Learn to Sail with our friends at the Miramar Yacht Club!

Well, well, well! Spring MUST be coming - 'cause it's almost time for the 2008 session of -

LEARN TO SAIL with the MIRAMAR YACHT CLUB in Sheepshead Bay!

A Sailing Course that is perfect for anyone interested in sailing - and an opportunity to go sailing.

Classroom Sessions: Friday nights
March 28, April 4, April 11 - 2008
7:30 - 9:30 pm

Course fee - $50 Adults, $75 Families

Course materials,

refreshments (mmmmm, cake!)














& FREE SAIL included!


A 20% discount will be given to anyone who previously took Miramar's sailing class

For more information, head on over to the Miramar web site, or give them a call at (718) 769 - 3548, or email sail@miramaryc.com

I went last year along with a couple other club members - we all had a great time, learned a lot, and, uh, did I mention that the cake was always yummy?

The boats were nice, too!

Miramar Yacht Club
3050 Emmons Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11235

Inaugural Rolling Session in Queens!

Just a few pix from today's inaugural rolling session at the brand-new (just opened on February 29th) Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatic Center in Queens!

I don't remember the last time we loaded up THIS many boats!

Our convoy of 4 loaded cars made it safely to Queens -

Here we are. Just look at the place. Incredible.


Many boats need many paddles. Me, I brought 3 (used one, but hey, they always say to have a spare, right?)


The place is truly enormous. And I didn't even turn around and take a picture of the full-sized ice rink that's visible through the windows behind me. I used to live near the Asphalt Green swimming pool, and I thought that was pretty cool - but I think this one beats that. Well, it should - I was told by one of the regular swimmers there that the place was actually built as part of NY's bid for the 2012 Olympics. Well, we didn't get that - but we sure got a nice pool out of it. And it was in intense use today, families, kids of all ages, lap swimmers - it was sort of a raw & windy day outside, and people were taking full advantage of the place.

Here's some of the bigger kids. The amazing thing was that we only took up about a sixth of the entire space available, not counting the diving area, which had been made available to us I think it was just for today - more fun being with the crowd, though.

This was sort of a test run (almost said "dry run") to see how things would go - mostly, it sounds like everybody was happy with it, so the Sebago pool rolling season seems likely to have gained an extension!

Great fun - thanks to all the people who worked to make this happen.

THE CULEBRA CHALLENGE

Sebago member Joe Glickman and a friend of many Sebago members, Freya Hoffmeister
, raced surf skis in Culebra the link

LOLKayak!

Minh! MINH!

moar funny pictures

Actually...guess what. I'm KIDDING.

OK, so some of those who paddle sleek, shiny, nimble rocket-like craft (and OK, and even some of us who paddle nimble, banged-up craft which might, when first glimpsed from the corner of the eye, be mistaken for a half-peeled banana) may look down our highly-trained, expensively-certified schnozzes at an object like this, but our friend Marcus made a very astute observation as we were discussing the widening circles of people who are choosing something like this as the perfect fishing platform -

A fisherman on a big, inelegant-looking (to the eyes of some) S.O.T. is a fisherman who's NOT in a noise-creating, gas-guzzling, smoke-belching stinkpot - and that's better for everybody, don't you agree?

More photos from the Long Island Paddlesports Safety Symposium on the way one of these days. Thoroughly enjoyable day, thanks Elizabeth for another good one!

cross posted at Frogma

p.s. I know I just did a lol-canoe at Frogma - I promise this is not going to become a regular feature!

p.p.s. honest, I mean it!

2nd to Last Greenwich Pool Session - Where Is Everyone!

Spring is not yet quite sprung...but we're getting there! Check out the volunteer crocus Adele the Gardening Chair found hanging out in the middle of the grounds. None of us planted this!

Greenwich pool sessions are winding down - next week's the last one. Now some of us, in a collective moment of temporary insanity, have volunteered to help out with the rolling demo at the Long Island Paddlesports Symposium. What's so insane about that? Well, nothing much except that this year's venue doesn't have a pool. Please please please please please no cold snaps this week...

Anyways - Last week's session was incredibly crowded - this week's was the polar opposite! Just a few quick shots from today's -

(echo effect)
HELLOOOO!ello! ello! ello!
Where is everybody!uddy! uddy! uddy!

Pete averaged it out - said the average number of people in the pool at any given time was 5. Made for a pretty intensive session, both because there were fewer people to schmooze with and/or apologize to when you ran them over. A lot of the regulars were missed but this did make for perfect conditions to spread out & work hard.


John had a fun new toy...introducing Helmet-Cam! Equally usable as Bow-Cam and In-Hand-Cam. We may see some footage from that one of these days. I proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am never going to be the US's answer to Justine C - there was something about having a camera parked on my bow pointed at me & recording that made me blow some pretty simple rolls!

He finally had pity & took the camera away but my gosh has he got some blackmail material.

Redeemed myself through the rest of the session - storm rolls were working mostly, hand rolls both sides, and lots of swimming to paddles & other breath-holding silliness.

And oh, yes, I did roll Jean T's Feathercraft. Last week I'd tried to roll this & failed completely. I mean I couldn't get the thing to give so much as a twitch in the right directions - the sponsons Just Said No. This week, Jean let me give it another shot, this time with sponsons deflated. Much Much Better!

Finished off the session with a little pure horsing around. Next lap I was up on my knees doing a Rolls-Royce hood ornament impression. Wasn't going to try standing up - I am no airy sylph & I was concerned about bending the aluminum rods that form the frame, but for those for whom the simple business of standing up in their own boat has lost all novelty & is becoming humdrum - perhaps trying that would provide some new amusement!


Been a fun season in Greenwich. A warm (though soggy) thank-you to theAppalachian Mountain Club's CT Flatwater Committee (especially Jean T!) for hosting these!