Happy New Year, I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday. As I write this, winter is in full swing with snow in the forecast for the next week. Hopefully your boat is winterized and ready for the impending storms.
I’ve heard from many of the regulars at the dinner meetings that they enjoyed the speakers this past year. If you missed Pat Hillis’s Ruderpost article about the dinner meetings and why you should go, here’s a link to it. It’s a good read. I know Ben is working hard to line up great speakers for the coming year. I’m looking forward to seeing what he has in store for us.
Speaking of, I hope to see you on January 21 at Razzi’s Pizza. Wait, what? Pizza? That’s right, we are meeting this month at Razzi’s Pizza on Greenwood Avenue, just north of 85th St. Our usual venue, Ivar’s, is closed much of this month for kitchen renovations. So we are mixing it up a little. We expect to be back at our regular meeting place, Ivar’s, in February.
I want to extend a thank you to last year’s Board and all the volunteers for the hard work that made the 2019 events happen. It takes some work to keep the SBYC machine humming along and these people make it a lot of fun. There are some truly amazing people in this group and it is inspiring to work alongside them. I love the events we organize and the talented people who show up and volunteer, thank you to all of them.
Kicking off 2020 we have several events coming up. Later this month we have our winter “cruise” to Wenatchee. (It’s not too late to join the fun). Our Snowbird race series continues with the next race #3 on February 8. Our dinner meeting on the 21st, and don’t forget the Boat Show starting January 24.
Ben has a pretty full plate this year being Race Chair, Vice Commodore, and a new father. If you are interested in lending a hand and learning about what it takes to put on races, I’m quite certain he will accept the help.
I hope to see you at many of our events this year. If you have any suggestions or comments for improvements to the club or events feel free to reach out to me or anyone on the board.
I’m honored to be your Commodore. Here’s to another great year of camaraderie, friendships, and fun events!
AJ Mallory, Commodore
Next Dinner Meeting: Tuesday January 21, 2020
THE JANUARY MEETING LOCATION HAS CHANGED
Razzi’s Pizzeria, 8523 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle
5:30pm – Meet and Greet
6:45pm – Dinner
Topic: “Arctic Solitaire”
Speaker: Paul Souders
Photographer Paul Souders considered himself a lucky guy. He traveled the world and got paid to take pictures. Yet at age fifty he seemed an unlikely explorer. Recently married, he was leading a generally contented life as an urban homebody, ending most days with a cold martini and a home-cooked meal. So how did he find himself alone aboard a tiny boat, enduring bad weather and worse cooking, while struggling to find his way across more than a thousand miles of Hudson Bay?
It was all for a picture. He dreamed of photographing the Arctic’s most iconic animal, the polar bear, in its natural habitat. It was a seemingly simple plan: Haul a 22-foot fishing boat northeast a few thousand miles, launch, and shoot the perfect polar bear photo. After an inauspicious start and endless days spent driving to the end of northern Canada’s road system, he backed his C-Dory, C-Sick, into a small tributary of Hudson Bay. Battered by winds and plagued by questionable navigation, Paul slowly motored C-Sick north in the hopes of finding the melting summer ice that should be home to more than a thousand polar bears. He struggled along for weeks, grounding on rocks, hiding from storms, and stopping in isolated Inuit villages, until finally, he found the ice and the world was transformed. The ice had brought hundreds of walrus into the bay and dozens of polar bears arrived to hunt and feed. For a few magical days, he was surrounded by incredible wildlife photo ops. He was hooked.
Due to construction at Ivar’s, January’s dinner meeting will be held at Razzi’s Pizzeria. There will not be a dinner charge from SBYC in January, instead Razzi’s will create a check for each party.
Razzi’s menu can be found on their website http://www.razzis.com. They offer Vegan and Gluten free options.
Razzi’s is located at 8523 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103. Directions can be found on their website http://razzispizza.com/directions.html
Breaking News: SBYC requests $5.00 per boat per cruise.
