Ahoy Sequoia,

Have you come by the Club and checked out the festive tree and holiday decorations? The Club looks great. Thanks to all the helpers who put up the tree and all the decorations! This is a great time of year to come by afterwork, join your friends, turn on the fireplace, pour a beverage and enjoy the warm, cozy holiday atmosphere of your Yacht Club.

Support our Mariners! Petra and I went by the tree lot that the Tradewinds crew are helping to run this year. The young sailors helped us pick out the great tree that is gracing our lounge. They even carried it and put it in the truck! …great service with a smile! Many thanks to Jennifer, Michaela, Laura, Mia and Teri! (see photo left).

You can support The Mariners too, by buying your family tree from their lot. It is located at the Palo Alto Little League Middlefield Park:

3672 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto.
For more information: call 650.693.6614

Maintenance report! Next time you see House Managers Fabian Pease or Ted Eberle around the Club you may want to thank them and buy them a beer! This week Larry Mayne picked up a new toilet for the men's head (Thanks Larry!) and Saturday, Fabian and Ted installed it! This job is not for the faint of heart! Fabian and Ted pushed through and did Yeoman's Duty! Thanks Fabian and Ted! (see photo right)

The DID at tomorrow's General Meeting will include some wonderful, delicious Holiday Fare prepared by our own Steward, Lina.

Come and enjoy-

• Christmas pulled pork (side BBQ or pico de gallo), or
• Lemon caper chicken
• Corn bread, Hawaiian rolls and honey butter
• Wild or white rice
• Peas and mushrooms with sherry
• Kale sprout slaw
• Mixed greens with tomato/cucumber
• Assorted dressing
• Apple or pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream

All for $15.50.

**Let us know if your are vegetarian. Lina can help make sure you have an awesome meal!

Mark you calendar!

Friday, December 19th. The whole Sequoia Family will gather for a Sequoia tradition…

The Holiday DID! Come for the great food, drink and fellowship and then enjoy a festive Holiday sing-a-long! We are fortunate to have Secretary Robin Weber's mom joining us that evening. Jo Hughes is a wonderful pianist and she will lead us through all of your favorite songs of the season!

See you at the Club!

Happy mid-December everyone!

Your club is flying with exciting social, cruising and race opportunities that I hope you are able to enjoy.

A couple of quick things:

Sheila Jones (thank you Sheila for your work in this regard) has updated the online Member Roster and I would ask that you check your data either ask me or Sheila to coordinate any changes.  It would be great to have the final-final in place by New Years Eve, so please give it a look. 

We also have a couple of new house rules that have been published.  Please be aware of these changes and stay off the Naughty List – especially this time of year!

Finally, the website calendar has been updated with this year’s Officer of the Day candidates.  Please look for your name and mark your calendar for a relaxing day at your club!

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

On-the-water activities are in full swing at Sequoia, even as we approach the first day of Winter. If you are still working on your list to Santa, I hope that you have been really good this year and that your list is filled with things that will get you off the dock, into a boat and out on the bay.

The Sequoia Web site, www.sequoiayc.org, is up to date with all the 2015 on-the-water activities. You can find current racing information at www.sequoiayc.org/racing and www.sequoiayc.org/racecalendar. We are using www.jibeset.net for registration and posting results, so visit that site and click on the link for Sequoia Yacht Club to sign up for races. You can find current cruise-out information at www.sequoiayc.org/cruising and use the on-line sign-up sheets for upcoming events. The complete list of club activities can be found at www.sequoiayc.org/events.

Winter racing continues this Saturday with Winter #2. Winter racing is a long-standing tradition at Sequoia and there is always a good turnout. The big storm will have blown through by Saturday, so it should be a great day to get out on the water. One week later the Redwood Cup Series continues, so there is no excuse for having cabin fever this winter. Fleet Captain Tim Anto will be holding the skippers meeting in the club at 11:30 this Saturday for the Winter #2 race.

