
Boating season is coming to a close. I’m on the dock at Blake Island, as I write this, for what I expect is the last overnight aboard for the year. Over the course of the season, I have managed to connect with only a few folks. A family member is undergoing chemo treatment for cancer and that has forced me to be vigilant about social distancing, so my apologies for being less available than I otherwise would have been. I did cross paths with August here on Blake island and we had a brief distanced chat of maybe 10 minutes. Was great to see you, August! Some other attempts at crossing paths with folks on the water were thwarted due to weather and smoke from the forest fires. Smoke certainly curtailed a few San Juan trips this September.
For the foreseeable future it looks like we will continue to be unable to hold dinner meetings. Ivars has announced the closure of its Salmon House until at least March 2021. The board doesn’t see any value in looking for a new or alternative venue until we are in Phase 3 of reopening. We feel that locating a venue at this time wouldn’t be worth the time spent, as it is possible that a new identified venue might not be available once we are again able to meet. The board will continue to evaluate the situation with hopes that things change soon.
In the meantime, we will continue to hold meetings and happy hours via the internet and phone as best we can. We plan to continue to use Zoom to host these meetings. This spring it was hoped this was a very temporary thing, but it now appears this will go on a bit longer. I know Ben is working to come up with some short presentations to add to our Zoom calls and we will continue with the social aspects of updating one another on what folks have been doing. There are a fair number of you who have been joining the zoom calls and it has been a great way to stay in touch. However, there are others whom we have not heard from or seen for quite a while. I would encourage you to come join us. If you haven’t tried Zoom you should – it works pretty well. Ben, Nancy or I continue to be willing to help you get connected should you like some help. You do not necessarily need a computer, there is a phone number to dial in with and you can simply call in and participate by phone as well. Though the experience feels a little more disconnected.
We have developed a calendar for events in 2021 and will execute this plan as soon as it becomes feasible. Washington State Parks is not currently accepting reservations, so while we have events on the calendar on Blake Island the shelters remain closed and unavailable for reservations. Have a read of the Cruise Chair’s update for further details.
We are planning to hold the Snowbird series this winter so watch for updates on the website with details of the plan and requirements.
It has been a challenging year and I know I miss seeing everyone. I hope you all are staying healthy and I am looking forward to some kind of actual gathering at some point in the future. You are missed and I hope you can join some of the Zoom events that are ongoing.

Hello SBYC Family!
We are all eagerly waiting for the day when we can meet together again, in person, but until that day technology continues to provide us a way to meet.
This month on October 20th we will be reintroducing the idea of a presentation, but fret not, there will still be time to chitchat.
Here is the agenda:
- 6:30 PM – Official start. We will go “around the horn” and hear from everyone; join early if you would like to chat more informally
- 7:00 PM – Presentation
- 7:30 PM – Wrap up
This month we will be hearing from Ben Lobaugh about the boat delivery trip that he and Harold did. The delivery was of a 42′ Uniflite, from San Pedro, CA to Tacoma, WA.
Watch your email for the Zoom link invite.
PROPOSAL: REVISION to SHILSHOLE BAY YACHT CLUB’S BY-LAWS
The SBYC Board is proposing a change to our by-laws regarding the length of terms for serving in certain positions. Over the years, it has been difficult at times to get volunteers to serve in some capacities because they may see “no end” to their service. Some positions, like cruise chair and treasurer, have been filled by the same person for many years and while they would like to retire, no one has stepped up. The board is hoping that having term limits defined might encourage more volunteers to come forward knowing this is not a life-time commitment!
With that in mind, we propose the following change to our by-laws.
Revision to: Section 2 of the Bylaws, Page 33 of the Roster.
The Board of Directors shall consist of the flag officers, one to be the Immediate Past Commodore who is to serve for a term of one year, and six other elected members, Secretary, Treasurer, Cruise Chair, two Directors, and a Race Chair.
The Directors, Treasurer, Secretary, & Cruise Chair shall serve a term of two years. One Director, and Secretary’s terms shall start on even years. The other Director, Treasurer and Cruise Chair terms shall start on odd years. Each person serving may serve a second consecutive term. After two terms a member shall wait for four years before again holding an office.
The Race Chair shall serve until a successor is elected.
The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the management of the club.
This notice is required per our by-laws, and a vote on acceptance or denial will be taken at the next Club meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, 2020, via Zoom.
DON’T LOOK NOW, BUT THERE’S
A NEW YEAR LOOMING!
It’s October, and you know what that means!
