What a weekend Sue and I had on the water last weekend!  We participated in the San Francisco Yacht Club cruise-out sponsored by Peter and Deb Blackmore.   While I cannot say the weather was perfect on the Bay (no double tornados like elsewhere in the country, but it was a bit windy), it sure was in Belvedere!

I sat there on Sunday morning nibbling on my Denver omelet, chatting among friends, and reflecting on a great weekend of sailing, cruising presentations (thank you Robin and Kathryn Weber) and great company, I could not help but think of our members who don’t take advantage of some of the incredible cruising opportunities available through our club.

So, may I invite our current and especially new members who own boats (or cars) to consider signing up for some of these events?   You do not need a boat!  In particular the Delta cruise-out is on the horizon, and I would not wait too long to get registered.  

And, you do not have to venture far afield to have great weekends at the Sequoia Yacht Club:

On June 27 we will have another Drop in Dinner.  

On the Friday, July 4, Sequoia will have a float in the Redwood City Fourth of July parade and I invite you to come see and cheer your float cast and crew! Later that same day, your clubhouse will be open for a lunch of burgers and hot dogs served in a casual atmosphere.  Come, bring friends, and wait for the fireworks at dusk.

On July 5th, Sequoia will be hosting the Westpoint Regatta, YRA's newest race.   We will need many volunteers for decoration, clean-up and bartending opportunities, so consider this your chance to plug into a very new and dynamic social event.

The rest of this month is going to be busy!  See you around the club.

This is always one of our favorite destinations in the cruising calendar. The combination of good sailing in the North Bay, a great destination in Belvedere plus the ambience of the San Francisco Yacht Club combine to make it special.

This year we had 11 boats and 42 people for a great weekend. It was all the more special with two notable activities on Saturday once everyone had arrived.

We all enjoyed the boat christening for John and Linda Ryan's new sailboat, Xpression. John describes this as their new cruising boat - but expect some fast times when they start competing in the club races. This is a great boat!

We then had the pleasure of a fantastic presentation by Robin and Kathryn Weber on their first 9 months cruising in Mexico. This was a huge hit with everyone. The fun stories about the many destinations and the great sailing were delightful. And it was just very good to see two special people who took the decision for a major lifestyle change, planned it thoroughly and are obviously both enjoying every moment.

As always the dinner at SFYC was excellent and the camaraderie was great. Sunday gave us a beautiful morning with breakfast on the deck and then a fun sail back home.

Thanks to everyone who joined us to make this a wonderful weekend.

Hello Members,

I heard that there is some confusion about “Island Time Parties”. 

We have two this year!  One is combo with Westpoint Regatta July 5th.

Our second is July 19th and will now be called “Delta Time Party”.

We love that theme so much…the parties will be going strong and will have lots of live music and great food for all. Please join in the fun.

- Kathy Harris
  Social Chair

Another great general meeting Friday night.  We had one first reading and eight second readings.  Thanks to all the members for their great recruiting efforts.

Honorary membership was awarded to Milton Roskelley, Past Commodore 1989, which was also the 50th anniversary of Sequoia Yacht Club.

A First Reading was held for Aimee Groce from Redwood City.  She has a 27 foot Cal sailboat Blown Away berthed in the RWC Marina.  Nominated by Evelyn Hull & Jenny Thompson.

Second readings were held for;

(No Photo Available)
Prajun & Helene Pradhan from San Mateo.  Thy are looking forward to learning more about sailing.  Nominated by Mark Narini & Winston Bumpus.

Rocio Calero & Jorge Villamariona from San Ramon, are interested in getting their children in Junior Training and sailing with other people.  Nominated by Mark Nardini & Jenny Thompson.

Patrick Szeto & Jaclyn Manrique from Sunnyvale are participating in the soda can and beer can racing.  Nominated by Peter Weigt & Robin Weber.

Greg Retkowski & Cherie Sogsti from Sunnyvale are racing their NACRA F18  This Side Up.  Nominated by Phillip Meredith & Peter Weigt.

Robert Hughes & Peter Kulmars from San Bruno are sailing in the beer can races.  Nominated by Robin Weber & Petra Gilmore.

Wayne & Laurie Johnson from Redwood City are interested in our social activities and helping build our parade float for the Redwood City July 4th parade.  Nominated by Kathy Harris & Larry Mayne.

David & Debbie Bagby from Belmont have an Island Gyspy 36 Calypso berthed at Coyote Point marina are interested in cruising out.  Nominated by Mark Sanders & David Jackson.

Tony Zavilenski & Joan Mersman from Redwood City are interested in cruising out in their Newporter 40  Against The Wind berthed at Bair Island.  Nominated by Kathy Harris & Todd Mehserle.

Welcome aboard to all new members!

As many of you may know, I am a delegate to PICYA (Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association) as well as having the honor to serve on the PICYA Board of Directors. I wanted to give you an update on some very exciting events going on at PICYA and it would be terrific if you could attend, participate and/or represent Sequoia in these activities.

