Chuck Gordon, Commodore 2018 - it's “NSA Time” February has always been my transition month to springtime and now “NSA TIME”! Even though there will be some cold and wet days, spring-like days are not far away! Now is the time to be preparing your vessels for the coming cruise season and those 1st warm days of spring. Pull out your to-do list and get started so you'll be ready for that beautiful day to cast the lines, leave the slip, and go sailing! This month begins the SCOO/NSA WINTER Seminar Series. There are a wide range of topics, and all are listed on the website under Events. We hope you find the seminars interesting and will take advantage of these presentations. There are eight seminars being held on Saturdays at 9:00 AM in the Town Hall. Don't forget the Oyster Roast on February 24th! This is NSA's kickoff event and what better way to demonstrate “NSA TIME” by having a large crowd. See Vice Commodores of Special Events, Paul and Becky’s article below for the details! Please go online and register to vote for the Annual Photo Contest and VOTE!! There are some great photos to chose from in several different categories so go look at them. Results will be announced at the Shrimperoo in March. Thanks to all of our photographers and a special THANK YOU to Event Coordinator Lynn Scott!! The Memorial Day Cruise Registration will be open on February 20th . The purpose of such an early registration is to get a list of folks who would like to have a slip at Anchorage Inn and Marina. Please see the notice below for details. We will be demonstrating “NSA TIME” at the 10th Annual Oriental Inwater Boat Show on April 13/15. The club has supported the show from its beginning, so please place this on your calendar. We will be asking for volunteers to represent NSA in the booth during the show, so think about helping with that event. If you have not renewed your membership for 2018 please sign in online and click on “Membership Renewal pending” and renew! This is the simplest way to renew!!! Sharon and I look forward to seeing everyone soon! Thanks for being NSAers and remember 2018 is “NSA TIME”!!!! Chuck Gordon
NSA Spring Cruise: You'll Know Where We’re Going Experience the cruising lifestyle by letting the weather decide where you go and how you pick your anchorage, and you'll have an enjoyable weekend for captain and crew alike. We’ll plan the trip, just like you do in the islands… details of our final destination will be discussed a day or two before casting off Saturday, April 28 for a day sail and overnight anchorage. Be sure to monitor the event description and forum on the website. Bring proper anchoring gear, your dinghy, and provision in advance so you have edibles and drinks to share. Rather than a raft up, use your dinghy to visit or invite others to visit you for a sundowner. Cruise Captains,
YOU be the Judge How often do you get an invitation like this? There is still time in Winners will be announced at the Shrimperoo in March. Help select the winners today! Lynn Scott,  MEMORIAL DAY CRUISE REGISTRATION – FEBRUARY 20, 6:00PM
We will send the registration list to the Marina, and the Marina will contact you to finalize your registration. The marina will start at the top of the registration list and continue to call registrants until all the 12 available spaces are filled. We will let you know when to expect the call, which is usually the first or second week of March. We will also let you know when the Marina has filled the available slips. Do not call the Marina, they will call you. Go to the Events List, Memorial Day Cruise and click on the register link after the above date to register. If you have any questions please contact Chuck Gordon via email commodore@neusesailingassociation.org or Thanks!
