Since January of this year, three high-school students in the Port Hadlock-based Community Boat Project on the campus of the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding have been building two remotely controlled T37model sailboats.

These boats, which are sold by Tippecanoe Boats in Everson, WA, are becoming popular as a way to learn sailboat construction, sailing techniques, and racing rules.  With 37” of waterline, and 48” masts, these little 5-pound sailboats are just like their larger cousins that ply the water of Port Townsend Bay.

Funded through contributions to the Community Boat Project (CBP) via the Boat School, Program Managers Wayne Chimenti and Marci van Cleve are guiding high school students through a variety of real boat-building projects.  The T37’s are just a recent addition to a long history of using maritime projects to teach math and science in an experiential setting.

The project was suggested and guided by four sailors from the Port Townsend Yacht Club:  Michael Machette, Dan Newland, Dan Darrow, and Commodore Rick Rezinas.  All four have previous experience building these kit boats; Dan Newland has even built his own ocean-going racer (Pegasus) that can be seen on Port Townsend Bay during the Friday night racing series.  The kits were provided at a discount by Tippecanoe Boats to the CPB and contained everything needed for their construction with the exception of epoxy and paint, which was available locally.

The project was initiated on January 11^th , 2013, with boat no. 1 (hull 1801) going together slowly as students and mentors settled into a 20-fingered construction process and was launched last week.  Boat no. 2 was started at mid semester, and is nearly completed and will launch at their last building session on May 11^th.  Chimenti envisions adding one boat each semester so that soon the CPB will have its own small fleet of RC model sailboats to sail and race in the Port Hadlock waters adjacent to their shop on the school’s upper campus. (more photos in Gallery at ptyc.net)

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.

I want to briefly thank Kathy & Chelcie Liu for their organization and coordination of the Mystery Bay/Earth Day event.  Chelcie & Kathy have organized this event for several years.  Sandi & I have participated every year we have been members, but it wasn’t until I became Commodore this year that I observed the organization and professionalism Chelcie and Kathy exhibit to make Earth Day a productive and fun event.  A complete account of the weekend can be found elsewhere in this edition of the Baggywrinkle (see page 10).

The membership committee, under the leadership of Vice Commodore Macy, conducted a very successful membership event with at least two new member families submitting membership applications that evening.  Of special note, new members Paul and Catherine Snider, brought four neighbor families to the event.  As I write this article, the annual Open Boat event is in its last few day of planning with at least one boat christening planned.  Bill & Anita Snell are planning a fun afternoon for members, prospective members and look-e-loos.  The plans even include a scavenger hunt and appetizers at the Belmont.  If you aren’t on the docks, you can find out what you missed at the May meeting.

Now for our monthly trivia question.  “Why is the toilet on a boat called the “head”?  Again, the first correct answer emailed to Macy at:   ptycvicecommodore@gmail.com    will win a prize from the Ship’s Store.  The winner will be announced at the May General meeting.  You must be in attendance to win.

See you on the water!

Rick Rezinas, Commodore

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. 

No one of us could even come close to moving the timber.  The morning, following the accident, I contacted the Port of Port Townsend and discussed the matter with them.  Apparently, that timber has been in that location since before anyone can remember, probably to control parking in front of our door.  At my request, the port maintenance department brought in a fork lift and removed the timber.  I want to thank them for their help.  If parking too close to the  front of the clubhouse door becomes an issue, the Board will address the problem with the City.

The club membership owes a special debt of gratitude to Vice Commodore, Macy Galbreath.  Through Macy’s extraordinary efforts, the most complete and timely Club Roster ever was distributed to members at the March meeting.  Members living out of Port Townsend’s  immediate area should have received their copy in the mail by the time this article is published.  If you do not have yours or you need a second copy for only $4, send Macy an e-mail.

The St. Paddy’s Day shakedown cruise was a great success thanks to Fleet Captain Gerry Walsh and cruise captains  Jess & Mary Schefstrom and Fred & Ilona Bell.  Highlights of the cruise included a sunny warm Friday cruise to Port Ludlow, a combined social with the PLYC at their beautiful facility, a T-37 regatta on Saturday, and a corned beef and cabbage dinner at the Schefstrom’s beautiful home, complete with limo service to and from the docks.  For those of us who started home late Sunday morning, the weather was sunny and calm.  By the time Sandi and I tied up in our moorage, weather was rolling in and it started to hail and pour.  We did the only reasonable thing we could, we opened a bottle of wine and had a pleasant lunch on the boat.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the April 20 Annual Earth-Day Cruise with Cruise Captains Craig Kurath, Paul Happel and Sue McKay.  More cruise information is found here in the Baggywrinkle.  Also on the horizon is Opening Day, Saturday, May 4.  Plan to attend the various events that have been planned to welcome the beginning of the boating season.

