Hello, my fellow seahorses. Spring is in the air; I can feel it. This month marks longer days with the vernal equinox on the twentieth, and moving our clocks up on the thirteenth (why is this even still a thing?). I attended my first ever Bell Harbor cruise last month and had an absolute blast! I had too much fun Friday night, and a more relaxed time Saturday night of the cruise. The sail back on Sunday was just perfect with a warm southerly breeze, sunshine, and a max ebb tide. Not what I expected for Winter Fest, but absolutely thrilled to have all the stars align like that. More about that cruise in my cruise chair article below.
Photo by Pat Hillis
Now that spring is here, it’s time to get our boats ready for the warmer weather and much more time on the water. I know we will all be cleaning decks and cockpits, checking boat systems, doing oil and filter changes, replacing anodes, recharging fire extinguishers, inspecting PFDs and replacing CO2 cartridges, and all the other checklist items to prepare for a safe and fun year. I also think it is a good time to get out with your crews and practice person-overboard recoveries. It is good to do that at least once a year with your regular crew. With these cold Salish Sea waters, it is important to be proficient in retrieving people from the water.
I am excited for spring, warmer weather, more time on the water, and seeing all your lovely faces at SBYC events. Remember to invite those without boats to come on your boat. The more the merrier! As you prepare your boats for the year, I leave you with this quote.
“If you can’t repair it, maybe it shouldn’t be on board.” — Lin and Larry Pardey
David Horn, Commodore
Next Dinner Meeting – Tuesday March 15, 2022
Zoom – Link to be Communicated
6:30 pm ‘Happy Hour’ Chat
7:10 pm Presentation by Tom King, SBYC Vice Commodore
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Small boat building: I have built three small boats, all kayaks, using a method very accessible to novice builders. I will talk about the choice of plans and kits, the tools and space needed, the process itself, and my expereince with the final results. This method can be scaled up to larger craft, dinghies, and even boats that can be raced or cruised.
We just had our first cruise of the year, Winter Fest, to Bell Harbor Marina in downtown Seattle February 18 and 19. We had three boats show up: Olele, Mischief Maker, and Turning Point. But we also had lots of members come by car for happy hour and dinner both nights. Friday and Sunday were almost spring-like for the journey to and from Bell Harbor. Saturday the wind was blowing and gusting hard, so we were all glad to be in the marina and not traveling that day. The Friday night happy hour was good fun with so much wonderful food and appetizers that we didn’t need dinner. We had a lovely sunset that evening, best seen from the top deck of Mischief Maker, with the underside of some clouds painted with beautiful oranges, pinks, and purples. Saturday night we were treated to Jerry’s wonderful spaghetti dinner while we were all warm and cozy on Olele. It was so good to see everyone who came by land or sea!
We don’t have a cruise scheduled this month. But next month we have the Yellow Fest cruise to Blake Island on April 16. I plan to get there on Friday the 15th. We have the shelter next to the marina on the point reserved on Saturday. We will have the “hunt” along the beach Saturday afternoon and a potluck dinner around the fire pit and grill Saturday evening. Katie and Jason are sponsoring this cruise and we will be working together on the planning. Look for the Evite for this cruise to go out mid-March.
We still need sponsors to help with the Burger Burn (May) and Labor Day Weekend (September) cruises this year. Message me at cruisechair@shilsholebayyachtclub.org to sign up to help coordinate these fun events.
SBYC 2022 Cruise Calendar
FEB 18-19 Winter Fest, Bell Harbor Marina
APR 16 Yellow Fest, Blake Island (Sponsored by Katie and Jason)
MAY 13-14 Burger Burn, Port Ludlow (Sponsored by <your name here>)
JUN 11 June Dinner Dance, Kingston
JUL 03-4 Fireworks Raft Ups, Liberty Bay and Blakely Harbor
AUG 03 Summer Rendezvous, South Sound (Longbranch, Jarrell Cove, and/or Quartermaster Harbor)
SEP 03 Labor Day Weekend, Port Orchard (Sponsored by <your name here>)
OCT 01 Salmon Bake, Poulsbo (Sponsored by Barbara and AJ)
The Snowbird series this season has been an interesting one. There were cancellations due to weather: no wind days, and high wind days. To make this season even more unique, there was a tsunami that went through one day! We also had a submarine and aircraft carrier mosey past.
Overall the events have been fun for racers and committee members alike. Lots of good conversation, pizza, and beverages to be had.
The final race of the series is March 26. If you are interested in joining the committee crew (we eat the pizza!) let Jerry or me know.
p.s. We are still on the lookout for a new Race Chair for the coming year. Let me know if you are interested and we will help get you trained up.