Bilge Pump: October 2011

Preparation has begun for the upcoming Queen City Yacht Club annual. Please take a few minutes to review your roster information and update it if necessary. You can make changes by going to the Queen City Yacht Club website and log into your member’s web page. Look up My Roster Data on the right hand column of the page. You will find a box under your data titled “Request Roster Change.” Please complete any updates that are required. This will be sent to the Office where the changes will be processed. If you do not have access to the website you can call the office at (206) 709-2000, email (office@queencity.org) or drop a note to the office and the update will be made. Thank you for taking a few minutes to review your information.

John Rogers, Treasurer  

Some of you may have noticed that there is a new, genuine USCG buoy light now in place on top of our respectful Buoy 8. It replaces a rather sad, very small, little red light.

There is a story behind this. There was a guy named Hal Alabaster, who was married to my wife Diane’s best friend’s Mom, whose nickname was “Puff.” Puff was like a second mother to Diane, whose Mom had passed away at the young age of 61. They had been close since Diane was 12, since she was her best friend’s Mom.

Many years later, Hal had retired from an Air Force career, some civil service, and was now retiring as the Public Information officer for NOAA over on Sand Point. One of his retirement gifts was a black, two stage, white over green lens, buoy light, which he used as a yard light in front of his home for many years. Puff passed away a few years ago, and Hal shortly after that. We had been cruising together a few times over the years; and their last wish was to have their ashes spread together off Point No Point. All of the kids and us got together, cruised up there, had a nice ceremony, and watched their ashes slip into the sea. However, with that type of ceremony, it is a little hard to go visit your dear departed ones later on.

Well, the estate was settled, everything passed on to the kids, who promptly took the buoy light from the front yard and turned it over to us, knowing I was an ex-Coastie and thanking us for the ceremonial cruise. We all were thinking I could use it as a yard light too. I had been thinking about doing that for a couple of years when I noticed one day this poor, feeble, little red light on top of our Buoy Eight. It struck me that our club really needed that original, actual buoy light more than I did. I can’t take it with me when I cross the bar, but the light can shine for everyone.

So I took the light apart, rebuilt it to a single lens and repainted it red. Thanks to Dick McGrew who did the rewiring and mounting job: it is now done. So while it lights the memories for all our departed Queen City members, it also stands as reminder to the lives of Hal and Diane “Puff” Alabaster, and has turned into a spot where another family can share the memories of their departed loved ones.

May they all rest in peace.

Ron Stevenson 

After all the planning, reservations made, considerable e-mails and correspondence to take care of, the first week of the Summer Cruise came off with nary a hitch. The only minor change to my schedule came on Saturday, 7/30, with the plan to anchor in Fossil Bay on Sucia Island. The bay was full, so the fleet moved to Echo Bay where a raft of 10 boats was made and all participants had a great time.

While I could go into detail about every stop we made, I would rather write about several situations that arose that will make those who attended smile a little:

V/C Don Wilson didn’t fall asleep while entering the Swinomish Channel.

On a not so funny note, Captain Gordon Foote lost an engine coming out of locks and didn’t make the trip. Bummer!

The trip from LaConner to Sucia saw the Fleet heading in one direction and the Jacqueline in another. Both came out of the fog at the same time and place however.

The weather was spectacular.

The trip to Roche Harbor was uneventful except for the fact that after arriving some of the first mates hit the sportswear shop before the Fleet Captain could hand out the 20% off coupons that were available. I think all received their discounts, however.

The Fleet Captain had to show a little muscle to evict the Ranger Tug folks from our reserved party barge. It started to get a bit ugly when cooler heads prevailed and the person in charge moved his group to another location. He did come back later with a peace offering, but I was out to dinner and he gave a carrot cake to V/C Wilson. I asked where it was and he said “we ate it!” What’s up with that?” The following morning the tugs got back at us as they were leaving Roche. At about 6:30 AM they departed and all 20 or so used their bow and stern thrusters to the max!

