It’s a strange year for sure, a RudderPost in midsummer? Yes it is. Welcome to the June edition of the RudderPost. I called a board meeting in late June to handle a couple of things that have come up. Mostly our summer cruises but a few other items too. Summer is in full swing and the US/Canadian Border is closed, making this the oddest year for boating. I expect the San Juan Islands are seeing more use than in a typical year.
Given the current Covid-19 guidelines we have made the decision to cancel the Summer Rendezvous and the other two cruises for this summer. If things change we will review the situation.
There have been some changes on the Board. Jewels Mellen has resigned as Secretary and Chris Powell has resigned his position as Director. With the support of the Board I have appointed Katie Breitling as interim Secretary to help finish up the year. I will leave the Director position vacant. In case you don’t know Katie, she and her husband, Jason, joined the club in May of last year. They own a Catalina called Flora; they have been to a number of dinner meetings and Jason won the Bottle Hunt at Yellow Fest last summer. They are really nice folks whom I hope everyone gets a chance to meet when we can have cruises again.
We are in the process of forming the Nominating Committee to help fill the board positions for 2021. If you are interested in either participating on the Nominating committee or joining the Board for 2021 please get in touch with anyone on the Board. This has been a challenging year and we will definitely need some folks to step up and help out in 2021. We have found that Zoom works pretty well for holding Board Meetings and are expecting to continue to have that option going forward. So if you are worried about a long commute in traffic think again – there are options which will allow you to participate remotely.
There is a Zoom Happy Hour scheduled for July 21st at 6:30pm. I will follow up with connection details closer to the event. As always, if you want help getting connected via Zoom feel free to get in touch with Nancy Kick, Ben Lobaugh or me, and we will be happy to help get you connected and set up.
As I start thinking about summer plans, I know there are many folks who are having trouble putting food on the table these days and unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it will be getting better any time soon. I’ve been thinking of ways to help and I know there are a couple of food banks in the area who will put donations to great use. Here are some links to a couple of those:
Ballard Food Bank
Northwest Harvest
I hope you will join me in supporting folks who need it at this time.
Enjoy your summer!
A.J.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions the SBYC Rubber Chicken is in quarantine. This means any SBYC boats getting together are not at risk of receiving the rubber chicken for failure to fly the burgee.
We encourage you to boat as much as possible and hope members will be able to meet in group sizes that comply with the restrictions of the Covid-19 phases.
Here is the current status of our cruise schedule.
With Poulsbo’s 3rd of July fireworks display cancelled, we have cancelled our traditional 3rd of July raft-up. There is a private 4th of July fireworks show we have been invited to attend in Blakely Harbor. Participating in this is strictly an individual choice. Some members will be there but there is no plan to have a SBYC raft-up. If you attend, please respect the social distancing desires of any member boats. Also for those who plan to make landfall, and given current WA state regulations update, please remember to wear a face mask covering both mouth and nose and maintain 6’ separation at all times. Michael Hoffman has requested folks fly a burgee so he knows which boats are there representing SBYC.
The July Rendezvous is also officially cancelled, but again, if you are in the San Juans at that time it would be ok to see if any other members are in the area. San Juan County has moved to Phase 2 and is open on a limited basis. State Parks are currently open and marinas have limited their capacity. As of this week the county is asking that boaters come with supplies and minimize shopping and trips into towns. Check https://www.visitsanjuans.com/ for the latest information.
The Labor Day and Salmon Bake cruises have been cancelled but we still have dock space reserved in Port Orchard over Labor Day and Poulsbo for September 26th and 27th. These reservations are not able to be refunded so members can take advantage of the dock space. Moorage and electricity will need to be paid but there most likely will be a spot for you. Please respect the guidelines of these marinas as to spacing and gatherings.
Here is a brief recap of the Washington State Phases as they apply to boating.
Phase 1 Recreation guidelines indicate we can boat only by ourselves. This pretty much has limited boaters to day sails or overnight anchoring without the ability to go ashore. Marinas have been closed and most shore based businesses we might normally visit are closed.
As counties move into Phase 2 some marinas are open with restrictions on the number of transient boats. Generally getting together is restricted to five or fewer people outside your household. This could allow two or three boats to meet at a location.
When we get to Phase 3 we can have group activities of 50 or fewer people. Watch for further information on SBYC activities when Phase 3 is announced.
We hope to see many of you on the water this summer.
Hello SBYC Family!
With our events canceled for the foreseeable future, it sure is a bummer not seeing everyone. To help beat the blues, another Happy Hour has been scheduled for July 21st at 6pm.
Join us July 21st at 6:00pm for a Virtual Happy Hour on Zoom
Come share a story about you, your boat, or the crazy new “hobby” your neighbor has developed.
Watch the SBCY Membership email list for details on connecting to Zoom.