News

2020 Cruising Awards 

(A slideshow of the nominated and winning boats will be available shortly)

Performance Awards – earned on the water

Presented by Al Johnson winner of the Commodore race in 2018 and  2019

Commodore Race, August 15, 2020.  Won by “Those Guys,” a J/35, skippered by Jennifer Heins and Tim Huse (CYC). 10 boats started and all but one finished,

 Gibson Race.  August 16, 2020.     Won by “Second Sun,” a Young Sun   43, owned by Andrew and Katherine   Bereson (CYC). The race was   shortened due to lack of wind, and   Second Sun was the only boat to   reach the shortened finish line.

Discretionary Awards – voted by the Board

Boating Family of the Year

Presented by Geoff Pease winner of the Boating Family in 2019

Chosen from families active with keel boats or one designs, with sailing together or separately in a variety of events.  Contributions to fleet activities, to CYC and to other sailing organizations are considered in addition to sailing achievements.

We had one nominee for this award for 2020.

David & Karen Barnes and Family (teens: Ethan, Coleman and Benjamin) were out sailing and cruising locally many times in 2020. Their boat GRATITUDE (Hanse 415) was one of the few boats we saw out earlier in March and April - sometimes David and his sons, sometimes with Karen, and other times the whole family. GRATITUDE has continued her weekend cruising most of the year. The family did a trip to the San Juan's this summer in addition to multiple weekends in the central sound. David’s middle son, Coleman, races on the CYC Race Team and on the Ballard High School Team. Coleman also helped as Junior Sail Camp Volunteer this past summer. David drives a whaler for the Club sometimes - including the day he jumped in one to go help the junior sailors that ended up on the breakwater during a surprisingly windy day.  David and Family racd GRATITUDE on Puget Sound in the Center Sounds Series and TYC’s Winter Vashon as well as the CYC Commodore Gibson. Besides cruising and racing on the sound, David races with the competitive J/24’s on Lake Washington crewing on R.Y.L.A.H.  The Barnes Family fit the image of a complete sailing family from personal family cruises and club cruises, to PHRF and J/24 class racing, to Junior programs, and dad helping out in the Club whalers.  

Greig Memorial Trophy - Cruising Boat of the Year

Presented by Peggy Watt.  Peggy and Ron won this award in 2014

This trophy has been awarded to world-class blue-water cruisers and to those who are active in the regional or local cruising community.  This award may recognize leadership as well as cruising accomplishments.

There were 5 nominees for this award for 2020.  There is no doubt that cruising was a great COVID activity and escape last year.  In alphabetical order, by boat name:

Altair, Sceptre 41 - Paul Baker and Suzette Connolly 

Paul and Suzette were out cruising on ALTAIR a great deal last year, primarily very local, being at anchor 4-5 nights each week from early March through the end of October. They started in March with a 10-day trip, just as COVID was heating up, and went as far south as Gig Harbor. ALTAIR was frequently been found at Blakely Harbor or the West End of Blake Island, both have been wonderful for the shore access and extensive trails for long walks. They needed to be back each week for Suzette to see her mom so were on a short geographic leash. They have also anchored at Eagle Harbor, Port Madison, Manzanita, Poulsbo, Dyes Inlet (a new spot) and the Blake Island Marina. Paul and Suzette did make two quick one-week trips to the San Juan’s - the first in May with hardly anyone there, and the econd trip in September with all of the smoke and quite full anchorages, with up to 76 boats in Prevost Harbor on Stuart Island the Friday after Labor Day.

Atalaya, Seawind 1160 Lite 380 - Paul Benson and Erica Johnson.

Paul and Erica took delivery of ATALAYA in September 2019 and have been living aboard full time since then. Besides local anchorages close to Seattle they explored the South Sound and the San Juan's last summer. In August, Paul and Erica headed down the West Coast, harbor hoping south to San Francisco and other ports before arriving in San Diego. Paul and Erica then sailed in the Nada Ha-Ha from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and are now somewhere on the Baja California peninsula. Plus, while out cruising they have continued participating in the CYC Cruiser ZOOM Socials, which is fun for us back at home. 

