April 2009.indd - The Santa Cruz Yacht Club

April 2009
Proposed Expansion
Many of you have shared with me your concerns about the proposed plan to expand the Clubhouse. Some are worried about the financial impact
on the club and the membership during these tough
economic times. Others have criticized the Board for a
perceived lack of transparency concerning the project. And still others have questioned the need for any
changes to the Clubhouse at all. As your Commodore,
I want to assure all SCYC members that no project of
this magnitude will be undertaken without the approval
of the membership. The proposed project is still in the
feasibility stage and there remains much work to be
done before we have a completed plan.
For over 30 years, SCYC board members have
been struggling to find ways to expand the Club’s
facilities. The current clubhouse dates from a remodel
performed in 1976. The only additional spaces added
since that time has been the little-used downstairs bathrooms and the Regatta Shed. Various efforts to relocate
or expand the clubhouse since the 1976 remodel have
not been successful due to objections from club members and various state and local agencies. Today, in 2009, SCYC faces a number of challenges. Our clubhouse needs a new roof. There are
serious structural and drainage issues with the foundation and the decks. The floor has rotted through in
places and has had to undergo spot repairs. The siding
needs to be replaced. And, finally, the Club’s Use
Permit needs to be updated. For at least the last four years, the SCYC Board
of Directors, the Planning and Development Committee and the House Committee have been studying these
problems and working to develop solutions. Under the
leadership of Commodore Bret Gripenstraw (a contractor), John Buchanan, Jr. (a structural engineer), and
others, a proposed plan was drafted and presented to
the City of Santa Cruz Planning Commission. While
this may seem to some as putting the cart before the
April 2009
horse, in reality it has presented SCYC with an opportunity. The Planning Commission approved modifications to the Club’s Special Use Permit and gave zoning
variance approval to the Club’s plans—contingent
upon completion of the project within three years. Staff Commodore Gripenstraw is to be applauded for
crafting a plan that addresses the parking and noise
concerns of our neighbors, moves the primary entrance
to the harbor side of the building and brings the Clubhouse into compliance with applicable laws. Which brings us to where we are now: How
do we finance it? In these economic times it is imperative that we keep the club affordable. Fortunately,
SCYC has always been very conservatively managed
(a tradition I intend to continue) and prior boards have
made provisions for this day. Money spent to develop
the current plans has come from funds budgeted for
that purpose. I have directed the Finance Committee to study the project plan and come back to the
Board at the May meeting with financing options for
the project’s estimated $500,000 cost. In addition, I
have also directed the House Committee to present the
Board with revised project cost estimates—with and
without the proposed additional room downstairs. The
Planning and Development Committee will be submitting a report with their findings and recommendations
as well.
It is my intent to place all of the facts related
to this proposal in the hands of the full SCYC membership, to ensure that all components will be subject
to competitive bidding and to maintain complete transparency in all of the Board’s activities. The Board
approved a motion at the March meeting to make all
Board meeting minutes available on the Club’s website
in the “Members only” area. And, as always, SCYC
board meetings are open to the membership. I encourage all interested parties to attend and participate. Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
It is my belief that some version of the proposed plan, along with solid and sensible financing,
will ensure the viability of SCYC and our Clubhouse
for at least another 30 years. I am fortunate to have
the advice of many who have served on past boards
and studied these problems in great detail, and I am
grateful to all of you who have commented on the proposal. I am confident that these challenges can be met
and that SCYC can remain the fun, affordable club
that it has always been. Lena Parker
Commodore
Santa Cruz Yacht Club
Vice Commodore Report (House and Club)
Workday, what a great success! I don’t want
to duplicate articles but I do want to acknowledge Jim
Skinner, the head of the House Committee. He and
Greg Haws put in hours organizing and preparing so
that you volunteers could accomplish the tasks that
were required. Thanks Jim, Greg, and all the volunteers.
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April 2009
Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
As most of you know the board is evaluating
an addition to the club. As head of the House, I have
been directed by Commodore Lena Parker to research and put together cost estimates for the addition,
plus some needed maintenance and updating to the
existing structure. This information, together with the
other committees’ input will allow us to evaluate the
financial impact to the Club. Stay tuned, more news to
follow.
Looking forward to a great Spring and Summer sailing season.
Steve Niemann
Vice Commodore
Greetings from the Rear (Social)
The warm weather is coming and your social
committee continues to plan activities for you and your
families to enjoy. Alli and Beth Gripenstraw have designed some incredible decorations and arrangements
for all to enjoy and they aren’t slowing down.
The midwinter racing series finished up with
39 boats, they were greeted at the club with great trophies and food prepared by Jennifer Corgiat with the
help of Barbara Booth. We had the Sand Crab Classic
Perch Tournament put on by Barbara Karleen and
Hank Cureton, Great Job! The beaches were full of
fishing poles and excited folks having a blast, the winning catch was 15 inches, that’s a pretty good fish in
my book. I’ve asked Barbara and Hank to think of another fishing tournament later in the year,
so keep your eyes on
the calendar for more
information.
St Patrick’s
Day was a huge success! Thank you Alli
and Beth for the awesome decorations, we
even had a Blarney
Stone for the party
goers to kiss. Everyone had a terrific time
and it was mentioned
by one of our Staff
Commodores that the
decorations were the
best he had seen at the
club. I have to agree,
the place looked terrific and KISS Catering made some
fantastic Corned Beef and Cabbage.
We also hosted the Champion of Champions
regatta which had all the weather elements. I want to
extend a big SCYC thank you to Leo Espinoza, owner
of Palomar Café, who provided wonderful food prepared in his Galley and delivered by Jennifer Corgiat
right on time. The racers were hungry and there was
plenty of great Mexican food which hit the spot. So
please, next time you are down on the East side of the
harbor, give Leo a big Thank You and go enjoy some of
his tasty food and reasonable prices.
Our next big event is Sunday, April 12th, the
Easter brunch and kids Easter Egg Hunt. Don’t miss out
on this traditionally festive event. I know Alli and Beth
are already planning the decorations and you don’t want
to miss out, so please call in and reserve your table
early to ensure you don’t miss another fun event put on
by your Social Committee.
Elkhorn Yacht Club has thrown down the
gauntlet and has challenged SCYC and MPYC to a
(Allison & Beth Gripenstraw preparing the
St. Patirck’s Day Dinner decorations)
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April 2009
Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
Cliff McNamara Champion of Champions
(What a fabulous Blarney Stone !)
