Our new Guide should be arriving at your door step early this week; we hope you take a moment to browse through all of our offerings. We can’t wait for summer and cannot wait to welcome everyone back (don’t forget to bring your friends) for the 2012 season!

 Remember Junior Summer Program registration beings on January 31st!

At the WFC we search and hunt for presents of a different kind. Each winter we search, deliberate, and evaluate the perfect spot for a boat to take it’s slumber during the winter months. Our yard acts like a giant jig saw puzzle, to make it event more interesting, our pieces change year to year. We welcome this challenge because it is a sign that the popularity of our sailing programs continues to grow and change. This year we had new, welcomed, pieces to fit. Including: a J/105, six 420s and a new coach boat for our WFC Opti Racing Team.

The Three Amigos, these will be the first boats unwrapped!

Last boat out, our venerable launch

Did we mention, some work needs to be done?

After meetings and discussions about where boats should go, the direction they should face and how they should be stored we were able to come to the right conclusion to get more boats in the same amount of space. Our jigsaw puzzle, becoming ever more challenging had been figured out once again. As the pieces began to fall into place the boats were tucked away for the winter, safe and sound.

However, before our boats are put to bed, they are decommissioned. Each boat gets evaluated for repairs, and each repair is evaluated to determine severity and time of the repair. After the walk through for each boat is complete they are cleaned, framed and wrapped for their winter slumber. There they sit, sleeping beauties, as we look forward with anticipation to the spring when they are unwrapped and commissioned to the delight of sailors who enjoy the waters of Oyster Bay.

On this fall morning, the students arrived to take part in our Biology of Plankton program. They braved the chill in the air on the pier to perform a plankton tow and discuss why it is so important to monitor the plankton population with such diligence.  It was evident that Mrs. Cerullo had provided her class with a solid foundation that allowed these young adults to answer and ask some great questions on the topic.

Once inside our classroom, with unmatched enthusiasm, the students held, touched and learned about some of the creatures that depend on plankton for food. We conducted water quality tests on samples we collected earlier that morning. They werealso able to use the microscope to classify some of the plankton they collected.

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Who said teachers don’t think about their students during the summer?  Marie Cerrulo from the Henry Viscardi School located in Albertson certainly does care. She came to the WaterFront Center this summer to relax and kayak with her daughter. But first, with her life jacket zipped and paddle in hand, she just had to find out about any programs we could teach to her “amazing” environmental science class.

On this fall morning, the students arrived to take part in our Biology of Plankton program. They braved the chill in the air on the pier to perform a plankton tow and discuss why it is so important to monitor the plankton population with such diligence.  It was evident that Mrs. Cerullo had provided her class with a solid foundation that allowed these young adults to answer and ask some great questions on the topic.

Once inside our classroom, with unmatched enthusiasm, the students held, touched and learned about some of the creatures that depend on plankton for food. We conducted water quality tests on samples we collected earlier that morning. They were also able to use the microscope to classify some of the plankton they collected.

WFC hosts two in-house regattas each season just for HSS sailors: a “green” event, the perfect format for new and developing racers, and a season championship, where bragging rights are on the line. The Halloween Green regatta is a seasonal favorite, scheduled around, you guessed it, Halloween. A comprehensive Skippers’ Meeting reviews, in detail, the racing format; starting sequence, recalls, courses, and a quick RRS refresher get sailors thinking about going fast in the right direction. Skipper and crew combinations are mixed up, allowing sailors of different skill levels from different schools to work together. This helps build teamwork and communication- two very important skills of successful racers.

Perhaps what makes the Halloween Green so fun is the green­- we don’t keep score and coaches provide tips and live feedback  during racing. Unlike field or court games where coaches run up and down the sidelines calling plays, moves and strategy, sailing is purely a competitor controlled game. For this year’s event, held on Sunday, Oct 30, coaches Alicia, Patrick and Dave were on hand to help the competitors around the course. The conditions were challenging- winds from 15-20kts, with some strong gusts and heavy chop, but few competitors were deterred. Donned mostly in drysuits and boots, twenty sailors tackled the port triangle course- surfing waves on the reaches and hiking flat (or trying to!) upwind. Watching boats round the gybe mark was a bit of a nail-biter from the coach boat, but all sailors did a great job negotiating the course!

