Vice Commodore Jack Sullivan and Vice Commodore John Stork of the Royal Thames Yacht Club at the Cumberland Cup

Dear SYC Member:

This week your Commodore is off to search for a new outstation in the Dominican Republic and your Staff Commodore is helping out with his column week.

What a splendid weekend! The sun was out and the grass skirts and leis were all around Port Madison, along with coconuts filled with refreshments. The Powerboat Rendezvous “Luau” was a great event with all slips filled and then some. There was even a pig roast! Maybe a first in Port Madison Bay. Each participant was given an Hawaiian name and there were some fun games including the limbo! Thanks to Bill and Debbi Suttell for doing such a superb job on the Rendezvous.

You may have been watching the Louis Vuitton Finals on television (click here for local channel listings) which airs the races live at 5:30 a.m. for you early risers. I am pleased to report that SYC was well represented in the spectator crowd at Valencia for the semifinals which saw Luna Rossa beat Oracle 5-1 and Team New Zealand beat Defazio Espanol 5-3. Valencia is a great venue for the event, and essentially the entire port was redesigned and rebuilt specifically for the Cup.

Two weeks ago, SYC fielded what might charitably be called a Rookie Masters Team at the Cumberland Cup team race at the Royal Thames YC in London. Racing was in the Docklands, which is a man-made basin (in the 1700s) off the Thames River. The competition consisted of two boat teams with 3 in each boat (Beneteau First Class 8s). Team racing is a very popular race format for many clubs that have fleets of matched boats - and they are very experienced. Finishing first means nothing, the key is to make sure one of your opponent’s boats finishes last. So, after rounding a mark, it’s ok to go hunt down, block and otherwise make your opponent sail off course, as long as you use the special rules of team racing. Because our team of Jack Sullivan, Ken McDonald, Roger Werner, Bruce Campbell, Bill Elmer and yours truly are so polite, it took a while to get the hang of purposely hunting down the competition! Royal Thames kept the Cumberland Cup safe from the competition.

While in London, I attended a board meeting of the International Council of Yacht Clubs, at the Royal Thames YC, with other board members from Hong Kong, Germany, England, Australia, New Zealand, France and Canada. This is a new organization of which SYC is a founding member and is an outgrowth of the Commodore’s Forum started by Heinz Rautenberg, past commodore of Royal Vancouver. The ICYOC will provide fertile opportunities for interaction with senior yacht clubs from around the world, including the possibility of organized cruises in different parts of the world for member clubs.

Coming up is the A-I Scotch and Cigar event this coming Saturday, June 9. The Lake Washington Cruise on Sunday June 10, and then the following weekend Potlatch at Port Madison. Sign up at the front desk.

I hear the rain is coming on Tuesday but that Ropeyarn Thursday will be sunny!

Enjoy your club!

Chris Otorowski, Staff Commodore

Team racing at the Docklands; hunting down the competition

SYC racers scoping out the competition at the Docklands

Attention all former "Potlatchers"!

Did you or your family ever attend Potlatch as a child?  Do you remember the glory days of "Chief Yellow Belly"?  How about the Parent's Blindfolded Dinghy Race?  

Do you have any photos/slides/or negatives of those great years?  This year is the Centennial Celebration of Potlatch, and we are looking for old photos to display at the event.  Whether you are attending this year or not, we would greatly appreciate any old photos you can share of Potlatches gone by.

We will not be able to return the photos we use, so please send PRINTED COPIES ONLY, or scanned digital images.  Size of the print does not matter - 4x6 and up.  Enlargements are great!  You can drop your printed copies off (or mail them) to the Front Desk of the SYC Clubhouse.  Make sure you let the office person know they are for Potlatch.  Please include a brief description of the persons in each shot, and the year it was taken.  Any other anecdotes are great too. 

If you have your images in digital format, please email them to Olinda11@aol.com.  Time is of the essence, as Potlatch is the second week of June, so please send them as promptly as possible!

