Sir Ben Ainslee and Commodore Peter Blackmore
Photo by Tod Klingler

Steve Holmstrom with America's Cup and Stakeboat flag flying at SYC
Photo by Winston Bumpus

This Weekly Blast would not be complete without mention of the America's Cup.. Here are my thoughts on the race and an extraordinary summer to experience:

We saw boats that have reset the expectations of what sailing is all about. Yes - you can foil upwind at 30 knots and you can tack and jibe on the foils! You can sail at three times the wind speed! The Kiwi's got there first on foiling, but Oracle caught up.

We had seamanship and sailing skills from the very best in the world. Regardless of the 'nationality' of the team, the crews in each team were speaking languages from all around the world. Noticeably many Aussies and Kiwi's plus French and Brits as well as Americans.

We had the great AC45 races last year to whet our appetite plus the excitement of the AC45 youth competition this year. I still remember hanging on to the back of the BAR AC45 boat - what an experience!

The AC72 set new boundaries in sailing technology. The crews were learning each day!  We had thrills and we had spills. Sadly we also had the tragedy with the death of Andrew Simpson, an Olympian and a member of the Artemis team. We salute him.

Credit to Luna Rossa and Artemis for all they did but special credit to the Kiwis who showed extraordinary teamwork and an early advantage as they paved the way in foiling.

Team Oracle won the day and enormous credit to a flawless last few races. They had crew and boat changes just in time and   showed tremendous spirit to pull it off!

So what happens next? The Aussies are the challenger of record. Ben Ainslie has publically said his intent is to form a team. I think he will have no shortage of sponsors. What a guy! It was a privilege to have him spend time with us at Sequoia in April. How lucky can we get?

And what boat technology will they select? And where will the race be located? I would love to see the America's Cup back here but regardless we had the experience of a lifetime this year.

It was also great to see so many Sequoia boats out there representing us. Rumor has it we had the most stake boats of any yacht club! Regardless we were very well represented and Sequoia is clearly seen as taking its proper place in the sailing community. Sequoia is going from strength to strength. Well done to all of you!

Peter - your Commodore

Photo by Peter Kulmars

Petra and Rick - Vielen Dank fur einen fantastischen Abend.

Ocktoberfest ist etwas Besonderes. Es dauert eine Deutsche liebvoll und kenntnisreich Person zu leben bis zu diesem Ruf.

Ein herrlicher Abend! Und eine fantastiche Mitglied tiurn aus!

Und eben alles erstklassig gemacht. Das Essen war hervorragend. Petra sagle, es sie ihr Lieblingsrezept Familien. Die deracotions waren etwas Besonderes.

Das Unternehmen war gros. Sequoia stellte sich heraus, im Stil.

Vielen Dank an Petra und Rick. Und um allen ihre Anhanger..

Sequoia hat ihnen veil zu verdanken. Der Abend war hervorragend.

Peter - ihr Commodore

In English

Ocktoberfest - an evening to remember!

Thank you for a fantastic evening. Ocktoberfest is special. It takes a German loving and knowledgable person to live up to that reputation.

A splendid evening. And a fantastic member turn out.

And just everything done first class. The food was exceptional. Petra said it was her families favorite recipe. The decorations were special. The company was great. Sequoia turned out in style.

Thank you Petra and Rick and to all their supporters... Theresa Howard and Robin Weber worked tirelessly both Friday and Saturday nights and were such fun. Additional galley crew were Deidre Sparks and Christine Eberly. Set up and decorations thanks goes to Olivier and Celeste Lauzeral, Winston Bumpus and Bruce- not-a-member Ladd. The bar managers, Ron Howard and Nick Weber, made sure to have plenty of German beer on hand, as well as a fully stocked bar. Tear down and clean up thanks go to Tom Keegan, and Peter Blackmore and Rick Gilmore.

Rick and Petra, Sequoia has a lot to thank you for. The evening was outstanding!

Peter - your Commodore

A yacht club is built on sailing. There are many great races and series, but the Single handed is special. Saturday saw the final of this season's series and also the annual Commodore's Cup.

The winds were gentle; the passion was intense. Eight-single handed boats and their skippers had a marvelous time. This is what the club is all about.

Our congratulations to the overall single handed winner of the series and the winner of the Commodore Cup - George Sutton in Knot to Worry.

And our sincere thanks to John Ryan for managing this series and for all the great work has done for the club.

Peter - your Commodore

Photos by Micky Alm

A heartfelt thanks to the 14 volunteer members and prospective members who turned out for the latest Laser Work Day on Sept 22!

They worked like heroes from 10 am to 5:30 pm and:

-Inspected all 11 Lasers & their parts

-Completed many repairs

-Performed the Dynamic Leak Test© of three orange hulls

-Applied 90, count ‘em 90, labels to hulls, spars & foils

-Carpeted all bunk rails with beautiful green Astroturf®

-Got in a little bit of sailing

…and

-Drank a beer afterwards!

Thank you Lisa Corsetti, Fadi Maamari, Ali Aghareza, Dave Sharp, Glan Thomas, Leslie, Peter Weigt, Anja Borg, Nancy Tarng, John Schornstein, Jorge Pont, Micky Alm, Port Captain Dave Elliot and anyone else we forgot!!!  SYC’s volunteers are the best!

Special thanks to Dan Lockwood for donating the one zillion custom printed labels, and to Dave Elliot for the pizza, drinks & cookies!  Drop me an email if you want in on the next Laser Work ‘n Sail!

-Brett Herr  brettherr7@gmail.com

Don't miss this year's PortFest. This is a great event for the entire family. There will be boat rides, food, drink and live music.

This year the Sequoia Yacht Club has three bars to man. We have the Beer and Wine Tent, the Tiki Bar and as PYSF will be using our galley to serve lunch, we will be manning the bar in the Club. If you are interested in helping, sign up at the club or notify me at vicecommodore@sequoiayc.org

For more information on PortFest go to: http://www.rwcportfest.com

Winston Bumpus - Vice Commodore

The date of the South Bay Championship is October 19.

Previously this was incorrectly listed in the racing calendar and notice of race as October 26. The Club website has been updated with the corrected date.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Richard Butts
Large Sailboat Fleet Captain

It is time again for the Angel Island Thanksgiving weekend cruise-out, November 28th through December 1st.  Yes, there will be turkey with all the fixin's, stay tuned.  Tom Keegan can help with your questions about this popular and fun cruise-out event.

A few of us from Sequoia had the opportunity to visit one firestorm of a lady, Hallie Heckler, this week in Saratoga.  Having suffered a stroke in January of this year, she has taken a more sedentary lease on life, but at age 94, she still gives us pause—as to what we have done or have attempted to do with our lives.  Still an avid sailor-at-heart, she enjoyed watching the America’s Cup and also relishes reading about all of you on The Blast.  To reach her, contact Carole Bumpus at carole.bumpus@yahoo.com.

It is with great sadness that I have to report that Ed Copeland passed away last Saturday. He had a history of heart issues recently and Isabelle said the end was quick and peaceful. Our thoughts and prayers are with Isabelle and his family.

Ed has already been cremated but Isabelle does plan a memorial service. Ed as you know was a past Commodore of Sequoia and he and Isabelle have continued to be great supporters of our club.

We shall let you know when the memorial service is scheduled. Ed was also a Navy veteran so they are planning to set up the right occasion.

Our greatest respects and fondest memories to Ed - a Commodore, a veteran and a very fine man.

Peter - your Commodore

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