AMIDSHIPS:
Scuttlebutt & Race Yarns

 We tease, embellish and exaggerate, so don't take anything you read here too seriously. Click-able list of prior posts at bottom of port column.

June 29 Race: The Next Generation of Sailors Joins Us On the Race Course!

Photos by Sandi Miller 

We were absolutely delighted to have Lily and Molly Garrett race with us! Descendants of the celebrated Voelz family sailing dynasty, they've already long been a part of the camaraderie among our sailors, volunteers, and their families. We now extend them a warm welcome to the race course itself and all the excitement, thrills, chills, and spills that comes with it.

 

Ben give chills and almost spills to his dad, Tom

Our race day was fun and eventful. The “gourmet” volunteer crew of Jack and Sandi Miller, Steve and Gretchen Fisher, and Harry and Sandy Meshberger were joined this time by Steve and Gretchen’s sons, Brett and Cole Fisher. The crew officiated perfectly, as usual, and in their spare moments also dined on an array of delicious treats: cheese with various toppings, meatballs, shrimp with various dips, fresh fruit salad, grapes, and brownies. Thank you all for flawlessly running our race!

The next best thing to sailing

Enthusiastic cheers greeted Lily and Molly as they sailed out to the course. Variable wind velocities and patterns kept the races interesting, and of course frustrating as well.  You know, like golf.  We even had a capsize or two, as well as a "turtled" Y-Flyer. Doug Hale lent an invaluable assist in righting it along with a pull on a line from the safety boat—thanks!

 

Jim checks in with the Committee Boat

 

Tom and John Finish close to the Committee Boat

The protest meeting was very well attended, and it was wonderful to have even further future generations of sailors joining us and providing us with plenty of smiles.

Arlene and one of the next "next generation" sailors

 

Catey Hale set up the course into the wind from the South, with help from Tom Schroeder. Beth Auld and Kevin Preuss organized the race, and Arlene Truex kept the busy "race central” port humming efficiently from morning until evening.  Thanks every one!

Arlene sends the Committee Boat out to the race

 

Race Results: 

 

June 22 Race: Heat Escape

 Well into the 90’s It didn’t feel hot out on the water in the decent winds we enjoyed for two good races.  The race was followed by our storm-delayed ritual of sock burning and poetry to celebrate barefoot weather (see separate post- coming soon).

John and Levi Gall set up a fine course for the wind out of the west.  Cindy Bartlett, Nate Schloss, Margaret Powers and her guest June did a flawless job of officiating.  Beth Auld and Kevin Preuss organized the race and the volunteers.  Arlene Truex’s “Race Central” was buzzing with activity as usual. Thanks to all!  

Race Results:  

 

June 1 Race: Sail On, Sail On Sailor.

We cancelled our first scheduled race while Grandview residents were still in shock and without electricity, sewer service, etc. after the May 16^th tornado.  But two weekends later on June 1^st, we were finally able to get hands back on the tiller, main and jib sheets,  and engage in a “normal” summer Grandview event.  That felt good - a sailing race with seven boats competing.   Not that it was as normal as we would have liked it to be.  Three of our fleet’s boats have been trashed.  One broke in half, one was flung into the trees, destined for the landfill, and another left in disrepair.  Of course, our sailing disruptions are small potatoes compared to the massive amount of  recombobulation work ahead that many lake residents are facing. So, our sailing bug is kept in perspective, we count our blessings and empathize with our fellow lot owners.  Speaking of blessings, post-tornado it was especially great to gather again for our post-race “protest meeting” and share stories and each other’s company. Some more "normal".  Thanks, Arlene, for hosting us as usual.

Beth Auld, Cindy Bartlett, Jack and Sandi Miller and Jim Riffle were our Committee Boat and Safety Boat volunteers for conducting the race. Jim Voelz and his crew set up the race, Kevin Preuss organized the sailors, and Beth Auld organized the Committee Boat.  Thanks everyone for a great race!

Winds were typical Grandview: generally light, with some periods of faster wind in unpredictable locations and directions.  Sure beats a tornado though.  We had two good races with good starts, extremely close quarters at the marks, and in the second race all the boats finished within seconds of each other - see the elapsed times for the second race below.  Quite a sight.

Race Results: 

 

YACHT CLUB TRIBUTE TO BOB ORBEN

We are going to miss our friend and long-time sailor, Bob Orben.  He meant a great deal to the  Grandview and Columbus communities, and he was especially dear to those of us in the Yacht Club.

Bob and Mary in their Y-Flyer

Bob and his wife Mary competed together in our regattas for many years, with Mary as his crew in his trusty “Y-Flyer” model boat. 

 

Bob and daughter Janet

Other family members crewed for him as well. He also encouraged newcomers to sail by having them start out crewing for him. Some first-time sailors said they were nervous about capsizing—until they noticed Bob was wearing street shoes and dress socks. That gave them some confidence—after all, how bad could it be if the skipper wasn’t planning on getting his feet wet?

