December 2021 Ditty Bag - Lake Canyon Yacht Club

December 2021

Commodore’s Report

by Scott Wells, LCYC Commodore

The 53rd running of Wurstfest is in the books now. We averaged about 50 boats each weekend and everyone seemed to have a great time even though the event was scaled down from what we have done in years past. The wind on both Saturday’s was a no show, but thanks to an excellent effort by all we managed to get in 3 races on each Sunday. Our club members turned out and volunteered in huge numbers for this event. Bill Clark – Wurstfest Chairman, Chuck Begley – On The Water Coordinator, Elizabeth Bentzen – Registration, Jean Junker – Ramp Crew, Mindy Rogers – Port Captain, Rick Mella – Race Director, Pete Prados & John Ruiz – Docks and Grounds, all the PRO’s & crews, all the chase boat skippers & crews, the list goes on and on. Thank you one and all for a job very, very well done.

On the 1st of December our long time Treasurer Renee Kizziar will be turning over the reins to Ms. Vivian Miller. This transition has been in the works for a good part of this year. We will miss Renee’s expertise and knowledge of the club and we thank her from the bottom of our hearts for the last 13 years as Treasurer. She will continue to be an active part of our club. Please take a minute to reach out and tell her thank you in your own way; she would love to hear from you.

This years annual meeting will be virtual due to Covid-19. That means many more of you than normal can attend so please join us. More importantly, there is a ballot in your inbox or your mail box. In that ballot is a proposed change to the Bylaws. For those of you who may not know, Bylaws are the rules by which the Board makes decisions and governs the club. Please take time to educate yourself on the proposed Bylaw change and then vote. Please, please, please vote and get your ballots turned in prior to the deadline.

Last thing for this month. Rick Mella has been our Race Director for the last three years. Rick has organized the club races and regatta’s and has scoured the country-side for PRO’s. As his tenure comes to an end I would like to recognize and thank Rick for a job very well done. We need a volunteer to step-up and assume this vital role in our club. If you have ever thought about taking this on, now is the time to do it. This is an incredibly rewarding position with tons of visibility both inside and outside of LCYC. Please contact myself, Bill Clark (incoming Commodore) or Rick Mella to toss your hat in the ring.

Make new friends; make time to volunteer. We need you for every event. Please don’t assume someone else will step-up; ask where you can help. Look forward to seeing you at the club.

Just Go Sailing!

Welcome New Members

We have no new members this month.

2022 Membership Fees

by Mindy Rogers, Budget Committee

The Lake Canyon Yacht Club (“LCYC” or “the Club”) Board of Governors approved the following rate structure for 2022. These rates will first be used in the invoices prepared as of December 25, 2021 because these will be the fees for January 2022.

The Board of Governors considered many factors in developing the 2022 budget. Fees were increased primarily to sustain the continued maintenance requirements of the marina, which also continues to support the long range plan of the Club. The fees for 2022 were determined based on the expected operating expenditures of the club.

The new fee structure will be:

Member Classification	Dues	Maintenance Fees
Senior	38.00	32.00
Individual	38.00	32.00
Non-Resident	38.00	–
Student	28.00	32.00
Junior	28.00	–
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Dry Storage	44.00
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Slip Size	Lease
12×24	175.00
12×28	210.00
14×32	280.00
16×32	315.00
18×32	350.00

Nominees for 2022 Vice-Commodore and BOG Positions

by Jim Kizziar, Nomination Committee

The LCYC Nominations Committee considered many qualified members for the 2022 Vice-Commodore and Board of Governors positions. The nominations submitted by the Committee were unanimously approved by the LCYC Board of Governors and are recommended to the membership for election at the December 4, 2021, Annual Meeting.

Nominee for LCYC Vice-Commodore

ANU DAY

Anu spent her career as a physical therapist for 30 years. Now retired, Anu lives at Canyon Lake and has traveled extensively throughout the world. A Club member since 2005, Anu has volunteered in many capacities. She served a Co-Port Captain in 2016, where she was responsible for organizing social events, soliciting volunteers, purchasing and attending Board meetings. Anu has actively volunteered at Wurstfest Regattas and has hosted/assisted with other club events (Commodores’ breakfasts, Jimmy Buffet/Summer Breeze, July 4th picnics, Leukemia Cup Regatta, Adaptive Sailing, and SEW-MAD). Volunteering is a family affair. Anu’s daughter, Meera, grew up as an active participant in the Youth Sailing Program and her husband, Fred Day, volunteers on the water and in the LCYC Galley. Anu served on the LCYC Board of Governors in 2017 and 2018. During that time, she was Co-Chair of the Personnel Committee and coordinated the process and interviewed candidates for Property Manager. After she rotated off the Board, Anu continued to serve on the committee for interviewing and hiring additional LCYC administrative staff. If elected, Anu looks to continuing to serve LCYC and working with staff and members.