This year SBYC begins requesting $5 per boat for all cruises that are held in Marinas. This will offset Marina fees to hold blocks of slips and/or entertainment facilities. The $5 will be collected at the events (cash or check) from the boaters. No penalties for no-shows. This SBYC charge is in addition to the Marina’s charge for moorage. For more info, please contact Patricia, Cruise Chair, SBYC.
Cruise Calendar for 2020
Jan 25-27 Wintery Wenatchee Mar 7 Bell Harbor Cruise
Apr 11 Yellow Fest May 16 Burger Burn
June 13 June Dinner Dance July 3 Poulsbo Fireworks Raft Up
July 29-30 Summer Rendezvous Sept 6 Purple Passion Cruise
Sept 26 Salmon Bake
Mark your calendars for the 2020 cruise weekends. Keep an eye on your email for an EVITE closer to events; these will provide additional information on time and reservation requirements.
Wintery Wenatchee. The Wenatchee snow/ski/winery exploration will be taking place this year; plan to join even if you haven’t made a reservation yet. SBYC hosts for the event, Bonnie Murray and Mike Thompson, recommend that Club members and guests stay at:
The Coast Wenatchee Hotel,
201 North Wenatchee Avenue Wenatchee, WA 98801
Phone: 509-662-1234 (Call the hotel directly for reservations and say that you are with Shilshole Bay Yacht Club)
Call Mike or Bonney if you need more information. 206 281 7776.
Bell Harbor. Pier 66, 2203 Alaskan Way. Cruise is an excellent opportunity to enjoy the culture and shopping of downtown Seattle, all within easy walking distance of the marina. Slips have been reserved, but reservations MUST BE MADE two weeks prior to the event, no later than February 24th. The SBYC $5 will also be requested. This event is accessible by land or by water. Saturday evening dinner will be held at Anthony’s again this year.
Yellow Fest. Blake Island Marina, Blake Harbor. This location gives cruisers a chance to enjoy the Pacific NW outdoors away from the city, no cars, sirens, or crowds, all within 90 minutes by boat. The Pavilion has been reserved. Jessie Lundin will be hostess this year for the ‘Easter Egg’ hunt.. No slip reservations available, first come, first served. The SBYC $5 will also be requested. COME EARLY.
Burger Burn. Blake Island Marina, Blake Harbor. The hiking trails will have dried from the rains and hiking will be a pleasure. The Pavilion has been reserved for our barbecue. A chili contest will take place, and games of horseshoes, and crochet. Larry and Sharon Clark will host this event. No slip reservations available, first come, first served. The SBYC $5 will also be requested. COME EARLY. More information next month.
June Dinner/Dance. Kingston Yacht Club, Kingston Marina. The dance this year will be catered by Neo Café, their specialty is Greek Food. The band will be Malo Castro and his players, terrific musicians who perform upbeat and danceable music. Dinner, wine, and dancing, all included in one place, the best deal in the city. This event is also accessible by land as well as by water. Kingston Marina slip reservations have been made. The SBYC $5 will also be requested.
July Fireworks. Poulsbo, annual raft-up, boat watching, fireworks display.
Summer Rendezvous. Stewart Island, jumping off place for cruising in the islands.
Purple Passion. Port Orchard Marina, Labor Day weekend,.
Salmon Bake. Pouslbo Marina, Grillled salmon, with potluck. The end of the season cruise..
The 2019 – 2020 Snowbird Series has been going quite well. There are 32 boats registered, with an average attendance of 24 for the first three races.
This year we have had an unprecedented six classes. We had to get more class flags! Class six started out with five boats and has grown to 11, which means I will be breaking it apart and creating a 7th class!
My friend, Will Langford, brought his drone out and captured some great photos of the first race. Here is Anarchy, owned by our friend Tom Ward.
The skippers and crew loved seeing the images. You can see them all at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1qXukmUvdm0Xn-HY4r8OGpE3Y0AKzuq2e
The last two races in the series are
- February 8, 2020
- March 21, 2020