Good morning. 

Reconstruction of the kitchen is moving along.  We are in a bidding process for the replacement of walls and floors and will move promptly along to finish this job as soon as we have some numbers and make a decision.

n the meantime allow me to thank Lina and her workers for their flexibility and imagination in working with our out-of-full-commission galley.  Thank you also to our members for their continued patience and flexibility.  I do know for sure that we had better have this done before the weather changes! 

On to more Social News:

This Friday, September  12th we will be having a General Meeting and Drop In Dinner.  We will have Lina’s wonderful cooking, the presentation of the new Officers and Directors and as many as 12 (!) first and second readings.

Starting on Tuesday, September 16th we have something new you will want to check out.  Kathy Harris has arranged some West Coast Swing Dance lessons over the next several weeks!  Tony Zavilenski and Joan Mersman have agreed to teach us the history and basic steps of the dance!  So, please come on down to the club before 7:00 with a partner or as a single and be prepared to move and have some fun.

You know that beautiful DeWitt painting hanging next to the giant wheel in the dining room?  It shows a multi-colored sunset and the profile of several small sailboats at the bottom.  We have enjoyed it for many years but we cannot take its possession for granted.  It is a trophy we earn every year in the Barth Race.

This year’s Barth Race festivities begin Friday, September 19th with a dinner at the Coyote Point Yacht Club.  The race takes place the next day and runs from Coyote Point down to Redwood City. 

On Saturday, September 20th Kathy Harris and Larry Mayne will be hosting the Western BBQ Dinner.  So, racers – skippers, crews and families, please consider taking your boat up Friday evening, enjoy the hospitality of our friends up North and come racing down for more food  and live music on Saturday night.  Black toppers are also encouraged!

And let’s keep the DeWitt!

On that same weekend we will be participating in the Coastal Cleanup.  My understanding is that Commodore Winston Bumpus will not only be serving a Michelle Obama approved breakfast of coffee and donuts but that he and Carole will also offer lunch to the workers!  Such a deal!

September 27th is Oktoberfest at Sequoia.   This is one of our most popular events and I will have more details as they emerge.

And please put the Redwood City Port Fest on your calendar for October 4th! Learn more about all the festivities at: www.rwcportfest.com.

See you around the club.

Well, not really. Unless you consider multi-billionaire owners Andrey and Aleksandra Melnichenko aliens based on their Russian nationality.

The $300 million super-yacht appeared to be joining last week's Beer Can race when Capt. Weber took this shot and the one in the banner. Simply named "A" for the first names of it's owners, the strange looking craft took off at 24 kts cruising speed and even passed our fastest racers.

Read more about this unusual luxury yacht on Wikipedia.

Every year, on the third Saturday in September, people join together at sites all over California to take part in the State's largest volunteer event, California Coastal Cleanup Day. This will be Sequoia Yacht Club’s 4th year for participating in this great event.  Last year, over 58,000 volunteers removed almost 750,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from California's beaches, lakes, and waterways. Families, friends, coworkers, scout troops, school groups, service clubs, and individuals came together to celebrate, clean and share their appreciation of California's fabulous coast and waterways. This event is part of the International Coastal Cleanup organized by the Ocean Conservancy, which is the largest volunteer event on the planet!

Three years ago, Sequoia Yacht Club helped to pilot a program to enlist yacht clubs around California to engage in this event and the number of yacht clubs and yacht club members have increased in participation every year. 

This year, on September 20th, we will start at 9am and will meet for registration and a safety briefing in front of the Club. It should only be a couple of hours and we plan to be done before noon. We will serve coffee, water and donuts and will have available gloves, buckets and grabbers for your convenience.  But please feel free to bring your own buckets, gloves and tools. Also if you would like to do on-the-water cleanup, bring your dinghy and/or kayaks. Also be sure to dress with appropriate shoes/boots and clothing. We will have gifts and prizes for the person and/or group who extracts the most trash and the most unusual trash.

Lunch will be provided following the event, so come one and all.  Help clean up our own shores.

Please let me know if you will be coming so we can plan food and equipment by emailing me at sycwin@gmail.com or calling me at 650-587-9003.

This is a great event for the entire family and I look forward to seeing you all there,

Reminder: Olivia Sadlowski is spilling champagne on her new sailboat Donna Summer tomorrow! Come join Olivia for this blessing and celebration starting 1730 (5:30 PM) at the guest dock prior to our general meeting. Did we say there will be champagne?

Reminder that the celebration of Barbara Ferguson Trainer's life will be held at the Sequoia Yacht Club in Redwood City, this Sunday, September 14th at 11am. There will be a brunch and all are welcome. 

For further information, please contact Barbara’s daughter, Judith Crop at 503-880-1471.

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