Before a packed clubhouse on Friday, January 16, Commodore Stuart Burnell, assisted by Vice Commodore Jerry Diercks, Rear Commodore Denny Vaughn, and Junior Staff Commodore Brian Watkins, announced the winners of the 2014 CYC Awards.  The Commodores noted that many members had had great 2014 seasons, with 18 of the top 25 Puget Sound boats (as designated by 48 Degrees North) coming from CYC.

Winners of the Discretionary Awards, selected by the Club’s Board in a secret ballot:

Sailor of the Year: Fritz Lanzinger, selected for his outstanding sailing as crew (usually tactician) and skipper in a wide variety of boats, including Greg Slyngstad’s J-125 Hamachi and Kerman 44 Wasabi, 505s and International 14s:  winner of  the I-14 US Nationals with Dalton Bergan, 1 in Division 3 and 4^th overall in the Pacific Cup on Hamachi, 4^th in the 505 North Americans sailing with Augie Diaz, 2^nd overall in the San Diego to Puerto Vallarta race followed by 1^st in class at the MEXORC and 2^nd in class at the SF Big Boat series, all on Hamachi,  2^nd in class at Grand Prix on Wasabi and 1^st at the CYC Turkey Bowl on his own 505. (Other nominees:  Pat Denny, Jerry Diercks, Pat Schirmer and Derek Vranizan).

Boat of the Year:  Ranger, a Thistle skippered by Pat Schirmer, which won each of the CYC Lake series in the large and highly competitive Thistle fleet: Spring, Interim, Summer and Fall, the year-long Transom trophy as top Seattle Thistle Fleet boat, and with firsts at the Pacific NW Championships and at the Sandy Douglas Memorial regatta, both held on Sequim Bay. (Other nominees:  Absolutely (Charlie Macaulay), Delirium (Jerry Diercks), Here and Now (Pat Denny), Jubilee (Erik Kristen) and Terremoto (Bill Weinstein)).

Hans Otto Giese Award:  Michele Rogalin Henderson for her very active role in promoting Club events and activities through social media, supporting the Friday night ‘happy hours,’ developing a volunteer base for the bar program, managing the Club’s staffing at the Boat Show for several years and volunteering at the bar.  In all her roles, Michele has signed up numerous new Club members, more than any other single individual.  She recently completed a two-year stint on the Board and is the Club’s new Secretary. (Other nominees:  Herb Holley and Geoff Pease).

Boating Family of the Year:  Shauna, JC, Nate, Kaley and Easton Walgren, who in July 2014 completed a 10-month cruise of the Pacific Coast down to La Paz and Hawaii after a 5-year rebuild of their live-aboard CMS 41 Sand Dollar.  Shauna, Nate, Kaley and Easton have been very involved in the Junior program, both before and after their cruise, and Shauna was instrumental in forming a Women’s Sailing Group at CYC to increase participation of and enjoyment by women in sailing activities.

Cruising Boat of the Year (Greig Memorial Trophy): Solstice, a Norseman 400 owned by Ron and Peggy Watt. Besides regular weekends off the dock exploring local water and participating in and leading various CYC cruises, the Watts also do a two to four week summer cruise each year.  This past summer the Watts spent four weeks on the outside of Vancouver Island exploring Barkley and Clayoquot Sounds. Both have been active in the Club’s social and educational activities and Peggy recently joined the Board. (Other nominee:  Sand Dollar, JC and Shauna Walgren.)

Junior Awards: Three outstanding performances by the Club’s Junior Sailors.

Gary Horder Award for an active and successful racing program:  Owen Timms, who was first overall in the Pacific Northwest Youth Racing Circuit in Optimists, was first in both the Frigid Digit and Turkey Bowl Regattas and sailed successfully in many Optimist regattas around the country, and was invited to join the USODA Development Team.

