YOUR COMMODORE HAS A BOAT!
It is weird, right? The Commodore of a yacht club not having a boat- it felt weird to me!
I am excited to announce that Alix and I closed on a boat on April 8. Clara helped with the boat shopping, and this was the first boat she did not try to scramble off of after a few minutes, but was happy playing and exploring every crevice.
Let me introduce you to S/V Shadow, a 1987 Catalina 36. Shadow is an amazing specimen of a boat. Her original owner kept her in Longbeach, CA, and used her for trips out to their private mooring ball on Catalina Island. The boat was professionally and meticulously maintained and comes with a very thick binder of maintenance records. She has been so well kept that when you step aboard you may wonder if you somehow teleported back in time to when she came fresh out of the factory.
The original owner passed and the estate sold the boat last year (or so I understand) to a man in Tacoma, WA. He spent the time, and money, making some minor updates, such as new faucets and a stereo, and he replaced the instruments with brand new B&G gear. He never got to sail her before being forced to relocate out of state. His loss is our gain! Shadow is in 100% prime condition to go cruising today.
We cannot wait to get out there cruising with the SBYC family again. Burger Burn is just around the corner and we cannot wait to see you all on the water!
I want to specifically thank a few members of the club who helped us through the process:
- Roger Newby, who showed us boats and was a constant source of encyclopedic information to call on.
- Harold & Jessie, Harold for his bottomless mechanical knowledge and help inspecting the boat, and Jessie for constantly harassing me to get a boat for Clara.
- Larry Clark, for his deep insight into all things sailing.
- AJ Mallory, for letting me bounce ideas off of him.
- Matt Fraser, for going into deep detail on the hydronic heating system in his boat.
And of course, I want to particularly thank Dennis and Kathy Oelrich! The Oelrich’s looked at Shadow the day before I did and almost made an offer on the boat, themselves, but we snatched it away from them. I did not know they were the “other couple making an offer” ‘til Dennis called me the day before closing! Not to rub it in, but you missed out on a great boat! You can come sailing on her anytime.
Bring on the sunshine and sailing!
Join us this month on April 20, for the virtual dinner meeting on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89856317440?pwd=NEl1RVJCL0kvMXU3d1ZBcklqbEFsZz09#success
Agenda:
6:30 pm – Official start.
We will go “around the horn” and hear from everyone depending on how many guests we have; join early if you would like to chat more informally.
7:00 pm – Presentation:
Southern Resident orcas and you: Local orca pods, the risks they face, and what we can all do to help
7:45 pm – Wrap up.
Speakers:
Nora Nickum, Ocean Policy Manager, Seattle Aquarium
and
Rein Attemann, Puget Sound Campaign Manager, Washington Environmental Council.
Please join us on April 20, 2021 at 6:30pm for a special presentation about the local Southern Resident orca pods and the Give Them Space Campaign, a conservation education and public outreach effort to help reduce noise and disturbance around this critically endangered orca population. The presentation will cover Southern Resident orca biology and family structure, their unique food needs, their seasonal range of habitat, and the science behind the three main threats to their survival. It will conclude with ways everyone can support orca recovery, and invite boaters to take a voluntary pledge to help quiet the waters and give orcas space. There are three new calves in the orca population, bringing hope and also the need to make sure they have what they need to thrive.
Boaters have an important role to play in championing the conservation and recovery of these iconic and beloved orcas. Join us to learn more!
The Give Them Space campaign is a joint effort of Washington Environmental Council, Seattle Aquarium, The Whale Trail, Friends of the San Juans, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Presenter Bios:
Nora Nickum is the Ocean Policy Manager at the Seattle Aquarium, where she works on state and federal policy issues such as orca recovery, plastic pollution, and climate change. Her work prior to joining the team at the Seattle Aquarium included serving as project manager for the Governor’s Southern Resident Orca Recovery Task Force and working internationally on climate resilience at the US Agency for International Development.
Rein Attemann is the Puget Sound Campaign Manager at Washington Environmental Council where he builds and implements campaigns to achieve policy protections through strong stakeholder and political support for issues important to the health of the Salish Sea, such as orca and salmon recovery and protection, clean water, healthy habitats, and oil spill prevention.
Photograph: Amazon website illustrating Erich Hoyt’s book ‘Orca: The Whale Called Killer’, publisher: Firefly Books.
SBYC is still looking for a Treasurer to step into the empty position. This is a position that must be filled in order for the club to continue.
If the position sounds daunting, fret not! LB has done a fantastic job of making it easy to be treasurer. LB will be available through the end of the year to train the next Treasurer.
Please, please, consider stepping into this role. It has minimal demands and is critical to the future of the club!
There may even be a treasure chest you get to hide in your backyard ;).