Bar-B-Que Challenge. Do we have any Bar-B-Que
champs out there who can represent our Club and take
home the victory? It sounds like a great time, May 9th
– 2:00pm to 5:00 – Please check with either Greg or me
and we’ll give you all the details. We also have a flyer
posted, so come on out and show your outdoor cooking
skills.
I am also looking for a Public Relations person
to help our Club promote club activities and provide
correct information to our membership. If you or anyone you know could help, please contact me or Greg
and we’ll fill you in on what we’re looking to achieve.
Thank you all very much for your continued
support and I look forward to seeing you around the
club or on the water.
Michael Wood
Rear Commodore
Easter Brunch
April 12
Seatings @ 10:00am & Noon
$22.00 pp (includes tax & tip)
Children 12 and under $14.00
Reservations to 425-0690
Children’s Easter Egg Hunt
Bring a basket for your little one
Strarts 2:00pm
4
Fourteen boats contested the 2008 Cliff McNamara Champion of Champions Race on March 21st. Each
of the boats invited to this prestigious annual event was
the winner of one or more SCYC regattas in 2008. The
morning wind was out of the west at about 10-12 knots,
but a southerly front was expected to arrive in the afternoon. For once the weather forecasters were correct and
the wind backed to an oscillating southerly at about 10-12
knots with overcast conditions about 20 minutes before
the warning signal. The course was a windward-leeward
twice around with each leg set at two nautical miles.
Mike Gross and his guest John Super of the Bay View
Boat Club, both US Sailing certified Club Race Officers
and Judges, did a perfect job of setting the marks and
fortunately did not see that I was a bit late with the course
flag!
There were no boats over early at the gun, but
an apparent foul by Absolute 5 saw Keith MacBeth and
crew take a penalty turn and restart. (We didn’t see it,
Keith, but we appreciate an honest man!) Most of the fleet
went to the right, apparently expecting the wind to veer.
The breeze went left, though, and scratch boat Octavia
(Shepard Kett) got caught on the outside. Lou Pambianco’s Heartbeat, closer to the middle of the course,
made out big and never looked back. They applied a loose
cover to Octavia and steamed into the leeward finish like
April 2009
Upcoming SCYC
Events Calendar
Sea Shanties/Potluck
April 4 @ 6:00pm
505/Laser NorCal Open
April 4-5
Easter Brunch/Egg Hunt
April 12
Spring One Design #1
April 18
Surf or Turf Feed (TBD)
April 18
Hobie Cat Regatta
Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
a well-oiled locomotive, breaking into cheers as they
got the gun. With Octavia safely behind them, the
question then became whether or not one of the small
boats would correct out on Heartbeat. A few cumulous
rain clouds crossed the race course during the second
lap, and the accompanying lulls put an end to the small
boats’ chances, but Rob Schuyler and crew aboard Hanalei and Karina Shelton (along with husband Dave
and kids) aboard Skal nearly pulled it off. It is a credit
to the crew of Hanalei that Skal did not correct out on
them, because the Sheltons were smoking fast all day!
Rear Commodore Michael Wood and the Social Committee put on an excellent après-race Mexican
buffet. Bottles of wine were awarded to Rob Schuyler
and Shepard Kett. Lou Pambianco received the Cliff
McNamara perpetual trophy, a bottle of champagne,
a first-to-finish glass and the spent shotgun shell as
Heartbeat was crowned the SCYC 2008 Champion
of Champions. Next time I will chill the champagne
beforehand, because the Heartbeat crew was so excited
they drank it warm! Congratulations, guys, well done!
1. Heartbeat (Lou Pambianco)
2. Octavia (Shepard Kett)
3. Hanalei (Rob Schuyler)
Get Wet! Get Excited! – The Season Begins!
After the season opening Commodore’s
Regatta on 3/28, we have a very full month of racing
in April! We will begin with the Laser NorCal/5o5
event on 4/4-5, then Spring One Design #1 on 4/18,
our inaugural Hobie Cat regatta on 4/25-26 and Spring
SCORE #1 on 4/26. April is a great month to go sailing in Santa Cruz, so get your boat to the line and join
the fun!
Dave Emberson
Regatta Chairman
April 25-26
Power Boat Instruction Course
April 25-26
Spring SCORE #1/BBQ
April 26
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April 2009
Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
Cruise Committee
Spring is here and it’s time to shake off those
winter blues, and go cruising! Well, at least around
Monterey Bay. The cruise committee met last month
and put together a fun-filled calendar for the SCYC
cruising season. We’ve got 5 cruises and 3 raft-ups
planned for this year, and you can still join in even if
you don’t have a boat, because we also have 2 dock
parties on the schedule. The 2009 SCYC cruising
schedule is in this month’s issue of the Spinnaker
Sheet. We hope you will take a look at it and plan
on joining us this year. It’s a great way for new and
seasoned members alike to make new friends, or
become reacquainted with old ones. To keep up on
the latest cruise news, be sure to check out the club
bulletin board or the cruising section of the SCYC
website. You can also get on the cruise e-mail list by
contacting the Cruise Chairs Dave and Nancy Dias at
nancdar (at) sbcglobal (dot) net.
May 2nd Spring Raft-up
Are you looking for a fun way to spend a
Saturday afternoon on the water? Whether you go
out on your own boat, or hitch a ride on a friend’s,
make sure you don’t miss SCYC’s Spring Raft-up at
Cowell’s Cove on the west side of the wharf on May
2nd. Dave and Nancy Dias will start the raft on their
sailboat Eowyn at 3:30 PM. We will be flying our
yacht club burgee, and monitoring channel 69. The
club will provide some refreshments. You are also
welcome to bring something to share. If you happen to be out sailing (or on your powerboat) that day,
please feel free to stop by. You could also plan to
spend the night on the hook; the sea lion chorus is not
to be missed! A sign-up sheet will be posted at the
club, so we have a general idea of whom to look for.
If you need more info, e-mail Dave and Nancy at
their contact information listed above.
