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Dear Members,
Happy New Year! 2016 is here and we are going
to have a wonderful and safe boating season at the Darien Boat
Club. I know you are all as excited as I am to get the season
going. Please join us on Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at
8:00pm for our next General Meeting at the Piedmont Club
– 152 Hecker Avenue here in Darien.
I would like to recap the events and projects
that took place late in 2015:
SANTA PARTY
Held in mid-December, the Santa Party has always been an
event enjoyed by our youngest members. The weather was great this
year and fun was had by all. Many thanks to our volunteers,
especially Sarah Keena, Bill Lowitz, Joe Warren and our Santa Sled
Team, the members of the Noroton Fire Department. We are glad to
see the tradition continue for this annual event.
GRILLING AREA & DOCK IMPROVEMENTS
At the end of the season last year some improvements were
made to the Grilling Area that is used heavily by our membership.
We have enclosed the rinse off shower to provide some level of
privacy and separation for those folks wishing to wash off after a
swim. We have also extended the area where the grills are to make
it easier to cook and enjoy an afternoon or evening on the beautiful
shores of Long Island Sound.
We also installed some benches/seating and
storage in the all season room, as well as began a project to use
“Pile Mates” on the docks. They will provide better anchoring of
the docks in the summer and protect the pilings in the winter, which
should reduce our cost of winter damage in the long run. We started
on “D” Dock and plan to move club wide with the project.
Now on to 2016, some important information on
upcoming events and programs:
CLUB IMPROVEMENTS/REPAIRS
The contractor began work this past week on resurfacing the
gas dock. This project should be complete in the next few weeks,
weather permitting. Bill Lowitz and some volunteers are also
working on resurfacing “C” Dock. About a third of the dock was
completed before the weather turned cold, but the plan is to
complete more before opening day if the weather cooperates. The
board is monitoring the condition of the docks and decks and is
replacing them as necessary.
ONLINE MOORINGS (Paying your
Club Fee’s)
As you all should know by now, the club has moved to Online Moorings
as our vendor to handle all dues/fees and waitlists for the
membership. Currently we have approximately 300 member family’s
either paid or in process. If you have not yet renewed your
membership for 2016, please check your email for instructions. If
you have not received your renewal email or you have questions,
please contact our membership team at
dbcinfo@darienboatclub.org
or
leave a message at 203-655-1927. Members are reminded
that your dues/fees are due on February 1, 2016, so please get them
in as soon as possible. We have made it possible for members to pay
with credit cards, which is something that many members have asked
for. However, if you prefer to pay by check, you still have that
option as well. I would like to thank our team of volunteers and
our club manager for their efforts to make this migration a huge
success.
MENTOR PROGRAM
New boaters, please let us know if you would like a “mentor”
to help you equip, trailer, launch and secure your boat safely. We
have members with decades of boating experience who are happy to
help you get started. I am very proud to see the many members in
this club who are always willing to lend a hand. We have a very
friendly and family oriented club and we should all be proud. So,
please let us know if you need any help by contacting Paul Johnson
at
pdgjohnson@me.com.
COASTAL BOATING COMPETENCE COURSE
(A New Name)
For Members, friends and family who may "need" their CT Boating
Certificates for this season and who want to "learn something
about boating!", the course starts Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at
Darien's Middlesex Middle School - 7:00pm. This is a six-session
course. Diplomas will be presented after a brief exam, and thanks
to a new system, the final, official, State certificates will be
available immediately after the exam. You may register on-line to
reserve a seat for the course at:
www.dsps.darien.org
OPEN HOUSE
The Darien Boat Club Open House will be on May 22nd
from 1PM to 4PM. Please encourage your friends and neighbors who
are interested in boating to come and learn about all that the club
has to offer. We will have the representatives from the Boat Club
Board, Police boat, Fire boat, the Darien Harbor Master and Power
Squadron to answer any questions.
BOAT US GROUP MEMBERSHIP
The DBC members can obtain a discount on BoatUS/TowBoatUS
membership, see the details at the link here:
http://www.darienboatclub.org/BoatUS%20DBC%20Membership.htm. If
you are applying for or renewing your BoatUS membership, be sure to
use the Darien Boat Club Co-op Group # GA84802B to get the
group discount.
Hope to see all of you soon and THINK SPRING!!
Thank you,
Gerald Kutz
Commodore
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