March 29, 2024

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The club's meeting will be held at Miller's Time Out in October, November, and December 2023.   The new meeting place will be the Travelers Cafe and Pub in Portage Mi for January, February, March, and April 2024.  It is located on Portage Road just south of I-94 near the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, 5225 Portage Rd, Portage, MI 49002. Phone -(269) 775-1775    web site link - travelerscafeandpub.com

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April's Prez-corner link.

April's "As a side Note by Tim Chupka"   

HOT News - First trip of the 2024-5 ski season is set

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This month's presentation is by Kathy Rubino - From Skiing to Sailing:

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As we put away our skis for the season, some are gearing up for another passion: Hobie Cat sailing. For April’s program, Kathy Rubino will give a brief overview of the world of Hobie sailing, ranging from racing in regattas to going out on the water for fun sailing as part of what is known as “the Hobie way of life.”  We have a very active Hobie Fleet on Austin Lake in Portage, (Austin Lake Catamaran Association or ALCA).  Races are scheduled for most of the Tuesdays from late spring through the summer and sailors ranging from teens to late 70s have raced with ALCA as well as in Hobie sanctioned national and international events. 

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The “cat” in Hobie Cat refers to “catamaran”, which is a boat with two hulls that fly through the water.  Kathy will present several different styles of Hobie Cat sailboats, explaining the differences between them. The Hobie 16 is perhaps the easiest Hobie Cat to start sailing on, as it is easy to transport and rig for a day on the water.  It is also the most popular boat that is seen with the group on Austin Lake.  Michigan has a long history of Hobie Cat events. Since the late 70s, early 80’s Lake Michigan has been home to several regattas both for regional as well as national events. More recently, the 2022 Hobie 16 North American Championships were held on Lake Michigan in Michigan City, IN, which attracted competitors from across the United States and as far as Puerto Rico. Many from ALCA were excited to participate in the 2019 Hobie Worlds which was hosted on Captiva Island, Florida.  Over 500 athletes representing 25 countries and six continents competed in this event; 11 of these were from our local Austin Lake, and three of these were Battle Creek Ski Club members!  Come to the meeting on April 9th to learn more about all this world of Hobie Cat sailing and which of your fellow skiers are world championship sailors!   

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We have included a couple of links for the new 2023 ski gear on the new "Additional pages tab / Ski related web sites and info page" for all of you looking for new skis and other ski stuff.   Please forward any ski related web sites for consideration to be include on this page to Joe Dill (joedill2004@ameritech.net).

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Check out the two new links on the "Ski related web sites and info" page - backcountry skiing and shipping Skis.

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The club has been in contact with Bronson Children's Hospital checking on their inexpensive ski helmets.  They are taking a new approach to this program.  Check it out by clinking on the following page link - "Ski helmet info"

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