Dave and Nancy Dias
Cruise Chairs
Sea Shanties Potluck April 4th
Come one, come all to a Sea Shanties Potluck at the Club on Saturday, April 4th. Dinner
will be at 6 PM with music starting at 7 PM. If you
haven’t come to a Club potluck before....now’s a
good time to come and enjoy. Bring food to share
and your singing voice (or just your ears, if you
prefer.) There will be good food, good company,
and this time....music with Trond. Trond, who has
played for us before, will be here with his guitar
to share his repertoire of sailing songs old and
new. Those of you who have heard him know what
to expect; for you who have not yet had the pleasure
here’s your chance. If you have any “favorite” sea
songs, don’t hesitate to ask....Trond probably knows
the song and would be happy to sing it again....singalong is also part of the fun, so don’t hesitate to join
in. For more information contact:
Vern and Meredith Wallace
462-0352 vwallace (at) aol (dot) com 6
April 2009
Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
House Scuttlebutt
Our Club Work day was outstanding with about
30 volunteers equipped to handle a top to bottom overhaul.
We had over 68 items on our work list that included the
usual painting and yard work to electrical repair and a
major wipe-down of the kitchen. Thank you Barbara
Booth for the donuts and bagels. The detail of work was
so extensive this year I’d like to list the Volunteers and
offer a 21 gun salute from the Club at large. It was a clean
sweep and we’re ready for sailing! Thank you….
Marc Barshay
Doug Kirk
Elisabeth Bertrand
Bet Lemke
Barbara Booth
Rick Linkemyer
John Buchanan Jr.
Ron Merrall
Tony Butterfield
Carl Mills
Matthew Coale
Fred Molnar
Marilyn Comstock
Steve Niemann
Larry Comstock
Mel Phelps
Mike Chamberlain
Ernie Rideout
Ken Dahl
Mary Jane Slade
Ron Dillehay
Meredith Wallace
Chris Doutre
Vern Wallace
Bret Gripenstraw
Bill White
Martha Hawkins
Tim Hawkins
Pete Wilson & Father-In-Law
Steve Niemann, Vice Commodore, & Jim Skinner,
House Chairman, hard at work on the dining room table)
Photo Credits, Steve Niemann (see photo insert)
& Greg Haws. Special thanks to Greg, “Master of the
Grog.”
Respectfully yours,
House Chairman
Jim Skinner
(Bert Lemke cleaning all those little
vents in the Galley)
Partnership Wanted
Alan Andrews 30 racing /cruising sloop in excellent
condition. Very fast displacement boat when sailed
properly. New paint and non-skid. Good sail inventory.
PHRF rating of 120. Looking for partner in 50% ownership with racing and sailing experience. “O” dock Santa
Cruz Harbor. $ 15,000. Contact John at 831.334.4963
or e-mail at john@palapasresort.com
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April 2009
Electronic Communications Report
There are several new items on the website
this month. First, you’ll find that the online version of
the Spinnaker Sheet is in full color. That’s great, but
the downside is that the file is much larger. So, you’ll
also find that the large file has been broken into several
smaller, but still quite large, files. Enjoy the color.
Also, after years of discussion, we have finally
implemented a Crew List feature. So please use it to
find crew for your boat, or to offer your own crew
services.
Recently, we received a request to make the
board minutes available on the website. We have done
that; you’ll find those minutes posted in the “Members
Only” section of the website. Call the club if you need
help accessing those files.
As always, please feel free to make comments
and suggestions. It’s your club, and your website; make
it work for you.
Chris Doutre
Director
Santa Cruz Sailing Foundation
The Board of Directors of the Santa Cruz Sailing
Foundation would like to thank the following for their recent
contributions to help the youth of Santa Cruz County and
their sailing endeavors:
In Memory of Bud Hill
Robert Warfield
Philip Tedesco
Joan McVay
Bob Simpkins
Secretary/Treasurer
Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
Recreational Boaters of California
Congratulations Charlie & Mary Jane Roskosz.
They are the 5th annual winner in the drawing to thank
members who supported RBOC when paying their 2009
club dues. Charlie and Mary Jane will receive a dinner
for two and a bottle of wine at a SCYC Sunday night
dinner. I want to thank the SCYC Board of Directors for
making available this incentive for members contributing
to RBOC. And a very special thanks to all those members
making a contribution.
I will be going to Sacramento on April 16th to
speak to Bill Monning. He was elected to replace John
Laird when John termed out as the 27th District Assembly
Member. John, and before him, Fred Keeley, were attentive to concerns of recreational boating. One of the most
significant common concerns was invasive species clogging the navigable waterways. Next month I’ll report on
the meeting with Assemblyman Monning concerning this
and other issues that affect recreational boating.
I also plan to meet with state Senator Joe Simitian.
My point of contact in his office has been Priscilla Ouchida.
Joe replaced Bruce McPherson when Bruce termed out.
The recreational boaters on the Central Coast have been
fortunate to have representatives in state government that
listened and responded to our concerns.
Proposed legislation that will be introduced to the
state legislature impacting recreational boating is being
evaluated by the RBOC State Government Committee
and RBOC Legislative Advocates, Desmond & Desmond.
I will provide an update of those issues next month.
In the meantime, RBOC is continually representing your interests in the preservation of the independent
Department of Boating & Waterways; protecting boatergenerated fees and taxes for the exclusive use for boating
safety and infrastructure; protection of our waterways
from invasive species; and protection of our navigable
waterways from abandoned and derelict vessels.
RBOC also continues to review and monitor statewide proposals that might limit boating access. Current
areas of concerns are the Channel Islands, Dana Point,
Lake Tahoe, and the California Delta. Your financial support is always appreciated.
Doug Hipsley
RBOC Director/Past President
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April 2009
Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
2009 PICYA Scholarships
June 30 Deadline
Great news for students looking for financial
help in these tough economic times!
The Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association (PICYA)
members have joined together to offer a total of four
$2,500 scholarships. These scholarships are for students whose parents, grandparents or guardian are
members of a yacht club that belongs to PICYA.
Details on how to apply and the application
forms are available online at the PICYA website
homepage at www.picya.org. All applications must
be postmarked, no later than June 30, 2009. The
scholarships will be awarded on November 2, 2009,
at the PICYA Awards Dinner Meeting at Encinal Yacht
Club.
PICYA April 26th Opening Day on the SF
Here is one last chance to reserve a spot to
view the April 26th Opening Day on the Bay Parade along the SF waterfront from the Hornblower
‘Empress.” The theme this year is “Legends of the
Sea”. PICYA yacht clubs decorate boats and parade
them down the SF waterfront. The cruise which
leaves from the Encinal YC at 9am includes a light
breakfast, gourmet lunch and no host bar. Right
now seats are only $65, but will go up to $75 after
April 6th. Reservation deadline is April 14th and
space is limited. Go to picya.org for more info and
reservation form.
