News from the Bridge
Please join the HBYC Bridge and Membership Director Brenda Marcks in welcoming new members:
David Behun on a 25' Bayliner
Dan Bulzan and Debbie Paul
Movin 'On - Caliber 28 on B59
Be sure to check out the Members Only page. You will find an updated HBYC Roster done by Sue Henry. Thanks Sue!
By P/C and Race Director - Larry Hurst
First off, thanks to everyone who participated in the Fun Race on June 13th. We had seven boats in the race, most noteworthy we had a few first time racers. Lake Erie provided favorable, but spirited winds. Congratulations to everyone! A great start to the season!
Things are coming together nicely for the Stein Hospice Race in the Bay. Sailing Instructions are posted. Click here —-> Racing Page
Skippers - don’t forget. I need your racing t-shirt order by July 1st I will deliver the shirts at the Skippers meeting race day morning.
Click her to learn how to order you T-Shirt —-> Stein Hospice Shirt
Race Director Larry Hurst has finalized details for this year’s Stein Hospice Race in the Bay.
SATURDAY JULY 11, 2020
Race-In-The-Bay for Stein Hospice
Stein Hospice, Sandusky Harbor Marina, and Harbor Bay Yacht Club
invite you to participate in the Race-In-The-Bay (RITB) for Stein Hospice.
The overall winner will be awarded the Stein Hospice Cup and will be eligible to participate in the 2021 Hospice National Championship Regatta.
Rules: The race will be governed by the ‘The Racing Rules of Sailing 2017-2020 including US Sailing Prescriptions’, this Notice of Race, and the Sailing Instructions. PHRFJAM Rules will be in effect. Handicaps will be determined by the Race Committee based on PHR-LE base handicap and cruising credits if a PHRF-LE certificate is not available. Each boat shall conform to its own class rules for cruising and safety equipment.
Eligibility: All owners / skippers are invited to participate. All boats must be mono hull sailboats, 20' LOA or greater, and must meet US Coast Guard equipment requirements.
Entry Fee and Forms: The entry fee is $35.00. Advance registration is required to determine the start times. Registration forms can be obtained here —> HBYC Racing. Deadline for entry is July 9, 2020.
Sailing Instructions: The Sailing Instructions (SI) will be posted on the HBYC website by July 1. A skippers' meeting will be held at 10:00 AM race day at the HBYC clubhouse. The race will start at approximately 12:00 PM. We will use a pursuit format with handicap time allowance applied at the start. The first boat to finish wins.
Course: The course will be around temporary marks and navigation aids set in Sandusky Bay. Waypoints and courses will be in the SI. HBYC will decide the course and location of the start/finish line as late as the morning of the race based upon wind and weather conditions. Details will be announced at the skippers’ meeting.
Stein Hospice T-Shirts
Due to the uncertainty of our social events and concerns for spreading the COVID-19 virus, Stein-Hospice will not be available at the clubhouse to sell T-Shirts. Instead, they will take your orders by phone. Following is the artwork for this year, the types of shirts available, the pricing, and the procedure.
Click her To learn how to order you T-Shirt —-> Stein Hospice Shirt
Newly minted Commodore Russ Marcks recognizing Harvey Rickert as HBYC’s newest Past Commodore at the 2020 Change of Watch Ceremony in February.
Congratulations to Past Commodore Harvey Rickert of HBYC on being inducted into the International Order of the Blue Gavel.
The International Order of the Blue Gavel is an association of Past Commodores whose mission is to recognize Past Commodores of the international yachting community and unite them in order to promote the highest ideals of yachting and preserve its customs and traditions through social, educational and humanitarian programs.
Congratulations Harvey!
HBYC P/C Harvey Rickert (far left) during the swearing in ceremony at the Northeast Yacht Club in Cleveland, Ohio. Photo Credit to P/C George Harizal.
What Was Once A Vice Is Now A Habit
Commodore Russ Marcks
It’s a gorgeous day in the marina as I write this in the cockpit of my boat. It’s always a pleasure being on the marina grounds to escape, even if only temporarily, the hustle of one’s everyday life. But this will be a long column, so let’s get started.
I have received many positive comments regarding the shape of the clubhouse. Thanks to everyone for continuing to pick-up and clean-up after use. Since the last ‘Vices and Habits’ column, HBYC has acquired a disinfecting sprayer. Our housekeeper sprays most surfaces in the clubhouse with a 3% Hydrogen Peroxide mist. As most people know, Hydrogen Peroxide is not harmful to us or building surfaces and eventually decomposes into Oxygen and Water. This has NOT replaced wiping down hightouch areas.
