High Tidings May 2025
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Upcoming Events
Saturday May 10 4:00 – Annual Spring Meeting
Saturday May 10, 5:00 – Club Commissioning
Tuesday May 13, 5:30 – Thursday Night Racing Skippers Meeting at the Club
Friday May 16, 6:00 – Fajita Night at the Club
Tuesday May 20, 6:30 – Cruising Club meeting at the Club
Saturday May 24 to Monday, May 26 – Memorial Day Mini-Cruise
Thursday June 5 , 4:30 – Thursday Night Racing begins
Commodore Remarks
Greetings from the deck of the beautiful North Cove Yacht Club! I’m enjoying the sunshine and warmer weather while watching the harbormaster mark the mooring field. Did you know that we have an eagle close by who flies across the cove? What a majestic bird!
I hope you enjoyed our April Fool’s edition of the newsletter. All of us who contributed had fun writing it and reading the final copy. Deb Paulson corralled us into submitting our remarks on time and she is solely responsible for putting together the funniest club newsletter I have ever read![ Ed. note: Aww…shucks]
We had a great turnout for the spring clean-up despite the weather which was cold and rainy. The inside of the club looks great thanks to the direction and management from our Vice Commodore, Melissa Mason. We have a new American flag, new photo board, and are ready for the season. Weather had been a factor for painting and planting but the rain has calmed down and all is ready for opening day. Throughout the year, we will share more opportunities to help out. Watch for the sign-up sheets and volunteer when you can.
Lou and his crew rented equipment and had tons (literally) of stone delivered to the parking lot. Looks great, Lou, Dave C and Dave M!
On May 10th, we have the combined Annual Meeting and Commissioning Ceremony. The annual meeting will be held first at 4 pm and will last approximately 30 minutes. We will recess as we reassemble outside for the commissioning at 5 pm. Any non-member guests should be directed to walk around the outside of the building until we finish the spring meeting. A light reception will follow in the clubhouse.
It's shaping up to be another great season of boating and floating on the water. I have found that there has always been someone in the club who is knowledgeable and can assist with the inevitable boating problems or point you in the right direction. Our app, Discord, is a great way to communicate or reach out for assistance. Ask our Fleet Captain, Chris Griffin, how to access the app.
Signing off and see you soon,
Linda Tuzzio, Commodore
Vice Commodore Remarks
As we kickoff another wonderful season at our yacht club, I wanted to take a moment to remind everyone about some important clubhouse etiquette to ensure a pleasant experience for all.
1. Clean Up After Yourself: When using the clubhouse, please remember to wash, dry, and put away any plates and utensils you use. This helps keep the drying rack clear and prevents someone else from having to put away items left behind.
2. Return Folding Chairs: If you use any extra folding chairs, kindly return them to the closet after use. Recently, four chairs were left leaning against a wall. Let's avoid giving others the impression that it's okay to leave things laying around.
3. Secure the Clubhouse: Before leaving, make sure all lights are turned off, and all doors are securely locked. This ensures the safety and security of our clubhouse. Please be aware that the deadbolt in the kitchen lock does not always slide home. Please push the door in, and then press the lock button and double check that it is locked.
Thank you for your cooperation and for helping maintain the clubhouse for everyone's enjoyment.
Membership Photo Board: As you may have seen, the new, beautifully updated membership board is located just outside of the steward’s office. This board is particularly helpful to the stewards for identifying members, and members also reference it when at the club. Thanks to Nicole Bouvier for pulling this together! A little further on in High Tidings is a list of members whose photos we do not yet have. Please see if your name is on the list and send Nicole a photo, so you too, can be part of this good looking group of people!
I'd also like to thank all who helped open the clubhouse on cleanup day. It looks great and is ready for Commissioning. Let Craig Elliott (House Operations Chair) know if we seem to need supplies. We have some inventory stored away and he can ensure that the club house is stocked!
I look forward to seeing everyone at the combined Annual Meeting and 56th Commissioning. May the weather be fair and the skies blue!
Melissa Mason, Vice Commodore
Rear Commodore Remarks
Thank you to everyone who has been busy getting the outside of the Club ship shape and Bristol fashion. There is new gravel in the parking lot, the front steps and kitchen entry steps have been painted, the grounds folks responsible for our beautiful gardens are adding some spring cheer in the planters, and the grounds are being mowed and weed whacked on a regular basis. If you have time to do a little mowing and/or weed whacking over the summer, please sign up on the sign up genius provided below. And a big thank you to those who have already signed up.
