Vol. XI Number 11 A Publication of the Mariners of PGI November 2019

We always look forward to reuniting with our Mariner friends after summer travels, and our Welcome Back Picnic provides us with the perfect opportunity to do that. As always, this year's picnic was a

huge success, thanks to great participation by over 130 Mariners - the most ever - and an outstanding job done by Bobby Conte and crew. We anticipated a miserably hot day, but shade from the trees and a pleasant breeze helped to make it a perfect day. Be sure to check the calendar for the many upcoming events. You will not want to miss our Christmas/Holiday Party coming up soon on December 6th, so be sure to sign up. I want to thank Susan Hills, Past Commodore, and her nominating committee of Ginny Caldwell, Julie Conte, and Gordon Hadley for their work in selecting candidates for the Mariners 2020 Board of Directors. The following members will be nominated at the November member meeting to serve in 2020: Commodore: Murray Goldenberg Vice Commodore: Richard Northrup Secretary: Sharon Gordon Treasurer: Brad Betting Director of Membership: Patti Connor Director of Cruises: Michael Mankin Director of Social Activities: Dennis Barkow Director of Education: Hugh Bass Past Commodore: Wayne Sharp Prior to the vote, members will have an opportunity to nominate other members, but please be sure that they are willing to serve in the position you nominate them for.

Wayne Sharp, Commodore

So, we are finally starting to see some cooler temperatures these days. Got to love this time of year, except for the traffic and the crowded restaurants. Oh well, the weather is still great!

We started the month with a three-night cruise to

‘Tween Waters Resort. Rob & Toni Gibbs aboard Gibb

N Tone led the cruise and did a fabulous job. We also

had Hiatt Away, Salt Shaker, Blue Cruiser, Hoosier

Popp and Uncaged. We started the cruise with a nice

breeze out of the northeast which gave us a nice

downwind ride to the ICW. Upon arriving at the

marina, we hit the pool, as we usually do. We enjoyed

the afternoon as more of our group arrived. That

evening we all piled into the ‘Tween Waters van and

headed to the Keylime Bistro for dinner. They always

do a great job; everyone enjoyed a great meal and

music. The next day a bunch of us borrowed bikes

from ‘Tween and rode to Captiva for a little

sightseeing and exercise. We ended up back at the

Keylime Bistro for a great lunch and drinks. The

following day it was back in the pool. That evening we

did heavy hors d’oeuvres and drinks on the dock.

Later we caught the sunset on the beach. After that

we all piled on Hoosier Popp for more drinks. Next

time you see Dennis Barkow ask him why he didn’t

show for drinks. LOL! Our last day brought more pool

time. That evening we took our Mainship (Crystal

Blue) to dinner at The Green Flash. We managed to

get eleven of us aboard for the short ride to the

restaurant. We had a great dinner and celebrated

Tammy Gerringer’s Birthday. I believe there was also

some drinking involved, go figure?

Michael Mankin, Cruise Director

Nautical Notes

(see page 4 Cruise Director)

Mariners of PGI Board of Directors

WAYNE SHARP, Commodore commodore@marinersofpgi.org MURRAY GOLDENBERG, Vice Commodore vicecommodore@marinersofpgi.org FRANK SCHARPF, Treasurer treasurer@marinersofpgi.org SHARON GORDON, Secretary secretary@marinersofpgi.org JIM LANZA, Director of Social Activities social@marinersofpgi.org MARY BROWN, Director of Membership membership@marinersofpgi.org MICHAEL MANKIN, Director of Cruises cruise@marinersofpgi.org RICHARD NORTHRUP, Director of Education education@marinersofpgi.org SUSAN HILLS, Past Commodore pastcommodore@marinersofpgi.org ______________________________________________ LYNNE MATTHEWS, Sunshine Committee sunshine@marinersofpgi.org

DON LEITCH, Webmaster webmaster@marinersofpgi.org RICHARD FRANCIOSE, Ship Stores store@marinersofpgi.org

FACEBOOK Page Mariners of PGI Meetings General Membership PGICA, 2001 Shreve St. 4th Monday at 7 p.m. (except December) Board PGICA, 2001 Shreve Street 4th Monday at 9 a.m. All members are welcome.

Newsletter

MURRAY GOLDENBERG, Supervising Board Member vicecommodore@marinersofpgi.org LORI JEREMIASON, Editor nneditor@marinersofpgi.org

Editor’s Note: I will confirm, via e-mail, receipt of each NN submission. If you do not receive confirmation, PLEASE contact me.