You may have noticed new landscaping going on. Brenda has placed several plants from her garden at the entrance to the club. We also plan on a flower bed in front of the window of the ships store. Flowers and ferns were also purchased to hang around the patio, so things are looking quite nice.
I also wish to let everyone know the status of the grilles and our short bout with no propane. For those that may not know, the marina supplies propane. There is always an extra bottle on site if one of the grilles does run out. However, I ask that you exchange the empty bottle for a new one at the propane locker located between the two sheds on the west side of Barn 3. At a minimum, please let one of the bridge members know so it can be replaced more quickly. Some have also noted the poor condition of our propane grilles. These will be replaced soon, although I don’t have a date just yet.
There have been many complaints about the limited hours our pumpout is open. This issue has been resolved. The pumpout station will be available 24/7 as it has in the past. You have quite likely noticed the docks are also being cleaned on a regular basis. It’s pretty tough staying up with our flying friends, but the young crew does a pretty decent job under the circumstances.
Marina crew working hard to swab the docks..
Another added convenience by the marina is docking assistance. The marina has purchased VHF radios. You can hail them on Channel 69 to request assistance, pump out, fuel, etc. Given the size of the marina, please give them at least five minutes. This means you should probably hail from the coal docks or very shortly thereafter depending upon where you are heading.
If you’ve spent any time here, you might have noticed the dockside WiFi has had issues with outages and intermittent drops. If you experience such problems, please call the provider, Beacon WiFi, at 8885185077. It is necessary to call them directly rather than going through the office. This allows Beacon to locate your slip and make certain determinations as to what may be wrong. At this time, all I can tell you is that the issue still exists as I write this but has been escalated. Beacon will likely be sending the engineer in charge of this property to troubleshoot this problem. I’m confident this issue will be resolved soon.
If you’re paying attention to the HBYC calendar, you know there are several events planned for the weekend of 13 June. After speaking with Jared, National Marina Day (which can be celebrated any day between Memorial Day and Labor Day) will be postponed. This is due to the fact that the corporate offices are not going to allow gatherings at this time. If and when it is rescheduled, we will also have the HBYC Blessing of the Fleet ceremony.
Also that weekend, we do have a Trustees meeting, a Membership meeting, a Fun-Race, and a Social planned. Janell, Genie, and Larry have been hard at work. I know Janell will be releasing her View from the Rear column so I’ll let her address activities. However, I do wish to address the Trustee and Membership meetings.
The Membership meeting will be a hybrid Zoom meeting. Zoom is extremely simple to use, especially as a participant. It may be used on various versions of Windows, MAC OS, and Linux and is also available for your mobile iOS or Android devices. The link to the meeting will be sent under separate email. To help prevent Zoombombing, please do not pass the link to nonmembers. The Membership meeting will be followed immediately by a guest speaker also on Zoom using the same link.
NOTE: It is critical to understand that the meeting and presentation will be conducted at the clubhouse. Our WiFi at the clubhouse cannot handle more than one Zoom session at a time. We simply do not have the bandwidth. So…Please do not try to login to this Zoom meeting with a mobile device at the clubhouse. You CAN login to the Zoom meeting from your boat using the Marina’s WiFi system.
I also wanted to pass along some information from Larry Hurst and Brian Penrod. If you are cruising, with the club or on your own, you need to be aware of highwater issues as well as whether or not marinas are open to receive you. Much of this can be handled with a simple phone call, but the following charts may also be of interest.
For more information about Great Lakes water levels, go to https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/Missions/Great-Lakes-Information/Great-Lakes-Information.aspx#ICG_ETH_22302
Racing Director Larry Hurst would like to announce details of our June 13th Cruiser Fun Race.
Join us on Saturday, June 13th at 3PM, as Life Coach Rev. Doctor Carol Vaccariello presents Cargo Ship Journey: Three Months at Sea.
Greetings HBYC members –
I wanted to provide an update on the Socials, Racing and Cruises for this year. As you can well imagine, given these challenging times, we have had to re-think and re-vamp the activities that we had planned for the year, given the continuing concerns about COVID 19. Although we can continue to do the racing with some relatively small modifications, the other two, cruising and socials have had to change quite a bit.