Lorenzo Rota
PICYA
Roam Racing Again
Heineken Regatta 2009
St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles – Malcolm
Brown and Scott Hipsley raised the Santa Cruz YC
burgee and the Roam Racing battle flag for the 5th time in
St Maarten at the 29th Heineken Regatta held March 6,
7, and 8. Our intentions were to ascend the podium for
the 5th straight time to show the world though billed as a
“Serious Fun’ regatta, there is some serious racing going
on as well. And what better way to cure the winter blues
than to go sailing in the warm blue Caribbean Sea, with
the warm Caribbean wind. Leaving SFO between rainstorms and transiting through JFK between snowstorms
it is always a pleasure to get off the plane in St. Maarten
and be greeted with that warm soft breeze. Ditch the
fleece, on with the shorts, time for a beer or three. Our taxi took us the Moorings charter base in
Oyster Pond where we boarded our Moorings 51.5. As
always it was abuzz with activity on other boats getting
ready, sailors arriving from different countries, and jostling for room at the Dingy Dock bar to meet and greet
crew that was already on island. This year Mt. Gay Rum
became our principle sponsor. Brad and Mt. Gay most
generously provided us with hats, shirts, flags, banners,
and of course rum. We were also met with our local
crew John, and Ron who have sailed with us in the past,
as well as Rhone a 12 year old local Optimus sailor
who became our new bow guy. We spent Wednesday
and Thursday doing some practicing and tuning of the
boat as best we could. Bareboat class rule limits what
you can and cannot do to the boat. All gear must remain
aboard, though most of it, like the BBQ and stern anchor
can be moved below. The parties for which the Heineken Regatta is famous, start Thursday evening with some
crew staying out till the wee hours of the morning. Race 1, on Friday is around the island with a
coarse length of 28 miles. Start time 9:35AM. Yes there
is always some groaning from those who stayed up to
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April 2009
(Roam Racing at the front of the fleet)
party till the wee hours. The forecast is for 25 to 30 kts from the North with a building Northerly swell. At 8AM
it was still blowing light Easterly and we were thinking
this could be a long day. Things can change fast in the
Caribbean and by 8:15 the forecast was right on. We got off to an excellent start, at the boat end, at full speed, at
Unfortunately half of the fleet was over early and the gun. so after a general recall and not quite as good a start, it
was off and running. A short beat to weather and then
reach to the West end of the island. We were running
midfleet trying to keep our air and options open for the turn upwind. The turning mark proved very exciting, as
it is in shallow water, that made the seas very high and
steep. With the Northerly wind direction the beat up to
North end of the island was more a fetch than anything.
With 24 identical boats in our class and no real tactical opportunities it was all a drag race. Scott kept us
in touch with the top half of the fleet so when it came time to run down the East side of the island we finally had some passing lanes. We managed to pass 5 boats in the last 3 miles of the race to take a 5th for the day. The
finish is off of the town of Phillipsburg where the fleet has anchored in the past and the site of the Friday night
party, but due to budget constraints, the party was moved
to Simpson Bay where we started the day.
SAntA Cruz YACht Club SpinnAker Sheet
Race 2, on Saturday was scheduled to start
in Simpson Bay on the Dutch side of the island, and
finish in Marigot, on the French side. Due to the wind and wave direction that would make the anchorage in
Marigot a rough lee shore, the race committee changed
to course to start and finish in Simpson Bay, with a weather mark set in the middle of the Anguilla channel.
Another change mandated by the charter companies
was that all bareboat classes would sail with a reef in
the main for the race. This was a result of the considerable amount of damage to sails the day before. During
the prestart we got tangled up with a boat that was not
in our fleet but was in the start area. This made us 30 seconds late for the start. It was then we noticed that
the top 2 track cars had torn way from the main. Again
a reach, fetch, run with not much in the way in tactical
opportunities, put us finishing a disappointing 11th on
the day. Bareboat racing is a bit of a crapshoot when it
comes to equipment. The boat you get may have great
(relatively speaking) sail or in our case, very tired ones.
Some come to the regatta with little sailing and/or no
racing experience. Ya pays your money, and ya takes
your chances.
Race 3, Sunday. Repeat race 2, but with a little
less wind and no reefing requirement. After the finish of Saturday’s race we called the Moorings to report our damaged sail. The Moorings does a great job working with all the demands for repairs from the fleet and by the next morning we had a replacement main. We
pulled up anchor to see what our new sail looked like.
Fortunately it was much better that the old one. Got a
great start in the middle of the line and rounded the first mark in third place. As with the previous races, i.e.
reach, fetch, run, there were limited passing lanes. At
least with a good start and a decent main we were able
to make a real race out of it with the 2 boats ahead of
us, but in the end we were not able to pass and finished 3rd. A great day but not enough to get us onto the
podium, we ended up with a 6th place overall for the
regatta.
Although we did not achieve our goal of a 5th
straight year with a 3rd or better, we did have some ‘Serious Fun’, did enjoy the island, and were grateful for the hospitality of Mt. Gay, Heineken, The St. Maarten
YC, who put on a wonderful regatta. There is always
next year.
Cheers
Malcolm Brown
10
April 2009
7th Annual Adam Webster Memorial
Fund Event
On the evening of May 9th, 2009 Club Members and Treasurer, Tom and Judy Webster will host
the Seventh Annual Adam Webster Memorial Fund
Dinner and Silent Auction, which supports an educational sailing program for youth with special needs, at
the Santa Cruz Yacht Club. Giving kids with special
needs the chance to experience the ocean environment
is the goal of the Adam Webster Memorial Fund.
Tom and Judy had taken their son Adam on
many trips on their sailboat. Through these trips, they
developed a clear understanding of the sensory and
experiential value that an experience with the ocean
environment has to individuals who have physical,
neurological, and other challenges.
Tom and Judy want to invite all of the Club
Members and their guests to an evening of music,
dancing, a silent auction, and a fabulous meal. You
get all this for a mere $55.00 per person. This year we are going to break from our
traditional Asian influenced cuisine. We are extremely pleased to announce that Executive Chef, James
Wilfong from Johnny’s Harborside has graciously
donated his services to put together a menu that will
treat all of your senses.