Or maybe you don’t. Did you know that there are many “celebrations” in October besides Halloween? Days like International Coffee Day, Global Handwashing Day (appropriate for this year, certainly), International Day of Older Persons, Dessert Day, Name Your Car (maybe we could add “boat”) Day, United Nations Day and Mole Day (not what you think, so look it up!)
But, for us at SBYC, it’s also Renew-Your-Membership month! Yup, it’s that time again.
We know this has been a difficult year for many, but it would really help if you could renew early. While many of our events were cancelled this year, we managed to make connections via Zoom and will continue to do so until it’s safe to meet again in person. Beginning this month, and moving into the new year, we plan to have more “formal” monthly Zoom meetings, with a happy hour followed by a speaker. A few of our members managed to check out reciprocal moorages this summer, and with luck, more and more will open up in the months ahead. Our racing program will continue apace, with the first Snowbird Race scheduled for Saturday, November 21.
So there are plenty of reasons to renew now.
One quick way to do that is to follow this link http://shilsholebayyachtclub.org/members/membership-renewal/ to our website and the renewal form found there.
Please complete and submit the form and be sure to note if you have moved, changed boats or need to update other contact information. You can either print out the form and mail it with your check or submit the form on-line and mail your check separately.
To avoid late fees and be included in the Annual Membership Roster, we must receive your dues by December 15. Dues are $85 covering up to two immediate family members, $45 per person for those ages 18-29; and $15 per person for ages 10-17. A cruising membership, which must be approved by the Board, is $15 covering two immediate family members.
Payments received after Dec. 15 will be assessed a $10 late fee. If received after January 1 of the new year the late fee increases to $20. Please make your check payable to “SBYC” and write “Membership” on the memo line.
Checks, and renewal forms, should be mailed to:
Shilshole Bay Yacht Club
Attn: Rear Commodore
2442 NW Market St, # 98
Seattle, WA 98107
CATCH UP,
STAYED TUNED
WITH SLACK
Whether you’ve been Zooming around, or just lazing around these past few months, there’s a good chance you haven’t seen a lot of people in person and you may actually have missed connecting with your SBYC friends. While there’s nothing like a face-to-face meeting, a second best might be if you find some time to SLACK off!
If you’re not familiar with this kind of Slack-ing, the Slack App is where you can keep up with everything going on in the Club. You can see where your friends are going, where they’ve been, maybe even get real time weather for those who are taking advantage of the waning days of warm weather boating.
This is the best go-to place for chatting with each other and for being ahead of the game by knowing when all things SBYC will resume. And sometimes it’s a good place to just talk boating with like-minded souls even if you’re stuck at home.
If you haven’t already signed up, it’s easy. Follow the link below to our website, which has all the details and an invite: https://shilsholebayyachtclub.org/slack/
For full details on how to use Slack, follow this link. It tells you all you need to know: https://shilsholebayyachtclub.org/rudderpost-article/slack-our-communication-tool/
Stick with Slack and you’ll be the first to know what Club activities are planned, what you can expect, and when and how we will reopen.
Hello everyone. Here is the slate of nominees for the November election of the 2021 SBYC Officers and Board members, as well as those who have volunteered to be considered for the appointed positions. We will hold a voice vote election at the November Zoom meeting on November 17 for the Officers and Board members below. If you cannot be at the November Zoom meeting, you can vote by proxy by sending a Yay or Nay vote on this slate of nominees for 2021 officers and board members to the Secretary, Katie Breitling, before the election meeting.
We still have some open positions to be filled. Please contact the nominating committee (David, Rubie, and/or AJ) if you are interested in any of the tentative or vacant positions below, or for any position.
Slate of Officers for 2021
Commodore: Ben Lobaugh
Vice Commodore: Evan Boyd
Rear Commodore: Gene Laes
Treasurer: Yuri Konishi
Secretary: Katie Breitling (tentative)
Past Commodore: AJ Mallory
Slate of Board Members for 2021
Cruise Chair: David Horn
Race Chair: Ben Lobaugh
Director at Large 2020-2021: Larry Clark
Director at Large 2021-2022: Dennis Oelrich
Volunteers for the Appointed Positions
Quartermaster: Barbara M. (will continue if needed; will train an apprentice)
Webmaster: Carole Bianquis
Social Media Chair: Vacant position
RudderPost Editor: Pauline Bruce
RudderPost Assistant Editor: Sally Rawlings
Fleet Captain: Vacant position
Hope to see you all at the November Zoom meeting!
David Horn
2021 Nomination Committee Chair