April 2026 News
⛵ For GCSC Friends ⛵
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If you have a question and don't know who to ask, just reply to this email and we'll forward your question/comment to to the right sailors!
| Our Gulf Coast Sailing Club Mission:
As Naples and Southwest Florida’s leading volunteer sailing club, we support inter-club racing, cruising, day sailing, social events, and boating education for the benefit of sailors and their families. Let’s keep it fun.
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From The Commodore:
The Commodore shall be the senior officer of the Club
| Trudell Kolpack
What a Season!
GCSC news: NO NAME – GCSC “Dan Cornacchia” took 3rd place in the 2026 CONQISTADOR CUP!! Congratulations! We'll send out the re-cap soon.
Stay connected, volunteer anywhere you can to meet your fellow sailors and skippers, and enjoy the club.
We look forward to seeing you at the member meeting April 8!
Trudell Kolpack
Commodore
480-310-2330
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From The Vice Commodore:
The Vice Commodore is responsible for Membership, Communications, and Volunteer Coordination activities for the Club.
|  | Laurie Conrod
Greetings Sailors,
RSVP Now April's meeting! The USCG Auxiliary will be sharing vessel inspection info for safety and also some tips on "Suddenly in Command".
2026 Naples Classic Regatta Recap
What an awesome event! The 2026 Naples Classic Regatta gave us two of the most beautiful sailing days I’ve ever had on the water. After the Presidents’ Day regatta—where we endured zero wind and thick, heavy fog—this weekend was pure magic and a total redemption.
Saturday’s racing started right on time with light air in the five-knot range. We had the same windward mark as so Dragon Fly Plus was in a perfect spot to watch some impressive spinnaker sets—and a few hilarious tangles. Running With Scissors absolutely crushed it with their shiny new sails, taking two out of the three Saturday races and looking dialed in from the gun.
In the final race of the day, Tri’Fly’n suffered a broken sprit, but the crew powered through with serious determination and still clinched the win in their class. Tough break, great recovery!
The breeze built nicely by the last race, climbing to about 10 knots as the day went on. It was one of those Chamber of Commerce, pitch-perfect days: sunny skies, warm temps, and just the right wind to make every beat and run feel effortless.
Sunday switched things up with a pursuit race from Gordon Pass down to CP2 near Marco Island and back up to Gordon Pass (with the Marco Island boats running the course in reverse). This was the big debut for Valerie Milazzo’s brand-new Dufour 44, delivered last December. What a stunning boat—gorgeous lines and seriously fast!
She started about five and a half minutes ahead of us in drifting conditions, and we couldn’t make any real headway early on. As we headed down toward Gordon Pass, the wind filled in to around 8 knots, just a little ahead of the beam—great for our setup, but still not enough to close the gap. There was a bit of a snafu at the turning mark near Gordon Pass, which let us sneak ahead. On the return leg to Marco, we were leading but couldn’t pull away decisively. Bottom line: that new Dufour is a rocket and a clear winner in those conditions!
Running With Scissors flew their Code 0 the whole way down and back, paired with a staysail, and they were absolutely crushing it—fast, smooth, and fun to watch.
The evening Trophy presentation was held at Dylans off Airport Pulling Rd. It was a great time with great participation.
All in all, great fun was had by everyone—fantastic racing, beautiful Southwest Florida waters, and the usual great camaraderie.
Next up: the Messmer Cup on April 18, Looking forward to it!
Frank Brown
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How To Join Port32 Marinas Wahoo's:
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When you want to join Port32 Wahoo's, you'll have to show Kristy at Wahoo you are an active GCSC member.
You can do this by showing her your Profile on our website:
3. Click on your name in the upper right hand corner
4. Click on Profile
5. Take a screenshot and print it to show Kristy in person, or email it to her with the contract. You can also show her your profile on the phone when you are at Wahoo.
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Please Welcome our Newest Members!
Active Memberships: 125
Active Members: 214
Pending Members: 5
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Gulf Coast Sailing Club welcomes the New Members who joined GCSC in March:
Theresa Campbell joins us with two years of experience from the Offshore Sailing School in NYC, where she raced and cruised on the Hudson River. She is eager to continue her passion for racing, cruising, and day sailing here in Naples.
Joseph Charette is a seasoned sailboat owner. He’s looking ahead to participating in our Racing and Day Sailing programs.
John Cram brings extensive recreational boating and fishing experience to the club. He is excited to dive into the world of sailing, starting with the Day Sail Program, and is already looking forward to future cruising adventures!