Well, if you read my entire article you are eagerly anticipating the “Trivia Question of the Month.”  Here it is – “Under International Rules, in fog, how would you interpret one prolonged and three short blasts from another vessel?”.  Again, the first correct answer emailed to me will win a prize from the Ship’s Store.  The winner will be announced at the April General meeting.  You must be in attendance to win.

One final note, at the March meeting I presented to the attendees another trivia question, it read, “- You are on course 027T and take a relative bearing to a lighthouse of 220.  What is the true bearing to the lighthouse?  A) 113 degrees  B) 193 degrees  C) 247 degrees  D) 279 degrees

At the meeting, I accepted the answer “B) 193 degrees” as being correct.  I was later notified by Chelcie Liu that actually the correct answer was “C) 247 degrees”.  My apologies to the members in attendance and my thanks to Chelcie.

See you on the water!            Rick Rezinas, Commodore

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.

Vice Commodore Macy Galbreath has been working tirelessly to provide members with the 2013 Roster at the earliest possible date.  It should be distributed and ready to be used when the first sails go up, engines turn over and paddles hit the water.  The reciprocal program has been expanded and has been made extremely user friendly through the addition of the Yacht Destinations web site link listed as “Reciprocals” in the “Mariner’s Link” on our web site.  If you haven’t visited the “Mariner’s Link” on our web site in a while, you should.  We have links connecting us to useful and current information ranging from the location of the Orcas Pods in the Salish Sea to the current Canadian boating rules.

Under Macy’s leadership, the Membership Committee has been very active this winter.  They  recruited new families (Paul and Catherine Snider & Lloyd and Nancy Schulberg) and are exploring ways for all our new members to become involved in the club and meet their own personal expectations for the club.  An example of this effort is exemplified by the mix of senior and new members serving as February Watch Captains.  The, “Soup, Supper Potluck”,  organized by Houlton & Duane Madinger and assisted by Patti & Tom Biazzo, Barb & Mike Soskin and Stephanie & John Oliveira was wonderful from the decorations and theme to the desert.

Rear Commodore Jim Quandt has been active in advertising the rental potential for our Clubhouse, maintaining the facility and updating the facility.  His latest project is the replacement of the flag pole with a donated mast.  You need to take a minute and talk to Jim about the research he has done to ensure that flags will be displayed properly.

Treasurer Joe Burson has been working behind the scenes to ensure that we can pay for all of this.  Joe has worked with the Board to develop a comprehensive budget, which was passed at the February, meeting and with the Investment & Finance Committee to maximize our investment income and tracking.

Make a special note to place on your calendar the “Saturday Safety Seminar” on March 23.  The club has not sponsored an event like this in several years and we think it will be valuable for everyone.

There are many more people than I can thank who are involved in making 2013 the best cruising year yet.  There are so many, in fact, that trying to remember the contributions from so many is impossible, so let me leave you with a strategy.  When you see a PTYC member, ask them what they have been doing in the club, and then ask them if you can participate and help.

Finally, for those of you who have read through this entire column, I have a “Mariner Fact” question for you:  “A vessel made fast to the bottom using a single anchor is said to be ‘anchored’. If two anchors are used, the boat is said to be _______?”  The first person responding to my email “PTYCcommodore@gmail.com” with the correct answer will earn a door prize at the March meeting.  You must be in attendance to win.

See you on the water!            Rick Rezinas, Commodore

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.

As I write this, we all are getting ready for Thanksgiving Celebration. We really have a lot to be thankful for;

* Our Country,

* Our great Northwest area, Our wonderful boating environment and

* Our PTYC friends.

I would especially thank all the wonderful people that spent so many hours volunteering in the past and especially to the newly elected board that stepped up for next year.

I was not able to attend the crab feast but hear that it was really great.  Thanks Barb and Paul Hager plus crew of Paul Hager, Carl Sidle, Galen Peterson, and Mori Whitney – crab cookers;  Barb Hager, Shelley Peterson, Houlton Madinger, Barb Soskin, Nancy Machette, Betty Petrie, Dave Sweat, and Mike Soskin – kitchen crew and set-up.

Our last event of the year is our Holiday “Glitter” Party on Friday, December 14, at 6:00PM at the Clubhouse.  (See Page 6 for details.)    Come and join the fun!

