"Yacht Club Secret of Susquehanna", Chuck Rhodes, ABC 27
"2008 Pennsylvania Governors Cup Lightning Regatta"
"The kids have a chance to forget", York Daily Record
"Ivan-fueled storms punished Pa. waterways", USA Today
"Susquehanna", sailsoutheast.org
*Send any articles about SYC to info@syc-pa.us. Links to the online articles would be appreciated.
"Yacht Club Secret of Susquehanna"
by Chuch Rhodes of ABC 27 News
July 21, 2009
From their boat launch area just south of Wrightsville, York County, members of the Susquehanna Yacht Club have been making waves and making friends for six decades while keeping an eye on the health and well-being of the river they love.
"That's one of the things our club tries to do: preserve the river, help keep it clean," said Rick Faust, commodore of the yacht club.
Boating experience varies among the members. Kim Bonawitz was one of those new to the water when husband George decided to join.
"I thought he meant sale, S-A-L-E, but instead he meant S-A-I-L," she said.
The all-volunteer organization is recognized by yachting clubs all over the world, but it's not hung up on what constitutes a yacht.
"It can be anything from a huge sailboat, a huge motor vessel, to a pontoon boat, to a dinghy," Faust said. "I mean, if you consider it a yacht, and it floats, to me it's your yacht."
Out on the water, safety and courtesy are taken seriously, but that doesn't mean sailors can't laugh at themselves.
"Sometimes I get saluted, but not always in a good way," Faust said.
The club - which has about 180 members - is open year-round, featuring world class races in season, along with numerous social and charity events, including a giant regatta every fall.
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2008 Pennsylvania Governors Cup Lightning Regatta
The 2008 Lightning Pennsylvania Governors Cup Regatta was held the weekend of October 24 and 25th in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania. Susquehanna Yacht Club hosted the event, with sailing on the Susquehanna River. The river is dammed up a few miles down, creating a beautiful sailing venue that is more than a mile wide in the primary sailing area. 15 lightnings braved the grim forecast to compete in the event. After some very tight racing, Charlie Wardwell and team emerged as the champions. Charlie and crew may also be the champions of the Saturday night party, though those official results haven't come in yet.
The Saturday forecast for Southeast Pennsylvania was miserable. Lots of rain, lots of wind, and unseasonably cold temperatures were predicted. The weather-people delivered as promised, though the rain held off long enough for three good races to be run. The day started with the famous quote "it's never like this here!" being tossed around. The wind was blowing from the South-Southeast at a good clip and building up quite a chop on the river. The problem was that the waves were crashing directly into the launching area, making the process extremely difficult. Eventually everyone figured out how to beat, or at least not get beaten too badly by, the waves, and boats were slowly launched. A few competitors set sail for the course, only to promptly return to shore and throw in the towel for the day.
Somewhere around 10 boats made the start of the first race. Jack Jones, my skipper, gave the vote as the dictator that we would be conservative on the day. That was Jack's way of saying that he did not want to go swimming! The first start saw the fleet split with about half going right and half going left. We went left, sailing on the hip of Charlie Wardwell the whole time.
Charlie and team rounded the windward mark first, with Bob Bush coming from the right to round in second. We rounded third, and headed down the run. I believe one boat (Pat Phelan & team) put their spinnaker pole up, but that was as close as anyone got to flying their spinnaker on Saturday. It would be a white sails only day. Charlie led all the way down the run and rounded the right gate to head up wind.
Meanwhile, Bob Bush's team and our team kept sailing downwind towards the finish line. Seems Charlie missed the memo about the one lap race. He recovered and ended up only losing Bob, holding onto second place. We wound up third.
