LPSC HISTORY

When the newly constructed facilities were opened in the spring of 1977 at Lake Pleasant, a cruising, educational and social club for sail boaters was proposed. The Lake Pleasant Sailing Club (LPSC) was formed at the lake in September 1977. Our first Commodore was George Lauman, who was re-elected in 1978. George served as our Senior Staff Commodore through 2002. In 1979, under Commodore Bill Wright, our club was incorporated as a non-profit organization and the by-laws were accepted. Our first cruise to Santa Catalina Island consisted of four boats. In 1980, our Commodore was Dan Hoehner. During Dan's term, the Lauman's instigated the dinghy rowing races; Fred Bailey suggested our first Wine and Cheese Party; and our Commodore initiated the cruising trophy. Our Santa Catalina cruise this year was ten boats. During 1981, under the leadership of Commodore Bill Carugno, the year was one of tremendous growth. There our membership grew to sixty-three members. We also held the first club cruise to Roosevelt Lake. This year we also adopted the policy of only the Membership Director handling the new member’s forms with the dues going directly to the treasury - a year of many firsts. In 1982, we held our first Thanksgiving Cruise to Lake Havasu. Our Commodore, Bill Reeves, got us involved in the Cerebral Palsy Telethon and we showed a group of senior citizen ladies the joy of sailing. During this year, our by-laws were amended to add a Social Director, Membership Director, and Director at Large, plus a few other changes. Also, a racing series was started. Commodore Reeves started the Arizona Sailing Counsel, which represented all the sailing clubs in Phoenix.The year 1983 proved to be yet another year of exciting events for the club. Under Commodore Mike Ging, there was a by-law change reducing the dues of members that move out of state. The first Treasure Hunt Cruise and sailing dinghy races were held in conjunction with the rowing dinghy races. We participated in the Gompers Charity Regatta where LPSC members donated rides on their boats. We also had a First Aid Course and CPR program. Officer's flags were also presented this year to the Board of Directors. We also held two progressive dinners at the lake, which also proved to be great fun. In 1984, our club was seven years young and had grown to over 100 family memberships. Our Commodore, John Cummings, built a closer relationship with the Arizona Yacht Club by combining different activities between the two clubs with the help of AYC's Commodore, Tom Ohlin. A club library was started by Jim Sullivan, which contains books and videotapes for club members to enjoy. This year a Cruise Skipper's flag was adopted. Members Russ and Beth Eis and Clyde and Mary Ellis buried a time capsule on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Hank Weldon skippered the first back-to-back Santa Catalina/San Diego Cruise. The club adopted a humpback whale named Olympia through a project sponsored by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The year 1985 brought us Commodore Marty Sturhahn who graciously served our club an extra three months to bring our elections from October to January. Cruises this year included Lake Havasu, Santa Catalina Island, Roosevelt Lake and Lake Powell. There were races for rowing, dinghy and just for fun. We also had a treasure hunt this year and revised our cruising sheet point system. Eleanor Hamric, the Cruising Director for this year, compiled material of interest for those participating in these various cruises away from Lake Pleasant into a Cruising Director's file. Much of the information was shared through the Pleasant Times. Plans went under way to greatly increase the size of Lake Pleasant by the early 1990's by constructing the Waddel Dam. In 1986, Commodore Dennis Dyke brought a new interest to the club as members took group scuba diving lessons. Guest speakers at membership meetings included Tom Hamilton, Gerry Cunningham, and member Warren Barrett. Charlie Rogers made a donation of books to the club library. Club events kept everyone on the go this year as events were scheduled almost every two weeks. We had a display at the Arizona Boat Show this year and our first Sunflower Raft up/Progressive Dinner with about twelve boats participating. Dave and Joan Hensley flew over and took photographs after first placing their own boat in the raft up. The annual Ice Cream Social was held at the Lauman's new residence west of Lake Pleasant, Rancho Loma Vista. LPSC became ten years young in 1987 and growing stronger than ever before. Under commodore Steve Landry, many exciting events were planned, including a Moonlight Cruise on Lake Pleasant and the Sunflower raft up. In spite of low water levels at Lake Pleasant, the club went on undaunted, scheduling more events than ever away from lake Pleasant so as not the lose any sailing fun. We visited places such as Rocky Point, Lake Roosevelt and Lake Mead. The club enjoyed its traditional Thanksgiving Day Cruise at Lake Havasu. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable cruises of 1987 was to San Carlos thanks to Bob Mills. In 1988, Commodore Steve Hook brought the club new and exciting events. An education workshop was put on by club members, featuring Anchoring Techniques by Dale Jacobson, Safety Afloat by Mike & Cindy Ging, Knot Tying by Tom Monson and Docking Procedures by Steve Hook. The Hooks organized a camping trip near Flagstaff which included a scavenger hunt starting at the campsite and ending at Lake Ashurst; everyone got to test their skills at rock skipping and also enjoyed a fireworks display. In the highest spirit of seamanship, club members safely gave sailboat rides to Girl Scouts on what turned out to be one of the windiest days at Lake Pleasant that year. The year 1989 brought us our first female Commodore, Cindy Ging. Under Cindy's dedicated and enthusiastic leadership, the club once again flourished and we had many, many of its traditional events, such as the Wine & Cheese Party, Santa Catalina Island/San Diego Cruise, Lake Mead Cruise, Thanksgiving Cruise, and Sweetheart's Race, all of which proved to be a great success. The Hook's skippered several cruises to Rocky Point, Mexico. The skippers of each cruising event made each occasion a very pleasant one for all those who attended which made all the events a huge success. Tom Errickson donated some sailing tapes to the club library and Jack Fisher donated a movie screen to be used at club events. Even though the lakes around Arizona were 'down a bit,’ that did not deter anyone from participating in club events. The first year in the decade of the 90s brought us Commodore Leigh Prettyman and many innovative changes for the club. Two by-law changes were made regarding annual renewals and a member running for the office of Treasurer. A Charity Fund was established; minutes of board meetings were published in each newsletter to keep members better informed. A great workshop was organized by Dotty (Millar) Bauer which included: anchoring knot tying, navigation and building a barbecue for one's boat. Along with other exciting events, several club boats experienced 8 foot seas during a cruise to San Carlos, Mexico skippered by Steve Hook. Steve skippers an exciting cruise! 