It turns out writing an article for a yachting club in February is a bit of a challenge. We have had precious few dry days to sail, and even working on the boat in winter is hard. Having said that, where the days are getting longer and thoughts are turning toward sailing. I tend to daydream about brisk sails and sunny evenings enjoying an adult beverage at anchor, but the reality is I need to be working on the LIST. We all have a set of things the boat needs, either residing in the back of our consciousness or written on a scrap of paper somewhere. In my case I have evolved to entering it as a note on my smartphone. It turns out this is the simplest method to ignore, so things are slow to get done. At some point I do need to track down that leak in the cabin – the one where I have already removed the headliner three times to find but have failed to fix. The companionway slider needs to be removed, serviced, and re-sealed. Finally, after a decade it is time to replace the house battery. If any of you know someone with double jointed four foot arms who can lift a 110lb AGM battery out of an access panel in my bilge let me know – a case of beer awaits.
In the meantime club events will keep us in the boating mood. The Winter Cruise, February dinner meeting, and Snowbird racing series all offer a chance to get together, socialize and share spring boating plans. If you tend to be on the fence about attending these events it is time to jump in. They are a lot of fun, and you never know when you might be able to get recruit some help marking an item of two off the LIST.
As I have alluded to in the past, we spend some of our winter leisure time skiing. It seems sailors are more likely to ski and bike compared to the general population. Perhaps it is a love for non-motorized outdoor fun. In either case we recently returned from a week in Colorado enjoying Copper Mountain and Keystone. The snow was great, adjusting to activity high in the Rocky Mountains was another matter. Living at sea level is great for marine activities, but a bit of disadvantage in the mountains. The photo above is the Admiral and I catching our breath at 12,000 feet on a cold but beautiful day.
Hello Members of the club,
It has been an eventful month behind the scenes, and we finally have the new Membership Rosters available. We will be handing them out at the February dinner meeting, and if you can’t make it to that meeting, we will hold your roster booklets and membership cards through to the March meeting. If you haven’t picked up by then, we’ll mail your copies to you. One mea culpa on the rosters: There are a couple of typos that came to light after printing, and we neglected to give our past Commodore, long time Cruise Chair and now current Fleet Captain his due recognition in the roster booklet. Ben Lobaugh has agreed to serve as Fleet Captain for the club this year. If you need to contact the Fleet Captain, Ben is your man.
The Roster shows 27 boats, and over 70 amazing members. Whether traveling near or far, the SBYC membership always greets one another with open arms, smiles, and stories from the sea. It’s a great group of members with experiences from across the globe.
As we move closer to the cruising season, the Rear Commodore and the SBYC Board ask you to think about those other travelers of the Salish Sea that have come across your path. Might they be good additions to our hardy band of salty dogs?
The local cruises are a great opportunity to invite guests to see what SBYC is all about. Winter Fest is here this month, and Yellow Fest is just around the corner at the beginning of April. If you know of anyone who you think would be a good fit, please invite them to join the club on a cruise. We’ll do our best to show them a good time!
I’m so looking forward to another season of cruising, smiling and trading stories with you all!
Jason Breitling,
Rear Commodore, SBYC
King tides, big blows, and low pressure everywhere! The Pacific Northwest’s grey, blustery winters are great for perusing our maintenance and project lists, charts, and Cruising Guides (including the free encyclopedic US Coast Pilot) in cozy comfort. But hearty souls will venture out to Bell Harbor Marina this month for SBYC’s 2023 kickoff cruise on Feb 17-19 (https://www.portseattle.org/maritime/bell-harbormarina). By land or by sea, we’re looking forward to seeing familiar and new faces on the docks that weekend, gathering for fun aboard and ashore in downtown Seattle. Drive-in fest-goers who choose to dine at Anthony’s can get their Pier 66 garage parking validated. As of February 7, Bell Harbor reported four SBYC vessels registered on C-Dock; there may still be time to get your boat registered by calling the marina office. Bell Harbor Marina monitors VHF 66a in case info is needed on approach.
The complete 2023 Cruise Calendar is in the Events tab on the SBYC website. We’re still looking for sponsors for the May Burger Burn and the June Dinner Dance; contact us at cruisechair@shilsholebayyachtclub.org if you’d like to help.
We’re a few days away yet from a reliable weather picture for Winter Fest weekend, but as a Seattle native I can confidently predict we’ll have sun or clouds, possibly rain or unseasonably dry, wind or calm, and temps will likely fall between 20 and 80 degrees that weekend – so, pack/dress like a mariner and join us at the Bell Harbor Winter Fest!
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
– John Steinbeck