The wind was up a bit for the second race, and we were in full hike mode with the rig depowered for much of the first beat. We again went left, and rounded the windward mark in second behind Pat Phelan. We held this position down the run and then decided to test the right side on the next upwind leg. Big mistake. We lost 2 boats from the left and made it to the windward mark right on the tail of the 3rd and 4th place boats. I guess I should say that we almost made it to the windward mark. We were caught off guard by a port tack boat as we approached on starboard. Jack through the tiller over to prevent a collision, and we almost went swimming. Actually, we kind of went swimming in the boat, as we filled it up to the seats with water. We then reached off and started bailing. About five minutes later we finally made it around the mark and headed downwind for the finish, waaaay behind the rest of the fleet. We decided not to worry about this finish and that we'd request for redress after we reached shore, as our score was significantly altered through no fault of our own. This was a good idea, and the protest committee agreed and granted us redress for race number 2.
In the third race we again guarded the left-middle of the course and rounded third. We held on to third through the finish of this one lap race. I don't remember too much about this race at the moment, though I do remember hiking a lot harder and being a lot colder than the previous two races. One boat wasn't so luck in this third race and they went for a full out swim (twice) near the finish of the third race.
We then pulled the boats out of the water and headed for the cover of the yacht club as the rain started to pour. Time to start the party….
Every lightning sailor should make an attempt to sail the PA Governors Cup at Susquehanna Yacht Club. Not for the sailing… the sailing is good, but you’ve probably had better. Instead, go or the party! They held an Octoberfest party, w/ all the beer/brats/kraut and potatoes that you could imagine. Did I mention they have a live Polka Band at this party? Yeah, they have a live Polka Band playing all of your Polka favorites. Gary and Joan Hurban showed everyone how it’s done on the dance floor. Charlie Wardwell and crew tried to steal the show with some of their younger polka moves, though I think my vote will still have to go to Gary and Joan as the winners of this dance off. As far as I know this dance off went long into the night, while I dozed off back at the ranch at around 9:30.
We were greeted Sunday with cold temps, no breeze, and lots of sunshine. The launch process was much easier on Sunday without the waves crashing in, and everyone drifted out towards the course. The wind eventually settled in from the southwest at a nice 5-10 mph.
We started the first race on Sunday at the pin end and committed ourselves to the left side of the course. A few minutes in I informed Jack that the right was filling in and looking really…really good. We decided not to bail out of our side and to wait for our turn at a good shift. I don’t think we ever got that shift, but luckily the right lost a lot of pressure and we snuck into the windward mark in about 3rd. Turns out the left had paid at the top of the beat. We picked up another boat downwind and followed Bob Bush up the final beat. We made some mistakes on this leg, and had we a do-over, we would have left Bob alone and guarded the left side of the course. Turns out, whomever got to the left of us passed us. We rounded the windward mark a disappointing 7th and held this spot to the finish. Bob Bush held on to win this race, and Charlie Wardwell had a nice comeback to get into the pointy end of the fleet.
The second race started and we told ourselves that we would not let anyone left of us in this race. We did just that and looked great all around the course. On the second upwind leg we caught a nice shift and emerged into the lead. We held our position to the left of everyone, and unfortunately for us Bob Bush sailed in a bit more pressure to leeward of us and snuck ahead at the windward mark. We gained on Bob on the final run, but he held on for his second win of the day.
We then headed for shore to pack up the boat and enjoy some nice cold left-over beer. At the end of the regatta we had managed to hold onto 2nd place.
First place went to Charlie Wardwell and crew, who sailed the most consistent regatta of anyone to take the pickle dish. Charlie can now put his name on a trophy that his father won multiple times a while back.
As I said, Jack Jones took second.
Pat Phelan and crew finished in third.
Bob Bush (who counted a DNS in his scoreline) won a tie breaker for fourth over Trevor Prior.
All in all, this was one of the more fun regattas I’ve been to. I’m looking forward to bringing my own boat sometime soon… maybe next year!
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"The kids have a chance to forget" - Susquehanna Yacht Club gives young cancer patients a day on the river
by Dave Sottile of the York Daily Record
August 5, 2007
Sylvia Larson knows all too well the challenges faced by families dealing with pediatric cancer patients.
“It's such a stressful time for everyone involved,” Larson said. “It's so incredibly tough for the entire family.”