1991 brought Russ Blanchette as our Commodore. Russ was a real asset to the board, along with his wife Thelma. The board bestowed a pair of headphones as a thank you for a great year; and the Commodore and his First Mate say they worked great for communicating in private! The video library was expanded considerably this year, with the addition of several different subject videos on sailing. Great cruises this year ...a lot of fun on the lakes and sea. 1992, with John Carey as Commodore, Mother Nature & the Federal Government brought many changes to Lake Pleasant. The club struggled to maintain planned events, even with the ever changing water levels (almost non-existing & then drastically higher) and the eventual loss of the launching ramps. But thanks to our great membership and the Board of LPSC, we still got lots of sailing in at our Lake, along with great turnouts for our Catalina Island, San Diego, Labor Day, San Carlos, Mexico and Lake Mead cruises. Our regular place for general membership meetings was lost, and it was discovered that moving to different places every other month was not the way to go! Under the helm of our new Commodore Siamak Masoudi, we all look forward to another year of good sailing and great sailing friends to share our leisure times! 1993, Siamak Masoudi as Commodore, led our club in a great year even though we had little use of our home, Lake Pleasant. There was plenty of water, but launching was difficult mainly using the roads that led to the old lake. Old familiar coves and bays are gone, but the new filled lake is big and spacious. Cinco de Mayo was held at Lake Roosevelt and the Sweetheart's Race at Saguaro Lake. Lake Pleasant Harbor Marina, with plans for the ultimate in recreational amenities which will include hotels, boat storage and cruises, started leasing out its five-hundred plus slips. The club sailed its first trip to Ensenada, Mexico with stops at Coronado and Todo Santos Islands before returning to San Diego for an exciting and safe journey led by skipper's Ted & Toni Stuart. The LPSC Christmas celebration was again held at Lee Prettyman's clubhouse to conclude another enjoyable club year. 1994, Commodore Bob Schultz led our club in another year of struggling with the changes in Lake Pleasant. Struggling meant getting an answer about our lake, about the ramps, about water levels from Maricopa County (west side) or Water Conservation (east side) or maybe even the Federal Government or Pleasant Harbor Marina. Well attended events included the Commodore's Wine & Cheese Party, the Pancake breakfast, Cinco de Mayo and the Catalina and San Diego Cruises. More and more boats are sailing up the coast and harbor hopping to Catalina Island. The San Diego cruise took a new twist with most attendees enjoying slips at Marina Cortez with several leaving their boats there for the summer. The Sailboat Shop relocated and greatly expanded their facilities. The annual Christmas Party was catered and the gift exchange was enhanced with some nice club gifts added to the exchange. The year 1995 was led by Commodore Dan Merritt whose leadership and direction increased our membership to 80 families. The Rocky Point/Bird Island Cruise, aided by improved highways in Mexico and speedier border crossings, is fast becoming a frequent club event, with 1996 seeing both a spring and fall cruise. LPSC club members volunteered at the Overlook Area at Lake Pleasant on weekends for the year to impart their vast knowledge and experience to Lake Pleasant many visitors. With the completion of the ten-lane ramp on the west side, Lake Pleasant will be the site of many launchings of LPSC member boats. As is our club tradition, members enjoyed a holiday pot luck and gift exchange at the Pera Club. In 1996, the Club was under the leadership of Jim Metcalf. We continued our volunteer program at the Lake Pleasant Overlook Visitor Center, while we watched the “new" lake fill. This year marked the beginning of a new tradition - the Club selected Pete's 19th Tee Restaurant in Tempe as the dedicated meeting place for our General Membership Meetings. It also marked the end of an era, as the Long Beach Naval Yacht Club hosted our Club for the very last time for the Catalina Island departure point. This facility was made available to the Club by the founder of LPSC, George Lauman. The marina however, is scheduled to be abolished and we will have to search for a new departure point. Thanks to George Lauman for allowing us access to this great facility over the years! 1997 brought our second female Commodore; PJ Hankins volunteered for the position and led the Club through a very active year. Lake Pleasant's water level dropped to below the old dam this year for some repairs up river. This caused less activity at Lake Pleasant because of the difficulty of accessing the lake with some of the ramps not even reaching water. Cinco de Mayo was the biggest turnout ever, with 36 boats in the sunflower raft up - and the activity made the Arizona Republic, pictures and all! The Club organized its first ever international charter. Tom Hankins skippered 47 people in nine boats into the British Virgin Islands during the month of June. The Moorings on Tortola Island will never be the same and is still trying to figure out what hit them. There is now an LPSC burgee hanging on the rafters of the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda and at Foxy's on Jost van Dyke. The annual Catalina Cruise had a smaller than usual turnout, but still a good time was had. The Pirate's Cruise was land-based this year due to low water levels, but we had a good showing at the Lake Havasu Yacht Club's Thanksgiving Race. Brian Striedieck took over the helm for 1998. This year the Club had an all time high for members, with 102 families and single sailors on the roster. The Club joined the World Wide Web and began publishing a Club Webpage. Marie Merritt volunteered to create and publish the original web page. Water levels at the Lake began to rise again, and the Pancake Breakfast was moved back to Lake Pleasant. Another new record for the Club was set when 22 boats made the trip from the California coast to Catalina Island. So many boats were going, it was decided to split up and leave from three different departure points; San Diego, Dana Point and Marina del Rey. A new cruise was on the agenda this year. Joe & Joan Zuccala along with Bob and Trudy Connors skippered a two week cruise to Lake Tahoe. Several of our members again made the trip to Lake Havasu for the Thanksgiving Day Regatta, in what is becoming another tradition. 1999 was led by Phil Hunsley. The Club continued on a strong tack with all events being well-attended. The Ice Cream Social was once again held at the home of Tom & Marji Errickson - a perfect venue for this event. The "last Cinco de Mayo of the century" was a great success and fun for kids of all ages. This year brought two camping trips, since the desert heat discourages most of us from sailing at Lake Pleasant. In 1999 the Sailboat shop opened a new location at Lake Pleasant, and the Tempe Town Lake also opened. The fall brought us the Pirate's Cruise and the Veteran's Day Cruise, both well attended by over fifteen boats. Rick & Kelley Fowke had the distinction of skippering the last cruise of the century, as well as the first cruise of the new millennium cruise. No Y2K problems were reported! 