R/C to be Bob Myers learned that he should have a spare fresh water pump on board after a straw vote by a disgruntled 1st mate Laurean of the other captains.

How was QCYC, after only one day, able to take over the entire floating dock at Reid Harbor? 12 boats all flying the burgee enjoyed two wonderful days there.

Captain Dan Wilshin decided after 4 years to try and start his tender motor. I for one gave him little support. After many pulls the job was taken over by Commodore George and after many more pulls it started and actually ran quite well. Go figure!

Watching Karen VanWagenen trying to take a picture of another person’s bras hanging out to dry was very amusing.

Our daughter was getting married in Friday Harbor August 5th. The plan was for me and Jacquie to take a dinghy over to Friday that afternoon. Dan and Marilyn Wilshin would have no part of that and offered to take us and pick us up later on their boat. What special friends!

Many thanks to all who assisted me in putting on this cruise:

Commodore George and Nancy for storing food and beverages and our wedding clothes on Grey Goose.

Dan and Marilyn Wilshin for their help on the dinner at Roche.

Jim and Karen VanWagenen with helping on the Roche dinner and Pizza night at Deer Harbor.

Arlene Oberg for two wonderful breakfasts.

Brian and Carolyn Barton, our guests on Jacqueline, for all they did, which is too much to even start writing about.

Special thanks to all who attended this cruise and others who didn’t attend but supported the Fleet Captain’s events throughout the year.

FLEET CAPTAIN’S REPORT---PRINCESS LOUISA

About 10 days before we left on the Summer Cruise I had 9 boats signed up for the trip. On the 6th of August we departed Deer Harbor for Canada with six committed boats for the trip north. By the time for us to cross the Strait of Georgia I was down to only 4 boats. In one day’s time 5 boats dropped out and I as Fleet Captain was very disappointed. While I was in a bit of a downer concerning this, the show must go on, and did it ever. After a captains’ meeting the next morning we all decided the wind was not that large a factor and the courageous 4 made the crossing in fine style and were having cocktails at 4:00PM in Egmont. The crossing was lumpy but never unsafe and only a few stray logs got in our way.

The trip up to Louisa the next day was made in sunny weather with a following sea. It was noted by the captains that Jacqueline traveled 45 miles on this 30 mile run. Jacqueline, like most power boats, doesn’t track well in a following sea and auto pilot is nearly mute. Brian Barton was the captain on this stretch of the trip and I finally had to take the chair and manually drive the boat. Brian, bless his heart, is used to flying those big jets over the oceans of the world and couldn’t give up trying to use the auto pilot. I think he finally understood the concept.

Princess Louisa was as gorgeous as it always is, but perhaps more so. With the large snowfall of this past winter the waterfalls off of the mountains were more pronounced. The new comers to Louisa, Don and Judy Wilson, Brian and Carolyn Barton, and Bill Gray and Ron LaFayette were in Brian’s words, “awestruck.”

We left for Pender Harbor Wednesday morning August 10th and arrived about 3:00 pm. One last get together at the Pub in Garden Bay and it was time to say goodbye. Thanks to Captain John and Mary Louise Alving, Captain Bill Gray, and V/C Don and Judy Wilson for making the trip. Jacquie and I will forever remember this time in our life. In hindsight it was probably best that 9 boats didn’t all go. Logistically it would have been very difficult to find moorage and anchorage for that many boats and my record of having done a pretty good job would have taken a big hit. As a side note, after 13 days with the Fleet in tow I was unable to award a screw-up flag. Nice job, Captains!

The rest of the trip was spent with Bill Gray and Ron LaFayette on the GrayMar and our first stop was in Squirrel Cove in Desolation Sound. Bill and Ron are retired educators and they committed to stay with us as long as we wanted them to stay. We spent another 10 days in Desolation and exploring the Gulf Islands. On the 13th of August we said goodbye to Brian and Carolyn as they caught a plane out of Refuge Cove for home. During our stay up there we only had two stray thunder showers to get in the way. Bill and Ron were a joy to travel with and my life and Jacquie’s have been enriched by getting to know these two wonderful people. Bill and Ron, we thank you.

