Summer has come and gone with the arrival of Winter.  WAIT……What happened to Fall?  Our colors on the river changed too late this year to enjoy a Fall Color Cruise to Chattanooga, but there were a few boats from the club who traveled up river to Knoxville to enjoy the Alabama vs Tennessee game this year.  Aqua Tread, captained by Vice Commodore Shane Wilks, even made it on the news in Tennessee.  His son, Logan, was interviewed by a reporter while docked at the downtown docks with hundreds of other boats.

On October 6th, we had our General Membership Meeting and Potluck dinner that evening.  The meeting was very informative, and all went well.  As usual, our club cooks were at their best for the evening meal.

November 8th, our club had the honor again in hosting the Wounded Warriors / Heroes Week festivities.  We had approximately 150 people attending this worthy event.  It always makes me tear up when I see these warriors emerge from the bus and think of all their sacrifices they have given for their country.  Being the wife of a veteran, I know how hard life is in the military, but especially when these soldiers have been in combat situations. 

Jeff and Brenda Henderson volunteered to hold the American Flags at the entrance to the club welcoming the busload of Warriors.  Crimson Tide V captained by Gerald Daniel had a full crew of Warriors and spouses aboard.  A young couple even took on the role of Captain for a short period of time. 

Upon leaving the club on their river cruise, the boats ended their time at the City Harbor where a group of people greeted them with cheers and flags being waved.  Conditions were not ideal for standing outside for a long time with a cold wind blowing.  We were grateful for the city in advertising this event so people in Guntersville could participate.  We even had large trucks to blow their horns as they passed by.  Upon their return to LGYC, the Warriors were met with a smiling group of children from Cherokee Elementary School who sang beautifully to our Heroes.  After being serenaded by the choir, Wentzel’s provided a great meal of BBQ and fixings. 

 We want to thank everyone who participated in providing their boats for the cruise.  As always, the sponsors were very grateful to LGYC for their involvement this year. 

We had a good turnout for the Iron Bowl this year even after everyone was still full of Thanksgiving turkey.

On December 1st, our Christmas brunch started the holiday season off with a visit from Santa!  We had a lot of smiling children ready for Santa’s visit this year.  The clubhouse was decorated beautifully for the occasion.

The generosity of our Club members always warms my heart.  The 20 children we adopted this year will have a very Merry Christmas!

 We would also like to thank the Alabama Funeral Directors Association for their donation of $400 to the Marshall County Christmas Coalition in care of LGYC.  They donated this money in appreciation for the use of our clubhouse for their annual meeting. 

Sarah Grace would also like to add a note to everyone:

Thank you for your very generous donations to the Christmas Coalition children.  Our 20 children and their parents will be blessed and delighted on Christmas morning thanks to you!  I couldn't do this without the help of Santa's elves, Helen Fachet, Nancy and Larry Hedden, and Diane Beck.  They helped with shopping, organizing and delivering the gifts as well as contributing the stockings for each child.  And, Santa (Larry) is always appreciated when he shows up!  Merry Christmas to you all and thanks again!

Now for other news around the water:

The Gift of a Safe Trip Home may Be the Best Holiday Present a Boater Can Get

SPRINGFIELD, Va., November 26, 2018 – What do you get a boater for the holidays? How about providing some much needed on-water and on-road help – including free tows back to his or her home dock – in case of a breakdown? Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has three holiday gift ideas that are perfect for any boater, sailor or angler.

1.            The gift of on-water towing. Give the gift of a BoatUS Unlimited Towing Membership with towing service provided by TowBoatUS. For saltwater boaters, an annual membership is just $149 per year, and for freshwater boaters the price is $72. Both provide 24/7 dispatch assistance, and your boater will never have to pay out of pocket for a tow back to the dock or for a soft ungrounding (the nationwide average cost for on water towing service is $785 for non-BoatUS members). Included with an Unlimited Towing Membership is a subscription to the award-winning BoatUS Magazine; exclusive fuel, transient slip and repair discounts; and the opportunity to earn rewards on boating gear at West Marine stores.

2.            The gift for roadside breakdowns. For a stocking stuffer that offers big benefits to a trailer boater, consider gifting a BoatUS Membership with Unlimited Trailer Assist for $38 that takes care of roadside breakdowns 24/7. In addition 100 miles of free on-road towing for both a disabled trailer and its tow vehicle to a safe location, lockout, flat tire, battery jump and fuel drop-off services are also included.

3.            The gift that makes boating better. A BoatUS Membership costs just $24 but includes more than 25 valuable benefits and services, including round-the-clock on-water or roadside dispatch with BoatUS paying the first $50 in towing services, a BoatUS Magazine subscription; exclusive fuel, transient slip and repair discounts; and rewards on boating gear at West Marine stores. Your boater can also take advantage of BoatUS’ national boating advocacy efforts and safe-boating programs including free boating safety courses from the non-profit BoatUS Foundation.

All of these gifts can be found at BoatUS.com/Gifts or by calling 800-395-2628.

Murray would like to remind everyone to check in the ship’s store for any mail that might have been delivered or mis-directed to the club that could belong to you.  There is a stack of mail on James’ desk so please take a moment to go through and see if any of it might be yours.  I’ve noticed envelopes from North Alabama Electric Co-op for some and if it’s a bill, your power might be turned off by them if you didn’t know the bill had come to the club instead of your home.

LGYC New Year’s Eve Masquerade Party

Entertainment Chair, Billy McCarty, just recently sent an Evite to Save the Date for our LGYC New Year’s Eve Party.  Don’t forget to respond to the Evite so he can get a head count!  Sounds like a great ending to a great 2018 and the beginning of 2019!

If you live near the Guntersville area and wish to be blessed at this time of year with beautiful music, come to the Guntersville High School on December 14, 15 or 16 for the singing of Handel’s Messiah.  There will be a combined 90 +/- voice choir to present this music.  There is no cost to come to the musical, but they are asking for a love offering to support the local charities. 

Well, that’s about all for this year’s newsletters.  We’ve had a good year and 2019 should be even better.  HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Until next time, “Keep Calm and Sail On!”  

Gail