2000 – Upon the arrival of the new millennium, Y2K, Rich Wood took over the bridge as Commodore from Phil Hunsley. All members survived without the use of generators as power grids did not collapse and everyone’s GPS continued to work! The club was subjected to a survey of club activities to determine what was needed to boost membership involvement and the outcome said: Stay the course, maybe add more cruises in the spring and fall. A comprehensive seminar on Stainless Steel selection and care was presented at one meeting, which many marveled over the information. Most of all, I had the luxury of three past Commodores on the BoD to guide me through the year. The membership swelled to 108 member-ships in the spring, while the water in the lakes dwindled in the fall, with one lake leaving “Salsa” grounded. Financially the club thrived even with the new requirement of event insurance for the Christmas Party. Thanks to the Board for their effective service and devotion and the members for their spirit, both of which are needed for a successful club. 2001 with Joe Zuccala as commodore brought LPSC a year of continued growth of 112 memberships and increased participation in all club events. Our largest event on the water ‘Cinco de Mayo’ at Lake Pleasant was a great success due to the organizational skills of the cruise skipper, Karon Hunsley. Our largest land event was the Christmas party at the Pera Club. Thanks to our sponsor, Dottie Bauer and our social committee, Connie Schultejans, Bea Haneman, and Sonia Groce. The annual cruises to Catalina Island, Lake Mead and San Carlos, Mexico are still among the favorite destinations. This year’s Catalina cruise had high winds and seas and kept everyone on their toes. Some boats made the trip in record time. The Lake Pleasant Sailing Club has a tradition of sailing camaraderie and good times, and this year continued these traits. 2002 marked the Club’s 25th Anniversary with Tom Hankins at the helm. In September a celebration was held reflecting on the past 25 years. In 2002 the Bylaws were revised to allow George Lauman to retire from the Board. A stormy spring caused the Sweetheart’s Race to be re-scheduled and later completely cancelled. In spite of the third year of drought, the lake level did its usual rise & fall but the lake cruises were well attended and successful. More than 50 sailors chartered in the British Virgin Islands while both the Catalina and San Carlos cruises were fairly large with many new members. The Library was expanded and further organized and we continued to have a presence on the Web. The year ended with 106 memberships (200+ sailors), the largest Holiday Party ever and things fairly ship-shape. 2003 was another great year for the club with Rick Fowke as Commodore. This year proved to be a year of changes. Like the winds at Lake Pleasant, many of the events during the year had changes in locations or changes in dates. All the events were well attended and a good time was had by all. The Cinco de Mayo Cruise ended up in the marina due to high winds and safety being the first priority. The Ice Cream Social was moved to Kiwanis Park where the kids got to fish and the model boat race was held in the lake. Bob and Tatsuyo Schultz donated a dinghy with carrying case, 2 hp, 4-stroke motor which were auctioned off, and several other items which were raffled off. This enabled the club to buy an LCD projector to use at club events. We went on a new cruise to the Channel Islands and Tom Hankins skippered a cruise event aboard the Lynx, an 80-ft. wooden clipper ship where the members became crew and sailed to Catalina Island returning the next day. General membership meetings were well attended with programs from Trailering Safely by Rich Wood to Sights and Sounds featuring the animals around Lake Pleasant by Sandy Cate from Arizona Game and Fish Department. The year ended with 103 members and everyone looking forward to the 2004 cruising season. In 2004 Commodore Ed Chamberlain enjoyed working with the Board of Directors to do our part to keep the club going strong. We added a new position to the Board, the New Member Liaison, to greet new members and help to make them feel welcome. This was a good idea and I want to thank Dan Merritt for the good job he did. We had our 25th Anniversary for the Catalina Island Cruise and Tom Whitaker did a nice job helping us celebrate it. We had the bittersweet experience of having Tom and PJ Hankins leave to go cruising, and we will miss their energy and enthusiasm. All in all, another great year for the LPSC. In 2005, Mark Kaufmann served as the club commodore. The year began with rain, followed by more rain, and after that, still more rain. The Sweethearts cruise was cancelled due to the inclement weather, as was the President’s Day cruise. It was still stormy for the Mad Hatter Cruise, but by St. Patrick’s Day, conditions took a turn for the better, and the record-high lake level enhanced the remainder of the spring cruises, including Cinco de Mayo. At the general membership meetings, speakers such as professional sailor Leslie Steinkoenig, Sam Huselton with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and our own LPSC board members presented a variety of topics of interest to the membership, and Tom & PJ Hankins recounted some of their adventures as live-aboards sailing in the Caribbean. The video library was expanded, and the process of converting our old VHS tapes to DVDs was started. After nearly 20 years of service, the original fruitcake burgee was showing its age, so club member Shirley Brewer made a colorful replacement, and the original was retired in an exquisite display case created by Ed Ladd, to become a part of the club’s heritage. 2006 brought the club its third woman commodore, Kelley Fowke. With the help of an excellent Board of Directors, Kelley pronounced 2006 an excellent year. The year brought us our traditional events and cruises with a few additional ones. The Turkey Day Cruise at Lake Pleasant took the place of the London Bridge Regatta in Lake Havasu City. Santa Barbara Island Cruise was added to the Catalina Cruise. The San Diego Cruise although not a new cruise was given a breath of fresh air by the excellent planning of the Cruise Skippers, Dottie and Clyde Bauer. The Mid-Week Cruises proved to be very popular again. Gayle Corridori and Connie Boone Social Directors for 2006 did an excellent job with the ever popular land based events, Pancake Breakfast and Cruise, Ice Cream Social and the Holiday Party. We produced a new screen printed T-shirt which was well received by the membership. We created the new embroidered logo with waving LPSC burgee and is available on various clothing items through Cintas. Newsletter Editor, Connie Schultajans’ hard work brought the Pleasant Times, our newsletter to new heights in delightful reading. The club was asked to write an article for the AZ Boating & Water sports. Membership Director, Jan Anderson stepped up the plate and wrote an excellent piece that it was so good it was published in the anniversary issue. As with progress and time the club gained new members, friends, and lost treasured ones. The club traveled to far off places, French Polynesia and Caribbean vicariously through presentations. We also learned about cruising in Mexico with children and pirates at the Caribbean. 