POWER FLEET

CYC POWER FLEET: PREVIEW OF THE 2022 SEASON

Are you looking for more ways to enjoy your boat this summer? The Power Fleet is an active social group in the Club and each calendar year offers a variety of on-the-water events and other fun opportunities for individuals and families. Here are brief descriptions of four major types of activities that are sponsored and organized by the Power Fleet.

GIVING BACK CRUISES

The CYC Power Fleet is very involved in giving back to the community by hosting numerous outreach events. Power Fleet captains volunteer to take guests from organizations including the Chicago Light House for the Blind, the Chicago Boys and Girls Club, and Fathers Who Care for cruises along our beautiful lakefront. The Special Needs Cruise is our largest giving back event, hosting 120 guests from four Chicagoland facilities. Typically, we need 17-19 volunteer boaters to signup in order to accommodate our guests. Everybody involved agrees: we have as much fun as our guests! New for this season: members of the CYC Sea Scouts will be assisting us with all of our events.

THE POWER FLEET’S 2022 SCHEDULE FOR GIVING BACK CRUISES: June 21

Special Needs Cruise 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

June 28

Boys and Girls Club of Chicago Cruise 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

July 19

Youth Sight Impaired Cruise 11a.m. to 2 p.m.

August 5

Old Guard Cruise Time TBD

August 22

Staff Appreciation Cruise 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

August 23

Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind Cruise 11a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tired of just cruising along the Chicago lakefront? Want to explore other ports on Lake Michigan with other CYC members? If so, please join the Power Fleet for one or more of its Fleet Cruises.

The Power Fleet usually participates in three club cruises during the summer. We have an early cruise in June, which we call the Shakedown Cruise, our Annual cruise, and then an Extended Cruise. The Annual and Extended Cruises are usually around the first week of August. We get great participation with about 15 member boats and 35 to 40 people. This year, we will cruise to the South Shore Yacht Club in South Milwaukee for our Shakedown Cruise. The weekend plans include a joint party with SSYC on Friday night. Saturday will consist of a potluck style breakfast, a walking trip to the farmers market, a dinghy cruise up river with stops for cocktails, and a group dinner at a local restaurant. There are fun entertainment venues within walking distance. Most boaters will depart early on Sunday morning. The cruise is about 90 miles from Chicago with the coast always in easy sight. Please consult the club calendar for updates, and reach out to Ed Falkenhayn ejfalkenhayn@yahoo.com with any questions.

NAVIGATIONAL RALLIES (P-LOGS)

Join the Power Fleet this summer for some camaraderie and a little competition. The concept of a Navigational Rally is simple enough: cruise a 12-15 mile course utilizing some of your electronic equipment in a predicted amount of time. Each contest will have the course, where to turn, and instructions for when and where you can turn on and off various pieces of electronic equipment. Prior to the race, you will predict your time for each leg and your over-all time. The boat that finishes the contest closest to its predicted time wins. Sounds easy and it is! These contests allow boaters to familiarize themselves with their boat’s handling, best cruising speed, and their electronics. Best of all you can take your family and friends along and spend more time on the water with them. In addition, after the cruise is over, you can join other boaters for some post-race fun.

2022 SCHEDULE OF FLEET CRUISES: June 10 - 12

Power Fleet Shakedown Cruise South Shore Yacht Club, Milwaukee

August 5 - 7

Power Fleet Annual Cruise Reefpoint Marina, Racine, WI

August 7 - 14

Power Fleet Extended Cruise TBD (Grand Haven and Frankfort, MI, are confirmed)

THE POWER FLEET’S NAVIGATIONAL RALLY SCHEDULE FOR 2022: May 21 — Monroe station Training session (by Clyde Ainley) “Ride along” opportunities will be offered for new participants. Start Time TBD.

June 25 — Monroe Station “Monroe Opener” and “Southern Challenge” 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. July 10 — Belmont Station “Belmont Opener” and “Chicago’s Best” 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. August 5 At the beginning of the Annual cruise Start time will vary. August 27 — Monroe Station “Giovan“ (Club Championship) Start time TBD.

OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT THE RACE COMMITTEE

The mission of the Race Committee is to facilitate a fair, quality, and competitive racing program. To help fulfill its mission, Power Fleet members volunteer their boats to support the Race Committee with their major Regattas. The types of opportunities include: SIGNAL/PIN BOATS – Signal and Pin Boats are anchored at either end of the Start/Finish line and give you a great view of all the racing action. CHECK-IN BOAT – The Check-in Boat is anchored inside the break wall off Navy Pier for the Race to Mac Saturday starts, where boats check-in before heading out to the racecourse.

MARK SET BOATS – Mark Set Boats set the “marks” on the racecourse. Smaller center console powerboats works well.

JUDGES BOAT – The Judges Boat takes the judges around the racecourse to watch the racers during the start and running of the race. MEDIA BOATS – Media Boats take local and national media out onto the racecourse to provide media coverage of the event, including drone operators. SPONSOR/VIP BOATS – Sponsor/VIP Boats take sponsors and VIPs out to the racecourse to provide them the opportunity to view the event. As you see, the Power Fleet offers a variety of exciting and fun activities for its members and other members of the Club. Please feel free to join us for any (or all!) of these events. We hope to see you on the water! ✶

MEMBER’S BOATS ARE NEEDED FOR THE FOLLOWING RACING EVENTS IN 2022: June 9 - 12 Sailing World Regatta (formerly NOOD) June 18 - 19 SailGP

July 22 - 23 Race To Mac

August 18 - 21 Verve Cup Offshore Regatta August 26 - 28 Verve Cup Inshore Regatta

For more information about any of these events, feel free to contact:

Randall Schmidt, Chair, r-schmidt@uchicago.edu Clyde Ainley, Vice Chair, dcainley@gmail.com

The Power Fleet Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Everyone is welcome to attend our meetings.