Capt Dave's Tips            

There are few "Rare Finds" anymore. 

Our lives are extremely demanding and most of us have more projects in the works than we have the time for.  I'm sure that one or two of you out there can relate.  We've all become over committed and under funded in terms of time or other resources. 

What I do value though are brief escapes from the rigors of life and one such "Rare Find" is Miss Kate's, home of the "Tossed Roll".  Miss Kate's is located in the Stone Mountain Park Cross Roads Village which is a fairly new addition to the area in front of the mountain's carving.

This has become one of my favorite stops anytime we're in the area.  My wife and I have annual family membership passes to the park since we often climb the mountain, bike and hike as a part of our regular fitness routine.

Miss Kate's offers "Pass Arounds" to snack upon after you place your orders and before your meal arrives.  I could honestly make a meal off a round of these excellent treats and a side salad.  The sweet potato fries, fried pickles, corn fritters and fried onions are delicious.  Next they physically toss your hot buttered rolls from across the room.  It's a tradition that adds to the novelty of the experience. 

My favorite dish is the veggie platter with okra, corn, beans, peas or mash potatoes.  I know that gravy dishes and fried foods aren't suppose to be on our menu, but neither should stress.  Life is about compromises.

The period attire of the staff accent the whole escape and truly make this brief escape another of life's limited "Rare Finds".  

Promise yourself to constantly be on watch for your personal escapes and "Rare Finds".  Sailing ranks pretty high on my list and likely yours too, but I thought I'd take a moment of your time to share another of my interests, that might become one of yours as well!

   

      So What's NEW!
Ghosts of Lanier Cruise
Seen any ghosts lately?  Want to hear about some?  The second annual "Ghosts of Lanier Cruise" will occur in October 14th.  A lot of research went into developing this special annual outing.  If you're interested in this unique 3-hr evening outing on Lanier and enjoy the enchanting and make believe of certain aspects of the history of Lanier and that area prior to the construction of the dam, you don't want to miss this boat! 
 
Seen These Buoys?
This season the Corp launched water safety awareness buoys on Allatoona to remind us to boat smartly and safely.

Each buoy represents water fatalities that occurred at the lake.  The hope is to increase public awareness of the dangers and the need for safe boating education, practice and procedures.

Each buoy will have black flags on top with a blue water safety ribbon symbol in the middle of the flag.

You may see them placed near boat ramps, undesignated swimming areas and courtesy docks, where the safety message will reach the maximum number of visitors.

Everyone needs to do their part to make the summer months memorable for all the "right" reasons.

Snap, Crackle, Pop!

Your first night aboard at the coast you may be unsettled by the sound of snapping, cracking and popping, and it's not a bowl of Rice Krispies cereal! At first you'll think it's just your imagination, but soon you'll know the sounds are real and not a part of your dreams.  It could be the sounds of fish eating marine life that has attached to the underside of the boat's hull.  It's more likely the sound of shrimp snapping their claws!

Snapping shrimp (click for sound) are marine invertebrates.  Invertebrates generally produce sounds by rubbing two parts of their body together. The snapping shrimp is an exception to this. Snapping shrimp have two claws, or chelipeds, one of which is larger than the other and represent half the size of the entire shrimp. It was once thought that sounds produced by snapping shrimp occurred as a result of the top and bottom parts of the cheliped striking each other when the claw was snapped shut. However, it was later discovered that the sound is actually caused by the popping of a bubble that is produced when the cheliped opens and closes rapidly. The enlarged claw is usually slightly opened but during muscle contraction, the claw closes at a very high speed. This causes the water to cavitate and form a bubble of vapor. The sound that is heard from the shrimp is produced upon collapse of this bubble. Light is also produced when the bubble collapses and has been referred to as 'shrimpoluminescence' by researchers.

 

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      Windsong Events
Engine Maintenance  
This Sunday is the last Engine Maintenance class for the season. 

Learn to tackle those pesky seasonal issues with new knowledge and understanding.  Both gasoline and diesel engines including outboards are discussed during this 5-hr class.  Basic troubleshooting of fuel, cooling, electrical issues and seasonal maintenance are included.  If you've ever wanted to actually get your hands on an engine to learn how to replace an impellor and bleed a fuel system, here's your chance! 

Register to join us, September 10th from 11-5 pm at the Snug Harbor Boat's Windsong facility.
 

Sunset Cruises


Mind Reader
Or Bizarre Phenomena Extraordinaire?

