Ahoy! This is the first edition of the newsletter in its new format. As I announced last time, about 98.5 percent of the membership has an email connection The board has agreed to begin distributing the newsletter by email. This will save the club about $300 a year in expenses, and deliver the information directly to your computer. Items that need to be distributed to club members between letters can go out at once. In addition, a web edition will be prepared and Bart will put that on the club web site at www.bartbartholomew.com/blue_valley_yacht_club To find it click calendar then scroll down to June 15th. If you choose you can then print a hard copy. The web edition will contain pictures and a modicum of formatting

. Yours truly will be leaving the secretary's position in November. The newsletter has always been a responsibility of the secretary. In fact I wrote the first newsletter for the club when I was secretary back in the early 70's. The responsibilities of the secretary's position has grown over the years to include club archives, drafting letters, keeping minutes as well as creating the newsletter. It may be time to create a position of newsletter editor or electronic information disseminator to make the secretary's position not so time consuming. Some of you in your applications indicated an interest in helping with the newsletter. I confess I never found the time to implement a committee. As you think about next season please consider whether you would be interested in helping in this area. Our new approach indicates that computer skills will be necessary. Converting the text file to HTML for the web is not a lengthy task and perhaps Bart, or I, or someone else familiar with the process could do that jog.

. Please let me know how you feel about this method of communication and make suggestions as to the type of information that you would like to see covered in future letters. - Carl Hinrichs

Welcome new and old members

The club continues to grow if not exponentially at least steadily. Let's welcome the following new members to the club and introducer yourself to them when you see them.

• Sean and Tricia Kalic have a Snark Sunflower by the appropriate name of 1st Steppe.
• John and Nancy Lynch from Alta Vista have a Chrysler 22
• George, Anne, Marjorie and Geo Marchin have bought a McGreggor 26.
• David, Diane, and Kevin Thompson joined with a Catalina 27
• Benjamin, Nancy, Gary, Kristy, and Brett Young will be sailing a Hobicat 16.

Also lets welcome back some former members Matt Burnett who has rejoined with his Hobicat.

And finally, old club members eagerly wait for the re-launching of "Lady Slipper" by Bill and Craig Kennedy. Lady Slipper, a Santana 21, previously plied the Tuttle Lake waters with Tom Maney at the helm. Tom was Rear Commodore in 1975, when the club moved to its present location, and masterminded the mooring layout in the BVYC harbor. What is the delay, Craig? Rumor has it that Tom will also be rejoining the club shortly sailing a Laser.

Lake Days

BVYC joined a multitude of organizations on Sunday for the first Tuttle Creek Lake Days. A Sunfish was statically displayed while Vlasta Koonk demonstrated what could be done on a Laser on Tuttle Puddle. The rain dampened the size of the crowd in the morning and a rather isolated display location did not attract the hoped for spectators. Never-the-less thanks go to John Joehnk, Bob Mullen, Carl Hinrichs, Doc Hostetter, and anyone else I missed for manning the fort. Next year should be bigger and better.

Sea Scout Ship

As you probably know, Henry Otto has been the driving force behind the formation of a new Sea Scout Ship, a scout organization open to boys and girls ages 14 21. BVYC is the official sponsor of the ship and several members have already volunteered to help in leadership or training positions. Ex BVYC members, Paul Thompson and Ralph Teaford have donated boats to the scouts and George and Anne Marchin are in the process of giving their FJ to this new youth organization. We are pleased that the ship is getting off to a great start and we certainly applaud those able donate time or equipment.

There is a need for financial support for the Scout Ship. BVYC will donate storage space for the boats but is limited in financial support. Accordingly, Scout committee chairman, Bob Mullen is asking that BVYC members consider making financial contributions so that the ship can have funds for boat registration, maintenance and administration. Two BVYC members made initial contributions to get things moving. We hope others will follow. A donation of any size will be appreciated and is tax deductible. Bob will accept the donations or answer financial questions.

Club Equipment

Maintaining club equipment is an ongoing operation. John Joehnk is to be thanked for doing so much of the repair. His latest effort was restoring the Ford tractor to operational condition. This included rebuilding the carburetor and replacing a tire rim. He made sure it operated properly by mowing the north 40 out by the road. What would we do without him?

A big thank you goes to Gene Lindgren who took large chunks of scrap metal and welded them into 5 new mooring anchors. In return the board rewarded him with the old wheelhorse tractor and $50.

Tree Pruning

John is looking for someone with some knowledge to prune the cottonwoods so they become trees not bushes. Also John reminds everyone that it is the member's individual responsibility to keep the grass and weeds mowed around their own boats in the dinghy park. The Corps of Engineers inspection is later this month.

T. J. Ciaffone wins long distance race

Light and squirrelly winds challenged the seven BVYC members who turned out for the Scott Liebler Memorial Long Distance Race on May 28th. T.J. Ciaffone in his Hobie Cat barely made the starting gun but then moved well ahead of the pack before the wind died. T.J. and his crew, Steve, easily won the annual event with Ken Conrow in his Laser finishing second. Others competing were Bart Bartholomew, Jane Mullen and Diane Barker, Carl and Aaron Hinrichs, John Joehnk and Benjamin Young. After the race, members were treated to sausage and cool beverages prepared by social directors T.J. and Ranae.

The Sunday June 18th race was cancelled for lack of interest. Registration is due for the planned June 21st race by Monday. If you haven't tried racing you don't know what you're missing.