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Lake Michigan
Whether it is sailing or powerboating, SEAS has a class that will help you learn the basics of sailing, operating a powerboat and how to handle a safety & rescue situation properly.
SEAS is offering classes throughout July and August to help you enjoy the water. It's never to late to start.
Signup today to get started. Details & registration at www.seasheboygan.or/events
For the third year, Rochelle Pennington visited Sheboygan as SEAS (Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan) guest, speaking at two co-sponsored events. Both gatherings were held on Saturday, November 28, 2015, the first was cosponsored by, and took place at the Sheboygan Yacht Club. Guests were invited to decorate Christmas cookies while sipping on seasonal beverages prior to Rochelle’s presentation on one of the most well-known shipwrecks of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan's Christmas Tree Ship. The Christmas Tree Ship delivered holiday evergreens to the citizens of Chicago each Christmas season before it was caught in the "Great Storm of 1912" and subsequently went to the bottom of the lake fully loaded with trees.
Later that evening, a stellar crowd of upwards of 150 attendees joined Rochelle at Blue Harbor for her newest presentation commemorating the 40th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Blue Harbor cosponsored this event offering a warm, lake views reception area with complimentary light hors d’oeuvres.
With the famous Gordon Lightfoot song kicking off the presentation, guests were lead along the pathway the famous ship would take through Lake Superior, with Rochelle offering a travel log of the geographical highlights in the area.
Details were shared regarding the history of the Edmund Fitzgerald, as well as scripted dialogue acted-out by Rochelle between the captains of the sinking ship and that of the Arthur M. Anderson during the ship’s ultimate demise.
Rochelle engaged the group with personal stories, and pictures of visits she had made along the Lake Superior shore, adding a personal touch to the gathering.
Article Text : Meghan Welsh
Photos: Quentin Blacklock
Be in the know! Learn about the Marine Sanctuary. You're invited to the Marine Sanctuary Public Input Meeting
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH 6:30 PM TO 8:30 PM
University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan Main Building Wombat Room (Room 2114) 1 University Drive, Sheboygan
FREE TO ATTEND !
We Want to Hear From You!
NOAA is asking for the public's input on protecting Wisconsin - Lake Michigan, a maritime heritage resource area in Wisconsin as a national marine sanctuary.
Wisconsin - Lake Michigan is an 875 square mile area of Lake Michigan with waters extending from Port Washington to Two Rivers. The state of Wisconsin nominated this area as a national marine sanctuary through the Sanctuary Nomination Process with broad community support.
The primary objective of a sanctuary is to protect its natural and cultural features while allowing people to use and enjoy the waterways in a sustainable way. Sanctuary waters provide a secure habitat for species close to extinction and protect historically significant shipwrecks and artifacts. Sanctuaries serve as natural classrooms and laboratories for schoolchildren and researchers alike to promote understanding and stewardship of our waters. They often are cherished recreational spots for sport fishing and diving, and support commercial industries such as tourism, fishing and kelp harvesting.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH 6:30 PM TO 8:30 PM
University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan Main Building Wombat Room (Room 2114) 1 University Drive, Sheboygan
FREE TO ATTEND !
President Obama's remarks to the 2015 Our Ocean Conference.
More information on the Lake Michigan Sanctuary at this link: NOAA Wisconsin -- Lake Michigan
From the Sheboygan Press on today's announcement: Lake Michigan federal sanctuary bid advances.
Today Steve Heronemus was able to get out for another sail on the recently adapted Sonar. The moment was bittersweet as Steve's father, Dick Heronemus, passed away last week. The SEAS team made a point to give Steve the opportunity to hit the water today following his father's funeral services yesterday. Our thoughts are with his family during these difficult times.
The team struggled on Sunday as the breeze was considerably lighter and we had to contend with large wind shifts. At one point a race was abandoned after a series of significant shifts completely turned the fleet around.
The British team did well in the lighter conditions and worked their way up on us in the points until we slipped into third. After a near collision with the New Zealand team we began to sail defensively knowing they were near enough to begin attacking us when the opportunity arose. Unfortunately by the time we had begun to dial in the tuning for the lighter conditions the races were abandoned for the day.
As a team we are very proud of our performance. This was BJ's first regatta and only second year of sailing and while Jason has been sailing for decades this was also his first regatta above club level. The training we did in August certainly made a difference and our crew work was solid considering our short time sailing together. We are extremely proud to take home a bronze medal and second place in the Squadron Cup.
- Matt Wierzbach, Tactician
Saturday was a no go for racing. The weather was too rough.
Today is looking good if not a little light. Two more races needed for a throw out
Matt Wierzbach, Tactician
Check out this report from WBEZ Chicago
And another from Scuttlebutt Sailing News
For more information please visit these links:
2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries
Crew Info
Name | Position | ISAF | Country |
|
|||
Jason Berdyck | Headsail Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
BJ Blahnik | Main Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
Kris Scheppe | Helm | Group 1 | USA |
Matthew Wierzbach | Tactician | USA |
Our team is in second place in category 3 after the first five races in strong breeze and wavy conditions. The conditions were so rough we had issues with water filling in the hull and all have bumps and bruises but we preformed well and look forward to the next few days.