Thank you!!
The Potlatch Committee

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Golf Rendezvous

First Place Team: Pat Redmond, Constance Still and Paul McTaggart

 

Second Place Team: Mike Guthrie, Bob Lever, Suzy Krabbe and Stan Nelson

 

Golf Rendezvous Chair, Kim Lorenz

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HeartSaver Course Wednesday, June 6

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The Kirkland Friday Night Series begins June 8

The Kirkland Friday Night Series sponsored by Seattle Yacht Club and Anthony's Homeport Restaurant begins in June. The race is held every Friday starting on June 8 and running through August 24 (no races on June 29 and July 27). Come and sail with us! Make every Friday an event with races
starting at 6:55 p.m. and ending with nightly winners announced at Anthony's Kirkland Restaurant. The racing is fun and families are encouraged!

Volunteers/"officials" are needed: We need 5 people per event - no previous experience required. Sign up is available online.

Please contact Michael Hendrick, (206) 963-6453 or Chris Hofius, (206) 817-8006 if you have any questions or would like to volunteer for the committee boat. Tell all your friends and join the fun this summer.

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5th Annual Lake Washington Cruise

A Day Cruise on Lake Washington and BBQ Picnic!

Saluting SYC Life and Surviving Members

Everyone Welcome!

Sunday, June 10, 2007

12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. – Check In
1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Lake Washington Cruise
4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. – BBQ on the SYC Lawn

No Host Bar

Entertainment

$30.00 / person – Under 10 $15.00 / person

Information & Reservations call (206) 325-1000

A few Boats are still needed.

To volunteer your boat or for more information, Contact Co-Hosts

Dick & Charlotte Souslin Or Ted Burns & Sarah Layman

Presented by the SYC Entertainment Committee

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Powerboat Rendezvous

King Kamehameha Shawn Whitcomb and Queen Elaine Heller

 

Everyone learns to Hula

 

The pig goes into the pit!

 

The Powerboat Rendezvous Committee

 

Powerboat Rendezvous Co-chairs, Bill & Debbi Suttell

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Sailboat Dinner

Gordon Ritchie

Thursday, June 14
in the Heritage Room

Cocktails 6:30 p.m.
Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Program 8:00 p.m.

Join us to hear Gordon Ritchie share his experience on the 2005-2006 Clipper Round the World Race.  Starting from England, a fleet of 10 boats race around the world in 7 legs, taking about a year to finish.  The Clipper Race is the brain-child of Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, who in the 1960s, was the first man to solo, non-stop circumnavigate the world under sail. Clipper Race crews are unique among round the world racers, in that they are amateurs recruited and trained to run the custom 68ft race boats under the guidance of  professional skippers.   In May 2006, the Clipper Race fleet arrived in Victoria BC after racing 6,500 grueling miles crossing the North Pacific from Qingdao China. Gordon Ritchie was watch captain aboard the Victoria, which won that leg of the race.

Clipper Victoria

Gordon once lived aboard a Beneteau 47 at the Elliott Bay Marina and is a veteran the Thursday night Downtown Series. 

Please sign up at the front desk. (206) 325-1000.
Thanks to Kathy Cuffel for bringing Gordon to us.

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SPRING CRUISE AND SNOOZE PLAN AHEAD
JUNE 23-24, 2007

Fun race over to Port Madison, Green Box, Potluck Dinner, Trophies with Liars and Braggers, Campbell's Super Breakfast, Fun Race Back.

Races are an inverted starts where the higher handicapped boats start first. Pick up race instructions from the Portage Bay anchored near the south Shilshole mooring buoy.

Race starts at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday
Green Box at 5:30 p.m.
Potluck Dinner at 7:00 p.m., trophy presentations after dinner.
Breakfast Sunday at 8:30 a.m.
Race back at 12:00 noon.

Call the front desk to sign up (206) 325-1000.
Call or email Chris Warner, (206) 782-1277, for potluck dinner coordination.

You will be asked to bring a salad, a veggie, a main dish or a desert that will feed 10-12 people.

Elliott Bay Fourth of July Party

Games, music, good company

Green box 5:00 p.m.
Pot luck Bar BQ 7:00 p.m.
Seattle’s Best Fireworks Show 10:00 p.m.

Sign up at the front desk or the door

This is an informal gathering at the Outstation to celebrate the 4th.

2007 INTERNATIONAL GOLF CRUISE

July 12-19, 2007
Sign up today at the front desk!

