sherlock...

The Bowsprit, July 2016 Page 4

Bowsprit Advertisers

BYC August Events

Thursday August 4

6:00 p.m. Game Night

Friday August 5

6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Navy Regatta Crew

Assignment Party

Weekend August 6 - 7

Navy Regatta Cruise or Race. All

participating boats must register at

http://www.regattanetwork.com/eve

nt/12848

Monday August 8

6:30 p.m. Board Meeting

Saturday August 13

6:00 p.m. International Festival Social

Sunday August 14

12:30 – 3:30 p.m. Private Rental

Thursday August 18

6:00 p.m. Game Night

Friday August 26

7:30 p.m. Dinner (Stoner / Spence)

Saturday August 27

9:00 a.m. BYC Series Race #4