What an exciting season of performances aboard our Sunset Cruises!  We've added some very enjoyable "Entertainment" this year and this Saturday night is the most unique yet!

Jessie Milton will be joining us as this month's performer.

When Milton is around, some unusual things happen. The belief in the impossible is kindled and intuition is ignited.  Everybody has a great time.  Milton is a cerebral entertainer who can:
  • Discern names, numbers, and important years from the past
  • Intuitively predict mental images, and perceptively discover things about individual personalities
  • Show participants how their own intuition can be set ablaze

Milton is NOT a mind reader, but his engaging and light presentation is filled with surprises, bizarre phenomena, and audience participation.  The audience will warm up quickly, and will find out things about each other they never knew.

If you haven't been on one of the monthly Sunset Cruises this season yet, you're really missing it! 

Grab someone special to enjoy a three hour evening sail down the lake.  It's a unique way to establish an annual tradition or pop that special question to someone who's been patiently waiting!


Coastal Classes
Capt. C. J. is working hard to schedule everyone interested in participating in Basic Coastal Cruising, Bareboat Chartering and Advanced Coastal Cruising trips this November and December.  If your 2006 training plan includes advancement to any of these levels and he has not been able to contact you yet, you need to let us know immediately!  We are in the final booking stages for these limited class dates from Punta Gorda Florida.

     So What's Been Going On?

Online Web Registration

DON'T FORGET that you can now register for classes from our Internet Web Site!  If you don't know your id and password, give us a call TODAY!  We continue to enhance the features available to support our customers. 

You can now view your list of class bookings via the "MY SUMMARY" menu option after signing on. 

By clicking the "View Family Summary" option you can view the booking for your family members.

The Monday prior to your classes our automated booking system generates an email Admission Ticket. 

You MUST REPLY so that we know that you received your ticket! 

You must also print it out and bring it with you as proof of your registration. 

 

Upcoming Classes
We have several seats available over the next few weeks of classes.

Ground School Classes:

  9/10 Engine Maintenance (THIS WEEKEND!)
  9/17 Meal Preparation & Safety (Class has "Made")
  9/24 Buying The Perfect Boat
  9/30 Basic Keelboat Sailing Theory
  10/3 Marine Meteorology
  10/17, 19 & 24 Coastal Navigation_a
  10/21 Basic Coastal Cruising
Sailing Outings: (Check the web site for exact times)
  9/9 Clinic: Anchoring
    Sailing Outing (Skills & Drills)
    Sunset Cruise
  9/16 Clinic: Docking
    Sailing Outing (Skills & Drills)
  9/23 Clinic: Spinnaker
    Sailing Outing (Skills & Drills)
  9/30 Sailing Outing (Skills & Drills)
     
Windsong
       T-Shirts & Hats

These are great to tell others about
            your sport
                  and
                     accomplishments.

 

               

 

 

FOR SALE!  GOT SOMETHING TO SELL?  Try Our For Sale New Site Free.
Although we intend to limit items for sale to our student members, we will consider items submitted from the general public as well.  We'll play it by ear to see how it goes.  Just remember to let us know when the item is sold so that we can keep our web site current.  So here's the link Items For Sale.

   
HATE THAT SPAM?
Ever noticed that all official Windsong emails have the word "WINDSONG:" in the subject? That's so that you can use a filter or rule to intercept and redirect Windsong emails into a dedicated folder based upon this trait.  That way we won't ever wind up in your SPAM folders and accidentally deleted.  This is actually a two-way street.  Any replies from you will automatically contain the same identifier in the subject and we can prevent it's accidental deletion as well.  So any emails from you to us should contain the word "WINDSONG" in the subject or you risk censure by our anti spam software.  Daily we receive just over 800 SPAM emails and find the use of filtering software imperative.  Don't risk losing our emails, filter TODAY!

 

Friends don't let their friends go through life
without experiencing sailing!

Invite someone to join you today!

PLEASE, REACH OUT AND TOUCH US,

                We're listening!!

Many times students' suggestions are implemented on the spot!  We pride ourselves in our customer service and attention to the needs of our students. If you have thoughts or ideas, drop us a line or give us a call.  All things are possible; you simply need to ask. 

Thanks!
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all our students for their loyal support through the season(s) and encourage everyone to bring one new friend along each year as you sail.  As we grow and expand our operation, we want to make our products and services available to all who may be interested, but someone has to make the introduction.  Share the love of your sport with those who may be interested in our unique collection of programs. You'll be glad you did and so will they!