The program will start at 6 p.m. and include
a five-course meal with wine. The program also will
include music, dancing, and a silent auction.
Founded in 1996 by wetsuit inventor and surfer Jack O’Neill, the O’Neill Sea Odyssey provides
a floating classroom on board a 65-foot catamaran
sailing the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Students receive hands-on lessons about the marine
habitat and the importance of the relationship between
the living sea and the environment.
Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
The vision of the Adam Webster Fund of the
0’Neill Sea Odyssey is to provide a successful but
not purely intellectual or academic learning experience for individuals with special needs in the context
of the ocean environment. The first class went out
in the spring of 2000. The Adam Webster Memorial
Fund hosts at least two classes a year, and takes about
a dozen kids with special needs out on the O’Neill Sea
Odyssey catamaran.
The fund is named after Adam Webster, who
was severely physically challenged. Adam Webster
died in 1999. Tom and his wife, Judy, started the fund
after their son’s death with the idea of sharing the ocean
experience with children who face similar physical or
emotional challenges. To date, this fund has raised
over $60,000.00, over 90% coming from this event.
To purchase tickets, please call: Dan Haifley
at The O’Neill Sea Odyssey Program, phone 831-4659390 or Tom Webster at 831-425-0221. Remember
seating is limited and they sell fast. There will not be
any tickets sold the night of the event.
Tom & Judy Webster
Pinto Lake
May 22 saw a blustery northwesterly on
Pinto Lake, with gusts of 28 mph recorded at the
Watsonville Airport. When asked if they wanted to
sail, the Beginner class wisely unanimously declined.
(One of the most fundamental lessons of seamanship
is when NOT to go out.) However, it was noted that
several PARENTS raised their hands.
For starters, Paul Tara gave a demonstration of heavy air technique. Then, Chuck Hawley,
Mark Schipper, Dan Nitake, Kristen Lenz, and
Ken Eckert, took to the water. We all were amazed
to see Chuck briefly surge onto a plane in one of the
bigger puffs of the day. He undoubtedly set a speed/
displacement record for Pinto Lake (probably around
4.3 knots, by his estimation) and clearly violated the
no wake rule. All this was hugely enjoyed by the kids
who got a quite a kick out of watching their parents’
efforts, and the parents got a new appreciation of the
challenges their kids have been facing.
Chuck Hawley: “I have a tremendous amount
more empathy for our Junior Sailors after having
been thoroughly thrashed this weekend. As I hobble
around work, it makes me understand why our
11
April 2009
sons and daughters don’t want to kneel for two hours straight on the sole of a Toro.”
Mark Shipper: “Fun day. Good to see the old
folks sailing out there, although I think I have clearly
demonstrated that 6’ 7” and 215# is far too large for an El Toro. Although surprisingly, Chuck Hawley is
close to my size and weight and he schooled me on the
racecourse. If nothing else, today taught me tremendous patience and understanding for anyone at irons
in a Toro. Clearly not the easiest boat to get moving
again when at a standstill....or drifting backwards. I’ve also acquired tremendous respect for those who practice
yoga. It would do me well to learn “the pretzel” while
in the cockpit of a Toro.”
Dan Nitake: “OH MY #$#&!?!$#% KNEES! That was a great deal of fun. You know, the kids get
lectured a lot and probably get sick of it sometimes. An
adult Thrash-a-thon when it gets too windy for them to
sail should be an annual event. For them to laugh and
realize that this sailing thing is not easy for anyone....”
Ken Eckert: “I agree about FUN today. Felt like a 10yr old. Convinced I need to buy one of these
squirrely machines so I can get more tiller time.”
Meanwhile Doug Wood submitted the following report from the harbor: “The advanced gang
had a grand time. Plenty of wind from all angles. One
synchronized double capsize and turtle, executed with
astonishing grace, and a double nearly simultaneous
righting duet. One team raced up the harbor to J dock;
We watched Emma on the down-wind leg, with wind
predominately from the North, nearly drive the bow
under in a gust a hundred feet closer to us, a little backstay flag on a docked boat was flapping west, while 200 feet aft of Emma another flag was blowing east, and at the same moment a williwaw blasted by us heading
south. I had visions of Emma whirling skyward, yelling
this is nowhere near Kansas! but she hung on and got
straightened out. Hard work, tons of learning, and welldeserved cocoa and brownies afterwards at the shed.”
The Pinto Lake program ended on March 29.
Final season results next month. Friday night El Toro
sailing coming up. First El Toro Junior Season Championship Regatta April 4 at RYC. Stockton Sailcamp in
July.
Paul Tara
Pinto Lake Director
12
SAntA Cruz YACht Club SpinnAker Sheet
(Kristen Lenz “figuring it out” while Paul Tara planes by to weather.)
Neighborhood Relations
The Club’s members and guests have been doing a wonderful job in regards to our
neighborhood parking issues, but we can do
better. As a reminder, if you are physically
able we encourage everyone to park down in
the Harbor parking lots. Many of you already
possess parking permits, limited parking
permits are available for sale and the meters
are always running ($.25 per 20 minutes). Please, under no circumstances, park in red
zones, double-park, or use the neighbor’s driveways as loading zones. Members, please
convey this message to all of our non-member friends.
In addition, out of respect for our
neighbors, when leaving the Clubhouse,
please finish your conversation inside. It seems that our voices travel further the later
the evening goes on. We appreciate your cooperation and are looking forward to seeing
you around the Clubhouse this year.
April 2009
Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
Back in the old days…
Back in the old days, February of 1967 to be
exact, a 33 year old young man arrived in Santa Cruz
and began working for Jack O’Neill. Forty three years
later, Rich Gerling still works for O’Neill cleaning and
maintaining the O’Neill building on the beach near the
Crow’s Nest. Most of us never see Rich as he maintains
odd hours and performs his work duties mostly at night
when the tourists have gone home. There are hundreds
of us who owe at least part of our sailing skills to Rich
Gerling.
O’Neill Yacht Center used to be an active
chandlery and boat dealership offering sailboat rentals
and lessons. Rich worked the sales counter, assembled
Hobie Cats, commissioned keel boats, performed maintenance on the store and the building, and gave sailing
lessons. He taught sailing for O’Neill’s alongside Ernie
and Ransom Rideout in the 1970s and 1980s and I’ll
bet even Ernie and Ransom will credit Rich with teaching them a thing or three.
