Well, Spring is here!   I know because the grass was very green on our Dish hike and, with the warm weather, the Club’s deck with its luxuriously upholstered chairs has been a beer-drinking, breeze and sun-loving sailor’s delight.  Oh yes, we also had 20 knots for last Saturday’s race! We also have the black crested night herons roosting in the trees around the club (Park carefully!)

And we have sailors preparing for the Summer race season: The other day I found Paul Morgan-Witts making a sail in our club dining room.   What could be yacht-clubbier than that?

Last night Sequoia Yacht Club hosted the PICYA dinner.  Winston and Carole Bumpus coordinated this well-attended gathering of Northern California yacht club executives.  Their efforts were supported by an army of volunteers.  Thank you all for your contributions of time and talent.  The food was spectacular, the atmosphere festive and our club showed very well.

This Friday, April 11th, we have our April General Meeting and Drop In Dinner.  The menu is Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad, Garlic Bread and an ice cream bar desert!  All that for $ 7.50 per person.

We will also be hosting a cruise-in for the Sausalito Yacht Club this weekend.   They will be joining us for dinner and hopefully staying for breakfast Saturday morning.  If anybody can help with breakfast, please let either Kathy Harris or me know.

Beer Can Races start April 16!  Call up some friends, meet at the club and go sailing!

On Friday, April 25th we have Sequoia Rocks!  We will have dinner and dancing with the band Classic Vinyl.

The next morning, April 26th, we have Club Clean-up!  This is always a great morning of teamwork and laughter and the clubs shows well for our efforts!  This event will start at 9:00 am.

Looking ahead to May, we have Opening Day on the South Bay on May 3rd and a Paella Extravaganza on May 10th.

Oh yes, there is the small matter of Sequoia’s Fourth of July float.  Here is a photo of our “chassis.”  Stay tuned for ways to get involved in this high visibility project!

I'll see you at the club!

For Saturday's Summer Series #1, the weather pleased with perhaps the best racing wind of the year! 10 to 20 knots, a light flood, and beautiful sunshine. The WNW breeze spread the fleet out nicely on the starting line between markers 3 and 4. A new 8.2 mile course with a variety of upwinds and leewards challenged the fleet and tired the crews but not so much to prevent a happy gang from staying late at the bar!

Thanks to Sail Fleet Captain Rick Dalton, Dan Doud and Paul Morgan-Witts for replacing marks S and X on a rainy, windy, and big ebb Saturday the day before. In Rick's words the day was like "Victory at Sea".

3D tracking on smartphone app RaceQs is now "launched"; it's very cool. Race management software by Jibeset Associates is now successfully in its 3rd round. This software enables accurate scoring and quick posting of our results to the Sequoia website.

Results: spinnaker division: first, Daredevil, Tim Anto, Melges 24; second, Frequent Flyer, Stan Phillips Farr 30; and third, Melilani, Richard Butts, J105, (10 boats). Non spinnaker: first, Ohana, Dan and Sue Lockwood, Catalina 36; second, Iowa, Rick Dalton, Hunter 380; and third, Bella, Ted Eberle, Catalina 42, (4 boats).

Race #2 is Saturday, May 17.

Last Monday night, Sequoia was honored to be the host of the April Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association (PICYA) delegates’ meeting. Over 100 delegates from area yacht clubs were meeting for social interaction, dinner and their monthly meeting.  For Sequoia, it was a great way to show off our club and to continue the celebration of our 75th Anniversary. (During the meeting we also exchanged 75th Anniversary burgees with the Berkeley Yacht Club which is also celebrating their 75th Anniversary this year as well.)

Sequoia glowed and so many members of the various clubs around the Bay told me what a great club we have.  Steve Higgs prepared an outstanding meal and many compliments were expressed on how delicious it was . Nancy McHugh’s flowers were  a terrific success and all of her hard work showed beautifully. Kathy Harris’ decorations looked terrific and the packed house was very impressed. The service, under the direction of Robin Weber, went like clockwork and everyone got their food in short order.

Speaking of packed, the bar did a walloping good business. My thanks to Petra and Nick and the many people who worked tirelessly to tend bar for our guests.  Last, but not least,  Joanne Wright did an amazing job tracking all of the registrations and the last minute adds and subtracts. Plus, the help with the cleanup was tremendous and we were all out of there before 10 pm.

I want to thank the many folks for their amazing effort to support Sequoia Yacht Club in hosting this PICYA delegates meeting (if I missed someone I apologize), including Steve Higgs, Jeff Tachibana, James Townsend, Kathy Harris, Peter Nardini, Petra and Rick Gilmore, Robin and Nick Weber, Nancy and Tom McHugh, Carol and Tim Petersen, Vice Commodore Dan Lockwood, Mike Marzano, Marilyn Lawrence, David Jackson, Joanne Wright, Tod Klingler, Todd Mehserle, Jenny Thomas and my very supportive wife, Carole.  An amazing job and plus fabulous team work from so many made us shine.  I am very proud and pleased to be your commodore.