BETH GULER, Proofreader

Editor’s Note: direct contact information for all Mariners is located on the website : www.marinersofpgi.org _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Click here to view the Social Calendar and Sign-Up! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nautical Notes November 2019 Page 2

If you or anyone you know is ill

or in need of some Sunshine,

please contact Lynne Matthews

sunshine@marinersofpgi.org

December Birthdays

12/2 Marir Knabe 12/4 John Dauster

12/4 Russ Hills 12/7 Ann Woodward 12/11 Jon Shattuck

12/16 Mitchell Miller 12/16 Steve Fraley 12/16 Betty Hilke

12/17 David Buchanan 12/18 Robert Toothaker

12/20 Karin Reilly 12/21 Jan Roemler 12/23 Toni Gibbs

12/24 Travis Jones 12/24 Carolyn Freeland

12/26 Lois Modrow 12/27 Renee Gibbons

12/28 Ruth Sines 12/28 Larry Lowy

12/29 Cathy Mayer 12/29 Helen Paul

12/30 Bob Huetteman 12/31 Lynne Matthews

Nautical Notes November 2019

Page 3

Education Richard Northrup

Check out the Education page of the Mariners website as a resource for all your boating questions.

(Click here)

Have you recently purchased a new boat? We'd love to show everyone a picture of it!

Send a jpg photo to the Editor, and don’t forget to send one to the Webmaster for updating the 'View the Crew' page on the website.

The October Education Presentation was given by Bill Albers, one of our founding mem-bers and Past Commodore. He did a wonderful job recounting how the Mariners of PGI organization was developed and launched! This coming year is special. 2020 is the 20th Anniversary of our group and this presentation was the beginning of our 20th Anniversary celebration! He gave a very informative presentation using slides and narrative (along with humorous anecdotes) on the how, what and why the organization came to be. It was a very well attended meeting with lots of new members and older members there that normally do not attend. He also honored the 39 people, which are still members, who contributed to the inauguration of the group.

I had lots of people express their pleasure on how well he did. As I stated at the end of the presentation, it made me proud of our little group! Thank you, Bill!

Nautical Notes November 2019

Page 4

Cruise Director (continued from page 1) Michael Mankin

We made it back as it was just getting dark to find someone had taken our slip. We were able to back her into

an even better slip for the night.

Ten of us partied aboard Crystal Blue until late in the evening. The breeze blew around 10 to 15 knots for most of the three days. Our departure day brought a very light breeze for our trip back to PGI. Another great cruise was had by all Mariners! Then came the Village Fish Market Lunch Cruise. Gary Burgess aboard The Lucky G led this cruise. We had six boats for this lunch. Bill & Laurie Ackerman and Jim & Cyndee Grifo are back in town and joined in. Followed by Carlo San Giorgio, June Prosser and Murray Goldenberg. Yours truly hitched a ride with Murray. Mariners filled up all the dock space at Fish-Ville on this particular day. We sat outside and enjoyed a great lunch and warm sunshine. Next up was the Laishley Dinner Cruise. Murray Goldenberg led this cruise. There was a wonderful afternoon breeze, so we got out early aboard Crystal Blue for a leisurely sip and drift on the bay. As the afternoon pro-gressed, we noticed some rain clouds forming over PGI. With a steady breeze pushing the away we didn’t think much of it until the wind shifted. Well, the rain came, and boy did it. We closed the windows, pointed Crystal Blue into the wind and rode it out. At the height of it, there was no land visible in any direction. Nice to have a chart plotter. Once the storm moved through and we could see the US-41 bridge we headed on to Laishley’s. Upon reaching the dock we saw Murray and his group aboard Single Malt idling into the harbor. They, of course, went through the same storm. Carlo San Giorgio was not quite as lucky in his open boat. He managed to get out for a good soaking then headed back for dry clothes and the land yacht. Chris and Ginny Caldwell did the same. Anyway, the skies turned blue again and we sat outside on the deck for a great meal and lively conversation. The ride back home was uneventful, so we put another great Mariner cruise in the books. The last cruise of the month was down to Boca Grande marina for a Friday lunch and a two-night stay to fol-low. Murray Goldenberg led this cruise. We had ten boats and 28 Mariners for lunch. It was a grand time! Seven boats remained for the overnight. The first evening we did docktails and hors d'oeuvres. It was great fun with a wonderful breeze out of the North. Beware of the North breeze at Boca Grande, it kept many of the group awake until late into the night. June Prosser gets the award for the hardiest of the group as she pitched a tent on her 20’ center console and slept aboard. The next day we had a great brunch at the Inn on the Inlet. The day was spent cruising around town aboard rented golf carts with a little swimming mixed in. That night most of us treated ourselves with dinner at the Gasparilla Inn. The setting was grand, the drinks were cold, and the food was excellent. The following day we all slowly prepared for departure. It was a gorgeous day and a smooth ride back up the bay. I can’t think of a better way to close out the month. I close with one of my favorite sayings, “Nobody has as much fun as Mariners”! See you on the water…. Check out the Punta Gorda Boaters

Alliance website for information on what’s happening on our area

waterways. (Click Here)

Nautical Notes November 2019

Page 5

Membership Notes Mary Brown

This was another busy month for the Mariners. Wasn’t that picnic great?!!