Cruising - I think the most disappointing thing for me personally is not being able to go to Canada. At this point in time, if we went to Canada, we would have a mnandatory two week quarantine. So I don’t know about you, for as much as I love travelling to Canada, that would be quite a commitment and one that I cannot do. Additionally, we didn’t feel that travelling to Michigan would be the best thing to do either, given that Detroit was such a hot-spot for the virus. However, all the other cruises remain intact and I encourage you to get in contact with our Cruising Director and make reservations. Click here to see the latest: 5/26 Cruising Update
Socials - As far as the socials go, we have been struggling to imagine how to have a social and remain physically “socially distant.” Genie, our Social Director, has been hard at work trying to navigate all the obstacles thrown at her this year. So, for the first social, we are having a Zoom meeting. Please see the information already posted on the Website regarding this. She has found a compelling speaker and it looks to be a very interesting presentation! I would assume that a lot of you are already familiar with Zoom meetings. They certainly have become popular recently, for better or for worse. There will NOT be a sanctioned social after the membership meeting and Zoom presentation. We have not yet been able to create a scenario that allows us to work within the parameters set up by the State of Ohio regarding social gatherings and remaining “socially distant” as Russ has already mentioned in his previous post. Stay tuned, however, we are going to remain optimistic that this will change for the better as the season progresses. In the meantime, we will play the hand we were dealt.
Stay safe and healthy!
Rear Commodore, Janell Lundgren
Commodore Russell Marcks
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a very difficult and complicated set of problems for the world. Each country, and within the USA each state, has implemented a set of health and economic orders and plans to improve health and minimize fatalities. Ohio has a very specific set of orders and recommendations on how businesses, organizations, and individuals should operate. Ohio's orders and recommendations are changing frequently as Ohio brings back its economy. Currently most businesses will be open in some form by the end of May, but there are still major restrictions on the number of people that can gather. These orders significantly impact the ability of HBYC to carry out its typical summer program of socials, cruising and racing activities.
None-the-less, we are attempting to do as much as possible within the edicts described above. We hope these restrictions will be lifted, but presently they remain in place. You can review Ohio's health and business orders at their website: coronavirus.ohio.gov. Whether you follow current events closely or not, question what you read or hear about whether COVID-19 is true or not, whether you question the severity of this pandemic, and/or whether you question the authorities involved, the fact remains there are Ohio health and business orders we MUST follow. The Governor of Ohio has encouraged citizens that feel unsafe in their work or social environment to talk to leaders of the organization and call the local department of health with their concerns. The Erie County General Health District Headquarters are immediately adjacent to the HBYC building; our and marina activities are in full view of those that work there. As far as HBYC is concerned, we have increased clubhouse cleaning to five days per week, have provided additional hand sanitizer supplies, and have opened-up interior space to minimize personal contact and promote social distancing. We have also removed a few picnic tables minimize personal contact and to promote social distancing; there is about eight feet between tables.
The biggest problem we currently face is a lack of social distancing inside and outside (patio) the clubhouse. We simply need to minimize the congregation of large groups of people. We MUST comply with Ohio's orders and the marina rules. Please see your recent Safe Harbor email about their polices. Failure to comply with social distancing rules could put our club and/or the marina in jeopardy of being closed. This would be devastating to everyone; is outward defiance truly worth this risk? The marina is working on a way to open the pool as soon as possible but must see official CDC guidelines on how to do so in a safe and productive matter. At this time the state has not released the official guidelines and may take a bit of time to get a plan in place once the guidelines are released.
Another change from the marina is the bathhouses will be closed to all members from 6:00am-7:00am Monday-Sunday and 2:00pm-3:00pm Friday-Sunday for a deep clean and disinfectant. We ask that no member use the facilities at the time to make for a safe and efficient cleaning. We tried to pick times that wouldn’t affect too many people and apologize in advance for any inconvenience. Please respect other people, your friends, your relatives, marina employees, and other marina customers by practicing Ohio's and the marina's orders and recommendations. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of the four signatories below.
Russell Marcks, Commodore
Tim Kemerley, Vice-Commodore
Janell Lundgren, Rear Commodore
Jared Pavlik, General Manager Safe Harbor Sandusky and HBYC Trustee
By Commodore Russ Marcks
I hope everyone is doing well. Unfortunately, I write my first message to the membership with COVID19 hanging over our heads. I will follow this with a message from Jared Pavlik, our new GM. Neither message is the most auspicious greeting to a new boating season, but it is necessary. To that end, the three Commodores, along with Jared, have been discussing thissituation. Given the various moratoriums on public gatherings and given the fact Canada has closed their borders, we are taking the following actions:
• A recent website posting stated the Commodore’s Brunch is postponed. I hate to do this, after all, it’s my brunch this year and I get free food…don’t I? But we are cancelling the Commodore’s Brunch.
