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AHOY MATES!!!

By the time you read this fourth edition of the “Commodore’s Column”,  I will be nearly ready to be on my way to Alaska.  Carl Sidle and I, on the sturdy hull of Shoshanna, will be beating our way north for a 3 month adventure.  For me, it’s the adventure of a lifetime.  For Carl, it’s his  sixth exciting trip.  Two additional PTYC boats are also making the journey.  Discovery, with captain and crew Bill & Karen Bloemker (you decide which is which), has made the trip several times.  Toccata, with captain and crew Greg & Sheryl Kerkof, is on its maiden voyage to the land of the midnight sun.  Carl and I will leave the day after Opening Day and the blessing of the fleet.  The Bloemkers and Kerkofs are leaving a few days before.  Sandi and Sue will fly to Sitka the end of May to join us for some Alaskan cruising.  Sue will stay for a month; Sandi will fly home after two weeks.   Most of Carl and Sue’s family will be able to join Shoshanna for some period of time on the trip; so, I think it can be said that this is “a trip of a lifetime” for some of them as well.

As for the boating season for the club, the Board has an event-filled season planned that will please, educate, and challenge every member of the club who is able to participate.  I think it is rare that a club membership, such as in PTYC, with extraordinary breadth of experiences, backgrounds, and knowledge levels can come together for the enrichment of all.  Boats belonging to our membership, or would it be more correct to say members belonging to their boats, range from T37 radio controlled sail boats (that’s 37 inches) to 65 foot steel, blue-water trawlers.  We have members who are looking for their first boat, members who are between boats and members who have reluctantly retired from crewing their own boat.  The common thread among these people is their love for being on the water and the camaraderie it brings. (more…)

AHOY MATES!!!

Welcome to the third installment of my Commodore’s Column.

We have had a great start of the year with plans made for the upcoming boating season, social events attended, a successful shakedown cruise  held– and it is still winter.   For those of you who missed the meeting in March, the program was fantastic.  We started with a discussion from Bob Dickey, owner of First Mate Marine, on boat systems and their maintenance.  Bob’s focus was primarily on black water, fresh water and electrical systems.  This part of the program  was followed by a pictorial look at cruising north from Paul Lutus  entitled,  “Cruising and Wildlife Photography in Alaska”.  I guess you could say that Bob helped us prepare for the trip, and Paul gave us a glimpse of why we go.  I want to thank the March watch ( Marilynne Gates, Dave and Ann Sweat, and Carlyn Stark) for their setup and delicious desserts.  Both Paul and Bob stayed after their presentations for dessert and individual Q & A sessions.

On a sad note, as Carlyn was leaving the meeting she apparently tripped over the large timber that has always been located in the parking lot in front of the clubhouse door.  Carlyn was injured and rushed to the emergency room with facial lacerations and an undetermined injury to her shoulder and arm.  As I write this, Carlyn has just returned home from having  x-rays taken.  The x-rays confirm a broken wrist and a broken nose.  In Carlyn’s words, the lacerations were glued shut, the broken nose is still straight and her wrist is still splinted.  A permanent cast will be placed over the wrist in another week.  Carlyn seems in high spirits and comments that this is simply another incident in a lifelong string of broken bones.  After the injury to Carlyn, it was noted that the large timber she tripped over had been moved from its normal location to a location on the sidewalk sometime after our last month’s meeting.  No one we questioned knew how or why it had been moved.  (more…)

AHOY MATES!!!

WOW Does the time go fast!!!!  It is already March and everyone is getting ready for a wonderful boating and social season.  This winter has been very mild which helps set the tone for being on the water, but I think the largest reason for the excitement is the enthusiasm shown by the Board and membership.  It says a lot about the strength of an organization when the designated leader (that would be me) has to run to keep up with the group.  In fact, just sitting down to write this article has reminded me of the overwhelming amount of work and planning that has been accomplished in the short month since the Change of Watch.

Fleet Captain Gerry Walsh, assisted by Admiral Cindy, has arranged for the busiest cruise schedule in recent memory.  There are events, event cruises, short cruises and long cruises scheduled throughout the 2013 season.  Gerry organized a Cruise Planning Day and the Board organized a separate Event Planning Day both of which were attended by large numbers of members with ideas and a willingness to jump in and help.  Maybe the endless pizza helped loosen everyone up.  But whatever the reason, we have a Cruise and Event Schedule to entice everyone.  Since you are already logged onto the club website, you need to click on the Cruises link and update your calendar. (more…)

AHOY MATES!!!

Welcome to the new year.  The Mayans were wrong.  The weather is mild, and the seas are calm.  It sounds like the start of a great year to me.

This is my first article as Commodore of the Port Townsend Yacht Club, and I want to thank you for putting your trust in me.  Probably the smartest thing the club membership did was to also elect a powerful, energetic board.  With people surrounding me like Vice Commodore Macy Galbreath, Rear Commodore Jim Quandt, Fleet Captain Gerry Walsh, Treasurer Joe Burson, and Secretary Kathy Loika, I think the club is in very capable hands.  Trustees Beth Burson and Chelcie Liu will monitor our progress, and Past Commodore Vince Verneuil will help guide me.  The club is, without a doubt, on the verge of another great year.