2006 was an excellent year for Lake Pleasant Sailing Club. 2007 The Commodore for this year was Rick Schultz. Throughout the year there was great participation at the meetings and sailing events. The General Membership meeting location changed ownership and is now “Rolling Hills 19th Tee” restaurant. The new management has done some remodeling and this will continue to be the location for our meetings. The Board of Directors prepared a questionnaire to get feedback from the membership. Overall the response was very positive about the club’s current activities, and there were some suggestions for new activities. There were a lot of boats at the raft-ups this year, and the Cruise Skippers provided a variety of fun games and activities for those who attended. Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate for all our events. It was cold, windy and raining for the Pancake Breakfast, but despite this we had a good turnout. Cinco de Mayo had to be held in the Marina due to high winds, but Sunday morning was beautiful and many of the boats rafted up for lunch. Emily and Mark Kaufmann opened their home for the Wine and Cheese Party, and the Ice Cream Social was held at the home of Jan and Nils Anderson. At the General Membership meeting, speakers included author Becky Coffield who talked about cruising for 6 years with her husband. Debbie and Brian Schauer gave a talk on their Windjammer Cruise in Maine, and Micki and Rick Schultz discussed their cruising in Croatia. Ed Ladd donated a piece of “Catalina Pottery” to the club which will be presented each year to the winner of the “Sweet Heart Cruise”. This year was the Club’s 30th Anniversary and it was celebrated with cake and decorations at the General Meeting. The year ended with a big turnout for the Holiday Party and featured Karaoke in the bar area. 2008 Ten-year club member Ed Huntsman assumed the helm in January. Shortly thereafter members prepared breakfast for the local Leukemia Cup regatta, donating the proceeds to the charity. The Wine and Cheese Party provided the backdrop for the board’s first meeting in February and at the general membership meeting we learned about Quagga and Zebra mussels and members began accumulating points for taking people out who have never sailed before. In March, in between cruises, we learned about charts, radio procedures, launching/retrieving your boat and how to be a cruise skipper. March and April saw the club burgee at the Arizona Game and Fish Outdoors EXPO at Ben Avery Shooting Facility and in front of the West Marine store on Bell Avenue in Peoria with club information booths at these mini-boat shows. We learned about Scorpion Bay Marina in April. May brought Ron and Julia Ripps to us providing tips on sailing in Europe, the Mediterranean and Turkey. Staff Commodore Rich Woods provided June’s general membership meeting program with an encore trailering and trailer maintenance program as the membership readied for the summer vacation season. The club sailed to Catalina in July and San Diego in August and found the membership cooling off in the mountains for the annual camping trip in late summer. With September came the Post Labor Day Cruise, the Commodore’s Bay at the Moon cruise and the return of the midweek cruises. Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Adobe Mountain coordinator Sandy Cate presented a program on critters that we may see at or near Lake Pleasant and other Arizona areas. October brought the ice cream social, the Columbus Day Cruise, and a presentation by Dr. Robert Baron—a nationally recognized authority on the danger to boaters of carbon monoxide poisoning. Cold Water Boot Camp in November taught us to wear our life jackets—especially when it cools down and with dancing and karaoke we had a great party in December complete with a visit from Santa for the kids. January’s elections set the stage for the new board as the club’s program for 2008 came to a close. Commodore Bruce Andress led the Lake Pleasant Sailing Club, with a membership of 103, to a successful year in 2009. LPSC served breakfast at the Leukemia Cup Regatta and donated the proceeds to charity for the third year. The raft-ups and mid week cruises were very well attended with Pirate’s Cruise having 21 boats - the biggest non-Cinco raft-up in years. The Cinco de Mayo and Thanksgiving Day Cruises were diverted to the newly opened Scorpion Bay Marina due to high winds. At the other extreme, the race for the Sweetheart’s Cruise was abandoned due to lack of wind. The Catalina Island and San Diego cruises were successful. An old tradition of an out of town cruise was reintroduced with five boats sailing at Roosevelt Lake. Off the water events included the Ice Cream Social held at Chapparal Park, Pancake Breakfast at Spinnaker Point and a camping trip to Potato Lake. In a change of venue and style, the Holiday Party was held at the Lake Pleasant Desert Outdoor Center. After over two years of planning and with a great deal of work by members, the highly successful inaugural Ladies’ Day at the Lake (one day classroom and on-the-water training program with certified instructors) was held in October at the Desert Outdoor Center. During the Ladies’ Day at the Lake, seasoned women sailors from the club had an opportunity to improve their skills and seamanship and over a dozen local women were introduced to the joys of sailing in the Welcome Aboard course. "It was my proudest moment as Commodore," said Andress in reference to the new LPSC event. "A lot of club members worked very hard to make it run so smoothly." In the tradition of LPSC, it was a year of good times. Commodore Tom Dumbauld took the helm of Lake Pleasant Sailing Club in 2010 and currently has approximately 100 member families. LPSC sponsors approximately 16 weekend cruises per year at Lake Pleasant north of Phoenix, AZ. The cruises usually involve sailing the lake and then rafting up (each boat puts out an anchor and ties up alongside the other boats) in a designated cove for the evening meal and spending the night. The cruises usually have a theme such as President’s Day, Mardi Gras, Cinco De Mayo, Veteran’s Day, etc. LPSC also sponsors midweek cruises throughout the sailing season (fall, winter and spring). LPSC sponsors out of town cruises to other lakes, Catalina Island, San Diego, etc. LPSC has monthly general membership meetings which include a presentation of interest to members. The calendar also includes off-the-water social events such as the Ice Cream Social, Holiday Party, Wine & Cheese Party, etc.LPSC has a mission of educating its members in all things involving sailing and sailing safety. This includes presentations at general membership meetings and a special Ladies Day at the Lake inaugurated in 2009. This was an all day event with classroom and on-the-water training by certified instructors for the ladies.