We are also in first place for the Squadron Cup which consists of the best national team overall between the 3 categories. We are on one of two U.S. Teams competing for that title.
We rounded out the night with some more Chicago deep dish pizza and are all ready for an early night.
- Matt Wierzbach, Tactician
For more information please visit these links:
2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries
Crew Info
Name | Position | ISAF | Country |
|
|||
Jason Berdyck | Headsail Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
BJ Blahnik | Main Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
Kris Scheppe | Helm | Group 1 | USA |
Matthew Wierzbach | Tactician | USA |
This morning had a great start with a promising breeze and clear skies but just as the warning signal was to be raised the AP appeared instead and the races were postponed. We waited as the Race Committee dealt with challenging conditions and ultimately storms have kept us off the water. The races have been canceled for the day. The forecast looks like a variety of conditions moving forward.
The pressure is off until tomorrow, now its time to head into town and waste some time as tourists.
- Matt Wierzbach, Tactician
For more information please visit these links:
2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries
Crew Info
Name | Position | ISAF | Country |
|
|||
Jason Berdyck | Headsail Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
BJ Blahnik | Main Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
Kris Scheppe | Helm | Group 1 | USA |
Matthew Wierzbach | Tactician | USA |
We had a great day of practice on the water. The winds were variable starting out strong and easing off as the day progressed which helped us experience a variety of conditions. We are seeing the typical choppy conditions that Chicago is famous for.
We also picked up our jackets this morning!
The opening ceremonies were great and the Chicago Yacht Club had a nice burger and hot dog buffet laid out. Now its time for the real racing to start. We are looking forward to tomorrow!
- Matt Wierzbach, Tactician
For more information please visit these links:
2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries
Crew Info
Name | Position | ISAF | Country |
|
|||
Jason Berdyck | Headsail Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
BJ Blahnik | Main Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
Kris Scheppe | Helm | Group 1 | USA |
Matthew Wierzbach | Tactician | USA |
Sheboygan sailor BJ Blahnik conducted an interview with RedEye Chicago yesterday before practice.
Here is what he had to say: RedEye Chicago
For more information please visit these links:
2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries
Crew Info
Name | Position | ISAF | Country |
|
|||
Jason Berdyck | Headsail Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
BJ Blahnik | Main Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
Kris Scheppe | Helm | Group 1 | USA |
Matthew Wierzbach | Tactician | USA |
Shortly after my first post we managed to get out on the water for our first taste of sailing the Tom 28. We started slow at the dock familiarizing ourselves with the boat, BJ and Kris feeling everything in their section of the boat to prepare for our time on the water.
The Tom 28s are a more performance oriented boat than the Sonar and getting used to the layout and heel took a bit of time. The sail area is also larger which will take some small adjustment moving forward. Luckily none of the teams are overly familiar with the boats and the extra room in the cockpit makes the movement of four sailors slightly less like a round of bumper cars than in the Sonar cockpit.
We did a bit of speed testing with four of the Tom’s out in a formation. We are confident we can do well with our speed and its looking likely that good starts and roundings are going to make the difference just like in any other race. What I’ve learned from sailing with the blind teams is that we have to stop thinking of it as a different form of sailing; the sailing is the same and the changes for safety are really minor and have more to do with avoiding collisions than anything.
After the required Chicago deep dish pizza for dinner we made a quick stop at Target to pick up a few snacks and ran into our big fan Chewbacca who is looking forward to his new movie release.
Chewbacca cheers on the team.
For more information please visit these links:
2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries
Crew Info
Name | Position | ISAF | Country |
|
|||
Jason Berdyck | Headsail Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
BJ Blahnik | Main Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
Kris Scheppe | Helm | Group 1 | USA |
Matthew Wierzbach | Tactician | USA |
Belmont Station Chicago Yacht Club- We have arrived at Belmont Station and have registered this morning. The staff and volunteers have been great and we snuck a short interview in on one of the Sonars with RedEye Chicago before the storms rolled in. Right now we are waiting to see if the storm passes through early enough for us to get some practice on the Tom 28s. If not we still have a practice day tomorrow and the forecast is looking nice.
Rumor has it they are releasing the boats in 10 minutes, we may get out today yet! Matt Wierzbach, Tactician
For more information please visit these links:
2015 IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship Entries
Crew Info
Name | Position | ISAF | Country |
|
|||
Jason Berdyck | Headsail Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
BJ Blahnik | Main Trimmer | Group 1 | USA |
Kris Scheppe | Helm | Group 1 | USA |
Matthew Wierzbach | Tactician | USA |
Saturday, May 9, 2015
10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
SEAS and Spaceport Sheboygan are proud to present a FREE Public Open House and National Marine Sanctuary Symposium. Come explore Spaceport Sheboygan during this FREE ADVENTURE OPEN HOUSE featuring presentations and exhibits about Wisconsin’s National Marine Sanctuary Nomination! Events and workshops for all ages!
Click here for the schedule: From Sea to Space