Last year, the club saw a successful membership drive,    a new concept in short lunch cruises and increased participation of members.  I also want to extend a personal thank you to all of the people who made the Change of Watch event something special and memorable.  I was amazed, along with the other 65 guests, to the point of speechlessness, with the decorations, the food and the organization of the event.  While I don’t know the details about the number of people and their roles in the planning and implementation of the party , I do know that a special thanks goes to Fred & Ilona Bell for making the decorations spectacular and to Harry Dudley for his work at the microphone as Master of Ceremonies.

The Board of Trustees for 2013 has been working diligently to make this year the most interesting ever for the membership.  Gerry has organized a committee and conducted an organizational day to plan a diverse set of cruises that should hold interest for every boater.  That day concluded with planned cruises ranging from as short as an afternoon at Kala Point to a two-week trip to Vancouver BC and Desolation Sound.  There will be something for everyone.  As of press time we will have held an additional planning day for programs and events.  We are looking forward to programs that have an emphasis on education and safety, with many programs tapping into the vast knowledge-base of our membership.  These could be similar to the wonderful program conducted by four of our members in January discussing preparations necessary for a safe trip to Alaska.  Macy and her membership committee have been active in their recruitment activities and have already tapped into potential new members.  Another facet of the membership committee activities this year will include an assessment of what members are expecting from the club when they join and making recommendations about how the club can meet those expectations.

Sandi, Clementine and I are looking forward to seeing everyone on the water this year; so get your PFD on, unroll some charts, and dive in.

It is amazing how time flies here in the Great Northwest. We just returned from a great South Sound cruise and were blessed with great weather the whole way.  Thank you Sidle’s and Bloemker’s for all your work in planning and shepherding this cruise.

Thanks go out to our September watch Crew headed by Chelcie and Kathy Liu with help from Fred and Ilona Bell and Stephanie Oliveira, Houlton Madinger and Craig Kurath  I really enjoyed Chelcie’s program on wooden boat building.  One of the biggest things that I learned was that all wooden boat technology was not developed over 50 years ago. Thanks Chelcie for cluing me in.

Thanks are also in order to Jim Quandt for all his work in keeping the Club House in tip top shape.

There is only one cruise this October, the Chili Cook-off on weekend of Oct 13.  Since you can either drive or boat to Mystery Bay, I would hope that over 50% of our members will attend.  SEE YOU THERE.

By this time you should have received Rick’s email about the nominating committee wanting you to step up to fill in one of our leadership positions.  Please give this serious consideration because you will be working with some wonderful people in our club.

Vince Verneuil, Commodore

As I sit down to write this column after a two month vacation I am struck with how active we are during the summer.  One new thing about this summer that stands out as unusual is that four new family members joined (due to the new bylaws recently passed) during the time when we did not have a general meeting.  A big congratulations goes out to the membership committee lead by Rick Rezinas and Macy Galbreath.

The second great thing was the three great lunch cruises. They were well attended and  everyone had a great time.  Again a big congratulations goes out to Carl Sidle Cruise Captain and Macy and Bill for the Port Gamble lunch cruise,  Rick and Sandy Rezinas for the Port Ludlow lunch cruise and Mike and Nancy Machette with Char and Jim Quandt for the Kala Point lunch cruise. We have had great participation from our newer members for these events.

Our normal activity cruises came off as planned with very good participation from our members.  Big thanks goes out to Carl and Sue Sidle for the Pleasant Harbor cruise in June to kick off the summer.  Some boats even continued south to Alderbrook to extend this great cruise.  Gerry and Cindy Walsh hosted a great time for those that went to Fisherman Bay in early July.  The Reid Harbor 4th of July cruise hosted by Mike and Barb Soskin and Ken and Ila Mikkelsen was very special with more food to eat than we needed and a great decorated dinghy parade.  If you have never attended this cruise I would recommend it highly.

We did have one social at the club house in July where Mary Ann and I showed our Africa pictures.  We would like to thank Darrell and Cindy Olson; Houlton and Duane Madinger; Char and Jim Quandt and Gerry and Cindy Walsh for helping with this evening.

I would like to introduce our new members that have joined since our June meeting:  Gary and Nancy Fredrick; Tom and Patti Biazzo; Mike Heckinger and Kris Easterday; and Bruce and Kathy Painter.  They all have met some of us at one location or another. We all looking forward to visiting with you and finding out your varied interests at our regular meetings.

I would like to thank Galen and Shelly Peterson and Char and Jim Quandt for being the Watch at our June regular meeting and also for hosting an off-site June Social—a Sea Shanty Sing-Along at the Northwest Maritime Center.

I am going to end on a sad note about our longtime member, Dave Frazeur, who passed over the bar.  A Memorial service will be held at the Point Wilson Lighthouse, Fort Worden at noon on September 15.

Vince Verneuil, Commodore

I would like to welcome our new members:

Darrel and Cindy Olsen and Jack Hensel. Welcome Aboard!

