Cruising Season has begun!  Damn the weather, full-speed ahead!

Many of us enjoyed gathering at Bell Harbor Marina last weekend, with some having come by boat, while others joined in for a Saturday night dinner via the more mundane land-yacht transport mechanism. A good time was had by all. AND, we inducted our newest new members to the Club – Tom and Julia King, who came to the event in their J-Boat (no landlubbers, these folks).

Tom and Julia had heard of the infamous SBYC chicken, and were treated to a close examination of the two chickens currently in my possession (the badly damaged Pirate Chicken recently having been retired in favor of the new “clucker,” a mean and lean specimen in possession of all limbs, but devoid of elegant decoration, so far). During the induction I pointed out that some of us believe flying the SBYC chicken from the flag halyard is an honor, rather than a badge of shame. It’s all a matter of perspective.

We are very pleased to welcome Tom and Julia to the Club. They work regularly on Tuesday evenings, so you may not see them at very many Dinner Meetings, but look for them at this season’s cruise events. Yellow Fest is April 18th and Burger Burn happens May 20th – let’s be there in force!

BOARD UPDATE

At our March Board Meeting, the new rates for Dues and Initiation Fees presented in the February Rudderpost were unanimously passed. These rates, however, will not take effect until January 1, 2020. They are:

Captain Membership – new Dues rate $85/yr (old rate $70) – Initiation Fee new rate at $120 (old rate $100)

Bosun Membership – new Dues rate $45/yr (old rate $35) – Initiation Fee new rate $35 (old rate $25)

Yeoman Membership – new Dues rate $15/yr (old rate $10) – Initiation Fee new rate $10 (old rate $5)

Cruising Membership – new Dues rate $15/yr (old rate $10)

These modest increases are needed for continuing financial health of the Club, given various rising costs.

There will be no April Board Meeting. Both the Commodore (myself) and the Vice Commodore (AJ Mallory) will be out of town. The Board decided we will be best served to stay in touch in early April via email, agreeing that we will attend to any necessary Board decisions at the May meeting.

SWAP MEETS UPCOMING

We’ve been asked by the Des Moines Yacht Club to announce their annual Marine Swap Meet on Saturday, March 23rd from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., held at their Club building at 22737 Marine View Drive (next door to Anthony’s Restaurant at the Des Moines Marina). While the swap meet is free, anyone wanting to sell things must pay a fee for a specific space (call Todd at 206-400-7282) or visit desmoinesyachtclub.com.

The “big one” in terms of swap meets is the annual event hosted by Fisheries Supply at the north end of Lake Union. This year’s event is on April 6, officially starting at 5 a.m.. At this one, the early bird not only gets the worm, they get the best deals on the best stuff.

NEW MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

One of our club’s primary goals for 2019 is to bring in new members. Despite being in existence since the 1960’s, SBYC is a relatively small group of dedicated boaters. To add to our membership requires some proactive effort. At the Board level, we have a team dedicated to developing some new ways to tell our story to more boaters and hopefully attract more new members. Ben Lobaugh, Anne Girvin, AJ Mallory and I have been working on this. One of those outcomes you can see described here in this Rudderpost – the new “SBYC Sails (and Ales)!” event. Another plan this group is putting together are a series of “Walk the Dock” events, followed by a barbecue. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join in on these.

Telling the SBYC story to those who might be interested in joining us is something each and every Club Member can do. Yes, for some this feels like “Sales”, which for some is either a very scary proposition or an activity performed only by people with ulterior motives, sneaky personality traits, or a tendency to tell something other than the truth. Having been in sales almost my entire working life, I do appreciate that this isn’t for everyone, at least not as a job. But, like the flying chicken, it really is a matter of perspective.

What we want to do is let other boaters know the things we find fun and enjoyable about being a member of SBYC – for example, great relationships, fun times together, reciprocal moorage, help and support with boat problems/questions/issues. And it’s important to mention that this is entirely voluntary and comes at a very low cost. But rather than “sell” this kind of thing, the easier and more effective mental stance on it is to simply provide information to those who might be interested.

So how does one tell if a boater you meet might be interested? First, have a conversation. Ask about their boat, their family, how they enjoy boating, what boats they have had, etc. In other words, get to know the person(s) a bit. If they don’t seem like our type of folk, then don’t go into the Club story. But, if they are decent, normal, good people (most boaters are), then follow those questions up with one like “have you ever been involved with a boating club?”

Note the words “boating club”, as opposed to “yacht club”. The connotation of a “Yacht Club” is usually one of rich people in blue blazers charging around in their mega-yachts, acting like they are a notch above the rest of us. And, of course, these rich folks pay enormous money to belong to such blue-blood organizations. This is the common perception in most people’s minds about what a yacht club is all about. Little wonder that people don’t more actively pursue getting information about a yacht club in their area, with the notion of potentially joining one.

Our mission is to counter such misperceptions. And there is no “sell”. It’s just a conversation about who we are, what we like to do, the real economics of it, and then an invitation to check us out by coming to an event as our guest. If you think about it, this is exactly how most of us became aware of SBYC, and then joined the club.

