News
———————————— March 20, 2012 ————————————
Well....it FEELS like summer! …..and as we prepare for our summer season, I wanted to update members and friends about a few things that will be going on as we get ready!
MARCH 31ST – SPRING CLEANING Some of you might not know this, but Mike Sawinski graciously offers the club a place to store gear, boats and maintenance equipment at his shop in West End. Right now, our area is in need of some spring cleaning and organizing. If you have time around noon to join us in our spring cleaning efforts it would be great! Call me (Tim – 218-251-0560) and I'll fill in the details.
APRIL 29th – ANNUAL DINNER WITH GUEST SPEAKER – The clubs annual dinner is an important event for our organization. It's a chance to meet fellow members, share in a meal, and hear the internationally recognized speaker and author, Nicholas Hayes, discuss the future of community sailing. We look forward to seeing you.
APRIL 29, 2012 – 5:00 p.m.
ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
1701 EAST SUPERIOR STREET
DULUTH, MN
NEW ACQUISITIONS – The club is excited to be launching a couple of new boats this spring. The first is a Ranger 23, sister ship to Finesse which is a 26' Ranger. This is a local boat that has been sailed solo extensively, but can easily daysail with 4.
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=310
We have also received funding to purchase a second Interlake which we plan to acquire prior to the beginning of the season. We've had a lot of fun with the one that was donated last year and want to start building a fleet of common day-sailors for the club. This boat seems to fit the bill! For more information about this boat, visit the official web site for the Interlake Sailing Class Association.
Finally...Summer of 2012 classes are now listed on the program calendar. The board has made some adjustments to our membership and lesson pricing. I'm hoping to have all 2012 information and forms updated on the web site by the 23rd of March. If any of you could help with maintenance of this site, please let me know!
See you on the water!
Tim Ingersoll – Waterfront Director
————————————July, 2011 ————————————
New Boat acquisition – The club has been gifted a Hunter 25' in good condition and just about ready to hit the water. This is a shoal draft boat which we are pretty sure we'll be able to bring into the harbor to ease boarding and debarking. There is a few hours of work by a dedicated team of club members that needs to happen before we can launch
( ATTENTION: VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY!! )
The bottom of the boat needs a power-wash and scrubbing, along with the application of a bottom paint. Mike Sawinski has a power washer that can be used and bottom paint can be purchased for the job, or, better yet...someone could offer to donate bottom paint. I would like someone to volunteer to get this done within a week so we can begin using this boat for program and open sailing. If you will help or lead this project, email me your name and contact information and I will assign a team leader!!
Small boat race clinic - Matt is kicking off the race clinic! If you are still interested (see details on Programs & Classes page) call now!!
Weekly Laser Regattas - As a follow up to the 32 hour race clinic, we will be holding weekly regattas at the pier on Thursday Nights with a 6pm race start. Any member can come and join in these events whether you participated in the clinic or not. It's a great opportunity to get some practice in for the August qualifying regatta, so come and join us!
Tuesday Kids Fun Night – Come join us for food, fun and sailing on Tuesday nights at the pier. Any child who has participated in Opti or Laser instruction can come down and sail in a guided fun activity, while those who are interested in finding out more about sailing can come and get out on the water with a volunteer or staff member. This has turned into quite a picnic night too and I'm starting to look forward to Tuesday night dinners! Bring food for you and the kids or something to share. We are starting at 5:30 and plan on a good 90 minutes of activities.
Afternoon Kids Sailing Course - At the request of some parents who are unable to get their children to the morning sailing course, I will be adding a Opti youth lesson afternoon opportunity to the schedule. This will be offered from 2-5pm, Tuesday the 19th through Friday the 22nd. If you are interested, please let me know as soon as possible. We are going to have a fairly full week (with other activities at the pier) so will be limiting this to 6 children. If this fills up and the demand for an afternoon time-frame exists I will see about finding another week we can do this.
Sailing Trade Board - Ok...so this has been a little bit of a work in progress. I've set up a spreadsheet for people to save information about boats they would like to sail with others and times they are generally available. This works great, but you do need to create a google account if you are interested in being able to share this document. If you want to find fellow members who are interested in sharing sailing time and have a google, I can share this form and give you direct access. It is easy to sign up for an account and you don't have to create a separate email address. The link to sign up for google is:
https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount
Once you have an account, let me know and I will send you a link to the document. If you really don't want to create a google account for yourself but want to participate, send me the contact information you would like to share, the boats you are certified to sail and the times you would like to get out and I will add you to the list and email you a copy of the form.
See you on the water!
5-Day Small Boat Intensive Race Clinic
July 10-14, 2011
Are you a small boat sailor that has been bitten by the racing bug? Feel that competitive urge every time you put your boat on the water? Well now is your chance to learn about small boat racing or to simply improve your racing skills. Click here for details.
———————————— June, 2010 ————————————
Welcome to the DSSA web site!
I want to take a moment and introduce myself to those I did not have the pleasure to meet this last summer. In May of 2010, I was hired as pier staff/instructor and was then asked to take on the role of Waterfront director when Louise Prescott and family moved back out east.
Many of you might not realize what a perfect fit this is for me (and hopefully you!). I am 49 years old and have spent my career in the business world working in the advertising industry. A couple of years ago I lost my job and made a decision to return to school and pursue my teaching licensure for elementary education, something I've dreamed about doing for years but circumstances prevented. I've nearly finished my education and plan on student teaching this upcoming fall. In the meantime I get to look forward to another summer on the water, sailing and teaching children and adults to sail!! How could life be any better!
I have a love for the outdoors and have always been pulled to the sport of sailing. For me there is something mysterious about moving through and by the elements of wind and water. I love the science of it too. It brings out that spirit of competition in me that makes me want to understand how to hold all the pieces of sailing in optimal relation to each other so I can go FAST!
I'm also a little bit of a builder and had a chance to build a 15' yawl rigged swing keeled daysailer designed by the New Zealander, John Welsford. I've spend the last couple of summers learning the “elements” of this boat and those we share as part of the DSSA. Each boat offers a unique perspective on the experience of sailing.
I think it is this tremendous variety of experience that sailing offers that intrigues me and many others.
My hope is that I'll find a teaching position in the area and will have the opportunity to continue to work with the DSSA for sometime. That means, a chance to get to know you and work together on continuing to build an organization that brings this meaningful experience to children and adults alike.
We'll see you on the water soon!
Sincerely,
Tim Ingersoll
Waterfront Director