Steve Weiss
Fleet Captain Retired

Unauthorized use of another member’s slip

Hello to my all my fellow members at Queen City Yacht Club.

Not long ago, I became aware of the use of an empty slip by another member's boat which was not authorized. The member who rents the slip from the Club only knew about this usage because another member asked him if he had let someone "borrow" his slip while he was away from the main station. This is allowed if the renter has made arrangements with the member in temporary need, and wishes to use his or her slip.
Unfortunately, this time, this was NOT the case.

This kind of thing is inappropriate, and can cause a dangerous situation, that could have severe consequences. Let me give you an example: Suppose you had gone out cruising, or left to simply have some repairs done on your boat. While you were away, another boat pulls into your slip, the owner figuring, “I’ll put in here for a couple of days and be out by the time the assigned boat comes back.”

So while you’re snug in the other guy’s slip, without permission, and no with previous communication with the assignee, he happens to return, say around midnight. It’s dark, the captain is tired, it’s been along day. Perhaps it’s raining or stormy as hell and all he wants to do is pull into his slip, and is unprepared for this unexpected surprise. Trying to suddenly compensate for this situation is something even the best captain can find difficult to deal with. He is blown by the wind and bumps into another boat, a dock, or maybe his pulpit just took out the post with
his electric meter and hookup. This causes a short, the sparks ignite a fire, and we now have an impending disaster happening. Unauthorized use of another’s slip is ABSOLUTELY against the moorage rules.

5.03. Temporary Use of Slips. No slip may be temporarily used without the permission of the Committee or the Mooring Member who has been assigned permanent moorage in the slip. A Mooring Member may allow the temporary use of the member's slip to another member for moorage for a period not to exceed two weeks in each quarter without obtaining permission of the Committee.

5.04. Discretionary Moorage. In addition to the foregoing temporary moorage, the Bridge may authorize and permit additional temporary moorage at the Club's facilities.

Going beyond these specific rules always causes problems. AND, it’s been my experience in meeting members and knowing them as my frinds, that if prior permission has been asked for, members are truly kind, and will nearly always allow somebody to temporarily use the slip. The Moorage Chairman also must be notified of this so that if, in the case somebody calls and says, “so and so is in this guy’s slip,” we
know how to respond.

Richard J. Frisch
Moorage Committee Chairman

Eric, Edie and I returned to Bainbridge Island on September 11th after a wonderful six-week cruise to the Broughtons. We are so lucky to have this beautiful area to cruise in and we never take it for granted. The Pacific Northwest has the best boating in the world! (Captain's addition: These cruises are not tension-free - there was some concern early-on that we might run low on vermouth.).

I must admit, I did think about and wonder how the Outstation was doing in our absence. I left a board up to let people know if the grounds or flower pots needed to be watered. As it got warmer people realized how much time it takes to keep this place green and trimmed! It's not easy but the effort of many people kept the place looking good - Thank you all for your time and energy.

We hear that P/C Bob and Crystal Yates' Labor Day event went well and the "beer can chicken" was a winner. We also understand there were some creative decorations, and are sorry we missed it. Everybody enjoyed the warm summer weekend and many are still here as I write this article.

I had hoped downtown Bainbridge Island construction work would be done by the time we returned, and for the most part it is. There are still some finishing touches that need to be done but the end result will be very nice. The wider sidewalks and planter boxes will make your next visit to downtown Bainbridge an even more pleasant experience. The merchants need our support as they had a very slow summer due to the length of time it took for this project to get done. (Where do you get vermouth?)

BarbEric visited the Outstation at Deer Harbor for a couple of nights on our way back. We had a lovely stay and Edie enjoyed the park and beach next door. Just glancing at the sign-in book, it looks like quite a few members have enjoyed a night or two at Deer Harbor!

Time to get ready for Larry and J'Anna's fishing tournament...

Barb Wood