Thank you again for all your efforts and support,

Winston Bumpus, Commodore

Attention laser sailors!

This year the club is trying something completely new. Since the “Beer Can Race” series was so successful last year, his smaller brother, the “Soda Can Race” series, will follow him this year!

The series consists of 6 individual races for Lasers only. The first Soda Can Race will take place this Friday,  April 11th and run on consecutive Friday's through May 17th.

We'll drop some marks and have fun on a small course in the Redwood City turning basin starting at 6 pm. All club members who are - or want to be - Laser sailors are invited to join and race in this fun regatta. If you need to rig your boat and allow time for launching, please show up at 5 PM to give yourself some time to prepare. The Skippers Meeting starts at 5.30 PM.

Please note that we only have a limited number of lasers available at the club (8 lasers). So everybody gets to draw lots to win an opportunity to sail. If you own a laser, bring it down to the water and join in on the fun. The only prerequisite to race is that you have been checked out on the lasers (if you want to use the club laser) and signed the “Small Boat Liability waiver”.

As contribution to cover fuel and maintenance for Junior Sailing we would like to ask every sailor to donate $20 for racing in the series.

Check out some of our other laser pictures (click here).

Hope to see you on the water

Peter Weigt, Beer Can (and "Soda Can") Captain

Hello Members,

Our club will be hosting a cruise-in from Sausalito Yacht Club this weekend (4/11-12).  The cruisers will be attending our Meatball Madness dinner on Friday and it would be great to show off our hospitality with a nice simple breakfast for them (and us) Saturday morning. 

I can help prepare breakfast.  I also need three members to help me with breakfast from 7:30 or 8 until 10:30.  Also it would be nice to have one person make bloody Mary's or Mimosas or both.

Please let me know if you can help.  Or if only one hour is open for you, please let me know how you can help for an hour.  It will be fun!

Thanks so much!

Kathy Harris, Social Chair

To continue our anniversary celebration year, Sequoia Yacht Club will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the ground breaking for our clubhouse at its existing location, which was April 12, 1964. Pictures of the construction and early days of the club will be on display during Friday's dinner and during the General Meeting, one of our members will recount the stories behind our illustrious past.

We  will also be hosting a cruise-in from the Sausalito Yacht Club this weekend, so be sure to stop and introduce yourselves and welcome them.  I know Lina has a great meal planned for all.

During our General Meeting, we will be having a number of first and second readings as we have a number of new members joining and you may remember that this Friday we will be holding a short special meeting in conjunction with our General Meeting for members to vote to reduce the initiation fee by $150.00 and suspend the $50.00 social credit for applying Senior and Corinthian members during the period of May 3rd thru July 31, 2014.

The club is very active and busy with racing and cruising. It will be a fun time Friday night to relax and spend time with our friends -  old and new.  And, the next morning, on to Coyote Point Yacht Club for the Tin Cup Cruise out.

I look forward to seeing you this Friday,

Winston Bumpus, Commodore

(see the full poster here)

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 and join your friends for food, music and fun!

The celebration begins Friday, May 2nd with a kick off dinner at Coyote Point Yacht Club. This gets us in the right party mood for South Bay Opening Day, Saturday, May 3rd. The party continues that morning with a hearty breakfast followed by the opening of the boating season, the blessing of the fleet and the traditional decorated boat parade. Then join us for 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 is the always popular Gin Fizz Breakfast at the historic South Bay Yacht Club.

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

This is a great opportunity for us to show off our beautiful, friendly club. Please volunteer your help by emailing me (click here).

It's going to be a great event!

Two shifts of 3 required on May 3, 2014 for South Bay Opening Day.

1)  0900-1300

2) 1300-1700 (probably earlier)

Contact me at my email (click here) or call me (I'm in the directory) if you plan to join the fun

Ron Howard, Bar Co-Manager

When Winston and I first re-instituted the Sequoia Yacht Club Wednesday Lunch, I expected only a handful of folks—those who preferred the Club during daylight hours.  I had never attended one of these lunches before, so I had no earthly idea what history had preceded me.  Well, I have been enlightened, educated and taught—what works, what fails, what stretches a pot of soup, and what brings people back again and again.  But mostly, I have been delighted!  What a lovely bunch of folks come traipsing through those swinging doors once the bell is rung at noon!  And, what laughter rings out through The Oates Room!

The first few lunches brought in 17-20 people, but our last two lunches brought in over 50!  With pre-arrangements to bring guests along, we have had groups, such as the old Palo Alto Yacht Club or the Ham Radio Operators Club.  This has worked out well—as long as I am given a heads-up!  And, as long as I have the great help with set up and clean up from folks such as Peter Nardini (shown with me in photo), Doug Murray, Dan Lockwood, and others!  Thank you! 

So, come join us on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month for a delectable lunch – (Main course, salad, bread, and dessert – all for $5.00).  And join in on the camaraderie you didn’t know existed at the Club!

Carole Bumpus

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