WELCOME TO GCSC! Any members (especially New Members) are invited join the ORIENTATION TABLE at our monthly member meetings.
Starting at 6pm, join a Director and/or Flag officers at the ORIENTATION TABLE to get acquainted, get your questions answered, and have an informal overview of everything the Club offers. Then the meeting starts at 7pm!
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From The Rear Commodore:
The Rear Commodore is responsible for the On The Water activities for the Club.
|  | Bob Andreini
Greetings from Marathon Key!
We arrived on Friday March 27 after taking 4 days to get here from Naples. We left Naples at about 2pm Tuesday and went to the Marco Island Yacht Club for 1 night. Their new club house is excellent and it was Tuesday buffet night with live music on the outside deck. Wednesday, we went to Indian Key and anchored right off the channel inside – temperature and winds kept it very cool and we even grilled out on the back of the boat. Thursday we went to little Shark River and although the wind was coming out of the West it was very moderate and we along with 2 other boats anchored on the outside just north of the inlet. Was very comfortable and NO BUGS. Friday we had an excellent sail down to Marathon with about 15-18 kts of wind.
Victoria arrived Tuesday afternoon after an even sportier sail that we had on Friday. The winds are whipping out of the East and quite gusty easily 20+ kts. Dan got to the Marlin Bay marina about 3pm and radioed the dockmaster. Then about 4 other neighbors came over to help when they saw the sailboat enter the marina! Dan did a great job and made docking into the wind look easy! Later one of his neighbors even bought our group a couple of beers – probably as a thank you for not hitting his boat.
Some of the boats who were on a later arrival schedule decided to hold off due to wind speed and direction. Many of the boats that were schedule to leave this week have held off due to winds especially those going up the East coast and heading up North or to the Bahamas.
Loads of fun down here. Michelle has been exploring the turtle hospital, some shopping, Crane Point Hammock Preserve a natural preserve and bird sanctuary. We even played some tennis across US 1. We did a lot of grilling on the Sunset dock and enjoyed sundowners doing so.
There is a bus that takes you up and down the Keys including all the way to Key West. We are going to take it Friday to get to Big Pine for the final step in our diving certification. The cost is $4 / trip or $1 if you are over 60 (which we both are). So for $2 each to get down and back! Uber is a $15 minimum and the local taxi is now $10 anywhere on this island.
Marlin Bay has an excellent monthly program. Basically, if you stay 10 days it’s the monthly rate. For Believe 40’, my rate is $180 / day with electric – flat rate. The monthly rate for our boat is $63.5 / day and the electricity is metered and you only pay what you use. Almost a 2/3 savings. I’ve never seen that big of a discount at any other marina we’ve stayed at. Next year, maybe we’ll stay a month or two!
I’ve been using Starlink a lot on these trips. They changed the plan last year (for the better). Now for the $50 / month plan, you get 100gb data and some days of usage on the water each month. I also found out that within 3 miles of shore is not considered off shore, so you can easily use it at marinas and anchorages. I’ve kept mine on since I anchored at Indian Key Wednesday night, even when I was quite a bit off shore between Little Shark and Marathon. My March usage was 91gb, so a bit close, but if needed I could upgrade to unlimited or pay the overage fee. It’s something to watch if you are cruising a lot with it. When not using it, you can pay $5 / month to keep the subscription alive and have enough access to connect and enable your normal subscription (if you forget to do it ahead of time – just saying).
Stay in touch with your cruising plans and if the winds settle and shift, come on down!
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Stay tuned, read your newsletters, visit the club website, and if you are interested in getting involved in any of these activities, please reach out to me via the email below.
Cheers,
Bob Andreini
Rear Commodore
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Sign up for the GCSC Crew Board - For GCSC Members Only
Click here for instructions:
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Messmer Cup Regatta!
Friday April 17 - 19, 2026
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Schedule of Events:
REGISTER HERE
Saturday, April 18 09:55 First warning for buoy races
10:00 First Class Fleet Start
Sunday, April 19 10:00-12:00 Sunday Brunch and Awards Party
Everyone Welcome!
Naples Sailing and Yacht Club
896 Riverpoint Drive
Naples FL 34103
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This is not a BOTY event and will be run by
The Naples Sailing and Yacht Club.
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Cruising Cayo Costa
April 24 - 27, 2026
| | Cayo Costa ("key by the coast") is one of the largest underdeveloped barrier islands in Florida. The island is directly south of Boca Grande and just North of North Captiva Island. With nine miles of white sand beaches there are activities for all. | | | If you are interested, send an email to cruising@gulfcoastsailingclub.org and I will coordinate all the details with everyone who expresses interest.