Thank you to everyone who helped in the Spring Cleanup. It was a rather cold and drizzly day, but all the volunteers were cheerful and industrious. Because of the weather, we did not paint the bottoms of the skiff, RIB, whaler, or launch, but I’m happy to say that volunteers took it upon themselves to get this necessary task done when the weather was nicer, and all is completed!
See you at the Spring Meeting and Commissioning!
Deb Paulson, Rear Commodore
Membership Photo Board
Is your name on this list? If it is, we don’t have a photo of you yet for our Membership Board. Please e-mail a landscape orientation photo of yourself (plus your household members that are part of your membership) to npilon@binsurance.com. Thank you!
Addeo, Anderson (Tatiana), Augur, Baylis, Beck, Betty, Bisson, Bouvier, Brough, Burton, Chadukiewicz, Cross, Dawe, Derwin, Duggan, Ebstein, Enman, Fontaine, Forella, Gauthier, Gilmore, Glynn, Glynn, Grist, Hartt, Hincks, Jackman, Kenney, Knierim, Lavallee, Lentnek, LeSieur, Ludwig, Marchaj, McChesney, Merriam, Milke, Miller (Mark & Cheryl), Mitchell, Molisse, Murphy, Nickett, Nilsson, Osnato, Porter, Quimby-Bonan, Radojevic, Reeve, Reynolds, Richard, Scaramella, Scierka, Sheehan, Steinhardt, Steinhardt, Sullilvan, Sumner, Taricani, Tenreiro, Thiessen, Thomas, Toto, Tremayne, Turner, Tydeman, Van Vliet, Wahala, Whitbeck
Jr. Sailing
Exciting News for 2025!
The 2025 Junior Sailing season is fast approaching and we’re thrilled to report that our sessions are filling up quickly! Our team has successfully completed staffing Sailing Instructor positions, but we are still looking for a few more volunteer Junior sailing instructors to round out the crew. If you or someone you know is interested, a full job description and application are available under the Junior Sailing section on the club website.
We are excited to announce the latest addition to our fleet – a new coach boat! A huge thank you goes out to Frank Borzenski for his tireless search to find the perfect boat that checks all the boxes for Junior Sailing. We also extend our gratitude to Lou Vinciguerra, who expertly negotiated a great deal with the generous seller. Thanks to Lou and Frank, the boat was inspected and safely delivered to its new home here at North Cove.
The work didn’t stop there! Lou, Frank, Dan Ferrier and Elio Betty have been hard at work making final adjustments and improvements to ensure the boat and trailer are safe, reliable, and in top condition for the season ahead. A special thanks for all the support for our very successful “Pasta Dinner” fundraiser held last summer to generate funds to buy a coach boat. As they say, many hands make light work — and thanks to everyone’s efforts, our new coach boat, “Sweet Pea,” is ready to shine!
Here is our new fleet addition, Sweet Pea!
Sweet Pea!!
Cathy Murphy & Kathy Reddington, Jr. Sailing Co-Chairs
Thursday Night Racing
Thursday Night Summer Series Racing
Racers, Start Your (metaphorical) Engines!
The kick off Skippers Meeting for Thursday Night Racing will be held on Tuesday May 13th at 5:30 at the Club.
This is North Cove Yacht Club racing: laid back, smiles, and hopefully just a little bit of wind. The summer series will run from the first Thursday in June (5th) to the first Thursday in September (4th).
Meet us on the deck at NCYC by 4:30 PM to get out on a boat. First warning for the race is 5:55 PM, just west of the Saybrook breakwater light. Race end times will vary depending on conditions.
Join us after the race for an informal barbeque dinner! BYOB and suggested dinner donation $5 per person.
Interested boaters, or potential crew members should keep an eye on the Discord page for weekly updates.
Registration for the summer series can be found on the club website- https://www.northcoveyc.com/clubracing
Amy Vinciguerra, Program Director
Saybrook Outer Light Classic
2025 Outer Light Classic - June 22nd, 2025
North Cove Yacht Club’s premiere race of the sailing season! Join us for this classic in central Long Island Sound. This race will require teams to navigate a busy river mouth, strong tidal currents and Sound chop.