Happy Holidays!

Vince Verneuil, Commodore

Our good weather did not continue for the Chili Cook-off, but we had a good time anyhow. Thanks to Cruise Captains: Beth and Joe Burson and Carl and Sue Sidle.

As I write this the garage sale is collecting a lot of “stuff”. I hope there are people that will spend some money because our scholarship fund needs it. Kudos goes out to Ilona Bell who stepped up as Chairman, when Linda Newland became ill, and all our members who helped out with the set up, pricing and sale day. Also thanks go out to all that brought items for the team to sell.

About the time you get this BW the Crab Feed is happening. Thanks Barb and Paul Hager for making this happen.

By this time you should have also received Rick’s email about the Nominating Committee Slate of Officers for next year. Please plan to attend our November Annual Meeting on November 13, where we will elect our leaders for next year. If you feel like we overlooked you and you would like to serve in one of these positions, you can put your name up at the meeting and run against the nominating committee person.

Don’t forget our delicious annual Crab Feast on Saturday, November 3rd, with a sign-up deadline by October 31.
Happy Harvest!

Vince Verneuil, Commodore

Sadly, not too long after that, a storm came along and the boats banged against each other after the fenders fell off. This ripped the hull-deck joint apart and smashed 6’ of deck plus left deep gouges and scratches on the topsides. The rigs also banged a bit causing more damage. They were hauled at the Hudson Point Marina and were looking pretty sad. I thought “What the Hell, I can fix this” and prepared to do the work myself with the kids looking on. As it turned out, I was happily mistaken. I lead a team of enthusiastic Sea Scouts doing all of the structural repairs in two long days of grinding and fiberglassing with the kids doing most of the work. It was awesome! Three kids in particular stood out and were inspirational to me. Though structurally fixed, it left the boats far from being cosmetically ready to get rigged and soon it became clear that working weekends at Point Hudson Marina was not going to work in the long term. I offered to let the boats be moved to the back of my shop where we could do more work on them. This allowed me to do work on them when I had the chance and it would get the boats closer to my tools saving time and increasing the volume of work I could do to them.

Unfortunately, the 3 young men that helped so much with the structural repairs were soon too old to be scouts leaving the final repairs to younger and less experienced Scouts. We also found it hard to regularly get long hours on the boats so mostly the kids were doing a few hours 1-2 days a month and progressed slowed to a crawl but we did get the thousands of blisters on the bottom ground out, filled and faired plus grinding the keel to bare metal and priming that.

Finally this Fall after 3 years in my back yard, I decided that if at least one were to be completed by next year, it would have to be painted now while we had the nice weather and that I would have to put in a LOT of hours independent of the kids. I ended up grinding off the old topside enamel (4 different colors of various ages!), deck non-skid paint then sanding the topsides and spraying high build epoxy primer, getting her ready for high gloss Linear PolyUrethane (LPU) 2 part Urethane enamel. I was fortunate to get this as a donation from a friend I have in the paint industry since the 4 gallons of color plus activator and reducer was worth around $1000!

As of last week, I sprayed the gloss then applied non-skid to the deck and it came out great! I got the kids and one Dad out the next weekend and the topside primer was sanded so now the topsides are ready for first the white (for the boot top and cove stripes), then a beautiful “Ford blue” after masking over the white for the stripes. I expect the first boat, “Celeste”, to be painted this week and ready to start attaching deck hardware by the end of the month. We may need some help there but what I really hope to achieve is to get a core group of volunteers that can help us with the second boat, “Diablo”, the orange/red boat in the photos. She still has the 6’ sheer repair to be ground flush, puttied and faired but she will require a lot less work than Celeste. She has only a bit more work than I completed on Celeste since this Fall so I hope to get her painted next Summer and sailing by the Fall but we will need some help.

What I am hoping to do is get a group of folks that wouldn’t object to getting called when we start work next Spring or maybe late Winter to sandblast and prime the keel, sand and prime the deck and topsides then help rig the boats.
And hey, if somebody wanted to help by buying deck gear and such, that would be awesome!

Any help would be appreciated and it is after all for the kids. A little help here can make a big difference to kids’ lives down the road and will ultimately help our sport if we can “turn on” the kids to boating. So if you have a little time and want to help kids and our sport, let me know. We can always use a hand. These are great kids and could use a little help.

Dan Newland, President
Pegasus Aeromarine Inc.
420 Skywater Dr.
Port Hadlock, Wa. 98339
(360) 437 9360
www.pegasusaeromarine.com

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

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