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Dry Tortugas Flotilla
July 8 - 14, 2026
This is an opportunity to cruise on your own boat with Island Sailing who is taking passengers on both of their charter boats (Island Dreams and Island Time). Sailing directly to Dry Tortugas and there for a few days, then on to Key West for refuel, water and dinner before sailing up to Marathon and then back home.
There is no cost to other boats (except your own slip fees where applicable) - just some fun and camaraderie.
The flotilla is excellent for anyone who has wanted to make the trip but would prefer to plan and buddy boat with experienced captains and other members of GCSC.
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7/8
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Wednesday
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To Dry Tortugas
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Depart at 10 am 121 NM. Island Dreams leave earlier.
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7/9
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Thursday
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Dry Tortugas
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Arrive around sunrise. Tour the fort after lunch, relax on the beach
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7/10
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Friday
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Dry Tortugas
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Explore Loggerhead key, snorkeling
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7/11
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Saturday
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Dry Tortugas
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Main island, relax, swim
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7/12
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Sunday
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Sail to Key West
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Depart before sunrise. 61 NM. Arrive mid-to-late afternoon. Fuel and water. Dinner ashore.
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7/13
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Monday
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Marathon
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Morning sail up to Looe Key for snorkeling and on to Marathon. Dinner at Key's Fisheries then sail into the sunset.
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7/14
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Tuesday
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Sail to Naples
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Arrive Naples mid-morning.
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If you are interested, send an email to cruising@gulfcoastsailingclub.org.
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Day Sailing Open Event
Saturday March 14, 2026 - PAST
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Our first event was a success!
On Saturday March 14, we had a couple of boats and about 12 people enjoy a day out on the Gulf. Several people who had not been sailing down in Naples area were able to get out on the water. The winds were solid at 8-12 kts until later in the afternoon when they died down.
New friendships were formed and stories from all around were shared. Even the most experienced sailors on our boat were happy to just be along for the ride and enjoy the time on the water.
Should we do this again?
If you missed out or would like us to organize this again, please send an email to daysailing@gulfcoastsailingclub.org and let us know.
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| SUGDEN SUNDAY SAILING BY GCSC
Lake Avalon is still closed until further notice!
The rest of the season is unfortunately cancelled. We hope to bring this program back next season.
Doug Foss
Small Boat Fleet Captain
630-464-0505
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Member Meeting April 8 at 6pm
(Always the 2nd Wed. of the month)
PLEASE RSVP! WE NEED TO SET UP AND HAVE FOOD FOR EVERYONE!
Do you need help renewing online or logging in to the website?
We'll have a computer and someone to help you at the meetings!
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🏨 Location: Moss Hall at Moorings Presbyterian 791 Harbour Dr. Naples (Signs are posted)
👨🏫 Speaker: Richard Hartig Staff Officer-Vessel Exams
Naples Flotilla 9-3
1099 9th St.,South
Naples, FL 34102
🍴 Serving: Hot Shredded Chicken Sandwiches and Salad
🍪🍰 Please bring a dessert to share
🍺 🍷BYOB (Water and Iced Tea provided)
So we can plan!
Please Note: Non-Members and Guests are $15 each, payable at the meeting. Thank you!
Non-Members and Guests will be credited the $15 if they join the club at the meeting!
Non-members may be a guest 2 times before membership is required.
Everyone who RSVP's, and guests, will get a blue dinner ticket.
Non-RSVP's will get a red ticket. Blue tickets will be served first.
If all else fails, just reply to this email and we'll add you so you get a blue ticket!
Thank you!!
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Join Or RENEW Now! The annual membership dues are $115 and will cover a new membership for 12 full months for new members. Members that joined before August 1 2024 have a June 30 renewal date.
Don't Miss Out!
✅ When your membership expires, you will no longer be able to login to the Club website, and no longer have access to members only content.
✅ The Club Luff 'N Laff will be sent to active members only, and general information will be sent to non-members.
✅ The Port32 Marina/Wahoo membership is available to active members only.
✅ Some Club events will be available to members only, so keep/start your membership!
Plus, we'll miss you if you let your membership expire!
Renew or Join Now!
The annual membership dues are $115 and will cover a new membership for 12 full months for new members. Members that joined before August 1 2024 have a June 30 renewal date each year.
