Fellow CYC Members,
I am honored you have selected me to be CYC Commodore for 2024. It is humbling to join all the men and women who have had the same privilege to serve in this position over the years. Our Club has been the mainstay of sailing and cruising in the Pacific Northwest for a very long time, running over a thousand races per year and engaging in activities with cruisers gatherings and lectures year-round.
Great things come from the work of many hands
Throughout my 30+ year participation as a CYC member, I have witnessed our membership, in the true spirit of volunteering, do small things that make great things happen. Sailors just like you and I have stepped up with enthusiasm, ensuring our Club continues to enjoy being the overarching force in Pacific Northwest sailing. That drive to support our Club accomplishes all we do best.
Showcasing 2024 is the J24 World Championship, which we are hosting in September. We are also excited to host several other major regattas, with plans in bid by One Design fleets. Ongoing pursuits include partnering on several tacks with the Port of Seattle at Shilshole Bay Marina, as well as Leschi Lake Marina, to enhance member benefits. We’ve already strengthened our association with our long-time business partners, increasing support for CYC activities. Perhaps the most important to note, is that our heart-felt dream of the CYC Community Sailing Center 501(c)(3) is coming true. Through the channels available to this new team, CYC CSC extends the club’s outreach possibilities, seeking to diversify, expand and bring Junior race programs and kids camps to the greater community.
Our first big accomplishment of 2024 will be to transition our club management software to Clubspot, an innovative regatta and management software system. Built by sailors and used by sailing clubs all over the world, it is a great support structure for CYC. As we prepare to go live, individual action will be required to complete this transition. Each CYC member will receive an email asking you to log into Clubspot to set up your membership profile and method of dues payment. We thank you for this small step and appreciate how much you are doing not only for yourself and the Club, but also for our sailing community at large.
Transitions hold opportunities to reflect on our Club’s important impact on the sailing community.
The mission of the club is to promote, advance and encourage the sport of Corinthian (amateur) sailing, including racing and cruising, and to strengthen the sailing community through the voluntary action of its members.
This raises the question, what value does CYC offer me for my membership commitment? First, the dues we collect build us a stable platform to enable us to engage and service the sailing community. Secondly, we all share in the expanding benefits we receive from CYC membership.
- Accessing our amazing Clubhouse with an unbeatable Sound perspective: CYC members and our sailing friends alike enjoy our million-dollar views with neighborhood rental fees.
- Producing regattas on the most consistent racing venue in the Northwest: the only one design buoy racing program on both Lake Washington and Puget Sound.
- Attending events free to members: Two February lecture series with Thursdays on racing topics and cruising topics on Fridays. Bring your crew & have a brew while learning tips from experts.
- Receiving generous reductions for racing and cruising registrations: members only.
- Shopping advantages: CYC members will enjoy a member-only discount from our corporate partner, FISHERIES SUPPLY! Coming soon via link on our Clubspot website!
- Receiving private moorage priority on our newly renovated dinghy floats.
- Introducing a new sailing program offering all members a chance to learn, or to just go sailing, aboard member-boats.
- Supporting community outreach programs such as the Adventuress Sailing Schooner, Pink Boat Regatta (a fundraiser for breast cancer research) and more.
As your Board of CYC Directors and Officers, we are very sensitive to controlling the costs of our remarkable facilities, aided by CYC General Manager Becca. We truly value keeping dues within reach. Over the last 3 years, we’ve all been affected by the dynamics of our life in this remarkable region.
In fact, insurance and moorage for our club have doubled and other fixed costs drive the rising operational breakeven point. Your membership dues are the operational fuel that keeps the clubhouse, YC5, YC6 and each of the whalers on the water. One of the most powerful ways to offset these large increases in operations is a strong and growing membership, and that means you are the primary force.
In 2024, I challenge you to get involved; I am available anytime to help guide you to any volunteer opportunity that interests you. A clubhouse full of people is our bright shining moment. Lifelong friendships, memories and caring for each other are what anchors our floating clubhouse. Please consider that lending a hand in club activities is what really opens the magic of what Club offers to you.
Finally, I want to thank our long-time bartender Karen, hard-working Junior Program Director, Jack and all the many members, who have contributed freely and often, to make us proud of belonging to the CYC. I cannot imagine Seattle without Corinthian Yacht Club and with much gratitude, I thank you for continuing your support of CYC with your membership and participation.
Sincerely,
John Hoag
2024 Commodore
Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle