News

Kurt Hoehne (Sailish.com) -- The sailing gods must have had a meeting and decided that this year’s CYC-Seattle Turkey Bowl, sailed this past weekend, was going to be spectacular. I can hear them having a chuckle: “Let’s see if we can send everyone home really sore and tired. And while we’re at it, let’s see if they wore warm enough clothes.” [Read Full Article]

The 2018 racing season is coming to an end, and it is time to consider the 2018 CYC outstanding performers. The Board will select the Award winners who will be announced at the Awards Party to be held in January 2019. 

If you have a suggestion for a 2018 CYC Award, please provide it (with a brief bit of background explaining the basis for the nomination) to Ken Johnson, by email (kenneth.johnson4@comcast.net) or by mail: 

Ken Johnson
3706 So. Ridgeway Place
Seattle, WA  98144.  

Or you can drop them off at the CYC Shilshole office.   Ken assembles the nominations and presents them to the Board for its decisions.

The Awards are:

• Honor Roll of Champions - CYC sailors who have won national or international championships or have achieved honors of an equivalent level.
  
• Hans Otto Giese Inspirational – one who has consistently provided leadership and inspiration to CYC and the amateur sailing community. Recent winners include Suzette Connolly, Jen Hobden, Geoff Pease and Michele Rogalin Henderson.
  
• Sailor of the Year – consistently races and places in the top tier of dinghy or keelboat races, including juniors; this award includes sailors who are outstanding crew or who sail on different boats throughout the season.  Recent winners include Keith Whittemore (along with Brian Thomas, Kevin Downey, Shelby Milne and Mark Rodgers),  Talia Toland, Carl Buchan and Fritz Lansinger.
  
• Boat of the Year – for an outstanding season in CYC and other NW races.  Recent winners include Jubilee (Erik Kristen), Last Tango (Jim Geros), Tremendous Slouch (Scott Milne) and Ranger (Pat Schnirmer).
  
• Boating Family – an active family in racing, cruising, CYC activities, other sailing efforts. 
  
• Recent winners include the the Cains, Sandersons, Buchans and Walgrens.
  
• Greig Memorial Cruising – cruising leadership and accomplishments, whether in local or blue waters.  Recent winners include Scott and Kristen Meilicke, Jon and Michelle Henderson, Rich Jablonski and Elaine Cashar, and Ron and Peggy Watt.
  
• Gary Horder Memorial – CYC Junior with active and successful racing program.  Recent winners include Abbie Carlson, Dieter Creitz, Talia Toland and Owen Timms.
  
• George Spalding Inspirational – most inspirational Junior sailor. Recent winners include Owen Timms, Jack Holbrook, Blake Bentzen and Abbie Carlson.
  
• Dog House – a sailor who handicaps him/her self by unseamanlike activity – usually some bad luck and hopefully with a bit of humor in it.  Recent awardees include David Gallimore (stepping off YC6 and taking 2 steps, with only 1 step worth of dock), Mike McGuane (purposely going aground in Fisherman’s Bay followed by denial), and Lee Youngblood & Kathleen Davis (not achnoring on a Blakely Rocks cruise).

A big THANK YOU to CYC for hosting the 2018 USODA Optimist NW Championship this last weekend!

48 youth sailors between the ages of 8 and 15 from USA East Coast/West Coast, and Canada East Coast/West Coast competed in the 2-day regatta.  CYC’s excellent race committee held 3 races on Saturday and 4 on Sunday.

A special thank you to the regatta chair Erin Timms, and to Matt Wood, Charley Rathkopf and his entire race committee, the on the water judges, the CYC Office, Karen, and all CYC staff, and all volunteers who made this event run so smoothly - many hands made for light work.

The list of the top 25% sailors that qualified at this event for the 2019 USODA Team Trials to be held in the spring at Californian Yacht Club can be viewed here.

Photos from the event can be viewed here.

First and second place went to CYC’s very own sailors Dieter Creitz and Jacob Posner! Congratulations!

Eight CYC Seattle San Juan 24s made their way from Leschi to Oak Harbor to participate in the SJ 24 North Americans over the weekend of July 14-15.  The CYC boats were joined by Cake or Death, a Lake Union boat and potential CYC member.  As usual, we found great hospitality at the Oak Harbor Yacht Club and challenging winds and tide conditions in Penn Cove. 

