Join us and be involved in the activities of the Lake Norman Sail and Power Squadron

A general meeting of our membership is held monthly, on the second Tuesday, at THE ACROPOLIS CAFE & GRILL - 20659 CATAWBA AVENUE, CORNELIUS, NC. and begins with an up-beat social hour around 1830 (6:30 PM). We discuss the past month's events, catch up with other member's activities and meet visitors and new members. A "Dutch-treat" dinner is served prior to  the meeting which begins at 1930 (7:30PM).
Our interesting programs are based around some nautical subject. Many guest speakers, experts in their field, are invited to entertain and educate us with topics such as safety on the water, lake conservation and regulation issues, watershed problems, a sailing trip across the Atlantic, shipping out of the Charleston Harbor, Inland Waterway cruises, English canal cruises and even nautical art!
Our general business meeting follows when visitors are recognized, new members inducted, reports given, Squadron issues discussed and educational achievements are recognized. 

Summer Cooperative Charting Cruise

Each year, as part of the USPS®/NOAA Cooperative Charting Agreement, our squadron selects an area for its summer cruise.  NOAA (National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration) then provides copies of their latest charts of this area for our use.  Usually, on a weekend in June, members of LNSPS will take to the water in their boats to compare what’s on the water to what’s on the chart.  Corrections and additions will be noted and reports of these finding returned to NOAA for future chart updates.  This activity is particularly meaningful following severe storms that occur during the previous Fall and Winter.  Many of the aids to navigation can be damaged or taken off station by these storms and we anticipate a productive weekend.

Geodetic Hunt and Chili Cookout

Various governmental agencies have installed over 750,00 permanent geographic reference points, at precise locations, throughout the world.  They provide a base geographic framework for mapping and charting.  Surveyors use them to determine property lines, locate roadways, railroads and buildings.  Maintaining and up-grading information about these reference points is a monumental task.  Changes occur so frequently that no amount of tax support would be adequate to supply the corrections needed to keep the documents on these references current.  As part of its commitment to civic service, USPS has agreed to observe these changes and submit corrections to the governmental agencies.
Each year, members of LNSPS hold a Geodetic Hunt in which teams search for and record these geographic reference points. We use skills in navigation, map reading, and GPS location to assist us in this activity. After a fun-filled, successful "Hunt", we often gather for a great "Chili Cookout"!

Chili Cookout

This party just keeps evolving and moving its location from a sandbar in the lake to different members’ homes and changing the occasion from pure party to a victory celebration for a predicted log or successful geodetic hunt. 

Some things stay the same like the undisputed master chefs and their hot and mild chili with cornbread and all the fixings. They would love for someone to challenge them to a Chili Cookoff. Think your chili could beat theirs?

This annual event, held each January, is the time when the newly elected officers of the bridge are installed and the previous officers are relieved of their duties. It is also a time when certain squadron members are recognized and are presented with various awards for their excellence in special activities and their contributions to the squadron during the past year.

This formal and festive occasion is a very special event and we all look forward to "dressing up" and enjoying a great meal, 'roasting' the past commander and to dancing and partying. 

Vessel Safety Check (with the USCG Auxiliary)

This is not boarding or a law enforcement issue. No citations will be given as a result of this encounter. We will supply you with a copy of our evaluation so that you may follow some of the suggestions given. Vessels that pass will be able to display our distinctive VSC decal. This does not exempt you from law enforcement boarding, but you can be prepared to make this a positive encounter.
   (Text copied from the Vessel Safety Check website)

Read about this activity at the USPS Vessel Safety Check Home Page (link on LNSPS  Website)

Annual Boat Show

At the annual local boat show in February, we man two-person "watches" at a LNSPS booth throughout the 3-4 day show. Our booth is there to increase public awareness of and interest in the USPS, our Squadron, and our mission. We encourage boating enthusiasts to register and attend our Public Boating Safety and Jet-Smart courses and afterwards possibly join our Squadron. We distribute boating safety literature, show safety and educational videos, and answer many questions from the attendees. We also get a chance to fraternize with members of our sister squadron, the Charlotte Power Squadron, who also have a booth.

Attic Sale

The Attic Sale is the only fund raiser of the LNSPS and is held in the Spring of each year and is one of our highest member attended activities.. It usually takes place in a local parking lot of a bank in Cornelius, NC and is a great social occasion as well as a fund raiser to support the Squadron's yearly activities. Items on sale are collected, donated, priced and sold by Squadron members. One might find anything from Appliances to Zebra blouses. Lots of fun items like plants, games, tools, electronic equipment, plus, as expected, a number of nautical items are available.