If you would, please think about the other boaters you’ve had some conversation with at your dock or  know through other friends and family. Then make a point of weaving a little bit of SBYC into your next conversation with those people. Heck, maybe you start by telling the story of the silly Commodore of this club you belong to, who has this silly rubber chicken he flies on his flag halyard quite regularly. Blue-blood? I don’t think so.

Next Dinner Meeting: Tuesday, March 19, 2019

IVAR’S Salmon House, 401 NE Northlake Way, Seattle

5:30pm – Meet and Greet

6:45pm – Dinner in the Banquet Room

Topic: “R2AK Team Sail Like a Girl”

Speaker: Team Sail Like a Girl

This month in honor of women’s history month we welcome Team Sail Like a Girl.  These seven amazing women made history.  Not only did they enter a sailboat into the 2018 Race to Alaska (R2AK – a non motorized unsupported 750 mile race from Port Townsend, Washington, to Ketchikan, Alaska). They won it! Here’s the R2Ak report of their finish; it’s well worth a read.

REMEMBER: Please use the Comments box in your RSVP on Evite to advise how many people and which dinner menu choice each would like.

SBYC Cruise Calendar for 2019

April 19-21 – Yellow Fest

May 17-19 – Burger Burn

June 14-16 – June Dinner Dance

July 2-3-4 – Poulsbo Fireworks Raft up

July 31-Aug 1 – Summer Rendezvous

Aug 30-Sept 1 – Purple Passion Cruise

Sept 27-29 – Salmon Bake

Mark your calendars for these cruise weekends as they are not to miss events.

April 19 – 21  Yellow Fest, at Blake Island.

This weekend gives cruisers a chance to enjoy the Pacific NW outdoors away from the city. No cars, sirens, or crowds, and all within 90 minutes by boat from Shilshole Marina. Jessie Lundin and Harold Baldwin will host this year’s Easter “Egg” hunt. If you plan to participate in the hunt, bring five small (airplane size) bottles of liquor to Mischief Maker by 2p.m. Saturday. Please also bring some firewood for the fire in the pavilion, which SBYC has rented for the Saturday evening potluck. Cruisers bring your own main dish as well as a dish to share.

Some cruisers get to Blake as early as Thursday because early birds can get space at the dock with electricity, and can help bring other cruisers into dock space. No reservations can be made at Blake, so SBYC unofficially tries to keep us all together on the south docks.

A Planning Committee for the June Dinner Dance will be held on Slow Dance, Saturday a.m., around 10:00.

May 17 – 19 Burger Burn, at Brownsville Marina.

This year’s cruise will be to Brownsville Marina, where we will meet under the pavilion, a wonderful place to have a barbecue protected from the spring rains. Grills are available for cooking. A croquet game is planned for non-competitive cruisers to renew their coordination skills. Just kidding about the non-competitive; I challenge anyone to beat me. No prizes offered,  just personal satisfaction.

Marina reservations have been made, however, it is necessary for each boat to confirm. Please contact claudia@portofbrownsville.org or (360) 692-5498, to confirm your reservation.

June 14 – 16 June Dinner Dance, at Kingston Cove Yacht Club.

Due to conflicts with race events on the second weekend, the Dinner Dance has been moved to the third weekend of June.

The dance is fun! The band, Malo Castro and his musicians, are terrific, performing Latin American upbeat and danceable music. Last year everyone was dancing by the end of the evening.

The Kingston Ale House will cater the entree; SBYC  is hosting the cocktail hour. Wine and beer are included in the ticket price (TBD).

Confirm your boat reservations at the marina, 360 297 3545. SBYC has reserved 10 slips for now.  Let me know if there are any problems.

More to come; I hope to see you on the water this year.

Cruise Chair, cruisechair@shilsholebayyachtclub.org, or Patricia, 206 356 3217.

by AJ Mallory

4th Thursdays at Shilshole Bay Marina: April – September

Get that boat (sail or power) away from the dock! It’s a nice slip, you pay handsomely for it all year and your boat looks good there, but I’ll bet your boat looks even better on the water! So come out once a month and join your fellow members for a little SBYC Thursday evening fun on the water. If you don’t have a boat just come join as crew or just ride along for fun. In addition to our having fun together, this is a great opportunity to invite people who might have an interest in joining SBYC. Let’s all get out on the water more often!

We will meet at 4:30 around the picnic tables in front of the Shilshole Office to make a plan for the evening. Depending on how many people, boats (and what type), and the day’s weather we will decide what makes the most sense. It might be a quick jaunt across the Sound for dinner, a raft up, or a lazy sail around Meadow Point. If the weather is really crappy we will head to a pub and swap some good sailing stories over a pint.

For communication we will use VHF channel 72 and the Slack app area called “# sails-and-ales.” If the weather is obviously really crappy check Slack for pub details (probably Ray’s). If you will be arriving late, post to Slack and we’ll work to figure something out so you can still participate.

Remember to bring appropriate boating gear (PFD, boat appropriate shoes, dress in layers, etc.)

Guests are welcome!