One important factor for the weekend were the significant tides – the low each day was between 12 noon and 1 pm, a negative two feet, an hour or two into the racing, matched between high tides of over 10 feet – thus the famous (“infamous”?) Penn Cove counter-clockwise current grew increasingly stronger during each afternoon’s racing.  The westerly, with occasionally northerly components, came in just before 11 am on Saturday (the time of the first warning) and delayed racing a bit on Sunday – the early winds were not settled, providing a challenging series of lifts and headers irrespective of what tack one was on but subsequently settled in the 9-10 knot range.  The Race Committee, heading by Byron Skubi of Oak Harbor as PRO, ran a series of 11 excellent windward-leeward (some short, some long) races, quietly moving the marks between races to adjust for the ever-changing conditions.

Staff Commodore Ken Johnson’s Grauer Geist had a consistent regatta, with all but one race in the top four finishes.  However, that was good enough for second place, as Ekono Juan from Oak Harbor took 8 bullets in the 11 races, and won the regatta for the third consecutive year.  CYC member Mark Bradner, on Return, a previous North American champion, finished 5^th with Mike Irish’s Manhattan Transfer edging out Jeff Kendall’s Fancy for 7^th and 8^th.

Despite Ekono Juan’s wins, the races were closely matched – six other boats claimed at least one second place, and often the race committee had to closely watch three or four boats crossing the finish line overlapped. One-design racing at its best.

Going into Sunday’s race, Ekono Juan had a 4 point lead over Grauer, and with its one throw-out used up in last place finish in race six due to a big tear in her jib, she had little margin for error – one more buried start or bad first leg could give an opening for the trailing boats – but she claimed three firsts in the four Sunday races that overcame a 6^th place in the next to last race and was the deserving champion.

The excellent Oak Harbor Yacht Club hosted the regatta, with dinners each night and coffee and sweets in the mornings before racing.   Thanks to Club Manager Joe Catanio for the excellent food and drink and OHYC Commodore Larry Munns for welcoming all of us. 

Dick Rose gave an excellent talk Saturday night explaining the complicated process that results in changes in the racing rule book; we are fortunate that careful people around the world take considerable time and effort to consider the rules and handle the multitude of suggestions that come in world-wide from the internet.

Ullman Sails was the principal sponsor of the regatta and contributed money, prizes and support.  Other sponsors:  Oak Harbor YC and North Coast Electric Company, followed by Dunato’s Boatyard, Jan’s Marine Photography, Whidbey Coffee, Samson Ropes, Swinomish Casino & Lodge and Oak Harbor Marina.

Jared Hickman chaired the protest committee, aided by Steve Hood from Bellingham and CYC Vice Commodore Liesl Mordhordst from Seattle.

Penn Cove is an excellent racing venue, with challenging winds and tides, with gleaming mountains to the west and east, and Oak Harbor a welcoming place for sailors to assemble each year and participate in a competitive and fun regatta. 

Full results:

	Name	Fleet	Owner	Points
1.	Ekono Juan	Orcas Island	Ryan Forbes	20
2.	Grauer Geist	Seattle	Ken Johnson	27
3.	Renaissance	Oak Harbor	David Steckman	33
4.	Bruce	Bellingham	Mike Kleps	39
5.	Return	Seattle	Mark Bradner	41
6.	Conflict	Bellingham	Andrew Fitzgerald	56
7.	Manhattan Transfer	Seattle	Mike Irish	75
8.	Fancy	Seattle	Jeff Kendall	76
9	Sweet Jesus	Seattle	Sean Busby	84
10.	Cake or Death	Lake Union	Kyle Roethie	91
11.	Snappy Tom	Seattle	Gil Lund	94
12.	Wiki Wiki	Seattle	Zach Warren	121
13.	Separator	Oak Harbor	Steve Hucke	122
14.	Malice	Seattle	Joe McNulty	126
15.	Toto	Oak Harbor	Alan Wilson	141

Women’s Intro to Racing Wrap Up

Class 0 - the Women's Intro to Racing Class was out racing on Thursday nights this June. Twenty women signed up to either learn how to race or take their skills up a level. Everyone had sailing experience so the focus was 100% on racing. We started with four teams but due to life ended with three. Every week we covered one aspect of racing - basics of racing (crew positions, weather and boat set up), starts, mark roundings, lay lines and tactics with the final week being a typical week night of racing with two races. We had a mix of boats from BRAVO ZULU (Beneteau 40.7) to AQUAVIT (International Folk Boat) and a couple of J-Boats HERE & NOW (J-29) and RECKLESS (J-80) 

Each team was pretty consistent for the series. Everyone got to try out every crew position. Big Thank You’s to the skippers and coaches for supporting this program and volunteering their boats, time and expertise:  Denny Vaughn, Serhad Atakturk, Steve Cochran and Jammie Moore on BRAVO ZULU (Team Gold), John Sezer on RECKLESS (Team Blue), Garey Harr and Katie Steiger on HERE & NOW owned by Pat Denney (Team Black) and Dave Sinson and Jennifer Olagaril on AQUAVIT (Team Red).  A special shout out to Igor Klevak our Thursday PRO and his team on Race Committee (Brad Greene, Ann Cronin and Calvin Schnorbus) who set up and ran races for this additional class on top of their normal Thursday Night Races. 