Nominees for LCYC Board of Governors

FRED LINDSEY

Fred began sailing with his father and longtime LCYC member Lloyd Lindsey in Hickam Harbor, Hawaii. After returning to Texas, Fred and his wife Sandra joined LCYC in 1988 and have been active volunteers and Club leaders ever since. Fred is a winning Club racer on J22’s and J27’s, has served as Race Chairman and also served on the Protest Committee. Fred set up and maintained the Club’s weather system, lighthouse camera and Wi-Fi for many years. He has previously served on the Board of Directors, and in 2014 received (along with Sandra) the LCYC Lifetime Service Award.

JOSEPH MCDONOUGH, Ph.D.

Joe began racing Prindles during college and competed in the Prindle fleet’s nationals in 1983. His chartering of boats around the U.S. has resulted in some exciting storm experiences. An experienced racer on smaller boats – laser 16, Raider 16 and Hobie 16 – he races his Hunter at LCYC. When not racing, Joe volunteers with our Club’s TSA regatta and other regattas. Joe has hosted Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops at LCYC and assisted scouts working toward their sailing merit badges.

Professionally, Joe uses his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Texas Tech to develop chemical agents and related antidotes for commercial clients and for the U.S. Department of Defense and Health and Human Services. He currently also serves with the military and Defense Intelligence Agency in defense of the USA and our allies.

Joe’s prior Board of Governors service during 2020 was cut short because of an overseas deployment. Before being deployed, Joe also served on the LCYC COVID-19 Task Force and as the Club representative to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

CHRIS PICKETT, MD, PE

LTC Christopher Pickett, MD, PE is a U.S. Army Interventional Cardiologist at Fort Sam Houston Texas. Following his graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he was commissioned as an Engineer Officer and assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington where he met and married his wife of 18 years, Joannah. Chris began medical school in 2003 at Georgetown University and completed his post-graduate medical training at Walter Reed and Johns Hopkins. He has been assigned to Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) since 2015 where he serves as the Director of BAMC’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Structural Heart Disease Program, as well as an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD.

Chris learned to sail in middle school from his father on Lake Erie in a wooden Penguin dinghy which he restored for a high school senior project. He has tinkered with other recreational sailboats (Rainbows, Flying Scots, Sunfish, Hobie Cats) until he purchased his own dinghy and more recently a keelboat.

Chris, Joannah, and their two children joined Lake Canyon Yacht Club in 2017 and have been active members since that time, assisting with TSA Youth Regattas and Wurstfest Regattas. Chris and his children, Jack and Lucy, have been heavily involved with LCYC’s youth sailing program. Chris’ family has also enjoyed the club’s series racing in both Portsmouth and PHRF Non-Spinnaker classes. The Club will benefit from having Chris’ youth sailing interest and experience part of its Board of Governors.

MINDY ROGERS

Mindy’s earliest memories of sailing began at age 10 with her father and twin brother on a small Hobie Cat in Galveston Bay. It wasn’t a pleasant experience due to a sudden thunderstorm that requied all three to be rescued. Mindy’s sailing days resumed when she and husband, Don Rogers, bought their Canyon Lake home overlooking LCYC in 2012. They admired all the sailing activities of the club from their deck for the first few years until Mindy retired from her 20 year career as Senior Accounting Analyst with INEOS Olefins & Polymers (formerly Amoco, BP Chemicals) in 2016. Mindy helped with the 2016 Wurstfest regatta while still a guest at the Club. It was her first encounter in the galley making pounds and pounds of German potato salad. Mindy joined LCYC in 2017 and has been an active volunteer throughout her membership, serving as Wurstfest Galley Chair since 2018, in two club officer positions (Secretary, 2019; Port Captain, 2020-2021) and as the current Budget Committee Chair. She also learned to sail in the Women’s Sailing class in 2018. She crewed in the SEW-MAD regatta that year and her boat won first place. In addition to her very active service with LCYC, Mindy has served in community volunteer positions with the Mt Lookout POA, including the Welcoming Committee and as Treasurer during 2018-2021.

The Board of Governors appreciates the service of the 2021 Nominations Committee, including Lynn Simpson, Elizabeth Bentzen, Chris Powers, Scott Wells and Jim Kizziar. Vice Commodore Bill Clark served as a non-voting participant in Committee meetings.

