Commodore's Corner...Lisa Herbster
Spring is almost here - which means with daylight savings time upon us, we can sail later with more light! Yeah! Our TGIF Sail and Socialize will be returning on Fridays very soon. We’re also hoping the spring weather will be more cooperative than the winter weather has been. We look forward to returning to our regular 1st & 3rd Sunday races - the Reilly’s Run and the All Fleet Races respectively. Sailing classes will be starting soon too! And our youth program will be offering seven (7) weeks of summer camps for kids ages 10-17 in June and July - 6 weeks of regular camp and 1 week for advanced sailing skills and racing techniques, which will be by invitation only. As the warmer, sunnier Florida weather returns with spring, HSA has lots of great activities and events scheduled! Read on to learn about what other board members are doing for HSA and how you can help/volunteer and be involved with our wonderful club!!
Fair Winds,
Lisa
Level 1 Instructor Course
At our last general membership meeting (2/3/24), we mentioned that we had requested to host a US Sailing Level 1 Instructor Course. We have been approved to host this course at HSA on the weekend of May 18th. The course will be 3 days long. All participants must be present and complete all three days. These will include Sat. May 18th, Sun. May 19th, and Mon. May 20th. This course is open to anyone interested in taking it - youth (age 16+) - adult. You must be a sailor and have sailing and powerboat experience to be able to successfully complete the course. You must also get CPR and First Aid training. We are in the process of setting this up at HSA soon.
Prior to being able to register for the face-to-face portion on the weekend of May 18th at HSA, you MUST complete the online portion of the course.
Here is the info with links from US Sailing -
Thank you for hosting a Level 1 course at Halifax Sailing Association beginning on May 18, 2024, with Lisa Downey running the course. The registration link for the course is available at:
The course is hidden until the dates are confirmed by you.
The self-guided online course is available for registration:
Please remind your instructors that they must complete the Level 1 online course prior to attending the in-person evaluation.
Here is the link to the information about the online courses including the prerequisites and registration:
Courses are in danger of cancellation if the minimum of 8 have not registered for the course two weeks prior to the course start date.
**This last note is VERY important!!! If we do NOT get a minimum of 8 students, the class will be canceled. Please register for your online portion immediately! Once you are registered for and are participating in an online course, you will be able to register for the in-person class at HSA.
As mentioned previously, we will need you to register and pay for this course up front. Upon completion, if you teach 2-3 courses (or summer camp weeks) for us, you may request reimbursement for your registration for this course.
Please feel free to contact Lisa Herbster with any questions or problems registering for these courses. Let's get people certified!!!          Â
Chris Sinnett - Training and Education Vice-Commodore
As March is upon us, we are six-weeks away from the first Adult Intermediate
Sailing Class of the 2024 season, to be held in the Capri 14s on the weekend of April 13th-14th. The following classes are confirmed, and I’m sure we’ll add more, but the instructors are still working their calendars. As classes are added, we’ll let HSA members know first so that you have the first opportunity to sign up. The following classes will be listed on Regatta Network on February 29th, so you will be able to sign up starting then:
Adult Beginner Classes in Sunfish
April 21-21 and 27-28
May 4-5 and 11-12
August 3-4 and 10-11
August 17-18 and 24-25
Adult Intermediate Classes in Capris
April 13-14
May 18-19
Sep 7-8
For those who attended the all-hands General Meeting and signed up for Basic Powerboat training, and/or Regatta Support Powerboat training, I will be reaching out to you to schedule the training sessions. If you weren’t able to attend the General Meeting and want to sign up for either Basic Powerboat, OR Regatta Support Powerboat training, just email me at JCSInnett25@gmail.com. Just to be very clear – once you take either of these training courses, we will look to you to volunteer and help support HSA’s sailing activities!
Chuck Wright - Membership Vice-Commodore
I am in the process of numbering the member’s boats in our yard who have paid their dues for 2024. Members who have not paid will be notified that if they are not current by March 15, they will need to come to the center and pick up their boats.
Dan Biringer - Fleet Vice-Commodore
Amazing workdays! Thanks to the cool weather and our dedicated volunteers, we are making tremendous progress toward our goal of getting the majority of the maintenance done before the warm weather sets in.
