Wednesday, 11 May 2022 18:13

2022 Letter from the Commodore

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CRAM Sailors:

2022 is going to be a great year! We have eight fantastic events planned this year beginning with Higgins Lake in May followed by events at beautiful venues on Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, Lake Charlevoix and Lake Huron concluding with Tawas Bay in September.

CRAM Sailors, 

It’s that time again! 2020 was another great season for CRAM. Even with the extra COVID-19 precautions that we had to follow last year. It was great to gather with friends (in distance). Getting out on the water and trying to put as much distance as possible between us and our competition was a nice escape from everything else going on back on land. I want to start the 2021 season by thanking all of those involved in making the 2020 season one for the books.In a good way! 

Wednesday, 30 September 2020 07:43

2020 Season Comes to a Close

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The 2020 season, CRAM’s 55th summer of catamaran racing, drew to an end at Caseville over the weekend. A beautiful, warm fall weekend greeted us with perfect set-up conditions on Friday night followed by the classic fireside chat back at the campground.

Tuesday, 11 August 2020 17:01

Marking Time in Manistee

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CRAM’s 2020 Manistee event went from a sailing regatta where you camp with friends to a camping weekend with some great sailing friends. In short, all racing was cancelled due to scattered storms in the area and waves large enough for a small craft advisory. However, in typical CRAM fashion, COVID and weather didn’t keep us from making some great memories.
When the legend of Caseville 2020 has grown, and is known throughout the world in times to come, I will be proud to tell my grandchildren that I beat Bob Orr ONCE during this event!

Bob, Bill Kast, Warren Mitchell, and myself joined John Harper and Cesar Santana up in the thumb of Michigan for a great weekend of racing and good times. This event was a little smaller than usual, but still had 30+ cats of all kinds launching off a beautiful beach to race in a variety of conditions. The Hobie group up there is a little more laid back, with single-handed 16s, non-comptips, and even a Getaway and a Prindle 16 racing along with the A cats and the spinnaker boats. I think this is working for them; lots of young people, husband and wife teams, and a few kids as well.
Monday, 13 July 2020 17:31

Hobie 17 Resurgence

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With the Covid pandemic upon us most of the spring sailing events have been canceled or postponed. When the chat started regarding sailing our Hobie 17s, I thought what a perfect boat to stay isolated - with the wings in place no one can get within 12 feet of you! We also have an aggressive fleet with very good sailors at the top of their game. As the event got closer we kept each other informed and made it happen.
Thursday, 25 June 2020 11:26

From Alabama to North Cape

I decided to join CRAM and sail as many regattas as I could this year, the first of which for me was the North Cape Regatta. When people heard I drove 601 miles (one way) from Alabama, the usual reaction was "Are you crazy?" to which I said "I just want to race!". And racing is what CRAM does, as well as communicate and promote events. They also welcome new members with open arms. It may be surprising, but in my experience some organizations/clubs don't do that fully, especially with regards to communication and promotion. I find CRAM to be a rare gem and appreciate being able to participate. The folks I've met have all been great, going back to 2018 Hobie 16 NAC where I met Austin, John, and Keith who all eagerly encouraged me to try out CRAM.
Wednesday, 29 April 2020 20:21

COVID-19 Impact Update (4/29/2020)

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This update comes with unfortunate news once again. The Lake Michigan Catamaran Championship originally scheduled for June 19th-21st in Michigan City, Indiana has been cancelled. This was set to be one of our largest events, a three day contest held in combination with Hobie Fleet 126.

To fill the now-empty time slot, the CRAM officers are working on hosting a regatta in Port Sanilac, Michigan. More details will come at a later date, please keep checking the schedule for changes to NORs. There will not be a social event for this regatta.

Stay safe,

Alex
Monday, 27 April 2020 12:29

COVID-19 Impact Update (4/27/2020)

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Due to Michigan Executive Order 2020-59 and the time needed for grounds preparation, it has come to my attention that Michigan state parks campgrounds will now remain closed through June 21st. Therefore, the CRAM Higgins Lake Regatta scheduled for May 30th and 31st is cancelled.

From the South Higgins Lake Campground manager, all campsite reservation fees will be fully refunded.

As of today, CRAM’s first regatta will be held at North Cape Yacht Club in LaSalle, MI on June 6th and 7th.
Tuesday, 21 April 2020 14:53

COVID-19 Impact on CRAM (4/20/2020)

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CRAM Family,

I hope this update finds each and every one of you healthy and making the most of current situation. It is almost inevitable that the COVID-19 virus has affected someone we know, however that may be. Please know that your CRAM officers are working towards providing some sort of glimmer of light at the end of this long tunnel.

As of Monday, April 20th, CRAM is keeping the schedule as posted with the exception that the social events for the Higgins Lake and North Cape regattas are cancelled. This is the only update at this time; any regatta may still be affected as we continue to monitor the situation. We believe that we can still promote the sport of sailing and while acting safely and responsibly in these unprecedented times.

In case we need to cancel a regatta, a notice will be made at least one week prior to the event. You are still encouraged to pre-register and to please not worry about registration fees, as those will be fully refunded.

Take care,

Alex
Thursday, 26 March 2020 13:21

2020 Letter from the Commodore

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Michigan sailing is just a few short weeks away! The officers have finished our winter meeting, finalizing most of the final details. Countless little updates are in the works. Some of us were even able to escape to Florida for a little sailing. Therefore, it’s pretty much official…
61742682 2909430745763743 3645907985642815488 nBoth Hannah and I are new to sailing. I started as crew on a monohull in 2016, and Hannah joined as crew in 2018. We both really enjoy it and our friends pointed us to CRAM as a place to improve our sailing skills, and have a more exhilarating experience.
Friday, 31 May 2019 13:13

2019 Commodore Update

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Dear CRAM Members,

The 2019 CRAM sailing season starts this weekend at Higgins Lake, MI! I hope everyone will join us this weekend for our season opening regatta.  Let the 2019 CRAM Season of fun begin!

At the Spring Officers meeting CRAM Officers agreed on three organizational goals that we’d like all members to collectively focus on during 2019.

Saturday, 06 April 2019 11:50

2019 Letter from the Commodore

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Welcome to the 2019 CRAM sailing season!

New members and returning members alike, I want to sincerely welcome you to our 2019 CRAM Season. First off, I’d like to thank Uli Gollwitzer for his leadership, enthusiasm and commitment to CRAM as Commodore the past two seasons. Additionally, I’d like to thank each CRAM officer and member who has worked hard over the years to make our organization the success it is today. Your commitment to CRAM, to our members and to catamaran sailing is inspiring and truly appreciated.

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