SLSC 2018: Chapter 8

Well, we have somehow made It through eight weeks of sailing club only having lost a Pico sail, a couple spin poles, and Sophie’s phone to the lake #WhatAnEnormousSuccess. (Also, if anyone finds my Birks, please let me know.) However, the successes of this summer only make the conclusion all the more bitter. We begin to have nightmares about school, wearing socks (except Matt, he loves socks), and spending time indoors.

Sailing Club feels like home for the summer – a place of friendships, learning and a whole lot of fun.  Donald Miller once said “Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave their home and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons”. I hope you find some comfort in that because I sure didn’t. I think that leaving our summer home for the cold, sleet, snow, hats, scarves, and woolen socks of winter will just make me miss it all the more – but maybe missing it makes summers at Sturgeon Point seem that much more special.

CORK
We sent our one regatta-happy 420, Ruby and Nixon, to CORK last week. For a regatta known for its consistent and heavy wind, it did not live up to expectations and the girls faced an unprecedented amount of dead wind days. Nevertheless, they powered through, had a blast, and learned a lot about big-fleet racing. Congrats on being the only SLSC boat out there.

Race Week
The final week of sailing club is devoted to showing off all the skills our sailors have learned throughout the summer by having a mini, week-long regatta. It is a fun-oriented finale to summer where we do less racing in one week than one might do in one day at a real regatta.

Sunday Afts
Our final Sunday afts happened last Sunday – Congratulations to Storey Wilkins who took home the gold.

Tuesday: Movie Night
Tuesday night, we are having our final movie night of the year! Starts at 6:00, ends at about 8:00. It costs a dollar to get in (kids, tell your parents it costs more, and they might give you money to buy the over-priced candy) and juice and popcorn will be served. There will be a second movie directly afterward, for all those 13 and up (or turning 13 by the end of the calendar year – you need to be at least 12 and 232 days old) which will cost an additional dollar.

Wednesday Fun Day: Verulam
This Wednesday, we will be travelling (by boat) to what used to be Verulam beach and now has some other name I can’t remember. We will spend the day lounging on the beach, playing games, building extensive sandcastles complete with moats, and swimming. Hopefully, we will not have a repeat of last year where, instead of the above activities, we spend the day huddled under a picnic bench, hiding from the rain. In order to factor in time to eat pizza lunch on the beach and sail back to the club, we will finish at 2:00 pm. Don’t forget a towel, bathing suit, sunscreen, weather appropriate clothing and sailing gear, and any fun snacks, games, or fun things that may pop into your mind!

Wednesday Night: Bonfire and, Talent Show, and Forthcoming Nuptials
Our annual bonfire/talent show will take place this Wednesday at 7 o’clock! Your $5 entrance fee includes two hotdogs, two s’mores, and lots of fun (probably anyway #NoGuarantees). This is your opportunity to showcase all your weird and wacky talents to your instructors and have their complete and undivided attention, undistracted by dumping boats, broken/missing equipment, and dealing with the CANSail 3s not properly de-rigging their boats. The event will end at 9.

The true event of the evening however is the marriage of two of our instructors, Jack DesBrisay and Sophie Heldman. Their love story began on the first day of club this year when, sorting through garbage before club, Jack found a beautiful plastic wedding ring, in a complete set with a bejeweled pair of shoes, a tiara, and a stunning necklace. Jack proceeded to drop to one knee and ask for Sophie’s hand in marriage… and the rest is history. This Wednesday, we are inviting all the kids at club (and their siblings #OlderBrothersWelcome) to join us in celebrating the union of these two lovebirds #It’sNotARealWedding.

Prize-Giving
Starting at 6:00 o’clock on Friday evening, we will have a prize-giving ceremony at the church for all SLSC sailors, their families and friends, and anyone else loosely affiliated with the sailing club. We will be presenting awards from race-week, Sunday afts, character awards, and of course the famous silver platter award.

Annual General Meeting
Following prize-giving, SLSC will hold its Annual General Meeting. Anyone interested may attend – this is your opportunity to voice any questions, comments, or concerns (or compliments?? Maybe… About the instructors??).

Friday Dance: Sweetheart
Following prize-giving, the cooler destination (for the sailors and instructors), is the sweetheart dance. Everything is free! We all dress in our finest garments and we will have a brief intermission from jumping up and down in order to slow dance for two or three songs. The air is always filled with the sweet promise of romance, as we pressure everyone into dancing with a totally random partner (pre-drawn out of a hat) by the Silvers #Dreamy. The dance will end at approximately 9:30.

Saturday: Clean Up Day
We encourage everyone – kids and parents – to come down on Saturday morning at 10 am, in order to help pack up our season and say your final goodbyes #OhTheHorrors. In order to make up for the gloomy, disheartening prospect of the end of sailing club (and therefore the end of fun), pizza will be served to all our helpers.

Checklick
I would like to emphasize that the CANSail system is not a pass/fail system – it is progressive. This means that even if you have not yet finished one CANSail level, you can begin to check off skills in higher levels. Not completing your checklist for one level does not mean that you have failed the level, or have to re-take it, simply that there are necessary skills that you have not yet demonstrated on a consistent basis.

Final Reminder
Please continue to remember to bring your raincoats and foul weather gear! It has finally dropped below a consistent 25 degrees and there are rare occasions where you might need something warm on the water.

Lots of love,
Adele

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