Greetings to everyone on deck

Greetings to everyone on deck!

What a great year everyone is having. La Nina has blessed us with fair winds all year. We've had tremendous response to this past year’s offerings and we have newer programs planned for the year 2000!

First there are some up-coming events we thought you’d like to be aware of. The Southern Sailing Center, formerly known as the Weathermark Sailing Center is having their annual “Everything in the Store” clearance sale from Thursday November 18^th through Saturday the 20^th. This includes their Douglas Gill clothing which is a must for everyone’s sailing gear bag! While you’re there be sure to check out their excellent collection of yachts in the yard. Early indications are that if you will need any sailing apparel during the next year, this will be a great sale. Perhaps you might purchase some Christmas gifts for that someone special on your list! Students that have already made purchases indicate that even before the sale, the prices are very attractive. Obviously the sailing center is a big sponsor of ours, so please let them know who told you about the sale. It always helps to let our sponsors know when you give them your business, so that they’ll continue to assist the academy in our efforts to offer you the finest and most economical sailing programs you’ve grown accustomed to!

Speaking of Christmas gifts, annually Windsong offers gift certificates in any denomination or for any combination of classes our outings. Let us know what you desire and we’ll gladly ship you a gift certificate for that “difficult to buy for” person on your shopping list. This also is a great way to encourage a friend or that special someone to take the plunge and go sailing!

Hey gang the show’s in town! Well not yet, but it soon will be! The 38^th Annual Atlanta Boat Show will be at the Georgia World Congress Center Wednesday January 5^th thru the Sunday the 8^th. Mark your calendars now to come by and participate in one of our many free seminars that will be conducted throughout the week. If we haven’t seen you in a while, come by and shake our paw at exhibit booth #320. This year’s show will be a special treat with Gilligan and Ginger making appearances at the show on Saturday. I guess Dave will be the Skipper. Now let me get this straight, who was it that got them lost during their two hour cruise? If you’ve been on one of Dave’s two-hour cruises, you know it couldn’t have been him! But then again maybe it was intentional. On Saturday keep your radios tuned to Z-93 to catch Dave’s radio interview. Who knows what he’ll say, but I’m sure it’ll be interesting. Perhaps he’ll pass along a favorite joke or two!

Speaking of Calendars, the year 2000 calendar magnets are in. Be the first on your block to get yours for that special place on your refrigerator! Never again will you have to search for that all-important calendar of dates while making social plans on the phone. Just walk over to the frig and quickly glimpse at your handy “Sailing Breeze” calendar magnet. Be sure to pick yours up in the upcoming classes, or ask us to mail you one bundled up with a printout of next year’s class dates. As always, due to last minute scheduling changes, always consult the web site for the most current list of up-coming class dates.

Speaking of bundling up, the hooded sweatshirts are in. Reserve yours today as there is a limited supply. We still have some T-shirts left if you’d like to get one while they last. These make great stocking stuffers. Okay, you’ve got me there, they probably won’t fit neatly into a stocking, so put the stocking in the shirt! What a treat that would be to find a Windsong shirt hanging on the hearth filled full of goodies! We appreciate your participation in these fundraisers and they do offset the miscellaneous costs associated with our programs. T-shirts are $15 and the sweatshirts are $30.

Would you like to check the weather before leaving the house for your sailing class? We can point you to a website that is hosted right at the dock we sail from. Although not associated with Windsong, Chris Wren has given us permission to use his site for up to date weather information at your fingertip. He even has a mini cam for the latest video capture of the view from the dock, although as is true with computers, there’s always a compromise between price and video quality but this one’s free! Try the link and let us know what you think. (www.kd4dts.com).

Looking for a novel educational opportunity to do with someone special? Come to the 11:30 boatshow seminar on January 8^th to meet Dr Avrum Weiss. Dr Weiss, Director of the Pine River Psychotherapy Training Institute, will speak briefly about the Couple’s Enrichment program we have added to our rich series of course offerings. This is not a marriage encounter program. This is an excellent program designed to offer a weekend of fun filled sailing and insight into relationship dynamics. Think of it as an “outward bound” challenge designed to strengthen the bond of your marriage that provides enrichment and intellectual understanding of the stages and dynamics of long-term relationships. Based from the lovely Lake Lanier Islands Renaissance Pineisle Resort, this two-day seminar is designed to be fun, energetic, enlightening and promote a healthy marriage relationship. For more information about this program, consult our web site.

Speaking of health, how’s your physical state of health? Another of our diversified programs scheduled for next year is our “Eat Right Or Walk The Plank, Nutrution, A Sailor’s Best Mate” class to be conducted by Dr Gurusahay Singh Khalsa. Sailing can be a stressful event to our bodies whether it is a day of sailing on Lake Lanier or an extensive sailing vacation along the coastal waters. This program is designed to familiarize students with the basic physics, emotion, chemistry, and symptoms that support a protocol for safe sailing. Sailing involves stamina, attention, acuity and physical strength. Without proper reserves, safe sailing can be compromised. Check our web site for this class to gain a basic understanding of health issues and first aid afloat.

Did someone mention romance? Be sure to mark your calendars for our sunset and moonlight cruises that start in May. Every year they book up early, so be sure not to wait too late to join one of these social outings that offer a different perspective of sailing on Lanier.

From time to time we share announcements with our students and have included you in our Internet email distribution. It is not our intent to inconvenience anyone so if you find that our periodic newsletters are not of interest to you, merely respond with "REMOVE" in the subject and we'll gladly remove your name from our lists. If you'd prefer that we use a different email address, merely respond with "EMAIL CHANGE" in the subject. If you have suggestions, merely respond with “SUGGESTIONS” in the subject and we’ll direct your comments to the appropriate staff member. If you were not included on our distribution and wish to be, merely send us an email with “SUBSCRIPTION” in the subject or contact us at the office to add your email address.

On behalf of the staff, I’d like to thank you for your time and I hope you found this newsletter to be informative.

Thanks