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September 1, 2008

I thought I would use my column this month to bring everyone up to date on the symposium. First, to start at the beginning, our club will host an historic event March 28^th, 2009 in Punta Gorda at the new Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center. In conjunction with Grady-White, we have rented the facility and we will offer a full day of presentations and exhibitions by leaders in the marine

Editor: Fred Buchas

“Mark Your Calendar: Sept 17, 6:30pm”

Some Tidbits From Your Fleet Captain(s)

Steve & Diann Saunders

FLEET CAPTAINS

Hi Everyone:

In looking back over the summer, it has been an enjoyable and laid back one for our Club. In June, we had our luncheon at Rum Runners in Fort Myers (a first visit for our Club) which turned out well. The food was delicious and service was great and so we all decided that it would be a good repeat trip to do another time down the road. Being a little gas conscious these days, it ended up being a road trip to Fort Myers vs. a boat trip. Also, in June we had our weekend get away at Tween Waters which seems to be an annual event for our Club and as always, a great time was had. It was a relaxing weekend in the pool, playing cards and dodging raindrops. We never did make it to the Bubble Room Restaurant for a Saturday evening dinner, as planned, due to the inclement weather; so, we ended up eating at the resort which worked out well.

In July, we did our annual raft-up in Charlotte Harbor for the 4^th of July celebration. Again, the fireworks display was outstanding and I am sure was appreciated by all realizing how fortunate we really are for the freedom we enjoy and to be able to call ourselves an American. At the end of the month, a bunch of us boated over to Barnacle Phil’s for lunch and enjoyed a delicious meal.

Early August, we visited for lunch the Nav-A-Gator Restaurant on the Peace River, but due to rainy weather, it ended up being a road trip for all of us. It really didn’t matter nor did it dampen our spirits, as we did what we normally do….had another great time! The food and drink were great but the laughs and company of Grady friends made it worth the trip. Then, just this past weekend, our boat trip to Don Pedro State Park was another success. As always, the food was delicious (thank you ladies for those delicious side dishes), the conversation plentiful and we had just a nice time just relaxing and enjoying the company of our Grady friends. On the way home for the southern group of boaters, the skies let loose, so a pit stop at Gasparilla Marina for parking at a safe harbor was made, but not a problem, as we were graciously welcomed by the Dock master to await out the storm.

So, here we are in September and already have one trip planned to Sarasota. It started out being a weekend event; however, due to the response, we have made some minor adjustments and it will be an evening only event on Friday, September 19^th, at the Van Wenzel Music Festival on The Bay between 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Lawn chairs are required and an evening under the stars will be enjoyed.

As for further upcoming events, they are in the planning stages as we write this article. Within the next week or so, we will be sending out another e-mail listing those events which will include some “firsts” for our Club, but something for everyone. Hope you will join us! See you soon…J

Your Fleet Captains,

“an evening only event on Friday, September 19^th, at the Van Wenzel Music Festival “

A Report From Treasurer/Web Master

Dan Eisenberg

TREASURER/WEB MASTER

As of today we have a total of 51 boats in the roster.

WEB Site:

Below is a continuation of the WEB site description ….

LINKS TAB:

This page is the jumping-off point to many sources of useful information both specific to our boat club and of general boating interest. At the top of the page are links to the photo gallery, member recipes and the new ship’s store where club branded merchandise is listed.

Below those are links to lessons learned and safety information.

Below those is a table with links to external sites on a number of topics including weather, fishing, safety, other boat clubs, etc. One recent addition is the Yamaha bulletin on Ethanol use. The LINKS page is at http://tarponcoastgwbc.com/links/links.html

NEWSLETTERS TAB:

This page offers the current club newsletter as soon as it is available. There is also a TAB at the top right of the page that allows access to past newsletters. The NEWSLETTERS page is at http://tarponcoastgwbc.com/newsletters/newsletters.html

Dan

“As of today we have a total of 51 boats in the roster.”

“Check out the club photo gallery on Flicker”.

The Safety Scene

Safety Officer/Newsletter Editor-Fred Buchas

Fred Buchas

SAFETY OFFICER

“just about anything can end up in the water”

Other Items & Member News

A Word From The Commodore-Dan Clark

Upcoming Events – Mark Your Calendar: Sept 17, 6:30pm

Monthly Dinner meeting – The September, October and November monthly dinner meetings will be held in the party room at Visani Resturant in Port Charlotte( It’s always the third Wednesday of the month). We held our July meeting there as a test and found that the food and accommodations were excellent. The room can hold up to 40 of us, separate checks, and the availability of the comedy club. They have a dynamite website (www.visani.net) which has, among the normal stuff, the menu and upcoming comedy acts.

The Board will convene at 6:00pm for its meeting and you all can mosey in about 6:30pm. We can then have our meeting and order dinner.

Don’t forget that we will have a 50/50 raffle with half going to the Club and the rest going to the lucky winner.

Remember, it is important to check your e-mail and our Website on a regular basis so that you know what is going on with the Club.

Please let me know if you are bringing guests.

News From The Secretary-John Semple

Dan Clark

COMMODORE

The good news is that the rainy season coupled with help from tropical weather systems has pretty much eliminated our two year drought. Lake Okeechobee is headed toward normal levels and the navigational hazards that were created by shallow water are rapidly disappearing.

The return to more normal water levels is of course a good thing but the bad news is that the rapid transition from low to higher water can create some unforeseen safety hazards.

A recent article in a newsletter from one marine insurer draws attention to the fact that rising water levels and local flooding causes significant increases in the amount of debris that are swept into our waterways and they apparently have the insurance claims to prove it. Add to that our brushes with hurricanes and tropical storms and just about anything can end up in the water.

I have recently seen a 2x6 board and a garbage pail float by my dock. I’ve also seen items like pallets, logs and pilings in the open water. I can only imagine what could happen if you hit a floating piling at let’s say 30-40 MPH! Even seemingly harmless items like plastic bags can cause problems. I’ve seen engine over heating alarms go off only to find that a plastic bag has been “picked up” and blocked the water intake.

While these hazards always exist to some extent we should try to remember that the probability just increases quite a bit during our more turbulent weather months.

“Happy Labor Day”

Stay Safe-Fred Buchas

John Semple

SECRETARY

Our Vice Commodore-Burt Wahlburg

Burt Wahlburg

VICE COMMODORE

I continue to look for member contributions. It could be almost anything that would be of interest to the membership. It could include your personal fishing or cruising stories or just information about hot fishing spots, dining or cruising destinations etc.

Fred Buchas fbuchas1@comcast.net

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