• The May potluck gettogether is also cancelled. Although this is not technically a clubsanctioned social, I know it is a favored event amongst the membership and of mine. Unfortunately, we believe this cancellation is necessary.
• With respect to future socials, your bridge will keep an eye on events and make decisions as necessary. There are no cancellations at this time of any social beyond the May potluck. However, this can easily change.
• As of today, cruises have been affected. The US / Canadian border is closed to nonessential travel. We will continue to monitor this situation, but it is quite likely we will be deciding upon alternate US destinations.
• Races are not affected at this time.
• The club will remain open with no restrictions. However, we are going to do the following:
o Janitorial service will be increased to five days per week: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. This will begin on 27 March. If necessary, we can increase to seven days. This will include a concentration on high traffic areas and all surface that are frequently touched.
o Irrespective of the frequent cleaning, we cannot rely completely upon increased janitorial services. It will be important for club members to be especially vigilant about cleaning up after themselves. I know everyone does so now…cleaning up messes in the kitchen, disposing of trash when necessary, cleaning the bathroom when necessary, etc. Everyone does so…right? I simply ask that ALL members maintain such procedures.
o We will be buying…but not hoarding…cleaning supplies such as Lysol spray, bleach, Purell, and anti-bacterial handwipes. When Darla is not there to clean, feel free to wipe down anything you touch. We will have supplies available for you to do so.
• For those thinking about filters in the HVAC units, these have been changed recently. However, please understand the typical HVAC filter cannot filter any virus. As a matter of fact, the typical HVAC filter does not protect us against anything, it protects equipment! That being said, COVID19 is a bit different. Although we do not know all mechanisms of transmission of COVID19, we do know a primary method of transmission is by becoming encased in respiratory droplets. As an HVAC professional and instructor, I do teach filtration. I also have friends involved in the surprisingly complex issue of filtration serving as guest lecturers in my classroom to help me teach the high-end application of this topic. There are filters that are effective against respiratory droplets, but it is highly unlikely such filters will work with our systems. Even if there is such a filter, chances are the gains in improved filtration are minimal at best and will come at a fairly high cost. None-the-less, I will be looking at this myself.
There are probably other considerations as well. Let the bridgeknow if you have other concerns. But I believe these are the primary issues. As stated, there are no plans to close the club or to limit occupancy. That should not be necessary if we observe basic hygiene and cleanliness procedures.
I know there are persons who are extremely concerned, I also know there are persons who are not. Irrespective of one’s belief, it is no secret senior citizens and those with underlying medical conditions are especially at risk. So the stance this bridge is taking is the same as that of President Trump and a variety of medical professionals; those who are at low risk are those that especially need to practice a very high standard of hygiene and cleanliness so as to prevent transmission to the susceptible population. I think the items outlined above, plus the guidelines we all know (e.g.: cover your mouth when you sneeze, social distancing, wash your hands frequently, etc.), should allow us to continue to enjoy the club we love.
Corona [beer] with Lime [disease] is a funny tagline. I’ve used it myself. It becomes much less funny when a close friend or even oneself becomes infected. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen here. We don’t want to become San Francisco! As I said in my opening, not a fun first message for me to write, but it is necessary.
So…despite the overcast skies, let’s have fun. The sun will come out again. As I always say, and in the spirit of ‘Hill Street Blues’, let’s be careful out there!
Jared’s Message
I’d like to give all members a brief “marina update”. We are pretty much in the same boat (for lack of better words) as [HBYC] and probably a lot of other businesses. We are open for business as usual but have really stepped up our cleaning and sanitation schedules and have limited customer bathrooms down to one to ensure we can keep it as clean and sanitary as possible. We are also letting employees with childcare commitments work from home or take time off. We are hoping this doesn’t cause any customer service issues but we ask for everyone’s patience in this period of adaptation. We will continue to stay open and provide excellent service to our members until orders are passed down from the city, statehouse, or higher government authority. At this point we have not cancelled any marina activities scheduled for this summer but that may change as new guidance is issued. We are hoping that the marina can serve as a getaway from these turbulent times. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me, call me, or stop into my office for a CDC approved elbow bump.
