March '10 ....trips and steak fry ahead...

 Ahoy!  I want to take my hat off to our members who attended the January meeting.  Because of your generosity, $228.00 was donated to “Helping Hungry Kids”, a community outreach program going on within Old Bridge.  Special thanks to member, Tom Schneider, for making an impromptu presentation on this program.

On February 23rd our Blessing of the Fleet activity day was held.  Following a brief meeting, Fr. David Arle, the Pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church, blessed our boats at the marina and then on our docks and lifts as he traveled on the “Himself” vessel up and down the canals.  Seminars were held throughout the morning, a delicious lunch was served, and the Grand Prix completed the afternoon.  Many thanks to our volunteers and seminar presenters for making this very informative and enjoyable day possible.

A question was raised regarding the status of the kayak and canoe floating dock.  The Board of Directors has been presented with the design of the float as well as a recommendation that it be installed on the left side of the Ibis Island Bridge as you head onto the island.  However, nothing will be done until the dredging of the canal has been completed.  Board Chairman, Herb Johnson, has advised me that necessary permits have been obtained and the project has gone out for bids.  We will keep you posted on these projects in future newsletters. 

Yacht club member, Dennis Neubert, has requested the necessary paperwork from our treasurer so he can start his audit process.  I will let you know the results of this audit when it is completed.

Despite the cool weather and the forecast for rain, seven hearty captains and their crews headed for Palm Island for our February boat trip. While this certainly was not your typical boat trip, everyone enjoyed themselves either by walking the beach looking for shells, playing dominos in the pavilion, enjoying the hot tub, or just hanging out enjoying the complimentary beer.  In addition to our boaters, three couples drove up to Palm Island to enjoy the area and camaraderie.  This is just another example of how far Old Bridgers will go for a good time!

Please sign up in our Yacht Club binder if you wish to learn how to operate the 4 horse-power pump the club has available should a boat be taking on more water than a regular bilge pump can handle.  These volunteers would be in addition to those who have already been trained.

The Board of Directors has approved our layout for the Yacht Club designated area within the club house.  We can now proceed with getting organized and displaying our plaques and burgees.  Hopefully, this will be done by the time I prepare my next newsletter.