Members are encouraged to register their boats for the race, or contact amyvinci94@gmail.com to find a boat to crew aboard.
Come and attend the after party, featuring food from Walt's Market, music, and the awards ceremony.
Other ways to support the event:
Reach sailors and nautical mavins at the only regatta hosted in Old Saybrook!
Sponsorships are available to businesses and individuals who want to signal their support for this community and earn the loyalty of its members. Sponsorship includes an ad in the regatta program, distributed to race participants and party attendees, tickets to the waterfront after party, and recognition at the event.
The 2025 Saybrook Outer Light Classic (SOLC) is hosted by the North Cove Yacht Club and attracts boats and sailors from around the area. It is the only regatta hosted in the Town of Old Saybrook and the after-race party is a well-attended celebration of Old Saybrook’s maritime community.
Spreading the joy of being on the water is central to our mission. Your sponsorship of this event will help fund the event, plus a portion of the proceeds go to scholarships of the NCYC junior sailing program. Sailing instruction introduces a whole new generation to the passion we share and builds confidence and teamwork in young minds as well as boating skills and safety.
Questions? Contact Amy Vinciguerra amyvinci94@gmail.com or Elio Betty ebetty@boatus.com
Activities
Well, April just flew by! We didn't have any events this month in order to have un-interrupted time to ready your boats for the season. But we will start May with a BANG! Watch for the sign-ups and please volunteer to help!
May 10th - COMMISSIONING! Time to officially open the club!
May 16th - FAJITA FIESTAAAAH! - 18:00 - 21:00 special frozen margaritas available for a small donation. Please remember to bring your own set-ups.
I’m looking forward to a very active social scene at the club this year!
See-y'all soon!
Melissa Clark, Activities Committee Chair
Cruising News
our fleet captain, Chris Griffin and his sister Jan, giving cruisers tips on how to get around
Ahoy cruisers!
We had a productive first meeting with seven people in attendance.
Here is a list of trips being planned so far...
West with Walter – Western LI ports: 6/16 – 6/29
Independence Weekend, destination TBD: 7/4 – 7/6
The Clamshell Foundation, Three Mile Harbor fireworks: 7/12 – 7/13
Annual Cruise: 8/2 – 8/17
Labor Day Weekend, destination TBD: 8/30 – 9/1
Bikes & Wine, Mattituck: September 9/20 – 9 21
Columbus Weekend, destination TBD: 10/11 – 10/13
Regarding the Annual Cruise, we discussed planning a cruise with trips closer to home on odd numbered years, and farther afield on even numbered years.
The next cruising meeting will be Tuesday May 20th at 6:30 at the club. Any interested folks please consider attending. I’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions.
Chris Griffin, Fleet Captain
Grounds
From the Grounds Committee: Spring Has Sprung!
Ahoy, North Cove! Spring is finally peeking its head around the corner, and so are the perennials in our gardens—slowly but surely waking up from their long winter nap. As nature stretches and yawns, so do we—ready to roll up our sleeves and give the club grounds the seasonal spruce-up it deserves.
Soon, we’ll be filling in the garden beds with cheerful annuals and sprucing up the planters around the clubhouse with a vibrant mix of colors. (We like to think of it as putting on the club’s “summer wardrobe.”) Two of our older planters, sadly, were past their prime—let's just say they cracked under pressure. They've been replaced with fresh, self watering ones that are ready for action!
Big thanks go out to Lou Vinciguerra, David Chan, and David Miller who have been true grounds heroes this season. They’ve spread new gravel around the club and repaired the potholes in the driveway—a job that required many man hours, plus a little fun with some big equipment (because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love an excuse to play with heavy machinery?).
We recently had to replace 12 blocks around the garden bed, thanks to a series of unfortunate events. Sometimes it's the garbage trucks that give them a good nudge, and other times… well, let’s not say… Either way, please take it slow around the front—those blocks may look tough, but they have feelings too.
A special shoutout also goes to Lou V. (again!) for removing the old tree stump in the front garden.. We’re now on the lookout for a worthy replacement something that adds a little nautical charm. A tree may not be the best choice as the driveway often floods. We are working hard and looking at many creative things. To be revealed soon.
As always, thank you to everyone who helps keep North Cove beautiful. See you out there—gardening gloves on, coffee in hand, and always with a little dirt under the nails.
