August 11, 2006
Sailfest Announcement Results and Pictures Aug 4, Aug 11
The second night of this event lacked wind but overwhelmed the club with happy sailors. Proving that there is more to all of this, "Yacht Club", stuff than the sailing. A solid crew of volunteers prepared one hundred and seventy hot dogs and turkey dogs, veggie platters, and chips with dip for the hungry crews. Oh yeah there was also a free keg of beer and a wine sponsor too!
It is great to see the club house full and roaring with the sounds of people having so much fun on a Friday night! Bob Ross and Sail Northwest, again did a very nice job of hosting the evening and giving out random prizes from fowl weather gear, donated by West Marine, to rubber sharks?
Laurie Lohrer from the Port of Seattle was in attendance to promote Port events and activities and to answer questions about all the construction that is underway. Laurie has never been on a sail boat race! We must get her aboard a boat in the upcoming weeks. She also helped us out with the care and feeding of the hungry crews.
Long standing CYC Club members David Blakemore and Dick Svensson showed up and joined in the evening. More CYC club members should take their lead and come on down with family and friends even if you cannot get on the water to sail.
The energy and momentum of this event will be a success if the club can generate new members from the ranks of our Friday night guests. Last night at least four membership applications were requested. The display boards for CYC Membership, Dinghy Sailing and Cruising gained much attention from interested sailors. However, I think it is imperative that we make announcements about our Rooke Ralley, educational series offerings, upcoming racing and cruising events and a brief sell on what it means to be a Seattle Corinthian Yacht Club Member at these social sailing events.
Thanks again to all who volunteered to make this evening a success. Bob Ross and Sail Northwest, Laurie Lohrer from the Port of Seattle, Randy from J.Lohr Winery, West Marine, and CYC club members: Laura Belt, Commodore Allan Johnson, Kurt Hoehne, Charles Fawcett, Jim Miller, Pattie Heyl, Dan Heyl, Frank Flannery and Gretchen Kaiser.
-Dan Heyl
August 4, 2006
There were plenty of surprises during the first Friday Night SailFest, August 4.
The first surprise was just what a competitive start the Pleasant Evening Class had. "They really stuck together" reported Jon "Nodge" Henderson, race committee for the first ever Friday Night SailFest.
It was a surprise to see the club filled on a Friday night when there wasn't a rental.
Another surprise was the number of non-racers and new sailors the event turned out. The look of triumph that they'd made it around the course seemed like a breath of life. New faces outnumbered familiar ones by a large margin.
It was a surprise there weren't more CYC boats out.
It was a really pleasant surprise to see some dinghies out in addition to the leadbottoms. It was an equally pleasant surprise to see an ex-BOC boat on the course.
While it wasn't a big surprise that free beer might attract a crowd, it was somewhat of a surprise that it was a big crowd. While there was no exact tally, the moment of truth came when extra chairs had to be pulled out of the closet. The keg of free beer wasn't quite tapped out (a bit of a surprise), but the food was soon gone.
Bartender Karen Scheide was surprised by a couple of things. "A lot of people cleaned up their own tables, that never happens!" That, and a lot of the people actually thanked her.
There were a few other surprises. The prizes, in fact, were surprises. From the major ones such as $395 worth of sailing lessons from Seattle Sailing Club to the minor ones such as a pirate woman action figure, a lot of people went home happy. As first boat in the racing division, Stuart Burnell's Tantivy won the black pirate duck, which is expected to adorn the boat until there's a new winner.
In the end, Seattle sailing was the real winner. Boats were used, people had fun and CYC followed its mission of promoting sailing. It laid a firm foundation for the remaining three Fridays in August and set the stage for a more comprehensive effort for next year. Getting folks into the club with the help of sponsors will be a great opportunity promote sailing, strengthen our club and enhance the sailing community.
Thanks to: Seattle Sailing Club, Sail Northwest, Shilshole Bay Marina, Pattie & Dan Heyl, Jim Miller, Jon Henderson, Eric Becker, Laura Belt, Frank Flannery and Gretchen Kaiser, Charles Fawcett and Allan Johnson.
-Kurt Hoehne