Our railroad crossing has now been renovated, but the railroad company has many other crossings to be repaired over the next 4-5 weeks. They do this work in the daytime, so the usual daytime trains are now running in the evening and at night.

We're not used to watching for trains in the evening, so we all need to use extra care: open car windows and listen, and look both ways.

Be sure and watch future IVY Leaf newsletters for other fun events, and let us know if you have ideas for such events.

WEEKEND SPECIALS IN THE BAR AND SNACK-BAR

SMOKERS: PLEASE...

SAILBOAT RACING NEWS

from Adam Gudat

The CAPRI and IORF racing fleet has its ups and downs. The wind does not always cooperate and we end up with cancelled races and frustrated sailors. So, enjoy the days when we have wind, and look forward to the windy days of fall. The IORF fleet welcomes Sligo to Saturday racing. We are glad to have the additional racer to help insure that the red fleet can race every week. An urgent note from our Race Committee: they are now enforcing the requirement of checking in before the warning signal. On July 9th, the Race Committee cancelled the race due to a lack of boats checking in before the warning signal. It was very fortunate that we also had no wind that race day, so no one was disadvantaged and did not receive a DNS. To avoid any hurt feeling, please take the time to check in with the race committee before the warning signal! I was one of those that did not check in, so shame on me too!

The sailing classes have concluded. Both, the kids and adults enjoyed the small boats and learned a lot about sailing. The weather varied quite a bit, and so did the winds. Sailing in light air is quite different than sailing in a stiff breeze. The idea of using your body weight, hiked out over the side of the boat, to maintain the boat upright is hard to learn. When the wind dies, your weight on the rail will increase the chance of capsizing to windward. The kids enjoyed the capsizing, but the adults were less enamored about the swim in the river. We gave the adults the opportunity to sail the larger racing fleet boats, but to our surprise, the adults preferred to sail the smaller boats. Here they had more control of their own actions, and gained knowledge and experience quicker. At the end, they commented that they had learned a lot, and enjoyed their experience and time at the IVY Club. We hope that these student sailors continue to sail and find it enjoyable.

MORE SAILING NEWS

from Aquatics Director Chuck Sanders

A reminder that there is dinghy sailing on Tuesday evenings starting at 5:00 p.m. All members are welcome to join in on the fun. If you don't know how to sail, there will always be someone there to teach you. There is a $5 charge for boat rental. The money is used to maintain the boats.

SEA SCOUT NEWS

from Ship 54 Skipper Al Lundy

This event celebrates the 100^th anniversary of the BSA, and runs from July 24 through August 5. I'll be there on National Staff working with the regional Stage Shows. Mate Mark Young, will be there as a Scoutmaster of one of the three contingent troops of scouts attending the event. Sea Scout Brandon Bonner is serving on the Sea Scout Exhibit Staff, and five of our sea scouts are there as members of the three council contingent troops. Since this is being written before we leave and read before we get back I can only say that I am sure we are having a great time.

Welcome Back Ashton! Boatswain Ashton Long has earned his Double Dolphins as one of the 24 Sea Scouts nationwide to graduate from SEAL training (Sea Scout Advanced Leadership Training). Ashton served on board a training vessel along the coast of California for a week. He will write an article for the September issue of the Ivy Leaf to tell you all about it. A hardy handshake and firm pat on the back for a job well done to Breck Thomas for another fine job preparing our SEAL candidate to pass his rigorous open water navigation exam. If you see Ashton be sure to congratulate him for this exceptional accomplishment. Ashton is the 3rd Ship 54 Scout to complete this course. Ship 54 thanks Past Commodore Al Andrews for his incredibly generous contribution to the Sea Scouts of his personal sailing library. The Scouts now have two foot lookers of fiction and nonfiction books in beautifully cared for condition dating back to 1926. Looking through this collection is like digging through a pirates treasure chest of riches.

There are books here that any sailor would delight in reading. Once we get them all catalogued and organized we will happily share these on loan to any IVY member interested in reading them. Thank you Al for wanting the Scouts to have these great resources.

Finally, we raise the Bravo and Zulu flags for a job well done to Chuck Sanders and his staff for an exciting and memorab le adult sailing class. I was among 20+ adults who signed up for an intensive 8 sessions sailing Zumas, Lasers, JYs, and Capri 22s. It was a great experience and I am so glad I did it. I may even catch up to the skill level of the scouts pretty soon.

More next month on our adventures at Jamboree and SEAL.

Fair Winds and Following Seas...

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

from Membership Director Steve Miller

Thanks to all the members who have encouraged family, friends, and co-workers to give the IVY Club a try.

THANKS!

WATCH OUT FOR "AIDS TO NAVIGATION"

For reasons that are hard to fathom, the agencies that installed these Aids seem to feel no obligation to remove them when they become hazards. One of their explanations for inaction is, "That's outside the channel, and we're only responsible for the channel." Another favorite is, "That's not ours. Call [the other agency]." As a result, the Illinois River is now littered with Hazards that once were Aids to Navigation.

One of these unfortunate structures was a "Permanent" Daymark or mile-marker at Mile 167.9 of the Illinois River, just off the IVY Club harbor. At one time this marker was a wood pole, and later it was a steel structure surrounded by a pile of rock. The marker seldom survived a winter, and was repeatedly replaced. The most recent incarnation disappeared a year or two ago, leaving behind the sub-surface pile of rock, with no marking of its location. Eventually, a marker buoy was put in place, but it, too, has disappeared to a new location in the narrows, probably due to an encounter with a barge.

Several bosts from the IVY Club and elsewhere have struck this hidden obstruction and been damaged. We are not aware of any personal injuries in these collisions, but injuries or fatalities are almost inevitable in the future. When injuries occur, they will perhaps lead to legal action that will help the agencies to take a broader view of their responsibilities.

If your boat has GPS or a chart-plotter, you may want to note the coordinates of this rock pile, to reduce your chance crashing into it. As best as we can measure, they are...

At the moment, the location is marked with an impromptu buoy that was formerly a jug for cat litter, but this won't last long. While the buoy is present, give it a wide berth. When it is gone, try to remember where it was, and give it an even wider berth, in case your memory is faulty.

7/24 Update: Last night, another boat struck the rock pile, ripping the outdrive asunder, and sending a passenger to the emergency room by ambulance.

7/28 Update: This morning, the Coast Guard placed a red plastic buoy somewhat north (upstream) of the obstruction. If your boat stays north of the new buoy, you'll probably miss the rock pile.