Of course, those of us who know the mischievous winds of Grandview also know that even Bob capsized a time or two. One legendary capsize, while Bob and Mary were racing, sent their Y-Flyer to the bottom of the lake. Bob, turned that mishap into a favorite story—an ode to the community spirit that brought their boat back to the surface. That tale became part of our club’s lore, and fittingly, Bob told it himself at the Grandview Yacht Club’s fiftieth anniversary banquet. Read it here.

Bob had been sailing since he was a kid on the East Coast. He was a very skilled sailor. He knew how to trim his sails just right and move the weight in the boat to get every bit of speed he could out of each puff of wind.  And he knew racing strategy. He was the season’s club champion a number of times and won the holiday trophy races on multiple occasions.

Close friendships among sailors stay true, but for most sailors, once the starting horn sounds, competitive instincts come alive. This was true of Bob as well. One of Bob’s close friends, Wayne Truex, was also one of the most skilled competitors. Many a time there were “reminders” shouted above the wind by Bob or Wayne to the other about who had the right of way. But after the race, at the “protest meeting,” arms were put over each other's shoulders as friendship ruled over all else.

 

Bob and Wayne laugh at their winning the Booby Prize

No story illustrates this friendly sailing rivalry better than the occasion of what both Bob and Wayne announced would be their final race. Unintentional right of way infractions are not uncommon when racing. Bob protested a maneuver Wayne made. Later in the race, Wayne protested a maneuver Bob made. At the mainly social “protest meeting,” where such protests are judged by other sailors, it was decided that both protests were warranted. They had disqualified each other in their last race!  Everyone—including them—enjoyed the humor in the situation. That also happened to be the first year the club awarded a “Booby Prize,” which went to the two of them for that event to everyone’s delight (including their own).

 

Beth Auld (center) recognizes Committee Boat volunteers Bob and Mimi at the season awards gathering

After he stopped racing, Bob volunteered regularly on the officiating boat for the race—the “Committee Boat.” 

 

Bob and some fellow volunteers at a "Protest Meeting".

Fellow volunteers would hear him compliment or critique the sailors’ maneuvers, tactics, and sail trim. He would share those thoughts with sailors after the race at the “protest meeting” as a way of encouraging them—or maybe even shout some advice from his Chris Craft while watching the race. One of our sailors, Catey, dubbed him the “Sailboat Whisperer” since his advice had a way of resurfacing in sailors’ minds at exactly the right moment.

Bob with Grandview neighbors as they watched a race

Bob enjoyed his classic Chris Craft, At Last, and loved to cruise around the lake in it, accompanied by family and friends. He inherited the wooden boat from his father and had it restored. 

 

At the christening of restored "At Last", Bob gives the okay to his grandson to break the champagne bottle on the bow. 

He held a joyful christening when the boat was complete. He delighted in telling the story behind the dings in the “cutwater” (the gleaming stainless steel plate along the tip of the bow)—left untouched in the restoration, as a kind of homage. Ask a family member or close friend, and they’ll surely smile as they tell you why the dings remain.

 

One of the holiday breakfasts Bob and Mary hosted coincided with his 80th birthday. Mary had this cake made, complete with edible photos.

Bob was very faith-, family-, and community-minded. He and Mary were an incredible team. Their family always seemed to be gathered at their Grandview lake house, and they often hosted the entire lake community at the Grandview Yacht Club’s holiday breakfasts held on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. They hung a huge United States flag across their yard on the holidays. 

Bob asked the blessing at the Yacht Club's 50th anniversary banquet.

Bob could be counted on to deliver a sincere and meaningful blessing if called upon. If complimented afterward, he might respond with a quiet smile and ask something like, “But was it effective?”

Bob was an encourager by nature. Those responsible for an event, project, or presentation would often receive an email from Bob, commending them on their fine work. He was active in all sorts of organizations in the Columbus community, and he and Mary were dependable contributors to them as well.

We sailors and volunteers of the Grandview Yacht Club like to think that our club was Bob’s favorite organization—because he certainly made it seem that way to us. 

 

Framed original 1960 club "burgee" and list of commodores

The current Yacht Club burgee proudly displayed on the bow of "At Last"

Typical of his enthusiasm toward the Yacht Club, Bob had the original GYC “burgee”, sewn by Marge Kirk in 1960, beautifully framed and hung in the Grandview Lot Owners Association office. It has an engraved name plaque for each of the club’s “commodores” since its inception.  Bob served as the club’s commodore in the late 1990s.

 

We miss him already, and share our heart-felt sympathy and warmest regards for Mary and their family.

 

 

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2024 SAILING SEASON AND AWARDS

 

ANOTHER GREAT  SAILING SEASON (Our 63rd)!