Their trip has all been double handed except when Paul’s sons have joined them cruising in local waters. They plan to stay out as long as it’s fun and future destinations will depend on how things go with COVID restrictions. Paul and Erica previously explored our local waters on DOLPHIN QUEST, their Shannon 38 PH.

Asylum, J/44 – Jamie Thomas and Kyle Caldwell.

Jamie and Kyle left Seattle in August 2019 on ASYLUM heading south down the West Coast after a shake-down cruise in Canadian waters. They have been “stuck” in Mexico due to COVID but things are still enjoyable and they are enjoying the cruising. In December 2020 there were just north of Puerto Vallarta. They have added two rescue puppies to their family while in Puerto Escondido near Loreto, Baja this summer. They spent much of their summer rescuing dogs and finding homes for them and think they have helped 12 Baja puppies now. As with many cruisers, they are contributing by helping improve things in the local area.  

Eleanor, Peterson 44 - Lauri and Chris Bushue 

In early May, Lauri and Chris headed north to the San Juan’s and stayed out for 45 days. Their longest cruise to date! They also did a 2-3 week trip to Port Townsend and the San Juan's later the summer. In addition to living on their boat at Shilshole and exploring our local waters, Lauri maintains the CYC Cruising Reciprocal List.

Kismet, Passport 40, Kevin Connell

In spring and summer 2020 Kevin was out a great deal cruising locally for several days at a time while working remotely (Blake Island, Blakely Harbor, Poulsbo, and Gig Harbor among the local anchorages) then back to Shilshole for more remote work and boat projects getting KISMET ready to head off shore and down the West Coast. Being single, Kevin wanted to have crew for the trip from Seattle to San Francisco and welcomed aboard fellow CYC members Craig Williams, Scott and Karen Tobiason and his brother Sean, a non-sailor but great engine mechanic. KISMET departed in August headed for San Francisco and made the trip south with one stop in Newport, Oregon for a week waiting out a big storm off shore. Kevin was in touch with CYC members Paul and Erica on ATALAYA as they left Seattle around the same time and they spent the week in Newport together.

Kevin single handed south, harbor hoping from San Francisco to San Diego. He joined us on a Cruiser ZOOM meeting from an anchorage off Avila Beach near San Luis Obispo. It was great to hear about the trip to date first hand. While in Southern California, Kevin sailed back and forth for several weeks between exploring the Channel Islands and boat projects in Santa Barbara. Kevin picked up his brother Sean and more CYC crew for the trip south to Cabo San Lucas. Early November, Kevin participated in the Nada Ha-Ha from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. Kevin is now exploring the stunningly beautiful Sea of Cortez side of Baja, currently in La Paz.  

And the Winner is:

Atalaya - Paul Benson and Erica Johnson.

Per George Harris, the Northwest Marine Trade Association (NMTA) President and CEO) ****** All Boaters, This morning I testified before the Senate Transportation Committee opposing a new proposal to double the watercraft excise tax. This is the tax Washington boaters pay annually when they register their boats. Boaters are the only user group that pay an excise tax and we think it is unfair and inappropriate to increase this tax. The funds from this Vessel Excise Tax go directly into the state general fund.  Please take action now and let our state senators know you do not support this increase. It only takes one minute! Click this LINK now to send a message to your state senator.

If you were unable to join the Women's Third Thursday event with Janna Cawrse, you can enjoy the presentation via the recording link below: 

Janna Cawrse Esarey (Women Who Sail book curator and author of The Motion of the Ocean) as she shows fantastic pictures of her family’s attempt to sail through the Northwest Passage, a route newly open due to climate change. 