Cathy Murphy and Kathy Reddington, Grounds Committee Chairs
The Ship’s Store
Bad hair day? We’ve got you covered
Happy Spring from The Ship’s Store…
The upcoming boating season includes long hours in the sun and bad hair days! But, we have you covered with a new shipment of NCYC baseball hats to add to bucket hats, visors and knit hats for those chilly spring cruises.
As always, your support is greatly appreciated!
Tom & Julie Tydeman
tjtydeman@gmail.com
Tom Cell: 860-877-3343
Julie Cell: 860-877-3344
Getting the Boat Ready
by Joe Carroll
The season is upon us, and many of us are busy getting our boats ready for summer. For example, all last weekend my team worked on my Nonsuch 30 sailboat, Madaket. The “team” consists of myself, and my girl Sharon. So far, the boat’s bottom is partially sanded, as is the mast. Sharon asked for a job with more responsibility than just carrying my tool box, handing me tools and sandpaper, and handing over water. Not one to pass on offers of help, I gave Sharon–and she willingly–accepted the assignment to finish sanding the remaining two-thirds of the bottom which includes sanding away dead barnacles, dried scum, and loose anti-fouling paint. But first, the mud puddle beneath the boat needs to dry so that Sharon doesn’t muddy the backsides of her Chanel and Talbots fashion work clothes while sanding overhead with her ten pound 1949 GE electric sander.
This coming weekend, Sharon will complete sanding, cleaning and painting Madaket’s bottom. Also, the water line and boom will be repainted and the transmission fluid and engine oil changed, and the water pump impeller replaced. Sharon will then climb into the tiny engine compartment to change out the engine’s zinc. Also, the topsides will need to be compounded, waxed and polished. Sharon has a lot to do!
Someday soon, Madaket will be launched, and then her 55-foot mast stepped, and her large and heavy sail heaved into place. Once Madaket gets launched Sharon will radiate a joyful aura reflecting on the work that she did to get Madaket launched. [ed. note: of course she will…]
My boat maintenance projects could be worse. Some people in my boatyard are cutting holes in their decks and scooping out the wet muck that used to be the deck’s balsa core, then replacing the core and fiberglassing over the access hole. I’m sure that there are a lot of boats out there with squishy delaminated decks that need refurbishment work done. But the mindset of most boat owners is that next year is just as good as any other year for postponing work that isn’t of the utmost importance to getting a boat sailing.
Overseeing my team’s work allows me to do some daydreaming and observation in the boat yard. Cove Landing Boat Yard in Hamburg inner cove has many classic boats and I have concluded that all boats are beautiful; but in different ways. A boat can be beautiful in her lines, in the way she carries out her function, in her speed, or she can be beautiful in one’s eyes because of the attachment one has for one’s boat. I believe, however, that one shouldn’t let the beauty of one aspect or another of a boat blind them to the complete picture. I have determined, that when getting married to a boat, it pays to make a choice carefully. Don’t judge a boat hastily. As with many people, a boat’s nicest virtues and characteristics are not always immediately disclosed.
Oh! Please excuse me, I need to point out a mass of dead barnacle debris clinging to Madaket’s bottom that my teammate missed during her sanding/scraping, and also to request that she return to work from her “break”.
Memorial Day is upon us, and to many that is the official start of summer. I hope that all of you are making progress in your boat preparations, and thanks for all that you do to make NCYC the great place that it is.
Joe Carroll, Captain of Madaket.
From the Chaplain’s Quiet Corner of the Cove
At last came the golden month of the wild folk–honey-sweet May, when the birds come back, and the flowers come out, and the air is full of the sunrise scents and songs of the dawning year.
Samual Scoville Jr.
Wishing you Wild Blessings in the Merry Month of May,
Jean, Club Chaplain
For Sale
2000 J-105 ORIANA, shoal draft, lying Old Saybrook, recent North Sails main and jib, original seldom used spinnaker, new Code 0 unused, new chartplotter, older topside Awlgrip. Bought a new boat. Looking for a quick sale at the discounted price of $50,000. Dwight Merriam dwightmerriam@gmail.com 860.463.7233
From the Editor
If you have anything you’d like put into the June High Tidings, please email me at debrasachs247@gmail.com. Thank you to all who contributed to this issue!
Deb Paulson, Editor High Tidings