Finally, show us your holiday spirit. Pull out all those holiday lights and string them from stem to stern, up every halyard and around every lifeline. Those who were down at the club this last weekend saw the PG&E helicopters ferrying crews and equipment to the power lines just outside the harbor. This was in response to a special request from the Sequoia staff to ensure that there is sufficient power for what is sure to be a magnificent display of lights in our marinas. Prizes for the best display will be awarded at the DID on Friday, Dec. 19. Due to work in and around the harbor, there will be no lighted boat parade this year, only dockside displays.

December is shaping up to be a great month. I'll be looking for you out on the bay.

The Children's Holiday Party is this Sunday, December 14th from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM at The Sequoia Yacht Club.

Sign your kids or grandkids up for an afternoon of Big Holiday Fun!

• Crafts!  
• Magic Mike's amazing magic show! 
• A visit from old St. Nick himself!  
• Pizza and Fun!

Please sign up at the club or on the Sequoia Website (under events-social). Be sure to include the age and gender of the kids that you are bringing.

Each signed up child will receive a gift from Santa!

Also, include your email address so we can send you a special holiday picture of your little one on Santa's lap!

The deadline for signing up was yesterday (The elves needed a little time to gather the gifts). So if you didn't make the deadline, go ahead and sign up, then bring a wrapped present (under $10 please) for Santa to give your child.

Happy Holidays!

A rare warm and pleasant December evening was the welcomed backdrop for festivities along the docks of the Encinal Yacht Club last weekend.  Winston Bumpus, Staff Commodore, presided over the christening of John and Stacy Zolk's beautiful brand new Jenneau, Cheval d'Eau.  Surrounded by family and friends, the happy Zolks splashed Champagne from bow to stern ( in accordance with traditional blessings) and broke a bottle of champagne over the bow!  The Lighted Boat parade followed with a splendid array of boats being cheered on by all.  A progressive dinner on the boats followed.

New House Rules.

We have a couple of new house rules that have been approved by the Board during the November and December Board meetings.

The first is a great new rule (Rule 17) and direction for the Club. The goal of this new rule is to raise awareness and reduce the negative impact on our environment due to non-recyclable single-use plastic and Styrofoam. The Club will be purchasing all compostable items for the various volunteers to use (Bar Manager, Galley supply, etc.) to keep on-hand. By buying them in bulk, we save money over plastic items and get a rebate from Costco. Win, win for us all, lessening work for volunteers since these will provided for them. This doesn’t mean we need to discard our current supplies of plastic cups, forks etc., however it does mean that starting March 15, 2015 we will no longer purchase plastic or Styrofoam single-use items. This is a great direction and dedication to the environment with this new rule and continues all of our terrific activities that we do to improve our environment such as Coastal Cleanup Day.

Also, you’ll notice Section 17 can include additional actions the Club can take to support sustainability and the environment. We look forward to being one of the pioneering clubs in the SF Bay area to adopt such a rule and in growing these endeavors with input from our members.
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17. Sustainability and Environmental

17.1 Due to the burden to landfills, waterways and negative effects on marine wildlife, effective March 15, 2015, the Club purchase or use of single-use plastic or Styrofoam items is discouraged when comparable priced compostable alternatives are available. This rule also extends to Club rentals’ single-use plastic items. Items include, but are not limited to, the following items: cutlery (forks, spoons, and knives), cups, straws, plates, single-use table cloths, and single-use decorations. Plastic items which are recyclable are excluded if recycled.

Board Adopted 12/8/14

The other new rule (Rule 18) is more of a clarification on how and when complimentary items such as food and beverages are provided by members of the club. It also clarifies how these will be tracked and reimbursed. This new rule will provide control of costs and much better tracking of event expenses.

18. Complimentary Food and Beverage

18.1 No complimentary food or beverages will be given to anyone who is being paid for their services or entertainment.
18.2 For improved cost accounting and inventory control, all free meals and beverages that are served on behalf of the Club must be recorded under the account of the chair of the event or member offering the free items and must be approved by the Treasurer for reimbursement.

Board Adopted 11/11/14

Please give our supporters your first consideration.  Note that most listings will have the ability to click through for further information. Also note the advertisers will change the sequence of listing so we will have a new advertiser at the top of the list each week.

If you have feedback on this advertising section or would like to have your business listing included in future editions of “The Weekly Blast”, please contact Larry Mayne at lrmayne@aol.com