Meeting Recording:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/_aaxFC03SCyAregOg7PtmN-Z6T1ZejIB3hxL0mznzCVHfLjbErWfb9YtluDfBRzB.M7G0mudNO_TH3Ovj

Access Passcode: %9M0j?%$

The last weekend in February we had the first cruise of 2021 to the Blake Island Marina. It was a nice weekend with moderate southerly winds for a beat down on Saturday and a nice run back to Shilshole on Sunday with some boats hoisting spinnakers. Six CYC boats with 14 people attended plus a family of three that were thinking of becoming members. They had a great time with us on Saturday and signed up to become members via the CYC website Sunday morning. The wonders of modern technology!! Welcome to Nathan, Vanessa and Evelyn!! We are excited to have you as some of our newest members.

The marina was full with 17 boats Saturday night. An additional 15 other boats had tried for spots without luck. The marina was a busy place on a nice winter weekend. All of the CYC boats managed to get a spot on the dock with Cruise Leader Morris Lowitz arriving last and having to wait on a mooring outside the marina until they could take the Load/Unload spot at dusk. A spot on the dock opened up first thing Sunday morning so they had a place on the dock instead of having to go back out to a mooring for breakfast. Morris brought his three person J-80 crew to help him sail his Jeanneau 44 Keala for the weekend. Thanks Morris for stepping up to lead this cruise. In fact this was not only Morris’ first time as Cruise Leader, but also his first CYC Cruise period. The other boats on the cruise were Solstice, Altair, Tula, Mara andMaggie May plus our new members on their Beneteau 393 Equilibrium.

Saturday we had informal socially distanced cocktails on the dock at 5:00 with some people sitting on their boats. Everyone then did their own dinner before meeting up ashore for a fire. The group at the fire was never more than ten as people came and left during the evening by chance. We had a second campfire going in the event the group was larger at any one time and we needed to split up into two groups. The Shelters that we usually use for a potluck dinner and fire are currently closed due to COVID Restrictions. We took hikes around the island or out to the West End in small groups, great exercise and the chance to visit with old friends or make new acquaintances, even if the trails were a bit muddy in places.  A great start to the CYC Cruising Season and a wonderful group.

If you not able to attend the Racing Rules Changes of Note meeting, there's still an opportunity to hear what was discussed.  Below is a Zoom link to the recording of the meeting, which starts at about the 2 minute mark (Passcode: c&4&1%V2)  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/4rVcNTtl8RyY911MlrapCfrozTleJuYVXJcdvEoizOZZk5U2QLDFiOaQwO1w_rfu.oGZAgYSZD34FKZz2

Hello members and CYC community at large,

The clubhouse is ready to return to Shilshole from Dyna.  Unfortunately, "Mother Nature" is making it a bit difficult.  Due to safety and insurance reasons, the club can not move in winds of 10 knots or higher.  The plan was to move the club today (Monday) or Tuesday; however, it is now TENTATIVELY scheduled for this Wednesday, Feb 3.  I am in the process of getting a better timeline from Fremont Tug (it will move in the morning, during daylight hours).

Thanks,

Cindy Barrett

Last week CYC had a fun social event with the Nordic Museum via zoom. We learned to make a new cocktail and how to make Swedish stars. If you missed this event, here is the link to the video - you can learn to make the cocktail and how to make a Swedish star just in time for Christmas.  [LINK]

CYC Financial Situation (Remmert Wolters, Treasurer)

Those, who attended the membership meeting, did get an overview of the club’s finances. For those, who did not, I can make a long story short by stating that we held our own. Our income dropped substantially but we were able to cut expenses to a point that we will have a break-even year or slightly better. Considering the current times, that is a good result.

We do need to cover the clubhouse project and the fact that we had to take on some debt to do it. The rebuild is a one in twenty-five-year event that was unavoidable. It started out as a barge project but expanded to include windows and siding. The windows were in danger of falling out and the siding was toast. There were some other issues that needed to be taken care of and, what started out as a $200K project turned into a $600K project. We will get our clubhouse back later this month and, although we will be installing new carpet and re-finishing the floors in January, it will be as good as new by the time we can use it again.

