Today we welcome Jim & Heidi Egensperger as newly appointed Deputy Port Captains for Mentor Harbor, Ohio (E-8). They both grew up in NE Ohio near Lake Erie and have been boating, in many forms, all their lives. Please stop by when you are in the area!
GLCC News
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Please join us in welcoming Rear Commodore Philip R. May as our newly appointed Port Captain for Belmont Harbor - Chicago, Ill. (M-39). Philip has sailed on a wide range of boats, from one-design racers to offshore cruising/racing boats, and currently has a Dyer-29 power boat. Next time you're in Belmont Harbor, drop a line and give Philip a holler!
Please welcome Tom and Janet Stone as our new Port Captains for Traverse City, Mich. (M-10)! This is what they told us about their boating experiences... They purchased their first cruising boat, a 1987 O’day 28, in 2002. Although they had spent many hours on the water, most of those were in a canoe, wilderness camping. When they were young, Janet and Tom would go on picnics to Holland State Park and spend hours watching sailboats going up and down the channel and dreaming of owning one someday. So, when some friends offered to sell their O’day, they jumped at the chance and named her "S"URPRISE!
Year 2020 has dished out quite a roller coaster of changes. One sure thing as a consortium; humans are getting better at adjusting! Within our Club, we have shifted to online meetings and member recruiting (instead of the traditional boat show platform). Members are taking more GLCCSchool webinars, with the time they now find at home on their computers. Many are thankful to have this resource. While not able to cross international borders, members are revisiting the Harbor Reports to explore local treasures. Please click here to read more.
Steve Reinecke is our newly appointed Port Captain for Bad River, Ont. (GB-46). He lives in Strathroy, Ont., and is married to a wonderful woman for the past 30 years. He has 2 great children, Trevor, 22 and Emily, 26. Steve is a Clinical Scientist and currently works for a company out of Houston, Tex., in the Disinfection and Healthcare IT Industry. He travels extensively for work. Steve has been a GLCC member for 12 years and has served as an Assistant Port Captain, Port Captain, Board Member and Rear Commodore. He has also previously chaired the Admissions/Membership Committee. Please click here to read more!
As a GLCC member, you can be sure that you and your family will be welcomed anywhere you cruise on the Great Lakes. Our membership is divided up between Rear Commodores that support Port Captains and help members within regions. If you look at the illustration, you will see, based on where your boat rests, which region you would belong to. The election of Rear Commodores at the Annual General Membership Meeting on Oct. 24, 2020 now supports the realignment of the Great Lakes Region that was approved by the Board of Directors at the July 18, 2020 meeting. As a member, if you knew which region you belonged to before, it may have changed. For more details, please click here.
NOAA will stop providing paper charts by 2025. That said, there's some exciting news on the horizon offering the option of custom printable charts which you'll be able to print yourself or potentially purchase through marine chart suppliers who will print them for you. For more information and a link to a highly informative webinar on this capability, click here.
Today we welcome our newly appointed Port Captain for the Trent Severn Waterway, Ont. (W-6), Charlie Ellins. Charlie has been Boating from the time of his first family boat in the 1950s including considerable time on the TSW. He skippered the family cruiser from Trenton to Orillia at age 15 with his mom and two sisters. He joined the Canadian Power Squadron in 1968 and now has 51 merit marks [Life Member]. Charlie has been Commodore of the Lake Simcoe Yacht Club in 1978-1979 when there were over 200 members. Please click here to read more!
04/27/2023 Corrected link to Harbor report. JM
While the world is still figuring things out, Lifeline remains a constant! Good thing, because it gives us something more for which to be thankful. GLCC’s fall Lifeline is a beacon for us boaters. As we close our season, we look forward to events that will happen in person (2020 Lake Erie Regional Dinner) and via Zoom platform (GLCC & GLF Annual General Membership Meetings — where we say farewell to our beloved Commodore, Rich Barzyk and welcome incoming Commodore, Dan Cline, as well as new and returning Board members). Read how the GLCCSchool webinar registrations were booming this summer, a detailed boaters log that utilizes the harbor reports for a seaworthy venture, and a narrative on joining the GLCC. Click here to read on.
04/27/2023 Corrected link to harbor report. JM
Let’s give a warm welcome to newly appointed Port Captain Thom Serafine for Monroe Harbor - Chicago, Ill. (M-37)! Thom grew up near the shore of Lake Ontario in Webster, N.Y., and later moved to Chicago, Ill., where he learned to sail as an adult. He has been sailing out of Belmont Harbor for over ten years and has done a bare boat charter in the British Virgin Islands with friends. In 2014, he bought SV Inspiration, a 1988 Pearson 31 MK2. After getting her seaworthy, he sailed her to Chicago (M-36) from Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (M-72.5). Please click here to read on!
Message from the Mackinac Island Yacht Club Regatta Committee: We are delighted to share with you that the 2020 Mackinac Island Sailboat Racing schedule will be rolled out in its entirety. We are looking forward to getting back on the water this coming summer for some friendly and fun sailing competition. Races will be administered under the Mackinac Island Yacht Club COVID 19 Guidelines. Guidelines will be explained in detail at the Skippers Meetings before each race. Mackinac Island Yacht Club, along with our generous sponsors... The Pink Pony, MIssion Point Resort and Horns Bar, will be administering four great sailing events in 2020. Mark your calendars for another fabulous season of Island sailboat racing. Please click here to read more!