Not too many people know Rich really well. He
is quiet, unassuming, has very few vices—ice cream,
movies and Mexican food—and he does not talk about
himself unless he is prompted to in the right setting. I
recently tried to speak with Rich about this article and he
said, “That’s all the past. It no longer exists.” He grew
up in Marin County and spent a lot of his early days
on and near Stinson Beach. Rich was a life guard back
when surfing was done on a board, “dope” was airplane
glue and “joint” meant jail. He has never been interested
in drugs and alcohol and considers both to be a shameful
waste of time.
I have heard a few stories about his youth spent
surfing and racing hot rods up and down Mount Tamal-
(This is Stiletto surfing fast around Pt. Conception
on her way to Florida through the Panama Canal.
This was ground-breaking travel on a multi-hull
back in the early 1960s)
pias. In Rich’s day a hot rod was usually a frame off
some old car with seats and a motor cobbled together
from another car. There were fewer vehicles on the
road back then so it was not as risky, careless or dangerous to race up and down the mountain roads with
reckless abandon as it would be today.
In 1959, Rich met a guy on the Sausalito waterfront who was building trimaran sailboats. The guy
asked Rich if he wanted to go for a day sail. That day
sail ended up being out the Golden Gate and around the
Farallon Islands and back! Rich loved the way the trimaran sailed—it was very fast, surfing waves with little
effort and there was no “tipping.” He and Art Piver hit
it off right away and Rich decided that afternoon that
he was going to build one of these “funny, little boats.”
Art built boats to his own designs and he made
them using resin and fiberglass over plywood which
was fairly modern in the early 1960s. Art shared a set
of plans with Rich for a 24-footer, called a Piver Nugget. Just out of the US Coast Guard and still attending
the Academy of Art in San Francisco, Rich was very
open to the adventure.
Rich spent the next 14 months attending classes, working for the State Parks Service and building his
little 24-foot Nugget. He christened it, Triumph.
It was 1961 and Piver had a plan to follow the
Transpac fleet to Hawaii in his 35-foot, Lodestar, to
promote his boat designs. Rich’s parents supported
his decision to sail his own 24-footer to Hawaii following Piver. Just a few days before his departure to
13
April 2009
San Pedro a guy named Ned Dwyer showed up at the
waterfront with a guitar, a few cans of tuna and a jar of
peanut butter. Rich enjoyed music, thought tuna was
OK and he loved peanut butter. An instant friendship
formed and Ned signed on to sail to Hawaii with Rich.
Both of them were novice sailors and they basically
learned how to sail and how to navigate along the way.
Just a few hours after the start of the Transpac,
Triumph lost her leeward float hatch off the West End
of Catalina Island. Rich and Ned turned back to Los
Angeles to make a new one. Consequently, they lost
two days and in addition, their passage to Hawaii was
slow. The Oakland and San Francisco newspapers erroneously reported Rich and Ned missing and the US
Coast Guard launched a search mission for both Piver
and for Rich.
Piver had sailed too far into the Pacific High. Art has also over-hyped his trip before the start declaring that he could make the passage in just seven days.
He showed up in Hawaii after 14 days reporting his
only “emergency” was running out of chocolate cookies.
Rich and Ned showed up five days later.
While they were “missing” they were, in fact,
having the time of their lives. They had sailed out of
the high and were experiencing beautiful sunsets and
line squalls that left them surfing down giant, green
swells during the day and silvery, moonlit swells at
night.
Triumph arrived in Honolulu with her crew
wondering what all the fuss was about. Rich recently
told me that when they arrived, officials and reporters
were waiting to question and interview them. This did
not upset Rich as much as his missing the hula girls
and parties that greeted all of the official racing boats in
typical Transpac fashion.
At the end of the summer Rich sold his boat
in Hawaii and returned to the bay area. He went to
work building boats with Piver. The two of them built
a 38-foot tri named Bird which they shipped to Florida.
Next they built Piver’s 33-foot, Stiletto, and sailed her
from San Francisco to Florida though the Panama Canal. This was in the early 1960s before trimarans were
well-proven and generally accepted. These guys were
among the earliest pioneers of multi-hull sailing. Next,
Rich was hired to build a modified Lodestar trimaran
in Ft. Lauderdale for a man who owned a local airplane
ferrying company.
Art Piver’s boats were light, strong and fast. One of the few times I’ve heard Rich brag is when he
14
Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
(Arthur Piver pictured here aboard one
of his designs in Sausalito. Piver sailed many
miles on trimarans before disappearing in
1968 on a leg down the coast of California
aboard one of his 24-foot designs)
tells how he and Art Piver—just the two of them—lifted the main hull of the 33 foot Stiletto off a frame jig.
After a few years of boatbuilding Rich developed resin poisoning, got very sick, and had to stop
working with Art Piver. This is when he decided to
come to Santa Cruz in 1967.
Rich knew Jack O’Neill from San Francisco.
He surfed with O’Neill when Jack had two eyes and a
small surf shop in San Francisco. The wetsuit wasn’t
yet invented and Jack was experimenting with ways
to keep warm in the cold Pacific Ocean waters. One
method that failed was wearing a wool sweater under
a rubber t-shirt. Jack’s experimentations eventually
led him to use a surplus material leftover from the US
Navy called neoprene, but that’s a whole other story…
In the early days, O’Neill Yacht Center took up
the entire bottom floor of the O’Neill building. They
sold boating supplies, Pearson Yachts, Hobie Cats and
other new and used boats. Jack bought three Pearson
Ensigns to use as rental boats and for sailing lessons.
The Ensign is a full keel 22-footer, all cockpit with a
small cuddy cabin forward. The boat is built strong
and heavy so it can take the daily use and occasional
April 2009
beating resulting from charter boat and sailing lesson
programs. O’Neill sailing students never got to use
auxiliary power—they were taught to sail in and out of
the slip regardless of wind and weather conditions. I’m
sure Rich had something to do with that—he always
had little use for motors on sailboats.
The Ensign is well-balanced and many times in
the 1970s you’d see Rich sailing on a Wednesday Night
sitting on one of the mast spreaders, steering by leaning
his weight to windward or to leeward. At 6’2” with a
deep salt water tan, barrel chest, bushy eyebrows, and
a child’s twinkle in his eye, Rich could flirt (and still
does) with any young lady. He’d often take the young
women from Nelda’s Deli or Zuniga’s out sailing after
work.
