GBCA Discussion Forum

TxDOT will close all main lanes of Highway 146 at Port Road this weekend as crews work to construct a southbound connector ramp from Highway 146 to Port Road.

The main lanes of the highway will be closed Friday, March 9 at 9 p.m. and will reopen Monday, March 12 at 5 a.m.

Drivers should be prepared for congestion and delays in the area. TxDOT advises the public to seek an alternate route if possible.

Traffic will be detoured to the north- and southbound frontage roads and police will be on hand to assist with traffic control

Visit the Houston TranStar website at www.houstontranstar.org. All closures are subject to change due to inclement weather. Follow the TxDOT Houston District on Twitter @TxDOTHoustonPIO

As posted in the HYC newsletter:

"Join us Friday, March 16 for an evening with Gary Jobson and help us kickoff the Leukemia Cup Regatta at the Houston Yacht Club. A buffet will be available starting at 6 p.m. and the Gary Jobson program will follow at 7 p.m. Gary is the National Chairman of the Leukemia Cup Regattas and President of US Sailing.  His slides and stories about sailing events all over the world are very entertaining and in a lot of cases hilarious.  Everyone is invited whether you are racing in the regatta or not. Join us and enjoy an outstanding sailing show and receive Leukemia Cup Regatta Sponsor and Sailor Packets. Gary's latest signed book and Leukemia Cup wares will be available for sale during the evening. Be sure to set up your fundraising website at the program. There will be prize drawing for those beginning fundraising at the program. The Leukemia Cup Regatta is June 22-24 at HYC."

Passing this along to all of the sailing community....

To:  all HMR skippers and sailors:
From: John Broderick, Co-founder HMR, Co-chairman 2011, Coordinator Elissa Afterguard

As you can see, I have worn several hats for the 2011 sailing of The Harvest Moon Regatta?. It has been a great year with 186 yachts entered in very good weather exercising their spinnakers to the maximum and showing their soft to light air skills to push for the best finish time they could. Congratulation to all the trophy winners!

You might remember in 2007 having ?Elissa? sail with the HMR fleet to Port A, then on to Corpus Christi for school children viewing.  Our idea is to repeat this spectacular event about every five years.  ?Elissa? is making plans to sail with HMR next year, October 25, 2012, looking stately and more ship-shape than ever.  The plan is to go into dry dock next June, July and August, coming out with a fully tested and approved bottom plating repair approved by the US Coast Guard to continue sailing on her own 134 year young iron plated bottom.   

This bottom repair alone will be more than one million dollars.  Is the effort worth it? You can judge for yourself. (See attachment) ?Elissa? is one of only three iron bottom tall ships still actively sailing the way she did as a cargo carrying commerce ship when she first called on Galveston in 1883 and again in 1886. She is the only one crewed and maintained by all volunteers.  ?Elissa? volunteers are what make her so special and able to carry on the tall ship sailing tradition.

Many generous HMR skippers and sailors pledged or donated more than $8,000 for the day sail contest for ?Elissa? repairs and I thank you very much for that.  Day sail winners: Cliff Haddox-Musica ($4,000),John LeBourhis-Caramba ($1,002),David Person-Wanita Cantik ($750). However, we have a very long way to be able to pay the dry dock charges in August so I am asking once more that you consider making a donation and ask your friends to participate in this sailing-super-star?s long life and future sailing.  Our TALL SHIP OF TEXAS needs your support.

To make your charity donation and receive a confirming charity letter go to; www.galvestonhistory.org/elissa-donate.asp to donate then check In support of HMR 2011 contest pledge.  If you will send an email to me at teetina@aol.com and let me know you made a nice donation I will put you on the list for possible day sailing on the then newly restored ?Elissa?. 

Regards and happy sailing,
John L. Broderick
John Broderick, HMR Co-Founder, HMR 2011 Co Chairman, Coordinator ?Elissa? Afterguard 

Source is the HYC weekly newsletter:

PHRF of Galveston Bay has rekindled the PHRF Annual Trophy . Two trophies will be awarded, one for the top boat in PHRF's Spinnaker, and one for the top boat in PHRF's Non-Spinnaker.   Officials will use a high point system based on the number of entries in the regatta.   A list of the races that have been selected and the point leader to date in the spinnaker and non-spinnaker are listed on the HYC web site at: http://houstonyachtclub.com/raceregatta.html

check it out!

Here's another great race happening in Texas this week - the GT300!  See the details here http://www.gt300.com.  South Padre to Galveston.  The fleet will hit the beach in Surfside friday afternoon and the last leg will be from Surfside to Galveston (East Beach) on Saturday.  Watch these guys (and gals) and you will think twice about complaining of being hot/cold, wet, thirsty or tired ever again on an offshore race on a monohull!

Just recieved a flyer in the mail regarding the certification of my marine head.  Did anyone else get this?  The link on the flyer from TCEQ references the incorrect link - here's the real one to use: http://www.tceq.texas.gov/field/cleanwatercert/boatsdisposalrule.html. 

I try to keep up on the new Clean Water Act regulations but I totally missed this one.  Does anyone know when this went into effect?  Has anyone been ticketed for not have the required sticker if you have a type III marine head?  It's $15 for every two years but still...I hate to see us having to fund some type of state program when they really need to just do more enforcement on the water if it is such a problem.  Thoughts?....

The Women's Sailing Association is sponsoring a Women's Big-Boat Sailing Clinic March 12 starting at 11 a.m. at HYC .   Topics include but not limited to: Husband Overboard, Operating in Reverse and Abandon Ship.  The clinic includes a practice sail in the afternoon.

I have lifted this from Rob Walsh's blog - he is a big fan of Galveston Bay oysters - please send your comments to TCEQ!

"You really need to e-mail a comment to the TCEQ if you want your kids to know what oysters taste like. Under the current water flow plans, Galveston Bay oysters would cease to exist. If you don?t believe me, take a look at today?s Houston Chronicle (December 6). There?s a very timely article on the threat to the $2 billion Galveston Bay seafood industry and sport fishery that the new water plan represents. Bureaucrats in Austin don?t eat oysters and they don?t give a damn?so it?s up to you.

Comment by email to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality You must select ?SB3/HB3″ as the subject of your message. Just write: ?We need more fresh water for the oysters!? or something to that effect."

http://www5.tceq.state.tx.us/rules/ecomments/ will link you directly to the comment page.

Just wanted to let everyone know that this is one company is that walks their talk.  I dropped my GBCA tumbler (probably for the 10th time) a few weeks ago and it cracked on the top with the inner and outer layers coming completely apart.

Jumped on their website, downloaded a form, stuck the broken tumbler and form in an envelope and mailed it back to them in Florida.  Low and behold when I got home last night there was a little box containing a new GBCA tumbler - they had salvaged the burgee from the old one and put it in a new one.  My only cost was a pittance for USPS to mail it to them.

Shameless plug - don't forget to buy yourself a GBCA tumbler - you are only out of money if you lose it!

For those of you who made not have already heard, Kinky (Tim) Hoepfner passed away on Friday.  There will be a celebration of his life on Thursday May 6 at 6 PM at the Club Classic.  He was an institution at the Classic Cafe, loved by all and will be greatly missed.

Word is out that the trusty weather station at HYC is back up - here's the link!

http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KTXSHORE1

Kudos to all involved, it was certainly missed when Ike took it out.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend. 

Since we rehabbing the website, can we get the weather link fixed as well?

One of you guys needs to let us know how things went for you in the NYYC Regatta and keep us updated on Block Island.  If nothing else, just torture us with how nice the weather is!