I want to thank you all for your help and support following the tragic accident. I know it has been a difficult couple of weeks at the Club, but I want to let you know how very proud and grateful I am of you. There have been many tasks, meetings, and events that have needed to be accomplished and attended to, and you, SYC family, have risen to the occasion. The Board, the officers, past commodores and the many volunteers -  I thank you!

I want to thank Tim Petersen for being willing to take on the role chairing the Management Committee that will organize the many tasks needed in the weeks and months ahead. I also want to thank all of those who have volunteered to help and be liaisons to the affected families. In addition I  want to thank Nick Weber and Stan Philips for stepping up to improve our safety and first-aid training. My thanks, also, go to Andrew Rist for working with the rest of our sailing/and on-the- water officers  to review our current procedures and by holding a good race safety meeting last night in preparation for restarting our racing program next week.

I look forward to this weekend’s South Bay Opening Day activities. This year we will all be more mindful of the term “opening day” as well as the meaning behind the blessing of the fleet. I am looking forward to attending all of the events and in spending time with you, our Sequoia Yacht Club Family, and our extended family at many of the neighboring clubs.

We are a family, a very close family and these last two weeks have proven that.  Thanks again for your help and support of not only me, but of each other.

Sincerely,

- Winston Bumpus, Commodore

South Bay Opening Day this Weekend!

Months of preparation will come together for this Opening Day weekend!  This Friday the weekend begins with dinner at the Coyote Point Yacht Club.  The fun continues Saturday morning with breakfast, on the water fun and lunch at Sequoia.  Not enough you say? Not to worry. The Peninsula Yacht Club will be offering cocktails and dinner Saturday night and the South Bay Yacht Club will have breakfast and gin fiizzesssesss on Sunday morning! 

Wow, what a weekend!  I know the website www.southbayopeningday.org is still accepting reservations for all these venues as well at for spots in the boat parade so I encourage you to sign up and join the fun!

Okay, so SBOD is the big headline.  But much else has been going on around the club.  Last weekend we had Club Clean Up.  My dear wife Sue, drew up an extensive list of projects and an intrepid team of volunteers knocked off each one.  Your club was made spotless from the depths of the house lockers and weedy surrounds to the bowels of the barbecue and beyond.  Many thanks to all those who worked so hard Saturday morning fueled only with commitment and donuts and pizza.  Well done.

On Sunday, Nick and Robin Weber reworked the bar.

On Wednesday May 7th, Beer Can Races re-start.  I mention it because we all look forward to being back on the water and to the warm camaraderie and delicious dinners served on up on Wednesday evenings.  I encourage racers and non-racers alike to come and join the fun this Summer.

Seeking a cure for insomnia?  Me too. But look… we have a General Meeting and Drop- In- Dinner on Friday, May 9th!  Dinner this evening will be a bit quieter than normal, but I would encourage our members to come and hear what is going on.

On Saturday, May 10th, Sequoia will be treated to a Paella Extravaganza!  Tom and Teri Wickman are hosting this event and it promises to be a delight.  There will of course, be paella – both seafood and vegetarian recipes will be offered.  Sangria will flow.  We will also be treated to the music of the Mambo Soul band.  It will be an evening not to be missed!

And don’t forget Wednesday lunches – May 7th and 21st!

And this is just the first half of May!  There is much more in store…

See you around the club.

(see the full poster here)

South Bay Opening Day is this Saturday!

"South Bay Magic" is the theme for this year's Annual South Bay Opening day festivities. The theme highlights the fun, excitement and enchantment of boating in the South Bay. Come on out this Saturday and join your friends for food, music and fun!

"The Magic Begins" tomorrow, May 2nd with a kick off dinner and party at Coyote Point Yacht Club. This gets us in the party mood for South Bay Opening Day, Saturday, May 3rd. 

The party continues in the morning with a hearty breakfast followed by the opening of the boating season, the blessing of the fleet,

The parking lot will be filled with fun and educational exhibits for the whole family to explore. Then join us for a BBQ lunch and the awards ceremony for the parade winners. Saturday evening is a sumptuous dinner and live band at Peninsula Yacht Club. Sunday morning May 4th is the always popular Gin Fizz Breakfast and historic opening day photograph at the South Bay Yacht Club.

Go to www.southbayopeningday.org for all the details and to register for dinners and all the fun including the colorful, festive boat parade.

This is going to be fun!

With a tip of the hat to 'Lectronic Latitude for reporting this one, you can now download two of the best books available on weather for sailors - free.

"For decades, Steve and Linda Dashew have been the leading authorities on active heavy weather tactics, with their books Mariner’s Weather Handbook and Surviving the Storm taking up valuable — and well-earned — space on nearly every sailor’s bookshelf. Now the Dashews want everyone to have access to their work and are offering free PDF downloads of both books." - Lectronic Latitude

Read the entire Latitude article by clicking here.

The books can be downloaded from links on the Dashew website. Click here to access the website.

Carol and I wanted to let you all know that Pat Phillips passed away on Monday evening, April 28 at about 5:45 pm. Up until the very end she had continued to live the life that she so vigorously sought for herself, to be in her own home and to be as independent as possible. Both Carol and her sister Barb were with her when she passed away at Stanford Hospital.

Bob and Pat Phillips were members #211 at Sequoia, having joined the club in the 1970s. Bob was the consummate racer, but Pat also has her name on at least one trophy that we know of, and loved sailing aboard Sweet Pea on family and club events. We will truly miss her and I know that she always enjoyed the social activities at the club, especially the recent 75th Anniversary Dinner. She continued to talk about Sweet Pea all the time, even after Sweet Pea sailed away to Sausalito.

A funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, May 6 at 10:00 am at the following location:

St. Simon Catholic Church
1860 Grant Rd, Los Altos, CA 94024
(650) 967-8311

Regards,

Tim Petersen, Director & Publicity

Nick Weber, experienced sailor and  former Foster City Fire Chief, shared the following list of emergency phone numbers.

"When you're out in the South Bay and make a 911 call on your cell phone you might think that call would go to San Mateo," he explains. "But no, that call goes to a Vallejo CHP dispatcher who can consume valuable minutes in an emergency just trying to figure out where you are. In addition to using Vhf, these numbers on your cell phone could save your life." He pointed out that the Redwood City FD just bought and are learning to use a high-speed boat kept at Westpoint Harbor. 

• Fire Department/Rescue           650-368-1421
• Coast Guard San Francisco      415-399-3530
• San Mateo County Sheriff         650-363-4911
• Redwood City Police                650-780-7118
• Port of Redwood City Security   650-642-8606

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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