Established 1953 March 2013

N E W S L E T T E R

PO Box 46, New Castle, DE 19720 (302)-328-1570 Editor: Scott Diestelkamp

2007 Delrippett (photo by K. Leef)

Commodore’s Corner

You can tell we are entering a serious phase of our season preparations when: work starts on the Scots,

the Hazards class has a huge turnout, and the aroma of corned beef fills the air…. never mind the

cabbage! We also welcomed back our extreme sailors who ventured down to the Mid Winter Thistle

races in Florida. Our club had one of the biggest representations at this annual event, and the only racers

to come from a club where boats are part of a common fleet – almost communist?

As part of our preparation for our 60th anniversary we had the honor to bring back many of the senior statesmen of our club who worked so diligently to develop our facilities and membership. We want to thank those who participated in our video recording of their reminiscences: Charlie Paschall, Denny Dolan, Neil Brechtel, Joe Irr, Dick Cronin, Jack Ward, Chris Annand, Don Grant and Nancy Peffer. We also got the perspective of fresh members Steve Constable and Cathy Thompson. All this was done under the fantastic directorship of Sally Rusk… Thanks! Come to the Spring Dinner to see the highlights.

We are fortunate to have a bunch of new members this spring, so please – wear your nametags – and welcome them to the club.

David Koppeser, Commodore

60th Anniversary Kick-Off and Spring Dinner

April 6th We will kick-off the clubs 60th Anniversary Celebrations at our Spring Dinner across the river at the Riverview Inn, Pennsville, NJ. The cost is $30/person. The cash bar opens at 6pm.

The facts may be foggy, but the yarns sail on. Several of the clubs “Old Salts” and newer members will be featured in a video program. They share tales about our club’s history, sailing mis-haps, and friendships bonded through the years.

Try your luck at the door prizes and trivia game. Invite others to help us celebrate - family, friends, past members.

RSVP - Sally at hardalee7@aol.com You can bring your check with you to the dinner. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Photos From the Past

As we celebrate 60 years as a club it is appropriate to look back and enjoy thoughts and visions of years past. The Spring Dinner would be a great venue to share some photos or clippings you have from 5, 10, 20 and in one case 50 years ago (bravo, Charlie Paschall). Bring them for display as a poster or in a folder to share with your sailing mates. They will be enjoyed by all.

Don Grant, 60th anniversary committee

Membership

Please welcome to our newest NCSC members

who joined in March:

Marilynn Mathews was a member of the New Castle Sailing Club from 1983 to 2003. She has two grown daughters, and she works for the State of Delaware in the area of substance abuse and mental health. Marilynn missed sailing and the Club, and is now looking forward to getting back out on the Delaware. Robert Raynor and his wife Cher Frampton live in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. Robert has extensive racing experience on 27’ to 35’ sailboats on the Great Lakes, and he has done a little dinghy sailing. Robert, Cher and son Jarod all expect to participate in the NCSC racing program. Josh Higginson lives in Newark. He learned to sail on a Sunfish and sailed similar boats as a kid. While attending the Florida Institute of Technology, he sailed Flying Juniors and a 21’ San Juan with the Florida Tech Sailing Club. Bill Hanrahan and his wife Teresa have three boys and two girls. They live in Landenberg, Pennsylvania. Bill learned to sail from his grandfather in Florida when he was a boy. More recently, he crewed on a large boat from the Boy Scout’s Florida Sea Base over the winter holidays. David Kummer is new to sailing. David and his wife Amira have lived in North Wilmington for the past four years. David serves as the pastor of the Concordia Lutheran Church on Silverside Road. Meg and Rob Farrugia live in Hockessin. Meg has sailed on Thistles and was a sailing instructor at the Erie Yacht Club. Most recently, she sailed on the Thames River with the Ranelaigh Sailing Club while living in London. Tom McGuire lives in Middletown. He learned to sail in the 1970s on the Charles River in Boston. Since then, he has owned several 19’ to 30’

sailboats and he was a member of a sailing club in Miami, Florida. Welcome aboard! Tom Gorman, Membership Director

Fashion, Sports, and Fun with Nylon!

Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hagley Museum

The New Castle Sailing Club will raise its public profile by participating in a community event at the opening of Hagley Museum’s “Fashion Meets Science: Introducing Nylon” exhibit. The exhibit marks the 75th anniversary of nylon’s commercial launch. The NCSC and other community groups will demonstrate the use of nylon in their activities. We will show one of our nylon spinnakers and provide information about our Club. The event is open to the public. More information about the event is available at this link: http://www.hagley.org/exhibit-nylon.html

Don Grant organized yet another fabulous ski trip

for club members to Okemo, Vermont,

accompanied by David Koppeser, MaryAnn and

Dick Ebersole and Nancy Peffer.

60th ANNIVERSARY T-Shirt The New Castle Sailing Club's 60th Anniversary T-shirt is now available. The shirt features our 60th anniversary logo designed by Connie Tait on the front side, and a classic NCSC photo by Kathy Leef on the back. The cost is only $15 for the cotton T-shirt or $28 in microfiber. Free shipping for the first fifty 60th anniversary T-shirts ordered - so place your order now! Orders can be placed through Coral Reef at this link: http://www.coralreefsailing.com/index.php/new-castle-sailing-club.html?store=ncsc When ordering, enter "NEWCASTLE" in the Discount Coupon box and then click on 'Apply Coupon'. The shipping charge will be subtracted from your total. The T-shirts will be shipped to the NCSC and distributed by the Club. When you are on the website, you can check out other sailing gear available from Coral Reef

Thistle MidWinters East 2013 Some NCSC members couldn't wait for the club's racing season to begin. Five boats represented the club at this year's Thistle MidWinters East regatta held annually in St. Petersburg, FL. The sun and warm temperatures in March, who could resist. Forty-four Thistles from all over the country and the top Thistle sailors gathered for a week of competition. The NCSC boats arrived early in order to shake out those winter cobwebs and to start thinking about racing. Coach TCA provided classroom discussions from the winning racers on race strategy, tips, and demonstrations. A practice race scheduled for Sunday had to be cancelled due to high winds. The regatta began on Monday after the front passed through. Over the week seven races were completed. On some days the winds just died and racers struggled to finish. Another day brought heavy winds and racing was cancelled for the day. The NCSC members were able to enjoy the Salvador Dali museum, find costumes for the first annual Scottish dance/dinner at SPYC, dine at some fabulous restaurants, and feast on fantastic meals created by Iron Chef Dave Deptula and Sous Chef Tina Deptula. NCSC participants included skipper Scott Latham with crew Aaron Holland and Pat O'Connor; skipper Chris Annand with crew Kathy Leef and Mike Troiani; skipper Earl McMaster and crew Bato Jahic and Stephanie Gajar; skipper Scott Buehler with crew Danielle Bower and Matt Reardon; and skipper Dave Deptula with crew Sally Rusk and George Earle. Dave Deptula couldn't get enough of Florida sailing, because he returned to Jacksonville, FL to compete in the 2013 Orange Peel Regatta. Forty-two boats were on the starting line. The weather didn't cooperate very well, and racing on Saturday was cancelled. The race on Sunday started early with the hopes of getting some racing in before the next line of thunderstorms came through. Winds were 16-22 knots; and Dave with Sally Rusk and Scott Buehler as crew "charged around the course". Some boats capsized in the heavy air. Kathy Leef, Fleet Captain

Surviving A Spring Dunk in the Delaware Sunshine and warmer weather will soon lure us onto the water, but the water temperatures of the Delaware River will remain below 65 for several weeks. The most dangerous aspect of capsizing or falling overboard is hypothermia. Our bodies lose heat in the water over 25 times faster than in the air. Similar to the wind-chill factor, the effects of fast current increases heat loss. Just a few minutes in the water off of New Castle can put us at risk for hypothermia. It is extremely important that all our members know how to defend against hypothermia. Although the cause of death in boating accidents is often listed as drowning, hypothermia is actually the major cause. The effects of loss of body heat progresses through stages of shivering, slurred speech, increased heart rate, loss of muscle control, loss of consciousness, and in severe conditions, loss of life. Even just a few minutes in cold water can cause exhaustion and impaired reasoning. It is reported that boaters at risk often resist help at first. However, there is good news. By following a few simple survival rules you can conserve your heat and minimize the risk of hypothermia. Your dunking in the Delaware should at worst be an embarrassing adventure. Most of us have capsized or swamped at some time. Expect that it will happen to you and be prepared. Wear your PFD. A lifejacket allows you to float while expending minimum energy and it insulates the core of your body reducing heat loss. Trapping a layer of water inside your clothing to be warmed by your body can also provide insulation. Button, zip, and tighten collars, cuffs, shoes and hoods. Cover your head, if possible. Get out of the water. The club boats are fairly easy to right and bail, but if you cannot return to sailing, get as much of your body out of the water as possible. Climb onto your capsized boat or pull yourself out of the water onto a floating object. Do not swim away from the boat. Exhaustion will occur sooner than you think. Move as little as possible. Conserve body heat by remaining as still as possible. Unnecessary treading water or swimming moves the warmed