While we are on the subject of new members, I hope all are ready to vote on the By Law changes at our June meeting. If you have any questions, please let us hear from you.

Thanks go out to the May Watch—Dan and Linda Newland; Tim and Kathy Loika; Jorge and Terry Martello; Sue McKay and Paul Happel and Mike and Barb Soskin.

Thanks also to Fred and Ilona Bell and their crew for the Opening Day Breakfast and Clam boil at Mystery Bay.

June brings on great cruises to intermediate distances, so please try to join us. Pleasant Harbor is a fun place as a drive to destination. If you cannot boat there, come by car.

I would like to give a big thank you to

Penny Jensen for her long and hard work with the IRS to regain our non profit status. As per her email to everyone, we are now a 501(C)4 effective as of June 2011. We will be researching what, if any, effect this will have on our operations.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe summer.

Vince Verneuil, Commodore

 Spring is here. Thank goodness that we are much better off than the rest of the US. Just remember if you dress for the weather then the weather will not stop you from having a good time.

Thanks goes out to the April Watch – Macy Galbreath & Bill Rothert, Captains, Mike and Sandy Smith, Dave and Ann Sweat, Houlton and Duane Madinger. Our thanks also goes out to Diane and Viktor Grabner for our Mystery Bay Brats and Knots Cruise. Those Brats were the best. We should also thank Chelcie Liu for getting us organized for the April 21st, Earth Day Clean-Up of Mystery Bay.

We send out a big thank you to Rick and Macy who did an excellent job on our 2012 Roster. Our 2012 PTYC ID cards are available for you to pick up.

We are going to end April with an Open Boat social event in Port Hadlock Marina on Sunday, April 29th. Plan to visit PTYC members’ boats from 2-4:30 in the afternoon and make reservations to stay for dinner at Ferino’s Pizzaria in Port Hadlock afterwards. I will hope to see you on board our Main Cat 47, “Sweet Spot,” during the event.  (more…)

We look back to a very good start to this year. The submarine tour was great. Even after visiting the sub, it is hard to imagine living in such close quarters for 4 to 5 months. Our thanks goes out to these young men (and women) for being out there to protect us from the unthinkable. Thanks Bill Rothert for all your work setting up this tour.

We also have a budget to guide us through the year. Our number of members that have rejoined is about what we estimated so we should be able to have a good year at the current dues. Looking forward to next year, we may have to cut some expenses or increase the dues.

Thanks goes out to the February watch – Marilynne Gates (and Roger), Harry and Zoe Ann Dudley, Greg & Sheryl Kerkof, John and Stephanie Oliveria. I thought the speaker, Captain Mike Novak, was very informative and practical about maintaining our boats below the water line. Thanks Marilynne, for working so hard to get a speaker on Valentine’s Day.

The signups for the 2012 Committees have almost filled up the positions with only a few events later in the year still open. Thanks.

I will be traveling and will not be able to attend the March board meeting or general meeting.
March 30-April 1, is our first cruise of 2012. Cruise Captains Viktor and Diane Grabner are planning a “Knots & Brats” April Fool’s Cruise to Mystery Bay. It will be good to be with PTYC members on the water again and shake our boats down after winter’s hibernation. Be sure to let Viktor and Diane know if you plan on attending, by signing up at the March General Meeting or via e-mail: diane@therosewood@hotmail.com. Let’s have fun!

Vince Verneuil, Commodore

WOW ! ! ! What a great start to the new year with the celebration of the Change of Watch. If you missed it, I am sorry. Fred and Ilona Bell were the leads in putting it on and deserve a big Thank You. It was a celebration of Fred’s grand year and Ilona had a Power Point slide show bring back wonderful memories of all our events. Thanks, Fred, for leading us through another great year. Everyone should go to the web site and spend time watching 2011 pass by. It is really great. Helping Fred and Ilona Bell, were Gary and Cindy Walsh, Carl and Sue Sidle, Dale and Susie Pool Moses, Sandi Rezinas and Mary Ann Verneuil. Thanks goes to Bill Bloemker for stepping in as MC. It looked like Bill, but sounded a little different than I remembered.

In my presentation at the Change of Watch, I set the course as “Steady as She Goes,” trying to continue our good times for the past 63 years. I would like to ask everyone to “Join in the Fun” by joining our committees or participating in the watch service. Our members are some of the greatest people around and once you get to know them, they are fun people.

The cruise trips are still one of the best means to get to know your fellow members. I would like to encourage everyone to join in a number of cruises to really get the benefits of Club membership. This year we have a number of local cruises that you can drive to, if you cannot take your boat or hitch a ride with someone.

We should also thank Cathy and Alan Lapat, Dale and Susie Poole Moses, Beth and Joe Burson and Craig Kurath for being on watch for the January meeting. Thanks, Bill Rothert, for your program informing us on Submarines so we are ready for the tour in February. We will try not to embarrass you.

I look forward to seeing you at our regular meeting on February 14, where the 2012 Budget will be presented. Let’s have Fun!

Vince Verneuil, Commodore