Oyster Roast and Toast! Help us kick off the social calendar with an oyster roast and toast to a Members may invite one or two guests at $10 each. We will preview the 2018 sailing season and prepare for recruiting new members at the Shrimperoo in March. We will have a Member Center set up to assist members in renewing their membership as well as for any guests wishing to join. We ask all members to bring a side dish or dessert to the event. We look forward to seeing everyone in just a few short weeks! Paul and Becky GriffinVice Commodore/Special Events Benefits of Membership
We have had a few new members join us in January, they are Jeff and Tracy Sandkam, on their boat “Ginger” at the Matthews Point Marina; Cara Keys and her boat “Another Day in Paradise” located in Zebulon, George Bailey has joined as a member with Laurie Sampson on “Narnia” located at the Whittaker Creek Marina. News Flash, we have two new members for February: Patrick McWherter & Sev Tok, sailing vessel “Cosmic Sailing.” Cosmic Sailing is on the hard at Bridgeton Boatworks getting her bottom painted and then will moor at Oriental Harbor. We also have Phillip von Gretener, sailing vessel “Bombadil” docked at Pecan Grove. Please be sure to welcome these new members if you see them around town or at their marina. What are the benefits of membership? NSA has three levels of membership for which you may apply: Yacht, Patron, and Corporate Sponsor. YACHT ($95) The majority of our members are Yacht members. A Yacht membership includes one vote in association business, membership in the association for two people, admission of two individuals as guests to all non-fee based NSA events, and a listing of both the primary and secondary member in the NSA Directory. CORPORATE SPONSOR ($115) Corporate members are entitled to the admission of two individuals as guests to all non-fee based NSA functions. Also included are: one vote, prominent listing in the NSA newsletter, listing in the NSA Directory, and a rotational business card ad on the NSA website. PATRON ($175) Patron members (individual or corporate) are entitled to the admission of up to four individuals as guests to all non-fee based NSA functions for the year. Also included are: one vote, prominent listing in the NSA newsletter, listing in the NSA Directory, and a rotational business card advertisement on the NSA website. To become a member or renew your membership, you can go to the NSA website at www.neusesailingassociation.org. Click on About, then click on Membership. If you want to apply online, click on the link “online” and follow the directions listed there. Or, click on “Membership Application,” if you want to download a paper application to complete and mail to NSA. Consider joining or changing your membership as a Yacht member to a “Corporate Sponsor” or “Patron” to financially support your sailing association. If you have created a “boat card” we can add that to the rotational business card ad on the NSA website. This will help members identify your vessel and you would be financially supporting your sailing association. Please remember that we have the Oyster Roast coming on February 24th at the Oriental Inn and Marina, (check out Paul and Becky’s article) as in the past we will have an opportunity for folks to join or renew their membership to the NSA. Please consider staffing and welcoming new members or catching up with friends in the “Members Room” by signing up at the website at the events forum or e-mail: vcmembership@neusesailingassociation.org to let me know that you’re willing to work in the Member Center. See you at the Oyster RoastDonna Ryder
On Your Spring Checklist: March Vessel Safety Check
Misto in New Zealand  Since we last wrote a lot has happened but not a lot of sea miles have been achieved. Misto stayed on the hard getting a new coppercoat bottom job while we were in the USA in October and November. When we returned to New Zealand we enjoyed a month in a camper van (RV) touring the South Island which is a wonderful place to travel around. Stunning mountains, huge glaciers and rugged coastal scenery meant there was much to enjoy. Returning to Misto we splashed her just before Christmas.We spent a quiet a Christmas, managing to see some friends from the World ARC, before setting off to the Huraki Gulf and Auckland just before new year. We were lucky to get a prime spot in a Marina right across the river from the Auckland fireworks which are let off from the top of the tallest tower in the city. It was a special experience to be amongst the first people on the planet to see in 2018. For the next week we took refuge in the marina as a storm punching 50 knot winds blew over the North Island. We were glad to be in reasonable shelter for that time and it enabled us to visit sights in Auckland and the surrounding area. Since then we have been cruising the Huraki Gulf which is the area outside Auckland across to the Coromandel Peninsula. There are multiple pretty islands, some inhabited and geared for vacationers, including vineyards and great walks, and others almost completely uninhabited. The islands are predominantly volcanic and some are only 600-900 years old, which is very young in geological terms. We have spent quite a bit of time waiting for weather windows to move from island to island and ensuring that we are in suitable anchorages depending on wind direction. Although at one point we had hoped to take Misto down to the Marlborough Sound on the South Island we dropped that idea when we found out how fickle the weather is here and how much time we were spending waiting for appropriate weather even for short hops around the Huraki Gulf. At least the sun is warm here, even if the wind is chilly. It just remains for us to wish everyone in the NSA a wonderful 2018. Howard and Ros Cheetham
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February for you, NSA members, to vote on your favorite photos in the 2017 photo contest. Login on the 
On February 20th at 6:00 PM, registration for the 2018 Memorial Day Cruise to Ocracoke will open! If you are interested in a slip at the Anchorage Inn and Marina please go to the NSA website to register. We typically are allotted 12 slips which will be assigned first come, first serve, based on the order of registration.
new year of sailing adventures! The annual NSA Oyster Roast will start at 2:00 PM on Saturday, February 24that the Oriental Marina and Inn. This is a great opportunity to catch up with NSA friends that have been hibernating during these cold winter months.
First of all, we want to thank all of our members who have renewed their membership. By renewing early, you are sure not to miss out on any of the events or newsletters.
Cape Lookout Sail and Power Squadron is partnering with NSA again to perform a vessel safety check on Saturday, March 24th 2018. Brian McLamb will be coordinating the examiners and skippers requesting the safety check, using the sign-up sheet located at this