Sail repair, fiberglass patching, painting, work on the grounds are but a few of the activities that are ongoing. I encourage you to come down and join with us, lend a hand and have some fun!
I personally appreciate the diligence in reporting defects and maintenance issues by recording them in the sign-out log. This really helps when prioritizing the work, and goes a long way in making HSA a first-rate club. You can also email me directly if you have any questions, suggestions or concerns,
N4HSA Radio Group will be demonstrating our ability to contact an overseas station directly from the pavilion. This will occur at a future date, to be decided. Anyone Interested in obtaining an FCC HAM radio license should contact me.
Dave Dunn - Youth Optimist Coach
Our race team practices on Saturdays. The sailors are doing really well and are improving their skills with each practice. We are preparing them to hone their skills for some upcoming youth regattas. We will have sailors attending the Opti Sunshine State Championship in Jensen Beach in mid-March; the Mt. Dora Yacht Club 71st Regatta at the end of March; the Sail Eustis Regatta at Lake Eustis in mid-late April; the Cowford Cup Regatta at Florida Yacht Club in Jacksonville in early May, and the School’s Out Regatta at Davis Islands Yacht Club in Tampa in mid-late May. Everyone is very excited!
The youth program will offer summer camps again this year. We will offer six (6) regular weeks of fun camp, plus we are adding one (1) week at the end of the summer that will focus on improving boat handling skills and introducing racing skills and techniques for campers. This week will be by invitation only.
Our camps will be offered for the following weeks
June 10 - June 14, 2024
June 17 - June 21, 2024
June 24 - June 28, 2024
July 8 - July 12, 2024
July 15 - July 19, 2024
July 22 - July 26, 2024
**By invitation only - July 29 - Aug. 2, 2024 - Advanced Sailing and Racing Skills Each week costs $300 - M-F 9 AM - 4 PM.
To register for these camps you can go to the Halifax Youth Sailing site at http://halifaxyouthsailing.org/ or you can go directly to the Regatta Network site at https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/27709
*Interested in volunteering with our youth programs? Contact Dave Dunn (ddunn44116@aol.com; (386) 6795202) or Lisa Herbster (lisa.herbster@gmail.com; (386) 679-6315).
Upcoming Events
Kathy Sinnett - Events Vice-Commodore and Windward Women
Sunday, March 3-12:30 pm Reilly's Run--Social sailing followed by an Irish themed potluck.
The club will provide corned beef! (Contact Kathy Sinnett if you are willing to cook--860-884-8316)
Sunday, March 10-Daylight savings time-Spring forward!!
Friday, March 15-1st TGIF of the year! Come down to the club from 5-7 pm for some social sailing--bring an appetizer to share, BYOB and musical instruments! Sail on club boats, meet new club members and enjoy the new sunset time.
Sunday, March 17-HSA Fleet Race. Skipper’s meeting at 12:30 for 1:30 pm race start. Let's get all the HSA boats out! It's St. Patrick's Day--bring a green food or beverage to share at our potluck afterwards.
Sunday, March 31-Easter
On-Going Monthly Events
Every Wednesday - Weekly Windward Women Sailing 2-4 pm
Every Thursday - HSA Workday
Every Saturday-Youth Sailors 9-4 pm
20th of Every Month-Deadline for entries in the following month newsletter
2024 Board Members
Lisa Herbster-Commodore lisa.herbster@gmail.com Keith Amaro-Vice Commodore Tonya Sands-Secretary Ltsands@bellsouth.net Chuck Wright-Membership Vice Commodore  Caroline Martin-Treasurer  Kathy Sinnett-Events Vice-Commodore and Windward Women      | Chris Sinnett-Training and Education Vice-Commodore Daniel Biringer-Fleet Vice-Commodore dano1252@hotmail.com Peter Burg-ex officio (past commodore) peter.burg@rocketmail.com  David Dunn-Youth Sailors  Club Affiliates: Kevin Martin-ERAU Club Affiliate Chris Herbster-ERAU Club Affiliate  Steven Chaco-ERAU Off-Shore Sailing  |