West Shore Sail Club has always had social activities of some kind since it all began in 1972. In 2006, an Activities Committee was born again. Our goal is to have one social activity per month except for the summer months when we are sailing together. Getting our sailors together in the off season is one way West Shore builds a strong membership.
Yo ho! What a party. There were so many different kinds of rum! Attendees brought finger foods and a bottle of rum, or two or three to share. There was a competitve Mexican Train Domino game, festive music and lots of laughter. Some of us remember more of the party than others... but I was told the RUM PARTY ROCKED!
West Shore fought the winter duldrums fiercely this year. We roasted a pig in 30 degree weather for our Luau at Fred and Amanda Krabach's home. Guests arrived in their Hawaiian wear and received leis at the door. Fred Krabach and Jody Larrow did a superb job roasting the pig, it was very juicy and tender. We had sweet potatos, green beans, corn and rolls to round out the dinner. There was a hula hoop contest. Our Hula King was Chris Hartmann and the Hula Queen, Roxanne Schamante. Both winners did a great job swinging those hips and keeping that hoop from hitting the floor.
This year's Commodore's Ball was held at The Rhapsody Restaurant in Southgate. We had a wonderful turn out of members that helped celebrate our new Commodore, Susan Ashley. Several awards were passed out this year. PHRF Boat of the Year went to Matt Dubois and Roger Pollack on Racer X. JAM Boat of the Year went to Brenda Woodruff on Dragon Lady. Jack & Jill first place went to a Mother - Son team, Brenda and Tom Woodruff. The Jack & Jill Pickle Flag was awarded to Fred and Amanda Krabach. The Cruising Boat of the Year went to Dan Williamson and Peggy Hillen on Tiki Bar. The San Pareil was awarded to John and Joan Samuelson on G'Day. The comical If'weeda and Captain Sandbar awards were given to Mike Warchol and Peter Krabach respectively. Lary Smith also passed out many Cruising Distance Awards going to several members who cruised a significant number of miles on Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron. There was a tasty dinner and lively music and dancing that made for a wonderful evening of celebration. Congratulations Susan!
Fifteen West Shore Kids and fifteen adults enjoyed a wonderful program presented by Paul Cypher at Lake Erie Metropark's Marshland Museum on April 1st. All of us were acquainted with the vegetation and critters that would be found in the marsh. The highlights were the huge frogs and the turtles that the kids were able to come up and touch. After the 45 minute program, the Easter Bunny came to visit and passed out a gift bag of crayons, pencils and erasers. The children were able to use those items to do some coloring and created a bunny hanger decoration. The younger children then went digging for prizes in a pool filled with scrap paper and the older children went outside to do an egg toss. The weather was warm and sunny for the egg hunt. The kids raced to find the 150 eggs that were hidden near the museum.
The corn roast will be held on September 9, 2007 at Hydelca Park in Gibraltar. It is the afterglow to the Jack & Jill Race, but you don't have to do the race to attend. Please bring a dish to pass. Drinks and corn will be supplied by the club.
Saturday, October 13th is the date. We currently do not have a venue for this event. We would like to have a hayride, bonfire and carve some pumpkins. If you would like to volunteer your place for these festivities, please contact Tina Askins.
November 16th at Amanda Krabach's home. We will have a Creative Memories representative there to help us with our scrapbooking needs. If you haven't scrapbooked before and want to learn how, this is a great opportunity. Bring all those sailing vacation photos and do something creative!
The 2007 Christmas Party will be held at Tom Priest's home on December 8th. Please bring a dish to pass and a $5 gift exchange. We hope to see Santa since we have been such good sailors. There will be craft activities and games for the children.
West Shore Sail Club has always had social activities of some kind since it all began in 1972. In 2006, an Activities Committee was born again. Our goal is to have one social activity per month except for the summer months when we are sailing together. Getting our sailors together in the off season is one way West Shore builds a strong membership.
Several members turned out to enjoy wine and cheese. We had around 15 different bottles of wine and just about as many cheeses that were shared among the group. Mary Colie makes a delicious Boursin cheese, that did not last long into the evening. This January party was a very fun time to spend with our sailing friends. There was great music and humorous antics. You'll have to ask Peg Hillen about her shoe mishap. It is a story we won't soon forget.
Several of us traveled to Chicago's Navy Pier for this event. Some of us traveled by car and others by train. The train ride is around 5 hours from the Detroit area and is a very relaxing trip. Some of us stayed at the Holiday Inn City Centre which is about a 1 mile walk to the Navy Pier. Those who attended walked the showroom floor to view the latest and greatest in sailboats and gear and attended seminars through out the day. Strictly Sail always has informative and interesting seminars to attend. We gathered as a group in the evening to have dinner. This year we ate at Shula's Steak House, which ranks in the top ten steak houses in America since 1991. One of the featured entrees is the 48-Ounce Porterhouse. Those who finish it join Shula's 48-Ounce Club, which currently has more than 26,000 members. No one attempted to eat this much beef, but the smaller portions we had were delicious.
It was a very cold day, but several members showed up at Holiday Inn Southgate ready for swimming and fruity tropical drinks. We had unlimited use of the pool for several hours and Holiday Inn catered pizza and snacks for us. It was a fun time that helped cure the winter duldrums.
We celebrated our new Commodore, Thomas Priest at Arnaldo's in Trenton. Several awards were given out, PHRF Boat of the Year, JAM boat of the Year, and the Bertie Cup to name a few. The food was fantastic and the music kept us dancing all night long.
West Shore members enjoyed an evening of horse racing at Northville Downs. There was a delicious dinner and then it was time to place your bets. Some lucky members even won some bets! A fun evening was had by all.
Despite the bitter cold and the outdoor venue for the party, the kids had a fun time. We quickly got everything done in about an hour. There was coloring, cookie decorating, foam craft, and a guess the jelly bean count game. The Easter Bunny visited us and passed out some goodies to each child. The grand finale was an Easter Egg Hunt. Each plastic egg was filled with candy except for one. That special egg had a blue ribbon in it stating that you had won the grand prize. The grand prize was a cute purple stuffed bunny which was won by Amanda Krabach's niece, Kennedy.
Six of us showed up for a night of fun at Greektown Casino. We all met for dinner at the Grape Vine, which was followed by an evening in the casino. There were no "Big Winners" in the group, but fun was had by all. Thanks to Donna Garbacz for arranging this social outing.
We combined the Corn Roast with the Jack & Jill Race this year. The Corn Roast is the afterglow to the race. Everyone brings a dish to pass and West Shore provides the corn. This activity was open to all West Shore members and their guests, not just those who raced. The gathering was at the Community Park in Gibraltar, which is a very nice facility that provides covered seating. Thanks to John Cairns for providing the grill and to Susan Ashley for grilling the corn.
The 2006 Christmas Party was held at Tom Priest's home. Many members showed up bearing exchange gifts and a dish to pass. There was a visit from Santa (AKA. Leonard Garbacz) he passed gifts out to every good sailor. The children who attended enjoyed making festive photo frames and beaded necklaces.
| Contact: Membership Chair | Sunday, 22-Apr-2007 22:38:13 EDT |