Final results were: 

• 1st Place Team Black
  
• 2nd Place (tie) Team Blue & Team Gold 
  

Women’s Intro to Sailing Wrap Up

Twenty-five women gathered at CYC on Thursday evenings in June to take the Women’s Intro to Sailing Class. We covered things like basic knots, how to get on and off the boat, appropriate sailing gear, points of sail, man overboard and other basics. Everyone got to work each station on the boat - helm, trim, main, etc. We had some great support from our members who volunteered their boats for the women to learn to sail:  Mike Taft volunteered his Jeanneau 35.2 KAMOON all four weeks with Meredith Gracia and Suzette Connolly as coaches; Big thank you to Jeff Bythe with his Catalina 36 MATA HARI, Al Johnson with his Quest 30 CHARLOTTE, Philippe Lindheimer with his Sabre 386 SKANA II, Melissa Davies with her San Juan 24 MISS MAYHEM and Charles Hill with his Wauquiez 40s DIFFERENT DRUMMER for donating their time, expertise and boats for one to two weeks. Our Vice Commodore Lisel Mordhorst was an amazing coach and without her support and participation there would be no way we could have pulled this off.  

Personal Note from the Organizer / Coordinator Melissa Davies (MISS MAYHEM San Juan 24)

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community and honor the women who taught and encouraged me two years ago when I first got interested in sailing.  I feel fortunate to have facilitated almost 50 women who got to experience great boats with fun and accomplished skippers and coaches.  I have high hopes for the women who participated in both course – R2AK, Volvo Ocean Race, cruising around the world, sailing in the PNW. These courses are 100% volunteer driven. Please consider volunteering at CYC to help us continue to put on other events like this in the future.

Welcome to an exciting year at the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle!  Our club has grown, and so has opportunities for its members.  We have a new fleet of Vanguard 15s with which we can teach members basic sailing skills and also practice more advanced techniques such as team racing.  CYC also has a new website platform called CYC Navigator that will help connect our growing membership to the club, its activities, and volunteer opportunities.  Please contact the club through CYC Navigator or a board member to pursue and engage in your interests!

CYC Seattle continues to deliver sailing excellence for its members and the region, and the club adds several new national racing champions to its Honor Roll of Champions each year.  The Top 25 sailboats of Puget Sound in 2017, as identified by 48 North magazine, included 16 CYC Seattle members, with 4 in the top 5.  CYC’s active cruising fleet participated in nearly 20 cruises in 2017, and CYC’s junior sailing camps and clinics got over 125 sailing youth out on the water to develop their sailing skills during the summer of 2017.  CYC also began offering adult sailing clinics during 2017 using the club’s new fleet of V15s, and CYC hosted multiple clubhouse events for members to learn about new places and new skills.

CYC Seattle is an amazing club with unique opportunities and programming for its members.  Let’s continue to invest in, volunteer time for, and make more good things happen in our club in 2017.  See you in the club and on the water!

Paul Kalina

Commodore

A full clubhouse filled with an enthusiastic crowd celebrated sailors of all stripes (Racing/Cruising/Juniors) who experienced memorable sailing adventures in 2017.  The bartenders barely kept up with the demand, Chef Joni Platts and Kristina Shahzad produced another excellent low-cost dinner, although the hungry crowd ate all the food – all setting the stage for a fun-filled CYC Awards Party on Friday, January 12 celebrating a multitude of outstanding 2017 performances

2018 Commodore Paul Kalina hosted the ceremony assisted by several other Officers and Board members.  The Awards came quickly, but not before Commodore Kalina emphasized that the true winners for the Discretionary Awards were the nominees, itself a true honor to be celebrated.

Congratulation to CYC for another year of excellent racing in 2017!  The Top 25 Sailboats of 2017, as identified by 48 Degrees North sailing magazine, included 4 CYC boats in the top 5 including CYC’s Erik Kristen and Mor Jubilee at #1.  CYC also had 7 boats in the top, and 16 boats in the top 25!