My close friend, Peter Sterrett, was visiting
one summer back in 1980. He recalls sailing around
the harbor with Rich in an Ensign. Rich knew Pete
knew how to sail, but Pete did not yet know that he
could sail. So Rich instructed him to tack as close to an
end tie as he could to show the ability to steer in close
quarters. While Peter was busy sheeting the jib on the
new tack, he realized he’d been had—Rich stepped off
the boat during the tack! Peter would now have to sail
back alone and pick Rich up. Since that day Peter Sterrett has known how to sail.
In 1967 Rich bought a brand new Volkswagen
van. That model year brought with it a 1600cc, dual
port engine and disc brakes—some VW enthusiasts will
tell you it was the best year ever. Rich towed Hobie
Cats back from LA in that van, slept in it at times, used
it to launch and retrieve Ensigns at the launch ramp—
he drove the heck out of it. That same van served him
until about 1997. Ten engines later, with over 1 million
miles on the frame, and countless rolls of duct tape
holding it together, that old van was fully used up by
the time Rich gave it away. It rode away on the back of
a flatbed truck and I’m sure that by the time it got to the
wrecking yard there were no useable parts left. Karma
rewarded me with the last glimpse of that van as I was
lucky enough to follow it down the freeway the day it
went away.
I met Rich in 1975 on my first day at work for
Jack O’Neill when I was 16 years old. To this day I
still tell people that he helped raise me. Quirky, caring,
funny, and non-judgmental, Rich was a perfect big
brother. Carefree, kind, unassuming, tuned into nature
and good to his word are a few other things that come
to mind when I think of Rich. He used to take a flute
up the coast at low tide, climb into a sea cave and play.
Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
He always said it was better if there were sea lions in
there to listen to him. Rich loves art and music. He
was raised with both in the home and his brother spent
an entire 44-year career playing violin for the San Francisco Symphony (try to Google—Michael Gerling,
San Francisco Symphony).
Rich will tell you with pride that he has only
consumed one beer in his life—he didn’t like it and
never drank another. In the 1980’s he used to attend
every back yard bar-b-que and special occasion put on
by me and my friends. His pure and simple attitude
combined with a gentle “loopiness” put people at ease
and he became the center of any party. Most people,
young and old, are drawn to him when he speaks and
articulates his stories so well that you are naturally
drawn in.
I know that many of our friends assumed Rich
was a drinker and partier in those days due to his carefree attitude and unusual behavior. He would close the
Crow’s Nest with us, but I know he always felt better
(This is Rich Gerling sailing the Pearson Ensign in
the turning basin around 1980. Rich never had use for
motors on sailboats and he always said that they sailed
better with no one at the helm)
15
April 2009
the next morning. His friendships and passion for life
are all that Rich needs to “get high.”
Each summer for as long as I can remember,
Rich has attended flute symposiums in Carmel. He even built a special mobile shop with a lathe that could
measure and accurately cut, turn and grind in microns—and it all fit in the back of his 1967 van. Rich taught himself how to tune and how to tweak on flutes to make them play better. He’s become so competent that several very well- known and accomplished flautists are impressed enough to “let” Rich tweak on their
own personal instruments. He’ll never brag about it, but I’m sure Rich takes great personal satisfaction from this—and he never charges for it.
In 1979 Rich threw his TV set in the dumpster at the Crow’s Nest. He’ll proudly tell you how he turned on the compactor and listened to the tube
explode. He tells this story in the whimsical voice of a
small child complete with giggling and hand gestures.
This was the year his landlord sold the little studio
Rich had called home for a decade. Rich figured he’d seen enough TV and he reduced his “holdings” at the
time to what could fit in a small storage unit and a 1967 VW Bus.
Rich hasn’t paid rent since 1979. To this day he lives a vagabond life—never homeless, but yet he has no street address.
Rich gets by with a roof over his head by taking care of homes when the owners are away, sleeping
on a boat every once in a while and occasionally bunking in his new van. He showers at the harbor or at the
spa where he works out regularly. On a rainy day off,
you’ll find Rich browsing a book store or attending the movies at a multi-screen theater where he watches
all of the movies on the same day! He has a kids meal
deal at a local all-you-can-eat place where he eats his
one (big) meal a day.
Rich Gerling is not homeless. He just does
not have a home like you and I.
Back in the 1990s Jack O’Neill converted his yacht center to a beach accessory store called O’Neill Beach. There were very few Hobie Cats being sold,
sailing lessons were slow at best, and Rich’s position was changed to part-time maintenance person. Rich
was old enough to qualify for Social Security and by
living the simple life that he does, he is able to get by.
Rich now had too much time and not enough job to
keep him busy.
He’d known Gary Fredericks for many years. Gary taught music at Del Mar Middle School and
16
SAntA Cruz YACht Club SpinnAker Sheet
with Rich’s passion for music, the two of them formed a “working” friendship with Rich volunteering his
time in the classroom. When school is in session Rich
shows up as an unpaid volunteer every day from 8-2:00
p.m. He supports the middle school music program
by moving equipment, tutoring students, fixing instruments, setting up concerts or building stage equipment—always for free. Rich collects bottles and cans for recycling, turning them into money that he uses to
fix the instruments that the school system won’t. It’s not unusual for Rich to have dozens of bags of recycling piled up in his storage unit waiting to be turned
into guitar strings, sheet music stands or reeds for the
wind instruments.
Rich’s compassion for his fellow human runs deep. When the janitor at the school got sick and
needed chemo therapy, Rich covered his shift so he
could continue to be paid. On a janitor’s salary this poor guy could not afford to have cancer and Rich did
his job for him so he could be a little less poor and still
have a job if he recovered. All the while Rich worked
his own job and volunteered for the music program, as
usual, six hours a day.
The new, Shoreline Middle School, opened in
the late 1990’s. Rich followed Gary across the street and when Gary Fredericks recently retired, the new
music teacher, Caleb Murray, gladly accepted Rich’s offer to continue helping the kids and the music program. Most grade school music programs are under
enormous financial pressure and programs are funded through public donation or home and school club fundraising. Shoreline Middle School is lucky to have Rich
and Rich is lucky to have them.
Back in the old days this guy named Rich
Gerling showed up in Santa Cruz. He calls Santa Cruz
County, Planet Earth his home. Rich has unknowingly
mentored me and helped me see things differently.