Club dues allow the Club to provide:
⛵ Port32/Wahoo membership for $99 (Savings of $300)
⛵ Races & Cruises planned and put on
⛵ Day Sailing events planned and put on
⛵ Raft-Ups planned and put on
⛵ Charters planned and put on
⛵ Small Boats Events planned and put on
⛵ Sugden Sunday Fun Day's 🏊🍔 planned and put on
👩🏫 Monthly meetings planned with activities for engagement, fun, food, and occasional speakers
🎉 Parties with food
😋 Comradery with your fellow sailors
🙋♀️🙋♂️Unlimited volunteer opportunities
You can complete the payment process online with PayPal or a credit card.
If you prefer, you can mail a check for $115 to Gulf Coast Sailing Club, P.O. Box 2121, Naples, FL 34106 and your membership will be manually renewed. Please renew online first, and then mail in the check. Thanks!
Please include any changes to your contact information.
We look forward to seeing you at events, on committees, and on the water!
| Do you have a boat or equipment to sell? Equipment you need?
GCSC BURGEES and NAME TAGS:
You’re a member – say it loud and proud with a GCSC official Burgee or Name Tag!!
(Not a boat owner? Hang it at home or in your office!)
Burgees are large (17” X 25”) fully embroidered – not printed. $65
Name tags are magnetic (no damage to clothing) and feature our logo, your name, and either “member” or your boat name if you choose. $11
E-mail Paul Carlson the exact spelling of your name and whether you want to have a boat name added to your name tag at least a week before a meeting so he can deliver it to you at the meeting: skippersail1@gmail.com.
Pay Paul with cash or check when you order.
| Boat For Sale!
1988 23’ Precision Sailboat
Electric Winch on Gin pole for lowering and raising mast. Solid trailer with new tires. Alcohol stove and porta potty. Sleeps 3-4. Solid boat. Draws 1’11” with the keel up and 5’ with the keel down. Carbon fiber jib and Dacron main. 4 HP Tohatsu on the boat and a spare 6 HP Yamaha comes with it. Complete cover for the boat and a spare Dacron jib.
New Price: $6,000
Captain Seaby 630-327-9772
| Very well maintained 1995 Catalina 320 hull number 206 for sale.
Naples, Florida, United States Beta Wave
Beta Wave is a 1995 Catalina 320 sloop, hull #206, purchased new in St Louis in October 1994 by the current and original owner. She spent the first 20 years of her life being gently used on Carlyle Lake in southern Illinois.
And In fall of 2015, she was trucked to Naples Boat Yard where she was refitted with new speed and depth transducers, LED anchor, steaming and deck lights and a new VHF antenna. All mast wiring was renewed and run without a junction box to end points in the boat.
Plenty of wiring slack was left in the bilge to accommodate future mast stepping and addition of junction box. She’s been living and sailing in Naples Florida since she was moved in 2015.
| BOAT SLIP FOR SALE 38’ x 24’
Deeded slip located at SouthPointe Yacht Club in Windstar on Naples Bay.
PROTECTED Harbor on Gordan River. EASY ACCESS TO THE GULF!
Contact:
John & Vi Cochran
C: 219-671-1015
Vlanis@att.net |
Catamaran For Sale
2014 catamaran — 35’ Gemini. The boat is at our slip in SouthPointe Yacht Club Marina in Naples. If there is interest, ⛵️⛵️⛵️Many Thanks—John & Vi Cochran C: 260-403-5314 Vlanis@att.net
| Sailboat For Sale!
Wings
Please contact Rick & Candice Thiele:
239-292-6472
| Our Gulf Coast Sailing Club Mission
As Naples and Southwest Florida’s leading volunteer sailing club, we support inter-club racing, cruising, day sailing, social events, and boating education for the benefit of sailors and their families. Let’s keep it fun.
Our Gulf Coast Sailing Club Strategy
· Be an innovative volunteer and non-profit organization of beginner, intermediate and experienced sailors.
· Provide year-round on-the-water and land-based activities for our members, their families, and their guests.
· Build a robust sailing program by interfacing with all southwest Florida sailing clubs and coordinating interclub activities.
· Build community outreach through supporting local boating programs and marine industries.
· Actively support sailing and seamanship education programs.
Our Gulf Coast Sailing Club Core Values
· Maintain a welcoming and friendly environment for all.
· Respect all levels of experience and interest.
· Exhibit leadership, Integrity, and honesty.
· Have fun!
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PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS
| | Would you like to advertise your business on our website and this newsletter? Tell your fellow sailors what you do and let them get to know you better! All the details are on our Sponsors page here: Sponsors Page | | Hypnotherapy / Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
Laurie Conrod MNLP, CCHT, MTT, EFTP, MSC
laurie@LCAssetManagement.com
PH: 239-785-2711
Free Presentations: www.lcassetmanagement.com
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