September 2025 Papoose Article

The Yacht Club held its annual pre-fireworks party on July 3rd with Rear Commodore Jon Hirschey organizing the event as the head honcho. John described the setup and party in his own words as follows:

“So last Thursday, my wife Jessica and I, along with Birgit and Alex Fox, went down to the club to prepare for our big July 4th Party. We were just starting to set up when we saw some ominous dark clouds brewing on the horizon. After confirming the forecast on a radar app (The Weather Channel app features 6- and 24-hour radar forecasts for free!), we decided to hunker down and watch it roll in. We knew we were in for a big hit – hail was even predicted as a possibility! We quickly took down the tables and chairs we had set out to keep them from getting soaked and moved everything we could under the buoy room overhang. Then it started: we watched a wall of water move toward us from across the lake. The temperature dropped noticeably as the wind kicked up, sending sheets of driving rain under the overhang. Water began to pool in the boatyard, creeping up to the door of the buoy room! We decided to retreat into the buoy room to avoid getting drenched and huddled in there until the rain subsided. It was cozy, but definitely not someplace I’d like to spend more than a few minutes under those conditions; at least we had a fridge full of frosty, refreshing beverages to calm our nerves! During a break in the downpour, we made a run for it to head home and wait out the rest of the storm before returning to finish setting up. In the end, we only had to delay the start of the party for an hour while the rain finally tapered off and the grounds dried out a little. Those of you who were there know that our July 4th barbecue turned out great and everyone had a wonderful time eating, drinking, and socializing before gathering on the dock or heading out in their boats to watch another wonderful Lake Mohawk fireworks display! Mother Nature had her say, but we got it done! Thanks to all who participated!”

Now for the racing re-cap… On July 6th, there were medium to strong winds out of the Southwest with occasional white caps. In the first race, the Miners in a Lightning had a decent start, headed on port toward Manitou Island for clear air, came back on starboard with a nice lead and increased their lead to finish 1st. Chris Mackey in a Snipe came in 2nd, Jon Hirschey in the Club Lighting, with his son Logan and Alex Fox crewing with him, came in 3rd, and Pete and Carol Hilgendorff in a Lightning were 4th. In the second race, the Hilgendorffs won the start and headed on port to increase their lead. The Miners got a late start. However, in the first crossing situation, the Miners were able to tack into a safe leeward and slowly pull ahead of the Hilgendorffs. Thus, the Miners were able to finish 1st, with the Hilgendorffs 2nd, and Chris 3rd.

On Sunday the 23rd, the weather was hot and humid, the wind light and variable with too many dead spots for the sailors to want to race. However, David Buza went out with his son William, while being checked out by Alex Fox to use the Club’s Sunfish. Things got a little exciting when son William, who is in the Junior Sailing Class, decided to surprise his dad with a capsize drill. William’s sister Diane is also in the Junior Sailing Class. All in all, the event went very well and the Buza family has joined the Yacht Club.

Thursday July 17th was the last day of the Junior Sailing Program and all Junior sailors went out sailing in strong winds out of the Southwest showing off their skills. After putting the sailboats away, Head Instructor Kristina Genovese filled each student’s Red Book with the accomplishments they successfully completed and the graduation party fun ensued. Several students and their families joined the Yacht Club on the spot.

On Saturday July 19th, Jon Hirschey invited Yacht Club members down to the Club for a grilled cheese “incident”. Several people came and brought other food to share. Alex Fox and his friend Jose sang Cuban Music and played their electric guitars with full professional amplifying equipment. The whole party and performance turned into a great event. Many thanks to Jon, Alex and Jose.

We’ve scheduled the annual Commodore’s Cup Regatta for Sunday, Sept. 7th, with registration starting at 1 p.m. and first gun at 2 p.m. This is the final one of our three annual regattas open to all Lake Mohawk sailors and their boats – with handicap scoring, you could be a winner. You can find details on our website: www.LakeMohawkSailing.org.

Commodore Rich Miner