Join this year’s premier event, open to Sail and Power boaters who want to combine their enjoyment of yachting and golfing:

7/12-13 at Port Sidney Marina, golf @ Cordova Bay on 7/13
7/15-16 at Page Point Marina, golf @ Arbutus Ridge on 7/16
7/18-19 at Nanaimo (Cameron Island), golf @ Fairwinds on 7/19

Each of the 3 golf events will be a different format (Calcutta, scramble, etc.) Players of all handicap levels may participate. Typically there will be a green box at 5:30 on the evening before each round at which time the schedule for the next day’s bus departure (typically 9:00 a.m.) will be announced.

An “awards” reception or hosted green box will occur at the marina following each golf event. Each day following a round of golf will be a free day with no moorage reserved. Cost per golfer--$340 which includes everything (green fees, transportation to the course, and prizes) except moorage fees.

Chairman: Lee Hessler
For more information, see the May Binnacle or e-mail Lee at hardalee22@yahoo.com.

2007 Commodore’s Cruise

Monday July 23 - Friday July 27
Sailboats and Powerboats welcome!

This is all about fun; point to point racing, BBQs, visiting 3 outstations, shopping, eating, a star raft, more eating, green boxes, barbequed lead sinker pancakes, more green boxes and on and on….

Now in its 13th year, this biennial event has consistently been a great time for sailboats and powerboats alike. Come for the week or coordinate your trip north or south to join the Cruise. Here is the lineup:

Monday July 23, rendezvous at Henry Island for the kickoff greenbox and BBQ.

Tuesday July 24, Race over to Sidney Harbor , greenbox at the Sidney Marina

Wednesday July 25, Race to Ganges , greenbox at our new outstation

Thursday July 26, Layday in Ganges , then over to Montague Harbor for a star raft

Friday July 27, Race to Ovens Island for awards greenbox and BBQ

Saturday July 28, BBQ lead sinker pancake breakfast; begin Sunshine Coast Cruise

Some lucky skippers have six Commodore’s Cruise burgees; make this your year to fly one!

Sign up at the front desk or contact your Cruise Captains, Chris and Shawn Otorowski.

2007 Seattle Yacht Club Gourmet Cruise

The cruise begins on July 5 at Poet’s Cove Resort & Spa, and ends at The Aerie Resort, mooring at the Port of Sidney. No Cancellations after June 4.

Sunshine Coast Cruise 2007

Cruising Captains: Chris Warner and Pam Murray (206) 782-1277 cell or panther@seanet.com.

This is a Sail and Power event. Anchorages selected will be weather dependent and large enough to accommodate all boats safely. You should be prepared to anchor in 10 fathoms of water. We will raft as much as we can.

The Sunshine Coast Cruise starts after the Commodores Cruise at Ovens Island and ends on the doorstep to Desolation Sound at the SYC outstation on Cortez Island. Weather permitting we will visit places around the Straits of Georgia not usually seen by SYCers. They include Lasqueti Island, Hornby Island, Comox and Savery Island. If you have guests arriving or departing, locations with scheduled commercial air service are Nanaimo and Comox.

The actual cruising schedule is weather dependent. The cruise starts on July 29 more or less as follows:

Day One 7/29: The cruise will start at Ovens Island on Sunday July 29 departing Ovens in time to meet the slack to flood at Dodd Narrows at 10:13 a.m., so an early AM start. We will attempt to get some reciprocal moorage at the Nanaimo YC otherwise we will anchor in the harbor Sunday night. Greenbox on PANTHER.

Day Two 7/30: Depart Nanaimo for Lasqueti, anchor at False Bay or the NE side of the Island at Scottie Bay or in the lee of West Point in Tucker Bay. Explore Lasqueti. Green Box.

Day Three/Four 7/31 & 8/1: Depart Lasqueti for Tribune Bay on Hornby Island. Anchor, swim, hit the white sand beach a mile wide. Green Box. If the weather holds this is easily worth two days.

Day Five 8/2: Depart Hornby for Comox via Baynes Sound. Stay at the Comox Marina. This is a working fishing harbor. Reservations will be made for moorage and dinner in town at the Italian place near the marina. Great food reasonable prices. Explore Comox.

Day Six 8/3: Depart Comox for Savary Island. Anchor. Explore Savary. There is a great beach on the north west side of the island. This is an open anchorage so it is comfortable only in fair weather.

Day Seven 8/4: Depart Savary for the short trip to the SYC outstation at Cortez. Green Box for sure.

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