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At the Shilshole Clubhouse, the bar will open at 6:30 PM, there will be appetizers and the presentation will start at 7:00 PM. The show will last until 8:30 or 9:00 PM. The dates and programs are described below.
February 5: No program this year.
February 12
CYC Fleet Captain for Cruising Bill Mains will present “A Tale of Five Hulls.”
This is a two-part presentation. The first part will describe the transformation of a wrecked racing sailboat into a rather strange motorboat, aboard which Bill did a solo run of the entire Intracoastal Waterway along the U.S. Atlantic Coast. The photo has clues about the development of that boat.
The second part of Bill's presentation is a recap of various lengthy solo cruises on the U.S. and Canadian West Coast. This involves a somewhat larger and definitely more luxurious boat than the East Coast adventure. He even had a stove to heat food on! Can you identify the bridge in the photo?
February 19
Frenesi: Success and Disaster Alternating is the title of a presentation by Dan Callahan about a keelboat affiliated with the UW sailing organization, now called the Washington Yacht Club. Dan is an expert sailor who has been involved with this boat for many years. He will describe how useful the boat has been and still is to that club, in spite of a major accident that happened in the middle of the boat's career. The photo shows Frenesi getting ready to tow a racing catamaran to a popular state park on an island east of Rich Passage.
Crew for Cowes Race Week
February 26
Steve Travis Racing at Cowes Week
Steve Travis, owner of the One Design 48 Flash, has enticed many of his regular crew to join him for European Vacations to race with our “cousins” across the pond. In 2009 Steve chartered the DK 46 Dark and Steamy and raced at Cowes Week with over 800 other boats in mulitiple classes. They had some exciting times sailing non windward-leeward courses where the turning marks where occassionally forts. Steve will talk about his experiences. There will also be a video of racing on the Farr 45 Cutting Edge in 2006.
Susie Stillman from Seattle Yacht Club has agreed to do a promo for 2010 Norpac, with slides, just before Steve's talk. It will probably be 15 minutes or so. Three CYC boats participated in Norpac in 2008.
April 3-4 - Pizza Cruise to Kingston
We will meet in Kingston Marina at 1700 for happy hour and then go to Bella Luna for Pizza. If you plan to be there, it's very important to notify Bill Mains so he can make a restaurant reservation: mainsbill@yahoo.com, cell 206-979-5705. See if you can get a reservation at the marina. Call (360) 297-3545. But they save half the moorage for non-reservation visitors, so if you can't reserve, arrive early.
Memorial Day cruise to Longbranch and Gig Harbor.
From Bill Mains, Fleet Captain Cruise. We plan to raft up Saturday in the Longbranch Harbor for happy hour at 5 PM. No plans for a potluck. Many cruisers dinghy in to the dock to take a shuttle bus to the 8 PM dance in a very impressive 1939 building. There's a reasonable entry fee to hear the band and dance and there will be a bar. See longbranchimprovementclub.org.
Longbranch is a large excellent anchorage and there's a designated dinghy space at the dock. There are usually lots of boats at this event.
Sunday night we plan to raft up in Gig Harbor either at anchor or at the Jerisich Park free public dock if there is room; rafting is permitted on the open side of the dock, but watch the depth. Gig is a good place to explore in dinghies or kayaks, or you can of course use your new stand-up paddleboard. The small town is worth a walk-through and there are various restaurants.
It's 31 NM from Shilshole to the Tacoma Narrows bridges if you go east of Vashon and 26 NM if you go up Colvos Passage. It's 11 NM from the bridge to Longbranch. Saturday there will be strong flood running through the Narrows 3-7 PM. Sunday there will be strong ebb 9 AM-2 PM.
It's very important to let me know if you plan to go, at mainsbill@yahoo.com or cell 206-979-5705.
Overnight cruise to Mats Mats with raft-up there in the harbor.
