Bilge Pump: December 2009

November and all of our social activities have come and gone and it’s hard to believe the holidays are upon us already. We had two excellent Fleet Captain’s cruises – one by Land and one by Sea. The land cruise to the Coast Guard Museum and icebreaker and a tour of Qwest Field were great (the locker rooms are nicer than most houses!). The anything but turkey cruise to the outstation, “Thanksgiving Potpourri,” was a wonderful opportunity to escape the madness of “Black Friday” and the shopping malls. A great job by our Fleet Captain Larry Dubia & First Mate Dorothy. And, they have many more fun activities planned in the months ahead – stay tuned for details.

Kicking off the month will be “Breakfast with the Bridge.” We’ll have preliminary findings from the special committees on Flag Protocol, Storage Boats and Membership. This will also be an opportunity for members to come and share their ideas for QCYC. Willie will have a bountiful breakfast for us – it all starts at 9:00! Hope you can be there.

December brings the Special People’s Holiday Cruise to QCYC on December 6. Bill Field and his crew have done an outstanding job in making this a most meaningful event for the Special People and for those QCYC members who make it happen.

On the near-horizon, Randy Jamerson has the Chet Gibson Memorial Lighted Boat Parade well organized as usual. This long-standing tradition is one of the most anticipated events of the Seattle area Christmas scene. It covers two evenings, Friday, Dec 11, and Saturday, December 12. Thanks, Randy!

I’ve been told by some highly placed elves, that Santa is eagerly anticipating his arrival by boat at QCYC for the Children’s Christmas Party on December 12th. Sandy & Chas Werner have lots of games and activities planned. Bring your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and enjoy the magic of Christmas through the eyes of children. Thanks to the Werners for organizing this great event.

For the first time, we’ll be hosting a Commodore’s Christmas Reception on December 20th from 2:00 – 4:30. This is an opportunity for members and their families to stop by and share some Holiday spirit with each other and get away from all the hype. It’s a casual, come-and-go event with some light treats and non-alcoholic beverages. Elaine and I hope to see you there.

December 31 sees us welcoming the New Year at QCYC. Bill McGillin, Cammy Mowery and Larry and Lynnette Richards have put together the best deal in the city. It’s a great combination – a great band, great food and a great venue. What more could you ask?

We asked if you had an interest in ballroom dancing and the response has been great! We’ll begin on Monday, January 18, and meet for 6 weeks. At the end of the class we’ll know the basics of several types of dances. See the announcement elsewhere in The Bilge Pump. If there’s sufficient interest, we can extend the course for another 6 weeks and become even more proficient as well as learning additional dances. The price is great: $60 per person for the entire 6 weeks! The usual cost is $40 per hour. This will be a great opportunity to learn some new dances for next years Commodore’s Ball, have fun with our fellow members and get some exercise. What a deal!

Elaine and I would like to wish each of you and your families a blessed Holiday and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Fair Winds,

Ed Jennerich
Commodore

We’re back from Europe. We took a huge cruise ship from Rome through the Greek Isles and up the coast of Italy, touring and eating our way along. This was our first cruise and I was ready for a vacation, but this is non-stop activity. I came back to check on our boat and decided I like what cruising we do around here better, so we went to the Chili Cook-Off. We left for Winslow, with several other boats, on Friday afternoon, in the middle of a wind and rain storm: good thing all Nancy’s stuff was stowed, it was a little bumpy and salty. Saturday morning started with the smell of braising meat, chili spices and cocktails. Jess Hill and Jim Hess ran around with their new Chili Cook-Off sweatshirts, trying to intimidate all the other contestants. It didn’t work: the best they could do was a 3rd place for Jim Hess, 2nd place for Crystal Yates and the 1st place Chili was by Eric Wood (who knew he could boil water?). Thanks for the fun event, better luck next time to Hess and Jess.

DOCKS
The standpipe project is starting in earnest. The contractor is hanging pipe under the dock, the parking lot is marked, the asphalt cut and by the time you see this article they should have a lot of holes dug, pipe installed and begun some testing. If they are still in-process when you receive this, please be careful: the plates that cover the holes are slippery when wet.

We are always looking for help on the Docks Committee. Contact Art Mauldin or if you see the organization chart for the docks committee at the monthly meetings, look for something that you feel you could help with: all the chairmen will welcome you.

HOUSE
The leaky pipe in the TV room that caused the carpet to get wet has been repaired: new wallboard, paint and molding installed. Thank you to Chris Benson who knew the people to call to get this done.

Jim Damery is having the roof moss removed and sprayed to control its regrowth, ongoing maintenance is a big part of keeping our club looking spiffy.

The AAC brought up the future need for replacing the carpet: we were lucky and were able to dry it out during this leak repair as there is no source for it. Planning and Finance will make it an item for the 5-10 year plan.

WINSLOW OUTSTATION
What a gem of an outstation! Check out the calendar and plan to come to an event or just stop by. It’s a wonderful location. Meet other members and relax.

The new dock section for Dock “B” will be arriving before the end of February, 2010. Member comments about moving the power/light pedestals a little farther from the edge and lowering the fire standpipes have been addressed, and we are also making the new surface a little rougher on the concrete. Take a look at the club calendar and make a plan to be at the Winslow Cleanup. It’s a great way to get yourself outside after a long winter. We will have less dock repair needed, so rebuilding the deck on the clubhouse will be the biggest project.

We had a Volunteer Signup sheet included in the October billing and only 60 were returned. Of those 60 about ½ were already on at least one or more committees. We need a lot more involvement, we’re not going to give up on you, let us know what you want to be involved with.

The Lighted Boat Parade, Special Peoples Cruise, Fleet Captain’s Cruise and Clubhouse Christmas decorating: these are some of our Holiday events. Come see what we do, (you can even wear those awful Christmas sweaters that your grandma/aunt made for you), invite other boaters. We’re a great club, come and have some fun.

George Austin
Vice Commodore

Fall is upon us and winter is approaching. I wish to give my heartfelt thanks to Becky Garvie for stepping forward and accepting the chairmanship of the Grounds Committee. She will also serve on the AAC committee. I am confident that she will do a great job.

Well, I have two months under my belt as Rear Commodore and I am learning a great deal about our and other clubs. We have attended two Junior Officer's Balls (Port Orchard and Day Island) so far and it is interesting to see how different clubs handle their challenges. It is a great way to get fresh ideas.

Thank goodness we have a great number of members that are dedicated to doing all they can for the betterment of our club. Gary Stone and John Alving must spend half of their time at 520 meetings. If we were paying for their time we couldn't afford it. The amount of time that Art Mauldin spends on the docks is equal to more than a full time job. We are fortunate to have members like this to keep our club operating smoothly. However we do need additional help.

What we need at this time are more volunteers. We have a great pool of talent in our membership and those talents are not being fully utilized. We also have a number of members that just pay their dues and collect the club benefits. We need those members to step forward, join in and do their part. Perhaps you don't think that you have the skills that we need but believe me, you do. We need both leaders and workers. Being a project leader does not mean that you do all the work yourself. A leader is needed to coordinate and direct a project to its completion. If we are unable to find more members to volunteer we will have to pay to have the work done. That will necessitate an increase in dues and moorage. I know that none of us wants to see that happen. Please contact Art Mauldin or any member of the bridge to learn about the different projects and committees.

We are coming into the busy holiday time so enjoy yourselves and all of the activities at the club.

We will be hosting the Richland Yacht Club during the Lighted Boat Parade on December 11. They were our hosts in May for our land cruise to Richland and put on quite a party for us. We look forward to entertaining them in the same fashion.

Don Wilson
Rear Commodore