LPSC HISTORY

When the newly constructed facilities were opened in the spring of 1977 at Lake Pleasant, a cruising, educational and social club for sail boaters was proposed. The Lake Pleasant Sailing Club (LPSC) was formed at the lake in September 1977. Our first Commodore was George Lauman, who was re-elected in 1978. George served as our Senior Staff Commodore through 2002. In 1979, under Commodore Bill Wright, our club was incorporated as a non-profit organization and the by-laws were accepted. Our first cruise to Santa Catalina Island consisted of four boats. In 1980, our Commodore was Dan Hoehner. During Dan's term, the Lauman's instigated the dinghy rowing races; Fred Bailey suggested our first Wine and Cheese Party; and our Commodore initiated the cruising trophy. Our Santa Catalina cruise this year was ten boats. During 1981, under the leadership of Commodore Bill Carugno, the year was one of tremendous growth. There our membership grew to sixty-three members. We also held the first club cruise to Roosevelt Lake. This year we also adopted the policy of only the Membership Director handling the new member’s forms with the dues going directly to the treasury - a year of many firsts.

In 1982, we held our first Thanksgiving Cruise to Lake Havasu. Our Commodore, Bill Reeves, got us involved in the Cerebral Palsy Telethon and we showed a group of senior citizen ladies the joy of sailing. During this year, our by-laws were amended to add a Social Director, Membership Director, and Director at Large, plus a few other changes. Also, a racing series was started. Commodore Reeves started the Arizona Sailing Counsel, which represented all the sailing clubs in Phoenix.The year 1983 proved to be yet another year of exciting events for the club. Under Commodore Mike Ging, there was a by-law change reducing the dues of members that move out of state. The first Treasure Hunt Cruise and sailing dinghy races were held in conjunction with the rowing dinghy races. We participated in the Gompers Charity Regatta where LPSC members donated rides on their boats. We also had a First Aid Course and CPR program. Officer's flags were also presented this year to the Board of Directors. We also held two progressive dinners at the lake, which also proved to be great fun.

In 1984, our club was seven years young and had grown to over 100 family memberships. Our Commodore, John Cummings, built a closer relationship with the Arizona Yacht Club by combining different activities between the two clubs with the help of AYC's Commodore, Tom Ohlin. A club library was started by Jim Sullivan, which contains books and videotapes for club members to enjoy. This year a Cruise Skipper's flag was adopted. Members Russ and Beth Eis and Clyde and Mary Ellis buried a time capsule on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Hank Weldon skippered the first back-to-back Santa Catalina/San Diego Cruise. The club adopted a humpback whale named Olympia through a project sponsored by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The year 1985 brought us Commodore Marty Sturhahn who graciously served our club an extra three months to bring our elections from October to January. Cruises this year included Lake Havasu, Santa Catalina Island, Roosevelt Lake and Lake Powell. There were races for rowing, dinghy and just for fun. We also had a treasure hunt this year and revised our cruising sheet point system. Eleanor Hamric, the Cruising Director for this year, compiled material of interest for those participating in these various cruises away from Lake Pleasant into a Cruising Director's file. Much of the information was shared through the Pleasant Times. Plans went under way to greatly increase the size of Lake Pleasant by the early 1990's by constructing the Waddel Dam.

In 1986, Commodore Dennis Dyke brought a new interest to the club as members took group scuba diving lessons. Guest speakers at membership meetings included Tom Hamilton, Gerry Cunningham, and member Warren Barrett. Charlie Rogers made a donation of books to the club library. Club events kept everyone on the go this year as events were scheduled almost every two weeks. We had a display at the Arizona Boat Show this year and our first Sunflower Raft up/Progressive Dinner with about twelve boats participating. Dave and Joan Hensley flew over and took photographs after first placing their own boat in the raft up. The annual Ice Cream Social was held at the Lauman's new residence west of Lake Pleasant, Rancho Loma Vista. LPSC became ten years young in 1987 and growing stronger than ever before. Under commodore Steve Landry, many exciting events were planned, including a Moonlight Cruise on Lake Pleasant and the Sunflower raft up. In spite of low water levels at Lake Pleasant, the club went on undaunted, scheduling more events than ever away from lake Pleasant so as not the lose any sailing fun. We visited places such as Rocky Point, Lake Roosevelt and Lake Mead. The club enjoyed its traditional Thanksgiving Day Cruise at Lake Havasu. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable cruises of 1987 was to San Carlos thanks to Bob Mills.

In 1988, Commodore Steve Hook brought the club new and exciting events. An education workshop was put on by club members, featuring Anchoring Techniques by Dale Jacobson, Safety Afloat by Mike & Cindy Ging, Knot Tying by Tom Monson and Docking Procedures by Steve Hook. The Hooks organized a camping trip near Flagstaff which included a scavenger hunt starting at the campsite and ending at Lake Ashurst; everyone got to test their skills at rock skipping and also enjoyed a fireworks display. In the highest spirit of seamanship, club members safely gave sailboat rides to Girl Scouts on what turned out to be one of the windiest days at Lake Pleasant that year. The year 1989 brought us our first female Commodore, Cindy Ging. Under Cindy's dedicated and enthusiastic leadership, the club once again flourished and we had many, many of its traditional events, such as the Wine & Cheese Party, Santa Catalina Island/San Diego Cruise, Lake Mead Cruise, Thanksgiving Cruise, and Sweetheart's Race, all of which proved to be a great success. The Hook's skippered several cruises to Rocky Point, Mexico. The skippers of each cruising event made each occasion a very pleasant one for all those who attended which made all the events a huge success. Tom Errickson donated some sailing tapes to the club library and Jack Fisher donated a movie screen to be used at club events. Even though the lakes around Arizona were 'down a bit,’ that did not deter anyone from participating in club events.