As the breeze continued to build, the races ended early. The sailors, soggy from capsizes and spray, enjoyed lunch while the coaches provided a comprehensive debrief of the races. Everyone left with a smile (and Alicia’s famous goodie bags!) having learned a ton. This is always one of our favorite HSS events, and we look forward to continuing the tradition next year!

On Sunday, Nov 6, the HSS season culminated with the Fall Championship and Dinner. Fifteen sailors representing eleven schools competed for silver. Ten windward/leeward races were completed in a 5-8 kt westerly that gradually shifted to a 8-12 kt southerly. Sailors improved throughout the day, most notably at the starting line, as they learned the importance of staying close in light and shifty breeze with current on the line. Finishes were close, with only a few points separating the middle of the fleet. Edward Lebens and Alex Blatt of Oyster Bay HS captured first overall, with five bullets giving them a seven point lead over second place team Zach Holowchak and Paulina Fein, with alternate crew David Klein. Zach and Paulina put the pressure on and closed the gap after lunch taking three bullets. Newcomers Jake Scheblein and Greta Farrell started with a bullet and finished up third, winning the tie-breaker over WFC veterans Joe Plisic and Nick Manfredi in fourth.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the event was the open protest hearing held during dinner. Competitors (and parents) learned the gray areas of the protest process and the importance of perspective and evidence in a hearing. Punctuated by video footage captured by Joe’s Go-Pro strapped to his life-jacket and Erica Scheblein’s colorful court-room style sketches on the whiteboard, the crowd was riveted!

Congrats and thanks to all participants!

There were a number of high level Opti Sailors at the event vying for the 2011 NYS Opti Championship and at the end of the first five races there was a different leader, showing just how tight and unforgiving the racing was. High level events often bring out the best in each competitor and this was certainly no exception, every sailor not only displayed a high level of skill but also a high level of sportsmanship not only towards their competitors, themselves but also towards the volunteers making the event possible. After a good day of racing the sailors made their way back to the beach to put their boats away and make it over to the awards ceremony location where chili, seafood gumbo and wings were being served. After a long day out on the water there is nothing quite like a good bowl of chili!

When the results were announced J.C. Hermus from Sail Strong came out on top and Emma Kaneti took honors as the top female competitor not too far behind. Emma was actually leading the day’s racing after five races. But no matter what place anyone finished a big congratulations to all sailors who competed, it was an awesome day of racing!

A Big Thank you to all the Parents!

Our Generous Sponsors: Annapolis Performance Sailing, Cozy Realty, Dinghy Shop, Olympic Sails and Salerno Brokerage for helping make the event possible.

We’ll see everyone next year!

by over the weekend making a visit to Oyster Bay and the Western Waterfront! And in the middle of it all was the WFC! Front and center the dedicated staff of the WFC gave people opportunities to learn more about the local marine organisms inhabiting the waters of Oyster Bay, Cold Spring Harbor and beyond. It was a busy two days as more than 5,000 people stopped by our touch tank location just north of the railroad tracks. There they got to take a closer look at a horseshoe crab, sea star, welch, spider and hermit crab. For the children and children at heart we had a button making area setup where you could take a seat and color in a button! If you didn’t see us, we’ll be back again next year or if you can’t wait you can always book a program for your group.

In addition to all the action at the touch tank location we were giving free sailboat rides on our sonars to anyone who was interested. We had a total of seven boats going all day, both days, on one our sails with four passengers at a time. Everyone came off the dock with a huge smile and we hope to see many of you back here in the spring brushing up on your new found skills and learning how to sail with us!

It was a big step forward for the Cold Spring Harbor team having only formed officially less than a year ago. Making it to a district championship, in such a short amount of time and in elite company, is a tremendous accomplishment and speaks to the team’s efforts and dedication over the past two seasons. Against tough competition, in their first major regatta, the CSH team was able to finish 14^th overall and very close to cracking a top ten finish after 28 races (14 in each A & B fleets).

