January 2026 Papoose Article

As I said in our December Papoose article, the LMYC members “were having so much fun [at the End of Season Party] that they didn’t want the party to end.” To make the point clear, Susan Hauck and Julie Fleming organized a Yacht Club Holiday Party at the Hauck’s place for December 6th to keep the party going and get the Club ready to kick off the 2026 sailing and partying season in good spirits. We have a great group of members who enjoy being together, and who welcome new folks and any excuse for a party.

Also, I want to follow up on the December Papoose article’s mentioning the winners of four special awards. First, Toby Hilgendorff, the winner of the Most Improved Skipper went from finishing well behind the 1st place sailboat at the beginning of the season to just 12 seconds behind the 1st place boat in the Commodore’s Cup Regatta on September 7th. Toby said he had gotten better at adjusting the bridle to bring the boom closer to the center line so that he could point higher. And of course he had the Crew of the Year, his wife Carol, crewing for him.

Jon Hirschey won the Ed Syracuse Sportsmanship Award, not only because he is always smiling and friendly, but also because of the variety sailboats he sailed and raced. First, he often sailed and raced his Hobie Wave, including in the treacherous 2025 Marine Base Regatta, in which the final leg of the race course was covered by whitecaps from a nearby thunderstorm. He also replaced a trailer wheel for the LMYC club Lightning and rigged and sailed it with his son Logan and Alex Fox. Logan had taken the Junior Sailing course, said he liked going out in the Lightning and that he learned a lot doing it. In addition, Jon crewed with the Hilgendorffs and the Miners on their Lightnings. Finally, Jon sailed with Logan on a Sunfish in the Commodore’s Cup Regatta. Jon certainly earned the Sportsmanship Award for his good-natured friendliness and his willingness to sail different types of sailboats and to crew for others.

John Trela received the John Marx Service Award because he has always been fixing things around the Club no matter what his title was. He was part of the team that replaced the boards on the T dock and the floating docks. He always honchoed getting the floating docks in the water at the beginning of the season and out of the water at the end of the season. He got the signs and locks for the new gates. And the list could go on and on, whether it was working on the hoists or working on the cleanups. In addition, John will be Commodore of the Yacht Club in 2026 and is ready and raring to go with enthusiasm to kick off the 2026 season at full speed on shore and on the water.

Speaking of 2026, John and the rest of the Yacht Club members are planning on and expecting to have a great season next year with great sailing, fun parties and Junior and Adult lessons. Parents who want to put their kids in our Junior Sailing Program, remember that the program was full in 2025, with several kids saying they want to take the program again in 2026. So be sure to contact Kristina Genovese (973-600-7673) for more information or to get your kids signed up. We are looking forward to a lot of participation from our members and a lot of new members to join the Club and its activities.

As the sun sets on 2025, we reflect on our good fortune to be sailing with a great group of people on the beautiful waters of Lake Mohawk and to live in such a rare and amazing place.

Commodore Rich Miner