Bilge Pump: September 2008

This is my last column. It seems strange in some ways to write those words as time has moved by so quickly. At the same time it is a relief to do so because it has been a lot of work.

What impressed Cammy and me most during the past three years has been the willingness of people to give of their time and talent. These are the individuals who deserve thanks for the respect and honor they have shown for the traditions of Queen City Yacht Club. Each of you has earned our admiration.

At the second meeting in September, our club will have its change of watch and Dale and Susie Roberts, Ed and Elaine Jennerich and George and Nancy Austin will move forward to fill the ranks and continue the tradition. I know they will have your support.

Going forward, I challenge each of you to consider and answer for yourselves: What is my relationship to Queen City Yacht Club? There are few obligations aside from paying dues. We have grown to be a big business with significant properties. We manage multiple facilities and provide member services on a large scale. The tasks necessary to the business of this club are unbelievably complex and put bluntly, none of us could afford to belong if we had to pay someone to manage it. If all of us chose to become consumers instead of givers, the club would not survive. The club needs more of you to step up.

I want to leave you with this thought. You are in control of but one thing in life and that is your attitude. Attitude can make or break a society, a company, a church or a home. It can make or break friendships and is the one trait that most people identify when describing another. Bring a good and positive attitude to each day and you will affect those around you. It will be good for the club and good for you individually.

One minor point of business. The annual awards will be announced at the September 10, General Membership meeting. Come find out who wins Member of the Year and who is (are?) the Commodore's Trophy winners. An added late extra will be a presentation by Captain Butch Scherrer on his summer at camp!

Cammy and I have come to the end of our term and it is time for us to retire. We take away some memories that we will always treasure. We began our tour of duty in the belief that we had something to offer. We have given our best. We have given three years of our lives. The 92nd year of this club has come and gone. We hand off the duties of office.

Safe boating.

Bill McGillin
Commodore

The focus of this Bilge Pump article, my last as Vice Commodore, will be to thank all those who helped me progress through my Vice Commodore year, and then report on some recent projects and events. I’ll begin with the latter, as it is easier for me to list what has been recently completed.

The largest project was re-roofing three of the moorage covers on Dock 2. The project sounds simple enough, but nearly fifty years of built-up roofing had to be removed before installing the new roof membrane. Prior to starting any work, an intensive planning process was undertaken to figure out where to store all the boats that had to be removed before work could begin overhead. The project was overseen by Captain Art Mauldin, and with his tenacious efforts, it was completed in less time than expected and under budget. Thank you Art! There were many other members who gave untold hours of their time to help move boats and clean the underside of the moorage covers. Captain Jeff Purvis has submitted an article to this issue of The Bilge Pump that lists all those who contributed, but in doing so, failed to mention his own efforts. Thank you Jeff. A new bike rack was installed at the Winslow Outstation just before the Fourth of July celebration, and early reports showed that it was well utilized. Also, mark your calendars for the upcoming “Dock Inspection Project” that will take place in late October and early November. The Club can really use your help in this vital project and the information gleaned from the survey will help determine which pile caps need to be replaced this winter and in subsequent years.

Next year’s Bridge attended the Grand 14’s Officers’ Cruise-in at Bremerton Yacht Club in August and we all had a great time. Although I’m not yet a Commodore, I attended the Cruise-in as Commodore-elect, and Ed Jennerich attended as a Vice Commodore-elect. Rear Commodore-elect George Austin couldn’t attend because of his daughter’s wedding, but his counterparts noted his absence and are looking forward to George and Nancy joining their class, the “Sassy Salmon.” The Cruise-in is basically a time to bond with other Yacht Club Officers which in turn helps to create a network of support that we can all draw from as we go through the chairs.

As promised, I want to thank all those who helped me complete my Vice Commodore year. To start with, Commodore McGillin gave me latitude to accomplish what was necessary, and gave me his unwavering support whenever it was needed. Our friendship with Bill and Cammy is valued by both Susie and me, and we look forward to their support in my Commodore year. Rear Commodore Ed Jennerich and Elaine were also great fun to be around, and his well thought out ideas and opinions will be invaluable as he moves into his Vice Commodore year. We all look forward to working with our next Rear Commodore, George Austin and his wife Nancy. George will officially join the bridge at the Change of Watch on September 24th. Finally, I would like to thank my wife Susie. I value her opinions and use her as a sounding board, but mostly I thank her for putting up with my absorption into the workload that I’ve taken on in going through the chairs. Thank you for your support.

Dale Roberts
Vice Commodore

It’s hard to believe the summer is already winding down. Despite fuel costs, I hope you had some quality time on the water. Elaine and I made it as far north as our Ganges outstation and also stopped at Deer Harbor on our return leg. It’s a great membership benefit to have such high quality outstations.

The new parking stickers appear to be working really well this summer. There have been very few violations and most everyone has been a good Club citizen. I really appreciate everyone’s cooperation in trying to resolve, as best we can, a very tight parking situation.

I’ve had several suggestions for improvements to the new dumpster enclosures and you’ll notice they have been implemented. We’ve added an additional post on the swinging gates so they don’t inadvertently swing into any vehicles and cause damage. On the large enclosure, we’ve added a rolling gate on the small entrance which will block the unsightly view into the enclosure. Thanks for your positive feedback on the enclosures—the view has certainly improved!

Your membership team has begun planning for a QCYC booth at the Boat Show in January. This will be a great opportunity to recruit new members. In order to make it happen, we’ll need volunteers to help staff the booth. Having organized the RBAW booth staffing for the past several years, I know QCYC will be equal to the task – and you get free admission the day you work the booth. What a deal!

I’m looking forward to the Change of Watch and to assuming the duties and responsibilities of your Vice Commodore. I sincerely appreciate your continued confidence and support and I look forward to working with you next year.

Fair Winds,

Ed Jennerich