Thanks to member Hans Spiller for engraving trophies with winner’s names, to Jan and Skip Anderson for providing many presentation photographs as well as the large boat of the year winner print (this year of Erik Kristen’s Jubilee) that hangs behind the bar, and to Ken Johnson who researched mounds of information again this year to allow CYC’s board to determine the winners of 2017. Ken also did a tremendous amount of work putting together last Friday night’s presentation.  Thanks to all of CYC’s tremendous volunteers!

Discretionary Awards

Hans Otto Giese award for outstanding service

The Club had four outstanding nominees, including the first Junior nominee, for the Club’s most prestige award, each with an outstanding record of service.  SUZETTE CONNOLLY was selected for her constant activity at the Club, bringing her “can-do” positive attitude to all of her activities including participating in the cruising programs, crewing on Tantivy, regularly attending (and sometimes chairing) the Monday lunch, working at the boat show, helping edit the Helmsman and assisting on financial matters for the Club’s office. Other nominees were MELANIE EDWARDS for her key role in organizing the J-24 Nationals at CYC in May, OWEN TIMMS for organizing the first Junior-Only Leukemia Cup raising over $10,000 and SHAUNA WALGREN for many volunteer efforts including promoting the women’s sailing program and junior program and attracting new Club members.

Sailors of the Year 

KEITH WHITTEMORE, BRIAN THOMAS, KEVIN DOWNEY, SHELBY MILNE and MARK RODGERS: the crew of US based Tundra Rose and European-based Furio together won the J-24 US Nationals in Seattle against 32 J-24s from around the US, were second at the Open Italian Nationals in Sardina against 36 other J-24s, won the Open European Championships in Hungary against 47 J-24s from eight countries, and had podium finishes in each of the CYC Lake Tuesday night races against up to 30 J-24s in the Club’s most competitive sailing fleet.  In addition, Keith, Brian and Kevin, joined by Peter Busch won the Corinthian (amateur) division of the Etchell North Americans in San Diego.  Keith spoke movingly about the importance of talented  crew to success and the positive experience of sailing weekly in the Tuesday night J-24 fleet on the Lake against so many other top sailors. 

Boat of the Year

JUBILEE, skippered by Erik Kristen, with firsts at Scatchet Head, Three Tree Point, PSSR, PSSC, Puget One-Design, all four Wednesday night series,  Tri-Island Short Course, winner of the Northwest Challenge Cup and seconds at Grand Prix and Race to the Straits. Other nominees, each with many firsts and other top finishes throughout 2017: ABSOLUTELY, skippered by Charlie Macaulay, BAT OUT OF HELL skippered by Lance Staughton, DIFFERENT DRUMMER, skippered by Charles Hill, HERE & NOW, owned by Pat Denney, and WICKED WAHINE, skippered by Darrin Towe.

Gary Horder Award for outstanding Junior Sailor – 

ABBIE CARLSON, a high school senior won US Sailing’s National Junior Women’s Championship (the Nancy Leiter Clagget Leiter Cup) in Houston among 30 top sailors from around the country and was second, and top female, at the SYC Junior Olympics, CYC Turkey Bowl, NW High School Singlehanded Championships and WIND Regatta, 6th at the Midwinters East in Florida, had a good finish at the Laser 4.7 World Youth Championships in Belgium, and appeared in Sports Illustrated “Faces in the Crowd” column in the September 18, 2017 issue. Other nominees were 10 year-old DIETER CREITZ, who dominated Northwest Optimist Dinghy sailing, and high school junior OWEN TIMMS who had top finishes in Laser Radials in the Northwest and nationally.

Boating Family of the Year 

MIKE JULIA, MOLLY, RAMONA AND FELIX CAIN. The Cain Family lives aboard at Shilshole and cruises our local waters on their Beneteau 43 SASQUATCH. They bought the boat in the Caribbean, sailed in the Caribbean and all the way up the East Coast to the Great Lakes and trucked their boat to Seattle.  They are active with various aspects of CYC, both in the Clubhouse and on the water racing and cruising, generally with the full family, with the kids active in the CYC Junior program.  Mike and Julia will be speaking at the February 2018 cruising talks.

