Fort Walton Yacht Club Letter Log
November 2018
30° 25.60’N 86° 35.58’W
Not quite sure what my wife
is trying to tell me...
If you were on a three-sailed vessel
and all three sheets were loose—in
the wind—the boat would wallow
about uncontrollably much like a
staggering person. Old-time sailors
would say that someone only slight-
ly tipsy was "one sheet in the wind,"
while a rip-roaring person having a
great time was "three sheets in the
wind."
Did you know that every month all the alco-
hol at the club has to be inventoried? Bet-
ter yet, did you know that a member has to
oversee the inventory per the bylaws? This
happens on the first of every month. I have
had that opportunity, aka letting the fox in
the henhouse, several times, and let me tell
you what I have learned.
First, we have close to 20 different beers
at the club. We have the few taps that we
all see at the bar, but just look down below
in the fridges. There are the standards but
there are also some surprises; did you know
we have Guinness (in the can, but still)?
We also have hard cider; who knew?
Wines…where to begin. There are too many
to list. But we have a large selection of both red and white. There are sweet and dry.
There are also two or three different bubblies. Again, who knew?
When it comes to liquor, we have, I think the industry term is, a lot. There is a selec-
tion of flavored vodkas. There are the Gins (we have my favorite, Bombay), and then
there are the bourbons. Yes, a selection of bourbons (it is close to Wild Turkey season…I
couldn’t resist). There are the Scotches and Whiskeys too. And of course, we cannot ne-
glect our neighbors to the south: Tequilas.
When we all go to the lounge, we almost always order “our drink”. Whether it’s a Bush
Whacker or a Bud Light. However, why don’t you explore what we have besides your
standard? Do you want to know another secret about our lounge? If you ask Robert
about the selection, and you don’t not see what you would like (and you can show that
there is enough interest in it), he can order it for you. How’s that for service?
The staff at the lounge always makes me feel like Norm in the TV show “Cheers”. They
are always friendly and even when they are busy, will acknowledge you and will get to
you. Even when I’m at the club, but not going to the lounge, I will always poke my head
in and say hi.
So, if you want to get a great brief on what
to explore at the lounge, get with Robert or
the Commodore and sign up for the invento-
ry. It takes about 1 ½ hours to complete. You
get to learn more about “our” lounge. It is
ours. All the money exploring..I mean spent
at the lounge goes right back into the club.
I’m proud of what we offer there.
As for the statement my wife forwarded to
me, maybe she is telling me to quit explor-
ing so much at the lounge.
- by Chris Washack
19