The first year in the decade of the 90s brought us Commodore Leigh Prettyman and many innovative changes for the club. Two by-law changes were made regarding annual renewals and a member running for the office of Treasurer. A Charity Fund was established; minutes of board meetings were published in each newsletter to keep members better informed. A great workshop was organized by Dotty (Millar) Bauer which included: anchoring knot tying, navigation and building a barbecue for one's boat. Along with other exciting events, several club boats experienced 8 foot seas during a cruise to San Carlos, Mexico skippered by Steve Hook. Steve skippers an exciting cruise! 1991 brought Russ Blanchette as our Commodore. Russ was a real asset to the board, along with his wife Thelma. The board bestowed a pair of headphones as a thank you for a great year; and the Commodore and his First Mate say they worked great for communicating in private! The video library was expanded considerably this year, with the addition of several different subject videos on sailing. Great cruises this year ...a lot of fun on the lakes and sea.

1992, with John Carey as Commodore, Mother Nature & the Federal Government brought many changes to Lake Pleasant. The club struggled to maintain planned events, even with the ever changing water levels (almost non-existing & then drastically higher) and the eventual loss of the launching ramps. But thanks to our great membership and the Board of LPSC, we still got lots of sailing in at our Lake, along with great turnouts for our Catalina Island, San Diego, Labor Day, San Carlos, Mexico and Lake Mead cruises. Our regular place for general membership meetings was lost, and it was discovered that moving to different places every other month was not the way to go! Under the helm of our new Commodore Siamak Masoudi, we all look forward to another year of good sailing and great sailing friends to share our leisure times! 1993, Siamak Masoudi as Commodore, led our club in a great year even though we had little use of our home, Lake Pleasant. There was plenty of water, but launching was difficult mainly using the roads that led to the old lake. Old familiar coves and bays are gone, but the new filled lake is big and spacious. Cinco de Mayo was held at Lake Roosevelt and the Sweetheart's Race at Saguaro Lake. Lake Pleasant Harbor Marina, with plans for the ultimate in recreational amenities which will include hotels, boat storage and cruises, started leasing out its five-hundred plus slips. The club sailed its first trip to Ensenada, Mexico with stops at Coronado and Todo Santos Islands before returning to San Diego for an exciting and safe journey led by skipper's Ted & Toni Stuart. The LPSC Christmas celebration was again held at Lee Prettyman's clubhouse to conclude another enjoyable club year.

1994, Commodore Bob Schultz led our club in another year of struggling with the changes in Lake Pleasant. Struggling meant getting an answer about our lake, about the ramps, about water levels from Maricopa County (west side) or Water Conservation (east side) or maybe even the Federal Government or Pleasant Harbor Marina. Well attended events included the Commodore's Wine & Cheese Party, the Pancake breakfast, Cinco de Mayo and the Catalina and San Diego Cruises. More and more boats are sailing up the coast and harbor hopping to Catalina Island. The San Diego cruise took a new twist with most attendees enjoying slips at Marina Cortez with several leaving their boats there for the summer. The Sailboat Shop relocated and greatly expanded their facilities. The annual Christmas Party was catered and the gift exchange was enhanced with some nice club gifts added to the exchange.

The year 1995 was led by Commodore Dan Merritt whose leadership and direction increased our membership to 80 families. The Rocky Point/Bird Island Cruise, aided by improved highways in Mexico and speedier border crossings, is fast becoming a frequent club event, with 1996 seeing both a spring and fall cruise. LPSC club members volunteered at the Overlook Area at Lake Pleasant on weekends for the year to impart their vast knowledge and experience to Lake Pleasant many visitors. With the completion of the ten-lane ramp on the west side, Lake Pleasant will be the site of many launchings of LPSC member boats. As is our club tradition, members enjoyed a holiday pot luck and gift exchange at the Pera Club.

In 1996, the Club was under the leadership of Jim Metcalf. We continued our volunteer program at the Lake Pleasant Overlook Visitor Center, while we watched the “new" lake fill. This year marked the beginning of a new tradition - the Club selected Pete's 19th Tee Restaurant in Tempe as the dedicated meeting place for our General Membership Meetings. It also marked the end of an era, as the Long Beach Naval Yacht Club hosted our Club for the very last time for the Catalina Island departure point. This facility was made available to the Club by the founder of LPSC, George Lauman. The marina however, is scheduled to be abolished and we will have to search for a new departure point. Thanks to George Lauman for allowing us access to this great facility over the years!

1997 brought our second female Commodore; PJ Hankins volunteered for the position and led the Club through a very active year. Lake Pleasant's water level dropped to below the old dam this year for some repairs up river. This caused less activity at Lake Pleasant because of the difficulty of accessing the lake with some of the ramps not even reaching water. Cinco de Mayo was the biggest turnout ever, with 36 boats in the sunflower raft up - and the activity made the Arizona Republic, pictures and all! The Club organized its first ever international charter. Tom Hankins skippered 47 people in nine boats into the British Virgin Islands during the month of June. The Moorings on Tortola Island will never be the same and is still trying to figure out what hit them. There is now an LPSC burgee hanging on the rafters of the Bitter End Yacht Club on Virgin Gorda and at Foxy's on Jost van Dyke. The annual Catalina Cruise had a smaller than usual turnout, but still a good time was had. The Pirate's Cruise was land-based this year due to low water levels, but we had a good showing at the Lake Havasu Yacht Club's Thanksgiving Race.

Brian Striedieck took over the helm for 1998. This year the Club had an all time high for members, with 102 families and single sailors on the roster. The Club joined the World Wide Web and began publishing a Club Webpage. Marie Merritt volunteered to create and publish the original web page. Water levels at the Lake began to rise again, and the Pancake Breakfast was moved back to Lake Pleasant. Another new record for the Club was set when 22 boats made the trip from the California coast to Catalina Island. So many boats were going, it was decided to split up and leave from three different departure points; San Diego, Dana Point and Marina del Rey. A new cruise was on the agenda this year. Joe & Joan Zuccala along with Bob and Trudy Connors skippered a two week cruise to Lake Tahoe. Several of our members again made the trip to Lake Havasu for the Thanksgiving Day Regatta, in what is becoming another tradition.

1999 was led by Phil Hunsley. The Club continued on a strong tack with all events being well-attended. The Ice Cream Social was once again held at the home of Tom & Marji Errickson - a perfect venue for this event. The "last Cinco de Mayo of the century" was a great success and fun for kids of all ages. This year brought two camping trips, since the desert heat discourages most of us from sailing at Lake Pleasant. In 1999 the Sailboat shop opened a new location at Lake Pleasant, and the Tempe Town Lake also opened. The fall brought us the Pirate's Cruise and the Veteran's Day Cruise, both well attended by over fifteen boats.