Cruising Boat of the Year

MANGO, a Wauquiez 43 Ketch, Scott and Kristen Meilicke with kids Emma Kate and Adam plus 2 dogs. In 2015 they sold their home, bought Mango, and moved aboard with the family of four and two dogs. After a year of preparation, they headed slowly down the west coast to San Diego before leaving with the fleet of cruisers in the Baja Ha-Ha, a cruising rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. Mango and crew spent a six-month cruising season in Mexico exploring many different anchorages.  In May 2017 they retuned and are now living on land and participating in CYC social and cruising activities. Scott and Kristen will be speaking at the February 2018 cruising talks.

George Spalding Award for most inspirational junior 

OWEN TIMMS, an outstanding Junior sailor won this award for an outstanding volunteer effort in the Leukemia Cup, organizing the first ever Seattle Junior Leukemia Cup Regatta.  He recruited sailors to participate and they collectively raised over $10,000 in 2017. He is already working with LLS for 2018 regatta,

Dog House Award for an Unseaman-like Activity 

New Rear Commodore DAVID GALLIMORE, who on a rainy stormy night went out on YC6 with Brian Watkins to see the CYC utility boats.  After the trip they moored on the dock just north of the CYC Clubhouse and stepping off YC6 without incident, he took another full step from the floating dock toward the north Clubhouse wall - expecting more dock.  Not to be.  Splash!  While experiencing a nearly perfect “pencil dive” through the cold waters to the bottom of the marina, he remembers thinking “please God...protect all my Apple gadgets from the salt water!” Not happening. With good team work, Brian pulled him out, Liesl Mordhorst provided dry clothing, Chef Joni Platts found rice for the iPad and iPhone and Krystal Wells found a large towel to sop up the water dripping off his clothes. The iPad and iPhone proved total losses, but due to everyone’s quick help Gallimore was ok with just bruises to his ego!  Other Nominee (and happy non-winner): MIKE MCGUANE for mis-saiing a Vanguard 15 and a first date and capsizing it in full view of the Clubhouse crowd while leaving their PFD’s on the dock. 

Honor Roll of Champions

• Abbie Carlson - Us Sailing Junior Womens Singlehanded Champion
  
• Douglas Frazer – Winner Of Van Isle 360, Class 3
  
• Steve Goodson & Alan Diercks - International 14 Us National Champions
  
• Charles Hill - Swiftsure, Cape Flattery Race, Heavy Class – 1st Place
  
• Stevan Johnson – Swiftsure, Hein Bank Race, Orc -1st Overall
  
• Jonathan & Libby Mckee - Tasar World Champions
  
• Lance Staughton – Swiftsure, Juan De Fuca Race, 1st Overall
  
• Keith Whittemore - J-24 Us National Champion
  
• Keith Whittemore - J-24 Open European Champion
  

Performance Awards

Commodore’s Trophy - 

• Mike Mcguane, With Karen Mooney – Kittiwake  Islander 30 – CYC
  

Gibson Trophy –

• Brian Watkins – Declaration Of Independence Express 37 – CYC
  

Blakely Rocks Race Trophy

• PHRF Winner: Shawn Dougherty & Jason Andrews – Hamachi – J/125 – Sloop Tavern
  
• ORC Winner: Lou Bianco– “Crossfire” – R/P 35 – STYC
  

Possession Point Trophy

Phrf Winner: John Cahill – Gaucho - Ross 930 – CYC

Orc Winner: Lou Bianco– Crossfire – R/P 35  – STYC

Pulley Point Trophy 

• PHRF Winner: Bill Buchan – Sachem – Peterson 34 – CYC
• ORC Winner: John Buchan – Glory – TP 52  – SYC

Werner Ohmes Foghorn Trophy – Best Overall In Center Sound Series

• Lou Bianco– Crossfire – R/P 35 – STYC
  

Northwest Challenge Cup – Best Overall In CSS, PSSR, and PSSC

• Erik Kristen – Jubilee – J/105 – CYC
  

Bill Lieberman Trophy – Best Performance In USODA NW Championships

• Dieter Creitz!

CYC Season Passes are now for sale. With our new system, you may select the races/series you want to participate when you purchase your pass

Once race registration is open for each race and series, season's pass holders will be pre-registered for the races and series selected.  If you want to change your race selections later in the season, please contact office@cycseattle.org.

       

Even web sites need a haul out every now and again... 

Happy Holidays to the CYC Seattle Family! During the holidays we're making some updates to our web site. Please bear with us while we work hard to improve the site for next year! 

If you have boats on G&H Docks please check your vessels as soon as possible - or contact someone you trust to check your boat for you. 

A large vessel rushing to meet medical personnel at the public dock, came in at a high rate of speed creating large wakes and damaging several docks in the process. The CYC clubhouse was not affected. Report damage to the marina office.