Two years ago, Larson's 18-year-old daughter, Jenna, was diagnosed with cancer, and the Palmyra, Lebanon County, family received help from the Four Diamonds Fund while Jenna underwent treatment at Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey.
The Fund helps families offset the cost of treatment that isn't covered by insurance, along with expenses such as automotive repairs, rent, or household utilities. The Fund also supports the medical team that cares for children and funds pediatric cancer research through start-up grants and the Four Diamonds Pediatric Cancer Research Institute.
The Larsons, members of the Susquehanna Yacht Club in Wrightsville, were so grateful for the assistance of the Four Diamonds Fund, they decided to help give something back.
“Jenna is 20 now, and a student at Penn State,” Larson said. “She's doing very well, but once you're a Four Diamonds Family, you're one for life. So we offered up our boat to be used during Four Diamonds Boating Day on the Susquehanna River.”
ast year, the Larson family welcomed a mother, father and two boys, one of which was being treated for cancer. The group cruised around the river on Aug. 26.
This year's event, the third such affair, is scheduled for Aug. 18.
Approximately 20 Susquehanna Yacht Club member families will make their powerboats and sailboats available for pediatric cancer patients to enjoy. The club is located at 1730 Long Level Road.
“This is a pretty unique event for us,” said Linda Barry, assistant coordinator for the Four Diamonds Fund. “Bassmasters in Harrisburg does a fishing day for us, but this is pretty special because the kids get to do something they otherwise would not be able to do.
“We're very grateful to the Susquehanna Yacht Club, because they go out of their way to accommodate the families as well as the children.”
This year's event will feature a picnic lunch, prizes, clowns, and an afternoon of fishing, swimming, sailing, tubing or leisurely cruising on the Susquehanna.
“The best part is that the kids have a chance to forget what's going on for the day,” Barry said. “Last year, some of the kids caught a few fish, and members of the yacht club prepared the fish and grilled them up for the kids to eat. Everybody thought that was pretty neat.”
According to its Web site, the Four Diamonds Fund has helped more than 2,000 families since 1972, with approximately 90 new families receiving support each year.
“We have families on what's called 'active treatment,' meaning the kids are receiving chemotherapy either through IVs or orally,” Barry said. “We sent a letter out to those families, letting them know about the event. “All of the kids are at different phases of their treatment. Some might not feel well enough to go on the boats. Others who are further down the line are more inclined to go.”
Larson, one of this year's primary event organizers, said Susquehanna Yacht Club members really enjoy spending time with the cancer patients and their families, which helps explain the generous donations of food, money and time.
“I think they experience a feeling of reward for doing something good for the families,” Larson said. “This is the third year, and we have patients and their families asking to pair up again with the same boat.
“Our members enjoy seeing how well the children have progressed, and they keep in touch throughout the years.”
Since the Four Diamonds Fund's inception, the patient outcomes have improved dramatically, too. “In the 1970s, the Fund patients' cure rate was 50 percent or less,” Barry said. “Now it's 80-85 percent, depending on the type of cancer.
“Our support is more than just financial. It's emotional. And now families know they aren't alone in this. Knowing that people are behind them does so much for the family in coping with the illness, and events like the boat outing does wonders for the kids, too.”
Reach Dave Sottile at 771-2063 or dave@ydr.com.
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Ivan-fueled storms punished Pa. waterways
The Associated Press, USA Today
September 22, 2004
PITTSBURGH — The streams, creeks and rivers went up and the boats went down — downstream or down to the bottom.
Boats that flood waters deposited in Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh.
Gene J. Puskar, AP
While many communities tried to dry out or dig out from remnants of Hurricane Ivan that wreaked havoc in much of Pennsylvania, the storms' damage may be the worst along the state's waterways where roiling rivers tore apart marinas.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, which is acting like a boating lost-and-found, has received about 50 calls from owners looking for their missing boats but officials expect those numbers to rise into the hundreds as rivers recede and boaters become brave enough to look, said Dan Tredinnick, a spokesman for the agency.
Hundreds of beached boats may rest in rivers around Pittsburgh alone. At Washington's Landing, an island in the Allegheny River, debris tore apart the marina, sinking its gas pumps and sending docks and as many as 130 boats downriver, said employee Stephanie Lamison. One of the docks, with six boats still moored to it, was sitting in Point State Park where the Allegheny and Monongahela meet to make the Ohio River.
"We had a deflector at the top of the marina and debris was piled 200 feet back. It just let loose from too much stuff. It took us out, wiped us out," said Lamison, 22, of Pittsburgh. "There are boats being found all over the place ... Ohio, West Virginia."
The U.S. Coast Guard in Pittsburgh said it corralled 14 commercial barges that broke free and 40 more pleasure boats during the storms.
There were also reports of marinas along the Beaver River, which empties into the Ohio downstream from Pittsburgh, being carried away by raging waters and battering debris.
Boaters fared no better on the swollen Susquehanna River. At Long Level Marina in Wrightsville, about 30 miles downriver from Harrisburg, owner Dick Hickman has been trying to rescue the boats he's seen floating by for the past three days.
"We've got sailboats from the Susquehanna Yacht Club that took too much debris sitting bough-first on the bottom of the river. I've seen numerous boats floating by — upside-down pontoon boats, house boats, whole docks," said Hickman, 59, who has lived on the river for 35 years. "I'm lined up on the front lot with probably a dozen sailboats. Some of them I don't know who owns them."
There were also boats tied to the shore and some being kept in place with anchors. The marina is clogged with debris; Hickman said he could walk the 30 feet between piers without touching water.
A handful of boats — and some pieces of boats — made it over the Safe Harbor Dam, according to Constance Walker, spokeswoman for PPL Generation, which co-owns the dam.
While rough weather was anticipated, many may have been caught off-guard by raging rivers which were fueled by runoff and debris from tributaries.
"A lot of this flooding that we've seen this time was not directly river flooding but from streams which aren't controlled by reservoirs," said Karen Auer, spokeswoman for the Army Corps of Engineers in Pittsburgh. "One of the big contributing factors was the large number of clogs in tributaries."
The Corps of Engineers also attributed flooding along the Susquehanna River to heavy runoff.
The heavy rains, record-setting in some areas, affected 42 of the state's 67 counties and caused at least 14,000 evacuations, millions of dollars in property damage and six reported deaths, including 35-year-old Dennis Santiago, who couldn't be rescued from a creek in suburban Pittsburgh and drowned. He was identified Tuesday.
In all, 19 counties were declared eligible for federal disaster aid and additional counties are being considered, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The worst flooding damage was around Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre and in Bucks County, although damage estimates weren't available Tuesday, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency spokesman Justin Fleming said.
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Susquehanna
http://www.sailsoutheast.org
We left Silver Springs on Wednesday morning at 11:00 AM. To be honest, we needed to get in some good sailing. Pymatuning was a neat place and a great regatta setting, but the wind conditions didn’t serve up the kind of sailing our annual safari was famous for.
It only took us two hours to get there. That put us there at 1:00 PM. The view from Knight’s View Road was breathtaking. Lake Clarke on the Susquehanna River was incredibly beautiful. From a distance, it looked pristine and undeveloped. It was a lake with tree-lined mountains around it. It looked very similar to Lake James, NC . Having arrived early, we drove around to kill some time and see the area. We drove across the lake into Columbia, PA. Both Wrightsville and Columbia are small Pennslyvania towns. There downtown businesses seem to stay in business. Red brick was/is the style of the day. Residential duplexes still line the roads and people still “live’ right in the middle of town.
The Susquehanna Yacht Club was not a typical yacht club setting. There was no gated entry and not a lot of real estate. The club consists of a strip of land on one side of a public road where the club house and trailer parking exists. A second strip of land on the water side holds their dry sail area and launch hoists. The club has around 20 Lightnings in their fleet and they typically get 10+ boats for club racing. I couldn’t help but think that this was an honest community because the drysail area was not fenced in or otherwise secured.