This event  It is a "FUN" morning with some members hamming it up and keeping the excitement high. In the end we have funds to run the Squadron another year and a sense of accomplishment, knowing that many of the local citizens have gone home happy with "great bargains"!

Annual Lake Cruise

In April of each year, we de-winterize, tune-up and clean up our boats, rendezvous at an appointed marker on the lower lake and, in a waterborne parade, usually head northward to some designated location. This is our first scheduled outing of the season and spirits are high for our "three-hour tour". Our recent northern destination has been "BJ DUCKS", a marina just South of the 150 bridge. Note: LNSPS Vessel Safety Examiners will be available to check your boat and award certificates to those in compliance with the regulations. ( In the past years our destination has been to Bill's Marina which is located in the northernmost point of the comfortably navigable portion of Lake Norman.)

We plan our voyage to have a stopover for lunch and we have a wonderful time visiting with our fellow Squadron members. Then, in good spirits and with full tummies, we head back down the lake with renewed anticipation for the coming boating season.

Predicted Log (These events are not scheduled every year. Please check Calendar of Events.)

This is like a nautical sports car rally! Skippers are furnished a course of travel from waypoint to waypoint, usually marker to marker but this sometimes includes a longitude/latitude co-ordinate. The skipper of each competing vessel will then plot his or her course and calculate the predicted time it will take to run the course, from waypoint to waypoint, based on his or her knowledge of his or her boat and engine settings, the wind, water and current conditions (plus other factors). Plotting skills learned in boating courses and knowledge of personal boat characteristics are used in this process.

The skipper will then run the course with an independent observer to record his/her times. The skipper is allowed to use charts, a compass, binoculars, and tachometers or other engine RPM setting methods but is not allowed the use of any speed determining device, no GPS, and no timing device when he is running the course. Of course, "No Wake Regulations" and "Rules of the Road" must be observed at all times. This can get quite interesting, especially when unexpectedly encountering other vessels such as sail and fishing boats. The winner is the skipper who runs the course closest to his predicted times. This event is a great way to use a number of boating and navigation skills taught in our Boating Safety Course, Seamanship and Piloting courses. Participants will also become more familiar with their boats and will learn the lake, the markers and the practical use of the compass. Lots of fun!

There are two categories at each event, Novice and Advanced. For skippers running the Predicted Log for the first time, they will run in the Novice Class and instructions are available to help calculate their predicted time. Novices are permitted to run the course ahead of time to get familiar with the course and log rules. A member can only run in the Novice Class once, from then on they will enter the Advanced Class. Advance Class skippers are not allowed to run the course ahead of time!

LNSPS Bridge Club

Another not-nautical but much enjoyed activity of our Squadron is the Bridge Club. This bridge group has been an ongoing Squadron activity for many years and meets monthly at members homes. It usually consists of three tables and is a priority social function for the bridge lovers amongst our Squadron members. (This Bridge Club is not strictly for the ladies. In fact, a few stalwart men have filled in for a few women who were unable to make a monthly meeting,  but so far no males have officially joined.)

"Bookworms"

Not necessarily nautical but none-the-less a highlight for the ladies of the Squadron is the "Bookworms," a monthly book club that was started four years ago and is going strong. Membership is about 20 persons who meet once a month at a members home to review and discuss a previously selected book. The annual meeting for selection of the books is held in May and includes lunch along with planning the schedule for the election of officers.

Annual Christmas Party

This festive event is usually held in early December, celebrating the ending of a great nautical year and the upcoming holiday season. It is usually held at the Cowan's Ford Country Club and is a time when we all dress in our holiday attire and bring some of the best that our kitchens (or our wives' kitchens) can offer. This is a time for the Holiday Spirit to abound within our squadron --we have a great social gathering, re-living the events of the past year and the discussing planned upcoming activities of the New Year. The sumptuous feast is then enjoyed by all.  

Annual Youth Day on Lake Norman

Squadron members provide a great day on Lake Norman for about 150 boys and girls living in area children's homes.  Activities include boat rides, swimming, canoeing, paddle boats, games and a picnic.
The day begins with a boat rides from Blythe Landing to The Davidson College Lake Campus. Activities begin upon arrival and a picnic lunch is served. Later in the afternoon, our guests are returned by boat to Blythe landing ending Youth Day on Norman.