On Thursday, Feb. 24, the Nautical Advisory Council (NAC) of the Port Washington Library held its second of three presentations in the 2016 Nautical Council Series: The Long Island Sound, Exploring Long Island’s Shipwrecks. Presenters Michael Salvarezza and Christopher Weaver, from Eco-Photo Explorers, spoke to a packed house.
Salvarezza highlighted some very well-known conflicts from wars past. For example, the USS San Diego, which started life as the California, sank in 28 minutes after it was hit by a U156 German fighter near the Fire Island Lighthouse. In WWII, the German submarine U-853 hit the SS Black Point, just seven miles off the east end of Block lsland.
Also discussed were the rum runners during Prohibition. The Lizzie D, a prohibition rum runner, went missing 50 miles east of Fire Island, along with its crates of bourbon and whiskey bottles. She didn’t turn up for 50 years.
Another ship sunk with a cargo of gold coins worth tons of money. Which begs the question: Who owns the booty that was found at the bottom of the sea? Lloyds of London or some government agency will lay claim to your newly found treasure before you can even get back to land.
In other news, at a recent Town of North Hempstead (TONH) meeting, the TONH approved a capital plan, which includes a project for Manhasset Bay.
An excerpt describes the project: “The most expensive project in the plan is a $10 million to $20 million project to remove sediment from Manhasset Bay and repair the Town Dock in Port Washington. The proposed plan calls for creating a deep bay to attract more waterway business and reconfigure the dock to create an ‘economic hub’ for the lower Main Street area in Port Washington.”
For more information about the project, contact Sarah Deonairne, executive director of Manhasset Bay Protection Committee, at mbpcex ec@gmail.com, call 516-869-7983 or visit www.manhassetbayprotection committee.org.
For all of us out there who feel they are green-deprived and can’t wait for warm weather, a good antidote might be to plan to attend some upcoming local seminars.
On Wednesday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. at Manhasset Bay Yacht Club, the Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound (YRALIS) will host a seminar by David Dellenbaugh called Lessons from Olympic Sailing. Brazil is the epicenter of an outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which the World Health Organization has called “an extraordinary event and public health threat.”
For sailors, additional risks of racing in the polluted waters of Guanabara Bay include the inherent health risk, plus the distinct possibility of hitting debris in the water, impacting the fairness of sailing. Brazilian organizers have reiterated they have no intention of canceling the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Enter David Dellenbaugh, U.S. Sailing Team coach, who will give the audience the inside scoop on what is happening down in Rio. He will provide a look into Olympic sailing in Rio and offer some lessons that YRA sailors can apply to their racing. Topics will include sailing in current, how to play windshifts, regatta routines, the value of extra wind pressure, the cost of maneuvers and upwind strategic choices. The presentation will include photos and videos from David’s work with the team in the U.S. and Rio, and will include an update on the U.S. Team and their Olympic preparations. Go to www.yralis.org to sign up.
North Shore Yacht Club’s (NSYC) Education Committee is pleased to announce an upcoming seminar that racers in the area won’t want to miss. Jamie Ebenau, from Doyle Sailmakers, will present Sailing Your Boat to its Maximum Potential on Thursday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the club. For more information and to RSVP, call Alan Bernstein, education committee chair, at 718-237-5744 or email abernstein@albernconsulting.com.