The Great Lakes Cruising Club's Board of Directors, via a Teleconference call on June 20th, has unanimously agreed to resume the remaining social calendar for this year, effective August 1, 2020, that were not previously cancelled. Our events will strictly adhere to & follow all government restrictions & mandates regarding gatherings due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Additionally, A Covid-19 Waiver is required to be completed & returned to the office prior to attending an event by any & all persons attending a GLCC event until further notice.
It is further suggested you closely monitor the club's website for the latest updates on all remaining social events. This is the GLCC events page link, where any changes or guidelines regarding attendance at the remaining events will be posted. The event Chair persons information is also available there for any additional questions.
Rich Baryzk, Commodore
The Great Lakes Cruising Club is looking for someone who is willing to serve as our Delegate to the Cruising Club of America. This is due to the recent passing of Director (Ret.) Robert P. Knight, If you are a member of the Cruising Club of America and are interested in assisting our Club in this capacity, please contact Yvonne at 810-984-4500 or via email to glcclub@att.net. Thank You
Sincerely,
Vice Commodore Dan Cline
Introducing George and Mary Thor, as newly appointed Port Captains for Sodus Bay, N.Y. (O-5)! Here’s an inside look at their boating experience. Mary and George moved to the Rochester, N.Y. area in 1973 and started boating on Lake Ontario in 1984 with a Catalina 22. They kept the 22 for only one Summer as they found it a bit small for their two daughters and themselves. They moved up to a Newport 27, a C&C design. In 1985, their second year with SeaWeeter, their 27, they crossed Lake Ontario for Toronto accompanying friends in their Newport 33. In 1987 they cruised to the West entrance to the Murry Canal to enter and explore the Bay of Quinte. Please click here to read more!
Let's give our newly appointed Port Captain, Matt Perry for Bay Harbor, Mich. (M-5.5), a hearty welcome! Matt is a life-long sailor, who grew up on the East Coast with summers spent on Martha’s Vineyard. He started racing in Beach Boats, moving up to Rhodes 19, Shields and went to the nationals in an International 110. Family vacations included bare boat charters from Maine to NYC and the Caribbean before his parents purchased their Bristol 40. Please click here to read further.
GLCC’s summer Lifeline is a reflection of our current situation in today’s version of pandemic reality. This issue of the Lifeline magazine is not as big as what has become its norm; however, it still has the same GLCC character that our membership represents and expects. We hope you enjoy this quick read before venturing out on your boat, safely and in a happy spirit! Along with the event previews, the continuation of the Founders Award log and summer safety article will help you focus on the season at hand. We invite you to take a guess at where the featured lighthouse is and please watch for events opening up this fall… info inside! Please click here to access the 2020 summer Lifeline magazine, and here for updates and information on GLCC Events.
We’d like to welcome Christine Moore Skrocki as newly appointed Port Captain for Caseville, Mich. (H-59) in addition to her title of Port Captain for Linwood, Mich. (H-62). Christine is a second-generation GLCC member. She has been boating her entire life. Her parents, Norman and Gloria Moore, would say "she was born on a boat". They became members of GLCC around 1978 when Chris was a young girl. She has participated in GLCC functions ever since. Please click here to read more!
The National Weather Service is soliciting public comments regarding a proposal to revise their terminology around small craft advisories. The survey only takes a couple of minutes.
Looking for a way to contribute to your GLCC? Consider becoming a port captain. The harbor reports for each port in the Great Lakes are the mainstay of the Club, and Port Captains maintain the report for their port. Want to learn more? Contact Pam Jackson, Port Captain Coordinator, at pam@dougandpam.com. (Photo by Rear Commodore (Ret.) Brad Somers: Past Commodore Niels Jensen and Port Captain Chester and Ceann Kolascz, 25-year members)
Here's a link to the North Shore Visitor's webpage about the whale sightings on Lake Supeior. It's always fun to follow the reports as they come in during the summer, mainly from along Minnesota's North Shore... and my appologies for posting the link one day later than it should have been. Please see https://northshorevisitor.com/activities/whale-watching/
The spring edition of Lifeline is hot off the press! That is if you get it in the mail… If not, no worries because as a member, you have access to the online edition right here at your fingertips.
The spring Lifeline helps your fitting out with a ten-point checklist, live webinars are in full-swing, there’s a new Lake Erie event in Geneva Start Park Marina this year, and a new Founders Award log. Please click here to read on.
We're weloming our newly appointed Port Captains for Hamilton Harbour, Ont. (O-48) today! Fairly new-to-GLCC members Rick and Debbie McQuin started sailing about 35 years ago with a short hiatus while their two boys were young. They joined Royal Hamilton Yacht Club (RHYC) 22 years ago when their sons started to race competitively. Deb and Rick started the cruising program at RHYC about 15 years ago and continue to represent the Club as Cruise People who organize the reciprocal cruises with Clubs around Western Lake Ontario. Rick is the cruising representative on the Sailing Committee at RHYC. They look forward to welcoming you to Hamilton, Ont.