Gayle Rocky Hill, Write-In Candidate for BOG

by Rocky Hill, LCYC Member

Gayle Rocky Hill has been a member of LCYC since 1998.

Served as Director of Airport Operations and Chief Pilot for Virginia Tech Air Transportation Services 1989- 1997.

Acquired FAA funding for AIP (Airport Improvement Projects) 3.5M from the Virginia Department of Transportation for the current Airport terminal at the Virginia Tech Airport. His annual budget of 12.6 million included Primary Flight Training, Fixed Base Operations, and Air Transportation Services… Rock taught classes for Cockpit Resource Management, Airborne weather radar, and weather flight planning.

Rock was a Captain for Continental Airlines. His certificates issued by the Federal Aviation Administration include Airline Transport Pilot Boeing 727-200, Boeing 727-100-200, Boeing 747-400, Flight Engineer Turbo-Jet. Rock served as a Captain on International flights worldwide. He also has FAA-type ratings for the Westwind corporate Jet, Lear Jet, Hawker Jet, and Challenger wide body 602 and 604.

He held the position of Chief Pilot for SedCo International, the largest offshore drilling company in the world. Captain on an F-227 for the Clements for Governor campaign 1973-1974. Chief Pilot for Governor Clements 1974 –1978. Rock’s career in aviation for 44 years included a few interesting missions and passengers, to say the least. To mention a few, Ronald Regan, Gerald Ford, The Shaw of Iran, The State Department, and not my favorite guy, John Connally.

Sailing: Rock started with an SOL Cat 18 in 1970. Later went to a Prindle 18. He resided on North Padre Island and was a crazy cat for many years. He has owned several boats over the years… A Morgan Out Island 41, A Hunter 33, and several in-between thanks to Lloyd Lindsey. Lloyd and Bubba Horner sponsored his application to join LCYC in 1998. He misses them both dearly. Rock is currently active in Adaptive and Adult Sailing. He organized a Cruising Crowd, Interfaces with new members socially and on the water

Rock is also an accomplished musician. His band provided the entertainment for many events over the years for LCYC, including Wurstfest, The Leukemia Annual Fundraiser, and for some private events at LCYC.

He is a USMC Viet Nam era vet

Rock is at the club at least five days a week with his wife ( Brigitte ) she loves meeting new members and making them feel welcome to our wonderful club

Docks and Grounds

by Pete Prados, Docks and Grounds Chair

Please thank fellow member John Ruiz for serving as interim Docks and Grounds Manager.

Series Racing

by Rick Mella, Race Director

Many Many Many thanks to all the Race Committee Volunteers over the last 3 ½ years who supported and assisted on RC duties with me. All have earned a Gold Star.

Sadly I am stepping down as Race Director to allow others a great chance to take the helm and improve how regattas can be organized and implemented so LCYC sailors can maximize their sailing abilities

Youth Sailing Volunteers Urgently Needed

by Chris Fogle

Do you wish you could get more involved in our Club’s activities and – at the same time – learn more about our sport?

We currently have two open positions looking for dedicated volunteers!

LCYC Representative to the TSA – Our club is a member of the Texas Sailing Association (https://www.txsail.org). Many people know of TSA’s affiliation with the annual youth racing circuit in Texas, and each year LCYC hosts a youth regatta as a stop on their circuit. As the LCYC Representative to the TSA you’ll act as a conduit for information from TSA to the club. You’ll participate in the annual TSA meeting held at the last youth regatta of the year, usually in November. You’ll participate in setting the schedule for regattas, reviewing proposed changes to published Race Conditions; and relaying information to club members about upcoming youth and adult championship regattas. If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact member Chris Fogle, our current TSA rep.

LCYC Youth Regatta Chairperson – Each year LCYC hosts a Youth Regatta which typically attracts over 80 youth sailors from across Texas and Oklahoma, and sometimes as far away as the US Virgin Islands. We currently are in urgent need of a person or team to take on the task of organizing the regatta for 2022. This is a great way to learn what goes into planning and running a regatta, and it has the added benefit of introducing you to our sport of sailboat racing. If you volunteer to lead this important club activity, you will be provided training and mentoring from a very experienced team! If you would like to find out more information about this important position or have any questions, please contact Chris or Debbie Fogle via the regatta email address: youthregatta@lcyc.net

TSA

by Debbie & Chris Fogle, TSA Representative

Stay tuned to the Ditty Bag for more updates as the season progresses. You can also check out the TSA website at https://txsail.org/ for more information, or check us out on the Facebook TSA Junior Sailing Page www.facebook.com/groups/172730702754870