We had 8 race days this year.  

There were 35 participants, about half women and half men.  Ages of the Grandview sailing community range from preteens to octogenarians.

Of these, 19 were Sailors and 16 were Committee Boat volunteers.

NEW PARTICIPANTS – WELCOME ABOARD!

George Devidze, Rachel Gall, Lily Garret, Nick Kotterman and Nathan Schloss participated for the first time.  We hope to have them back regularly (note: Lily begins the fourth generation of the Voelz sailing dynasty).

VOLUNTEERS RECOGNIZED

 

Our Volunteers:

Beth Auld

Cindy Bartlett

Lisa Duret

Steve & Gretchen Fisher
Rachel Gall
Harry & Sandy Meshberger

Jack & Sandi Miller

Bob Orben

Margaret Powers

Jim & Mimi Riffle

Nathan Schloss

Lance & Bianca Snider

Arlene Truex

We are grateful to our Committee Boat volunteers!  They are wonderful, great at what they do, highly esteemed by the sailors, and are always right!

Special thanks to  Arlene Truex, “Mainstay” and “Harbormaster” of the GYC. On race days there is no busier place on the lake, or busier person than Arlene from morning until evening.

One of the events Arlene hosted was our quirky annual rite of spring celebrating the beginning of barefoot season.  It is our annual burning of smelly, worn out winter socks.  Some recite poetry suitable to the occasion as they toss socks into the fire.  This year we also had a lengthy poem composed by an artificial intelligence app.  You can find the blog post with all of the poetry here.  

SAILORS & AWARDS

Sailors of 2024

• John Auld
  
• Matt Bartlett 
• Phil Bush 
  
• Sarah Cartwright 
• Tom Cartwright 
  
• George Devidze
  
• Dianne Fisher
  
• John Gall
• Rachel Gall
  
• Laura Garrett
  
• Lilly Garrett
  
• Paul Hass 
• Catey Hale 
• Nick Kotterman
  
• Kevin Preuss
  
• Tom Schroeder
• Jim Voelz 

 

SPECIAL AWARDS

Ghost Sailor Award

This is awarded to sailors who really wanted to be sailing, could not, but were with us “in spirit”.   

This tall trophy doesn't photograph very well for some reason

.

For 2024 our ghost sailors were Lance and Bianca Snider.   Although they were unable to sail, we were grateful to them for setting up and taking down the buoys for one of our race days. We look forward to them racing with us again in 2025.

The "Jim Riffle Perfect Attendance Award"

This award is named after Jim Riffle because he is seldom absent from, well, anything!   The award is Jim's favorite holiday breakfast doughnut - jelly filled.

PERFECT Attendance: Laura Garrett 15 of 15 races.

NEAR-PERFECT, 80% or more attendance (because who buys just one doughnut?):       Matt Bartlett, Jim Voelz, Tom Cartwright, and of course, Jim Riffle.  

 "Booby Prize”

 

The 2024 winners are John Auld and Paul Hass.  Amid the congestion and wind gusts, they managed to make contact with at least two sailboats, all while negotiating the turn at one mark. Or perhaps the other sailors made contact with them. We’re not sure, but we awarded them the prize anyway.

RACING AWARDS

Memorial Day Race Winner

Matt Bartlett (right) and Kevin Preuss

 July 4th Race Winner

Jim Voelz the winner, (center) with the trophy awarded by Lisa Duret and Kevin Preuss

Labor Day Race Winner

Laura Garrett

CREW  AWARDS

    FIRST PLACE

Phil Bush   Master of the jib, tuned to the breeze.

 

 SECOND PLACE

Kevin Preuss

THIRD  PLACE

Sarah Cartwright    If you look really carefully you can see her peeking from behind the mast! (We really do need more photos!)

LASER CLASS AWARDS

    FIRST PLACE

Matt Bartlett

SECOND PLACE

Jim Voelz

         THIRD PLACE

Laura Garrett

INTERNATIONAL  CLASS AWARDS

FIRST PLACE

               

Tom Schroeder

SECOND PLACE

Tom Cartwright  

THIRD PLACE

  

Catey Hale, left (Elizabeth is crewing)

     ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

George Devidze - just making sure the medal is really gold

  CLUB CHAMPION

MATT BARTLETT

AND THANKS TO OUR CLUB OFFICERS FOR ANOTHER GREAT SEASON!

 

Beth

Kevin

Lisa

Tom

Thanks to Beth Auld our Committee Boat Chairperson and Kevin Preuss our Race Chairperson. They are the ones that organize the races and keep them running like clockwork. And to Lisa Duret  our Secretary/Treasurer keeps our memberships and checkbook current and helps in many other ways. And to Tom Schroeder the Commodore who tries to stay out of the way and help if he can.