After our exploring brought us back to the clubhouse, it was still only 3:00 PM. The new covered picnic table area looked prefect for an afternoon snooze so we broke out pillows and stretched out for a snooze.
As sailors began arriving about an hour later, so did some serious weather. John and I were getting a little low. These were serious thunderstorms and sailing looked very doubtful. We monitored the weather channel and at 5:15, we were pleased to see the skies were clearing. The Weather Channel showed most of the bad stuff was gone, so we saddled up. By 5:45 we were ready to launch when more rain came. We waited it out and finally, at 6:30 the RC headed out and six Lightnings prepared to race. We picked up Joel McGuire as third crew and put him on the front.
I checked in with the RC to cover the local rules. Five minute starts and I-flags would go with windward leeward twice arounds. We were right at home. We ran our trademark port approach, tacked over to starboard with a few seconds to go and were off. By the first mark we were in third. Joel learned quickly and we flew the chute well. By the last leeward mark, we ducked inside 14074 and took second place. Then we pulled the classic mistake and chose not cover 074 when he tacked away. We paid for it when he grabbed a lift and beat us to the finish line. Still, a third was not bad.
In race two, we nailed the start right at the pin. We raced out to a two boat length lead, tacked across the fleet, and took off. We led from start to finish and put up the ace. It felt great, just what the doctor ordered.
We sailed in, put up 14620, and spent the next hour meeting the other racers and sharing analysis of the racing. We moved the party to Prudhommes Cajun Restaurant in Columbia where we had great Cajun food and more sailing stories. But, before we left YSC for dinner, a considerate member gave me his clubhouse key. It was a nice gesture as it meant no tents and no camping in the rain. When we arrived back at SYC after dinner, we unrolled our sleeping bags on the front porch and turned in. It was a great day and gave the safari a much need shot of adrenalin.
Thursday morning we ventured over to Gettysburg National Park. We enjoyed the battlefield history and museum. We took in the cyclorama. We walked out to the high water mark of Pickett’s Charge. We drove to Little Round Top and stood right where Joshua Chamberlain won his Medal of Honor. Knowing my history made it all the more fun.
We arrived back at SYC around 3 and John napped while I checked weather on the computer and made some phone calls. Sailors started arriving and by 6:00 PM we were back on the water – this time for the fun and games of team sailing. Our mission was to help the SYC boats prepare for a Saturday match with Havre de Grace Yacht Club. In team racing, the sum score of the three boat team are what matters. The operative number is ten. [Do the math. If your team finishes with 10 points or less, the other team can’t win.] The catch is, when one team realizes they are going to lose, they break ranks and do everything possible to disrupt the winning team. It’s sort of demolition derby on the water only each boat must follow all racing rules except two – you do not have to sail a proper course and hunting is allowed. Contact is NOT allowed.
Race one was easy. We blew off the starting line and led through the last leg. John Bates, a team member, grabbed a great lift and took first place at the last mark. We rounded second and headed home also. With a one and a two, the worst we could do was a 9 [last boat gets 6]. Race one to us.
In race two, things got real interesting. Our team was behind and so we just abandoned any sense of rationale racing and went hunting! It made for great fun, but it didn’t do much for us! We were able to shoot one of our boats up to the top three, but John and I couldn’t avoid the cellar. Race two to team yellow.
Race three would decide the night. We got a great start and took off. We were way out in front. Problem was, our team mates were in 5th and 6th. [Get the picture? 5+6+1= 12] So, believe it or not, 100 feet from the finish line, you guessed it, we turned around to go block the second place boat so our guys could move up. It was a valiant effort which almost worked – but didn’t.
It was crazy fun and we all had a lot of laughs back on shore. The SYC teams debriefed while John and I packed 14620. By 9:00 PM we were ready to go. We joined our new friends on deck and John took a group picture.
The SYC fleet are great folks who enjoy racing. How we miss this kind of club activity at our home club. We said our thank-yous and headed home. This had been two days of why we go out each summer. Great friends, great sailing, and great fun. Thanks, SYC.
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