Crow’s Nest 04/10/26
Ah, don’t you just love the annual weather roller coaster we call Spring here in the Midwest…It’s in full swing, giving us just enough warm days to think maybe we’ve turned the corner…Thankfully that corner is just a few blocks down from us, soon enough we’ll be basking, or is it baking, in the Summer sun.
Registration is open! If your membership is set up to auto-renew, it will do so tomorrow, April 10th…For those who are not set up to do so, please head out to our beautiful website and register now. CLYC Membership Don’t forget your tax deductible donation to the Clear Lake Sailing Center while you’re out doing your registration (consult your tax advisor). The Sailing Center appreciates any and all donations made in support of their mission to teach kids how to sail!
Speaking of registration; the Clear Lake Sailing Center (Sailing School for us old folks) is open for registration already. The Center is gearing up for what promises to be another fantastic year. They have many instructors returning from previous years; that includes an “Old face” in a new position. Sophia Ollenburg returns this summer as the Program Director. She’ll be overseeing the day-to-day operation of the Center, leading the instructors and handling most interactions with adults! Clear Lake Sailing Center
The Center runs all sorts of different programs for all manner of ages and abilities! From a beginner to racing youth and beginner to advanced adult, the Center has a program! For 2026 a new emphasis is being put on developing youth racers from those sailors progressing through the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of the morning classes.
This is a combined effort between the Center and some YC members to ultimately bring more youth sailors into the X fleet and enjoy years of fun on the water. Those youth sailors could turn into generations of members fueling the YC spirit in Clear Lake well beyond our time.
If you’re interested in learning more about both X boat and Optimist racing, please email info@clearlakesailingcenter.com or contact one of the Board Members directly.
Annual Clean Up Day: Saturday, April, 25th at 0900 will be the official opening of the YC building. This is the day all the hardworking folk, which includes you, show up and clean the building itself and the grounds surrounding it. After a long hard Winter the grounds need a serious sprucing up. If you’re available please come down and pitch in, any and all help is appreciated! If you have any questions please feel free to contact Deb Tesar, dtesar@cltel.net
Last week we unveiled the amazing social schedule for 2026, if for some reason you missed the last Crows Nest here it is (it’s also posted on the website):
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June 6th – CLYC Building
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June 27th – CLYC Building
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July 18th – Outing Club
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August 22nd – Jeff Brakke residence
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September 6th – CLYC Building (Awards Dinner)
Look for Commodore Andi Tisor to throw something special at you during the Summer… We all know Andi’s vision for special events and she’s set a schedule conducive to high levels of “Special Eventhood.”
While it’s Andi who coordinates the events, it will be Mark Ebeling as Vice Commodore who has the responsibility of carrying out the cumbersome task of setting up, tearing down and properly hydrating the crowds. Mark won’t be able to do it alone… OK, Kristen won’t be able to do it alone; the first year Board Members are our first line of assistance but those of us who like to close the parties down should also feel free to help in any way possible!
The Club racing schedule hasn’t changed for some time now, however, a few changes need to be made this year due to the 4th of July holiday and the ILYA Dinghy Championships. In addition to these dates listed below, other changes have been made to the E, C, Hobie schedule to ensure a higher amount of racing; we’ll detail those changes as we go OR you can check out the calendar on the website and see when you race…
As usual, we begin the season with the Memorial Day Regatta; this year, it’s May 23rd and 24th. The warning signal times haven’t changed, they’re as follows:
Saturday @ 0930 – MC, Melges 15, X
Saturday @ 1400 – E, C, Hobie
Sunday @ 1000 – MC, Melges 15, X
Select Sundays @ 1400 – E, C, Hobie
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No racing on Saturday, July 4th… Go celebrate 250 years of independence
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No racing on July 25, July 26 or August 1 – ILYA Dinghy Champs
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Club racing will resume Sunday, August 2nd.
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Speaking of Club Racing, please be sure to review the Sailing Instructions – Clear Lake Yacht Club as a few changes have been made. A major change for the MC fleet will be a leeward gate rather than a single leeward mark. As always please make sure you’re familiar with Racing Rules of Sailing, preferably the newest set…
A special note on the Rules from the Chief Judge – please be sure to review the changes to Rule 14, Rule 18 (all of it) and Rule 41 which were made for 2025-2028 quadrennium.
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Local Rule Variation – Our SI’s clarify Rule 41(a); stating a capsized boat is “in danger” and outside assistance is allowed and the boat receiving assistance need not retire.
If anyone has rules questions please feel free to contact Chief Judge Dan Allen – dsallen@cltel.net
The largest point of interest in our calendar is the aforementioned ILYA Dinghy Week, which is named so, much to the chagrin of Wil Cooney due to it being a succession of events in smaller boats. Optimists, X boats and Melges 15s racing over the course of 9 days. From July 24 through August 1 Clear Lake will be taken over by upwards of 1000 sailors and support people, each trying to take home the title of ILYA Champion and forever be written in the annals of sailing lore. Maybe that’s a bit exaggerated but not much, remember the ILYA is one of the oldest associations in the country with Championships dating back to the late 19th Century.
Perhaps the coolest part of the entire event is the age range – it’s possible that we will have sailors as young as 6 years old and some in their 80’s… There’s not many sports around the world that can boast the range of sailboat racing!
Running an event of this magnitude doesn’t come with the help of our amazing membership base volunteering as much as they can. Over the years, sailors have raved about their experiences coming to Clear Lake. Those raves are in large part due to the work we put in; please mark your calendars and help out as much as you can!
I think I’ve taken up enough of your time this week with my “Day late” ramblings… More to come in a couple weeks! Until then folks…
Stay in the Clear Air.
Dan Allen
MC 2811 – Relentless