The small bay of Mats Mats has an entrance only five feet deep at low tide, although the bay itself has mostly twenty feet and a hard mud bottom. Saturday there will be good depth: 4.5 feet at 6 PM. Sunday low tide is 0.7 feet at 6 AM and it goes up to 3.9 feet at 10 AM.
We'll plan to get there at about 5 PM and raft up and share hors d'oeuvres.
It's very important to notify me if you're planning to come, at mainsbill@yahoo.com or cell 206-979-5705.
July 3-5th - Poulsbo - Quartermaster
We plan to raft up in Liberty Bay at Poulsbo Saturday July 3 around 6 PM for drinks and hors d'oeuvres. No plans for a potluck. There are usually several hundred boats at this event and locating other CYC members can be a problem. The first boat should anchor somewhere near the three marinas to make it easier to find each other. Please fly your club burgee.
Because of the difficulty of locating the CYC raft-up in the big crowd at Liberty Bay, Bill Mains will stand by his VHF on Troika each hour on the hour from 3 to 7 pm to answer calls from CYC cruisers trying to locate the raftup. He may also respond at other times, but will not feel obligated to stick to the radio continuously. He will also answer his cell phone 206-979-5705. If you think you are the first boat to anchor, please let him know.
Sunday we will raft up in Quartermaster Harbor at about 6 PM for that show. There's a good dock for dinghies and a fairly big marina to explore. On the way into Quartermaster on the east side is the Dockton County Park, which is a good place to tie up for an hour or two to check out the beach.
Agate Passage Saturday: after slack tide at about 3:30 PM there will be a strong flood tide running south through Agate. Then a weak ebb runs, so current should not be a problem. Rich Passage Sunday: tidal currents are weak till about 2 PM, then till 4 PM there will be significant ebb.
It's about a 40-mile run from Poulsbo to Quartermaster if you go down on the east side of Vashon. It's about a 33-mile run from Quartermaster back to Shilshole if you use Colvos Passage, which most people take because the current there is almost always running north.
It's very important to notify me at mainsbill@yahoo.com or cell 206-979-5705 if you know you're coming or think you're coming to one or both events, so I'll know who to look for. Bill Mains, Fleet Captain Cruise
July 31 - August 1 - Commodore - Gibson
Join us for this fun race to Port Ludlow and back the next day.
This is a very casual race/cruise to Port Ludlow Saturday and back Sunday. It's a reverse start by handicap, so in theory all boats will finish simultaneously. This is another event with appeal for CYC racers and cruisers alike. Join us for this fun race starting at the Meadow Point Buoy and ending at Port Ludlow. Winners and others will receive fabulous prizes. We will stay in Port Ludlow. This year a rendezvous was scheduled long ago by a large group of Hunter sailboats, so the marina and all shore facilities are completely booked (except for the small reciprocal dock which is first come first served). If reciprocal is full we will raft up at anchor. Bring something to grill and/or a salad, side dish or dessert and we'll have dinner together on the largest boat.
Because the organizers need to know each boat's handicap to calculate the time differences, please notify Bill Mains at mainsbill@yahoo.com or cell 206-979-5705 if you plan to come or may come and also let me know if you have a grill on your boat. (CYC members only, please.) If you don't have a handicap, Bill will help negotiate one for you for this event. There will be a skipper's meeting at 9 AM Saturday at the clubhouse, with the first (slowest-rated) boat starting at 10. This meeting is important because you'll need to know when you should start, and a sheet with lots more info about the course will be handed out.
Schedule:
August 9-20 Canada cruise (Tentative)
Itinerary will include Howe Sound and Gulf Islands.
September 4 - 6 - Labor Day Cruise
Bremerton and Gig Harbor.
