by Nathan Birney,
Rear Commodore for Power

As I sit out on the balcony here in Oahu, Hawaii, I must admit it is difficult to focus on this article instead of the beauty of the island. As summer vacations and the boating season officially begin with the passing of Memorial Day, my thoughts turn ahead to the coming excitement of the summer.  The power schedule is stocked full of activities for the summer for your enjoyment.

We start on June 14^th with this year’s Balloon Race.  For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of the race, we will be releasing balloons into the lake for boaters to collect.  The boat with the most balloons collected wins.  Sounds easy right????  Well, there are some twists.  First, only unpopped balloons will count.  Second, any power boat under 35 ft will be required to travel in reverse around the course.  Sailboats are invited to participate and they will be allowed to travel under power or sail in a forward manner.  Prizes will be determined based upon the number of participants with prizes being planned for the top 3 boats.  The entry fee will be $10.00 per boat, payable at the Captains meeting starting at 12:30pm.  Volunteers to help with the inflating of the balloons would be appreciated. I know I am full of hot air, but the idea of blowing up 300+ balloons by myself is a daunting task.

Please be aware the Float-a-Soldier program scheduled on the HCYC calendar is under review.  We are coordinating with three other organizations to bring the soldiers out to the lake and scheduling conflicts have developed.  If you are interested in participating in this wonderful program, please send me an email directly or find me at the lake so I can give you the most up to date information on the program.

On a final note - it looks like we will have Wi-Fi internet access for members of the Yacht Club.  We are in the process of procuring the hardware necessary to bring this service to all of us.  This program would not have been successful without the generous donations of many of our members.  I am compiling a list of all those who have donated and are planning to donate.  We are still accepting donations for the $1,000+ cost of the equipment necessary to set this up.  If you are interested in helping us bring the internet to the lake, please call or email me for more details.

See you on the water,

Nathan Birney

Rear Commodore of Power HCYC

nbirney@gmail.com