LETTER FROM THE OTW DIRECTOR

A LETTER FROM THE ON THE WATER DIRECTOR

BY SKIP DIEBALL

SPRINGTIME IN THE CITY

One minute we are in shorts and flops, then next we have the parka back on. So is the life with our OTW team as we get geared up for a fun spring session. With High School sailing well underway and Frostbite on the verge of starting, our team is adjusting to a fun 2022 season.

The past 5 months have served up some new and exciting things for our various teams. Our Opti and Laser programs set up their winter base at Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa. Coach Flor Cerutti had the singlehanded sailors out nearly every weekend in the Florida sun. In addition, she squeezed in a number of clinics, including one with our foiling Skeetas. Talk about having fun! Similarly, Coach Hector Guzman had the C420 teams geared up at Jensen Beach, Florida on the other side of the Sunshine State. Between events and clinics, the C420 teams benefited from a wide variety of conditions and weather. With both of our locations filled with CYC sailors, we have high hopes for a successful and fun 2022 for all of our sailors.

The kids weren’t the only ones having fun. Ivan Sagel and Chuck Nevel led two groups of Adults at beautiful Captiva Island for some performance training in Colgate 26s. Their time there in mid-February caught them in the midst of a frontal system that provided plenty of breeze, which contributed to some fun memories! Congrats to all that were able to get south and sail. For the rest of the OTW staff, we were stuck in the tundra. Cam Borkowski spent endless hours at the CYC warehouse working on 420s, Race Committee and Coach RIBs. We are fortunate to have such a great workspace and as our fleet grows, so too does the work to keep them in top shape. Kudos to Cam for all his hard work and contributions to keeping the fleet shiny. I was able to get back into the competition side by diving into something new. I spent a number of weekends up in Madison, Wisconsin racing iceboats. I alternated between both the DN and the Renegade in getting many laps around the frozen Lake Monona. What fun to be speeding across the lake at top speeds. It was fun to regain the edge and I encourage everyone to try something new this summer on the lake. We have Kayaks, Paddleboards, Sailboats and Powerboats. 2022 will be one to remember and we are here to help you make the most of it. ✶