Our membership was amazingly generous, and we can fund 85% of the project with donations. The last 15%, we had to borrow from the bank ($50K) and members ($50K). No-one was comfortable with the decision to borrow money, but the board had no choice to approve it and the project could not be completed without it. We take these financial obligations very seriously and we are committed to pay down these loans at the earliest opportunity.

To keep capital and operational activity separated, we have stand-alone accounts for “The Heart of CYC” and “The Jr. Capital Fund”. We will create a similar account for debt service. It will function as a reserve account to make sure that we can service our debts for the immediate future. Once enough reserves have been accumulated, we will start pre-paying back these loans as the funds allow. We are basically looking at five-year commitments but, if possible, we would like to see these loans go away in the next two years.

If you are in a position and inclined to help us with that, a donation would be appreciated. Mark the donation “Debt Service Relief” and Cindy (CYC's business manager) will make sure that it gets posted accordingly.

On Wednesday, Nov 18^th – the CYC held its annual member meeting.  Commodore David led the discussion with an overview of the club, and pictures and information on clubhouse renovations.  Remmert (our Treasurer) next shared how we’ve managed to run a breakeven year.  Each Program (Racing, Cruising, Social, Juniors) talked some highlights from the year, and we concluded with 2021 Commodore-to-be Shelagh discussing the club’s vision for 2021…which, due to COVID, is evolving.  We also announced the election results, with all candidates running for office elected.  Key takeaways included that the club has had so many volunteers step up this year (thank you!) and widespread financial support through donated registrations, membership dues, and Heart of CYC donations – goes to show how great our club members are!

View Presentation (member login required)

The 2020 sailing season is coming to an end, and it is time to consider the 2020 CYC outstanding performers. As Covid won almost all of the 2020 races, the Club will have fewer awards this year. But your input as to the awards that the Club will consider is even more important.

The Board will select the Award winners, who will be announced in January 2021.

If you have a suggestion for a 2020  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:  3706 So. Ridgeway Place, Seattle, WA  98144   Ken assembles the nominations and presents them to the Board for its decisions.

The 2020 Awards include:

Honor Roll of Champions- CYC sailors who have won national or international championships or have achieved honors of an equivalent level.  We are aware of the Tasar North Americans but if you know of other similar championships or regattas, let us know.

Hans Otto Giese Inspirational – one who has consistently provided leadership and inspiration to CYC and to the amateur sailing community. Recent winners include Dick Rose, Shauna Walgren, Catherine Weatbrook, Suzette Connolly and Jen Hobden.

Boating Family – an active family in racing, cruising, CYC activities, other sailing efforts. Recent winners include Geoff & Alison Pease & family, Al &Jane Johnson, Mike & Julie Cains, Erik & Karrie Sandersons and the Buchans.

Greig Memorial Cruising – cruising leadership and accomplishments, whether in local or blue waters.  Recent winners include Cathy Sherwood & Kent Powley, Chris Young, Scott & Kristen Meilicke and Jon & Michelle Henderson.

Gary Horder Memorial – CYC Junior with active and successful racing program. Let us know about any CYC juniiors participating in other races, if any.  Recent winners include Dieter Creitz, Abbie Carlson, Talia Toland and Owen Timms.

George Spalding Inspirational – most inspirational Junior sailor. Recent winners include Sam Airhart, Alyosha Strum-Palerm, Owen Timms, Jack Holbrook and Blake Bentzen.

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 Mike Taft (cooking chili during a race with no stove fiddles), Robert Hodge (agrond on Marrowstone as all the CYC crusing boats sailed by) and David Gallimore (stepping off YC6 and taking 2 steps, with only 1 step worth of dock).