Rick & Kelley Fowke had the distinction of skippering the last cruise of the century, as well as the first cruise of the new millennium cruise. No Y2K problems were reported! 2000 – Upon the arrival of the new millennium, Y2K, Rich Wood took over the bridge as Commodore from Phil Hunsley. All members survived without the use of generators as power grids did not collapse and everyone’s GPS continued to work! The club was subjected to a survey of club activities to determine what was needed to boost membership involvement and the outcome said: Stay the course, maybe add more cruises in the spring and fall. A comprehensive seminar on Stainless Steel selection and care was presented at one meeting, which many marveled over the information. Most of all, I had the luxury of three past Commodores on the BoD to guide me through the year. The membership swelled to 108 member-ships in the spring, while the water in the lakes dwindled in the fall, with one lake leaving “Salsa” grounded. Financially the club thrived even with the new requirement of event insurance for the Christmas Party. Thanks to the Board for their effective service and devotion and the members for their spirit, both of which are needed for a successful club.

2001 with Joe Zuccala as commodore brought LPSC a year of continued growth of 112 memberships and increased participation in all club events. Our largest event on the water ‘Cinco de Mayo’ at Lake Pleasant was a great success due to the organizational skills of the cruise skipper, Karon Hunsley. Our largest land event was the Christmas party at the Pera Club. Thanks to our sponsor, Dottie Bauer and our social committee, Connie Schultejans, Bea Haneman, and Sonia Groce. The annual cruises to Catalina Island, Lake Mead and San Carlos, Mexico are still among the favorite destinations. This year’s Catalina cruise had high winds and seas and kept everyone on their toes. Some boats made the trip in record time. The Lake Pleasant Sailing Club has a tradition of sailing camaraderie and good times, and this year continued these traits.

2002 marked the Club’s 25th Anniversary with Tom Hankins at the helm. In September a celebration was held reflecting on the past 25 years. In 2002 the Bylaws were revised to allow George Lauman to retire from the Board. A stormy spring caused the Sweetheart’s Race to be re-scheduled and later completely cancelled. In spite of the third year of drought, the lake level did its usual rise & fall but the lake cruises were well attended and successful. More than 50 sailors chartered in the British Virgin Islands while both the Catalina and San Carlos cruises were fairly large with many new members. The Library was expanded and further organized and we continued to have a presence on the Web. The year ended with 106 memberships (200+ sailors), the largest Holiday Party ever and things fairly ship-shape.

2003 was another great year for the club with Rick Fowke as Commodore. This year proved to be a year of changes. Like the winds at Lake Pleasant, many of the events during the year had changes in locations or changes in dates. All the events were well attended and a good time was had by all. The Cinco de Mayo Cruise ended up in the marina due to high winds and safety being the first priority. The Ice Cream Social was moved to Kiwanis Park where the kids got to fish and the model boat race was held in the lake. Bob and Tatsuyo Schultz donated a dinghy with carrying case, 2 hp, 4-stroke motor which were auctioned off, and several other items which were raffled off. This enabled the club to buy an LCD projector to use at club events. We went on a new cruise to the Channel Islands and Tom Hankins skippered a cruise event aboard the Lynx, an 80-ft. wooden clipper ship where the members became crew and sailed to Catalina Island returning the next day. General membership meetings were well attended with programs from Trailering Safely by Rich Wood to Sights and Sounds featuring the animals around Lake Pleasant by Sandy Cate from Arizona Game and Fish Department. The year ended with 103 members and everyone looking forward to the 2004 cruising season.

In 2004 Commodore Ed Chamberlain enjoyed working with the Board of Directors to do our part to keep the club going strong. We added a new position to the Board, the New Member Liaison, to greet new members and help to make them feel welcome. This was a good idea and I want to thank Dan Merritt for the good job he did. We had our 25th Anniversary for the Catalina Island Cruise and Tom Whitaker did a nice job helping us celebrate it. We had the bittersweet experience of having Tom and PJ Hankins leave to go cruising, and we will miss their energy and enthusiasm. All in all, another great year for the LPSC.

In 2005, Mark Kaufmann served as the club commodore. The year began with rain, followed by more rain, and after that, still more rain. The Sweethearts cruise was cancelled due to the inclement weather, as was the President’s Day cruise. It was still stormy for the Mad Hatter Cruise, but by St. Patrick’s Day, conditions took a turn for the better, and the record-high lake level enhanced the remainder of the spring cruises, including Cinco de Mayo. At the general membership meetings, speakers such as professional sailor Leslie Steinkoenig, Sam Huselton with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and our own LPSC board members presented a variety of topics of interest to the membership, and Tom & PJ Hankins recounted some of their adventures as live-aboards sailing in the Caribbean. The video library was expanded, and the process of converting our old VHS tapes to DVDs was started. After nearly 20 years of service, the original fruitcake burgee was showing its age, so club member Shirley Brewer made a colorful replacement, and the original was retired in an exquisite display case created by Ed Ladd, to become a part of the club’s heritage.

2006 brought the club its third woman commodore, Kelley Fowke. With the help of an excellent Board of Directors, Kelley pronounced 2006 an excellent year. The year brought us our traditional events and cruises with a few additional ones. The Turkey Day Cruise at Lake Pleasant took the place of the London Bridge Regatta in Lake Havasu City. Santa Barbara Island Cruise was added to the Catalina Cruise. The San Diego Cruise although not a new cruise was given a breath of fresh air by the excellent planning of the Cruise Skippers, Dottie and Clyde Bauer. The Mid-Week Cruises proved to be very popular again. Gayle Corridori and Connie Boone Social Directors for 2006 did an excellent job with the ever popular land based events, Pancake Breakfast and Cruise, Ice Cream Social and the Holiday Party. We produced a new screen printed T-shirt which was well received by the membership. We created the new embroidered logo with waving LPSC burgee and is available on various clothing items through Cintas. Newsletter Editor, Connie Schultajans’ hard work brought the Pleasant Times, our newsletter to new heights in delightful reading. The club was asked to write an article for the AZ Boating & Water sports. Membership Director, Jan Anderson stepped up the plate and wrote an excellent piece that it was so good it was published in the anniversary issue. As with progress and time the club gained new members, friends, and lost treasured ones. The club traveled to far off places, French Polynesia and Caribbean vicariously through presentations. We also learned about cruising in Mexico with children and pirates at the Caribbean. 2006 was an excellent year for Lake Pleasant Sailing Club.