When I look at other people digging around trash cans
April 2009
looking for cans and bottles, I think of all the good that
Rich does with his recycling. He may be in his mid70s, but the twinkle in his eye is still there. The years
have toned down his exuberance, but they will never
take away his good deeds done.
If you ever see Rich swimming at the spa
you’ll see the powerful young man that he was in the
1960s. And, next time you’re up the coast and hear
flute music coming from a sea cave, climb in, introduce yourself and you’ll meet one of the most interesting people I know. You might tell him how much you
enjoyed this piece and how you might have known
him, Back in the Old Days…
Niels Kisling
SCYC Historian
ADVANCED/COMBINED POWERBOAT HANDLING COURSE
Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, 2009
While SCYC is known for high quality junior sailing and race management instruction, many
members might be surprised to learn that the Club
also offers powerboat instruction. At the end of April,
Junior Commodore Max Fraser and Staff Commodore
Chuck Hawley, both U.S. Sailing Certified Powerboat
Instructors, will teach an 18 hour class on advanced
powerboat handling, with an emphasis on safe and effective support of small sailboat racing. Logistical support will be provided by John Fraser, Junior Program
Advanced Sailing Director and Asset Manager, and by
Alan Allwardt, Junior Program Scholastic Sailing Director. Upon completion of the combined course, you’ll
earn three stickers for your U.S. Sailing logbook:
Santa Cruz Yacht Club Spinnaker Sheet
AM and ends at 5:30 PM. Please park in the harbor lot
below the Club (not on 4th Avenue).
The $120 fee includes lunch on both days,
extensive instructional materials from U.S. Sailing,
and the use of up to 8 boats for the weekend. Club
members may charge the fee to their SCYC accounts.
Due to strong initial interest in this class, enrollment is
limited to 24 students, so if you’re interested in participating, please reserve your spot early.
U.S. Sailing recommends that most classes
covering these topics take place over three days, so the
class is intended for those with at least intermediate
knowledge of powerboat handling, and knowledge of
sailboat racing (either as a Race Committee member,
participant, or helper). It’s strongly recommended that
all participants take an online course in boating safety
before taking the weekend class so they can brush up
on Rules of the Road, equipment requirements, and
other core skills. The following online courses are approved in California:
For questions or an application, please contact
John Fraser (831-212-9244, fraserkind@sbcglobal.net).
Applications are also available from the SCYC office
(831-425-0690, info@scyc.org).
Alan Allwardt
Scholastic Sailing Director
http://www.boatus.org/onlinecourse/ (free, approved by
NASBLA)
http://www.boaterexam.com/usa/california/ ($29.95,
approved by NASBLA)
• Safe Powerboat Handling
• Safety & Rescue Boat Handling
• Race Support Boat Endorsement
These courses were created by U.S. Sailing to
provide consistent on-the-water instruction for club
members who want to support sailboat regattas.
The weekend class is a combination of classroom instruction (on Saturday at the Club, 244 4th Ave.,
and on Sunday at the Harbor Community Room, 345
Lake Ave.), as well as extensive time on the water in
13-21’ support boats. Each day starts promptly at 8:00
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April 2009
Summer FJ Racing Clinic
Saturday, June 13 to Wednesday June 17
The SCYC Junior Sailing Program is pleased
to announce the 2009 Summer FJ Racing Clinic,
June 13-17, 2009, 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, at the SCYC Junior Yard. This is a unique opportunity for
intermediate and advanced junior sailors who will be
entering grades 8-12 in the fall to learn Flying Junior
racing from the best -- the clinic will be taught by
SCYC Corinthian Member Joey Pasquali and Junior
Commodore Max Fraser, both U.S. Sailing Certified Level 2 Instructors, and themselves champion racers at the highest levels of competition. Logistical
support will be provided by John Fraser, Junior Program Advanced Sailing Director and Asset Manager,
and by Alan Allwardt, Junior Program Scholastic
Sailing Director.
The cost of the five-day clinic is $140.00. Enrollment is limited to 20 sailors, so do not delay!
For questions or an application, please contact John
Fraser (831-212-9244, fraserkind@sbcglobal.net)
or Alan Allwardt (831-251-4021, allwardt@cruzio.
com). Applications are also available from the SCYC
office (831-425-0690, info@scyc.org). For information on scholarships from the Santa Cruz Sailing
Foundation, go to: http://santacruzsailingfoundation.
org/ and click “Grant Application.”
Alan Allwardt
Scholastic Sailing Director
(Jennifer Whall and Colin DeMowbray
posing during Colin’s latest visit)
18
SAntA Cruz YACht Club SpinnAker Sheet
Host Family for Interns Needed
Once again the Santa Cruz Yacht Club will
have three interns from the French Polytechnique
School of Engineering, Paris France. We are looking
for three host families who live within biking distance of the Club. Each intern will stay four weeks
and requires room and board (minimal board). Past
host families have really enjoyed the experiences, the
different culture and have found it extremely rewarding. One family actually traveled back to France to
stay with them and went on to sail in the Med. The
following are their names and the time periods they
will be here:
Name
Steve Guillou Mathew Gomez Benoit Crespin
Arrives
July 15 July 29 August 12
Leaves
August 11
August 25
September 8
If this sounds interesting to you or you would
like more info please contact Greg at 831-425-0690 or e-mail greg (at) scyc (dot) org.
Manager’s Report
I would like to congratulate Michael Wood for an
outstanding job running the Social program along with his
cast of extraordinary volunteers. Speaking of Social events
there will be a “Surf or Turf” style BBQ following the
Spring One Design Regatta on April 18 starting at 4:00pm.
In addition, Michael has set-up a “Wednesday Night BBQ”
style dinner, in place of Sunday Night dinner, following
the Spring SCORE Regatta on April 26 starting at 4:00pm.
These BBQ’s are open to everyone so please join us. I could not in good conscience, not mention the
hard work put in by Jim Skinner and the house committee.
Not only did Jim run a successful work day, but he is working on the clubhouse continuously and if something needs
fixing Jim is a phone call away. Thanks Jim!
In closing I would like to welcome the new SCYC
Regular members who were voted in during the last Board
meeting. Welcome aboard Rick & Dorie Green, Barry
& Lisa Keeler, Queenie Linderman, Curt & Susann Sechrist, Ryan & Janel Schuyler and Brent & April Ruhne.
Greg Haws
Club Manager