Newsletter - Corinthian Yacht Club of Bellingham, Washington

May 2010 issue:

Commodore's Corner
Upcoming Events
On the docks …
On the water …
Board Meeting Minutes

Do you have questions about the HomePort Newsletter or want to volunteer? Contact Kathy Sheehan at editor@cycbellingham.org

Commodore's Corner

Now that you've finally cleared the antifreeze out of the freshwater system and have good oil in the engine, it's time to go racing. The CYC racing season is off to a great start. Great because we've had enough wind for a race each of the first two Thursdays and great because we've had a good turnout of boats. It's cheap fun and a great excuse to get the boat out on a regular basis. Every evening is a great evening on the bay, even if it rains.

The racing story

If you haven't raced before or haven't for a while, come on out anyway. Be out in the bay at the committee boat between 5:30 and 6 PM on any Thursday. If you haven't signed up, call Bill Apt or send him an e-mail (billapt@yahoo.com) to figure out which start you should be in and then show up.

We have three starts each Thursday this season, at 6:05, 6:10 and at 6:15 PM (5 minute warning at 6 PM) for the different classes, depending on size and whether or not you fly a spinnaker. If you are a newbie, go with the non-flying-sails (no spinnaker) cruising class to begin with. There is a starting sequence of flags and signals, so ask somebody in the same start to lead you through the start procedure.

Call the race committee boat on VHF Channel 69 to be sure the committee knows who you are. We should be able to catch up with the paperwork later. If you need help with how to get around the course and for a rough idea of the rules, Bill Apt will get you help. (You can also download race information on the CYC website.) It is like any other activity: the more you know ahead of time, the more you will get out of it, but don't be intimidated. We all started knowing nothing.

The hair-raising story

Enough of my soapbox talking. Here's an Alaska story. Once upon a time (10 years ago) in Prince William Sound, Barbara and I were traveling through a narrow channel near Whittier in the Bon Accord. If memory serves me right, it was Culross Passage. (Look for it here: http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/16700.shtml) It seemed very narrow: I was sitting up on the starboard coaming, steering with the tiller extension and was totally focused on the rocks in the narrow waterway. Barbara was below fixing lunch, I think.

All of sudden there was a spout not three feet over my right shoulder! A young bull killer whale had surfaced right next to us! Barbara felt a bump just before hearing my gasp. She started up the companionway and found me standing straight up on the lazarette with my eyes opened wider than she had ever seen them before. My hair must have been standing straight up too.

The whale had bumped us gently and moved on past, as if shouldering us aside to make room for himself. A bit greedy for space if you ask me: no sense of fairness. He was the overtaking vessel, wasn't he?

—Mel Davidson

Upcoming Events

(For more info, see Events & Cruises)

May 11: CYC Monthly Potluck
May 14-15: Tentative date for Matia Island Clean-up
May 22: Poker Run
Tues, June 8: Raft-up at linear moorage in Fairhaven. Potluck or dinghy to dinner in Fairhaven
June 19-20: Sucia Cruise, Fossil Bay
Sun, July 4: Raft-up in Chuckanut Bay, then back to watch the fireworks.

2010 CYC Officers
and Board Members

Commodore - Mel Davidson
Secretary - Bob Jenkins
Treasurer - Bob Cooper
Administrative Officer - Laurent Martel
Membership Chair - Ray Gobush
Race Chair - Bill Apt
Cruise Chair - Bob Plumb
Reciprocity - Steve Clevenger

Please support our advertisers!

On the water and on the docks

On the docks …

May 11 meeting and potluck BBQ

The last regularly scheduled CYC meeting until September is Tuesday, May 11 at the Squalicum Yacht Club (although there is some talk about informal potlucks through the summer). Please join us for a potluck barbecue and hear John Milczewski, past USCG Auxiliary flotilla commander and staff officer for education, talk about boating safety. This meeting is our annual spring BBQ; the Club provides the grills and condiments; you bring a side dish and a something to grill.

April CYC meeting

At our April meeting, Jim Yalden of Sedro-Woolley talked about sailing and racing, solo and long-distance, in the waters off Australia. Yalden had some exciting experiences in boats ranging from a 17-foot dinghy to a 29-foot ocean sailor.

Opening Day of Boating Season

Our club sponsored the Opening Day Swap Meet Saturday, May 3, and netted $90 in "booth" donations for Home Port Learning Center. Thanks to Bruce Henninger, there was a great turnout of club members who offered line, winches, shackles, sails, dinghies, and assorted other items for sale or swap. The Bellingham Yacht Club did its thing later in the day, including organizing a boat parade in front of Boulevard Park, and some of our club members took advantage of the fair weather to get out on the bay.

Gate Codes Changed

Squalicum Harbor changed the gate codes on May 3 and the gates will remain unlocked during the day for the rest of the season. If you need the new code, call the Squalicum Harbor Office at 676-2542. You will need to identify yourself and give the staff your account or slip number. The Harbor office asks that you do not share your code with people who do not have boats in the harbor.

New Pumpouts

This spring on Gates 8 and 9, the Port of Bellingham installed new pumpouts for your heads. Instructions are printed on the carts and dump station. If you have any questions on how to operate pumpout equipment, call the Squalicum Harbor office at 676-2542.

On the water …

Racing Fun

As Mel Davidson points out in his commodore's column, the turnout for the Thursday night races has been very good, and the weather has been most cooperative. In fact, a record 33 boats have signed up for the weekly races, and the action is replayed at Cascade Pizza later in the evening. Race results are posted on the CYC website, usually by the next day. On Thursday, April 29, there was even a whale sighting between the harbor entrance and the starting line.

Want to see what it's like on the bay? Check the CYC website for a link to photo galleries where you can download photos or upload your own.

The Thursday night fleet isn't as competitive as the Wednesday night fleet, and the racers have a wide variety of experience. Even experienced sailors learn a thing or two, as was evidenced when Gary Baker discovered that neither one of the horns on his boat (the committee boat) was working on the night of the third race. The racers learned shortly after, via Channel 69, that the starts would be solely by signal flags, and many of the sailors scrambled below decks for a reference book with signal flags.

Was that first pennant that went up on Gary's boat the starting flag for the first of three starts? Or the flag of Japan?

Race committee chairman Bill Apt has provided an explanation of the signals that are used in case it happens again. There are three starts, and each starting group gets a 5-minute warning, 4-minute warning and 1-minute warning before their start.

A solid blue preparatory flag goes up 4 minutes before each start and comes down 1 minute before each start. (Note: many other races use a blue flag with a white square in the middle for the preparatory flag.)

The class flags, for #1, #2, and #3 starts, go up 5 minutes before the respective start and remain up until the appropriate start.

Newsletter Archives

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Newsletter articles and photos may be submitted to: editor@cycbellingham.org

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