For reference, here are the dates with sunset times:

• April 25th Sunset 8:13 Tentative plan to sail a course from Shilshole to Point Jefferson and back
• May 23rd Sunset 8:50
• June 27th Sunset 9:11
• July 25th Sunset 8:53
• August 22nd Sunset 8:09
• September 26th Sunset 6:59

Here’s a list of ideas we have come up with. If you have ideas please let AJ or any board member know:

• Raft up in Blakely Harbor
• Dinner ashore in Winslow (Eagle Harbor)
• Sail a course
• Scavenger Hunt using chart skills and land marks
• Sunset Sail
• Safety gear check on the dock
• Share your ideas too!

So come join us on April 25th at 4:30pm in front of the Shilshole Bay Marina Office and let’s get out on the water!

I must admit- I have been negligent in my new Race Chair duties and missed the Race Report in last month’s Rudderpost. As you know, my first child is going to squirm her way into this world in a few more weeks. Our lives have been a flurry of activity in preparation and I think it is sucking out brain cells! This month I have made sure to get this post in!

The March race is happening on the 16th, and you are probably reading this before the race will have  happened.

Last month I made the call to cancel the race. With the snow, ice, and hills I wanted to ensure the skippers and crew did not risk bodies and lives trying to get to the marina. Most of the skippers thanked me and said it was a good call, however, there is always that one guy who comments, “Isn’t it called The Snowbird?”

The month before, we postponed the race due to lack of wind and canceled after sitting on the water, parked for an hour.

Here is hoping the race on the 16th will have absolutely perfect conditions!

P.S. A baby shower for Alix is scheduled during the race. Those of you who are not into the shower thing, please join me on the race committee boat.

By AJ Mallory

As we gear up for another season of cruising I wanted to remind folks about the communication tool many of us have been using to communicate during cruises and events. It’s called Slack and I encourage you to give it a try if you haven’t done so. There are some links below to the Google Play Store and Apple Store where you can get additional details about installing the Slack App, it is free. Once you have it installed you will need to join the Shilshole Bay Yacht Club “organization” (also link below). Then you will have access to the different “channels” or “rooms” that we have setup for our cruises and our new event SBYC Sails (and Ales)!

We, as a club, first started using this tool because we found that trying to manage communications via text messages was cumbersome and limited when dealing with large groups. Imagine creating texting groups for each event and managing the members from event to event on everyone’s phone? Not possible! Want to know when dinner is happening or if people are going ashore? Did you know there is a limit to the number of people you can have in a text message? I didn’t either. But I guess I never tried to contact more than a handful of people at once. With Slack it’s easy to communicate what time dinner is happening and when and who is going to shore!

I think the folks who have been using the app really like it for keeping in touch. I really appreciated it during our summer cruise last year as I could post where we were and where we were headed while also keeping track of other members to see who else was in the area where we were. It was quick to read through the posts people made, see who was in the area and then coordinate a meeting point. Soon I was in a pub, beer in hand with some fellow SBYC members talking about where we had been and where we were planning to head off to next.

OK you’re in; you want to give it a try, here’s how:

1. Let’s start by getting you set up on Slack. Use these links to install the Slack app from the appropriate app store: iOS or Android(it’s free). You can also install it on a desktop computer if you wish.
2. Then add yourself to the SBYC Slack organization using this link: Join SBYC Slack

Now that you have the app installed and have joined the “SBYC Organization” let’s learn a couple of things that will be helpful (if you can, I’d pull this article up on your computer so you can follow along and run the Slack app on your phone at the same time):

1. Learn about channels what is a channel
2. Join an event area join a channel
3. Finally modify your notification settings more specifically mobile notifications

For additional informationI recommend just browsing the slack help area, as almost anything you want to do is spelled out. In no time you’ll know more than I do!

• Getting started
• Using Slack

Notification cheat sheet

I think one challenge for folks is the amount of notifications that are turned on by default in slack. To help address this I’ve gathered information from the Slack Mobile Notification help pages and presented it here.

On an iOS device from within the Slack App swipe left to open the right side bar, tap settings, tap notifications and make any changes necessary.

On Android with the Slack App open, tap the three dots (upper right of screen), tap Settings, tap Notifications and change as desired.

by Ben Lobaugh

I wrote an article last month thanking you for your generosity in donating to Footloose’s new boat fundraiser. I wanted to give you an update on the progress of new boat purchases…

Bob Ewing had been talking with Frank Butler, the founder of Catalina Yachts, about getting a brand new boat, with Catalina donating the remaining costs. That, unfortunately, fell through.

The good folks over at Windworks are the Catalina dealers for the area. They have been working with us at every step of the way, and when they heard the news called us up immediately to let us know about a 2006 Catalina Capri 22 for sale on their dock at Shilshole.

Bob and I inspected the boat. It is in prime condition: very little wear, sails are good (headsail is new, main a couple years old), and everything is clean and mechanically sound. We are going to put in an offer. A few days after reading this notice, Footloose may be owners of a boat you helped purchase!

Thank you all again for supporting Footloose and its awesome mission. I will update you again when we know more.