Thank you Bobby Conte and all who helped him. We will be losing some of our mem-

bers at the end of the year. I already have some resignations. We will miss those

friends of ours! On the bright side, I have a waiting list with four couples on it.

If you know of any prospective members, please ask them to go on line to fill out an

application.

It’s November, only a short time left to fulfill your membership requirements. Please

go online and check to see if you have been given all the credits you have earned.

If you will be needing a waiver for 2019, now is the time to let me know in writing the

reason for that request. I will take it before the board and a decision will be made.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Does your “View the Crew” photo need updating?

Let us know, and at the next general meeting we will have a club photographer available before the meeting to take updated photos of our members. Just email nneditor@marinersofpgi.org . If your photo needs to be updated, stop by and have a new one taken!

Nautical Notes November 2019

Page 6

Mariners Cruising

Upcoming Cruises

Wednesday, November 13, 2019 - Laishley’s Lunch Cruise

(click Here) Thursday, November 14/20, 2019 - On the Hook & Marinas Down South Tag-A-Long Cruise

(click Here) Thursday, November 21/23, 2019 - Venice Crow's Nest Overnight Cruise

(click Here) Sunday, November 24, 2019 - Boca grande Marina Lunch Cruise

(click Here) Friday, October 25, 2019 - Take an Associate Member to Lunch at Burnt Store

Marina Cruise (click Here)

But wait, there’s more!

Full list of Cruises click HERE

Nautical Notes November 2019

Page 7

How many Mariners can fit into a minivan? Not only did we have a blast on this trip, but we also answered this question. We may have also broken a record for the most Mariners on a vessel while underway! All I can say is what a pack of fun people we had on this trip. Although Thursday was a casual day open for all to venture at their leisure, this tight group opted to congre-gate at the pool together after the warm trip. As fate would have it, cocktails mixed well with the cool pool wa-ter and dialog referencing the adventures to Tween and beautiful weather. As the day progressed and appe-tites grew, one member mentioned an establishment called "Keylime Bistro". I believe that was all it took for everyone to vacate the pool and get ready for dinner. Of course, none of us had a car, so we piled TEN people into the Tween (minivan) shuttle, and off we went. Dinner was wonderful, the flute player very entertaining, and naturally, some of the conversations were too much to repeat (ha ha). After savoring some key lime pie (key lime is in their name after all), we piled back into that minivan which seemed slightly tighter on the ride back. The Popps invited everyone over for a night cap, more laughs, and yes...football! On Friday, everyone did a little of this and that. Some went to the pool, some to the beach, and some took the opportunity to go shopping. Dennis Barkow was kind enough to offer doing some vessel safety inspections. Surprisingly, the Gibbs passed and received our sticker! As the Gerringers were scheduled to arrive on Friday, our docktail party was set for Friday evening. Michael brought the tunes, and everyone brought a tasty dish to pass. Donnie and Adrienne docked at the Yacht club next door and almost needed a wagon to bring all their goodies including that delish chicken dip. We had yummy pizza, wings, chips, veggie and cheese plates, even homemade banana nut bread. It was only appropriate to have a big bowl of assorted candies, being October. Donnie taught us how to create a romantic dinner light and Tammy educated us on wildlife. Who knew the opossum was so important?!? Some of the group lead by the Droitcours decided to catch the sunset, so they headed over to the beach for the breathtaking view and photos. It was certainly a perfect end to a superb day. As Saturday was cloudier, many took advantage of venturing out on bicycles. Michael was our fearless guide and Toni brought up the end of our train for photo ops. We rode out to the island end (by South Seas) to the beach, working up an appetite. We decided since the atmosphere was so nice before, we'd pedal back to the Keylime Bistro for lunch. Yep, lunch here was good too with live entertainment again. We continued our bike ride by the Bubble Room making multiple stops by different marinas and even caught sight of a couple of man-atees. The plan for dinner was going to the Green Flash, but logistics of getting there were undecided until Mi-chael stepped up to the plate again. Thirteen Mariners piled into Crystal Blue for the short trip over where we were greeted by our talented server Milita. This Bulgarian woman remembered every drink and food order easier than I tie my shoes. The restaurant held up to the hype with great service, mouth-watering food, and spectacular views of the water out the large windows. Even the restrooms were worth a laugh and conversa-tion, which admittingly is a first for me. After dinner, everyone climbed back into Crystal Blue for the cruise back to our marina. Knowing we had to leave the next morning, everyone returned to their boats for an early evening to relax. Sadly, we all departed Sunday heading back to reality. This will definitely be a cruise not easi-ly forgotten. We ended up with thirteen people on seven boats for the trip. We also shared stories and memories to bond us closer for a lifetime. Thank you to all who attended, as you made this trip what it was.

‘Tween Waters Marina overnight Cruise Rob & Toni Gibbs