CHISPA June 28th
This is a one-design regatta to be sailed on Lasers in the Oakland-Alameda estuary that is open to all ages.  A no-host dinner and party will be on  Saturday, June 28th at Oakland Yacht Club. One boat per yacht club.  Click here for more information.

Lipton Series June 29th
This Regatta, which consists of four (4) divisions, will take place on Sunday, June 29, 2014, as described below. The host yacht club is the Oakland Yacht Club (OYC).   “All races will be governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), the Declarations of Trust for the respective Perpetual Cups (see 2013 PICYA Yachting Yearbook or the PICYA website) except as any of these are modified by the Sailing Instructions.” Click here for more information.

PICYA MINI CONFERENCE July 26th
There will be a leadership conference for yacht club board members hosted at Elkhorn Yacht Club,  Moss Landing, CA from 08:30 - 12:30.  The conference, which covers subjects such as ‘Is your Yacht Club at risk?’, ‘Surviving an Audit by the State’ and ‘U.S. Coast Guard – Safety and Off-Shore Cruising’ is free but there is a $10 fee for lunch. In the afternoon you could take the ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) Training Session to receive certification and that has a $25 fee. Click here for more information.

ANNUAL PICYA WHEEL CHAIR REGATTA September 27th
PICYA is hosting its Eighteenth Annual Wheelchair Regatta. This event will once again provide veterans, many confined to wheelchairs, with the rare opportunity to experience a power boat cruise on the Oakland Estuary and San Francisco Bay along the San Francisco City front. If you are interested in participating by using your boat or helping on shore, please Click here for more information.

Please follow PICYA on Facebook at facebook.com/picya.org or go to their website at picya.org

The details are a little sketchy after all these years, but legend has it that after Hancock, Jefferson, and the others finished signing the Declaration of Independence they adjourned to the patio to celebrate with a scrumptious repast of grilled burgers and hotdogs, corn, and melon. So hey -- what better way for SYC to honor the founding fathers on July 4th than to replicate their lunch?

The Founding Fathers' Feast (hamburgers, hotdogs, sweet corn, watermelon, potato salad, with apple pie and a scoop of vanilla) will be available to SYC members and their guests on Friday, July 4, from 2-4 pm for a measly $10 per person. Please come to eat, and then hang out in anticipation of the evening's fireworks display.

Minutemen and Minutewomen are needed for grilling, galley work, set up, and clean up, so please let Dave Jackson know if you can volunteer. Many hands make light work!

- David B. Jackson
  4th of July Host

(Note: The SSSGryphon is proudly sponsored by Sequoia Yacht Club. - ed)

The Sea Scout Ship Gryphon is a part of Sea Scouts, B.S.A, a program for young adults. Our program teaches nautical skills, teamwork, and leadership to tomorrow's leaders. Our main vessel is ship T-439, a 65 foot Army transport vessel from the Korean War. Aboard the ship, the youth learn all about how to maintain and operate the vessel with their fellow ship mates.

In July the Gryphon will be hauled out in Stockton, CA to replace approximately 72 square feet of hull-plate, re-building the shaft packing around the rudder, as well as cleaning and re-painting the entire hull of the boat. This is a great opportunity for the youth to learn a lot of new skills like the proper use of power-tools and how to apply the special paints of the maritime industry. We expect that this will take about two weeks, nearly 2,000 man hours, and approximately $35,000!

This is not only a great opportunity for our current youth, but a great opportunity for new youth and interested members to learn more about our boat and our program.  We are in need of new members and need to spread the word.  We believe that tomorrow’s leaders are found in today’s youth.  Help us spread the word about our project and need for recruits.

To make a donation toward our haul-out, please visit http://www.gofundme.com/GryphonHaulOut

To learn more about our program, visit our website and follow us on your favorite social media channel.
http://www.sssgryphon.org
https://www.facebook.com/SSSGryphon
https://twitter.com/sssgryphon

You are suddenly in Command - This 4-hour boating safety seminar is designed to help you to "be prepared" with the basics in case of an emergency for those not generally at the helm, taught by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. It gives you the basic knowledge needed for safe boat operation.

What causes boating mishaps and how to minimize them? Learn about your vessel, including nomenclature, operating principles, basic boat handling and what equipment should be on board.

Saturday, July 12, 2014 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at West Marine, 1119 Industrial Road, Suite No. 2 in San Carlos.

You must pre-register for this seminar! Space is limited. To reserve your space contact Bill Tsai or Rick Saunders.

Just a reminder to send the GOTO girl (Patricia Corcoran) any and all information regarding birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, births or other events in your life that should be shared with your fellow members.

Here's a few quick tips on reading your copy of the Blast!

The left column starts with a table of contents listing all the articles in this issue of the Blast. You can click on the title of an article in this column to take you directly to that article.

Below the table of contents are all the upcoming events as calendar reminders. Click on any item in green to take you to a link on our club website for more information.

And finally, the last item in "Upcoming Events" is the list of the next four Officer of the Day assignments. Be sure to keep an eye on this section to help remind you to fulfill your membership volunteer obligation.

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