Saturday September 4 we will be in the Bremerton Marina. Each boat should call 360-373-1035 to reserve a slip; there is a $5 non-refundable registration fee to charge to your credit card. Once registered they send an e-mail confirmation with a file that shows where all the slips are located. On arrival there is an 800 number on the dock side of the gate with instructions that say the message at that number will tell you the gate code. That same number is posted on the office door ashore, but without mentioning that it obtains the gate code. Happy hour 5-6 on the biggest boat; no potluck planned.
That whole weekend in Bremerton is the annual Blackberry Festival along the city boardwalk very close by.
Sunday evening we will be in Gig Harbor. Boats can possibly find free dock space at the public Jerisich Park dock; they allow rafting on the side of the dock that has no other docks nearby, but some of the dock is in very shallow water. If there is no dock space we will raft up at anchor in that vicinity. The Jerisich Park dock is a good place to tie up dinghies to explore town. Happy hour will start sometime between 5 and 6 on the largest boat. Since some crews may prefer to eat in a restaurant ashore, no potluck is scheduled.
Distances and tides are as follows.
Shilshole-Rich Passage-Bremerton 15 NM, favorable flood Sat 10 AM-3 PM
Shilshole-Agate Passage-Bremerton 17.5 NM, favorable flood Sat 10 AM-3 PM
Brem-Colvos-Gig 21, adverse flood in Rich Passage Sun 10 AM-3 PM
Brem-East Passage-Gig 28, probably less adverse current than Colvos
Gig-Colvos-Shilshole 23, usual small north-going current in Colvos
It's very important to let me (Bill Mains) know if you expect to participate in one or both legs of the cruise. mainsbill@yahoo.com, cell 206-979-5705
October 16-17 - Fog Cruise to Bainbridge Island
Join the diehard cruisers for an overnight trip to Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island, also known as the ferry destination of Winslow. We will moor at the city dock, which is just west of the big ferry terminal. Rafting is permitted.
On arrival skippers need to go to the pay station at the head of the dock to fill out a moorage envelope and pay $.50/foot. There is a supermarket two blocks away. Happy hour will be at 5 PM abord the boat with the largest warm cabin. Dinner will be at a local restaurant to be determined.
This facility now provides use of shower stalls ashore included with the moorage fee, along with toilets which are locked at late hours. Door codes for the showers and toilets will be provided later.
It's very important to notify Fleet Captain Cruise Bill Mains if you're planning to come or think you might come. He's at mainsbill@yahoo.com or cell 206-979-5705.
November 13-14 - Dinner Cruise
This is the annual Edmonds Dinner Cruise. If you come by boat you could call the marina at 425-775-4588 to reserve dock space, although at this time of year it's unlikely to be full. Of course it's also possible to show up in a virtual boat (your car). In the recent past only one or two boats have actually made the trip, but there have been people who drive up. We will meet at Arnie's restaurant there at the marina at 6 PM for drinks and dinner.
It's very important to notify Bill Mains at mainsbill@yahoo.com or cell 206-979-5705 if you're planning to come.
December 31 - January 1st - New Year's Eve Cruise
Reviving a CYC tradition, we've arranged with the Port Madison Yacht Club to spend New Year's Eve at their reciprocal dock with the use of their clubhouse. This mooring space is on the southern side of their westmost float and that dock area is marked as reciprocal. Imagine getting to sail on a reach to your destination and on a reach back!
No public fireworks, no big-screen TV showing the ball dropping in Times Square, but excellent moorage and a cozy space on shore with wood-burning stove for heat and plenty of firewood and a fully-equipped kitchen. A good event for all ages and the price is right.
A few more facts about the cruise. The docks have only 15-amp power hookups which are free but should not be used for electric heaters. On New Year’s Eve we will have happy hour ashore at 5 PM and potluck dinner at 6. Potluck breakfast will be at 9 to 10 on New Year’s Day. People could bring some low-end fireworks if they want to.
It's very important to notify Fleet Captain Cruise Bill Mains if you're planning to come or think you might come. He's at mainsbill@yahoo.com or cell 206-979-5705.