Commodore's Letter

Dear SYC Member:

The sun came out and people are disappearing to all of the great waterways that we call our own.  Unfortunately Flying Eagle is still about a week away from heading out though we did get in an overnight shake-down cruise this past weekend.

I was very pleased and proud to receive a very nice note from a couple from the San Diego Yacht Club thanking us for a lovely evening in the Ward Room.  They were most impressed with the reception, service and quality of the food.  Well done gang!  You make us all look good. 

The recent All Hands Meeting was well attended with lots of questions and a good deal of emotion.  There were a number of opinions expressed about Port Madison that led both Port Madison Chair Mike Riley and I to conclude that we need to put together a history of the decisions that have been made over the years since the Club first looked into buying the neighboring property.  We hope to get this done in time for the September Binnacle but it is a big job that will require input from quite a few people.

As always seems to be the case in recent years the 2008 – 2009 Budget has already involved many people in many hours of work to try to achieve the Budget Objectives Committee goal of holding a potential monthly dues increase to no more than one dollar.  In my view the only way we can reach this goal is to reduce Club services.  Fuel costs are inflating the price of everything we buy and taxes, land leases and other budget items over which we have little control are continuing to escalate beyond the rate of general inflation.  (We did manage to get one of our Department of Natural Resources leases reduced by $30,000 but that is a seldom seen exception.)  The deliberations and debate will continue in late August.

The Board at their June 25th meeting took a very serious look at discontinuing the use of the Elliott Bay Club House as a means of saving money. In effect, Elliott Bay costs us about $45,000 per year and this translates into about $2.00 per month in dues. After considerable debate it was decided to continue to lease the building but to put a “full court press” on reducing the rent and increasing the revenues from the facility.  There are no easy choices when it comes to financial management in our Club.

Marion and I missed the Canada Day celebration at the Royal Vancouver Scott Point outstation.  According to all accounts it was another great success and you should seriously think about doing it next year.

I did make it to Henry Island for the Fourth and as usual it was wall to wall kids all having a great time.  Thanks to Sandy Bell and the whole committee who ran a great show.  Thanks also to Karen and Fred for hosting me aboard Roed Runner.

Hope to see you out on the water,

Jack Sullivan, Commodore

House Committee Happenings

Summer has hit the SYC deck.  Please stop and see what we have to offer.  We have Happy Hour every day from 4:30- 6:00 p.m. where you will find great prices on food and drink.
The Ward Room table side prepared Caesar Salads are a big hit. Come to the Ward Room and try it.

This is your Club. We need your feedback. Comment cards are available with every check presented. Also comment cards are available from any server. Just Ask! We want your comments.

John Woodley
House Committee Member

Port Madison Parking

The upper parking lot is unavailable until at least the middle of July. Please use boats to access and enjoy Port Madison.

The playground equipment and the pickle ball court have been removed and will not be available until at least the end of July.

Waterfront construction is scheduled to start the week of September 22, 2008. During this period little or no dock space will be available. This date is subject to change.

Thank You for your Patience.

Mike Riley
Chairman Port Madison

EPA Proposes Vessel Discharge Permits

(Washington, DC – June 16, 2008)The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing two general permits under the Clean Water Act that will cover discharges incidental to normal operation of commercial and recreational vessels. Based on agency estimates, as many as 91,000 commercial vessels and about 13 million recreational boats could be affected. Click here for the full story.

Army Corps Limiting Small Lock Use at Hiram Chittenden Locks in Ballard

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District News Release June 18, 2008

Vessel operators should be prepared to transit through the large lock this summer because of mechanical problems with the small lock.  The pintle bearings that support the four gates of the small lock are deteriorating at a rapid rate.  To reduce wear, the Corps is reducing use of the small lock.  "The soonest we can have new bearings fabricated is October" said Locks project manager Marian Valentine.  The small lock will continue to be used for emergency vessels, and for other commercial vessels at the discretion of the lockmaster.  The locks are still being operated "on demand" 24/7.  The Corps expects that most trips through the (large) locks will experience little impact.

"If water shortage becomes an issue later in the summer, the small locks may return to more frequent operation...We will maximize the use of the large lock by having recreation vessels follow commercial vessels into the chamber.  Vessels should allow for potential delays."

Editors' Note

We would like to publish photos and reports of our SYC  sponsored Summer activities in CompassNEWS and in the September Binnacle.  If you are an event chair,  please arrange to have photos and articles submitted to us. You can use these submission addresses for both publications:

compassnews@seatteyachtclub.org  or binnacle@lists.seattleyachtclub.org.  Items can also be left at the Front Desk or in our box.  You can contact Len Rothe at leniese@msn.com or Pam Lowry at Pamela.R.Lowry@comcast.net with questions or submissions. CompassNEWS information needs to be received as soon as the event is over, we try to keep that publication as current as possible.

Have a great summer, we want to hear about it!

Helmsmen Specials

Hot Summer Nights/Jazz Trio: Jazz on the deck!

Silverwood Jazz Trio
Saturday, July 12
7:00-9:00 p.m. in the Marine Room
Drink Specials

Sunshine Coast Cruise 2008 

Cruising Captains: Chris Warner and Pam Murray, contact info, cell:  (206) 782-1277
email: Chris Warner or Skype: sailpanther

This is an EXTREMELY COOL semi official non-event event, meaning there is no charge billed to your SYC account.

This is a SAIL & 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 possible.

This Sunshine Coast Cruise begins at the Ganges Outstation on July 28 and ends on the doorstep to Desolation Sound at the SYC outstation on Cortez Island on August 4. The actual cruising schedule is weather dependent. For more information, click here.

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