The two days featured a lot of up and down racing from all teams, some finding themselves at the back of the back after finishing in the top three the race prior. The fleet was unforgiving and other teams

always made sure to capitalize on mistakes, ramping up the pressure especially high.

CSH, despite its relative lack of experience, was able to respond to the pressure by coming back the second day and finishing the regatta strong, gaining points on most of the top teams ahead of them to narrow the gap. With new experiences, lessons learned, and confidence under their belts. The team looks toward the final district regatta of the season and to the spring season ahead in 2012.

Great Job Cold Spring Harbor!

The plankton samples were drawn using a relatively simple constructed piece of equipment called plankton net. With its fine mesh, it can trap some fascinating and diverse specimens of both phytoplankton (plants) and zooplankton (animals). Although they escape the naked eye, when magnified they become a small and colorful community that can be observed and classified.

The Portledge students rotated through three stations. When completed, they provided a broad picture of the symbiotic relationships that occur within our waters. Besides observing different types of plankton, the class also participated in water quality tests including pH, dissolved oxygen (amount of oxygen available) and turbidity (water clarity). They also learned what factors are necessary in rating water quality and how human behaviors influence those grades.

One of the components of this lesson was for the class to meet and learn about some of the local marine animals that depend on our vigilance as a community in order to maintain the long-term health of our waterways. Based on the enthusiasm of these young adults, I am sure they will model the veracity needed to promote this conservation effort to others.

Saturday, Oct. 8th dawned bright and clear and very un-October like. It was still, glassy and even at 7:30 am, you could feel the strength of the sun. It was going to be pretty warm. There was a high pressure system sitting right on top of us.

We stretched the 8:30 sailors’ meeting for the Spinnaker division with coffee, bagels, friends and good chatter up in the classroom. I positioned myself where I could talk with everyone and still keep looking out the window for signs of breeze coming up. That finally happened around 10 and we scrambled to get out there. It really felt good to be on the move, finally. All were smiling and experienced enough to know there weren’t going to be any miracles dropped on us by the wind gods. We managed to get the required 3 races in to make it a regatta and did it in pretty tough conditions. When the breeze is really light and ridiculously shifty, you really have to be patient and a little luck never hurts. We definitely saw patience and smarts from one boat that posted three firsts to win the division. Great job on Fetching with Tim Maher, Tom Pasculli and Rainer Schwartz on board. I do believe that Tim has been on the winning boat in the Spinnaker division for the last 4 years. Certain people who claim he’s just lucky are losing their credibility.

Off the water, the rest of the sailors for the afternoon’s Jib & Main racing showed up in time for lunch and the sailors’ meeting for that part of the day. We all came in looking for water, dehydrated by the unexpected heat. While all were busy stuffing a really good Grilled Chicken, tomato and mozzarella hero from Verrelli’s in their mouths, crews were set and the traditional boat lottery named their boats. The way the numbers worked out, one boat would sail with 4, the rest with three. In the light air of the day, a fourth crewmember was likely to be greeted like Freddie Kruger, so a fourth man lottery got me off the hook. The four man crew was Mike Wagner, Guy Jacob, Tom Pasculli and Bob Fitch. The extra weight was bound to be a problem, except… yup, they won! …by one point over Fetching with Mary Warburg, John Lubrano and Ken Zaleski sailing. It turned out to be a light air nail biter and, look at that, Pasculli was on the winning boat in both divisions. He’s paying attention!

Back ashore again, it was refreshment time, music, more food, a lot of laughs, good talk and award presentations. It didn’t matter where you finished at that point. Everyone had a great day.

We were glad to have a few folks make it to the regatta who hadn’t been able to sail very often during the regular season. We’re looking forward to seeing them and a lot more of you next season.

Until then, keep your eyes open for get-together notices during the off season.

*Photos Courtesy of Peter Braune

Peter