2007 The Commodore for this year was Rick Schultz. Throughout the year there was great participation at the meetings and sailing events. The General Membership meeting location changed ownership and is now “Rolling Hills 19th Tee” restaurant. The new management has done some remodeling and this will continue to be the location for our meetings. The Board of Directors prepared a questionnaire to get feedback from the membership. Overall the response was very positive about the club’s current activities, and there were some suggestions for new activities. There were a lot of boats at the raft-ups this year, and the Cruise Skippers provided a variety of fun games and activities for those who attended. Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate for all our events. It was cold, windy and raining for the Pancake Breakfast, but despite this we had a good turnout. Cinco de Mayo had to be held in the Marina due to high winds, but Sunday morning was beautiful and many of the boats rafted up for lunch. Emily and Mark Kaufmann opened their home for the Wine and Cheese Party, and the Ice Cream Social was held at the home of Jan and Nils Anderson. At the General Membership meeting, speakers included author Becky Coffield who talked about cruising for 6 years with her husband. Debbie and Brian Schauer gave a talk on their Windjammer Cruise in Maine, and Micki and Rick Schultz discussed their cruising in Croatia. Ed Ladd donated a piece of “Catalina Pottery” to the club which will be presented each year to the winner of the “Sweet Heart Cruise”. This year was the Club’s 30th Anniversary and it was celebrated with cake and decorations at the General Meeting. The year ended with a big turnout for the Holiday Party and featured Karaoke in the bar area.

2008 Ten-year club member Ed Huntsman assumed the helm in January. Shortly thereafter members prepared breakfast for the local Leukemia Cup regatta, donating the proceeds to the charity. The Wine and Cheese Party provided the backdrop for the board’s first meeting in February and at the general membership meeting we learned about Quagga and Zebra mussels and members began accumulating points for taking people out who have never sailed before. In March, in between cruises, we learned about charts, radio procedures, launching/retrieving your boat and how to be a cruise skipper. March and April saw the club burgee at the Arizona Game and Fish Outdoors EXPO at Ben Avery Shooting Facility and in front of the West Marine store on Bell Avenue in Peoria with club information booths at these mini-boat shows. We learned about Scorpion Bay Marina in April. May brought Ron and Julia Ripps to us providing tips on sailing in Europe, the Mediterranean and Turkey. Staff Commodore Rich Woods provided June’s general membership meeting program with an encore trailering and trailer maintenance program as the membership readied for the summer vacation season. The club sailed to Catalina in July and San Diego in August and found the membership cooling off in the mountains for the annual camping trip in late summer. With September came the Post Labor Day Cruise, the Commodore’s Bay at the Moon cruise and the return of the midweek cruises. Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Adobe Mountain coordinator Sandy Cate presented a program on critters that we may see at or near Lake Pleasant and other Arizona areas. October brought the ice cream social, the Columbus Day Cruise, and a presentation by Dr. Robert Baron—a nationally recognized authority on the danger to boaters of carbon monoxide poisoning. Cold Water Boot Camp in November taught us to wear our life jackets—especially when it cools down and with dancing and karaoke we had a great party in December complete with a visit from Santa for the kids. January’s elections set the stage for the new board as the club’s program for 2008 came to a close.

Commodore Bruce Andress led the Lake Pleasant Sailing Club, with a membership of 103, to a successful year in 2009. LPSC served breakfast at the Leukemia Cup Regatta and donated the proceeds to charity for the third year. The raft-ups and mid week cruises were very well attended with Pirate’s Cruise having 21 boats - the biggest non-Cinco raft-up in years. The Cinco de Mayo and Thanksgiving Day Cruises were diverted to the newly opened Scorpion Bay Marina due to high winds. At the other extreme, the race for the Sweetheart’s Cruise was abandoned due to lack of wind. The Catalina Island and San Diego cruises were successful. An old tradition of an out of town cruise was reintroduced with five boats sailing at Roosevelt Lake. Off the water events included the Ice Cream Social held at Chapparal Park, Pancake Breakfast at Spinnaker Point and a camping trip to Potato Lake. In a change of venue and style, the Holiday Party was held at the Lake Pleasant Desert Outdoor Center. After over two years of planning and with a great deal of work by members, the highly successful inaugural Ladies’ Day at the Lake (one day classroom and on-the-water training program with certified instructors) was held in October at the Desert Outdoor Center. During the Ladies’ Day at the Lake, seasoned women sailors from the club had an opportunity to improve their skills and seamanship and over a dozen local women were introduced to the joys of sailing in the Welcome Aboard course. "It was my proudest moment as Commodore," said Andress in reference to the new LPSC event. "A lot of club members worked very hard to make it run so smoothly." In the tradition of LPSC, it was a year of good times.

Commodore Tom Dumbauld took the helm of Lake Pleasant Sailing Club in 2010 and currently has approximately 100 member families. LPSC sponsors approximately 16 weekend cruises per year at Lake Pleasant north of Phoenix, AZ. The cruises usually involve sailing the lake and then rafting up (each boat puts out an anchor and ties up alongside the other boats) in a designated cove for the evening meal and spending the night. The cruises usually have a theme such as President’s Day, Mardi Gras, Cinco De Mayo, Veteran’s Day, etc. LPSC also sponsors midweek cruises throughout the sailing season (fall, winter and spring). LPSC sponsors out of town cruises to other lakes, Catalina Island, San Diego, etc. LPSC has monthly general membership meetings which include a presentation of interest to members. The calendar also includes off-the-water social events such as the Ice Cream Social, Holiday Party, Wine & Cheese Party, etc.LPSC has a mission of educating its members in all things involving sailing and sailing safety. This includes presentations at general membership meetings and a special Ladies Day at the Lake inaugurated in 2009. This was an all day event with classroom and on-the-water training by certified instructors for the ladies.