George Spalding Award for the most inspirational Junior sailor: Abbie Carlson.  Abbie was noted as being the only Seattle female championship fleet sailor, and handling hanging with a bunch of 12 and 13 year old boys with absolute grace.  She also had an outstanding sailing season, with numerous “top 5” finishes in various Opti regattas and almost always the top female finisher both in Pac NW and national regattas.  She has qualified to attend the US Opti Dinghy Association team trials at Coral Reef YC in the spring of 2015, and recently was one of 15 junior sailors from around the US named to attend the Magic Marine and Easter Regatta in Holland later in 2015.

Bill Lieberman Trophy for the top CYC Junior in the NW Regional Optimist Dinghy Regatta: Justin Skene, who was 4^th overall and top NW finisher.

Dog House Trophy for the most Unseaman-Like Activity:  Bruce Van Deventer and Bob Rinker, for a most unfortunate series of events involving parking their Melges 24 Wiggle Room at PSSR against a light pole and within inches of a power line, requiring appearances by the Fire Department and a City Light crew, and, after finally getting to sail, having the rudder rip out the gudgeons with the boat spinning out of control, an outboard that would not start and eventually a rescue by Jan and Skip Anderson in their photo boat.

Honor Roll of Champions

In addition, the Commodores announced the new names to be added to the Club’s Honor Roll of Champions for winning national or international championships or honors of an equivalent level:

• Dalton Bergan / Fritz Lanzinger – winners, U.S. Nationals for the Internationals 14s, San Francisco Bay
• Paul LaMarche – winner, the Southern Straits, Long Course: first to finish, first overall, first in class, and first in IRC.
• Michael O’Brien – winner, Laser Radials Masters, North Americans, Columbia Gorge
• Greg Slyngstad / Fritz Lanzinger – winner, Pacific Cup, Division 3
• Derick Vranzizan – winner, Laser Canadian Nationals, English Bay, Canada
• Keith Whittemore – winner, the Italian J-24 National Championships, Lake Como, Italy

 Performance Awards, for winning Club regattas during 2014:

Commodore/Gibson Trophies – winners of the two-day cruising race:
Gibson Race: Derek Storm and Cindy Gosset of CYC on Outlaw,a J-30
Commodore Race: Kirk Utter and Jamie Thomas of CYC on Scimitar, a Martin 30

Stuarts at Shilshole – winner of the CYC Jack n Jill double-handed race:
Laney Gale and Mark Mezeski of Sloop Tavern on Blue Martini, an Olson 911

Blakely Rock Race Trophy – winner of the Blakely Rocks Race:
PHRF: John Cahill of CYC on Gaucho, a Ross 930
IRC: Paul LaMarche of CYC on Neptune’s Car, a Santa Cruz 70

Possession Point Trophy – winner of the Scatchet Head Race:
PHRF: Shaun Breese of CYC on Tachyon, a Farr 39
IRC: John Buchan of SYC on Glory, a TP 52

Pulley Point Trophy – winner of the Three Tree Point Race:
PHRF: Grady Morgan of CYC on Project Mayhem, a Farr 30
IRC: John Kerrigan of Port Madison YC on New Haven, a Ker 44

Werner Ohmes Foghorn Trophy – overall best performance in Center Sound:
Erik Kristen of CYC on Jubilee, a J-105

Northwest Challenge Cup – best overall performance in CSS, PSSR and PSSC:
Pat Denny of CYC on Here and Now, a J-29

The Commodores recognized and thanked the many people who are necessary to put on the quality and quantity of races at CYC – from webmasters who set up the registration and scoring systems, Beth and Celeste in Office who handle many issues, protest judges, people who arrange for sponsors and prizes, event coordinators, bar and food staff, especially Karen and Jeremy, and the whaler drivers, race committee staff, and the many others who act as starters, scorekeepers and support, and all those who have act as Principal Race Officers, particularly Charlie Rathkopf and Kevin Cunningham.

The large crowd, well fed by another great meal and lubricated by the bar staff, continued long after the awards were given celebrating the nominees and winners, recalling somewhat true sailing adventures and looking forward to the 2015 season, with Center Sound just around the corner.