water trapped near your body and allows new cold water to takes its place. The movement of your arms and legs also pumps warm blood to your extremities, where it cools more quickly increasing the rate your body temperature drops. Use a heat conserving position. (Huddle or H.E.L.P.). Huddling or hugging together facing each other helps maintain body heat and extends survival time as much as 50%. If you are alone, get into the H.E.L.P. position (Heat Escape Lessening Position). It allows you to float effortlessly and helps protect major heat-loss areas, such as your armpits, chest and groin.

Treatment of hypothermia depends on the condition of the victim. Mild hypothermia victims, with severe shivering, may only require removal of wet clothes and being warmed with dry clothes or a blanket. It is advisable to keep a spare top onboard in a waterproof bag and extra clothes on shore. Hypothermia should not be treated with alcohol or caffeine. When severe hypothermia occurs, the shivering may stop and the victim will become irrational or semi-conscious. Immediate steps must be taken to gradually re-warm the core body and call for medical assistance. Do not attempt to raise the body temperature too quickly. Get the victim into a warm environment. Remove the wet clothing with minimum movement to the victim's body. Lay the victim face up, with the head slightly lowered allowing more blood to flow to the brain. Check breathing and heartbeat and start CPR if necessary. Keep the victim covered and apply warm wet towels to the head, neck, chest, groin,

and abdomen. Do not massage or warm arms or legs. “After-drop” occurs when the cold blood from the extremities is forced back into the body causing further lowering of the core temperature. Afterdrop can cause cardiac arrest. If nothing else is available, a rescuer may use his or her own body heat to warm a hypothermia victim. A good understanding of what to do when you take an unexpected swim will help protect you from hypothermia. Have fun, and stay safe.

Dinghy House Repairs

Extensive repairs to the Dinghy House are nearing completion! Danny Rakus, Steve Constable, Tim Caspar, Charlie Paschall, Tom McGuire, John Colgan, Bill Hanrahan, Bob Russell, Scott Andrews and others have been busy cleaning up the mess left by Hurricane Sandy.

They have removed large amounts of sand, a lot of rotten plywood and carpet and installed a new support system that is hoped to reduce wear on the Dinghy bottoms. To top it all off they even replaced all of the door locks!!! Can’t wait to try them out in person.

Cruising Interest Group Meeting

Friday night April 27, at 7:30 pm at the clubhouse, to talk about future endeavors.

Just last week Donna Powell, Norm Yeorg and I took an 8 day cruising adventure to the Leeward Islands with fantastic times and sailing. We can briefly review how the trip evolved, alternative plans and navigational options as well as planning and financial data.

Discussion can springboard from this to future trips – local (Chesapeake Bay) to week cruising adventures - Maine, Puget Sound, the Great Lakes, New England and, of course, my focus Tropical Sailing .

I‘d like to get your opinions on making up a list of those interested in cruising so that we can form crews and see if we can get some folks to step forward to captain. It would be nice to start planning about some winter destinations. I have room on a boat to add on to with a group that is sailing from Grenada in Oct, and I am just starting to plan a trip in Feb 2014 to an unknown warm destination.

Hope we can get a bunch of folks to show up and further our initial discussions.

Craig Quigley, New Castle Sailing Club Member

FROM THE ARCHIVES

NCSC has the good fortune to be in a community with a great neighbor, the Goodwill Fire Company. For at least as long as our club has been in existence, Goodwill has maintained equipment and trained their members for water rescue. On many occasions they have come to our aid to help sailors in distress, to assist in recovering our boats, or both. We have long strived to foster a good relationship with them and have shown our appreciation for their valued contributions to our membership.

Many documents in our files provide testament to Goodwill Fire Company providing rescue service back to the time NCSC first sailed on the Delaware.